Add This For A Little Extra Health :)

After celebrating Independence Day yesterday with a picnic filled with decadent treats, I ended the evening sick and in pain, since I'm not used to eating that way anymore. Realizing, at that point, that the Summer holds as many temptations for unhealthiness as the Fall/ Winter holidays, I renewed my commitment to actually ADDING IN healthy foods, not just cutting out some of the bad ones.

I'm usually not much for the "amazing food" claims, that tell you if you eat 4 cups of fresh Kale twice a day for three months, you can lower your cholesterol by 5%, or other such impractical advice. You can't possibly eat the large portions of foods that it would take to supposedly cure every single little thing, so I usually skip these types of articles in my reading material.

However, I did recently come across two very helpful and doable pieces of information from the "food can cure..." genre, that I thought other WonderMoms might appreciate. These both come from the latest edition of Woman's World magazine, and offer some hope for a minimal commitment...

Two easy ways to help lower your blood pressure - by drinking 2oz. daily of aloe vera juice ( you could add this to juice or a smoothie), and eating 1/3 cu. of onions a day (any variety, can be cooked or raw). Aloe vera reduces inflammation and onions contain a diuretic which flushes sodium and trapped fluids from your body.

Help prevent colon polyps, and ultimately colon cancer by eating 2 1/2 cups of fruit a day...just 2 1/2 cu. cuts your risk by 38% (see meal replacement smoothie below for an easy way to get 2/3 of your fruit in one delicious drink!)

                             Meal Replacement Smoothie

(Inspired by my friend, Kelly Braughler, and tweaked just a little to fit my daily calorie count)

Blend:

1/2 frozen banana

1 cu. frozen berries

1/2 scoop Spiru-Tein vanilla protein powder

8 oz. vanilla almond milk

calories: 250

Too hot to breathe!

Even Wonder Woman gets thrown off course now and then :) My children and I lasted about half an hour in the 100+ degree heat. It wasn't exactly the workout I was looking for, but we were able to go to the park and I got a couple of games of "PIG" in with my oldest stepson, and pushed India on the swings for a bit. "No video games until after lunch" is in place. As soon as I get myself some more craft and art supplies, I will be consulting my "Children's Busy Book" and "Preschooler's Busy Book" for ideas, which will be the afternoon activities on weekdays around here. Look for upcoming installments with all kinds of crazy adventures :)




In an effort to slim down, I am following a very minimalist diet, which is as follows:




I am eating 4 times a day - 9am, noon, 3pm and 6pm

Each meal consists of 250-350 cals, preferably something healthy

Unlimited coffee with milk to sip throughout the day (I usually only get through 1 or 1 1/2 cu.)

No snacking, except for the occasional baby carrot




This works really well for a busy mom who can't always keep her calories straight for the day. You don't need to tally for the whole day, just for the meal you are eating right then. Lean Cuisines and other such portion controlled meals work, as do protein smoothies. I will be listing favorite low calorie meals from time to time on this blog.

Today's Lunch:

Semi - healthy Egg Sandwich :)


Cook two eggs in 1/3 tsp. coconut oil 
Add in fresh herbs (rosemary and basil were particularly yummy) and salt to taste
Place between two slices of  Brownberry Italian bread, sparingly buttered with 1tsp, Land O'Lakes spreadable butter with Canola Oil


total calories: 340

Day Ten

I started off my day with a smoothie and my own low calorie pick me up:

Easy 80 Calorie Cinnamon "Latte"


Simmer:
 1 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsps water, dash of vanilla extract, 2 tsps cinnamon until it becomes cohesive and starts to get just a little thick, pour into large mug.


Pour 6 oz. freshly brewed coffee into the mug, stir


Combine: 1oz. 2% milk and 2oz. vanilla almond milk into an airtight container and shake vigorously


Pour on top of coffee mixture and stir gently


With four kids, I don't really get a "coffee break", so I sip at this all day long :)



Goals for today:

1.Spend meaningful time with the kids
2.Accomplish piles of laundry
3.Get ready for a yardsale

I've enacted the law of "play outside until lunch", and this includes me!  Unless I'm not feeling well, or it's raining, from 10:30 until lunch time (around 12:30) is time to be outside doing something.  I have effectively packed up the treadmill, (which I was beginning to thoroughly despise), for the summer, in favor of running around outside with the kids.  One of my favorite phrases (which my husband likes to tease me about) is "kill two birds with one stone", and it fits perfectly here.  I can spend time with the kids, plus get my exercise for the day, without sacrificing quality for either one!

More Later...Have a WONDERful day!