Kill Those Cravings!

I don't know about you but I often become the victim of cravings. Oh, those nasty cravings! Sometimes I want chocolate, other times I want something salty like peanut butter cookies. These cravings can be hard to ignore! Many diets take the approach that you just do not, can not, WILL NOT indulge. I, however, would like to make a slight, yet very significant change to that statement. Here it goes: You do not, can not, will not indulge...all the time!



When I have an overwhelming urge to give in to something "naughty", I follow a few simple steps:

1. Try to ignore it. Have a glass of water. Get your hands and mind busy with something else. Call a friend. Go for a walk. Get off the couch! Often times this is all it takes to make the craving stop.

2. Try a substitute. There are many healthier alternatives that may help you to satisfy the urge but not give in to something unhealthy. Here are a few examples that work for me (you may have your own that work for you):

• Kill that chocolate craving by eating fresh pineapple instead. I find that the bitter sweetness of pineapple tends to substitute for the bittersweet chocolate taste that I often crave.
• Rather than indulge in fatty peanut butter cookies, have a little peanut butter with some celery instead.
• Replace your ice cream with a fat free yogurt or sherbet, or a low cal low fat portioned ice cream treat.

3. If the above steps fail and I still find myself craving something terribly, I will take a look at how I have done with my calories and fat that day and decide if a small treat would be okay that day. For ME, I find if I deny myself all of the treats I enjoy, I will start sneaking them and rebelling against my diet. However, by allowing  myself a small treat here and there that I incorporate into my diet plan for the day, I stay on track better.

Now the challenge: Try to find a craving substitute that works for you and post it in the comments section below. Together we can kill those cravings - or learn to work with them.

The Road to a Better Muffin....

...or any other baked good for that matter.

I love muffins. And before I learned how fatty they were, they were my breakfast of choice. Today, they are still an occasional item on my daily diet.

I was not ready to give up muffins completely. There had to be a way to enjoy this food without so much fat.

Well folks, there is.

The trick to enjoying some of your favorite foods is to make them at home so you can control EXACTLY what goes into them.

Here are some little changes you can make to your muffin recipes to make them better for you:

• Replace the oil in your recipe with applesauce or baby food. When I make banana muffins I like to use banana baby food rather than oil. When I make blueberry muffins, I use blueberry baby food. Try using a similar flavor or try something different to make a new taste. Use strawberry baby food in your banana muffins and enjoy a new treat!
• Replace the chocolate chips in your recipe for fruit! While I do enjoy a good banana chocolate muffin, I feel better about my choice when I opt for a delicious fruit muffin instead: strawberry rhubarb, apple cinnamon or peach muffins are great choices!
• Watch your nuts! While nuts are quite fatty, some contain many essential vitamins and minerals and can be an excellent source of protein. The best nuts to eat are: Hazelnuts, Almonds, Pecans, Macadamias, and Walnuts.
• Replace your white and brown sugars with a sugar substitute such as Stevia or Splenda.
• Try using a recipe that uses whole wheat flour rather than white all purpose flour. White flour contains very little nutritional value for the body. Our bodies actually cannot tell the difference between eating a spoonful of sugar or a slice of white bread. Whole wheat flour, however, is a much better option. In fact, The Journal of the American Medical Association in 2003 stated that simply swapping out your white bread for whole wheat bread can cut your heart disease risk by up to 20%.

These are just some of the many ways you can make your muffins - or many other baked goods - healthier and better for you.

Let's get some feedback! Post your favorite tricks to making your BAKED GOODS healthier in the comments section below!

Today's Recipe: Pepper and Avocado Wraps

Looking for a quick lunch or snack? Try a tasty pepper and avocado wrap. Not only are they DELICIOUS, but they are healthy. They contain some very good for you veggies, as well as a little dairy and some healthy fat. Yes, that's right. Healthy fat. Not all fats are a bad thing. Look for an upcoming post about fat in the next couple days. In the meantime, try these super yummy wraps. (I must send a big thanks to my mom, Lori, for this recipe.)

Personally, I am not a big fan of the whole wheat wraps - I often purchase the Smart Wraps that taste more like a flour tortilla but actually contain more whole grains. I do recommend you peek at the fat content of the wraps before you buy - many contain a LOT of fat.

Combine the following ingredients in a tortilla wrap of your choice:

• red and yellow peppers
• green onion
• avocado
• low fat cheddar cheese
• salsa
• grilled chicken (optional)
• apple slices (optional)

The combination of ingredients makes for a surprisingly tasty combination. To be honest, when my mom first told me about the wraps I thought they sounded boring. Turns out they are anything but.  

Start Slowly - It's Not a Race

 We've all heard the story: while the Tortoise slowly plugs away and works his way to the finish line, the Hare zips along, stops for breaks and ultimately loses the race.

In my first post I talked about how easy it is to take on too much at once in your quest for healthier living and end up frustrated and giving up. I personally think that it can be better to make little changes, or even some big ones, here and there, and let them add up to a big result.

An example of a small change may be to start using turkey bacon rather than a full fat pork bacon, or egg whites only in your breakfast or lunch. Start with just the change to your bacon, then after a while, add the switch to the egg whites. If you make so many changes to your meal at once, you may have trouble sticking to your new healthy eating plan if you aren't one who enjoys the tastes of those foods.

So try it today - make one change to just one meal. Sure, you wont see the pounds fly off as fast as you might think you could if you made many changes at once, but then remind yourself that it's good to be a Tortoise! Take things slow if you aren't ready, and you will still win this race.

Today's Recipe: Breakfast Quinoa

I love, love, love quinoa. I have to send a thanks to my Bead Happy girl, Lisa, for turning me on to the stuff.

Check out Lisa's blog here:  http://beadhappytoday.blogspot.com/

Let's take a quick look at what quinoa is. Wikipedia states that quinoa "is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds....As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds."

Doesn't that sound tasty?I mean who doesn't enjoy a good tumble weed. And when I think yummy and nutritious, I immediately think beet.

Well the truth is, it is DELICIOUS. And you will love it even more when you learn a bit more about it. Quinoa has a lower carbohydrate count and higher protein count than rice, potatoes, cereal, and pasta. It's just plain fantastic. Quinoa can be used in so many different ways: replace your spaghetti noodles with quinoa to enjoy a more guilt free spaghetti. Have quinoa instead of rice or potatoes with your evening meal. Put cooked, cooled quinoa in your salads to make them more filling. And my personal favorite, cook a delicious breakfast dish using quinoa.

Here is how you do it:

Mix 1 part quinoa with 2 parts water in a pot. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon and brown sugar twin (or, alternatively, use brown sugar. If using brown sugar, add it at the end when adding in the milk). Bring to a boil. Add in thinly sliced apple and a handful of raisins. Turn stove down to medium, cover pot and stir occasionally. When nearly all of the water is gone and the quinoa have a ring around each kernel, it is ready to eat! I also like to add a splash of milk before I eat it. It's almost like an oatmeal, but better and better for you. 

Yumm!

Say CHEESE!

I happen to be a fan of the low fat, fat free and diet products. I like the taste. Diet soda, fat free yogurt, low calorie juices...I almost always prefer the taste over it's full fat, non diet counterpart. The one thing I did not like, however, was light cheese. Oh sure, I tried it. I bought different brands and flavors just hoping to find one that I liked, but one after the other just failed to tickle my taste buds.

My mom is not like me. Sure, we look alike, share the same sense of humor, enjoy the same movies. But unlike me, she hates diet foods in all forms. In fact, I can't think of a single low fat item that she prefers over the full flavor version. Sure she buys fat free ham and uses a low cal, fat free dressing, but when it comes down to it, she would prefer to have the "real thing". So it was no surprise that she felt as I did: Light cheese was just plain gross.

                                My Momma and I

Then one day, as I was shredding up some cheddar for some tacos for dinner, I looked down at the packaging of the cheese I had bought earlier that day and noticed I had bought LIGHT cheddar from Safeway - one of their "deal" packs they sell, the "this package only $______" cheese. I was not happy. Really not happy. But as it was the only cheese I had and I was not going to run to the store, I served it anyways. And you know what? It tasted like regular cheddar. Honestly! Not only did my husband not notice at all (and he is usually pretty quick to pick up on any diet changes I make to our meals), but on her next trip down to visit us, my mom didn't notice either! In fact, she was giving me her "I Don't Like Light Cheese" speech, AS SHE WAS EATING IT!  Boy was she surprised when I told her.

Moral of the story: Not all light/fat free foods are the same. Just because you may not enjoy one brand does not mean that you will hate them all. If you have something in your everyday diet that you want to switch to a lower fat version, try out a few brands and see what works for you. My family now only uses Safeway brand light cheddar, and our bodies are just a little bit more healthy because of it.

Small Changes Add up to Big Results

We have all heard that it takes a lifestyle change to lose weight and be a more healthy person. We need to completely change our diet and exercise habits to make a difference. But many people who make a lifestyle overhaul soon find themselves overwhelmed by all the changes and slipping back into old habits. Before you know it, not only have you put on any weight you may have lost with your healthy changes, but you may be putting on even more while you continue to rebel from your "new lifestyle".

Sound familiar?

My approach has been different: Make small changes here and there, and in the end see those small changes add up to a big result. Yes, it may sound like it would take longer to see results by starting small, but by not overwhelming ourselves with unrealistic goals, we will be more likely to stick to our new routines and see the results.

The purpose of this blog is to share my ideas, thoughts, recipes and small changes with you so that you too can see results. If you are looking for someone to tell you how to make organic soy smoothies to go with your diet of water and saltines, this is not the place for you. If you are looking for ideas on how to starve or cleanse your way to weight loss, this is definitely not the place for you. But if you are looking for some new, healthy-ER recipes (and I say healthy-ER, not necessarily healthy-EST) to incorporate into your everyday life, then welcome to my blog. Together we will make changes today that will lead to tomorrow's healthier you.

******PLEASE NOTE: Legal Disclaimer: I am not a professional dietitian or nutritionist. I am simply blogging the tips, tricks and recipes that have helped myself and my friends to lose many pounds. The information on this website is here to provide motivation and healthy eating tips and should not replace any advice given to you by your health care professional. Always talk to your doctor before beginning any new diet or exercise regiment. The author of this blog assumes no responsibility for any damages caused to you or to a third party by you.