Lemon Bars

  I am so excited that I have a lemon tree in my back yard now.  It produces GIANT lemons and I couldn't wait to try lemon bars from it.  They were delicious!!!   No, they are not the healthiest of snacks but if you need a cheat day or something to bring to a friend or neighbor, this is a good choice.  This is my Grandma's recipe and she is one of the best cooks/bakers I have ever tasted.  Thankfully, she did pass her skill on to our mom too!

For the crust you will need:

1 Cup Margarine

2 Cups Flour

1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar

1/8 tsp Salt

Combine ingredients and pour into a 9X13" baking dish.  Bake at 300 for 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned.

For the filling you will need:  

4 Eggs, beaten

2 Cups Sugar

1/2 Cup Lemon Juice

1/8 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 Cup Flour

Combine all ingredients and pour into baked crust.  Return to oven for another 30 to 40 minutes.  I sprinkled  about 2 tsp of powdered sugar on the top after it came out of the oven instead of the topping suggested since it already had a lot of sugar.  I will add the topping part too if you do want to do that instead of just the powdered sugar.

Topping:

1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar

2 Tbsp Margarine

4 Tbsp Lemon Juice

Mix all ingredients and spread over warm filling after removing from the oven.

~Stacy~

Lemon-Poppy Seed Muffins

  So last year when I was visiting home for my youngest sisters wedding, all of the other sisters had just purchased "The Biggest Loser" cookbooks and were just raving about all of the recipes they had tried and how good they all were.  This interested me since they were healthy, low-calorie recipes, plus, the books were at a steal of a price right then, so I too purchased one.  This past month I have been looking for lemon recipes because of my gigantic lemons on my tree and I want to take advantage of them as much as I can, and I ran into this recipe.  It looked good and I love lemon-poppy seed muffins, so why not.  They were really good.  I doubled the batch and ground up a whole container of the oats so I could make more of them soon.

   Here is the recipe:

1 Cup Whole Grain Oat Flour
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Fat-free, Artificially sweetened Vanilla Yogurt
3 Large Egg Whites
1/3 Cup Honey
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Lemon Extract (or approximately 3 Tbsp of real lemon juice)
1 Tbsp grated lemon peel
2 tsp Poppy Seeds

Directions:  Preheat the oven to 350°.  Coat 20 cups of mini muffins (or 10-12 of regular size) with nonstick spray.  In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process the flour for about 1 minute, or until it is the consistency of all-purpose flour and no coarse grains remain.  Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Sift the mixture twice.

In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, egg whites, honey, vanilla extract, and lemon extract until well mixed.  Stir in the reserved flour mixture until just combined.  Stir in the lemon peel and poppy seeds.  Spoon into the the muffin tins.

Bake for 9-11 minutes (for the mini muffins  11-13 for regular), or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out dry.  Cool on rack 5 minutes and enjoy!!

The mini muffins are about 41 calories!!  My regular muffins are about double the size of my mini muffins so they are only about 80 calories!!  You can't say that about many muffins that taste good!

The cooks for The Biggest Loser suggest if you are going to use lemon juice, to use the real stuff so I tried with these.  I only doubled the amount from the lemon extract (1 tsp) and they weren't too lemony, so I googled and found a few answers you can try (I am going to do the same).  The first was 1/2 tsp lemon extract= approximately 3 tbsp of lemon juice.  The others said to use lemon zest instead because that is where the flavor of lemon extract comes from and double what the extract calls for.  So. . .if you want to try either of these instead of the extract, I think either will be wonderful.  I thought they were great and so did my youngest son.  He ate about 5 of the mini muffins as soon as they came out of the oven and loved them!

To find this original recipe and more from The Biggest Loser, go to: www.biggestloserclub.com/.  (You do have to register as a member if you want to get more recipes.  I will try to post more delicious ones I have tried.  They offer 1 month free, but then you do have to pay a fee.  I am not sure what because I have not joined!)

~Stacy~

Thumpin' Thursday

  Here is another little playlist to try for a great workout.  Some of my favorite tunes!  As I am adding these, I  know they may seem a little crazy- country, hip hop, and whatever else, but this is what I listen to to keep me moving.  Honestly, I will even listen to slower songs too if I really like them, but that is probably not the best suggestion for most people!

Stereo Hearts (featuring Maroon 5)- by Gym Class Heroes (3:31)
50 Ways to Say Goodbye- Train  (4:06)
Tonight, Tonight- by Hot Chelle Rae  (3:20)
Fireworks- by Katy Perry  (3:40)
Marry You- By Bruno Mars  (3:50)
Moves Like Jagger (featuring Christina Aguilara)- by Maroon 5  (3:21)
Cowboy Casanova- by Carrie Underwood  (3:39)
Magic (featuring Rivers Cuomo)- by B.O.B.  (3:16)
Keeps Getting Better- By Christina Aguilara (3:02)
Country Girl (Shake it For Me)- by Luke Bryan (3:52)
Geek in the Pink- by Jason Mraz (3:55)
Good Time- By Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen  (3:27)
22- by Taylor Swift  (3:48)
Locked Out of Heaven- By Bruno Mars  (3:54)
California Gurls (featuring Snoop Dogg)- by Katy Perry  (3:56)
Drive By- by Train  (3:13)

So this playlist is just over 54 minutes so add in two slower songs for a warm up and cool down song and we will have you at about a 60 minute workout, give or take.

All the Right Moves- by One Republic  (4:01)
Both of Us (featuring Taylor Swift)- by B.O.B. (3:38)

Here is the link for the play list.  (Push the play button to put them in whatever order you want to hear them in.) I hope you like it!  (powered by www.playlist.com)

~Stacy~

Total Miles "Marched"

  Well, we are coming up to our final hours for March.  We only have 2 more days to add up our total miles walked, run, biked, swam, or any other way you got them done!  We are falling short of our goal of 5,000 :(.  Please enter in any miles you have accomplished during this month so we can have our giveaway!  

  Our total to date is. . .253.46  There have only been a few consistent people adding in their numbers and I know there are more out there who were active this past month so comment away so we can GIVEAWAY!!!!

Thought of the Day!

This is definitely how I feel when I am first starting to exercise again, but it is always worth it!

Love,

The Sissies!

Motivational Monday!

  I haven't watched this years season of "The Biggest Loser" but I know a couple of my sisters have watched it religiously and I have heard parts of their conversations.  It has been really neat to hear some of the transformations from this years group. 
 
  I know we all really know how important being healthy, eating right, and exercising is, but it really can be a challenge.  Throw in all of the things we have to do in life and the many balls we are juggling, and that just may be the last thing we can do at the time. 

  Michael Dorsey was not the winner this year but he did still lose 136 pounds over the course of the show!  That is really like taking an entire person off!!  I know most people do not have that much weight to lose, but we all have something we can improve on, whether it is walking the mile to pick your kids up from school instead of driving, exercising 2 more times a week, or even just eating breakfast in the morning.  We need to be able to teach our kids good habits by what they are watching us do, so just take a minute to sit down and write some personal goals.  Write down simple, achievable things and start working on them now.  Involve your kids (if you have them), friends, neighbors because it is a lot more fun and it will help you be more accountable and achieve your goals!

 Enjoy Michael's journey on the show summarized here. 

  ~Stacy~

What Ryan says goes....

Ok fine Ryan. If you say so.

When the weather starts getting warmer there is one thing my very white, slightly-chubbier-from-winter body wants to do.....go for a nice run. I love running, especially in Spring and Fall weather. The scenery is amazing and the air is perfect. Fresh and clean.

Here is a great workout plan for beginners or for those of us who have avoided it in the Winter months and would like to start it up again.  It is here.

And here is a list of great playlists for running, according to Women's Health Magazine.

Make sure you fuel up with some carbs before your run so you will have the energy to keep going. Eat some toast, a granola bar, a piece of fruit or if you are going on a longer run (45 minutes or more) make sure you eat a couple of these. After a long run, make sure you refuel and replenish lost electrolytes with preferably coconut water, or you could have a Gatorade or something similiar.

I hope you enjoy your run, I know I will! :)

Mary

Thought of the day...

It is March, 21, so I am hoping since it is springtime now we can all get outside and enjoy a walk with a nice scenery!

Enjoy!

Love,

the sissies!

Thought of the day...

This quote really hits home for

me because I love the thought of working

out with other people, but 

I am not confident enough to actually

follow through.  

I always put myself down 

thinking how dumb I am going to look,

but really if you have this 

attitude shown in this

quote, anything

is possible.

Enjoy!

Love, 

the sissies!

Thought of the day...

Thought of the day...

New Sashay Scarf Colors

  Here are some more Sashay Scarves we have added to the collection.  We will continue to add more and remember if you have a certain color you would like, just email us at moresisterstuff@gmail.com and we will be happy to get them if possible!!

  Prices are still at the introductory price of $20.00 for adult sizes, $15.00 for child sizes, $12.00 for infant sizes and SHIPPING IS INCLUDED!!

This one is Rumba.  With 2 darker tones of blue and royal blue.

Sizes Available

Adult $20.00 USD Child $15.00 USD Infant $12.00 USD

This one is Waltz with 2 tones of brown, cream and grey. 

Sizes Available

Adult $20.00 USD Child $15.00 USD Infant $12.00 USD

This one is Jive. 

Sizes Available

Adult $20.00 USD Child $15.00 USD Infant $12.00 USD

Thought of the day...

Nike puts it best...

Now get up and work out today! Then be sure to come back and record your workout in a post!

Enjoy!

Love,

The sissies!

Why Walking is Good for YOU

I really do love "Walk with Walgreens" program.  It is easy to use, it gives you money to spend in their store, it has all kinds of support for you, and they have great articles.  I found this one last Monday and thought it was very interesting.  Go ahead and read the whole article, but I will tell you, in the study the performed, they found the ones who walked to have the better heart benefit than even the ones who did the VIGOROUS cycling program.  So if walking is what you like, if it is all you can do, or maybe it is just all you can afford to do, don't discount it.  It has great benefits for you and your body!  Enjoy :)

~Stacy~

Walking Can Be More Effective Then Gym Workouts

 by Walk with Walgreens

Can a just walking beat out the benefits of workout at the gym? A recent study conducted by Maatricht University in the Netherlands claims that the answer is yes.

Researchers found that for the same amount of calories burned, standing & walking over the course of a day has more benefits than an hour of intense exercise in regards to improving cholesterol and preventing diabetes. "Get out of your chair as much as you can, take the stairs instead of the elevator, go by bike," said Hans Savelberg, who authored the study.

Tests were conducted on a group of healthy adults who were asked to perform different exercises over the course of the study. For the first test, the group sat for 14 hours with no exercise. During the next test, the group sat for 13 hours and performed one hour of high intensity cycling. For the last test the group sat for 8 hours, then walked for 4 and stood for 2, in total burning the same amount of calories as during the cycling period.

The research revealed that the participants had improved insulin levels and lower cholesterol after walking and standing compared to no exercise at all. Where it gets interesting is that when the group took part in the walking & standing test, insulin and cholesterol levels where more significantly improved than even during the cycling tests.

"If you exercise for half an hour and are sedentary for the rest of the day, that represents an unhealthy lifestyle," said Savelberg. "Long periods of non-sitting at a low intensity level should be classified as an active lifestyle."

In short, getting more movement in throughout the day can be more beneficial than one workout in an otherwise sedentary day.

Total Miles "Marched"

As of tonight, Sunday March 17, have 201.87 miles marched!!!  Great job again.  Happy St. Patty's Day!!  Love, the sissies!

Miles "Marched" so Far

 YAY!!  We have had a pretty good week with miles.  We are up to 172.28!!!  Please keep posting and post more.