Weight-Loss Recipe: DIVA Beet and Chicken Salad

Diva Reduction Recipes
“Fit Meals in Minutes”
“Combining quick and convenient with sound nutrition!”

Diva Beet and Chicken Salad
1 beet, cooked, cooled and chopped
3 oz. chicken breast (from a rotisserie chicken), chopped or shredded
2 cups organic spring mix salad
1/3 cup carrots, shredded
1/3 cup peas, cooked and cooled
1 tomato, chopped
1 Tbsp. Balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Preparation: Place beet in small saucepan and boil for about 20 minutes or until al dente. Set aside and let cool slightly. While the beet is cooking, carve out the breast from your rotisserie chicken, cut into small pieces and set aside. Mix together spring mix, carrots, peas, and tomatoes. Add the beet and chicken (cold or warm). Toss with Balsamic vi

naigrette.

Makes 1 Serving
Nutritional Value: 

• 360 calories
  
• 33.2 g protein
  
• 31.5 g carbs 
  
• 9.5 g fat 
  
• 8.3 g fiber
  
• 355 mg sodium
  

NOTES: If you are a vegetarian or vegan, just skip the chicken! Try adding eggplant OR fresh, unsalted almonds instead!  

FYI:

Poultry (lean chicken and turkey) should be organically (grass-fed) raised and always choose the lean pieces, without the skin!  Chicken is a great source of protein, niacin, B vitamins and other nutrients.  Chicken promotes optimal health, energy production, heart health, and bone health.  

Beets are high in nutrients, low in calories, and contain almost 4 grams of fiber in 1 cup!  They contain phytonutrient pigments that provide powerful antioxidant protection.  Beets are also rich in folate, which is a B vitamin that is important for a healthy heart and essential for normal growth tissue.  

This is a great summer dish, easy to make and great for weight loss!  

"diet villain" ALERT: AL and & his twin COLE (alcohol)!

DIET VILLAINS EXPOSED 

Al & his twin sister, Cole:
Drinking too much alcohol

Alcohol
The behavioral problems that can result from alcohol use and abuse are well documented. However, alcohol consumption also has a direct impact on your health as well as your body-fat level.

* Notes

• Alcohol has short-term effects on health and body fat.
  
• Alcohol is easily converted to fat, has empty calories, can cause dehydration, and creates electrolyte imbalances.
• While your liver is busy metabolizing alcohol, it is unable to metabolize fat.
  
• Alcohol has more severe long-term effects on health and body fat.
  
• Excessive alcohol use can result in dependency, nutrition deficiency (mainly B-complex and iron), liver dysfunction, brain cell damage, increased cancer risk, increased heart disease risk, digestive system dysfunction, reproductive problems, and mental health effects (like depression).

Does Alcohol make you fat?  Check out these articles! 

WeightLossforAll.com

RealWomen'sFitness.com

AmericanChronicle.com

How to Attack and Defeat these two "diet villains"!  

* Alcohol Rules

• If you are serious about losing fat and upgrading your health, alcohol has to be off limits during the Diva Reduction Phase of MY DIVA DIET. When you are in the Diva Maintenance Phase, you can have alcohol in moderation, but you will need to monitor it so that the fat does not come back and your health won’t suffer. (If you do-drink responsibly!)  

* FYI’s

The following chart shows you the average caloric content of some common alcoholic drinks.
Drink -- Calories
Wine (4 oz.) -- 90
One beer (12 oz.) -- 150 to 200 (depending on brand)
Bloody Mary --  115 calories
Whiskey sour -- 122
Gin and tonic -- 171
Piña colada -- 262
Vodka / other alcohol (4 oz.) -- 250 (depending on choice)

Calories from wine, beer, alcohol, alcoholic mixed drinks (the mix adds an additional 100+ calories) add up quickly—a few drinks can total up to one half of your daily calories or more.

=================

How do AL & COLE fit into the "Five Factors Affecting Body Fat and Health"?
They are part of Factor #1!
Factor #1: Liquid Consumption
Too many poor liquid choices add unnecessary and empty calories to the American diet, and an inadequate water intake leaves women dehydrated, unhealthy, bloated, and overweight.

Factor #2: Quantity and Distribution of Calories

* Daily caloric intake (uncontrolled calories—too many or not enough)
* Daily nutrient ratio: protein/carbohydrates/fat (unbalanced calories)
* Number of meals in each day (too many or not enough)* Meal size (uncontrolled portions)
* Meal timing (unmonitored timing)

Factor #3: Quality and Purity of Calories

* Fat calories
* Unhealthy calories
* Dirty calories
* Impure calories
* Old and dead calories
* Non-kosher calories

Factor #4: Restrictive and Unbalanced DietingBecause most women look for quick-fix solutions to our obesity and poor-health epidemic, we buy into gimmicks and false promises. We subscribe to dangerous pills and special packaged foods. We suffer needlessly. Sometimes we lose weight only to “rebound”—gaining more weight than when we started and usually at the expense of our health. We end up confused and more desperate. So instead of seeking the proper way to lose weight, we start the cycle all over again.

Factor #5: Exercise
Lack of exercise is a major factor in our health and often explains why we may be fat in the first place. We are a “remote-control” country: we lack physical activity and are frequently too lazy to exercise.

======================

Take the "Diva 32-Question Quiz"  and expose all of your "diet villains"!  

Stay tuned for more diet villains, diva reduction recipes, and diva news! 

See our blog MY DIVA DIET "Tools for Success", giving you practical tools and valuable information so that you CAN win the battle for health and fitness-attain a lean, healthy, fit and more functional body–for life!  

Thanks from SUPER DIVA and PAW! 

Weight-Loss Recipe: Diva Vegan & Vegetarian Meal–Diva Garlic Pepper Veggie Saute'!

Diva Garlic Pepper Veggie Sauté 

To all my Vegetarian & Vegan Divas!

1/2 cup garlic, minced (about 1 whole head)

1 tsp. olive oil
7 mushrooms, quartered
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 white onion, sliced
3 cups bean sprouts (mung bean) 
1 tsp. black pepper

Preparation: In a skillet, sauté garlic in olive oil on medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add all the veggies and black pepper. Cook until al dente, about 2 minutes.

Makes 2 Servings — Recommended Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
Nutritional value Per Serving: 164 calories; 9.2 g protein; 28.2 g carbs; 

3.1 g fat;6.1 g fiber; 37.5 mg sodium

Notes: This recipe is for the garlic lover; if you prefer, use less garlic.

Recipe from "Fit Meals In Minutes" section of  MY DIVA DIET: A Woman's Last Diet Book 

Bodybuidling.com 

Barnes & Noble just ordered more! 

FYI on the ingredients!  

Garlic:

The ancient Egyptians believed that garlic was sacred and could enhance endurance and strength. For centuries, garlic has been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes.  It not only adds flavor to a dish, but promotes antioxidant activity and functions as a powerful antibacterial and antiviral agent!  

Mushrooms:

Ever since ancient times, people have thought of mushrooms as being endowed with special powers.  The ancient Romans described them as "foods for the gods" and beleived they were created by lightenening bolts.  Mushrooms (crimini) contain healthy-promoting polysaccharide phytonutrients, are an excellent source of riboflavin, pantothenic acid and niacin, as well as a good source of thiamine, B6, and folic acid.  

Bell Peppers:

Bell Peppers not only add color (green, red, yellow, and orange) to your favorite dish, but have many  health benefits.  Bell Peppers are a rich source of the best health-promoting nutrients available, including antioxidants.  They are an excellent source of vitamin C, E, K, energy producing B vitamins like B1 and B2, and minerals such as manganese and copper. 

Two other nutrients can be found in Red Bell Peppers–carotenoids lycopene and beta-cryptoxanthin (which help with cellular health)!  

Onions:

Onions were used as currency to pay the workers who built the pyramids and because of their spiritual significance were placed on the tombs of the Pharaohs.  The smell and irritating effect that onions have on our eyes, are actually due to their sulfur-containing phytonutrients. Onions have been associated with many health benefits like; reducing risk of heart disease, lowering cholesterol, and reducing blood pressure!  

Mung Bean Bean Sprouts:

The Chines have been growing mung bean sprouts for over 3,000 years.  And in Chinese medicine they are considered to be a "cooling food".  Bean sprouts are extremely low in calories and are cholesterol free.  For one cup of mung bean sprouts 30 cals, 3 g of protein, 6 g carb, and .2 g fat.  They are a great source of plant protein and contain vitamins A, B and E, minerals (calcium, iron and potassium), and enzymes.  

Black Pepper

The pepper plant is a smooth woody vine that can grow up to thirty-three feet in hot and humid climates. After three to four years of growth, peppercorn berries are produced, and this is the part of the plant that gives us pepper. Freshly ground black pepper improves digestion, promotes sweating and urination, and helps stimulate the breakdown of fat cells.

Olive Oil (see full article by HealingDaily.com)

The greatest exponent of monounsaturated fat is olive oil, and it is a prime component of the Mediterranean Diet. Olive oil is a natural juice which preserves the taste, aroma, vitamins and properties of the olive fruit. Olive oil is the only vegetable oil that can be consumed as it is - freshly pressed from the fruit.

Resources (other than Mung Bean Sprouts, Black Pepper, and Olive Oil) from one of my favorite books the World's Healthiest Foods!  

Diva Gratitude!

When I first started to join NING sites, I was not quite sure what I was getting myself into, but to my surprise and 50 sites later, I have met some fantastic people; in no particular order:

• Carol at "How to Write a Book" 
  
• Hombre at "American C2C"
  
• Lisa at "WHAM Addicts Advertising" 
  
• Chandra at "True DIVAS"
• Sheri at "Concerned Christians"
• Tiffany at "Christian Twitters
• GI at "GI Television" 
• Sam, Wendy, NLUrich, and Alexander at "Start up Space" 
• Malcomist, Fit Chick 4 Life, CoachRuRu, Kenjah,  and many others at "Iseecolor" 
• MDS, Jayson, and Eydie at "World Physique" 
  
• Frans at "Ladybargaining" 
  
• Donna and Cynde at "Our Biz Your Biz"
  
• Tye and Inez at "The Network Inc."
• Jeff  at "FFB, Fitness & Figure Admirers" 
  
• James and Mani at "Fitness Star Network" 
  
• Ronald, Kevin at "Body Proud"
• Mani at "Hot Juice Net" 
• Mari and Mike at "Solution Sports & Fitness" 
• Maureen at  "Fit and 40 Something" and "Mbodyment's Action Against Obesity Foundation"  
• Tracy at  "Thick Sistahs" 
  
• Leah at "Bookie Book" 
  
• Sarah at "WEGO Health" 
• Nicki at "Twit 2 Fit"  

This story is about two special DIVAS -- Kristin and Morgan!  

What is a Diva anyway?  According to the dictionary "diva" means "glamorous and successful female performer or personality." Both of these women are power-packed with energy, enthusiasm, and enlightenment–they meet the criteria of DIVA!  Kristin is the creator of The Diva Within "Small Business Vendors" and was one of the first NING

 sites I joined.  

World Wide Business Connections "Business Unlimited, No Walls, No Boundaries" is the creation of Morgan!  These sites are great for business and have helped the MY DIVA DIET mission. These sites have many benefits to membership and are great social networks.  So whether you are a business Diva, a fitness Diva, or you just want to explore your "Diva Within"  World Wide, make sure you check them out! 

Just a note of recognition and appreciation to my new "Diva Friends", Kirstin and Morgan!  

xo from Super Diva!