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Recipe of the Week: YOGURT CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

  • cooking spray
  • 1 3/4 cups cake flour (see notes below for GF)*
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 3 large egg whites (or two large eggs)
  • 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 10 ounces (1 1/4 cups ) 0% Greek yogurt
  • 9 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners and spray with oil.
  2. Mix flour and baking soda with a whisk in a medium bowl.
  3. In a large bowl with a hand mixer, mix and cream the butter and sugar on medium setting for about 2 minutes.
  4. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites and vanilla with a whisk, add to bowl with butter/sugar mixture.
  5. Mix in the yogurt, then flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined, 1 minute.
  6. With a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips and spoon to lined muffin tins about 3/4 filled (I used an ice cream scoop).
  7. Bake at 375° for until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool before eating.

NUTRITION INFORMATION:
Yield: 12 servings, Serving Size: 1 muffin
Amount Per Serving:

  • Calories: 187 calories
  • Total Fat: 5.5g
  • Cholesterol: 8mg
  • Carbohydrates: 30g
  • Sugar: 17g
  • Protein: 6g

This delicious recipe originally comes from SkinnyTaste.com! Find the full recipe here!

Exercise Guidelines for Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, is a disease that damages the body’s central nervous system. MS carries a wide range of symptoms and the causes are unknown, which makes diagnosing it very difficult. Through some medical tests, doctors are able to find out more about who is affected. Anybody can develop MS, although people are typically diagnosed in early to middle adulthood, and the disease affects women more than men. MS causes miscommunications between the control center (your brain) and the highways (your nerves). There are four types of MS, with the symptoms of each varying from person to person. Since MS is a disease affecting the central nervous system, the symptoms vary in type and severity from person to person. The more common symptoms include: fatigue, vertigo, gait and balance difficulties, numbness, muscle Spasms, and difficulty with vision, as well as, cognitive and emotional issues.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for MS, although there are several treatment methods to manage symptoms including medication, physical activity, and physical, occupational and speech rehabilitation.

When developing an exercise program for someone with MS, it is important to have a conversation about their symptoms, severity, and current treatment plan. Using what they learn about their client’s particular case, an exercise physiologist can begin to build a program that is both safe and effective for that individual. A well written exercise program will have plenty of benefit by improving quality of life, mood, self efficacy, and decreasing fall risk. The increases in overall health will lead to improvements in symptom management for someone with MS. Daily stretching to help manage spacity and retain range of motion, strength to decrease joint pain and fall risk, and cardiovascular health for managing fatigue.

Depending on the client’s individual needs, the physiologist may have to implement frequent breaks to avoid fatigue and over heating, avoid exercises that may trigger a spasm, or spend extra time practicing balance. For an individual considering starting an exercise program, research availability of programs in your area. Look at facilities that can accommodate and know about your condition. Consider researching some adaptive gear, proper attire and footwear. As someone begins and continues an exercise routine, as always, listen to your body. Communication between the client with MS and the fitness professional will be monumental in establishing a healthy routine to keep them happy, healthy, and living to their fullest.

There are many resources available with information pertaining to MS and the best ways to treat. For general information, check out www.nationalmssociety.org, the site contains a plethora of information about MS, how it affects people, living with it, exercise considerations and more. You can also contact a Fitness Professional with questions you may have about starting a program, many are willing to help.

 

By Matthew Rhodes, M.S.

Recipe of the Week: Hawaiian Turkey Sliders

Serves: 6
Total Time: 30 minutes
Active Prep: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound 93%-lean ground turkey
  • 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce
  • 2 scallions, sliced
  • 1 large garlic, minced
  • ¼-inch-thick fresh pineapple rings
  • 1 small red onion, cut into ¼-inch-thick rings
  • toasted slider buns, preferably whole-wheat
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 6 small leaves Boston lettuce

Preparation

  1. Preheat grill to medium-high.
  2. Combine turkey, teriyaki sauce, scallions and garlic in a medium bowl; gently knead together. Do not over mix. Form into 6 burgers, about 3 inches wide.
  3. Oil the grill rack. Grill the burgers until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 165°F, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Grill pineapple rings until lightly charred, about 2 minutes per side. Grill onions until lightly charred and starting to soften, about 2 minutes per side.
  4. Assemble the burgers on toasted buns with 1 teaspoon mayonnaise, 1 lettuce leaf, 1 pineapple ring and about 3 onion rings each.

 

Original recipe from Eating Well can be found here!

 

Exercise and Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that develops when the body loses too much bone mass, makes too little bone, or both. As a result, bones become weak and worst case, may break as a result of a fall. Peak bone mass is determined by sex, heredity family history, race, diet and exercise and about 60% of bone growth occurs during adolescence. Moderate exercise protects against osteoporosis, but too little exercise may cause osteoporosis. Inactivity may also cause bone loss, whereas weight-bearing exercises may maintain or help improve bone mineral density. There is a significant correlation between muscle strength and bone mineral density. Weight-bearing exercises have been proven to increase bone mineral density over time. These exercises include activities that make you move against gravity while staying upright. Weight-bearing exercises can be high-impact or low-impact.

High-impact weight-bearing exercises help build bones and keep them strong. If you have broken a bone due to osteoporosis or are at risk of breaking a bone, you may need to avoid high-impact exercises. Examples of high-impact weight-bearing exercises are:

  • Dancing
  • Jogging/running
  • Jumping Rope
  • Stair climbing
  • Tennis

Low-impact weight-bearing exercises can also help keep bones strong and are a safe alternative if you cannot do high-impact exercises. Examples of low-impact weight-bearing exercises are:

  • Using elliptical training machines
  • Walking (on a treadmill or outside)
  • Low impact aerobics class

Strength Training Exercises

These activities include moving your own body, weights or other resistance against gravity. Examples include:

  • Lifting weights
  • Using elastic exercise bands
  • Using weight machines
  • Lifting your own body weight

Balance Exercises

These improve your ability to hold yourself upright and help prevent falls. Examples include tai chi, yoga, and supervised stability exercises.

Remember to always check with your doctor before implementing an exercise routine.

 

By Louise Mills-Strasser, M.S., EP-c

Recipe of the Week: Spiced Chicken with Grilled Peach Salsa

Serves: 4
Serving size: 1 chicken breast and 1/2 cup salsa

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime rind
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, divided
  • 4 teaspoons honey, divided
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • Cooking spray
  • 3 peaches, pitted and quartered
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 large purple scallions or spring onions, thinly sliced
  • Lime wedges (optional)

Directions:

  1. Place first 3 ingredients in a small skillet over medium heat; toast, shaking the pan occasionally, for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from heat; coarsely grind spices using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
  2. Combine 2 teaspoons spice mixture, lime rind, 2 tablespoons juice, 2 teaspoons honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken; toss to coat. Let stand 10 minutes.
  3. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken; cook 12 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155°, turning once. Transfer chicken to a plate; let stand 5 minutes. Thinly slice each chicken breast across the grain.
  4. Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add peaches; grill 3 minutes, turning once to mark the cut sides. Transfer peaches to a cutting board; coarsely chop. Transfer peaches and their juices to a large bowl. Add remaining 1 teaspoon spice mixture, remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice, remaining 2 teaspoons honey, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, cilantro, olive oil, and scallions. Serve chicken with salsa and lime wedges, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Per serving:

Calories 299
Fat 8.1 g; Protein 36 g; Carbohydrate 22 g; Fiber 3 g

 

What Does It Mean to Be Actively Inactive?

What does it mean to be actively inactive? Sounds like silly concept, but the fact of the matter is, there are a lot of people who are actively inactive. This concept is based off people that might come to the gym for a half hour or hour and work hard and then go home or to work and be very sedentary.

When you work so hard at the gym, you really want to take advantage of that hard work and continue in everyday life being more active.

Some things you can incorporate into your everyday lives are pretty simple:

  • Achieve that 10,000 step goal per day.
  •             +you can do this by parking a little further away
  •             +taking stairs rather then elevator or escalator
  •             +setting a timer at your desk so you get up every hour
  • Changing your lifestyle to more active down time activates like hiking and gardening. This is the perfect time of year to go outside!

There are 168 hours in a week and if you spend only 1 or 2 hours during the whole week exercising and the rest not very active then your still left with 166-167 hours per week you’re missing out on physical activity. We obviously have to take into account sleep and important rest time, but when you decide to change your lifestyle is when exercise and eating right all fall into place and you see the best results!

 

By Corynne Duprey

Recipe: Garden Vegetable Frittata

Total: 45 min
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 25 min
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 5 small red potatoes, thinly sliced
  • 1 bunch green onions, trimmed and sliced
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced
  • 1 cup baby spinach, torn
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 8 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
  • 1 cup shredded Asiago cheese, plus more for garnish
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced potatoes to the skillet, saute for about 6 to 8 minutes, until tender but firm. Remove the potatoes from the skillet. Add another tablespoon olive oil, and add the green onions, tomatoes, spinach, and garlic. Saute for an additional 1 to 2 minutes or just until the spinach is wilted. Season the vegetables with salt, and pepper.
  3. In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, basil, cheese, salt, and pepper. Pour into the skillet over the vegetables. Reduce heat to medium-low and scramble the eggs for 1 minute. Return the potatoes to the skillet. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or just until the eggs start to set around the edges. Drizzle olive oil around the edge of the pan to ensure easy removal.
  4. Finish cooking in the oven for an additional 10 to 12 minutes, until the eggs have completely set in the center. Serve straight out of the skillet, or flip onto a serving plate. Garnish with shredded Asiago cheese and fresh basil.

 

 

Original recipe from the Cooking Channel can be found here!

 

Recipe of the Week: Spinach Harvati Pizza

Prep Time: 8 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

 Ingredients:

  • 6 Whole Wheat Pita Bread Pockets
  • 1 10oz box of Frozen Spinach, prepared
  • 1 Medium Red Pepper, sliced
  • 4oz package of Havarti Cheese with Dill, grated (you can find at Trader Joes)

 Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400*.
  2. Place pitas on sprayed baking sheet. Top with spinach, cheese, and peppers.
  3. Heat until cheese is bubbly, about 5-7 minutes.

Nutrition:

Serving size: 1 Pita

Calories: 290, Carbohydrates: 47g, Fat: 8g, Protein: 14g, Sugar: 1g