ingredients

Butter-flavor nonstick cooking spray

4  sheets frozen phyllo dough (about 17/13-inch rectangles), thawed

2  Tbsp. sugar

1/2  tsp. ground cardamom or cinnamon

1/3  cup low-fat lemon yogurt

3  Tbsp. lemon curd

1/3  cup whipping cream, whipped, or 1 cup frozen whipped dessert topping, thawed

3/4  cup each fresh red raspberries, blackberries, and/or blueberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees . Lightly coat two baking sheets with cooking spray; set aside. Unfold phyllo dough. Remove 2 sheets phyllo dough to large cutting board. Lightly coat top sheet of phyllo with cooking spray. Cover remaining phyllo dough with plastic wrap

2. In small bowl stir together sugar and cardamom. Sprinkle half sugar mixture on phyllo stack. Top with 2 more phyllo sheets. Lightly coat with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture.

3. Cut phyllo sheets lengthwise in 4 equal strips, then crosswise in 4 pieces to make 161 rectangles. Transfer to prepared baking sheets. Bake rectangles 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

4. Meanwhile, for lemon filling; in medium bowl stir together lemon yogurt and lemon curd. Fold in whipped cream.

5. To assemble, place a phyllo rectangle stack on each of 5 dessert plates. (You’ll have 1 extra phyllo rectangle, in case of breakage.) Spread 1 rounded tablespoon lemon filling on each rectangle. Divide raspberries among rectangles. Top each with another phyllo rectangle, then another rounded tablespoon lemon filling. Divide blueberries among rectangles. Cover each stack with another phyllo rectangle. Serve immediately. Makes 5 servings.

NUTRITION FACTS

Calories 195, Total Fat (g) 8, Saturated Fat (g) 4, Cholesterol (mg) 32, Sodium (mg) 101, Carbohydrate (g) 22, Fiber (g) 3, Protein (g) 2, Vitamin A (DV%) 0, Vitamin C (DV%) 13, Calcium (DV%) 5, Iron (DV%) 4, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

This time of year all we want to do is be outdoors and enjoy the nice weather. Today, we know so much more about the sun and its effects on the human body, namely our skin. So there is no reason to head out for fun and not take the necessary steps to protect your health!

Always wear sunscreen when you head out. How protective it is depends on the SPF (sun protection factor). The higher the number means the fewer UVA and UVB rays are getting through that screen and penetrating your skin.

Cover your face when outside. On the beach, wear wide-brimmed hats and swimsuit cover-ups that extend down your arms and legs. The skin on the face is very delicate and can be damaged even easier than the rest of the body. For babies, completely cover them in the sun to prevent burns.

Reapply sunscreen as needed when swimming. If you are on the beach playing sports or resting, reapply sunscreen every two hours. If you are in the pool or ocean, reapply sunscreen when you get out for maximum protection. Use waterproof sunscreen when you are going to be in the water.

Stay hydrated. Skin is in its best protective mode when it is well moisturized. Part of that moisture comes from bringing in fluids to replace what we lose through sweat. Always carry bottled water with you. Cold water is absorbed better into the cells than warm water.

Protect your eyes with sunglasses. Your eyewear needs to have UVA and UVB protection so your retinas aren’t damaged by the sunlight. If you are playing sports or just lying on the beach, eyewear is needed.

If your headed out with the purpose of getting a tan here is some info about outdoor vs. indoor lotions. It is not a good Idea to use indoor lotions  outside of a tanning bed. Indoor tanning lotions usually don’t contain SPF.You will have no sun protection outdoors. Outdoor UV rays can vary daily even hourly in intensity.  It is recommended that you use a SPF lotion while tanning outdoors.Outdoor tanning lotions are not recommended for indoor use, as they can cause a film on the acrylic on a tanning bed and inhibit the tanning process.

Metabolism is the amount of energy (calories) your body burns to maintain itself. Whether you are eating, drinking, sleeping, cleaning etc… your body is constantly burning calories to keep you going.

Metabolism is affected by your body composition; the amount of muscle you have versus the amount of fat. Muscle uses more calories to maintain itself than fat. People who are more muscular (and have a lower percentage of body fat) are said to have a higher metabolism than others that are less muscular.  If you want to increase your metabolism the answer is EXERCISE….  If you’ve never exercised before, make sure you see a doctor before beginning a new exercise program (your problems with metabolism may be the result of a medical condition rather than your diet or lack of exercise). You can increase your muscle mass by doing some type of resistance work (i.e. lifting weights, using exertubes, rubberbands, dynabands, hand weights etc…). You can also decrease your level of body fat by doing some type of aerobic exercise at least 3 days a week for longer than 20 minutes. any activity such as walking, jogging, step aerobics, hi/low aerobics, biking, swimming etc. this will increase your heartrate into the target zone and keep it there for the duration of the exercise session. You also need to eat! – Do not diet, just watch the types of foods you eat. Try to eat a diet that is lower in fat (check the labels on the foods that you buy) and start adding weight training to your exercise program. Your muscle is the furnace and the fuel it burns is fat!

We see it first hand out at motorcycle events and car shows, it’s a very hot humid day and people are walking around drinking soda’s or beer. This is not a great idea and here is why….

During hot and humid days, we lose excessive amounts of water from our bodies through perspiration. It’s very easy to quickly become dehydrated,  especially if you are involved in outdoor physical activities.

This is why it is so important to stay hydrated. The best thing you can drink is water. Water is essential for the well-being of the body. Under optimal conditions, the body can survive for 60 days without food, but only 10-18 days without water. You skin is made up of about 70% water, so any loss of body water equaling 2-3% of our body weight will begin to affect performance adversely. Loss of 4-5% of body weight results in reduced carrying capacity of the blood for nutrients, as well as reduced ability to remove heat from the body.

When out walking around or doing physical activity you might want to steer away from grabbing a “thirst quencher” or “energy drink”.  Most of these are good for replenishing certain types of nutrients that are lost through perspiration during extended outdoor activities greater than 60-90 minutes. However, most of them contain high levels of simple sugar. This is not what you need on hot, humid days — or any other time, for that matter. For the same reason, you should not rely on carbonated soft drinks, alcoholic beverages or caffeinated drinks to maintain your body’s liquid levels. These fluids can have a diuretic effect, increasing fluid loss.

Water is important in nearly all of life’s chemical processes, and the production, growth and life of skin cells depends on it. Water within the cells helps make your skin look smooth, firm and tight. It is important for the functioning of our bodies’ internal organs, as well.

Don’t forget to drink water before, during and after exercise. In hot environments, active people should drink about 16 ounces of water 15 to 30 minutes prior to working out. After a workout, replenish fluids at the rate of one pint of water for every pound lost.”  Also don’t forget water has no calories. Learn the facts about staying hydrated and don’t overexert yourself outdoors in hot weather without proper hydration. Drink plenty of pure, fresh water and you’ll beat the heat and stay healthy.