Flat Ab Challenge Final Week

Only a few more days until we take the tape back out and measure you up! I hope you have been working on your cardio and strength, but even if you weren't as spot on as you had hoped, I encourage you to measure and test; take those pictures! Just see the difference and maybe find a little motivation to go one step further!

Today, I am posting the final ab video. Again, there are five movements, which should each be completed for 30-60 seconds five times. I apologize for lack of a full film. My phone does not allow me to upload full films, I guess. Some people had trouble watching my last one, so I went back to the explaining version. Though they are quick explanations, you can always pause the film or write each exercise down before doing the sets on your own!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR1PDsfZTSI&feature=youtu.be

A few weeks ago, my girlfriends and I went to see Katy Perry perform in Portland, Oregon. While in town, we ate at PF Chang's, my sister's favorite restaurant. We ordered the lettuce wraps, but as I looked down at the wrap, I couldn't help but notice all of the grease dripping off from the tip. Could this really be the healthiest option?

This week, I have found a healthy lettuce wrap, which is gluten- and dairy-free (celiacs, rejoice!).

Healthy Chicken Lettuce Cups

Recipe from Steamy Kitchen’s Healthy Asian Favorites
serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 tablespoon cooking oil, such as Canola or Vegetable
• 1/2 pound ground chicken breast
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, very finely minced
• Minced fresh chilies or jalapeno – more or less depending on how hot you like it
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1/2 lime juiced
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free soy sauce
• 1 head iceberg lettuce, leaves separated into “cups”
• 1 handful of cilantro & mint, cut into finally chopped

DIRECTIONS
Heat a wok (or large saute pan) over high heat. When hot, swirl  1 tablespoon of oil and add the ground chicken. Use your spatula to break up the meat and spread out of the surface of the pan. Cook until browned, about 3-4 minutes.
Push the ground chicken to one side of the pan and swirl the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil. To the oil, add the shallots, red onion, garlic, and fresh chilies and saute until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Add fish sauce, lime juice and gluten-free soy sauce.
Serve with lettuce cups and herbs.
Enjoy!

The Skinny On Sugar

There is this podcast I love listening to on road trips. It's called Stuff You Should Know: How Stuff Works. A recent podcast to which I listened was about how sugar works. Did you know that added sugar (aka empty calories) accounts for 16% of the yearly calories we consume? That's around 95 pounds of added sugar on average for each person every year.

In the last post, I challenged you to give up sugar for the first three days of October. Seeing as today is October 1, I hope you remembered when you prepared your breakfast this morning! If not, it's not too late! Just use the rest of the day to focus on clean, healthy eating!

Here is a recipe to start your day off right! Ani Phyo is a raw foods chef who has inspired me for years. Here is one of her recent recipes from her site: www.aniphyo.com

Warm Green Salad

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped, to taste
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup baby broccoli, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 cup romaine, chopped
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 cup arugula
• 3 Tablespoons capers
• 1/2 cup artichoke hearts

Warm up your pan on medium heat, add coconut oil and garlic. Sauté until soft. Add tomatoes and broccoli. Lightly cook, to desired consistency.
Place romaine, spinach, and arugula into a large mixing bowl. Top with cooked vegetables and toss to mix well, wilting your greens. Add capers and artichokes, and toss to mix well.
Serve and enjoy!