Challenge Guidelines.....and a link to a great article

Happy Monday! I can't believe tomorrow is already March 1st! February flew by, which means.....spring *must be* on it's way???? But who knows around here. Anyways, I am going to set out some guidelines for the challenge, if you choose to participate. Some of it will be up to your own discretion, though.

Rule # 1: Absolutely NO SUGAR. And by this, I mean white table sugar. The stuff you bake with, or eat in candy, or in your vanilla latte, etc. Now, you will have to do a bit of sleuthing because sugar is in everything. BBQ sauce, salad dressing, PASTA sauce (why, why, why????), salsa, etc. You MUST read labels. So, the easiest way to stay away from added sugar hiding in things is to buy whole foods and make things yourself. The discretionary part here, is if you are going to get technical and ask about honey, agave, stevia, etc. This I will leave up to you. The challenge part here is to not ADD any sweetners to anything for the month, to break yourself away from *NEEDING* sugar, or something sweet. Of course, fruit is ok, and the recipe I posted for the cookies several weeks back would be ok, because they are sweetened with fruit, but MY goal here, and I hope for you, too, is that we will wean ourselves from *NEEDING* something sweet.

Rule # 2: Absolutely NO WHITE FLOUR. Also, a tricky one.....I, personally, will be avoiding anything with flour AT ALL. (including whole wheat flour)  I am supposed to be staying away from gluten anyways, but have fallen off the gluten-free wagon lately. (sigh) :)  So, this I will leave up to you, too. Basically, if you feel like you have a problem/addiction with anything "carb~y" (pasta, crackers, bread, cereal (which will most likely have lots of sugar in it too), pretzles, etc.) you should stay away from it for the month. And let me tell you, from personal experience, it is MUCH easier to cut it completely out, than to try and moderate.

So, I hope this clarifies and makes sense. I welcome any questions you might have. You can e-mail me @ slapoint@bendbroadband.com, call or text me @ 541-848-2916, or just leave a comment if you have any more questions. I hope you are all looking forward to challenging yourself, and doing something GREAT for your body! Your body will love you for it!!!
Throughout this whole challenge, I will be posting lots of information about sugar and flour and how they really do affect your health and well-being. PLEASE PLEASE let me know if you have questions, concerns, etc.

Also, I ran across this really great article( http://livewell360.com/2011/02/take-a-vaca-from-venting-about-problems/)  today on taking a vacation from re-hashing our problems to people whenever we are in a conversation. It does seem like we always go towards the negative, when chatting with others, so this article challenges us to not say or think anything negative for a week. (or forever) Check it out! It goes right along with our other challenge, since we are challenging ourselves! Have a great day!

10~20~30~40 QUICK workout

I just thought of this great little super quick circuit workout. It's perfect when you are doing anything relatively sedentary~watching TV, sewing, reading, cooking, etc. (perfect for commercials!!!)

10 pushups
20 squats
30 bicycle crunches
40 mtn. climbers

it takes about 2 minutes. you could set a timer to go off every x number of minutes, do the circuit, and resume what you were doing. if you get in 10 of them a day, that's a pretty good 20+ minute workout, all broken up! anyways, hope you're having a great day!

Two great articles on the concept of "cheating"

Good Morning! The challenge starts TUESDAY!!!! Are you ready?
 I have been asked about "cheating" (in regards to your diet) many times. I have always kind of gone back and forth on the subject, but have never really implemented a "cheat day" myself. After reading the articles I have linked below, I kind of have a new take on it. I think the author of this article makes some really great points about "cheating" to keep you sane on a healthy diet. We do crave things that taste good, and in moderation, those things are fine. She suggests sprinkling small "cheats" throughout the week, instead of taking one day and going to town. Very smart. Anyways, check out these two articles, there is a part I and II. Read both. In regards to our challenge, however,  "cheating" with sugar or flour is not recommended. :) And, as I said in my last post, I will post the guidelines for this challenge soon!

This website (www.whole9life.com) is quickly becoming one of my favorites, due to it's sound nutritional guidance, no-nonsense advice and emphasis on WHOLE foods. (not the store) So, check it out....and have a great day!

http://whole9life.com/2009/06/the-w9-guide-to-eating-dirty-part-i/
http://whole9life.com/2009/06/the-w9-guide-to-eating-dirty-part-ii/

ANNOUNCING......A CHALLENGE!!!

I am recruiting anyone who is interested in a 31 day challenge. For the month of March. NO sugar, NO flour for the entire month. I am doing this for two reasons: 1) I want to be challenged, myself! I am going to do it, and I would love to have company! and 2) sugar and flour (basically any processed grain) are highly addictive. and I want to encourage you to break your addiction, if you have a hard time with it, AND I want you to see how much better you feel without it! SO......there it is, for anyone who wants to challenge themselves to make a super healthy change along with me! Leave a comment if you're in!
*Specific details to follow!!!

My new FAVORITE recipe!!!!

I made this recipe tonight, courtesy of Sarah Fragoso of Everyday Paleo. It was super good. I will probably be making it at least once a week for a while. Try it. :)

Puerto Rican Beef

1 lb grass fed ground beef

1 bunch kale chopped

1 white onion sliced

1/2 of a green, red, and yellow bell pepper sliced

1/2 cup pimento stuffed green olives

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tbsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp dried oregano

Pinch of saffron threads (optional)

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

3 sweet potatoes

1 ripe avocado

In a large skillet brown the ground beef.  Add the bell peppers, onions, and olive oil and saute until the onions and peppers are tender.  Add all of the spices and mix well.  Add the kale and green olives, continue cooking stirring often until the kale is tender (about 4-5 minutes).  Serve over mashed sweet potatoes with a side of sliced avocado. 

*I didn't have the tumeric, oregano or coriander, so I left them out. I actually followed the recipe pretty exactly, except for that. It was amazing!

QUOTE OF THE DAY~and a great recipe link

HAPPY TUESDAY! Hope everyone is having a great day so far. Here is a great recipe website a friend turned me on to: www.thepurebar.com. I know I have mentioned PURE bars to some of you as an alternative to sweets. They are raw, sweetened only with fruit, and come in Chocolate Brownie flavor....Mmmmm.....anyways, the website has some great recipes on it. Also, I ran across this quote this morning:

"It is important to realize that EVERY time you eat, you have the opportunity to CHOOSE to make your body better or worse. Your CHOICES and behaviors either move you TOWARDS your goal, or AWAY from it."

Have a great day! And choose what you FUEL your body with wisely! Love you all!

Good Morning! Inspiration for the day!

I read this today in an e~mail. It is perfect! I hope you have a great day! And remember....this is a PROCESS.....

ALWAYS REMEMBER.....

There is no one right way to be healthy and fit.

YOU are the boss of you.

It takes time and PRACTICE to replace old habits with new ones.

Health and fitness is not a destination.

Health and fitness is a LIFESTYLE.

It’s not helpful…

To feel guilty about your food and fitness choices.

To beat yourself up over past decisions.

To read articles and take them at face value.

To allow other people’s opinions to matter more than your own.

To complain.

To replay bad thoughts over and over in your mind.

To use fear as motivation.

To set the expectation that once you get there… THEN you’ll be happy.

To set ridiculous standards for yourself.

To worry about what other people think.

To judge yourself.

It is helpful…

To learn from past choices.

To do what feels right.

To pay attention to the signals that your body gives you.

To see the good in any situation.

To give people the benefit of the doubt.

To appreciate what you have.

To laugh often.

To be nice to yourself.

To compliment (yourself and others) daily.

To get inspired and then act.

To let go.

To be happy NOW.

"if I don't get in a workout, I might die" ~7 minute at home workout!

I know this time of year (winter) is hard on some of us moms. Kids get sick, rendering some of us housebound.  Well, there's no reason you can't squeeze in a quick bodyweight workout in between all the other things you have going on. Even if you only have 7 minutes at a time, do this quick workout, then find 7 minutes two more times during the day. So, you can fit in 21 minutes of intense exercise, without leaving the house, leaving your sanity in tact.

7 Minute Circuit


each exercise is one minute long, switch to the next one immediately after the first one, and continue for the full 7 minutes. repeat two more times. (at some point during the day)

1. bodyweight squats, FAST
2. burpees
3. counter or floor (on your knees~keep your butt DOWN) pushups
4. high knees
5. sumo bodyweight squats, FAST
6. bicycle crunches
7. plank

2 great links

http://whole9life.com/2011/01/the-coffee-manifesto/

I thought this was a really good, very objective article on coffee. Especially the part about YOU being in charge of what you consume, and not letting your addictions (be it coffee, sugar, flour, etc.) control you. If you check out this article, also check out the Whole30 program. It's really good, and definitely worth trying out. Have a great day!

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/stay-cool/how-to-make-creamy-ice-cream-with-just-one-ingredient-093414
And here is a link to a SUPER easy recipe for "ice cream."

Dream as if you'll live forever.....

I have had a rough past few weeks, actually a couple months....I think I am dealing with a chemical imbalance that is resulting in depression. It can be so hard to see out of our little "hole" sometimes. At least, it is for me. I tend to get "stuck" in it, then I have a hard time seeing the whole big picture of life. And that it's not all about me all the time. I came across this quote today (thanks Janine!!!) "Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today" ~James Dean. Wow. I am definitely not dreaming, nor am I really living....I have been stuck for a while. It's extremely frustrating and overwhelming. But, I know that all of this will work out for good, and that I just have to be patient and keep moving forward. It gets really hard to be patient sometimes, but a year or two down the road, I am sure I will look back and see the good in it. I hope you have a great week! And keep dreaming! And living! And I am sure going to try to do the same!

Playing Hooky and a new recipe~Banana Almond Flour Pancakes/Waffles

I let my kiddos play hooky yesterday and today. First of all, apparently, there is some crazy sickness going through their school and there are tons of kids out sick. So, I thought I would let them stay home and sleep in and rest and not be exposed to all the crazy germs. Second, I actually miss them while they are at school, and I really just wanted to hang out with them, so I did. I can do that as a mom, right??? So, of course I made them go get some fresh air and exercise with me. We went on a walk on the river trail yesterday, and today walked to a park that was kind of far away. It was so fun, and the weather behaved and I am so glad they are still at the age when they would rather hang out with me than go to school. Anyways....

In keeping with the spirit of cutting as much of the flour and sugar out of their diets that I can, I invented these delicious pancakes/waffles this morning. I never measure when I make stuff, so I am "guesstimating" the amounts of each ingredient. I really don't think you can mess these up, so feel free to alter my amounts a bit to make it work for you.

Banana~Almond flour pancakes/waffles

1 banana, mashed
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla (or more)
1 t. baking powder
2-4 T. melted coconut oil, or other vegetable oil
tiny bit of salt, if desired....i didn't use any and didn't even notice

 1/2-1 cup almond flour
milk or buttermilk as needed (almond milk, soy milk, cow milk, coconut milk....whatever)

(depending on how many you are making, adjust the amount of almond flour and milk.)

mix the first 6 (including salt, if using) ingredients together. use a whisk to make it nice and fluffy.....add almond flour and milk as needed to make the right pancake or waffle consistency. cook pancakes on a griddle or waffles in a waffle iron. or both, as my kids prefer sometimes.

enjoy!!!
and happy friday!!!!