“Heart to Heart” Resources & Recipes

We had a great time this morning at our “Heart to Heart” seminar, thank-you for all who came out and made it such a great event.

Special thanks to Amy Troy of Chichester Massage for an amazing session on couples massage. I know all our couples were grateful, but especially those clients who cranked the burpees yesterday! Amy taught us proper technique, what areas to avoid, and how we as couples can de-stress and just feel better. Loved it!

Also a special shout out to coach Nancy for putting together a live “Cooking with the Carlson’s” demo. She showed us how to make a variety of quick breakfasts as well as some options for putting dinner together in less than 10 minutes. Great info, and as a bonus we have included the recipes from the seminar at the end of this post.

We also had a brief discussion on how critical support is as we seek to reach our body composition, performance and health goals, particularly from those who are close to us. The audio is about 13 minutes long, and is a little scratchy until the 5:23 mark, but I think you will find it worth the listen.

Click Here To Listen To Our “Heart to Heart” Chat

P.S. We didn’t get too many pictures because we were having too much fun with the massage!

Recipe Book

Oatmeal Icing

• ¼ cup plain yogurt
• 1 scoop (UMP) Vanilla Protein Powder

Mix ingredients together and add to top of your hot oatmeal with your favorite fruit.

Yummy For My Tummy Crock Pot Oatmeal

• 2 cups Old Fashioned Oats (You can also use Steel Cut oats)
• 6 cups water
• Cinnamon (optional)

Put the oats and the water, along with anything else you want to add to the mix in the crock pot, turn on low,  and go to bed thinking about what a great breakfast you’re going to have.

It comes out very creamy from the slow cooking. Serves 4

Pumpkin Pecan Shake

• 1/4 cup Natural Pumpkin Puree
• 1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
• 1/8 cup Raw Pecans
• 1 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice
• 1 Cup of Ice (or add to taste)
• 1 Cup of “Calorie Countdown Fat-Free Milk”
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
•  2 Tbsp. Flax Meal
• Optional- Add splenda or stevia to taste

Put the ingredients in a blender, blend away, pour into a glass and enjoy. If you like a thinner consistency, feel free to add a bit of water. Sprinkle with Pumpkin Pie Spice for added flavor.

Spinach Protein Shake from Melissa at The Road Crew

• 1/8 cup frozen blueberries
• 2 cups spinach, raw
• 1 serving vanilla whey protein powder
• 1 cup water

Mix altogether in a blender until smooth! Enjoy!

I added extra spinach and ice. There was more than 2 tall glasses worth. I think next time I will add two scoops of protien and call it 2 servings. Kale can be substituted for the spinach and strawberries for the blueberries.

Crock Pot Recipes

Beef

Savory Beef Roast

• ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tablespoon ketchup
• 2 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 Pounds boneless beef bottom round
• ½ cup chopped onion

Combine first three ingredients and pour into crock pot. Place meat in and turn to coat. Sprinkle onion on meat. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours or on high heat for 5 hours.

Sirloin Tip Roast with Horseradish

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• ¾ teaspoon oregano
• ¼ teaspoon basil
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1-4pound boneless beef siroin tip roast, cut in half
• ½ cup beef broth

Combine seasonings. Spread over roast halves. Place in slow cooker. Add broth. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove from cooker. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing diagonally across the grain. Scoop juices from crock pot into gravy dish. Serve with horseradish if desired.

Peppered Beef

• 2 pounds lean beef round steaks, sliced thin
• 1 large green pepper, sliced thin
• 1 large red pepper, sliced thin
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 Tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon ginger or a teaspoon freshly grated
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Place onion and peppers inside crock pot. Place meat in criss cross patterns in pot, avoiding stacking meat directly on top of each other. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over meat. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low or 4-5 on high.

Beef Fajitas

• 1 ½ pound beef flank steak, cut into 6 even portions
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 large green pepper, cut into ½ pieces
• 2 Tablespoon jalapeno peppers, can used canned
• 1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 14 ounce can stewed tomatoes, do not drain
• Shredded cheddar cheese optional
• Salsa, optional

Combine steak, onion, pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, chili powder, and coriander in slow cooker. Stir in tomatoes.

Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high 4-5. Using a slotted spoon, place on a bed of lettuce and sprinkle with cheese and salsa.

Pork

Salsa Style Pork

• 1 pound pork loin, cut into one inch cubes
• 1 20 ounce jar of salsa
• 1 4 ounce jar of diced green chilis, drained
• 1 15 ounce can of black beans, drained
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Combine pork loin, salsa, chilis, and black beans in crock pot and mix well. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low. Sprinkle cheese and cilantro over top and serve.

Three ingredient pork chops

• 4 pork chops, ½ inch thick
• 1 15 ounce can vegetarian chili
• 1 14 ounce can stewed tomatoes, do not drain

Combine all ingredients in crock pot in order listed. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours.

Pork Chop with Pepper Tomato Sauce

• 4 pork chops ½ inch thick
• 3 cups Onion and Peppers cut up
• 1 14 1/2 ounce can stewed tomatoes
• ½ cup ketchup
• 2 Tablespoon cider vinegar
• 2 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 Tablespoon cold water

Combine all ingredients except cornstarch and water in crock pot. Cover and cook on low heat for 5-6 hours. Combine cornstarch and water in small bowl. Add to crockpot and stir to mix. Cover and cook about 30 minutes more.

Peppered Pork

• 2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into strips
• 2 Tablespoon chicken broth
• 2 peppers, sliced, a variety of colors is best
• 2 cups fresh mushrooms
• 1 8 ounce can of tomatoe sauce
• 1 ½ teaspoon white vinegar
• 2 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine pork strips, broth, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoe sauce, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce in crock pot. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours.

Turkey

Herbed Turkey Breast

• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 12 baby carrots
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1- 4 pound boneless turkey breast
• 1- 14 ounce can of chicken broth
• 1 Tablespoon rosemary
• 1/8 teaspoon sage
• 1/8 teaspoon thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon marjoram
• 1/8 teaspoon oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Place vegetables in the bottom of the crock pot. Top with turkey breast. Combine seasonings and chicken broth. Pour over the top. Cover and cook on low heat for 5-7 hours.

Vegetable- stuffed Turkey breast

• 1 6 ½ pound bone in turkey breast
• 1 green pepper diced
• ½ onion, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ cup chicken broth

Place vegetables and bay leaf in body cavity of turkey. Place turkey breast in slow cooker. Sprinkle with pepper. Drizzle chicken broth over turkey. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours.

Chicken

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore – From Robin at Ladies 9 AM

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup mushroom, sliced (fresh, frozen or canned)
• 1 cup green peppers, sliced (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup onions, chopped (fresh or frozen)
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 Tablespoon canned tomato paste
• 14 1/2 oz canned crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Place chicken in a 3- to 5-quart slow cooker. Add mushrooms, green pepper, onion, garlic, tomato paste, tomatoes and juice, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and black pepper.

Cover slow cooker; cook on high heat for 5 to 6 hours or on low heat for 6 to 8 hours. Taste just before serving and add remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt if necessary. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Cajun Ranch Chicken

• 4 Tablespoon milk
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breast
• 3 Tablespoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Spray inside of slow cooker with peanut oil. Combine the spices and place in a tray. Dip chicken first in the milk and then rub with the spice mixture. Place spiced chicken in crock pot. Sprinkle remaining spices over chicken. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low or on high for 4-5.

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
• 1 – 2 teaspoons of Chipolte chili in adobo sauce (you can add more if you like the heat)
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 14.5 ounce can of petite diced tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• 3 skinless chicken breast

Pick your favorite for garnish:

scallions, chopped cilantro, cheddar cheese, jalepenos, avocado slices, black bean dip, or salsa

To make the soup.

Sauté onion in a pan over medium heat until translucent and browned. Add the ingredients, except the garnish, to a crock pot in the order listed after with the onion. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Using two forks, shred the chicken. Adjust the seasonings. Serve in bowls and top with your favorite garnish. Serves 6.

Crock Pot Chicken

• 1 whole chicken
• salt and pepper

Place chicken in crockpot, salt and pepper it. Cover and turn crock pot on low. Cook 6-8 hours. Enjoy.

Variations:

1. Place a lemon pierced with a knife in the cavity of the bird along with several sprigs of fresh parsley.
2. Vary the spices by sprinkling inside and outside the bird with Cajun spices or thyme, paprika, and sage

Your Ingredient Journal

In Wednesday’s daily nutrition email (You are getting it, right? – if not check your Spam folder and then email me if you still can’t find it) we talked about increasing awareness with an ingredient journal (I’ve included an excerpt below).

But lets get down to brass tacks.

Are you willing to actually do it?

Liz started one, and here’s what she wrote me:

“Hey Dean,

I liked the idea of listing the ingredients until I started doing it– 3 pages later…. it’s gross to see what is in food…Xanthum Gum, Palmitate and Sulfites…

and I think I eat pretty well compared to others.

Thanks for the idea, see you in the AM,
Liz”

I applaud Liz for taking action and discovering for herself what is in her food. By the way Liz does eat a lot better than most people. How do I know? Because as part of the FLAG she journal her food every day.

Making change is hard, that’s just the way it is. Keeping a food log and writing down ingredients is not easy. It DOES get easier, but you have to be willing to DO hard for a while. What steps are you taking today to move from difficult to easier?

Coach Dean

Here’s that article, as promised:

Your Ingredient Journal

You’ve probably heard the importance of keeping a food journal for increasing eating awareness and weight loss.  But what about keeping one of all the ingredients you eat.

What you ask?  Why would you do that?

To increase awareness of what you’re actually putting in your body.  If you eat an apple and natural (unroasted or salted) almonds for a snack, you’d simply write:

1. Apple
2. Almonds

A total of  2 ingredients

On the other hand, if you eat a Krispy Kreme doughnut, you’d write (better make sure your pencil is extra sharp):

1. Enriched white flour contains 2. bleached white flour, 3. Niacin, 4. Reduced Iron, 5. Thiamine Mononitrate, 6. Riboflavin, 7. Folic Acid, 8. Dextrose, 9.Vegetable Shortening (Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Cottonseed Oil)10. Water, 11. Sugar, 12. Soy 13. Flour, 14. Egg Yolks,15. Vital Wheat Gluten, 16. Yeast, 17. Nonfat Milk, 18. Yeast Nutrients, 19. Calcium Sulfate, 20. Ammonium Sulfate, 21. Dough Conditioners, 22. Calcium Dioxide, 23. Monocalcium Phosphate, 24. Dicalcium Phosphate, 25. Diammonium Phosphate, 26. Sodium Stearoyl-2-Lactylate, 27. Whey, 28. Starch, 29. Ascorbic Acid, 30. Sodium Bicarbonate, 31. Calcium Carbonate 32. Salt, 33. Monoglycerides 34.  Diglycerides, 35. Lecithin, 36. Calcium Propionate (Preservative) 37. Cellulose Gum, 38. Malted Barley Flour 39. Natural Flavors 40. Artificial Flavrs 41. Enzymes, 42. Sodium, 43. Caseinate, 44. Corn Maltodextrin, 45. Corn Syrup Solids and 46. BHT (to Help Protect Flavor).  Glaze Contains: 47. Sugar, 48. Water, 49. Corn Starch, 50. Calcium Carbonate, 51. Calcium Sulfate, 52. Agar, 53. Dextrose, 54.Locust Bean Gum, 55. Disodium Phosphate, 56. Sorbitan 57. Monostearate, 58. Mono- and 59. Diglycerides, 60. Artificial Flavor and 61 Salt.

A total of 61 ingredients.  Which do you think is better for you?

Makes you think twice about the Krispy Kreme doughnut, huh?

Of course few people eat JUST a doughnut, so you’d have to then add in everything else you eat/drink during that meal too.

Aim to eat foods with 5 or less ingredients.

While we don’t know what most additives do to us in the long run at this time, the less junk we can put in our body, especially of ingredients we can’t pronounce, the better.

What if you went to the MD for surgery and they said “well, I don’t really know if this is going to work in the long run, but heck, why not give it a whirl…”

Kind of the same idea.  We don’t really know if this is going to have an effect on your body in the long run…
So give it a try.

Take a look at all you’re eating and drinking and write it down daily!  If your hand starts to cramp from too much writing by lunchtime, maybe it’s time to switch up your foods!

Athletic Revolution Academy Coming Soon!

During the week of February school vacation Get Fit NH’s Athletic Revolution will be holding a 5 day Conditioning and Performance Academy for our Transformation (High School Age) Athletes. This academy has been coordinated with the help of Adam Rosenthal in association with Concord Crew, and I want to thank him for his help and willingness to open the academy to other area athletes.

Each session will be 90 minutes in length, and include the following training modalities:

• Pre-training SMR
• Warm-up and Mobility
• Dynamic and Explosive Training
• Strength Training
• Energy Systems Training
• Flexibility Training

Academy Details:

Dates:  February 27th, 28th, 29th, March 1st and 2nd (Monday through Friday)
Time:  10:00am to 11:30am Daily
Cost:  $60
Requirements:  Completed Champion Profile and Release. Positive attitude, willingness to learn and desire to work hard.

All athletes will receive an Athletic Revolution “T” upon completion of the week.

To register, please visit http://www.athleticrevolutionnh.com/registration/

For more information about Athletic Revolution, please visit http://www.athleticrevolutionnh.com/program/

About Athletic Revolution NH Coaches:
Dean Carlson is the director and owner of Athletic Revolution NH and Get Fit NH Bootcamp. He holds both Level 1 and 2 YFS from the International Youth Conditioning Association. He played competitive soccer into college, and his coaching experience includes high school boys soccer. Dean currently competes in adventure racing.

Erin Fraumann graduated from UNH with a degree in exercise science. She holds the NSCA-CSCS as well as Level 1 YFS from the IYCA. Erin currently runs our girls soccer conditioning and performance clinics.

Inspiration from Katrina!

I love this poem! Thanks for sharing Katrina!

“Dean,  You always send us inspirational things,I want to share something that you may have heard, but when my son Kellen started at Bishop Brady High School this was sent to all of us in their newsletter. Kellen graduated in 2000 and to this day this is posted on my refrigerator. Especially since my husband and I are self employed when things seem like they couldn’t go more wrong, I read this and it gives me inspiration.  It definitely helps me also in my workout as well, I reached my lowest weight and inches this morning since I started bootcamp in July. Big smile on my face today.   Thank you bootcamp!! – Katrina G.”

When things go wrong, as they sometimes well,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest! if you must—but never quit.

Life is queer, with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won if he’d stuck it out;
Stick to your task, though the pace seems slow—
You may succeed with one more blow.

Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt–
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when your’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that YOU MUSTN’T QUIT!!

Rock N’ Race 2012

Hey guys, just a quick heads up that our team page for the 2012 Rock ‘N Race is up! I know it seems like it’s early, but you can never start too early to support this amazing benefit run/walk that support the Payson Center for Cancer Care at Concord Hospital.

We had an incredible team last year, with 71 participants who raised nearly $4000 and reached “Rock Star” status – Amazing!

For this years 10th anniversary, our team goal is 75 members and $5000 raised. You gotta think big!

The Merrimack Rock N’ Race to benefit the Payson Center for Cancer Care
Thursday May 17
6:20pm

Click Here To Join The Team

Make The Most of Every Day

I was reminded once again this week how short life is, and how time passes by so fast.

The first thing that reminded me was that Wednesday was (is) our anniversary. You guys that are in your late teens and early 20’s probably think being married 26 years is FOR-EV-ER, but to me that time has swept through like a passing breeze. I think that Nancy and I would both agree that our marriage has it’s ups and downs, but just like a healthy body, the hard work and commitment a healthy marriage takes is more than worth the effort. Just like when you are working toward being physically stronger there can be the temptation to quit when things get tough. I am grateful for a partner that has never quit on me.

I love you Nancy Carlson.

The second thing that reminded me that life is short is that two of our bootcamp family each lost one of their parents this week. I think whether we know the time is short or it hits us out of the blue, we can never be fully prepared for losing the ones we love. Our thoughts and prayers are both Steve and Colleen and their families during this time.

Events in our lives or the lives of the ones we care about can and should refocus us on what is really important. As I write this Amy, my 5 year old, came in and “disturbed” me by showing me the bear on the back of her quarter from Alaska. She was so proud that she was keeping her money in her change purse. I could have shooed her away because I am busy, but I think I am finally starting to learn that moments like that are all too fleeting, and we need to embrace them while we can.

We make choices every day.

Choose to make the most of this one, and every one you are given.

Make It Happen!

Coach Dean

Wicked Winter Workout Inside Edition

Thanks for everyone who came out this morning to the Wicked Winter Workout – Inside Edition.

Kudos to the 17 Get Fit NH Bootcamp Epsom crew that came out to Concord, and to all you who trained last night AND came this morning my hat is off to you. Those 2 training sessions back to back was getting some work done!

Keep Making It Happen!

Coach Nancy Know How To Party!

I love football – Go Patriots!

You can party and keep your waistline intact. If you don’t want to look like a lineman after Sunday night, try some of these healthier choices for the big game!

Black Bean and Corn with Salsa dressing

• 1 – 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 red pepper, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 1 celery stalk with leaves, sliced
• 1 Tablespoon cilantro, chopped
• ¼ cup plain yogurt
• ¼ cup salsa
• ½ avocado, sliced
• Lettuce leaves

In a bowl combine the beans, corn, pepper, celery, cilantro. Combine the yogurt and salsa. Toss to coat. Top lettuce leaves with salad. Garnish with avocado slices. Serves 6

Using Hester’s Grillin Spice Rub Create your own Spicy Chicken Wings

The amount of wings is up to you.

Hester’s Grillin Spice Rub

• 1/4 cup salt
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1/4 cup Spanish paprika
• 2 T onion powder
• 2 T garlic powder
• 1 T cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 2 T thyme
• 2 T basil
• 2 T oregano
• 2 T coriander
• 1/2 tsp. white pepper
• 1 T. ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Rub wings with a little olive oil first.  Add spice rub to a Ziploc bag and shake wings until well coated. Arrange wings on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn and sprinkle with more spice rub. Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Helen’s Pizza Crust

Here’s a pizza recipe with 1.7 grams of carbs! Well, that’s if it serves 8…. In our house, it doesn’t but you can do the math. And, the kids couldn’t even tell the difference! This is the only pizza in our house and I don’t miss the “regular” at all.

• 3 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1 cup shredded Colby and Monterey jack cheese
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. basil

Combine above  – this is the crust. Honest! Use a 13 x 9 pan.

Bake this ‘crust’ at 450 degrees until browned to desired crispness/doneness, about 25 minutes.

It does not stick to the pan.

Then top with ¼ cup pizza sauce, more or less to your taste or your carb load. Add any mix of toppings that you like. You can also add additional cheese on top. Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted to just how you like it!

Round out your party with a veggie platter and hummus dip and you are ready to watch the Pats rock the Giants world!

Make it Happen!

Venue Change for Saturdays Wicked Winter Workout

It’ll still be “Wicked”, but due to the fact that there is no snow to speak of, we are going to move the “WWW” inside this Saturday.

We will meet at Get Fit NH Bootcamp Concord at 8:00am sharp and get after it.

Be there!

Wicked Winter Workout (Inside Edition)
Saturday February 4th
8:00am to 9:30am
Get Fit NH Bootcamp Concord

Hippo Press Best of Awards 2012

Hey guys, it’s that time of year again! It’s the annual Hippo Press “Best of” awards and this year we are going for the trifecta!

Vote Here!

You all have graciously voted “Get Fit NH Bootcamp” Best Gym for two years in a row, and last year Coach Nancy was voted “Best of the Best” in all of Southern NH, following up Coach Dean’s “Best of Concord” the year before – you rock!

We would be honored if you would vote for us (and our friends) in the following categories:

#9 Best Gym: Get Fit NH Bootcamp Concord

#105 Fitness Instructor: Nancy Carlson Get Fit NH Bootcamp Concord

The competition is always stiff, so please let your voice be heard, and don’t be shy about letting people know. 🙂

Vote Here!

Make It Happen!