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Where do you find your confidence?

When you hit that alarm clock first thing in the morning, do you dread getting out of bed? Are you already in panic mode because you are running late? Do you look in the mirror and think “I need to drop this weight!”?

Where do you find your confidence?

Now that you are running late, do you now take your frustrations out on your spouse and children? Do you throw a couple of bowls of sweetened cereal or Pop-tarts in front of them? And then do you, yourself, skipping breakfast, grab the last Pepsi and a box of cookies to eat on your way to the office? Do you send your children off to school filled with your frustrations of being rushed and having eaten poorly?

Where do you find your confidence?

Do you stress out at your job? If you stay at home and care for younger children, do you let them stress you out? Do you think the fact that you had an awful breakfast and got an awful start to your day has anything to do with this stress you are feeling? Do you ever dream of a different life, or one without all this stress?

Where do you find your confidence?

When you get home, are you so full of anguish and despair at how your day went that instead of preparing a healthy meal for your family, you pick up some high-fat takeout? Do you then eat the leftovers that your kids didn’t eat while helping them with their homework and getting them ready for bed? Do you stay up late parked in front of the television after the house is quiet and scarf down the last few scoops of ice cream hidden in the back of the freezer? Do you do all this just so you can repeat the torment the next day?

Where do you find your confidence?

Let’s find some confidence.

Try this.

Clean out your kitchen. Throw out all the crap. Buy fresh fruits and foods that don’t come in a box. Have your meals laid out a week in advance, listed, with ingredients all purchased for the week ahead. Pre-cut your fruits and veggies and have them all stored and ready to go for the week.

Set that alarm an hour earlier tomorrow. Get up out of bed the first time. Put on your workout clothes. Look at yourself in the mirror and say “Today, I’m going to change my life. Today I’m going to be the influence in the lives of others. Today will be better than yesterday.”

Check your e-mail, start the coffee, and do the workout.

Scoop up some fresh fruit for your kids. Fill their plates with fresh foods…eggs, whole grains, oatmeal…do the same for you. Make the family a Shakeology, reveling in the fact that you just ensured that they get one decent meal this day. Send them off to school knowing that Mom is calm, Mom is happy, Mom is confident.

Have you found a little confidence yet?

Arrive at the office with your head held high, your lunch sack full of healthy foods, and dinner already prepared in your head. Don’t let anyone bring you down, because you, yourself, can control that with a single thought…a thought of confidence.

Arrive home with a different attitude. Prepare that healthy meal and serve it to your family. What? They won’t eat it? Well, then, I guess they won’t eat. Don’t fret. Eventually they will. And they will learn to appreciate it.

Send your kids off to bed, do a few chores, and go to bed yourself, knowing the following day, you are going to be happy to do the same thing. Why? Because you are so full of confidence now that tomorrow is going to be a better day, that you can’t wait to get up in the morning and do it all again.

This is how you find your confidence. Granted, everyone’s day will not follow this exact schedule, and granted, there are those bumps that you always hit along the way, but confidence will get you through it. Confidence grows as you grow.

This is where you'll find your confidence.

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.

Well...I guess you just never know what you will like until you try it. Here is an example of a soup that I was amazed to see my children gobble down. It is low in fat and calories, and very delish! I modified the original recipe to the one you see below.

Veggie Soup with Turkey Sausage and Cheese Crackers
4 Jennie-O Turkey Sausages, skins removed. (I used 1 hot sausage link and 3 sweet sausage links)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups of finely chopped zucchini
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbls. Tomato Paste
3 cups fat-free, less sodium chicken broth (I like to make my own or use Pacific Natural Foods Low Sodium Free Range Chicken Broth)
2 (15.5-ounce) cans organic cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage meat and brown until crumbly. Remove from pan and move aside.

Add onion, zucchini, carrot, celery, 1/4 tsp salt, and garlic to hot pot. Cook for 5 minutes until vegetables are tender. Stir in tomato pasted and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly.

Remove 1 cup of that mixure, and with 1 cup of the chicken broth, and half of the beans, mix them all together in a food processor or blender until smooth. Return mixture to pot. Add remaining chicken broth and beans. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until veggies are cooked through.

To make the cheese crackers, spoon 1 tbls. Parmesan Cheese and 1 tbls. Asiago cheese into a mound onto some non stick foil. Make a mound for each person. Stick sheet in boiler until cheese flattens and is bubbly and lightly golden brown. Let cool before removing from foil.

Ladle about 1 cup of soup into each bowl and sprinkle with turkey sausage. Serve with a cracker.


I suggest you double this, because for 4 people, it will go fast! And at 230 calories a serving...you can afford to have two!

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Here is another great family meal that everyone will dive into. On the menu tonight we have Talapia Tacos, Coleslaw with Orange Vinaigrette, and a big leafy green salad. This is great for the Lenten season. It makes a quick Friday night meal!

Coleslaw with Orange Vinaigrette
3 oz. or about 1/4 cup Fage Fat Free Plain Green Yogurt
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup Tropicana Trop 50 Low Sugar Orange Juice
3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1 1/2 tsp honey
Bag of Dole Coleslaw Mix
Extra shredded carrots, if preferred
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup diced red onion

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Drain before adding to Tacos.

Talapia Tacos
8 Taco sized Wheat Tortillas
(I prefer Archer Farms Simply Balanced Whole Wheat Tortillas. They pack a punch with 13g of whole grain and 3g of fiber per 130 calorie tortilla, and they taste great!)
1 pound of Talapia fillets, cut into pieces
1 Tbls. Mrs. Dash, any flavor
Olive Oil Spray
1/2 Cup pico de Gallo
Coleslaw with Orange Vinaigrette
Extra Cilantro for garnish

Coat Tilapia in Mrs. Dash
Mist a hot fry pan with Olive Oil Spray or a light coating of good Olive Oil. Work in batches and fry fish until golden brown...about 3-5 minutes.
Spoon fish into tortillas and top with Pico de Gallo, Coleslaw, and remaining Cilantro. (The kids love a little shredded cheese on these as well!)

Enjoy!

Here is a great recipe that even your pickiest eater will enjoy! My kids love this one...sweet potatoes and all!

Chicken and Sweet Potatoes With Shallots Recipe | Real Simple Recipes

Here’s the deal: Decide whether you want to lose 2 pounds a week or less (that may sound slow, but you can drop a size in a month this way and keep it off). Follow our free, easy eating plan and try to burn 500 calories per day for a total of 3,500 a week. Those shooting to lose a pound a week should aim to sizzle 250 calories per day (and 1,750 a week). To maintain your weight, focus on daily sweat sessions that burn 100 calories a day (or 700 calories off per week).

Whatever your goal, choose from the following workouts. (Pay attention to the effort level, using a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is watching TV and 10 is installing a 100-pound plasma screen on the wall.) The smartest, most effective route to lasting weight loss is through exercise, so no matter which mix of workouts you choose, expect to see results within two weeks.

Activities to burn 500 calories:
• Walk 40 minutes at a level 8 on a hilly course (or crank up the incline on the treadmill).
• Do 36 minutes of running intervals: Jog for 1 minute at a level 5, sprint 1 minute at a level 9. Repeat 18 times.
• Take a 45-minute Spinning class.
• Dance to a good beat for 72 minutes at a level 7.
• Hit the elliptical machine for 60 minutes, doing intervals. Do 2 minutes at a level 8, then 1 minute at a level 5. Repeat 20 times.
• Swim freestyle for 50 minutes at a level 8.
• Use the rowing machine for 40 minutes, doing intervals: Go 8 minutes at a level 8, then 2 minutes at a level 4. Repeat 4 times.

Activities to burn 250 calories:
• Walk for 35 minutes at a level 7.
• Run for 20 minutes at a level 7.
• Bike for 30 minutes at a level 5.
• Dance for 50 minutes at a level 4.
• Hit the elliptical machine for 30 minutes at a level 8.
• Swim freestyle for 25 minutes at a level 8.
• Use the rowing machine for 28 minutes at a level 8.

Activities to burn 100 calories:
• Walk for 25 minutes at a level 4.
• Run for 12 minutes at a level 4.
• Bike for 17 minutes at a level 4.
• Dance for 20 minutes at a level 4.
• Hit the elliptical machine for 15 minutes at a level 5.
• Swim freestyle for 15 minutes at a level 5.
• Use the rowing machine for 25 minutes at a level 5.


Good luck!

Copied from Self Magazine.com