Weight a Minute Monday! Whats the tea?

In effort to keep us at our SPICIEST, our Weight a Minute Mondays series explores ways to maintain optimum health and keeping fit!

Summer is upon us and presents the ideal backdrop for getting out and about! In the summer heat, its easy to fill up on sugary drinks in efforts to cool off and stay refreshed. You would be surprised how many calories you can take in from one glass of juice or tea. Keep in mind not all "sugar" is bad, but all sugar requires moderation. Get your sugar in from FRUIT and minimal amounts of REAL SUGAR and avoid synthetic sweeteners. Don't forget to spice up your glass of water with fruit or berries too!

Here are some low fat, low sugar and low calorie beverages that are sure to cool you down without weighing you down!

So you know all about the health benefits of green tea, but maybe you don't like the taste by itself. Maybe you want to kill two birds with one stone, and make a smoothie that can double as a snack or meal, but will give you your green tea fix.






Green Tea Smoothie
Ingredients
•1 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt
•1/2 cup fat-free milk
•1 Tbsp green tea powder
•3 cups frozen fruit
Instructions
Whisk together vanilla yogurt and green tea powder. Transfer to blender and add milk and frozen fruit. Process until smooth.

Green Tea Ginger Cooler
Ingredients
•1 Tbsp hot water
•1/2 tsp green tea powder
•1 cup ginger ale
•1/2 tsp honey (or to taste)
•ice cubes
Instructions
Dissolve green tea powder into hot water. Pour over ice and stir to cool. Add ginger ale and honey to taste. Stir until combined

Very Berry Iced Tea
Prep Time:10 min
Start to Finish:10 min
makes:8 servings (1 cup each)

4 cups water
3 tablespoons instant iced tea mix
3 cups raspberry-kiwi fruit juice, chilled
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1. In 2-quart pitcher, mix all ingredients except raspberries. Stir in raspberries.
2. Serve tea over ice in glasses.

* For a special touch, freeze fresh raspberries in ice cubes and use them in glasses for this tea.
Garnish with a small skewer of fresh kiwi fruit pieces

Watermelon Lemonade
Prep Time:15 min
Start to Finish:1 hr 15 min
makes:12 servings

3 lb watermelon (without rind), seeded and cut into chunks
3 or 4 medium lemons
2 medium limes
4 cups cold water
1 cup sugar
Watermelon or lemon slices, if desired
1. In blender, place watermelon. Cover; blend on medium speed about 45 seconds or until smooth. Strain through fine mesh strainer into 2-quart or larger pitcher.
2. Squeeze juice from lemons and limes; add to watermelon puree. Stir in cold water and sugar. Refrigerate 1 hour.
*Honeydew melon balls taste great and add a colorful touch to this crowd-appealing drink. To make melon balls, scoop out balls from honeydew melon with a melon baller. Freeze the balls about 1 hour or until frozen. Just before serving, float balls in lemonade.

Reciepes courtesy of Eat Better America and hubpages.com.

How do you keep your relationship SPICY?

Do tell! There is no one way to add a little spice. It can be mild & simple or caliente & creative!

Have you done something that your mate thought was so HOT, that they keep talking about it? Is there something you would love for your partner to do, but not sure they would and you are afraid to ask?

Being in a married committed relationship gives you the license to do whatever you want! Release your inhibitions and allow yourself to be completely free and vulnerable with your mate.

Lets have a conversation...we can't wait to hear from you!

Its too late to apologize

As the song goes...but its NEVER too late to apologize! Especially to those you love. So why when we argue with our mates, those we love the most, do we find it so difficult to say "I'm sorry"?

Saying "I'm sorry" isn't about admitting you are wrong or accepting responsibility for something you didn't do. It can be a way of simplying express that you don't want to fight or argue and that you love and value your mate enough to let an issue go.

When you apologize it has to be sincere! Don't make it a big deal. "Now, I apologized! So get over it" - not gonna work. So if you don't mean it or not at a place yet where you can offer a sincere apology, say that. At least be honest..."I am not at place yet where I can offer you a sincere apology. I want to move on. But I love and respect you to much to simply pacify you. Give me some time to process what you are saying."

If you have a problem saying the WORDS, you can also say I'm sorry in other ways. First being, by changing the behavior that caused the argument. Say it with flowers, whisper it in your mates ear during an embrace or slow dance or write a note. Think about things your mate enjoys and incorporate that into your apology.

Avoid arguing over who started it first! Its pointless and will set you two steps back verses moving the issue forward. Be certain you are genuinely sorry when you offer an apology. Otherwise, the issue will continue to resurface in the relationship.

Ever recall a time when you were arguing, then fighting, then it escalates to not speaking...and you don't know when or how you got to that place? And deep inside you want nothing more to just move on and have great make up "you know what"? Thinking about that time, I bet there was a moment somewhere way back in the early argument phase, had someone simply apologized or said "I'm sorry", it wouldn't have escalated to the point of co-existing in silence...

How do you say "I'm sorry"? And when you do, it never hurts to put a little "spice" on it either!

Weight a Minute Monday! Vegan Friendly Reciepes...

In our most recent Weight a Minute Monday Posts we explored the lifestyle of being a Vegetarian or Vegan. The posts featured the personal journey of Spicy Wifey friend, Christa. Christa shared some of her personal experiences of becoming a Vegetarian and eventually, a Vegan.

There are many avenues to optimal health and fitness and Spicy Wifey wants to expose you to as many as possible. So that you can consider what works for you. I have always been curious about the lifestyle and certainly learned more. Christa has shared some of her favorite recipes below! AND ANYONE, regardless of dieting lifestyle can enjoy these! Christa has recently started her own blog, Veggin' Out with Christa... so please visit Christa for more delicious recipes and veggie chatter!


Black-Bean Toss
Makes 4 Servings
Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 14 minutes

4 5-inch corn tortillas
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup chopped red onion
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 large mangoes, peeled and diced
2 15-ounce cans black beans, diced and rinsed
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco (or to taste)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
8 cups mixed baby greens

1. Preheat the over to 375. Stack the tortillas and cut them into 1/4 inch wide strips, then toss with 1 tablespoon of the canola oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the cumin and the salt. Mist a baking sheet with cooking spray; arrange the strips in a single layer and bake 10 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell peppers and remaining cumin and cook, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in remaining canola oil and the mangoes, black beans, lime juice, Tabasco and cilantro.

3. Divide the greens among four plates and top with the bean mixture and tortilla strips.

Pumpkin Waffles
Equipment:
A Waffle iron, mixing bowls, a wisk or a strong fork

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup demerrara or brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 Tablespoons soy yogurt
2 cups soy milk
15 oz pureed pumpkin, fresh or canned
1/3 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions
Sift together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, vigorously whisk together wet ingredients until well emulsified. Pour wet into dry and combine. Prepare waffles according to manufacturers instructions. I use a normal 4 waffle iron, but I've made Belgian ones, too.