Healthy Dinner Ideas: Easy Peasy!- Stacey Pena Review

Healthy Dinner Ideas: Easy Peasy!

Are you breaking into cold sweats because summer is just around the corner and you are thinking about bikinis and shorts? Well you’re definitely not alone. How about coming up with Healthy Dinner Ideas? Fear not! You haven’t missed the boat yet. You can get your body back into summer shape and you can still do it the good old-fashioned way, with balanced nutrition and exercise. The best part is unlike the old days, you don’t have to spend months and months waiting for results. If you couple these healthy dinner ideas with workouts like The 21 Day Fix Extreme, you’ll be summer-ready in a few weeks.

Healthy Dinner Ideas: Easy Peasy!

Check out this seven day healthy dinner idea meal plan:

Monday: Quinoa Salad with Salmon:

•        8-ounce Salmon fillet (skin-on)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup uncooked Quinoa
• 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
• 1 cubed cucumber
• 1/2 cup red onion (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped basil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Cook Quinoa according to box directions. Season salmon, heat a tablespoon of oil over high heat. Cook the salmon skin side down for 2 minutes. Lower heat to medium and cook for 3-4 more minutes until skin is golden. Flip salmon and cook 2 more minutes. Remove salmon from heat, flake apart, and add all ingredients including cooked quinoa to a bowl. Gently stir all ingredients together.

Tuesday: Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Lean Turkey Meat Sauce

• 1 lb. lean turkey
• 1 onion
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 jar prepared spaghetti sauce
• 1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti noodles

Saute’ onion for five minutes in olive oil, add ingredients through 5, and boil noodles in salted water per box directions. Serve one cup of noodles with one cup of sauce.

Wednesday: Turkey Taco Salad

• 1 lb. lean ground turkey
• 1 package of Lawry’s Taco Seasoning
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 can vegetarian fat-free refried beans or black beans
• 1 cup low-fat shredded mexican cheese blend
• 1 cup prepared salsa or pico de gallo
• 1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
• 1 bag shredded lettuce (lettuce of your choice)

Sauté turkey in olive oil with seasonings until brown. Heat beans. Assemble with lettuce as the base, top with taco meat, beans, cheese, salsa, and sour cream. Enjoy!

Thursday: Grilled Pork Loin Medallions with Garlic Lemon-Pepper Asparagus

• 1 pound boneless pork loin cut into 1/4 inch medallions
• salt & pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 bunch of asparagus
• 1 tbsp. lemon-pepper seasoning

Cut and season pork. Heat a grill pan with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Add pork to grill pan and grill for 3 minutes on the first side, and 2 minutes on the other side. Add asparagus to a large saute pan with 1 cup of water for 5 minutes. Drain water, add remaining olive oil, and season with minced garlic and lemon-pepper seasonings. Cook about 2 more minutes or until desired level of doneness.

Friday: Grilled Chicken with broccoli and corn

• 1 cup Lawry’s Herb & Garlic 30 minute marinade
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 ears of corn
• 2 cups of broccoli

Marinate chicken for 30 minutes. Shuck corn and lightly coat with olive oil then wrap corn in foil. Add marinated chicken to a hot grill along with foil wrapped corn. Grill chicken until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. Corn needs about 15 minutes. Steam broccoli for five minutes while allowing the chicken breasts to rest.

Saturday: Summer Spaghetti with Light Caprice Salad

• 1 lb. angel hair or spaghetti (thin spaghetti) noodles
• sliced summer squash
• sliced zucchini
• 2 carrots (shaved or peeled into thin strips)
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 container cherry or grape tomatoes halved
• 1 bunch of basil
• 2 large beefsteak tomatoes
• 1/3 cup low-fat mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

Boil salted water. Saute ingredients 2-5 in a tbsp. of olive oil for 6 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes and half of the amount of basil for 2 minutes. Add noodles to water, boil no more than 6 minutes. Drain noodles and add to saute pan. Add tbsp. olive oil. Toss to combine.

Cut remaining basil into strips. Slice beefsteak tomatoes, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and basil strips, drizzle with remaining oil, 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Sunday: Sirloin Steak Kabobs with Grilled Polenta

• 1 lb. boneless sirloin steak cut into cubes
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 red onion
• 1 zucchini
• 1 squash
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 18 ounce tube prepared polenta

Cut vegetables (other than tomatoes) and meat into even 1 inch pieces to ensure they cook at the same rate. Prepare kebabs alternating with meat and vegetables. Drizzle with 1/8 cup of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Cut polenta into 1/4 inch medallions, drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Cook polenta and kebabs on a hot grill. Start polenta first, after about 10 minutes add kebabs. Grill about 5 minutes per side.

Having a Beachbody isn’t out of reach this summer! Try these Healthy Dinner Ideas and you will be energized and be able to conquer any fitness routine and make your goals a reality.

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/healthy-dinner-ideas-easy-peasy/#!17

The Best Workout Programs for Busy Women- Stacey Pena Review

The Best Workout Programs for Busy Women

Let’s face it…  Trying to figure out the best workout programs for busy women can be a HUGE challenge!  You have an active schedule and we know that you often have a busy life that keeps you dashing from place to place all day long. With a hectic schedule it is hard to fit in a visit to the gym. Plus the truth is, a lot of days you most likely don’t have the self-motivation get there. Waking up in the morning over an hour early just to cram in thirty minutes at the gym, doesn’t appeal to most. Heading to the gym on your lunch break, how does that sound? We all know that only works if the gym is close enough to your office to make that realistic. Then you have the stay-at-home moms who try to fit their workouts in between nap times, snacks, and all the responsibilities that come with being the parent home with the children all day. We get it! Sometimes it feels like you’re never going to find the time to get back in the shape you desire.

Let’s get real! You need a workout that will fit into your schedule and allow you to tone your body, trim your waistline, and get in shape from the privacy of your own home. There’s no need to go to the gym and waste 30-60 minutes of your time round trip to sort of get a workout. So how do you get the best workout? Beachbody On-Demand!

The Best Workout Programs for Busy Women

It offers the best videos for women and men, all gathered in one place. You have easy access 24/7, and all you have to do is choose the routine that works best for you (or design your own routine based around a selection of several different videos). Beachbody On-Demand offers plenty of workouts that are easy to incorporate into any schedule. Your biggest decision is to choose the time that works best for you! You can pull up any of a selection of videos and get your workout in whenever and wherever you want. Yes that is what I said…You can work out anywhere. Beachbody On-Demand can be streamed on your smart phone, tablet, or laptop. Simply log-in and access the library of programs.

You can choose from some of the most popular programs like P90X®, P90X2®, P90X3®, INSANITY®, TurboFire®, ChaLEAN Extreme®, Brazil Butt Lift®, 10-Minute Trainer®, and Hip Hop Abs®. All of them are available in the library for you to stream at your convenience. Another great feature is you get insider sneak peeks. With these sneak peeks you get access to try programs like PiYo®, 21 Day Fix®, Body Beast®, or FOCUS T25®. Plus, new titles are added to the library each month, so you’ll never run out of fun, exciting new workout routines that will help you get results. You get all of this for one low monthly fee.

It is time to stop feeling like you will never find a workout program that works for you. It is time to stop wasting money on gym membership. It is time to stop wasting time driving to and from the gym. Beachbody and the Beachbody Challenge is what you need to get results and save you time and money. Beachbody programs allow you to work out from home (saving time and money), get access to nutrition and meal planning membership benefits, and provides you with a FREE health, fitness, and nutrition coach. Tell me what gym membership ever gave you a FREE Coach?

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/the-best-workout-programs-for-busy-women/#!17

How to Eat Healthy While Traveling- Stacey Pena Review

Eating healthy while traveling can be intimidating. Potential weight gain and feeling sluggish doesn’t have to be a part of your travel plans. As we all know, eating healthy on the road can be a challenge. It is easy to load up on the food that is easily accessible, and most of your meals will come from restaurants. Which all can lead to potential weight gain, sluggishness, and detriment to our bodies. So ultimately it will take a bit of pre-travel preparation on your part to make things a bit easier, which is absolutely worth it.

Here are a few suggestions. It truly starts with planning! If you are prepared you won’t be at the mercy of airplane meals or roadside food services. Packing a variety of snacks that easily transport can be as easy as packing all of your other belongings.

1. Handmade individual trail mixes. You can custom make trail mix blends based on what nutrients your body needs.
2. Pre-packaged trail mixes (choose clean, whole organic ingredients).
3. Nuts and Dried fruits
4. Healthy Meal Replacement Shake
5. Raw food bars or good nutritious bars with clean ingredients
6. Bananas, oranges, nectarines, and fruits that have an outer layer that protects the inner food.

Check out and download our book with other tips for eating healthy while traveling.

SOME ADDITIONAL TIPS:

1. It is always good to eat a healthy filling meal like a salad with lots of vegetables and some protein, or a vegetable burrito prior to your travel, so it can carry you for a bit longer of time frame.
2. When eating at restaurants be sure to look for a health conscious salads and other grilled meats and vegetable options at mealtimes.
3. Be sure to drink plenty of clean water while traveling. Your body needs the additional fluids to stay hydrated and properly digest the foods when it is out of your ordinary nutrition consumption.

How to Eat Healthy While Traveling

Even with all of these preparations, eating healthy on the road while traveling can be difficult. You may find that eating less while traveling is helpful, in fact you can use traveling time as opportunity to fast a bit, and/or eat a vegetarian diet. It is a good way to give your digestive system a break for a few days. Though it can be challenging to find healthy foods outside of the home, do not be discouraged. There certainly are a number of products that can carry you through your travels.

Need help finding your way? How about an on-line meal planner, nutrition guide, health and nutrition coach, and 150 of Beachbody’s Top Rated Fitness Programs Streaming to your cell phone, pad device, or laptop for $2.99 per week, and you’re first month is FREE!

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/how-to-eat-healthy-while-traveling/#!17

Strength Training Exercises: Without a Gym Membership- Stacey Pena Review

Strength Training Exercises: Without a Gym Membership

With your busy schedule, you don’t always have time to get to the gym. Whether you’re working full time outside the home, working from home, or a stay-at-home spouse or parent, your schedule is packed with things that you need to get done. That is understandable but that shouldn’t prevent you from being healthy and having the body you’ve always wanted. Strength Training Exercises can be accomplished right in your living room, or any other room in your house. No fancy gym equipment needed, and Without a Gym Membership!

Simply pick a Beachbody On-Demand program that works for you. With Beachbody On-Demand you can fit your workout in no matter what time of day it is, and you can do it anywhere. One of the best things about the Beachbody On-Demand programs, is there is something for every fitness level. Each program as a modifier for each exercise and will show you how to perform the exercises correctly to avoid injury. No matter what your fitness level, beginner to super experienced there is a Beachbody On-Demand program that will work for you.

Strength Training Exercises: Without a Gym Membership

Ideally, you want a program that will challenge you without pushing you too hard. Most of the at-home strength training programs progress at the level that is needed to give you that push. Of course you can always use the modifier if necessary to fit your current activity level. You can choose body weight exercises, or try a workout that uses weights, bands, or other basic tools that you might already have sitting in your home. Of course if you are just getting started and don’t want to commit to buying equipment you can always use canned food or water bottles for hand weights.

If it’s been a while since you last engaged in regular exercise, it’s probably unrealistic to expect yourself to dive in to exercising five or more days per week. If this is the case it would be suggested to start with a basic exercise program that allows you to get in some strength training two or three days per week. It is would also be recommended that you follow the calendar for the program to help keep you on track. Be sure to give yourself small rewards for staying on track. Maybe there’s a movie that you’ve been desperate to see or a book that you’ve been waiting to read. Promise yourself that if you stay on track with your strength training program for an entire week, you’ll allow yourself that treat.

Mix it up! With the huge library offered by Beachbody On-Demand, you can easily access different programs and workouts that will keep your routine fresh and interesting. Having a steady regimen for 3-4 weeks and then changing it up is always a good thing. This can help create greater results.

Workouts and strength training through Beachbody On-Demand is an easy way to get in shape from the comfort of your own home. You don’t have to go anywhere and it will save you some money by not having a gym membership or driving to the gym. All you need is a television, tablet, or computer and a commitment to getting in better shape. What more could you ask for?

How Often Should I Eat? - Stacey Pena Review

How Often Should I Eat? Let’s face it, since the dawn of man the rule for consumption of food was simply to eat to survive. Well our modern society and lifestyle has changed and flipped that simple process.

Obesity rates continue to grow and will be affecting more than two-thirds of Americans in the next 5-10 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So you can see the simple rule has flipped and it appears that humans survive so they can eat.

Through the years we have seen nutrition and diet science, and programs change their design about what foods best suit our needs as a society, but you don’t hear about when to eat. The question that seem to arise most often is “How Often Should I Eat?”

The most popular approach to the question of How Often Should I Eat for general health and weight maintenance has been to spread calories throughout the day by consuming 5-6 smaller meals. The concept of doing this method is that you are most likely to feel less hungry at any particular time, and in turn you will not be apt to over indulge or eat in excess.

A study found in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, shows data on this approach. It states that people who were of their ideal weight and able to maintain their weight reported eating more often than individuals who were overweight and obese.

How Often Should I Eat?

The overall hypothesis is eat small meals and snacks spread out every 3- 3 ½ hours from the time of breakfast. This proves to keep you sustained which avoids greater levels of hunger, and will limit overeating. Therefore control of caloric intake and, ultimately control of body weight.

Though we know that eating throughout the day with 5-6 smaller meals can benefit for weight maintenance, how does is measure up for weight loss.

According to a study done by Circadian Biologist Ph.D. Amandine Chaix, consuming meals 5-6 times throughout the day can aid in weight loss, but it needs to be meals that are healthy and portioned appropriately. It was found that if the foods were high-fat, sugar or highly processed that the individuals still became obese. The complete findings found that those fed in the 9-12 hour window with 5-6 smaller meals that were portioned and low in processed, high fat, and high sugar were leaner. “So, already being obese and switching to time-restricted feeding with healthier foods and portions, does create weight loss. That is powerful.” Chaix said.

The research of meal timing shows further benefits in addition to those who want to lose weight and maintain their weight, especially as it relates to the consumption of protein.

When spreading the protein consumption throughout the day in smaller doses the body is able to assimilate and use the protein for greater gains and recovery of the muscle tissue. This can help maintain muscle loss during weight loss, and through the aging process.

How Often Should I Eat?

The answer is 5-6 smaller meals per day. Spaced out every 3-3 ½ hours after the consumption of breakfast. Though you must also keep in mind that for weight loss and maintenance the number of calories at each meal and throughout the day still plays a very large role in this process.

If you are trying to lose weight, you need to consume smaller meals spread throughout the day, create a calorie deficit through portioned meals, and exercising appropriately 5-6 times per week. If you need assistance in implementing a meal plan and exercise regimen that will keep you eating throughout the day and exercising appropriately, Beachbody’s 21 Day Fix combines all of this in one package and you get a FREE Coach to help keep you on track and motivated.

Workout Routines for Women: Change Focus from Thin to Toned- Stacey Pena

So the question of the day is, what are the best Workout Routines for Women. Men and women seek out very different routes when looking to get healthy. Most men are look to lift weights, building muscle, and tone their bodies, while most women simply focus on cardio to get thin.

Unfortunately, it should not be focused this way. If you work out with the right program that combines lifting weights and cardio you will create a healthy body that is toned and the proper weight. When that is the focus, that will create the appropriate weight and a healthy toned body. Remember success is not always the number on the scale, but really about how your clothes fit. As you lose weight and gain muscle your weight will fluctuate but it is what your body composition is doing that makes all the difference.

Workout Routines for Women: Change Focus from Thin to Toned

When you’re designing a workout plan, you should make sure that you incorporate weight lifting and other toning exercises. In fact, the most effective plan is to have cardio, resistance training, and a balanced nutrition plan.

Here’s good news, there are plenty of workouts that can be accomplished without the need to buy special workout equipment. If you have comfortable clothing that’s easy to move in and good athletic shoes, you’re already good to go! Using your body weight can be a good way to begin a training routine that will shape and tone your body.

So how do you get started? With a proper warm-up of course. A good warm up with calisthenics and dynamics moves is always the way to go. This means lightly jogging in place for a few minutes; do some jumping jacks; or turn on your favorite music and dance.

Now it is time to move on to an exercise routine that focuses on toning and cardio, or toning one day and cardio the next. The more you mix it up, the more likely you are to have results. A couple of options for fast results include the 21 Day Fix, which is designed to get you toned and back into shape fast. There is also Beachbody On-Demand which gives you access to a vast library of programs that allows you to find a workout that best suits your goals. Beachbody On-Demandallows you to change things up whenever you get bored. This will help keep you moving and motivate you to achieve your goals.

Finish it out with a Cool down. Once you’ve completed your worked out you don’t want to just stop. Instead, take a few minutes to stretch, relieving the tension in muscles that you’ve just worked hard.

Utilizing these program suggestions will help shift your focus from simply weight loss to toning. This shift will help you reach your goals and gain greater results.

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/workout-routines-for-women-change-focus-from-thin-to-toned/#!17

Eating Healthy On A Budget – Yes, It is Possible!- Stacey Pena Review

Eating healthy on a budget may often feel like an impossible challenge when you start walking through the grocery store. You look at the cost of healthy food, and start to wonder whether or not it’s really worth it. It is worth it, and YOU can eat healthy on a budget. You can fill your shopping cart with food that will fuel your mind and body without breaking the bank. The trick is to know how to do it.

Eating Healthy On A Budget – Yes, It is Possible!

Here are a couple tips to get you headed in the right direction.

1. Have vegetarian days. Reduce the amount of meat you’re eating. When you reduce your meat consumption, you also reduce the amount of money that you’re spending, which in turn frees up funds in your budget for other healthy choices.

2. Don’t buy pre-packaged food if you can avoid it. The healthiest nutrition is one that consists of natural, whole foods that have been acquired in their original state. That “fat free” or “low fat” packaged foods might be tempting, but they are packed full of artificial colors and flavors, not to mention being high in sodium and high in chemical compositions that you cannot even pronounce. You will be surprised by the budget difference when you pick up the individual ingredients for your favorite healthy treats instead of buying them ready-made for you. A good example is a container of hummus that costs around $4 can be made from a can of low-sodium beans ($1) and a handful of other ingredients that you may already have sitting around your home. Ready-to-serve oatmeal packets cost twice as much per serving than if you buy a big canister of oatmeal and sweeten it with honey. Plus it is just flat out healthier for you.

3. Eat more fruits and vegetables. The high fiber content of most fruits and vegetables will actually help you feel full longer, which means that you’ll be less likely to come back and snack later. By adding fruits and vegetables to your nutrition, you not only decrease the amount that you’re eating, you also substantially increase your consumption of healthy nutrients that your body needs to function at its optimal level.

4. Explore alternative sources of protein. Try out nut butters, beans, and Tempeh for healthier alternatives to eating large amounts of meat. Beans and Tempeh, in particular, are much less expensive but still have great nutritional benefits.

There are plenty of ways to stay within your budget and eat healthy. These are just a few strategies you can use to reduce your total at the grocery store.

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