Grand Opening Event... Saturday, April 1, 10 am until 6 pm

Saturday, April 1, 2017, 10 am until 6 pm...

Grand Opening!!

Join us for a day filled with fun and prizes. 

We will have: Equipment Demonstrations, Raffle that will include, but is not limited to: Personal Training Packages, Starbucks Products and Hop Yard Gift Cards. 



We will have FREE gift packs to give away as well as FREE food samples by www.suppermeals.com. 



A Chiropractor and Message Therapist will also be on site to answer questions.

All in all, a fun day filled with FREE giveaways! 

Vendors on site from 10 am until 2 pm.

1141 Falls River Ave, Suite 100, Raleigh NC

The health benefits of garlic (recipe included)

Studies have been conducted and the results show that garlic can lower cholesterol. It can also lower high blood pressure. When digested, garlic breaks down and releases hydrogen sulfide. This process helps the blood vessels relax and widen and this is what helps keep blood pressure low.

Roasted Garlic and Broccoli

• 2 heads of garlic
• 
  
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 
  
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and pepper
• 
  
• Fresh lemon juice, optional

Preheat oven to 400*.

Cut the tips off the garlic heads.

Drizzle with oil.

Place into small glass baking dish.

Sprinkle with spices.

Roast for 20 to 40 minutes.

When cooked, the garlic will feel soft when you squeeze it. Caution...it will be hot to the touch!

When garlic is cool to the touch, remove the skins by squeezing the garlic from them.

Sprinkle with lemon juice if desired.

Clean eating dessert recipes

Most of us crave sweets ever now and again. right? Maybe more "now" than "again"? Here are some sweet and healthy treats for those of us with a sweet tooth:

Black Forest Banana Split

• 2 cups nonfat ricotta cheese
• 2 bananas, split lengthwise
• 16 walnut halves
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons cherry concentrate (available at health-food stores)

Spoon ricotta into a dessert dish and place a banana half on each side of the cheese. Put the walnut halves on top and dust with the cocoa powder. Drizzle the cherry concentrate on top.

Makes: 2 servings

Black forest banana split

Chocolate Dipped Banana Pops

• 2 ounces roughly chopped unsweetened baking chocolate
• 3 ounces roughly chopped milk chocolate
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped salted peanuts (or toasted coconut or cacao nibs if desired)

Melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Slice bananas into thirds crosswise; insert a wooden freezer-pop stick or skewer in one end of each. Dip pieces in melted chocolate, spooning on additional chocolate to cover. Place on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with chopped salted peanuts. Freeze until chocolate is firm, about 20 minutes, or up to 2 hours. (If frozen for more than 2 hours, let soften for 20 minutes before serving.)

Servings Per Recipe: 6

PER SERVING: 206 cal., 13 g total fat (6 g sat. fat), 69 mg sodium, 22 g carb. (4 g fiber), 5 g pro.

Chocolate dipped banana pops

Baked Apples

Makes 1

• 1 Fuji apple
• Raisins, as desired
• Cinnamon, as desired
• Honey, as desired

Core a Fuji apple, stuff with raisins, cinnamon, and honey, as desired. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Baked apples

RECIPES for clean eating!

Picture taken from forkandbeans.com 

Here is a list of some recipe ideas to help you on your clean eating lifestyle:

Breakfast:

Remember eggs in a hole? Fried egg in toast? Check out this revised version: Reinvented egg in a hole recipe

Oatmeal! Do you love oatmeal? I hope so because it is good for you! 5 minute power oatmeal recipe

Lunch:

These shrimp and avocado summer rolls look amazing! Shrimp and avocado summer roll recipe

Salmon is good for us! Check out this tasty recipe for salmon cakes...and yes, it is good for you: Oven fried salmon cake recipe

Dinner:

Crispy chicken? Yes please... Crispiest spring chicken recipe

Risotto anyone? How about: White bean cauliflower risotto 

Planning your meals…is it worth the extra effort?

If you want to continue to eat healthy and stay away from processed, boxed and packaged foods, I would say YES!

A simple way to meal plan is to find recipes you want to try via the Internet or cookbooks and put all the ingredients needed onto your grocery list…to make sure you have everything you need for the week. This may take you about 15 to 30 minutes.

You can do all the prep work for the meals over the weekend to make weekdays easier!

Your body will thank you!

Portion size…What is that?

Figuring out what the correct portion size for each serving is pretty simple…although many make it difficult. The proper portion size must be no larger than the palm of our hand! Yes! It is that simple.

What does this mean if I am eating out?
The average restaurant serves portions that are several times larger than what we are supposed to be eating. However, there is an easy fix for this too! Separate the food you are served into the correct portion size and take the rest home to have for another meal…or two!

Another portion control tip:
Use a smaller plate. When our plate appears full it gives us the illusion that we are eating more food! You can even do this when you go out to eat...just ask for a salad plate along with your meal and separate your food onto it!

How do I eat more vegetables?

Sneak vegetables into your every day foods! Vegetables contain fiber and vitamins our bodies need to live. By all means, eat them raw as a snack, in salads and in smoothies. But we can cook with them too! Check out the article below entitled:How to get your children to eat more vegetables for ideas on sneaking them into the foods you prepare! 

In addition, take a peek at this meatball vegetable soup recipe. It is super easy and cooks in the crockpot!

Meatball and Vegetable Soup Recipe

Add olive oil to a pan.
Add 3 pealed and thickly sliced garlic cloves (which I later removed before adding the meatballs to the oil and placed them directly into my soup pot)

Turkey meatballs

• 1 pound of organic ground turkey, defrosted
• and
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder

Combine ingredients together and form into small, 2-bite sized meatballs.
Place them in the pan with olive oil on medium heat.
Cook until browned and cooked through...about 3 minutes per side (depending how big the meatballs are).

Soup

• 1 large can (24 ounces) of stewed tomatoes (and crushed them up with my hands)
• 4 cups of organic vegetable stock
• 2 zucchini, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 large onion, cut into pieces
• 1 cup mini carrots, cut into pieces
• 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
• Garlic from pan
• Salt, pepper and onion powder, to taste
• Parmesan cheese, optional to sprinkle over top

Add all ingredients into a large pot.
When the meatballs are done cooking, add them into the pot.
Allow soup to cook over medium heat for 1 hour or until vegetables are soft.
This recipe serves 4 people.
If you are going to opt for the crockpot version, simply add everything into the crockpot and set on low. Allow it to cook for 4 to 5 hours.

Need to get more veggies into your children? Check out this article: How to get children to eat more vegetables

Eat your snacks!

By preparing snacks for your day before leaving the house, you will be less likely to snack on foods that do not fall within the clean eating guidelines.
Preparation is key to a clean eating lifestyle.

Here are is a list of healthy snacks to get you through the day:

• Organic mini carrots and hummus
• Organic applesauce cups, with or without cinnamon
• Nuts, mixed or your favorite variety
• Organic string cheese
• Organic fruit, ex: apples, bananas, grapes, oranges
• Hard boiled eggs (organic)
• Pumpkin seeds
• Homemade trail mix: nuts, seeds and dried fruits
• Homemade granola with nuts
• Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and granola

Drinking clean…

Did the title of this post grab your attention? Drinking clean is super simple: DRINK water and plenty of it: approximately 2 liters (9 cups) for women and 3 liters (13 cups) for men.. Not only will this keep our bodies well hydrated, it will also cut back on the urge to eat. Water keeps the stomach full and if our bellies are full we are less likely to snack on junk. 

Don’t like water? Try this recipe for cucumber water! 

In addition, purchase in inexpensive cup that will hold the amount of liquid you need to drink each day. Add some ice cubes and water…now, you can sip all day long! 

Easy clean eating tips: How many times a day do I eat?

When you are eating clean, it is a good idea to eat 4 to 6 meals a day, leaning on the smaller size.  By doing this, you will keep your blood sugar regulated and your metabolism will increase…making it easier to lose weight if that is one of your goals! 

Don’t forget: NO SKIPPING BREAKFAST! We have the obvious: if we skip breakfast we are starving by lunchtime. When we are feeling super hungry, we tend to eat anything in site! Nooooo! Eat breakfast to prevent that from happening. See our post for: Overnight banana bread oatmeal for a healthy breakfast idea...this post also includes a simple how to video! 

Cooking clean...how do I do it?

One of the key parts to clean eating is to eat your fruits and veggies raw whenever possible. They do have many vitamins and nutrients in them and eating them raw will not alter anything that they have to offer.

Cooking your veggies is not a bad thing, as long as we stay away from deep frying and soaking them in animal fats. It is good to keep our food interesting by adding different spices, eating them raw at times and cooking them at times. It is hard to stick to any type of healthy lifestyle if we get bored with it!

Steaming veggies is the healthiest way to cook them. It maintains most of the vitamins and nutrients. We can also, stir fry them, but remember not to add lots of unhealthy oils and salts!

How to Shop Clean

A great tip to remember is: If we shop the perimeter of the grocery store, we will find more foods geared towards clean eating than if we shopped the center isles. The center isles tend to sell items that are processed and in most cases highly processed.

Tips to buying foods geared towards clean eating:

• Ingredient lists should be short
• Ingredients should be easy to pronounce and easily recognized 
• Check for additives such as flavors, colors, corn starch and imitation sugars
• Where do the ingredients come from…how much is it processed?

Remember:

Shop Organic as often as possible

Choose foods labeled "NON-GMO"

Eat as fresh as possible

Eat this and not that...it's really simple!

Need some examples of what to eat?
Here is a quick, yet thorough list of foods that make for good eating:

Un-processed foods:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Nuts
• Dried beans
• Organic / cage free eggs

Mildly processed foods:

• Frozen fruits and vegetables
• Organic (hormone-free) dairy products
• Whole grain bread and pasta, brown rice, popcorn, steel-cut oatmeal, quinoa (Unrefined grains)
• Un-processed meat; wild, however, pastured over grain-fed meats
• Wild caught seafood over farm raised
• Oils

Good advice is to choose organic foods when they are available. Olive oil is a fantastic oil to use in cooking and in salad dressings. You can bake with Extra Virgin Olive oil as well, though it makes for denser baked goods.

The key is to choose foods that are free of chemicals and hormones. 

This is a good definition of what clean eating truly is. 

Are ALL processed foods bad for me?

Are all processed foods bad for me?

Milk is pasteurized and instant oatmeal is processed. Does that mean we should stay away from them? No. Always shop for organic, that will help. In addition, milk and instant oatmeal are not categorized in the same group of foods such as packaged cakes, doughnuts, cookies, diet drinks and so on.

“Ultra-processed” foods are foods that are heat and eat and food “like” products such as Velveeta cheese. These are foods that our bodies will be happy we stay away from consuming.

What are some health benefits of eating clean? 

Research has shown us that clean eating (eating whole, un-processed foods such as fruits and veggies) can prevent diseases and harmful conditions. Diabetes (type 2) and high blood pressure are just two examples of what can be prevented by eating clean.

Clean eating can also help to improve skin as well as our hair and nails. It is a healthy way to control our weight too!

What is a GMO and are they bad for me? See how this ties into clean eating...

GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms. The easiest way to explain it is: Farmers inject plants with chemicals that modify their genetics (GMO’s). The foods that we buy that are not labeled as non-GMO have been known to cause cancer, infertility and many additional health problems. These GMO’s that are consumed actually stay in our bodies as well as in the bodies of our children!

I encourage you to research this for yourself; don’t simply take my word on it.

How does this apply to clean eating?

Processed foods are stripped of important nutrients that our bodies need to obtain optimal health.  They also contain additives that overstimulate our bodies. This is how the constant craving for “junk” food is created.
We should not be adding extra chemicals to our bodies for best possible health, whether it be through processed foods or foods that contain GMO’s.

What is the bottom line?

Choose “live” foods! Choose to consume foods that are labeled as Non-GMO. If you choose to do this, you will easily live a clean eating lifestyle.

Add some fresh fruits to your Holiday menu this year...

Christmas is just days away and along with all the goodies we are going to eat, we can still add fresh fruits into the Holiday menu! Check out these 2 recipes:

The first recipe is a super easy and taste apple salad dressing. No preservatives in this one though!

Easy Apple Salad Dressing

• 2 apples, peeled and cored
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• Cinnamon, two shakes
• Ground cloves, one shake

Add all ingredients into a blender.
Blend until smooth.
Pour over salad just before serving.


Juice your own sweet lemonade without any sugar or preservatives! Whip out that juicer you have stored in the cabinet and get to juicing again.

Some blenders are also capable of creating this sweet lemonade recipe. Instead of using a juicer, you can use a heavy duty blender as well. If you are, peel the apples and lemon for better results.

Apple Lemonade

• 4 apples, cored
• ¼ of a lemon, with peel

Press lemon through the juicer and then run the apples through.
It is that simple…fresh, sweet lemonade!

Add some sliced fresh fruit for added flavor and a festive Holiday look!

Overnight banana bread oatmeal recipe

I am all about simplifying life...particularly around the Holidays! Give this overnight banana bread oatmeal a try! It is perfect for the entire family. Check out the video to see how simple it is to prepare...

Banana Bread Overnight Oatmeal Recipe

• 1 banana, medium to large
• 1/3 cup oats
• 1/2 cup cashew milk, unsweetened
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon pecans or walnuts, chopped

Mash banana in a bowl.

Add oats, milk, seeds, cinnamon and honey.

Mix together well.

Add to a mason jar or other type of glass jar with an air tight lid.

In the morning before eating, top with nuts and enjoy!

This recipe has:

327 calories

0 cholesterol

9 grams of protein

12 grams dietary fiber

15 grams sugar

11 grams of fat

81 grams sodium

Vitamins A,C,calcium and iron

This is according to the Myfitnesspal app.

The recipe I have listed here is for 1 serving. Just double to triple to make several days worth!

Can drinking water help us lose weight? (plus, cucumber lime water recipe)

We have all heard that we should be drinking 8 glasses of water every day, right? Well, according to Virginia Tech, people who drank 16 ounces of water before each meal lost about 5 more pounds than those who did not.

The reason they lost weight? It could be because the water took up stomach space and made them feel full. So, in turn, they ate less food at each meal.

Doctors will tell you not to wait until you are thirsty to drink water. It is always good to stay hydrated and not drink too much or too little water each day.

Try this flavorful recipe:

Cucumber Lime Water

• 3 small seedless cucumbers
• 2 liters of water
• 1/2 lime, sliced into small pieces

Add all ingredients into a pitcher. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
Strain water and pour into glasses. Enjoy straight from the pitcher or over ice.

How do I have a healthy Thanksgiving Holiday?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We all deserve a day to enjoy food, family and friends! Here are some easy tips to keep you and your family healthy this Holiday. You can still enjoy the Thanksgiving foods you love…it’s true! You can also get your workout in on Turkey Day! Check out how…

Start the day off right with a healthy breakfast.
Jump start your metabolism by preparing a healthy breakfast filled with protein and healthy fats!  Try eggs with turkey sausage or hot oatmeal with fruits, nuts and seeds. Add some Thanksgiving flavor by adding a dab of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon to your oatmeal and/or add a tablespoon or two of organic pumpkin puree!

Start a new tradition:  Include a sport or group activity on Thanksgiving Day. 
Have a family football game or just toss the football around in the yard. Another great option is to go for a family walk together…or how about an easy game of tag in the yard? Whatever you decide to do, it will create great memories and allow the family time to bond. In addition, it will get everyone moving and provide a bit of exercise on a day filled with television and food.

Load up on veggies.
Yup…make the veggies the start of the show! Saute some of your favorites in olive oil or bake them in the oven. Veggies are low in fat, calories and cholesterol!

• Serve salad as a first course…Heavy on greens…light on non-veggie add-ins like cheese.
• Try a new veggie recipe that packs flavor without extra calories. 

Holiday Food Facts

A typical Thanksgiving Meal:
Roast turkey (dark and white meat) with skin (4 oz)
Candied sweet potatoes with marshmallows (1 cup)
Green bean casserole
Jellied cranberry sauce (½ cup)
Caesar salad
Mashed potatoes with milk and butter (1 cup)
Apple pie with vanilla ice-cream
Pecan Pie
TOTAL CALORIES: 2,796 calories 

Light Thanksgiving Meal:
Roast turkey (light meat only), no skin (4oz)
Small Baked sweet potato
Sautéed green beans
Light cran-berries sauce (½ cup)
Mixed green salad with fat-free Italian Dressing
Mashed potatoes with roasted garlic and skim milk (1 cup)
Light pumpkin pie
TOTAL CALORIES: 750 calories 

Food calorie list was taken from: 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joanna-dolgoff-md/healthy-thanksgiving-tips-recipes_b_1092915.html

Simple techniques to help keep ourselves and our children healthy

Check out this small list of ways we can keep our children healthy! We can also apply these techniques to our own adult lives as well:

• Never skip breakfast (enough said).
• Snack with purpose. Snack to fill the gap between meals, not just because there is nothing else to do. Snack on healthy foods.
• Beware of potion distortion. Use smaller bowls and cups to help portion control.
• Empty calories are consumed by sugary drinks. Watch the calories and fat in drinks as well as food.
• Eat more whole foods. Packaged foods contain high sodium, calories and fat. Eat fresh foods.
• Set the table. Eat together as a family. Cook with your children.
• Kick the sugar habit. So many of the regular foods we eat have sugar...even bread! Cut back on the amount of sugar we allow our children to consume.