Do you know about flylady? I have been going to her website for a few years. It is my go-to site when my house gets out of control. She has lists, ideas and tools to get me back on track. I love her philosophy on cleaning house. Instead of saying chores, tasks, etc, she calls it "blessing your home and family," which is exactly what happens when you clean your home!
Flylady's focus for October is paper clutter. Anyone who knows me, is aware that my bedroom is the dumping ground for papers I don't know what to do with. Our daughter's school papers and information are organized, but other than that, the piles have gotten out of control again. A few years ago I would never have made this embarrassing confession. I have found that once you expose those painful areas of your life with other women, you become aware that there are others out there with the same struggles. A wonderful support group is then created.
I am excited to share what I heard on flylady's Blog Radio show this morning about paper clutter. I have added a few of my own ideas to her info as well. If you have children, you will appreciate this.
Create a Wall of Fame in your house. It can be a side of your refrigerator, a bulletin board, a hallway with empty frames, etc. As you collect papers, report cards, drawings, etc, from your children all week, place them in a bin with your child's name on it. At the end of the week, ask your child to pick an item for the Wall of Fame. The rest of the items get thrown away or mailed to relatives. Teach your children how to address envelopes (if they are too young, trace their handprint on the back of the envelope) and how to fold their treasure to be mailed to their relatives.
Once an item is taken down from the Wall of Fame, place it in a binder with page protectors.
Please take a moment and visit flylady.net or her radio show on Blog Radio. Even if you are the Queen of Clean, you will find one useful tip.
Here's to a clutter free home!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Help! Candy is Calling My Name!
I envy the person who can willfully walk by the candy aisle and not pick up a bag of those cute little Halloween candies. Surprisingly, my husband broke down and bought a bag of Kit Kats last night. He usually has a strong will. I think he felt bad that our daughter has been asking, "When, oh when are we going to get treats for our Halloween candy dishes displayed on our coffee table?" (Note to self: next year they stay in the box until October 31.) I had mixed emotions when I saw those come into my house. I LOVE chocolate, but how can I be a good supporter of others in my weight-loss group when I'm binging on chocolate??? Fortunately, our daughter ate most of them. Now there is a firm rule in our house. NO MORE HALLOWEEN CANDY until the morning of our daughter's Halloween party. I know the selection will be slim, but if it isn't in our house, I won't be tempted. I've also decided that we can make cute cookie pops or carmel apples as favors for the party rather than buying bags of candy for goody bags.
I was so excited to see an article on this very subject on Fitness Magazine Look for the Candy Lovers' Calorie Blaster. In just three easy moves you cancel out the candy you treated yourself to. Under each excercise is a note about how many calories you burned and the type of candy you may have eaten that are that many calories. For example, under the Power Jump exercise, you find that you burned off 80 calories or 2 Snickers Minis.
I was so excited to see an article on this very subject on Fitness Magazine Look for the Candy Lovers' Calorie Blaster. In just three easy moves you cancel out the candy you treated yourself to. Under each excercise is a note about how many calories you burned and the type of candy you may have eaten that are that many calories. For example, under the Power Jump exercise, you find that you burned off 80 calories or 2 Snickers Minis.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Snack Ideas
Adapted from an article on Diabetic Living
I don't have a problem eating a healthy dose of fruits and veggies in a day. Where I run into a problem is snacking. I enjoy snacking in the early afternoon and in the evening when I watch TV or read. Realizing that is an area of my life that needed a major change, I began searching for healthy snack ideas. This is what I found.
Sugar Free Pudding Cup with banana slices
1/2 Pita Bread Pocket with Hummus (1 T.)
1 C. strawberries and 1/2 C. lowfat cottage cheese
1 C. grapes-any kind
English muffin w/1 oz cheese and 1/4 of a small apple, sliced: Broil in toaster oven until cheese melts
*1 oz. of cheese is a very small amount, so watch this. One pre-cut cheese cube is usually an ounce.
Popcorn, 3 C. Light, no butter no salt
Whole Wheat Bread + 1 T. PB
*Best types: Coarse Barley Kernel Bread, 75% Kernels, 80% Kernels (20% white flour), Oat Bran, Pumpernickel, Sourdough Rye
1 sm. orange
10 oz. glass of skim or 1 % milk
1 orange-high in Vit. C and fiber, which keeps glucose under control
1 Frozen Fruit Bar-Sugar Free+ Vit. C
3 Graham Cracker Squares
15 baby carrots and 2 T. Light Ranch
*high in beta carotene, fiber and Vit. A
I found cutting my own carrot sticks may be more work, but the taste is so much better
Cheerios 3/4 C. I think this will help that hand-to-mouth, TV trance kind of snacking I enjoy so much. :-)
I hope you were able to find at least one healthy snack idea you will try.
I don't have a problem eating a healthy dose of fruits and veggies in a day. Where I run into a problem is snacking. I enjoy snacking in the early afternoon and in the evening when I watch TV or read. Realizing that is an area of my life that needed a major change, I began searching for healthy snack ideas. This is what I found.
Sugar Free Pudding Cup with banana slices
1/2 Pita Bread Pocket with Hummus (1 T.)
1 C. strawberries and 1/2 C. lowfat cottage cheese
1 C. grapes-any kind
English muffin w/1 oz cheese and 1/4 of a small apple, sliced: Broil in toaster oven until cheese melts
*1 oz. of cheese is a very small amount, so watch this. One pre-cut cheese cube is usually an ounce.
Popcorn, 3 C. Light, no butter no salt
Whole Wheat Bread + 1 T. PB
*Best types: Coarse Barley Kernel Bread, 75% Kernels, 80% Kernels (20% white flour), Oat Bran, Pumpernickel, Sourdough Rye
1 sm. orange
10 oz. glass of skim or 1 % milk
1 orange-high in Vit. C and fiber, which keeps glucose under control
1 Frozen Fruit Bar-Sugar Free+ Vit. C
3 Graham Cracker Squares
15 baby carrots and 2 T. Light Ranch
*high in beta carotene, fiber and Vit. A
I found cutting my own carrot sticks may be more work, but the taste is so much better
Cheerios 3/4 C. I think this will help that hand-to-mouth, TV trance kind of snacking I enjoy so much. :-)
I hope you were able to find at least one healthy snack idea you will try.
Energy Packin' Pancakes
Energy Packin' Pancakes
1 C. soy or rice milk
4 cage-free eggs, seperated
1 C. all-purp flour
dash of salt
1 T. Sucanat or maple sugar ( I used Splenda)
1 1/2 t. baking powder
cooking oil
Preheat griddle/med-low heat
Beat the soy or rice milk and egg YOLKS in a sm. bowl.
Mix the dry ingred. in a med. bowl
Beat the egg whites with a whisk until fluffy
Add the soy/yolk mixture to the dry ingred, stir until blended
Gently fold in egg whites
Put 1 t. oil in skillet. When it's hot, add the batter, 1 T. at a time.
Cook the pancakes until lightly brown on the bottom, approx. 3-5 min. Flip and cook until golden, about 1-2 min. more.
1 C. soy or rice milk
4 cage-free eggs, seperated
1 C. all-purp flour
dash of salt
1 T. Sucanat or maple sugar ( I used Splenda)
1 1/2 t. baking powder
cooking oil
Preheat griddle/med-low heat
Beat the soy or rice milk and egg YOLKS in a sm. bowl.
Mix the dry ingred. in a med. bowl
Beat the egg whites with a whisk until fluffy
Add the soy/yolk mixture to the dry ingred, stir until blended
Gently fold in egg whites
Put 1 t. oil in skillet. When it's hot, add the batter, 1 T. at a time.
Cook the pancakes until lightly brown on the bottom, approx. 3-5 min. Flip and cook until golden, about 1-2 min. more.
NOTE: We preferred the pancakes a smaller size than normal. They taste like a combo of pancakes and french toast. Very yummy!
A lot of work, so consider doubling recipe to have pancakes leftover for another day.
From the book, Healthy Kids.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Boost Your Metabolism
In addition to exercise, there are some things you eat that will boost your metabolism.
1. It's fall, ya'all! Enjoy a sweet apple with a warm bowl of oatmeal. The apple (which can be enjoyed with each meal of the day) makes you feel full and takes care of your sweet tooth. Old fashioned oatmeal gives you the energy you need because it releases glucose slowly. This prevents the sugar rush then the awful crash that follows after eating most boxed cereal. I like to boil frozen blueberries in the water before adding oatmeal.
2. No fishy taste here! Usana's Biomega capsules have lemon oil added so there is no fishy aftertaste. It is also fortified with Vitamin D, Long-Chain Omega-3's EPA and DHA. Biomega increases your metabolism and energy levels and makes your skin glow! It also supports sound cardiovascular and joint health AND promotes healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. What an amazing little capsule!
3. Berry Good! Berries are high in fiber and give you less calories than you eat!
4. Snack on celery. Did you know you actually use more energy to digest and absorb celery than the calories you get from eating it?
5. Harvest cabbage...and broccoli and cauliflower. They greatly improve your metabolism.
6. Don't skip breakfast. It is important to eat within an hour of waking. If you don't, your body thinks you're starving and it then hangs onto fat for dear life! In a hurry? Enjoy a delicious Nutrimeal shake that will boost metabolism and give you energy (naturally) and nutrients you need.
Are you interested in other nutritional supplements and food products that will improve your metabolism? Please visit my website for other products that boost metabolism
1. It's fall, ya'all! Enjoy a sweet apple with a warm bowl of oatmeal. The apple (which can be enjoyed with each meal of the day) makes you feel full and takes care of your sweet tooth. Old fashioned oatmeal gives you the energy you need because it releases glucose slowly. This prevents the sugar rush then the awful crash that follows after eating most boxed cereal. I like to boil frozen blueberries in the water before adding oatmeal.
2. No fishy taste here! Usana's Biomega capsules have lemon oil added so there is no fishy aftertaste. It is also fortified with Vitamin D, Long-Chain Omega-3's EPA and DHA. Biomega increases your metabolism and energy levels and makes your skin glow! It also supports sound cardiovascular and joint health AND promotes healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. What an amazing little capsule!
3. Berry Good! Berries are high in fiber and give you less calories than you eat!
4. Snack on celery. Did you know you actually use more energy to digest and absorb celery than the calories you get from eating it?
5. Harvest cabbage...and broccoli and cauliflower. They greatly improve your metabolism.
6. Don't skip breakfast. It is important to eat within an hour of waking. If you don't, your body thinks you're starving and it then hangs onto fat for dear life! In a hurry? Enjoy a delicious Nutrimeal shake that will boost metabolism and give you energy (naturally) and nutrients you need.
Are you interested in other nutritional supplements and food products that will improve your metabolism? Please visit my website for other products that boost metabolism
Healthy Thought of the Day
Join me each day as I share my Healthy Thought of the Day. I am currently going through training to become a weight loss coach and am learning so much that I can't wait to share with you! The postings will be brief (that's why I call it my "thought" of the day). I don't want to overwhelm you with lengthy suggestions and information. My specialty is helping people make small steps to health and wealth. I am a REAL mom, wife, and Christian who has some of the very same struggles you have.
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