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They are getting it. And they are starting to appreciate what it is I am doing for them. Yesterday, my husband thanked me for not buying anymore crap. He has realized that the biggest reason he could not drop the 30 pounds that has crept on the past few years is the mindless eating that he does all day. And, yes, I'm partly to blame for that. Why? Because I was a "provider". I bought the food. I kept it in the house. I allowed for it to be eaten. I, myself, tried to stay away from it. I like to sneak myself a cookie now and then, but when the package was empty after a few days, I'd get angry and buy another package. It seemed I never got that cookie. Now I know why...the mindless eating by the rest of my family. "Provide it and they will eat it."

Now my motto has changed.
My new motto? "Provide it and they will eat it."

What? But, Theresa, that is the same motto!
Why, yes it is!

But instead of providing the crap, I'm providing the healthy. I make a big fruit salad twice a week. I fill the fridge with carrot sticks, celery sticks (which I cut myself to save money), nut butters, hummus made from scratch, hard cheeses, Shakeology, mixed and ready to shake and drink. You won't find chips, or cookies, or candy anymore. Even my step-son noticed when he came home from college last week. "There is no more junk food in this house", he said.

Yep...no more junk food.
"Provide it and they will eat it."

You see, you've started this incredible new way of life. Your fitness habits and eating habits have changed. You are seeing the light! SHARE it with the family. Why deny them? Why start an individualized weight loss program? If you have young children, imagine the good that you are doing for them. Imagine their little minds reaping the benefit of fresh foods. They are looking up to you. Feed their brains! Feed their bodies with the stuff you are now feeding yourself. They will adjust. They will get used to it. They will start to crave it.
I'm not saying the kid (or you, for that matter) can't have a cookie once in a while. But look to make them yourself. Use whole wheat flour, use natural sweeteners, make it a family project to find the healthiest ingredients, and then make them together! Quit buying the boxed stuff. Home made from scratch says there is love involved. Show it!

And the significant other? Maybe he or she could stand to lose a few pounds. After all, the two of you are in this together. It is not a crime to want him or her to be around just as long as you will be, now that you know what you are doing. Make the adjustment. Do it for the ones you love.

Sure, it sounds easier than it is. I know that. I started my journey a year ago, and since the new year, I have realized that this has to be a family affair. There were mumblings and grumblings and lots of half eaten plates at the end of meals. But slowly, the mindset has changed. The children ask for fruit salad to bring in for their school snack. So I invested in some mini thermos containers for them to do that. The big healthy salads I make for dinner are now being scarfed down. They ask for Shakeology when they get home from school. Why should I deny them healthy foods? In the long run, it may cost a little more...but the money I'm saving from not buying the crap is starting to show. And everyone is learning lessons that will last a lifetime.

 Jump in for the rest of your life!
- Gail Sheehy (from the Foreward of this amazing book)

If you only read one book this year, read this!
                                                                                                                                                                           Are you looking for the fountain of youth? It is in front of you right now. All you have to do is be willing to grab it. This book doesn't teach you how to age gracefully. It teaches you how to live with gusto! Forget aging...aging is for those who think it is their destiny to experience a slow and steady decline in their final third. Change your attitude! Look at it as your NEXT third and enjoy it to the maximum extent! The lesson? Simple rules change your life. In fact, it is a lesson my friend Tony Horton shares in his P90X videos. "Simple rules change your life."

You won't be able to put this book down. In fact, if you are struggling with anything in your life right now, ANYTHING, you will gain inspiration from this bible. Read it. You have nothing to lose for just $10.00...

This blog post is the third of a three-part post started April 12, 2010. You can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

Stretching the Almighty Dollar

OK, so maybe fruit wouldn't be the stock you'd invest in on Wall Street, but take stock of the fruit that you keep in your fridge. Eating it within a few days is recommended...but not always possible. Especially if you pick up the larger packages at the discount warehouse. Invest wisely, and keep that fruit fresher longer.

I recently found these "green" containers at Target. Sure, I'm skeptical, but I'll try anything. And I have been pleased as punch with these containers. How do they work? I'm not completely sure, but here is the description from Amazon.

Always Fresh containers locks in freshness so food lasts up to 50 days longer than ordinary plastic storage containers. Save money as food stays fresher longer, so you throw away less. Made with nanotechnology, containers include silver nanoparticles which are naturally antibacterial and help prevent the growth of mold and fungus. Great for fruits, vegetables, herbs, cheeses, soups, sauces, meats and more. Keeps bread soft and cookies and crackers crisp. Ten piece set plus lids. Plastic.

I'm not quite sure what a nanoparticle is, but it seems to work. The trick is to keep everything that goes into them as dry as possible. This can be a hassle with cut fruit, but I have found a pretty decent solution.

Line the bottom of your green container with a paper towel

Take a paper towel and fold it in half and line the bottom of the largest container with it. Then, after washing your berries with the Veggie Wash, let them air dry in the strainer for about 10 minutes. For this salad, I used blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. I like to cut my strawberries first, then wash them with the Veggie Wash and allow them to air dry separately.

Cut strawberries before washing

While the berries are air drying, I cut any additional fruit I may want to add. Kiwi is a great choice. I always have Mangos on hand and use my favorite Oxo Good Grips Mango Splitter to remove the pit. Some other great choices are clementines, peeled and separated, red or green grapes, and pineapple. I do store my pineapple separately, however, because it is the first fruit to start to brown. To core my pineapple, I use the Vacu Vin Pineapple Slicer. Then I add it as needed to the fruit salad if desired.

Once all my fruit is sliced and the berries air dried, I put it into my lined Green Containter, toss, and store in the fridge. I find that on the second day it is good idea to change the paper towel. Also, by this time, you may need to switch the contents into a smaller container, depending on how much is remaining. My fruit salad will last through the week, if it isn't all eaten by then. Take a look at the finished product and tell me this isn't the prettiest fruit salad you ever saw! Like I said previously, put this out at breakfast or snack time, and watch the ravens come flying in. You can even put some aside and freeze it for smoothies, or defrost it later for the toppings on some vanilla ice cream.

My Fruit Salad

So, with a few quick tips and tricks, I'm hoping you will second guess the cookie purchase and head straight for your produce section. Small changes like these in your eating habits will pave the way to a much brighter, and healthier future for you and your family!

This blog post is the second of a three-part post started April 12, 2010. You can find Part 1 here.

Organic Vs. Non Organic
This topic comes up time and time again with produce. Organic is sometimes twice the price of non-organic produce and you may wonder whether it is worth the spending the extra cash.

The rule generally plays out like this, for the "green" folk. If your fruit or veggies has a peel or skin which is discarded and not eaten, then feel free to buy non-organic. Bananas, citrus fruits, or certain tropical fruits would fall into this category. Those in which you may eat the peel or skin, i.e. apples, pears, carrots, cucumbers, etc. would be those in which you would consider buying organic.

In my quest to serve up the freshest of items, yet still maintain my product remains safe to eat, I choose a different method altogether. I stay away from organically grown items. OK, all you naysayers can insert your comments here................................................But let me explain why.

Organic produce has relatively low turnaround in the average grocery store. Since it is more expensive, the average consumer does not purchase it. Therefore, the non-organic items tend to be fresher because they are stocked on the shelves more frequently. If you insist on freshness and organics, try a local Farmer's Market for your best options and price.

Of course, Farmer's Markets are not always an option, especially the winter months. Therefore, try using more care to clean your produce.

My favorite item on the market today is Veggie Wash. It comes in spray form at your local supermarket but can cost between $3.99 and $4.99 a bottle. Not cheap, I know. So go to the source, and buy it in gallon size containers. Then just fill up your spray bottle as warranted.I find that 2 gallon-size containers will get me through a year. Plus, not only does this product work great on your fruits and veggies, but it works great as a non-chemical cleaner for your counter tops, cutting boards, and coffee maker!

If you have doubts about how well the product works, just take a look at the following two photos. One shows blueberries before the product use and the other shows the after. Just spray it on your produce (not recommended for mushrooms), let sit a moment, then rinse with cold water.

Veggie Wash removes all the waxy like coating on grapes and blueberries, plus removes dirt and outer surface residue from all others.

In the next blog post, we'll talk about how to stretch your produce dollar and prepare a fruit salad that will last just about a week. Really!

Blueberries after

Blueberries before

Fruit Salad. Yummy, yummy!

Ah, yes! That Wiggles tune is back to haunt those of us who cringed as our children listened to the song over and over again. But those Wiggles were much smarter than we gave them credit for.

Fruit salad is yummy and so good for you, if you make it from scratch. And it isn't as hard as you think. Not only is it healthy, but it looks so pretty and colorful. Put out a plate of fruit salad on the kitchen counter before the kids even walk through the door after school, and I guarantee you after they spot it, they won't ask for a different after school snack.

Fruit can be expensive. And I have been asked how one can fit it into one's budget. Well, quite simply, instead of buying a few of packages of processed foods or boxes of sugary cookies, one can buy fruit instead. Finding the freshest fruit is a science, not an art. It is all about getting to the grocery store at the right time.

Local grocery stores don't receive deliveries on Sunday. This means that Monday morning is quite literally the worst time to shop. The shelves have been raked clean from the weekend shoppers. Some will have Saturday delivery, but most likely it will just be the bigger chains. Your best time to shop for any kind of produce would be Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning. After that, they will be stocking up for the weekend, so Thursday evening or Friday morning will be your next best bet. Keep this in mind when you shop for your produce. I actually try to make it to the grocery store twice a week for fresh goods. Tuesday morning and Friday morning. If I make it to the discount warehouse that week, I may only make the one trip.
Speaking of the discount warehouse, I find the best produce at Sam's Club. The reason for this, I think, is that they have great turn around. Small restaurants, schools, cafeteria's, etc. buy their food at a discount warehouse. Because Sam's is the one here in my neck of the woods, it is the one I shop at. For you, it may be a Costco or a BJ's. But they all provide the same service. Because of this, there is a fast produce turnover. The other great thing about a discount warehouse is that you get a lot more for your money. For a dollar more, you generally get twice as much than you get at the grocery store. If you are afraid that you won't be able to eat that much, don't be. I challenge you to prepare a fruit salad the way I will tell you and fruit will become a main staple in your household. You will serve it at breakfast, blend it up with yogurt for smoothies, or use it as a side dish for Chicken Quesadillas at dinnertime!

In my next post, I'll tell you whether it is worth the extra price to buy organic fruit. I'll tell you how to clean your fruit. I'll also tell you how to stretch the life of your fruit so it doesn't go bad before you get the chance to enjoy it.

To be continued...

This question came up on my Facebook page and I just had to share it with all of you, especially the Shakeology skeptics. How much sugar IS in Shakeology and will they ever make a LOW SUGAR version? The question is a valid one, because reading the label tells you that 9 grams of sugar per serving is nothing to sneeze at. That would typically be the amount of sugar in a bowl of kid’s cereal (a low sugar cereal, believe it or not), and by all standards would be quite a bit of sugar.

The difference between your Shakeology and your kid’s cereal, however, is the TYPE of sugar that is used. Your kid’s cereal uses white, refined sugar or Sucrose. This would likely be on your list of “bad for you” sugars. Shakeology uses fructose. Fructose is a simple sugar commonly found in fruits and honey. It is NOT HFCS or High Fructose Corn Syrup. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a sweetener made from corn and can be found in numerous foods and beverages on grocery store shelves in the United States.

High fructose corn syrup is composed of either 42 percent or 55 percent fructose, with the remaining sugars being primarily glucose and higher sugars. In terms of composition, high fructose corn syrup is nearly identical to table sugar (sucrose), which is composed of 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose. Glucose is one of the simplest forms of sugar that serves as a building block for most carbohydrates.

HFCS is certainly something that you want to limit if not discard completely from your diet. This article from the Mayo Clinic will tell you more.

Shakeology leaves out the refined sugar or Sucrose, leaving behind just Fructose. Fructose is a monosaccharide (simple sugar), which the body can use for energy. Because it does not cause blood sugar to rise tremendously (it has a low glycemic index), fructose is a good substitute for sucrose (table sugar). Here is a great link explaining fructose.

A small amount of fructose, such as the amount found in most vegetables and fruits, is not a bad thing. In fact, there is evidence that a little bit may help your body process glucose properly.

I repeat, fructose and HFCS are not the same. Fructose is sweeter than sucrose so less is needed to achieve the same sweetness, offering calorie savings. Fructose has a low glycemic index and does not cause surges and dips in blood glucose levels. Pure crystalline fructose offers many functional benefits when added to a wide range of foods and beverages, improving product palatability and stability.

Shakeology uses fructose for the obvious reasons, but in order to keep the taste standards to your liking, its developers resisted using the artificial sweeteners found on the market today. Here is a quote from Steve Edwards, Nutritional Expert at Beachbody.

"Fructose is a natural sweetener from fruit. It's not high fructose corn syrup, which is categorized as an artificial sweetener because the fructose in it is chemically altered sucrose (table sugar). High fructose corn syrup is controversial as it's not even really fructose but converted glucose. We use non GMO fructose from beets (amount on label). It's not controversial at all. It's a low glycemic index fruit sugar that works in the formulation as a transport vehicle for the nutrients and for taste. Unless we were going to eliminate sugar altogether we can't do much better. Perhaps agave or honey but they have their naysayers as well. Beyond this we're in to artificial sweeteners or a natural flavor and believe me when I say that if we left the taste natural none of you would touch it."

I hope this answers your questions about sugar and Shakeology. Consider yourself educated. Fughetaboudit and enjoy it instead!

Diet is a four letter word. No one, in all honesty, needs to diet. There is no reason to deprive yourself from the foods that you most enjoy, but your food choices should make you feel good. They should provide you with energy, keep you satisfied, and they should keep you healthy. All this is possible. All that is needed is some basic nutrition education, and understanding how your food choices effect your life.

Basic Nutrition 101 starts with healthy eating. You need to learn how to eat smart, and not just in what you eat, but how you eat. Healthy food choices will do just that…keep you healthy. Those choices will reduce your risk of illnesses like heart disease, cancer and diabetes. They will help reduce anxiety, stress and thus reduce the risk of depression. Healthy eating can boost your energy, help your memory, and keep your mood stable. Therefore, learning how to choose your food, and how to plan ahead will put your new healthy lifestyle to your advantage.

Let’s set ourselves up for success! Think about taking small steps at first, instead of changing everything completely. Big changes too soon will surely make us fail because it will overwhelm us. Approach the changes gradually, and you will find that they are easier to commit to. Here are a few starter tips:

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify! Don’t start weighing and measuring your food right away. First, focus on buying the right foods! Stick with the items around the perimeter of your supermarket. This includes fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meats, poultry and fish. It includes your dairy, yogurt, cheeses, and healthy snack choices like nuts and whole grain breads. Stay away from anything that comes in a can or box. Fresh is always best! Replace any enriched white flour products in your home with whole grain items instead. Choose brown rice instead of white rice, and whole wheat pastas instead of the traditional dried pastas. Keeping your diet fresh is a great first step in switching to a healthier lifestyle!

Give it time. Trying to change everything immediately isn’t always the best for everyone. Drastic changes lead to cheating or giving up entirely. It is important to take small steps, like adding a colorful salad to your diet once a day. Replace your fruit juice in the morning with a bowl of fresh fruit. Switch from butter to olive oil or another natural oil when cooking (stay away from the unhealthy vegetable oils). Eventually your body will be begin to crave more, so you can start adding other items every week.

Every step counts. Just remember that you can’t reach the finish line if you aren’t headed in the right direction. Every step counts. Every correct food choice you make will help you become that much healthier, that much more energetic, that that much more in control of your own destiny. When the changes start happening, you’ll be ready to take on the extra steps of adding additional exercise to make that checkered flag come into view. This will be a change that you will want to incorporate for the rest of your life. So remember, do it right. Start making the right choices today!

This is probably one of the best ideas you can do for your kids and family. Salad is pretty universal, and the fun part about it is coming up with new toppings for it. Much like a sundae, making a gorgeous salad can be just as tasty and fun, and I guarantee, all the kiddos will love to do it!

Get yourself some leafy green lettuce. I'm not just talking iceberg, but some fresh baby lettuces in different varieties. The leaves are small and tasty, just right for hungry little mouths.

Put out bowl of different toppings. Try shredded carrots. The kids just love these! Chopped tri-colored peppers are always a hit. Put out a bowl of raisins or dried cranberries, some unsalted, raw sunflower seeds, feta or goat cheese crumbles, sweet cherry tomatos, sliced strawberries, sliced kiwi, slivered almonds, raw broccoli and cauliflower, sugar snap peas, celery sticks, chunks of fresh chicken breast or shredded rotisserie chicken. Be creative! Try mandarin orange slices, tuna, olives, pickles, cucumbers, zucchini slices or radish slices. You'll be surprised what the kids pick to put on their salads.

Dressing? Don't use the full fat kind. Buy the salad dressing in the spray form. Kids love these! And it will force them to use less than they would of the other kind. They will really get a taste of the salad ingredients instead of the salad dressing. This is important. Just the other day my daughter said "I didn't realize salad tasted like this!"

Teaching our kids healthy eating habits today will not only improve their outlook for a healthy future, but will ensure that they learned one great thing from mom! How to bring some variety into a blah, everyday dish.

I grew up despising green vegetables. In fact, there are still quite a few I will NOT touch. Thank goodness my daily Shakeology makes up for the few that I miss! Of course, I try to feed my family a balanced diet, and that may include some of those green veggies. However, it is the ones that AREN'T green that you and your family may be overlooking.

Bell peppers come in other color varieties besides green (although the green ones are just as healthy). Red, yellow and orange bell peppers aren't as bitter as the green variety and are available all year round. They are so versitile. Chop them up and put them on a green salad or add them to a sandwich. My favorite is to make a quick stir fry with the three varieties, some pork loin, snap peas, julienne carrots (they come already packaged in the produce section), lite soy sauce, rice vinegar and a few teaspoons of sugar. Serve it on a bed of brown rice and you have a meal the entire family will enjoy.

Regardless of their color, all bell peppers share a healthy dose of fiber which helps lower cholesterol and ward off colon cancer. They also offer a wealth of vitamin B6 and folic acid, thought to protect blood vessels from damage by reducing levels of homocysteine in the body. Plentiful A and C vitamins boost immunity and guard against a range of ailments, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and risks associated with smoking such as emphysema.

So get creative! Add some peppers to your everyday diet. Your family will thank you, too!