6 p.m. happy hour time!

Most of the alcoholic beverages that we drink are high in calories, and we all know that one drink usually doesn't set the mood. So, if you usually have more than three drinks when you go out, you may start gaining weight a lot faster if you don't exercise and eat right.

I'm not trying to tell you that drinking in high quantities is OK but if you do drink: 1. drink responsible, and 2. at least drink alcoholic beverages that are low-sugar or carbohydrate-free.

Some suggestions are:

Beer -- a regular Budweiser contains 145 calories; you may want to try Bud light which contains 110 calories.

Wine -- one (1) small wine glass (4 fl.oz) contains 90 calories, as opposed to an 8 fl.oz. glass that has 180 calories

Cocktail mixers -- a Margarita has 150 calories and a Piña Colada has 325.

Sugar-Free Margaritas

1 jigger (1.5 oz) tequila
2 Tablespoons (1 oz) lime juice - bottled more convenient, fresh tastes a lot better
1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) water
1/4 teaspoon orange extract
1 Tablespoon's worth artificial sweetener (I like to use liquid, carb-free types)
Ice - small handful
Margarita salt or kosher salt

Here is a list of the most popular alcoholic drinks that contains high calories:

Martini: 135 cal
Mojito: 160 cal
Cosmopolitan: 215 cal
Tequila Sunrise: 200 cal
Red Wine: 80 cal
White Wine sparkling: 95 cal
Most regular bears: from 150 cal to 200 cal.

Have fun and don't drink and drive.

¡Salud!

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Eat healthy at Ruby Tuesday

Hi guys,

One of my favorite restaurants is Ruby Tuesday, and it became my favorite restaurant because they have a menu for healthy eaters.

So, if you're planning to go to Ruby Tuesday I highly recommend you have a Chicken wrap with Caesar salad. This meal contains 452 Cal; 26 g of fat; 11 carbohydrates; 10 fiber gm.

But if you don't like chicken, here are other options.

Enjoy!

smart eating choices

Think twice before eating a banana split

Did you know that one banana split has more than 500 calories? Well, this delicious ice cream also contains 96 g of carbohydrates, 12 g of fat and 180 mg of sodium. But if you still want to eat a banana split, here is another option for you under 300 calories.

Banana Split under 300 Calories

• 1 angel food loaf OR a dessert shell OR a light pound cake that contains no more than 150 calories per slice or serving.


• Place one serving size on a pretty dessert dish.


• Take 4 fresh OR frozen strawberries and place in the microwave OR on top of the stove until they are liquefied.


• Add Splenda to suit personal preference and spoon strawberry mixture on the cake.


• Cut one medium-sized banana in two, then slice length-ways and carefully lay on the strawberry mixture.


• Next, spoon on 4 Tablespoons of fat free thawed whipped topping.


• Drizzle a bit of Hershey's chocolate syrup over the topping OR grate 1/3 of a Hershey's chocolate candy bar onto the topping.


• Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite nuts if desired.

Enjoy!

Stay away from these foods

Now that we already talked about what we should eat, let's talk about those things that we should try to avoid. Here are some items that we should try to stay away from; so don't be shock if your favorite food is on the Hall of shame!

Bagel -- I have to admit that sometimes I'll have a bagel, but before I eat it, I usually scooped out the insides and toast it. Let's look at the nutrition information that this little bagel contains :

Bagel Plain

254 calories
49.2 g of carbohydrates
10.6 g of protein
1.7 g of fat
3.6 g of fiber

Fish -- I usually do not eat fish, I prefer tuna or shrimp (not fried), here is the nutrition information for a breaded fillet fish.

Breaded Fillet Fish

150 calories
16 g of carbohydrates
7 g of protein
6 g of fat
1 g of fiber

Potato -- I'm not a huge fan of potato, but if you like it please keep in mind this nutrition information.

Mashed Potato (with Butter)

104 calories
15.5 g of carbohydrates
1.8 g of protein
4.3 g of fat
1.1 g of fiber

Soup -- Cream of Mushroom, it might taste good but it contains a lot of calories.

Cream of Mushroom

193 calories
19.7 g of carbohydrates
6.3 g of protein
10.1 g of fat
0 g of fiber

Starbucks or my diet?

I love going to Starbucks for my regular green hot tea; but I sometimes would like to have something different like frappuccino or tazo chai tea. The problem is that all those delicious drinks are high in calories, and if I'm dieting the last thing that I want is a drink that has 500 calories. So, if you want to go to starbucks and have a coffee and maintain "1,300 calories" per day, you may want to check these drinks out. They are under 200 calories and still taste really good.

Hot Beverages:

• Brewed Coffee - 5 cal, 0 g fat


• Brewed Tazo Tea - 0 cal, 0 g fat


• Nonfat Tazo Green Tea Latte - 130 cal, 0 g fat


• Nonfat Cappuccino - 80 cal, 0 g fat


• Nonfat Caffe Latte - 120 cal, 0 g fat


• Nonfat Caramel Macchiaton - 170 cal, 1 g fat


• Soy Tazo Chai Tea Latte - 190 cal , 2.5 g fat


• Nonfat Caffe Mocha - Hold The Whip - 170 cal, 1.5 g of fat


• Nonfat Sugar-Free Vanilla Llatte - 120 cal, 0 g of fat


• Steamed Apple Cider - 180 cal, 0 g of fat


• Nonfat Vanilla Creme - 180 cal, 0 g of fat


• Caffe Americano - 10 cal, 0 g of fat
  

Cold Beverages

• Coffee Frapuccino Light Blended Coffee - 110 cal, 1 g of fat


• Caramel Frapuccino Light Blended Coffee - 140 cal, 1.5 g of fat


• Coffee Frapuccino Blended Coffee - 190 cal, 2.5 g of fat


• Shaken Tazo Ice Passion Tea- 60 cal, 0 g of fat


• Nonfat Iced Vanilla Latte - 120 cal, o g of fat


• Nonfat Iced Caramel Macchiato - 140 cal, 1 g of fat


• Nonfat Iced Tazo Chai Tea Latte - 170 cal, 0 g of fat


• Iced Coffee (With Classic Syrup) - 60 cal, 0 g of fat
  

¡Disfruten!

Sample diet plan - 1300 calories

Hi guys,

I found this diet plan that might help you to start eating healthier. The goal is to have 1300 calories in total per day.

Breakfast (250 calories)

1 small fruit or 1/2 oz dried fruit
Cereal: 1 1/2oz Dry (high fiber)
or 1 cup cooked oatmeal
milk (from daily allowance)

Daily milk allowance (160 calories)
2 cups skim milk or 1 and half cups low-fat (1%) milk or equivalent soy drink, yogurt, cheese, tofu

Fat allowance (140 calories; 15g fat)
4 tsp fat or 6-8 tsp Diet Margarine or 3 tsp Oil
or 1 and half tbsp mayonnaise or 1/2 medium avocado
or 1 and half tbsp peanut butter or 30g nuts/seeds

Lunch (440 calories)

2 slices bread (2oz) or 1 medium roll or bagel
or 4 crispbreads/crackers or 6" pita

2 oz lean meat, chicken or turkey
or 3 and half oz tuna (in water) or 2 and half oz salmon
or 1 oz cheese or 1/2 cup (4 oz) cottage cheese
or 1/2 cup (4 oz) ricotta cheese (low-fat)
or 1/2 cup (4 oz) fruit yogurt (low-fat)
or 1/2 cup (4 oz) bean salad

Large salad (oil-free dressing)
1 small fruit or 1/2 oz dried fruit

Dinner (360 calories)

soup (fat-free)
3 oz lean meat (cooked weight)
or 4 oz chicken breast (no skin)
or 3 oz chicken thigh/leg (no skin)
or 5 oz fish (grilled, not fat)
or 3/4 cup (6 oz) beans (soy, kidney, pinto etc)/lentils
or low-fat entree (e.g. lean cuisine) or recipe dish

1 small potato or 1/2 cup rice/pasta or 1 slice bread
2-3 servings vegetables/salad
1 small fruit + diet gelatin dessert

Between Meals

water, coffee, tea, diet drinks, fruit from main meals; raw vegetable pieces, milk from allowance.

This information was taken from Calorie fat & carbohydrate counter.

Enjoy!

Patricia