Below is a link to an article on sugar withdrawls. If you read it, check out the comments below it, too. Super interesting, other people's experiences cutting out sugar. Makes you realize how damaging it really is to your body.
http://howtothinkthin.com/freedom.htm
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Salads are Forever......
Good Morning! (afternoon, evening, whatever......)
As most of you know, I am a HUGE fan of salads. I crave the cold crunchiness of them. Even in the middle of winter. Mmmmmm......anyways, I have started making the suggestion, in attempts to have my clients add more vegetables into their diets, to have at least one big salad every day. Usually for either lunch or dinner, but I have been known, on more than one occasion, to have a big, delicious salad for breakfast. But, that's besides the point. The point is, to add more vegetables to your diet, and I really don't think there's a better way to do that than to get creative and make a salad you can look forward to every day! There are SO.MANY.OPTIONS. of what you can put on a salad. You can do a Mexican salad with black beans, chicken, bell peppers, onions, salsa and avocado. An Asian salad with bean sprouts, steak or chicken, cashews, carrots, bell peppers, onions, cabbage, and a spicy peanut dressing. A Nicoise salad with tuna, tiny potatoes, hard boiled egg, green beans, tomatoes and a red wine vinaigrette. A buffalo chicken salad with spicy buffalo (hold the butter) chicken tenders, celery, carrots, onions and homemade blue cheese dressing. (which is sooooo easy, and soooo much better than store-bought dressing)
So, those are just a few ideas to get the wheels in your head turning about all the delicious salad options. Below, I am going to put together a salad "mix and match" for you to print out and keep handy. :)
See how many colors you can get in one bowl! (P.S. I eat my salads out of a (smallish) mixing bowl)
Bottom Layer Options (choose one or mix two or more)
~spinach
~romaine or green leaf lettuce
~shredded cabbage (green AND purple)
~baby lettuce mix
Mid Layer Options (one thing that is really helpful and saves time is to chop up a whole bunch of vegetables at one time, and put them all in a big container in your fridge, so you can just dump them on your bottom layer)
~carrots~onions~cucumber~bean sprouts~jicama~sugar snap peas~bell peppers~tomatoes~mushrooms~
~celery~zucchini~artichoke hearts~hearts of palm~broccoli~cauliflower~alfalfa sprouts~microgreens~beets~avocado~ANY vegetable you like!
Add a Fruit
~chopped apple~orange segments~1T.raisins or dried cranberries~
Add some Protein
~Chicken~Lean Steak~Fish~Hard Boiled Eggs~Cottage Cheese~Spiced and Grilled Tofu~Pork
~Black Beans~Garbanzo Beans~Edamame~
Add some Crunch (just a little bit~a little goes a long way!)
~2T. chopped nuts~1T. sunflower seeds~ground (golden roasted) flaxseed~pepitas (pumpkin seeds)~
Top With a Dressing
Basic Vinagrette:
1 minced clove garlic
1-2 T. dijon, brown or whole grain mustard (whatever you like or have on hand)
2T. vinegar (red wine, white wine, balsamic, white balsamic, applecider etc.)
2T. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
VARIATIONS:
~to balsamic vinaigrette, add 2T. orange juice, add oranges and almonds to your salad
~to red wine vinaigrette, add 1t. oregano and use to top a Mediterranean~type salad
~to apple cider vinaigrette add 1 T. OJ and 1t. honey and 1/2 t. curry powder, add apples and raisins to your salad
*Salsa on it's own or mixed with 1T. ranch makes the perfect dressing for a Mexican salad
*Creamy Cilantro and Avocado Dressing~Puree in a blender till smooth: 1/2 ripe avocado, 3/4 c. packed cilantro, 1/2 c. greek yogurt, 2 chopped scallions, 1/4-1 whole garlic clove (depending on how much you like garlic), 1-2 T. lime juice, 1/2 t. salt
*Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing:1/4 c. lite sour cream, 1/4 c. lite mayonnaise, 1/4 c. blue cheese crumbles, buttermilk or milk added to desired consistency, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste (whisk all together)
AND here is a link to Eating Well Magazine's really great article on Power Salads!!! http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/quick_healthy_cooking/secrets_to_making_power_salads
I hope this helps some of you get at least a *little bit* more excited about adding more salads to your diet!
Have a great day!
As most of you know, I am a HUGE fan of salads. I crave the cold crunchiness of them. Even in the middle of winter. Mmmmmm......anyways, I have started making the suggestion, in attempts to have my clients add more vegetables into their diets, to have at least one big salad every day. Usually for either lunch or dinner, but I have been known, on more than one occasion, to have a big, delicious salad for breakfast. But, that's besides the point. The point is, to add more vegetables to your diet, and I really don't think there's a better way to do that than to get creative and make a salad you can look forward to every day! There are SO.MANY.OPTIONS. of what you can put on a salad. You can do a Mexican salad with black beans, chicken, bell peppers, onions, salsa and avocado. An Asian salad with bean sprouts, steak or chicken, cashews, carrots, bell peppers, onions, cabbage, and a spicy peanut dressing. A Nicoise salad with tuna, tiny potatoes, hard boiled egg, green beans, tomatoes and a red wine vinaigrette. A buffalo chicken salad with spicy buffalo (hold the butter) chicken tenders, celery, carrots, onions and homemade blue cheese dressing. (which is sooooo easy, and soooo much better than store-bought dressing)
So, those are just a few ideas to get the wheels in your head turning about all the delicious salad options. Below, I am going to put together a salad "mix and match" for you to print out and keep handy. :)
See how many colors you can get in one bowl! (P.S. I eat my salads out of a (smallish) mixing bowl)
Bottom Layer Options (choose one or mix two or more)
~spinach
~romaine or green leaf lettuce
~shredded cabbage (green AND purple)
~baby lettuce mix
Mid Layer Options (one thing that is really helpful and saves time is to chop up a whole bunch of vegetables at one time, and put them all in a big container in your fridge, so you can just dump them on your bottom layer)
~carrots~onions~cucumber~bean sprouts~jicama~sugar snap peas~bell peppers~tomatoes~mushrooms~
~celery~zucchini~artichoke hearts~hearts of palm~broccoli~cauliflower~alfalfa sprouts~microgreens~beets~avocado~ANY vegetable you like!
Add a Fruit
~chopped apple~orange segments~1T.raisins or dried cranberries~
Add some Protein
~Chicken~Lean Steak~Fish~Hard Boiled Eggs~Cottage Cheese~Spiced and Grilled Tofu~Pork
~Black Beans~Garbanzo Beans~Edamame~
Add some Crunch (just a little bit~a little goes a long way!)
~2T. chopped nuts~1T. sunflower seeds~ground (golden roasted) flaxseed~pepitas (pumpkin seeds)~
Top With a Dressing
Basic Vinagrette:
1 minced clove garlic
1-2 T. dijon, brown or whole grain mustard (whatever you like or have on hand)
2T. vinegar (red wine, white wine, balsamic, white balsamic, applecider etc.)
2T. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
VARIATIONS:
~to balsamic vinaigrette, add 2T. orange juice, add oranges and almonds to your salad
~to red wine vinaigrette, add 1t. oregano and use to top a Mediterranean~type salad
~to apple cider vinaigrette add 1 T. OJ and 1t. honey and 1/2 t. curry powder, add apples and raisins to your salad
*Salsa on it's own or mixed with 1T. ranch makes the perfect dressing for a Mexican salad
*Creamy Cilantro and Avocado Dressing~Puree in a blender till smooth: 1/2 ripe avocado, 3/4 c. packed cilantro, 1/2 c. greek yogurt, 2 chopped scallions, 1/4-1 whole garlic clove (depending on how much you like garlic), 1-2 T. lime juice, 1/2 t. salt
*Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing:1/4 c. lite sour cream, 1/4 c. lite mayonnaise, 1/4 c. blue cheese crumbles, buttermilk or milk added to desired consistency, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste (whisk all together)
AND here is a link to Eating Well Magazine's really great article on Power Salads!!! http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/quick_healthy_cooking/secrets_to_making_power_salads
I hope this helps some of you get at least a *little bit* more excited about adding more salads to your diet!
Have a great day!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
HAPPY MARCH!
It's March 1st, so that means, for those of you who are accepting the challenge to go for the entire month without sugar and flour....today is the day! I am super excited, because I have been slowly losing control over my cravings myself, and it's nice to have something to get me back on track. I am excited to challenge myself and I hope those of you who are doing this are too. Think of it as being empowered to have control over our cravings, instead of being deprived because we "can't" have something. We choose to make better choices for our bodies, instead of being at the mercy of our cravings. (I am totally speaking to myself, here:) Anyways, I hope you have a fantastic first day of March!
Monday, February 28, 2011
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!
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!
Friday, February 25, 2011
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!
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/
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/
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
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!!!
*Specific details to follow!!!
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