MidwestFit.com

For anyone looking for new, healthy drinks, we suggest checking out this site.  This website has some different, very healthy drink selections for anyone to check out.  Each one brings its own dynamic on how it can benefit you greatly!  Runners should really look into the basic coconut water because it is rich with electrolytes like potassium, sodium, and chloride (more so than regular juices) that are highly beneficial to one’s hydration.

10 Reasons to Drink Coconut Water
ONE Drinks Main Website

Give the website a browse and learn something new today!

I know a lot of people generally consider eating any sort of salad to be healthy, but in reality a lot of salads out there are not. For instance, salads drenched in dressing practically ruin the entire purpose of trying to eat healthy by choosing a salad and romaine/ice berg lettuce has less benefits than spinach lettuce (Here is an article on benefits of spinach lettuce: http://www.cookingnook.com/health-benefits-of-spinach.html). So, we wanted to share this website with you that has a nice recipe for a healthy spinach salad. The salad takes a little longer to prepare than most. Usually when this is the case, I try and make a large amount and save some for multiple meals throughout the week.

Here is the site with a healthy spinach salad recipe: Healthy Spinach Salad Recipe

Enjoy!

Here’s a good article we found today on the benefits of water.  This is a good one because it explains the functions of water within the body itself and at a cellular functionality level, the signs and symptoms of dehydration, and then 11 benefits of drinking water.  We know it can be annoying or easily forgettable to continuously drink water all day, but a good way to counter that is to carry an actual water bottle around with you whenever you can.  Actual water bottles like those found Here not only carry more water, which will naturally make you drink more because you’ll want to empty out the bottle before you refill it, you will also obviously be less apt to throw it away or push it aside like a basic plastic bottle of water.  Seeing it in front of you everyday will also be a constant reminder to drink water.  Plus you’ll be helping out the environment by not going through a large amount of plastic bottles.

The basic recommendation of water intake a day is Eight, 8-ounce glasses of water which is about equivalent to a 2-liter.  So don’t take for granted the abundant availability of water around us, it will help you both in the short term and the long term of your life.

Importance of Water

Enjoy!

Here’s a good article we found today on the benefits of water.  This is a good one because it explains the functions of water within the body itself and at a cellular functionality level, the signs and symptoms of dehydration, and then 11 benefits of drinking water.  We know it can be annoying or easily forgettable to continuously drink water all day, but a good way to counter that is to carry an actual water bottle around with you whenever you can.  Actual water bottles like those found Here not only carry more water, which will naturally make you drink more because you’ll want to empty out the bottle before you refill it, you will also obviously be less apt to throw it away or push it aside like a basic plastic bottle of water.  Seeing it in front of you everyday will also be a constant reminder to drink water.  Plus you’ll be helping out the environment by not going through a large amount of plastic bottles.

The basic recommendation of water intake a day is Eight, 8-ounce glasses of water which is about equivalent to a 2-liter.  So don’t take for granted the abundant availability of water around us, it will help you both in the short term and the long term of your life.

Importance of Water

Enjoy!

Very simple, yet healthy.  Can also be topped with cut up grilled chicken breasts to add more protein to the meal, or a glass of skim milk.

Ingredients:

1. Whole Grain Pasta
2. Tomato Sauce of your choice (add some garlic sauce and black pepper for more taste)
3. Steamed Broccoli or other veggie of choice (or grilled Chicken)

WARNING: We are not responsible for anything you may be allergic to or any other health issues you may have with the food we suggest to eat. The responsibility is up to you to make sure what you put in your body is healthy and safe for you personally.

To a lot of people’s surprise, it can be pretty easy to eat unhealthy at Subway. In fact, it is probably a lot easier to be unhealthy than healthy. So, we figured we could post an example of one of our Subway meals for those of you taking advantage of the “Februany” deal going on where all foot long sub’s are just $5.

For starters, that foot long sub for $5 should actually be two meals for $5. Since we like to have small meals, 4-5 times daily as opposed to 3 large meals (doing this helps keep your metabolism burning) then eating a foot long for one meal is pretty much breaking that rule. So we like to get a healthy foot long, eat 6″ for lunch and either save the rest for dinner later or even lunch the next day.

A good thing Subway does is lay out what is healthy and what is not. This is usually on a little sticker sign where you start your order. Problem is, a lot of people do not abide by it. For instance it says to avoid cheese and fatty sauces (i.e. Ranch, Chipotle, etc.). Their website also does a very good job of laying out all the nutritional facts about their subs. Anytime I plan to eat at a “fast food” chain like Subway, I go and look at the nutritional information. A lot of times this keeps me from going out to eat altogether or in Subway’s case, it keeps me from making a bad decision in the ordering line. Here is the nutritional information site: Click Here.

An example of a fairly healthy sub (around 300 calories): Turkey Breast on 9-Grain Wheat.

Add:

Veggies – Green Peppers, Banana Peppers, Pickles, Spinach Lettuce, Onions, Tomatoes

Sauce – Avoid a sauce if you can. But if you can’t, get something like light mayonnaise and tell them to just put one strip down the middle. It keeps you from getting to much and is just the right amount. You can also opt for a healthier choice like mustard or vinegar as suggested by one of our visitors in the comment section.

Try and avoid cheese as well, but a little isn’t going to kill you.

This meal is a bit more complicated that the last one we posted. It is a recipe we found on the Food Network website…

Meal Includes:

• 8 ounces ricotta (preferably fresh), at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 white onion, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rings
• 2 (4-ounce) cans sliced green chile peppers, drained
• 2 bunches fresh spinach (about 1 pound), stemmed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 8 to 12 corn tortillas
• Salsa verde, for serving

Benefits:

Only 315 calories per serving and 12 g of fat.

Fiber – 9g

Protein – 12g

How to Prepare:

Combine the ricotta, cilantro and 1 clove garlic in a medium bowl and season with salt.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the onion and cook without stirring until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir and continue cooking until the onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the chiles, spinach (in batches) and cumin and cook, stirring, until the spinach begins to wilt. Add the remaining 2 cloves garlin and cook until the spinach is completely wilted, about 3 more minutes. Season with salt; transfer to a bowl and keep warm.

Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet or wrap in a damp towel and microwave 1 to 2 minutes. Divide the spinach mixture among the tortillas, top with the ricotta mixture and a spoonful of salsa verde and fold. Serve with more salsa.

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/ricotta-spinach-tacos-recipe/index.html

WARNING: We are not responsible for anything you may be allergic to or any other health issues you may have with the food we suggest to eat. The responsibility is up to you to make sure what you put in your body is healthy for you personally.

This meal is a bit more complicated that the last one we posted. It is a recipe we found on the Food Network website…

Meal Includes:

• 8 ounces ricotta (preferably fresh), at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 white onion, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rings
• 2 (4-ounce) cans sliced green chile peppers, drained
• 2 bunches fresh spinach (about 1 pound), stemmed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 8 to 12 corn tortillas
• Salsa verde, for serving

Benefits:

Only 315 calories per serving and 12 g of fat.

Fiber – 9g

Protein – 12g

How to Prepare:

Combine the ricotta, cilantro and 1 clove garlic in a medium bowl and season with salt.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the onion and cook without stirring until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir and continue cooking until the onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the chiles, spinach (in batches) and cumin and cook, stirring, until the spinach begins to wilt. Add the remaining 2 cloves garlin and cook until the spinach is completely wilted, about 3 more minutes. Season with salt; transfer to a bowl and keep warm.

Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet or wrap in a damp towel and microwave 1 to 2 minutes. Divide the spinach mixture among the tortillas, top with the ricotta mixture and a spoonful of salsa verde and fold. Serve with more salsa.

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/ricotta-spinach-tacos-recipe/index.html

WARNING: We are not responsible for anything you may be allergic to or any other health issues you may have with the food we suggest to eat. The responsibility is up to you to make sure what you put in your body is healthy for you personally.

We have added a new section under “Dieting and General Health” entitled “Nutrition”.  Since we do not have a dietitian on staff yet we figured we could start sharing some healthy meal ideas with you so you can see how we eat to stay fit. So here is the first one…Enjoy.

Meal Includes: Chicken, Steamed Broccoli, Black Beans, Banana Peppers

Benefits:

Chicken – High in protein, low in fat.

Broccoli – A “Super vegetable” – Benefits here.

Black Beans – High in dietary fiber.

How to Prepare:

I defrosted the chicken and then marinated it in some hot sauce, banana peppers (with a little bit of the juice included), and a small amount of chicken rub and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then I grilled the chicken over the stove with the banana peppers. Remember, spicy foods are good for your metabolism so having a bit of hot sauce and the peppers definitely gives the chicken a spicy flavor/taste.

(NOTE: Seasoning with banana peppers is great because they contain 0 calories and <1g of fat)

Then I steamed the broccoli and did not add anything to it. You don’t want to ruin the health benefits by adding butter, salt, etc. Broccoli is good enough with a bite of the chicken so don’t waste the benefits by adding unhealthy taste enhancers to it.

Lastly, just open up your can of black beans and let them cook as directed. Now you have a healthy, hearty meal with many benefits that is actually quite delicious. Save your leftovers for lunch tomorrow or another day. Then enjoy. Remember to eat slow so that you can accurately know when you get full.

WARNING: We are not responsible for anything you may be allergic to or any other health issues you may have with the food we suggest to eat. The responsibility is up to you to make sure what you put in your body is healthy for you personally.

We have added a new section under “Dieting and General Health” entitled “Nutrition”.  Since we do not have a dietitian on staff yet we figured we could start sharing some healthy meal ideas with you so you can see how we eat to stay fit. So here is the first one…Enjoy.

Meal Includes: Chicken, Steamed Broccoli, Black Beans, Banana Peppers

Benefits:

Chicken – High in protein, low in fat.

Broccoli – A “Super vegetable” – Benefits here.

Black Beans – High in dietary fiber.

How to Prepare:

I defrosted the chicken and then marinated it in some hot sauce, banana peppers (with a little bit of the juice included), and a small amount of chicken rub and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then I grilled the chicken over the stove with the banana peppers. Remember, spicy foods are good for your metabolism so having a bit of hot sauce and the peppers definitely gives the chicken a spicy flavor/taste.

(NOTE: Seasoning with banana peppers is great because they contain 0 calories and <1g of fat)

Then I steamed the broccoli and did not add anything to it. You don’t want to ruin the health benefits by adding butter, salt, etc. Broccoli is good enough with a bite of the chicken so don’t waste the benefits by adding unhealthy taste enhancers to it.

Lastly, just open up your can of black beans and let them cook as directed. Now you have a healthy, hearty meal with many benefits that is actually quite delicious. Save your leftovers for lunch tomorrow or another day. Then enjoy. Remember to eat slow so that you can accurately know when you get full.

WARNING: We are not responsible for anything you may be allergic to or any other health issues you may have with the food we suggest to eat. The responsibility is up to you to make sure what you put in your body is healthy for you personally.