Painful!!

Just recently, I started to get new [...]]]> What is it that makes you feel beautiful? Is it your smile? Pretty eyes? Sense of humor? A long time ago I used to think that being tan made me look prettier and THINNER, so I would tan ALL the time. I was not very smart about the sun. 

Painful!!

Just recently, I started to get new moles popping up all over.  I had been a lifeguard for 3 years and barely wore sunscreen in my 11 hour days in the sun. The dermatologist has already removed a countless amount of these moles because they were categorized as dysplastic nevi (atypical moles that increase your risk for melanoma). Hello wake up call!!

The fact of the matter??  Tanning and tanning beds are like smoking. People know the risks, but they do it anyway!  Why doesn’t melanoma scare people? The stats keep getting scarier and skin cancer is showing up in those younger and younger. My message?? BE PROACTIVE!! Cover up!

Note: I strive to look so cool in a backward hat.

Lately though, I have been thinking about new ways we can protect our skin (other than sunscreen of course). I started researching ways that foods can defend you from skin cancer. While I am still encouraging DAILY sunscreen, I LOVE the idea of natural defense; through your foods! Here are a few Power Foods!!

• Dark Chocolate: Just 2 oz of real dark chocolate daily offers loads of antioxidants that help fight those pesky free radicals damaging YOUR healthy cells!
• Broccoli, radish, and watercress: Each produce sulforaphane when digested, which is a compound that works to form cell-protecting proteins; helping to fight cancer!
• Fish: The omega 3 fatty acids found in fish help reduce inflammation and protect against DNA damage; making you less susceptible to burns, which contribute to skin cancer.  Try eating about 2-3 servings of fatty fish per week to reap the benefits.
• Green and Black Teas: Both are high in antioxidants. Again, antioxidants fight free radicals which DAMAGE your cells!! Antioxidants help protect against cancer cell formation.
• Colorful Fruits and Vegetables: In general, the more colorful the fruit and vegetables, the better. Plants use COLOR as their sunscreen protection. Why can’t we use a little too?? Think bright red tomatoes, deep pink watermelon, and intense orange carrots!
• Spinach, Kale, Chard: The International Journal of Cancer showed that consuming these three super foods can decrease your risk for squamous cell carcinoma by as much as 50%! Have you had your greens today?

MAKE IT YOUR YEAR TO PRACTICE DAILY SUN PROTECTION!! 

• Funny Hats?……………..CHECK
• SPF of 30 or higher?……….CHECK
• Sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection?……CHECK, CHECK!!
• Eating a Healthy Diet, rich in SUPER foods???….TRIPLE CHECK! 

 Join me!! Help me make pale the new “tan.”  Click to see a list of more pale beauties!!

Beauty without the tan!

After years of too much sun...you TOO could look like this. (something to strive for?)

Take the SunScreen Challenge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• For 30 days, write a daily blurb about how YOU are protecting yourself from the sun! Food/SunScreen/Hats/Shirts??? Share it with readers and be a HUGE influence! USE YOUR VOICE! Don’t have a blog?? Share with others through twitter, facebook, and the like! Be creative!!

Today I am protecting my skin with an SPF of 30 for my hands, face, and neck (the rest of me is covered up…it’s COLD outside!!)

Around the Blogosphere:

• Pale Gurl-Life Liberty and The Pursuit of a Tan (Hilarious!)
• CONTEST GIVEAWAY at The Healthy Junky! Check it out!!
• A MUST read about Strawberries!!  Thanks to Ashley from Edible Perspective!!

Believe it or not, I HATE packing lunch. It takes time out of my night, it’s extra clean up, I have to pack TWO (since I’m a good wife)…I DESPISE it!

The easy way out is to NOT pack a lunch and just spend endless amounts of money day after day. The problem with that?  It gets old fast [...]]]>

Believe it or not, I HATE packing lunch. It takes time out of my night, it’s extra clean up, I have to pack TWO (since I’m a good wife)…I DESPISE it!

The easy way out is to NOT pack a lunch and just spend endless amounts of money day after day. The problem with that?  It gets old fast and the bills add up quickly! Not to mention the fact that day after day you are eating foods loaded with fat and calories. Even if you are eating Subway, I’m sad to say, not ALL the choices are “healthy” and lunchmeat is one of my cancer causing foods. So what to do?

Below are my secrets to staying motivated to get those lunches packed!! I still hate it…these just make it easier.

1. Pack The Night Before! Unless your mom or dad will get up and pack your lunch for you in the morning, my ULTIMATE secret to packing lunches is to always pack the night before! This way, there’s time to really think about your food choices and plan so that you are not starving and option less by 3:30 in the afternoon.
2. Pack as you are making dinner or cleaning it up. I started doing this not too long ago and I’ve found the lunch making process to be MUCH more efficient. If I’m packing as I’m prepping, I can easily chop a few extra veggies for our lunches. If you are making a salad for dinner, it’s so easy to get out a container and make a little extra for the next day. Once I put dinner in the oven, I can use that time to make some sandwiches, etc. I now use up more leftovers and there’s no opportunity for me to get lazy about it later in the evening. It’s done when dinner is!
3. What Do You Want? What is it about eating out that we all love so much? Is it that there are more options? Is it that it’s more convenient? Figure out what you LOVE about eating out and start packing based on those reasons. Packed lunches really can be MORE convenient and appetizing if you put a little thought in to them. If you LOVE the chicken salad sandwich the deli down the street has to offer, why not try mimicking it? Example: I LOVE Pita Pit’s falafel and hummus pitas, but I couldn’t afford to buy one everyday. So what did I do? I figured out how to make my OWN falafel and hummus, and bought whole wheat pitas from the grocery. Simple. Easy. Cheap.
4. Make a BETTER Grocery List. There are too many times I hear about people going unprepared to the grocery (i.e where’s their LIST!??).  For instance, my husband used to go to the grocery store and come back with a loaf of bread, some chips, and an endless supply of beverages; beer, pop, juice, milk, the list goes on and on. What’s with guys and beverages? I would go to pack his lunch and I had to SCROUNGE for ANYTHING that resembled food. No wonder he used to eat out so much! MAKE A LIST! Figure out what you want to make for dinner and if the leftovers could be used for lunch. You will literally slash your grocery bill because you’ll stop making multiple trips to the store for minor ingredients, where you end up buying MORE foods you did not intentionally come for. Trust me, you’ll start looking forward to your lunch and others will be jealous.  ;)
5. Get Away From Your Desk. I know a huge reason people eat out is because they want to get away from the office. I get it. When you can get away…DO IT! I hate hearing that people eat as they work. Take a time out!! I encourage it!!  However, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to eat out. Take a drive and eat your PACKED lunch at the park. Go for a walk with a coworker. Sit in the lounge and eat with friends. Anything you can do to get away and NOT eat out. Do it!

Hopefully these suggestions will help you get more motivated to pack lunches! Your wallet will grow while saving your health! I love multitasking

What are your favorite foods to pack for lunch??

Whole Wheat English Muffin, 1 Veggie Patty, 2 T roasted red pepper hummus, 1 slice Kraft [...]]]>  Quesadillas were on the menu last night, but since I made Angela’s, from Oh She Glows,  “In a Jiffy Spelt Veggie Burgers,” the other night, it was all I was craving! Luckily, I had leftover patties in the fridge!

Whole Wheat English Muffin, 1 Veggie Patty, 2 T roasted red pepper hummus, 1 slice Kraft 2% cheese singles, and a few drizzles of mustard; perfection!

After the ingredients go in to the food processor, it’s not very pretty; just a brown, liquidy mess. I was skeptical to continue on. Who wants to eat brown goo? But then you stir in the flour and it starts to form a sticky “dough.” I made 6 patties because the 8 that were recommended were a little small. I took Angela’s suggestion and topped the finished patty with roasted red pepper hummus. Yum!!

I did make some substitutions for what I already had on hand:

• replaced spelt flour for whole wheat flour
• nixed the red pepper and just added more onion and carrot
• used green leaf lettuce instead of spinach
• added organic pinto beans instead of chickpeas
• No sunflower seed or chia seeds on hand, so I added a few more pumpkin seeds.

 My only cautions:

1. If you have never attempted to eat a veggie burger before, I would suggest trying a “store bought” version first, so you get an idea of how they usually taste. I love Morningstar varieties; Mushroom Lovers’ is a favorite.
2. With the way the ingredients look after they’ve been processed, you might not want to continue. But keep a positive attitude!! I know you will love them after they’ve baked!
3. The title implies you can make these, “in a jiffy,” but I have to disagree.  I thought the clean up was a pain and I always count that as part of the total time. I guess I feel cleaning the food processor is annoying. Ha.

Cautions aside, I don’t think I will ever BUY veggie burgers again! These are just scrumptious and MUCH more cost effective!  Visit Angela’s site, “Oh She Glows,” for the complete recipe and directions. Thanks Angela!!

Have you tried veggie burgers before? What is your favorite veggie burger brand or recipe??

   I decided to create a post about choosing a healthy cereal because it is something that seems to stump a lot of shoppers. Since cereal is typically a daily staple, it can play a crucial role in boosting your diet with lots of nutrition to start your day or do just the opposite and [...]]]>  

   I decided to create a post about choosing a healthy cereal because it is something that seems to stump a lot of shoppers. Since cereal is typically a daily staple, it can play a crucial role in boosting your diet with lots of nutrition to start your day or do just the opposite and add lots of unwanted fat and sugar. With all the thousands of cereals to choose from…how to possibly narrow it down? Here’s my shopper’s guide:

1. Don’t fall for gimmicks
    Just because a health claim is made on the front of the box, does not necessarily mean you should fall for it. If you are drawn to a cereal because of recent health claims, dig a little further before you make a purchase. For instance, if the claim says “made with whole grains,” does that mean that whole grain falls somewhere amongst the masses of other ingredients OR is it the first ingredient? Ingredients are listed in order (highest amount to lowest amount), the closer whole grain is to the first ingredient, the more whole grains make up the bulk of the cereal. The same goes for SUGAR!

2. Fiber
    If  the cereal has less than 5 grams of fiber, nix it. By now, we all seem to know how important fiber is to our daily diet for health prevention.  Starting your day with 5 plus grams of fiber is going to bring you that much closer to meeting the recommended 25-45 grams per day! Another benefit is that it will also  keep you fuller for longer!!

3. Sugar
    A good rule of thumb when it comes to sugar is looking for a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrates to sugars. Typically, sugars content should not exceed 25% of the total calories, per the U.S Government’s Dietary Reference Intake recommendations. So for instance, if a cereal contains 28 grams of carbohydrates and 7 grams of sugar, the carbohydrate to sugar ratio is 4:1 and an adequate amount per serving. If you want to calculate the percentage of calories from sugar in a cereal:
1. Multiply the grams of sugar per serving by 4 because there are 4 calories in each gram of sugar.
2. Divide this number (calories from sugar) by the total number of calories per serving.
3. Multiply this number by 100 to get the percentage of calories from sugar.
Some healthy cereals go a little bit over the “25% calories from sugar” guideline, especially if natural sugars come from ingredients like dried fruits.  So if the percentage of calories from sugar is still at or below 30%, the first ingredient is a whole grain, there are 5 grams of fiber per serving, and the cereal tastes good, it may still be a good choice overall.
4. Ingredients:
    WHOLE GRAIN WHOLE GRAIN WHOLE GRAIN!! Make sure that “WHOLE” oat, wheat, grain, etc is listed as the first ingredient in your cereals! Breakfast is the perfect time of day to squeeze in a serving of whole grains! Make the most out of your breakfast cereal!

5. High Fructose Corn Syrup
   This is an ingredient of controversy. I personally try to stay away from any and all forms of it. I encourage you to do some research and form your own opinion .  Just try not to base your opinion on the Corn Refiners Association commercials. I do not keep products with it in my cupboards and any cereal that contains it does not go in my cart!
A small article about High Fructose Corn Syrup from the Mayo Clinic.

A few suggested cereals:

Quaker Oatmeal Squares :
Brandon LOVES these, as do I!! We buy in bulk when it is on sale! 19% sugars, 5 grams fiber, WHOLE oat flour is the first ingredient!

Quaker High Fiber Oatmeal :
17% sugar, tastes better than the lower sugar variety, has more fiber for satiety then the lower sugar OR weight control varieties

Shredded Wheat

Raisin Bran :
40% calories from sugar but most of the sugar is natural from the raisins

Most Kashi Brands: Heart to Heart, Shredded Wheat, GoLean Crunch

Plain Old Fashioned Oats:
Dressed up with ingredients at home!! I love Oatmeal for Breakfast!

Plain/Multigrain Cheerios:
Most of the other varieties are higher in sugar

Kashi GoodFriends Cinna-Raisin:
30% calories from sugars but again, contains raisins and 8 grams of fiber per serving

Don’t see your favorite cereal? Let me know what it is and I would be happy to help you evaluate if you’re making a good selection!!