Today is Monday

I kinda love Mondays.  It's the day I typically go grocery shopping. 

Right now, our poor refrigerator is bare, save for some limp celery (such good intentions!) and enough milk to pour myself a 1/2 inch cup of milk.  Oh, and there's a whole bunch of bottles of salad dressing.

So, Mondays are a fabulous day to start over.  I can don my Donna Reed frock, slide on some heels, motor to the market and glide my grocery cart through the produce aisle thinking such virtuous thoughts as "Tonight we will have greens!" or "Apples give my skin that healthy glow!"

I love shopping for fruits and vegetables! 

I was just kidding about wearing a dress and heels to the grocery store.

What Foods Inspire You To Eat Better?

Some foods get you going on a downward spiral. 

For example, you eat a handful chips before 9am and you're all "Heck, I'm eating the whole can."  The downward spiral continues.  Your hygiene starts to become questionable--so does your grammar (gasp!).  It's the beginning of a downward spiral that affects your entire day.  You shamelessly create a WHAM! Pandora station, start stalking your 9th grade boyfriend via the USPS (because he can't FB from jail), and prowl Craigslist for old 80's concert tees from rock concerts that your mom wouldn't let you go to.

Other foods have the power to lift you up. 

You have a spinach salad for lunch and all of a sudden you can see more clearly without your glasses, you have uncommonly virtuous thoughts, and a choir of angels follows you around for the rest of the day.  You have found the strength to lift stranded vehicles off of train tracks, heal sick kittens and communicate with your MIL without tearing out any hair--hers or yours.  Wow.

Food has real power.  And it's power that comes from you.  You give food power.  For good or evil. 

Choose good.  Never evil.

What foods inspire you to eat better?

How to Make a Homemade Diet Shake to Lose Weight FAST!!!

Have you ever wanted to make your own Franken-drink to lose weight?  Why waste time eating a sustainably healthy diet with fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and other "wonderful foods" when you could guzzle a fast drink to replace a pesky meal. 

I thought you might feel the same way, too.  Here is my knock-off version of a Slim Fast Shake.  Enjoy!!

Slim Fast Knockoff Drink

2 cups FAT FREE MILK
1/2 cup WATER
1/4 cup SUGAR
2 Tbs CANOLA OIL
1 Tbs GUM ARABIC
2 Tbs MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE
2 Tbs CELLULOSE GEL
1 1/2 Tbs HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL
1 Tbs POTASSIUM PHOSPHATE
1 tsp. MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES
1 tsp. MALTODEXTRIN
1 tsp. SOY LECITHIN
1 tsp. CELLULOSE GUM
1 tsp. NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR
1 tsp.  CARRAGEENAN
1/2 tsp. SODIUM BICARBONATE
1/4 tsp. SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE
1/4 tsp. MODIFIED CORN STARCH
1/4 tsp. SODIUM CITRATE
1 tsp. SUCRALOSE 
1/2 tsp. ACESULFAME POTASSIUM
1/8 tsp. CARAMEL COLOR
1/2 tsp.CITRIC ACID
1/4 tsp.VITAMINS AND MINERALS

Blend in a centrifuge which was stolen temporarily borrowed with or without permission from the Max Delbrück High School for Science and Math.  

Drink with a smile, knowing that you're giving your body all the best.

Oatmeal and Blueberries for Breakfast

I'm not a morning person. Thank goodness for simple breakfasts that require zero brainpower.

I just scoop some regular oats into a bowl (maybe a 1/4 cup) and add water to cover them. Then I nuke it for 1:30 min. Then I add vanilla almond milk along with frozen blueberries.

It's a nice way to wake up...

Interview with Amy

Amy and I have been friends for a long time (um, 12 years??). We recently had a chance to chat and hang out while I was on my trip to Seattle. Amy is an occupational therapist--and you couldn't find a better one. She's got "the gift" of being able to work with people in an easy-going way. She's honest and at times can be a wee bit self-deprecating (Hey, be nice!)

You'll find her interview positive and inspiring. As she says in the interview, "I've been on my own since [working with a trainer] and here we are..." Amy is relocating soon, so please wish her the best in the comment box below!

Top Five Healthy Convenience Foods (August 2010 Edition)

August is party time in our garden. We're harvesting all the good stuff we sowed back when it was cold 'n' damp. Now it's hot 'n' dry. We're lovin' us some cukes, zukes, kale, chard and tomatoes.

My definition of "convenience foods":

"Food that makes it easier to make healthy choices"

This is a list of foods that are staples in my kitchen this month. They're also easy to use, so it makes healthy eating even easier. Here's the list of my top five healthy convenience foods I like to keep on hand during the month of August:

1. Kale/Chard (they steam soooo nicely! MMmmm!)
2. Homemade Salsa (five ingredients...is that cheating?)
3. Vanilla yogurt
4. Frozen blueberries
5. Cucumbers

What healthy convenience foods do you like to keep on hand in August?

Let's Be Honest, Shall We?

There are two main reasons why we gain weight.

1) We over estimate how much we eat.
2) We underestimate how much we exercise.

But there's another place where we may be hiding excess pounds. In our telephone.

In an article written by Holly Case for NaturalFoodNet.com, she says that in telephone surveys, people tended to overestimate their height and underestimate their weight--resulting in BMIs that aren't accurate. But when people were actually weighed and measured the results were shockingly different.

Americans Becoming More Honest About Their Weight

It's painful to admit that there is jiggle where there shouldn't be jiggle--or that our fat is decreasing our quality of life, physically and emotionally. It's time to make changes. Today. Start small and be proud of your accomplishments! But first things first...

It's time to get honest.

Healthy Fast Food Restaurant

It seems like no matter how hard you try to eat healthy on vacation, the good times roll and so does the fat.

So, here's my million dollar idea--I'm sure it's already been thought of by millions of others who are tired of living off McD, W**dy's, B**ger K**g, and other purveyors of fried goods and road waste, while traveling.

Howsa 'bouta healthy restaurant chain that serves whole foods, whole grains, legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables and water. (I know there's no money in plain old water...) Oh, and incorporate lots of high fiber foods into the menu, pleaseandthankyou.

Will someone with a million dollars please start building their healthy fast food empire before my next vacation?