The Easy Way Out?

On Sunday I went to a nutrition seminar on a ninety day transformation program.  

I sat, listened, took notes even.  However, the biggest thing I did was suppress my eye rolls and groans.  

I really, really, really wanted to fall in love with this program and be able to pass it along to you.  

Unfortunately, I just couldn't endorse a program that pushed a product that was full of chemicals and passed it off as food.  Especially after I was told that it was full of vegetables.  

I also can't endorse a program that pushes little to no meat, don't get me wrong some people thrive on a vegetarian diet while others thrive on a diet full of meat, there is also the person that needs a balance of both; however it is up to YOU to figure out what works for you!

The big clincher in the deal was when I was told that I would have to give up coffee!  I'm sorry but no way, not happening!  

I was tempted though, it would be so easy.  You drink your breakfast and lunch and then just eat dinner with your family.  Easy peasy, the weight would literally roll off.  

Here's the deal, let me be straight with you; yes you can absolutely cut your calories down to almost nothing and you will lose weight.  You might even get used to eating very little and convince yourself over time that severe calorie reduction is the way to go.  

In the end though, you are going to struggle and your body isn't going to work as well as it should.  You will be cold a lot, your body will feel sluggish, your hormones will be out of whack so you will feel irritable and moody.  How do I know this?  Because I've done this type of diet before and one day I cracked and ate everything I saw.
 Self deprivation is not the way to go, trust me!

Don't get me wrong, I don't eat perfect all of the time.  In fact, today I ate a cookie that I bought at the store. It was really good and was the first cookie I had eaten in over a month. 

Was the cookie full of chemicals and junk?  Yes.  Was it a food that I had forbidden myself?  No, but it is a food that I limit myself too because I struggle with overindulging.  In fact, I am working on my self control problems when it comes to food; mainly sweets; so there are never any sweets kept in the house.  I can't do the moderation thing so for now I only eat sweets when I am out. 

As I sat in that seminar, I realized that diet and food are not a simple fix.  We all want the easy way out, a list with eat this but not that.  We want to wake up one day and be a size 4 or whatever our ideal number is.  Unfortunately, it isn't that simple, there isn't an easy way out!  It has taken me a year to lose sixty pounds.  I thought that by this time I would be at my ideal weight but I'm not.  There have been set backs and struggles but I have kept moving forward.  I am getting over my food hang ups, my binge eating habits, my struggle with vegetables, and my desire for the easy way out; the magic pill, shake, supplement, etc.  

Lynette and I want to help you out too.  We don't have a special program because we see the uniqueness in each person.  That is why we created Mom 4ce.  We want to help you make slow steady progress and reach your goals.  

So, how can we help you?

Blueberry Sweet Potato

This year my family and I have become enamored with the sweet potato.  We have been eating them for breakfast four to six times a week and sometimes we have had them for lunch or dinner too.
I came across this recipe for a blueberry stuffed sweet potato and had to try it!  The day that I decided to make it I didn't have all of the ingredients so came up with this. 

Blueberry Breakfast Hash

3 Sweet Potatoes
2 Cups Blueberries
1-1.5 lbs Ground Meat
1 tsp Cinnamon
6 Eggs
 Ghee or Butter for cooking
Salt
Pepper

Peel and dice sweet potatoes.  Add ground beef, sweet potatoes, and cinnamon to a skillet and cook until meat is cooked through and sweet potatoes are tender.  Add blueberries and cover to cook .  In a separate pan fry eggs and top the hash with the fried egg.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Kam's Story

 
My firstborn, Kamron, was born in April of 2005.
He was the first grandchild on both sides of the family and to my husband and I, he was perfection.
When Kamron was three he was diagnosed with Asthma.  We had already spent most of his life talking to the pediatrician about food allergies but hadn't had him tested because we were told that he would outgrow them.  He also had Eczema and some mood swings. 
Finally when he was five I pushed and had him tested for allergies.  We went to a specialist and did the back scratch test.  He was found to be allergic to every tree and grass near us as well as soy.  (The only food on the test was soy, milk, and eggs.)  I honestly didn't think that the soy would be that big of a deal to take him off of...and then I looked at the back of every cracker package at the store...and I may or may not have cried in the middle of the snack aisle at the grocery store. 
After a month of really watching what my son ate and keeping him on allergy medicine Kamron wasn't having serious outbreaks.  He was occasionally having random asthma attacks and so the allergist and I talked about testing him for other food allergies but the allergist said it would be better to do an elimination diet.  I was gearing up to start playing with his diet but Kamron, ever the firstborn, took matters into his own hands...
He collapsed in the middle of PetCo and was rushed to Children's Hospital via ambulance.  No parent can describe the feeling of helplessness as she watches her child struggle to stay coherent in an ambulance flying down the highway.  As I sat in the hospital praying for my son waiting for my husband to arrive I just knew that he had cancer or some other life threatening illness.  Instead I found out that the ER Physician had no answers for me except that it was not cancer or many other illnesses that he was tested for.
The next day we went to our family doctor and found out that Kamron had a small heart murmur that he would outgrow but he had an irregular heartbeat.  We went on to see two child cardiologists  and had a follow up with the allergist.  In a nutshell, Kamron's asthma and different allergies caused his heart to beat erratically and make him pass out.
From several different books I read we decided to first go off of wheat.  After a month I had a different child!  He could play without getting seriously exhausted, he was not as moody, and his Eczema was clearer!
The next thing I did was to slowly wean him off of processed sugar and artificial dyes.  This was honestly a little bit harder and something we all struggle with, however the end result was well worth it.  I was able to take him off of his allergy medicine and he did not get sick during Spring in Texas!!!  
I am not saying that taking your children off of soy, gluten, processed sugars, and artificial dyes will heal your kids problems but I would definitely try it!

NOTHING IN THIS BLOG POST SHOULD TAKE THE PLACE OF SEEING A MEDICAL DOCTOR! 
***Picture is courtesy of Oh My! Photography***

Butter

I like butter.

Actually I love it, a lot.  I cook with butter daily.  

I make my eggs with butter each morning.  Today, I reheated my chicken in melted butter.  

It was sooooooo good!!!

  

Besides being delicious, butter is actually a healthy food.  

It is chock full of Vitamin A, E, and K; lauric acid, lecithin, and selenium!

Butter fights against free radical damage and weakening arteries. 

It contains conjucated linoleic acid, which is an anti-cancer agent, muscle builder and immunity booster!

This is only a few of the good things about butter.  

 So go ahead, pass the butter and ditch the margarine; just make sure that your butter is from grass fed cows.  My favorite brand from the store is Kerrygold.
You get bonus points if you make friends with a farmer and get your butter locally.   

Your body will thank you and your taste buds will dance. 

Know Your Numbers

Whenever someone starts talking about their latest *diet* I cringe.  Not because wanting to lose weight and get in shape is bad, but because 95% of the time they're going about it the wrong way.

Many of the diets available today put your body into starvation mode- having you eat 1200 or fewer calories a day.  Sure, you'll see results right away, but after awhile you stop losing or *gasp* start gaining weight again.  Then you start worrying that there's something wrong with your body and cut calories even further or give up.

But, if you would have just known your numbers, things could have turned out differently.

What do I mean by that?  Simple.  Know how many calories your body has to burn just to exist.

There's a couple different way you can do this.  The most expensive is to have it done at a clinic.  Or, you can use this formula as a starting place:

(your weight in lbs) x 10 + 30% of that number

What does that really look like?  I'll use my numbers as an example because I know them ;)

125 x 10 = 1250
1250 x 1.3 = 1625

What?!?!?  You mean just to maintain where I'm at, without adding in exercise, I could eat 1600 calories a day? Yup.  So, if I was gong to jump on the latest diet craze and drop to 1200 calories a day, I would not be able to function for more than a couple days because my body would refuse to keep functioning like I had been use to.

Oh, but wait.  I said without exercise.  I need to add in more calories for exercise.  Since my main form of exercise is running, I use the estimate that I burn 100 calories per mile (this varies as your body becomes more efficient, but is a good starting place).  So, if I run 21 miles a week, I can eat an average of 300 more calories a day.

Wait, that means I'm eating 1900 calories a day now...

And for all the mamas out there who are nursing, you need to add more calories to help nourish your little bundle of joy.  I would recommend adding  300- 500 calories a day depending on how much they're nursing.

So yes, I eat close to 2200 calories a day to maintain my weight.

But, what does that mean if you're looking to lose weight?  One pound of fat has 3500 calories.  To lose that, you need to create a deficit of about 500 calories a day.  But, before you take that away from the number of calories your eating each day, remember this:

The most effective weight loss is going to come from a combination of diet and exercise.

I prefer that no more than about 250 of the calories needed per day come from a reduction in your diet.  The rest needs to come from a combination of cardio and strength training.  And as you build more muscle, your body will become more efficient at burning calories =)

The Phrase That Changed Me

A few weeks ago my oldest son, Kamron, said something that freaked me out, and changed my outlook all at the same time.  Let me give you some background...

We had a rough week, I burned dinner a few times; so we ate out a LOT that week.  I told my husband, that I felt "blech" and Kamron blurts out, "Yeah, I need to go on a diet".  I just froze!  Why is my seven year old son worried about a diet?  Seven year old kids should not have to worry about diets!

Then, it hit me...

Kamron is worried about diets because I have basically been on a diet since before he was born. 

I have obsessed about every bite of food. 

I have starved myself. 

I have gorged. 

I have counted calories. 

I have done any other fad thingy that came around. 

I have given my son a weird obsession about food.  

Therefore, I have decided to do something about it.  

I am not obsessing!  

I am not starving!

I am not gorging!

I am not counting calories!

I am not following the latest fad!

This change has resulted in enjoying food.  I am not stressed about every bite I take.
 We enjoy meal times as a family and relax.  I'm still losing weight and my son is no longer worried about his diet.  All in all, I would consider this a win. 

Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder

One of my absolute favorite soups is Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder.  It goes together quick and always gets rave reviews (unless you don't like sweet potatoes or corn ;))

3 medium sweet potatoes

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 cups corn

1 cup water

2 ribs celery

1/2 red onion

1/4 cup diced shallots

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp thyme

3 cups veggie broth

1 bay leaf

1 baking potato

2 Tbsp parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425* Peel and chop sweet potatoes.  Toss in a bowl with 1 Tbsp oil, salt and pepper.  Roast until tender- about 15-25 minutes.

Puree 3 cups corn with 1 cup water.

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a soup pot.  Saute onion, shallot and celery until tender.  Add tomato paste and thyme.  

Add veggie broth, pureed corn and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil.  Add diced baking potato and simmer until tender.

Remove bay leaf.

Add Sweet potatoes, remaining corn and parsley.  Cook until heated through.  Serve with your favorite, crusty bread =)

Food Make Over- Chicken Nuggets and Mac and Cheese

You're at a loss of what to fix for dinner.  You're kids are picky eaters and only want chicken nuggets or macaroni and cheese.  So once again, you find yourself pulling the bag out of the freezer or reaching for the box on the shelf...

Wait!  It's not that hard to make it!  And it will be healthier because you'll be able to pronounce all the ingredients!

Here is my chicken nugget make over.

1 lb (or more to feed your family) chicken- you can use breasts or thighs

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs (Panko stays crunchy!)

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I use Parmesan)

Italian seasoning to taste

Place breadcrumbs, cheese and seasoning in a gallon size plastic bag.  Cut the chicken up into bite size pieces.  Place in bag and shake until well coated.  Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 350* for 15-20 (depending on the size of the pieces).  

There you go, easy peasy chicken nuggets.

The made over mac and cheese takes a bit more, but once you master the rue sauce, you'll be a master mac and cheese maker.

1 Tbsp butter (make sure it's the real stuff!)

1 Tbsp flour (I've also used arrow root powder)

1 cup milk

1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese (more flavor!)

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups cooked noodles

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Once melted, add flour and whisk until well blended- it should form a thick paste.  Slowly add the milk while whisking (to avoid lumps).  Once the milk is blended in, add in the cheese, salt and pepper.  Simmer until the sauce gets nice and thick.  Stir in your noodles.

I also use the cheese sauce to top vegetables.  Bonus points if you add the vegetables to the mac and cheese =)

Grocery Shopping With Kelli- Part Two

I almost made it two weeks on the groceries I bought.

Then, my family ate all of the fruit and veggies.  Soooo, I went to the store and tilapia was on sale.  Sixty dollars later we were restocked and happy!
I work really hard at making a meal plan and sticking to it.  I also strive to plan on leftovers for lunch or even to use for another meal.
Every Sunday we sit down as a family and write out a menu.  The menu is written in stone our families calendar so I know if we are going to have a long day I plan a crock pot meal (or leftovers).  By meal planning I save myself a lot of headaches and a lot of drive thru dinners!

I have no idea why this is upside down...  Pretend that it's right side up. 

Another way I stretch our budget is having BFD.  What's BFD you ask?  That is what my eldest has coined Breakfast for Dinner.  It is oddly one of my kids favorite meals.  We do a lot of frittatas, egg casseroles, and quiches.  These are quick and easy dishes that I can load up with veggies and my kids LOVE them.  If we have BFD I normally add a fruit salad as the side dish.
One other way to maximize my grocery budget is CORD.  This is something I read in a magazine somewhere a few years back and I thought was brilliant.  CORD is short for clean out refrigerator day.   I take all of our leftover vegetables and little dabs of leftover meat and keep them in a Mason jar in the freezer.  When the jar gets full I thaw it out and add some kind of broth to it; either rice, pasta, or potatoes; and any other kind of vegetables that are about to go bad.  This give me a "free" meal every month and I am no longer throwing away dibs and dabs of food!
What tips and tricks do you have for stretching your grocery budget?

Grocery Shopping With Kelli

I get asked a lot what my family and I eat.  My oldest son, Kamron, is allergic to soy and has shown several signs of gluten intolerance.  When I first had Kamron allergy tested I was so relieved to know what to stay away from food wise, however I quickly became overwhelmed when I started going through our pantry and grocery store.  Soy is in everything!!!

The first thing I did was start shopping at Farmer's Market in Dallas.  I love going down there on Saturday morning and picking out our veggies and fruit.  There are also some meat farmers.  However, during soccer season this is not possible because we have early games on Saturday.  So I am going to take you through a typical grocery trip with me. 

I buy lots and lots and lots of fresh produce!  I normally shop at HEB or Sprout's.  I like Sprout's prices on produce but HEB has a better selection, they own Central Market so no surprise there!  I buy organic produce from "The Dirty Dozen" list only, remember there are six of us!  If something is on sale or clearance for a jaw dropping price I stock up.  Most things can be frozen for later or tossed into a soup.  Here is a good article on freezing produce. 

Next, I hit the meat department.  There are actually quite a few places I buy meat.  I buy from HEB, Costco, and a few local farmers.  I found the farmers from Eat Wild.  I understand that not everyone can afford to buy locally sourced meat and I am not going to preach at you about it!  If you can great, if not that is okay too.  Lately HEB has had some great sales on meat and since I am already there getting produce it is saving me money to shop there and not drive in the opposite direction to hit Costco (big win!).  The last time I was there they had Salmon for 4.97 a pound.  I stocked up and had them package it in two pound portions.  Then those portions went into freezer bags in my freezer.  They also had chicken drumettes on sale for 75 cents a pound, I bought quite a few packs of that. I will have my husband grill those and we will use them for lunches, soup, chicken salad, etc.  I had beef in my freezer from a previous stock up session so we were good there!

Then, I hit the dairy area.  We eat a lot of meat and cheese with fruit or salad for lunch so I kind of go a bit "wild" when I buy cheese.  I grabbed some string for the boys, some Havarti because I LOVE it, some basic Cheddar, and some Mozzarella.  I also grabbed eggs, we do Breakfast for Dinner at least once a week, it is cheap.  We also eat Yogurt but instead of buying little cartons I buy the big carton and portion it out into little Tupperware containers.  The kids can add fruit to it if they want or eat it plain.  

Last I hit the aisles.  I bought olives, rice crackers, salsa, canned tomatoes, and rice.  Sometimes I hit the freezer section but I have found that it is cheaper to buy big bags of frozen green beans, broccoli, and mixed veggies at Costco.  

So what did this trip cost me?  It cost 230-  Yes, it is a LOT and yes I wanted to cry but we have enough food for about two weeks.  I also took that and divided it by six and felt better.  I will update on the 29th and tell you how long this lasted and give you some tips for stretching your meals. 

Breakfast Cookies

Cookies for breakfast?

Yup, and they're actually healthy =)

I found the recipe here.

But if you're to lazy to click over, here's the recipe.

Giant Breakfast Cookies (via Heavenly Homemaker)

1 cup butter, melted

¾ cup honey

2 eggs

1 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. baking soda

1 t. vanilla

½ cup buttermilk (or add 1/2 tbsp lemon juice to regular milk and let stand 15 minutes)

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups whole rolled oats

1 cup raisins or chocolate chips

Mix butter, honey, eggs, salt, cinnamon, soda, vanilla and buttermilk. Stir in flour and oats. Fold in raisins or chocolate chips. Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Allow cookies to cool 3-4 minutes on cookie sheet before removing cookies to cool on a wire rack.

I think the next time I make these I might throw in some raisins...  Or chopped apples. 

Organic Panic

Health gurus will tell you that the only way to eat is all organic, all natural, only grass- fed beef...  They try to make you believe that it's an all or nothing situation.  

But, I live in the real world.  I don't have an unlimited food budget.  I have 6 people to feed and I can't spend all my money on organic foods- and truthfully, some of them aren't any better than the regular foods ;)

So what do you do if you're on a budget?  Be smart about how you shop.  If you have access to a farmer's market, talk to the farmers.  Many of them practice organic farming, but because of the cost involved in being certified, aren't.  You can get organic fruits and vegetables at the farmer's market cheaper than you can in the store.  

If you do have to shop at the store, use the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists to help you decide what to buy organic and non- organic.

Dirty Dozen Plus^™

Buy these organic

1

Apples

2

Celery

3

Sweet bell peppers

4

Peaches

5

Strawberries

6

Nectarines
– imported

7

Grapes

8

Spinach

9

Lettuce

10

Cucumbers

11

Blueberries
– domestic

12

Potatoes

Plus

+

Green beans

+

Kale/Greens

+ May contain pesticide residues of special concern

Clean 15^™

Lowest in Pesticide

1

Onions

2

Sweet Corn

3

Pineapples

4

Avocado

5

Cabbage

6

Sweet peas

7

Asparagus

8

Mangoes

9

Eggplant

10

Kiwi

11

Cantaloupe
- domestic

12

Sweet potatoes

13

Grapefruit

14

Watermelon

15

Mushrooms

In the last 10 years, the organic food business has exploded.  With revenues of $27 billion in 2010, the movement continues to grow exponentially.  This growth is good, because it gives us more access to healthier foods, but it can also create a problem.

Focusing on the quality of food (where it came from, how was it sourced,  how was it grown...) can lead many to an unhealthy obsession with healthy food.  They get to the point where their obsession with what they eat creates an imbalance with the rest of their life.

"It's good to eat healthy food.  But if a focus on healthy food begins to crowd out the rest of life, then that focus is becoming a problem." Dr Steven Bratman

Even for those who don't need to lose weight, obsession about the quality of food can lead to unhealthy eating habits.  This can deprive the body of nutrients it needs.  It can also lead to over- spending and unnecessary debt.

Just like in everything else, moderation is the key.  The next time you're grocery shopping and picking up vegetables, be wise about which ones you're picking.  Take small steps now to change your family's diet and soon you'll realize that it's been weeks since your kids had a bowl of sugary cereal =)

But, My Kids Don't Like Veggies!

When we decided to change up our eating habits I was really worried about how our kids would take it.  Would they be okay without their normal snack foods?  How would they handle snacking on celery, apples, cucumbers, etc?  Instead of totally changing everything at once I took it one step at a time.

First, we had a family meeting and told the boys that we would no longer be buying foods that weren't good for our bodies.  We explained that food is to give us energy and we wanted the best possible energy to keep us moving.

Then, we went to the store and I let the boys pick out anything that they wanted to try in the produce area of the grocery store.  Ryan and Dylan LOVE LOVE LOVE apples.  They picked out one of each type of apple.  Kamron really likes mangoes so when they are in season I buy TONS of mangoes.  Ryan also thought that brussel sprouts looked pretty neat.  We also picked out different colors of peppers, cucumbers, carrots, celery, lettuces, cauliflower, and broccoli. 

Next, I toyed around with recipes, dips for fruit and veggies, and homemade treats.  I told the kids that it was their job to taste everything twice and rate it.  I don't expect everybody to like something but I do expect them to try it.  After two bites they had to score it on a 1 to 10 scale.  Turns out Kamron doesn't like brussel sprouts (I don't blame him) but he loves green beans and broccoli cooked in garlic.  Ryan is a fan of anything you put on his plate (yea!).  Dylan likes most things but except mushrooms and tomatoes.  Anna is starting to eat table foods and she is a big fan of sweet potatoes.  However, I didn't expect them to like these foods at first but by keeping them in the process and letting them share their likes and dislikes I kept mutiny at bay.

I don't sneak veggies in my kids food.  I know that a lot of people do and it works for them.  The main reason I don't is because I have an open kitchen and I would get caught!  I also wanted to keep the kids involved and help them to be adventurous with their food choices.  By doing this they are slowly starting to try new foods without worrying about being forced to "like" something, as a result they are ENJOYING veggies!

Everything Soup

A week ago I took a meal to a friend that had recently had a baby.  My plan was to take Taco Soup but instead I made what my kids later christened Everything Soup.  It was so good and made so much that I thought I would share the recipe with all of you.  I unfortunately don't have pictures of it to post but will try to get some next time I make it.

You will need:
2 lbs ground beef
1 chopped onion
3 cloves garlic
1 head of celery
5 carrots
1 cup rice
32 ounces diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
1 cup brown lentils
64 ounces chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
Salt to taste

Brown the ground beef with garlic, onion, celery, chili powder, and cumin.  Meanwhile cook the lentils and rice in the broth.  Add beef to cooked rice/lentil mixture.  Add in carrots and diced tomatoes.  Simmer together until flavors meld and enjoy!  You might have to add some more liquid to make it your desired soup consistency.   We enjoyed it and this made plenty for dinner as well as lunch the next day!