The Dilemna

Honestly, I have struggled a bit over the past few weeks with holiday sweet cravings and have given in on occasion. The result…there really wasn’t one. I continued to eat healthy and continued to exercise 6 days a week. I didn’t gain a pound. The lesson I have gained through this experience was that it is okay to treat yourself every once in a while. Just don’t go overboard. My problem is that I LOVE to bake. I inherited it from my mother and I truly feel that I have a gift in the area just as she did. I’m probably not the best cook in the world, but I am ranked high in the baking department. What dilemma, you might ask, comes along with baking? It lies within the endless sampling that goes along with a day of baking. However, I was able to find a trick. I made all of my dough for cookies and took a small sample of each type of dough. While preparing the dough, I chewed sugar free gum. I baked everything- chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, no-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies, toffee bars and magic cookie bars. Everything was pure “evil” (I like to call things evil when they taste delish but are extremely fattening) as it was all devilishly good. I tried a small sample of each completed item and I was happy. Then I packaged up 17 little goody bags and delivered them to my friends and family. I didn’t leave even a piece behind. I got the baking out of my system without any damage to my hips and thighs and was able to share a little Christmas joy with those that are important to me. In the end, I felt that power within me- that I was able to exhibit self control, but still indulge just a bit. I had control and it was awesome.

A group shot of the temptations:

Magic Cookie Bars (the most evil of them all) and Peanut Butter Cookies

My Much Requested Chocolate Chip Cookies and My mom's No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmel Cookies

Toffe Bars

Go Green!

Go green! I’m not talking about the environment (although you should go green in that way too). I’m talking about eating your greens. In the summer, I was drinking a green smoothie every morning but I have found this a challenge as the weather has turned colder. Well, I am back on my green drink kick. Smoothies are an excellent way to stuff healthy foods into your diet. They are easy to make and cost efficient.

Today’s smoothie:
· 1 banana
· 1 tangerine
· 1 cup packed baby spinach
· 1 cup packed romaine lettuce
· 2 tbsp ground flax seed (not pictured, sorry)
· 1 handful of ice

I just threw all of it in a blender. I really wish I had a better blender. Mine is just a cheap $15 blender. However, this goes to show that you don't need anything fancy to make a smoothie.

This smoothie has approximately 240 nutrient packed calories and about 6 grams of healthy fats from the flax seed. Flax seed is another super food. Here is some information on it:

Although flaxseed contains all sorts of healthy components, it owes its healthy reputation primarily to three ingredients:

· Omega-3 essential fatty acids. These are "good" fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects.
· Lignans. They have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities.
· Fiber. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble type of fiber.


Dark green leafy vegetables are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium) and vitamins, including vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins. They also provide a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems, among many other effects. Dark green leaves even contain small amounts of Omega-3 fats. Perhaps the star of these nutrients is Vitamin K. Vitamin K regulates blood clotting, helps protect bones from osteoporosis, may help prevent and possibly even reduce atherosclerosis by reducing calcium in arterial plaques, may be a key regulator of inflammation, and may help protect us from inflammatory diseases including arthritis and may help prevent diabetes.

What will be in your smoothie today?

For some good information on green smoothies and healthy eating, visit http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/

Happy juicing!

You Are What You Eat

Here is food for thought: “You are what you eat.” We’ve all heard this comment, but have you really considered what it means? During the summertime, I read “Skinny Bitch” and it wasn’t until I read this book that I had ever really thought deeply about this comment. If you eat foods high in fat, the ugly and painful truth is that you will be fat. What do you want to put in your body? As the Skinny Bitch ladies boldly put it, “Every time you put crap in your body, you are crap.” Okay, I am not a freak that goes around shoving vegetarianism down peoples’ throats, but I am proud to say I am a vegetarian. This well known phrase was the convincing phrase for me: “You are what you eat.” Do you eat meat? Here is what you are eating: hormones which are given to plump up those animals in a hurry so the corporate factory farms can make more money, the pesticides that they essentially are eating because their food is treated with them, steroids: more plumping action, antibiotics to safeguard the animals from getting sick because they live in unsanitary conditions. You are eating the fear, grief and rage that they experience when being processed as your food source. In many cases, you are eating the illnesses that many of these animals endured during their lifespan. Fruits, veggies and grains are raised in fertile soil with sunshine and water. I buy 90% local organic produce. This is a better picture in my mind.

Are there options? YES. Can you get enough of the proper nutrition you need from a plant based diet? Of course you can. I have been a vegetarian for only a few short months- only four months to be exact. I have found the benefits to be well worth the change. I have experienced changes in my skin, digestion and energy level. My immunity to illness is higher than it’s ever been. For me, this is a decision I have made for my health. My husband and children are not vegetarians but as a result of my choice to become one, my husband, who ate red meat very regularly, only eats red meat maybe once a week. The meat I prepare for my family is natural. The animals are raised without the use of any of the above said antibiotics or hormones, etc. The beef my husband and older daughter (my two youngest daughters do not eat beef) eats are from cows that are grass fed and the chickens are free range chickens. I pay a little extra but I think the real cost of buying cheap food will catch up with one later in life so I feel this is an investment in their health.

There is no secret...

I hear from many friends and acquaintances all too often, "I can't seem to lose weight. I exercise x amount of days and the weight will not come off." My response is what are you eating? What is your daily caloric intake? I exercised for years and did not watch what I ate. The result of that was a huge weight gain where I topped off at 180/185 pounds. Come on, really, what ARE you eating? Don't lie to me and most especially don't lie to yourself. I spent too many years telling myself how healthy I was. So you say you are consuming 1500 calories a day. Does that include the handful of crackers, cereal, those few cookies, that glass of wine or those few tester bites you had while you were cooking? You can be way up past 2000 calories in no time. Be real.

My main reason for beginning this blog is to encourage people, particularly women, to find the power within themselves to accomplish the goals at hand. You can lose weight or whatever goal it is that you have set. There is no secret to being healthy. Please do not take pills or drink that "magic" shake or go on that special diet. You know what to do. It is common sense. Burn more than you take in and make sure you are taking in healthy unprocessed foods and are exercising daily.

Don't make any excuses. You will run out of tomorrows and new years. Don't wait till the new year begins to make that choice to be a healthier you. Each day is a new day; each hour is a new hour. If you made a mistake this morning, dust yourself off and keep going. You do not have to eat those cookies because YOU have the power to make a good choice. The choices you make affect your future.

I apologize if my edge is harsh, but my motive is to encourage you to take those simple steps to becoming healthy and fit. YOU have the POWER TO DO. Don't let anyone else tell you that you don't.

I did it and you can too. Here is my proof. The first picture was of me in 2007. I weighed approximately 180/185 pounds. The second picture is of me in late November 2009. My current weight is 132 pounds.

What am I putting in my body?

I was shocked the other day. As I was sautéing some veggies, I grabbed the garlic salt out of the pantry and happened to check the ingredients. It must be simple. It couldn’t contain more than garlic, salt and parsley, right? Well I was so wrong. Among the list of ingredients was the dreaded partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. I knew it was bad for you because of trans fatty acids. However, I wasn’t really clear on the whole hydrogenation process so I decided to do a little research. Here are my findings.

What are hydrogenated vegetable oils?

Hydrogenation is an advanced process. First vegetable seeds are washed and bleached to eliminate all colors, taste, smells and impurities. Next, the liquid vegetable oil is heated at high temperatures. They then add a catalyst. The most common catalyst used is nickel, but palladium, platinum or rhodium may also be used. Hydrogen is simmered throughout the liquid. They filter the concoction to remove the metal. What remains is the hydrogenated vegetable oil.

Why are these oils added to our foods?

The benefit to the manufacturer is that they can produce a product that can remain at room temperature as well as a product with an extended shelf life. We the consumers continue to purchase these products therefore manufacturers keep producing them.

What is the problem with these oils?

The hydrogenation procedure modifies the makeup of some of the fats. It is changed to a type that the body does not easily recognize: trans fatty acids. What does trans fat do? First, it raises LDL cholesterol levels. LDL is the bad carrier for cholesterol. Trans fats may also lower HDL cholesterol which is the good carrier for cholesterol. Trans fats have a tendency to raise total blood cholesterol levels. The association linking trans fat and cancer risk is unclear. Some studies conducted suggest that trans fats may raise the risk of certain cancers such as breast cancer. The smartest move you can make for your health is to cut the ingestion of all solid fats in order to decrease the danger of heart disease and possibly cancer.

The most important lesson for me: READ THE LABELS OF EVERYTHING YOU CONSUME NO MATTER WHAT IT IS OR HOW SAFE IT MAY SEEM!

Also, if you frequent fast food restaurants, obtain a copy of their nutrition information. This is a real eye opener.

This website has some good information: http://www.bantransfats.com/index.html

This is Just the Beginning...

I am starting this blog as a source of encouragement for others. I am in the midst of my journey of life and have found that I have the power to accomplish things in my life that once seemed impossible. You too can be powerful and strong...you control the choices you make. YOU have the power to do whatever you want to do. I found the phrase "power to do" in a local community magazine. I had recently lost quite a bit of weight and at that point I realized that I had possessed the power for so long but never released it. I remember sitting there staring at the phrase in print and amazed at the things I had accomplished. The most important aspect of my achievements is that I accomplished them on my own.


My Recent Accomplishments

Weight Loss

I recently lost over 40 pounds. At one point, I felt I was destined to be big forever. I accepted that was who I was meant to be. I accepted the phrase "big boned." I was in denial. I was bitter and I didn't even realize it. I had always been interested in health and fitness and had never quite made the decision to plunge into it head first. It was the beginning of spring 2009 and I had recently started drinking kombucha tea which is pretty pricey at $3.25 a bottle. I had just finished that bottle and was reading the label and all of its benefits. Then it struck me. Why am I drinking this? I weigh 180 pounds (that was my starting weight) and I eat way too much crap. What is the point? I can't just add one little thing to my life and expect it to change me. It was then that I decided that I had to figure this out on my own. I didn't want to join a gym but I did want to be healthier. I had worked out previously, mostly running, but it was never consistent enough to yield results. I had to do this for me and for my family. My teen daughter is a track athlete and I have two small girls that I stay at home with. I had to be healthy for them....I wanted to be a strong and healthy role model for them. My husband has always been into fitness. I knew I had to do this for him too. I had to do it for me. I needed to feel better. I needed more energy.

I discovered the secret. The secret is that there isn't any secret. I knew what to do. There was no pill or magic diet. I had to eat healthy and I had to work out. I had to commit. I did just that. I started shopping at health food stores and farmer's markets. I worked out every single day in my living room when my little ones were napping. I did it. I am now 136 pounds and am smaller than I was in high school. I am not big boned or destined to be large. I am healthy, strong and happy. I found that health extends into all of the other areas of your life.

Community Involvement




I recently was the team captain for Team Sassy. As a team, we raised about $2300 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation and participated in the Race for the Cure. It was a great feeling.




I have also recently become involved in donating food to local food banks.


It's a good feeling to help others and it's a great way to be a role model for your children.

Athletic Accomplishments






I have ran a few 5k's. My average time was 29-30 minutes for a 5k which is 3.1 miles. When I ran the 5k a few weeks ago, I ran the race in 26:10 which is 4 minutes faster than my previous times. I came in 9th out of 27 women in my age group. What a great moment it was when I saw those race results!



Those are my most recent accomplishments. I will have many more to come. I am excited to share this blog with others and even if I inspire just one person to unlock their power within, then it is worth it. Enjoy!