Burgers with Roasted Garlic and Rosemary

Roasted garlic and fresh rosemary make these burgers extra flavorful. Adding grated zucchini to the lean ground beef helps keep the burgers moist, and is an inexpensive way to add bulk. It’s almost undetectable, so it’s a clever way to sneak extra veggies into your diet. If you like the zucchini, experiment with adding a second grated zucchini! Try this with turkey burgers, too.

Total Time: 1 hr. 17 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 1 hr. 7 min.
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 whole garlic bulb
1 lb. raw 95% lean ground sirloin
1 medium zucchini, coarsely grated
6 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves removed and finely chopped, stems discarded
¼ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. cracked black pepper
4 whole-grain hamburger buns
4 slices medium tomato
4 lettuce leaves
4 red onion slices

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Remove outer papery white layer from garlic, keeping each individual clove covered, and keeping cloves attached to the bulb. Cut off top ½-inch of bulb. Place on a piece of aluminum foil; wrap to completely seal. Bake for 45 minutes, or until tender.
3. Preheat grill or broiler to high.
4. When cool enough to handle, peel away foil from garlic. Squeeze garlic into a large bowl.
5. Add sirloin, zucchini, rosemary, salt, and pepper; mix well. Shape mixture into four patties.
6. Grill or broil patties for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, or until desired doneness.
7. Top each bottom bun with a patty, tomato slice, lettuce leaf, onion slice, and top bun.

15 Great Road Trip Foods Under 200 Calories

The car is packed, the kids are happily occupied in the backseat, and you’re ready to hit the road. But, when stomachs start rumbling, what’s the plan? To stop you from making a pit stop at a greasy spoon or swinging through a drive-thru, we’ve pulled together a list of 15 road trip foods that will keep those hunger pangs at bay—and your car not full of detritus. And, most of them can be taken on a plane as well!

1. Fruit
Fruit’s fiber and high water content will help keep you full and hydrated as you travel. But, unless you want a messy car, it’s best that you either choose fruit that doesn’t have a stem, a pit, or an outside covering—namely, blueberries, figs, and grapes—or prepare fruit ahead of time and place it into Tupperware containers. Strawberries, banana slices, peaches, and nectarines are great for this.
Calories per serving: 85–105

2. Kale Krunch
I discovered this when I was doing P90X earlier this year. They’re low in calories, high in vitamin A, and totally addictive. Plus, they’re flavored with ingredients like organic olive oil and organic chia seeds. They are a little on the expensive side though, so if you want to make your own, make these Kale Chips, chop them into bite-sized morsels, and pop them in a Tupperware or Ziploc bag.
Calories per serving: 110

3. A Better Nut Butter and Jelly
The trouble with most sandwiches is that they require a cooler…unless you like eating warm chicken salad. Peanut (or any nut, frankly) butter and jelly is one that doesn’t. Make it with whole-grain bread (my personal favorite is Ezekiel 4:9), an all-natural nut butter, and all-natural fruit spread like St. Dalfour to up the health factor.
Calories per 1/2 sandwich: 150 (varies depending on ingredients)

4. Shakeology Packets
Want to take your Shakeology on the road? Just mix a single-serving Shakeology packet (available in Chocolate, Vanilla, Greenberry, Chocolate Vegan, and Tropical Strawberry) with water and shake!
Calories per serving: 160–170

5. Eggs
You might find the idea of taking eggs with you on the road a little odd, but hard-boiled eggs are great for a quick power-up. Plus, they’re loaded with B vitamins, which may help keep tempers cool on long trips.
Calories per serving: 78

6. Homemade Energy Bars
The bulk of prepackaged bars sold at gas stations or convenience stores are loaded with sugar, preservatives, and empty calories. These homemade bars can be made in minutes and contain only good-for-you ingredients like fruit and nuts.
Calories per serving: 124

7. Nuts
Nuts are highly caloric, but they’re also high in healthy omega-3 fats and travel well. Choose raw, unsalted nuts like almonds or walnuts that don’t require you to dispose of a shell.
Calories per serving: 130–180

8. Spiced Nuts
Deepen the flavor of nuts by roasting them with spices. This recipe that combines cinnamon, cayenne, and cumin with a touch of honey will keep you away from the store-bought trail mix.
Calories per serving: 120

9. Baby Carrots
Maybe we’re weird, but we think baby carrots are fun to eat, and they don’t make a mess! They’re sweet on their own, or you can combine them with hummus for a yummy, crunchy treat.
Calories per serving: 30

10. Split Pea Crisps
Peas are really good for you thanks to their fiber and vitamins A and C. But, good luck getting your kids to eat them on a road trip. Unless…you disguise them as a crunchy snack. These split pea crisps from Whole Living combine peas with just a touch of olive oil and salt.
Calories per serving: 55

11. Other Vegetables
It’s a classic for a reason. Slice up your favorite veggies—snap peas, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and celery all travel well—and pop them into a sealable container. Persian cucumbers are also a yummy single-serving snack.
Calories per serving: Less than 20

12. Dried Fruit
On day 2 of the road trip, when you’ve run out of regular fruit, try dried fruit. It’s higher in calories by volume than fresh fruit, so just be mindful of how much you eat and look for options without sulfites, but it’s better for you than a candy bar. Or a Fruit Roll-Up.
Calories per serving: About 150

13. PopChips
This is probably the least healthy option on this list since they’re made with potato flour and not whole potatoes, but you could do a lot worse. Plus, they’re a Tony Horton–approved road trip snack. Original PopChips contain just potatoes, salt, a touch of rice flour, and oil, so you can feel like you’re snacking on chips without loading your body up with who knows what.
Calories per serving: 120

14. Seeds
Though high in calories, seeds are high in heart-healthy magnesium and protein. Plus, cracking pumpkin or sunflower seeds open will keep your hands (if you’re not driving!) and your mind busy while you’re on the road. They can be high in sodium, so just take a look at the sodium levels or consider roasting your own.
Calories per 1/4 cup: About 160

14. Spicy Baked Chickpeas
Chickpeas, garbanzo beans, little weird things that come in a can…whatever you call them, these little nuggets of goodness are high in fiber and will help keep you full. Try this road-friendly recipe for them.
(7 servings, 1/4 cup each)

Ingredients:
1 15-oz. can garbanzo beans(chickpeas)
1 tsp. olive oil
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400° F
2. Rinse canned garbanzo beans and let them drain well in a colander for several minutes.
3. Toss the beans in a small bowl with olive oil, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, ground cumin, and sea salt
4. Bake on a foil-lined sheet for 40-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Calories: 187

10 Reasons to Lift Weights!

Many women believe that the only way to lose weight is to do cardiovascular (aerobic exercise). So they jog or take aerobics classes five times a week. Eventually, though, they notice that while their bodies are a little smaller, there are still a lot of flabby and jiggly bits. Sound familiar? Aerobic exercise is important for good health, but it’s only half of the equation. Keep reading for the other half.

For optimal fitness, longevity, and a lean body, weight training is essential. If you avoid pumping iron because you’re afraid of getting “bulky,” then you’re missing out on one of the best fat-burning methods around.

When you’re weight training, you shouldn’t rely exclusively on the scale to gauge your progress. You can use a body fat tester or a tape measure to track how many inches you’re losing. The size of your body will shrink as you shed fat and build muscle, but your weight may not change as dramatically as you expect. Besides, what’s more important, the number on the scale or how you look in your skinny jeans?

If you’re still not convinced that you need to lift weights, here are 10 reasons you should reconsider.

1. Burn more fat. Researchers at Tufts University found that when overweight women lifted heavy weights twice a week, they lost an average of 14.6 pounds of fat and gained 1.4 pounds of muscle. The control group, women who dieted but didn’t lift weights, lost only 9.2 pounds of fat and gained no muscle. When you do an intense weight-training program such as ChaLEAN Extreme, your metabolism stays elevated and you continue to burn fat for several hours afterward. During regular cardio exercise, you stop burning fat shortly after the workout.

2. Change your body shape. You may think your genes determine how you look. That’s not necessarily true. Weight training can slim you down, create new curves, and help avoid the “middle-age spread.” Just look at the amazing body transformations of the women who’ve completed P90X. Dropping only 3 percent of your body fat could translate into a total loss of 3 inches off your hips and thighs. And no, you won’t bulk up—women don’t have enough muscle-building hormones to gain a lot of mass like men do. If you keep your diet clean and create a calorie deficit, you’ll burn fat.

3. Boost your metabolism. The less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism will be. As women age, they lose muscle at increasing rates, especially after the age of 40. When you diet without doing resistance training, up to 25 percent of the weight loss may be muscle loss. Weight training while dieting can help you preserve and even rebuild muscle fibers. The more lean mass you have, the higher your metabolism will be and the more calories you’ll burn all day long.

4. Get stronger and more confident. Lifting weights increases functional fitness, which makes everyday tasks such as carrying children, lifting grocery bags, and picking up heavy suitcases much easier. According to the Mayo Clinic, regular weight training can make you 50 percent stronger in 6 months. Being strong is also empowering. Not only does it improve your physical activities, it builds emotional strength by boosting self-esteem and confidence.

5. Build strong bones. It’s been well documented that women need to do weight-bearing exercise to build and maintain bone mass, and to prevent osteoporosis. Just as muscles get stronger and bigger with use, so do bones when they’re made to bear weight. Stronger bones and increased muscle mass also lead to better flexibility and balance, which is especially important for women as they age.

6. Fight depression. You’ve probably heard that cardio and low-impact exercises such as yoga help alleviate depression, and weight lifting has the same effect. The endorphins that are released during aerobic activities are also present during resistance training. Many women find that regular strength training, in conjunction with psychological treatment, helps lessen their depression symptoms substantially.

7. Improve sports fitness. You don’t have to be an athlete to get the sports benefit of weight training. Improved muscle mass and strength will help you in all physical activities, whether it’s bicycling with the family, swimming, golfing, or skiing…whatever sport you enjoy.

8. Reduce injuries and arthritis. Weight lifting improves joint stability and builds stronger ligaments and tendons. Training safely and with proper form can help decrease the likelihood of injuries in your daily life. It can also improve physical function in people with arthritis. A study conducted at the University of Wales in Bangor, United Kingdom, found that mildly disabled participants who lifted weights for 12 weeks increased the frequency and intensity at which they could work, with less pain and increased range of movement.

9. Get heart healthy. More than 480,000 women die from cardiovascular disease each year, making it the number-one killer of women over the age of 25. Most people don’t realize that pumping iron can also keep your heart pumping. Lifting weights increases your “good” (HDL) cholesterol and decreases your “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. It also lowers your blood pressure. The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that people who do 30 minutes of weight lifting each week have a 23 percent reduced risk of developing heart disease compared to those who don’t lift weights.

10. Defend against diabetes. In addition to keeping your ticker strong, weight training can improve glucose utilization (the way your body processes sugar) by as much as 23 percent. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 weeks of strength training can improve glucose metabolism in a way that is comparable to taking diabetes medication. The more lean mass you have, the more efficient your body is at removing glucose from the blood, which can reduce complications from diabetes or even help prevent type 2 diabetes in the first place.

Chicken Pizza!

This healthy homemade pizza is topped with lean chicken, fresh ingredients, and a touch of Parmesan cheese.

Total Time:​ 18 min.
Prep Time:​​​ 10 min.
Cooking Time:​ 8 min.
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients for Pizza Dough:
¼ oz​​​ active dry yeast
1 cup​​​ warm water (100–110° F)
2 tsp.​​​​ sugar
3–3¼ cups ​​​whole wheat flour, divided use
½ tsp.​​​​ fine sea salt (or Himalayan salt)​
2 tsp.​​​​  olive oil, divided use

Ingredients for Pizza:
½ cup all-natural pizza sauce, no sugar added
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
4 oz cooked chicken breast, boneless, skinless, shredded
1 cup cherry tomatoes
¼ cup thinly sliced mushrooms
2 cups fresh arugula

Preparation:

For Pizza Dough:
1. Place yeast, water, and sugar in a medium bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes, or until yeast becomes foamy.
2. Combine 3 cups flour and salt in a small bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to yeast mixture. Mix with clean hands until mixture does not stick to your hands. Add additional flour if needed. Roll dough into a ball. Brush with ½ tsp. oil. Place in a bowl; cover with a towel. Let rise for 2 hours.
3. Punch down dough to remove air; knead and roll into a ball. Brush with ½ tsp. oil. Place in a bowl; cover with a towel. Let rise for an additional 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 450° F.
5. Roll dough until it will no longer stretch. Let rest for 5 minutes. Continue to roll until it reaches your desired diameter, about 10 to 12-inches, and about ½-inch thick. Place on baking pan lightly coated with spray.
6. Brush with remaining 1 tsp. oil.

For Pizza:
1. Spread pizza dough evenly with pizza sauce, stopping ½-inch from edge.
2. Top evenly with cheeses, chicken, mushrooms, and tomatoes.
3. Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, or until crust is golden.
4. Top with arugula.

7 tips for Fast Food Survival!

No, we haven’t lost our minds here at Beachbody. We don’t want you to eat fast food. It’s terrible for you. It makes you fat. It destabilizes economies and nations. It kills the environment. Read Fast Food Nation. See Super Size Me. If you’re really serious about getting or staying in shape, fast food restaurants are not on your path to success.

However, sometimes fast food feels like the only option. Long road trips, coworker lunches, the only place your child or childish companion will eat—these are all situations where you may be forced to enter one of these fluorescent dens of gluttony.

While the fast food companies have generally shown an appalling disregard for their customers’ health, they have been shamed by our nation’s obesity epidemic into offering some menu items that have some nutritional value. They still can’t resist adding a little unneeded fat or extra high-fructose corn syrup just to spice things up, so it’s wise to take a buyer-beware approach when ordering your meal. Here are some tips to make healthier choices and some suggestions about the healthiest (relatively speaking) things to order at some of the major fast food chains.

1. Get less for your money. This may seem counter intuitive, but the so-called value meals really only offer you extra calories, saturated fat, sugar, and other diet killers. While it may seem like an unbelievable deal that you can get twice as many fries for only 19 more cents, it’s a bit of a false economy, unless you’re saving up for a bypass operation. If you really want to save money, pack a lunch.

2. Discover your inner child. The best place to find a reasonably sized portion for an adult is, sadly, the children’s menu. Bowing to the horrible publicity created by childhood obesity, fast food companies have made the most improvements to their kids’ menus. In fact, at some restaurants, the kids’ meal is the only way you can get healthy sides like fruit or carrots. Don’t be ashamed to order the junior hamburger or even the kids’ meal. You might get a free toy in the transaction!

3. Stick to salads. A big problem with fast food is that many innocent-looking nuggets and patties are loaded with added fats, flavorful chemicals, and high-fructose corn syrup, which wreak havoc on your blood sugar levels not to mention they do who-knows-what-else to your body. So, order the salad. You’re probably not going to be eating organic fruits and vegetables in these salads, but they’re probably less adulterated with bad-for-you additives than the other options. Until you get to the dressing. Ask for oil and vinegar or a vinegar-based dressing like Italian. Also, most places give you enough dressing to dress several salads so use only half the packet of dressing or ask for a side cup you can squirt it into, and then dip your fork in the dressing before you take a bite of salad.

4. Beware of “theme” salads. It’s called a salad. It looks like a salad. It has lettuce. It must be a salad…right? Don’t be fooled by clever naming tricks. One restaurant I went to had a “cheesesteak salad” on its menu. And, a taco salad at most places includes all the unhealthy ingredients you’re trying to avoid. Use common sense when selecting a salad. Make sure all the ingredients are vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins you can recognize.

5. Have it your way. Remember the old Burger King jingle, “Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce, special orders don’t upset us”? Take them at their word—only don’t hold the pickle and the lettuce, and do hold the mayo and ketchup that includes high-fructose corn syrup. Ask if you can substitute the grilled chicken breast for the breaded chicken breast, wheat buns for white buns, or even lettuce cups for buns. (in California, we call that “protein style.”) Ask for extra veggies. And hold the “cheez,” especially if it’s spelled with a “z.” Tell them you’d rather salt the fries yourself. When you order the “healthy” grilled-chicken or fish sandwiches, make sure they’re not loaded with mayo or special sauces. Ask for salsa or mustard instead. Yes, you’re being picky. But, it’s your health that’s on the line here!

6. Watch what you drink. The most profitable menu items for restaurants are soft drinks. They cost almost nothing to make and what you get in return is tons of sugar and chemicals, and maybe, eventually, diabetes! Try to stick with unsweetened iced tea or water. And to play the broken record again, if you must get soda, get the small size.

7. A milkshake is not a drink. It will often be suggested that you wash down your burgers and fries with a frosty milkshake. Sounds good, right? You can tell yourself you’re getting your calcium! You’re also getting over 1,000 calories if you get a large size at some restaurants. Even the kid sizes come in at 300 plus calories. Your drink shouldn’t have more calories than your meal.