The Perfect Breakfast!

What did you have for breakfast today? If you're like most people, it was probably something like cereal, bagels, toast, breakfast bars or donuts. Did you know that's the absolute worst thing you can do if you want to be healthy or lose weight! Why? It puts your blood sugar on a roller-coaster ride that often lasts all day long. And that's a bad, bad thing. I'm not going to preach on that here because that's a whole 'nother issue! Just know that if you want to SABATOGE any healthy eating or weight loss plan, grab a bagel for breakfast.

How would you like to start your day with something that:

Gives you tons of energy
Satisfies you all morning long
Helps you easily manage your weight
Controls cravings
Saturates your body with loads of nutrition
Helps keep you "regular"
Helps you resist those pesky colds and flu bugs
And more!

Today I'm going to share with you my "secret" formula for the PERFECT breakfast.

So, what, you may ask, constitutes the "Perfect" breakfast? A perfect breakfast should include quality protein, healthy fat and fiber. All wrapped up in nutrient dense foods that nourish every cell in your body and keep you going all morning long! Here's how that works:

Protein

Whether your goal is to manage weight or simply eat healthy, the latest research shows that starting the day with a protein meal makes a difference. Health experts note that people who eat protein at breakfast have an easier time sticking to a healthy eating throughout the day.

Fiber

Fiber is truly under-appreciated! But getting enough every day is key to health and easily managing your weight. Fiber helps keep you full, stabilizes your blood sugars and acts like little cleaning tools in your body, sweeping away the junk and keeping you squeaky clean (I can't verify that one, but it sounds good, doesn't it?). You find fiber in whole foods like fruits, veggies, nuts and beans.

Fat

This is where people get a little nervous. Ooooh! Fat! We've been told to stay away from it for 40 years. Judging by the look of things, that theory hasn't worked out so well. The right kind of fats are something we all need. They give long-lasting energy and a feeling of satisfaction and are absolutely necessary if you want to make it through your morning - and day - energized, satisfied and healthy!

You're probably asking: How in the world do you pack all that in one easy to make, super-healthy, portable breakfast? I don't have a lot of time to spend before I rush out the door! GREAT QUESTION! Here you go - my secret, superfood, super simple recipe for kick-starting the day (drum roll)...

Supercharged Smoothie
1 cup water
1 scoops protein powder (15-20 grams)
1 - 1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries
1 tbsp virgin coconut oil
small handful raw nuts (15-20)
1/4 cup chopped frozen spinach (optional)
Juice of 1/2 of fresh lemon or lime (optional)
crushed ice

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

In my family, this is the way we usually start the day. Because we know that one good choice leads to another. And this is definitely a GOOD first choice for the day!

BTW: Since this is the perfect meal, you don't have to keep it just for breakfast! Make a larger batch in the morning and save some for an afternoon or after school snack. Or use it as a whole meal replacement! It's my go-to meal when I can't figure out what to eat, because it's so much healthier than almost anything else I can come up with on a moment's notice.

It's something that I often made for my son before school and soccer games to super-charge him and keep his concentration going strong. Shhhh! I don't think it was a coincidence that whenever he'd have a smoothie before games he seemed to put extra points on the scoreboard!

Here's to starting your day right!

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The Perfect Wedding Diet

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I know how important it is for you to be in the best shape of your life for your wedding. I also know how stressful it can be. I also know that stress often leads to binging and over-eating!!! So, how do you stop that from happening? What is the perfect wedding diet???? Is there such a thing as the perfect wedding diet???

There definitely isn't a perfect wedding diet because you shouldn't even be DIETING!!!!!! Ok, so you think I'm crazy for saying that right? I mean how could you possibly lose fat and get toned without DIETING???

The answer is simply, you have to learn how to make the right choices. You need to learn how to eat healthy and moderately.

Your main problem during this time is going to be lack of time. You won't have much time to cook and eat, so you will make wrong decisions. So this is what you have to do.

You have to cook in bulks. You have to choose a day to do your groceries, and actually plan out before hand what you are going to cook so that you can buy those ingredients. Once you have your ingredients and your meals planned, take one day and cook enough food for 3-4 days. For example: You can make 2 cups of brown rice, bake 3-4 sweet potatoes, hard boil some eggs, grill 5 chicken breasts, make a big and delicious tuna salad, grill some turkey burgers, make a bunch of different veggies, etc.

If you do this and keep it in the fridge, you won't have to worry about cooking when you get home late from work and running around doing errands. It will also be good for the pocket, because you will not be spending money eating out.

Once you prepare all the food, all you have to do is think about what the upcoming day entails so that you can plan how many meals you need to pack.

What should each meal contain for the "PERFECT WEDDING DIET":
1. Protein: Chicken breast, lean turkey breast, fish, egg whites, fat-free cottage cheese.
2. Carbohydrates: oatmeal, cream of wheat, sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, brown rice, lentils, garbanzo beans, whole-wheat products.
3. Vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, squash, zucchini, mushrooms, etc.

In order for you to lose FAT, you need to speed up your metabolism. You can do this by eating a "perfect wedding diet meal" every 3-4 hours. This will cause your body to burn calories all day long because your body will have to work really hard to break down the food. Make sure the meals are small portions. By doing this, you will not CRAVE SUGAR, and you will not feel like you are STARVING! Yet you will burn a ton of FAT!!!!

Here is a simple recipe of protein muffins that you can pre-make and have them as in-between meals. They are super easy to make and they are yummy!!!

Perfect Wedding Diet Muffins

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray muffin pan with PAM.

1 Cup quick oat's Oatmeal
1 Cup Oat bran hot cereal or whole-wheat flower
½ Cup Zero Carb Vanilla protein powder
1 TBS Baking powder
½ Tsp Baking soda

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

In a mixing bowl add all wet ingredients.

1 Egg
½ Cup Egg whites
¼ Cup fat-free cottage cheese
¼ cup of Ezekiel cereal (optional)
½ cup un-sweetened organic applesauce
¼ cup 2% lactaid milk
1 TBS vanilla
½ Tsp cinnamon

Mix all wet ingredients, and then slowly add dry ingredients.

Fold in:
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup fresh blue berries

Pour into muffin pan. Bake 15 minutes.

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Finding the Perfect Rice Crispy Treats Recipe

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Rice crispy treats recipe ignites thousands of wonderful memories in me. It's a recipe that can sweeten dreams, throw tastebuds into a tizzy and send your imagination soaring. And this kind of uninhibited frenzy is just not restricted to kids alone. Grown-ups too have an inscrutable affinity for this all time-favorite dessert.

Stir Up Some Passion

The candy corn recipe is the perfect way to bring together some sinful ingredients- candies, marshmallows and crispy rice cereal. Here's what the recipe requires:

½ cup butter

10 cups crispy rice cereal

9 cups miniature marshmallows

2 cups candy corn

A few drops of yellow and red food colors

Set the ball rolling by bringing together the rice cereal and candy corn in a large bowl. Keep the mixture aside. In another large bowl, melt butter and marshmallows over low heat, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Remove from the heat and add a dash of red and yellow colors. Mix the cereal and the melted marshmallows, stirring as fast as you can. Spread this mixture on a large, greased baking pan. Press down with buttered hands or a spatula. Allow it to cool. Thereafter, cut into squares and watch them do the quintessential disappearing act.

Just in case you are woefully starved of ideas for Halloween snacks, use this delightful recipe with minor variations. Replace the baking pan with a Jack 'O' Lantern styled pan, and watch the animated reactions that follow.

Fun With Flavors

Add a modicum of your favorite flavors and this dessert makes the stunning transformation from boring to brilliant. Here's how:

40 large marshmallows

½ cup butter or margarine

4 cups rice crispy cereal

A sprinkle of vanilla and almond extracts

Bring together marshmallows and butter in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave for about 10 minutes, stirring at regular intervals. When melted, add in the extracts. Mix the cereal and transfer to a greased pan. Once cool, it'll be high treason not to succumb to their delightful flavors.

Homemade raspberry marshmallows, crispy chocolate cereal or peanut butter - there's no dearth of inspiration when it comes to creating the most delectable of all creations. It's only your insular thinking that can come in your way.

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