Shake it up in August!

Summer is unfortunately nearing its end. School is starting soon, hunting season and football season are upon us, and not to any surprise, our life schedules will continue to change and be busy for one reason or another. As we all know, life doesn’t slow down for us and we always seem to have SOMETHING going on. Unfortunately we can’t make the world around us stop so that we can focus on becoming healthier individuals, so we have to learn to make adjustments and make taking care of ourselves a priority. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that YOU DESERVE IT!  We can make as many excuses possible to eat that piece of wedding cake, sneak a bite of your kids’ french fries on the way to their baseball game, or to skip your meals all together because work is running you ragged, but there isn’t an excuse in the world that is acceptable to say that your health isn’t important. It’s time that you make YOU a priority in your life. When you become overwhelmed, step back, take a break, and think about what is important to you. Is getting a temporary satisfaction from wedding cake more important or is being healthy and active for the rest of your life more important? We all give into temptation at times, but we must not sabotage ourselves if we make a mistake. We must get back in the saddle and keep giving it our best, because this journey is worth the ride. I would like to congratulate all of you that have reached your goals this month; you are an inspiration to us all. I would also like to welcome all of you that are new and returning to the program. I wish you all the motivation and determination to being successful in reaching your goals.

-Tonya 

Buffalo and Bleu Cheese Chicken Burgers

Ingredients:

-1 lb Ground Chicken

-1 Ideal Protein Salt and Vinegar Ridges Packet crushed up

-2 egg whites

-1/8 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

-1/8 cup Walden Farms Bleu Cheese Dressing

- 5 Large Leaves of Romaine Lettuce

Topping:

-½ of a white onion

-½ of a cucumber

-3 ribs of celery

- 2 Tablespoons Walden Farms Bleu Cheese Dressing

Directions:

-In a large bowl mix ground chicken, Franks Red Hot, Bleu Cheese, Egg whites, and the crushed salt and vinegar ridges. Once all ingredients are mixed, make into hamburger patties. Mixture should make approximately 5 patties. Grill patties on the grill or in a skillet on the stove. While burgers are grilling, place all of the topping ingredients in a food processor and “pulse” 5 or 6 times. Once burgers are fully cooked, add topping mixture, wrap burgers in romaine leaf, and ENJOY!

Unrestricted Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Chewy Cookies

Ingredients:

-1 Egg White

-2 Tbls Walden Farms Raspberry Fruit Spread

-1 Tbls Earth Balance Organic Coconut Spread

-1/2 Tbls Unsweetened Almond Milk

-1 teas olive oil

-1 teas stevia or splenda

-1 teas baking powder

-1/8 teas baking soda

-1 packet of Ideal Protein Dark Chocolate Pudding Mix

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place all ingredients except the pudding mix in a bowl and mix with a hand mixer until fruit spread and coconut spread are chopped up. Once all ingredients are mixed well, slowly add in Dark Chocolate Pudding mix, and make sure to keep scraping the sides of the bowl. When pudding is completely mixed in, drop batter with a spoon on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with olive oil spray. The batter should make approximately 5 cookies. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes. This makes for a nice treat that you can enjoy without worrying about it being restricted.