Corn vs Flour Tortillas

Want to know which is healthier, and why? Check out my article here:




http://www.3fatchicks.com/corn-tortillas-versus-flour-tortillas-which-is-healthier/

Trader Joe's is my Happy Place

I shop at Trader Joe's when I feel like browsing, cooking, shopping, de-stressing, being inspired, really all the time. And if you've read my blog, you'll know I am constantly talking about the great products TJs features. The only drawback that I've been able to find is sometimes when I'm cooking from a recipe I'm not able to find all the needed ingredients at TJs and have to make an additional stop at a traditional grocery store. So today- when I got an email from a great website, traderjoesfan.com that they were publishing a book full or TJs recipes & creations- with 100% Trader Joe's products, I was thrilled! And amazingly this "Unofficial Guide To Trader Joe's" is only $5.95 with free shipping! (if you use the promo code TRADERJOESFAN- at check out you'll get an additional $1 off). 

Their email stated "We took the collective knowledge and votes of thousands of shoppers and employees to select over 100 of the very best Trader Joe's products and paired them with 50 easy, delicious recipes to create a beautiful, glossy pocket guide and cookbook for Trader Joe's shoppers." UM YUM.  The book also includes fun things like the Best Cheeses list, Kid Friendly foods, Most Addictive Cookies (I don't need that one!) and more. I bought my copy immediately and am counting down till it arrives.
I'll write a review soon.  I think it's also a great potential holiday gift (it's never too early to start shopping) for any Trader Joe's lovers in your life!
XO
Chel

My First Published (anonymous) Article!

Obviously writing and blogging is a hobby for me, but someday I'd love to be an author. I'm currently deciding between a cookbook, fiction, non-fiction... obviously I've really narrowed it down :). To keep motivated and gain experience for when I eventually figure it out,  I just started "content writing" for two health/fitness websites.
So... when I write an article for them, I'll provide the links on the blog so you can check them out as well.  Check out my first article!
http://www.3fatchicks.com/5-foods-that-encourage-rapid-weight-loss/

I Broke 30!

From a 10k in March- but you get the idea

Yesterday Chris and I ran America's Finest City 5k.  This is our third year running it and I finally accomplished my goal of coming in under 30 minutes! Last year- I came VERY close- with a time of 30:01 (not a joke) but this year I finished the course in 29:44.  Yay! We celebrated by having a DECADENT breakfast at Hash House a Go Go. This place is no joke, when we arrived post race at the early early time of 8am, there was already a 20 minute wait.  Why? Becuase it's that good. They consider their cusine Twisted Farm Food with Indiana roots, and they do it well! Chris's breakfast was by far the winner- he had a Farm Benedict featuring sage fried chicken w/ fresh spinach, hardwood smoked bacon, market tomato, griddled mozzarella, chipotle cream and scrambled eggs. Um yum. 

Chris's Benedict

My favorite menu item was called O'Hare of the Dog and consisted of a 24 oz Budwiser (served in a brown paper bag) with a side of bacon. Classy :) I went with an egg white scramble that was big enough for about 4 people.  
Overall- it was a great weekend! AND I have an exciting week to look forward to, I'm heading up North for a long weekend at Lake Naciamento with my family and two best friends (Brooke is coming in from NY!) to celebrate my birthday! There will likely be nothing healthy about the trip... but lots of fun and great company.  Next week I plan to get back on track with good eating (food journaling) and Bar Method. Till then, be good without me! :)
XO
Chel

Pizza Time!

Long time no blog! Brooke recently attributed the fact she hadn't been to the gym in a month on my lack of blogging. :) Hmm.... anyway I figured I better get back to the blog before everybody goes off the deep end! 
But in truth- what actually motivated me to blog today was to share a recipe I made last night for a homemade-ish pizza! Notice I'm not claiming this is fully homemade, or healthy- although I'm sure there are some great reduced calorie recipes out there, this was my first gourmet pizza making attempt and my priority was making it taste good!

Not my actual creation- but you get the idea

Quick note- I bought all supplies except the spices at Trader Joe's (shocking I know) Their pre-made pizza dough and sauce were outstanding and would work well with any toppings! 
Asparagus, Pancetta & Sun Dried Tomato Pizza-Let Pizza Dough sit out on a floured surface for 20 min.
While this is happening- do the following:
-Preheat oven to 450.
-Chop 4-5 stalks asparagus into bite size pieces.  (picture it being on top of your pizza- you don't really want big chunks) and then toss it into a pan with a little water and cover until it begins to soften. (at least 5 min) 
-Add 1/2 cup pre-diced pancetta to the pan.  This is SO good and adds so much flavor! Let it cook until slightly crispy, then remove the pan from heat.  
-Chop up 1/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes and set aside. 
-Roll out the pizza dough.  This is where things got tricky. I bought mine pre-made at TJs, BUT was unhappy with the way it stretched out, uneven and misshapen- so I rolled it all in a ball and tried again. BAD idea.  Just go wtih the first "stretch out" even if it's not perfectly shaped.  Chris found me in the kitchen covered in flour attempting to roll pizza dough with a wine bottle. Since at this point the lumpy creation seemed destined for the garbage, he tried his pizza tossing skills... and amazingly we pulled out some sort of stretched crust creation. Maybe not symmetrical- but it sure tasted great!
-Stretch out the pizza dough on a lightly oiled pan and then top with sauce.  I used a TJ's  pizza sauce that they sell in their premade fresh section, conveniently right next to the pizza dough.  I used the entire container and if you like your pizza saucy (sauce is healthier than cheese- just fyi) I'd even buy two containers.
-I topped the sauce with a blend of regular and light shredded mozzarella cheese. About a cup of each. I sometimes have trouble with getting the "light" version to melt properly, but the combo worked well.
-I then topped the pizza with the prepped asparagus, pancetta & sun dried tomatoes. 
-And then my FAVORITE part- which I will add to any pizza from now on- a spice blend! Mix the following:
2 tbs grated or shredded Asiago cheese
2 tbs sesame seed (I only had black sesame seed, which looked a little odd, but you couldn't taste a difference)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
After sprinkling the spice mix over the pizza I nervously put it in the oven and it cooked for about 12 minutes.  
The pizza came out piping hot, melty, spicy, saucy and DELICIOUS.  I ate two giant pieces and had to restrain myself from more.  Chris had a 3rd piece. It was THAT good.  I'm actually thinking I'll make it again for my upcoming Book Club meeting- so get excited if you're coming!
More health focused blogs to come- I promise.  But in the meantime... go make some pizza!
XO
Chel
Ps.  Brooke- go to the gym. (If you want. No pressure. Just now you can't blame me anymore! )

Kill Your Cows. (In a non-violent, vegetarian way)

I just finished reading a FANTASTIC book- Once Upon A Cow: Eliminating Excuses and Settling for Nothing but Success, by  Dr. Camilo Cruz. Since I started the book, I have been walking around the house muttering to myself about killing cows. Chris is probably pretty disturbed.
I'll fill you in on the cow story and then explain how that relates to taking 100% responsibility for your own personal success in any area of your life.  
The author starts the book with the tale of a wise man and his student who are traveling through the countryside looking for a place to stay the night. They come upon a family who takes them in and are shocked at the poverty this family is living in. Tiny living quarters, not enough to eat, basically barely surviving.  The one thing the family has going for them is a single cow.  The cow is the envy of their neighbors, and although it produces barely enough milk for them to survive on, they see it as the best thing in their life.  The family's life revolves around this cow- feeding, protecting and caring for it.
The wise man and student spend the night with the family, grateful for their kindness and wake up early to leave.  As they are passing the barn the student watches in horror as the wise man KILLS the family's cow and they continue on their way.  The student continues to be bothered by this.
The following year- the wise man and the student travel back to the same countryside and they approach same family's home. As they arrive at the spot where their tiny house had been, they see it has been replaced with a larger, nicer home.  The student fears that the family has become homeless or abandoned the area in despair and is shocked to see one of the family members come out of the large house, looking stronger and much healthier than on their previous trip.
The family- unaware that is was the wise man who had killed the cow, welcome them both in to the house warmly.  The family members tell the story of how their life has changed since the death of their cow.  The huge loss of what was the center of their universe shocked them for a while and they feared starvation and further poverty.  But that fear motivated change, and drove them to pursue new farming and business ventures to survive which grew and led to great improvement in their quality of life. 
As they left the family and continued on their way, the wise man explains to the amazed student:  "If I hadn't killed the cow they would still be living exactly as they were, barely surviving,miserable but telling themselves they were lucky to have their cow.  The loss of the cow freed/forced them to seek other opportunities and change their lives."

We develop our excuses (cows) at an early age. We use them, nurture and protect them, and even justify them until they are no longer excuses but have become our own self-created reality. The danger in this is waking up years down the road to realize we've lead a very mediocre existence and fallen short of our hopes for our life. The main point of the book is that life is too short to accept "good enough" or "getting by" and each person is responsible individually for their own success.
The book is not health focused, but can be applied to all aspects of your life. Sounds simple, but if you pay attention to how many excuses, rationalizations or justifications for average behavior you make every single day, the cows standing in your path start to be more and more apparent.  Think about what you could do- the changes and results that could be made by eliminating all excuses from your life?

Obviously- the author and the book explain this concept more eloquently I do. I encourage everyone to read the book- no matter what your individual struggles or areas of your life you wish you could improve, you will be inspired to "kill your cows" by facing your challenges head-on and taking responsibility for your own reality.
XO
Chel
Quote of the day: "Balance. Food is one of life’s greatest pleasures. So is exercise. So is mental clarity. And health is the consummate ideal at the intersection of these components." Jessica Brookman, blogger.
PPS- Book is on sale at Amazon.com, see below for less than $8! 

Win The War on Temptation

Happy Friday! Today's post was inspired by an article by Jill Waldbieser on Women's Health.com that caught my eye with the title "4 Ways to Resist Food Temptations".  Who couldn't learn something from that? I'm constantly looking for ways to prevent/resist & recover from the deadly pull of junk food.
Here's what the article had to say- and of course, my take on her suggestions :)
Strategy: Eat Smaller More Frequent Meals
What it Targets? Out of control hunger.
Why it works: Going too long without eating makes your blood sugar plummet. That leaves you with a raging appetite that can overpower your best intentions to eat well. If you have small meals every three to five hours, your blood sugar stays stable, preventing the wallop of a sugar low that will leave you vulnerable to overeating, says Lisa Jones, R.D., of LaSalle University. I COULD NOT agree with this one more.  I have noticed repeatedly through my food journaling that often my bad choices are caused directly by hunger, lack of snack planning, or the blood sugar crash following something sweet. Have a healthy snack with you at ALL times. Right now, I have a fruit leather in my purse, protein bar in my desk and crackers in my car. Seriously- these are my saviors.
Strategy: Eat With Your Other Hand
What it targets: Distraction
Why it works: Picking up a fork with the hand you don't usually use automatically slows you down and makes you focus on your meal, two things that have been proven to aid weight loss. Studies have shown that with regular practice, this kind of switcheroo can also increase your overall willpower. Hmm... ok... don't really think I'll be trying this one anytime soon (I'm laughing just picturing myself trying to do this in a restaurant! Chris would probably stop taking me out in public :) But I do agree with the underlying principle of focusing on what you are eating and slowing down the meal process. Rather than eating with the other hand, I'd suggest working on chewing your food more, not eating in front of the TV or in the car, or other strategies that help you concentrate on what you are eating.
Strategy: Weigh Yourself Regularly

What it targets: Losing sight of your goal
Why it works: Few things keep your weight-loss goal front and center better than seeing those big glowing numbers on the scale. Regular weigh-ins also make it easier to notice extra pounds creeping on, so you can slash and burn immediately. In fact, when researchers at the University of Minnesota analyzed more than 1,800 people who successfully shed pounds in weight-loss programs, they found that about 40 percent weighed themselves daily or weekly. And the more frequently they stepped on the scale, the more they lost: 12 pounds on average for daily weighers, compared with six for weekly weighers. (Scale shunners, meanwhile, gained an average of five pounds.)  Interesting study! And I agree that weighing yourself keeps you accountable.  I know for myself, when I'm "being bad" I just stop weighing myself, which never leads to anything good.  Then I'll go 6 weeks without weighing myself and it's torture to step back on the scale.  There's definitely a healthy balance between obsessive weighing and scale avoidance, find what works for you. For me- I do best if I weigh myself once a week, same day & same time.
Strategy: Lift Your Spirits
What it targets: Emotional eating
Why it works: It's estimated that when people overeat, nearly 75 percent of the time it's because they're feeling blue.
Even small doses of pleasant emotions can quickly renew your ability to say no. So the next time you're facing down temptation, surf over to theonion.com or buy yourself that going-out top you've been eyeing. The good feelings might be temporary, but they will last long enough to get you safely past that hot-fudge sundae. I do think this works.  However (and I know from experience) it can get expensive if you shop every time you feel like eating :).  Another great way to lift spirits is by getting outside, or really getting your serotonin flowing with some exercise.  Obviously easier said than done when you are feeling down, but nothing lifts my spirits more than a run or taking Riley to dog beach. 

Now you've got the tools, so get out there and resist some temptation this weekend!

XO

Chel