Savvy Brown » Health

DIY Workouts on a Budget

Savvy — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:06:44 +0000

One of my New Year’s Resolutions (like half the country) is to shed a few pounds. But another New Year’s Resolution is to stick to a budget! A third New Year’s resolution is to keep things simple. That’s means I’m not going to pay for a gym membership that I will barely use, I will take exercise seriously, but I’m not spending half the day doing it. What I have been doing lately is a combo of cardio on my elliptical machine at home, along with a series of DIY workouts I’ve cobbled together from my new favorite hangout Pinterest. I’ve actually been doing twice-daily workouts of at minimum, 25 minutes, and usually max 40 mins.

I really don’t have a lot of time (or money) I can spare right now, so this works for me.

So far, this method, along with eating healthier, keeping a food diary and counting calories I’ve been able to drop about 5 pounds since the beginning of the year. Yaaay!!

So here’s what I do:

In the morning I do ONE of the following workouts:

Level 2 or 3 of Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred – It’s like 22 minutes of P90X or Insanity but it’s less reps, without all the screaming…and like $200 cheaper.

OR I do a combo of one of the following workouts for 25 minutes:

Then in the evening, when I get back from work, I “wind down” by watching one of my favorite shows for 30 mins straight on the elliptical machine going at a moderate pace, or, if I have the energy, rolling hills or intervals.

That’s it! I’ve been doing this method at least 5 times a week since December and right now it’s working for me, because I totally have exercise ADD. I get bored easily, and I really need to mix things up in order to stay motivated. Also, even when the workout gets hard, I keep going, cuz I’m like “It’s only 20 minutes, come on!” I happen to already have free weights and an elliptical machine), but if you’re really on a tight budget, just start by doing one of the calisthenic workouts above.

But GET MOVING!

My goal is to lose 20 pounds by July. Wanna see my before pictures?

Nope. Not gonna happen. Nice try though.

For more workout ideas, check out my Workout Page on Pinterest. (Check back often, I find new stuff all the time!)

My gear:

Eco Workout Mat

Free Weights

Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred
Elliptical Machine

What’s your budget DIY workout?

(Oh, and if you want to join Pinterest, just leave me a comment below with your email address, and I’ll send you an invite!)

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Savvy’s Banana Almond Java Breakfast Smoothie

Savvy — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:14:44 +0000

I was in a hurry the other morning and lamented the fact that I really wanted a smoothie for breakfast. I also hadn’t gotten much sleep and I really needed some coffee, and then this happened…

Savvy’s Banana Almond Java Breakfast Smoothie

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brewed coffee (cooled)
1/2 large banana
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tbsp almond butter
3 tbsp Amaretto flavored creamer (or whatever you favorite flavored creamer is)
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
handful of ice

Throw everything in the blender (ice first) and let the magic happen.

This makes a really filling breakfast that gives me enough energy to get to lunch without a snack sometimes! If you don’t want the caffeine, don’t add the coffee and it still tastes great!

cal: 385; protein: 8g; carbs: 46g

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12 Ways to Fight the Holiday Crazies

Savvy — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:30:20 +0000

Don’t let the holidays make you crazy, broke or gain 30 pounds. That’s just putting more pressure on those New Year’s Resolutions you never keep. Here’s 12 ways to stay sane this holiday season with out breaking the bank, (or your cousin’s arm).

Shop online – There’s absolutely no reason to stand online for hours on end and fight the holiday crowds anymore. Not when just about everything we own can be ordered online. So save yourself the headache and cybershop this season. You easily find coupons for kinds of items at sites like Retail Me Not, Coupon Cabin, Current Codes, DealCatcher
Regift – Got a gift from someone already that doesn’t suit you but would be perfect for a co-worker? Regift! The only time this is not a good idea, when the original giver is present when you make the exchange.
Gift Cards – Have and uncle that needs everything but wants nothing? Yep. Time for a gift car. Some of the most generic to choose from are at Amazon. Check out Savvy Amazon Gift Cardsfor simple, last-minute gift giving.
Gift Yourself first – Don’t go crazy with this one. But don’t forget about yourself this holiday season. And it doesn’t need to be a physical gift either. How about getting a massage after a day of shopping? Or giving your self a facial and a bubble bath the evening before you visit the family.
Just Walk Away – Only friends and family can drive us that special brand of crazy. Don’t participate in negative behavior from attention seeking people. Walk away from arguments, ignorant, mean and (especially) drunk people. It’s not worth it and the anger alone will take years off your life. The best revenge? Live longer.
New Year’s Cards – Many of my friends and clients don’t celebrate Christmas, and I got tired of running around like a crazy person trying to get Christmas cards out in time. Now I just send out little notes that say “Happy New Year” and I mail them all the first week of January. much.less.stressful.
Get Creative – Just because a gift is handmade does NOT mean that it has to look like your child’s 3rd grade art project. (Which is genius by the way!) Use your crafty skills to make some great gifts this season. Knit, crochet, sew, give recipes or even things like cookies in a jar. Not crafty? You can still DIY gifts
Group Host a Party – These tough financial times can really stress you out. But you’ve gotta see your friends right? Well group-host a party, or have a potluck between Thanksgiving and Christmas or between Christmas and New Years so that the “day of” holiday pressure is off.
Eat Smaller Meals – Invited to a bunch of dinner/office parties? Don’t wanna go broke? Don’t want to gain 40 pounds over the holidays? Order smaller portions at dinner like a side dish or an appetizer. And drink a TON of water. Better yet. Eat dinner at home before hand and make your favorite low-cal dessert for yourself when you get home.
Get Sleep – This really is of vital importance to keep your immune system running at its optimal best. It’s a great way to handle stress, so if you’re not at a party, then get some rest, so that you can be.
Workout – Don’t wait until the New Year to get fit. This is the best stress reliever ever. What I’ve been doing is squeezing in two 20 minute workouts a day for no longer than 20 minutes. I workout with Jillian Michaels in the AM, then after work, I hop on my elliptical machine and watch one of my favorite shows. I can’t seem to spare an hour in my day, but 20 minutes I can do.
Volunteer - Don’t cook. Don’t clean. Don’t worry about your dad putting the silver-edged wedding china in the microwave (ahem). Go out and help someone else, and then catch up with friends or family later for a quick visit.

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DIY Winter Foodie Masks

Savvy — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:20:24 +0000

When the temperature drops, I tend tend to drink less water, (because I’m cold!) and my skin suffers. So I’ve gone back to my weekly facial routine, and it’s really helped a lot. My favorite part of the pampering ritual is the mask. It always leaves my face feeling so refreshed, even Sexy noticed a difference! Below are three of my favorites:

Bentonite Clay and Oil Mask

1 heaping tbsp of Bentonite Clay
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp of olive, coconut OR Jojoba Oil

Mix until well blended into a smooth creamy paste, apply to whole face and neck. Leave on for 30 mins. Use a warm wet washcloth to remove.
Honey and Spice Mask

2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp teaspoon of nutmeg

Mix into a brown thick paste. Apply the mask to your face and neck. Leave on for 30 mins. Wash it off with warm water, scrubbing softly in circular motion for exfoliation. (Note: I wouldn’t exfoliate before doing this mask, the nutmeg will exfoliate on it’s own and you don’t want to over do it!)

Honey-Mayo Mask

1 tbsp raw honey warmed up in water
1 tbsp mayonaise

Put the honey in a glass or ceramic dish into a pot with just enough water to cover the bottom of the dish. (The bowl shouldn’t float!) Let the water heat up until the honey turns almost clear and is smooth. Carefully remove the bowl with tongs or an oven mitt and let cool for 1 minute before mixing with the mayonnaise. The mixture will be opaque and creamy like icing. Apply to face and neck and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Wipe off with a warm washcloth.

Benefits:

Honey is an excellent antioxidant and moisturizer, and is very gently so it’s excellent for sensitive skin!

Mayonaise has both protein (egg) and oils (olive oil) which thirsty skin just drinks up and helps revitalize skin cells.

Cinnamon is excellent for blood flow, and brings blood to the surface of the skin, plumping it. It should never be applied raw, because it’s strong, it should always be mixed with a carrier such as live oil or honey.

Nutmeg is a natural anti-inflammatory and has been used for years in the treatment of acne. Also should not be applied alone, but with a carrier such as honey or oil.

Bentonite Clay (also known as Montmorillonite) is an edible clay from naturally occurring volcanic ash sediments, and contains over 70 trace minerals. It has a myriad of skin benefits, and I wrote a post last year about how I use Bentonite clay in my hair. On the skin, Bentonite clay draws impurities to the surface so that they can be removed from the body. (Note: Some people may see more pimples after their first Bentonite clay mask. As long as your skin is not stinging or burning, the clay is working properly! Your skin is reacting to the toxins being pulled out of it, don’t worry, it will calm down after a couple of uses).

The best things about all of these recipes is that you can easily find most of the ingrediens in your kitchen for free!

Buy Bentonite Clay here.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a qualified dermataologist. Please check with your doctor before trying any of the above recipes to make sure you are not allergic to any of the ingredients.

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Sweet Vegan Cornbread

Savvy — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:20:55 +0000

I’m always looking for recipes that can make enough to last more than one day, something vegan for Sexy, or can be eaten over more than one meal. This is all three! I adapted this from a recipe I found on allrecipes. This corn bread isn’t dessert sweet, but it’s definitely not bland either. Now, some purists might say that corn bread should never be sweet.

I disagree.

But, for those of you who subscribe to that point of view, feel free to decrease the sugar in this recipe.

Sweet Vegan Cornbread Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal (I like the real stone ground stuff, not Quakers)
3/4 cup turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1.5tsp Ener-G egg replacer plus 2 tbsp of warm water*
1 cup soy milk or almond milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray or grease a 9 inch round cake pan or cast iron skillet (I like using my mom’s old skillet for this!)
In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder.
Ina small bowl pour warm water into egg replacer and stir until well blended and thick (like batter)
Stir egg substitute mixture, milk and vegetable oil into dry ingredients until well combined.(Don’t over mix! The batter will be a little lumpy) Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

I enjoy eating a small slice of this bread solo for breakfast with a dab of butter and preserves, or even in the afternoon as a snack with tea. I think I’ll whip up a batch Thanksgiving morning, so I won’t be tempted to take a slice out of the pie before dinner!

*You could also use 1 egg for a non-vegan version

• What’s your favorite corn bread recipe?

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Simple Vegetarian Stuffed Pepper Recipe

Savvy — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:38:21 +0000

This is a great weeknight dish to make and is simpler than you think! It’s basically a rice and bean dish served in bell peppers. The whole thing takes little over an hour to make, and only 35 minutes if you’re using pre-cooked rice!

Simple Vegetarian Stuffed Pepper Recipe

Ingredients

1 can of black beans
1 jar of chunky salsa (any heat, I prefer medium)
1 can corn
1 1/2 cups brown rice
3 cups vegetable broth
1 med onion chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp dried cilantro or 2 tbsps fresh
8 small bell peppers (any color)

Directions

In a large saucepan cook onion and garlic in hot oil over medium heat about 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in broth. Bring to boiling, then add uncooked rice, oregano, black pepper, salt, and paprika. Simmer, covered, about 40 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat and stir in all the rest of the ingredients except for the peppers.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice tops off of the bell peppers and remove and discard seeds. In a 3-quart rectangular baking dish, arrange peppers in a single layer. Spoon rice mixture into sweet peppers; place pepper tops back on top. Pour about a 1/2 cup of water into the bottom of the dish, and bake, covered lightly with foil about 30 minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender and rice mixture is well heated.

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Moist Vegan Banana Bread

Savvy — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:31:33 +0000

I found this recipe over at Post Punk Kitchen (love her!) It comes out really moist and yummy and Sexy can’t get enough of the stuff. The only change I made is I used Earth Balance vegan shortening instead of margarine. This is a great way to get rid of those spotted bananas on your kitchen counter.

I swear you won’t care that there’s no butter or eggs in this!

Vegan Banana Bread Recipe
(From Post Punk Kitchen)

Ingredients

1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup margarine, at room temp
3 very ripe bananas, mashed well
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup vanilla soy milk, mixed with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla (I was out of this, but it turned out fine)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 8×4 bread pan with non stick cooking spray, or lightly coat with margarine. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Cream together the margarine and sugars. Add bananas, soy milk and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix well. Pour batter into pan. Bake for an hour to an hour 10 minutes, or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes 12 slices.

How do you make your banana bread?

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Yoli’s Green Living and Savvy on DeliciousTV!

Savvy — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 18:34:35 +0000

Last month, my good friend and “green twin” Yoli Ouiya contacted me. She’s one of the new hosts over at DeliciousTV and she wanted to use my kitchen. The kitchen in our Brooklyn brownstone often gets used for shoots and I always love it when other people cook, so of course I accepted. The DeliciousTV folks were nice enough to ask me to do a couple of mini-segments with Yoli too!

This episode you’ll learn how to make Stuffed Zucchni Blossoms with Truffle Oil. (It sounds complicated, but it’s really easy, who knew you could cook with flowers?)

[youtube width="560" height="345"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0Po3BViX-U[/youtube]

In the following episode, you’ll make a really simple and delicious Strawberry Salsa. (I love this recipe!)

[youtube width="560" height="345"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js4wTorammY&feature=related[/youtube]

A BIG thank you to Director/Producer/Editor Betsy Carson and DP/Everything Reggie Hodges, you guys were so much fun!

Check out more fun videos at DeliciousTV.com and DeliciousTV1 their Youtube channel.

As always, find green healthy living lifetstyle tips, discounts and coupons with Yoli at yoliouiya.com

DeliciousTV is a proud supporter of Totallyvegetarian.org, and VeganHotSpot.com

Thanks for watching! Stay tuned for more videos here at SavvyBrown!

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Savvy’s Healthy Ramen Redo Recipe

Savvy — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:15:27 +0000

The packaged ramen soups that you buy are plagued by two health eroding ingredients, high sodium and MSG. Most of that comes from the nasty little flavor packet that they throw in there. With a few little tweaks, and a little research, I was able to use a 95 cent package of ramen noodles, some fresh veggies, some broth and a little miso and make a healthy meal that lasted us all week but cost less than $10 to make. This is also another great use for some of the ingredients used in my Simple Summer Soba Noodle Recipe

Savvy’s Healthy Ramen Redo Recipe

Ingredients:

1 package of ramen noodles
1 medium carrot chopped
2 green onions chopped
2 garlic cloves minced or pressed
4 crimini mushooms chopped
2 Tbsps sesame oil
½ box veggie broth
2 tbsps white miso*
1 tsp chilli powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
¼ cup organic frozen soybeans (optional)

Directions:

Throw out the flavor packet that coms inside of the package (Important!)
Boil water for Ramen
Put noodles in water and let boil on high until soft
While noodles are cooking cut vegetables roughly.
Put the oil in a medium saucepan and sauteé onions and garlic till fragrant
Add vegetables and sauteé for a minute before adding vegetable broth
Continue to cook until vegetables are a little soft
Pour water off of noodles, rinse thoroughly in cold water, set aside
Add cooked noodles to soup
Put in a small bowl
Pour some hot soup broth over the miso paste and stir until dissolved
Add miso mixture to the soup
Let simmer for 10 more minutes (Do not let boil again)

This is the flavor/type of ramen I used. It was 95 cents at the corner store!

Roughly chop veggies

Rinse ramen well, until the water runs clear

Isn’t the cast iron pot my mommy gave me pretty?

2 tbsps white miso

Miso mixed with a bit of broth

Done!

Sometimes I garnish the soup with a sprig of parsley or another few drops of sesame oil. But essentially that’s it. Ramen, unlike western pasta only takes 1-2 minutes to soften in boiling water, so I usually can have this whole meal made in 15 minutes.

*Miso is fermented soybean paste. It should be refrigerated after opening. A little goes a long way, but it’s also very high in sodium, so buse sparingly if you have high-blood pressure.

How do you cook ramen?

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Savvy’s Yummy Blueberry Muffins

Savvy — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:01:45 +0000

The original version of this recipe asked for apples and cinnamon to be added. But since I was out of apples that day. I decided to use what I had on hand…blueberries. I’m so glad I did! As with all muffins I make, I use a larger muffin tin with smaller forms. I get more muffins in a batch, and less calories per serving. I also included some low fat options for you in the ingredients. Enjoy!

Savvy’s Blueberry Muffin Recipe

Ingredients for muffins:

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar (I use turbinado sugar)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used Smart Balance)

1 egg (I used 3 tbsp liquid egg whites)

1/3 cup milk (I used organic lowfat soymilk)

1/2 cup fresh organic blueberries, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup water

Ingredients for topping: (Optional)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, cubed

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease six large or 12 small muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners. (Be sure to grease the whole pan, even the top in between each muffin cup)

Stir together 1 1/2 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt, baking powder and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix in oil, egg, and milk. Add the water bit by bit until the mixture had the consistency of pancake batter.

Fold in blueberries. Use a greased spoon to batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 2/3 of each cup.

FOR TOPPING: In a small bowl, stir together remaining sugar, flour, and butter. Mix together with fork until well blended and sprinkle over unbaked muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick
inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

A regular muffin tin yield’s about 14 muffins, a jumbo tin only yields 6, but you can get 24 muffins out of a mini muffin pan.

You can find items to help you make this recipe in the Savvy Shop:

I love eating one or two of these for breakfast with juice and tea.

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