HomeMy StoryRecipes

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

So, I'm curious...

Why is getting healthy or healthier important to YOU??
For Me:
My grandmother was diagnosed years ago with congestive heart failure, we have TONS of heart disease in our family(both mine and my husbands), I was overweight and unhappy, sometimes weight loss and healthy living is contagious, I loved that I saw others around me trying to make a change too! I am still in need of losing a little weight, but I feel as though I am a MUCH healthier person than I was 15 years ago...
I never want to go back to that place, EVER!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Now Playing

...in YOUR living room!
If you have ON DEMAND through your cable provider, then you're in for a real treat :)
I have posted about this before, but I wanted to make sure you ALL take advantage of the great workouts available right in your living room FREE OF CHARGE!!
Ok, so some people are totally NOT into working out at home but since I stay at home with my two boys, and don't really want to bring them to a gym every day, this is my only option while they are young! If you'd be interested in trying it out, here's the simple steps:
(I posted about Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred a while back,
and some of her shred workouts are available through ON DEMAND as well)
* Go to ON DEMAND
* find SPORTS AND FITNESS
* find Exercise TV
* explore the 100's of workouts!!
* click on your favorite FREE workout(they are ALL free!!)
ENJOY YOUR WORKOUT FOR THE DAY!!!
I am the first one to admit, some of these workouts are SUPER cheesy, like Kim Kardashian's Butt Blasting workout...um, you barely break a sweat!! However, there is a great series called, Less is More-a great workout, thats only 30-40minutes! There are walking and low-impact cardio routines for beginners, interval training for more advanced, and like I said before,
I am in LOVE with the 30 Day Shred!
It's fun and a quick way to burn some calories and get your body energized and focused
ALL DAY LONG :)
So, give it a try and let me know what ya think? I'd love to know your favorites too!!
So, I'm curious...
Do you workout in a gym or at home/outdoors like me? Or if you're just getting started, what is your favorite type of exercise
that you might try in the future or have tried in the past?!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Black Rice?

(picture from CNN Health)
As of now, this black rice is only available at Whole Foods and other specialty stores but there is talk about trying to get it in ALL local grocery stores.
Why, you ask??
Well, here's a little info about this SUPER FOOD:
Like brown rice, black rice is loaded with antioxidant-rich bran which gets stripped away during milling to create white rice. But this black rice contains anthocyanins, found in blueberries, grapes and acai-which is linked to decreased risk of heart disease and cancer and improvement in memory and other health benefits as well! This has most of the healthy benefits of blueberries without the sugar contained in the berries, so its definitely a healthy alternative to brown rice-which is still a MUCH better choice than white rice. Because it is not widely grown in the U.S., this product when found, can be expensive-but it seems like its worth the price?!
What do you think??

I'm going to find some VERY soon and give it a try...
Let me know if you have tried it, or have found it and are up for giving it a try ??! I'd love to hear what you think?

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Write "It" Down and a recipe too!!

So, when it comes to motivating yourself to be healthy and exercise,
it can be a struggle...we've all been there, trust me!
My suggestion this week:
Try writing down your workout goals for the week and eating habits too!
*and keep it with you at ALL TIMES!
Taking the time to write these things down...
how many days a week you plan on exercising(even if its a walk around the neighborhood)
length of the workout (start small and work your way up!)
write down FOODS-maybe start by foods you might limit this week
or foods you will try to eat more of this week!
Also, try that "smaller plate" idea from the post last week...it'll be tempting to go for seconds, but DON'T GIVE IN-stay strong and realize you are only taking better care of yourself by doing so! If you stick to these simple rules, you WILL see results, I promise!
And I leave you today with a little recipe my ENTIRE family L-O-V-E-S! Found this in a diabetic cookbook-(a lot of diabetic-friendly recipes are GREAT for healthy eating, they are low in simple carbohydrates, and are great for following a high protein diet too!)
Ground Turkey Mexicorn Quesadillas:
mission carb balance tortillas
1lb. ground turkey
1 can black beans-drained
1 can Green Giant Mexicorn
1 pkg. low-sodium taco seasoning
1/4 c. water
Brown turkey meat, drain if necessary, Add 1/4 c water, taco seasoning pkg, black beans, mexicorn w/ the juices, stir and simmer for 15 minutes until sauce thickens!
Serve on ONE carb balance tortilla
(remember portion control...
it is VERY important when trying to lose weight and be healthy!)
We usually serve this quesadilla style for the kids with a side of plain yogurt for dipping!!
(tastes great and a MUCH healthier option than sour cream!)
For us, we serve burrito style with sliced avocado and/or salsa!
Try this and I promise you'll love it! Its a house favorite in our home, I think we fix it AT LEAST once a week and makes great leftovers too :)

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

EDAMAME!


If you have tried it, hopefully you LOVE it...if you haven't, YOU MUST!
It's soybeans! They are delicious steamed and served hot or cold. High in fiber, rich in antioxidants, and High in protein too! What could be better than this??!
In the afternoon or whatever time of the day you feel like snacking...
enjoy these instead of a not-so-good-for-you, processed food!
Eat them with a dash of sea salt and they are a great, healthy snack alternative!!
PLUS they satisfy your NEED to munch :)

Sunday, August 15, 2010

what do ya think about this??!

Studies have shown that people tend to feel full after eating everything that is on their plate...they feel satisfied because all of the food is "gone" and most of the time that plate is holding WAY too much food, so to fix this problem in our house(and what has probably contributed to my husband's weight loss of 70 lbs. in three months),
we eat on a child's plate or appetizer plate right here at home!! We don't even use our larger plates...I'm always washing the "little" plates as my husband calls them! I know here in Texas, most of our restaurants serve food on plates that are THREE times the serving size, some even more than that...guess that's why they say, "every things bigger in Texas"(hate that phrase by the way!) TRY IT OUT AND SEE WHAT YOU THINK! Another key factor to losing those unwanted pounds is, EXERCISE! I know that we are all busy, we all have "other" things to do, but exercise should be like brushing our teeth! Do you think about brushing your teeth each morning and night? NO. So, if you treat working out the same way, it will just fit into your schedule! I am a wife, mother to two boys, NO gym membership, and each day I find ways to fit in exercise! I challenge you this week to find a form of exercise that makes you feel good! If you're not feeling good while exercising, then it sure won't feel like brushing your teeth, right?! RIGHT!
There are some days where I don't feel like jogging, or doing a video, so I turn on the tv to music choice, play my favorite songs and dance around the house until I'm drenched in sweat...Ha! Needless to say, my boys love this type of exercise, they think its hilarious to watch Mommy dance all over the living room :)

Friday, August 13, 2010

Comment Question Friday!

Thanks to all of my followers for their questions this week...I think I will have a "comment question Friday" each week TRYING to address the questions that have been left in the comments for the week!
This way my followers will feel that I am always here to answer ANY questions they might have!
QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK:
"so you just put it in anything?" in regards to the flax seed meal I posted earlier this week.
The answer is YES, you can totally add this to any recipe you'd like. Instant oatmeal, cold/hot cereal, sprinkle on whole wheat french toast, the possibilities are ENDLESS!
"what do you suggest for breakfast?"
I think a great blend of whole grains(fiber) AND protein give you energy for the day and give you that "full" feeling throughout the morning. Some of our favorites are, oatmeal or steel cut oats and instead of adding sugar, add a little pumpkin puree-you get the sweetness along with more fiber and GREAT flavor, - serve with a side of scrambled egg whites! Also Kashi makes a great line of high fiber, high protein cereals that taste GREAT
HOPE IT HELPS!! I will start posting great healthy recipes soon!
and several readers asked about that stubborn belly flab...my answer is simple!
EAT a diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits and protein-less processed and hard-to-digest foods and WATCH YOUR PORTIONS! -
I will share our portion control tips with my readers soon!
You must EXERCISE to feel fit and not flabby :)
I suggest Pilates for those stubborn areas...it's a great way to tone and strengthen your core muscles and I love these videos because they have beginner(which are step by step) all the way to advanced, so there's always ways to step it up!
Hope you found this helpful! Have a great weekend!
Try something fun outdoors with your family this weekend...take a walk, go to a local park and find a trail, the important thing is to stay active WITH your family, it will help stress the importance of a healthy lifestyle to your children too :)

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

"No exercise?"

When I worked in cardiac rehab, I was always so amazed by the responses of the heart patients that had just had heart surgery from heart attack or blockage...when I'd ask them "what was your daily routine before this happened?"

#1 answer : NO exercise
Then, my first year of teaching, I taught P.E. so I thought I was in that school to motivate the children to lead healthy lifestyles, but I was wrong. It was the teachers that needed the help! I was MORE than happy to do so since I have struggled with weight my ENTIRE life, you see this was why I went to school...to help others who needed that extra push in the right direction...
You see, as a college student, my weight had gotten out of control, I was NOT exercising, I was NOT eating healthy and probably drinking too many adult beverages as well. I met a few (in shape, fit) people that lived in my apartments, I started asking questions about what they ate each day, what type of exercise and then one day, they talked me into going to the gym(now I was terrified of the gym being the weight I was), but I went! I cannot explain what happened after that...it was like all of the years I had struggled with weight, I had found something that I LOVED more than food...the release it gave me, the confidence I had, the new feeling of LIFE I was lacking...it was amazing! I owe those college friends so much! So, I lost 78lbs in four months and NEVER gained it all back..and this was over 10years ago! This then motivated me to change my college major from journalism to health and exercise physiology...I LOVED IT! I started working at a local gym, teaching aerobics, personal training and sharing my story to help motivate others....what a great feeling it is to help others that are struggling just as you once did, it's a feeling like NO other!
...and so back to the teachers at my school needing help! I came up with a weight loss plan for our school and it WORKED! See, these teachers said after school they liked to "snack" and then were tired and could not find the energy to exercise. So, my fix...I started teaching an after school aerobic class(where ALL of the teachers felt comfortable) and I'd meet with the teachers about their eating and we'd decide where they needed help. I sent out weekly recipes and by the end of my first year teaching, I had helped our school lose over 700lbs! Do you want to know the BESt part??! Our school was full of junk food, snacks, vending machines and by the end, I had ALL of the teachers exercising at least 4 times a week, eating a MUCH healthier diet, we got rid of the teachers lounge VENDING MACHINES, and our administrators started serving healthier options for parties and such!
Now, you're probably wondering why I shared this LOOONNNGGG story?
It's because
we all have the motivation to do GREAT things,
we just have to find it in ourselves.
Being a mother, we tend to focus on everyone before us, but if we're not healthy for our children, how can we really be there for them?
If your answer to the question, "What is your daily routine?" would be, "no exercise!", then its time to give it a try...try something new and different, do it WITH your family, find others to help take the journey with you...as always, I am here for ANYONE that needs suggestions on how to get started, to get motivated...after all, this is why I started this blog in the first place!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

put a little of THIS in your life!

I have found this product and I think I use it EVERY DAY! 2 tablespoons added to your favorite things like oatmeal, hot/cold cereal, muffins, bread, pancakes and waffles...YUM! I am all about whole grains in our house and when it comes to "hiding" the goodies, this product makes it simple! I put this in everything and the best part is, it tastes great! This is how my kids get Omega 3's and MORE fiber! Try it out and see what ya think! Our family sticks to a high protein, high fiber diet, so this fits in our life PERFECTLY!
What is the "healthy" product you can't live without??!