Category: nutrition

My fabulous 3 ingredient oatmeal pancakes recipe

On By Dani Sanusi FitnessIn fitness, nutrition, recipe2 Comments

It’s the perfect breakfast, and only 3 ingredients! I hope you enjoy this deliciousness as much as I do!

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs or egg whites
  • 1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon (to taste)
  • garnish: maple syrup or peanut butter and fruit

1. Combine eggs, oatmeal, and cinnamon in a bowl, mix together. I like to soak the ingredients together for about 10 minutes until the oatmeal softens up.

2. In a greased pan over medium heat, pour mixture into pan and flip when cooked.

*If you prefer a smoother consistency, you can throw the oatmeal in a blender or food processor to make it a smoother batter 🙂

Enjoy! Happy eating!

Warmly,

Dani

Apple Scramble Recipe!

On By Dani Sanusi FitnessIn fitness, nutrition, recipeLeave a comment

Apple scramble? Confused? Your taste buds won’t be! This is a delicious recipe perfect for Sunday brunch. My hubby loves it and he doesn’t really enjoy eggs that much (could I have married a more different man?!). His mom used to make this for him all the time! Just trust me 🙂

Ingredients:IMG_4769

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 c whole wheat flour (you can use something else of your choice as well, or the original recipe calls for white flour)
  • 2/3 cup nonfat milk
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sweetener of your choice (optional)
  • 1 apple, peeled and chopped
  • garnish: lemon and/or powdered sugar (very optional, it’s delicious as is, but the original recipe calls for it)

1. Combine all ingredients except apple in a bowl, mix together. In a pan over medium heat, pour mixture and stir frequently until egg is cooked.

2. Serve immediately with turkey bacon for a delicious and nutritious breakfast!

Happy eating!!

Warmly,

Dani

My delicious thai chicken green curry recipe

On By Dani Sanusi FitnessIn fitness, nutrition, recipeLeave a comment

This is one of mIMG_4635y favorite recipes of all time! It’s delicious and nutritious (and spicy)! Serves 3-4 people.

Ingredients:

  • 1 jalapeno
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 T chopped fresh ginger
  • 3 cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed
  • 1 T fine coriander (I use 2 or even 3 T because I LOVE the flavor!!)
  • 1/2 T cumin
  • 2-3 T water
  • 2 T coconut oil
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 2 chicken breasts, skinless, sliced into thin strips
  • 1 sliced bell pepper (or other veggie you desire)
  • 1 can bamboo shoots and/or water chestnuts
  • 1 T sugar
  • a few drops of fish sauce
  • 1 T lime juice
  • rice or quinoa

1. In a food processor, add jalapeno, pepper flakes, ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, and process to a paste. Add a few tablespoons of water to create a more workable consistency.

2. In a large saucepan, heat oil over high heat, and add all paste at once. Fry it quickly, stirring continuously. Add coconut milk, turn heat to medium, and simmer. Add sliced chicken and cook until chicken is done (5-10 minutes, but I like my sauce to reduce so I let it summer for 15-20 minutes). Add bell pepper about halfway through.

3. Add to taste: sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, and season with salt. Simmer for another 5 minutes, serve immediately over rice or quinoa.

4. Enjoy!!

Happy eating!

Warmly,

Dani

Healthy French Toast Recipe

On By Dani Sanusi FitnessIn fitness, health, nutrition, recipeLeave a comment

This past Sunday, I had a craving for something special to eat for breakfast. Inspiration hit me, and so here is my healthy french IMG_4595toast recipe for two!

Ingredients:

  • Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin bread (I used 2 slices per person)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 c egg whites
  • cinnamon to taste
  • maple syrup or agave for topping
  1. Beat eggs and add egg whites into a shallow container. If you like cinnamon, add it to the egg mixture. Soak bread in the egg mixture until most of it is absorbed (about 10 minutes, flipping a couple times)
  2. Heat a pan over medium heat, spray with any non-stick means you choose (I was feeling fancy and used 1 T of butter). Once heated, add soaked bread and flip when browned.
  3. Add your topping of choice, serve with turkey bacon and fresh fruit. Enjoy!! Let me know what you think!!

Happy clean eating!

Warmly,

Dani

Banana Cinnamon Protein Oatmeal Recipe

On By Dani Sanusi FitnessIn fitness, nutrition, recipeLeave a comment

Looking for something delicious to have for breakfast to really help you power through your day? Breakfast is so important, and it’s easy to make this nutritious meal no matter how busy your mornings are!

Ingredients:IMG_4434-0

  • 1/2 c old fashioned oatmeal
  • 3/4 c water (depending on the consistency you desire for oatmeal)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or to taste)
  • 1/2 ripened banana
  • 1/2 scoop Vanilla protein powder (depending on desired consistency.
  • 1 tsp your choice of sweetener if needed (agave, syrup…make it healthy!)
  1. In a microwave safe bowl, add oatmeal, then top with banana and cinnamon. Pour water over the bowl, and microwave for approximately 2 minutes, or until oatmeal is soft. Stir, add more liquid and add protein powder (can use milk or water if needed to achieve desired consistency). Taste and if desired, add sweetener.
  2. Pair with some Canadian bacon for a well rounded breakfast! Enjoy!

Happy eating!

Warmly,

Dani

My problem with cheat days

On By Dani Sanusi FitnessIn fitness, health, nutrition, wellnessLeave a comment

I love cheat days. LOVE them! They can be essential for success with any healthy lifestyle, because they allow you to indulge and enjoy your favorite foods that might not be so healthy. By not completely depriving yourself, you’re motivated to stay on track overall and it does help reset your metabolism and raise leptin levels. But, I’ve found myself to have quite a problem with cheat days! Here’s why.

junk foodI’m not used to rich foods, or processed foods. They aren’t a normal part of my diet, although I definitely do enjoy them. I’m only human! Over the last year I have really cleaned up my diet, still allowing for the cheat meal or cheat day on a normal basis. Because I’m not as used to processed foods anymore, it really messes up my digestive system. My body just doesn’t know what to do with the stuff anymore, I guess? What’s interesting is I don’t have any digestive issues, and they are quite rare. Over the last year (since I’ve started to clean up my diet), I’ve noticed that whenever I have a full blown cheat day, or even cheat meal, I feel TERRIBLE. A few times, I wasn’t even able to keep the food down at all. I felt much better after ridding my system of the food, thankfully.

What’s interesting to me is; what on earth is in these ‘foods’ that my body is rejecting? That’s really something to think about. Kind of scary, right? These processed foods really aren’t actually foods our bodies are supposed to be ingesting. Have you ever gone on a sugar detox, or maybe a clean eating regimen? If you have, you probably found yourself not wanting or needing those processed foods after a few days. Your body becomes addicted to these processed foods, and isn’t really ever satisfied with the foods because it’s not getting the proper nutrients it needs to function at its best. Is it worth eating, only to feel terrible for the rest of the day? Or even worse, let my body reject it a few hours later?

All day last Sunday, watching both of the football games, most of what I ate was processed; Cheetos and Doritos were amongst some of these foods. At the end of the day, I felt so sick, exhausted and sluggish. I literally felt my body crave something healthy. Crazy, right?! I think I’m going to have to go with more of a cheat meal, rather than a cheat day. I would assume it’s just a system overload issue. Does anyone else have these problems with cheat days? If you are interested in eating clean, don’t hesitate to ask me questions you may have!

Happy clean eating!

Warmly,

Dani

The supplement everyone should be taking

On By Dani Sanusi FitnessIn fitness, health, nutrition, nutritional supplement, wellnessLeave a comment

It’s called OPC-3. It stands for oligomeric proanthocyanadins. Easy to remember, right? 😉 I’ve been taking it since I was 7, every darn day. My parents came across this product 20 years ago, they knew they had found something special and build an entire business around it.  You’d think I would grow to hate something I had to take every day growing up, right? Especially something that’s actually good for you. Nope, not when it’s something that is actually amazing and works.

isotonix
The best stuff ever!

At the time, my little sister was regularly getting these terrible ear infections. The doctors couldn’t seem to understand why or how to prevent them. After starting to take OPC-3, she never had another one since. It has helped me fight off and prevent colds before the symptoms even truly start to present themselves. I can count on a single hand how many times I’ve been sick in any way in the last 10 years. (NO, I’m not kidding!)

What makes it unique?

Isotonix OPC-3 is one of the most revolutionary nutritional supplements, as it is the most effective with it’s delivery system. It is a powder which you mix with water. No pills! Yay! This product is the only nutritional supplement powder in the world that has Pycnogenol (a super-antioxidant) in it, since Isotonix has exclusive worldwide rights to it.

Its benefits include:

    • promoting your cardiovascular health by helping you maintain healthy blood vessels and showing anti-inflammatory activity
    • protects against free radicals
    • helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels and health circulation by strengthening capillaries, arteries and veins
    • helps maintain joint flexibility
    • helps reduce mild menstrual cramping and abdominal pain
    • helps support visual health and visual acuity
    • potent free radical scavenger
    • promotes healthy blood vessel dilation and health nitric oxide levels
    • supports a healthy complexion
    • supports healthy blood glucose levels, healthy platelet activity, and healthy sperm quality
    • promotes sinus comfort
    • supports immune health

It has been beneficial for a vast variety of autoimmune diseases such as; rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and even MS.

Check it out here: http://bit.ly/1gVxoi8. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed. Take it consistently for 3 months, and check with me on the dosage (maybe you’ll do better with a double dosage). Remember, eating clean and treating your body right is just one area of health and fitness, but it is absolute essential for your wellness! Invest in yourself, and your body. I truly believe preventative care is the the way to go 🙂

Want to win a 90 servings size Isotonix OPC-3 for free? I’m starting a FIT FEBRUARY 28 Day Challenge, with prizes!! Simply post a picture on Facebook or Instagram showing how you fit fitness into your day, every day for the month of2015/01/img_4248.png February and you’ll be entered to win 1 of these 2 fabulous prizes: A 90 serving bottle of OPC-3, a $69.95 value! Or, Complete Greens, the best easy way to add the power of veggies to your diet! A $43.50 value! (Check out my Complete Greens protein smoothie recipe here: http://bit.ly/1J6NLap). Be sure to tag #fitfebruary2015 and @danisanusifitness. Make sure your profile isn’t on private so we can see your wonderful posts. GO FOR IT! Who’s in?! Ask a friend to do it with you and support each other!

Please don’t hesitate if you have any questions! Do you currently take an antioxidant?

Happy supplementing!

Warmly,

Dani

Digestive cleanse: Why you should do one once a year

Ew, gross. Digestive cleanse? That sounds awful. Fear not, reader! It’s really no biggie. I have a cleanse I’ve been doing for many many years now, and it’s easy and fabulous. Did I mention easy?

First off, allow me to explain why everyone should be doing this cleanse at least once a year, if not twice. Think about all the things you eat over the course of a year. Now think about all the things you drink. And who knows what else you ingest. Are all of these foods clean, chemical-free and healthy? Probably not. When you eat things that aren’t easy for your body to break down and absorb (ie: donuts, etc…), your body needs extra help to clean it all out.2015/01/img_4170.jpg

And now, without further ado…It’s called the NutriClean 7 Day System. Click that link to check it out! Now, I’m not big on the whole product promoting thing unless it’s very high quality and something I really truly love and believe in. And I do, and have used it for many years (a decade!). I literally just finished the cleanse today, and I feel amazing, as I always do afterwards! It uses herbs and botanicals to gently detoxify and cleanse the entire digestive tract and liver.  The system includes a fiber powder and two separate sets of tablets. Take the powder and one set of 2 tablets in the morning, and the other set of tablets before bedtime. That’s all you have to do! You eat healthy and clean, nothing crazy, as you normally would. It is a fabulous way to kick start any health lifestyle change. I strongly encourage everyone to get this awesome cleanse!

Have you ever done a digestive cleanse?

Happy cleansing!

Warmly,

Dani

 

On By Dani Sanusi FitnessIn fitness, health, nutrition, nutritional supplement, resolutionLeave a comment

Rest day: 4 reasons not to skip it

restLet’s assume you’ve started your year off with an awesome fitness kick. You’re working out daily, eating right and you wake up the next morning finding your muscles cursing at you. Or, we could also assume you are continuing being fit-focused, continuing to workout regularly. No matter what end of this spectrum you fall on, you have to make sure you include a rest day into your weekly routine. I literally begged my classes this past week to not do too much, overdo it and then burnout and give up on their 2015 resolutions. Yes, I am the weirdo instructor who tells her students to not come back to class. But seriously. Rest days are just as important, if not MORE important, than your workouts. What?! Yes, it’s true. Here’s why…

1. Prevents injury from overuse. You don’t want to do too much to your body too frequently so that it overcompensates in a way that could hurt you. Once while training for a race, I increased my mileage too fast and had pain in my IT band whenever I passed a certain mileage during my final month of training. I should have listened to my body and given myself an extra taper week or dropped in mileage to regain strength, rather than push through. Over training simply was not worth it.

2. Allows for glycogen stores to restock. Imagine a car being driven for a long trip. At some point the car needs to stop, refuel and let the engine cool down. Same thing goes with you!

3. Prevents mental burnout. If you are trying to make fitness a part of your regular routine, the best thing you can do is give yourself a day where you don’t have to go to the gym and let yourself do something else with your valuable free time. That way, the next day you are refreshed and ready to up the intensity.

4. Lets muscles rebuild and minimize fatigue. You literally tear muscles to make them bigger, and it’s crucial to allow them proper time to rebuild so they can get stronger.

Now, the key is to remember that it is a rest day, not week or month. If you are very sore after a workout, sometimes you really do need to rest and let your body recover. But, if you workout one time and take the rest of that week off because you are too sore…well, you can see how that might not be beneficial to your fitness regimen. Working out can help get rid of that lactic acid buildup in your body, and actually help you be less sore faster. SO rest days are not always the best solution when you’re sore, but rather working out IS the solution. Crazy, right? Just listen to your body, and do what’s best for you, but don’t be afraid to take that rest day.

rest dayIf you’re one of those weird people (such as myself) that just don’t know what to do with themselves on a rest day (see accurate picture to the left), you can always go for a walk or do some gentle yoga or stretching. Whatever it is, just do something light depending on whatever your fitness level is. True story; today is my rest day and I just got back from walking my dogs because I just had to do something.

Keep that rest day a part of your weekly routine, and remember that the best rest day is a rest day well earned!

Happy sweating!

Warmly,

Dani

On By Dani Sanusi FitnessIn fitness, gym, health, motivation, nutrition, recovery, workoutLeave a comment

5 ways to stick to your New Year’s resolution!

Is your New Year’s resolution to eat right? Lose weight? Get fit? Run a race? Even if it’s not fitness related, here are 5 great ways to help stick to your resolution and make 2015 a fantastic year of achieving your goals!

1. Keep Track

Keep a calendar so you can check off each day, or a food log, depending on what your goal is. If you’re trying to keep track of what foods you’re eating, use an app (there are tons of free ones out there!). It will help you keep yourself honest and help track your progress! Same thing goes with a calendar: if you are trying to work out 5 times a week, mark off what days you do fit your exercise in and make sure you keep hitting your goals. One day at a time!

2. Have an accountability buddy

Maybe you and a friend have similar goals?! Buddy up and help motivate one another to stay on track  🙂 Everything is way more fun with a friend!

3. Give yourself an off day

The best way to stay on track? To allow yourself to get off track! If you’re working on your diet, allow yourself a cheat meal every once in a while. A meal will not undo all your hard work, I promise you 🙂

4. Don’t be vague with your goal

Don’t just have your resolution be to “get fit”. Try wording your goal in more measurable terms, such as; I want to lose 10lbs this year. Or I want to reduce my body fat percentage to X%. Just don’t give yourself an unrealistic deadline! Be patient with yourself. You WILL get there.

5. Write it down!

Write down what your actual resolution is, and put it somewhere in your home or a place that might be particularly helpful to see the reminder. Just seeing your writing and remembering what your goal is will help you start and end your day on the right foot!

Remember, whatever your resolution is, make sure that it’s truly something you want for yourself. It takes 21 days to create a habit. Be patient with yourself, and don’t give up. Make 2015 your year!

What is your 2015 resolution? Mine is to eat right, run a PR half marathon and to work on my Yoga arm balances and inversions! (THERE, it’s out there! It’s also written on the 2015 goals bulletin board at my gym for all to see…eek!)

Happy sweating!

Warmly,

Dani

On By Dani Sanusi FitnessIn 2015, fitness, goal, gym, health, motivation, nutrition, resolution, workoutLeave a comment