Snacktime! Healthy FIlling Snacks for 200 cals

By: Stepfanie Romine : 1/19/2012

Editor’s Note: All this week, we’re sharing meals, snacks and even desserts that can fit into your daily life. We combine our recipes with simple and nutritious sides for healthy meals, snacks and desserts that are calorie-conscious. You’ll be amazed that you can fill your plate and still fit into your jeans the next day. (Find the whole series here.)

You’ll need to pick up a copy of “The SparkPeople Cookbook: Love Your Food, Lose the Weight” to access the recipes, but we will share some sneak peeks this week—and you can easily add recipes from the cookbook to your SparkPeople Nutrition Tracker, too!

 
In recent years, dietitians, doctors, and researchers have rethought the “no eating between meals” rule. Snacks are important, especially when you live an active life or are trying to lose weight. If you go hours on end without eating, your blood sugar will drop, your stomach will grumble, and you’ll start to get grouchy—and you’ll ultimately eat your way through whatever’s in the kitchen. Eating every few hours keeps your hunger levels down so you can control your appetite and prevent overeating. Healthy snacks help keep blood sugar levels in check and keep your energy up.

Just a few well-timed bites have a big impact. That’s why we included so many snack tips and recipes in “The SparkPeople Cookbook.” It’s almost snacktime…
 
  1. Creamy, Tangy Tomato Bruschetta (141 calories)
  2. Tabbouleh (179 calories)
  3. Multi Grain Roll with 1 tablespoon each peanut butter and all-fruit spread (205 calories)
  4. Coach Nicole’s Fresh Guacamole with baked tortilla chips and 1/2 cup cucumber slices (206 calories)
  5. Baked Sunburst Fries with Spicy Yogurt Sauce (176 calories)

  6. Sweet and Spicy Pecans with 1/4 cup dried cranberries (191 calories)
  7. Caramel Popcorn with 1/2 ounce dry-roasted peanuts (199 calories)
  8. SparkGuy’s  Best Trail Mix (158 calories)
  9. Berry Oatmeal Bars (159 calories)
  10. Tomato Jam on 1 slice whole wheat bread with 1 tablespoon low-fat cream cheese (183 calories)

Source: dailyspark.com

Roasted Winter Vegetables

culinary.net
Nutrition Info
  • Calories: 145.1 
  • Fat: 3.8g
  • Carbohydrates: 26.9g
  • Protein: 2.7g

Ingredients

1 bag “Golden Nugget” or other fingerling (tiny) potatoes (you can substitute “new potatoes” or the tiny red potatoes - as long as they’re small)
1 bag pearl onions
1 sweet potato
1 butternut squash
1 bag parsnips (giant white carrots)
optional: 1 small box brussels sprouts, if you’re not a supertaster who hates them
olive oil
fresh rosemary
fresh thyme

Directions

Prep: scrub potatoes, remove outer layer onions, peel and cube squash, peel and cube sweet potato, peel and slice parsnip.
Oven temp: 350 to 375 F
Cooking time: 1 hour (60 minutes)

Detailed instructions:
Scrub the potatoes, but you don’t have to peel them. Peel the outer layer off the onions. Peel the sweet potato and cut it into 1” cubes. Peel the butternut squash and cut it into 1” cubes. Scrub and peel the parsnips, cutting off the tops, and cut them into 2” long segments at the thin end, 1” long segments at the thick end. Remove any wilted leaves from the brussels sprouts.

Place all the veggies in a large baking dish or casserole dish. Bloop a few tablespoons of olive oil over them, and toss till everything has a very slight touch of olive oil on it. Now strip the leaves from 4-5 branches of rosemary, and from 4-5 branches of thyme, and sprinkle them over the veggies. Toss the veggies again, so that the herbs are distributed throughout. Roast, uncovered, in a 350° to 375° F oven for about one hour, or until a fork stuck in a potato or cube of sweet potato goes in easily. Serve hot. This makes a lot - 8 people or so’s worth - so if there are leftovers, they taste just fine rewarmed the next day.


The even easier version of this recipe:
Instead of all those kinds of veggies, just get one bag of the Golden Nugget potatoes and one bag of some other kind of tiny potatoes - “new potatoes” or “fingerlings” or anything else where each potato is only golf-ball size. Do the same bit with the olive oil and the herbs. But you don’t have to do all that peeling and cutting. Same baking instructions.

Serves a lot of people - nutrition information is given for 8 servings


Number of Servings: 8

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user BUNRAB.

Green Beans and Pan Roasted Red Onions

Nutrition Info
  • Calories: 39.7 
  • Fat: 1.2g
  • Carbohydrates: 6.5g
  • Protein: 1.5g

Ingredients

5 cups water
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 red onions, each cut into 8 wedges
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan; add beans. Cook 6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain; keep warm.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté 8 minutes or until browned. Add broth; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in vinegar and remaining ingredients. Stir in beans; cover and cook 2 minutes

NOTE: Beans may be cut into small pieces, if desired.

Serving size: 1/2 cup Yield: 14 servings


Number of Servings: 14

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user 60SIXTY.

 Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Faith

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Maybe Im cursed to be unable to give up.

Maybe Ive learned my lesson in patience and now its time to face my lesson in faith.*

emoticon “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” - Dr Martin Luther King Jr

emoticon “Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.” - Henry Ward Beecher

emoticon “The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.” - Benjamin Franklin

I’ve been putting all my eggs in the science basket. In logic and reason and ration and math. If I do X, Y # of times, then Z will happen on time. If I do everything right, I will have earned success, which will then be handed to me upon arrival. If I run three times a week for a month, then I will lose 4 pounds that month.

Unfortunately, as we all know and usually have to relearn over and over, it doesnt work like that.

It’s more like, if you do X, then Z is probable, eventually, maybe, if your’re lucky and your body chemistry allows it.

So I learned about patience, Im giving up on guaranteed reasoning and it’s time to face that you gotta have faith…

ugh… I hate faith. Its NEVER been my strong suit. Except when I was faking it. But reason is failing me, and hard evidence is the opposite of faith, so … 2 + 2 

emoticon “Faith is building on what you know is here, so you can reach what you know is there.” - Cullen Hightower

What do I ~know~ is here?

I KNOW that eating healthy and exercise eventually pay off.
I KNOW that everyone’s body is different and changes at different speeds.
I KNOW that changing things up yields results unless the change becomes addictive or gets out of hand.
I KNOW that quitting won’t work, unless you just quit for a week or so and then UNquit.
I KNOW that no one can get me there except myself.
I KNOW that I have an unending flow of motivation that just won’t run dry.
I KNOW that life goes on, whether I want a break or not.
I KNOW that challenging myself keeps me from growing stagnant.
I KNOW that I havent really challenged myself in a long time.
I KNOW that I only have a limited amount of time to exercise outdoors before the hell froze over season hits me like a brick wall.

emoticon “We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal and then leap in the dark to our success.” Henry David Thoreau

I’ve been hyper-self-aware for years, calculating everything and trying to make a meticulous master plan, even scheduling when I would be spontaneous and wing it. I put in effort, I received results. I knew it would happen like I knew the sun would come up tomorrow. I have to start using patience and knowledge together to create faith that results will still come if I keep doing these stupid efforts.

Its so boring and blase and not a good time. Its not exciting and thrilling and exhilarating to be a determined rock.

I’d rather be a firework than a sturdy boulder.

I’d rather be an illumiated epiphany than persistent faith.

emoticon “When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” Harriet Beecher Stowe

That sounds scarily similar to ‘you only find a man when you aren’t looking for one’ which is common sense and old news, so Im ignoring this one, but some of you may like it.

emoticon “Faith is the “eternal elixir” which gives life, power and action to the impulse of thought! Faith is the starting point of all accumulation of riches! Faith is the basis of all “miracles” and all mysteries which cannot be analyzed by the rules of science! Faith is the only known antidote for failure!” - Napoleon Hill

Science is certainly not on my side right now.

emoticon “Always continue the climb. It is possible for you to do whatever you choose, if you first get to know who you are and are willing to work with a power that is greater than ourselves to do it.” Oprah Winfrey

Who am I?

Im the girl that’s attracted to shiny, flashy things more than stability.
Im the girl that picks glamour over dependability (except in friends).
Im the girl that loves instant gratification (especially in guys)
Im the girl that is more motivated by the afterglow than the anticipation.
Im the girl that finds dynami more appealing than determined.
Im the girl that is scared of getting old, growing stagnant or getting left behind.
Im the girl that would rather die trying, than let down anyone fool enough to believe in her.
Im the girl that cares more about what people judge of her, then what she judges of herself.
Im the girl that hasnt trusted her own judgment in almost a decade.
Im the girl that is motivated by people being proud to know her and be seen with her, rather than ashamed.
Im the girl that believes that your reputation is all you’ve got left, sometimes.
Im the girl that always competes with herself, but only knows how to measure herself against others.
Im the girl that cant love herself despite her imperfections because her parents couldnt even do that.
Im the girl that knows that THAT problem wont be fixed with a bit of weight loss.
Im the girl that believes that she is worthless unless she is progressing at something.
Im the girl that believes that she is nothing unless she is providing something.
Im the girl that picks a flash in the pan over lasting warmth any day.
Im the girl that has no concept of the future other than, someday that future will be a today, therefore it never exists until it gets here… and ceases to exist.

emoticon “As the essence of courage is to stake one’s life on a possibility, so the essence of faith is to believe that the possibility exists.” - WIlliam Salter

Would I bet my life on the possibility that will break out of these 170s eventually?

… yeah. I saw the 160s for a minute last year. I FEEL utterly bleak about it NOW, but part of me does know that it will happen eventually. Its just drowned out by the bitter unhappy grumpy fed up part of me at the moment. The part that is cultivating Doubt in the backyard like its the newest trendiest fall crop.

emoticon “Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.” - Kahlil Gibran

MAYBE MY PAIN IS LONELY CAUSE HIS GIRLFRIEND, RESULTS, LEFT HIM! Ok maybe not. My pain is lonely because Im isolating it from everything that makes it go away.

What makes pain go away?

tenderness.
care.
love.
comfort.
sympathy.
new toys. (what, you didnt get a dolly when your mom got your ears pierced?)
company.
kisses. (wait)
medical attention. (probably)
bandaids.

How can I combine those things with who I know I am, in order to get myself moving forward again?

What is tender and loving and trendy and dynamic and shiny and ‘in the moment’ and productive and instantly gratifying and comforting and sexy and flashy and new and friendly and not boring?

*scratches chin*

NYC.

What’s gonna be the bandaid for all this pain of failing in public every day?

Faith?



*not referring to faith in a religious sense

Cursed

Monday, October 24, 2011



from scratch, mushroom, zuchini, red/green pepper & fat free whipped cream cheese egg crepe with an orange

approx 250 calories, 24 carbs



from scratch, chicken bacon cacciatore with fresh basil, mushrooms, plum tomatoes, garlic, white/yellow/purple onions, celery and fettuccini (before you go al BACON BAD on my ass, it was 1/4 of a strip that I chopped up into teeny tiny pieces for flavoring the tomato mixture ok?)

approx 375 calories, 58 carbs



granny smith apple, whole wheat waffles with fat free whippd cream cheese and 2 eggs, fried in a nonstick pan with no oil

approx 430 calories, 50 carbs



from scratch, chicken lo mein with mushrooms, asparagus, egg and cauliflower

approx 275 calories, 37 carbs



carrot, tomato, corn and cabbage israeli salad.



apple, tomato, grilled chicken, cucumber, onion salad with olive oil and pepper



my mid-day work snack



egg white, black forest ham, bell pepper, olive, onion wrap



avocado and tomato wraps



homemade bagels and strawberries



turkey sausage onion pepper egg wraps



sausage, basil, tomato tortellini



tomato, cilantro and cucumber israeli salad



more snacks



chicken stir fry, made with everything fresh from the farmer’s market



my “fattening breakfast” Veggie cream cheese on an everything bagel with OJ

I could go on and on and on forever with these food pictures, cause I AM conscientous of how i EAT.
This is pretty much how I eat all the time. I cook it, I plate it, I think how beauiful it is, then I inhale it. If Im not cooking it myself, this IS the fast food we have around here. Halal food, Indonesian food, Vegan street vendors, lamb and rice, cold cut wraps, kosher meals… everything here that I want… is healthy.

Places like Taco Bell, Popeyes, Checkers, Wendy’s are all at least an hour away from me, so I have long forgotten them.

I exercise my ass off.

I dont even own a car.

I dont even buy monthly subway cards. I’m a 24/7 pedestrian.

I havent been able to run lately, between an effed up ankle from a tumble down the stairs right before vacation, to the fact that its still pitch black outside at 6:30 which is the latest I can leave for a run and still have time to take a ho-bath before dashing off for the carpool, and the Brooklyn Groper, who has been terrorizing women in my itty bitty neighborhood, 13 sexual assaults since March- everything fom boob grabbing to full on violent rape.

So I sat and I went on strike and kept my foot elevated and ate whatever I wanted, which just happened to be healthy, I walked a bit. Whatever. I was sure I gained 13 pounds over vacation. Especially since my boobs are giNORMOUS right now because my period should be here any second. I figured I gained about 6 pounds for period/boob weight and 13 pounds for eating and not moving.

Know how many pounds I gained? From doing ZERO exercise? From sitting on the couch all day, eating?

-3 pounds.

i LOST 3 pounds.

I bust my ass every week.
I eat clean as if my sexuality depended on it.
My body just isnt going to change.

so to that inner athlete inside of me, that skinny bitch that cant be satisfied… I have one little hand gesture to you and your refusal to budge the number on the scale.

My body wants to be this weight, I cant even gain the weight back if I try, Im cursed to be in the 170s for the rest of my fecking life.

screw this.

I dont want to weigh 170.
I want to weigh like 145/150.
I dont want to be a size 9/10.
I want to be a size somewhere between 6 and 8.
I dont want to be able to cradl my boobs in my arms like a baby.
I don’t want a 28 inch waist.
I dont want a gut so huge that when I sit down, it pushes up on my boobs.
I dont want rolls of fat.
I dont want the muscles on my thighs to sway back anf forth on my bones when I walk.
I dont want to be a giant anymore.
I cant take it.
Its killing me. It hurts, Im tired.
I hate it.
I read the spark 4 times. I do EVERYTHING right.
I want to be SKINNY.
I want to be sooooooooooo skinny.
I want to be skinny enough to see my muscles underneath my skin.
I eat like a movie star.
Im as active as I can possibly be.
I eat like 10-15 freggies a DAY.
I drink at LEAST a gallon of water.
I stretch like Im gumby.
I challenge myself.
FOR A FULL YEAR NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
FFS WTF ELSE DO YOU WANT FROM ME.

8. Your Actions Define You, Not Your Scale

You know what? Your current weight does NOT reflect your current level of activity, eating and exercise.

le gasp!
le blasphemy!

No dudes, seriously.

When you are cooking, and you gather everything together on your neat little squeaky clean countertop and place them all in pretty rows, nicely organized ingredients.. and then you stare at them… do they suddenly become a casserole? Or does the casserole show up an hour or so later? AFTER you’ve been dancing around in the kitchen for awhile?

I’ve fallen into a pattern this Joon. I wake up and pee and take off my jewelry and ponytail holder and all my clothing and stand on the scale in the same corner of the bathroom (its always the lowest weight in that corner) like I’ve always done. Except now, I see the number, always about .6 more than it was the day before, shrug and go about my morning. Gain gain every day.

Why do I not give a?

Because I KNOW IM DOING EVERYTHING RIGHT.

Just because the casserole isnt done yet, doesnt mean I should pull it out of the oven and throw it away.

Just because my weight isnt dropping yet, doesnt mean that I should stop. How ludicrous is that bizness???

emoticon I KNOW that cooking my own meals, with fresh ingredients every day, is cheaper and makes me feel like my body is running on the expensive gas, not the cheap sht.
emoticon I KNOW that snacking on strawberries on weekends and eating 2 apples and a tupperware of baby carrots as a weekday snack every day and having a non-lettuce salad every weekday is SMART and my body feels clean and fresh and even my sweat is starting to smell good lol!
emoticon I KNOW that drinking a few bottles of water everyday is the best way to bathe my insides. I don’t take a bath in green tea, or gatorade or powerade or vitamin water or, god forbid, CocaCola… so why should I bathe my insides with anything but pure clean water. We arent supposed to drink it cause its yummy anyway, we are supposed to drink it to flush all th crap out of us, and keep our mostly water body made up of mostly water, constantly recycling it with new water. (you want your body full of stale old ass water, that’s your decision)
emoticon I KNOW that exercising 6 days a week will, at first, cause me to gain weight. I know that my muscles are full of fluid as they heal and swell. I know that Im gaining muscle and that also adds to the scale.
emoticon I KNOW that eventually, if I have the BALLS AND THE PATIENCE to keep doing this consistently, that the number on the scale will start to plummet.
emoticon I KNOW that balancing my cardio with ST will make sure that as the fat melts away, the muscles underneath are svelte and beautiful and elegant.
emoticon I KNOW that Im doing the right things.
emoticon I KNOW that doing the right things leads to the right results.
emoticon I KNOW that all I need is patience and courage an a keen pulsating desire to succeed. I know it takes about 4-5 weeks for the changes to start showing up. Wanting to quit is dumb.

SO THE SCALE CAN SUCK IT. IM DOING WHAT IM S’POSED TO DO.

So if the scale doesnt define me anymore… what does?

Why… my actions of course! Life is a VERB, people! Life is something you DO, not something you watch! not something you hear about! not something on TV! not something you used to have. Good lord.

And its not about what you do in a group either. Its about what you do alone.

emoticon Who cares if you are fat if you are running down the sidewalk?
emoticon Who cares if you are 3 pounds heavier than last week when you are standing in the produce section scooping up squash and broccoli?
emoticon Who cares if you have period bloat when you are holding a plank for a full minute on your livingroom floor?
emoticon Who cares if you wear a 3XL if tht 3XL shirt is drenched in sweaty proof of your verbiness????
emoticon Who cares if your husband wont work out with you when you still leave the gym with a bounce in your step and a huge grin on your face?
emoticon Who cares if you’ve plateaued if you are getting up and running for an hour every morning?

If you are living a healthy lifestyle… THAT IS WHAT DEFINES YOU.

If all you care about is a damn number…. then I hope you don’t mind when that is ALL you get.

But if you sincerely care about your body, your soul’s best friend, then you gotta give a sht about more than just that stupid piece of plastic on your bathroom floor and get out and move and shake and jump and laugh and play and LIVE.

Love the sweat.
Love the burn.
Love the pain.
Love the struggle.
Love the result.

4. The Seductive and Effective Power of Momentum

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Oh my goodness… I already worked out twice this week, and there are four days left. I bet I could get in another workout. Maybe two. Then my whole week would have been filled with what Im supposed to be doing. That’d for sure be a week I could be proud of.”

There is a satisfying and spicy allure to carrying pride on your belt. Pride in having done something right. And that pride is rewarded by adding an advantage you cannot order online. The energy and means to continue doing well, and to increase your pride.

Momentum is both a reward AND a tool to move your forward. A HIGHLY HIGHLY POWERFUL TOOL.

-Anthony Robbins

emoticonelling words!

Momentum: noun. force or speed of movement. driving power or strength.
Note : Figuratively, momentum can refer to the tendency of a person or group to repeat recent success

“The TENDENCY to REPEAT RECENT SUCCESS.”

A tendency to do well??? Sign me up, Webster!

How would you like having the knowledge that, because you had a great workout on Monday, you are more likely to work out on Wednesday, just because of the laws of physics? I mean, as long as you woke up and decided to have a healthy day, had a quick talk with your brain, are prone to celebrating small achievements and know how to pace yourself… then just your own recent victories over the couch can be repeated.

The catch? You have to promise not to work against it.

“The world is wide, and I will not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum.” - Frances Willard.

“Commitment is the ignitor of momentum.” - Peg Wood.

emoticon You ever watch a kid coasting their bike down a hill? Too often we see losing weight as an uphill battle when in actuality, according to science, its a downhill battle.

Your weight… starts WAYYYYYY up there. (Or at least mine did lol).
Your goal? wayyyyyy down there. At the bottom of the hill.
Get on your bike and start at the top of the hill.
The first pedal pushes you forward, from a dead stop.
Another stroke of effort and you are moving closer to the edge.
Another and you are on your way.
The hill starts to slope and less force is required because you already pushed off.
YOU ALREADY PUSHED OFF.
YOU ALREADY MADE THE HARDEST STEP.
Sitting at the top of a hill does not mean you will roll down that sucker. it just means you can see the bottom.
Pushing yourself forward, with your own strength, will get you there.
Every pedal you turn adds its power to the turns you already gave.
Making each one easier with your gathered strength behind you.
Until you are flying fast.
Your own willpower, combined with your natural inertia.

Inertia. There’s a tricky one, eh?

I believe it goes something a bit like this. (Forgive me I skipped physical science in middle and highschool and am convinced that was a factor in me getting fat).

An object in motion stays in motion.

Word!

If we get going, nothing can stop us!! Woohoo!! Game won!!

HALT! Not so quickly. Don’t coast off down that hill quite yet. There is more. Always a catch.

emoticon Newton’s First Law of Motion: Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.

My brain translates this as… IF YOU GET GOING, YOU WONT STOP UNTIL YOU ARE STOPPED. Or until you stop yourself. But f you are going full throttle… why would you get in your own way. If you are injured, I completely understand… but deciding that you need to stop speeding down a hill when you get halfway to the bottom…??

My Goodness! Do you know what happens when you hit the breaks on a bicycle when you are careening down a hill?

The bike flips over. You skin your knees and elbows and you limp back to the top bloodied and a bit pissed. Or you slink off and quit until another day.

Herein lies my next point. (oooh Game of Thrones is making me use adorable almost obsolete words, how cute! Next I’ll be saying I need to make water instead of saying Im doing the peepee dance from all the water. But I digress..)

emoticon Just as an object in motion will remain in motion until it encounters an opposing force, so also will a person at rest REMAIN AT REST until it encounters an opposing force.

An opposing force to make it start moving.

emoticon Newton’s Second Law of Motion: When that opposing force hits you and starts moving you forward, you will start going in the direction you were pushed, and at a speed equal to he force that pushed your lazy butt.

Wha?

simplified.

You’re sitting on a swing, about 4 years old. Mom is behind you. When she comes up and pushes you, you go in the direction she pushed you. Not sideways, unless she aimed you that way cause she thought it would be funny, but for illustration’s sake, let’s say Mom was not making a joke or getting back at you for raining dry Cheerios on her while she was driving.

So you move in the direction you are pushed.

Now, if mom barely pushes you, you will barely move forward.
And if she rears back and pushes you really hard, you can watch your toes point at the sky.

So you move in the direction you are pushed, at a speed that reflects how hard you were pushed.

What if ‘Mom’ was your own brain. Your own willpower. Your own commitment to yourself.

Do you have the power to keep yourself from remaining at rest?
Are your mind and heart and guts strong enough to push your forward each morning with enough force to keep you going?

emoticon Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Something moving (your conscious desire and will) hit something that wasn’t moving (your body/the scale/your attitude) and created a reaction. What once was still is now moving.

Now, there are many many many reactions that occur due to getting your body moving an keeping that momentum going and growing.

emoticon As your activity levels remain higher, these reactions will occur:

- Your weight will change. This inspires more momentum.
- You sleep better. This increases energy.
- You feel better about yourself. This causes self-confidence to bloom.
- Your mood will heighten. This strengthens will.
- Your strength will grow. This will cause you to accelerate.
- Your courage will move to the front. This helps you keep it all going.

emoticon Success requires first expending ten units of effort to produce one unit of results. Your momentum will then produce ten units of results with each unit of effort. - Charles J. Givens

emoticon Getting momentum going is the most difficult part of the job, and often taking the first step is enough to prompt you to make the best of your day. - Robert J. McKain

And my favorite quote regarding momentum and being a self-propelled human being…

Never confuse motion with action. - Benjamin Franklin

Just because you are showing up at the gym, or walking down the street, or lifting those free weights… does not mean you are taking action towards your goals. You could be just moving.

You will only get out of your mission, what you put into it. You will only reap benefits equal to the effort you put in. You will only gain momentum to carry you forward when you need a break or a rest day, if you are giving yourself a push strong enough to do so.

Where do we start?

emoticon One way to keep momentum going is to have constantly greater goals. - Michael Korda

What if you were flying so well down that hill that you got to the bottom and realised that you had enough inertia or speed or power or whatever to start getting halfway up the other side before you even had to put your feet back on the pedals??!!

THAT’S LIKE…. FREE PROGRESS WITHOUT EFFORT!!!

Well, not without effort. It’s the effort you start with that makes the difference.

Your will.

emoticon What kind of force can you will yourself to create today?
emoticon What obstacles are in the way of you remaining in motion?
emoticon What forces around you are strong enough to start you on your way?
emoticon What goals can you reach for once you reach the bottom of the first hill?
emoticon How does it feel to have wings?

Garden Vegetable Frittata - 150 calories/ 8 carbs/10 g protein!

Ingredients

    1 pound asparagus
    6 ounces button mushrooms
    1 tbsp olive oil
    1 clove garlic
    1 shallot
    1 small or 1/2 large zucchini
     

    6 large eggs
    1/3 cup 1% milk
    1 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
    dash nutmeg
    1 tbsp chopped chives


    1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
    2 medium or 1 large tomato



Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


2. Wash and trim asparagus and cut into 1-inch long pieces. Blanch asparagus in boiling water for 1-2 minutes and immediately shock in ice water. Drain and dry asparagus, set aside.


3. Clean and slice mushrooms. In a skillet, heat olive oil and saute the mushrooms over medium heat for about ten minutes. While they cook, grate or finely mince the garlic and shallots. Add the garlic and shallots to the mushrooms and continue to cook for about two minutes more. Remove the mushroom mixture from the heat and set aside.


4. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and slice into thin, half-moon shapes.


5. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and chives. Add asparagus, mushroom mixture, and zucchini.


6. Lightly spray a 2-quart baking dish (11 x 7 x 1.5) with cooking spray. Pour the egg and vegetable mixture into the dish.


7. Thinly slice tomatoes and arrange on top of the egg mixture. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top and bake in the oven until set, about 30-35 minutes. If desired, place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to brown the top.


8. Allow the frittata to cool before serving. Frittata can be made ahead and chilled, covered, overnight — allow to come to room temperature before serving.


Makes six servings

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user RICKIEBETH.  Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 6 
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 148.8
  • Total Fat: 9.0 g
  • Cholesterol: 216.4 mg
  • Sodium: 545.9 mg
  • Total Carbs: 7.6 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 1.9 g
  • Protein: 10.5 g


Number of Servings: 6

dreamy coconut clouds - coconut merigue cookies- 50 CALORIES EACH!Fat: 1.9 gCarbohydrates: 8.8gCalories: 53.1Protein: 0.7g These are light, fluffy, and only about 50 calories each! 1-1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut2 egg whites1/4 tsp vanilla extract Dash of salt2/3 cup granulated sugarBeat egg whites and dash of salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add in sugar while beating until peaks are stiff and glossy. Fold in coconut. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto greased baking sheet.Bake at 325*F 18-20 minutes until set and very slightly browned. Center will still be soft.Number of Servings: 20Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user SKYSHOOTER44.
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dreamy coconut clouds - coconut merigue cookies- 50 CALORIES EACH!Nutrition InformationFat: 1.9 gCarbohydrates: 8.8gCalories: 53.1Protein: 0.7gAll Nutrition Information



These are light, fluffy, and only about 50 calories each!


Ingredients 1-1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Dash of salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar



Directions

Beat egg whites and dash of salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add in sugar while beating until peaks are stiff and glossy.
Fold in coconut.
Drop by rounded teaspoon onto greased baking sheet.
Bake at 325*F 18-20 minutes until set and very slightly browned.
Center will still be soft.


Number of Servings: 20

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user SKYSHOOTER44.