My Favorites Part 1

     I have a few foods that are my go to if I'm feeling like I need to get back on track with my daily intake of energy.  Celery is my number one choice.  It is crisp and it feels like it cleans my taste buds of wanting to have sugar. 

     The way that I get my family to eat it is by making a homemade ranch dip.

I make it in small batches.  With just a few ingredients:

Mayo

Greek yogurt

fresh chopped parsley

Ground pepper

pinch salt

 fresh minced garlic to taste

dash of hot sauce

     I try to cut clery up in the morning so that when I get hungry, it is already to go.  It is also great for taking in the car for a snack,  it wards off those temptations.  As we start driving through town, my kids start smelling the fast food places, like the burger joints.  They instinctively say, "Im hungry."  because their noses are leading them.  I also try and pack apples when ever we travel to ward off those spontaneous fast food stops.     

     Packing healthy snacks is a sure way to eat well.

Eat well, live well!

Thankful

I have been following many of my friends thankful journals on facebook over this last month.  It is has been sweet, thoughtful and inspiring.   I love photos.  So I thought I would use photos from this past year to express my thanks. 

Happy Thanksgiving!  

Pie

Blackberry

Pear Custard Pie

     The more I learn about myself the more I realize I do better with a plan. It is hard to escape the holidays without pie being offered.  My plan is stick with small portions on dessert.  Plus, I am going to just have my favorites and not fall into my usual social eating .  I don't really care for egg nog.  So, just because it is offered and smells yummy doesn't mean I need to drink all that fat.  Rebellion runs deep for me if I feel like I'm being deprived.   I think for me, it is more manageable on holidays to think small.  On regular days at home, to limit the desserts all together.  As, you can tell, I'm giving myself a pep talk before Thanksgiving. 
     The other thing that helps is to offer to make the fruit pies or crumbles.  Yes, they do have sugar, but if they are made at home, I can control how much fat and sugar go into them.
     The second part of my plan is that since I'm not cooking dinner, is to exercise twice.  I hope the Thanksgiving break is prosperous and full for each of you.  Eat well, live well.

Energy Bars

Kids seem to be able to tap into this never ending well of energy.  Running, squirming, bouncing, dancing,  just to name a few moves.  I was interested in making some energy bars for my family.  I went to allrecipes.com.  They have many to chose from.  It is so much easier than making cookies and better for them. 

     I tried two different kinds.  The first one consists of pumpkin, oats, sugar, eggs, and a little flour.  The second bar has ground up almonds and sesame seeds, mixed with oats, whole wheat flour, eggs and sugar.  To get my kids to eat them I added chocolate chips. 
     Wrapping them individually and putting them in the freezer has really helped me to not eat to many.  Even though these have healthy ingredients, it is easy to eat too many.   If you buy store bought granola bars or energy bars, it doesn't hurt to try and make your own.  Your budget and family just might thank you.  The Internet has a ton of energy bar recipe suggestions. 
     Eat well, live well, and try something new today.  Today is a great day to stay the course, and be steadfast in eating right.

Pepper Jelly

 The only time I like it when my nose runs is when I'm eating something spicy.  I canned a batch of pepper jelly.  It is a sweet, heat combination.  My favorite way to eat it is on a flax seed cracker. 

The cool thing about this "hot" project is that it only cost about a dollar a jar to make.  I love a good deal!  Friends, eat well, live well, let your nose run a little and enjoy something hot today.

Oats on the Go

     Our mornings can be rushed and fast paced.  "Oats on the go" have been a great solution.  I put in a Mason Jar:

 cooked steel cut oats,

apples,

and milk

     This works out great for our breakfasts on the go.   I am loving the plastic lids that go on top of jars, to help with no spilling. 
     I hope this helps inspire you to not forget a healthy  breakfast.  Live well, eat well.

Roasted Veggies

      My daughter was so sweet with her pig, playing doctor.    When I talk about food with my kids I try to talk about balance and fueling our bodies.  I  keep thinking about how food is like medicine.  It can fuel our bodies, protect, heal.   
     Recently, I roasted cauliflower and broccoli with a dash of olive oil, on a high heat in the oven.  It was some of the best cauliflower I've had in a long time, crisp flavorful, not mush.  I added a dash of red pepper flakes for a kick.

I squeezed lemon over my veggies and noodles.  This dinner was so simple and easy to prepare.   Lately, for our family simple is good.  Embrace the simple things today.