Fit and Healthy

A new year always brings new promises....resolutions....a fresh start. This year I did NOT make any resolutions...BUT what I did decide was the holidays are over so there aren't any more reasons to overindulge (NOT that the holidays are carte blanche for over eating, it's just a fact). Today I hit the grocery stores (Wal-Mart and Aldi) and came back with this......

 This is the beginning of better eating for me and my family! I am not in the healthy "KNOW", I just have picked up a few things here and there, or have found things that work for me that I want to share!

1) Have SMART snacks on hand at all times! As you can see, these are prepackaged items that I can throw in my purse for those days I am out running errands and am tempted by Milky Way or McDonalds. All these are under 100 calories per serving. For example, The Chocolatey pretzel bar is the PERFECT combo of sweet and salty and comes in at 90 calories. The Strawberry fruit strips are all natural dried fruit and come in at 40 calories - literally the perfect snack on the go! In my house I make a big bag of popcorn because EVERYBODY says they're gonna eat some and after a few pieces they're done, which leave me to finish the bag....with these single serving "mini" bags, they are exactly 100 calories and help curb that overeating tendency we sometimes have. The sliced green apples and yogurt are more of a "splurge" as they are $1.00 each BUT are also only 90 calories....for me personally I am more inclined to eat fruit if I don't have to go thru all the  prep work of washing....these are quick and handy!

2) Make WISE choices and substitute when you can.
What this means is choosing skim over 2%...this will save you 40 calories per one cup serving. Grabbing the multi-grain waffles vs. the homestyle waffles saves you 40 calories per serving as well (example for 2 multi-grain waffles its' 140 calories and you are getting your "grains". For 2 homestyle waffles its 180 calories). While at the store I saw this bag of Brown Sugar Blend - perfect for oatmeal or baking....it's a mix of brown sugar and sugar substitute....I expected this to be lower in calories vs. brown sugar BUT when doing my "research" it was actually 7/5 calories MORE for the blend per 1/2 tsp serving. SO, be conscious of the labels.....what you may think is better may not be.

3) Don't be afraid to experiment.....here are the ingredients I plan to mix to make my own "trail mix".....natural almonds, craisins and semi-sweet chocolate morsels.....this will be for the days I want a lil sweet treat.

 4) Eat your fruits and veggies! Easy, right? Not so much....I don't enjoy the prep.....the cleaning, washing, cutting, etc. Below are some from the vine tomatoes (they even SMELL fresh) and cilantro to make pico de gallo.. I hate cauliflower BUT will eat it this way......the seasoning over takes the cauliflower.....nice fresh alternative to salsa.

Obviously the amounts will be to your liking (I like a lil more cilantro)....chop up the ingredients....approx. 1 cup of cauliflower, 1 1/2 cups of tomatoes and 3/4 cup of cilantro.....add salt, lime juice and garlic powder to taste. This of course is best served with tortillas BUT make your snack count....load 7 tortilla chips with the pico and your craving for something delish and salty will be cured!

5) Get Beautiful from the inside out.....I'm sure you have heard the old adage "you are what you eat"....when yo fill your body with crappy fast food, you bloat, are sluggish and just look worn down. Did you know blueberries have antioxidants that are great for your skin?

Go to Jillians website here http://www.jillianharris.com/post/food-fridays-greens-smoothie for her great skin smoothie recipe found here.....smoothies are a great way to sneak that spinach into your diet....I will edit and adjust as I didn't get the carrot juice.....almost most ingredients are found in this smoothie I picked up at Aldi.

Slice up some cukes and place on your eyes while laying down for a few minutes....this will help with the dark circles under your eyes (In addition to rest and cukes, drinking 8-10 glasses of water per day is also said to help eliminate those dark circles).

Those are my tips to eating better and being a better you!! START today! Don't make excuses ( next week, after I go to the gym, etc)....the small changes you make TODAY will add up over time!