Keith Ahrens

I’ve just relocated to Denver Colorado.  The “Mile High” City as its known.  An interesting and beautiful city I must say.  It seems everywhere I go I see walking paths and parks.  Recreation seems to abound here.  Everyone I speak to around the country just loves Denver.  I’ve only heard positive things about this great city.

Someone has taken a special place in my Heart and Soul and I’m looking forward to sharing dreams and opportunities with someone who has already given me so much without ever asking for anything in return.  To be able to love someone and more importantly accept love in return is a major milestone for me. I’m so much in Love:) I will certainly share and blog more about this as time goes by.

I still have my home in Vegas and Maryland but I’ve never been more excited about starting a new chapter in my life.  Being a Co-Chair of the Las Vegas Heart Walk will bring me back to Vegas throughout the year. I will continue my passionate advocacy work with the American Heart Association.

Colorado is ranked #1 as the least obese state with an adult obesity rate of 19.8{1ee8873d3da54571ef77633feec9b2f18618b0dba2f28faf42edb28003d1c6f7}. It is currently the only state under 20{1ee8873d3da54571ef77633feec9b2f18618b0dba2f28faf42edb28003d1c6f7}.  This is an interesting statistic in that 20 years ago this number would have been ranked the worst state.  What does this mean to me?  Colorado, as healthy as it projects itself, must ramp up its efforts to prevent the catastrophic numbers that await its youth and adult population that has besieged the country.  My mission of Awareness, Prevention, and Education along with Action seem to be the only way to curb the tide of what awaits this great state if nothing is done.

Cardiovascular Disease doesn’t care about statistics or some pie chart to tell individuals where it will strike.  The only force field against CVD we have as individuals is to eat heart healthy and get regular physical exercise. Regular check ups are equally important.

I’ll keep everyone posted but I’m ready to hit the ground running here. Every33Seconds.org is coming soon to Denver and the Nation:)  – Keith

Contributed by Bertie B.

Ingredients:

Steal cut oats are the best
Dried apricot
Diced apple
Raisins
Flaxseed
Wheat germ
Chopped walnuts or almonds
Cinnamon
Blueberries
Honey

Instructions:

Just follow directions on the package, then I throw in all kinds of different things to make it even more heart healthy. I’ll cut up little pieces of dried apricots and cook it with the oats… maybe 12 of them for a serving of four. I’ll often add just a few pieces of cut up apple and maybe 3/4 of C. of raisins. After it’s all done and in my bowl.. I’ll add 1T ground flaxseed, 1T wheat germ, a fist full of chopped up walnuts or slivered almonds, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and then 1t blueberries. The blueberries sweeten the oatmeal enough or a spoonful of honey – so you don’t need any sugar.

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Contributed by Bertie B.

Ingredients:

hard boiled egg
peanut butter (no salt added)
pumpkin seeds (unsalted)

Instructions:

Take a hard boiled egg, cut it in half remove the yolk, spoon in just enough all natural no salt added peanut butter and sprinkle with no salt pumpkin seeds, it’s heart healthy!

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Contributed by Katherine R.

Ingredients:

2 eggs
skim, lowfat cheese
seasoning (any of your favorites)
veggies (any of your favorites)

Instructions:

2 eggs (1 full egg, 1 more egg with only the whites, save the yolk for something else); skim, lowfat cheese sprinkled on top of mixed up eggs, add seasoning (any of your favorites); veggies (any of your favorites).

Put into bowl, then place in microwave for 1:18 seconds. Viola, a healthy quick breakfast on the go!

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contributed by Darcy W.

Ingredients

Halves of acorn squash with the seeds scooped out
1 Tablespoon of honey or as needed
1 Tablespoon of grapeseed oil or as needed
Dried cranberries

Instructions

Contributed by Kelly C.

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Fresh minced garlic to taste
Spoon-size or small noodles, any shape
10-12 cups water
10-12 chicken bouillon cubes
1 small bag baby carrots
Sweet corn (fresh, frozen or canned)
3-4 stalks of celery
Several leaves of fresh baby spinach
Seasoning / pepper

Instructions:

In pan, sauté the chicken breasts whole and minced garlic. Add seasoning & pepper to taste. I use a little water (not oil) to keep the chicken from sticking to the pan. Once the chicken is fully cooked, chop it into bite size pieces (saves from the unpleasant task of having to cut up raw chicken). Set aside.

In separate pan, cook the noodles; drain and set aside.

In large pot bring water and bouillon cubes to a boil. Add all vegetables (cut to bite size pieces), with the exception of the spinach. Add chicken/garlic to broth. Turn heat to low and simmer covered until vegetables are done. Add spinach leaves, cover again and turn burner to off.

To serve, add the desired amount of noodles to each individual bowl (no need to keep them warm or “un-sticky”). Pour soup over the noodles. Enjoy!

(Note: To keep leftovers, store noodles and soup separately to avoid mushy noodles when heated back up… do not combine until serving.)

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Contributed by Kelly C.

Ingredients:

Boboli pizza crust (typically found in the deli section)
Light olive oil
Thyme
Baby spinach leaves, fresh
Red & yellow bell peppers, if desired
Purple onion, if desired
Broccoli, if desired
Mushrooms, if desired
Crushed pineapple, if desired
Other pizza toppings, as desired
Light low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

Pour a small amount of olive oil directly onto the Boboli crust. Spread around with your fingers. Sprinkle a small amount of thyme onto the crust. Place a bed of baby spinach leaves onto the crust, layered a bit, all the way to the edges (it may seem high, but it cooks down in the oven). Place your toppings onto the spinach. Top with low-fat mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven at 325 degrees for approximately 12-15 minutes… more time may be necessary, depending on the amount of toppings used. Enjoy!

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Contributed by Bertie B.

Ingredients:

Rice cakes
Applesauce (unsweetened)
Cinnamon
Strawberries
Dark chocolate

Instructions:

Take a Quaker Rice cake; it’s only 50 calories (apple cinnamon) spoon on 1 T of unsweetened applesauce and add a sprinkle of cinnamon. You could also mash 3 strawberries put it on the rice cake of your choice (the caramel tastes nice too) and grate just a pinch of dark chocolate over the top.

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Contributed by Bertie B.

Ingredients:

Romaine lettuce
Spinach
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Red onions
Radishes
Green onion
Carrots
Chickpeas
Cucumbers
Plums or figs
Mandarin oranges
Pumpkin seeds or almonds
Cottage cheese (optional)

Instructions:

Cut and mix Romaine lettuce, spinach, a few pieces of cauliflower, broccoli, red onions, radishes, green onion, shredded carrots, chick peas, cucumbers, chop up into tiny pieces 6 dried plums, or figs, add a small can of unsweetened mandarin oranges or a Clementine, a handful of pumpkin seeds, or chopped up almonds (1/2 C of low fat cottage cheese optional).. It’s a delicious salad.

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contributed by Darcy W.

Ingredients

Red snapper filets
Egg white
½ Cup cornmeal
½ Grapefruit segments
1 Avocado
¼ Red onion sliced
Lemon juice

Instructions