Healthy Recipes-Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Although we don't usually consider cookies when we're talking about eating healthy, anyone who's ever been treat deprived knows that they key to success is having a few yummy treats when the cravings hit. These cookies are full of oatmeal and made with white wheat flour. My kids devoured them and had no idea they were even healthy. This will be the only post for this week because I will be out of town. See you next week!

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Picture and recipe from My Kitchen Cafe

*Makes about 4 dozen cookies

1 ¼ cups brown sugar

1 ¼ cups sugar

1 ¼ cups butter

3 eggs

1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ¼ teaspoon salt

2 ½ cups white wheat flour

2 ½ cups oats (you can use either rolled oats or quick oats - I prefer the texture of quick oats in this recipe)

2 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips (you could even use dark chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Cream butter and sugars together. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Stir in dry ingredients and mix well, then stir in chocolate chips. Scoop rounded tablespoonfuls of cookie dough onto greased (or lined) baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Sincerely,

The Fit Mamas

Fitness Book Reviews-Abs Diet For Women

It's no surprise that there are so many diets, products and workouts geared toward abs. We all want our stomachs to look good. I really love reading fitness books and this is another one I picked up.

This book is written by David Zinczeno the Editor in Chief of Men's Health. He originally wrote the abs diet and then later came out with this women's edition.

We all know that too much fat on our bodies is bad but just in recent years is when we have discovered that belly fat is more dangerous than the fat in other areas of our bodies. In this book the author goes into detail about the dangers of being overweight--diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, increased risk for heart attacks, etc.

The Abs diet focuses on some simple principles

1- Eat six small meals daily- Every time you eat, your body has to work to burn those calories off. Also, keeping your energy levels constant with small frequent meals keeps you from getting too hungry and keeps your energy level more balanced.

2-Make the Abs diet Power Foods the staples of your diet-

Almonds

Beans and legumes

Spinach and other green vegetables

Diary (fat free and low fat)

Instant oatmeal (unsweetened & unflavored)

Eggs

Turkey and other lean meats

Peanut butter

Olive Oil

Whole grain breads and cereals

Extra-protein (whey) powder

Raspberries and other berries

3. Incorporate Smoothies into your diet- They keep you full longer and are low in calories and high in nutrients.

4. Stop counting calories- The nice thing about this diet is that the calories are already counted for you. This eliminated a lot of time and energy devoted to figuring out calories which can get very tiring.

5-Avoid or seriously limit empty calories from beer, soda, wine and all those other high sugar drinks that add empty calories and don't feel you up.

He goes into detail about the benefits of each of the power foods and what they can do for your body.

Included is a meal plan section with 5-6 recipes in each category and a list of snacks to choose from. He goes over how to include the diet in your everyday life. On this diet you are allowed one cheat meal (not day).

The last part of the book focuses on exercise and toning up your abs. The abs diet workouts focus on circuit training- performing different exercises one right after another and compound exercises- exercises that use multiple muscle groups instead of just one.

Here's a sample of a weeks workout:

Monday- total body strength training workout with ab emphasis

Tuesday-(optional) light cardio exercise such as walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes

Wednesday- Total body strength training workout with ab emphasis

Thursday- (optional) light cardio for 30-45 minutes

Friday- Total body strength training workout with leg emphasis

Saturday(optional) abs workout plus interval workout

There are photos and explanations of each exercise and also home versions in case you don't have a gym. The workouts aren't super long, great for busy people.

I like that this book focuses on healthy eating and not counting calories. I also like the stressed importance of strength training. The more research I do, the more I believe you have GOT to strength train.

I also like the cheat meal. After eating really healthy all week, it's nice to get a little break.

I would recommend this book to anyone trying to clean up their diet and incorporate some good exercise into their life. If not, at least take a look at the power foods above and make a commitment to eat them on a daily basis.

Sincerely,

The Fit Mamas

Workout Move of the Month-Squats and Lunges

This month I'd like to focus on legs. I know they may seem old school but lunges and squats are two of the most effective leg exercises. Also, since your leg muscles are some of the biggest muscles you have they take a lot more effort to use, which burns more calories. Studies have shown than people that work their legs also have more upper body strength.


Squats work multiple muscle groups -- the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteals -- at the same time.


How to: Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and your back straight. Bend your knees and lower your rear as if you were sitting down in a chair, keeping your knees over your ankles.




Like squats, lunges work all the major muscles of the lower body. Lunges also help improve your balance.


How to do it: Take a big step forward, keeping your spine straight. Bend your front knee to approximately 90 degrees. Keep weight on your back toes and drop the back knee toward the floor-- but don't let it touch the floor.



Start out just doing the exercises with no weights. A good rule of thumb is 3 sets of 10 for size and strength and 2 sets of 12-15 for toning. Once you feel comfortable try adding small weights like 3-5 lbs. As you get stronger you can increase your weights. Do this 2-3 times a week.



Sincerely,

The Fit Mamas