Taco Salad

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup prepared salsa
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound 93%-lean ground turkey
• 2 large plum tomatoes, diced
• 1 14-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 8 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Preparation

1. Combine salsa and sour cream in a large bowl.

Banana Yogurt Pancakes

Ingredients

• unbleached all-purpose flour, 2 cups sifted
• sugar substitute, 1 packet
• baking soda, 1 tablespoon
• fat-free plain yogurt, 8 ounces
• large banana, mashed
• skim milk, 1/2 cup
• canola oil, 1/2 tablespoon
• vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
• 4 egg whites, whipped into soft peaks
• Cooking spray

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the yogurt, mashed banana, milk, oil, and vanilla and stir until just moistened. Then gently fold in the whipped egg whites. Lightly coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and use a large spoon to ladle out 4-inch pancakes. Once the bottoms become browned and you see bubbles at the top, flip the pancakes and finish cooking. Serve with sugar-free syrup or sliced fruit.

Grilled Chicken & Apple Salad

Ingredients:

Minty Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookie Dough

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons skim milk
• olive oil

Heat oven to 350°. Coat 2 cookie sheets with cooking spray. Cut dough into 4 equal pieces; cut each into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece between fingers to form a 1 1/2- to 2-inch-long log. Pinch together ends of each log to form rings and place doughnuts 1 inch apart on cookie sheets; bake 1 batch at a time until dough puffs, 5 to 6 minutes. Whisk sugar and milk in a bowl until smooth. Dip top of each warm cookie into sugar-milk glaze; press into crushed candy. Let set on wire racks.

Work Those Abs….

Start in plank  position (wrists under shoulders, legs extended behind you, abs engaged, toes tucked under).

right elbow, forearm, and palm to the floor, keeping elbow directly under shoulder.

Repeat on left side. Then straighten right arm, placing right palm on floor; repeat on left side.

Targets shoulders, chest, triceps, abs, lower back

Low Calorie-Healthy Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients
8 to 10 garlic cloves
2 pounds potatoes, quartered
1/3 cup light sour cream
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1 tablespoon snipped fresh oregano, rosemary, or thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
1. To roast garlic, wrap unpeeled cloves in foil. Bake in a 400-degree oven 25 to 35 minutes or until cloves feel soft when pressed. When cool enough to handle, squeeze garlic from peels into a small bowl.

2. Meanwhile, put potatoes in a large saucepan with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain potatoes; return to saucepan.

Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes

What I like about this recipe is that it is diabetic friendly, low sodium, low saturated fat and low in calories!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 8 cups)
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Arrange sweet potatoes in an even layer in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Combine maple syrup, butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper in small bowl. Pour the mixture over the sweet potatoes; toss to coat.

Chocolate Banana Nutter

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter
1 banana
1 cup water
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
blend with ice and enjoy!

Happy Anniversary to Me!

This is me last year on the right, holding the beer!, lol I was at 125 pounds here. So, I started my weight loss journey almost a year ago. I began Beachbody’s Insanity program on December 10, 2009. At that time it was kind of a last resort. I had been walking and jogging, doing store bought workout Dvd’s and not seing any results. I was confused and depressed and feeling helpless. I knew I was overweight and I knew my health problems were because of my weight. When I looked in the mirror, I didnt see Ruby, I seen an unfamiliar woman, who was overweight and unhappy. Little did I know that one program, one set of dvd’s would change my life and set me on my new lifestyle change and make me fel like ME again!

Healthy Herb Stuffing

Ingredients

• 1  1-pound  loaf whole wheat bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 8  ounces  spicy or regular bulk turkey sausage (or purchase links and remove casing)
• 1  tablespoon  extra-virgin olive oil
• 4  large  stalks celery, very thinly sliced
• 1  large (10-ounce)  red onion, chopped
• 2  large  garlic cloves, minced
• 12  large  fresh sage leaves, finely chopped (about 3 tablespoons)
• 3  cups  natural, fat-free chicken broth

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange bread cubes evenly on two large baking pans. Brown in oven for about 25 minutes.