Food Face Off: Coffee Creamers

Ok, so I decided that I had so much fun on my last food face off that I wanted to do more!!! So what I'm hope is to find foods that are "controversial" and put them to the test!!!

Up first is coffee creamers. So many people drink coffee to get the day started, but are they healthy? When I first started trying to have a healthier lifestyle coffee was one of the first things I changed. I had talked with my trainer and we discussed that sugar free is better than fat free, because they tend to add boo-koo sugar to make it taste yummy. So I started get sugar free everything. In general this is probably a good practice. To this day I look at sugar and sodium and I try to get the product with the least amount. So recently I started wondering, is sugar free creamer good for you though? There is a difference between being "better for you" and "healthy". So here is what I learned:

REGULAR COFFEE CREAMER

 -Most (if not all) coffee creamers have partially hydrogenated oils. This is a process that manufactures do to make a semi-solid liquid. This is a mixture of soybean and/or cottonseed oil mixed with a metal (say what?!?). This is then added with flavor (natural and/or artificial) and water to make coffee creamer. The scariest part of this is that partially hydrogenated oils are TRANS FAT - the worst kind of fat. The kind of fat that leads to heart disease and diabetes (say what?!?!).

RULING: NOT HEALTHY

-And just a side note about trans fat: Most people know now that this is the worst kind of fat and although it does occur naturally in some foods, it should never be consumed from artificial sources. Health conscious people read labels and look at the fat content, and if it has trans fat, they throw it on the ground and have elephants stomp on it :-P . Those tricky manufactures though try to sneak trans fat into products unbeknownst to the consumers. They will put <0% , this does not mean that there is no trans fat (people think zero means none...it doesn't). Companies can use <0% and still sneak 0.5% of trans fat! When buying food in the frozen or aisle sections, you always want to look for partially hydrogenated oils, this means trans fat, which means you need to call your herd of elephants!

-Another note, recently (June 2015) the FDA has come out and said that more studies have looked at the effects of trans fat on overall health and have made the move to ban manufactures from using it in foods. When this ban will be put into place is still uncertain, most likely 2016 will be the cutoff and companies will have to stop using partially hydrogenated oils. (awesome sauce!!!)

SUGAR FREE COFFEE CREAMER  

- As listed above most sugar free coffee creamers contain partially hydrogenated oils, really the only difference is that they use Splenda (sucralose) instead of sugar. In the future I want to do a food face off of sugars, but currently I am still in the process of research, so look for it in the future! Sugar free still has fat, still has calories, still has hydrogenated oils. So in reality it really isn't any better for you than regular creamer.

RULING: STILL NOT HEALTHY

"HEALTHIER" REPLACEMENTS:

-Ok so I imagine that your next questions, is well Cassie, what do I put in my dern coffee?!? So I have some suggestions that would register in the healthier column.
1. Coffee Mate Natural Bliss - this newer coffee mate has no artifical substances and no partially hydrogenated oils!! WooHoo!! It is made with milk, cream, sugar, and carageenan (a natural thickener). Just use it wisely - meaning don't dump the whole thing in yo cup!
2. 1% or Fat Free Milk - this is a great option because you can get calcium and a little extra protein with your daily cup o' joe! Add some stevia for extra sweetness. You can also look at other natural sweeteners like honey.
3. For you dairy free or allergy peeps: Almond or Coconut (unsweetened versions) milk. Add this and a little stevia - viola!

So the ruling, as usual try to consume as much whole, natural foods. My go to rule when buying groceries is to have as few ingredients as possible. So if it has a long list of ingredients that wouldn't go in the cart. It takes time to let this process become the norm, but I promise it's so worth it!!!

Breakfast Burrito

Ok, so I know that I post a lot of workouts. But one of my favorite things to do (besides lift obviously!) is to cook. I find it so exciting to put together new recipes that are delicious and nutritious! So this week I thought I would share my "Breakfast Burrito" recipe with you.

I stumbled onto these a couple weeks ago when I was trying to find a healthy breakfast option. I LOVE BREAKFAST! Like most breakfast dishes you can customize this recipe however you want...you want extra protein, more veggies, sweet, savory, this burrito can do it all! So the recipe I did is a little plain but delicious nonetheless. I have put the macros at the end for those of you who want to fit this is your macros!

Breakfast Burrito

-15 eggs (5 whole eggs, 10 egg whites)
-5 turkey sausage patties
-1/4 cup of habenaro jack cheese
-Mission "Carb Balance" Burritos
-Picante Salsa

Other things that I have seen are sweet potatoes, onions, bell pepper, turkey bacon, etc. For the salsa I put a a tablespoon in a Tupperware and put that on as you eat this glorious entree!

Here are the macros from my burrito. Now don't be alarmed...this burrito is stocked full of healthy carbs, fats, and proteins. I try not to worry to much about calories, more about the content. I used burritos that had higher carbs (note the dietary fibers = good carbds), but if you are trying to do lower carbs you can get a different type of burrito!!


Happy Eating :-)

Yummy Egg Muffins :-)

Happy Monday!!!

I know I may be in the minority but I LOVE Mondays. I try to view Monday's as a brand new start. It's a chance to start fresh and try again. I don't always stick to my diet or workout like I should but Monday is a brand new day to try it all again. Some people dread Monday's because its the beginning of the week...but why would you want to start your week off with negativity?!?! I choose to be positive and I believe that helps me throughout the week.

Today I started my week with meditation and some yoga stretching. It's a pretty big pain to wake up 30 minutes early and get moving...but it is so rewarding. I feel more energized and positive throughout my day. I highly suggest that you guys do something that helps you get up and at em' in the morning! It could be doing crossword and drinking coffee, eating breakfast at home, meditating outside, etc.

So last night I made some egg muffins just to have something new for the mornings. It also was helpful because I didn't have to make my normal egg white scramble. It was super quick and tasted delish!

Southwest Egg Muffins

-10 egg whites
-5 whole eggs
-1 jalapeno
-1/2 white onion
-4 strips Canadian bacon (can sub with turkey bacon)
-fiesta cheese - optional

1. Cut up onion and jalapeno, set aside
2. Crack eggs and beat until yolks have been broken.
3. Spoon egg mixture into muffin tin (if needed spray with Pam before). Fill up only 10 muffins.
4. Add onion/jalapeno/Canadian bacon mix with egg.
5. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Sides of muffin should be lightly browned.
6. Add cheese if desired for 2 minutes while in oven.

-Let egg muffins cool for 5 minutes and then remove from the pan.

***Enjoy***

Hey Everyone!

I hope you all had a great weekend! With the holidays coming up I want to focus on staying focused during this time. Remember we all want to have a good time, and no one wants you to not enjoy the holidays. Having cake, pie, stuffing, etc is ok in portions, but its important to stay focused on health and goals. During this time I try to enjoy the things that I like to eat (sweets, sweets, sweets) but I also continue to go to the gym and eat my normal food 90% of the time. Don't let all your hard work go to waste!!

So this is what I am purposing..."No Fat November". This is a plan that is relatively simple and will help us all stay focused. I will be the first to admit that since I got back from vacation it has been hard to stay focused. I want this to be the time of year that I complete my goals and get focused for my future fitness goals.

What I also think is important is that we set goals that are not directly related to the gym. Maybe its eating better, maybe its focusing more at work. I think that it is important to focus on health and wellness, but that does not just incorporate the gym and nutrition. It also includes your mental health and physical well being. So think about something that would help your overall health. This month I am going to try (please bare with me on this) to let you know about the workouts I am doing, as well as food. If ever in doubt, check out my Instagram page, I definitley get more stuff going there.

Here is my workout for today:

-Back and Biceps

1. Seated Row superset Dumbbell Curls (4 sets, 15-10 reps)

2. Dumbbell Row superset 21's (see description below) (3 sets, 15-10 reps)

3. Lat Pulldown superset Hammer Curl (dumbbells or cables) (3 sets, 15-10 reps)

4. Push-up superset Burpee Curl (5 sets, 10 reps)

-Cardio: 30-45 Minutes - Interval Training.

--Descriptions:

1. Dumbbell curls can be done in a variety of different ways. I like to start with my palms facing my outer thighs, and while bring the weight up I turn my wrists to face the ceiling. You can also start with your wrists facing away from you and bring them straight up with no pivot.

2. 21's - using a barbell, 7 full curls, 7 curls where you stop at 90 degrees, 7 curls from 90 degrees to 45 degrees. See my Instagram for a video example.

3. Lat Pulldown's can use a variety of different bars. Make sure which ever bar you are using that you pull with your lats. At times when the weight gets heavier people tend to want to use their arms to help...don't do that. You also want to make sure that your back stays straight during the motion, don't use momentum to bring the weight down either.

4. Burpee Curl - do a modified burpee, when you come up to standing position, instead of jumping you are going to curl. Make sure the weight is relatively light this exercise is very challenging.

Happy Lifting guys! :-)

WOD: Biceps/Triceps

Good Morning!! Happy Monday!

I know that Monday's are probably the most hated day of the week, but I choose to focus on it being a new beginning. Every Monday you get a new shot at your goals...at things you didn't get accomplished last week...you get to try to achieve those things in a NEW week. In social work we call this the strengths perspective...try this week to look at things in a positive way and I promise that you will have a better week!

So today I want to give you guys a workout. One of the areas that I am personally trying to better is my upper body. I struggle with a small upper body and that is why I workout upper body 4 times a week. 

1. Cable Curl (or barbell) (4x15) superset with Jumping Jacks (30)

2. Extension (4x15) superset with Burpees (10-15)

3. Tricep pushup (or close grip bench press (3x10)

4. BOSU ball shuffle (3x10) (see notes)

5. Dumbbell curls (standing) (4x15) superset with Tricep dips (4x15)

6. Shoulder Press (4x15)

BOSU ball shuffles - If you fortunate enough to have a gym with BOSU balls you should try and use them all the time! They help with creating core strength. BOSU ball shuffles - start with your hands on the dome, place right hand out, tap left hand to right, replace both on dome, repeat on the left side. Focus on keeping your arms straight, you should feel it in your shoulders, triceps, and biceps. ALSO don't "bow" your butt up. Make sure you stay straight in plank pose. Keep your core tight the entire time. Remember to breath, and go at a pace that it comfortable to you. I am going to put up a video later on Instagram so make sure to go check it out!

Happy Lifting! :-)

WOD: Shoulders and Chest

Happy Monday ya’ll!!! :-)

I hope everyone had a great weekend!! I get a lot of people asking me for workouts, so I want to give you guys more workouts to use. At the end of this post there will be a WOD tag, use that to look up more workouts that I have posted in the past!

Over the weekend I did shoulders and chest. Remember to do weight that works for you…always start light and work your way up. If you start heavy you will hurt yourself and won’t be able to work out…and that is no good.

The way I have designed the workout out is that you do a warm up for the muscle group, then 2-3 exercises after, and then 1-2 to burn out.

Warm Up

1. Bench press (chest) – 4x15 (try using a barbell but can use dumbbells)

2. Arnold press (shoulders) 4x15

Regular

3. Front to Lateral raise (shoulders) – 3x15 (go lighter weight in the beginning, lateral raises can cause injury if you “jerk” the weight)

4. Incline chest fly (chest) – 3x15

5. Incline rear delt (shoulders) – 3x15

Burn Out

6. Cable Shoulder Single Arm Press – 4x15

7. Cable Chest Fly – 4x15

After this I did a little interval workout, you guys can find that on my instagram. Hope this is helpful!! Happy Lifting! :-)