Clean Stuffing Muffins

STUFFING MUFFINS

Clean eating doesn't have to take a back seat to traditional Thanksgiving recipes. One change you can make in your holiday cooking is to ditch the prepackaged stuffing mix. Every package of stuffing mix I picked up at the grocery store, had High Fructose Corn Syrup. Pepperidge farm to Stove top.. These companies have some explaining to do!!! Remember that HFCS makes it hard to know when you're full so you eat more food! If you are in charge of the stuffing, try this recipe for stuffng mix You can choose clean,grainy breads or at the very least, interesting breads like marbled one. I like this recipe because you can prepare the 'stuffing mix' up to 3 months a head of time. "Herbed stuffing Mix": ( this works well as croutons also) 30 slices firm-textured bread cut into 1/2 -inch cubes,1/3 cup cooking oil,3 Tbs. instant minced onion,3 Tbs. parsley flakes, 2 tsp. garlic salt,3/4 tsp. ground sage and 1/2 tsp. seasoned pepper or seasoning salt. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Put bread cubes in two 13"X9"baking pans. Toast cubes for 45 minutes, stirring occationally. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Stir in remaining ingredients.Lightly toss to coat thoroughly.Cool. Store in an airtight container, in a cool dry place.Use within 3 to 4 months.---Makes about 12 cups. Use as needed. Another idea is to take your stuffing mix and make it in muffin tins to keep your serving size in check. Rachel Ray has a yummy Apple Onion Stuffed Muffins recipe. If you like, you can replace the chicken stock for vegetable broth and have a clean, veg version of this deliciousness.

Tosca Reno Giveaway!

OUR FIRST GIVEAWAY!!

I'm so excited to announce PhiBetaFit's first GIVEAWAY! If you follow our blog, then you know that Tosca Reno's books are part of my personal training bible. My clients are successful because they've joined us in the Eat-Clean lifestyle. Even celebs like Halle Berry, Angelina Jolie and Nicole Kidman are fans! Our lucky winner will receive two of Tosca's Best books. Eat Clean Diet Recharged and her brand new, hot off the presses, Your Best Body Now! Pictured above are my personal copies but our winner will receive their prizes from Amazon.com CONTEST ENDS DECEMBER 9! Good luck!!! HOW TO ENTER 1. You MUST be a follower of my blog. Please leave your GFC (Google Friend Connect )name in the comments so I can check. 2. Leave your email address so that I can contact you. 3. TWEET about this giveaway! (leave a link so I can find it!) 4. BLOG about this giveaway! Either by doing a blog post or putting it in your sidebar (leave a link to your blog!) 5. REFER a friend! Tell everyone you can about this giveaway so they can follow and enter too! Make sure your friend mentions your name, each time your name is mentioned will earn you one additional entry! (i.e. 10 people say you referred them to my blog, you will get 10 additional entries!) ***each number will equal 1 point. Each point = 1 entry, the more entries the more chances of WINNING! All entries will be put into a hat and my son, Hunter, will be picking the Winner!

Get Ready for our first Giveaway!!

COMING SOON!

Get ready for PhiBetaFit's first Giveaway! Keep checking back for the announcement and how you can be a winner!! We promise you won't be disappointed!! Be sure to follow us so you can stay updated!!

Super Model Booty Blaster Workout

Super Model Booty Blaster Workout

This ultra fast workout will give your booty Super Model defination and lift . The best part is you can do it quickly at home, or outside if you have 15 minutes to spare. Equipment: 3-5 pound weights (optional) Stairs for step ups. How: Do the exercises in with a quick pace. Rest 30 seconds in between rounds. Repeat 3 times through. If you are just starting out, begin with 1 round. How Often: 3 x a week, every other day for fat shredding results. *Warm up first by marching, jogging, or jumping jacks, jump rope, for 5 minutes . 1. 20 Deep Squats Feet Parallel, shoulder width apart. Weights in hand. Squat down and come up to full standing. Tip: Sit your booty way back in the back seat of the car with chest on the dashboard. As you come up, make sure you squeeze the booty at the top of move. 2. 20 Jump squats with no weight. Feet shoulder width apart. Squat down and jump up. Land softly. Dynamic movement will reshape the legs and booty! The pace is quick! You'll feel this! 3. 20 Plie' Squats Feet are wider than shoulder width apart. Toes are turned out. Squat deep and quick. Press through the heels. Keep your shoulders back and abs tight. Squeeze squeeze Squeeze! Weights are optional. 4. Step ups-15 each side Stand facing step. Step up with one foot, lift back leg and squeeze booty at the top of the move. Step down and switch legs. The pace is quick, but keep squeezing and control so you don't lose form. Weights are optional. 5. Walking Lunges -16 total Stand with feet shoulder width. Step out with right leg into deep lunge. Lift the left leg and step through into deep lunge. The pace is quick but take care to keep good form. Always squeeze the core and booty during the exercise.Weights are optional. After 3 rounds, be sure to stretch out your lower body for slinky, sexy muscles!

Strength training for Weight Loss

Strength training for Weight Loss Many people are not conscious that strength training for weight loss is a very important approach and is also critical in not regaining the weight? Any exercise program started does not have to incorporate huge weights but should involve basic weight training. The most common approach to weight loss is to go on a diet which reduces calories. The underlying fundamental is that lowering calories leads to weight loss, and thia argument has some merit. To reduce weight, a deficiency in calorific intake is necessary but this is only half of the full picture. Unfortunately the fat we have stored does not require calories it just sits there. It is the muscle mass beneath the fat layer that burns calories. Often people who are very heavy have a strong muscular system beneath the fat because this has been necessary to support all the weight that has been carried around. The normal everyday actions such as getting to work, walking, getting groceries and the like builds up the muscles and this is advantageous. The worst thing we want to do is lose the muscle mass while we are losing fat and this is the risk if we starve ourselves to lose body fat. The muscle mass reduces because it is no longer required to support all of that weight and it is no longer receiving the calories required to maintain it when you are on a diet. If you lose muscle mass then metabolism starts to slow down and any little surplus food will now be converted to fat which in counterproductive. Strength training for weight loss is one of the best solutions to this issue. By utilising strength training for weight loss, not only do we lose fat, finish up with more muscle mass, but also the gains will be quicker. With the reduction in body fat out muscles will begin to show increased definition. A lot of body fat is layed down external to our muscles, but it can also be stored internally, which gives the muscles some bulk when we carry too much fat. This intramuscular fat will be burned with a strength training for which may reduce the overall size of the muscle but it will now look like lean muscle and it will continue to burn calories just during maintenance. Losing muscle is way easier than gaining it back so any program needs to maintain the muscle that you already have. is not actually the objective that people are really seeking. It is usually the loss of fat that is the target and the workout should reflect that objective. in order to retain the muscle mass when reducing weight we need to incorporate a strength training for weight loss regime. With a diet that severely restricts calories all that initially happens is that the body uses up the glycogen stores in the tissues and organs to get the energy needed to keep going. This leads to the reduction in sugars and water but this is not a reduction in fat. To recap, weight reduction is not essentially the goal, we are looking to lose fat. We need to get away from our fascination with the bathroom scales and look at objective ways to measure body fat instead. Not many people own a set of calipers but they are not expensive and this is a worthwhile investment. These measure the fat layer at specific, and repeatable points on the body. Charts are available that will pinpoint where these measurements can be taken. You will find that these locations are in different spots for men and women because fat is deposited differently in each. Wrapping up, a strength training for weight loss program will greatly help achieve the objective of lowering body fat. During this process we will engage our existing muscle mass which will assist in producing a lean body while maintaining a balanced calorific intake.

RockStar Abs Series Part two: Drop it like it's hot SUGAR

Jorge Cruise and Dr. OZ . BELLY FAT CURE!

In my 20 plus years of being in the fitness industry, the question I've probably been asked the most is "How do I get flat abs?" Our RockStar Abs series will give you great tips, workouts and nutritional information so you finally get the abs you want! Part TWO: Drop it like it's hot! Sugar SUGAR SUGAR What you need to know: In part one we talked about HFCS and it's effects on bellyfat, weight loss and health. Now it's time to address sugar. Fact: Belly fat is unattractive as it is unhealthy. Good news: You can get rid of it . It's all about keeping insulin low.    Why?  High insulin causes your body to store belly fat and lock it in place.  Two hundred years ago, the average American ate 2 pounds of sugar a year. In 1970 we ate 123 pounds of sugar a year. Today we average 152 pounds of sugar a year. That's 3 pounds of sugar or 6 cups a week! That's 31 teaspoons a day! ** Remember: 4 grams of equals 1 teaspoon. A typical 12 ounce can of soda contains 40 grams of sugar. That is the equivelent of 10 teaspoons of sugar! Imagine drinking a super large gulp of soda. It's around 64 ounces and it contains 53 teaspoons of sugar! Sugar = Belly fat! Where are the hidden sugars and how do I find out how much to eat? Be a label sleuth!! Names for sugar on labels: Sugar Honey fructose* Glucose maple syrup corn syrup Sorghum Sorbitol Brown sugar Lactose* Dextose Molasses Maltose sucrose   Fruit juice concentrate High Fructose Corn syrup According to Jorge Cruise, best selling author of 'The Belly Fat Cure' we need to keep our daily consumption at 15 grams of sugar a day. *Remember though: This does not include naturally occurring sugars found in fruits (fructose) and dairy products (lactose). For more on the Belly Fat Cure, be sure to visit Jorge Cruise's blog Check back for more RockStar Abs!

**DHHS.gov

RockStar Abs series: Drop it like it's hot

Gwen Stefani and Ryan Reynolds have RockStar Abs

In my 20 plus years of being in the fitness industry, the question I've probably been asked the most is "How do I get flat abs?" Our RockStar Abs series will give you great tips, workouts and nutritional information so you finally get the abs you want! Part one: Drop it like it's hot! HFCS: HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP How many items can you find in your local grocery store that do not contain High Fructose Corn syrup? It's not easy. In fact more and more products are being spiked with HFCS all the time. What is it? It's a sweetner that is made from cornstartch and is very inexpensive to produce. It's used to sweeten food and prolong shelf life. The FDA has deemed that HFCS is HFCS is Not natural. Fact: The U.S Production of HFCS went from 3,000 tons in 1967 to 9,227,000 tons in 2005. ** What you need to know is that HFCS is a very cheap ingredient that is much sweeter than sugar. HFCS helps the processed food industry boost their profits while it boots our fat-storing hormones. Glucose is metoblized in the cells: fructose must be metabolized in the liver. It tricks the body into not releasing insulin and leptin. Those are two hormones that should be released when you are 'done' eating. Studies have also shown that HFCS also increases triglycerides, and high triglycerides prevent leptin from working in the brain. >>You can't tell when you are full.<< HFCS is good for companies because you eat more of their food! The diet food industry is a billion dollar industry. The US is at it's highest obesity rate of all time. If diet foods worked wouldn't we be skinny.. ah but then they would be out of business! Eating HFCS allows you to consume way more food so super- sizing your drinks leads to super-sizing your meals which leads to super- sizing your gut! Studies have also shown that you eat more for the next 24 hours! Do your homework Read your labels. You will be surprised to find out how many foods (including diet foods) contain HFCS. Some items that can contain HFCS diet deserts breakfast cereals Fast food 'healthy' yogurts Soda Applesauce condiments Fruit Juices High fiber crackers Breads of all kinds cough syrup dill pickles cereal bars peanut butter chocolate milk . The list goes on and on. You can find alternatives by eating clean and being a label sleuth. Smucker's makes an Organic Natural peanut butter that contains, just peanuts. There are many many other reasons to kick this franken-chemical to the curb. The correlation between the high obesity rate, Diabetes,and the increased use of HFCS is in itself reason to say no to this poison. We don't need it. Our bodies don't require it. IT HAS NO NUTRITIONAL VALUE. Don't eat it! If you want to take a big step in cleaning up your diet for health as well as weight loss and flat abs, then make your first step to remove HFCS! You can read more about HFCS online or in **Master your Metabolism by Jillian MIchaels Sugar Shock by Connie Bennett University of Florida More resources/studies here!

Yummy Tomato soup

Yummy Fall Tomato Soup

Since the fall season has begun I've been addicted to Panera's Tomato Soup. I wanted to make something equally as yummy for home and I think this recipe is spot on. Plus, this recipe doesn't have HFCS as the Panera version does. It's super easy and fast. I made this batch with Vegetable broth and I embellished it a bit with a tad of half & half just to give it some body. That's your call. I also toasted one piece of Ezekiel bread in the toaster oven and cut it into croutons. YUM Yummy Tomato Soup 　serves 4 1 tbsp olive oil one table spoon minced garlic 1/4 tsp chili flakes 3 small cans diced fire roasted tomatos 3 cups of chicken or vegetable broth 1 tsp basil flakes 1. Heat a large soup pot to medium heat. Add Olive oil, garlic and chili flakes. Cook for one minute. Add tomatoes, basil and broth. Bring to a boil. 2. Puree with your Imersion blender or blend it on low speed in your blender. 3. Optional: 1/8 cup of half/half to the pot. Per serving (without cream): Calories: 103 protein: 5 grams Carbs: 20 grams Fat: 3 grams Fiber: 5 grams sugar: 14 grams, sodium 710 mg Per serving (with cream): Calories: 143 protein: 6 grams Carbs: 20 grams Fat: 5 grams Fiber: 5 grams Sugar: 15 grams Sodium 725 mg Enjoy!

Chipotle Mahi Mahi

Chipotle Mahi Mahi with Mukimame I love it when the Rock Star chefs for me. He's much better than I am. He made this recipe up on the fly and it was spectacular. Prep time was about 15 minutes with the chopping. Ingredients: green onions 2 chopped home grown tomatoes olive oil 2 small onions (sliced) juice from two limes 1 bag of frozen Mukimame red pepper flakes chipoltle pepper spice 2 mahi mahi steaks Put Olive oil in frying pan over low heat. Add onions and tomatoes. Next add Mahi Mahi steaks in and season with lime, red pepper and spices. Steam the Mukimame in the microwave (don't steam it in the bag though) then add it to the pan and cover. We season to taste so we probably use more pepper than most people. This dish is fast, yummy and completely modifiable! Great protein, Omega's and flavor