Eggs in Purgatory

Another Snow Day? Looks like that may be our fate tomorrow...again. Here is a super easy, yummy, and healthy recipe that will feed the whole family. This is a go to recipe for me, especially when I want something quick. Chances are, you already have everything you need on hand.

This recipe is easily adaptable for any size family. I go with 2 eggs per person for adults and one per child and just adjust the size of the skillet I use accordingly. I have adapted this recipe throughout the years to our liking, but get creative, you can add almost anything to this!

Serve with some great quality crusty bread and enjoy!

Eggs in Purgatory

This recipe will serve 1

      1 tablespoon olive oil

      1/4 of an onion, chopped

      1 clove garlic chopped

      1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

      1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

      1 x 14 oz can crushed tomatoes

      1 tablespoon tomato paste

      1/8 cup red wine

      ½ teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)

     1-2 large egg

     1 tablespoon chopped basil

     2 teaspoons grated Parmesan (or more as needed)

     1 splash of chili oil or hot sauce  (optional to serve)

    2 slices white bread (or other bread of your choice to serve

1. Pour the olive oil into a frying pan or cast iron skillet, then grate in (or mince and add) the garlic and the chopped onion, scatter in the chili flakes and Italian seasoning and put the pan over a medium heat, stirring, for 2 minutes.
2. Once the onions and garlic are fragrant add in the tomato paste and stir for 1 minute, then deglaze with red wine. If you don't want to use red wine you can skip all together.
3. Add in tomatoes, basil, salt, and let it come to a bubble. It’s got to be hot enough to poach an egg in.
4. Crack in the egg (or eggs) leaving them sitting right on top, cover with foil leaving one area open so everything doesn't steam. Let it bubble for 5 minutes, by which time the white should be set and the yolk still runny, let cook longer if you like a hard yolk.
5. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, fresh basil or parsley, chili oil or a dash of hot sauce, and serve

Apple Pie Energy Bites

Whether you need a quick breakfast, a pre-workout meal, or an easy snack, sometimes you just need something that’s sweet, healthy, and satisfying, all in one.

That’s where these apple pie energy bites come in. The oats, apple, and honey will give you energy, and the almond butter and protein powder will help you stay full for more than two minutes.

Plus, they’re easy to make and since you can store them in a freezer, are ready to go whenever you need a quick bite!

Here’s your Apple Pie Energy Bite recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup oatmeal
1 scoop cinnamon or vanilla protein powder
1 small apple, diced really small
1/4 cup unsweetened almond butter
2 Tbsp honey
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Total prep time: 20 minutes

Directions:

Dice your apple up really small (just pretend you’re chopping an onion), then mix the apple along with the other ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

Make sure to stir everything together really well—the last thing you want is to take a bite of dry oatmeal (or worse, a giant clump of cinnamon or nutmeg) when you’re eating one of these.

If the mixture isn’t sticking together quite right, just add a little more almond butter or honey until it’s sticky enough you can mold it into small 1-2″ balls.

Place the energy bites on parchment paper and stick them in the freezer, wait 30-60 minutes, and eat! You can also put them in the fridge instead and eat them fresh after chilling them for an hour or so, but I like them best frozen.

Macros (per 1/9 recipe):

Calories: 107
Protein: 5.3g
Carbohydrates: 13g
Fat: 4.2g
Fiber: 2g

Source: 12MinuteAthlete

Get Fit For Spring: 30 days for $47

 It is not too late to Get Fit for Spring!  Get back on track with unlimited Stroller Sessions and Tribe Flow Yoga in March for ONLY $47.  Space is limited so ACT NOW to Get Started.  Either email abbie@strollersessions.com to reserve your space or Click Here to sign up online. The $47 is good for 30 days when you sign up during the month of March.

Stroller Sessions is the Premier Moms Fitness Group that meets every Tuesday and Friday starting at 9:30am inside the Kaiserman JCC  located at 45 Haverford Ave, Wynnewood. During our sessions we offer a 45 minute kick butt interval workout.  Kids of all ages welcomed; Strollers are optional.

With your monthly unlimited you receive the following:

• 8 Strollers Sessions (two days a week)
• 4 Tribe Flow Yoga sessions on Sundays @ 9:00am at Fit Tribe in Havertown (no kids) ( 4 – 60 minute Sessions a month)

Sign me up!  I am ready to get started.

10 Tips to Overcome a Weight-Loss Plateau

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 So you stopped drinking soda and bringing ice cream into the house, and the weight started to peel off. This boosted your confidence, so you joined a gym to burn some extra calories on the stationary bike. All of your efforts paid off and you lost weight, possibly even a lot of weight … well, for a while. But now you feel stuck; you feel as if you’ve reached a weight-loss plateau.

Possibly you’re at a healthy weight, albeit above your dream weight, but those pesky 5-10-15 pounds are still lingering. Why? Are you just dreaming too big and searching for something that is out of reach? If you’re at a healthy weight, this might be because the body likes to maintain a stable weight, also known as set-point weight. While your body’s set point can be adjusted, it can take some time to get there.

As you are losing weight, it can be tempting to cut calories too low to shed pounds faster. The down side to this technique: your muscle can be used as energy and this gradually slows your metabolism to spare energy. Whether you find yourself above your body’s natural set-point weight or if you’re hard pressed to lose those vanity pounds, here are 10 ways to overcome a weight-loss plateau.

1. Adjust your calorie intake. As you lose weight, your metabolism can drop because your body requires less calories or “energy” to fuel a smaller you. The calorie intake that you initially had when you began your weight-loss journey will need to be adjusted to match your body’s current needs for weight loss. Make sure to revise your calorie goal in MyFitnessPal every 10 pounds or so.

2. Focus on quality. Busting through a weight-loss plateau is more than calories in and calories out. Processed foods won’t cut it anymore, thus quality whole foods like vegetables, beans, high-fiber fruits and lean proteins are needed for your engine to burn body fat.

3. Rotate your routine. Slugging away on the treadmill for the past four months? It’s time to change up your workouts. The muscles become familiar with the same old workout, making your regular routine less effective. To see a change in body fat, you have to get outside of your fitness comfort zone. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has been shown to burn body fat effectively. Try doing speed work at the track, a boot camp class at the gym, or alternate walking and running intervals. Note: Just progress slowly and deliberately when incorporating high-intensity exercise into your routine. Doing too much too fast can leave you too sore, tired or even injured.

4. Beware of clean-up duty. An extra bite here, a little nibble there. Those calories DO count, even if they aren’t on your plate. Mindlessly munching on the kids’ (or spouse’s) leftovers during clean up seems harmless, but resist the snack urge because it might be what’s keeping you from seeing results.

5. Know your numbers. If you’ve been watching what you eat and exercising more and your weight is not budging, consult with your doctor to rule out any underlying medical conditions that could make it difficult for you to lose weight.

6. Sleep. A full night’s sleep is vital to losing body fat because it resets your hormones. Even a little sleep deprivation can lead to increased cortisol, a stress hormone. Elevated cortisol levels can lead to body fat accumulation around the midsection.

7. Keep a closer eye on your caloric needs. Research has shown that people often overestimate how many calories they burn during exercise, and underestimate how many calories they eat. To better approximate your caloric needs, use the MyFitnessPal basal metabolic rate calculator to learn how many calories you burn a day if you did nothing but rest for 24 hours. Use your basal metabolic rate as a benchmark to subtract the approximate number of calories burned during activity. Keep in mind that the number of calories burned during activity can vary.

8. Flush with fluids. Keep your hydration in check since the body will often crave food when you are even mildly dehydrated. Symptoms of dehydration are similar to symptoms of hunger, so it’s easy to confuse the two. Aim to drink 80-100 fluid ounces (2.35 liters) of water per day plus additional fluids lost during activity.

9. Increase muscle mass. Want to burn more calories at rest? Lift (heavier) weights and follow a strength-training program to build muscle. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, and the more body fat you’ll shed.

10. Eat more protein. Protein has the highest thermic effect of food, meaning eating protein burns more calories during digestion. Protein also contains an amino acid, leucine, that numerous research studies have identified as a potent catalyst for burning body fat.

Put these tried and true tips into action, and soon you’ll be saying, “What weight-loss plateau?”

Source: MyFitnessPal

Spring Daylight Savings – Tips to Save Your Child’s Sleep

Before becoming a parent I looked forward to the time change…more daylight meant more “me” time every day! Enter my sensitive child whose world (and sleep) is rocked by the smallest of time shifts. Look forward no more. While the Spring change is not quite as disruptive as the Fall one, it can leave your family feeling “off” for a time. Don’t panic! Even the most sensitive children can adjust. Here are some tips to help your family prepare and survive.

• An overtired child has a harder time adjusting and coping with change. Make a special effort in the days approaching the time shift to ensure that your child gets adequate naps.

• When the clocks change be sure to head outside with your baby first thing in the morning or at least open the curtains and let in the natural light. Early morning exposure to natural light helps to set your baby’s internal clock and adjust to the change. Aim for 30 minutes of sunlight each morning for about a week following the change.

There are two ways to approach Daylight Savings. You can proceed with your day as usual, jumping straight to the new clock or, for more sensitive or overtired children, adjust gradually.

Transition Method 1: Proceed As Usual. If your child is generally well rested and not overly sensitive, you can wake up on Sunday morning and proceed as if nothing has changed. Offer meals and naps at the same times on the new clock as you were before. Keep in mind, however, that everything will feel a full hour earlier to your child (because it is!) so there is a potential for a bit of a struggle falling asleep. For example, if bedtime is usually 7 p.m. you would put baby down at 7 p.m. on the new clock but it will feel like 6 p.m. to her. As a result, she may not be quite tired at bedtime. You may need to be a bit more flexible and offer some extra support at bedtime but with this method she should adjust rather quickly – typically within a week.
Transition Method 2: Shift to the New Clock Gradually. If your baby is already overtired or tends to be more sensitive to timing, you may need to gradually adjust to the new clock. For this child I recommend splitting the difference. This means that if bedtime is typically at 7 p.m. put him to bed at 7:30 for a few days and then shift back to 7. Remember that bedtime feels a full hour early to your child so splitting the difference in this way can help minimize a bedtime struggle. With this approach you need to be sure to shift everything during the day 30 minutes later including naps and meals. So a baby who naps at noon will be napping at 12:30 for the first few days after the time change and then shift back to 12. The goal is to get back to your regular timing on the new clock within a few days.
Regardless of which approach you take, be prepared that the days and nights will feel a little strange to your baby who can’t really understand what is going on. Be prepared to offer some additional support at bedtime and don’t stress if your child doesn’t adjust quickly. While most adjust within a few days, some can take a few weeks to fully adjust! And remember that springing forward can mean daylight at bedtime which can interfere with your child’s ability to fall asleep. Don’t fall into the trap of shifting bedtime later waiting for it to grow dark. Instead, consider purchasing room darkening shades or blackout curtains to keep your little one on track.
With all these tips Daylight Savings can be something to look forward to again… Or at least something you can survive!

Erica Desper founded Confident Parenting in 2012, as a certified baby and child sleep coach offering private counseling for families in the greater Philadelphia area. Her sleep-saving approach is offered through a variety of packages, including unlimited text and email support. Erica has supported hundreds of families in and around the Philadelphia area and internationally to improve the quality of their families’ sleep. She is also mom to son, Jaiden who, as an infant, was very good at crying and not very skilled in sleeping! For more information visit www.beaconfidentparent.com.