DietBet - Lose weight. Have fun. Win money! (Join the Bet...starts Wednesday, April 24th!)

Someone just introduced me into a new and exciting way to hold you accountable for your weight loss!  A new online diet betting game called...

 Lose weight. Have fun. Win money.

DietBet is a game where you've got 4 weeks to lose 4% of your starting weight. To begin, everyone puts money into the pot. After four weeks, whoever's hit their 4% goal is a winner and splits the pot.

Watch the video on how this works:

This sounds quite interesting; therefore, I decided to start my own bet to try it out!  The dietbet starts on Wednesday, April 24th, 2013.  Sign-up and bet $25 into the pot to enter the game.

It will be my first time doing this, as it probably will be for many of you.  Therefore, to read more step by on how this works, visit the following link: http://www.dietbet.com/how-it-works

Brief Summary of how DietBet Works:

ON THE GO?!  Download the DietBet iPhone App below: 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dietbet-lose-weight.-make/id532353287?ls=1&mt=8

(Screen shot images above and active links on how this work, may be found via DietBet.com: http://www.dietbet.com/how-it-works)

Good Luck! :) 

*Make sure to follow me on Instagram (@FitClubUnited)*

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Healthy Apple Pie Shake

Healthy Apple Pie Shake

This delicious and refreshing Apple Pie shake is a quick breakfast that you can make on your way to work to get a boost in Vitamin C, Zinc, Iron, Calcium, and many other essential vitamin & minerals.  Perfect for when your on-the-go!  Get your blender or shaker cup ready and mix together the following:


• Scoop of your favorite Protein Powder Meal Replacement.

• 1 cup of of almond milk

• 1/4 cup of diced apples or apple sauce

• 1 tsp of nutmeg

• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon.

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Cinnamon Apple Spiced Oatmeal

Great breakfast recipe from: Skinnytaste.com

Cinnamon Apple Spiced Oatmeal

Oatmeal topped with homemade apple butter, cinnamon and low fat granola.

I love starting my morning with a bowl of oatmeal, it's heart healthy comfort food in a bowl. I eat a lot of oatmeal because high cholesterol runs in the family and oatmeal is known for reducing cholesterol. In addition, it's high in fiber, a perfect way to fuel my morning.

My perfect bowl of oatmeal is all about the toppings. I love to add a combination of flavors and textures such as dried fruit, granola, nuts, cinnamon, or whatever I'm in the mood for that day. I also like to switch things up because I'm not the type of person to eat the same thing every day, so it may be pumpkin spiced oatmeal one morning, brown sugar and walnuts the next. 

When I'm not enjoying my oatmeal hot, I usually make avena, which is a delicious oatmeal smoothie, an easy on-the-go breakfast. I'm thinking a cinnamon spiced apple avena may be tomorrow's breakfast! Or what about no-cook pumpkin overnight oats in a jar... yum.

Do you have a favorite oatmeal combination? Do tell! 


Cinnamon Apple Spiced Oatmeal

Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes 
Servings: 1 • Serving Size: 1 bowl • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 6 pts

Calories: 228.7 • Fat: 2.5 g • Protein: 5.2 g • Carb: 50.2 g • Fiber: 5.6 g 

Ingredients: 

• 1/3 cup uncooked quick oats
• 2 tbsp apple butter
• dash of cinnamon
• 1 tbsp low fat granola 

Directions:

Cook oatmeal in water according to package directions. Pour cooked oatmeal in a bowl and top with apple butter, granola, cinnamon. You can add a little skim milk if you like your oatmeal thinner. Enjoy!

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Grilled Garlic Dijon Herb Salmon

Here's a great simple and delicious salmon recipe from Skinnytaste.com

Grilled Garlic Dijon Herb Salmon

Salmon fillets seasoned with a garlic, Dijon herb sauce and served with a squeeze of fresh lemon... delicious!! 

Happy Wednesday! I'm busy as a bee, working on my cookbook so I wanted to share a recipe from the archives. Salmon is one of my favorite fish dishes to make, and this is a fabulous way to prepare it!

Salmon is a fatty fish, rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and vitamin A. When buying salmon, I prefer to go to my local fish store rather than the supermarket and try to look for wild Alaskan salmon, a sustainable fish that lives in pristine waters and consumes a diverse, healthy diet. It's available frozen year round.

I used a cast iron grill pan to make this but an outdoor grill works just the same, be sure the grates are clean and oiled to prevent sticking. If you don't own a grill, this can also be made in the broiler of your oven adding the mustard sauce during the last minute of cooking.


Grilled Garlic Dijon Herb Salmon
Skinnytaste.com 
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1 fillet w lemon • Old Points: 5 pt • Points+: 6 pt
Calories: 233.6 • Fat: 7.9 g • Protein: 34.7 g • Carb: 3.1 g • Fiber: 0.1 g • Sugar: 0.2 g
Sodium: 240.6 mg (without salt)


Ingredients:

• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp dried Herbs de Provence
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• olive oil spray (I used my misto)
• 4 (6 oz) wild salmon fillets, 1" thick (if frozen, thaw first)
• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 4 lemon wedges for serving

Directions:

In a mini food processor, or using a mortar and pestle mash garlic with the herbs, vinegar, oil, and Dijon mustard until it becomes a paste. Set aside.

Season salmon with a pinch of salt and fresh pepper. Heat a grill or grill pan over high heat until hot. Spray the pan lightly with oil and reduce the heat to medium-low. Placethe salmon on the hot grill pan and cook without moving for 5 minutes.  

Turn and cook the other side for an additional 3-4 minutes spooning on half of the garlic herb mustard sauce.

Turn and cook 1 more minute spooning the other side of the fish with remaining sauce. Turn once again and let the fish finish cooking about one more minute. Note: the fish should have a total cooking time of about 9-10 minutes per inch. If your fish is thinner, reduce the total cooking time.

Transfer the fillets to plates and serve with fresh lemon wedges.

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Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

If you love Quinoa, like my family does, then here's a great Quinoa Salad recipe to try from Skinnytaste.com

*To cook the quinoa, it works similar to cooking rice.  I cook mine in the rice cooker; however, for every cup of quinoa, I place 3 cups of water.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad Recipe

A protein packed salad with Mediterranean flavors – quinoa, cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives, red onion, extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon and a little feta cheese combined makes a healthy salad with fresh clean ingredients.

I had dinner at my friend Julia's house last week, and she made a similar salad as a side dish which she served with fish although hers didn't have tomatoes or feta (I recall she mentioned she was out). I posted a picture of it on Instagram the other day and got so many requests, most of you mentioning the feta was a must! So I made this for dinner last night, with the feta as you requested.

Have lots of leftovers so I am having a big bowl of this for lunch today! This also makes a great side dish for chicken or fish, perfect for backyard parties and BBQ's (can't wait for the warmer weather!) You can totally adapt this to your taste, leave out what you don't like, add more of what you do like. Easy!

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 6 • Size: 1 generous cup • Old Points: 3 • Weight Watcher Points+: 5 pt 
Calories: 145.5 • Fat: 8 g • Carb: 15.5  g • Fiber: 2.5 g • Protein: 4.3 g • Sugar: 0 g
Sodium: 137 mg (without the salt) • Cholest: 7.4 mg  

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1/2 - 3/4 lemon, squeezed
• 1/4 cup (about 10) kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups cucumber, peeled and diced (from 1 English)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta
• salt and fresh pepper, to taste

Directions:

Rinse quinoa for about 2 minutes, using your hands to make sure all the saponins are removed.

Fill a medium pot with water, add quinoa and salt to taste and bring to a boil. When the water boils, reduce heat to low and cover; simmer covered 15 minutes. Removefrom heat and keep covered an additional 5 minutes without lifting the lid; then fluffwith a fork and set aside in a large mixing bowl to cool.

While the quinoa cools, dice all the vegetables. Add the red onion, olives, cucumber, tomatoes to the cooled quinoa, and squeeze 1/2 lemon over it.  

Drizzle the olive oil over the quinoa, then add feta, salt and pepper to taste and toss well. Taste for salt and adjust as needed, add more lemon juice if needed.

Makes over 6 1/4 cups. 

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