Amber Keinath http://amberkeinath.com Registered Nurse, Health Coach, Author, Speaker Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:32:02 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= How to Choose a Personal Trainer http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/amberkeinath/feed/~3/X-L5gKIPLbg/choose-personal-trainer http://amberkeinath.com/choose-personal-trainer#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:32:02 +0000 Amber Keinath http://amberkeinath.com/?p=3217 How is your week going so far? While I am sure you’re busy running around before the holidays with all the parties, shopping, and spending time with loved ones, I bet you are starting to think about ringing in the New Year as well. Have you decided on any resolutions yet?

Are you up for a challenge? (Directions at bottom of post)

A common New Year’s Resolution is getting to the gym more to workout. That is half the battle! But how do you make the most of your workout time at the gym?

There is no sense in wasting your valuable time if it isn’t going to help you lose weight, get toned, or just get healthy, is there? So, how do you make sure you are doing the exercises that will help you best reach your goals?

In order to get a customizable workout that takes into account your current health status and body shape, it is best to hire a personal trainer. They can run from $30+ per session, but most gyms offer a free session for just joining the gym. If you haven’t taken advantage of your free session yet, I highly recommend you start off the new year with a personal trainer.

Why would you want to work with a Personal Trainer?
  1. They can help you meet a goal such as lose weight, run a 5k, or get you in shape for sports.
  2. They can customize a workout for those with special health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, injuries, or women who are pregnant.
  3. They can help you determine your current fitness status and help you improve it!
How do you choose a Personal Trainer?
  1. Look for one with a Personal Training Certification from organizations such as ACSM, ACE, NASM, or NSCA.
  2. Choose one with the specialization for your current health condition (i.e. pregnancy, postpartum, injury, heart disease, etc.)
  3. Determine how many years of experience they have and any experience in your specific condition.
  4. Make sure they have liability insurance just in case something happens while you are on their watch.
  5. Determine the location you would like to work out at such as a gym, in-home, health center, weight loss clinic, etc.
  6. See if the Personal Trainer has a trial session to make sure your PT is a good fit and will best help you! Remember, it is all about you getting the help you need to reach your goals.
  7. A great Personal Trainer will devise a customizable workout plan, will help you evaluate your progress, gives you direct answers and in terminology you can understand, is a good teacher, is patient, and is someone who cares about helping you reach your goals.

The key is finding someone who fits well with you and your goals.

As you get ready for the New Year, decide on your resolutions and make sure they are doable. There is no sense in making resolutions that are too hard to reach. Make your goals short term and reachable.

For example, if you think you need to lose 50 pounds. Don’t make your goal ‘I will lose 50 pounds by March’. That is a big goal to reach and if you don’t reach it, you may become discouraged. Instead, make your goal I will lose 10 pounds in the next 6 weeks. This goal is smaller and easier to achieve. Once you achieve this goal, you will be more motivated to stick with your program and keep working your way to those 50 pounds.

New Year’s Resolution Motivation Tip: Start with small goals!

Ready for that challenge?
Leave a comment below and let me know what your new year’s resolutions are this year.
Let’s help each other stick to our New Goals for 2012! It’s easier to do things together than alone!

To your healthy & fit life,

P.S. If you have a question about fitness or a starting a ‘get in shape plan’, and would like to see your question answered on this blog, send your question to Amber or contact Amber on Facebook, Google+, or Twitter!

]]> How is your week going so far? While I am sure you’re busy running around before the holidays with all the parties, shopping, and spending time with loved ones, I bet you are starting to think about ringing in the New Year as well. Have you decided on any resolutions yet?

Are you up for a challenge? (Directions at bottom of post)

A common New Year’s Resolution is getting to the gym more to workout. That is half the battle! But how do you make the most of your workout time at the gym?

There is no sense in wasting your valuable time if it isn’t going to help you lose weight, get toned, or just get healthy, is there? So, how do you make sure you are doing the exercises that will help you best reach your goals?

In order to get a customizable workout that takes into account your current health status and body shape, it is best to hire a personal trainer. They can run from $30+ per session, but most gyms offer a free session for just joining the gym. If you haven’t taken advantage of your free session yet, I highly recommend you start off the new year with a personal trainer.

Why would you want to work with a Personal Trainer?
  1. They can help you meet a goal such as lose weight, run a 5k, or get you in shape for sports.
  2. They can customize a workout for those with special health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, injuries, or women who are pregnant.
  3. They can help you determine your current fitness status and help you improve it!
How do you choose a Personal Trainer?
  1. Look for one with a Personal Training Certification from organizations such as ACSM, ACE, NASM, or NSCA.
  2. Choose one with the specialization for your current health condition (i.e. pregnancy, postpartum, injury, heart disease, etc.)
  3. Determine how many years of experience they have and any experience in your specific condition.
  4. Make sure they have liability insurance just in case something happens while you are on their watch.
  5. Determine the location you would like to work out at such as a gym, in-home, health center, weight loss clinic, etc.
  6. See if the Personal Trainer has a trial session to make sure your PT is a good fit and will best help you! Remember, it is all about you getting the help you need to reach your goals.
  7. A great Personal Trainer will devise a customizable workout plan, will help you evaluate your progress, gives you direct answers and in terminology you can understand, is a good teacher, is patient, and is someone who cares about helping you reach your goals.

The key is finding someone who fits well with you and your goals.

As you get ready for the New Year, decide on your resolutions and make sure they are doable. There is no sense in making resolutions that are too hard to reach. Make your goals short term and reachable.

For example, if you think you need to lose 50 pounds. Don’t make your goal ‘I will lose 50 pounds by March’. That is a big goal to reach and if you don’t reach it, you may become discouraged. Instead, make your goal I will lose 10 pounds in the next 6 weeks. This goal is smaller and easier to achieve. Once you achieve this goal, you will be more motivated to stick with your program and keep working your way to those 50 pounds.

New Year’s Resolution Motivation Tip: Start with small goals!

Ready for that challenge?
Leave a comment below and let me know what your new year’s resolutions are this year.
Let’s help each other stick to our New Goals for 2012! It’s easier to do things together than alone!

To your healthy & fit life,

P.S. If you have a question about fitness or a starting a ‘get in shape plan’, and would like to see your question answered on this blog, send your question to Amber or contact Amber on Facebook, Google+, or Twitter!

]]> http://amberkeinath.com/choose-personal-trainer/feed 1 http://amberkeinath.com/choose-personal-trainer Friday’s Recipe: Tortilla Soup (Yep, it’s Vegan!) http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/amberkeinath/feed/~3/Hk3faB3-nGQ/recipe-tortilla-soup http://amberkeinath.com/recipe-tortilla-soup#comments Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:22:23 +0000 Amber Keinath http://amberkeinath.com/?p=3179 As many of you know, I moved to the desert southwest this summer. It has been quite the change from the midwest. Although I am a very picky eater, I have been experimenting around town testing out local flavors. The latest dish I tried was a tortilla soup. Now, if you have never had tortilla soup, I highly recommend it.

There are 2 different ways you can make it. As you can see from my picture on the left, I am definitely not a good food photographer…doesn’t give justice to how tasty this is! I made it more like a stew. When I first had this at the restaurant, it was more of a soup. Make it in the way you are in a mood for! (For a soup add more water and instead of just dumping all the ingredients in, blend the diced tomatoes in a blender and smoosh the chickpeas with a fork which will give you more of a soup consistency!)

I made it for me and my husband this past weekend because I loved it so much when I first had it at the restaurant. However, I did not have the recipe and had to do a little research online (I am not a chef so I do look up recipes online like you).

I will come right out and tell you that I did find about 4 recipes that really sounded close to the restaurants secret recipe. But, there was always something in the recipe that would either make it too complicated or not vegan. So, trying to be a good little wifey, I set out to make my own that would please my meat and potatoes kinda hubby AND be simple that anyone could do.

And I am surprised to say, it turned out great! My hubby actually said it could be a fall/winter staple in our household. SCORE! :)

(BTW…here is a great fall/winter dessert! Not-so-guilty apple cake! YUM!)

Well, here is the ultimate vegan tortilla soup that won’t be ‘burning your mouth’ spicy!

AMBER’S AWESOMELY VEGAN TORTILLA SOUP

1 can of chickpeas (rinsed and drained)

2 cups vegetable broth

1 can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 can diced green chilies

1 green bell pepper (diced)

1 red bell pepper (diced)

1 medium yellow onion (chopped)

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tbsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

water (as needed)

3- 8inch 100% whole wheat tortillas

Veggie shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

 

  1. If you would like the soup rather than the stew, blend the entire contents of the diced tomatoes into a blender until smooth. Next, take your fork to the chickpeas that you just drained and rinsed and mash until desired consistency.
  2. Combine the tomatoes, chickpeas, chilies, and vegetable broth into a large saucepan.
  3. Bring to a boil.
  4. Add remaining ingredients, except for tortillas, and simmer for about 25 minutes.
  5. Tear tortillas into small pieces as you add it to the soup and cook for 10 minutes or until they have fallen apart and have thickened the soup.
  6. Add more water as necessary.
  7. Add the veggie cheddar cheese as a garnish.
—>  QUESTION OF THE DAY: What is your favorite fall/winter dish? <—
(Leave a comment below!)

 

To your healthy & fit life,

P.S. If you have a question about nutrition or a starting a plant-based diet, and would like to see your question answered on this blog, send your question to Amber or contact Amber on Facebook, Google+, or Twitter!

 

]]> As many of you know, I moved to the desert southwest this summer. It has been quite the change from the midwest. Although I am a very picky eater, I have been experimenting around town testing out local flavors. The latest dish I tried was a tortilla soup. Now, if you have never had tortilla soup, I highly recommend it.

There are 2 different ways you can make it. As you can see from my picture on the left, I am definitely not a good food photographer…doesn’t give justice to how tasty this is! I made it more like a stew. When I first had this at the restaurant, it was more of a soup. Make it in the way you are in a mood for! (For a soup add more water and instead of just dumping all the ingredients in, blend the diced tomatoes in a blender and smoosh the chickpeas with a fork which will give you more of a soup consistency!)

I made it for me and my husband this past weekend because I loved it so much when I first had it at the restaurant. However, I did not have the recipe and had to do a little research online (I am not a chef so I do look up recipes online like you).

I will come right out and tell you that I did find about 4 recipes that really sounded close to the restaurants secret recipe. But, there was always something in the recipe that would either make it too complicated or not vegan. So, trying to be a good little wifey, I set out to make my own that would please my meat and potatoes kinda hubby AND be simple that anyone could do.

And I am surprised to say, it turned out great! My hubby actually said it could be a fall/winter staple in our household. SCORE! :)

(BTW…here is a great fall/winter dessert! Not-so-guilty apple cake! YUM!)

Well, here is the ultimate vegan tortilla soup that won’t be ‘burning your mouth’ spicy!

AMBER’S AWESOMELY VEGAN TORTILLA SOUP

1 can of chickpeas (rinsed and drained)

2 cups vegetable broth

1 can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 can diced green chilies

1 green bell pepper (diced)

1 red bell pepper (diced)

1 medium yellow onion (chopped)

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tbsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

water (as needed)

3- 8inch 100% whole wheat tortillas

Veggie shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

 

  1. If you would like the soup rather than the stew, blend the entire contents of the diced tomatoes into a blender until smooth. Next, take your fork to the chickpeas that you just drained and rinsed and mash until desired consistency.
  2. Combine the tomatoes, chickpeas, chilies, and vegetable broth into a large saucepan.
  3. Bring to a boil.
  4. Add remaining ingredients, except for tortillas, and simmer for about 25 minutes.
  5. Tear tortillas into small pieces as you add it to the soup and cook for 10 minutes or until they have fallen apart and have thickened the soup.
  6. Add more water as necessary.
  7. Add the veggie cheddar cheese as a garnish.
—>  QUESTION OF THE DAY: What is your favorite fall/winter dish? <—
(Leave a comment below!)

 

To your healthy & fit life,

P.S. If you have a question about nutrition or a starting a plant-based diet, and would like to see your question answered on this blog, send your question to Amber or contact Amber on Facebook, Google+, or Twitter!

 

]]> http://amberkeinath.com/recipe-tortilla-soup/feed 0 http://amberkeinath.com/recipe-tortilla-soup How to Set Up Your Own Super-Smoothie Bar! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/amberkeinath/feed/~3/CzLHCvdCxNs/how-to-smoothie-bar http://amberkeinath.com/how-to-smoothie-bar#comments Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:40:10 +0000 Amber Keinath http://amberkeinath.com/?p=3204 Vitamix_tnc_2As many of you know, I LOVE smoothies and I’m also pretty good at creating and making them (even if I do say so myself!), so this issue I thought I’d share with you my guide to creating a smoothie bar in your own home that’s good to go at any time of day and is quick and easy to use.

Why smoothies? Because they’re fast, quick, fun, delicious and they are great at any time of day and can often deliver a hefty dose of nutrition in a tasty and beautiful package!

My kitchen sees a lot of smoothie action, whether it be green smoothies for lunch or nut milk-based smoothies for supper… and I hope that with the help of this issue, yours will soon too!

Step 1: Tool Yourself Up. The only piece of equipment you need to make a great smoothie is, of course, a blender (but if you want to make nut milks using whole nuts you’ll want a nut milk bag too – more about that next issue.)

Now, as may or may not know, all blenders are not equal! Certainly you can get away with a High Street blender costing around $20-$30 for a fair amount of time if you treat it kindly, but if you’ve got the money and the passion then the best place you could invest your money for the long haul is without doubt in the very “hardcore” blender that is the Vita-Mix TNC (pictured). Yes, they are pricey (especially here in Europe), but they are soo worth it.

I am fortunate enough to own one myself and like many others who are also proud owners of these beautiful machines I really do think it’s one of the best investments in my health I have ever made. I use it every day and it’s my favourite piece of equipment in my entire kitchen.

All that said, if budget does not permit you to spend nigh on $400 on this particular piece of kit, then all is not lost, just spend the most you can on something that’s got good reviews on Amazon or similar and when you’ve got that part sorted, you’re ready to go!

Step 2: Gather Your Ingredients. Before you start let’s take a look at what you could have on hand to make your smoothies with.

* Fresh fruit (in a bowl and/or fridge)
* Fresh greens (in your fridge. e.g. spinach, watercress, lettuce, kale, chard etc.)
* Frozen fruit (in your freezer)
* Ice-cubes (in your freezer)
* Sweeteners (e.g. dates, agave nectar, maple syrup , honey, stevia etc.)
* Flavourings (e.g. mesquite meal, carob powder, cacao nibs/ powder, vanilla pods/ essence etc.)
* Superfoods (e.g. maca, bee pollen, green powders, hemp protein powder, etc.)
* Nuts and seeds and/or their butters (for nut milks)
* Cartons of coconut water/ milk
* Oils (not necessary, but some people like to use hemp, flax or coconut oil in their smoothies for EFAs)

Obviously fresh fruit, greens, nuts and seeds are easy to buy in the shops these days, as are some of the other more specialised foods. But for those ingredients that are new to you or that you can’t get hold of locally, the good news is that all of these ingredients are now easy to buy mail order wherever you are in the world. Yes, I will be biased and recommend that if you are in Europe you get them from The Fresh Network (!), but if you are overseas you can get all of these from a variety of online stores such as Nature’s First Law.

If most of these are new to you, then the ones I recommend you start off with are: dates for sweetening and agave nectar (light) if you want something new to try; vanilla pods or essence and/or mesquite powder for flavourings; bee pollen (for non-vegans) as an incredible superfood and coconut oil for fat if you’d like some.

Whatever you choose, make sure that you gather all your non-refrigerated ingredients into one place so that they are all together, which leads me nicely on to…

Step 3: Pick Your Spot. Whether you choose to make your smoothies at home or at the office, picking the right spot is key. Why? Because if it’s somewhere awkward to get to, or not near to the sink or a million miles from your fridge, ingredients or glasses, then you’ll feel much less inclined to actually use your smoothie bar! To give you a brief glimpse into my world, my blender is located with my sink to the left, my smoothie ingredients are to the right on a shelf above (you could have yours in a box or tray if you don’t have shelving in your kitchen) and my glasses are located up to the right in a cupboard next to the ingredients. And the fridge is just 2 steps away. Even though this all sounds like perfect common sense, it’s amazing how many of us make life difficult for ourselves and dot everything all over the place! By keeping these 5 things all close to hand, you will now officially have your “bar” in place and will be all set to get creative.

Step 4: Choose Your Recipes. Now that you have your blender, your ingredients and your actual “bar” all set up, what are you going to make? Well, this is where the past few eZines come in. So far I’ve published 4 different smoothies recipes in the past 5 issues, so they should get you started! Then of course there’s your Raw Bible – if you haven’t picked some smoothies recipes yet, now would be the ideal time to do so. Photocopy them (or print the eZine recipes off) and file them in those clear files you bought and you’ll be all set to go.

Step 5: Get Smoothie-ing! I generally recommend that if you are very new to smoothie making that you start very simply, as I did, with pure water, a couple of small bananas (or one big one) and one handful of fresh fruit of your choice. Strawberries work well, as do any berries, or peach, nectarine, pineapple or mango. All of these are good and very straightforward to buy and use. From there, when you have your confidence up and are ready to try new things, you can start to get a bit more experimental and add in other more unusual ingredients such as the powders and potions and even a little bit of oil if you’d like to (ideally no more than 2 teaspoons per pint). Personally I keep oils out, but then getting enough calories is not my concern as my needs are pretty low in that department! One step beyond that is to experiment with using nut or seed milks for a base instead of bananas, which is where your nut milk bag will come in. This is really easy to do, but I’ll keep the “How To” for another article which will follow next issue. Until then, I’ll be expecting you to set your smoothie bar up to perfection ready and eager to go for next week!

Do we have a deal?!

Karen Knowler

————————————————————

Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes “Successfully Raw” – a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you’re ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

————————————————————–

Hope you enjoyed this awesome article by Karen! If you haven’t done so already, check out her blog that is loaded with tons of great information about going raw. Instead of using the Vita-mix, I prefer the BlendTec which I feel is like Vita-Mix’s automatic cousin. They are both awesome blenders, but BlendTec seems made for the 21st century! You can’t go wrong with either blender though!

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Are you going to set up your kitchen for some awesome smoothies?

Leave a comment below…

To your health journey success,


P.S. Get a Healthy Lifestyle Coach to help you Get Healthy, Lose Weight, and have FUN. Join me by Clicking Here!

]]> Vitamix_tnc_2As many of you know, I LOVE smoothies and I’m also pretty good at creating and making them (even if I do say so myself!), so this issue I thought I’d share with you my guide to creating a smoothie bar in your own home that’s good to go at any time of day and is quick and easy to use.

Why smoothies? Because they’re fast, quick, fun, delicious and they are great at any time of day and can often deliver a hefty dose of nutrition in a tasty and beautiful package!

My kitchen sees a lot of smoothie action, whether it be green smoothies for lunch or nut milk-based smoothies for supper… and I hope that with the help of this issue, yours will soon too!

Step 1: Tool Yourself Up. The only piece of equipment you need to make a great smoothie is, of course, a blender (but if you want to make nut milks using whole nuts you’ll want a nut milk bag too – more about that next issue.)

Now, as may or may not know, all blenders are not equal! Certainly you can get away with a High Street blender costing around $20-$30 for a fair amount of time if you treat it kindly, but if you’ve got the money and the passion then the best place you could invest your money for the long haul is without doubt in the very “hardcore” blender that is the Vita-Mix TNC (pictured). Yes, they are pricey (especially here in Europe), but they are soo worth it.

I am fortunate enough to own one myself and like many others who are also proud owners of these beautiful machines I really do think it’s one of the best investments in my health I have ever made. I use it every day and it’s my favourite piece of equipment in my entire kitchen.

All that said, if budget does not permit you to spend nigh on $400 on this particular piece of kit, then all is not lost, just spend the most you can on something that’s got good reviews on Amazon or similar and when you’ve got that part sorted, you’re ready to go!

Step 2: Gather Your Ingredients. Before you start let’s take a look at what you could have on hand to make your smoothies with.

* Fresh fruit (in a bowl and/or fridge)
* Fresh greens (in your fridge. e.g. spinach, watercress, lettuce, kale, chard etc.)
* Frozen fruit (in your freezer)
* Ice-cubes (in your freezer)
* Sweeteners (e.g. dates, agave nectar, maple syrup , honey, stevia etc.)
* Flavourings (e.g. mesquite meal, carob powder, cacao nibs/ powder, vanilla pods/ essence etc.)
* Superfoods (e.g. maca, bee pollen, green powders, hemp protein powder, etc.)
* Nuts and seeds and/or their butters (for nut milks)
* Cartons of coconut water/ milk
* Oils (not necessary, but some people like to use hemp, flax or coconut oil in their smoothies for EFAs)

Obviously fresh fruit, greens, nuts and seeds are easy to buy in the shops these days, as are some of the other more specialised foods. But for those ingredients that are new to you or that you can’t get hold of locally, the good news is that all of these ingredients are now easy to buy mail order wherever you are in the world. Yes, I will be biased and recommend that if you are in Europe you get them from The Fresh Network (!), but if you are overseas you can get all of these from a variety of online stores such as Nature’s First Law.

If most of these are new to you, then the ones I recommend you start off with are: dates for sweetening and agave nectar (light) if you want something new to try; vanilla pods or essence and/or mesquite powder for flavourings; bee pollen (for non-vegans) as an incredible superfood and coconut oil for fat if you’d like some.

Whatever you choose, make sure that you gather all your non-refrigerated ingredients into one place so that they are all together, which leads me nicely on to…

Step 3: Pick Your Spot. Whether you choose to make your smoothies at home or at the office, picking the right spot is key. Why? Because if it’s somewhere awkward to get to, or not near to the sink or a million miles from your fridge, ingredients or glasses, then you’ll feel much less inclined to actually use your smoothie bar! To give you a brief glimpse into my world, my blender is located with my sink to the left, my smoothie ingredients are to the right on a shelf above (you could have yours in a box or tray if you don’t have shelving in your kitchen) and my glasses are located up to the right in a cupboard next to the ingredients. And the fridge is just 2 steps away. Even though this all sounds like perfect common sense, it’s amazing how many of us make life difficult for ourselves and dot everything all over the place! By keeping these 5 things all close to hand, you will now officially have your “bar” in place and will be all set to get creative.

Step 4: Choose Your Recipes. Now that you have your blender, your ingredients and your actual “bar” all set up, what are you going to make? Well, this is where the past few eZines come in. So far I’ve published 4 different smoothies recipes in the past 5 issues, so they should get you started! Then of course there’s your Raw Bible – if you haven’t picked some smoothies recipes yet, now would be the ideal time to do so. Photocopy them (or print the eZine recipes off) and file them in those clear files you bought and you’ll be all set to go.

Step 5: Get Smoothie-ing! I generally recommend that if you are very new to smoothie making that you start very simply, as I did, with pure water, a couple of small bananas (or one big one) and one handful of fresh fruit of your choice. Strawberries work well, as do any berries, or peach, nectarine, pineapple or mango. All of these are good and very straightforward to buy and use. From there, when you have your confidence up and are ready to try new things, you can start to get a bit more experimental and add in other more unusual ingredients such as the powders and potions and even a little bit of oil if you’d like to (ideally no more than 2 teaspoons per pint). Personally I keep oils out, but then getting enough calories is not my concern as my needs are pretty low in that department! One step beyond that is to experiment with using nut or seed milks for a base instead of bananas, which is where your nut milk bag will come in. This is really easy to do, but I’ll keep the “How To” for another article which will follow next issue. Until then, I’ll be expecting you to set your smoothie bar up to perfection ready and eager to go for next week!

Do we have a deal?!

Karen Knowler

————————————————————

Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes “Successfully Raw” – a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you’re ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

————————————————————–

Hope you enjoyed this awesome article by Karen! If you haven’t done so already, check out her blog that is loaded with tons of great information about going raw. Instead of using the Vita-mix, I prefer the BlendTec which I feel is like Vita-Mix’s automatic cousin. They are both awesome blenders, but BlendTec seems made for the 21st century! You can’t go wrong with either blender though!

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Are you going to set up your kitchen for some awesome smoothies?

Leave a comment below…

To your health journey success,


P.S. Get a Healthy Lifestyle Coach to help you Get Healthy, Lose Weight, and have FUN. Join me by Clicking Here!

]]> http://amberkeinath.com/how-to-smoothie-bar/feed 0 http://amberkeinath.com/how-to-smoothie-bar Friday’s Favorite Recipe: Raw Chocolate Banana Dessert Pieces http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/amberkeinath/feed/~3/NuzZy4zD88E/recipe-choc-ban-des-pieces http://amberkeinath.com/recipe-choc-ban-des-pieces#comments Sat, 24 Sep 2011 02:02:16 +0000 Amber Keinath http://amberkeinath.com/?p=3132 Happy 1st day of Fall. I really am going to miss seeing the changing leaves and all the fall colors.

Here in Arizona, it is far from looking like fall (everyone tells me it won’t ever look like fall here). We are still over 100 degrees at the end of September! As this is my first year away from the Midwest in 7 years, I don’t completely want to miss out on this fun season.

Please send me your favorite fall photos to amber@amberkeinath.com or simply tag me in the photo on facebook or twitter. Include what you like most about fall or attach your favorite healthy fall recipe to be featured on my “fall favorites” blog post!

Because all around me there is only sun and heat, I am bringing you a yummy frozen dessert you can enjoy all year long! I don’t know about you but I used to eat ice cream even in snow storms (until my healthy days). Who doesn’t love chocolate all times of the year?

This recipe is a great one to make for your parties. Don’t worry; you don’t have to tell your friends it is actually a healthy raw/vegan dessert!  They probably won’t believe you anyway.

Get going and treat yourself to some chocolate today!

 

 

Raw Chocolate Banana Dessert Pieces

  • 2-3 large bananas
  • 1 cup of hazelnuts
  • ¼ cup of carob powder
  • ¼ cup of agave nectar
  • ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

  1. Mix carob powder, agave nectar, and cinnamon together in small bowl.
  2. Put hazelnuts into food processor until fine pieces.
  3. Cut banana into thin slices.
  4. Dip a banana slice into the chocolate. Cover with chocolate.
  5. Transfer into nut pieces and cover or transfer unto tray and sprinkle top with nut pieces.
  6. Place the tray of finished dessert pieces and let chill for 2-4 hours.


Question of the Day: What is your favorite fall activity? Leave me a comment below!

To your health journey success,


P.S. Get a Healthy Lifestyle Coach to help you Get Healthy, Lose Weight, and have FUN. Join me by Clicking Here!

]]> Happy 1st day of Fall. I really am going to miss seeing the changing leaves and all the fall colors.

Here in Arizona, it is far from looking like fall (everyone tells me it won’t ever look like fall here). We are still over 100 degrees at the end of September! As this is my first year away from the Midwest in 7 years, I don’t completely want to miss out on this fun season.

Please send me your favorite fall photos to amber@amberkeinath.com or simply tag me in the photo on facebook or twitter. Include what you like most about fall or attach your favorite healthy fall recipe to be featured on my “fall favorites” blog post!

Because all around me there is only sun and heat, I am bringing you a yummy frozen dessert you can enjoy all year long! I don’t know about you but I used to eat ice cream even in snow storms (until my healthy days). Who doesn’t love chocolate all times of the year?

This recipe is a great one to make for your parties. Don’t worry; you don’t have to tell your friends it is actually a healthy raw/vegan dessert!  They probably won’t believe you anyway.

Get going and treat yourself to some chocolate today!

 

 

Raw Chocolate Banana Dessert Pieces

  • 2-3 large bananas
  • 1 cup of hazelnuts
  • ¼ cup of carob powder
  • ¼ cup of agave nectar
  • ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

  1. Mix carob powder, agave nectar, and cinnamon together in small bowl.
  2. Put hazelnuts into food processor until fine pieces.
  3. Cut banana into thin slices.
  4. Dip a banana slice into the chocolate. Cover with chocolate.
  5. Transfer into nut pieces and cover or transfer unto tray and sprinkle top with nut pieces.
  6. Place the tray of finished dessert pieces and let chill for 2-4 hours.


Question of the Day: What is your favorite fall activity? Leave me a comment below!

To your health journey success,


P.S. Get a Healthy Lifestyle Coach to help you Get Healthy, Lose Weight, and have FUN. Join me by Clicking Here!

]]> http://amberkeinath.com/recipe-choc-ban-des-pieces/feed 6 http://amberkeinath.com/recipe-choc-ban-des-pieces 14 Tips for a Healthy and Eco-Friendly Bedroom http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/amberkeinath/feed/~3/N2Gmy7ltjwI/healthy-bedroom http://amberkeinath.com/healthy-bedroom#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2011 03:18:08 +0000 Amber Keinath http://amberkeinath.com/?p=3042 In recent years, making sure your family is as healthy and eco-friendly as possible has become very popular. A few years ago I really had no desire to be eco-friendly and really didn’t know of ways to be healthy besides exercising and having healthier eating habits.

The more I have studied up on these subjects, the more I find out how clueless I was! It can get kind of scary when you learn about all the dangers of the environment right in your own home.

Now that my husband and I are in search of our first home and I start envisioning how I am going to decorate and furnish this home, I have decided to share with you ways to clean up your environment and maybe become a little eco-friendly starting with the bedroom!

 

organic cotton

Here are the top 14 tips I have found through my research that will help you create a true bedroom oasis:

  1. Refurbish antique furniture or buy furniture that is made with renewable materials. Do not buy furniture that is made of particleboard or composite wood due to the glue and chemicals used. These chemicals include formaldehyde which is a known carcinogen and some studies have linked it to the development of allergies and asthma.  This also applies to upholstered furniture due to the flame retardant that is used that emits formaldehyde vapors.
  2. Choose bare floors with rugs made of natural fibers to help decrease the amount of allergens present in your house.
  3. When it comes to choosing curtains, choose natural fabrics such as organic cotton, canvas, linen, or hemp to cut down on allergens and harsh chemicals. Curtains are great dust collectors so make sure to buy washable fabrics.
  4. When buying blankets to keep warm during the long winters, choose natural linens such as wool, organic cotton, linen, or hemp. Do not dry clean blankets because some of the chemicals that are used have been linked to various cancers. If you do choose to use an electric blanket, warm up your bed before you climb in and then turn the blanket off. Electric blankets create an electromagnetic field as you sleep.
  5. Choose fabrics such as organic cotton, wool, buckwheat, or natural latex when you buy pillows. Regular pillows are often made of foam which can contain flame retardants.
  6. Sheets should be 100% organic cotton and not contain any dyes. Make sure it isn’t treated with formaldehyde or any other chemicals. Do not buy permanent press sheets because it contains formaldehyde of which vapors you will inhale when you sleep. Remember, your skin is your largest organ in your body and will absorb anything that comes in contact with it. Be careful what dyes and types of fabric you want touching your skin!
  7. Did you realize that you should pay attention to what type of mattress you are sleeping on? You should choose a mattress made of organic materials. It is quite common for mattresses to contain flame retardants which are carcinogenic, reproductive toxicants, and endocrine disruptors. It has the flame retardant because of the foam which is made of petroleum-based products which are flammable. Wool is a natural fire retardant that is great for mattresses or even mattresses that are cotton filled. Savvy Rest is a great choice for organic mattresses that are made of latex.
  8. Choose organic cotton mattress pads which will cut down on dust mites.
  9. Choose air filtering plants. Visit NASA website for more information on best plants to choose.
  10. Change your air filter on a regular basis to decrease allergens and purify the air.
  11. Keep windows open for better air quality. Cross ventilation is a plus. Outdoor air is typically cleaner due to all the chemicals and dust that are found in furniture, fabrics, and other products in your home. Choose an air purifier or vacuum with a HEPA filter.
  12. Choose low/no-VOC paint for walls, furniture, and ceiling to cut down on chemical pollutants in your home.
  13. Wash your bedding each week with fragrance free detergent to decrease mold, mildew, and dust mite accumulation.
  14. Choose a stylish ceiling fan to help circulate the air in your home which will help with cross ventilation when you have your windows open. Choose one made of renewable natural materials. You will also save on your electricity bill!

Ceiling fan with light

Do you have any thoughts or more tips to add? Leave me a comment below!

 

Today’s question:

What is one way you can improve the health of your bedroom starting today?

 

To your health journey success,


P.S. Get a Health Coach to help you Get Healthy, Lose Weight, and have FUN. Join me by Clicking Here!

 

 

]]> In recent years, making sure your family is as healthy and eco-friendly as possible has become very popular. A few years ago I really had no desire to be eco-friendly and really didn’t know of ways to be healthy besides exercising and having healthier eating habits.

The more I have studied up on these subjects, the more I find out how clueless I was! It can get kind of scary when you learn about all the dangers of the environment right in your own home.

Now that my husband and I are in search of our first home and I start envisioning how I am going to decorate and furnish this home, I have decided to share with you ways to clean up your environment and maybe become a little eco-friendly starting with the bedroom!

 

organic cotton

Here are the top 14 tips I have found through my research that will help you create a true bedroom oasis:

  1. Refurbish antique furniture or buy furniture that is made with renewable materials. Do not buy furniture that is made of particleboard or composite wood due to the glue and chemicals used. These chemicals include formaldehyde which is a known carcinogen and some studies have linked it to the development of allergies and asthma.  This also applies to upholstered furniture due to the flame retardant that is used that emits formaldehyde vapors.
  2. Choose bare floors with rugs made of natural fibers to help decrease the amount of allergens present in your house.
  3. When it comes to choosing curtains, choose natural fabrics such as organic cotton, canvas, linen, or hemp to cut down on allergens and harsh chemicals. Curtains are great dust collectors so make sure to buy washable fabrics.
  4. When buying blankets to keep warm during the long winters, choose natural linens such as wool, organic cotton, linen, or hemp. Do not dry clean blankets because some of the chemicals that are used have been linked to various cancers. If you do choose to use an electric blanket, warm up your bed before you climb in and then turn the blanket off. Electric blankets create an electromagnetic field as you sleep.
  5. Choose fabrics such as organic cotton, wool, buckwheat, or natural latex when you buy pillows. Regular pillows are often made of foam which can contain flame retardants.
  6. Sheets should be 100% organic cotton and not contain any dyes. Make sure it isn’t treated with formaldehyde or any other chemicals. Do not buy permanent press sheets because it contains formaldehyde of which vapors you will inhale when you sleep. Remember, your skin is your largest organ in your body and will absorb anything that comes in contact with it. Be careful what dyes and types of fabric you want touching your skin!
  7. Did you realize that you should pay attention to what type of mattress you are sleeping on? You should choose a mattress made of organic materials. It is quite common for mattresses to contain flame retardants which are carcinogenic, reproductive toxicants, and endocrine disruptors. It has the flame retardant because of the foam which is made of petroleum-based products which are flammable. Wool is a natural fire retardant that is great for mattresses or even mattresses that are cotton filled. Savvy Rest is a great choice for organic mattresses that are made of latex.
  8. Choose organic cotton mattress pads which will cut down on dust mites.
  9. Choose air filtering plants. Visit NASA website for more information on best plants to choose.
  10. Change your air filter on a regular basis to decrease allergens and purify the air.
  11. Keep windows open for better air quality. Cross ventilation is a plus. Outdoor air is typically cleaner due to all the chemicals and dust that are found in furniture, fabrics, and other products in your home. Choose an air purifier or vacuum with a HEPA filter.
  12. Choose low/no-VOC paint for walls, furniture, and ceiling to cut down on chemical pollutants in your home.
  13. Wash your bedding each week with fragrance free detergent to decrease mold, mildew, and dust mite accumulation.
  14. Choose a stylish ceiling fan to help circulate the air in your home which will help with cross ventilation when you have your windows open. Choose one made of renewable natural materials. You will also save on your electricity bill!

Ceiling fan with light

Do you have any thoughts or more tips to add? Leave me a comment below!

 

Today’s question:

What is one way you can improve the health of your bedroom starting today?

 

To your health journey success,


P.S. Get a Health Coach to help you Get Healthy, Lose Weight, and have FUN. Join me by Clicking Here!

 

 

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