Shakeology Pumpkin Protein Bars

I'm always looking for some new and interesting HEALTHY recipe ideas - and we all know my LOVE of pumpkin!  So I found a recipe for these pumpkin bars, and shook up the recipe a bit to better suit my likings and came up with these Shakeology Pumpkin Protein Bars!

These bars have 94 calories, 2 grams of sugar, 7 grams of protein and only 14 grams of carbs.


Ingredients...
3 egg whites
1.5 cups uncooked old-fashioned oats
2 scoops Vanilla Shakeology
tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 cup pumpkin

What to Do...
Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Pour batter into a greased 8x8 baking square.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Once they cool, cut into 9 squares.

Voila!  Matty was my tester for these bars.  And he really liked the crust, but said that he would have preferred if there was "more in it" for more taste.  Next time, I'm going to add dried cranberries and possibly walnuts too!


Until Next Time...

Iron in Pregnancy - with Recipe Links!

Yesterday we spoke about Iron within a child's diet.  Today I'm going to discuss iron in terms of a pregnant woman.  Iron is an incredibly important mineral within your diet.  Unfortunately, for many women within the United States, this important mineral is often lacking.  And while important vitamins and minerals like iron are missing, too much sodium and saturated fat is being consumed in their place.

Iron is vital in one's diet.  When a person is deficient in iron, issues such as anemia can result.  During pregnancy, on top of issues with anemia, the side effects of low iron can be poor fetal growth and even premature birth.  But there are ways that one can add iron into her diet to help increase the level of this mineral during pregnancy, and eating these foods alongside a vitamin-C rich food can help one's body absorb it even more.

Pregnant women need 27mg of iron per day.  And although a prenatal vitamin can help with this, it is important to make conscious food choices that will help add additional iron into one's diet as well.  Finding iron rich foods and incorporating them into one's daily meal plan is not difficult, and finding tasty recipes in which to incorporate them is now easier then ever thanks to the internet.  Below one can find three iron rich food choices chosen from a long list of options, along with recipe titles connected with hyperlinks to easily access these ideas.

One food that will help with the increase of iron is beef.  In 3 ounces of beef one consumes 3mg of iron.   Grilled Sirloin Skewers with Peaches and Peppers are a delicious way to incorporate beef into your diet as well as incorporate iron into your diet along side a food with moderate vitamin C - the peaches.  Orange Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry also incorporates a solid amount of iron alongside vitamin-c for better absorption.

Garbanzo beans are rich in iron, having 4.7mg in 1 cup.  And for those preferring to use less meat in their diet, using beans as a focus to a dish can still be an option.  Garbanzo Black Bean Medley and Sausage with Beans and Escarole  are two meals that have a significant amount of garbanzo beans in their recipe, one meatless, and one not.

Also, tofu has 6.6mg of iron in 1/2 cup.  Orange-Glazed Tofu Triangles with Sesame Rice again allows for some vitamin C alongside the iron rich food, tofu, to help with absorption and is a great meatless meal.  Lastly, Tofu Steaks with a Red-Pepper Walnut Sauce is a delicious variation on tofu, and again has a high dose of iron due to the tofu in it.

 

Until Next Time...

 

How Much Iron does a Child Need?

Iron is vital for the formation of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a necessary component of red blood cells and RBC carries oxygen to all cells of the body. Hence it is necessary for kids and children to have enough iron in their diet.

Requirement of iron is different at different stages of life. Parents must know how much iron their children need at a particular age.

Breast-feed infant get enough amount of iron from his mother until 6 months. After 6 months infant needs an extra 11ml of iron a day till his first birthday. Infants from 1-4 years of age need 7ml of iron a day. 10ml of iron/day is required until infant becomes an adolescent. Adolescent needs 11ml – 15 ml of iron. In addition, girls need extra amount of iron during menstruating.

Iron deficiency causes anemia. Anemia grows slowly in an undetected manner in most of the people.

Some of the symptoms of iron deficiency are as follows:
Weakness and fatigue
Mucous membranes and pale skin
Heart murmur and rapid heartbeat
Irritability
A decrease in appetite
Dizziness
Feelings of lightheadedness

If any of the above mentioned symptoms is present in your child, consult the physician immediately. He will simply do a blood test to determine if your child lack in iron. He may prescribe your child iron supplements. But, bear in mind, excessive intake of iron may also result health problems.

Until Next Time...

Book Review - Postnatal Fitness for a New Mom

Recently I received a Facebook message from author Mara Kimowitz, author of Lil' Bootie Guide: Postnatal Fitness for a New Mom.  She asked me if I'd be willing to take a look at her book and give her some feedback on it.  Being a literary nerd, as well as a fitness junkie, how could I refuse?  (Although I did convince her that when she sent me a copy, that she should sign it first...). 

I have to say, this is an amazing book for a mom who just gave birth.  Not only does it give a realistic approach to trying to regain your body back - but it stresses the fact that it takes time to get our "pre-baby" bodies back.  After all, didn't we just have another human growing inside of us for 9+ months?

The quote she starts with really draws you in, "The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.  She never existed before.  The woman existed, but the mother, never.  A mother is something absolutely new."  ~Rajneesh

I don't know about you, but nobody told me of the "bad mommy moments" that take place.  Those confusing moments where you wish you could take your life back but can't imagine your life without your little darlings (or minions in my case) at the same time.  The feelings of guilt for wanting time just for yourself in a society that still looks at that as something taboo!  I'll be the first to admit it - I NEED Kimmie time.  I'm not doing anything crazy at the time - it's not clubs and partying for me.  Rather, I need that time to workout, for me that's how I decompress and refocus on the day.  Without that time for myself, I can't parent the way I know I can.  And she points out something in the opening of her book that is important and so often forgotten - children mimic what they see us do.  If they see us always sitting on the couch, watching TV - well that's what they are going to want to do... and if we eat healthy and exercise they'll want to do that too!  Want proof?  My boys do parts of my morning workout with me everyday! 

The book then goes on with 4 levels of exercises to help you start to get your body back into shape in a gentle way for the brand new Momma, complete with cute stick figure illustrations and a chunk of pages in the back to track your progress!

Overall, I think this is a great book for the brand new momma, not ready for an intense workout, but ready to get the ball rolling for the sake of her health, and in return her child's as well!

Until Next Time...

Healthy, Yummy, Pumpkin Cake!

It's Pumpkin Season... Pumpkin coffee, fraps, pie muffins, donuts, cakes, etc. But let's be real, they're not exactly good for you.  That doesn't mean I don't start craving it the minute the leaves start changing colors.  So when I stumbled across this recipe at one of my minion's cooking classes I figured, why not give it a try.  And I am IN LOVE with it!  It's moist and delicious!

 

This Pumpkin Cake recipe has eliminated the eggs and oil making it a wonderful breakfast treat or healthier dessert option. 

 

Pumpkin Loaf Cake

 Ingredients:
1 package yellow cake mix (look for one without hydrogenated oils)
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
dark chocolate chips as desired (for both in cake and on top)
Directions:
Prehead oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray.
In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients until smooth.
Pour mixture into loaf pan.
Sprinkle top with additional dark chocolate chips.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 

Go Ahead, bake it!  You'll want to thank me for this one, I'm sure!

Until Next Time...

 

Fun Weekend Outings

Often when people are looking for something to do with their children, or somewhere to go for a couple hours it often revolves around food.  We live in a society where food is such a focal point in our day to day lives, it makes sense.  Even when my husband and I plan a "date night" if usually involves food at some point (and often some form of MMA too, but that's a whole different story...). 
But this past weekend since it was pretty nice I wanted to get the family out and moving around.  So I planned an exciting weekend of activities - complete with family time as well as "date" time. 

Friday as soon as the boys got home from school I took them apple picking!  Since my husband is a VP at a high school he was able to be home early enough to come along.  Taking the boys out to a small farm and having them wal

k around the orchard looking for "perfect" apples was a fun activity that got them moving and shaking - and also super excited about their perfect apples that they picked.  Let me tell you, they want to eat those things nonstop right now!

Then on Saturday, we decided to take the minions to LEGOLAND in Yonkers, NY.  This past summer we went to the one in Florida, but since there was a Star Wars theme this weekend, we thought we'd go check it out.  It was a really fun time walking around in there.  The little minion was too scared to go on the ride when you first got there, but the big one and I rode it.  The structures there built were amazing!  I was seriously in awe.  And because it's an indoor place (think Crayola Factory) there was a giant climbing apparatus the boys had a blast playing in. 

As for the highlight of my time there - one of the Storm Troopers was walking around and I really wanted to take a picture with him - but I get so embarrassed about things like that, so after two attempts I actually asked him to not only take a picture with me, but asked if I could hold his gun during the picture as well!  I LOVE THIS PICTURE!  And even better, rather then just having junk there to purchase for the boys to eat, (since you couldn't bring your own food in) the concession stand had sandwiches on whole wheat rolls, apple slices, and water as some of the options for people to choose from for their meals.  How cool is that!

Now only Sunday.  Sunday was my husband and my "date" afternoon.  However, rather then hang out just by ourselves, some of our friends came out with us for a really entertaining afternoon of paintballing.  At first, I'm not going to lie - I was pretty hesitant.  But after a few hours (I think we played for like 4 hours) I was running all over the place shooting like it was going out of style!  It was so much fun and a fantastic way to spend some time with my super supportive hubby - who puts up with all my craziness, all of the time. 

So as you can see, this weekend was incredibly jammed pack with so much fun I need another weekend just to recover from the AWESOMENESS!  And more importantly, I was able to have an entire weekend of pure entertainment without any of it focusing around food.... well apple picking doesn't count! 




Until Next Time...