Cleaning up around the house I found an article from Family Circle Magazine that talked about how to Eat Smarter, Sleep Better, and Move More. Perfect!
Eat Smarter
Leave two bites at every meal. (they say you'll cut out about 100 cal a day. But I'm not into the whole wasting food thing, so may I suggest dishing up and putting 2 spoonfuls back?)
Swap out a red meat dinner and swap in a vegetarian one, once a week.
Cook at Home one more night eat week. (New research shows that the average American now eats four restaurant meals each week!)
Turn off the Kitchen lights at 8:00pm (a great idea! I'm totally going to try it!)
Sleep Better
Gain time with sleep. (A sleep expert, Jodi Mindell, Ph.D: "A lot of women think that if they go to bed early they're mission out on getting stuff done- they won't get those emails sent, bills paid or laundry done. But you'll get everything done twice as fast the next day if you get enough rest.")
Hotel-ify your bedroom: (Soft sheets and pillows, room-darkening shades, no laptop in bed, move out exercise equipment.)
Keep it cool: 60-68 degrees at night.
Get the right light. (Mindell: "exposure to AM light affects how sleepy you feel come nighttime. Morning light triggers your body to stop producing the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin and to make more of the stimulating hormone cortisol. About 12 hours later your body will automatically start producing melatonin to get you ready for sleep." Interesting!)
Log off your computer and allow your brain 20 minutes to wind down before you hit the lights.
Move More
Walk 15 extra minutes a day.
Take advantage of weird time. Find the random time in your day. Bored? don't text, WALK! :)
Don't blow off your plans. ("Your day has been one big downhill of cake, candy and chips- so why bother with that 4pm power walk you'd planned? Because it makes a big difference. Physically, exercise can reduce your appetite, and mentally it will put you back on track to eat a smarter dinner.)
Be a role model. to everyone and make it fun!
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Monday, May 17, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
School's Out! Food's In!
Well, with school just about over, summer plans have began to take over. I have gallbladder surgery scheduled for the beginning of June, and tons of things to do beforehand. I'm not going to let my plan to eat healthy lapse though, here's a little Rachel Ray cooking on a budget.
You've GOTTA check THIS out. :)
Trust me, you'll be glad you did.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Okra
This is Okra:
This is Fried Okra:
After a garage sale, we went to celebrate our good sales by going to a local restaurant called Golden Chick. It's fried everything. It's a dangerous place. I didn't realize how much our attitude had changed until I sat down with the food. Everything was the same color. Golden. :)
My method? Peel off the fried skin on the chicken and enjoy. There was no way I was going to risk having a gallbladder attack or having a clogged artery, or anything else by eating a TON of fried everthing. I peeled the skin of my daugher's chicken as well. (We actually just got one entree for the three of us- the portions are big enough!) She wouldn't eat the fried okra. My husband would show her how fun they are, and she just wouldn't eat it.
So...
I peeled off the 'fried' part while she wasn't looking and put it on her plate. A minute later when she saw the green- she popped it in her mouth, loved it, and gave us a good laugh!
My thoughts:
1- don't visit restaurants too often- I want to know what I'm eating. (a past post on the subject)
2- COLOR, color, CoLoR!
3- Watch out for the portion size (this is how you can actually save money by eating healthy!)
4- eat closer to the 'natural' state. Okra vs. Fried Okra.
Buen Provecho!
Friday, March 19, 2010
18,16 and 3?
An article Good and Bad Health Habits was posted on WebMD about the health habits of Americans. They said that results from a study done 2005-2007 (which I'm sure things haven't gotten any better) regular drinkers (6 in 10) outnumber regular exercisers (3 in 10).
In 2004, the CDC announced that Obesity is approaching the top cause of preventable death!
In 2000 this is was preventable deaths in America looked like:
Tobacco -18.1%
Poor Diet and Physical Inactivity -16.6%
Alcohol Consumption -3.5%
Do you see what I see?? Tobacco still kills. 6 in 10 people are regular drinkers. And Poor Diet and Physical Inactivity is quoted as the #2 KILLER. Not just on the list, but 16.6% of deaths that can be prevented are linked to unhealthy eating habits AND obesity compared to a mere 3.5% of Alcohol Consumption.
Which one will you be?
I choose None. Say "YES" to knowledge and let's change together.
In 2004, the CDC announced that Obesity is approaching the top cause of preventable death!
In 2000 this is was preventable deaths in America looked like:
Tobacco -18.1%
Poor Diet and Physical Inactivity -16.6%
Alcohol Consumption -3.5%
Do you see what I see?? Tobacco still kills. 6 in 10 people are regular drinkers. And Poor Diet and Physical Inactivity is quoted as the #2 KILLER. Not just on the list, but 16.6% of deaths that can be prevented are linked to unhealthy eating habits AND obesity compared to a mere 3.5% of Alcohol Consumption.
Which one will you be?
I choose None. Say "YES" to knowledge and let's change together.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Do you Trust your Chef?
I found this reading today, and thought it went along quite well. Think about that question,
"Do you trust your Chef?"
A better question might be these days,
"Do ya even know whosa cookin' yer food!?"
This article focuses on fine cuisine and answers the question by saying, "...you certainly won't if you stick to chain restaurants..." referring to the lack of evironment for creativity.
But my challenge for you is the post title's question: Do you trust your Chef? Do you know your Chef? That is one of the problems that I face. I'm NOT a good cook. But, I CAN follow a recipe. Great. I can read. But really, the challenge for me is finding recipes that don't have strange ingredients in them. I want the classics!!!
To my own credit, I must say that I've advanced quite a bit. I'll tell this story in hopes that this is not you. If it is you, then I tell you this story to give you HOPE! YOU can be your own Chef!
Okay, first: I found a Kraft recipe for delicious chicken pot pie!!
Classic right? Well, one of the ingredients was for Philadelphia Neufchatel Cheese...Neu fa what? Sooo I venture out to the store thinking it's gotta be with the cheese riiight, cheese? Is this shredded? cubed? boxed? white? blue? large? small? in a container? in a package? cold, right? or maybe it's one of those shelf cheeses!?
Not to worry, I found it, it's in a box thingy- silver to be exact, and it's a ways down from the cheese, but still in the refridgerated section- near the sour creme and such....
Since my accomplishment, I have graduated on to also use Ricotta cheese in a chicken dish as well. So see, there IS hope
BE YOUR OWN CHEF! and know what you eat.
"Do you trust your Chef?"
A better question might be these days,
"Do ya even know whosa cookin' yer food!?"
This article focuses on fine cuisine and answers the question by saying, "...you certainly won't if you stick to chain restaurants..." referring to the lack of evironment for creativity.
But my challenge for you is the post title's question: Do you trust your Chef? Do you know your Chef? That is one of the problems that I face. I'm NOT a good cook. But, I CAN follow a recipe. Great. I can read. But really, the challenge for me is finding recipes that don't have strange ingredients in them. I want the classics!!!
To my own credit, I must say that I've advanced quite a bit. I'll tell this story in hopes that this is not you. If it is you, then I tell you this story to give you HOPE! YOU can be your own Chef!
Okay, first: I found a Kraft recipe for delicious chicken pot pie!!
Classic right? Well, one of the ingredients was for Philadelphia Neufchatel Cheese...Neu fa what? Sooo I venture out to the store thinking it's gotta be with the cheese riiight, cheese? Is this shredded? cubed? boxed? white? blue? large? small? in a container? in a package? cold, right? or maybe it's one of those shelf cheeses!?
Not to worry, I found it, it's in a box thingy- silver to be exact, and it's a ways down from the cheese, but still in the refridgerated section- near the sour creme and such....
Since my accomplishment, I have graduated on to also use Ricotta cheese in a chicken dish as well. So see, there IS hope
BE YOUR OWN CHEF! and know what you eat.
Monday, March 8, 2010
What did you eat for Lunch today?
I had a meat turkey wrap.
A tortilla
Ground turkey cooked in a skillet with Valentina sauce
Slices of green peppers
Slices of onions
Cheese
Shredded lettuce on top
Tortilla: Enriched bleached flour, water, vegetable shortening, less than 2% of the following: salt, nonfat milk, leavening, fumaric acid, mono and digycerdies, whey, l-cysteine
Ground turkey: turkey? I don't know, I didn't raise it, kill it, or grind it up.
Valentina sauce: Water, chili peppers, vinegar, salt, spices
Green peppers: were hormones added to help mass produce the "green-ness"
Onions: same with this one?
Cheese: Shredded cheese is mechanically shaken with a small amount of cellulose, prior to packaging. The sole purpose of adding this ingredient is to prevent the cheese shreds from sticking together and forming clumps.
Shredded Lettuce: Didn't grow this myself either.
Do you know what was in it?
A tortilla
Ground turkey cooked in a skillet with Valentina sauce
Slices of green peppers
Slices of onions
Cheese
Shredded lettuce on top
Are you sure??
Tortilla: Enriched bleached flour, water, vegetable shortening, less than 2% of the following: salt, nonfat milk, leavening, fumaric acid, mono and digycerdies, whey, l-cysteine
Ground turkey: turkey? I don't know, I didn't raise it, kill it, or grind it up.
Valentina sauce: Water, chili peppers, vinegar, salt, spices
Green peppers: were hormones added to help mass produce the "green-ness"
Onions: same with this one?
Cheese: Shredded cheese is mechanically shaken with a small amount of cellulose, prior to packaging. The sole purpose of adding this ingredient is to prevent the cheese shreds from sticking together and forming clumps.
Shredded Lettuce: Didn't grow this myself either.
What did you eat for Lunch today?
I don't really know.
I'm ready for my garden.
