Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Do you usually get your green on with the "traditional" Corned Beef and Cabbage? Well, you might want to skip the corned beef this year because it can pack a major punch of calories, fat, and sodium. Instead go for another traditional Irish recipe: Irish Stew, with 279 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 31 grams of protein this lean alternative will keep you on the right track and still allow you to celebrate in style!

Read the History of St. Patrick's Day Here

** Okay so you are ready bought the Corned Beef try the following recipe by Alton Brown- it skips the butter; and pair that beef with a salad and whole grain bread!

Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe
2 to 2 1/2 pound Corned Beef Brisket

1tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 pound diced carrots, approximately 4 small
1/2 pound diced onions, approximately 2 small
1 pound potatoes, peeled and chopped, approximately 3 medium
1/4 pound diced celery, approximately 2 stalks
1 small head cabbage, chopped, approximately 2 pounds

Directions
Place the corned beef, pepper, allspice, bay leaves and salt into a large 8-quart pot along with 3-quarts of water. Cover and set over high heat. Bring to a boil, decrease the heat to low and cook, at a low simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
After 2 1/2 hours add the carrots, onions, potatoes and celery. Return to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add the cabbage and cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes and cabbage are tender. Remove the bay leaves and serve immediately.

Asparagus!

Asparagus is one of nature's true food heroes as a source of protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. It's also high in fiber and potassium but low in calories which makes ideal if your trying to eat healthy and lose weight.

So how do you choose asparagus? - You want to look for bunches with firm stalks and tightly closed tips. Then store the brunch in the refrigerator with the stem ends wrapped in most paper towels and they will keep for several days. Prior to cooking you will need to trim the woody stem ends - the easiest way to to snap them off as they will naturally break at the right place.

Steaming Asparagus
In a large saucepan, skillet, bring ½ inch of water to a boil
Add a single layer of asparagus
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until tender

Asparagus takes about 2-5 minutes to cook, depending on size and freshness.

*As soon as it turns bright green, it's ready.

Roasted Asparagus Serves 6 to 8
2 thin bunches asparagus, ends trimmed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread out asparagus spears in a large shallow roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Shake roasting pan gently so asparagus is completely coated in oil.
Roast in oven until spears are just tender. Cooking time will depend on thickness of asparagus, about 10 minutes for medium-thick asparagus. Pencil asparagus will take much less time; thick stalks will take more. Shake pan halfway through cooking time to keep spears from sticking. Just before serving, drizzle asparagus with olive oil and adjust seasoning

**The tips of roasted asparagus should be just crisp and the stalks golden brown and tender.

Try these great Asparagus Recipes:

Asparagus, Leek, and Gruyere Quiche

Asparagus Soup

Sesame Asparagus

Exercise

A recent study by the American College of Sport Medicine (ACSM) has shed new light on just how much exercise is needed for weight loss. According to the ACSM adults need at least 250 minutes per week of exercise to lose a significant amount of weight. 250 minutes works out to be 50 minutes of exercise five days a week.

So what does this mean? Well, if you are currently only doing 30 minutes of exercise five days a week and you are not seeing the results you want then you need to increase the length of your workouts. Though, don't stress about going from 30 minutes to 60 minutes all at once but rather add on 5 minutes to each of your workouts every other day for a few weeks and in no time you will be at 50-60 minute workouts. Also if your not doing so already you will want to include weight lifting in your weekly workouts. Doing so will increase your fat-free mass which will help your body to burn more calories while at rest and reduce your health risks.

Read more about the ACSM study and exercise for weight loss here: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20090227/weight-loss-may-take-250-minutes-of-exercise?src=RSS_PUBLIC

And the Losers Are...

Congratulations to the Biggest Losers of the week!

Men
Jeremy Stroup - lost 8lbs
Larry Tuttle - lost 6lbs

Women
Brandy Jensen - lost 6lbs
Arlene McClanahan - lost 4lbs

The Total Weight Lost for the contest so far is 562 lbs - Keep up the Great work!

Do you feel like your doing everything right but the scale is not showing you the numbers you want? Well you not alone! Though just because the number on the scale is not going down does not mean that you are not making progress. More then likely you are still making great strides you just don't know how to measure progress without a scale. Check out this great short article titled - Measure Progress Without the Scale: An Arsenal of Tools for Your Motivation and find a few ideas to track your progress and stay motivated.

It also may be helpful to keep in mind that this is not a "Diet" it is a life style change, and life style changes take a longer time but have much greater long term payoffs in the end!

Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still. - Chinese Proverb