I’ll let this video speak for itself. If you have 20 minutes I highly recommend watching it. Jamie Oliver also has a new show coming to ABC that I think will change the way we look at food, or at least I hope it does.
As always I would love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to leave a comment, or you can always reach me at zakschwank [at] gmail dot com
Zak
The best guacamole recipe ever! End of story! Enjoy!
Slice the avocado lengthwise around the pit.
An easy way to get the pit out is to tap the knife into it and twist.
Then scoop it out,
into your uber stylish bowl,
and mash away with a fork.
Dice a quarter of a yellow onion.
I never measure my cilantro, but for you guys I measured this, and it was 2 tablespoons.
Gorgeous roma tomatoes…yum!
Some people say you should remove the center of the tomato, but I like the added moisture it gives my guacamole.
Add two cloves to the coolest garlic press ever!
A couple twists and you’re done!
Add everything to your mashed up avocado including the juice from two wedges of lime, and crack some fresh pepper on it. Get your mix on…
and enjoy!
There you go! The best guacamole ever! All natural ingredients, no added salt, and no reason to buy guacamole ever again.
Now there are some out there that seem to think their guacamole is better…my response to them is, bring it on! Post your recipe in the comments or a link to a recipe and we all shall decide.
For more information on all the health benefits of avocados click here and a printable version of the recipe is here.
You can also click on any of the photos to bring up a larger version.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Zak
Last week I talked a little bit about portion control, and in order to understand portions we need to dig deeper than the label. Enter my favorite snack…potato chips!! As I glance to the back of the bag to read the label, I see serving size: 1 ounce, 32 servings per container. Great, I either need to dump out the bag or get a scale. A brief trip to the neighbors house to get a scale and I’m back in business. So as I’m filling up the scale I quickly notice that my normal, eat the chips from the bag, routine will need to stop. Now that the scale is overflowing with a 1 ounce portion of chips, I can take some photos…okay it’s not really overflowing, and there is a scared look on my face when I see how few chips the label thinks is a serving. This is a 1 ounce portion of chips, and is approximately 150 calories with 80 of those calories coming from fat. Not horrible, but considering I would eat at least 3 of these so called servings things need to change!
So there you go! Grab a snack, and arm yourself with the knowledge to make better choices.
As always feel free to leave a comment or emil me at zakschwank [at] gmail dot com if you have any questions or want me to hear your thoughts. I am also actively looking for guest bloggers to tell your story. If you or anyone you know is interested please send them my way. I would really like to make this a place where we can all share and learn.
Thanks Zak!
I often tell people that health and fitness is similar to a marathon, and not a sprint. In other words it’s a change in lifestyle, and not just a quick fix. There will be setbacks and obstacles. There will be rough days, maybe even weeks. Focus on the big picture. Focus on your lifestyle! These past few weeks my family has been sick. First the kids got it, then I got it. I haven’t worked out in over a week and I can feel it. I’m off to workout now, and get back on track. So next time you’re just not feeling it, you miss a workout, or don’t eat the best meal ever, it’s okay just think about the big picture.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Zak
I often get asked “How did you do it?” And while there are many different reasons, one no more important than the another, I think one of the biggest things I did was to really limit the amount of food I ate. Have you seen the portions that are considered normal these days? It is excessive! And when you consider that if you eat slightly less than 700 more calories a week than you burn, you will gain 10 pounds in one year and 50 in 5 years. That’s exactly what happened to me. I didn’t gain 50 pounds overnight and I didn’t lose it overnight either. For reference 3,500 calories equals about one pound. Now that you know this, grab your favorite snack and check the label. That’s what I did! When I first started this journey I didn’t know anything about anything, but with the help of friends, the internet, and health related classes I feel I have gained a greater understanding of what is going on in my body. Granted everyone is different, and like Julie pointed out in the comments section of my last post, genetics must play a key role in all of this. I know for myself that my genetic makeup is set and no amount of exercise will ever change that, but I do know that I can control what and how much I eat. So for this 3 day weekend I want to challenge you to really dig into the label on the packages in your pantry and refrigerator. How many calories are in a serving and how much makes up a serving? Get out measuring cups figure it out! Let me know in the comments how your favorite snack stack up. Would love to hear it. Also feel free to email me at zakschwank [at] gmail dot com. I also found this article from the New York Times that I thought was worth the attention. Enjoy and have a safe and healthy weekend.
Zak
I think in order for me to really get into the swing of things with this blog I need to start from the beginning. Let’s go back 10 or so years. I was 27, engaged and working full time. I was also way overweight. I can’t tell you exactly how much I weighed…mainly because I though I was as fit as can be. Must have been those rose colored glasses. Anyways I would guess that I was 225 or so. Not insanely overweight, but I certainly could stand to lose a few pounds. For reference I am 6′ almost 6′1″. My daily routine would include some sort of enormous muffin for breakfast on my way to work. Lunch would either be leftovers, or sandwich and chips, or fastfood depending on where I was working. I was an electrician working in and around San Diego County. Okay back to lunch…there were even times that I would eat my lunch I brought, but some fastfood scent would waft it’s way to the job site, and I couldn’t help myself. I would trudge up to the shopping center and grab a #2 with extra large fries. So good, but so bad for my health. After work I would head home and we would eat some random pre-made food from the grocery store or go out to eat. Both of us were exhausted from driving/working all day to cook. Sound familiar? Add to my stellar diet absolutely no physical activity…zilch! Sad because growing up I was involved in pretty much every sport (on some level) you could think of. This was a dead end road I didn’t want to go down, but had no idea how to stop. This wasn’t where I started to get healthier. Unfortunately that won’t happen for a few more years. So that’s pretty much how I got to be just your average, unhealthy mid-twenties guy. Now here comes the hardest part…I will post a photo…gulp!
This was really early in the morning before we boarded a flight to New Orleans for our wedding, so please pardon the red eyes. Crazy how when I was that guy I didn’t think I was unhealthy or overweight, but now I’m staring at the screen doubting that was me. So there ya go! A quick story about me. Do you have a story? I would love to hear! Leave me a comment or you can always email me @ zakschwank [@] gmail dot com.
Hey everybody! Wow…the first post is always the hardest. Let me give you a little back story. This site will be dedicated to being healthy. I will provide recipes, workout routines, and basic health related information. In no way should this site replace your doctor, nutritionist, or fitness trainer. That being said I am very excited to give my insight and experience. So get out there and get healthy!