go all

I just want to encourage anyone today that is considering doing something positive toward their health. Any small thing you do from a few extra steps to grabbing water to drink instead of soda or saying no to an unhealthy choice and replacing it with a good choice. Go for it. At least one more each day and in the long run you will feel better and look better and be pleased with yourself.

Belly Dancing

Hey it was fun to try and laugh with my daughters. I don't think we will be asked to perform ...ever. Ha. Try something new this week. I am ready for Zumba tomorrow. I really like it. At least I did last time I tried. See you all tomorrow.

Chayote

Stuffed Chayotes
2 large chayotes
Water
1 garlic clove
½ t salt
1 T butter
1 smal onion, chopped
2 small tomatoes, peeled, chopped, drained (1/2 lb)
1 T chopped fresh parsley
2 oz Cheddar cheese, shredded ( ½ c) or Mexican fresh cheese -Ranchero
fresh parsley

Cut chayotes in half lengthwise. Place in a large saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until chayotes are tender when pierced with a fork, 30 to 45 minutes. Drain and cool. Scoop out pulp with a sharp spoon, being careful not to tear shells. Reserve shells. Dice pulp and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 F. Mash garlic with salt to make a paste. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add garlic past and onion. Cook until onion is tender but not browned. Add tomatoes, chayote pulp and 1 T parsley. Simmer 15 minutes or until tomatoes are cooked and liquid is evaporated. Spoon mixture into reserved chayote shells. Sprinkle with cheese (I like Mexican fresh cheese –Ranchero instead) and top with additional chapped parsley. Bake 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and vegetables are heated through. Make 4 servings.

Note: Chayote shells/ skin are not edible.




Try making Hibiscus Tea and add lime and stevia serve cold for a refreshing Hibiscus Lemonade

*great diuretic

comments

So I am the computer dummy. I just figured out how to read comments posted on my blog but I don't know how to post one>>>>>??????

New recipe

Try this. Soooo good. Thaw a turkey breast and cut off fat. Place in a crock pot and pour over it 1 can of green salsa, add garlic powder and morten's lite salt. Cook on high for 5 hours.
I served this with a spinach salad that had dried cranberries, low fat shredded mozzarela, raw walnuts chopped, almonds, soy nuts and light honey mustard dressing. I believe all of these nuts are supposed to help bring down your cholesterol. Quantities are small enough to not give you too much fat and not salted.

Food glorious Food

There is nothing like a perfect dinner when you are watching what you eat. Mostly meat is not that tasty. Today I took a lean roast and put it in the pressure cooker for 1.5 hours with the following spices. I am just so content right now. Yum. One large can of tomatoes sauce blended with 1/2 can of chipotle peppers, 1/2 a small onion. Pour over roast, add extra water, 4 laurel leaves, pepper, garlic powder. For once I will be happy if there are any leftovers. Can anyone come up with a flounder, talapia or mahi mahi recipe that is yummy?

Exercise class

I missed everyone at exercise class this morning. Yup showed up all by my lonesome to find both women's center and auditorium empty. So even though everyone else missed out because they paid more attention than I did to the dates scheduled I had a good run with my daughter. Have a good weekend. I am enjoying the runner's high and not so much the sore legs and butt from yesterday's lunges (Thank you Shantell...)

exercise

Try something new. Latin Rhythm exercise video by Kathy Smith, Belly Dance exercise video by Kathy Smith or a zumba class. Exercise should be fun!!! Not all exercise is fun for different people. I like these. I also like running, swimming and walking. Variety is great. Spelling isn't

Best ever Wheat Bread recipe

Whole Wheat Bread
2c hot water
1 T salt
1/4 c oil
1/4 c honey
2 T SAF yeast
1 T lemon juice
1/4 c flax

7-8 c flour

Mix all first ingredients with 3 c flour. Mix well and let rise 15 min.

Add rest of flour and knead for 7 minutes. Divide into loaves and let rise to double.

Bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes for 2 loaves. 6-8 small loaves 25 minutes.

Tone shoes

In case anyone is considering buying these I have and they hurt your feet. They feel comfortable on but then each time you go from sitting to standing without them the feet hurt. Running store says you can tone better walking barefoot. If you still insist on trying them usually Ross has some for about $30 instead of $100. I tried them for 3 months.

frustration

I guess you all have had a bad day or two when the dieting weightloss seems to slow down and put you in a funk wondering what you could possibly be doing wrong. Then there is the "goal" that hangs over your head when you are "falling" behind. What to do to get off of the plateau when old dieting habits make you feel like cutting back even more food or exercising way beyond what you need??? Today I am going to read think yourself thin. Yes that is a real book. Not sure you can do that but I need to get my head back in the right place and get remotivated. Where is the how to eat to never be on a diet again and not get upset when it takes a year to get to the goal and continue on...

heart challenge

I ate something fried yesterday and it was not good. I am amazed at how fast you can get over something like that. I would like to know how to use a waterless stainless steel pan and be able to do stuff like milanesas or chile relleno without the oil and make them healthier.

down day

Everything I know tells me that there will be slow weeks especially as muscle begins building but sometimes that doesn't get through in reverse and so I feel that I have had a bad week. Whew what a run on. I know I ate pretty well and I know that I clocked 8.5 hours of exercise so why do I feel like I did a bad job and didn't lose more than a pound? I am soo impatient. If you are there just remind yourself like I am that there are still 9 more weeks and at the end of 14 weeks any improvement is better than getting 3 months down the road and saying man if I had only started in Feb. like I wanted to I would not have wasted another 3 months doing nothing. So that is my self pep talk for the day.

salsa

Versatile salsa. 1 quart whole peeled tomatoes, 2 serrano peppers, 1/3 small onion, two cloves garlic peeled, 1 t lite salt (good potassium) Liquify in blender

-Heat and serve on fried eggs
-Drain spagetti and pour back in pan then pour salsa over it and bring to a boil, sprinkle with white Ranchero cheese as a side for grilled chicken
-Add to soup like lentils
On tacos, with steak instead of A1 etc.

Nutrition Class

I really love the class this morning mostly because I want to see how you make good food good to eat. Some were creative and sounded fun to try and some were too far out there for me. I am a Mexican food addict. Make it from scratch really does make sense to me so I can dump preservatives. Organic cost seems a bit much so I do what I can and am just trying to find normal healthy living to incorporate and adjust to so I can not only lose but maintain.

heart challenge

Hope that everyone is enjoying this. No often do we get a chance to be walked through a life change. I am really trying to make this a change of habits and not look at is as a diet or restriction. I do like exercising and want to get away from the idea that there is an end to this challenge. Otherwise how did dieting ever promote health. I am more worried about what is going on inside than the end reflection of the outside. Fortunately the outside improvements are a fringe benefit.

Yummy meatballs

Green Meatballs

Peel and clean 1 pound tomatillo
Cut up 1 small onion and place all in dry fry pan to blister

In blender add the above plus
1 cup chicken broth
1 t sea salt
2 chipotle chiles in adobo
6 T chopped cilantro
2 chopped cloves garlic
liquify all

To one pound 93 percent lean ground beef add ½ c sauce and one raw egg. Mix together
Form small meatballs and toss into sauce. Bring to boil and simmer ½ hour. Serve over rice.
I love cooking good food and I don't think taste has to go away to eat right. Try this I love it.

heart health

I am finally recovering from last weeks sore spots. Sunday's are nice for recovery. But now I am ready to get back in the pool tomorrow. I don't know that any exercise feels as good as swimming. You don't advance as fast as runners but moving smoothly through the water is supreme.

Down with Cholesterol starters

What's your take? What have you learned helps to lower cholesterol. Please share. Lower Cholesterol Tips. Kendra
Healthier Fats:
Do eat cold-water fish twice a week.
Do opt for olive oil rather than butter on bread or creamy dressings on salad.
Do eat nuts for snacks in place of cookies of chips.
Do choose omega-3 enhanced eggs rather than conventional eggs.
Do drink skim milk rather than 2 percent.
Do remove the skin from chicken and other poultry.

Choose Whole Foods.
Choose Whole Grains
Eat Fruits and Vegetables
Eat plenty of Fiber
Learn about low glycemic load foods and choose those.
Limit your intake of high fructose corn syrup

Today I got back into the easy management. I don't like traveling and this was a rough weekend. I didn't feel like I quit just got distracted. I feel much better eating better. kendra

comfort food

fell into the the comfort food trap today. Emotional eating. I wasn't content though

heart challenge

The BMI chart is not so fun. My goal long term will of course be to drop from obese to overweight and finally to just right. Oh weight that would be goldilocks. Ha. So I have found this week that 1300 calories assigned by the dietician needs to be approximate for me if I am listening to my body and doing the intuitive eating. By eating whole foods and drinking plenty of water: I am fuller, have plenty of energy and my body is working better. I still lose weight but have the energy to do all of the exercising. Who would have thought after xxx diets that carbs would be a new friend. If you haven't picked it up go to your library and check out a copy of Intuitive Eating.

goals

I feel great that I am on track with my goals. I have been eating lots of whole foods so I am not hungry. Back at it this morning and really enjoying swimming.

exercise classes

If you don't like it you won't do it. Choose a class that is a the right level and something that is fun. My sister's beginner zumba was so fun that I would do it over and over. There are so many great classes out there I hope you will find one that suits you. I have tried hawaiian dance, kick boxing and latin dance all fun. You might even like belly dancing. There are too many to ever get bored. Good luck.

diet

I was a little disappointed today to find out that the diet information had nothing to do with how to lower blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. I am also not sure how Intuative Eating ties into dieting. I have been thinking that learning to eat a balanced diet or I should say nutricious food and manage to limit yet not exclude other foods would be more practical than past habits but since cholesterol can be high in even thin people I am open to tips on ways to naturally lower it.

back in town

I am ready to go today. I am excited to workout with my trainer and am 100 percent happy to be not putting it all off for another day. Zumba was fun but I never have had too much rhythm. Maybe I can't even say it but laughing at my own mistakes and being with my sister made it fun. What's next?

heart challenge

I did two workouts today. The evening one was a zumba class that my sister teaches. Somehow I got pushed to the front of the cleass. Ha I am sure that I was the sight...However since there were lots of other newcomers I was not the only non graceful participant.
I was happy to report a five pound weight loss for my first Monday report. That was my math lesson for the week. A negative plus a positive equals a negative if the first negative is minus sugar and the positive is plus exercise. Reverse those and I would get a positive I am sure. Good luck to everyone else this week.

crazy days

Two things I wonder about and one of them is not how to get over not knowing what to blog. Why when days are crazy do I eat so weird I know that when I travel i try not to drink too much. Why?
well that could be because parents never like to stop for bathroom breaks at least not too often. As a matter of fact as I set squished on the plane and waited a long time to wake up the lady blocking the isle so I could get out I wished she had avoided drinking as well...she dumped her drink all over me.
The other question is why does this stil feel like a diet? Maybe because it is and I don't have any life change information and can't see the cholesterol going down. I am ready to know if I need to upgrade my own changes and knowledge. I am sure I do.

travel

I had to make an emergency trip. Planning for travel with my own food and ignoring the impulse to snack was definantly something I delt with today. I didn't need anything so it was just a learned habit. Exercising and eating right while traveling will take planning and extra effort but I am up for the challenge and have the support of my sister who I am staying with.

heart challenge

Interesting that we hide from others and are less social when we don't feel good about the way we look. Even from the mirror. I don't often worry until I go out or feel badly about how I look in clothes until I go out. However my goals are deeper. I know that even if I lost weight the guarantee of good health is in healthy eating and good weight together. Even thin people have heart attacks. With a brother very ill with cancer I worry more about the unseen these days. This is my 100 day help start a lower risk life.

Holidays

I am determined to not eat just because everyone else is eating something. We haven't be told how to change eating habits yet but I am sure trading hot fudge volcano cake for an hour of swimming with my daughters was a great choice.
After years of too-much-meat diets I want to know about the Intuative Diet and what my body really needs to get down cholesterol and weight. Besides skipping all of the desserts.

Getting started

Nice introduction this morning. Can't say it was fun to see weight, waist and high cholesterol numbers but it will be good to see how much better they are in 100 days. The report responsibility has already helped me to bypass the fridge a few times. I have been looking forward to this challenge.