Labor Day Grilling Recipes

Labor Day BBQs aren't far away! We know the holidays are a perfect reason to eat poorly, but you can eat great food that's healthy! Personal Chef, Sandy Amato, has once again provided us with great recipes for your summertime barbeque.
*Grilling tip:* Whenever you're grilling, be sure to grill an extra piece of meat or a few extra shrimp to include as the protein in a salad the next day or later in the week

Basic Vinaigrette Dressing

The basic formula is 3 parts olive oil to 1 part vinegar. Experiment with flavored oils, vinegars and citrus.

• 1/2 cup vinegar (balsamic, red or white wine, sherry, cider, berry, herb-flavored, etc.)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon sugar or honey
• 1 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk the vinegar, mustard and honey in a bowl to combine. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the bowl, whisking constantly to combine the ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Store in the refrigerator.

VARIATION Citrus: Substitute equal amounts lemon, lime or orange juice for the vinegar

Orange-Wild Rice Salad with Smoked Turkey

• 6 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked wild rice
• 1 cup mandarin oranges in juice
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/3 cup dried sweet cherries or sweetened dried cranberries
• 1/2 pound smoked turkey breast, diced (small shrimp are also good)
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice (about 1 orange)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions: Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan; stir in rice. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer until tender (about 45 minutes). Drain; cool. Place rice, oranges, celery, cherries or cranberries, and turkey in a bowl.

Combine remaining ingredients; stir well with a whisk. Pour over rice mixture; toss well. Cover and chill before serving.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: calories: 192, carbohydrates: 30.4 g, cholesterol: 18 g, fat: 3.3 g, sodium: 465 mg, protein: 11.9 g, calcium: 29 mg, iron: 1.6 mg, fiber: 2.9 g

YIELD: 7 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Coordinating Health & Fitness Services

Do you Feel you Run all over Town trying to stay healthy, fit, trim and pain free? Do you worry that what a provider tells you may be in conflict or be based on incomplete information?

Our concept has always been to offer complete health & fitness services under one roof, with professionals communicating & coordinating together in your best interest.

Personal Training
an individually-based service that provides you exercise programs that are the safest, most effective and motivating for your goals, lifestyle and overall health. Age-appropriate programs including Active 65 for Seniors, Performance Club for Youth and Take Control for Women.

Diet and Nutrition
custom-order supplements, cost effective plans like Diet-toGo, Free ongoing nutrition analysis with personal training, and Dietitians to provide in-depth nutrition guidance. Coordination with your training goals.

Massage Therapy
pre- and post-event muscle massage. Complement to chiropracticf or spinal adjustments. Complement to physical therapy. And, just relaxing...

Physical Therapy
to regain movement, strength and range post surgery or injury. Re-learn normal movement.

Acupuncture
an alternative to medication to treating ongoing pain such as arthritis. Can complement massage therapy and chiropractic.

Chiropractic
an alternative to pain relievers for spinal & neck pain caused by trauma or injury. Complements personal training, acupuncture, and physical therapy. Back pain is the number one ongoing reported pain.

Summertime Recipes

Summer grilled recipes can be spiced up without adding a lot of fat or calories. Sandy Amato, Personal Chef and Private Cooking Instructor has provided a great summer recipe for Pineapple-Lime Salsa and Pumped Up Salsa.

Summertime Pineapple-Lime Salsa
1/3 cup pineapple (or apricot) preserves
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 tbsp. finely chopped red onion
1 tbsp. seeded, finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1 tsp. dried mint flakes (or 2 tsp. fresh, torn)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
8 oz. fresh pineapple, diced

Place the preserves in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on medium power for about 30 seconds to loosen it up a bit.

Combine the preserves and the remaining ingredients in a bowl and gently toss to combine. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to combine.

Serve with grilled fish or pork.

Pumped-up Salsa
1 container of fresh salsa (Giant and Whole Foods both care good ones)
1 can black beans or pinto beans, rinsed and drained well
1 cup fresh corn (boiled or grilled and removed from the cob) or frozen sweet corn (defrosted)

The beans and corn make this a substantial and healthful salad or a refreshing side dish with grilled steak.

It's not too late to look and feel better this summer!

Here are some facts:

Determining your maintenance BMR (basal metabolic rate) and then adjusting the number of calories you eat, as well as when and what you eat can make a healthy weight loss difference in as little as 30 days!

Your body likes consistency. Diet, cardio, weight and resistance training and core work will bring results.

Our recommendations for the fastest weight loss and toning results:
* Use BMR analysis, meal diaries and complete nutrition reports and then adjust your diet accordingly. Do weekly weigh-ins with your personal trainer.
* Do cardio 5-6 times per week for 20-30 minutes and after each personal training session.
Cardio includes cardio equipment in the studio, jogging, biking, swimming and taking a class
like boxing.
* Train either three 1-hour sessions or 4-5, 1/2-hour sessions per week. Our trainers will focus
on weight loss, conditioning and toning.
* Stretch every day to help maintain your aggressive weight loss and conditioning schedule
and be sure to get enough sleep.

Accept that your body is a continuous work in progress. Find ways to exercise while on vacation: swim, bike, jog, golf. Come back and continue your progress with us after your vacation.

Health & Fitness Tip: Healthy Food Habits #2

Balanced Eating

What you eat is as important as wehn you eat. At each meal and snack you should consume a combination of carbohydrates and protein. Carbohydrates give you a quick source of energy while protein maintains blood sugar for a longer duration.

Adding protein to meals and snacks reduces sugar cravings, promotes energy and reduces the desire to binge eat.

Health & Fitness Tip: Healthy Food Habits #1

Most people who lose weight on a diet usually gain it back within a couple of weeks or months. The more you diet, the more your body tends to hold on to weight, preparing for the next period of deprivation. This is the "yo-yo effect" you may have heard of.

So what is the secret about permanent weight loss? People who loose weight and keep if off are successful in changing their habits around food. For the next three weeks we will bring you tips to change your food habits. Read your Health & Fitness Tip below to get started on your way to healthy eating!

Eat Small, Frequent Meals & Snacks

Dieters often try to save calories by cutting out meals. This leads to a feeling of deprivation and leads to overeating and binging later on.

Small, frequent meals will help keep your blood sugar levels constant. This will enhance your energy: you will beat fatigue, headaches and food cravings.

Eat every 3-4 hours; focus on a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. You will feel less hungry around lunch and dinner and find it easier to balance your calories.

Diet-to-Go Healthy Meal Plans are a great way to regulate your portion size and ensure that you're eating healthy meals throughout the day. Save 15% if you order through BodyByGeoff. Click HERE for more information and to order.

BodyByGeoff is pleased to announce a key service partner: Total Health Concepts. We feel confident that a coordinated combination of personal training, cardio, monitored diet and nutrition and rest will help get you to your desired weight and maintain it for the long term.

A dietitian or nutritionist can help you analyze your patterns around food, address your barriers to change, and help you come up with a longtime success plan.

Virginia Inglese, MA, RD, LCSW; Sabine Boots, MS, MA; and Carly Blackstone, PsyD are registered dietitians and certified nutritionists who also hold advanced degrees in psychotherapy. For the last 20 years the staff at Total Health has helped clients achieve balance in their lives and make peace with their weight and food habits.