Fourth of July

 Have a fun and safe Fourth of July


 

Red, White and Blue Popsicles

by Chung-Ah Rhee for NatureBox
These red, white and blue popsicles are a fun and festive way to celebrate July 4th. Made with fruits and Greek yogurt, you can indulge in this patriotic dessert guilt-free!
http://blog.naturebox.com

Serves: 6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Freeze time: 5 hours
Ingredients:
For the red layer:

• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon honey

For the white layer:

• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons honey, or more to taste

For the blue layer:

• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon honey

Directions:
1. Make the red layer: Combine strawberries, Greek yogurt and honey in blender until smooth. Scoop the mixture evenly into 3-ounce plastic cups, filling the cups one-third full. Place into freezer until set, about 15-20 minutes.
2. Make the white layer: In a small bowl, whisk together Greek yogurt and honey. Scoop the mixture evenly on top of the set red layer, filling the cups two-thirds full. Place into freezer until set, about 30-45 minutes.
3. Make the blue layer: Combine blueberries, Greek yogurt and honey in blender until smooth. Scoop the mixture evenly on top of the white layer, filling the cups full. Add popsicle sticks to the center of each cup. Place into freezer until fully frozen, at least 4 hours.

I hope everyone is having a safe and fun summer so far.  Even on those rainy days, you can still get moving inside your house:
*  If you have stairs, you can do lunges, step-ups, or just go up them and skip every other one.
*  Grab a couple of soup cans and do some bicep curls, work your tri-ceps
*  Put a chair behind you and get a good squat workout



       
Keep working out and keep working towards your goal

So Easy To Make :)

 

http://www.foodrenegade.com/grainfree-mudslide-fudge-cookies/

Once again, former pastry-chef turned web designer and fellow food blogger Megan Keatley of Health-Bent has put together something sweetly satisfying for you guys just in time for Valentine’s Day. Thank you, Megan, for the recipe!
If your idea of a sweet treat always includes chocolate, these Grain-Free Mudslide Fudge Cookies are for you. With a texture similar to macaroons, but filled with ooey gooey chocolate goodness, these grain-free cookies will melt in your mouth and delight your palette.
Thankfully, the recipe is as simple as it is delicious. 5 ingredients. Less than 5 minutes of prep time. No special kitchen equipment or cooking techniques required.

Grain-Free Mudslide Fudge Cookies

The Players

• 2/3 c cocoa powder (where to find organic raw cacao powder)
• 1/3 c egg whites (roughly 2 or 3)
• 1/4 c honey (where to find raw honey)
• 1/4 c dark chocolate chips, chopped (where to find organic, fair-trade, non-gmo chocolate chips)
• 1/2 t vanilla extract (where to find organic vanilla extract)

The How-To
Preheat your oven to 350F.
Whisk all ingredients together and portion the batter out onto a silicone or parchment lined cookie sheet. Make sure to leave enough room between the cookies, as they will spread out a tad.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookies are set and the tops are glossy. You don’t want to over bake these, as the edges will get crispy and a little bitter, so keep your eyes on them.
Let cool until warm, then dig in! (Of course, you can let them cool completely, but where’s the ooey gooey goodness in that?) This recipe yields 12 delectable Grain-Free Mudslide Fudge Cookies.
ENJOY!

 

http://www.nourishinteractive.com/healthy-living/free-nutrition-articles/23-kids-healthy-snacks-easy-summer-snack-ideas#healthy-summer-snacks




More freedom and a less structured routine in the summer can lead to more unhealthy snacking for many kids. With summer vacation and more time on their hands, they often think they are hungry when they’re really just bored. Avoid the summer weight gain and learn how to limit the junk food and offer easy and healthy snacks

 

But what are some healthy snack ideas?  Here are some of my favorite and healthier snacks that are sure to be a hit with the kids this summer!

 

 

Healthy summer snacks for kids:

• Veggies and dip; carrots, celery, broccoli and peppers and dip in low fat ranch dressing.
• Smoothies: blend nonfat plain yogurt, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries and ice in a blender.
• Fruit kabobs; dice up your favorite fruits and line them up on a wooden skewer.
• Baby carrots and a side of hummus.
• Slice a banana in half and smear peanut butter on top.
• Baked tortilla chips with white bean dip.
• Keep a bowl of fresh fruits and vegetables that are clean and ready to eat on the kitchen table or front and center in the refrigerator so that the kids can reach it.
• Frozen blueberries or strawberries on top of non fat yogurt make a refreshing afternoon snack. Make your own frozen snacks using unsweetened fruit juice, water and seedless watermelon chunks. Pour into ice cube trays, add wooden sticks and freeze
• Half a turkey sandwich on 100% whole wheat bread with a sliced apple.
• String cheese and whole wheat crackers.
• Low fat graham crackers with peanut butter.

 

 

Healthy summer snacks are key to keeping your child well nourished during summer vacation. When children get hungry, they can easily turn to quick unhealthy snacks, vending machines or fast food restaurants to satisfy their snacking needs.

 

With a little bit of planning, you can keep your child on track for a healthy summer with their favorite healthy and tasty snacks to nibble on!  Involve them in the planning, keep it fun, and they will be onboard with the snack selections. Enjoy the summer!

I hope everyone is having a good summer so far staying active and eating lots of fruits and vegetables.  Remember you don't need a lot of equipment to get a good workout.  Climb stairs, pretend jump rope.  Get creative and make an obstacle course for you and your family.  Set up 8 stations, do them for a minute with a 20 sec rest.  Go through it 2 or 3 times. 

Family reunions will be where some of you go, others will go to ball diamonds, but you can still eat healthy and enjoy all of those foods.  Dish up small amounts and by doing that you won't feel bad after you are done eating and you still get to enjoy your favorites.

So here is a quick little work out you can do:
Do all of these for 30 sec, no breaks.
Jump Rope
Front Kicks
Burpees
Jumping Jacks
Pushups
Lunges
Wall Sits
Crab Crawl
Plank
Bicycle Crunches

Rest for 1 minute and do again

Enjoy your summer

Want a really good workout?  Why not go to Memorial Hill and do some hill running.  What a great way to workout and the whole family can do it.  You can also use the hills to do some incline push-ups, sit-ups, bear crawls, and other exercises.  Get creative and make if fun for all. 


http://www.brianmac.co.uk/hilltrain.htm



When you are done, go home and take some frozen strawberries, blackberries, a frozen banana, add some vanilla protein powder and about 1 cup of water. Blend until all smooth.  What a refreshing way to end it all.