10 ‘Healthy’ Thanksgiving Comments from Facebook

Yesterday the Food Network posted this to its Facebook wall.

How important is it that there be at least one healthy dish at your Thanksgiving meal?

My first thought when I read it was… ugh.

Why can’t Thanksgiving be “healthy,” and what the crap does that mean anyway? 

I make a fairly traditional Thanksgiving dinner every year. At least I think so. I roast a HUGE turkey (20+ pounds,) mashed potatoes, stuffing (IN the bird,) sweet potatoes, corn, roasted brussels sprouts, and a fun “Harvest” Salad, as I like to call it. We have pumpkin roll and pies for dessert and during the day I make a big veggie tray for snacking. It’s all REAL, HEALTHY food. Geesh, if we ate these types of food more often we’d probably be better off. Sure, you can consume too much, but Thanksgiving may be one of the “healthiest” food days of the year!

I’m so tired of people manufacturing this battle between “healthy” and “unhealthy” foods. It’s just another way to say “good” and “bad.” We all do it. I’m guilty too but the sooner we stop demonizing (food), depriving (ourselves) and degrading (others’ choices) the better. Then maybe we can stop the crazy dieting cycles so many of us seem to be stuck in.

I was happy to see some of the comments agreed with my gut reaction. Here were a few of my favorites (of the ones I read — there were TONS.)

Note: I don’t know if I should credit these as they are Facebook accounts. This is one of those times I’m just unsure what the proper etiquette is.

Define your own healthy. There will be white meat turkey, and that is low in fat and calories. There will be a salad, fresh healthy greens. I am making a cauliflower and fennel dish with no fat in the dressing, but I’m making it because it sounds good. Someone will make a quinoa tabbouleh, delicious and healthy. Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, even when they are soaked in syrup and topped with marshmallow. My family is great at making a large variety of foods so that everyone, be they calorie conscious, gluten free, vegetarian, low carb, high fiber or bacon lover can have something to be thankful for.Other than the pies this is the food we eat in our household all the time. Didn’t anyone else grow up eating pot roast dinner with gravy on Sundays? Depriving is the first step to diet failure.Everything and anything is healthy in moderation. Ignoring all the rules for one meal isn’t gonna kill you. After years of adjusting my eating habits to lose 150+ pounds, I simply don’t even enjoy the foods that put me on life support for a week. I also don’t ignore my cravings during the holidays!!!You should always have something healthy but you don’t have to stress about calories and fat on Thanksgiving. Just eat and be happy!Most of the dishes at the table are fairly healthy. It isn’t the quality that makes it perhaps a bit unhealthy, it’s the sheer quantity.Depends on what you consider healthy. A good meal with friends and family is always healthy.Everything is healthy if it feeds your soul.Why can’t all the dishes be healthy? And even if they aren’t, no ones forcing you to eat them.Very important, as a matter of fact we make our entire Thanksgiving meal healthy except for the dessert. There’s nothing wrong with adjusting recipes to make them healthier. It’s easily done without sacrificing flavor or texture.Truth be known, if you’ve cooked it all fresh it’s healthier then 90% of the crap we eat at a normal lunch during work. So I say just enjoy that and be thankful you could have Thanksgiving dinner, in a warm house, with family and friends

Last year’s Thanksgiving table.  I can’t wait for everyone to join us again! 

What’s your take on this whole “healthy” Thanksgiving thing?

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Healthy Food That Poisons… (guest post)

Please to welcome back Igor.  I love the way Igor thinks as this is precisely why I resisted for YEARS sharing the fact Im two decades gluten-free.

This could also be called: Why You’re Getting Sicker and Fatter Despite Eating Healthier.

MizFit note: my FAVE food may be your poison!?

Pop quiz!

Fruits are good for you, right? Generally speaking yes, but not if you have adrenal fatigue (a collection of symptoms characterized by needing coffee, “bags” under the eyes, fatigue, feeling lightheaded when going from lying to sitting or sitting to standing, etc.).

Why?

Because in adrenal fatigue, you usually have low sodium levels. The higher your potassium levels, the lower your sodium levels. And since fruits have a lot of potassium and very low sodium, it makes them worsen your condition.

How about veggies?

Veggies must be good for you, right? Well, if you have a slow thyroid, the very pictures of “health food” will actually be bad for you. Specifically, vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and others will actually make your thyroid condition worse.

Oh, and how about white bread, white rice and white potatoes?

Bad for you, right? Not necessarily.

If you have digestive problems, these might actually be quite beneficial since they’re processed.

I can hear it already “but processed food is bad for you.” The majority of the time, yes. But in certain cases, no.

In this case, the processing removes the fiber, which takes a lot of stress off your digestion.

After all, what’s the definition of “fiber”? Open any basic nutrition textbook and you’ll see that fiber is undigestible carbohydates. That makes it a real problem for your stomach if you have digestive problems. Once your digestive problems are resolved, you should include more fiber in your diet.

Whenever I do speaking engagements, by the time I mention all of the above, my audiences have to take a minute to pick up their jaw off the ground.

We’ve all heard the saying that “one man’s food is another man’s poison.” And it most definitely is true.

The truth is that there are no universally good or bad foods. It’s more about how a particular food interacts with your own physiology.

A generally good, healthy diet includes:

Lots of veggiesA few grainsA bit of meat, fish or seafood (and their alternatives, like milk and eggs)1-2 servings of fruit per daySmall amounts of nuts and seedsSmall amounts of herbs and spices

And for the perfectly healthy, well-balanced person, this diet will bring amazing health and energy.

But there is one little problem.

There are so few of these “healthy, well-balanced” people, that the generally “healthy” diet needs to be tweaked. I know what you’re thinking: “I’m healthy and well-balanced, so I’m the exception.”

Well, see how many of these apply to you:

Crave sugarCrave saltCrave coffeeCrave chocolateHave dark circles under your eyesDry skinOily skinFeel lightheaded when going from lying to sitting or sitting to standingHave a hard time falling asleepHave a hard time staying asleepFeel constant fatigueHave gas after mealsFeel sad, anxious or depressedUnder constant stressUnexplained weight gainLow libidoHair growth or hair loss

If you have just one of these, your diet requires modifications (albeit, probably just temporary). If you have more than one, you definitely need some modifications.

The other important lesson you should get out of this article is that as your body changes, so should your nutrition.

So what may have been a good diet for you when you had 10 of the above signs and symptoms may not be an appropriate diet for you 6 months down the line, when those symptoms started to get better or disappear entirely.

And probably the most important thing is to listen to your body (instead of the talking head on TV or the write of a magazine).

There are so many individual differences that although one diet may work for one person, it may not work for you, no matter how sound the science is or how spectacular the results are that others get.

If it’s not working for you, don’t do it.

How has listening to your own body improved your health?

About the Author

Igor Klibanov was selected as one of the top 5 personal trainer in Toronto by the Metro News newspaper. He is the author of a book called “Unlimited Progress: How You Can Unlock Your Body’s Potential.” He is a self-described information junkie, and loves to study and educate himself on all aspects of fitness and nutrition.

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The coming hyperinflation will make healthy food too expensive to purchase.

It’s a bold prediction, my peoples, but I’m sticking to it. I’ve been seeing things change very quick and all of a sudden. You probably have too. It’s not gradual change; it’s more abrupt, like a slap-me-in-the-face type of change. In addition to rising costs, sale prices aren’t so much the sweet deal they used to be:

2 for $4.00 has turned into 2 for $6.00Buy One Get One Free has turned into Buy One Get one HALF-OFF (if you’re lucky)Save $1.00 on a purchase has turned into save .75 cents on TWO purchases

“Meh. These examples aren’t that drastic, Josie. Why don’t you get your panties out of a bunch.”

Well, errr, it’s still important to keep grocery price trends on your radar. Our dollar is most definitely shrinking. Unless you’re an Arabian oil sheikh or plan to win Lotto-mania, rising costs just might body slam you. At the very minimum you’ll do a double take and think twice before making a routine food purchase.

Since news of the Cyclospora outbreak hit a few days ago, food regulators are now talking about tightening up produce export rules. Namely, implementing a test to check for Cyclospora with the cost associated with that test trickling down to the consumer. See that!

While I’m not an economic guru, I can pretty confidently say that our economy is still taking a shitter and has no intention of getting its green-dollar’d booty up off the porcelain throne anytime soon. Hyperinflation may not be here, but I’ve got a deep down gut feeling that it’s on the horizon. It’s nagging at me. More economic woes are brewing and it will affect our food options & lessen the ability to buy healthy.

So how do you stay ahead of the game? How do you stretch your dollar AND protect your health?

Buy local and/or grow your own produce. Contaminants like Cyclopsora and the cost of getting parasite-free produce will not be an issue then. Besides this, there’s nothing like the awesome convenience of “free shopping” in your garden to grab fresh herbs or veggies for dinner. If you’re concerned about lack of space for gardening, then container gardening will be your thing. Don’t feel overwhelmed with the idea of gardening. Start small. Plant one or two things. Get the hang of it. Get used to the duties associated with tending a garden. Then branch out and go BIGGER from there.Save your money. Put away CASH! And I don’t mean in a savings account. This was a reality check for me recently when I witnessed someone shit out of luck when their bank’s entire system shut down for two days due to a glitch. The entire system! This person could not make any purchases with their debit card. They couldn’t withdraw cash. They couldn’t even get a balance in their account. The couldn’t pay a bill that was due. I hope they weren’t low on gas. The lesson here? The electronic age is a sonofabitch. If systems shut down for whatever reason, you still need to be able to purchase food for your family and go about things with as much normalcy as possible. Keeping a cash stash on hand will preserve your buying power.Stock up. If you see a purchase-worthy, non-perishable sale item, then buy extra of that product. Stock up for the reason mentioned in point #2 above. And not only that, it’s better to buy now at today’s prices than to buy later at hyperinflated prices. If you wait, you will get NO bang for your buck. Ya feelin’ me?Learn the art of food canning. I’m new at this. Haven’t canned a damn thing yet, but I’ve already purchased my Presto Pressure Canner/Cooker and I’m ready to go buckwild. Not only can you can fruits & veggies, you can also can fresh raw meats! I’ve watched a ton of Youtube tutorials on how to do it properly and also plan to take a local class. Canning is great option to deal with the excess veggies you might grow in your garden, and goes hand in hand with the idea of “stocking up”.

There ya have. You can either take this information and run naked through streets in a hyperinflation fear-frenzy, or instead take small, calculated steps towards insuring you always have access to safe, healthy choices, no matter what the economy brings. What’s it gonna be?

—-

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Healthy, good for you, fudge bites?! (guest post)

This is a by-request guest post. And not from me. From the seven year old. The seven year old who’s sick of the snacks her mama be proffering.
Please to enjoy. I know she will…

Hello MizFit readers! It is the purelytwins again!

Are you looking for:

healthy treatskid-friendlysimple to make

Can you really have all three things?

YES you can! And today we are sharing some recipes that will help you make quick, fun, and nutritious treats that your kids will love. You can even make them together! A great way to inspire kids to learn more about food and create new memories in the kitchen.

Everyone loves chocolate, ever have it with pumpkin fudge?

Now this chocolate pecan truffles recipe not only taste great but fun to make!

Perfect warm weather treat – no bake peach pecan cookies.

The key to kid-friendly recipes is playing around with shapes and textures. Let them mix, blend, and taste along the way.

Need more tasty recipes that are free of wheat, gluten, dairy, soy, and eggs?

Raw good for you cookie dough anyone?

How about chocolate date macaroons?

Click here to get these two amazing recipes and more!

Our Purely Classic cookbook is filled with many more kid-friendly recipes that are allergy friendly. You can purchase our cookbook right off our blog here.

Thank you and happy un-baking

Lori and Michelle

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Foods of Rosh Hashanah and Breaking the Yom Kippur Fast the Healthy Way

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a holiday of celebration, yet it also is the beginning of a process of self-examination and internal reflection and contemplation, which ends ten days later with Yom Kippur.

The traditional foods that are eaten on Rosh Hashanah hold a great deal of symbolism (and, if you are not careful, many calories). Apples and honey are perhaps the most well known traditional new year’s foods; they represent a sweet new year ahead. It is also a tradition for Jews to eat a slow-cooked stew, which may be made from the head of an animal, like fish heads, or cooked cows’ tongue. This symbolizes the “head,” or start, of the year.

Pomegranates are eaten during this holiday because of their many seeds, which symbolize fruitfulness. Not only do pomegranates symbolize good things, they are full of goodness. They are high in vitamin A and potassium, and a good source of fiber. They are also rich in polyphenols, a potent class of anti-aging and heart-healthy antioxidants.

Challah, a typical Jewish bread, is baked in a round shape on Rosh Hashanah. This is then dipped in honey. The roundness symbolizes wholeness and continuity, and again, the honey represents wishes for a sweet year ahead. It’s particularly important to keep challah and honey to symbolic portions — enough to respect your tradition, but not so much as to upset the balance of your diet.

Ten days after Rosh Hashanah, which begins at sundown on Wednesday, September 28, comes Yom Kippur. This is the holiest day of the year in the Jewish faith. It is otherwise known as “the Day of Atonement.” Jews will fast for a period of 25 hours (from sundown to sundown) on Yom Kippur. This is thought to help one focus on well being, asking forgiveness, and praying for a better year ahead.

Traditional foods eaten to break the fast on Yom Kippur are eggs, cheese and bread. Many times, a family will prepare the break-fast meal a day ahead, so they don’t have to deal with any food the actual day of fasting. Other families will only break the fast with cold foods, such as boiled eggs, cheese, bread, and cold meats. Again, the traditional foods might not exactly be up to your usual low-fat and low-carb standards. Boiled eggs, in moderation, are, of course, a wholesome food (you may even want to prepare my “deviled” eggs, where the yolk is scooped and replaced with hummus, a day in advance). Try to eat whole wheat bread and or bread made with other whole grains instead of their white-flour counterparts.

Keeping healthy foods on hand is important, as the urge to over-indulge and make the wrong food choices is always a danger when you are very hungry (as you might be at the end of a fast).

Find the recipe for my “deviled” eggs and five other quick, prepare-ahead snacks that would be ideal for breaking your fast here.

View the original article here

Healthy Choice Italian Sausage Marinara Review

Healthy Choice Italian Sausage Marinara is described as having Italian pork sausage in a marinara sauce over whole grain pasta with green beans & zucchini. I decided to buy this classic pasta dish (along with a few others), for lunch this week.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1 meal (326 grams)
Calories: 310
Total Fat: 7 grams, 11%
Saturated Fat: 2.5 grams, 13%
Sodium: 580 mg, 24%
Carbohydrates: 45 grams
Fiber: 7 grams, 29%
Sugars: 9 grams
Protein: 16 grams

I thought the dish delivered a solid performance in taste, but it wasn't spectacular. I love the thick hearty pasta, which soaked up the slightly sweet and not too tomatoey sauce nicely, but the cheese was a bust for me. It was in the middle of the dish and there it stayed. When I tried to mix it with everything else, it was just stringy and stuck to the fork. I'm a huge fan of green beans, so thanks Healthy Choice for including 1 cup of vegetables in this meal - but I'm not big on zucchini and thankfully, there wasn't much of it.

Each meal provides 310 calories, 7 grams of total fat, 2.5 grams of which is saturated fat (11% and 13% of the daily value), 24% of the daily value for sodium (580 mg), 7 grams of fiber (20% of the DV), 9 grams of sugars and 16 grams of protein.

The ingredients list for the Healthy Choice Italian Sausage Marinara starts with cooked pasta made with whole grain wheat flour, water, green beans, green and yellow zucchini, diced tomatoes in juice ... it continues on but I was impressed that the veggies are right at the beginning.

I purchased this for $3.00, and while I didn't go wow - it was quite adequate for lunch, and I would buy it again, especially when it's on sale. The Healthy Choice Tortellini Primavera Parmesan (Review) is probably a tastier option, but it's also smaller.

{Website: Healthy Choice}

View the original article here

Get into character for a healthy Halloween!

Yep.

It’s Halloween week and posts which focus on having a happy and healthy one abound.

Suggestions for satiety.  Prompts for passing on the candy.  Tips for tossing away the sweets in favor of the raw veggies.

Traditional tips which completely work, but just arent how we roll up in herre.

This year we’re taking DIFFERENT approach to Halloween than we have in (more adult) years past.

We’re joining the kids, we’re donning the costumes, we’re RIDING THAT CHARACTER wavvvvve to a healthy Halloween.

Because really, what is fitness, healthy living and overall LIFE many days except PLAYING A CRAZY CHARACTER FAKING IT TILL WE MAKE IT ?

My three tips for how getting into character can create your healthiest Halloween ever:

Create a narrative. Dressing up is optional (sigh. I guess.)—but the creation of a narrative is not.  Tonight you’re an actor.  Ask yourself what your motivation is? challenge yourself as to why you are striving to be healthy to night and in general.  Next consider all areas of your life.  What would healthy you/your character eat on a daily basis? How would you dress & how would this show the world how you feel about yourself? How would you walk down the street etc.  Tonight (& perhaps longer?) commit to responding to all scenarios as your ‘healthy self’ or character.
Share your costume-plan. As zany as it sounds, when you share your role-playing plan with your support people it really helps.  I tend to (over)share everything with Ren Man.  I clearly recall sharing this concept with him close to two decades ago.  At that point it was intended as ONE NIGHT for me—but the subtle almost imperceptible shift in how he began to affirm the way I saw myself that night kept me on the path to change. Bring your inner-circle into the act-as-if plan.  Loving accountability partners have helped me to sustain my lifechanges for almost twenty years.Respond as your CHARACTER/healthy  self.  This week—and if youre me next week when the candy is all on sale—temptation abounds. Parties.  Bowls of candy out at work.  Halloween can be a healthy living minefield—but not to our healthy living character-self. Would our Halloween character skip workouts for couch time? Would costumed-you *really* select a Snickers over simply hanging out and enjoying conversation? Before you respond to *anything* this Halloween challenge yourself with regards to how your character/healthier self would react.  Change your mindset.  Change your body.  It’s that simple.

Quite frankly, upon further reflection & introspection, Ive realized this is how I live the *other* 364 days of the year too.

Do I feel like SKIPPING CARDIO? Am I not in the mood to git my PLAYOUT on?

I ask myself what my SUPERHEROINE counterpart would do.

Am I longing to skip some good whole, clean foods meal preparation in favor of a fast, processed’y snack?

I ask my self how the dainty Queen would dine.

I act as if….when Im not feeling ‘as if’…ALL YEAR LONG.

I challenge you to join me this Halloween and, if youre up for it, through the next twenty or thirty decades as well.

What’s your BEST fake it till you make it tip?

How do you plan to cruise through candy season staying in character & living healthy?

Do you find it odd Im dressing up as a Terrible Towel Wednesday night?

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If mama aint healthy–aint nobody healthy.

Mama drink green smoothie. Tornado drink green smoothie.

The longer I’m a parent the more clearly I see the correlation between how I am living and how my family is thriving.

Or not thriving.

The longer the moniker MAMA is attached to me the more clear the meaning behind the (tweaked) quote: if mama aint healthy aint nobody healthy becomes.

Im a misfit.  Im non-traditional. I was raised on Free To Be You And Me.  Im happily living in a feminist, egalitarian relationship with Ren Man.

I still believe the core of our family’s healthy living comes from me.

I dont know if this is because Im the mother. 

I dont know if this is because Im the one who is fortunate enough to work from home. 

I  do know the bulk of the responsibility to keep our tripod healthy & thriving falls on my shoulders.

And, while exercise is one facet of our threesome’s healthy living focus, it’s merely a piece in the six part puzzle which helps keep us a happy, healthy, strong family unit.

What are the other five pieces? Thanks for asking!*

We focus on quality.  In order for our family-unit to be happy and healthy we need to consume quality.   This refers to food, but also much more than that.  I work to create quality conversations in our home.  We treat each other how we want to be treated.  We adult-types strive to model polite and courteous interaction.  Quality consumption extends to popular culture.  I’m both aware and careful what kinds of pop culture are consumed in our home.  The notion of we are what we eat refers, in my opinion, to more than food.  Choose quality.We don’t multi-task.  When the Tornado was tiny I noticed how singularly focused she was.  When she played with blocks —she played with blocks!  She never simultaneously smooshed clay, assembled a puzzle *and* block-played.  Be the Tornado. Slow down.  Be present. Mono-task.We find joy in the small stuff.   I love the quote: Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.  I strive to live each day with this quote in mind.  I also work (unsuccessfully many days) to focus on joy.  Joyful laughter lowers stress, boosts the immune system and can help protect us from heart disease.  Yes it can be easier said than done, but I know when I focus on all the small gifts in my life (the feeling of the Tornado’s hand in mine. a text from a friend just to say hello) I really do lead a far less hectic, frazzled life.I’ve shed the guilt.  As a parent not only is it important to take care of ourselves—we owe it to our family to do so.  I put myself first.  I’ve made the conscious decision to meet my needs and then shift my focus to others.  Initially it helped me to remind myself I was, in fact, teaching the Tornado it’s ok to have needs, meet them and *then* do unto others.   I still find I articulate to her precisely what Im doing (Mama needs to take care of herself and have a snack. After that I can play with you.) and I dont know I’ll ever shed the guilt *enough* to get beyond that.  And that’s ok.We come together…when it works for us.  Research shows family dinners make for healthier, happier children who are less prone to destructive behavior.  Family dinners, when there are children with a vast array of after-school activities, have been shown to be crazy makers for many moms (MizFit note: this is my study with zero science behind it.)  Given our quirky lifestyle we tend toward family breakfasts not dinners. The important piece is coming together as a family unit.  Take the time to find what works for you.  Gather when fits your lifestyle.We play.  The family who plays together is a family who stays healthy together.  This play will change as your family changes. For us this takes the form of morning bus stop play.  Your family may be more into soccer games, tennis matches or family fun runs. Whatever form your play takes this physical activity and joy helps to cement the family-unit** and keep you happy & healthy.

(insert awkward joke here about the fact this is the edited, shorter version of my post & you can thank me in the comments. I passionate.  I verbose. I edit I edit.)

As I sat here & reflected on the past six years I noted how the ways we stay healthy have shifted as the Tornado has gotten older & we’ve all grow busier.

I still believe, however, if Mama aint healthy aint nobody healthy.

Which makes me long to ask:

Be it as a mother or as a son/daughter: has my mangled quote been true in your life experience?

Do you, too, believe if Mama aint healthy–aint nobody healthy?

*I write this post NOT as an expert—which Im fairly certain no one mistook me for—but as a mom who needs to talk THOUGH what she’s doing in an attempt to figure OUT what she’s doing.  We’ve talked recently on Facebook how it’s a day to day thing around here. What works fantastically one day with regards to healthy living can fail miserably the next…

**As per this post I have a very broad definition of the word mother & family.  This post isnt just for moms or traditional family units.

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Healthy Smoothie Recipe

My apologies to Claudia Roscoe. She made a TASTY smoothie that looked not so tasty. Click on title to see cooking segmet and recipe.

It Tastes Like a Cookie Protein Shake (Click link for more great ideas from Claudia)
Protein shakes are easy to make. Once you get going, it’s fun to explore new recipes and ideas.

In a blender:
1 scoop Lifetime Vanilla plant protein
2 TBLS. Thai Coconut milk
2 teas. Barlean’s Pina Colada Fish oil
8 oz. Purified water

Any protein powder can be used, just visit your local health food store to get a quality one. Lifetime plant protein is delicious, has a creamy texture and is soy, dairy, egg and gluten free, for those of you that may be sensitive to those foods. It is vegan as well.
Other milk alternatives you might try are almond milk or hemp milk. Add in some fresh or frozen berries (organic of course!) and you can even put a little almond butter, walnut butter or sunflower butter for added creaminess and good taste! Remember your good oils; there are many to choose from…hemp, flax, coconut, safflower, and sesame are just a few to mention. Just make sure they are nature-made and not man-made. Have a little flax, chia or hemp as well? Throw it in there for some wonderful food fiber

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Cheesy Spinach Melt: No Excuses Healthy Breakfast in Only 3-Minutes

If you’re short on time for breakfast, yet very serious about your body transformation, you need to be thinking outside the breakfast cereal box and/or fast food drive thru for the “healthiest” thing you can find on the menu.

My recipe for the Cheesy Spinach Melt is cooked in the microwave and done in only 3-minutes (including prep time). Make it at home or pack up the ingredients, take it to work, and cook it up there like I did. If you tell me you don’t have time to eat healthy, you bettah be thinking again.

Ingredients:

2 Eggsvery huge handful of fresh spinach leavessprinklings of the Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Crack eggs into microwave safe bowl and beat ‘em up.Heap in your very huge handful of spinach leaves and mix it around. Make sure all of the spinach is saturated by the egg mixture.Place bowl in microwave and cook for 2-minutes. (adjust time if necessary, depending on your microwave)Take bowl out, add your sprinklings of Cheddar cheese (but don’t be too greedy with the cheeses), then return to the microwave for 15-seconds of cheesy melting-ness.That’s it. You’re done. Now eat it up.

Ooo-la-laaa! It was delicious.

So I don’t wanna hear about you eating crap for breakfast (including bagels) because you didn’t have time for something better. Your body transformation requires you to make time. Even if it means you have only 3-minutes to spare, you can eat healthy with the Cheesy Spinach Melt.

booyah!

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“Why Eat Healthy and Exercise If You Could Just Look Like You Do?”

Show this to all the young people in your life…

“This commercial isn’t real, and neither are society’s standards of beauty.” – JesseRosten.com

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Healthy Choice Italian Sausage Marinara Review

Healthy Choice Italian Sausage Marinara is described as having Italian pork sausage in a marinara sauce over whole grain pasta with green beans & zucchini. I decided to buy this classic pasta dish (along with a few others), for lunch this week.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1 meal (326 grams)
Calories: 310
Total Fat: 7 grams, 11%
Saturated Fat: 2.5 grams, 13%
Sodium: 580 mg, 24%
Carbohydrates: 45 grams
Fiber: 7 grams, 29%
Sugars: 9 grams
Protein: 16 grams

I thought the dish delivered a solid performance in taste, but it wasn't spectacular. I love the thick hearty pasta, which soaked up the slightly sweet and not too tomatoey sauce nicely, but the cheese was a bust for me. It was in the middle of the dish and there it stayed. When I tried to mix it with everything else, it was just stringy and stuck to the fork. I'm a huge fan of green beans, so thanks Healthy Choice for including 1 cup of vegetables in this meal - but I'm not big on zucchini and thankfully, there wasn't much of it.

Each meal provides 310 calories, 7 grams of total fat, 2.5 grams of which is saturated fat (11% and 13% of the daily value), 24% of the daily value for sodium (580 mg), 7 grams of fiber (20% of the DV), 9 grams of sugars and 16 grams of protein.

The ingredients list for the Healthy Choice Italian Sausage Marinara starts with cooked pasta made with whole grain wheat flour, water, green beans, green and yellow zucchini, diced tomatoes in juice ... it continues on but I was impressed that the veggies are right at the beginning.

I purchased this for $3.00, and while I didn't go wow - it was quite adequate for lunch, and I would buy it again, especially when it's on sale. The Healthy Choice Tortellini Primavera Parmesan (Review) is probably a tastier option, but it's also smaller.

{Website: Healthy Choice}

View the original article here

Healthy Choice Herb Crusted Fish Review

Healthy Choice Herb Crusted Fish is described as a, "herb crusted white fish and whole grain pasta in a tomato basil sauce, with green beans and carrots." There haven't been many "fishy" frozen meals that I've enjoyed, but the picture on the front of the packaging looked so enticing that I decided to try this.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1 meal (312 grams)
Calories: 270
Total Fat: 5 grams, 8%
Saturated Fat: 1.5 grams 8%
Sodium: 350 mg, 15%
Carbohydrates: 39 grams
Fiber: 5 grams, 20%
Sugars: 8 grams
Protein: 16 grams

The individual components of the meal were okay, but they just didn't come together. The green beans & carrots were firm and plentiful. The pasta was al-dente but flavorless. I gather there should have been a tomato basil sauce, which I came to realize later was the wetness on the underside of the fish - it totally soaked up the sauce, and didn't add anything positive to the eating experience I might add - who wants to eat soggy fish bottoms? The fish itself was - okay - it wasn't dried out, but it wasn't exactly flavorful either.

Each Healthy Choice Herb Crusted Fishh meal (312 grams) provides 270 calories from 5 grams of total fat, 1.5 grams of which is saturated (8% of the daily value). 350 mg sodium (15% of the DV), 5 grams of fiber (20% of the DV), 8 grams of sugars and 16 grams of protein.

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Soup's On Weekly Healthy Meal Plan

(Photo Credit: xmatt)

There's a chill in the air and the temperatures have dipped into the 60's. For me, that means it's officially time to start making soups more regularly. I heart soups, so this week's healthy meal plan has a LOT of ideas - including a few "witches brews" since Halloween is just a few weeks away.

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Healthy Choice All Natural Lobster Cheese Ravioli Review

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Healthy Choice All Natural Lobster Cheese Ravioli Review

Since this week's meal plan calls for lots of seafood, I've been trying out a variety of frozen meals that have either shrimp or fish. The latest one is Healthy Choice All Natural Lobster Cheese Ravioli, It's described on the packaging as having, "Ricotta cheese and lobster filled ravioli, with green and yellow zucchini in a vodka sauce, topped with parmesan cheese."

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1 meal (255 grams)
Calories: 270
Total Fat: 6 grams, 9%
Saturated Fat: 2.5 grams, 13%
Sodium: 600 mg, 25%
Carbohydrates: 41 grams
Fiber: 4 grams, 16%
Sugars: 9 grams
Protein: 11 grams

After a brief stint in the microwave, I was greeted by some (i.e. 5) delicious tasting, lobster ravioli. There was no mistaking the lobster flavor, although it was a wee bit salty. What I could have done without was all that salty vodka sauce - WAY too much. It detracted from the taste of the lobster and I would much rather have less of this sauce and more ravioli. The rest of the meal was green and yellow zucchini, which were okay - not too soft, but these aren't 2 of my favorite vegetables - I would have preferred some green beans, asparagus or pasta. Overall, I ate all the ravioli without messing too much with the sauce, and left everything else.

Each Healthy Choice All Natural Lobster Cheese Ravioli provides 270 calories from 6 grams of total fat including 2.5 grams of saturated fat (9% and 13% of the DV), 600 mg sodium (25% of the DV), 4 grams of fiber (16% of the DV), 9 grams of sugars and 11 grams of protein.

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Healthy Choice Herb Crusted Fish Review

Healthy Choice Herb Crusted Fish is described as a, "herb crusted white fish and whole grain pasta in a tomato basil sauce, with green beans and carrots." There haven't been many "fishy" frozen meals that I've enjoyed, but the picture on the front of the packaging looked so enticing that I decided to try this.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1 meal (312 grams)
Calories: 270
Total Fat: 5 grams, 8%
Saturated Fat: 1.5 grams 8%
Sodium: 350 mg, 15%
Carbohydrates: 39 grams
Fiber: 5 grams, 20%
Sugars: 8 grams
Protein: 16 grams

The individual components of the meal were okay, but they just didn't come together. The green beans & carrots were firm and plentiful. The pasta was al-dente but flavorless. I gather there should have been a tomato basil sauce, which I came to realize later was the wetness on the underside of the fish - it totally soaked up the sauce, and didn't add anything positive to the eating experience I might add - who wants to eat soggy fish bottoms? The fish itself was - okay - it wasn't dried out, but it wasn't exactly flavorful either.

Each Healthy Choice Herb Crusted Fishh meal (312 grams) provides 270 calories from 5 grams of total fat, 1.5 grams of which is saturated (8% of the daily value). 350 mg sodium (15% of the DV), 5 grams of fiber (20% of the DV), 8 grams of sugars and 16 grams of protein.

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Foods of Rosh Hashanah and Breaking the Yom Kippur Fast the Healthy Way

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a holiday of celebration, yet it also is the beginning of a process of self-examination and internal reflection and contemplation, which ends ten days later with Yom Kippur.

The traditional foods that are eaten on Rosh Hashanah hold a great deal of symbolism (and, if you are not careful, many calories). Apples and honey are perhaps the most well known traditional new year’s foods; they represent a sweet new year ahead. It is also a tradition for Jews to eat a slow-cooked stew, which may be made from the head of an animal, like fish heads, or cooked cows’ tongue. This symbolizes the “head,” or start, of the year.

Pomegranates are eaten during this holiday because of their many seeds, which symbolize fruitfulness. Not only do pomegranates symbolize good things, they are full of goodness. They are high in vitamin A and potassium, and a good source of fiber. They are also rich in polyphenols, a potent class of anti-aging and heart-healthy antioxidants.

Challah, a typical Jewish bread, is baked in a round shape on Rosh Hashanah. This is then dipped in honey. The roundness symbolizes wholeness and continuity, and again, the honey represents wishes for a sweet year ahead. It’s particularly important to keep challah and honey to symbolic portions — enough to respect your tradition, but not so much as to upset the balance of your diet.

Ten days after Rosh Hashanah, which begins at sundown on Wednesday, September 28, comes Yom Kippur. This is the holiest day of the year in the Jewish faith. It is otherwise known as “the Day of Atonement.” Jews will fast for a period of 25 hours (from sundown to sundown) on Yom Kippur. This is thought to help one focus on well being, asking forgiveness, and praying for a better year ahead.

Traditional foods eaten to break the fast on Yom Kippur are eggs, cheese and bread. Many times, a family will prepare the break-fast meal a day ahead, so they don’t have to deal with any food the actual day of fasting. Other families will only break the fast with cold foods, such as boiled eggs, cheese, bread, and cold meats. Again, the traditional foods might not exactly be up to your usual low-fat and low-carb standards. Boiled eggs, in moderation, are, of course, a wholesome food (you may even want to prepare my “deviled” eggs, where the yolk is scooped and replaced with hummus, a day in advance). Try to eat whole wheat bread and or bread made with other whole grains instead of their white-flour counterparts.

Keeping healthy foods on hand is important, as the urge to over-indulge and make the wrong food choices is always a danger when you are very hungry (as you might be at the end of a fast).

Find the recipe for my “deviled” eggs and five other quick, prepare-ahead snacks that would be ideal for breaking your fast here.

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The Eat Your Beans & Veggies Weekly Healthy Meal Plan

What's a girl to do when she's been on a "workout diet" and now needs to clean up her eating habits and prepare for a few duathlon and distance running events? Why, eat more veggies, beans and protein of course! That's what's on the menu for this upcoming week.

Monday
Lunch: Cold Lentil Salad
Dinner: Spicy Carrot and Chickpea Tagine

(Photo Credit: cookipediachef)

Tuesday
Lunch: The Vegan Cobb Salad
Dinner: Chicken Cacciatore + left-over salad

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Finding Your Motivation to Get Healthy (guest post)

Hey all.

My name is Hank and I appreciate the opportunity to guest post here.

Allow myself to introduce myself.

You have most likely heard the I-have-always-been-over-weight story before. Well sorry to be cliche.

My weight is sort of like a historical stock market analysis. It’s was up a month ago. It was down the other day. But all the while it has been steadily climbing upwards. (You hope that is how your portfolio is anyway…) I have always been the “big one” in my group of friends.

Most of my friends in high school were actually soccer players, so compared to them I was huge.

I was the guy who would wear a shirt in the pool, like that hid anything. I was the guy who avoided doing anything  that might draw attention to my weight.

Fast forward to May of this year.

I started getting sick. Not swine flu or SARS or anything like that. I was sick of being the fat guy.  I was ill from my clothes getting tighter and tighter. But what would be different this time? I have been sick of being fat before. But never, it seemed, enough to do anything about it. I had made a few valiant efforts but ended up just giving up and slumping into a fatty funk of apathy.

This time I decided to do something different.  I needed some sort of motivation that would drive me to success. I needed to figure out how to keep my head in the game. So I decided treat my weight loss like I would my small business.

I have found success in business and I have discovered over the years that I have an unstoppable drive to succeed in business.  So why, oh why have I not been able to direct that drive towards losing weight?  Because I have never tried until now.

In the past I have failed at losing weight for a number of reasons, but the one that I figured killed me the most was that I tried to hide it.  I didn’t like talking about weight, especially my weight.  I did not want people to look at me or give attention to my weight.

I wanted to ignore it and have it be ignored. 

But that is a very poor way to deal with being fat and desiring to lose weight.  I realized that there is no business that would succeed if no one knew that the business existed.  So I need first and foremost to put myself out there.

I wrote up a marketing plan and went public with my business of losing weight.  Now that people had their eyes on me, I would not want to let them down.  I look to them as my stock holders and I need to be accountable to them in how I am running this business.

But I didn’t stop there.

I realized that no business is successful without having the principle invest him or herself (money, time, energy) back into the company.  So I decided to invest my own money back into my business of losing weight.  I teamed up with Louie’s Kids, a non-profit that treats childhood obesity.  I made a pledge to them that I would donate to them $5 for every pound that I lose.

Now I have children who need treatment relying on me.  How’s that for motivation!

Motivation is what drives us to get out of bed everyday and it is what compels us to do the things that we want to do.

Want to talk to that girl over there? The thought of getting her number (among other things, wink wink, nudge nudge) is what motivates you get up the nerve to go over and strike up a convo.

Want to buy a new iPad4 (it will be here before you know it…)? The image of flinging those angry birds into buildings to kill pigs is what motivates you to come in on Saturday to fill out TPS reports.

Getting fit and eating healthy IS NOT something that most of us are motivated to do.  So how do we force that motivation on ourselves?  I guess that not getting diabetes or not dying early isn’t enough of a here and now kind of motivation.

So what is it going to be for you?

Will you be motivated by not wanting to let people down? If so then start a blog and tell everyone you
know about it.

Are you motivated by money? Think about Jared from Subway.  He is (or was) banking it from a Subway endorsement.

Make it happen!

What ever it is that motivates you, figure it out and apply it to getting healthy. You may only be one more double-cheeseburger away from a heart attack and you don’t want to wait until it is too late.

I have been on my journey for 8 weeks now and I have lost 35 pounds of the over 100 that I want to lose.

I am feeling just as motivated right now as I was the day I started. I know that there will be days ahead where I don’t feel like continuing, but I have people relying on me now. So there is no backing down.  Failure is not an option.  I hope that you will find your motivation if you are seeking it.

In the meantime please feel free to support me with encouragement and inspiration. You are now a shareholder in my company and I expect you to hold me accountable.

Please feel free to read more about me and my journey at www.businessoflosingweight.com

And remember!

Put down the kettle corn and pick up the kettle bell.

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