Healthy Halloween Tricks & Treats!

It's almost that time of the year again- Halloween! The fun holiday allows our kiddos to run around in their precious costumes, buzz with the excitement of all the creative outfits & play makeup  and eat a little too much candy they will be getting later in the evening. With all that sugar coming in the door, it can be easy to allow ourselves to slip and fall into consuming much more than we intended! But, let's shift our mindsets to the positive: Halloween does not have to be so bad after all! 

Allow the kids to have a few pieces of their FAVORITE candy in the pile. This could be a good activity to do with them- have them lay out all of their candy and organize it into their favorites, counting, sorting,  and even make a game of letting them trade each other for their favorites. Then, allow them to pick a few of favorites to eat then. Donate your candy to the local food bank, or bring to TransFit and we will share with our friends at the Mercy Health Center. Reminding our families and ourselves that we should do all things in moderation. Moderation and portion control is an important lesson to learn as a child and even as an adult. All things should be done in moderation. 

Here are some fun Halloween Healthy recipes to try this week and weekend with your family! 

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Lyla enjoyed making the jack-o-lantern face while I blended the smoothie! Crafts and healthy afternoon snack! Check!

Jack-O-Lantern Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 cup frozen peaches
• 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
• Handful of carrots
• 1 serving vanilla protein power or Greek yogurt
• 1/2 frozen banana 
• 1tbs flax seed
• Crushed ice
• Honey to taste 

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Pumpkin Protein Muffins

Ingredients (makes about a dozen) 

• 1 cup whole white wheat flour
• ½ cup  or 2 scoops of protein powder (unflavored or vanilla) 
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
•  ⅓ cup vegetable oil or coconut oil
• 2 whole eggs or 4 egg whites
•  1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice (ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon mixed together) 
• 1 cup brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
•  1 teaspoon baking powder
•  ½ teaspoon salt
•  1 teaspoon cinnamon
•  2 tablespoons rolled oats

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F , and place a rack in the center. Put liners in muffin cups. Combine flour, protein powder, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl. In another bowl whisk together pumpkin puree, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, sugar, and salt until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined. Stir together cinnamon and rolled oats in a small cup. Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about three-fourths full).

Then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-oats mixture.

Bake until puffed and golden brown and wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool in pan on a rack five minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

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Monster Mouths

Ingredients:

• Apples
• Lemon Juice
• Peanut butter
• Almonds, peeled

Directions:

1. Slice the apples into pieces that look like lips (just a standard slice will work).
2. Place the sliced apples in a bowl or lemon water for about 10-15 minutes so they don't brown.
3. Heavily spread peanut butter on the tops of each apple slice.
4. Stick the "teeth" into the peanut butter of one apple slice.
5. Place an apple slice without teeth on top

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Frightening Fruits

Ingredients:

• Bananas
• Chocolate chips
• Clementines
• Celery

Directions:

For the ghosts, take each banana and slice in half. Add a chocolate chip for the mouth. If you have mini chocolate chips use these for the eyes, and if not slice a regular sized chocolate chip in half. For the pumpkins, peel each clementine, making sure to keep the segments together. Cut small pieces of celery and use these as stems.

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As Halloween approaches and October comes to a quick end, let's keep in mind our October goals. We hope that you have joined us for the October challenge. Bring in your calendars next week or send us a picture if you have completed the daily challenge. We will enter each of your names in a drawing and announce the winner next week! Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication this month! We are so proud of each of you! Hope to see you in the studio soon! 

Blessings, 

Team TransFit 

FREE Back to School Meal Plan & Healthy Kitchen Tips

Hey, sweet friends!! What an awesome start to August this week in the studio! We are so excited about the goals you have shared with our team and can’t wait to see you reach them — one meal, one workout at a time!

A lot of you have young ones starting back to school over the next couple weeks, and just like you all, we are also ready to get back into our routine of healthy lunches and dinners! Just the thought of planning out meals might seem overwhelming to you. That’s why we’re going to help you jump back into this school year one step ahead!

TransFit Nutrition Consultant, Katie Woodall is sharing a full week’s meal plan with you (below - for FREE) so your meals and workouts are already planned out for you and your family! Wahoo! A week’s worth of family-friendly meals with recipes are laid out for you to help make this transition back to school a smooth one! We’re even giving you a shopping list so you can breeze your way through the grocery aisles!

Included are simple breakfasts your whole family can enjoy, and we’re recommending healthy mason jar salads for your lunches this week! Since your lunches are all planned out, you’re probably wondering what your kids will eat for lunch. We want to help you with that, too.

A new school year is a great time to get your kids to try some new healthy foods! But let’s not get crazy — remember we have to ease them into it, right? Let’s be real. Most kids could eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every single day (or is that just mine?)

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Pack foods your kids will eat! 

Sure we’d love it if all our kids would eat carrots, broccoli, sliced turkey and edamame. But let’s face it, not all kids will eat this and they need nourishment for school and after-school activities! Pack them a variety of foods so they have choices and be sure to include a couple items they already like.

We talk in the studio a lot about fueling our bodies for our workouts. Our kids need that fuel, too, so they can perform their best at school!

Let your kids pack their lunch. 

From kindergarten to 12th grade, each kiddo can help even if it’s a small task! Find a way they can be a part of choosing healthy foods for their lunchbox and feeling like it was “their idea.” 

Make it fun!

 Use bright or seasonal muffin cups to separate foods. Add toothpicks or make mini fruit kabobs. Send along a sweet card or note to make them smile! My kids love a funny joke, so I buy a couple books with tear-out lunchbox jokes, and I send one each day with a simple, “I love you!”

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What to pack!

1. Protein.

The protein doesn’t have to come from meat! Sure you can roll up a couple slices of deli meat, like roast beef, turkey, chicken or ham, but try a variety of protein sources — like a cheese stick (or shredded cheese as my child prefers!), yogurt (just look for low-sugar kinds and resist any artificial sweeteners). You can use different nuts or nut butters (great for dipping, too), beans, hummus or hard-boiled eggs.

2. Whole grains.

Buy whole grains when you can, like whole wheat bread or pasta. Substitute two slices of bread with a whole grain wrap. Add in some whole grain crackers for dipping. You can also try the 1/2 and 1/2 trick for a while to help transition your kids to whole wheat!

3. Colorful fruits and vegetables.

This is a great way to add in fiber and antioxidants. Whole pieces of fruit are great — apples, bananas, oranges, or get creative with the mini fruit kabobs using grapes and berries. Slice up veggies, like a bright red bell pepper or celery. Along with carrots, these vegetables are great for dipping so include a container with a yogurt-based Ranch dressing, fresh salsa, hummus or even guacamole!

4. Sweet and salty snacks.

Mix up a healthy trail mix, or include raw nuts, dried fruits or pretzels. You can freeze tubes of yogurt for a cool treat. Enlist your child’s help over the weekend to prepare homemade energy balls or granola bars for their lunches, too.

5. Hydration.

Pack a mini-bottled water or an organic low-fat milk. When you can, avoid fruit juices. Stick to whole fruit options in their lunchbox to avoid any added sugars.

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Use this lunchbox prep time as a chance to connect with your children! Take time to ask them about school or their friendships. Encourage them, and of course, use this opportunity to talk about why we choose healthy, nutritious foods!

And remember, you’re setting an example for your family! These little ones are watching you — taking a little extra time to prepare your salads for the week can be a way of showing your family that you’re honoring your body with healthy foods at lunchtime, too!

Reflect on our verse for this week: Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.” Just like your workouts, commit to this family meal plan and planning out healthy lunches for your family. We believe in YOU!

Blessings, 

Team TransFit

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CLICK the image to download the app! 

5 Tips to get your kids back on track for a healthy New Year!

Hey sweet friends!

Many of you, like me, sent your sweet little muffins back to school this week after a wonderful holiday season with them! For many of us, the holiday season is a time full of Christmas cookies, desserts and LOTS of sugar! With all the yummy treats, we also tend to move and exercise much less during the holidays! While the time of rest is much needed, now is time to get our families back on track as school and work start back again. We have started the January Jump Start here in the TransFit studio, but  I wanted to take the time to offer some advice on jump-starting the New Year for your sweet little ones! Teaching them about the importance of nutrition and exercise from a young age will make a lasting impression on them as they grow up, and lead them on the right path in having their best  life! To start this week and month, here are 5 ways you can begin to help your children choose health and see that fit is FUN! I hope you enjoy these tips, recipes and our printable TransFit Kids "Fit is Fun food Journal"!

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5 Tips to get your family on track with whole body health:

1. Plan Ahead - Whether you're eating on-the-run or running out to eat, you can find healthy food for the kids (and yourself) if you make advance plans. Meal plan and prep for the week! Get your kids involved and let them plan to have some of their favorite recipes this week! Maybe let them try helping you make some of these dishes too! Find a few great kid-approved recipes below they will want to plan in every week!

2. Make time for breakfast - Give your family a good start with the most important meal of the day. Breakfast helps boost concentration in the boardroom or classroom, may aid in maintaining a healthy weight, and provides the energy needed for morning activities. Try a quick smoothie, healthy cereal, Kind bar or energy bites! Get ready the night before! Set out bowls, spoons, and cereal boxes. Or put out plates and forks, then whip up a few eggs first thing in the morning. If you're in a rush, take something with you! Toss pre-sliced fruit and cheese into a plastic container, top a toasted bagel with peanut butter, or blend up a fruit smoothie.

3. Keep Quick and/or Car-Friendly Snacks on hand - Pack healthy snacks for after school that kids can manage themselves, including shelf-stable foods and fresh foods (pack a cooler if you have the time). Kid-friendly, healthy foods can include:

• Fresh, easy-to-eat produce like apples, bananas, grapes
• Dried fruit such as cranberries, raisins, apricots, apples, and pineapple
• Trail Mix with nuts, dried fruit, and whole grain cereal
• Whole-grain crackers with peanut/almond/sun butter
• Low-Sugar granola bars
• Turkey and cheese roll ups
• Single serving yogurt
• Cheese sticks or wedges
• Ready to eat veggies with hummus

4. Eat out smarter - Find restaurants that serve healthier options for kids by knowing where you're going before you get there. Focus on places with healthy options like locally-owned restaurants, spots with salad bars , and fresh seafood restaurants. Luckily, many places now offer healthy swaps in kids meals such as fruit in place of fries, water in place of soda, and grilled nuggets instead of fried. 

5. Get the kids involved in your health journey - Your little ones are always watching you to see what you do. If they see you making healthy choices and doing it with excitement and joy, they will want to too! You- being a good role model for your children  is the best teacher of whole body health.

It may sound obvious, but kids need to be taught about eating right. It's not necessarily obvious why an apple is a better snack than a candy bar, so talk kindly with your kids about nutrition. Discuss subjects like why some foods are part of everyday healthy eating, and why other foods are a special treat.Teach kids where their food comes from with a visit to a local farm or farmer's market. Show them how to read and follow a recipe. Help your kids plant and tend a garden, then teach them to prepare the food they've grown. Show your children how to read nutrition labels, how to compare prepackaged foods in the supermarket, and how to shop. Us momma know it is not always easy to change your children's diet and win kids over to healthier foods. But it comes with a great bonus: once they're eating right, it's likely that you are, too! A few favorite recipes below and page on healthy lunches!

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Strawberry Love Smoothie

• 1 cup almond milk 1⁄2 frozen banana
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 cup Greek yogurt or 1 serving vanilla protien powder 1 tbsp ground flax seed
• **1 tsp maple syrup or stevia drops (optional)
• 1 cup crushed ice
• (top fresh strawberries and unsweetened coconut flakes)

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No Bake Energy Balls

• 1 cup oatmeal (I put this in the blender 1st)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (or other favorite nut butter or sun butter)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 cup coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed (GO FIBER!)
• 1⁄2 cup chocolate chips (optional) 1 tsp vanilla

Directions: Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. (Mine were about 1′′ in diameter.) Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

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Get your kids excited about their health! Make it like a game! Print off this sheet and hang it up somewhere where your kids can plan out and track their meals, fruits, veggies, water and exercise! Sit down with them at the beginning of the week and get ready to have your best week yet! They will love getting to plan their week out and it will be a great habit to get them into early!! 

Send pictures of your recipes, filled out sheets and fun times to transfitathens@gmail.com we would love to see! If you post them tag us @transfitathens!! If you want the pdf version of this chart, email us and we will be glad to send you one! Have a wonderful, healthy week with your sweet kids this week! 

Blessings,

Caroline

Children's Health and Wellness Issues in Georgia

Hi friends!

I was recently asked to serve on a panel at the Junior League of Athens regarding health and wellness as they were choosing a focus for the upcoming year. Childhood obesity and how to educate children on living a healthier lifestyle were main topics. I thought I’d share a few of the questions asked. A lot of my answers may surprise you!

1. What is the area of need in the Athens community?

I think we all need to be aware that Georgia has the second highest childhood obesity rate in the US and that 40 percent of children in our state are overweight or obese, according to the Children's Health Care of Atlanta. This obesity rate means that the BMI of a child is above 40.

These statistics have a variety of causes including genetics, poor eating habits, less active lifestyles, school budget cuts leading to less physical education time and the fact that a number of meals from outside the home (especially fast food) has increased.

2.  What are we doing currently to help these needs?

We all know the economy is not at its best, so I often hear the complaint that eating organic or natural is too expensive, but there are easy ways to fit this into the budget. We must look at the big picture of providing a healthy life for our families with good nutrition and physical fitness.

Here are some inexpensive resources that you can start taking advantage of now:

Online resources:

http://www.georgiashape.org – A website about the new program the state of Georgia initiated in May 2012 to help prevent obesity

http://www.Strong4life.com– Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

http://www.macaronikid.com– An online newsletter about family fitness

http://www.athletesontherise.com – A nonprofit based in Atlanta that fights childhood obesity and encourages young students to eat healthy and be physically active

Local resources: -UGA Botanical Gardens (walking trails, nature hikes, etc.) -Sandy Creek Nature Center -UGA Track -Athens Farmers Market – This is a great way to help support your local community as well!

3. How can we address these issues?

-Develop committees at your church and/or children’s schools to help educate parents, teachers and coaches by distributing newsletters about living healthy lifestyles.  Also, remind your children’s teachers and leaders that we shouldn’t always reward our kids with candy or other unhealthy food. Remind them that studies even show that physical activity improves academic performance and behavior!

-Establish summer camps or programs to promote fun, healthy habits. We live right next door to some of the top collegiate athletes in the nation, so why not incorporate them into a week full of fun activities and learning about healthy lifestyles?

-Be ACTIVE with your own children! A great idea would be to create a “Game Jar” where your kids could draw a game out of to play with each other. Games could include everything from kick ball to hopscotch to four corners to jump rope to basketball!

-Ask your children to help you cook healthy meals and prepare healthy snacks for the family! A great recipe from Weelicous for homemade graham crackers is below!

 

Graham Cracker Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups of whole white wheat flour
• ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ cup butter, chilled and cubed
• ½ cup honey
• ¼ cup water

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine the first five ingredients in the mixer.
• Add cubed and chilled butter (or coconut oil) to the mixture and mix.
• Add honey and water, and continue to mix until it all combines.
• Remove and shape the dough into a flat disk and place between two pieces of parchment paper.
• Roll dough out until ¼ inches thick.
• Cut into crackers or shapes.
• Place cookies on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
• Cool and serve!

I know you all probably have some great ideas of your own, so please share them with me!

Healthy Makeover: Pumpkin Bread

Try a delicious treat that the whole family will enjoy - Healthy Pumpkin Bread! This fall favorite is perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack and is packed with Vitamin A. I can't wait to hear how yours turns out!

From Good Housekeeping

Treat family and friends to our slimmed-down quick bread. Gone are the traditional version's 3 grams of saturated fat and all the cholesterol (thanks to egg whites and a blend of low-fat yogurt and canola oil). No one will suspect you've tinkered — a slice is that good!

Nutritional Information (per serving)

Calories	140
Total Fat	4g
Saturated Fat	0
Cholesterol	0
Sodium	165mg
Total Carbohydrate	25g
Dietary Fiber	1g
Sugars	1g
Protein	2g
Calcium	--

Serves: 16

Yields: 1 loaf

Total Time: 1 hr 10 min

Prep Time: 20 min

Oven Temp: 350

Ingredients

• 1 cup(s) (packed) light brown sugar
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 cup(s) pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
• .25 cup(s) canola oil (I substituted coconut oil)
• .333 cup(s) low-fat plain yogurt (I used 2% organic greek yogurt)
• 1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
• 1 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• .75 cup(s) whole wheat flour
• 1.5 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
• .5 teaspoon(s) ground nutmeg
• .5 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• .5 teaspoon(s) salt

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Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 8 1/2" by 4 1/2" metal loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour.
2. In large bowl, with wire whisk, combine brown sugar and egg whites. Add pumpkin, oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract; stir to combine.
3. In medium bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture; stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert pumpkin bread onto wire rack; cool completely.

Some of My Favorite Snacks to Fuel Your Body for Success

FROZEN PEANUT BUTTER BANANA

(Add a chocolate chip to the top for extra kiddo happiness)

HEALTHY TRAIL MIX

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies with Carob/Chocolate Chips

Prep Time 15 Minutes Cook Time 30 Minutes

Servings 16

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• 2 whole Ripe Bananas, Mashed Until Creamy
• ⅓ cups Peanut Butter, Creamy Or Chunky
• ⅔ cups Unsweetened Applesauce
• ¼ cups Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 teaspoon Butter Extract, Optional
• 1-½ cup Quick Oatmeal, Uncooked
• ¼ cups Chopped Peanuts
• ¼ cups Carob Chips Or Chocolate Chips, Optional

Preparation Instructions

Preheat heat oven to 350ºF.

In a large bowl, mix mashed banana and peanut butter until completely combined. Then add in the applesauce, vanilla protein powder and vanilla and butter extracts. Mix again until completely combined.

Add in the oatmeal and nuts to the banana mixture and combine. (Add the optional carob/chocolate chips at this time if you want them mixed throughout.)

Let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Drop cookie dough, by spoonfuls, onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and flatten cookies into circles, about a 1/3″ thick. (If you want the optional carob/chocolate chips on the top of the cookies, push them into the cookies now.)

Bake cookies approximately 30 minutes, or until golden brown and done. Remove from oven and let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack. (If you want the traditional fork tine marks on the cookies, use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to score the tops of the cookies while they’re still warm.)

When cookies are completely cool, store in a covered container. Enjoy!

Find this recipe as well as many other yummy ones here!