Starting Meatless Mondays

One of the great things about starting to eat healthier is to find whole food recipes that the family will enjoy.  I know my oldest son is always accusing me of trying to "turn him vegan", but I know that's just his cheeseburger/pizza molded teenage mind that sees vegetables as "icky".  I've tried to implement "Meatless Mondays" and there have been things that the boys love, and others they straight out tell me not to make again.  I've yet to find a recipe that I didn't enjoy, but I sometimes thing that it's my diabetic palate that makes anything taste good since I usually eat so plain.

Sometimes, all it takes is to find a classic and find a way to make it into a vegetarian dish.  This is an lacto-ovo veggie dish that is sure to please!  Click the name to see the full recipe!  Hope you have a great Monday!!

ARTICHOKE SPINACH LASAGNA

Benefits of Quinoa

There are a lot of people that are hesitant on trying new foods.  One whole food that I personally have found a liking to is quinoa (pronounced "keen-wah").  This is great food for those trying to transition to a more vegan lifestyle or menu for them and their family.  The great thing I've found about quinoa is that it is very versatile because it doesn't have much of it's own taste, kind of a cross between brown rice and couscous, so it can be a great replacement in numerous recipes.  There are recipes for stuffed peppers, salads, and even websites dedicated to cooking quinoa.

Quinoa is also a great balanced food containing the three major caloric nutrients for energy!  A serving size of quinoa is a great source for your daily carbohydrates, fat and protein.

Be sure to check your grocery aisle and add it to your meal plan!  Quinoa is sure to be a staple food in your pantry, and something that you and your family will enjoy!

Hope you had a great weekend!  Thanks for stopping by!!!

Self Sabotage and Accountability

There has been a lot going on in my life in the last few months that have mentally and emotionally taken me out of the game when it comes to my health and wellness.  Sure I could sit here and list excuse after excuse, but what good does that do?

I need to get back to focusing on me and not worry about what others may think of me and my time for ME!!  There are those that I have seen snub their nose at those that get sitters, or leave the little ones at home so they can go work out with comments like "I live for my kids, they are my top priority".  Well, sorry darling, you aren't "living" for your kids if you put your own health and wellness last.  Shortening the years of your time on earth by sitting around, being immobile, eating whatever you want isn't "living" anyway.  It's "dying".

I have always struggled with having an overabundance of knowledge in the health and wellness, and as I'm currently going for my Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Science and going for my Masters in Health Education, it's all about executing what I know, and what I have learned.  It's difficult and I am human.  I'm flawed, I have insecurities, I have distractions, but at the end of the day, I'm also accountable for what I choose to do and not to do.

No one ever says that getting fit and healthy and staying fit and healthy is easy, but it gets easier as it becomes a lifestyle and not just a "diet".  I need to start making some small goals and achieving them and start back on my path to wellness.  I need to get my A1C in check and my cholesterol lowered, and start to focus on meditation and relaxation techniques as well to help me get through school, mommy-ing and all my other obligations and responsibilities.

There is a friend that has started her own blog recently and I look forward to watching her journey.  Check Ashley out over at Getting Fit & Staying Healthy!!

Have a great weekend!!

Power of the Mind

It's been quite the busy year for me so far.  I realize that I haven't posted to this blog in months, and I have to say that I haven't been in the best of mindset, nor health these past few months.  I haven't worked out, I haven't gone to any exercise class, and my diet has been less than desirable.  Like many of you, I struggle with my weight and as I approach 40 this summer, I have noticed a pattern in my ups and downs when it comes to my weight, nutrition and other healthier aspects in my life.  It's mindset.

You see, when I lost all my weight before, I was in the mindset to do so.  I logged my food, worked out a minimum of 4 days a week, checked my glucose levels, and I was spot on with having weight loss every week.  Whether it was 1-3 lbs, it didn't matter, I knew I was making progress and my body and the way my clothes fit showed it.  As it stands now, I am not, nor have I been in the right mindset to do so.

Problem is, I've allowed myself to become a victim of circumstance.  Circumstances, by the way, in which I can control, yet for whatever reason, choose not to do so.  True, I have a busy schedule, but in the end, I know that depression and lack of love for myself has deterred me from making the right decisions and putting my health as a priority in my life.  When I was eating right, working out, I was filling this blog up like nobody's business.  All the great things I would find, the workouts, the education.  Maybe because now it's become more work for school (last few years of my BS in Nutrition Science), instead of the fun of sharing the information.  Who knows.

It's a talk I have with myself daily.  Should I really be eating this or that?  Should I make a point to make it to that class tonight?  My son is down napping, should I pop in one of my exercise dvds?  The problem I have isn't that I'm not motivated to lose weight and get fit, the problem is I'm allowing the bad outweigh the good in my mind, and the bad is simply the excuses.  What are they?  Here are a few that I've caught myself thinking...

- I'll go next time
- The boys won't like it if I make that for dinner
- I don't have the energy to do it
- I have school work
- There's a meeting tonight
- I don't want to drag the little guy to the gym
- There's no one to workout with

I could go on and on, as while my mind justifies all these reasons, they are nothing more than excuses.  Plain and simple.  I just need to get the right mindset, or at least help myself by surrounding myself with positive people that encourage me, instead of feeding into my excuses with me.  At the end of the day, I'm not happy.  I'm not happy with myself, I'm not happy with the lack of progress I've made, and I'm definitely not happy with my size and the health issues that come along with it.

Think it's about time to get back to making myself, my goals, and my LIFE a priority again.  Stop letting my overworked mind think there's no time or energy to do it, and be like Nike and "Just Do It!".  What are some of your excuses?  I know I'm not the only one that has yo-yo'ed and felt this way.  Where there any tips or tricks you did to keep yourself motivated, feeling good about yourself?  Sometimes I think I use all my energy helping others feel good about themselves, at the end of the day there's nothing left for ME!

Well, thanks for reading.  Time to talk these thoughts to bed.  Good Night.

Reminder - Health is a Journey

Click to see larger image

I found this picture on Dr. DeValt's blog Morning By Morning Pathway to Health.  To me it serves as a reminder that it's should just be about "losing weight".  It should  be a life long journey of learning what our bodies need, how it metabolizes, what nutrients and calories are for and what they do, and making changes.  Permanent changes.

Is this easy?  For a lot of people, most likely not, but buying into the latest quick fix is not going to teach you proper nutrition, nor will it motivate you to move your body.  I have to stress that ANY COMMERCIALIZED WEIGHT LOSS PLAN THAT CLAIMS YOU CAN DO IT "WITHOUT EXERCISE" IS A SCAM!! 

What good will it do you to try to eat proper, but not move your body?  You will lose muscle mass, your tendons and joints will ache, and it will all be for not.  And for starters, what diet and weight loss plan, or even exercise plan for that matter, doesn't warn you to "not start any new program without consulting your physician or doctor first"?   Did you?  Has your spouse, friend or relative?  People go on all these supplemental diets, and dish out money left and right for things that they can get from a proper diet.  Excessive vitamins, minerals and supplements are flushed from your body!  If your body doesn't need them, you are throwing your money away on products that you literally are putting right into the toilet!

I highly encourage people to get labs done on themselves, and learn your numbers.  Learn what you are deficient in.  Learn what foods contain to help you with those deficiencies.  If you do not like or cannot tolerate those foods, then choose a natural supplement for that particular deficiency for pennies on the dollar compared to these overindulgent mega powders that are made in a lab.  While there are some synthetic supplements that can be just as effective, overall, natural is best according to independent testing by Consumer Labs.  Education and knowing what you need are keys to success beyond the weight loss.

Here's to your health and happiness!  Hope you're all keeping on the steady path of your own individual journey!  Have a great week!

- Cheryl