Well, it has been a year since my last post. You could say that I've been slacking as it pertains to blogging. We welcomed our baby girl, Madison Taylor Blanchard, into the world on January 20, 2011; she is now 8 months old.
Toward the end of my pregnancy, I just didn't have the energy to cook a lot and trying new recipes was more exhausting then fun.
Once Madison arrived, we would just eat whatever was fast & easy (or whatever food friends/family brought over). It took a few months, but we are back in our groove and enjoying cooking, trying new restaurants, reading food blogs & experimenting with new recipes.
Additionally, my hubby & I found out about 5 months ago that he has high cholesterol. Since we are both young, we typically just ate whatever sounded good. We weren't necessarily unhealthy eaters as we both like fruits & veggies, but we both agreed it was time to make some changes.
We cut red meat out of our diet (except for special occasions or a family get together), switched from white breads & rices to whole grains and upped our fruits & veggies. We also replaced processed turkey meat & 100 calorie chips for lunch with carrots & hummus, veggie sandwiches or extra fruit.
My husband had a new blood test a little over a week ago. With our new diet & his dedication to exercising, he lowered his cholesterol 100 points into the "ideal" range. As an added bonus, he has lost nearly 30 pounds! We have 1-2 splurge meals on the weekends, but 90% of the time, we are watching what we eat.
Looking forward to blogging again about healthy cooking and of course some delicious splurges & recipes.
Showing posts with label Healthy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Healthy. Show all posts
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Saturday, October 10, 2009
New Breakfast Ideas
I have pushed the bagels & english muffins aside, and have found 2 quick, grab on-the-go breakfast ideas that I take to work & eat at my desk. I love them because they are full of protein, low in fat & calories, and keep my full. Also, for the laziness factor, I don't have to toast a bagel, or do anything but grab a spoon!
I have always loved yogurt for breakfast as well as cottage cheese. Here are my two finds that are so delicious:
1. Greek Yogurt, specifically Voskos
Greek yogurt is thick & creamy and certain varieties contain up to 24g of protein! That is like eating a chicken breast for breakfast...lol. Really, no stirring required here.
The wild strawberry (5.3 oz serving) contains 120 calories, 13g protein, 13g sugar (some of yoplaits contain up to 27g of sugar). Gluten free, etc.
Yoplait light yogurt (6 oz serving) contains 100 calories, 5g protein, & I believe sucralose (fake sugar, which gives me headaches).
All of the ingredients on the Voskos label are pretty self-explanatory. Although the calorie count is a bit higher (20 calories), I don't really care!
Other Voskos flavors include: greek honey, wild blueberry, honey vanilla bean, & exotic fig.
Another good brand of Greek Yogurt is Fage (pronounced Fa-Yeh). However, this yogurt is super thick! I buy this yogurt in the non-fat or low-fat version in the larger container, and use it in anything, that I'd use sour cream in (i.e. black bean soup), or make a quick salad dressing with it. Just google, "Ways to use Greek Yogurt," and you'll be surprised what comes up!
2. Rachel's Cottage Cheese, Cucumber Dill flavor (but they have lots of fun flavors)
This cottage cheese is creamy which was a surprise to me - the good stuff is at the bottom, so you will need to stir. The cumumber & dill is light & pretty addicting. The nutritional value for cottage cheese (1 prepackage container) is awesome- 110 calories, 2g fat, 5g sugar, 14g protein, 20% calcium. I read that cottage cheese is actually a very good bedtime snack too - due to the casein protein that is slowly absorbed into the blood stream (takes about 7 hours)! Good for building muscles too.
Other flavors of Rachel's include: Sun Dried Tomato Pesto, Roasted Red Pepper, Pear Mangosteen, Pomegrante Orange Cranberry, & Lemon Verbena Berry.
I have always loved yogurt for breakfast as well as cottage cheese. Here are my two finds that are so delicious:
1. Greek Yogurt, specifically Voskos
Greek yogurt is thick & creamy and certain varieties contain up to 24g of protein! That is like eating a chicken breast for breakfast...lol. Really, no stirring required here.
The wild strawberry (5.3 oz serving) contains 120 calories, 13g protein, 13g sugar (some of yoplaits contain up to 27g of sugar). Gluten free, etc.
Yoplait light yogurt (6 oz serving) contains 100 calories, 5g protein, & I believe sucralose (fake sugar, which gives me headaches).
All of the ingredients on the Voskos label are pretty self-explanatory. Although the calorie count is a bit higher (20 calories), I don't really care!
Other Voskos flavors include: greek honey, wild blueberry, honey vanilla bean, & exotic fig.
Another good brand of Greek Yogurt is Fage (pronounced Fa-Yeh). However, this yogurt is super thick! I buy this yogurt in the non-fat or low-fat version in the larger container, and use it in anything, that I'd use sour cream in (i.e. black bean soup), or make a quick salad dressing with it. Just google, "Ways to use Greek Yogurt," and you'll be surprised what comes up!
2. Rachel's Cottage Cheese, Cucumber Dill flavor (but they have lots of fun flavors)
This cottage cheese is creamy which was a surprise to me - the good stuff is at the bottom, so you will need to stir. The cumumber & dill is light & pretty addicting. The nutritional value for cottage cheese (1 prepackage container) is awesome- 110 calories, 2g fat, 5g sugar, 14g protein, 20% calcium. I read that cottage cheese is actually a very good bedtime snack too - due to the casein protein that is slowly absorbed into the blood stream (takes about 7 hours)! Good for building muscles too.
Other flavors of Rachel's include: Sun Dried Tomato Pesto, Roasted Red Pepper, Pear Mangosteen, Pomegrante Orange Cranberry, & Lemon Verbena Berry.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Super Foods
Working on eating healthier- bought the book "Eat This, Not That" by David Zinczenko, and it is a pretty great book. Has very useful information.
Working on eating some of the Super Foods or Power 12:
1. Almonds & Other nuts
Super Powers: Builds muscle, curbs cravings, Protein, vitamins, fiber, etc
2. Beans & Other Legumes
Super Powers: Builds muscle, burns fat, aids digestion, high fiber & protein, fights against disease
3. Spinach & Other green veggies
Super Powers: Neutralizing free radicals (molecules that increase the aging process), vitamins, fibers
4. Low-fat Dairy
Super Powers: Building strong bones, firing up weight loss, vitamins & minerals
5. Instant Oatmeal (unsweetened/unflavored)
Super Powers: Boosting energy & sex drive, reducing cholesterol, maintaining blood sugar levels, fiber
6.Eggs
Super Powers: Building muscle, burning fat, protein, vitamins
7. Turkey & other lean meats
Super Powers: Building muscle, improving immune system, protein & vitamins
8. Peanut Butter (all-natural sugar free)
Super Powers: Building muscle, burning fat, protein & vitamins
9. Olive Oil
Super Powers: Lowers cholesterol, boosts immune system, vitamin E
10. Whole Grain Breads & Cereal
Super Powers: Prevents your body from storing fat, fiber, vitamins & minerals
11. Extra-Protein Whey Powder
Super Powers: Building muscle, burning fat, protein
12. Raspberries and other berries
Super Powers: Protecting your heart, enhancing eyesight, improving memory, preventing cravings, antioxidants, fiber, vitamin C
Most of these are easy for me to fit in...the only ones that I haven't gotten around to: Sugar Free PB & Extra-Protein Whey Powder (only had it at smoothie king, haven't bought it at home). I actually love the rest of this stuff.
Pretty easy to incorporate most of this stuff for daily snacks or meals.
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