Have you eaten Brussels sprouts recently?  Some of our 2012 Challenge participants have!  Earlier this week, they conquered a challenge to cook & eat some of these nutritious miniature cabbages.  Brussels sprouts contain only 28 calories per half cup while still providing 2 grams of fiber, 81% of your daily Vitamin C needs, and 137% of your daily Vitamin K needs.  

Check out some of these great photos from their nutritious conquest.  John Mancini, president of AIIM International, blogger, and otherwise known as my Uncle Brav, whipped up these delicious looking brussels sprouts!

Joseph Szafranski, a Buffalo cop who trains for Ride for Cancer 2020 (his cycling mission to raise money for a camp for children with cancer) added a side of brussels sprouts to his plate, meeting the recommendation to make half our plates full of fruits or veggies.

And Amy Collier, a friend who is tackling our 2012 challenges like a champ, cooked up this recipe which she shared with us.  I think the combination of flavors in this recipe sounds great, so I look forward to trying it myself!

"Brussels Sprouts with Chickpeas and Grapes”
 From "Power Foods Cookbook" from WeightWatchers PointsPlus.

Ingredients:
1 pound brussels sprouts (trimmed and halved)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups halved seedless red grapes
1/2 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon dry sherry or white grape juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1.) Place brussels sprouts in steamer basket and set in large skillet over 1 inch of boiling water. Cover tightly and steam until tender, about 10 minutes.
2.) Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add shallot, garlic, and thyme and cook, stirring constantly, until shallot is softened, about 2 minutes.  Add grapes and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes.
3.) Add brussels sprouts, chickpeas, sherry and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until chickpeas are heated through, 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon zest.

**Haven't joined our 2012 Challenge yet??  Join today!  **

Happy New Year everyone!  If you are sitting down today striving to make New Year’s Resolutions, I want you to try to set SMART goals this year.  What are SMART goals?  Check it out:

Specific – A specific goal tends to be much easier to stick to than a general goal.  Rather than saying “I want to exercise more this year,” you could say “I will go to the gym and do 60 minutes on the elliptical on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in January.”

Measurable – When you set a goal, you want to have some way to measure your success.  How will you know if you’ve achieved your goal?  Will it be a number of pounds lost?  Number of servings of veggies eaten each day?  Minutes working out each week?

Attainable – As you list your goals, think about the qualities, skills, and knowledge you need to achieve them.  It may help if you list these out.  The more you develop your plan of action, the more attainable your goal will seem and the more likely you are to be successful in achieving it.

Realistic – A goal you choose should be something that is feasible for you to accomplish this year.  You have to be mentally and physically able to do whatever you set your goal to be.  You must also be willing to work towards it.  There is no magic pill to make us lose weight, tone up, or prevent chronic diseases – it takes effort, but it can be fun (need proof?  Check out our 2012 Challenge!).  

Timely – Set a time frame for your goal.  Saying “I want to lose weight this year” is a very long time frame and non-specific.  “I want to lose 4 pounds by February 15th by reducing takeout and cooking more low calorie meals” gives you a concrete date and plan for your goal.  At each time point, you can evaluate how far you’ve come (i.e. the measurable part) and note that you’ve completed your goal, or you can modify it if needed.

What are your goals for this year?  Feel free to share in the comments!

Have you made a New Year's Resolution yet?  What are you hoping for?  Losing weight, eating better, and exercising more often top our lists.

Every year, many of us go about setting these resolutions but fail to stick to them.  In fact, after 6 months, only about 50% of people who made a resolution are still sticking to it.  Fast forward to 1 year, and that number declines to less than 10%.  So should we even bother to try to make changes?

Of course!  But we need to do it the right way.

Enter the 20-12 Challenge at Inspired Wellness Solutions.  Rather than setting vague, overarching goals, our challenge program will provide you with small, feasible nutrition & fitness challenges to tackle during the next year.  In fact, you’ll be provided with 20 challenges each of the 12 months of 2012!  That's 240 specific challenges that will help you make 2012 your healthiest year yet.

What's a "challenge"?  It could be a variety of tasks, each one of which is provided in an email with quality nutrition and fitness background information and tips.  An email might discuss the health benefits of whole grains rather than refined grains, and ask you to try cooking a dish with brown rice that week.  Or an email might discuss the benefits of running, and ask you to run 1 mile that day.

Each challenge you complete earns you points - and the 3 participants with the most points at the end of the year will win cash prizes!  1st place will receive $250, 2nd place will receive $150, and 3rd place will receive $75.  This is in addition to your chance at winning other monthly raffle giveaways, exclusive to challenge participants!

Check out the new 2012 challenge page for more details and instructions on signing up.  Only $8/month to participate, or $75 when you pre-pay for the entire year!  This is a great, affordable program that gets you nutrition and fitness information from a Registered Dietitian at a very low cost - not to mention the chance to win cash prizes at the end of the year!