Cellulite + Chicken and Squash Recipe

Happy Labor Day Weekend.

I have been thinking about something to write about in my blog and I decided to discuss cellulite. If you are a women and reading this, you probably are cringing because we all hate cellulite and we want to know, why do have it and what can we do about it?!?!

I wish I could say I have found a quick fix to this problem, but unfortunately it doesn't exist. As a woman, we have 3 layers of fat, or adipose tissue. We tend to carry the majority of this in our lower body. There is connective tissue that connects our skin to our muscle by fibrous cords. The adipose tissue cells accumulate between these tight cords and poke through the collagen causing a dimpling, puckered look.

There are certain factors that contribute to the worsening the appearance of existing cellulite. Hormones, such as estrogen, weaken the collagen in our connective tissue causing more dimpling. Weight gain also contributes due to too many fat cells trying to be contained between our muscle and skin. Stress, genetics, fad dieting and lack of physical activity also are culprits to the problem.

Cellulite is not a medical condition. Many of us have cellulite and it doesn't exactly mean you are unhealthy or not fit. I have had cellulite since I was a teenager on my thighs. Even when I weighed 105 lbs and ran almost everyday, I had cellulite. I have cellulite now, even though I am the most physically fit and toned than I have ever been. It is a fact that I have had to learn to accept.

I researched a few different types of "treatments" that I wanted to share. First are over the counter creams. There are no studies that show these work and most people do not see any effects. Also some of the ingredients can cause skin rashes. I have tried some myself and have not found any to work. Another treatment is laser. These can work temporarily, but take multiple treatments and are expensive. They tend to last only about 6 months. Then there is liposuction. I used to joke and say I was going to do this. But in reality, it can change the shape of your body, but doesn't take cellulite away. It can actually make it worse. Think of it this way, if you had a barn full of cows and took the cows out, the barn might look nicer, but the barn is still there. All you have to do is open the door, and back comes the cows. That's liposuction. It's very easy for those fat cells to accumulate back into the existing open spaces.

What really works? Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight by eating clean and exercising. Increase your muscle tone. This helps to decrease the appearance of cellulite. Stay hydrated. I know you are thinking, really Mandi? That's the same thing you preach over and over again. But it's true, everything boils down to altering your everyday lifestyle habits to healthy, fresh, clean choices and physical activity!

Here is a recipe I have been wanting to share with you because it is delicious!
Chicken and Squash Bake:
(You could use zucchini instead of squash and olive oil or coconut oil instead of butter)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, each cut into about 4 strips (about 1 1/4-1 1/2 lbs)
Garlic salt (or garlic powder to decrease sodium)
Lemon Pepper
10 cups yellow squash, washed, sliced 1/4 inch thick (cut large slices in half)
6 ounces fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
3 tbs of butter (or oil)
4 ounces sliced Muenster cheese (or any cheese you would like)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9x13 baking dish and place chicken inside. Sprinkle with garlic salt or powder and lemon pepper, turn chicken and repeat. Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. After about 30 minutes of baking, heat 2 tbs butter or oil in a large stock pot. Sauté squash until tender. Add remaining tbs of butter or oil to pot. Add spinach leaves. Cook and stir just until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat and toss with a pinch of salt if desired. Take the dish of chicken from oven, uncover and spoon the squash mixture over the chicken. Place slices of cheese on top, enough to make a thin layer over the vegetables.

If you prefer to Grill ( I prefer it this way rather than baking as above):
This is much faster! Sauté veggies, grill the chicken and assemble in the greased baking as above. Broil in the oven just until cheese is melted and top is browned.

I hope you have a great rest of your Labor Day weekend.

Stay Active

~Mandi

 

 

Benefits of Eating boring old Celery + Recipes+ Yoga video

To celebrate the last day of my 20's I am going to write about celery. Pretty dang boring. However....celery has a ton of health benefits that may surprise you. And I have two celery containing recipes to share.

Before I go into the list of benefits, I have to share with you my celery story. I will admit, I am NOT a huge fan of eating celery straight up. When I was 5 years old and in kindergarten, we had to take turns bringing snacks. So when my turn came to bring snacks, my mom packed me up with a big container of cut celery stalks with peanut butter. Sounds great right? Well not for me. I hated it! And to this day still do. If you like celery, having with some natural peanut butter is a really great nutritious snack. I just can't do it. But because of all these nice things below, I really should eat more celery!

Anyways....back to the good stuff. It is 95% water and contains a lot of natural fiber. This is great for your digestive tract. Celery also acts as an anti-inflammatory, especially in your GI tract, so for me that is a great benefit.  It contains a lot of vitamins and antioxidants such as Vitamin A, K, C, potassium, calcium, folate and magnesium, which help boost your immune system. The tops of the stalk have about 5 times magnesium and calcium than the stalks so it is good to chop those up and put them in your salads. Celery is natural diuretic, meaning it helps your body's fluid balance by flushing out excess fluid and uric acid. This is good because it naturally balances your sodium and potassium levels. This also helps with urinary tract infections, kidney and bladder infections (not meaning this is a cure, it just may aid in prevention). And this fluid and electrolyte balance is great when you are working out. The high level of calcium in celery helps to calm the central nervous system which can help with anxiety and stress. Cardiovascular health is improved because it contains something called phthalides, that relax the lining of the arteries and may help with blood pressure and cholesterol. It also is just an overall great food because a half a cup of chopped celery only has 8 calories. So if you are trying to loose weight, it's a great snack.

So there you have it. Who knew there were so many fun facts about celery?! :)

I have two recipes to share that contain celery and you must try these because I have made both in the last week and they are superb!

Chicken Salad: (click on the link to find recipe)
 I boiled my chicken breasts then cut them up into small pieces. And I used 1 cup of mayo with olive oil.

Moroccan Vegetable Curry:
1 onion, diced
1 zucchini, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 qrt Vegetable broth
1 can lite coconut milk (found in Asian isle at the store)
2 tbs curry powder
4-5 packets of stevia sweetener

In a large stock pot, brown onions in a little olive oil. Add broth, coconut milk, stevia and veggies to pot. Add curry and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Cook 15-20 min until celery and carrots are tender. If you would like it thicker, dissolve 1/2 cup of corn starch in 1/2 cup of water and add to the pot. You can serve it over brown rice or cous cous or you could eat it alone. We also will add shrimp to this for a protein.

I hope you try those as they are very good recipes. The curry makes your kitchen smell amazing!

Here is a yoga routine I did today that I really liked:

Stay Active
~Mandi

What the heck is Gluten and why do I keep complaining about it? Plus a yummy Pesto recipe.

What a beautiful morning it is sitting on my brand new patio set listening to the birds chirping. In brain storming some new topics to write about, I thought I would write about gluten. Those who know me personally, probably get so sick and tired of me whining about my gluten related GI issues and probably wonder, what the heck is she even talking about?!

No it's not a new hippy dippy diet bandwagon I wanted to jump on. It really and truly is an actual health issue that dictates what I can and can't eat. Here is a little history about me and my weeny stomach issues. When I was 20 years old, I began noticing that whenever I would eat, I would feel like I had a brick in my stomach, nauseous and usually would end up with diarrhea. I eventually went to the Dr. and was told I had IBS, which made sense to me, and was given an anti spasmodic medication. This did help with the cramping, but obviously not the symptoms. So fast forward about 7 or 8 years. I go back to the Dr. with the same continued issues, only now they are way worse. I was advised to have a colonoscopy which,  a year later I ended up doing. It basically was normal and I was again told I had IBS and again given the same kind of medication. It was about 2 months later my mother read an article in a women's health magazine about gluten and brought it to my attention. I read up on it and did my own experiment eliminating all gluten from my diet for a week. Then on a Friday night, Brian and I had a gluten containing dinner and I was right back in pain, bloating, nausea and diarrhea. And such is my life currently.

Gluten is a protein composite that is in wheat, and grass related grains such as barley and rye. It is found in anything that is made with flour. It is also used in soy and many sauces, ketchup, BBQ sauce, etc as a stabilizing agent. It is used in many medications and vitamins as a binding agent. The gluten protein is what makes things stick together and hold. It give elasticity to dough to allow it to bind. About 15% of the current population is thought to have some sort of gluten sensitivity or allergy.

Gluten causes inflammation in the small intestines. The symptoms are abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, muscular, bone and joint pain, headaches, vertigo, depression, anxiety, exhaustion and poor dental health. Obviously if you have a true allergy to it you can have rashes, itching, hives and anaphylaxis. These are the people with celiac disease which goes way beyond just the sensitivity.

A gluten free diet basically consists of eating fresh, clean food. (you have never heard me enforce that, right ;)....). It's fruits, veggies, lean protein, beans, rice and most dairy.  There are many products these days that are gluten free such as bread, pasta, tortillas, cookies, etc. But be careful, just because it says "gluten free" doesn't mean it's healthy. If normally you don't eat cookies in your healthy diet, don't start just because they are gluten free. But it is nice to have options. I have tried many pastas, breads, pizzas and really they are tasty to me. The biggest thing is to avoid anything made with wheat, flour, barley and rye. This is why you can't drink regular beer. Any anything that is breaded will have flour in it. Basically if in doubt, I don't eat it. The biggest concern with a gluten free diet is that you may not get enough fiber and vitamins such as zinc, vitamin B, iron and complex carbs. This is because many wheat products are enriched with these. But I do use a gluten free fiber supplement most of the time and I take a B vitamin and multivitamin.

Now I am not perfect by any means, and again, those who know me sure know when I have slipped because it really is uncomfortable and I end up in the bathroom with regrets. The best way to describe how I feel when I have loaded up on gluten is like I have a hangover. I am very fatigued, have a headache and major stomach issues.

I hope this has helped increase your knowledge on the new and growing issue.

The recipe I want to share is one I found in the paper a few weeks ago. As I grow basil and mint in my garden, this was perfect!

Basil Mint Pesto:
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup toasted walnuts (sounds weird, but it's good!...spread on baking sheet at 350 degrees for 5-7 min)
2 cloves of garlic, cut in half
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 pepper
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Place mint, basil, nuts, garlic, salt and pepper in food processor. Pulse to finely chop. While running the processor, add oil in a steady stream. Process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in cheese.

As I have a ton of basil and mint, I plan to make a lot of this and freeze it in ice cube trays. Then transfer to individual freezer bags to have for this winter. It's great with chicken.

Stay Active
~Mandi   
"like" me on facebook! https://www.facebook.com/LeanAndCleanWithMandi

Sunscreen: The How's and Why's

Good Saturday morning. I first want to say that, the reason why I have had a "hiatus" from the blog, is because this spring and summer have been EXTREMELY busy. And since I have a desk job working at a computer all day, I found it hard to come home and get right back on the computer. But, things are slowing down a tad and I enjoy sharing my random health thoughts, so I want to get back to by blogging.

I wanted to talk about sunscreen since we are in the middle of summer and it is getting hot outside. I personally have been a huge sunscreen advocate most of my adult life, because let's face it. I don't want to be leathery and wrinkle up by the time I'm 40 and look like I'm 80. Don't get me wrong, I love being out doors, basking in the warmth of the sun, camping, gardening, walking the dog, etc. But, the many years as a teenager I slathered tanning oil on and baked myself for hours, is starting to show. Lot's of freckles on my body and brown spots on my face. What do we always say, if I knew then what I know now? But yeah right, you can't talk a teenage girl out of cooking her skin!!

I did some research and read that only 1 sunburn resulting in blisters as a child increases your risk of skin cancer, especially melanoma,  as an adult by 50%.  And most of us have probably had way more than 1 bad sunburn. This is why I feel sunscreen is so important. Properly wearing sunscreen will help prevent risk for skin cancer, pre-aging of skin, wrinkles, brown spots and dilated blood vessels just to name a few things.I don't know about you, but I definitely do not want to encourage all that.

So what do you look for when buying sunscreen? Well as of December last year, the FDA has started regulating the labels on sunscreen so you can feel better about what you are buying. It has been shown that an SPF of 15 or higher is adequate. If you plan to be in the sun for many hours, do at least 30. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, SPF 15 blocks out 93% of UV rays, 30 blocks out 97% and 50 blocks out 98%. So even 100 SPF will not block out UV entirely. The takeaway is, you don't really need the SPF higher than 50, BUT you will most likely see me with a bottle of 70 SPF, because...well, I like to be overkill. But totally not necessary.

You want the label to say "broad spectrum" for this will block UVA and UVB rays. UVB are the rays that give us the red sunburn. But the UVA rays silently and invisibly cause damage.They penetrate deep into the skin and that's where we get the wrinkled, leathery skin. UVA causes cell damage to our epidermis which is where skin cancer is mostly found. So you don't need to burn to be at risk.

Use a generous amount and apply 30 minutes prior to sun exposure. Reapply after 2 hours, no matter what SPF you are wearing. Also reapply after getting wet, sweating and/or toweling off. The highest sun exposure hours of the day are between 10-4 so be sure to wear sun screen during those hours. Also when it's cloudy outside, as 40% of UV rays make it to the earth, even when cloudy.

Now what about those people who say sunscreen is poison for our body and we shouldn't wear it? Well from what I can find, it is thought that the chemicals in sunscreen are absorbed into our skin, to our blood stream and liver. It is thought it can cause other diseases, cancers and hormone imbalances (although I could not find which ones). While, I do think this may be true, I read that it is a very slow absorption and I personally fear skin cancer a lot more. (I am a nurse, I have seen some very devastating cases.) But, to meet in the middle find a broad spectrum sun screen with zinc or titanium oxide as those are more natural ingredients and they sit on the surface of your skin and don't absorb deep into your skin therefore it doesn't make it to your blood stream.

Oh and be sure to use a sunscreen on your face and neck. I personally use a daily moisturizer, Cereve (you can get at any drugstore) that contains SPF 30 as well as my makeup has SPF in it. You want to have youthful skin for as long as possible and this will help!

I think that's it. Sorry for the long blog, but I had lots of info to share. Now go have fun in the sun, just protect your precious skin! :)

Stay Active
~Mandi                                                   
"Like" me on facebook! https://www.facebook.com/LeanAndCleanWithMandi

Recipe of the Week: BBQ Kabobs and Potatoes

This week I wanted something tropical on the grill. And I am loving fresh pineapple right now. This may not be the most healthy recipe I have shared, but it really isn't too bad.

Sweet BBQ Chicken Kabobs from Kraft.com

Grilled Red Potatoes from Food.com

And since I had frozen orange juice left, I decided to make an old school Orange Julius to use it up.
Orange Julius : I did use Splenda instead of sugar.

I hope you enjoy this will all the fresh ingredients! I found it quite pleasing, and the Orange Julius really took me back to being a kid!

Stay Active
~Mandi

Recipe of the Week: Pepperoni Pizza

Long time no blog, I know, I know.....life has been hectic! We also have been eating very simple, so I haven't had any new recipes to share for a while. But I have something to share today!

Today Brian found a semi-healthy pizza recipe. We thought it would be fun to make it on the pizza stone on the grill. I made mine with gluten free crust and we jazzed up the sauce with Italian seasoning. We also used no sodium tomato sauce in the recipe. I used turkey pepperoni as well (this saves quite a bit of fat and calories). It is a nice summer spin on pizza.

EatingWell's Pepperoni Pizza

I hope you try it and enjoy it! You can put your regular pizza dough straight on your grates too if you don't have a pizza stone or cook it in the oven.

Have a great Sunday evening.

Stay active!
~Mandi

Happy Cinco de Mayo Recipes

Hola!!!

Okay, no I don't speak Spanish, but I did just get back from a week in Cancun, which is why I have not posted anything as of recent. I wanted to share some of the recipes we are making today since we are in the Mexican Spirit.

Carne Asada Tacos:
This is from the eatingwell.com website, and let me tell you the marinade tastes and smells amazing. I can't wait to have these with some fresh salsa and guacamole served on corn tortillas.

Easy Mexican Rice
I was searching for something easy and somewhat authentic. I prefer not to have store bought salsa mixed with rice so this recipe is perfect. I did buy no salt added tomato sauce and low sodium chicken broth to decrease the salt.

We are also making a Shrimp Ceviche. I am going to share a recipe I found that is very similar to what we are making :http://mexicanfood.about.com/od/fiestaappetizers/r/shrimpceviche.htm.
The one we are making we learned to make at the resort we stayed at, and it simply was shrimp cooked for about 3 minutes in a little lime juice, then add diced tomatoes, white onion, cilantro, salt, pepper, garlic, a little olive oil and a little diced Serrano pepper. I don't have the exact measurements, so we are just going to wing it, but if you want something with exact measurements, click on the above link. It is very similar. This is basically a cold, spicy, seafood soup.

Brian is going to pair this with some Mexican wine, and as I unfortunately can not find Mexican Wine, I found a nice bottle of Spanish wine to go with it.

I hope you are enjoying some good food today. This week I plan to talk about some homemade skin brightening regimens, as I have developed some major sunspots on my face (despite a hat and sunscreen). I have got to get rid of these so I have some natural remedies to share.

Stay Active!
~Mandi