Colleen Moody

A Skinny Pasta Recipe for a Slimmer Summer

May 20, 2013 at 12:57 pm
By Colleen Moody

For some reason, pasta always seems to get linked to a winter comfort food. And it’s true that on a cold, blustery day a bowl of spaghetti can hit the spot, but when given the right ingredients it can make a pretty mean, lean summer dish as well. Check out this recipe below from Christine Avanti, CN, author of Skinny Chicks Don’t Eat Salad and Skinny Chicks Eat Real Food so you can continue your carb love affair and still sport a bikini this summer.

Simple Skinny Pasta
Makes 7 servings

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 cup artichoke hearts packed in water
4 ounces mozzarella (fresh packed in water), cubed
1 cup Skinny Vine Slim Chardonnay
1 pound whole wheat pasta, cooked according to package directions

Directions

1. In an extra large frying pan, sauté onions, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes and tomatoes in olive oil until onions being to caramelize. Deglaze pan with Skinny Vine Slim Chardonnay wine scraping all the brown bits from the pan. Add artichoke hearts and lightly sauté until artichokes are evenly distributed.
2. Add cooked pasta and fresh mozzarella and lightly toss with a set of tongs.
3. Plate and sprinkle with flat leaf parsley or basil.

Nutrition info per serving: 366 calories, 18g protein, 53g carbohydrates, 8g fiber, 10g fat

 More from FITNESS: Give It a Twirl: Low-Calorie Pasta Recipes

 

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Join the Food Revolution This Month

May 1, 2013 at 9:29 am
By Colleen Moody

An interesting stat: The average U.S. elementary school child gets just about 3.4 hours of food and nutrition education a year. And with over 43 million children overweight or obese, if this epidemic continues on this road, that number will rise to 60 million by 2020. Yikes! Take a stand and join celebrity chef and food activist Jamie Oliver on May 17 for Food Revolution Day, a movement to raise awareness or funds for better food education and cooking skills in your area.

Started last year as an effort to get back to basics with healthy cooking skills, Food Revolution has racked up 1,000 events in 664 cities across 62 countries. This year, Oliver is asking individuals, schools, businesses and organizations everywhere to host or attend activities in their areas to combat obesity and health epidemics that affect more than 500 million adults worldwide. Interested? Check out foodrevolution.org for a list of events in your city, recipes and ideas on how you can host your own Food Revolution Day. Below, Oliver shared one of his favorite recipes with us, proving that getting your kids interested in healthy eating doesn’t have to be a drag.

Jamie Oliver’s Berry Ice Cream

Ingredients

1.5 pound pack of mixed frozen berries

5 ounces blueberries

3-4 tablespoons of honey

1.5 pound tub of natural yogurt

Directions

1. Get ahead by putting 4 small glasses in the freezer for a few hours, or until nicely chilled.

2. Then, get the glasses and the frozen berries out of the freezer and divide the fresh blueberries between the glasses.

3. Put the honey and yogurt into a food processor and mix, then add the frozen berries and mix again until combined. Spoon the frozen yogurt over the fresh berries and serve.

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Getting Hitched Near NYC? Join the Fit to Be Bride Bootcamp!

April 29, 2013 at 3:29 pm
By Colleen Moody

As someone who is feverishly planning her own nuptials, I came to a realization I’m sure many brides arrived at much quicker than I did: Weddings are expensive! To then even think about shelling out beaucoup bucks on a pricey boot camp tailored toward brides made me want to curl up in a ball (or elope, though I’m not sure Mom would be too pleased about that).

Luckily, The White Gown, a bridal boutique in Dumbo, Brooklyn understands that brides want to look great despite their budget and are setting up a series of public workout sessions this summer in NYC at Pier 46 in Greenwich Village. Workouts will be led my Molly Winter Stewart of Molly Winter Fitness, and will be designed to hit the spots most visible on your wedding day based on your dress shape–mermaid, halter, strapless and backless. The best part? You can cross “find fitness plan” off your very long wedding to-do list without spending a single penny.

Fit to Be Bride Bootcamp starts Saturday, May 18 at 9:30 a.m., at Pier 46 in Manhattan. Sign up by emailing info@thewhitegown.com.

More from FITNESS: Vow to Stress Less: Wedding Day Tips from Brides

 

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3 Skinny Summer Cocktails to Pair with Our Bikini Body Boot Camp

April 23, 2013 at 12:15 pm
By Colleen Moody

By now, you’ve been revving up your workouts at the gym with our Trim and Tone Circuit Workout  but as they say, a girl needs to unwind a little too, right? (At least we sure do!) To make sure you don’t completely blow all your hard work, Voli Light Vodka has given three super slim, super summery cocktail recipes that you can sip without guilt. Bonus: If you’re a morning smoothie lover, you probably have most of the ingredients already! Get the recipes below and tell us your favorite in the comments!

Island Oasis

1.5 ounces Voli Mango Coconut
6 blueberries
2 strawberries
1 ounce Sweet and Sour Lite Mix
1 ounce light orange juice

Directions: Muddle fruit, add all ingredients together and stir. Garnish with skewered blueberries and strawberries. (Approximately 94 calories) Read more

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A KIND Way to Start Your Week

April 22, 2013 at 2:00 pm
By Colleen Moody

In light of recent events, we can’t think of a better time for this new KIND initiative to kick off. Starting today, KIND is launching its #kindwords Letter Writing Week, anonymously delivering thoughtful words of kindness into the nooks and crannies of cities everywhere in need of a little pick-me-up. Here’s the run-down:

Step 1: Host a letter writing party with your friends. Follow @KINDSnacks and @MoreLoveLetters for tips and tricks on how to write your anonymous letters of inspiration. And if you tweet a picture of your party with the hashtag #kindwords, you could be selected to win a case of KIND bars. Sweet!

Step 2: On April 27-28 deliver your letters in places around your community that could use some inspiration. Leave them in a flowerpot, taped to the wall of your work elevator, wherever! Snap a pic using #kindwords and share it on Twitter and Instagram to show where your kindness is going.

Step 3: Check in with your letter by following @KINDSnacks and @MoreLoveLetters to see the lucky recipients of your letters.

It’s that simple! To get more information and to download your letter writing kit visit the KIND Facebook page. After all, couldn’t we all use a little note of encouragement once and awhile? Happy writing!

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Study Shows That Snacking Is the Key to Your Happy Weight

April 22, 2013 at 11:08 am
By Colleen Moody

There should be no shame in your snacking game. That’s because a recent study by The NPD Group found that 83 percent of Americans snack, and those with the healthiest lifestyles are also the ones who snack most frequently. Score! Below, we chatted with Jessica Levinson, MS, RD, CDN and founder of Nutritioulicious, a nutrition consulting and counseling practice in New York about the benefits of snacking, especially when it comes to managing your weight.

Why is snacking so important?
This is something I’ve talked to clients for years about. Snacking is what really keeps your metabolism going. Think of the analogy of wood in a fire—the more you put in, the more you burn. The same is true with eating. Skipping meals or waiting too long causes your metabolism to slow down, while also putting you at risk for overeating the next time you do sit down to eat.

Does it matter when you snack?
It is a big nutrition myth that the time of day that you eat impacts your weight. If you have a 1,600 calorie allotment for your diet and lifestyle, then what matters more is if you’ve taken in that many calories or not. Let’s say you’ve consumed 1,400 calories by the time 6:00 p.m. rolls around. Now you only have 200 calories to get you through the rest of the day (taking exercise out of the equation here, which of course gives you some of those calories back). But if you’ve only eaten 1,000 calories by 6:00 p.m. then it doesn’t matter what time you’re eating or having a late-night snack, as long as you don’t go past your daily allotment.

How can you keep your snacking portions controlled?
This is a big issue for most people, because it’s hard to stop once you start! My biggest tip is to portion out in advance at home. For example, if you like almonds portion out an ounce (23 almonds) into 5 brown bags at the beginning of the week. Then you can grab a bag for your snack every day as you walk out the door. Just bring one bag at a time; if you take the whole stash you’ll be more tempted to dig into multiple bags. There are also a ton of companies who make portion controlled snack packs. Justin’s Nut Butter is great for baby carrots or a banana or a bag of 100-calorie air popped popcorn is perfect for salt lovers. And of course, fruit! You can’t really ever overdo it on fruits and veggies. Fruit especially is a good sweet tooth fix while also quenching your thirst and filling you up since so many have a high water content.

Now tell us: What’s your healthy snack go-to?

More from FITNESS: Healthy Food Awards: The Best Snacks from the Store

 

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Guess What the Most Motivating Tool to a Healthy Lifestyle Is?

April 12, 2013 at 3:00 pm
By Colleen Moody

Now that I have finally jumped the hurdle of being an early morning runner, there are a number of reasons I lace up instead of hitting the snooze. Fun weekend plans. My brother’s wedding. My wedding. Wanting to PR in the Pittsburgh Marathon next month. The list goes on. And of course, there are dozens of reasons that inspire others that aren’t on my list. To figure out what motivates healthy lifestyles among its consumers, Tyson Foods on behalf of the Tyson® Grilled & Ready® product line surveyed over 2,000 participants all across the country and found out what really sparks the masses to eat healthier and work out harder. Below, some findings we found particularly interesting:

• Nearly everyone surveyed–94 percent–is looking to make a positive change related to his or her health this year. Of those, 79 percent want to eat healthy. (Get started with our new Healthy Snack Finder, to make mid-morning and afternoon munching satisfying, without being total calorie bombs.)
• When it comes to motivation, 79 percent say their health motivates them to live a healthy lifestyle while 58 percent want their clothes to fit better. Around 52 percent stay motivated for their family (aww!) and 28 percent do it for an upcoming social event.
• In terms of the most motivating tool, there’s no surprise here–social media! About 43 percent said they were more motivated to work out after seeing a friend post or tweet about having a great workout.

Some other fun facts: For those wishing a celebrity chef would pop up in their kitchen and help them cook, 1 out of 4 picked Emeril Lagasse. As for favorite trainer, Jillian Michaels is queen by both women (45 percent) and men (41 percent).

Now Tell Us: What motivates you to live a healthy lifestyle?

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The Scary Stats You Need to Know on Secondhand Smoke (Whether You Smoke or Not!)

April 12, 2013 at 10:45 am
By Colleen Moody

According to the Center for Disease Control, more than 440,000 Americans lose their lives every year to smoking related illnesses. On top of that, for one death, 20 more live with serious illnesses from smoking and 8 million Americans suffer from chronic diseases caused from smoking. With stats like these it’s not surprising that 70 percent of smokers say they want to quit.

This sparked the CDC to launch the first anti-smoking campaign funded by the U.S. government, Tips from Former Smokers. Due to the response and success of the campaign the CDC is launching a second phase this month, with more personal stories from smokers and how the habit has hurt their health, their family and their lives. We got the chance to chat with Dr. Tim McAfee, director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health on how smoking affects more than just the person doing it, and how you can help a friend, family member or yourself quit for good.

This campaign if pretty graphic. What made the CDC decide to go this route?

This campaign is the first that the federal government has funded since the 50^thAnniversary of the first Surgeon General’s report in 1964, although separate states have run campaigns consistently. We felt that we needed the ads to get a visual point across so we could be a counterweight to the tobacco industry’s promotion. They are spending $8.5 billion a year on promotion, so it’s a steep climb to compete with. This is not something you can do once and then it’s done with, people need to hear it and see it regularly to really register with them.

With this phase of the campaign we address several conditions linked to smoking, although there are so many more. We have a story about diabetes and smoking, as well as someone with COPD and someone who suffered serious lung damage from secondhand smoke exposure. The first time around we stuck to the impact of smoking on the smoker, this time we’re focusing on the impact on those around a smoker. Read more

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Want Ne-Yo and Cher Lloyd to Sing a Song About You? Here’s How

April 11, 2013 at 11:15 am
By Colleen Moody

We finally had our first glimpse of some warm weather this week in NYC and to celebrate, we did it with popsicles of course! To help kick off the launch of Fruttare Fruit Bars, Grammy-Award winning singer Ne-Yo and platinum-selling superstar Cher Lloyd are teaming to do a song collaboration–inspired by you!

To make it into the tune, all you have to do is log on to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and share what keeps you looking on the positive side of things, with the hashtag #itsallgood. And let’s be honest–when the sun is out and you’re heading on your long awaited vacation, beach trip, a hot and sweaty outdoor workout or whatever else you’ve got planned, there’s not much that’s not good.

Ne-Yo, who admitted to thinking of himself as a “fake freelance photographer” with his Instagram photos and Cher Lloyd, who loves Twitter (follow her @CherLlyod!) to connect with her fans and catch up on the news, will round up your responses to work them into their tune. The duo will also sing it live at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas this September. Pretty sweet, right?

To see Ne-Yo and Cher Lloyd in the studio and to purchase their song, visit the Fruttare Facebook page.

 More from FITNESS: Tony Horton’s Sweat-Dripping Workout Playlist

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A Sweet Way to Support Parkinson’s Awareness Month

April 8, 2013 at 3:45 pm
By Colleen Moody

The next time you get the itch for a sweet treat, cave in for a good cause. In honor of Parkinson’s Awareness Month (FYI: One American is diagnosed every nine minutes), Magnolia Bakery has teamed up with the Michael J. Fox Foundation on a limited-edition cupcake, available online and sold in stores throughout April. For $1.75, you can support the MJFF and Parkinson’s disease research for new treatments and ultimately–a cure.

To purchase a cupcake, visit magnoliabakery.com or stop by a Magnolia Bakery near you. To learn more about the MJFF, visit michaeljfox.org.

More from FITNESS: A New Way to Get Inspired to Race This Spring

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