Healthy “fast food”

If you live in Tampa, Florida, and you have been eating lots of packaged frozen food, with lots of conservatives, salt and fat, I have a tip for you. Have you ever heard about “Fit Life Foods” - www.eatfitlifefoods.com? This a great and new store in South Tampa that sells healthy and tasty food “ready to go”. They are not frozen. You just walk in and pick up what you want for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack. This Wednesday I am planning to try their “Turkey Bean Chilli” (lean ground turkey, veggies, brown rice, pinto kidney, garbanzo and black beans with spice blend and corn bread). Does it sound too healthy for you? What about their “Tampa Bay BBQ Beef with Mac N’ Cheese” (slow cooked beef with a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce, served with homemade mac n’ cheese)? Believe or not both have around 370 calories. Well, no red meat for me, so I may ask my husband to try that one.

There are lots of options. And depending how hungry you are you can choose between small, medium or large meals. How much do they cost? Here are 3 examples: the medium size “Turkey bean Chilli” is $8.25, and the medium “Mac N’ Cheese” is $8.75. The “Pancake breakfast” (whole wheat pancakes topped with chopped walnuts, berries and a side of maple syrup) is $ 4.75. This one comes just in one size. I think those are pretty decent prices. I will let you know how good these dishes are as I try them out.

Fit Life Foods
1902-B S. Dale Mabry Hwy – Tampa(FL)
Phone: 813 644-6868
www.eatfitlifefoods.com

Earth Day and your chance to be "greener" for a day

Today is “Earth Day” and I would like to invite you to be “eco-friendly” at least for today. Don’t worry, it is not this hard. You can start with something simple like choosing to walk to the grocery store instead of driving your car, or going to the gym riding a bike. Better than that, use your bike today to go to the closest Starbucks - http://www.starbucks.com/. Don’t forget your travel mug and get a free coffee or tea. Also, recycle your garbage, remember turning off the lights around the house when you don’t need them. Tonight, you should turn off the water while brushing your teeth and take a shorter shower. What about a meatless dinner? Maybe a big salad and there is no need to use the oven. Well, there is so much to do. Good luck.

Great hair cut for $ 11?

If you need a hair cut but not a lot of money taken out of your pocket, you should schedule an appointment in a Hair Salon School close by your house. Yes, a school. Why not? Students who are still learning will give you a haircut. Sounds scaring? Start with a little trim or styling, you will probably be impressed and go back more confident to a big change in your hair style or maybe high lights for Summer. I am lucky I have a school really close by down the Carrollwood area, The Salon Professional Academy (http://www.thesalonprofessionalacademy.com/). I’ve been there many times. Students are always careful and supervised by professionals. Honestly, I have never been disappointed, but be aware your services can take longer than in a regular hair salon. I was there yesterday having my gray roots covered (yes, I am 30 and I already do it), the ends trimmed and the hair styled. It was $ 41, including tip. Great way to save some money and help out soon to be hair stylists. By the way, remember to say my hair looks great next time you see me. = )

The Hair Salon Academy
4802 Gunn Highway, Suite 144
Tampa, FL 33624
Phone: 813.908.8020

Some of the services and starting prices
Haircut - $11
Bang, Beard - $7
Shampoo & Style - $11
Thermal Ironing - $6
Special Occasion Hair - $21

Win 1 free month work out at Lifestyle – Citrus Park

If you need a push to start working out, lose weight, gain more energy or live a healthier life, here it is. I will give you my "Living Social" - http://www.livingsocial.com/ - voucher valid for one month of unlimited group classes and gym access at Lifestyle Family Fitness, Citrus Park, at Gunn Highway, North Tampa, Florida (see address below). I will explain why I will make this “donation”. I got the voucher on-line for $30 thinking that my mom would use it when she come to visit me on January, in Tampa. She didn’t use it because she is more an outdoor walker….So, here is your chance! I want to give you an opportunity to feel all the benefits of exercising. Please e-mail me at anaboer@hotmail.com telling why you deserve it. I will announce the winner next Monday, April 25th. The voucher expires on June, 29, 2011. So hurry up!

Service:

Life Style Family Fitness – Citrus Park

Address: 5735 Gunn Highway – Tampa (FL) – 33625

Site: http://www.lff.com/.

Borders are closing. It is time to renew you library!

Have you been to Borders yet? This week the sales are with 80% to 90% off. They don’t have a lot items anymore, but I am sure you may find something interesting for you, friends, parents, relatives. I went there yesterday and I got 10 books for $46.41. It is something like 4.64, per book. Now I have one to read every month until the end of the year. The only problem is my bad habit of reading a lot of books at the same time and never finishing them. I will try hard this time to keep up. I may right little reviews in this blog. This is the list of books I have bought, in order I plan to read. Let me know if you want to borrow or swap sometime. What about a book group? 1)The Rough Guide to California 2)The Huffington Post complete guide to Blogging 3)The Omnivore’s Dilemma – A Natural History of Four Meals 4)The Long Walk – The True History of a Trek to Freedom 5)Volunteer Vacations Across America 6)Eldercare for Dummies 7)Don’t Eat this Book – Fast Food and the Supersizing of America 8)Cinch! Conquer cravings, Drop Pounds, and Lose Inches 9)Full – A Life Without dieting 10)Everyone helps, Everyone wins

One week in one day cooking

Have you ever watched Rachel Ray’s new show? It is called “Week in a day” because it teaches you how to prepare your meals for all week in just one day. Great idea, right!? This is a wonderful way to avoid us arriving so hungry at home and attacking cookies, bars, crackers, sandwiches, pasta and frozen food (anything to include in this list?) because we have nothing better and healthier to eat. By the way, I haven’t seen the show yet, but I am planning to do it. It is on Saturdays, at 3pm, at Cooking Channel - http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/rachael-rays-week-in-a-day/index.html. Because I can not wait until the weekend, I will make my own one day cooking experience today. For the next probably 3 hours or more, I will be in my kitchen, listening to my Zumba songs (Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia, Samba), preparing Baked Tofu, Turkey Burgers, Crab and Tuna Salad, Zucchini and Squash soups. By the way, I will not answer the phone. And in the end of my "cooking marathon", I will let you know how it worked out. Wish me luck!

My yummy, cheap and canned Salmon

The American Heart Association recommends eating fish, especially fatty fish such as Salmon, at least twice a week to ensure you get plenty of heart-healthy Omega 3. So, today I want talk about this taste fish, which is my favorite one. But first, have you ever asked yourself where Salmon you buy at grocery store come from? I wish we could all answer we get a catch from this morning from a local market, but it doesn’t work like that, right?! Most of them are farm-raised in different parts of USA and so many other countries like Canada, Thailand, China, which compromises their freshness, taste and how health they are. So, if you can afford, by wild Salmon. If not, a good and cheap option is the canned one, which is normally a wild catch.

I would like to share a yummy adapted recipe with canned Salmon from the cooking book “So Easy”, by Ellie Krieger.

Pasta salad with salmon, peas and herbs

2/3 cup plain Greek-style non fat yogurt

3 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1 Tbsp of canola mayo

2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

1 Tbsp of minced fresh dill Brag’s or “fake salt” and ground black pepper

1 can wild red salmon, drained

1 10 oz package frozen peas defrosted or canned peas

½ pound of whole wheat pasta (I like penne)

2 or more scallions (white and green parts), minced

8 cups of chopped red-leaf lettuce or mixed organic greens

How to prepare it: Combine the yogurt, lime juice, mayo, lime zest, dill, Brag’s and pepper. Whisk to incorporate. Add the canned salmon, peas, pasta (cooked and cooled), and scallions. Serve with lots of greens = )

Pea’s Guacamole? What happened to avocados?

If you love Guacamole like I do, it must be hard to eat just a little bit of it and stop, right!? Since I started watching my calories and portions and eating in a much healthier way, I have been avoiding it. But last week, after watching an episode of “Hungry Girl” show - http://www.hungry-girl.com/ - , I want to share how to eat this Mexican healthy and cheap dish in a more “guilty free” way. Instead of 2 avocados, use just one and substitute another for a cup of canned peas. Yes, peas, with no salt added, please. You just need to blend it or use a food processor to make a green paste. The other ingredients – onion, tomatoes, lime, black pepper, cumin, cilantro or parsley - remain the same, except for the salt. If you can, use one tablespoon of Brag’s - http://bragg.com/products/bragg-liquid-aminos-soy-alternative.html -. Also add some of fat free Greek yogurt. Helps to make more volume and adds some protein to it, which is always good. Promise, you will not notice the difference in taste. I prepared this Guacamole to my husband without telling him about the “secret ingredients”. He is a regular guy, not a “health freak” or in a diet = ) and he loved it. Give it a try on top of mixed greens instead of “a hundred” chips.