Jason and I have been each other’s Valentine for over 13 years.  We are looking forward to a long and happy life together as we focus on our health.  We know so much more about health today than when we were in college.  There are many changes we have made over the years to improve our health.  Jason has lost all of his weight from college and is healthier now than when I first met him.  Currently, he is attempting to lose weight while I gain weight for my pregnancy. Jason jokes that this is the first pregnancy we both do not look pregnant.

We try to cook well rounded home cooked meals for our family from scratch, get time together, get enough sleep, and find other ways to bring down our daily stress.  With three kids, and one on the way, this is often challenging.  We enjoy relaxing together and watching movies.  We try to pick healthy movie snacks as much as possible.  Homemade popcorn sprayed with canola oil and seasoned with sea salt is a movie staple in our house.

But let’s get real!  I still love getting chocolates on Valentine’s Day.  A dinner out for two on Valentine’s Day can be crazy, so we usually opt for time together at home, much more relaxing.  I love getting a Valentine’s Day card and flowers.  Throughout our marriage Jason has gotten me special cards and flowers or plants.  Little things help me know he cares. 

One time when we were in college I gave Jason purple flowers.  He had never gotten flowers from a girl before, imagine that?  I had no clue what to get for a guy to make him feel special.  Now I know it is time together that makes life special.

What are your Valentine’s Day preferences?  How do you try to keep your life healthy in food, exercise, relationship, and relaxation choices?

Let us know!  We would love to hear from you!

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I’ll let you in on my BIG moment! I am seventeen weeks pregnant!  Yeah!  Planned.  Number four.  Very excited.  I should have taken my own advice ten weeks ago though and saved myself some shocking news today.  In eight weeks I gained twelve pounds!  I have already gained twenty pounds total! 

I stepped on the scale at the doctor’s office today expecting to see about five pounds weight gain and saw a whole decade plus of weight gain.  Yikes!

What was that advice I should have followed ten weeks ago?  Keep track of your calories and foods types.  Getting enough protein? Getting enough vegetables? Consuming the right amount of calories?

So that is my advice to you?  Life may be distracting you from your health goals: pregnancy, marriage, children leaving home, new job, long commute, trying to lose holiday weight, etcetera.  Many of us have extremely busy lives and sometimes food and eating is just something that gets done and not really thought through.

I dreaded keeping track of my calories the last ten weeks and I avoided it, like I avoid flossing my kids’ teeth.  I dread flossing their teeth!  It is such a chore.  But, do I want them to have cavities? Again?!?!  No!!!  Do I want to gain another twelve or fifteen pounds in the next couple of months?  No!  No!  No!  Do you want to gain another two to ten pounds this month following the holidays?  Do you want to lose two to five pounds this month?

It is important to know your goal in any life situation and then go for it!  Make it realistic.  Make it achievable.  My new goal is to gain only three pounds this month.  In order to do that I am going to have to write down my food choices and calories so I do not end up eating 4000 calories a day.  Yikes!  What is your goal for the month with your health?  Is it to tone up?  Finally start exercising?  Take your exercise routine to the next level?  Stay consistent?  Give up that eighth cup of coffee?

If you do not have a goal, make a goal!  Whatever your goals are you have to write them down and track your progress.  I am thankful that Designer Whey gives me low calorie protein options that I can incorporate with my day to keep up my protein intake while pregnant.  I never worry about consuming Designer Whey Protein calories, because I know they are low calorie healthy options. 

Well.  I am accountable now.  I will let you know how the weight gain progresses.  Still working out.  Still doing a bit of personal training.  Enjoying being pregnant!  Happy end of January and into the future!

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Grazing Tips for Christmas and New Year’s…or…Food and More Food All Around Me!

1. Eat six small meals a day.

When confronted with a potluck, a holiday meal, or a work party our tendency is to go for the gusto and pig out!  Sound familiar?  Instead try to stick to a small meal even at these times.  For me, these small meals are about three hundred calories each.  Web search for “online calorie calculator” to help determine how many calories to consume to maintain your current weight, or lose weight.

2. Make an extra plate for later.

Want to go back for seconds?  Aunt Martha’s banana-cream-puff pie only come around once a year?  I know the feeling.  I had the most delicious chili rellenos at my Women’s Study Group Potluck.  They were to die for, or to live for another day for, and eat in the morning for breakfast!  The thought dawned on me, “I could make an extra plate for later!”  Next time I will try this.  Leave a comment if you try this, or have tried this, and let me know how it works!  Knowing I can have some more stuffing later entices me to exercise self-control, without stuffing myself until I feel ill.  Know the feeling?  Stuffed Christina is not on the holiday wish list this year.

To keep the caloric intake down, I decided to scrape most of the cheese off and eat mostly the chili portion, which worked out quite fine and kept my calorie intake for the meal lower.  Part of the problem with potlucks is you really do not know how many calories are in each dish.  Note to self: “decision” is the key word here.  It is your decision what to put on your plate and how much.  Most importantly do not kid yourself into thinking the calories do not count or just continuing to dive in.  The extra calories have to go somewhere.

3. Skip any and all caloric drinks!

Need a quick Soda fix?  Then take a sip and go back to water!  Do you have any idea how much sugar is in one can of soda? There are ten packets of sugar in one can of soda!  Juice, sparkling cider, wine, beer, tequila, etcetera, they all turn to sugar in your body.  Want to avoid the four pounds that most people gain each holiday season?  Then kick the cola habit and go with water.  Add a little lemon.  Add a little Designer Whey Protein packet and get ten grams of protein and a tasty treat without added sugar or low quality sugar substitutes.

4. Drink plenty of water.

Our bodies are made up of 75% water when we are born and down to as low as 45% water if we are obese.  Average range of water for men is 60% and 55% for women.  Lean muscle mass holds more water than fat.  Whether you want to lose weight or gain weight (Yes, some people have a gaining weight problem.  Shocking!  I know) you need water to survive and it will help fill up your tummy during those feasts of fat and frolicking French fries at the drive through on your long trip to Aunt Mildred and Uncle Frank’s house.  So skip the fries, ask for a protein style wrap (hamburger wrapped in lettuce), and ask for an extra-large water!  Your body will thank you for it.  I know mine will. :)  Better yet…

5. Pack healthy snacks for long road trips.

My husband, Jason, thought of bringing sliced cucumbers and boiled eggs on our trip to Grandma and Grandpa’s house this year.  What a great idea!  Thanks honey!

6. Take a few bites of a sinfully delicious desert or entrée to get the taste but not all the calories.

I have heard it said more than once that the first couple of bites are the best.  Your taste buds are primed for variety and flavor and they soak up those first few nibbles.  Close your eyes.  Feel the texture on your tongue.  Sense all the different flavors in the bite.  Then, throw the rest away!  This takes willpower, but it is worth the effort, and your bottom line will thank you for it!

Have a Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy New Year!  And happy thoughtful healthy eating!

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I love the little packets of fifty calorie ProteinToGo that taste like lemonade.  My seven year old daughter sometimes feels hungry after we get done eating.  I like having an option for her after fruit and vegetables, if she is STILL hungry.  And, I love the Lemonade ProteinToGo too! 

I thought it would be kind of milky tasting lemonade, since they use whey protein which is derived from cow’s milk.  To my taste bud pleasure, they taste just like a big glass of ice cold lemonade. Also, there is no sugar and ten grams of protein!  To Go Lemonade is a perfect little treat in between meals or on the side to get in some much needed protein.

The other thing is, sometimes I do not want to add protein powder to my smoothies.  Sometimes I just want a nice tall glass of slushy fruit.  Different strokes for different folks, or as I like to call it, different shakes for different breaks!

So the next time you need a serving of protein and do not feel like digging a hole in your backyard to host your own luau with genuine roasted pig or whatever other protein foods you enjoy, try a little lemonade instead!  Or the other flavors: Tropical Orange and Mixed Berry.  My kids love all three!

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The thing I love most about Designer Whey Protein Powder is that in a pinch for protein I add it to a meal and get some extra protein into our diet for the day.  With three kids it is not convenient to make chicken and oatmeal for breakfast.  Ha! Ha! Ha!  Chicken and oatmeal!  That would be weird!  But putting some protein powder into the oatmeal is so convenient. 

I just jazzed up our breakfast the other day, realizing we had been a little slim on protein sources as of late.  I was rushing away in the kitchen making a big vat of oatmeal, stevia, strawberries, and blackberries and realized, duh!  I can just add in a scoop or two of protein powder.  I used the Designer Whey Vanilla Almond flavor.  It was highly received by my kids.  I was truly surprised by their fervor, because I could not find the Organic Cane Sugar to give it that “Extra-Kid-Kick!” that tends to help them be yummified.  Even without sugar, they were quite happy with their healthy breakfast and I felt satisfied that I had gotten in some extra protein into their diet.

If only chicken and oatmeal were possible?  Thankfully, Designer Whey Protein Powder works great added into so many meals and snacks.

1. Smoothies
2. Oatmeal
3. Pancakes
4. Muffins
5. Waffles
6. Cereal – as a milk replacement – I used to do this very regularly when I was training for a Sprint Triathlon after my first daughter was born.  It is so quick and easy!

In a pinch, I love that I can mix the various Designer Whey Protein Powders with water and go.  No prep required.  I am so about getting delicious and done!

Happy “In a Pinch” Eating To You Today!

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Happy cooking!  Have fun with your food!  That’s the most important part!  If it is not fun it gets to be doldrums and then who wants to eat the same thing all the time every day?  Not me!  I come up with different creations or look online for new recipes.  Simple is the best I have found. 

This week I took yummy super-ripe tomatoes and a jar of organic tomato sauce and combined them in the crockpot.  I also added the pasta right into it, which I learned was a mistake, because then I had mushy pasta.  But you could cook the pasta sauce and then add the pasta in when you get home from work.  You could also add in chopped celery, onions, mushrooms and any other vegetables you enjoy!  I learned this from my Aunt Karen who makes a great Spaghetti Sauce from scratch!  Kudos Aunt Karen!

Another creation I came up with was Mung Bean soup.  Mung Beans are low in potassium and with my Adrenal Fatigue recovery it is important for me to eat foods low in potassium.  I picked these Mung Beans up at our local grocery market that has a TON of healthy foods.  You can also find them online.  Beans are a great vegetarian source of protein…and!…cook fast in the crock pot. 

Anything we can do to make life more enjoyable is the way to go in my book!  So…I added green beans, onions, carrots, and celery with some organic chicken bouillon, the Mung Beans, and some water.  Delicious!  Then I had the idea to freeze the soup in separate containers.  Twallah!  A grab and go meal on hand whenever I need to take something with me for the day.  Lately…that has been most days!

Designer Whey is also a great grab and go protein powder.  I have sent my kids to school with the Pomegranate 2GO protein drinks, although, I did make the drinks up for the kids BEFORE school.  I was not sure how pouring the packets at school would go?  But they are a quick way to get some added protein into your day without any hassle. 

Happy Healthy Eating!

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Flashback to the middle of August…

I don’t know what got into me!  3 bags of Organic Pancake mix, 2 cups of Designer Whey protein powder, 3 zucchinis, tons of water, a couple apples, some stevia, cinnamon, canola oil, little sugar……4 pans…1 waffle maker!  1 spatula, 3 CHILDREN!  I CRAZY MOM! 

I didn’t count, but I’m guessing 40 pancakes and 12 waffles.  Frozen!  Frozen!  Frozen!  Done!  Done!  Done!  Breakfast!  Breakfast!  Breakfast!  For weeks! For weeks!  For weeks!

My kids are going to get sick of these scrumptious creations!  And I need to find some low sugar syrup.  May make apple sauce syrup…or berry syrup.  Or just go to the store and buy some sugar-free syrup

September 8^th 2011

Okay!  So the pancakes were a hit!  I definitely recommend you try them.  Here’s the recipe if you want to give it a whirl:

½ cup Designer Whey Protein Powder (YOUR favorite flavor, mine’s Vanilla Almond right now)
3 cups organic pancake mix (add what the bag tells you to add.  Usually water/milk, egg, oil)
1 zucchini
2 apples
¼ cup sugar
4 droppers liquid Stevia
1 Tbsp Cinnamon

That should do it!  You may need to add a little more water/soy/almond milk if it’s still too dry.

Nutritions for a 2-Pancake serving: 141 Calories; 14g Protein; 4g Fiber; 2.5g Fat; 12g Carbs; 5g Sugar

EASY Strawberry Syrup:

I took our organic Strawberry Jelly and just added water!  It was so quick and easy!  And the kids loved it!  This is definitely going to be a staple in our household!

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Ever feel cranky?  You wake up in the morning and EVERYTHING goes wrong?  Sometimes I feel like I cannot pull myself out of my morning slump.  I open my eyes and sluggishness takes over.  A slug has taken over my eyelids. Yuck!  I step out of bed, drag myself to the kitchen, step in the dog’s bowl of water, and discover the house is a mess.  The counters are still dirty from the night before.  There are toys on the floor and a mountain of laundry to put away.  I am in a bad mood!  Grr!

So what CAN help me out of this bad mood?  One thing that helps me is proper nutrition.  Foods can increase our energy or deplete our energy.  One of the biggest energy suckers is sugar.  There are many negative side effects to sugar, including feeding cancer cells, increasing your risk for Alzheimer’s, contributing to hormone imbalance, and gaining weight and fat.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want ANY of those side effects.  My daughter, Britney, wanted to let you know that sugar causes sugar bugs in your teeth!  And they probably do not exist, but cavities definitely do!

Do you think food does not have an effect on your brain chemistry?  Think again.  Everything we put into our bodies becomes a living part of us.  So choose wisely.  Today!  Every day! 

Ever cruised the aisles of the grocery store and wondered if the food is good for you?  I did not used to think about all of the bad stuff in our food.  Now when I go through the grocery store, I see aisles and aisles of stuff that will not help make my body healthy: crackers, chips, candy, cereals, prepackaged foods, and frozen meals.  Many of these foods have extra ingredients that are not really food. 

There is great stuff out there!  You just have to find it!  Even in the prepackaged, frozen foods, and chips and crackers departments!  Just do your research and read ALL the ingredients and know what they mean.  It takes time to get knowledgeable about nutrition.  I have heard from two friends of mine recently about a popular brand of chips with MSG, which is not listed on the label, causing them headaches.  MSG, food dyes, and other additives are not going to help us get healthy.

So what is safe?  Designer Whey has a great healthy product, low in fat, high in healthy whey protein.   My personal favorite, French Vanilla, is sweetened with a natural sweetener called Stevia   Awesome!  I enjoy knowing that my kids get the taste of sugar without the side effects of weight gain and craziness that sugar can cause in kids.  Britney would also like to let you know too much sugar can make you wild!  Watch out for that!  We do not want any wild kids, grown-ups, or grown up children!

So, here is my soothing Cranky-Attitude Busting Smoothie: 

Strawberry Bliss

1 scoop French Vanilla Designer Whey Protein Powder
6 – 8 Strawberries
4 cubes ice
½ cup Coconut Milk, Organic Milk, or Organic Soy Milk
1 small piece ginger – less than 1 tsp
1/8 cup pistachios – Roasted and Salted is fine

Blend well and enjoy!

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What comes to mind when you think of oats?  Oatmeal?  Granola Bars?  Oat Cakes?  Ottie from Garfield?  These are the things that come to mind when I think of oats.  Another thing that comes to mind is Homemade Oat and Designer Whey Protein bars.  I go back and forth when it comes to oats.  Eat them, don’t eat them?  They are packed with fiber and protein and have a fairly low glycemic index rating of 32, low on the grains carbohydrate scale. 

I’m supposed to be on a gluten free diet and oats have a bit of gluten in them.  Then my husband, Jason, found a gluten-free bag of oats for me.  Twallah! Which is twinkle and whallah combined.  Thank you urban dictionary!  So, now, I eat them!  Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum!

Here’s a recipe my kids seem to like.  It helps ME get out the door, but it also helps MY KIDS get out the door.  I keep trying more and more recipes until I find the ones they like.  They recently got tired of chocolate chips, so I’ve scratched those for a while.

You’re going to need a food processor.  I know, I know, you probably don’t have one.  But it comes in handy for SO MANY recipes!  You have to have one.  You can pick one up at your nearest “mart” store for fairly affordable.  I got mine at my nearest “mart” store for under $40.

I make a yummy cauliflower salad in it with olives and blended cauliflower.  I HATE eating cauliflower or broccoli in large chunks.  So much chewing!  A food processor does some of the work for you!  I use my blender for my fruits and vegetables, mostly vegetables, for the same reason.  It’s still nice to crunch on a juicy apple, especially when you take most crackers and chips out of the diet equation of life.

Onto the recipe!

Apple Cinnamon Oat Protein Bars

3 apples – sliced, process in food processor until applesauce-like.  (Raw apples are low glycemic, applesauce is not.  Apple juice is not.  Hence, raw apples.  Best for you!  It makes a difference to your body!)
3 cups rolled oats
1 tbsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
4 scoops Designer Whey French Vanilla Protein Powder
1 egg (or 2 egg whites)
Stevia to taste – I use a dropper and drop about 2 to 4 full droppers into the mix
2 tbsp Organic Coconut Oil (or Canola Oil if you don’t have Coconut Oil)

 Directions:

1. Set oven to 350 degrees
2. Process Apples in Food Processor – puree
3. In bowl combine all ingredients
4. Grease a 9 x 12 pan with non-stick spray
5. Pour in pan
6. Spread evenly
7. Bake 15 to 20 minutes
8. Enjoy!

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You want me to eat what?  Yeah, I want you to eat Kale.  I want you to mix up Designer Whey protein powder with some berries and water or almond milk, and guzzle down the goodness!  Why?  Because it likes you!  You might not like it, but it’s sooooo good for you, you won’t even believe it!  It has more antioxidants than blueberries!  More antioxidants than broccoli!  When you blend kale up in your protein smoothie, you can barely taste it…barely…if at all.

The first time I saw Kale I was like, “What am I going to do with this monstrosity of a vegetable?”  Do I cook it?  Do I steam it?  I’m supposed to eat a lot of raw vegetables.  So, I thought, hey!  I’ll blend it! Make sure you buy organic.  Non-organic Kale is high on the toxin lists for vegetables!  Actually, most greens should be bought organic if possible.

My Morning Routine:  Drag myself out of bed, listen to my children argue over who is going to play the Wii first, take my vitamins, and build my monster protein powder vegetable smoothie!  I’ll throw in celery, apples, kale, protein powder, coconut oil, stevia, peaches, and the kitchen sink!  Then on Tuesdays and Thursdays I’m off with the kids to my walking group.  As we head out the door I weave through laundry, toys, and Wii remotes.  Yeah, I’m not the cleanest Mom in the world, but I’m working on being my best!

They scooter along with me as I freak out that they’re going to cross the streets carefully with me and all the cars are going to pay attention.  Thank goodness for my quick morning protein smoothie!  It’s a great start to my often hectic morning.  It really is.  I feel energized and ready to take on the world!

Other days I’m training a client or two, getting in my workout at the gym, where I take advantage of the child care and get in some writing.  Love my gym!  Trying to combat stress in my life is nutrition first these days!  I used to push it hard core with Amateur Kickboxing Fighting, but unhealthy eating habits and life stress was adding up.  Because I was fueling my body with candy and cheese and trying to work out two to three hours, four days a week, along with a lot of life stress, I passed out in September of 2010.  In October of 2010 I was diagnosed by my Wellness Doctor with adrenal fatigue.  I am doing a lot better now, but I am still learning how to lower stress and eat six meals a day.  I still love Kickboxing for fun, but have taken up a lower stress lifestyle in exercise, relationships, and nutrition.  Now instead of that Donut and 800 calorie Frappuccino, I opt for my gluten free organic brownie and an assortment of spicy and minty teas!

I’ve learned the importance of a quality protein powder to aide me in eating six small meals a day.  It’s not always a perfect eating day, but protein powders and protein bars give me the fuel I need in combination with my fruits, vegetables, beans, raw nuts, and whole grains, to fuel my body, fuel my health, and fuel my life!

I would like to encourage you to try Kale, and try to make one small change today in exercise or nutrition to change your life, one step at a time.  You can do it!  Why?  Because you’re worth it!  You deserve to be healthy!  And your body will thank you for it!

Kale Smoothie Recipe

2 cups Kale Leaves – packed

1 cup organic berries (Your pick: Organic Strawberries, Organic Blueberries, Organic Blackberries, Organic Raspberries)

1 cup water or almond milk

1 serving Protein Powder

1 tbsp peanut butter (or a handful of raw nuts, almonds, you could use 1 tbsp coconut oil: find online or at a health food store)

10 drops stevia (a healthy sugar alternative)

Blend and Enjoy!

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