moveyourbeehind

Tonight we had a great cooking class with Wendy Paul at the Macey’s in Pleasant Grove. Here are the two soup recipes she shared with us.

Clam Chowder

1 4-6oz can of clams

2 celery stalks, finely diced

1 medium russet potato, peeled and diced

1 onion, finely diced

2 cups half and half

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

2-3 cups chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

In large sauce pan, saute potato, onion and celery in the butter. Add flour and stir to coat all vegetables. Cook for about 1 minute. Slowly add the chicken broth while stirring to smooth out all lumps. When thickened, add half and half. Simmer, not boil for 5-8 minutes. Just before serving, add clams and juice to soup and heat through.

Julia’s Chicken Noodle Soup

2 cups shredded or cubed chicken, cooked

2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin

1 onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

10 oz homemade noodles or country style noodles

Salt and pepper

2 Tbsp parsley

1/2 tsp garlic powder

5-6cups chicken broth

Simmer carrots, onion, celery and chicken broth in a large pot until hot and carrots are fork tender, approx. 10-15 minutes. Add noodles, garlic, salt and chicken. Simmer an additional 10 minutes until soup is ready and noodles are aldente.

These soups were delicious, so I hope you all enjoy! For more great recipes from Wendy, check out her blog.

Dodge. Duck. Dip. Dive. Dodge. 

So you think you can dodge? Now is your chance to prove it. Get together a team and join us at Utah Valley University on February 29 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the dodgeball event of the century and put the 5 Ds to the test.

Who: 18 and older

When: February 29, 2012
5 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Where: Utah Valley University. Grand Ballroom. Park in visitor parking north of the Student Center.

Cost: $3 per player. Must register by 11:55 p.m. February 28.

Register here

Well everyone, the Move Your Beehind campaign is almost over and we only have a couple of healthy tips left to share with you. Today’s tip is all about serving sizes for food and physical activity. Do you ever wonder what a good serving size is, or what physical activities you could do?

According to fitness.gov, here are some good servings sizes for different foods to put on “your plate” each day:

Food Group: Vegetable
Serving Size: 1 cup raw, leafy vegetables, 1/2 cup cooked or chopped raw vegetables or 3/4 cup vegetable juice

Food Group: Grains
Serving Size: 1 slice bread, 1/2 bagel or English muffin, 1 ounce ready-to-eat cereal, 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice or pasta, or 5-6 small crackers

Food Group: Fruit
Serving Size: 1 medium piece of fruit, 1/2 cup mixed fruit or 3/4 cup fruit juice

Food Group: Dairy
Serving Size: 1 cup milk or yogurt, 1-1/2 ounces natural cheese or 2 ounces process cheese

Food Group: Protein
Serving Size: 2-3 ounces cooked lean meat, poultry or fish (about the size of a deck of cards.) Other foods which count as 1 ounce meat; 1/2 cup cooked dry beans, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons peanut butter or 1/2 cup nuts

Physical activity is just as important to a healthy lifestyle as eating right. Here are some suggestions for physical activities you can do (fitness.gov):

With Family

• Turn off the TV for a day
• Walk the dog
• Go to the park and play some games, like catch

With Friends

• Join a sports team at school or in the community
• Go for a hike; there’s lots of places to go in Utah
• Play tag or jump rope

By Yourself

• Practice sports skills
• Go for a run in your neighborhood (kids go with your parents)
• Create your own workout routine

There’s so many different ways to be active and eat right. Try to be physically active at least 30 minutes a day and make sure you eat balanced meals and not too much of just one things. So get out there and Move Your Beehind!

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Choosing food that’s healthier for you and your family may not be as hard as you think. You can help your family eat better and balance their energy by learning to choose lower calorie, lower fat alternatives to some of their favorite foods. How? By using the Nutrition Facts label found on food packages to make smarter food choices.

On the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institutes website they give the below example of Nutrition Facts and how to use them:

When using the nutrition facts label as a guide, try these tips:

• Keep these low: saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, and sodium
• Get enough of these: potassium, fiber, vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron
• Use the Percent Daily Value (% DV) column when possible; 5% DV or less is low, 20% DV or more is high

You can also visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration web site to see more examples of the Nutrition Facts Label and what it can tell you.

Let’s all take a little more time to check the facts on our diet and move toward healthier food choices.

Eating breakfast is critical to starting your day off right.  Over 50% of individuals skip breakfast on a regular basis. Eating breakfast can do so many things to make the rest of your day better and it should no longer be disregarded.

Eating breakfast can:

• Improve Concentration andFocus
• Better absorption of vital nutrients
• Help boost energy levels
• Sustainable Strength and Endurance
• May help lower cholesterol levels
• Promotes a Positive Mental Attitude

Breakfast does not have to be a three cores meal, start small with fruit or granola bars and work up to a more complete breakfast. A peace of fruit on your way out the door can be great start. Eating a hardy breakfast has many benefits and should no longer be ignored.

Today we hosted a 5k that drew in participants of all ages and with different levels of running experience.  It was great to see runners who have continued to come back year after year for the race along with those who were participating for the very first time. Regardless of the differences they were all there for the same reason, to challenge their body and mind and to accomplish something amazing!

When getting fit or trying to maintaining a healthy body, it is important to challenge yourself in order to keep things fun and exciting and prove that you are capable of doing more than you think.

Create a list of goals you would like to achieve that are out of your comfort zone.  Whether your goal is to be active every day of the week, cook a healthy new meal, participate in a race, etc. you will soon see that after you are able to check your goals off your list you will want to push yourself more and more to accomplish even more difficult goals.

Your body will thank you for the challenge and you will be extremely happy with the results of setting goals and challenging yourself.

Here is a list of example goals to help you think of challenging ideas. Let us know what goals you want to achieve!

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Hello all! Today’s healthy tip is all about the benefits of dark chocolate. Yes, dark chocolate has health benefits, but only if eaten in the right portions – don’t overdue it. Eat dark chocolate in a good portion, like 1oz, 1 square or2 Hershey’s kisses a day. If you attended our cooking class at Macey’s on Tuesday night, these facts may sound familiar, as we talked about them with our cook.

1. Cocoa reduces blood pressure and cholesterol

Both cocoa and dark chocolate have been found to help your arteries relax, which widens them and maintains their flexibility, thus helping lower your blood pressure. Both are high in antioxidant called flavanols, which prevents plaque from forming in your arteries.

2. Cocoa fights depression

Cocoa is a good source of serotonin, dopamine and phenylethylamine – neurotransmitters – which help to regulate and are associated with the “feel good factor”. Cocoa allows the serotonin and dopamine to stay in the bloodstream longer, thus giving it a longer effect on our senses.

3. Cocoa has antioxidant benefits and has antiaging effects

Cocoa is full of antioixdants Polyphenols and Flavanols, and is also rich in vitamins A, B and E. All these vitamins provides great benefits for your skin. These properties of cocoa allow your blood flow to improve, thus giving your skin a natural glow and replenishing it with essential nutrients.

4. Dark chocolate is a mood booster

Dark chocolate stimulates the production of endorphins in the body, causing you to have good feelings transmitted to your brain. In other words, dark chocolate makes you feel happy!

5. Dark chocolate and weight control

Being overweight and obese are huge issues in America. That’s why we are doing this campaign, to fight against childhood obesity and improve the lives of everyone, but especially children. Cocoa can serve as an appetite suppressant and is a good low calorie treat for all of you with a sweet tooth out there.

So remember, get out and get moving! Be active and eat right; and if you’re craving something sweet, try a piece of dark chocolate. Encourage those around you to be active with you. Move Your Beehind Utah!

For more information about dark chocolate visit webmd.com

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Tuesday the 21st we had a great night of cooking at Macey’s in Pleasant Grove. Ruthie, from www.whatscookingwithruthie.com, came and taught everyone how to make a quick, delicious, healthy meal. So if you like pizza and salad you may want to try the following recipes. Even, if you don’t like pizza and salad, you should still try it; it may just change your mind.

BBQ Chicken Pita Pizza

6 whole wheat pita’s

2 Tbsp BBQ sauce (Famous Dave’s Zesty and Sweet BBQ are good choices)

2 rotisserie chicken breasts (or cook and shred 2 chicken breasts, 1/4 c per pita)

1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (1/4 c per pita)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place pitas on a baking sheet and spoon BBQ sauce evenly over the pita’s. Top with chicken, onions, rosemary and cheese. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted, the pizza is heated through and the pita is crisp.

Serves 6

Apple Feat Tossed Salad

Salad

1 1/2 c walnut pieces

5 cups spinach

5 cups torn red leaf lettuce

1/2 cup light feta cheese

1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries

2 medium apples (your favorite kind! Ruth uses Granny Smith)

Dressing

6 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

2 Tbsp minced onion

1 1/2 tsp Dijon style mustard

2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1/2 tsp crushed garlic)

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

In large bowl, combine the salad ingredients, except for the apples. In a blender, combine the dressing ingredients. Cover and process until well blended. Just prior to serving, core and chop the apples and add to the salad. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.

If you missed this weeks cooking class, no worries. Next Tuesday, February 28, will be having another one at Macey’s in Pleasant Grove. We will be learning how to make Clam Chowder and Chicken Noodle Soup from Wendy Paul. Join us at 7pm and check out moveyourbeehind.com for other great information.

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With over 30k sandwiches eaten everyday in the United States it is easy to fall into a trap of unhealthy eating. With options to load on the mayo and the fatty meats, we need to find creative ways to cut down the calorie intake of one of the most common lunch meals.

First, try to different substitutes to “hold the mayo”. Mayonnaise is responsible for the majority of calorie intake from a sandwich. The substitutes are endless from hummus to fat free yogurt. Try something different and take away the extra calories.

Next, choose a healthy side. Nothing goes better with a sub sandwich like a pasta salad or a bag of chips. Try some variety and enjoy your lunch with fruits, vegetables or pita chips if you can not lose the crunch.

What are some substitutes you have added to your lunch to make healthier choices?

Just getting through a day of school and after-school commitments can leave us exhausted. So where does fitness fit in? Most schedules are jammed packed and finding time, and energy, is often difficult.

What can be done? To find out, we turn to kidshealth.org for some advice.

First, try to make sure aerobic activity adds up to more than 60 minutes a day. Aerobic activity is anything that gets your heart go

ing — like biking, dancing, or running. Then take a few minutes for some strength training.Flexibility is the third component of well-rounded exercise. Check out yoga as one way to stay flexible.

Staying fit is important for growing bodies. It not only keeps them fit now, but paves the way for a healthier future.

Let’s all make an added commitment to find time to exercise and “BEE” more active.

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