Halloween Rules

In an effort to keep us on track throughout the holidays, Krystal (@ Bia Fitness) gave us a list of rules for each holiday and had us sign it like a contract. Let's review Halloween's rules today, and how I'm making out so far.

Halloween Rules

1. No Candy in the House until 10/29/11. Broken. Because of the party we had last weekend, I did need to buy some for the party, and while I was at Costco, got some for the tricker treaters. Good news? I haven't had a bite. Can't say the same for Kevin & my roomie though.

2. No eating ANY candy at ANY time. So far I have avoided candy at work and home repeadedly. I am really working hard on this one to build up my self control for all the rest of the holidays to come.

3. Reward yourself & your family for choosing fruits & vegetables instead of candy. So far so good! Tonight I had raspberries & tea instead of candy. My reward for working hard all week will be a manicure on friday night.

4. ALL candy OUT of the house by 11/6/11. I don't for see this being a problem. Initially I thought "maybe I'll keep a small bag with my favorites hidden for later." who am I kidding?! I would probably eventually find it and eat the whole bag. Plus, I'm trying to develop new behaviors and tastes by NOT wanting the candy. It will help a lot more if its not here, which is why I will bring it all to work to be devoured by my coworkers on tuesday November 1st!

Do you have any strategies to help you get through Halloween?
Want to join me in following the Bia Fitness rules?

TRX class this morning was awesome, I know I'll be so sore tomorrow. Most of the exercises were ones I haven't done before, and either I have horribly weak abs or the TRX is just wicked bad ass. Honestly, I think my core is just incredibly weak, so this will be the perfect opportunity to help strengthen it. I'm sure it will not only help with running, but with my back pain I get often too.

I made Buffalo Chicken Chili for dinner tonight from Joy Bauer's cookbook Slim & Scrumptious. Remember when I did my review of this cookbook (HERE)? This recipe is another that definitely did not disappoint. In fact, Kevin couldn't stop telling me how awesome it was. I could see it being a great football party dish thrown into a crockpot to stay warm. I wish I had taken a pic, but we were hungry! Maybe you're even interested in me sharing the recipe? Let me know!

Tomorrow I have a quick 5 miler on the schedule and I need to take a muscle relaxer and get to bed with a heat pack. Cross your fingers that my back behaves tomorrow!

Joy Bauer Cookbook Review & GIveaway!

A little while ago, the folks at Joy Bauer asked me to review a couple of Joy's books. The first is...

Did you notice the Sangria picture in the upper left? This is my kind of book!!

Slim and Scrumptious: More Than 75 Delicious, Healthy Meals Your Family Will Love

Do you know Joy? She is the nutritionist of the Today Show, PARADE, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and works as an adjunct faculty member at Columbia University. She has several NewYork Times bestsellers such as: Your Inner Skinny: Four Steps to Thin Forever, Joy Bauer's Food Cures: Eat Right to Get Healthier, Look Younger, and Add Years to Your LifeJoy's LIFE Diet: Four Steps to Thin ForeverThe 90/10 Weight-Loss Plan: A Scientifically Designed Balance of Healthy Foods and Fun Foods. Joy believes it's never too late or too early to reap the benefits of healthy living, which means a lot to me. I've been striving so hard to make my nutrition a part of my healthy lifestyle and was excited to learn all I could from Joy to make that happen!

When the cookbook came in, I couldn't wait to dig in. When I get a new cookbook, I like to tag all the pages of recipes I plan on making. A lot of times I only tag a few here or there, but in this book, there was only a few I didn't tag.

Look at all those tabs!

The first thing I decided to make was Crispy Parmesan Chicken with a side of Cinnamon-Sugar Sweet Potato Fries.

Crispy Parmesan Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1/4 cup nonfat or low-fat buttermilk (shake well before measuring)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

3 egg whites

1 TBSP skim milk

2 tsp hot sauce

3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

1. Butterfly the chicken breasts: Holding your knife parallel to the cutting board, carefully slice into each breast horizontally, taking care not to slice all the way through the meat. Fold each chicken breast open like a book so it lies flat.

2. Place the chicken breasts in a resealable plastic bag. Add the buttermilk to the bag and seal it. Squish the contents around to ensure all of the chicken is coated with buttermilk. Marinate for at least 30 min, or up to 24 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and coat the foil with oil spray.

4. Set out 3 shallow dishes for a 3 step breading station.

5. In the first dish, combine the flour, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. mix well.

6. In the second dish, combine the egg whites, milk, and hot sauce. Whisk together until slightly frothy.

7. In the third dish, combine the parmesan cheese and flaxseed, mix well.

8. Shake the excess buttermilk off one of the chicken breasts, and press it into the first dish (seasoned flour), coating both sides. Shake off the excess flour, then dip into the second dish (egg whites), coating both sides. Finally lay the chicken in the third dish, coating both sides with the cheese-flaxseed mixture. Place the coated chicken breast on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.

9. Mist the top of each chicken breast with oil spray.

10. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until browned and crispy.

Cinnamon-Sugar Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled

1/4 cup whole wheat or oat flour

2 TBSP ground flaxseed

2 TBSP packed brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

2 egg whites

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Liberally coat a large baking sheet with oil spray.

2. Cut the sweet potatoes lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices, then cut each slice into 1/2 inch wide strips to form fries.

3. Combine flour, flaxseed, cinnamon, and salt into a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Crumble the ingredients together with your fingertips until they are evenly dispersed.

4. Place the egg whites in a shallow dish and whisk until frothy.

5. Dip the fries in the egg whites, then tap them on the edge of the dish to drain away any excess egg white.

6. Add all the fries from the bag and arrange them in a single layer, evenly spaced apart, on the prepared baking sheet. Mist the fries with oil spray.

7. Bake for 15 minutes. Then turn the fries over and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until crispy and browned. Let fries cool slightly before serving to allow the coating to harden.

In the end you have a yummy (and healthy) dinner!

Crispy Parmesan chicken and cinnamon-sugar sweet potato fries

I couldn't wait to try some more...

I made Summery Pesto Pasta

With fresh basil and Zucchini from my garden, delish!

I also tried the Banana Pecan Bread (which was a hit with my coworkers), and the Sesame Chicken Tenders (Kevin LOVED the sauce), and the Mediterranean Meatloaf. Next on my list to try is Double Chocolate Pancakes with Strawberry Sauce, Sicilian Quinoa Salad, and Joy's turkey meatballs.

The book covers a wide variety of flavors to appeal to many different people and incorporates lots of fresh, healthy food which I love. She keeps it fast, easy, and priced within your budget. I don't like complicated recipes with difficult to understand steps, and Joy keeps is simple and easy to follow. There are pictures for each recipe to give a beautiful overview of the dish.

I am sooooo glad I got the opportunity to check this book out, because I know many of these recipes will become regulars in my kitchen! Check it out on Amazon here: Slim and Scrumptious: More Than 75 Delicious, Healthy Meals Your Family Will Love, or get ready to win!

Joy's team has generously offered 2 copies of the book to giveaway, so we will have 2 winners!

How to Win

please leave a separate comment for each entry

1. Mandatory - Be or become a follower of my blog

2. Check out Joy's website HERE & tell me what you learned about her!

3. Like Running to Health on facebook HERE

4. Do you have a favorite cookbook? Tell me what it is!

5. Share this! Blog, tweet, or facebook (1 for each)

Get ready to enjoy some delicious, healthy food!

Enter by 8/3, remember there will be 2 winners.

Good Luck!