Mac & Cheese? Nutritional? Not so much, however, we happen to keep this in the pantry because it's cheap and we enjoy it with a Nathan's hot dog occasionally. This week I tried a healthier version and here is what I came up with.
1. Switch out the hot dog with TUNA!
2. Add peas to the mac & cheese.
3. Serve with a side of green beans.
And always drink a cold glass of water before and during a meal. "-)
Friday, September 17, 2010
Delicious & Easy Healthy Recipes
I LOVE Tempeh! It has 20 grams of protein per serving and I crave this the way I used to crave cheeseburgers. If you hadn't ever heard of it or tried it click the link to learn more about this delicious highly nutritious food. I eat tempeh for lunch almost everyday. It fills me up until dinner time, although I try to have an apple or yogurt in the afternoon because it's good to eat more often than just breakfast lunch and dinner.
Here is how I prepare my lunch with Tempeh. I steam fresh spinach and whatever other veggie I have in a pan of water for about 4 minutes. I drain the water then add olive oil, crushed or chopped garlic and the Tempeh. I heat that up for about 6 minutes, until the Tempeh starts to lightly brown. Next I add delicious Soy Sauce - all natural of course and turn off the heat. Tempeh can be found at Publix or Nutrition Marts and costs $3.50 a package which serves 2.
Here is how I prepare my lunch with Tempeh. I steam fresh spinach and whatever other veggie I have in a pan of water for about 4 minutes. I drain the water then add olive oil, crushed or chopped garlic and the Tempeh. I heat that up for about 6 minutes, until the Tempeh starts to lightly brown. Next I add delicious Soy Sauce - all natural of course and turn off the heat. Tempeh can be found at Publix or Nutrition Marts and costs $3.50 a package which serves 2.
How did I decrease my sugar cravings?
Understanding why sweets are so so very bad for you: I learned this on Dr. Oz or Rachel Ray I can't remember which one, but a glazed donut has 12 teaspoons of sugar! How many people feed their kids donuts for breakfast or for an after school snack? Yikes! Why would you encourage hyperness in your children, let alone feed them something their bodies can't process. Ya know what? If I hadn't already learned from Michelle the negative factors about white sugar, I would have stopped after seeing that TV show! 10 years ago I eliminated adding sugar to my coffee because I drank so much coffee. I had no idea that eating 1 donut was worse than drinking 10 cups of coffee! (I used 1 tsp./cup) If I had known, I'm sure I would have stopped eating donuts at the same time.
Let me tell you how I went from eating dessert once or twice a day - every day for 45 years - to eating dessert once or twice a month! Wow. It's NOT GOOD for you! Forget the pounds - forget the decrease in energy, it just isn't good for you! There is NOTHING in sugar that your body wants or needs. So why put it in there?
Here's how my nutritionist challenged me:
Let me tell you how I went from eating dessert once or twice a day - every day for 45 years - to eating dessert once or twice a month! Wow. It's NOT GOOD for you! Forget the pounds - forget the decrease in energy, it just isn't good for you! There is NOTHING in sugar that your body wants or needs. So why put it in there?
Here's how my nutritionist challenged me:
- She asked me to consider going one day without dessert and then had me pay attention to how I felt the next day.
- She educated me on sweet fruits and veggies. For instance: If I add some peas to my dinner or my salad, my body would not crave additional sweets later. And she was right, that advice was great and it helped. She suggested I add some fresh or frozen fruit to my oatmeal in the morning. This helped curb the craving for sweets during the day.
Progress since June
I realized I haven't updated my progress since my first entry - oops - so here is my exciting news. I have lost SEVEN more pounds with Michelle's help! Woot! And my eating habits are hard to believe!
Today I've had an unusual amount of energy. I was told that would happen and I'd be able to attribute it to my diet. So here's the secret: pay attention to what you eat and the next day take notice of how you feel. This way, you can continue to eat the foods that help you feel good and eliminate the ones that do not.
I LOVE feeling energetic! Okay gotta run, just can't sit here another minute! :-)
Today I've had an unusual amount of energy. I was told that would happen and I'd be able to attribute it to my diet. So here's the secret: pay attention to what you eat and the next day take notice of how you feel. This way, you can continue to eat the foods that help you feel good and eliminate the ones that do not.
I LOVE feeling energetic! Okay gotta run, just can't sit here another minute! :-)
How did I start? One day at a time!
Today is June 7. I have made such an amazing turnaround in my lifestyle after one month of being in Michelle's program that I decided I should write about it in hopes of giving her a great testimonial some day. That's HOW EXCITED I am!
One month ago I was anxiously looking forward to my first session with Michelle Joy of Hummingbird Hearts. I couldn't wait to hear ALL she had to say about the changes I should make right away! I was ready to clear out my cupboards and fridge of process foods and junk to replace it with all healthy food! May 5 came - session 1 and well, to my surprise - changing every eating habit in one day is NOT Michelle's method. And thank goodness for that. We all know why, end of sentence.
Michelle's program is personalized, which is why a one-on-one session IS effective. She asks a lot of questions specific to MY eating and exercise habits and starts from there. During our session she introduced a new way to eat some of the foods I already love and she helped me set some realistic short term and long term goals.
In the days and weeks following my first session, I made a simple healthier change to my breakfast and I've tried a brand new vegetable! Michelle will even supply a recipe if you ask. I learned that raw almonds are more beneficial than processed almonds and they taste the same. Since I am an oatmeal eater, adding raw almonds was an easy addition! Who doesn't need a little extra protein in the morning?
My second session was June 1. Again, another effective one-on-one meeting with more encouraging health counseling. There's something unique about the way Michelle explains things that help you to understand 'eating' in a different light! I was grasping the fact that certain foods make me feel a certain way and being drowsy or sad can be related to what I am feeding my body. I was being challenged and anxious to tally the results. I was learning which fruit made me more satisfied and less jittery for instance. I have low blood sugar and eating too many carbs in the morning leaves me feeling very shaky within 2 hours. In my case, blueberries were not as satisfying for me as strawberries were. That's just me, and that's why a personalized program is helping me to find a comfort zone.
One of the short term goals I gave myself was.... to skip dessert ONE day! Just let one day go by without a cookie or a piece ofcandy or an iced mocha frappe. That was a goal I set out to achieve within my first 30 days. Easy right? Yesterday I realized I had gone one week without dessert. One entire week! Never dawned on me. I was too busy sampling new fruits and vegetables and benefitting from a 'sweet tip' / great advice from MIchelle that would help curb the sugar cravings. What's more exciting is that I have lost 5 pounds already in the last 2 weeks!
More later... Susan
One month ago I was anxiously looking forward to my first session with Michelle Joy of Hummingbird Hearts. I couldn't wait to hear ALL she had to say about the changes I should make right away! I was ready to clear out my cupboards and fridge of process foods and junk to replace it with all healthy food! May 5 came - session 1 and well, to my surprise - changing every eating habit in one day is NOT Michelle's method. And thank goodness for that. We all know why, end of sentence.
Michelle's program is personalized, which is why a one-on-one session IS effective. She asks a lot of questions specific to MY eating and exercise habits and starts from there. During our session she introduced a new way to eat some of the foods I already love and she helped me set some realistic short term and long term goals.
In the days and weeks following my first session, I made a simple healthier change to my breakfast and I've tried a brand new vegetable! Michelle will even supply a recipe if you ask. I learned that raw almonds are more beneficial than processed almonds and they taste the same. Since I am an oatmeal eater, adding raw almonds was an easy addition! Who doesn't need a little extra protein in the morning?
My second session was June 1. Again, another effective one-on-one meeting with more encouraging health counseling. There's something unique about the way Michelle explains things that help you to understand 'eating' in a different light! I was grasping the fact that certain foods make me feel a certain way and being drowsy or sad can be related to what I am feeding my body. I was being challenged and anxious to tally the results. I was learning which fruit made me more satisfied and less jittery for instance. I have low blood sugar and eating too many carbs in the morning leaves me feeling very shaky within 2 hours. In my case, blueberries were not as satisfying for me as strawberries were. That's just me, and that's why a personalized program is helping me to find a comfort zone.
One of the short term goals I gave myself was.... to skip dessert ONE day! Just let one day go by without a cookie or a piece of
More later... Susan
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