Carbohydrates are not the enemy!  What is the enemy would be the portion or the choice of carbohydrate that you’re eating.  Carbs on the low end of the glycemic index are perfect in regulating your body’s blood glucose level and insulin because they break down slower, keeping you satisfied for longer.  This is key in fat-reduction.  Yay!

From my experience and a figure athlete, regulating my carb intake is generally always on my mind.  Since I’m always eating, I want to be sure I’m eating the right foods that are working for my body - and not against it!

Sweet potatoes and oats are carbs that are low GI, so I figured I’d combine the two with my other favorite food of choice (eggs) into a healthy and tasty concoction.  It’s a quick and easy on-the-go food that will keep you from skipping breakfast or from going hungry all day, just to binge later on in the evening on left-over chinese food!

Check out this week’s Made Fit TV video to see me in action baking sweet potato muffins.  You can also print off the directions below and the nutrition facts so you can make them yourself!  You’ll be pleased by their taste and nutritional content!

Recipe: Sweet Potato Muffins

Ingredients:

8 oz. sweet potato puree OR 1 whole sweet potato, 2 cups oats, 6 egg whites (1 cup), 1/2 cup splenda, 1 tbsp vanilla, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp pumpkin spice

1. Microwave one peeled sweet potato for 5 minutes in a bowl
2. Mash up the sweet potato in a mixing bowl OR use 1/2 cup canned sweet potato puree
3. Pour in the eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and splenda
4. Blend the mixture for 2 minutes or until smooth (small chunks of sweet potato is fine)
5. Pour in the oats and mix with a spoon until mixed evenly
6. Place muffin wrappers in a 12 count tin, spraying them lightly with non-stick spray if desired
7. Preheat oven at 350 degrees
8. Scoop 2 tbsp in each muffin tin and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until muffine tops are brown

Nutrition Information:

Total Servings: 12

One Serving = 70 calories, .5g fat, 10.5g carbs, 3g sugar, 3.5g protein

Maintaining a healthy and fit body is like filling a funnel; It never ends.  I know that may sound a little ominous, but it really isn’t!  Being at your fittest requires consistency and patience to get there and to maintain it.

But if you feel like your treadmill-trucking, calorie-counting self just can’t shed those last 10 - or 50 - pounds, you may be doing something wrong.  Check out this week’s Made Fit TV podcast for my list of the top 10 reasons you may not be seeing the results you feel you deserve.  Once you know, you can change it!

Arms are one of the first things people use to guage whether or not you’re toning up.  Let’s face it, arms are easiest to show off.  But because we’re more apt to showing them off, we’re all a little self-conscious of how our arms look.

Performing the “tried and true” bicep curls and tricep presses are great movements for toned arms.  But, these movements can bring you down a road of monotony in the gym and closer to hitting a plateau if we don’t mix it up enough.

To make your arm workout more dynamic, challenging, and fun, watch my “Killer Arm Workout” in this week’s new episode of Made Fit TV.  Check out the exercises below, print them off, and follow along to keep you accoutable!

1.) Bicep/Tricep Combination

• Pick up a dumbbell in each hand
• Place your left arm at your side with your palm facing up
• Place your right arm straight next to your head, bending your arm at 90 degrees with the dumbbell behind you
• At the same time, raise your left palm up in a bicep curl while keeping your elbow locked in at your side, while raising your right hand to straighten out your arm to full extension
• Resist on the downward motion and return each arm to the starting position
• Perform a set of 12 and switch hands, performing a total of 3 sets of each movement on each arm

One of the most common concerns I receive from clients and viewer emails is regarding quick and easy, healthy meals.  As much as we try to convince ourselves otherwise, eating healthy can pose some obstacles in our daily lives because much of it involves prep time.  The key word in that phrase is “time” — and we all know there’s not much of that to go around these days!

Because eating frequent, small meals is the best way to increase metabolism and improve our energy levels, we always need to have something healthy and ready-to-eat at all times.  One of my staple foods that I incorporate into many recipes is the egg.  Eggs contain high quality protein and amino acids.  Even better, eating just the whites of the egg eliminates the cholesterol and fat, making it a lean selection.

Check out this week’s Made Fit TV podcast for a delicious and convenient recipe of a Low-Fat Broccoli Fritatta.  It’s protein-packed, low in fat, and offers up a generous serving of vegetables.  You can’t beat that!  Print off the recipe below to follow along.

Low-Fat Broccoli Fritatta

Ingredients: 2 whole eggs, 4 egg whites, 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese, 5 oz. frozen chopped broccoli (thawed), salt, pepper, parsley

1.) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

2.) Spray a 9 inch round baking pan with fat-free non-stick spray

3.) Combine two whole egg whites and four egg whites in a medium bowl

4.) Mix in 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese into the eggs and blend for 2 minutes, or until mixture is foamy

5.) Add in 5 oz. (1/2 package) of thawed broccoli and mix

6.) Sprinkle in salt, pepper, and parsley to taste

7.) Place the fritatta in the center rack of the oven and bake for 30 min - 40 min, until center is fully cooked and top is golden brown

8.) When done, remove fritatta and cut along the edges to remove from pan and place it on a cooling rack

Nutrition Information:

Serving size: 1

Total Servings: 4

Per serving: 118 calories, 2g fat, 8g carbohydrates, 2g sugar, 14g protein