TUSCAN CHICKEN BREASTS WITH GRILLED VEGETABLES ...a little taste of Italy

This is so easy and delicious!

I usually make two- one to eat warm with pan grilled broccoli, cauliflower, and cherry tomatoes – and one to eat cold a few days later, thinly sliced in a salad or thinly sliced into warm spaghetti squash if I am missing pasta. It’s easy to find pre-made pesto of all kinds in the summer markets and all the ones I have tried work wonderfully with chicken. In my experience, these pestos freeze well also.

Flattened your chicken breasts by placing them, one at a time, into a large plastic freezer bag that is not zipped close. Using a meat mallet (or a heavy empty vase, in my case), pound the breasts into an even thickness of about ¾”.

Spoon 1-2 Tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto on the breast to cover surface completely.

Bake on non-stick surface (I use a silpat pad on a baking sheet ) at 400 F. for 20-30 minutes. Watch them as timing will vary according to size and thickness- avoid overcooking and drying them out. Remove from heat and let juices settle before slicing.

For the grilled vegetables, I use ½ cup of each of the broccoli, cauliflower, and cherry tomatoes, I cut the broccoli and cauliflower into pieces the size of the cherry tomatoes.

Get your grill pan hot, spray lightly with cooking spray (I use olive oil in a pump sprayer) and start with the broccoli and cauliflower.
When they have some color on one side, turn them and add the cherry tomatoes. This comes together quickly- the vegetables have some nice caramelization and the smell is wonderful.

Remove from heat and squeeze with a fresh lemon while hot. Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Dan’s Story...a picture worth a thousand words

Below is a picture of a friend of ours, Dan Malmin. We’ve known Dan for over 30 years. We go way back as college students together, attending each other’s wedding, and seeing each other at various functions.

As with many Americans, Dan became a statistic. He became diabetic and hypertensive and was put on 4 different medications. His doctors told him to “lose weight and exercise” but left it up to him to fend for himself in terms of following that advice.

Fortunately for Dan, his cousin also in a similar boat did find a way to lose weight. After his cousin lost over 80 pounds, Dan followed suit. To date, Dan has lost 85 pounds as you can see in the before and after photos which he graciously allowed me to copy.

Dan has also been able to get off all 4 medications. His blood pressure is normal. His world has changed and he has his life back. It is said that if you need to lose over 50 pounds and you accomplish that goal—it is the equivalent of adding 10 years to your lifespan.

Dan’s story inspired my brother-in-law to lose 60 pounds and that in turn inspired me to work on my own weight issues. It all comes full circle.

If you or someone you know is discouraged with their weight issues, especially if they have lost hope; please have them call me.

The Take Shape For Life program utilizing Medifast products is a well researched and well executed plan for weight loss, maintenance and weight control.

In fact, they have partnered with Johns Hopkins University not only in research projects on obesity, but as part of their gastric by-pass surgery program. All candidates must go through the Take Shape For Life program before being considered a viable candidate for gastric by-pass.

As I contemplated becoming a health coach with Take Shape for Life—one of the confirmations to me was my mission statement. This program is consistent with my mission statement of “Changing Bodies, Changing Lives”. If you want to change your life, please call me and let me help.

What is GABA? What does it mean for me?

In our “Year of the Brain” series this year, we’ve covered several neurotransmitters and what it means for our health. So far, we’ve covered Acetlycholine, Serotonin, and Dopamine. If you lost your newsletter or want more copies, you can access all 2009 back issues at www.libbyguimont.blogpot.com.

This month we are covering GABA another neurotransmitter. GABA stands for Gamma-aminobutyric Acid (see why we call it GABA?). It is the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter of the nervous system. The majority of it is found in the central nervous system (CNS) (also known as the brain & spinal cord). While there are some small amounts produced outside of the CNS, it cannot cross the blood brain barrier (BBB) as discussed previously so it does not impact the CNS.

GABA is linked with relaxation, anti-anxiety, and anti-convulsive effects. It may also have some impact on the release of human growth hormone.

Since oral supplementation of GABA do not cross the BBB, therapeutic strategies involve improving the production of GABA and improving receptor site activity.

The following conditions are associated with low levels of GABA:

· Anxiety

· Insomnia

· Depression

Subjective findings reported with low GABA levels are:

· Feelings of anxiousness or panic for no reason

· Feelings of dread

· Feelings of a knot in your stomach

· Feelings of being overwhelmed for no reason

· Feelings of guilt about decisions

· Restless mind

· Hard to turn your mind off when you want to relax

· Disorganized attention

· Worry about things you never had thought of before

· Feelings of inner tension and inner excitability

What is important about the making of GABA is that it starts with glucose. Therefore any blood sugar problems such as hypoglycemia or insulin resistance can effect this. It’s been shown that decreased levels of glucose to the brain have been linked with decreased levels of GABA production. Getting your blood sugar balanced has such a wide range of effects that go beyond what we think.

Foods that impact the production of GABA:

· Peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds

· Cheese

· Oats, barley, wheat

· Rice

· Halibut

· Spinach

· Beans (soy, pinto, black, lentils)

· liver

How to figure out your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)

Your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is how many calories it takes just to maintain your current level of metabolism. Is your metabolism really slow? Or do you just think it’s slow? Let’s find out:

1. Convert your weight in pounds into kilograms. You do this by dividing your weight in pounds by 2.2.

Example: 180 pounds ÷ 2.2 = 81.8 weight in kilograms, round up to 82 kg

2. Convert your height in inches into centimeters. You do this by multiplying your height in inches by 2.54.

Example: 5 feet, 4 inches is also 64 inches X 2.54 = 162.56 height in centimeters, round up to 163 cm

3. Now here’s the equation that puts it together for your RMR. Don’t let the math scare you. You could ask someone to help with the math if you are worried.

(10 X weight in Kilograms) + (6.25 X height in centimeters) - (5 X age in years) - 161 = Resting Metabolic Rate for Women

Example: (10 X 82 kg) + (6.26 X 163 cm) – (5 X 41 years old) – 161 = 1,472.7

Calories, round up to 1,473 calories for RMR

(820) + (1,018.75) - (205) - (161) = 1,473 Calories

4. Now that you have your RMR, you need to modify it to take into consideration your activity level – whether sedentary, moderately active, or very active. The activity modifier tells you how many calories it takes per day to maintain your current weight at your current activity level. You will multiply your RMR with the appropriate activity level modifier listed below.

For sedentary to light active: 1.4 modifier (1,473 RMR X 1.4 = 2,062 calories)

For moderate activity: 1.6 modifier (1,473 RMR X 1.6 = 2,357 calories)

For strenuous activity: 1.9 modifier (1,473 RMR X 1.9 = 2,799 calories)

Now that you have an idea of what your caloric needs are; what does it all mean? If you want to lose weight, one approach would be to reduce your caloric intake by 500 calories per day. This can be accomplished by combining calorie reduction and extra calories expended with exercise. If 1 pound is the equivalent to 3,500 calories; one could create a deficient of 1 pound reduction per week with a combination of reducing calories in and expending calories via exercise.

The following was taken from page 130-131 of “Fight Fat After Forty” by Pamela Peeke MD, MPH

Medifast Pancakes

Oatmeal Pancakes - page 198 of "The Secret's Out"

Serves: 1
1 packet of Medifast Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
4 ounces of water
non-stick cooking spray
2 TBSP. sugar-free non-caloric syrups (optional)

Instructions: Mix 1 packet of Medifast Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with 4 ounces of water. Coat a pan using non-stick cooking spray. Spoon batter on pan and brown each side. Can be served with up to 2 TBSPs sugar-free non-caloric syrups (Davinci's)

Enjoy!