New Weekly Recipe: Southwestern Quinoa Salad

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

 

This colorful southwestern-style quinoa salad is great for those looking for an alternative to rice- or pasta-based salads. For those needing to eat gluten free, quinoa is a great option.

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups fat-free, low-sodium gluten-free chicken broth
• 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn
• 1 15 ounce can low-sodium black beans
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Juice of 1 large lime or 2 small ones (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp cumin

Preparation:

Rinse quinoa thoroughly to rid it of its bitter coating.
Place in a 2 quart saucepan with the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy. Allow to cool.
Place cooled cooked quinoa in a salad bowl with the corn, black beans, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno pepper and cilantro.
Whisk lime juice, oil, and cumin in a small bowl. Drizzle over quinoa salad, then toss.
Per Serving: Calories 181, Calories from Fat 34, Total Fat 3.8g (sat 0.4g), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 94mg, Carbohydrate 29.8g, Fiber 4.4g, Protein 7g

Week 4 of RevAbs: My Personal Journey

My Personal Journey

I just finished my fourth week of RevAbs, and I am very proud that I finished it. Tomorrow is the start of my fifth week, and I'm starting Couch to 5K so I can potentially run a 5K this summer. I also did one other big thing this weekend. I started "Team Jacob" for the Milwaukee Walk for a Diabetes Cure. It is September 17th at the Milwaukee County Zoo, and I'm excited to lead a team for this amazing cause. If you're in the Milwaukee area contact me to join my team. If you aren't in the area or don't want to be involved in the walk...donate money to my team!

I've been pretty vocal about having a tough week...it really was tough! I think this diagnosis is finally hitting me, plus I broke up with my boyfriend this week. The breakup isn't the sad part, it's the being alone...again...part that is sad to me. I am already 31-years-old, and I can't seem to find the right guy. So, yes...I'm back in the single world, looking for "Mr Right!" I don't know why this is so hard. I think that I'm attractive, successful, and intelligent. Plus, I am a fun girl and can be very inspiring and motivating. I'm still working on finding my soul-mate, and I won't stop until I find him!!!

I've also started a new business venture. I have been talking to an online friend about Arbonne, and this week I took the plunge and became an Arbonne Independent Consultant. I'm looking forward to  using and promoting Arbonne's amazing products. Shoot me an email at erineffenheim@gmail.com if you want to learn more about this amazing opportunity. The products are all natural, and they work! 


Starting tomorrow I am also going to be involved in a 90 Day Fitness/Clean Eating Challenge. I'm excited to reach my final weight lose goal...20 more pounds to go. I'm combining RevAbs, Couch to 5K, Arbonne, and Weight Watchers to finally reach my ultimate goal. I am excited for all of these great things that are going to be happening in my life...talk to me if you want to lose some weight, find a new business opportunity, get healthy, or personally develop yourself. I am here to help!!!

Nutrition Blog: Nutrient Density

What Is Nutrient Density?

How do you decide which foods you want to eat? Flavor? Texture? Convenience? Comfort? Many people choose the foods they eat based on immediate gratification, without much thought about the long-term effects of their selections. That often results in choosing foods that taste good, but are not good for you.

What about the nutritional value of the foods you eat? When you choose your foods, be sure to consider the nutrient density of the foods. Nutrient density refers to the amount of nutrients for the given volume of food. Nutrient-dense foods have lots of nutrients, generally with fewer calories. All those superfoods you've heard about are nutrient dense foods. Energy-dense foods have more calories for the volume of food and generally fewer nutrients.

How Nutrient Density Works

You are hungry and it is a few hours until dinner so you decide you want a snack. You can choose either an apple or a glazed donut. They are roughly the same size and either food works as a quick snack so you can get back to work. Which one do you choose?

Hopefully you chose the apple. Why? The apple has around 80 calories and lots of vitamins, fiber and phytochemicals that will keep you healthy. The fiber and water in the apple will fill your stomach and keep you satisfied until dinner.

The donut has calories. Lots of calories. In fact, the donut has more than 200 calories but it doesn't have many nutrients. There is only about one gram of fiber so it won't keep you feeling full either, so eating that glazed donut will frequently lead to eating a second one. The donut also has lots of unhealthy saturated fat and plenty of sugar. Sure it tastes good, but your body might pay quite a price for the immediate gratification.

You can also compare nutrient density using the amount of calories in the food rather than volume or portion size. Let's compare a cup of carrot slices to four saltine crackers. Both snacks have about 50 calories, but the carrots have many more nutrients for the same number of calories. The carrots are nutrient dense; the crackers are energy dense. This is important for people on weight-loss diets. Foods that are low in calories, but high in fiber and other vitamins, will keep you satisfied and healthy while you lose weight.

Nutrient-Dense Superfoods

You can probably already see from the examples that brightly colored fruits and vegetables are big winners in nutrient density. That's one reason why so many fruits and vegetables qualify as superfoods, or foods that are rich in nutrients and other compounds that have healthy benefits such as fiber, phytochemicals and essential fatty acids. The superfood fruits and vegetables include carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, kale, spinach, berries, apples, cherries, pomegranate and oranges.

Other nutrient-dense superfoods include salmon, tuna, trout, low-fat dairy products, oatmeal and whole grains, soy, dry beans sand even some fortified foods. On the other hand, energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods include things that are high in sugar and fat such as refined white breads, pasta, pastries, processed lunch meats and cheeses, ice cream, candy, soda, potato chips and corn chips. In other words, junk food.

Choosing nutrient-dense superfoods at the grocery store is pretty easy if you stay along the edges of the store, where the produce, fresh lean meats, low-fat dairy and fresh bakery goods are found. These fresh foods may be more expensive than the energy-dense packaged foods, but you buy more nutrition for that price. Of course, most shoppers choose some packaged foods for convenience, but you can still make smart choices with those products -- just read the labels.

You can easily find the Nutrition Facts labels on the backs or sides of the packages. Look at the serving sizes, note the number of calories per serving and look at the amount of fiber, vitamins, calcium and iron. The packaged food that has the better combination of lower calories, higher nutrients and less sodium is the winner.

Nutrient-Dense Meals

You can prepare nutrient-dense meals by choosing nutrient-dense superfoods and ingredients for your dishes. A nutrient-dense meal should have one serving of a healthy protein source such as legumes, fish, poultry or low-fat meat. One serving is typically about the size of a pack of playing cards. The rest of the meal should be made up of healthy side dishes. Vegetables are always good, even with a little bit of cheese or sauce. Whole-grain pastas, brown rice and wild rice are good choices as well. A green salad with lots of vegetables can make a nice nutrient-dense superfoods side dish or can be a great meal on its own. Clear soups with lots of vegetables are nutrient-dense compared to cream soups which have more calories and are more energy dense.

Would I Ever Choose Foods That Are Energy-Dense?

People who are underweight need some energy-dense foods to make sure they are getting enough calories to gain weight. Healthy energy dense foods include peanut butter, dried fruits, starchy vegetables and cheese.

Why Should I Think About Nutrient Density?

Eating nutrient-dense food will ensure you are getting all the nutrition you need. A nutrient-dense diet won't leave you feeling hungry so maintaining your weight is much easier. Choosing nutrient dense foods can become second nature. Once you understand which foods are more nutrient dense, the rest is easy. Just remember that the foods you eat can affect your health in a big way. To be healthy or unhealthy? The choice is yours.

How do people get rich?

3 Secrets to Building a Great Fortune

If you are reading the Investing for Beginners site, the odds are pretty good that you are interested in building your finances to enjoy a better life for you and your family. There are plenty of resources we've provided such as 10 Steps to Building a Complete Portfolio, How to Become Wealthy, 7 Rules of Wealth Building, and 5 Ways to Make Saving and Investing Easier. Now, for those nascent titans of industry out there who want to build fortunes that will serve as an admission ticket to the Forbes list, we've amassed some points that may help in your quest. For the rest of you, we thought it might be interesting to read now that the PowerBall Jackpot has reached $300,000,000.




1. Establish or acquire a business that generates astronomical returns on equity


The surest way to building an enormous fortune is to start or acquire a business that has three characteristics. First, it generates high returns on equity. Second, it is scalable; that means management can continue expanding easily such as McDonald or Wal-Mart's cookie-cutter model. Finally, the enterprise needs to boast endurable competitive advantages of some sort (what Warren Buffett calls "franchise value.") This can take the form of a regulated or de facto monopoly such as a town with a single newspaper back in the mid-twentieth century, patent protection on a key drug or formula, brand name such as Coca-Cola, or a cultural archetype such as Tiffany & Company.


Many of the greatest businesses on Wall Street and owned by private equity firms today were started in just this manner. Think Microsoft, Apple, Wal-Mart, Target, The Limited, Dell, Home Depot, Yankee Candle, The Bank of Granite, and CitiBank. The methods were different; some were retailers started by entrepreneurs while others were companies taken over by intelligent financial engineers who knew how to structure a business. They provided a vehicle that allowed them to earn more money than their labor alone could. That is the key. You cannot build a respectable fortune if you are reliant upon your own work to generate income. The owner of a chain of banks is collecting interest income as he has Christmas dinner with his family or goes fishing. Compare that to a hard-working hotel maid who must show up and scrub toilets to support her family.


The single most important factor when selecting a business is the return on equity capital. Over the long run, even if you were to pick up stocks or companies for far less than they were worth, it's going to be excessively hard to profit more than the long-term rate earned on shareholders' equity. For information on the components that comprise ROE, read about the DuPont analysis and how you can apply it in your own life or business.




2. Don't Dilute Your Equity Position


Sam Walton's family owned over 40% of Wal-Mart. In the early years, Bill Gate had around 44% of Microsoft before he began selling off shares for his foundation and diversification. Warren Buffett owns over 30% of Berkshire Hathaway. Notice a pattern? In order to build a truly epic fortune, it requires that you own as much of the company as possible. Many times, that means not diluting shares through printing more certificates for overpriced acquisitions.


Why are so few people able to do this? Growing a business takes capital. If you're not already wealthy, the only way to avoid issuing stock is to borrow so that debt makes up a large part of the capitalization structure, or own a company that allows you to use other people's money such as an insurance company which generates float from policyholders that is invested in stocks, bonds, and other assets.


3. Take Advantage of Favorable Tax Law


One way to build your wealth is to ensure that you keep as much money as possible. This includes working with ethical and intelligent financial advisers and certified public accountants that can help you structure your affairs so that you have more money compounding for you and your shareholders in the long run.

Stress Blog: Perfectionist Traits

Are You A Perfectionist? Here Are Some Clues

If you’re wondering whether or not you’re a perfectionist, there’s a good chance you are one, at least to a degree. (Take The Perfectionism Quiz if you want to know for sure.) Perfectionists are a lot like high achievers, but with some key differences. These differences are important, as perfectionists tend to experience more stress! The following are ten telltale traits of perfectionists. Do any of these sound familiar?

All-Or-Nothing Thinking:

Perfectionists, like high achievers, tend to set high goals and work hard toward them. However, a high achiever can be satisfied with doing a great job and achieving excellence (or something close), even if their very high goals aren’t completely met. Perfectionists will accept nothing less than, well, perfection. ‘Almost perfect’ is seen as failure.

Critical Eye:

Perfectionists are far more critical of themselves and of others than are high achievers. While high achievers take pride in their accomplishments and tend to be supportive of others, perfectionists tend to spot tiny mistakes and imperfections in their work and in themselves, as well as in others and their work. They hone in on these imperfections and have trouble seeing anything else, and they’re more judgmental and hard on themselves and on others when ‘failure’ does occur.

“Push” vs “Pull”:

High achievers tend to be pulled toward their goals by a desire to achieve them, and are happy with any steps made in the right direction. Perfectionists, on the other hand, tend to be pushed toward their goals by a fear of not reaching them, and see anything less than a perfectly met goal as a failure.

Unrealistic Standards:

Unfortunately, a perfectionist’s goals aren’t always even reasonable. While high achievers can set their goals high, perhaps enjoying the fun of going a little further once goals are reached, perfectionists often set their initial goals out of reach. Because of this, high achievers tend to be not only happier, but more successful than perfectionists in the pursuit of their goals.

Focus on Results:

High achievers can enjoy the process of chasing a goal as much or more than the actual reaching of the goal itself. Conversely, perfectionists see the goal and nothing else. They’re so concerned about meeting the goal and avoiding the dreaded failure that they can’t enjoy the process of growing and striving.

Depressed by Unmet Goals:

Perfectionists are much less happy and easygoing than high achievers. While high achievers are able to bounce back fairly easily from disappointment, perfectionists tend to beat themselves up much more and wallow in negative feelings when their high expectations go unmet. This leads to…

Fear of Failure:

Perfectionists are also much more afraid to fail than are high achievers. Because they place so much stock in results and become so disappointed by anything less than perfection, failure becomes a very scary prospect. And, since anything less than perfection is seen as ‘failure’, this can lead to…

Procrastination:

It seems paradoxical that perfectionists would be prone to procrastination, as that trait can be detrimental to productivity, but perfectionism and procrastination do tend to go hand in hand. This is because, fearing failure as they do, perfectionists will sometimes worry so much about doing something imperfectly that they become immobilized and fail to do anything at all! This leads to more feelings of failure, and a vicious cycle is thus perpetuated.

Defensiveness:

Because a less-than-perfect performance is so painful and scary to perfectionists, they tend to take constructive criticism defensively, while high achievers can see criticism as valuable information to help their future performance.

Low Self Esteem:

High achievers tend to have equally high esteem; not so with perfectionists. They tend to be very self-critical and unhappy, and suffer from low self-esteem. They can also be lonely or isolated, as their critical nature and rigidity can push others away as well. This can lead to lower self-esteem.

If you see some of these perfectionist traits in yourself, don’t despair. Recognizing that a change may be needed is a very important first step toward creating a more easygoing nature and achieving the inner peace and real success that comes from overcoming perfectionism and being able to say that ‘almost perfect’ is still a job very well done!