JUST MOVED TO FITNESS & SPICE!

I finally finished packing up all of My Favorite Things and moved to my new home at Fitness & Spice.

I can't wait for you to see my new place! Web designer Mack Richardson gave my new site an extreme makeover (blog edition)!

Here's my new address:

www.FitnessandSpice.com

Join me at my Fitness & Spice, where fitness, food, and fashion get a healthy shake!

I'm saving you a seat!

Balancing acts

Do you live a balanced life? I do, when all of the stars are aligned. But when there's a star out of place, watch out world!

We all have a lot to balance everyday from work, school, family, friends, fitness, nutrition, errands...you name it. When your schedule gets out of sync because of a sick kid, a broken down car, bad weather, a long day at school or work, an unexpected errand or favor, what's the first thing to go?

When my days got out of whack, my workouts used to be the first thing cut from my to-do list. I was an "all or nothing" kind of girl in terms of my fitness. But no longer. If I don't have the time to go to the gym or to complete my entire workout, I look for ways to modify.

Here are some of the things I do:

• Take a couple of trips up and down the stairs
  
• Complete a few body weight circuits (Like: Push ups, squats, tricep dips, planks, forward and reverse lunges)
• Work in a shorter session in my home gym (consisting of light weights, a spinning bike, and pull up bar)
  
• Go for a walk or bike ride
• Workout to a DVD

What do you do?

I am a firm believer that on a busy day, or any day for that matter, that it is OK to make time to take care of yourself. Be selfish. Be creative. A healthier you will make you a better employee, student, friend, spouse, or parent (or maybe even all of the above).

The next time you find yourself too busy to workout, plan ahead and move from all or nothing to all or something.

"To keep your balance, you must keep moving." -Einstein.

Sunday School

I hope your long weekend includes good food and good friends...and in either case, a few nuts.

Looking for a great way to round out your weekend? Watch some TV or rent a great movie (speaking of nuts, here is short clip from one of my favorite movies, Best In Show). Or, just find time to unwind and make something new, or simply light a candle or two.

Which brings me to your Sunday School assignment.

Take a moment to reflect on this quote:

"A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle." - James Keller

You are so bright. Pass it on.

Honey, What's for dinner?

What's for dinner? Don't ask me, ask Supercook. Supercook is a recipe search engine that simply helps answer the question, "What's for dinner?"

With Supercook, all you have to do is enter in items you already have in your kitchen and it instantly searches major online cooking sites and pulls up recipe suggestions.

It is so easy.

My Mom sent me the link to Supercook and within minutes I was whipping up dinner and dessert! I just entered eggs, cheese, broccoli, onion, and BOOM! Up popped several recipes. I picked quiche, because who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?

And, for grins, I typed in eggs and peanut butter. Supercook asked me if I had sugar, too. Splenda for baking? Close enough. And, up popped a recipe for Easy Peanut Butter Cookies. So, I made some cookies with my Honey (nut butter).

Here's the recipe:

1 cup Justin's Honey Peanut Butter
1 egg (or egg beater)
1 cup sugar (or Splenda for baking)

Stir. Spoon on to a cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. This recipe makes 8-10 cookies depending how much batter you eat.

So, Honey, the next time you're wondering "What's for dinner?" skip the trip to the supermarket and make a trip to Supercook. A few clicks and you will be on your way to being a Supercook and maybe even a Superbaker.

Justin's Nut Butter Winner

Congratulations, Michelle! You won the Justin's Nut Butter prize package! You are so lucky.

Take Shannon's suggestion and serve it with a banana, or stir some into some greek yogurt, I think that could work, don't you Josie? Or, even spread it on an apple or celery...sounds like something Erin might do! Whatever you do...enjoy it!

Peanut Butter & Justin

I had a nasty break up with peanut butter a few months ago. I blame myself. I was becoming rather obsessed, constantly nagging it, sticking my knife in it over and over again. And then one day, I covered the remains in Comet and buried it in my garbage can. And I haven't invited another nut like that back in my house since.

Until! One day, following this domestic disturbance, I did a double take at the grocery store. It was love at first sight. Justin's Nut Butter packaged in single serve packets! Could this be the start of a healthy relationship? YES! We have been seeing each other ever since.

I am just starting to get to know Justin but I already knead to squeeze him every time we get together! We go on long walks, bike rides, picnics, and sometimes I'll make dinner at my place (I make quite a spread).

I've been introduced to a few members of Justin's all-natural and organic family: Honey and Classic 
Peanut,
 Honey and Classic Almond and their daughter,
 Maple
. I think he said there's a Cinnamon Peanut, too, but she must have been on a date. So far, I like them all even though they are a little nutty.

In the Fall, Justin promises to introduce me to his friends: Organic Chocolate Peanut, All-Natural Chocolate Almond and All-Natural Chocolate Hazelnut. Naturally, I can't wait to meet them, they sound sweet.

If you haven't met Justin yet, here's your chance. I have an entire 16 ounce jar and ten 1.5 ounce packets to share with one lucky reader. Tell us 1 healthy thing you are obsessed with in the comments section below and you will be entered to win this prize package. Be sure to enter the drawing by 12:00 A.M. CST and check back Justin-time on Friday to see if you are the lucky winner.

Food Should Taste Good Winners!

CONGRATULATIONS!

• Bobbie
• Chrisanne Romeo
  
• Dawn
• Geri
  
• Shannon

You each won a bag of Food Should Taste Good chips! Please send your mailing address to joanna.sutter@gmail.com and I'll mail your coupon!

Thanks to everyone who entered their tasty flavor suggestions (even though some of them were a bit cheesy). I'll forward olive-our ideas to Food Should Taste Good and see what they whip up.

Just a reminder, if you become a fan of Food Should Taste Good, you will receive a $1 coupon instantly. I hope you'll pick up a bag (or ELEVEN) to share over the upcoming long weekend.

Enjoy!

Chip, Chip, Hooray!

What do you eat with dip? Chips? Crackers?

Me? I eat dip with a spoon. Salsa? Bean dip? Just give me a separate bowl and a spoon, please. While I love chips, I have control issues so I usually pass.

As I was passing by the chip aisle at Whole Foods a few weeks ago, a display caught my eye. I think it was the simplicity of the packaging that drew me in, and then the name: Food Should Taste Good. I can't argue with that. I stood there mesmerized by the design and the ELEVEN varieties to choose from. ELEVEN. I knew I wanted to try them, but I couldn't decide on the flavor so I left the store without a single bag.

When I got home, my curiosity got the best of me. I mean, if I'm going to break down and actually eat a chip, then it has to be good. So, I logged onto www.foodshouldtastegood.com.

I discovered these chips are:

• Made from the highest quality, all-natural ingredients
• Gluten free, cholesterol and trans fat free, and do not use genetically modified ingredients (GMOs)
• Certified Kosher
• Lower in sodium
  
• A good source of dietary fiber

Sold!

On my next trip back to the store, I picked up 3 bags of Food Should Taste Good chips: Olive, Sweet Potato, and Chocolate. To my delight, each chip (or are they crackers? I'll let you decide) looked exactly as pictured on the package. Each bite delivered a depth of the flavor that gourmet chefs would celebrate.

As silly as this sounds, I tested the chips as if tasting a fine wine...with appreciation. And, like fine wine, the good people at Food Should Taste Good actually went to the trouble of making recommendations on what to serve with each flavor. They put their pairing recommendations right on the package and even included some amazing recipes on their Web site.

So the next time I make dip, I'm going to keep the spoon in the drawer and serve it with these chips. Chip! Chip! Hooray! Can you tell I'm a fan? You can become a fan of Food Should Taste Good, too by joining their Fan Club, and when you do, you will receive a $1 Coupon instantly. While you're visiting their site, check to see where they sell these chips in your neck of the woods.

Did I mention these chips come in eleven varieties? Multigrain, Sweet Potato, Olive, Jalapeno, The Works!, Buffalo, Chocolate, Potato & Chive, Cinnamon, Lime and Yellow Corn.


I think they should create at least one more flavor so they have an even number. That way they can start a flavor of the month club and we could be their charter members. To help them fulfill this (really good) idea, I thought we should brainstorm the 12th flavor on their behalf.

I have 5 coupons for one FREE bag of chips to give away. Just enter the NEW flavor you would recommend adding to their line up in the comments section below.

Be sure to submit your response by 12:00 A.M. CST and you will be entered into the drawing. I'll draw 5 winners and announce them here Thursday, September 3rd.

The limelight

This is a really bright idea.

I was reading Food Network Magazine and came across an article about making votive candles from hallowed out oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes. I had some lemons and limes in the house so I decided to give it a try.

I didn't follow the instructions exactly, I simply gave them a slight twist.

Here's what I did:

• Sliced a lemon and lime in half
• Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each half so they would stand up straight
• Juiced each side of the lemon and lime
• Placed a tea light candle inside each citrus shell

I think these lemon and lime votive candles would produce a nice centerpiece when:

• Serving Mexican food or making your favorite salsa recipe calling for lemon or lime juice
• Blending up Margarita's (this might be fun to do if you are entertaining your Margarita Club, right Mom?)
• Making fresh lemonade
• Life gives you (more) lemons
• Feeling a little fruity
• You just need to lighten up

I hope you'll give this fresh and really easy idea a try! Glow on.

Must Move TV

If you are like me you just might be looking forward to the upcoming season premieres of your favorite television shows. My three favorite shows? The Biggest Loser, Grey's Anatomy, and The Office.

In some cases I tape these shows, watch them at a later time, and buzz right through the commercials. When I catch an episode at its regularly scheduled time, instead of sitting on my comfy red chair for 30 minutes to 2 hours(!) straight, I make myself get up and move. Commercial break workouts have become a great way for me to get in some extra exercise and can keep me from feeling like a complete coach potato.

Lucky for me, I have a spinning bike placed right in front of my television set. It's pictured here along with my handsome workout partner, Bella. Speaking of commercials, Bella probably belongs in one...just look at that face!

Anyway, sometimes I'll do interval sprints during the frequent commercial interruptions. For example, I will sprint one commercial, recover the next, and repeat this sequence until the show comes on again. The next commercial break I might crank up the resistance and climb a hill for the first commercial, then release the resistance and sprint for the next commercial, repeating this sequence until the show returns.

Other times, I'll do some body weight or light weight exercises during the commercial breaks. For instance, I'll pick 4-5 exercises and complete 15-20 reps of each one, repeating the circuit until the advertisements are over. Here are some of the movements I pick from:

• Squats
• Forward lunges
• Backward lunges
• Side lunges
  
• Single-leg deadlifts
  
• Push-ups
• Tricep dips off the floor or chair
• Bridges
• Clams

If I want to get my heart rate up a bit more, I might mix in 30-60 seconds of some of the following moves with the exercises above:

• Jumping jacks
• Running in place with high knees
  
• Running in place with butt kicks
• Air jump rope
• Burpees
• Tuck jumps
• Single-leg hops

Then, at the end of the show while waiting patiently for a preview of the next episode, I'll stretch out. Before I know it, I've completed a nice interval workout in no time while indulging in my favorite primetime comedy or TV drama.

So, instead of feeling like The Biggest Loser just watching Grey's Anatomy, I'll work on my own, all while getting a little McSteamy (that's what he said).