Want to take a few more picnics to coloring the end of summer? Do not forget preparing some healthy foods! We provide 10 yummy treats for helping you perfect your trip. Healthy dips, fruit drinks, homemade snacks and etc, let them replace potato salad, fried chicken, and potato chips in your picnic basket!

Hummus and Pita Chips
Whether you make your own, like this roasted tomato version, or buy it at the store, hummus served with pita chips is a sensible and hearty alternative to Lays and ranch dip.

A Seasonal Salad
A refreshing salad made from seasonal veggies, such as this cucumber avocado caprese salad, will fill you up and deliver a healthy dose of veggies.

Fruit Kebabs
Bite-size fruit is a great addition to any picnic. Skewer it on kebabs for a snack that travels well and is fun and easy to eat on the go.

Veggies and (Healthy) Dip
Another alternative to ranch dip, a creamy white bean dip acts as a delicious and filling accent to assorted chopped veggies.

Salsa and Blue Corn Chips
Purchase store-bought salsa or whip up a recipe like this mango and red pepper version. Serve it with blue corn tortilla chips, which are more nutritious than white corn.

Visit the site for the rest: FitSugar. 

 
Get Fit On ExerciseTV!

- Get access to hundreds of ExerciseTV workouts with the NEW Premium Pass

- Download Laurel's Smart and Skinny Meal Plan for the week

- Start the 10 Pound Slimdown Workout Plan 

-Start the Bodylicious system and download the free workout/meal plan
   

Tags: ExerciseTV, diet, health, snack, picnic, food, veggie, fruit, salad

Tags: ExerciseTV, weight loss, diet, health, Facebook, fitness, workout, exercise, Jillian Michaels

We love getting new ideas from our friends at YumSugar. We stumbled upon this cooking idea and think it's fabulous idea that's super practical. We love simple tips that make a huge difference. Check it out!

The other day when I was cooking with a friend, she reached for the Dijon mustard. Since mustard is my favorite condiment, I use it often. This jar was almost empty except for about a tablespoon of mustard that
was spread on the sides. "Save this. The next time you want Dijon vinaigrette, just make it in this jar," my friend said, placing the mustard back in the fridge. Genius! I love the idea of employing every last bit of the
mustard and definitely plan on making the vinaigrette in the mustard container.

If you  love this idea as much as we do--go for it and try using the following ingredients to make it happen! Enjoy!


Dijon Vinaigrette Recipe found on yumsugar.com

From Sonia Meyer


Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tablespoon smooth dijon mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt

freshly ground pepper


Directions

Place the garlic, mustard, lemon juice, and oil in a small jar. Season generously with salt and pepper.Shake the jar vigorously to combine. Adjust seasonings if necessary and use immediately.
Makes about 1/4 cup.


This article was found on YumSugar.


Get Fit on ExerciseTV!

-Connect with us on our Facebook fan page and chat with our Fit Life Expert

-Get your ultimate fitness and nutrition solution with ExerciseTV's Premium Pass

-Find out how Candace lost 68 pounds with ExerciseTV

Tags: ExerciseTV, weight loss, recipe, vinaigrette, mustard, health, fitness, nutrition

We have no excuse not to work on our core! Laurel gives us a quick how-to on standing ab crunches before work, on a break or when you just don't feel like getting on the ground. She's even doing it in heels, so come on...we can do this!



Standing Ab Extension- repeat 50 times (make sure you're extending your leg all the way back and engage your abs) Keep your shoulders back!

Standing Ab Crunch- repeat 50 times (pulsing your knee up and your elbow down)

Side Ab Crunch- repeat 50 times

Tags: abs, ExerciseTV, fitness, how to, advice, health, diet, core, standing crunches

Tags: flat abs diet, fitness, ExerciseTV, exercise, workout, how to, salad

Our good friends over at FitBottomedGirls got to interview Cat Cora, who is the first female Iron Chef winner (go girl!) and talk to her about her delish, healthy recipes in her new cook book Cat Cora's Classics (with a twist). They even got to feature a couple of recipes from her book of tasty wonders (so you must check it out)


How does Spinach Paella or healthy salmon burgers sound? Jenn made both and said they weren't difficult at all and she felt so good about feeding her family these fresh, nutritious meals. If you want to try these "show-stopping" recipes visit the FitBottomedGirls blog now!


Get Fit With ExerciseTV!

-Connect with us on our Facebook fan page and chat with our Fit Life Expert

-Get your ultimate fitness and nutrition solution with ExerciseTV's Premium Pass

-Find out how Candace lost 68 pounds with ExerciseTV

Tags: ExerciseTV, weight loss, diet, health, nutrition, how to, exercise, fitness, recipes, spinach

We love iVillage's Look Good, Feel Good Challenge and we're super excited to see Karla (an iVillage community moderator) posting about yoga moves. The featured workouts today are ExerciseTV workouts you can try right now!


Bridge Pose on iVillage:
http://bit.ly/aRY2uh

Pigeon Pose on iVillage:
http://bit.ly/aaSwwH

If you didn't know about iVillage's Look Good, Feel Good challenge you can still check it out and participate. A little about the challenge from the iVillage message board:

You'll join tens of thousands of participants who have committed to eating healthier, exercising more and feeling their best every day. You'll get free assignments encouraging you to try healthy recipes, new yoga moves, anti-aging tricks and more.

Sound good? We think so, too. We like that you can ask experts questions on the message boards as well as find a challenge buddy. Check it out here! http://bit.ly/auAjiP

Tags: ExerciseTV, fitness, workout, ivillage, yoga, bridge, challenge, pigeon, diet

Tags: Snack, Food, Healthy, Nutrition, Diet, Fruit, Energy, Protein, Fiber, Whole grains

Our friends at SELF Magazine revealed the 4 Ways Beyoncé Stays Fit and Fierce so we thought it would helpful to share some workouts that will help you get bootylicious, too. The superstar revealed to SELF how she keeps her sexy curves in shape all year long. She definitely works hard for her results!



"I keep sit-ups interesting by doing them on the ball."

Try Cindy Whitmarsh's BODYlicious ExerciseTV mini-workout to tighten your abs, back and gain balance!


"I do a lot of things with little weights—like, I'll put on a song that I really like and I'll do [bicep curls with] 5-pound weights for the duration of the song and just try to burn out."

To get toned arms like lady B try Jeanette Jenkins' Sexy Toned Arms workout with weights and start seeing results!


"I can do 10 push-ups at a time! I'm actually very proud of that, because I could never, ever, ever do one. And I do a lot of lunges and squats."

To work on your arms and shoulders try Meredith Miller's Push-Ups workout


"I try to hold my body weight for a minute on my toes and hands."


Try Jillian Michael's ExerciseTV Spider Plank for an extra challenge!


Visit Self.com to view this article.


Get Fit With ExerciseTV!

-Work on your abs with your exercise ball

- Start the BODYlicious system and get flat abs and toned booty

- Get the Premium Pass--your ultimate fitness and nutrition solution

Tags: ExerciseTV, fitness, how to, advice, diet, health, weight loss, abs, core, plank, exercise ball

If you haven't asked a fellow ExerciseTV fan about the new Premium Pass--check it out for yourself! It's got workouts, fitness advice and nutrition all wrapped into one amazing package right here on ExerciseTV! We asked StillSlim, one of our good friends in the ExerciseTV community, to review and comment on the Premium Pass. Check out what she had to say!



OMG! OMG! OMG! I just logged into my video library and was surprised with a new interface called Premium Pass.  OMG!  It is wonderful.  The workout plan section is exactly what I need and have been looking for.  Let me tell you.  I was already wavering in my decision to stay on track with the 10 pound slimdown.  I am a terrible person when it comes to exercise already and I can only stay on a plan for so long before I am doing something else.  However, everything I needed to stay on track is there.

Here are some they key points she mentioned:

Layout:The graphics and layout are attractive and professional looking.


Workout Plans: The interface is extremely user friendly.  Just click on the icon of the plan you want; click on the link to the workout for the day; click complete when you are done.  I would say, this is everything an "exerphobic" like me needs to get it done.


I just want to say again, the workout plan app was made with me in mind.  The addition of the completion box is like the carrot for a person like me.  When I saw that box, I had to do the exercise, just to be able to click that box. Thank you for allowing me to try this out. I will keep you updated as I go along.

 -StillSlim, ExerciseTV Community Member

Tags: ExerciseTV, fitness, how to, advice, health, weight loss, premium pass, workout, diet, workout plan