Your Fabulous Fruit of the Month from Fitness Elements!

Anything but Ordinary! Another Great Recipe....
From Fitness Elements!

Featuring the Fruit of the Month, Avocado!

Tuna Pasta Salad w/ Avocado

A cornucopia of flavors changes a regular salad into more than a meal.

This is one of our own Fruits & Veggies—More Matters® recipes. It meets the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s strict nutrition guidelines as a healthy recipe.

Category: Main Dishes

Think Variety; Think Color:

Preparation time: 30-60 minutes

Serves: 4

Cups of Fruits and Vegetables per Serving: ½

Ingredients:

2 cups pasta shells
¼ cup bottled fat-free Italian dressing
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoons red pepper flakes, crushed
1 6-oz. can water-packed tuna, drained and flaked
¾ cup diced tomatoes
½ ripe avocado, diced
¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons black olives, chopped
4 green leaf lettuce leaves

In a large saucepan, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain, then rinse briefly under cold water. Drain. In a small bowl, combine the Italian dressing, basil, garlic, and crushed red pepper. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, tuna, tomato, avocado, red onion, and olives. Add the dressing and toss until evenly coated. Line plates with the lettuce leaves and spoon the salad on top.

Each serving provides: An excellent source of vitamin A, folate, and a good source of vitamin C, magnesium, potassium and fiber.

Credit: Recipe courtesy of Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH). This recipe meets PBH and Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) nutrition standards that maintain fruits and vegetables as healthy foods.

Nutritional Information per Serving
Calories: 295	Carbohydrates: 41g
Total Fat: 6.4g	Cholesterol: 18mg
Saturated Fat: 1.1g	Dietary Fiber: 5g
% of Calories from Fat: 19%	Sodium: 363mg
Protein: 18g P.S. You Really can't beat a Great tasting Avocado and if you need any Recipes or links to websites and tools to start Your Healthy Cooking days just ask Your Fitness & Nutrition Expert Natalie Pyles to help You out! You can always Win your way thin with a Strong strategic plan at hand!! 480-212-1947 or fitnesselementsexpress@yahoo.com for Your FREE Nutritional Consultation today!!

In the Mood Foods for Valentines Day from Fitness Elements!

"In the Mood" Foods

Since Aphrodite, Greek Goddess of Love, appeared on the scene in mythology, modern-day diners have been trying to bring her back to the dinner table. We can help.

The Foods of Love

Dating back to the Aztecs, a sultry rumor existed that certain foods could either increase sex drive or enhance fertility. According to the buzz-kills at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, sampling chocolate, oysters, and asparagus might make you feel more amorous, but it won't do a thing for your sex drive. Myths and legends aside, we choose to believe that you can make a little magic with a mouthwatering recipe. Why not try a few using these alleged aphrodisiac foods and see what happens?

Next: Chocolate >

Give it a shot what do you have to Lose You never know about Food Myths it Never hurt to be a little Mystical!! Enjoy Yourself this Year Lots of Love from Your Fitness and Nutrition Expert Natalie Pyles!

Magic Movement Love Spells from Fitness Elements!

Free Magic Movement Love Spell Tips from Your Fitness & Nutrition Expert!

Valentine Hearts
the universal symbol of love

Experience Exercise and Eating this Year try and Enjoying the Magic of Movement...

Try getting into the FLOW of a Healthier and Fitter You instead of Using Force and adding more stress to Your Life remember Exercise and Eating should make You Feel Fabulous not down if it doesn't enhance Your life and seem Sustainable then something is seriously Wrong!!

P.S. Fitness Elements is always here to help You in any way possible just ask us how to determine whats Right for You! Remember Fitness comes in all Shapes and Sizes the important Secret is to Keep the Magic of Movement Alive at all Times!!

Super Bowl Makeover Secrets from Fitness Elements!

Tailgating Menus Seem to be a great Hit!!

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Feed the Crowd

Football season is here again, and with it comes one of our favorite food experiences: tailgating. We've put together four great menus to satisfy any hungry group of sports (or grill) fans. All the salads and desserts can be made a day or two ahead, and everything else will cook right on the grill, whether it's in a stadium parking lot or your own backyard. Make a full menu, or mix and match; either way you'll be well fed and ready to root for your team.

NextBarbecue Menu

What a Great time of Year to Share Food tips, recipes, games and some Outdoor bonding before, after and during the Game! Enjoy these suggestions from your Fitness & Nutrition Expert Natalie Pyles!!

Having trouble with Creative Veggie ideas? Superb Spaghetti Squash might do the trick this time of Year! Veggie tips from Fitness Elements!

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 3 tablespoons sliced black olives
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Place spaghetti squash cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a sharp knife can be inserted with only a little resistance. Remove squash from oven, and set aside to cool enough to be easily handled.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook only until tomatoes are warm.
4. Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash, and place in a medium bowl. Toss with the sauteed vegetables, feta cheese, olives, and basil. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 147 | Total Fat: 9.8g | Cholesterol: 17mg

P.S. This is a Great treat for the cold weather and You can have soooo much fun with Your Veggies if You just open Your Mind!! I hope this helps from Your Fitness & Nutrition Expert Natalie Pyles!!

10 Top Secrets of Portion Control from Fitness Elements!

10 Top Secrets of Portion Control

So many invisible factors cause us to eat more than we want. Here, easy-to-remember tips for becoming "portion aware."

1. Before Eating, Divide The Plate
   Here’s a simple rule to portion a plate properly: Divide it in half. Automatically fill one side with fruits or vegetables, leaving the rest for equal parts protein and starch. This way, you begin to see what a properly balanced meal looks like. Spaghetti and meatballs? Steak and potatoes? They’re only half a meal, incomplete without fruits and vegetables.
2. Pre-Portion Tempting Treats
   The bigger the package, the more food you’ll pour out of it. When two groups were given half- or 1-pound bags of M&Ms to eat while watching TV, those given the 1-pound bag ate nearly twice as much.
3. Head Off The Mindless Munch
   Five minutes after eating at an Italian restaurant, 31 percent of people couldn’t remember how much bread they ate. If you’re worried you might do the same, have the bread removed from the table.
4. Downsize The Dishes
   If you’re one of the 54 percent of Americans who eat until their plates are clean, make sure those plates are modestly sized. On a standard 8- to 10-inch dinner plate, a portion of spaghetti looks like a meal. On a 12- to 14-inch dinner plate, it looks meager, so you’re likely to dish out a bigger portion to fill the plate. When researchers gave study participants 34- or 17-ounce bowls and told them to help themselves to ice cream, those with the bigger bowls dished out 31 percent more ice cream.
5. Limit Your Choices
   The more options you have, the more you want to try. In one study, researchers gave two groups jellybeans to snack on while they watched a movie. One group got six colors, neatly divided into compartments; jellybeans for the other group were jumbled ­together. Those given a mix ate nearly two times more.
6. Use Your Power For Good
   Most homes have a “nutritional gatekeeper” who controls 72 percent of the food eaten by everyone else. The person who chooses food, buys it, and prepares it wields power. If that’s you, take advantage of it.
7. Avoid A See-Food Diet
   Office workers who kept candy in clear dishes on their desks dipped in for a sample 71 percent more often than those who kept their candy out of sight.
8. Turn Off The Television
   The Vast Wasteland leads to vast waists. It’s not just the couch-sitting. TV distracts you from how much you’re eating, and the more you watch, the more you’re likely to eat. In a study comparing how much popcorn viewers ate during either a half-hour show or an hour-long show, those who watched more television ate 28 percent more popcorn.
9. Think Before You Drink
   Pour cranberry juice into two glasses of equal volume: one short and wide, the other tall and thin. Most people pour 19 percent more cranberry juice in the short glass because the eye is a poor judge of volume in relation to height and width.
10. Serve Good-For-You Foods Family-Style
    Not all portion-control strategies are about eating less. You can have as much as you want of some foods. Place the foods you want your family to eat more of―salads and vegetable sides―within easy reach on the dining table. In a soon-to-be-published study, Wansink found people who kept baby carrots in plain sight ate 25 percent more during a day.

P.S. If Your Looking for an Excellent source of Nutrition Resources check out Cookinglight.com and know that Your Fitness & Nutrition Expert Natalie Pyles is Always available for FREE Evaluations, Critiques, and Consultations to make sure You are eating Right for You!! 480-212-1947 or fax request to 623-399-1499 or email fitnesselementsassociates@yahoo.com Now to get the Right Results You deserve Today!!

Soup Month is here and there is Nothing like Healthier Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup to warm up Your Belly and Not give You the Bulge!

Community Spotlight: Healthy Custom Recipe from Fitness Elements!!

Photo by: MakeItHealthy

Healthier Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

“I used low-sodium chicken broth, and reduced fat by using skinless chicken breasts and cooking spray instead of oil. Adding some tasty fresh toppings helps my family get more vitamins.” – MakeItHealthy –

See top recipes made lighter.

Enjoy Your Healthier Soup Selects from Your Fitness & Nutrition Expert Natalie Pyles and Have a Healthy and Happy New Year!!