Battle the Tummy Bulge with Blueberries

If you’ve got a sweet tooth, consider that some studies are showing that sugar is making more people fat, than fat is!  So choose wisely on your sweet indulgences.

A can of cola can have around 155-170 calories.  As for brownies, chocolate fudge and pie…well, we won’t even go there!  You know they can pack some hefty calories.  I love these sweet treats, but they shouldn’t be on my menu every day.  They would be more suitable for special occasions or perhaps on one special day of the week where you allow yourself an extra treat.

When you’re cutting back on sugar, try to replace that “sweet craving” with something more natural and nutritious. Considering the fact that one cup of blueberries have only about 82 calories make them a perfect treat for a snack.

Here’s some other health benefits of blueberries:

- Blueberries also contain less water making them more nutrient-dense when comparing equal volumes.

- Blueberries are rich in phytochemicals (phenolic acid, anthocyanins and ellagic acid, a natural compound that may inhibit tumor growth)  *Fresh and frozen are recommended.  Dried forms contain very little anthocyanins.

- Blueberries have the possibility to improve balance, coordination and memory.

- Blueberries have the possibility to inhibit cancer, prevent bacteria that’s responsible for urinary tract infections and also help protect against cardiovascular disease.

*Researchers at the University of Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada found that rats which were fed diets containing wild blueberries for six weeks experienced a decrease in stroke-induced brain damage.

Weekly Motivational Pep Talk:

Are you getting enough sleep?   Women seem to struggle in this area.  Schedule your bed time to allow sufficient rest. For the average person, that means around eight hours.  I realize most of us have literally hundreds of things to get done, but our health is a little more important than having the house in perfect order.

Not only are we more alert mentally when we get sufficient rest,  but we also have more energy.  You’re going to be more active which means burning more calories.  You’re going to have more positive thoughts with increased mental alertness (and less melt downs), which means you won’t drown your sorrows with chocolate fudge all day.

Try purposing yourself to get more rest.  I realize there are always going to be those rough nights when your hubby or kids keep you awake, but by making rest a higher priority, you should hopefully keep a fairly well-balanced, rested body.

(Go ahead and comment below to update us on your goals and accomplishments!  I would love to hear from you!)

Healthy Recipe of the Week:

Almost every single morning I start my day with blueberries…and I’m pretty alert and ready to roll by the time I get to school.  This breakfast cuts out additives and added sugars and a lot of junk that I simply don’t need.  I usually manage pretty well with this breakfast and two hours later I have a snack that tides me over until lunchtime.

Blueberry Breakfast

1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Sprinkle generously with ground flaxseed

Let it set for about 15 min. while the blueberries thaw a little.  Then, pour a little milk on top just like cereal.  I’ve been using rice milk to avoid more dairy products.

Information: Some information and studies have been gathered from the book, 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life

Disclaimer: I would like to clarify the fact that I’m not a certified dietician.  I rely on health-focused research and learned experiences.  Any major diet changes should be consulted with your own doctor.   Some people are diabetic and others have food allergies.  This is something to always consider when making any changes in your own diet.

3 Simple Ways We Can Offer Praises to God

Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. ~ Psalms 147:1

The memory verse for my K-5 class at school last week and the theme verses for my Sunday School class this morning were all based on praising God.  And so, continuing this theme I chose this topic for our devotional today.

First of all, consider this simple question, “Who doesn’t like being given a word of praise after accomplishing something, whether it be great or small?”  It seems that it is in our nature to like being praised.  As God made us in His image (Gen. 1:27), I can imagine how pleasing it is for God to hear our praises given to Him.

Here’s 3 simple ways we can offer praises to God:

1.  Sharing our own testimony of what God has done for us.

Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name. (Ps. 18:49)

Who can argue with one’s own personal testimony?  Share what God has done for you. He’s so good to us that I know we could never run out of praises to give to Him.  We honor Him by giving Him the glory for the small and big things that He’s graciously done for us!

2.  Create a praise journal.

Don’t you just love reading and hearing the praises of David in the book of Psalms?  I know David encouraged himself in the Lord.  This is a habit that we can continue ourselves.  It’s extremely hard to grumble when we’re giving praises to God.

Writing down our praises to God and our answered prayers can be encouraging to us in times of trials and distress.  It serves as a recorded reminder of what God has done for us.  Your praise journal would also make a good item to pass down to your son or daughter as a part of their inheritance.

3.  Sing praises to God.

As we sing hymns at church, we may not really focus on the words we’re singing.   We don’t sing in church to simply hear our lovely voices.  Our hymns focus on praising God.  What a wonderful opportunity to focus on singing praises directly to HIM!

Singing praises is pleasant and comely.  I believe it effects our attitude and yields a grateful spirit.  We can sing praises to God while driving our kids to school in the mornings.  We can bellow out songs of praises in the shower.   We can wake up in the morning with songs of praise.  (It’s better than your morning coffee, I guarantee!)

This week, let’s focus on giving Praises to our God above.  He’s worthy of our Praise!

*As always, feel free to share your comments below.

Rambling About My Weekend…and a sneak peek into my normal routine.

Seems like I’ve been awful busy lately coming and going…and planning what’s going to happen next in my kitchen.  I decided to slow down for a moment today and share with you about what’s going on here at the White House.

Thursday evening pre-planning takes place…and a little oops!

I decided to plan early for Friday morning’s breakfast by whipping up a batch of that peanut butter baked oatmeal.  I spread it in my baking pan, covered it and put it in the fridge so that it would be ready to stick into the oven the next morning.

It all actually turned out pretty well….except that I got in a big hurry and left a few spots of baking soda that didn’t get mixed well. (eeeewww!)  Wouldn’t  you know, my hubby and youngest son got those bitter bites in their pieces…and weren’t really thrilled.  Next time, I’ll slow down and mix a little more thoroughly.

Friday morning takes a big curve…

I really planned to relax a little bit and then get busy cleaning a little during the afternoon, but my hubby suggested we take off and travel to Ponca City to do a little shopping.  We try to plan a trip there about once a month to stock up on some supplies.  Unlike most of my past years of being a little “unflexible” with my planned schedule…I decided, Why Not!

So, my schedule quickly changed just like that!  Anyway, I find that being the age of “40 something” is a little thrilling.  Most of the little worries of my 20 & 30’s seem not so important now.  I still worry sometimes about that mess lurking my boys’ rooms…but hey…I guarantee more than likely it’ll still be there tomorrow.  It won’t be crawling anywhere…and if it does…then I’m relieved that I didn’t discover whatever was crawling in there. lol

I did have a great but tiresome day.  When we got back for the evening, I made my pizza dough to get ready for our Friday Pizza Night. (Some routines are a must…and pizza is one of those big “priorities”, you know.)

No worries about Friday’s tasks that didn’t get done…

To keep me from getting too far off course, my schedule organizer notebook is my support pal that makes sure that I get everything done.  I find that just taking time to plan a few priorities to get done everyday keeps my house from falling apart.

Peering back on yesterday’s schedule, I decided I’d better tackle those tasks today (Saturday), so I simply drew a little arrow over to Saturday. (See how easy that is?)  I then added only one other task of cleaning the bathroom so that I could easily get everything done in a timely manner.

Saturday is also the day to use up our leftovers…

For lunch, I grabbed leftover pizza to heat up for my boys and took out our leftover grapes to enjoy on the side. I ate some leftover stir fry. It was still yummy!

For supper, I wanted to use some of my leftover turkey, some homemade salsa, tortilla bits, and a little shredded cheese that I had left in my sandwich drawer in the fridge.

Mission accomplished: I found this recipe online: Tex-Mex Turkey Soup

It was the perfect solution (and quite delicious). I didn’t have sour cream, but I substituted with plain yogurt.

For the topping, I used leftover bits of tortilla chips that I keep in a bag for such an occasion.  Five minutes before serving, I tossed the bits into a little pan and popped them in my toaster oven to crisp them up.  I sprinkled the tortilla bits and cheese over the soup and it really added to the flavor and texture of the soup.

My day is done…almost.  I’m planning to try this recipe tonight for a sweet treat this weekend: “Peanut Butter Bars“.  With chocolate and peanut butter together, I figure I can’t go wrong.

I’m now looking forward to being in the Lord’s House on Sunday!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and please take time to share your weekend by commenting below.

Tips to help reduce sugar in your family’s diet

As more and more families search for ways to become healthier, one of the most commonly overlooked health concerns is sugar consumption. (For more info read, “How Sugar Makes You Fat“.) Sugar consumption is most commonly identified as candy and junk food. While this is true, there are even more ways that sugar is incorporated into your family’s diet.

Here are a few tips to help reduce the sugar in your family’s diet…

Eat brown rice. White rice contains mostly carbohydrates, which converts quickly to sugar after consumption. Brown rice offers full nutritional value and is a great choice over white grain rice.

Opt for whole fruit. Most kids love fruit juice; however, there are fruit juices on the shelves today that are loaded with sugar additives. Instead of drinking a lot of fruit juice, opt for whole fruit, like apples, bananas and grapes.

Eat your veggies. Lots of kids fuss over eating their vegetables. Even though this might be a huge hurdle for some families, incorporating more vegetables into your meals will reduce your sugar intake by far and large. Smart vegetables include green beans, carrots, tomatoes, and squash. Be cautious not to intake too many of the starchy veggies, like potatoes and corn, which contain high amounts of sugar.

Snack wisely. Families tend to snack a lot…yes, even parents. Make fun, healthy snacks for your family instead of binging on junk food. For power-packed snacks that will keep away hunger, use protein. A light snack, like a turkey and cream cheese roll-up, will keep hunger at bay a lot longer if it’s going to be a while before the next meal.  In the evening, popcorn or veggies and dip offers another way to enjoy some fun “crunch” time instead of potato chips or cookies and milk.

Do your own Baking and Cooking. You can have more control over what’s in the food you eat when you make it yourself.  I made a snack the other night and cut the sugar in half.  Guess what? It still tasted great!  I find that introducing a brand new recipe is the best time to cut the sugar down.  Because my family hasn’t ever tried the full sugar version, they’re clueless about any difference in taste.

Five Featured Friday Freebies – Feb. 2010

Free Sun-Maid Recipes for  healthier eating (ebooklet).

Free Cream of Wheat sample.

Free All-Purpose Cleaner from The Mystical Monkey

Free Bible Bookmarks – Sent only to verifiable church or school addresses.

Free Uni-ball Pen -  ends Apr. 30, 2010

*All offers are conditional; can be ended at anytime or until supplies run out.

Quick and Easy Breakfast Ideas for Kids

For “Thrifty Thursday” I thought I would offer you some ideas to create some quick and easy breakfast meals.

With cereal costing  mega bucks per pound, I think it’s time we ban the cereal isle and make our own breakfast! (And please feel free to share some of your own ideas with the readers here.)

Breakfast is a very important meal.  Studies have shown that children who eat a balanced breakfast are more alert in school, perform better and in many cases are less prone to bad behavior than children who skip breakfast.

Here are some quick and easy breakfast ideas for kids:

Eggs – Eggs are versatile and nutritious, plus most kids like them. Scrambled eggs are quick to make;  you can add a little chopped turkey ham, cheese, chopped tomatoes or mushrooms.  Simple boiled eggs with slices of toast will make an excellent breakfast too.

Bake Ahead Muffins – Muffins aren’t always the most nutritious meal, but if you bake your own muffins you can use mashed banana, chopped walnuts and a little honey for a naturally sweet breakfast muffin.

*You can also replace half of the amount of white flour for healthier whole wheat flour.  And you don’t have to stick to just sweet muffins; try a savory turkey bacon and chive muffin or cheese and turkey ham muffin. Bake them the night before for a quick and healthy breakfast.

Fruit – Try a fresh fruit salad with a yogurt and cheerio dip. Using a rolling pin, mash a handful or two of whole grain Cheerios in a plastic bag and transfer to a bowl. Fill another bowl with yogurt and let your kids dip the fruit pieces in yogurt then in the cheerio mixture. Whole grain Cheerios have a lower sugar content then many of the cereals on the supermarket shelves.

Pancakes – Prepare a basic pancake batter the night before, cover and refrigerate in the morning. In the morning all you need to do is heat the grill and your entire family can enjoy delicious homemade pancakes. Serve with a little maple syrup or jam and some fresh fruit on the side.  *Peanut butter can also be spread on pancakes for a different flavor.

Pizza for Breakfast – Split a couple of bagels in half, top with a little pizza sauce, grated cheese and some chopped turkey ham. Place under the grill for a few minutes and you have a nutritious breakfast pizza. You can also use English muffins or pita bread.

Breakfast Burrito – Wraps are a great alternative to toast and cereal. You can make a scrambled egg breakfast wrap with a little bit of  turkey ham or cheese added to it or you can add a little cream cheese and turkey or even make a breakfast pizza burrito.

Oatmeal -  You can use your crock pot to make delicious oatmeal that will be ready in the morning.  I also found a nifty recipe earlier this week for “Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal” that I intend to try really soon.  (It looks yummy!)

Remember breakfast doesn’t always have to consist of the traditional toast, cereal and eggs.  You can experiment a little to keep things interesting.

As a final note, don’t put too much pressure on yourself to always make the perfect family breakfast. If your kids really aren’t hungry at breakfast time a simple banana (or peanut butter spread on a banana) and a glass of orange juice will give them an instant boost.