Beth's Great Recipes & Lo Cal Tips

Eat like The AQ and never diet again

You must ingrain this little life-changing mantra in your brain so please write it in your little bling book, tape it to your fridge, to your soon-to-be-gone cottage-cheesy thighs, and on your boyfriend’s assets so you can always see it:

“HALF of everything I eat must come from veggies and fruits. Proteins, grains, and fat portions must be a heck of lot smaller if I never, ever, ever want to go on ‘El Toro’, I mean ‘El Diet again’. If half of everything I eat is crap (aka ADDED fat and ADDED sugar) then half of my body will be crap.” Period end of story.

(BTW ‘El Toro’ is an enormously frightening rollercoaster, but at least you can go on once and not have to sign up for the rest of your life like you have to do with the diet rollercoaster…Hmm…just sayin’!)

50 percent plants — The Asset Queen’s lovely lunch plate

Take notice that more than 50% of this plate and most of my meals come from plants. You can’t go wrong if your plate resembles this 80% of the time. All of your meals should have veggies and/or fruits because they are loaded with nutrients that your granola bar just can’t compete with, even if it has added protein. Hmm, I’m sorry but I’ve never heard the quote, “A granola bar a day helps keep the doctor away.” Have you? And hey, I’m human and like to have my Banana Dream Cake and vino and eat and drink it too; I refuse to throw shrubs and twigs in a blender and call it a meal and so should you! BTW, that is not cheese, that is chopped cauliflower; I don’t avoid dairy, it’s just not on my plate at this time. So maybe I”ll have a probiotic-rich yogurt with fruit in between lunch and dinner. Another BTW for all you protein powder potion-obsessed peops, greek yogurt has about 15 grams of protein per serving and cost about $1. So ponder this: why are you spending lotza needless extra $ on all those pricey protein powder potions? Ain’t nothin’ like the real thing baby.

Keep in mind that if you eat foods like these that are chock full of probiotics, cancer-fighting antioxidants, and digestive enzyme-producing nutrients, you will never have to “invest” in a pantry full of expensive supplements again. If you and you kiddies frequently partake in chicken fingers, french fries, and macaroni & cheese, which are virtually void of any of the aforementioned nutrients, then it is no wonder that you are all popping lotza pills that help you digest, think clearly, and feel well…DUH!! Rethink YOUR plate! Let my plate and literally Myplate.gov be your plate so you can ditch the diets, pills, and miracle potions. Added bonus: you will be more joyful and less jiggly for good! Stay tuned for more life-changing eating tips that will keep you fit and healthy for life and won’t cost you a dime! Here are some of my deliciously fav, nutrient-dense, low-calorie recipes like cauliflower latkes , roasted brussel sprouts and my yummy frozen smoothie.

“My mission is NOT to make you an Olympic athlete; it is to PREVENT you from being the star of the ‘I’ve fallen and I can’t get up commercial!’ Stick with me so there will be no slow-moving motorized scooters, no grab bars installed by your toilette’, and no deprivation diets ever again… in YOUR future!”—Luv, The Asset Queen

Bethanne Weiss B.S., is an Orlando based motivational speaker, author, and ACE-certified fitness and nutrition profession, and ACE-certified behavior-change specialist with 30 years of moving assets from chairs and changing lives. MoveYourAssets.com

Love my AQ wisdom? You can read lots more in my book, Move Your Assets: From the Chair, Not the Bank!

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Email: Bethanne@moveyourassets.com

Not all cooking sprays are created equal

Tiny Tweaks = Big Benefits

By pure observation, most of my fellow Americans consume SO much crap but have convinced themselves they are eating healthy. Even a Consumer Reports’ survey says that 9 out of 10 Americans claim they eat healthy, yet are inflicted with a plethora of hypokinetic diseases including oodles of excess body fat. But it’s not all your fault! Food labels are actually “allowed” to mislead you with words like “healthy,” “natural,” and “organic.” Forgive me peops but organic candy is the epitome of an unhealthy oxymoron, isn’t it? Sometimes it’s a matter of just reading the ingredients list on the food label; and I’m pretty good at translating them into English for ya!

The Asset Queen has your back! I love to share healthy and easy recipes, simple swaps, and easy tweaks to get you off your tuchus (aka your fine, young assets) as well as help you cut down on the consumption of crap. Here’s a little crap-cutting wisdom, “not all cooking sprays are created equal.” Let moi’ elaborate:

bad-olive-oil — The AQ in wonderment checking out the list of ingredients in spray cooking oil

You know that infamous can of cooking oil spray that saves hundreds of calories? Yes the one I’m holding in the above pic with my overly-dramatic look of wonderment. Well you will be traumatized, I mean dramatized, too when you read the ingredients. I understand that the chemicals used to propel the oil from the can and keep it from foaming are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA, but, wait what??…silicone? I guess I really didn’t think much of it till my awesome licensed massage therapist, Tracy Sipe, informed me that she knows of people who spray this stuff directly on their food…Eww!

Less than $3 and the ONLY ingredient is extra virgin olive oil

I’m all for saving hundreds of calories too. And at 120 calories per tablespoon for ANY oil (yes, even extra virgin olive) pouring directly from the bottle into the pan or onto the veggies is not a terrific option if you’re trying to cut down on the extra calories. Well guess what?…You have options! Option #1 is to make sure the only ingredient in that store bought can is the oil! The Bertolli olive oil, pictured here, has no other ingredient listed besides extra virgin olive oil. (Trader Joe’s has their own 100% pure Olive Oil spray as well). And there are 0 calories and the cost is not much more than the one with added propellents…Woo Hoo-gotta love that!!

Option #2 is to purchase your own self-pumping spray bottle like the gorgeous one I’m sporting below, recommended by the amazing LMT Tracy Sipe. The Misto oil spray bottle costs less than $10 ($8 at Bed, Bath & Beyond with your 20% off coupon). Fill it halfway with your oil 100% pure olive oil (or other healthy oil of choice that is safe to cook with) give the top a few pumps and presto… get cooking. Added bonus: you can use it over and over and don’t have to clog up the planet with lotza empty cans. Though I must admit that the disposable type is a bit more user friendly :).

Let me reiterate that the propellants and anti-foaming chemicals in these cans are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA. However, most registered dieticians, licensed nutritionists, and ACE-certified fitness nutritionist specialists like moi’ will tell you to choose foods as close to G-d’s form as possible; what I like to call “single ingredient foods”. And THIS always holds true…the less ingredients listed, the better, and make sure that you recognize them! For example, I buy Quaker or store brand “old fashioned oats”. The only ingredient on the label is “whole grain rolled oats”. You should not need an interpreter to read your food label, but if you do, contact me HERE and I can help translate into English.

Luv, The Asset Queen

The AQ happy with the chemical-free reusable bottle

Bethanne Weiss B.S., is an Orlando based motivational speaker, author, and ACE-certified fitness and nutrition profession with 30 years of moving assets from chairs and changing lives. MoveYourAssets.com

Love my AQ wisdom? You can read lots more in my book, Move Your Assets: From the Chair, Not the Bank!

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Email: Bethanne@moveyourassets.com

Your Kvetch: “I have no time to eat (a Healthy) Breakfast.”

Peops are always telling me they don’t have time to eat a healthy, nutrient-dense breakfast. Which is why 9 out of 10 times the average American will skip breakfast altogether, or grab something that chock full of crap…Like a “healthy” candy bar with with added calories from protein (aka the protein bar). You have no excuse not to eat a tasty, low-calorie, heart-healthy breakfast packed with high energy yielding nutrition! This awesome breakfast takes less than 5 minutes to prepare and you can even slap it into a take-out cup and eat it on the road with a plastic spoon, like moi (The Asset Queen) does!

Bethy’s Awesome (less than) 5-Minute Breakfast To Go

Here’s all you need:

½ cup oatmeal — the plain old-fashioned kind, not the kind in flavored sugar-laden packets!

1 cup water

1 teaspoon REAL peanut butter (the kind with no other ingredients except peanuts — ie no added sugar or chemicals) And yes of course you can substitute cashew or almond butter.)

½ cup fresh berries or a small banana or other favorite fruit, or a mix of your favs

optional: 1 teaspoon of chia seeds which are chock full of protein, good fat and lotza vitamins and minerals

You can microwave the oatmeal and water and then add your ingredients, or cooking on the stove top also takes less than 5 minutes. And you can make enough for your hubby and brood of 12 kiddies all at once!

The whole serving has less than 350 calories and less than a ¼ of the calories come from good fat and there is no added sugar!

This quick and yummy breakfast is packed with SO much nutrition that you’ll have more energy than you know what to do with.

Plus it’s so high in fiber that you’ll be full for hours — and yesterday’s “junk” will fly right out of your trunk LOL!

You can’t say any of the above about that empty calorie bagel with cream cheese that has twice the calories, 3 times the (not so good) fat, and offers virtually NO nutritional value.

Oh, and you can tell that annoying buddy of yours, the one that keeps trying to sell you the latest and greatest multi-level marketing miracle potion, to take a hike because for a fraction of the cost you can eat real food (aka G-d’s food) with less than five ingredients that are all recognizable. Stick with me and I will offer you FREE quick and easy ways to “Move Your (fine young) assets and eat less (crap) without ever having to invest in the latest and greatest mulit-level marketing miracle potion, lotion, or pill again! Stay tuned for my new and improved MYA blog coming soon! For now, check me out at FUNIQFitness.com and type in ANY topic you want info on in the “search” space. I have years worth of amazing, life-changing info.

Luv, The Asset Queen

“My mission is NOT to make you an Olympic athlete; it is to PREVENT you from being the star of the ‘I’ve fallen and I can’t get up commercial!’ Stick with me and there will be no slow-moving motorized scooters, no grab bars installed by your toilette’, and no deprivation diets ever again… in YOUR future!”—Luv, The Asset Queen

Love my AQ wisdom? You can read lots more in my book, Move Your Assets: From the Chair, Not the Bank!

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Email: Bethanne@moveyourassets.com

Kale Chips With The Asset Queen

One bag of kale yields two trays of chips containing less than 250 calories for both trays and is yummy for your tummy!

Step into The Asset Queen’s kitchen please. I am not the greatest cook on the planet, I don’t really enjoy cooking, but I do enjoy eating healthy…uh well at least 85% of the time. This way I can have my vino and my (Banana Dream) cake and drink and eat it too! I am not one to throw shrubs and twigs in a blender and call it a meal and neither should you.

If you crave crunchy and salty like me, always have healthy nutrient dense, low calorie foods prepared ahead of time so you don’t come home famished and scarf down an entire bag of chips. The amazing thing is that even if you eat these two full trays of kale chips you will consume less calories than eating 18 potato chips…no kidding. Plus you will be filling up on heart healthy nutrient dense vitamins and minerals. Even more amazing is that one giant bag of kale (triple washed) is $3 and fills two trays whilst a large bag of crap, uh I mean potato chips, cost lots more! And many peops think it’s costly to eat healthy…I guess many peops are wrong! So here’s the simple recipe:

You need:

One large bag of kale, pull off stems and discard. Spray with 100% Bertolli pure olive oil spray without additives such as silicone ( please read why HERE), add garlic salt, mixed peppercorns, and roasted sesame seeds (all pictured above.) Bake at 350 for 10 – 15 minutes till crispy on edges. Absolutely delicious and nutritious and definitely satisfies that salty tooth whilst saving hundreds of calories from added fats.

I have lotza life-changing tricks up my sleeveless tank top to help you cut down on the consumption of crap. Recipes like my my famous brussel sprouts, cauliflower latkes will keep you svelt and happy. And for a real verbal poch in your tuchus (aka a slap upside your assets) read Eat like The AQ and never diet again. And if you are ready to rid of the diet potions, pills and concoctions for good, give moi’ ACE Certified Fitness and Nutrition Pro a call and I’ll help you cut the crap for good! Bethanne Weiss 407.491.8107

Love my AQ wisdom? You can read lots more in my book, Move Your Assets: From the Chair, Not the Bank!

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Email: Bethanne@moveyourassets.com

Cauliflower Latkes Recipe

I know “healthy latkes” may sound like an oxymoron, especially if you grew up on those delicious, fat-laden treats that Grandma Sylvia deep fried in a gazillion quarts of oil, slapped on your plate only to smother them in equally fat-laden sour cream…YUMMY! And every Hanukkah we couldn’t wait to devour another dozen, or three! Actually, my Grandma Sylvia (aka Shayndel) made them every holiday from scratch and hand grated the potatoes and onions herself. I think she grated some of her skin in there too because her leather-like hands were always bleeding. She was so tough that she never felt a thing, true story. I know, Eeewww!…but I had to throw that in for a little drama.

I continued the tradition of the oil-laden, hand-grated potato latke recipe for many years, and many extra pounds later of course. But because I’ve become the Asset Queen and I believe that the 11th Commandment should be:

Thou shalt move (thy fine young) assets more and eat less (crap),

I have come up with simple, delicious nutrient-dense alternatives to drastically cut down on crap consumption. I choose not to partake in empty calorie fat and sugar-laden treats most of the time and I also refuse to throw twigs and sticks in a blender and call it a meal, and so should you! And by the way, I am SO not a carbophobe and I eat lotza baked potatoes unsmothered in added fats. I eat healthy nutrient-dense foods 85%ish of the time so I can have my (cheap) red wine and occasional (Banana Dream) cake and eat it too 15%ish of the time.

Last year I made these Baked Cauliflower Latkes and they were a real hit at my Move Your Assets Retreat, with Jews and non Jews! They have 1/4 the calories of traditional latkes and a fraction of the fat. Check out the recipe here. I made a few of my own little Bethy tweaks: I sauteed the onions with shredded carrots in a little olive oil and garlic before I mixed them in. I also swapped out the white flour for a mixture of whole wheat flour and ground flax seed to add some heart and brain-healthy grains to the mix. They taste SO good that you may no longer be singin’, “Ain’t nothin’ like the real thing baby!” when you try them. And if you don’t believe that eating healthy can taste SO good, you’ll want to check out my raspberry brussel sprouts and roasted cauliflower too! Let me know what you think and Enjoy!—Luv, The Asset Queen

Love my AQ wisdom? You can read lots more in my book, Move Your Assets: From the Chair, Not the Bank!

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Email: Bethanne@moveyourassets.com

Brussel Sprouts-Tastier Than French Fries?

Would you believe me if I told you that you can get your kids to eat, and actually enjoy, brussel sprouts? I know our hubbies are not great fans either; they have memories of mama force feeding them with the horrendously smelling green balls…Eeww!…Not a pleasant memory. So imagine my hubby’s surprise when I whipped up a batch of these absolutely delicious yet nutrient dense little balls of joy!

Jeffrey took one bite of the green delight and said, “If people knew that eating healthy could taste this good, there would be no need to eat French Fries!” Pause, pace, and absorb the profundity of my husband’s statement, and with NO solicited compliment fishing from me whatsoever…I pinky swear! And if that’s not enough to inspire you to stink up your kitchen with Eau de brussel sprouts, 56 year young Miriam Argov (one of my clients and fav asset queens) had this to say about the yummy little love balls: “So good. You don’t need any candy or cake and it’s so much better for you.” And her 16 year old daughter Sappir is in full agreement, right Sappir?

Don’t take our word for it, try this simple easy recipe for yourself and make as much as you can in one batch. It’s SO low calorie, you can really pig-out and never have to worry about accumulating excess trunk junk. I don’t measure, I just mix stuff to taste and I go light on the oil and balsamic:

Cut brussel sprouts in half and microwave for 4-5 minutes in microwave-safe bag or dish to soften (I do this in 2 shifts cuz I make a giant BJs bag).
Mix in big bowl w/raspberry balsamic, minced garlic, a little bit of sea salt, mixed peppercorns (with grinder attached), and brush with a little bit of olive oil.
Roast for 25ish minutes at 450; more or less depending upon how crispy you want them.

The sweetness of the raspberry juice adds some flavor, but very few calories. Hopefully, this will keep the kiddies, the hubbies, (and us) from grabbing empty calorie cakes, cookies, and French Fries…even some of the time. Oh, and make sure to keep the kitchen vent on full blast, and light some deliciously scented candles whilst embarking on your brussel sprout cooking endeavor. Enjoy, share with everyone you know who wants to (finally) eat healthier, and let me know if they stink, I mean, let me know what you think! —Luv, The Asset Queen

Love my AQ wisdom? You can read lots more in my book, Move Your Assets: From the Chair, Not the Bank!

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Email: Bethanne@moveyourassets.com

Bethy’s tip of the day…Be careful with hummus!!

I watch people scarf up the hummus (even with carrots and celery sticks) believing that they are consuming a great source of protein! Au contraire peeps!!! Check out the label for yourself and what do you see?

HMMM, yes it’s a great source of FAT!! In fact, 50 out of 70 calories per serving (3/4) of it are FAT! And you consume WAY more than the 2 tablespoon serving size.

"How do you know that I eat WAY too much hummus (and other fatty stuff,) Bethy?"

I'm glad that you asked cuz I’ve watched ya ingest hundreds of calories worth of unneeded fat. If more than half of your calorie consumption comes from fat, than I can guarantee that half of your body will be comprised of fat. You are what you eat …period end of story. I can always identify folks that ingest too much fat because they accumulate more lumps and bumps of fat, on their person, than those who take in 30% or less of their daily calories from fat.

I don’t know where your logic came from that eating foods, that are comprised of mostly fat, such as hummus, bacon, sausages (yes, even the turkey ones) and cheeses are great sources of protein. In fact, the one that baffles me the most is that you are consuming sugary candy bars (AKA "protein bars,") with added “protein” or should I say added “calories” and are believing that you are consuming a wonderful source of protein. So???…the added calories from protein cancel out the sugar???? Fill me in on this one please!

Bethy to the rescue

I want to help you make better food choices, without having to diet, just by cutting out (or at least cutting down on) some “killer foods” that you don’t realize are reeking havoc on your bod and your life. I have an entire chapter in my upcoming book, Move Your Assets: From the chair not the bank!, devoted to keeping you away from FAT and other sources of CRAP but don’t get me started right now and let me leave you with this amazing advice that could change your life and your bod…

- Read the labels and make sure you consume very little of the foods that have more than ½ of their calories from fat; make sure sugar is NOT one of their first five ingredients (even if “high in protein” is its claim to fame)

– Yes there are good fats (since I know you were just going to ask me about them) and you can read about them HERE. You still want to consume these in moderation! I love olive oil too but most oils contain 120 calories per tbspn so use caution please!!

- Hire me to go on shopping excursions, clean your pantry and help you and your family and friends learn to read labels, so that you don’t make unhealthy choices that you believe are healthy. For more info contact me: Bethannesinfo@aol.com

End-of-year Better Butts by Beth giveaway!

Between Halloween and New Year's Eve, the average American will gain about 5 pounds of FAT!

Imagine 5 tubs of butter attached to your person:

You will "cumma bangin' on my door" for help on or around January 2!

The Asset Queen (that's me) wants to help you NOT be this statistic, and wants to keep you movin' and groovin' (as well as keep you away from the KILLER foods) through the holidays.

I understand that you may be too busy to be tied into a class schedule, so here is what I'm willing to do and I've never done this before:

I am going to let you cash in your unused FUNIQ class credits for some amazing 1-on-1, 1-hour sessions tailored to target YOUR specific needs and at YOUR convenience.

You can take advantage of this anytime between now and December 31. If you decide to totally give up on asset moving for the rest this year, don't worry; your card will still be good in 2014… but there might be more of you come January 1!

Please contact me for specifics and I will tell you how many credits you have.

Meanwhile put down that pie and read the "Asset Queen's 8 super tips to get through the most fattening, I mean most wonderful, time of the year!"

Save 10,000 per month!!

This sure got my attention:

…and I’m sure if you stumbled upon that itty-bitty sign, in barely conspicuous colors of bright red and yellow, down the salad dressing aisle at Publix or your own grocery store, it would tug at your assets, too!

Wow, what an awesome way to lure us to that bottle of dressing. Let’s see what this is…Of course I had to pick it up…the flip side of reads:

Smart, smart, smart, Walden Farms! You go, girl! (Or guy or whomever you are!) I could not have found a better way to tell people to stop having some lettuce, celery and cukes with that bowl of ranch dressing — though I try and try all the time. I wrote about it here: "Watch where you stab that salad fork!" And I even include it in my upcoming book, Move Your Assets, under “crap to absolutely avoid!”

Are you getting it yet??

You are wasting so many unneeded, high-fat calories on the crap that you dump on your perfectly innocent and healthy veggies and grilled chicken — but you just aren’t getting it yet!! AARGH!!

This is Stefanie, one of my amazing clients, who’s in awesome shape and knows how to cut down on the “crap” in her daily intake (because I drill it into her head offtimes):

Stefanie works as a server at a local restaurant chain. She says that customers order dressing (usually ranch) on the side, which comes in a 4-ounce cup.

Instead of dipping their forks lightly into the dressing and then into the lettuce, as I advise, they proceed to dump the entire cup of dressing on their “salad,” which is already laden with fats such as cheese, bacon and crispy (instead of grilled) chicken.

People, just 1 ounce of ranch dressing and most other fat-based dressings has a whopping 100 calories!! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that you just dumped and extra 400 calories on your already high-fat salad! OY VEY!!

I am sure Steffie wants to ask her customers, “Why do you bother ordering dressing on the side if you’re just going to plotz it all on?” but apparently she holds back cuz she’s nicer than me.

How to lose the fat

And remember, peeps, there are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, so if you simply cut out that fatty dressing we are talking losing almost 3 pounds per month of fat.

And in case you were wondering, yes, I did buy the Walden Farms raspberry dressing — which is fat free, sugar free, and calorie free! It is actually pretty good. It contains white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and one preservative.

And apple cider vinegar has some amazing benefits as well as being calorie free. Read here.

My advice

You know you want it. Here it is: Lose the fatty dressings all together and use spices, sesame seeds (which I told you about here) and balsamic/red wine and apple cider vinegar instead.

If you must use dressings, skip the creamy ones and dip your fork into a side cup of it before you dip it in the lettuce — instead of hiding your salad in it!

Bethy’s tip of the day: The best 20 cents you may ever invest!

I was at the airport a few weeks ago and I got into a conversation with a woman from Jamaica (the island, not Queens NY LOL).

She told me she misses the fresh, pesticide-free fruits and vegetables that she ate in her hometown.

She said that in order to remove the smell and taste of pesticides (EWWWWW) off the lovely fruits and vegetables produced in the US, she sprays a concoction of water and vinegar (HMMM!).

So I googled this and she's absolutely right. Not only does a 3-to-1 ratio of water-to-vinegar help remove pesticides that are on the outside of fruits and veggies, but it also KILLS 98% of bacteria. Holy crap!!

And each bottle of water-and-vinegar mix costs you about 20 cents!

That's a fraction of the cost of those expensive concoctions you buy in the grocery store.

Check it out here and here— complete with "recipe" and instructions.

Hey, if something completely edible and non-toxic is that useful, it sounds like a no-brainer to moi!

OK vinegar may not help you move your assets but it also kills toenail fungus so your feet will be prettier when they move your assets all over town!

And since my goal in life is to get you to "move more and eat less (crap)," if I can convince you to reach for a healthy, yummy apple instead of a bag of fat-laden chips or cookies, my job here is done.

Well, not quite done. I have lots more tips for you coming right up. Watch this space….

Beth's Great Recipes & Lo Cal Tips

Eat like The AQ and never diet again

Not all cooking sprays are created equal

Tiny Tweaks = Big Benefits

Your Kvetch: “I have no time to eat (a Healthy) Breakfast.”

Kale Chips With The Asset Queen

Cauliflower Latkes Recipe

Brussel Sprouts-Tastier Than French Fries?

Bethy’s tip of the day…Be careful with hummus!!

End-of-year Better Butts by Beth giveaway!