Granola is a very tasty snack or breakfast, but it does contain quite a bit of calories.  It is always better to make things from scratch.  Enjoy the video and then below the video will be the recipe and my moms commentary

PUMPKIN GRANOLA

3 c. organic oats
1 c. raw sunflower seeds/walnuts, pecans, etc.
1 c. organic unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. seasalt
3/4 c. brown sugar-less works too

3/4 c. pumpkin puree
1/4 c. maple syrup or honey
1 tsp. vanilla
34 c. dried cranberries/raisens, dried apricots, apples, etc.

Mix dry ingredients (execpt the cranberries). Whisk the wet ingredients and add to the dry ones.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 min. to an hr., stirring frequently.
Add cranberries after taking out of oven.

NOTE:
The coconut flakes tend to brown quickly, so you may want to add them towards the end of the baking time, or
just add them raw, with the cranberries. May also add the slivered almonds raw, with the dried fruit.

If you wish, you may substitute applesauce for some of the pumpkin puree.

Good to eat with plain yogurt, or with some coconut milk, or on top of some fresh fruit. Or have around for a snack for
the kids, add to their school lunches, etc.
Granola is quite high in carbs, good carbs, but you may want to limit it to sev. Tbsp. if watching your carbs/calories.
And like always, feel free to experiment with that sugar, using raw organic, coconut palm sugar, date sugar, xylitol or
stevia………or no sugar, just some maple syrup or honey!

Do you enjoy making granola?  If so please share with everyone in the comments section below how you make it.

To make it 100% clear, this conversation you are about to see is genuinely out of love and not judgement or disgust.

Hi Dustin,

Attached is my food journal for the week. This is what I typically eat. I know I have lots of room for improvement. I do good all day but then at 530 when I walk in the door I raid all the kitchen cupboards. I eat my last snack at work around 300. Dustin I have thought about doing push ups or crunches but honestly when I walk in the door food is on my mind. I want to relax before making dinner and I guess I associate relaxing with eating. Any ideas or suggestions?

I think Saturday I’m going to go grocery shopping get items for the meals through Tuesday and have what we are having for dinner all set. I think that is my problem when I get home from work I don’t feel like cooking and have no idea what to make. I really don’t like to cook. I think I need to get over that.

I just wish I could carry how good I am during the day into the evening.

Day 1

Breakfast Advocare meal replacement shake (with fake sugars)  with banana blended

coffee with Fat Free Creamer

Snack Mixed nuts (salted and roasted)

Lunch Lean Cuisine-Sesame Chicken

grapes

2 Ghiradelli Squares

String Cheese

Snack Advocare Spark

Dinner Tostitos Chips (30)

Salsa 1/2 cup

slice of cheese

2 Tilipia (total of 5 oz)

1/2 can of sweet potatoes

4 Totino’s pizza rolls

1 snack size snickers

water 72 oz

Day 2

Breakfast Advocare meal replacement shake (with fake sugars)  with banana blended

coffee with Fat Free Creamer

Snack mixed nuts and an apple

Lunch lean cuisine- Chicken enchilada

1/2 can of sweet potatoes

Snack advocare spark

grapes string cheese

Dinner snack size snickers

snack size mms

tostitos and hummus 20 chips/1/4 cup hummus

diet coke

suddenly salad 3/4 cup (Betty Crocker pasta salad)

chicken breast 6 oz with sprinkles of pepper jack cheese

2 oreos

water 72 oz I’m trying I’m wearing a path in the carpet at work

to the bathroom

Day 3

Breakfast Advocare meal replacement shake (with fake sugars)  with banana blended

coffee with Fat Free Creamer

Lunch chicken breast roughly 6 oz

sprinkle of pepper jack cheese

suddenly salad 3/4 cup

2 Ghiradelli squares

Snack advocare spark

grapes string cheese

Dinner snack size snickers

tostitos (25) 1/4 salsa

Doritos (15)

Pretzels (10) with hummus

60% Venison/40%beef burger

slice cheese

1/2 cup mac and cheese

small slice of cheesecake

water 48 oz of water

**So disappointed in myself

headache bad day still no excuse

got up early and wasted it by eating

so bad Not happy with self

Day 4

Breakfast instant plain oatmeal

with sprinkle of Cinnamon

coffee with FF creamer

Snack mixed nuts

Lunch progresso light chicken soup

100 Calorie popcorn

90 calorie fiber one brownie

1 ghiradelli square

Snack apple

string cheese

Dinner 2 slices of dominos peperoni pizza

2 of cheesebread

diet coke

bite size tostito chips

hummus

water 48 oz

Here is my response:

You make a great observation about one of your issues which is associating food with relaxation. I think you see a problem with that, which is correct. For me, I have never put those two together. When I think of relaxing here is what comes to my mind: reading, watching tv, internet, Scrabble, writing, massages, and even cleaning.

There isn’t one right way to break that association, but try to visualize what is happening to you and your body when you use food as a relaxation device. You should see how it is destroying your body and making many parts of your life suffer. If you can create enough pain in your mind, it will give you a reason to change. Then you just need to find other activities to replace it with. I shared with you my list, but that is a personal thing that you will have to figure out yourself.

Ok, time to be lovingly/brutally honest with your food journal… it sucks pretty bad. I would give this a D+ or maybe a C- if I am in an extra good mood. I would disagree with the fact that you do well during the day.

I understand your mom never taught you healthy eating habits growing up. So realize that this isn’t your fault and doesn’t mean you are a bad person. All it means is that you have been misinformed, and now you are about to be informed.

You are eating the typical American diet of processed food.  If you go back through your list make note of anything that is fresh.  Looking through it I find that the only two non processed things you ate were a banana and grapes.  Both of these fruits are some of the highest glycemic and I would recommend watching the portion size and frequency of them.  Lower glycemic fruits like berries, apples, and pears are much better for your blood sugar levels.

Next you should look to get protein in with each meal.  You are doing a pretty good job getting protein in with each meal, but many times you are eating highly processed meats.  Nice work eating fish like tilapia.  Fattier fish like salmon would also be good to add.

You seem to like cheese a lot, which is understandable living in WI.  I am not opposed to cheese, if your body can handle it, cheese provides a good amount of fat and protein that can balance out carbs.  But cheese is also high in calories and you are eating with pretty much everything, even when you don’t need that extra fat and protein.  A great snack would be a piece of string cheese and fruit, the cheese balances out the carbs from the fruit.

Betty Crocker and Lean Cuisines… the words make me cringe.  What I am about to say will pretty much guarantee no future sponsorships from these companies, but I am ok with that.  I don’t consider this real food.  I consider it prepackage, plastic crap, that is bombarded with toxic preservatives and chemicals.  Sure it might taste good, but there is very little nutritional value to it.  Take the extra 10 minutes or the extra hour on a Sunday and cook up a bunch of food and put it in containers for the rest of the week.  Then you can have fresh, high quality food that is still convenient.  Okay, of my processed food soap box.

Next it is obvious you like sweets a lot, chocolate, diet sodas, and candy.  The easiest way to get fat is to eat sugar, plain and simple.  I tested this theory out and for two weeks ate whatever I wanted, while still eating all my healthy foods I like to eat.  What happened?  I gained 9.5 lbs in two weeks.  I don’t have a magic strategy for ending your sugar addiction, although early next year I am partnering with another trainer who specializes in breaking sugar addiction to come out with a product that can help.  But I would say for starters just stop drinking soda, diet or regular.  The more you feed your sugar cravings, the stronger they will become.  One strategy that has been successful for some of my clients is going cold turkey for 3 weeks.  No added sugar.  After about 3 weeks your taste buds actually change and if you were to eat sugar again, it would taste pretty awful.  As for chocolate.  Eating a small piece of dark chocolate is fine.  Still high calories, but at least you are getting lots of antioxidants.

Nuts are good, just make sure they are raw and unsalted and make sure your serving sizes are appropriate.

Next to your chip addiction.  I have a soft spot for this one, because I too LOVE chips.  Nachos and lime chips being my favorite.  I really can’t say anything good about these.  High sodium, high fat, low carb nutritional value, and dangerous processed fats.  I try to save these treats for my 1-3 cheat meals per week.  But the problem I see in your journal is that every meal/day seems to include some sort of chip or snack included.

Here is her response:

That is very true when I come home and reach for the chips, chocolate or whatever is fast and easy I need to think about my hard work that I did that morning in boot camp, got my butt out of bed, and the affect that eating this bad food is going to undo all of my hard work and the bad that these ingredients are doing to my insides.

I like to come home eat and watch a little tv before I head into the kitchen to cook dinner. I guess I just want to relax after getting up early to work out, rushing off to work, working all day, heading home to cook dinner. That I just want to relax. As you said I need to break the association of relaxing, watching tv and eating food as one group. I need to separate out eating at least from watching tv and relaxing. Eating needs to be by itself.

I went grocery shopping today made my list of meals for the week. I bought some hummus that was made with olive oil (learned that from your book) cottage cheese (book). Actually I think I need to read the nutrition chapter once a week to keep it constantly in my mind. I planned my snacks this week, having an apple and cottage cheese. I also bought some sweet peas for my afternoon snack. I bought the hummus to go with my carrots. My biggest downfall is chocolate I crave chocolate, I always have something chocolate for dessert for lunch. Any suggestions there??

Dustin, thank you for being brutally honest, please don’t sugar coat anything, I need you to be blunt. I really liked the email that you sent out a little bit ago about friends being sympathetic, reasoning with you if you miss a workout or if you are eating bad. I can totally relate to that. So please tell me as it is. I’m ready to make a change.  When you emailed me and referred to me as morbidly obese, I started to cry.  I knew I was overweight, but I didn’t know it was that bad.  My friends and family have always said that I look fine and I don’t have to worry about anything, but they must have just been trying to be nice and protect me.

Yes our mom, she is a wonderful person. She grew up in the 50′s, 60′s where the wife stays home and cooks, cleans, all that stuff. I remember as if it were yesterday walking in the door when I was in grade school to the smell of homemade Chocolate chip cookies. Growing up there was always cookies, candy bars, mms anything chocolate in the cupboards. My grandma too on my Dad’s side everything was cream or meat and potatoes. I can’t recall much healthy food on either my mom side or my dad’s side. My grandma on my dad’s side lived on a farm and she cooked the meals for all the hired help and every dinner she had dessert, pie and ice cream. I remember eating over there a lot as a kid and helping on the farm, I honestly can’t remember ever eating a salad. Hmmmm, interesting. Sorry I’ve just been doing some thinking about how I grew up and my relationship with food. I think I may do some more thinking about that. I would say within the last 10 years our Mom has lost a lot of weight and has been trying to eat healthier as well. She doesn’t exercise and when she says she struggles with losing ten pounds, I tell her if she would just walk and get the mail. They live on a hill, that would be a good start. She has some health issues, not sure if it due to her eating of the last 68 years or what it is.

Here is my final response:

Wrapping up the food journal, I would basically encourage you to go and buy real food that only has one ingredient on the label.  Take time to preapare your meals, and avoid foods that have fake sugars.  You have no idea how much better you will FEEL once you make these changes.  You will be totally blown away.  Lastly, drink more water.  I was just talking with my mom over Thanksgiving and she does this thing where she drinks 48 ounces of water before she does anything else in the morning.  Now I am not saying you should do that, but if my 63 year old mom who weighs 115 lbs, can drink that much water before 6 AM, I think you can drink twice that much water throughout the day.  It just takes some time to get use to.  Carry a gallon jug around with you from the moment you wake up and make sure each day it is gone before you go to bed.

As for making you cry, I don’t feel bad for that because I think that was the best thing for you.  A wake up call.  Rather now then in 10 or 20 years when you are on your last breath.  I am guessing those closest to you are definitely trying to sugar coat things and make you feel better, but also many are probably dealing with their own issues and if they were to say that you have a health problem that would require them to look closer at themselves which makes them feel uncomfortable.

I have spent over 3 years pouring my heart and soul into this website.  I have over 450 videos and articles all FREE for you.  Here are a couple links that will take you to some of the transformations I have featured, many of which share their exact food journals.  I will also give you a link for all my nutrition articles.  Think of this as your college education.  I would recommend spending 30 minutes per day reading all these articles and videos.  It might take you a month to get through, but you will have more knowledge on the truth about how you should eat to be healthy then 99.9% of the population.

Transformations -> http://dustinmaherfitness.com/category/transformations/

Nutrition articles ->  http://dustinmaherfitness.com/category/nutrition/

I believe in you.  If you put as much drive and focus into your eating as you do in your workouts, you will lose 100 lbs, look amazing, have more energy then you will know what to do with, and then help and inspire those in your life who are struggling to live their best and healthiest live.

I look forward to being on this journey with you.

Question for everyone:  What advice would you give this woman?  Please share in the comments section below

Check out this video for my answer.

Question of the day: What do you do to help get rid of the cravings?

Here is what is in the green smoothie drink:

Whey Protein (I use Prograde Protein)

Maca

Chia seeds

Cacao

Probiotics

Raw egg

Water (or you could use almond milk)

Drew has just released an amazing product on juicing.  I must admit that I am not the most consistent juicer, but when you look at all the amazing benefits of juicing it really should be a no brainer to do.  I have learned so much from Drew about how different fruits and vegetables can be combined to create an amazing potion for the body, and he has a powerful program I highly recommend you check out.  Click here to learn how you can become an expert juicer.

My name is Karen, I am a not so regular contributor on this blog (I will blame it on my 3 young girls ) and a Fit Fun Bootcamp Instructor in Waunakee, Wis.

Beat the Heat
If you live in the Midwest this week is going to be HOT. I am trying not to complain, one it isn’t good for you but two I really dislike winter and cold weather. Just be smart in the heat. If you are exercising outdoors, please get your workouts in early and hydrate. Otherwise, unless you are swimming, I would recommend working out in an air conditioned building.

Are you trying to lose weight and the scale isn’t moving? If yes, check out this article.
I am not going to promote or sell any supplements. I was emailed this article and found it very interesting so I wanted to pass it along. Keep in mind it takes good nutrition and exercise to lose weight safely and keep it off. I take Krill Oil and wanted to share this article with you as I found it very interesting.

http://www.getprograde.com/burn-more-calories-with-krill-oil.html?advert_id=CN

Recipe – Thanks to Beth, a regular Fit Fun Bootcamper in Middleton and Waunakee, for this recipe for a great snack or dessert for summer.

Banana Fruit Split
Ingredients:

2 large bananas
8 “scoops” watermelon and/or cantaloupe
1 cup blueberries (or raspberries or strawberries)
1/2 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup granola

1. Peel bananas and cut in half crosswise, then cut each piece in half lengthwise. For each serving, lay 2 banana pieces against the sides of a shallow dish.

2. To make watermelon “scoops” use an ice cream scoop to create balls of watermelon. Remove seeds, if needed. Place a watermelon “scoop” at each end of the dish.

3. Fill the center space with berries.

4. Stir yogurt until smooth, spoon over the watermelon “scoops”.

5. Sprinkle with granola.

Have a great week and don’t forget to be mindful of how your body feels under these extreme heat conditions.

Go Out, Get Active!

I’ve been looking for healthy snacks to take to the lake for the 4th.  I love fruit, love veggies, but need to remember to add the protein. Greek yogurt is a great way to add protein!  Today I found this recipe on Oxygen.  I will be making this and serving with pita chips and veggies!

Spinach Dip – Oxygen Magazine

This guilt-free dip provides a healthful dose of protein and phytonutrients.

Follow my blog on exercise and meal ideas!

Have a Great 4th of July weekend!

Ingredients                                                                                 

2 teaspoons strawberry jam (I use Simply Fruit)                                             

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Chopped romaine or other greens

Sliced strawberries

Crumbled goat cheese (or feta)

Chopped toasted walnuts

Wisk together the jam, vinegar and oil. Season with salt and pepper. I’ve found this amount of dressing enough for 2 or 3 salads. Toss the greens, strawberries, crumbled cheese and walnuts with the dressing and enjoy.

It’s not strawberry shortcake but it hits the spot!

What is your favorite summer salad?

The possible link between food dyes and children’s behavior is just one area of concern.  Many people are concerned about the overall safety of these man-made artificial dyes, especially since they have no nutritional benefit and are mainly added for cosmetic reasons.

I made the decision to remove these products from my family’s diet about a year ago when I began reading food labels.  I was shocked to find how many items my family ate that included these dyes, everything from yogurt to cereal to jello!  You can view a complete list by clicking here.  I did notice a change in my children’s behavior, but I am not sure if it was linked to the elimination of the dyes, or just eating healthier.

It is fairly easy to avoid artificial dyes, just stick to eating foods that are as close to their natural state as possible.  When you do purchase a packaged item, always check the food label (the FDA requires that dyes be listed on all processed foods).  Popsicles are a great treat this time of year, but make sure you find one that is colored naturally, or make your own.  If you’re worried your children will be mad that you eliminated their favorite snack, don’t be!  Many dye-free alternatives can be found in the organic section of your supermarket.

Many of the dyes used in the US are banned in Europe.  This means many companies are all ready making a dye free version of their foods.  For example, NutriGrain bars in the US are colored with Red 40, Yellow 6, and Blue 1.  In the UK they are colored naturally with beetroot, annatto, and paprika extract.  Some companies are making changes.  I was thrilled to see Yoplait’s Go-Gurt Yogurt come out with a Simply Go-Gurt that eliminates the dyes.  There is still a fair amount of sugar in them, but if you treat them as a “treat” it’s not so bad.  Hopefully more companies will start using natural colorings as the public demands.

What are your thoughts on this issue?  Have you tried to eliminate dyes?

Hey – It’s me, Patty, one of Dustin’s FMFL bloggers.  Just a quick blog on a recipe that you need to try! 

Memorial day is not a good one.  It’s cold, it’s wet, and there are severe storms headed our way later this afternoon/evening.  So – I’m inside, catching up on some bookwork, housework, recipes, planning, batch cooking, blogging, etc. 

A friend of mine from Spark People challenged me to try to put spinach in my smoothie.  I’ve thought about doing it for some time, but eesh!  Well – LOVE IT!  I think I’ve had a green smoothie almost every day, if not every other day since!  Even my 7-year-old tried it and liked it.  Maybe not enough to ask me to make one individually for him out of the blue, but he has taken a drink each time I’ve made one so that’s a start! 

Here’s my favorite mix:

Spinach

Frozen banana

Prograde vanilla protein powder

Ice, water

Chia seeds

Truvia

Flax

Today I added strawberry to it, it’s just as good, but it changed the color a little; I prefer the bright green color!   

Doesn’t that layer of healthy ingredients look delish!?  It is!

Try something new!  Try a new exercise routine.  Try a new recipe. 

And thank a veteran this Memorial’s day! 

Summer is supposed to be a time of relaxation.  When I think of summer, I think of hammocks and beaches.  My first day of having kids home on summer vacation went like this:

5:30 am – Alarm goes off.  Work out with Dustin and Abby in my basement

7:20 am- Leave for work, drop daughter off at volleyball camp

8:00am to 5:00 pm – Work

5:00 pm – pick up daughter from volleyball camp, pick up boys for baseball game

6:00 pm - 8:30 pm – watch my boys’ baseball game

9:00 pm – Home for the night, wash uniforms for next game, program my coffee pot, say hello and goodnight to my hubby and get to bed, so I can start all over again today…  I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining or that my family is unusually busy.  I know most of you reading this, have a schedule that’s the same.

But what’s missing??  Careful planning!  I grabbed this or that on the run for meals yesterday and last night when I looked at my food journal I noticed  I ended up eating greek yogurt 4 times yesterday.  I could have made worse choices, like hotdogs and cheetos at the game, BUT, I could be more organized and have snacks/healthy meals ready to grab. 

So, my mission for the weekend is to grocery shop and PLAN for the week ahead.  I’m heading to Sams Club to buy bulk fruit and vegetables and “to go” cups that I can pack and have ready to go.  I will make ahead good protein sources to go with this, and although it won’t seem like a “real meal”, it will be nutritionally sound and much more cost effective than eating at concession stands 3 nights each week. 

Summer…  the time for swimsuits and sunshine, fitness and flipflops, can also so EASILY turn in to weight gain and feeling too busy to even remember that you have goals for yourself!  Be a “Fit Mom” and plan ahead!