Weight Loss Journal

Are you planning to make French Toast this weekend? It’s a favorite of my kids, especially when their Nana is visiting and offers to make it for them. I let her even though I know it’s not the healthiest dish to serve them. After all, grandmas should be allowed to indulge their grandkids once in awhile, right?

Luckily for us, Chef Jill and Chef Aida are back in the kitchen for Everyday Health rehabbing a recipe from the Melvin family. You can watch the full episode below or watch individual demonstrations by Chef Jill here or Chef Aida here.

I’m going to have to agree with the Melvins that Chef Jill’s “no-tella” French toast sandwich was a clear winner. I liked how she used almond butter, cocoa powder and agave nectar to make a healthier version of Nutella. Plus, having a layer of that yummy goodness and topping it off with the strawberries took her French toast recipe to a whole other level.

Both chefs used low fat Greek yogurt and almond milk – both terrific choices – but I would have liked to see them using whole grain bread instead of French baguette and sourdough.

Recipe Rehab episodes air every Friday at 1 ET on the Everyday Health YouTube .

The nutritional breakdowns

Original French Toast recipe

• Used 1 cup full fat whole milk
• Used 4 whole eggs, with yolks
• Used 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• Used 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• Used 1/4 cup butter
• Uses 8 thick slices bread
• Used 1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread
• Used 1/2 cup whipped cream
• Used 1/2 cup maple syrup

Aida’s French Toast recipe

• Swapped whole milk for unsweetened almond milk
• Used 4 egg whites instead of whole eggs
• Used unrefined sugar instead of brown and powdered
• Eliminated butter
• Kept bread the same
• Instead of chocolate hazelnut spread – used real hazelnuts and cocoa powder
• Swapped whipped cream for lowfat Greek yogurt
• Eliminated maple syrup
• Baked instead of fried

Jill’s French Toast recipe

• Swapped whole milk for unsweetened almond milk
• Used 4 egg whites instead of whole eggs
• Used agave instead of brown and powdered sugars
• Eliminated butter
• Added strawberries to bulk up nutrition
• Instead of chocolate hazelnut spread – used almond butter and cocoa powder
• Make stuffed French toast sandwiches and used nonstick spray in cast iron skillet to “griddle” instead of fry
• Swapped whipped cream for lowfat Greek yogurt

Picture, video and nutritional information courtesy of Everyday Health.

Healthy French Toast from Everyday Health’s Recipe Rehab is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

As part of the Healthy Snacking Challenge, we’ve swapped out Orville Redenbacher SmartPop! for our usual after school snacks. I’m doing this to encourage my family as well as my readers to snack smarter.

Here’s why:

• snacking on 100-calories of low-fat healthy popcorn leads to less hunger and more satisfaction versus other snacks like almonds or pretzels
• popcorn is a good source of fiber, which fills you up and makes you feel less hungry
• Orville Redenbacher SmartPop! is low in fat and has zero grams of trans fats
• it’s also low in calories – just 100 calories for six cups
• one SmartPop! Bowl has 240 calories from 15 cups of popcorn. So if you go nuts and eat the whole thing, which I did the other day, it’s not going to pack on the pounds
• popcorn is a whole grain snack – just three cups of Orville Redenbacher’s SmartPop! provides an entire serving of whole grain

My family and I have enjoyed this challenge because it’s been easy – and delicious – to do! It’s also a way to get the kids outside, because I don’t let them eat popcorn indoors most of the time. Too messy!

Check out the Orville Redenbacher’s Facebook page for a $1 off coupon

Try the Healthy Snacking Challenge yourself!

I’m giving away five boxes of Orville Redenbacher SmartPop! – one box each to five winners.

Here’s how to enter:

• Tell me in the comments below, what besides popcorn, is your favorite healthy snack.

You have until midnight MST on Friday, May 25, 2012 to enter.

ONE winner will be chosen at random. You must be willing to send me your full name and mailing address by May 29, 2012, so I can pass it on to Mom Central Consulting. They will mail out your box of Orville Redenbacher SmartPop!

I’ll announce the winner on this blog. I won’t share your mailing info with the public, just your name. If you have a blog, I’ll link back to it when I announce the winner.

The giveaway is valued at approximately $4 per box and is only open to legal residents of the United States, 18 years of age and older. No purchase required. Odds of winning based on number of entries. ONE entry per person. FIVE boxes of Orville Redenbacher SmartPop! will be given away. Void where prohibited by law.

By submitting your name and email address, you agree to receive relevant promotional emails and contest follow up communications from This Mama Cooks! On a Diet in compliance with my privacy policy and giveaway rules.

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Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in an ambassador campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Orville Redenbacher’s and received Orville Redenbacher’s SmartPop! products and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Orville Redenbacher Smart Pop! giveaway is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Online processing consulting firm, Alliance Charge, announces its recent hiring of additional technical support employees to meet demand. Recently the consulting firm announced it has hired 10 information technology employees.
 
Leading online processing consulting firm, Alliance Charge, recently announced its hiring of 10 savvy professional, friendly IT employees.

“Alliance Charge is committed to offering professional, full-service, helpful services, in order to do so, we needed additional technical support employees who could answer all our customers’ questions and concerns,” said Paul Skinner, Alliance Charge Spokesman.

The full-time technical support positions were filled by knowledgeable, experienced IT personnel, said Skinner. The new IT personnel will provide Alliance Charge customers with answers to questions regarding use and troubleshooting of online programs, as well as answers to any other technology related questions.

“Alliance Charge is happy to be able to hire additional staff and further grow as a family, we hope to continue growing and offer top-notch services,” said Skinner. “Alliance Charge is always on the hunt for the best solutions and employees,” said Skinner. “We simply want the best for our customers.”

Alliance Charge was formed in 2007 to play a bigger role in the online interactive and content management systems business. In addition, Alliance Charge provides payment consulting services as well as content management systems development. Alliance Charge specializes in serving companies that require reliable online payment processing solutions. In addition, Alliance Charge focuses on providing solid solutions for companies that want to leverage their payment processing capabilities.

More About Alliance Charge
Online processing consulting firm, Alliance Charge, is a subsidiary of Myroxon Holdings Ltd, a European based company. Alliance Charge provides a proprietary payment gateway directly linked to the banks across the globe, the company processes credit and debit card payments, verifies and processes e-Checks online, and more. Alliance Charge is considered an innovative global online processing consulting company. Alliance Charge was founded in 2007 to play a bigger role in the online interactive and content management systems business. Alliance Charge provides payment consulting services as well as content management systems development.

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For additional information, interview, and image requests contact:
Paul Skinner
PR Manager
Alliance Charge

Shaun T: Dig deeper!

This post is part of our FBG Birthday Week because, really, what says “celebrate” better than Shaun T’s abs? Check out all of the special four-year birthday posts and huge giveaways here!

He’s tough, he’s inspiring, and—let’s face it—he’s a hottie. Shaun T has taken the fitness world by storm in the last couple of years, and he (and those abs) show no sign of stopping. Hip Hop Abs and Insanity have just about made him a household name, and with his latest project, The Asylum, set to hit the infomercial circuit this summer, we’re pretty sure we’ll only see more of him.

Not that we’re complaining. Oh, no.

Currently, Shaun T is working with Powerade Zero and doing the rounds on the Zero Excuses Tour, but he found a few minutes to chat with us. And we managed not to giggle like schoolgirls.

Interview with Insanity’s Shaun T

• FBG: So, you’re working with Powerade Zero. How did you get involved, and why did you choose this partnership?
• ST: The reason I chose to work with Powerade Zero and do the Zero Excuses Tour is that one of the things I try to help people do is lose weight and get better bodies. If you want to lose weight, don’t drink your calories. With Powerade Zero, I can use it as a sports drink, which is great because my workouts are very sports-oriented.When I did an event with Powerade Zero last year, it was a great fit—they support all the things I preach about. They were excited and motivated, just like me. I think it’s just a perfect match.
• FBG: I’m told you lost 50 pounds in college, which must’ve been a huge challenge. How do you use the mentality that got you through your weight-loss when facing other obstacles?
• ST: In Insanity, the packaging says, “Dig deeper.” People who are overweight, they’re searching for a goal; every number is so important. I was 228 pounds, then I was 215 pounds, and I kept working at it, kept losing weight. As you start to go down the “weight ladder,” it gets harder to keep losing weight. [To get where you want to be] you have to dig deeper—focus and push through.
• FBG: Insanity is such a huge success, and it seems to coincide, timing-wise, with the rising popularity of other hardcore workouts like CrossFit. Do you think these workouts appeal to the same types of people? And are they complementary?
• ST: I know people who do Insanity every day, six days a week, and they go to the CrossFit box and do a round and see how fit they are. I say no workout is bad; every workout has a beneficial factor. There are certain things I don’t do in my workout, and I do it in CrossFit, and I’m so sore! And then there are things I do in Insanity that really work people who do CrossFit. So, I think they really help each other out.

Wouldn't you want to feel those abs?

• FBG: As you likely know, a lot of the ladies don’t just love your workouts—they love you. How has that aspect of your job affected your life? You know, being a sex symbol?
• ST: The one thing I love about the success of Insanity is that people see me on the street and they’re always so happy. They’ve succeeded at something, and I helped them do that. It’s actually really fun. I really like going to the events when people are like, “Hey, Shaun T, can I feel your abs?” And I’m like, what if my abs aren’t where I want them to be that day?
• FBG: That’s motivation right there!
• ST: Definitely. The people looking up to me, they hold me accountable. I love it.
• FBG: A lot of folks I know have copped to stripping down to their undies to do the Insanity workout. So, let me ask, on behalf of our readers—you’re home or in a hotel room, all alone, and doing a killer workout. What are you wearing?
• ST: I am wearing sneakers, socks and my underwear. [Laughs.] When I’m in a hotel room, what’s the point of putting on a pair of shorts and sweating them out? If you’ve got a mirror, you get a good view of your body and what you’re doing when you’re just in your underwear!

As a Fit Bottomed Girl who sweated through lots of shorts before deciding to just do the Insanity workouts in my undergarments, I’m glad to hear Shaun T is right there with me. And his four-word mantra to help us celebrate our four-year birthday? “Be in it to win it!” Okay, so that’s six words with two to grow on. We still heart him. And his abs.

Have you ever done the Insanity workout, and are any of you looking forward to Asylum? —Kristen

This giveaway is part of our FBG Birthday Week celebration! Check out all of the special four-year birthday posts and huge giveaways here!

Today’s FBG birthday giveaway is for the fitness tech-lovers out there who love to track their every step—literally! One lucky U.S. reader will win both the Reebok inShape Fitness Watch and the Reebok inColor Digital Pedometer, two amazing tools that can help you take your fitness to the next level.

The Reebok inShape Fitness Watch ($79.99) tracks your every step, kick, jump and skip right from your wrist. InShape features a calorie-burn monitor, speed, distance and step tracking and accurately tracks total time in motion while a speed monitor keeps you on pace. The Reebok inColor Digital Pedometer ($39.99) is the first-ever pedometer that has a color changing LED screen! Not only do you have the freedom to select the display color of your choice, but you can also use its “Pace Assist Technology,” which changes LED colors to visually keep you on your goal pace. Features also include a customized color display with four LED choices, speed, distance and step tracking and pace assist to keep you on track. They both rock.

To win these birthday goodies, we’re sending you on a bit of a scavenger hunt on the site. Hehe. Tell us in the comments what one of the “common themes” are on FBG. Hint: they are found in an old post….We’ll select one random right answer in about a week to win! G’luck! —Jenn

This was the original image for FBG! You know, back in the day.

This post is part of our FBG Birthday Week celebration! Check out all of the special four-year birthday posts and huge giveaways here!

Last year for our birthday, we shared our thoughts and yours on what it means to be a Fit Bottomed Girl. We also gave a top-10 list of signs that you might be an FBG. This year, we thought we’d mix it up with a fun, interactive fill in the blank. So, we hit up our Facebook page and Twitter to ask readers to complete this phrase: “I knew I was an FBG when ____.” The answers? Simply awesome, hilarious and touching.

From Our Facebook Friends

Steve-Becky Kimball: I turned down homemade peanut butter fudge!

Ginger Giannoni: When I achieved my fitness goals and crossed my first finish line.

Fit and Healthy with Beth: You don’t want to eat the junk even though you could!

Hardcoremama Fitness with Maria Cappa: People genuinely look shocked to learn my age.

Heather Bosworth Hoe: I lost 100 lbs in a year and ran my first 10K after only trying running 9 months earlier.

Christian Flamboyant Dart: When I looked in the mirror!

Julia Van de Ven: When dedicating 4% (1 hour) of my day to my fitness became a routine.

Shannon Colavecchio: I embraced my ‘junk in the trunk’ for the muscles, and how those muscles power me through burpees, jump squats, long cycling climbs, TRX one-legged squats, etc.

Johanna Lozano: I started keeping a Swiffer by my workout gear to mop up the sweat that soaked the floor every morning.

Rachel Kutskill: My client’s sister said “I’ll train with you if you can make my butt look like yours!”

Michelle L Thayer: Ran 2.5 miles without breaking a sweat!

Rachel Ailin: I finished my first obstacle race!

Sara Brown: When I fit into a size 2 for the first time since 8th grade!

From Our Twitter Friends

@tina2086: I wake up earlier than I need to just so I can work out before work.

@MaryJaneSparrow: I started liking to work out.

@gretajacobson: When I baked kale chips for a snack!

@headhaunchos: When my knees quit buckling while trying to squat.

@RoboLikes: When I was more excited for a new pair of sneakers than a new pair of heels

@Hungry_Runner: I knew I was a FBG the day I admitted that I actually LIKE to run!

@rafdarrow: I knew I was a FBG when I rocked the 100 push-up challenge with @denisermt a couple yrs ago!

@Fight4Wellness: I knew I was an FBG when I opted to wear pants rather than a skirt to work to make my midday plank more appropriate.

@JeanneMallory: I put on the pants I bought for inspiration & they were loose in the waist & across my newly fit bottom!

@OnTheGoCooking: I knew I was a FBG when I noticed my butt was back up where it should be!

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, we love you guys. So proud of your fit bottomedness! —Jenn

Yet I still squat!

For this edition of Question of the Week, each FBG is recounting her most embarrassing moment when it comes to working out. Buckle up…these should be fun!

Clumsy is my middle name. I trip on nothing at LEAST twice a week. In fact, I just tripped yesterday and went flying through the air like Superman on moonshine, so it’s pretty hard for me to get embarrassed now. I’m the queen of laughing at myself, but lucky for you all, I had a new oops that I’ve never done before that counts as probably the one thing that’s made me blush and want to rush to the locker room and never ever come out again.

It all started on a brave, sunny day in Los Angeles…

I had just lifted the heaviest I had ever done (squatted 145 pounds), so my trainer/boyfriend decided I should go up 10 more. He strapped five pounds to each side of my bar and off I went. I squatted 10 times. He told me to try for 15 reps. I was feeling gangster at that point and decided to squat even lower just to prove how very awesome I was—and that’s what it happened. I went lower and lower. Mr. Trainer started congratulating me for going lower…lower…and then I just kept going and BAM! The bar hit the safety and down on the floor I went.

It was THE most awkward and embarrassing move I’ve ever done. Didn’t help that all these dudes around me were watching the scrawny chick trying to lift the itty-bitty weights. I just about died. I can still remember how I went down—and how my head went, forehead first, ever-so-gracefully into the mirror in front of me.

The trainer tried his hardest to mask his snickers by asking if I was okay, but it was too late. My ego was bruised and broken. I have tooted in yoga AND while doing sit-ups…while someone was holding my feet. That stuff had nothing on the squat fiasco!

Some people have no shame in their clumsy game, but if you share a public gym moment I’d love to hear about it! —Tish

Joe Pasternack, previous head coach of the University of New Orleans’ men’s basketball team, will be the new assistant coach for the University of Arizona’s men’s team.

In his high school career, which took place in Metairie Park Country Day School, Pasternack played four years of high school basketball. He graduated from Indiana in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing.

Prior to his coaching career at the University of New Orleans, Joe Pasternack was a manager for the Indiana basketball team for four years under coach Bob Knight and was an assistant coach at California.

He is known for his passionate and workaholic approach to all of his given positions.

In 2007, Joe Pasternack, then assistant coach at California, was offered a job as the University of New Orleans’ men’s basketball team’s (‘The Privateers’) head-coach, and he accepted it. Going back to his home-city in order to help rebuild the team after it was ruined by Hurricane Katrina seemed like the right thing to do. During his first year as head-coach, he lead ‘The Privateers’ to finish 19-11, their best record since 1997. “I thought we had turned the corner,” he said. Unfortunately he thought wrong.

With only a year left to his own contract as, Joe Pasternack, had to face the challenge of finding an entirely new team by the time the school year began at the end of August. The big problem, though, is that he needed to recruit players who were willing to enroll to the university and play for ‘The Privateers’, UNO’s basketball team, without receiving athletic scholarships. This is due to the fact the the university has, without too many choices, decided to move its athletics program from Division I to Division III because of major financial issues that they were experiencing as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

Pasternack did everything that he possibly could in order to find the best players for the new team, who would also be able to afford paying for their own tuition. He attended a two-day scrimmaging camp, in order to find and invite the best players to the university’s basketball skills camp which takes place only a few weeks before the school-year begins. He was able to gather 40 players for the university’s basketball skills camp. “I’m sure a lot of you know our situation,” Pasternack told attendees. When he finishes explaining UNO’s plight, he says, “What that means is, we have a lot of spots open.”

By the end of the long and odd recruiting period, Joe Pasternack had a new team in front of him that he would need to build. “We started with one kid,” he says, “and finished with 19.”

Founding Partner of R & N Property Investments, Naftali Feig, recently marked the company’s seventh year in business. R & N Property Investments is a Cleveland-based real estate investment firm that purchases bank-owned homes and sells or rents them after renovation and home improvement work.

Naftali Feig founded R & N Property Investments in 2005. The Cleveland-based real estate investment firm purchases bank-owned homes, prior to releasing the properties to the market, Naftali Feig and his team renovate and repair the properties.

Since first establishing the real estate firm, Naftali Feig has been in charge of performing all due diligence on investment opportunities, job costing, designing and implementing property improvements, developing company growth strategy, hiring and overseeing professional tradesmen for projects, negotiating service contracts, cash-flow forecasting, bank reconciliation, budgeting, financial reporting and more.

“I completed a whole range of tasks,” said Naftali Feig. “I am a team player with strong leadership skills and a unique ability to see the larger picture while remaining detail oriented”

Since Naftali Feig recently relocated to Israel, he has handed over day-to-day operations of R & N Property Investments to his business partner.

Recently Naftali Feig marked his 12th year in the business profession. Naftali Feig, a native Israeli resident, moved to the United States with his family when he was seven years old. While living in the United States, Naftali Feig attended various American schools and education establishments.

In 2000, he graduated from Touro College with a Bachelor of Science in Finance. While a student at Touro College, Naftali Feig specialized in international financial markets, international bond trading, security analysis and options trading. Most recently, prior to his move to Israel, Naftali Feig graduated from Cleveland State University with a Masters of Business Administration.

Over the years, Naftali Feig has worked for a number of organizations, including Integrated DNA Technologies, Progressive Fashion Warehouse, Progressive Foods and most recently R & N Property Investments.

Naftali Feig is currently residing in Israel with his family and is seeking job opportunities in the business arena.

More About Naftali Feig
Naftali Feig, a native Israeli resident, holds 12 years of business and finance experience under his belt. Naftali Feig attended undergraduate and graduate school in the United States. Naftali graduated from Touro College with a Bachelor of Science in finance, recently he graduated from Cleveland State University with a Masters of Business Administration. Naftali Feig is a results driven business professional who is highly skilled at increasing revenue for organizations. Naftali Feig’s specialties include project management, accounting, strategy, planning, finance, real estate, and cost cutting. Naftali Feig is currently searching for challenging employment in Israel. Naftali Feig is married and has three children.