Healthy Eats: Fruity Broccoli Slaw

I love Broccoli Slaw Salad, but using the traditional Poppy Seed Dressing can ruin your attempts at a healthy snack.  This week I did some experimenting and came up with a delicious alternative to the fatty slaw:

Fruity Broccoli Slaw Salad!

I dumped half a bag of broccoli slaw mix into a tupperware.  Added one Tbs of reduced-fat feta cheese, 9 chopped natural almonds, one HUGE strawberry, cubed (about the size of 2 or 3 regular strawberries), and drizzled it all with 1 1/4 Tbs Ken’s fat-free Raspberry Pecan dressing.

With all the ingredients in, I sealed the container, gave it several good shakes to coat and had a huge, yummy slaw salad that came in under 150 calories!

Kim’s notes:  If you don’t have fresh fruits available, you can used dried (cranberries or cherries would be great in this) BUT beware – they have lots of added calories and sugar so be very sparing if you aren’t using fresh.

Challenge Report and Salad Dressing Bliss

I just wanted to report to y’all that I completed my Easter Candy Challenge successfully and made it all last week without eating ANY candy until the actual day of Easter.

When I had quite a bit.

And Pot Roast for dinner.

My tummy was so confused.

After a big feast day, it can be hard to kick yourself back into full Healthy-Mama mode. The leftovers are in the fridge, there’s still residual candy about, and your mouth has had a taste of all that richness.

Which is why I’m preaching salads this week. Salads are the way to go for vitamins, fiber, folic acid, all kinds of things that our bodies need and, what’s even better, is that salads can be totally different day to day.

What I’ve been doing for the past week (and in doing this I dropped 3 pounds, woo!) is grabbing a mixing bowl, loading it first with tons of lettuces, topping those with all the fresh veggies I can reach, then I drizzle 2 Tbs of Ken’s Fat-Free Raspberry Pecan dressing over all of it.

This stuff is so good!  The flavor and texture are so rich that you don’t think about the missing fat! I will warn you though that your serving needs to be measured because the calories on this dressing will add up too.  Don’t just pour it on, measure it first and know that the flavor really does go far.  I’m using 2 Tbs for a MIXING bowl of salad, a regular salad will get by with a few drops.

Thanks to everyone who did the Challenge along with me. : )

Good Eats: Flavored Applesauce

I’m happy to report that this week has been a smashing success!  Getting back to my roots of perfectly healthy days and normal dinners was easier than I thought, I haven’t been tempted to break my Easter Candy Challenge, and the scale told me that my 3 extra pounds from eating out with our almost back-to-back visitors are gone.

I’m doing a silent mini-dance of joy at the computer because I really don’t want to wake up the baby. Hooray for me!

That isn’t to say that I haven’t had a hankerin’ for some sweet or rich food this week, but with the help of the gum test and these wonders I’ve met my goal without getting off track.

For the longest time Jay has been jealous.

Jealous of Cee’s baby food fruits.  “Why can’t they make flavored applesauces for grown ups?” he’d cry into the gray morning sky.

Well, there must have been market researchers hiding in our bushes or something, because Jay’s wish is now a reality.  Motts is making flavored *Natural* applesauces!  No added sugar, just added flavor and just 50 calories in a serving.

• I recommend berry, peach, and strawberry.
• I’d steer clear of the ones labels with “Antioxidants” because they leave a funny aftertaste.
• Do look at that label – make sure it says “No sugar added.” I’ve seen the flavors in generic applesauces, but so far all of those that I’ve seen have been packed with unnecessary sugar.

I love it when a company makes it easy to stay on track.  I eat this at the end of a meal when I just need a little kick of sweet, but don’t want to give in to cookies or ice cream.

*I wasn’t compensated to give this review, I just like to spread the word about the things that help me.

The Easter Candy Challenge

I just have to brag up my day.  I’m having a perfectly healthy food day and I’m just thrilled with myself.  My sister-in-law came to town last weekend (hence not many posts happening), and we did a lot of eating out.  I tried to make some wise choices, but I also made some unhealthy choices and was feeling a bloated belly and a deflated self-esteem.

One day of great eating can really bring it back!

HUGE (non-fat) salad, some nuts, no sugar oatmeal, sweet potato mush, apple, banana, tons of water and I’m on top of the world.

SO…

I have a challenge.

If your house is like my house, it’s already begun an Easter candy invasion.  Chocolate bunnies are multiplying, eggs of all colors and flavors are abundant (the ones in the pic are my personal fav), chocolate, jelly beans, ahk, they’re everywhere!

My personal challenge to myself (and you can join with me if you’d like) is to not eat another piece of Easter candy until the actual day of Easter.

What do you say Mamas? Anybody in?

This will do wonders to kick start my will power all over again and I’ll still get to enjoy the actual Easter Feast, but only on the day of Easter and not all week.

Bring On the Intervals!

I’m crap for running.  People who strap on the shoes and go for miles without a break amaze me.  If you’ve ever seen Back to the Future III, this is the mindset that I take:

“Run for fun? What the he*% kind of fun is that?”

But there is no denying that running is great exercise and with Spring approaching, getting out to get fit is more and more tempting.

Which is why I propose the concept of Interval Training.  A while back my friend the Trainer Mama wrote a great article on the benefits of interval exercising.  Go HERE to read all that she had to say, but the gist is that by combining short intervals of easy, medium, and hard exertion your workout does more for you.

Just going medium-ish for 30-60 minutes a day is the typical mom routine, which is great for burning calories, but it stops the moment your workout stops. Intervals train your body to burn calories and be more efficient even after your workout ends.

Hooray!  Burn more calories when I cook, clean, watch American Idol – yes, me likey!

So here’s the idea for interval running that I learned long long ago in middle school PE. It’s called In’s and Out’s.  We’d assign a different type of run to the 4 different sides of the track – power walk the curves, run the straightaways, sprint here, jog there, whatever works for your fitness level.

This is a great way to work out in neighborhoods, since they are made for alternating distances.  This week I ran, jogged, walked in sections all over my neighborhood and because of the intervals I was able to keep going!  Plus it made such a difference for my muscles who have been getting bored on my exercise bike.

In’s and Out’s, even if you’re crap for running like me, they are worth a try.

Here’s the link for that awesome article one more time: http://trainermomma.blogspot.com/2009/09/kaboom-we-need-those-intervals.html

Healthy Eats: Vegan Teryaki

After back to back family visits, my tummy was screaming for a break.  Since Tuesday night is softball night for Jay, I took the chance to make something just for me:

I give you Vegan Teryaki!  No, I’m not and will never be a full fledged vegan, but I do love going all veggie from time to time.

The positives: This recipe made tons – enough for a HUGE dinner and 2 lunches.  It was delicious with great flavors and textures in every bite.  The beans lend enough salt for the rest of the dish and compliment the veggies better than you might think. Even Cee (Mr. I-don’t-eat-beans-or-rice) loved it. I don’t know if Jay loves it, because I didn’t let him eat a bite! I liked it so much that I horded it to be eaten throughout the week.  Sorry Honey.

It would also lend itself well to other veggie add-in’s, this is what I had on hand, so this it what went in mine. I really should put it over on my Average Pantry page, but I’ll give it to you first fit Mamas, enjoy!

Vegan Teryaki

• 1 c. uncooked rice
• matchstick carrots
• 1 med onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 can black beans (or any beans you want), drained, rinsed
• 2 heads fresh broccoli, chopped to bite size pieces
• 2 small zucchini, cubed
• baby spinach, about 2 handfuls
• favorite teryaki sauce (I recommend Soy Vay’s Veri Veri Teryaki)

Start cooking the rice with about 1/2 c. of the matchstick carrots mixed in.  While the rice cooks, saute the onion and garlic in a little water until softened (just use about a Tbs of water at a time, adding more each time it evaporates).  Add to the onion and garlic, the broccoli, zucchini, beans, and more carrots.  Stir fry these veggies with small amounts of water letting the water steam the veggies, but not saturate them (you eventually want the water gone and just sauce remaining).  Once they show their cooked colors, drizzle the veggies with the teryaki sauce.  Be sparing with the sauce – you can always add more at the table if you need more flavor, but if you overdo it in the pan, you can’t take it back.  Cover and simmer on low until the rice is ready.

When the rice is done cooking, rip the spinach leaves into the warm rice and stir them in until wilted.  Serve the veggie mix over the rice, drizzling more teryaki sauce or plain soy sauce if needed.

Reviewing Those Flat Buns

No, I’m not talkin’ about anatomy here, I’m talking about these flat buns:

A few weekends ago I wanted to make some Healthy BLT Wraps.  When the store was out of my Flat-Out Light wraps, my plans were shot, so I thought I’d make the same thing, but with these new low-can buns that are all over the stores.  They boast 100 calories and whole grain, and since the sandwiches we were making would be very light I thought they’d be a good fit.

One thing led to another, and somehow my light BLTs turned into guacamole [turkey] bacon burgers. I hate to admit any of this on my healthy-living section, but the truth must be said (healthy days and normal dinners has always been what I’ve preached anyway).

This is where I became a believer, despite the messiness and weight of those burgers, these buns HELD UP.  I thought they’d tear to pieces and we’d end up getting out forks and knives to finish the job, but they were good to the last bite.

This skeptic is now a believer and these buns will be a repeat purchase in our home for sure.

*I was in no way compensated to do this review, I just love to pass along a good thing.

The Things to Keep in Mind

Last week was a healthy living DiSaSteR.

1. My parents came to visit = eating out
2. Birthday party = pizza/cookies/cupcakes/”take home the leftovers”
3. Super Bowl, need I say more?

This week is a time for repentance and getting back on track.  My body is already feeling better from the good foods, but Jay’s mom is coming for a visit this week, so I need to have a plan to not relapse into last week’s lard-filled ways.

The things I’m going to keep in mind this week:

1. I am who I am! Just because I’ve lost weight and am feeling all skinny does NOT mean that I’ve transformed into one of the skinny-girl friends that I had growing up (the ones that ate only junk but never gained an ounce).  I’m still me, no matter what shape my body is in – if I eat junk I will gain weight. No exceptions. PERIOD.
2. Eating healthy food just feels better – true story.
3. I have a goal! Always having health and fitness goals is the way to stay on track.  I’ve never gotten under 150, and I’d like to do it before another pregnancy comes along (no, not trying yet, but sometime this year).  I started getting healthy to be a better mom and to avoid possible complications the next time I’m pregnant.  I can’t do bed rest again, I just can’t!
4. Social eating isn’t as important as my health or my goals. So what if I’m the only one that just eats a salad with dressing on the side?  Being social is the conversation and the time together, not the calories consumed.

Wish me luck!  And good luck to you, Healthy Mamas!

Results Update!

I found my scale in the moving mess, set it up in my bathroom, and…..

150.6 pounds!

That’s a new record for me, making a total of 61 pounds lost.  Woo!

Turns out moving, organizing, and having to cover more ground in my big new house is a good work out!  I guess I should have seen this coming when my pants were sliding off as I ran through the grocery store to get the last missing ingredient that I needed.

Hooray! Just wanted to share – if I can do this, ANYONE can!

The Dieter’s Hot Chocolate

I’m always looking for tricks to help my dieting heroines out there and here’s one that I just HAVE to pass along:

Diet hot chocolate from Swiss Miss.*  I couldn’t believe it myself, but I just had to try it so I could tell you all about it.

The packet felt light… too light to be tasty.  My initial excitement gave way to doubt.

But it looked fine, it smelled fine…

It was SO fine.

Hot chocolate is a wonderful winter treat, but committing SO MANY of your daily calories on one little cup just doesn’t seem worth it.  But this hot coco is only 25 calories per cup – now that’s a number that I can wiggle with!  Doesn’t taste like fake sugar, doesn’t taste watered down (I suggest mixing it with 3/4 c. water), I was pleasantly surprised.

*Swiss Miss doesn’t know that I did this review and has not compensated me for it in any way.