Weight Loss Recipes

With mouthwatering aromas wafting through the air and tempting treats visible in all directions, the beach boardwalk can easily feel like a diet disaster waiting to happen. Fortunately, with just a little bit of forethought and planning, you can seek out some of the healthier choices like dry-roasted nuts, a single serving of frozen yogurt or even corn on the cob. Plan ahead by knowing what options your boardwalk offers, and by all means, avoid these six worst calorie bombs:

1. Funnel Cake

With more than 700 calories and 40 grams of fat in a single funnel cake, this popular boardwalk treat is close to half of the calories needed in an entire day. The deep-fried batter of funnel cakes is an artery-clogging nightmare. While deep-frying everything from Oreos to Twinkies to even butter (yes, deep-fried butter-on-a-stick is an actual thing) remains an ongoing boardwalk trend, it’s truly best to avoid anything that’s gone into the deep fryer.

Instead of reaching for a deep fried dessert filled with oil, consider making your own healthier versions at home in the air fryer! Click the link below for some tasty recipes:

2. Pizza with Toppings

A lot of people say there’s nothing quite like the taste and smell of boardwalk pizza. But the classically oversized slices doled out on the boardwalk can be upwards of 250 calories—and the more toppings you add on, the more that number climbs. If pizza is your favorite boardwalk indulgence, skip all the toppings or—better yet—opt for a veggie slice. You might be less inclined to indulge knowing that you’d have to swim for a full half hour to burn off just one slice of boardwalk pizza.

3. Fudge

With every candy shop on the boardwalk handing out delicious homemade samples of fudge, it’s easy to get suckered in. But of all the boardwalk candies, fudge is one of your least healthy choices as it’s not only packed with sugar but fatty ingredients like butter. If you must indulge your sweet tooth, a piece or two of salt water taffy is a better choice. You can also make your own freezer fudge at home with our simple guide below:

4. Chili Cheese Fries

Boardwalk fries get a whole lot worse when you start downing them in fat-laden toppings like chili sauce and cheese. Fries are packed with saturated fat and sodium to begin with, but by smothering them in cheese, you’re seriously adding on the fat and calories. If you indulge in a few fries on the boardwalk, split an order with friends and forgo the toppings (with the exception of ketchup). Be sure to also avoid highly battered options such as curly fries.

Pro Tip: Can’t crush your chili cheese fry craving? Use the Chili with Beans from Nutrisystem to make this lightened-up Loaded Chili Cheese Fries recipe at home! >

5. Cheesesteaks

A typical cheesesteak sub sandwich, even without all the toppings, is more than 700 calories. If you’re on the boardwalk for lunch or dinner and craving a sandwich, most of the grills do have healthier choices like grilled chicken or even a variety of wraps. While a greasy cheesesteak might be tempting, even an hour of jogging isn’t going to burn off all those calories.

Make a cheesesteak healthier with this delicious Nutrisystem-approved recipe! >

6. Sugary Beverages

It’s important to mention that drinks tend to be one of the sneakiest diet wreckers out there. It’s easy to slurp down the calories without even realizing your calorie intake—particularly when you’re walking on the boardwalk on a very hot day. While a small soft drink is around 150 calories, the monster-sizes on the boardwalk tend to skew things a bit. What’s considered a “small” might actually hold more than a single can of soda. In addition, you can expect that a boardwalk lemonade is going to have a lot more sugar than the kind you might drink at home.

It’s always best to drink water, but unsweetened iced tea or a real fruit smoothie can also quench your thirst without packing on the calories. Before reaching for a drink, be sure to check out these six must-follow rules for choosing your beverages! >

*Calorie estimates calculated via the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Nutrient Database. Note that boardwalk varieties may vary in nutrition content.

The post The 6 Worst Calorie Bombs on the Boardwalk appeared first on The Leaf.

from The Leaf https://leaf.nutrisystem.com/the-6-worst-calorie-bombs-at-the-boardwalk/

Fresh cucumber salad is a hallmark of summer picnics and backyard barbecues for many of us. Just-picked, thinly sliced cukes marinated with onions in a vinegar dressing sounds as delicious as it is nutritious! With warm weather and sunshine season upon us, cucumber recipes are a low-cal, refreshing and surprisingly healthy way to get in your daily veggie servings.

Powerhouses of Nutrients, Electrolytes, and Hydration

Did you know that cucumbers are about 96 percent H2O? Of course, with all that water they’re definitely hydrating! Keeping up your fluid intake is essential for health and weight loss, particularly during the heat of the summer. Water also keeps your joints lubricated and gives you energy.¹

However, cucumbers are more than just crunchy water. With cukes, you also get nutrients like magnesium, potassium and vitamins C and K. If you don’t peel and seed them, you also get fiber and beta-carotene. According to one study, cucumber seeds are loaded with calcium.²

Bonus: Cukes contain two plant chemicals, lignans and cucurbitacins, that may guard against certain cancers.²

Surprising Fun Fact: Cucumbers, like tomatoes, are actually a fruit!

Easy Cucumber Recipes For Fresh Summer Meals

Time to add some more cucumber recipes to your repertoire, particularly if you have a surplus from your backyard garden! Here are 20 easy cucumber recipes you’re going to enjoy guilt-free all summer long.

1. Greek Orzo Summer Salad >

Whole wheat orzo—a rice-shaped pasta—makes the perfect base for healthy pasta salad recipes when paired with fresh summer veggies like cucumber. In this version, we add cucumbers, tomatoes and onions for a totally refreshing summer salad that will make you pass up mayonnaise-y potato salad every time. It’s dressed with a piquant lemon dressing made of lemon juice, zest, olive oil and black pepper.  The longest step of this recipe is waiting for the orzo to cook. One serving is 276 calories and counts as one Smart Carb, half of a PowerFuel, one Extra and one Vegetable serving. Click here for the full recipe! >

2. Blackened Tilapia with Cucumber Avocado Topping >

Cucumbers shine in the creamy avocado salsa that tops this light, flaky fish dinner. Tilapia is coated in a dry-rub seasoning made from paprika, cayenne, thyme, oregano, garlic, onion powder and black pepper. Sautéed in light butter, it’s capped with the refreshing salsa that combines chopped cucumber, red onions, avocado and lime juice. The recipe makes four servings at 210 calories each. One serving counts as one PowerFuel and two Extras. Click here for the full recipe! >

3. 4-Ingredient Deli Cucumber Sandwich >

Cucumber takes the place of bread so you can have two whole deli sandwiches for lunch! Spread with a wedge of cheese and topped with deli meat, it’s a low-carb and low-calorie lunch that you’ll want to make every day. One serving is only 108 calories and counts as one PowerFuel, one Extra and one Vegetable. You can also feel free to get creative with this one and make different types of cucumber sandwich recipes with different toppings. Click here for the full recipe! >

4. Sushi Tuna Tower > 

Restaurant and store-bought sushi can hide loads of calories. Making your own keeps it light and healthy. This creative take on sushi turns it into a tower with all of your favorite ingredients. Tower construction is easy: Start with a sweet and savory mango-cuke mixture, followed by chopped sushi-grade tuna, avocado and spicy brown rice. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before flipping it over and serving with a sprinkling of black sesame seeds. This dish for sophisticated palates can be served over veggie noodles, a salad or eaten as is for only 295 calories. On Nutrisystem it counts as one SmartCarb, one PowerFuel and two Extras. Click here for the full recipe! >

5. 3-Ingredient Spicy Cucumber Snacks >

Did we have you at “3-Ingredient?” This may be one of the easiest cucumber snack recipes for weight loss! Partially peel a cucumber, slice it into sticks and dust each one with chili lime seasoning and Pink Himalayan salt. Eat. It’s that simple and delish! One serving is only 40 calories and counts as one unlimited Vegetable on Nutrisystem. Click here for the full recipe! >

6. Sesame Soy Cucumber Salad >

Invest in a low-cost spiralizer—you won’t be sorry! It makes veggie pasta swaps that are great if you’re trying to cut carbs or calories. Try making cucumber noodle recipes made with English cucumbers (no seeds). We did and combined them with red bell peppers and red onions for this easy salad. Top these veggies with a homemade dressing made from sesame oil, rice vinegar, reduced sodium soy sauce, red chili flakes and a couple of drops of stevia. A sprinkle of sesame seeds adorns this 49-calorie side dish that counts as one Vegetable and one Extra on Nutrisystem. Click here for the full recipe! >

7. Tomato, Cucumber and Mint Mediterranean Salad >

This cool-as-a-cucumber salad makes four servings. However, at 34 calories per serving, you could eat all four without sabotaging your weight loss! Plus, it’s so easy to make: toss together this mélange of sliced cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions and mint. Topped with a tasty homemade lemon dressing, one serving counts as one Vegetable on the Nutrisystem plan. It’s one of the best cucumber salad recipes! Click here for the full recipe! >

8. Asian Cashew and Farro Salad >

If you’ve never had it, farro is a nutty, chewy form of wheat that’s super versatile. Combined with deshelled cooked edamame, coleslaw mix, shredded purple cabbage, chopped green onion and cucumbers, it’s the perfect summer side dish. Dress it up with a mixture of soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, olive oil and garlic powder, then sprinkle with some cashews and black sesame seeds. It counts as one SmartCarb, one PowerFuel, one Vegetable and one Extra. Click here for the full recipe! >

9. Quinoa Cucumber Salad >

If you like tabbouleh—the Middle Eastern grain salad with cukes, lemon, parsley and mint—you’ll love this take that substitutes quinoa for the classic bulgur. Salad ingredients include diced cucumber, chilled cooked quinoa, red onion, mint and roughly chopped fresh parsley. It’s dressed lightly with a mixture of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lime juice and black pepper. One serving is 262 calories and counts as one SmartCarb, one and a half Vegetables and two and a half Extras on Nutrisystem. Click here for the full recipe! >

10. Deli Meat Lunch Kebabs >

This lunch recipe turns deli meat and other savory ingredients into simple skewers which are way more fun to eat than a plain old sandwich.  You can choose your favorite low-salt deli meats (chicken, turkey, ham or roast beef) and alter a few ingredients—add pickles if you don’t like black olives, for example—to suit your taste. The recipe starts with four slices of deli meat, which you thread on a skewer with cheese cubes, thick slices of romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, black olives, cucumber slices and pieces of whole wheat pita bread. Your lunch (two skewers!) clocks in at only 253 calories and counts as one SmartCarb, two PowerFuels and one Extra. Click here for the full recipe! >

11. Zesty Cucumber and Dill Salad > 

This new take on the old picnic standard will become one of your go-tos. It’s so easy to make! A chopped seedless cucumber marinates for four hours in a dressing of white vinegar, fresh parsley, chopped fresh fill, minced garlic and salt. You’ll taste that zesty dressing in every bite. Minimal calories for one tasty Vegetable serving. Click here for the full recipe! >

12. 5-Star Cucumber Dill Dip >

If this reminds you of Greek tzatziki sauce, that’s because it has the same ingredients: plain Greek yogurt, chopped cucumber, dill, garlic and lemon juice. It makes a wonderful low-cal (73.5 calories per serving) dip for crackers or crudité, a spread for sandwiches or even a topping that turns a plain broiled chicken breast into something more delicious. One serving counts as half of a PowerFuel. Click here for the full recipe! >

13. Veggie Delight Bagel Breakfast Sandwich >

Start your morning off right with this tasty sandwich chockfull of veggies. It’s made with a Nutrisystem Honey Wheat Bagel topped with fat-free cream cheese, sliced cucumbers and raw bell peppers. It has the right amount of chew, creaminess and crunch to satisfy every savory breakfast lover. One is only 184 calories and counts as one Nutrisystem Breakfast, half of a Vegetable serving and one Extra. Click here for the full recipe! >

14. Greek Shredded Chicken Nachos >

Giving nachos the Greek treatment is perfection! You’ll make some pita chips from three pieces of whole wheat pita bread, which you’ll top with shredded cooked chicken and feta cheese. Just bake it to melt the cheese a little. Finally, top these tasty nachos with cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, chopped red onion, fresh parsley, tzatziki dip and sliced black olives. The recipe makes six servings, each clocking in at 175 calories. It counts as one SmartCarb, on PowerFuel and one Extra. Click here for the full recipe! >

15. Cauliflower Rice Sushi Bowl >

Use the seafood of your choice in this recipe (which calls for imitation crabmeat) but stick with the many crunchy veggies: This healthy dinner bowl contains Persian cucumbers, avocados, carrots, edamame and scallion over riced cauliflower. Dressed in a combo of light mayonnaise and sriracha, plus a sprinkling of sesame seeds, this is one satisfying meal which clocks in at 317 calories and counts as two PowerFuels, two Extras and two Vegetables. Click here for the full recipe! >

16. Mediterranean Avocado Toast >

World’s easiest brunch—for you and a friend or partner—or just an extra special breakfast, this take on avocado toast starts with two slices of whole wheat bread. Of course, you add a schmear of creamy avocado, but then you top with thin slices of cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped Kalamata olives, reduced fat feta cheese, dried oregano and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes if you want a little more bite to your breakfast. One slice is 205 calories and counts as one SmartCarb one PowerFuel and two Extras. Click here for the full recipe! >

Sesame Avocado Toast! >

17. Crab Stuffed Cucumber Cups >

Cucumber serves as the vessel for a delicious crab salad made from crab (of course!) mixed with lemon juice, light mayonnaise, minced cilantro and diced red onion. Place mixture into the scooped out center of one-inch cucumber slices. It contains 150 calories per serving, plus 17 grams of satisfying protein. This tasty lunch, dinner or party appetizer counts as one PowerFuel, two Vegetables and one Extra. Click here for the full recipe! >

Check out these other delicious cucumber cup recipe ideas:

• Shrimp Cucumber Bites >
• Pom-Cheesy Cucumber Bites >
• Herbed Goat Cheese Cucumber Cups >
• Mediterranean Cucumber Cups >
• Smoked Salmon Cucumber Cups >

18. Easy Melon Prosciutto Skewers >

This warm weather appetizer is cute, colorful and creative. Easy Melon Prosciutto Skewers are simple to make and feature a unique sweet and salty flavor combo. Fresh melon cubes and slices of prosciutto are stacked onto toothpicks with cucumber slices, fresh basil and mozzarella balls for an easy no-bake appetizer. Click here for the full recipe! >

19. Mediterranean Panzanella Salad >

Cucumbers are a staple for summer salad recipes, including this diet-friendly Panzanella Salad that packs in the nutrition and flavor. In addition to crunchy cukes, it also has artichoke hearts and shredded rotisserie chicken for plenty of fiber and protein. The homemade vinaigrette will definitely become a go-to staple for all of your side salads. Click here for the full recipe! >

20. Mason Jar Greek Salad >

Summer meal prep is made easy and delicious with this perfect, refreshing and healthy lunch idea. Featuring crisp veggies like cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and onions, plus Greek salad staples like olives, chickpeas and feta cheese, this Mason Jar Greek Salad is made for grabbing and going on the way out the door. Click here for the full recipe! >

Sources:

1. https://snap-ed.michiganfitness.org/wp-content/uploads/cucumbers-family-newsletter-2016.pdf
2. https://www.livescience.com/51000-cucumber-nutrition.html

The post 20 Crisp and Cool Cucumber Recipes for Summer appeared first on The Leaf.

from The Leaf https://leaf.nutrisystem.com/cucumber-recipes-for-summer/

You know to pass on a late-night latte if you have any intention of falling asleep at a reasonable time. You’re also pretty good about limiting yourself to one episode on Netflix, instead of binge-watching into the wee hours of the night. However, what you may not realize is that there are plenty of other sneaky habits in your nighttime routine that could be standing in the way of restful sleep.

A consistent sleep schedule and getting good sleep is important for lots of reasons: According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, it helps to keep your body healthy and mind refreshed. It improves mood, reduces stress and decreases your risk for health issues like diabetes and heart disease. Plus, it can even help you keep your weight loss on track. To get the most out of your shuteye, make sure you avoid these six sleep-sabotaging habits!

1. You Facebook before bed.

You intend a quick check but end up in a rabbit hole of posts and pictures. Not only will you lose much-needed sleep to endless scrolling but the mere act of tapping through your smartphone to scan social media or logging onto your laptop to send a late-night email keeps your brain on high alert and your body wide-awake. Plus, the light from the screen may also hinder the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps you get a more restful sleep. “Blue light can also reduce the amount of time you spend in slow-wave and rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep, two stages of the sleep cycle that are vital for cognitive functioning,” says the National Sleep Foundation.

Reduce your screen time by unplugging from all electronics at least an hour before bed—including the TV. According to the National Sleep Foundation, “The hour before bed should consist of relaxing activities that don’t involve devices with screens.

2. You skip your workout.

Regular physical activity not only helps you fall asleep more quickly but it also plunges you into deeper slumber for a longer period of time. According to Sleep.org, “People who get the recommended amount of exercise are 65 percent less likely to feel drowsy during the day. That may be because exercisers fall asleep faster, sleep longer, and have higher-quality shut-eye than non-exercisers.”

One very important caveat: don’t work up a sweat too close to bedtime. Intense exercise can raise your core body temperature and trigger the release of hormones that make it harder to unwind and drift off to dreamland, says The Better Sleep Council. Save the heavy-duty exercise for at least four hours before bed; closer to snooze-time, stick to yoga or stretching.

Boost weight loss and improve your slumber with this before-bed exercise routine! >

3. You eat dinner late.

Sometimes you can’t help it: a never-ending work meeting, unexpected traffic or extra innings at your kid’s baseball game may set your evening meal back. Eating a big dinner right before bed could leave you tossing and turning with indigestion and heartburn as your body works to digest your food—particularly if it’s heavy or spicy, says the National Sleep Foundation. Ideally, The Better Sleep Council recommends trying to eat two to three hours before you go bed. If unforeseen circumstances delay dinner, keep your last meal light.

4. You sleep in on weekends.

Grabbing extra ZZZ’s certainly seems like a smart idea. However, doing so may actually mess with your sleep cycle. Of all the advice you hear and read, the most important is to stick to a sleep schedule. That means going to bed the same time every night and getting up the same hour every morning—even on weekends. “Being consistent reinforces your body’s sleep-wake cycle,” says Mayo Clinic. So, how much sleep do you really need? The National Sleep Foundation recommends seven to nine hours each night for adults and seven to eight hours for older adults (65 or older).

5. You sip a nightcap with the evening news.

Alcohol may make you tired, but a glass or two of wine won’t help you sleep soundly. The effects of alcohol on sleep are well known. Research shows that drinking alcohol before bed keeps you from reaching the deep, restorative stages of sleep, says TheSleepDoctor.com. Instead, patterns will more closely resemble a resting state, resulting in waking up tired and bleary-eyed. TheSleepDoctor.com recommends avoiding alcohol within three hours of bedtime.

6. You lay awake in bed.

You fluff and re-fluff your pillow, adjust and readjust your blankets and get all kinds of frustrated. If this happens a lot, you may start to associate your bed with anxiety and not being asleep. “It helps to have a healthy mental connection between being in bed and actually being asleep.  For that reason, if after 20 minutes you haven’t gotten to sleep, get up and stretch, read, or do something else calming in low light before trying to fall asleep again.” says the National Sleep Foundation.

The post How to Get Better Sleep: 6 Habits That Are Disrupting Your Sleep Cycle appeared first on The Leaf.

from The Leaf https://leaf.nutrisystem.com/how-to-get-better-sleep/