The Green Chile

Its that time of year that all of us are familiar with.  Green chile like many is my favorite time of year.  The smell of the roasting green chile is almost intoxicating.  I  love to drive by the store just to smell the chile roasters.  As a child growing up I remember coming home from school and my favorite snack would be a fresh homemade tortilla with fresh green chile.  In fact today I have set aside to do my green chile roasting which means my house will be filled with that yummy smell.  I know there is nothing like fresh green chile warm off the roaster but packaging and freezing green chile can last up to two years.  Many of us myself included didn't realize the health benefits that this chile pod has.  Green chile is filled with nutrients and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamins A, B, C, niacin, folate, and amino acid.  The vitamin C content of chile has so much vitamin C it has almost a whopping six times the amount of an orange.  Wow that means it is a huge immune booster.  The hotter the chile the more benefits such as speeding up the metabolism, helping with sore throats, and working as a sleep aid.  Green chile is low in fat and calories and high in fiber which aids in proper digestion.  Today I will be making my homemade chile sauce.  A healthy kick eat it combined with pinto beans and low fat cheese on a whole grain flat bread!

The Green Chile Farm
Photo Courtesy of: R. Rivera-Anaya

My Journal August 10, 2011

Happy Hump Day Bloggers! Here is day three of my example journal

Breakfast:
Oatmeal
Scrambled Egg Whites
Green Tea

Snack:
1/4 cup almonds
Cherry Tomatoes
Celery Sticks
3 tablespoons of hummus

Lunch:
1/2 Sweet Potato
Grilled Chicken Breast
Steamed Green Beans

Snack:
Apple
Protein Shake 1 scoop of whey protein powder and water

Dinner:
Grilled Chicken salad with Romaine corn, black beans, and balsamic citrus vinegarette

Wednesdays are always my favorite days to workout! I do pilates fushion classes with my favorite trainer!  She really kicks your butt.  Remember to keep track of your portion sizes. Water, Water, Water!

My Journal August 9, 2011

Hear is day # 2 of my food journal!

Breakfast:
Oatmeal
4 Hardboiled egg whites
Green Tea

Snack:
1/2 Apple
Water packed canned tuna

Lunch:
Grilled salmon
Spinach
1/2 Sweet potato

Snack:
1/2 Apple
Protein shake 1 scoop of whey protein mixed in water

Dinner:
Sauteed Chicken Breast with Vegetable stir fry mix

Today was purely a cardio day! I did a 45 minute spin classes biking 16 miles and burning 550 calories.  Don't forget 1 gallon of water a day!

My Journal August 8, 2011

Fellow bloggers I am back after a much needed break! It is always a good idea to give yourself a break from the hard workouts and strict eat clean diet.  Now that I am back on track for the next few days I will share with you my food journal.  Keeping a journal of what you eat helps you keep track of calories, fat, carbohydrates, and protein.  It also helps you plan ahead.  Yesterday I sat down after going grocery shopping and planned my meals for the week.  Really it only took me about a half an hour.  Most of my food ideas come from the eat clean diet but I do add or subtract other foods that fit in. 

Breakfast:
Cream of Wheat 1 Serving
4 scrambled egg whites
Green Tea

Snack:
1 Pear
Protein shake: 1 scoop of whey protein and water

Lunch:
1/2 Sweet Potato
Fresh Spinach topped with Grilled Lime chile chicken and celery with a squirt of lemon juice and drizzle of balsamic vinegar

Snack:
Grilled Chicken Breast, sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes

Dinner:
Grilled Salmon
1/2 Sweet Potato
Steamed Broccoli

Gym:  Today was back day! I started off with a 10-15 minute cardio warm-up (I save the intense cardio for cardio days).  Stretches that target the back muscles.  The back is a large muscle group so I did 6 exercises 4 sets each and deadlift squats with a heavy kettle bell! I am already feeling it in my legs.  Tip: squats are a great way to strengthen the lower back! And a protein shake after my workout usually within 30 minutes!

Starting my detox/cleanse

Fellow bloggers it has been awhile! I have been quite busy going back and forth from Albuquerque to Grants and not spending much time on the computer.  I decided to do the detox/cleanse with broth I got from Tosca Reno.  Today I made a homemade broth consisting of 4lbs of beef bones, carrots, celery, bay leaves, chives, onions,  garlic cloves, sea salt, and black pepper.  Tomorrow will be day one and I am a little nervous.  This is going to take some willpower and I am interested to see how it will affect my workouts! Each day I will post my progress.  Maybe I should also post a warning sign cause I could get really grouch.  Wish me luck.

Here it goes!

So I have started constructing my first diet plan.  Along with all the knowledge I have learned in the past year from, personal trainers, fitness friends, Tosca Reno, Oxygen Magazine, my schooling, and my dad I am pretty excited at how its turning out.  At first I was skeptical but since this has become such a big part of my life and is something enjoy I figured to give it a go.  Keep in mind I don't believe in crazy crash diets, diet pills, and the new HCG diet.  They are only fast temporary fixes.  My diet is designed to maintain a healthy lifestyle and weight.  In the longrun losing weight at an average of 3-4 pounds a week will be easier to keep off and maintain rather than losing anywhere from 5-10 pounds a week.  Losing that much weight is not healthy and can cause long term health problems.  Diabetes runs in my family on both sides so I have always kept on top of my testing and diet to make sure I don't develop it.  Once I got to highschool I noticed that if I didn't eat breakfast first thing my blood sugar levels would drop and I would get sick.  Since I changed my eating habits I have been able to keep my blood sugar levels at a normal reading.  Still every know and again I let my crazy lifestyle mess up my diet and my blood sugar drops but you got to stay on top of it.

Something New

Fellow bloggers I have some new research I am doing.  I have always been skeptical about doing any kind of body cleanse.  Although many people I know have done them and liked the results afterward.  Recently I read an article from eat-clean herself Tosca Reno about a broth cleanse.  She starts off by saying that she has never followed diet cleanses before or has never been much of a believer in them.  In this article she talks about her love of making homemade soups and broths all year round.  She is currently doing a four day broth cleanse along with her daughter which she says is excellent for the digestive tract.  In the next few weeks I am going to look deeper into this broth cleanse and try it out myself.  Tosca gives great tips on how to make homemade broth.  Once I get it started I will keep you updated on my progress and the research that I find!  In the meantime I also will be baking up a storm cause I have a new shipment of protein coming in.  Hopefully I will discover some new recipes along the way.  Have a great week!