More recipes!!!

A few new recipes for your enjoyment.....
[UPDATED 1-23-09]

Apple Crumble
(a new fan favorite!!)

Topping-
In medium mixing bowl, combine the following:
2 ¼ cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups puffed brown rice
¼ cup Splenda
¼ cup Diabeti Sweet Brown Sugar*
2 Tablespoons oat bran
¼ cup flaxseed meal
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon clear vanilla (with no sodium or corn syrup)
½ cup water
¼ teaspoon butter extract
Set aside.

Bottom layer:
6 McIntosh apples, peeled, cored and sliced
¼ - 1/3 cup water

Slice apples into 10 x 10 silicon baking dish and sprinkle with water.
Spread topping evenly over apples.
Bake at 360 degrees for 45-60 minutes.
Allow to cool.
Keep refrigerated.

*If you don't have this ingredient, you can substitute with 1/4 cup Splenda and 1/2 teaspoon maple extract for a similar flavor.

A good HEALTHY substitute for my regular Apple Crisp that I can enjoy!
(Recipe of which is elsewhere on this blog!!!)


Quick and Healthy Applesauce

12 McIntosh apples, peeled, cored and quartered
1 cup water
¼ cup Splenda*
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about the juice from one small lemon)
1 teaspoon clear vanilla (with no sodium or corn syrup)

Place water and peeled apples in medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until apples are mushy. Remove from heat. Whisk with a fork until apples get to a consistency you like (will be a little chunky). Add Splenda. Mix thoroughly with fork. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well blended. Allow to cool. Refrigerate in tightly sealed container. Makes about 4 cups.

*If you don’t have Splenda, you can use granulated white sugar instead, but it is not as healthy that way!

For a special treat (and also not as healthy), add about 10 large marshmallows to the hot/warm applesauce. Allow them to melt slightly, stir carefully, then chill. Yummy!!



Turkey Saute with Tomatoes and Basil

¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
1 green pepper, diced
2 onions, diced
2 jalepeno peppers, diced
Saute above ingredients in large sauce pan until onions are clear.
Add 2 pounds of ground turkey breast and black pepper to taste.
Cook until browned.
Stir in:
2 t. crushed garlic
1 - 28 oz. can whole tomatoes with basil, NSA (I chop these up into smaller pieces)
1 Tablespoon dry basil
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.
Serve over brown jasmine rice.

Living Lean Peanut Butter Muffins
(Not recommended for reducers, save for Living Lean)
[Updated December 2008]

1 cup rolled oats
½ cup steel cut oats
6 Tablespoons 100% peanuts chunky peanut butter, NSA
(I used Crazy Richard’s brand smooth or Krema brand) [I have been using about 1/2 cup in recent batches...adds a few fat calories, but a nice change]
2 Tablespoons Diabeti Sweet brown sugar substitute
1/4 cup Splenda
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons clear vanilla
¼ teaspoon butter extract
1/2 cup water
12 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In large mixing bowl, stir together all dry ingredients and peanut butter. In small mixing bowl (or oversize measuring cup), combine all wet ingredients except egg whites. Stir into dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined and all oats are covered. Will be moist. Set aside.

In separate bowl, beat eggs for about 15 secs with hand mixer. Stir into oat mixture and combine well with mixer. Will be really runny so don’t worry.
Allow to sit for 15 minutes while oven heats and you prepare the baking pan.
Spray and wipe out a large capacity 6 muffin pan. Divide batter evenly into each section.
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan for about 10 minutes. Freeze.

Makes (6) Servings of
2 oz. Protein A
½ cup Carb B
1-1 1/2 T. Peanut butter (healthy fat)

[about than 325 calories per muffin too!]
I like to bag and freeze these while still slightly warm. That helps to retain a little moisture when they thaw.
You can also add about 6-10 Ghiradelli 60% Cacao bittersweet chocolate chips to each muffin before baking...adds a few calories, but yummy!

Other Healthy Recipes on my blog are here:

Healthy Recipes I
Healthy Recipes II

New Look for 2009

Just wanted to update the old blog to a fresher look for 2009.

I celebrated 4 years of healthy living on Monday January 19, 2009!!! One of my goals for year #4 of Living Lean is to shed body fat until I am at 20% LBM!!! I am also using the winter to work on my strength training...lifting heavy - well, heavy for me which isn't much yet...
Cardio is secondary, but I do ride my bike on the trainer for at least 60 minutes a day (average intensity) or walk/jog outside for 60-75 minutes a day as the weather permits. I am trying to keep in good biking shape so when I get back outside on my bike, I can really train hard for the Tour De Cure in June. I want to do a metric century ride for that - 100 KM or about 68 miles (I think). That is about 3 laps more than I did last year when I did 60 miles (24 laps).

Still hard to believe I haven't eaten real pizza in over 4 years!! Don't miss it a bit either! I did have one piece of Pizza Marguerite at Boca de Beppo last summer, but that wasn't real pizza with all the toppings and cheese.

I added my Apple Crumble recipe to the blog...It is what I am having for my birthday treat this year. Tasty not only for healthy eaters, but for everyone!! Good plain or warm over vanilla ice cream!!! (if you eat that...I don't!)

Want to lose FAT and keep it off for good....The BEST book you can buy for permanent fat loss is The Body Fat Solution by Tom Venuto!!! Best $17.00 (from Amazon) that you will EVER spend!! Easy to read and great advice...He knows his stuff about permanent, SAFE, fat loss and how to KEEP IT OFF!! Check it out!!

That's all for now...more updates to follow....

New Plan for a New Me!!

[I bumped this post up just so it is easier to find...edits are in bold]

After over 2 years of Living Lean following the weight loss program I used to lose over half of my body weight, I have had to revise my Living Lean program from this point forward. It seems that I was seriously undereating for the amount of activity I now do and I was also not consuming enough healthy fats. My body finally said enough and would no longer shed fat or gain muscle. As a matter of fact, I gained fat because I was UNDEREATING! I did lots of research and when I discovered what I was doing, I decided it was time to GET IT RIGHT!!! You must FEED your muscles and burn off fat, NOT STARVE IT OFF like I was doing staying 100% Perfect on plan even Living Lean…..

Although I no longer strictly follow the previous program I used, I do use most of the same principles now. Eating clean and often (6 times a day), drinking water (120+ oz. daily), no added salt, sugar, processed foods or bad fats and lots of cardio and strength training. I am mindful of my daily caloric needs, check my bodyfat percentage and not worry about scale weight anymore and also use a variety of workouts of keep my body guessing. I try to maintain my Protein/Carb/Fat ratio to 30/50/20 per day.

The healthy fats I have added include unsalted nuts, nut butters (100% nuts - nothing else), olive oil, flaxseed, and fish oil supplements – all in measured and controlled portions to keep my calories in check. You need healthy fats for long term health.

Since I started my new healthier lifestyle adjustments, I feel much better. I know what I am doing is right for me. Now I just have to be patient while my body adjusts to actually getting everything it needs….

I also cycle my calories. Every 4^th day, I eat closer to my maintenance level of calories. These are my high days. The other 3 days I eat at about a 500 calorie deficit of my burn number. This is still a lot of good, healthy food for me!!!

Here is a typical day of my meals: [Slightly different now since my training routine is different and I am working on getting the fat off again..]

Breakfast (Preworkout most days):
2-3 oz. turkey sausage or egg whites
1 cup oatmeal with flaxseed meal - [now about 1/2 cup oatmeal with some kind of healthy fat either peanut butter or flaxseed meal]
1/2 - 1 cup of fruit [depending on the type of muffin I am eating that day and how much cardio I am doing after breakfast]

Post workout meal (I eat this as soon as I finish my bike rides or strength training. If no workout, then no post workout meal for me):
1 egg white
½ cup fruit (like pineapple or grapes) [I have been skipping this lately since my morning workouts are not as intense...may add this back in when I am training hard for my bike ride]

AM snack:
2 egg whites or other lean protein
1 cup veggie soup or fruit

Lunch:
3 oz. lean protein
1/2 -¾ cup starchy carbs
Salad or hot veggies of the week

PM snack:
2-3 oz. lean protein [usually egg whites]
Veggie soup or fruit
1 oz. almonds [some days - not every day lately though]

Dinner:
2-3 oz. lean protein
½ cup starchy carbs
Salad or hot veggies of the week

Evening Snack:
2 egg whites
Small salad or 1 cup veggies or fruit [depends on what type of workout I do after dinner]

On High calorie days, I have both the salad and hot veggies for lunch and dinner and also have fruit instead of veggies for my evening snack. If I need more calories, I may add a little protein to lunch and/or dinner.

On days I workout after dinner, I also substitute fruit for the veggies at my evening snack.

[Daily Calorie goal is approximately 1800 calories per day...I will adjust this number as necessary to reach my goals, but at no time will this number be less than my BMR - which is about 1600 calories per day - just to be alive!! I want to minimize my LBM losses while shedding the excess fat! And there is NOTHING wrong with keeping track of calories...actually, you should always be aware of how many you are consuming each day...just another tool in the box to help you reach your goals!]

My goal is to get to 20% body fat no matter what the scale number is. I am concentrating on FAT loss, not just weight loss. There is a difference and now I know what needs to be done and am doing it!

For more interesting reading, check out these links:
Burn the fat blog

Good Fats

Is-your-goal-really-weight-loss?