Tag Archive for: clean eating

Atlanta Personal Trainer | Healthy Breakfast Ideas

Like you all, our personal trainers are on a busy schedule and often find themselves on-the-go. While we are busy, we still do our best to eat healthy and make healthy lifestyle choices. Check out our list below of some of our favorite snacks and on-the-go breakfast options!

Snacks/Breakfast

  • 1 cup plain greek yogurt + 1 tbsp nut butter (pictured above)
  • 1 scrambled egg + 2 scrambled egg whites + 1 slice cheddar cheese + veggies
  • 1 scoop chocolate whey protein + 1 tbsp all natural peanut butter + ½ cup unsweetened almond milk + water + ice
  • 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt+ 2 tbsp slivered almonds + 1 packet stevia + cinnamon
  • 1 can tuna + ¼ cup diced avocado + pepper + raw veggies
  • 2 boiled eggs + 1/8 cup almonds + 1 cup raw veggies
  • Veggie Omelette: 2 eggs + ¼ sliced mushrooms + ¼ cup diced tomato + ¼ cup diced onion + 1 cup spinach
  • 1 cup Geek yogurt + 2 tbsp chopped walnuts + 1 packet stevia + cinnamon
  • 1 scoop chocolate whey + 1 tbsp peanut butter + 1 cup unsweetened almond milk + ice
  • 2 hard boiled eggs + 1 string cheese + veggies
  • 1 cup low fat cottage cheese + 2 tomato slices + ½ cup cucumber slices
  • 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder mixed + 1 tsp instant coffee + 1 tsp vanilla extract + 1 cup unsweetened almond milk + ice + 1 tsp olive oil

By: Caroline Kolowich, Evaluation and Transformation Specialist

blog-fitlife-021615 Atlanta Personal Trainers Health Coach

Eating healthier can be tough, but that task becomes extremely difficult when temptations from within the kitchen seem to beckon you. Squash those diet-breakers with these five strategies recommended by top personal trainers and health coaches to help you stay focused on your goals ahead.

1. Begin at the Grocery Store

Your grocery cart is the first point of entrance for tempting foods to reach your home. If these foods don’t make it into your kitchen, they’ll have a much more difficult time tempting you. So before shopping, it’s best to create a listof all the items you’ll need including snacks. This requires a few minutes of planning each week; however, the amount of time you invest now will save you the effort and disappointment in the long run with having to re-start another program. Keep in mind that your list is only effective if you stick to it. Unplanned purchases can prove disastrous, so minimize them by buying only what is on your list and making sure that you don’t shop while hungry.

2. Put Your Pantry on the Program

Troublesome foods exert much less temptation power when they aren’t within your immediate reach. Remember the saying, “Out of sight, out of mind”? Give away or discard all the foods that will make it more difficult for you to stick to your plan. If you have to go to the store to buy a tempting food, you will have extra time to consciously think about whether this is something that’s really important to you or just a momentary whim. Once the tempting foods are out of your pantry, you’ll have an opportunity to reorganize items in a way that puts the healthy stuff up front, visible and within easy reach.

3. Shrink Your Dishes

Oversized glasses, bowls and plates tend to make us feel like we need to fill up the entire space with food or drink. This translates into consuming much more than we originally planned. We often eat first with our eyes, so to speak, and then with our stomachs—meaning that if a meal appears small at first glance because it’s served in a larger plate, chances are we’ll likely eat more to feel satisfied. By choosing smaller-sized dishes, your meals will naturally appear larger and you won’t feel slighted in portion size.

4. Plan It Out

Planning is key to making many healthy changes. Whether it’s creating a grocery list, organizing your pantry or having dishes that make your meal look satisfying, planning helps you prepare in advance to be successful in your endeavors. A great way to plan ahead is to have healthy snacks ready to go. Whether its individual containers of light yogurt, cut up fruits and veggies, or snack-sized bags filled with pre-measured amounts of nuts or whole-wheat pretzels, prepared snacks can serve as important tools to helping you stay on track between meals. They are easily portable and may be brought to work as a great alternative to mid-day vending machine options.

5. Get Out of the Kitchen

Finally, one of the best ways to avoid kitchen temptations is to simply engage in an activity that takes you away from that room in the house. A distraction that takes the focus off the kitchen can help minimize unplanned eating. This could mean engaging in a hobby or craft, reading or even scheduling a little time for physical activity. By participating in other enjoyable activities that benefit you mentally and physically, you’ll likely have the motivation to eat healthier and avoid those kitchen temptations.

By Gina Crome
Gina M. Crome, M.S., M.P.H., R.D.

AceFitness.org

breakfast smoothies Atlanta Personal Training

We hear all about the importance of eating fruits and veggies (6-10 servings a day) and for most people the fruit part of it is a no-brainer—it’s the vegetables that are a struggle. But if you throw some veggies into a blender with some fruit (which will mask the taste of the veggie), then getting your daily greens can be downright tasty.

Why does it seem that green leafy veggies are more important than other veggies? Well, they are and they aren’t. All veggies are important, and consuming a wide range of colorful veggies every day will give your body a larger variety of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants. Each color group is dominant in a certain type of antioxidants; for example, tomatoes are a great source of lycopene and butternut squash is rich in beta-carotene. Blueberries are full of anthocyanins and greens are good sources of carotenoids and flavonoids. A diet that’s as colorful as the rainbow will help reduce inflammation, blood pressure, cholesterol and the risk of cancer, as well as give you energy and make you more successful at achieving your weight goals.

Green Smoothies 101

We have a pretty simple formula for making green smoothies: leafy greens + liquid base + fruit + superfood. Make sure to blend up the greens with the liquid first and then add the rest of your ingredients and blend until smooth. If you are looking to make a complete meal in a cup, add a source of protein and a healthy fat (avocado, coconut oil/butter or nut butter).

healthy breakfast ideas Atlanta Personal Trainer

Lean and Green Smoothies

Makes 1 serving

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 cups baby spinach
1 banana, frozen
1 Tbsp. chia seeds
ice
DIRECTIONS:

Place everything except ice into a blender and blend until smooth. Add ice cubes, a few at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

Anti-inflammatory Smoothie

Makes 2 servings

6 ounces coconut water
1 cup baby spinach
1 pear
1 apple
1 tsp. fresh ginger
¼ tsp. ground turmeric
Juice of half a lemon
Pinch of cayenne pepper
ice

DIRECTIONS:

Place everything except ice into a blender and blend until smooth. Add ice cubes, a few at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

Hydrating Smoothie

Makes 2 servings

8 ounces coconut water
1 cup baby spinach
1 cup de-stemmed kale
1 cup frozen pineapple
1 cup frozen mango
Juice of half a lime
1 Tbsp. chia seeds

DIRECTIONS:

Blend ingredients in order listed until smooth.

Energizing Smoothie

Makes 2 servings

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 cup baby spinach
1/2 frozen banana
15 frozen green grapes
1 tsp. chia seeds
1/2 tsp. matcha (green tea powder)

DIRECTIONS:

Blend ingredients until smooth.

 

Adapted from:

http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/healthy-living-article/60/5235/4-green-smoothie-recipes-to-kick-start-your/?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ACE-Fit-Life-02-04-2015&utm_content=Consumer+Outreach&spMailingID=22081608&spUserID=Nzc3OTkyMjU3NTcS1&spJobID=500424344&spReportId=NTAwNDI0MzQ0S0

Atlanta Personal Training

We hope you have had a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year! It’s a new year and new beginning for Fit Chow Atlanta! Brad and I are excited to announce we have a new executive chef joining our Fit Chow team beginning this week. Chef Mark Rhoads has over 30 years of culinary experience, and most recently has been working as a private chef as well as the Cooking School Director/Chef Instructor at The Viking Cooking School in Atlanta. Mark will bring a new level of elegance and taste to the Fit Chow experience while maintaining our high quality of health. Chef Mark’s moto is to “put a smile on your face with every bite of Fit Chow you taste!”

To view Chef’s new menu, please visit FitChowAtlanta.com/menu. Please place all Fit Chow orders by this Thursday, January 8th at 3pm. Orders placed by Thursday @ 3pmwill be ready for pickup Monday, January 12th between 12pm and 7pm. As always, if you have any questions or need help placing an order, please contact Brad or Mandy at FitChowAtlanta@gmail.com.

A little background of Fit Chow and the food we will be providing:

Fit Chow provides healthy meals using the freshest and most natural ingredients available. All our foods are natural, never frozen, processed or pre-packaged, allowing you to enjoy freshly made, fully cooked food prepared to absolute perfection. All ingredients have been carefully chosen by Brad, Mandy, and our Executive Chef Mark. Each health-conscious menu has been designed and constructed using hormone-free and antibiotic-free poultry, grass-fed beef, wild-caught fish and pesticide free fruits and vegetables. No hydrogenated oils or margarine, MSG, fillers, white flour, white sugar, white salt or non-food ingredients are ever used! The focus of each menu is on quality, variety and health. We strive to take the monotony out of your dietary intake while also allowing you to invest your time into luxuries outside of the kitchen. Yet, rest assure you are eating a wholesome healthy meal that won’t keep you from reaching your desired health related goals.

Chow,

Brad, Mandy and Mark

Candy, candy, candy!  Tis the season!  Don’t let Halloween kickoff the holiday season by adding inches to your waistline.  Below are some healthy recipes that will help you feel as though you are cheating but will continue to help you focus on bettering your fitness and health!

Candy Corn Popsicles

candy corn popsicles Atlanta Personal Trainers

 

Turn yogurt and juice into a seasonal treat. Serve these on Halloween morning for a fun & healthy breakfast treat OR eat after your halloween workout!

Ingredients:
1 scoop vanilla whey protein mixed with 6 oz water or unsweetened almond milk
1 cup orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
Popsicle molds

To make these dairy-free, use coconut milk and veggie based protein powder.
If you don’t have popsicle molds, use paper cups and craft sticks.

Carefully pour two tablespoons of protein mix into the bottom of your molds. Freeze for 20 minutes.
Pour the orange juice evenly into all the molds. Freeze for another 20 minutes.
Pour the pineapple juice on top of the orange juice.
Freeze until set.

Serving Size: Makes 6 popsicles
Pumpkin Shaped Vegetable Tray

Atlanta Personal Training

If you’ll be going to a Halloween (or any holiday) gathering, make sure to bring an appetizer or food option that will help encourage you (and others) to fuel up with the healthiest alternatives to typically snacking foods.

 

Ingredients:
large shallow bowl
2 small ramekins
1 cup low-fat ranch dip or dressing (or another variety)
3-4 (1-pound) bags baby carrots
1/2 cup sliced cucumber, each slice cut into triangles
Dip:
16 oz Greek Yogurt
Ranch dressing mix

For garnish:
Pepper strips, olives, nasturtium leaves, etc.

Directions:
Pour the carrots into the dish.
Pour the dressing/dip into the ramekins and nestle them into the carrots where the jack-o-lantern’s “eyes” should go.
Arrange the cucumbers on top of the carrots as “teeth,” and place two pepper strips above the “eyes.”
Add the nasturtium (a type of edible flower) leaves as the pumpkin stem, or use a wedge of cucumber, cut side down.
Just before serving, place half an olive on top of each ramekin of dip.

Serving Size: 1 tablespoon dip, about 1/2 cup carrots

Number of Servings: 20
Banana Yogurt Ghosts

Atlanta Personal Training

These fun frozen bananas are as simple as they are healthy. You’ll need just three ingredients.

Ingredients
1 banana, sliced in half
2 popsicle sticks or wooden skewers
1/4 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein OR 1/2 pouch sugar free vanilla pudding mix
4 mini chocolate chips

Tips
Greek yogurt sticks to the bananas better than regular yogurt.

Directions
Carefully poke the banana onto the skewer.
Mix the yogurt and whey protein or vanilla pudding together.
Spread the yogurt mixture over the bananas.
Gently place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper.
Adorn with two mini chocolate chips as eyes.
Freeze until firm and serve.

Serving Size: 2 banana “ghosts”
Pumpkin Protein Cake Balls

Atlanta Personal Trainers healthy-cake-batter-paleo-dough-balls

Satisfy that chocolate craving with a high-protein, low carb healthy treat.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup protein powder (vanilla)
1/8 cup agave
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 cup pure pumpkin
1/8 cup almond butter
2 tbsp sugar free vanilla pudding mix
Lily’s chocolate chips sweetened with stevia (or sugar free chocolate)

Mix all ingredients together. Add little bits of water if needed. Dough should be thick like cookie dough. Form 1 inch balls and place on parchment paper. Freeze. Once frozen, melt chocolate chips and coat balls with a thin layer of chocolate. Freeze again and serve frozen or at room temperature. They stay fresh in the fridge for 5 days and in the freezer for 5 months.

Tip:  For an even healthier option, roll the cake balls in cocoa powder or cinnamon in lieu of the chocolate coating.

Makes approximately 6-8 balls.

 

Recipes adapted from Spark People

6L1A3529

Each week, Brad and I each enjoy our very own 5-Day meal plan from Fit Chow Atlanta. We thought it may be helpful for you to see how each of us incorporate these very foods into our daily dietary intake. The most challenging part has been deciding which entrée to dive into first!

As you can see this is A LOT of food, but as you know, you should be eating small frequent meals throughout the day in order to optimize your metabolism, stabilize blood sugar and help ward-off unwanted late night binges on foods that won’t help you reach your fitness goals. Here is what a day of eating looks like for me (Mandy) and Brad, using the 6oz and the 8oz meat and vegetable portions provided by Fit Chow Atlanta.

Daily Meal Schedule (Mandy):

Breakfast– 4oz meat, 1 small fruit

Snack 1– 2oz meat

Lunch– 4oz meat, 4oz veggies

Snack 2– protein shake

Dinner– 4oz meat, 4oz veggies

Bedtime Snack– Frozen Greek Yogurt Dessert

 

Daily Meal Schedule (Brad):

Breakfast– 3 whole eggs, protein shake + fruit + veggies

Snack 1– protein shake

Lunch– 6oz meat, 4oz veggies

Snack 2– protein shake

Dinner– 8oz meat, 4oz veggies

Bedtime Snack– Frozen Greek Yogurt Dessert

To view the menu and order your Fit Chow, go to FitChowAtlanta.com.

Baked Pepper Jack and Spinach Stuffed Chicken

Healthy Recipes Atlanta Personal Trainer

 

This recipe is simple, quick to prepare yet very delicious.  As busy personal trainers and  business owners, we often don’t get home until after 8:00–thus making it challenging to prepare, cook, and eat a healthy meal and still get into bed at a reasonable hour.  We often equate eating healthy with eating boring repetitive meals. However, dedicating your life to fitness and bettering your health doesn’t mean you have to eat plain chicken and broccoli at every meal.  This is just one easy way to spice your chicken up!

Ingredients:

Chicken

2 lbs of chicken (4 large chicken breasts–the leftovers can be used as lunch the next day)

Cajun Seasoning (I like Weber’s)

4 oz. Light Pepper Jack Cheese

1 bag Spinach OR 1 package of frozen spinach

Broccoli

1 bag of organic precut broccoli florets

1 Tbsp Olive Oil or Coconut Oil

Weber’s garlic and herb seasoning

*Serves about 4 people, or use the left-overs as your lunch for the next day (or dinner for 2 nights)!

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Wash and trim any fat off of the chicken breasts.  Cut about 4-6 slices in the chicken breasts (make sure to not slice all the way through the breasts).  Sprinkle your desired amount of Cajun seasoning on each side of every chicken breast.  Place the chicken breast on a non-stick baking pan lined with foil. Wash your hands and set aside.

Heat a pan on low heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Saute spinach until it is wilted.  Take off of heat and let cool.  While spinach is cooling, cut the cheese into small slices (each breast will get about 1 oz of cheese or 2-3 slices).  Add slices of cheese and sautéed spinach to the slits you cut previously in the chicken breast.

For roasted broccoli, line a baking sheet with foil.  Toss broccoli with 1 tbsp of olive oil or coconut oil and sprinkle with your desired amount of garlic and herb seasonings.  Spread out on baking sheet.

Bake both the broccoli and chicken at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Enjoy!

From our kitchen to yours!

Mandy

 

 

 

 

 

 

online personal training kolofit.com fitness blog

kolofit.com is now LIVE!  JOIN TODAY.

Join Brad as his shares the latest and most up to date research on training, nutrition, supplementation, and motivation.

February 22, 2014—We are pleased to announce that www.kolofit.com is now LIVE and available for Exclusive Membership access!  We would like to formally invite you to take the journey with Brad and his members as we embark on the journey to reach the best shape of our lives together.

A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer and Atlanta Fitness Studio Owner Brad Kolowich Jr. is recognized for his work with business professionals, world class athletes, models, TV personality, and some of Hollywood’s most notable celebrities currently including actress Alicia Silverstone.  Brad, through his work with thousands of successful client transformations, over a decade and a half of research in exercise science and 15 years of his own training experience, has eliminated the trial and error from the equation.  He shows you exactly how to maximize your potential into reaching the best shape of your life through an exclusive members only experience.

Whether your goal be maximum fat loss, building lean muscle mass, or simply wanting to break up the monotony of your current training and nutrition plan, Brad goes into great depth on how to achieve each of these specifically.

Follow along as Brad creates and provides goal specific Instructional Workout Videos, 30, 60, and 90 Day Training Plans, Cooking Demonstration Videos, Customized Nutrition Plans, Video Journals highlighting the most up to date fitness, nutrition, and supplement research, Motivational Videos, Member Q & A, Fit Life, and much more.

With your exclusive membership to www.kolofit.com, you’ll have private access to weekly updated video content.

Join us in the Spring of 2014 (exact date to be announced) for a celebratory Launch Party at the Brad Kolowich Jr Personal Training Studio, introducing www.kolofit.com!  Live music, food, drinks, a FREE workout for www.kolofit.com members and give aways!

online personal training in atlanta