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…More Portion Control…

When it comes to health and fitness related topics, the two topics that I am passionate about are

  • food/drink portion controls
  • adequate exercise routine

The two things listed above are some of the most important when looking at creating health and fitness goals and they are usually the two things that are either overlooked or not properly applied to health and fitness plans.

Portion control is important because without it, you will not see the results that you are looking for!  A frequent questions that is also asked when talking about portion control is “I do not know if I ate enough”…”I do not know if I ate the suggested portion sizes”…”I do not know if I am eating as frequently as I should be”.

When it comes to eating the right portion sizes you just have to learn what is the right size and what is the wrong size.  When it comes to knowing how often to eat there is no magic answer for that.  That is something you will have to figure out. Everyone’s body is different.  One important fact…DO NOT STARVE YOURSELF!  If you are hungry between meals have a small, nutritional, low-calorie snack!  My go to snack is yogurt and a handful of nuts…If I am between snacks and I get a craving I always go to something like popcorn or Greek yogurt.  These types of snacks will leave me satisfied  and allow me to make it to my next meal.  This is just something you will have to learn with your own body.  Learn what will leave you feeling satisfied for longer periods of time.

The goal is to plan ahead. You want to make sure that you have snacks and meals available for you at home, at work, in your gym bag, or anywhere close by so you are not tempted to “grab something quick” from the local fast food establishment.

You can check at the following links for some great healthy low-calorie snacks:

http://infinitelifefitness.com/2011/10/18/the-perfect-snack/

http://infinitelifefitness.com/2012/01/17/more-healthy-snack-ideas/

http://infinitelifefitness.com/2012/02/02/more-healthy-snacks-part-3/

http://infinitelifefitness.com/2012/02/23/more-healthy-snacks-part-4/

http://infinitelifefitness.com/2012/03/07/100-calorie-snacks/

 

More Portion Control Tips:

  • Split up food into bags or Tupperware.  This will allow you to pre-measure your food and have it ready when you need it.  It can save you time and allow you to grab something if you are in a hurry!
  • This can be a great thing to do for the family! Put family members names, dates, or even times on the bags/containers so children will know what is OK for them to grab then they are in the kitchen!

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Portion control is also about eating the right things for you. Yes it is OK to have a piece of chocolate or your favorite ice cream…but only ONCE IN A WHILE! Achieving your health and fitness goals requires you to understand what you are putting in your body and what your body needs.  Once you start to eat better, combine that with a great workout routine and you are on your way to achieving your goals!

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…Portion Sizes…

When it comes to starting a new health and fitness routine PORTION SIZES are SO SO SO SO important.  You have to be able to know what is the right amount to have with each meal so you are not over eating.  Over eating will cancel out the hard workout you have that day! The key to losing those unwanted calories is working off MORE calories than you are consuming.

DO NOT starve yourself! Find healthy LOW CALORIE snacks you can have during the day to help you stop those hunger feelings and to get you to your next meal.

Here is a guide i found online…hope that it is helpful with helping you decide you portion sizes when preparing you meals

 

The goal to reaching your fitness goals is to set some goals, stick to them, stay focused, and work hard! Hard work will pay off! Passing on that key lime pie you like to have for dessert and having a bowl of fruit will help you to obtain those health and fitness goals you set for yourself.  It is OK to treat your some sometimes but not ALL the time.  Be mindful of the things you are putting in your body.

You have to make sure that you are eating enough AND also eating the right things throughout the day.  Yes you can consume less calories BUT if all of those calories come from poor quality foods it will not allow you to  reach your health and fitness goals as quickly as you would like.

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…Meatball Monday: Quick Dinner Idea!…

Time is a great issue with everyone!
Time is what allows us to decide if we will be able to work out today…of if you are able to cook the right kind of food.

The key is to MAKE time to fit in your workouts…

MAKE time to create quick and healthy meal options for you (and possibly your family!)

Today I would like to share another quick meal option with you…

Ground Turkey/beef/chicken/Meat Balls

Time: 15-20 Minutes

Oven Temperature: 400 Degrees

What you will need:

  • The meat of your choice (Ground turkey, beef, or chicken.  All should be available at your local grocery store.  The key is to get the LEAN package of meat.  The HIGHER the number is the leaner the meat it.

Example: 94/6 Beef = 94% lean beef 4% fat.  This is the best lean option for beef.  Your store may not have this lean of meat, so try to find the HIGHEST number you can.

Turkey:  99% lean is the best (and the same goes for chicken as well)

Yes it may be a little more expensive BUT these are the healthiest options.  You can even consider the less lean meats but try not to get the most fatty meat)

  • Chopped up veggies (like onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, etc.  You want to make sure that they are chopped into small cubes and that the pieces will fit nicely in the muffin pan holes.

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Instructions: 

***These instructions are made to follow if you use ONE pound of meat.  If you use two I would just double the recipe****

Set your oven to 400 Degrees

First get your package(s) of meat and put them in a big mixing bowl 

Add whatever seasonings you would like to the meat 

Add your chopped up veggies(I usually put onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms on my meatballs.  I will put 1/2 cup of each veggie in a bowl with 1 pound of meat)

Add 1/2 egg whites OR 2 full eggs(I found that this helps to keep the meat ball together so it does not fall apart)

Add 1/2 cup Quaker plain oats(you can also use bread crumbs or any other kind of bread product.  I use this because it adds to the meatball allowing it to stick together as well as adding to the taste of the meatballs) **You can also skip this step. You do not have to add a bread product if you like***

Make Sure to mix all of the contents in the bowl very well to allow for the best distribution of the veggies, spices, and anything else that you put in the bowl

Spray muffin tin with non-stick spray

use 1/4 or 1/3 measuring cup (depending on how much meat/veggie mix will fit in each muffin tin hole)

Measure your meat into the 1/4 cup or 1/3 measuring cups and fill each muffin tin hole

Once all holes are filled

Place muffin tin in the oven

It will take 15-20 minutes for them to cook.

Just watch them and allow them to somewhat harden and turn brown on the outside.

You can break open one meatball to ensure it is all the way cooked before you completely take them out of the oven.

Allow to cool…serve…and ENJOY!

 

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These are great because you can make a batch and keep them in the fridge and grab them when you are in a hurry! You can eat these with pasta, veggie mix, or with anything else you like!

These also allow you to eat the right portion size!
I usually will have two meatballs, a side of veggies, and something else small (like pasta or rice) with this meatball meal.

Hope that you try these out sometime!

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