Recipe: Salt & Vinegar Kale Chips

Salt & Vinegar Kale Chips

My uncle died this week and I was feeling down. I wanted company, so I went to visit my best friend and my Goddaughter, Cam. I'm usually an emotional eater, so I took the dinner that I'd already prepped with me, so I would stay on track. When I got to their house, Cam had already her mom to make some kale chips.  

I love kale chips! They are one of my favorite, easy, low-calorie, guilt free snacks and I can eat them by the pan! So, we made kale chips. And when we ran out of kale, we went to the store to get more kale and we made some more chips. Ridiculous I know. Haha!

And to top it off, when I told my boyfriend we were "pigging out on kale" he laughed at us and told me to listen to myself (he doesn't share my enthusiasm for kale).

Anyway here's the recipe, in case you need your own easy, low-calorie, guilt free snack. We really like balsamic vinegar, so this is our favorite way to make them.

Ingredients

Kale leaves (3-4 big handfuls)

1 tbsp olive oil 

balsamic vinegar

salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Place the cleaned kale leaves on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil for easy clean up. 

Toss the kale with the olive oil to coat evenly. If it seems like you need more oil, add a little water and keep tossing until all the kale is coated. Pour the balsamic vinegar generously over the kale, then toss some more. 

Let the kale roast for 12-15 minutes. The chips will begin to get crispy on the edges. At this point it's a matter of preference for how crispy you allow them to become. Just be careful not to burn them! Lightly sprinkle with salt when they come out of the oven. 

We kept eating them straight from the pan! Even Cam :-)

I hope you enjoy this recipe/snack idea! Comment below if there are other recipes that you are interested in seeing featured! We always need new ideas! 

Are you sabotaging your weight loss efforts?

I see it all the time. Someone has decided to get healthier or lose weight, but the food choices they are making are counterproductive and won’t produce the results they hope for!

To you all get started on the right foot, I put together this list of tips for eating healthy.

1. Eat! Don’t skip meals and don’t start eating super small meals. Your body needs food for fuel. If you don’t eat enough, your body won’t burn calories. Be careful not to consistently drop below 1200 calories a day.

2. Be careful with your salads! Go easy on the cheese, croutons, fried onions, candied nuts and dressings. These all add extra calories and fats to your “healthy” meal.

3. Watch your portions! Losing weight is about calories in versus calories out. And remember you can overeat on “healthy” foods. Use an app like MyFitness Pal or Lose it! to track your food intake. At the very least, keep a written food diary.

4. Eat vegetables that haven’t been cooking in butter! If you are eating out, ask for steamed vegetables or be sure to ask for vegetables without butter. If you’re cooking, try roasting your vegetables (with a little olive oil), steaming them, stir frying/sauteing them (also in a little olive oil) or cooking them in a crock pot.

5. Eat fresh and/or frozen fruits and vegetables when possible. Avoid fruits in syrup and if you opt for canned vegetables, try rinsing them to get rid of some of the sodium.

6. Don’t depend on “diet foods.” Eat a diet of vegetables, fruits, lean proteins and whole grain carbs.

7. Switch to whole wheat breads/tortillas, brown rice, quinoa and sweet potatoes. In other words, avoid the white stuff!!

8. Enjoy a cheat meal occasionally. A cheat meal is a great idea and actually helps people stay on track. A cheat day is not the same thing.

9. Prepare your own meals as much as possible. You lose control over what is in your food when you eat out, but if you must try to make healthy choices and substitute for healthier options if necessary. Similarly, you give away control when you opt for prepackaged foods.

10. Realize that it is a process. It’s totally ok to ease your way into your new lifestyle. Making a drastic change is usually overwhelming and makes people less likely to stick to it.   

I hope that helps those of you who are just starting! What other questions do you have?

Veterans - what advice do you have for people that are just changing their eating habits?

If you are interested in joining one of my challenge groups for more support and guidance, email spandex.sportsbras@gmail.com for more information & to get started!

Easy Green Smoothies

Green smoothies are an easy way to get some extra veggies in! I find it particularly helpful if I am serving them to someone that is (A) not very hungry or (B) not getting enough vegetables in their diet. My boyfriend for example doesn't always feel like, or have time for, a big breakfast, so a green smoothie gives him protein, carbs (mainly from the fruit) and vegetables. 

Here's the recipe for this particular smoothie, but you can make any smoothie "green" by adding spinach, kale, or cucumbers. I should say that these measurements are approximate. I usually just throw stuff in without measuring :-) 

Pineapple & Banana Smoothie

- 1 whole banana (or half if you are limiting carbs)

- 1/2c pineapple

- 1/4c orange juice

- A splash of alond milk

- 2 large spoonfuls of plain Greek yogurt 

- ice

- honey to taste (I didn't use any)

Throw it all in the blender and enjoy! 

10 Ways to Start Living Healthier... Today

You've decided to get fit or be healthier! Woo hoo! Buuuuut where do you start? There's so much info out there and it can be overwhelming. Believe me, I know. So here you have it. A quick straight to the point list of things you can do to start working on your goals... TODAY. 

Healthy Eating

1. Get rid of the junk food! A lot of people say they'll just finish what they have in the house & not buy anymore. You could do that. But it'll be that much longer until you get your results. You don't have to throw it away. Give it away if that makes you feel better. I know some people don't like wasting food. The sooner it's out of your house or office or car or wherever... the sooner you can focus on healthy eating. 

2. Eat your fruits & vegetables! Sure there are fruits and veggies that you don't like. I'm not saying you have to eat those. Eat the ones you like. Try to eat fruits and/or veggies with every meal. The more produce you eat - the less space you have for other stuff. 

3. Drink more water. This one is easy. More water & less of the other stuff. Water has no sugar, no calories and nothing bad for you. Drink as much as you want!

4. Eat out less. Not only will this save you some money, but if you prepare your own food then you know exactly what you're putting in your body.

5. Limit the fried foods. Enough said. 

Exercise

6. Find something you like and do it! You won't stick with it if you don't like it, so do something you like. 

7. Do it at least 3x a week. Whatever you decide you want to do, do it at least 3x a week. At least 30 minutes each time is ideal, but if you start with 15 minutes and build your way up, that's fine.

8. Challenge yourself. Push yourself! That's what gets the results. Don't hurt yourself, but you usually have a little more in you than you think. Do one more rep, go 5 minutes longer, try a heavier weight or run a little faster.   

Other Tips

9. Get an accountability partner. This person doesn't have to workout with you, although they can, they just need to hold you accountable for sticking to your goals and working towards them. I have told my friends to ask me everyday if I worked out. I don't want to have to say "no," so I do it. Social media allows for a lot of accountability partners. My blog readers & IG followers keep me accountable. I want to be able to show my progress in a few weeks, so I work on my goals everyday. 

10. Be Patient! Results won't happen overnight, but stick with it. They're coming.

**If you're interested in getting started with a 30 day challenge email jamar.paige@gmail or send a message via Facebook, IG or Twitter! I'd love to be your coach and support you as you change your life!**

Plan for your success

Planning. My mom says that it either comes naturally or it doesn’t. I believe that’s true to some extent, but I think those who weren’t born planners can be taught. So, no matter which category you fall into, there’s something here for you. And if you are a non-planner - stay with me. This is probably one of my most important Healthy Living Tips. But then again, I’m a natural planner ;-)

Healthy Living Tip #3: Have a Plan.

There are 2 major components to a [physically] healthy lifestyle - exercise and nutrition. I’m going to give you 4 ways that having a plan can make you more successful.

1. Schedule your workouts. Look at your calendar/schedule and figure out when you are going to workout. Don’t leave it to chance, because it might not happen. If you know you have a lot of late workdays coming up, you may need to think about working out in the morning so you don’t skip the workout completely because you’re too tired when you get off. Or if you know you have to take your children somewhere, you may need to do some planning to make sure you have time to workout. We’re all busy. I get it. Schedule your workouts and then write them in your planner (if you’re old school like me), or put them wherever you keep your schedule. It’s 2014, I’m sure a lot of you use a calendar in your phone.

2. Plan your workouts. Now that you know when you’re working out, you need to plan what you’re working out. Cardio or strength training? Upper body or lower body? At home or at the gym? Having a plan keeps you from wasting valuable workout time thinking about what you should do. Take it a step further and plan out the entire workout. Before I hit the gym I know what exercises and how many sets & reps I am going to do. Thinking about it ahead of time helps me make sure I hit all the muscles I want to hit, and when I get to the gym I am not wondering aimlessly. I know exactly what needs to be done

3. Plan your meals. I personally do a menu for the entire week. This helps me with grocery shopping. But you can reap all the other benefits if you plan day to day. By planning your meals in advance you are less likely to grab junk food or fast food simply because you don’t know what to cook. Another benefit of planning your meals is that you can really take into account the calories, protein, carbs, fats, etc  that you’re eating before you’ve eaten them! A lot of people use apps like My Fitness Pal, but they input their food after they ate it, when there is nothing they can do about it. However, if you plan your meals you can do all this ahead of time and tweak your plan to fit your goals.

4. Prepare your meals. This is taking the meal plan concept a little further. By prepping your meals you (1) save time from cooking everyday and (2) already have meals prepared so you don’t just grab something unhealthy because it is quick. You can prep all your meals, just the meals and snacks that you will be away from home, just your breakfast so it’s easy to grab on the way out of the door… Whatever works for you . Look at your routine and see what makes the most sense for you. I used to meal prep all my meals and snacks for the week on Sundays. Now I meal prep breakfast and lunch for 3 days at a time and I cook dinner every day. My situation changed and something else made sense. Figure out what works best for you.

And there you have it! That wasn’t so painful was it non-planners?

**If you are ready to start your transformation or if you need tips and ideas to get started email jamar.paige@gmail.com or add me on Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/jpaigejackson )**

Accountability = Success

Last week I gave you tip number one to living a healthier lifestyle. This week I have tip number two...

Tip #2: Get an Accountability Partner

And I am dedicating this week's post to my accountaility partner, who also happens to be the other half of Spandex & Sports Bras if you follow us on Instagram or Facebook.

So what is an accountability partner?

This is not a "yes" man. This is someone to tell you when you need to, as I say, "get your life together!" It's someone who is going to be okay calling you out when you're doing something that isn't going to help you achieve your goals. It's someone who knows your goals, understand your goals, and supports your goals. So choose wisely. I'm sure your best friend is great but they may not be right for the job. And your significant other is probably awesome too, but they might not be the right choice either.

The great thing is that your accountability partner can come from anywhere! It could be someone you met in the gym, a co-worker, someone at church, your neighbor, someone from your running group or adult sports team. They could even be someone you have never met in person. Ahhhh the beauty of social media! 

So what do they do? They talk to you about your goals and what you are doing to reach them. They encourage you. They may even offer advice from time to timeworkout today. My friend Tiffany and I workout together, share meal ideas, send each other funny pictures related to fitness. And sometimes it's as simple as a "Did you workout today" text.

SImply put - You need one. Get one. They will help you succeed.

My accountability partner, Tiffany :-) 

**If you are ready to start your fitness journey, email me at jamar.paige@gmail.com. I'll be your accountability partner!**  

Healthy Living Tip: Know your "WHY"

Every year soooo many people set fitness goals. They're going to lose weight. They're going to run a 5K. They're going to get a 6-pack. The list goes on and on. And every year a good percentage of those goals go unaccomplished. I've set some of these unaccomplished goals myself. My goals usually involve a flatter stomach and looking good in a swimsuit. There's been improvement each year, but I'm not satisfied yet.

That's still part of the plan, but this year my goals also involve motivating other people to live healthy lifestyles. Hence the blog. And the topic of 6 weeks worth of posts. For the next 6 weeks I'm going to share tips for developing a healthy lifestyle. 

Starting today. Right now.

Tip #1: Figure out why this goal is important to you.   

Knowing why you want to achieve your goal will help you stay motivated. When you want to quit you will have something to hold onto and motivate you. In some cases your "why" will also give you a deadline to work towards. The great thing is that your why doesn't have to be deep or extremely moving. When I started my reason was because I wanted to be able to shop without worrying about how things were going to fit. Then it changed to wanting to lose weight so that when I started a family, it would be easier to lose weight after pregnancy. Then I just wanted to be healthy. And now my reason is to be a motivation to others.... You see how your reason can change & they can be all over the place? Find your reason. And focus on your reason this week - particularly when you are making decisions about food or exercise. 

I'd love to hear your reasons if you are willing to share!