Light & Healthy Tuna Melt

When choosing your tuna for this recipe stick with albacore "the king of tuna" packed in water.

Your taste buds will not be disappointed with this lightened version of the classic tuna melt. While traditional tuna melts are packed with hidden fat, this recipe uses low fat ingredients while packing the same great flavor.

Yield: 4 servings

• 1 (6-oz.) can water packed solid white tuna, drained, flaked
• 3/4 cup chopped celery 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel, if desired
• 1/3 cup fat-free mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 4 whole wheat English muffins, split, lightly toasted
• 8 slices tomato
• 4 oz. (1 cup) shredded reduced-fat cheddar or Monterey jack cheese

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. In medium bowl, combine tuna, celery, onion, lemon peel and mayonnaise; mix well. Spread about 3 tablespoons tuna mixture on each English muffin half. Top each with tomato slice; sprinkle with cheese. Place on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 f. for 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and sandwiches are thoroughly heated.

Nutritional Analysis:
One serving (2 open faced sandwiches) equals 280 calories, 7g fat, 31 carbohydrates and 23g protein.

Mindful Eating

Think twice before you eat!

We all eat for different reasons. For some of us it offers comfort. Others simply eat because the food is there, in immediate reach. Whatever your eating pattern is, don't let your weight get out of control - think before you eat.

Mindful Wisdom: there are so many reasons why we all struggle with food. Many of the reasons stem from how our mind is programmed; the way we've been raised and the way we feel on any given day. It is liberating to understand that the struggle is not just because we can be bad when it comes to eating well.

Mindful Action: keep small and balanced meals on hand. Don't let yourself starve or you'll pay the heavy price of slowing your metabolism. Divert your thoughts to something other than food when the 'hunger of the eye' emerges. Remember: we eat to live, not live to eat!

For more help on eating well and losing weight, click here

Great Grain Burger

If you have gone out for a burger lately then you may have noticed a healthy new trend that's not just for vegetarians anymore. It's the meatless burger. These days you can order a meatless burger almost anywhere, but beware that not all healthy patties are created equal. The best ones are made from scratch from fresh ingredients, like the recipe below.

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
• 1/2 cup uncooked bulgur (Look for bulgur in the cereal, rice or organic food aisle of your grocery store)
• 1 tablespoon salt-free seasoning blend
• 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups finely chopped mushrooms
• 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/8 teaspoon celery seed
• 3 teaspoons canola oil, divided
• 12 sandwich rolls
• Lettuce leaves and tomato

Instructions

In a sauce pan, combine the first five ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat; cool completely. Refrigerate.
In a large bowl, combine the mushrooms, oats, mozzarella cheese and onion. In a blender or food processor, process cottage cheese and egg substitute until smooth. Add mushroom mixture. Stir in the parsley, salt, basil, celery seed and chilled rice mixture.

Shape 1/2 cupfuls into patties. In a nonstick skillet, cook four patties in 1 teaspoon of oil for 5 minutes on each side or until lightly browned and crisp. Repeat with remaining patties and oil. Serve on rolls with lettuce and tomato if desired.

Nutritional Analysis: One cooked patty equals 126 calories, 4g fat, 15g carbohydrate, 7g protein.

You CAN have Amazing Abs: Learn How

So you want to narrow your waist, flatten your abs and become the envy of all your friends, right? Of course you do - who doesn't?

Well, here is yet another reason to get flat abs: recent studies suggest that an excess of fat deposits around the abdominal region significantly contributes to the risk of heart disease, diabetes and other life-threatening conditions.

Whether your motivation for attaining great abs is rooted in the health benefits or, more likely, in looking phenomenal then this is one newsletter you simply must read all the way through.
Why is it that so many people wish they had great abs, but never attain it?

Contrary to popular belief, doing millions of crunches will not sculpt your abs. While there is a time and a place to use the beloved crunch in your waist slimming effort, this alone will not create the body of your dreams. The key to creating an enviable midsection lies in your ability to effectively challenge your abdominal muscles.

The "crunch" movement only targets your upper abdominal muscles, the ones found between your rib cage and belly button. Imagine you are doing a crunch - better yet, get down and do one - notice where you feel the burn. Those are your upper abs.

To effectively sculpt your waist, focus on strengthening your upper, lower and side abdominal muscles. In order to achieve an overall look of symmetry your flat abs routine should consist of at least one exercise for each portion of your midsection.

A surefire way to kick up the intensity, and thus the results, of your abdominal workout is to add resistance training. By working your midsection against resistance you open up the possibility for greater muscle stimulation which equals greater results. You can do this by using a medicine ball, cable machine, elastic band or dumbbell.Oh yeah, just one more thing...in order to show off your breathtaking abs they need to come out of hiding.

This means burning off the layer of fat. (No matter how big or small it may be.) The following two pronged approach works every time:

First, consistent cardiovascular exercise is needed to burn off stored energy. Follow these three tips to ensure your success:

1. Choose an aerobic exercise that uses major muscle groups such as walking, jogging, swimming, or biking.
2. Find an exercise that you enjoy. This will make it easy for you to stick with it.
3. Make sure that you are exercising aerobically for at least 30-60 minutes three times a week. However, feel free to do it longer and more frequently.

Second, to uncover your abdominal muscles we have to discuss....your eating habits. I'm sorry to say it, but the food that you put in your mouth will surely have an effect on the size and shape of your waist. Use these three pointers to slash fat:

1. Eat small meals frequently throughout the day and avoid overeating.
2. Processed foods should be kept to a minimum or avoided completely.
3. Load up on vegetables and lean meat before partaking in grains or starches.

There you have it - your plan for awesome abs. Do you have questions about the information presented in this newsletter? Or how would you like to slim down just in time for the holidays?
I am here to help. My passion is coaching people just like you to achieve their goals.
Contact me today - or click here to get Nordine's Total Abs, Hips and Glutes Plan. I look forward to hearing from you.