Delish fish!

Here's the recipe:
1 tilapia filet (per savvy foodie)
1 lemon
Splash of dry white wine
2 Tbl of Fresh Basil
2 Tbl of Fresh Parsley
Dash of Herbs d'Provence (can be purchased at Williams-Sonoma)
Sea Salt to taste
Ground Black Pepper to taste
Olive Oil

1.  Preheat oven to bake at 375 degrees.  Place the lemon slices in a baking dish (2 slices per filet).
2.  Rub the fish on both sides with olive oil, salt, pepper, parsley, herbs d'Provence.  
3.  Place the tilapia over the lemons and bake for about 20-25 minutes.  When the fish is done, it will remain white in color but will break apart with the greatest of ease.

I just made this delicious lemon and herb baked tilapia.  It was incredibly easy to prepare and I'm left feeling satisfied and light!  Two adjectives I strive to achieve after eating dinner.  What is tilapia you may be asking?  It's a white fish that is easy to gril and/or bake.  Both of these methods of preparation are very savvy.  It's a mild tasting fish with little to no odor.  Even if you're not usually a fish fan, this one will make you go MMMMMMM.  Whatever you decide to decorate the fish with (i.e. lemons, herbs, etc.) this fish tends to take on your chosen flavors.  

Can I just say, I love fuel that burns!!  When I put this protein packed little number in my 'engine' it helps rev it up and burn, baby, burn.  "One serving of tilapia (4 ounces) has 29.5 grams of protein, which is more than 50% of your daily value of protein, meaning your body will be burning fat like crazy trying to process the protein!"  http://www.fatburningfurnace.com/blog/tilapia-nutrition-facts-%E2%80%93-health-benefits-of-tilapia

This fish contains vitamin B12 along with omega-3 fatty acids, which let's face it...we need!  Omega-3's help keep our blood pressure under control and ward off heart disease.  The carb count is incredibly low, there is no sugar and such low amounts of fat making this dish super savvy!!  

I originally found this recipe in a book called Boost Your Metabolism Cookbook.  I changed a few things, like using Tilapia instead of Halibut (due to the relative ease of purchasing tilapia) and mixed up the spices.  

Bon Appetit!

SAY WHAT!?!?

I've been dutifully going to my gym now for 18 months.  I do a weigh in every six months, just to make sure I'm decreasing the space I take up in this world.  The folks at Lifetime have informed me they have done away with the skin-fold method of calculating percentage of body fat.  I was not disappointed at all, as I never thought this was a very reliable method, but whatevs!

Ok...so this test required me to fast for three hours prior to the test.  Arriving for my weekly circuit training workout I am, at this point, hungry and quite thirsty - I hop on the fancy looking scale and hold my breath.  WOWZER!!!  My body fat percentage is nothing I can post here.

Crushed, defeated, confused and trying to make sense of the world (DRAMA!) I just don't know what to think.  Based on my weight and % I'm 45 pounds of fat??????  How, what, where, why and WTF?

After consuming protein and mass amounts of water I begin to get a grip.  I know I still have a pesky 10 pounds until goal weight...but 45 nearly sent me over the *freaking edge.  I quickly contacted my trusty support system and asked if I truly put stock into this new machine.  My conclusion is - NO.  If I lost 45 pounds I'd be too thin (is there such a thing?).  My family would most likely diagnosis me with a severe eating disorder and off to the hospital I'd go for some serious nutrient replenishment.

I'm not beating myself up.  I'm not changing my "diet" (I hate using this word).  My trainer suggested re-examining my food intake and she encouraged me to keep a food journal so we could take a look at it.  She said, "You're probably not eating enough".  Initially I was offended...I'm a savvy foodie!!  But then I realized there are steps I can still take in order to reach my ideal weight.  Don't get me wrong, being a size 6 is fab...but there are still parts of my body I'm working on minimizing and toning.

Steps:
1.  Keep food diary - this will keep me honest
2.  Up cardio level to new zone levels - this will require me to run into levels best left to sprinters
3.  Increase protein consumption - this does not mean more chicken, there are numerous opportunities to up the protein without eating more dead animals
4.  Continue with Pilates and Yoga - but now I'm going to increase weight training days
5.  Stop looking at workouts as 'it's done' - I tend to do my class and then I'm done...I'm going to expand my workouts

These are just a few additional steps I can take in order to continue losing and toning.  I feel rather Bridget Jones here.  But seeing my thoughts on the page really helps me from

We're all a bunch of test tubes!

What kind of 'eater' are you?  Do you eat for fun?  Are you overwhelmed by all the info?  Do you try to get in as many fruits and veggies and tend to fail?  Do you just want someone to tell you what you should eat?  Already being a savvy foodie, I know you're here because you do in fact care about the type of food you're putting into your body.  For this, I applaud you!!  You ROCK!!!

As promised, I'm sharing what I am learning.  I just finished studying bioenergetics.  "Bio what now??" you may be asking.  Well here's the short answer.

Basically, when we're physically active, we need energy to sustain us.  Otherwise, we won't be able to accomplish daily activities or exercise.  We need: fat, carbohydrates and protein.  These are sources of fuel for our bodies.

"But fat makes us fat and carbs!!!  CARBS!!!"  I hear 'ya, and I'm here to reassure you it's all good.  We need GOOD fat, we need complex carbohydrates in order to move our booties.  Protein is a given, but guess what I just learned...it rarely supplies energy during exercise.

While reading this chapter I was seriously wishing I had paid closer attention during my chemistry classes.  For those of you who didn't know, carbohydrates aren't just starchy yummy no-no's.  Technically, it's carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.  I cannot help but view people as walking test tubes.  What we put into our bodies (or test tubes) will directly impact the shape of our tubes.  If we don't know what is going into our tubes, how can we control the shape?

Our society is set up for failure!!  We are running towards frightening numbers as the years roll on.  According to the CDC, currently more than 35% of Americans are obese!  68.8% of Americans are overweight.  I mean...HOLD THE PHONE!!!!!!

Society is throwing barrel fulls of fake food, crap and more crap at us and we're putting them into our 'test tubes'.  Fast food is so incredibly cheap and accessible!  McD's actually spends beaucoup bucks on research to determine 'easy to eat food' on the go.  If the item isn't car friendly, it's tossed.  Go to Starbucks and ask for a venti Frappuccino and you could be getting an entire days worth of calories in a single cup! Opt for a salad at any given chain restaurant and the dressing ALONE will squash your good intentions.  News reports condem fat and offer 'low-fat/no-fat' alternatives.  What this means...MORE SUGAR!  Fat provides flavor and to make up for the lack of flavor, they add sugar (or other chemical GMO's).  Low-fat/no-fat has completely screwed up our metabolisms and our test tubes are expanding and bubbling over!  I mean....HOLY CRAP-OLA!!!!  What's a person to do?

Unless you're training to become a personal trainer or a nutritionist, the education tends to be buried, boring and overwhelming. You must be your own advocate.  Here are a few ways to arm yourself against the monsters.


1.  READ LABELS - take the time to turn the shelved products around and find out what you're going to consume.
2.  KNOW WHAT TO AVOID - ok, so you've flipped the label, now what?  Most oils are on the 'do-not-eat list'.  Most processed items will contain more oils than a pimply faced teenager.
3.  READ SAVVY FOODIES - that should be a given
4.  TALK AND SHARE THE WEALTH - speak with like minded individuals and you'll probably pick up a new trick or two
5.  GET THEE TO A GYM - if you're moving your booty more, you'll most likely want to be good to your body.
6.  GET SOME APPS - there are great apps out there to help keep you savvy.  One of my favorites is 'Fast Food Calories'.  Hit the link for a direct connection.  Here you can find virtually any restaurant's nutritional info.
7.  DON'T GIVE UP - whatever you do, keep trying to be savvy.  Don't give in and for cryin' out loud...give yourself a break if you need to cheat.  Just keep getting back up on your horse and ride off into the enlightened sunset.

These are just a few suggestions.  I'd love to hear from you if you have any more.  Like I already said, it's so important to share ideas.  This is how I turned my corner and started eating outside the box.  You may, initially, feel like a real Debby Downer saying, "Oh, I cannot eat that" but you'll start to feel stronger and realize you don't have to just mindlessly eat whatever.  It's your test tube!