Healthy Treat

My current healthy obsession- Fage Greek yogurt with honey.  

Pecan, Apple & Spinach Salad

I had this salad for lunch yesterday.  It is one of my favorites.  The salad is made with a spring salad mix, baby spinach, chunks of apples, pecans, diced roasted chicken, and goat cheese all topped with Braswell's raspberry vinaigrette.  This very yummy salad dressing has sugar in it- but I still use it occasionally...mmm.

Yummy Healthy Meals

I found out that I don't like roasted cauliflower last week.  The flavor doesn't dance on my tongue - it had a funny sweetness to it.  No, the flavor just kind of rolls over like a sluggish couch potato.  Ick.  However, in my experimenting I found a few healthy recipes that I do like.

Southwest Chicken.  I added about 1 t. chili powder and 1 t. cumin to the recipe and I chopped up the chicken when I served it- so it was kind of like a stew or casserole rather than a piece of meat with stuff on the side.   My husband asked that we have it again.

Beef Stew.  This beef stew does not have tomatoes and the other flavors really shine through.  Allow each person to season their bowlful with some of Jane's krazy mixed-up seasonings original mixed-up salt.  It is worth a trip to the grocery store to get this stuff.  SUPER good!

By the way, this salt tastes amazing on pot roast, too.

Fresh Carrot Juice

The healthy eating and 45 minute "daily" aerobic exercise is still paying off.  I did struggle a bit with the holidays so now I'm trying to overcome my sugar cravings from my December fudge fest.

Fortunately I have a husband who is in my corner!  He went out to the garden and picked fresh carrots, cleaned them and ran them through the Jack LaLanne juicer that we purchased at a yard sale a few months back.  You might want to try mixing fresh carrot juice with a bit of orange juice for a intensely orange vitamin packed beverage. Mmmm.

Whole Wheat and Honey Pumpkin Bread

Well, the healthy eating plan has paid off!  I'm eating a healthy fats (like avocados & real butter), whole foods diet with only a few sweeteners like honey and maple syrup- with a touch of semi-dark chocolate.

Now I'm done losing weight.  Some would say that I could still lose ten pounds but I don't buy the Hollywood version of healthy.  With my doctor's approval I'm moving on to maintenance!

It would still be so easy to switch back to my old way of eating.  Especially as the holidays approach!!  But I'm trying to hang tough and to pay attention to the benefits- and not just the sacrifices- of changing my lifestyle.... any suggestions for staying motivated during maintenance?

I am putting together a file of well loved healthy recipes.  Since, I love pumpkin bread  my daughter and I came up with the following recipe (thanks Amber).  I hope you'll like it too!

Whole Wheat & Honey Pumpkin Bread

1/3 c. applesauce

1/3 c. vegetable oil

1 ½ c. honey

2 t. vanilla

4 eggs

1 15 oz. can  pumpkin (Libby’s or a good tasting organic brand-  and there is a not so pleasant difference in the taste of different brands of canned pumpkin)

1 3/4c. whole wheat flour

1 1/2 c. brown rice flour

1 t. salt

2 t. baking soda

½ T. cinnamon

1 ½ t. ginger

1 t. cloves

½ c. water

Optional:

1 c. chopped nuts

1 ½ c. semi sweet chocolate chips

Mix the moist ingredients. Stir the dry ingredients together and add them to the pumpkin mix. Blending just until mixed. Add the water. Mix. Gently add nuts and chocolate chips.

Pour batter into two well greased bread pans- lick the bowl. Bake at 325 for 50 min. or until toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean or with a few crumbs. Remove from pans and cool for 5 hours before slicing.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Homemade Turkey Sausage

It is only ten in the morning and I've already finished eating lunch because I tried a new recipe and I just didn't want to wait until lunch to taste it!

Often commercial sausages are filled with an unhealthy variety of preservatives.  I was so excited when I found this highly rated, super simple turkey sausage recipe.  I made it today and I love it!

The only change I made to the original recipe was that instead of making patties I just cooked it and crumbled it up in the skillet.  I would suggest that if you like super.mild sausage you go a tiny bit lighter on the cayenne.  Totally delicious plain but also very yummy with whole wheat spaghetti and tomato sauce.

I'm so excited to make this again so that I can add it to omelets, soups and casseroles.  Yummy!

Healthy Magazine I'm excited to try (with a year subscription- ten issues- for less than $5).  Order here before Sept. 25 and enter code SHOP17.

Bumper Cereal Product Review

Since I'm on a product review kick I thought I'd throw one more out there.  Mother's Bumper Cereal.  I've tried their peanut butter and their cocoa flavored cereals and they are VERY sweet and yummy- I occasionally eat them- just as a dessert.  I used to mix these flavors together and have a version of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cereal.  I'm sorry to see that they have added artificial coloring to the cocoa cereal.... too bad! I guess I'll just stick with the peanut butter version.

Here is the ingredient list for the peanut butter cereal from the Mother's website:

CORN FLOUR, UNSULPHURED MOLASSES, NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER (GROUND PEANUTS, SALT), OAT FLOUR, RICE FLOUR, HONEY, SALT, NATURAL MIXED TOCOPHEROLS (VITAMIN E).

These are so light that they probably have no fiber or real nutritional value- but they do taste delicious. 

Favorite Healthy Cooking Blogs

I've been surfing the web and looking for healthy bloggers.  Obviously not everyone agrees on the same diet.  I'm trying to be a whole grains (How to Lower Your Fat Thermostat), no sweeteners (except a little honey and maple syrup), low fat (except for some healthy fats like olive oil, almonds and avocados) kind of gal.

Many people have gluten allergies so whole grains aren't going to work for them.  Some people prefer to be vegan.  I understand.  I'm finding that even if the diet I'm eating doesn't mesh exactly with a fellow blogger's diet there is still so much to learn and so many adaptable great recipes shared that I am grateful to visit their blogs and learn from them.

Here are some of my favorite healthy eating blogs- (I hope you like them too):

Daily Bites

Deliciously Organic

Kalyn's Kitchen

Live. Laugh. Eat.

Nourished Kitchen

Oh She Glows

Sprouted Kitchen

Steamy Kitchen

The Nourishing Gourmet

The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen

Simply Sugar and Gluten Free

Another reason I like these blogs is that I feel like I'm not alone on my journey to better health.  It is motivational to read of others improved health through diet and exercise.  Mmmm, I think I'll go grab a carrot or something!

Lunch Today

Yummy, yummy lunch!!!  I found this recipe for Korean Rice Bowl and picture on steamy kitchen- so good!  I substituted honey for the 1 T. of brown sugar- delish!!

Some Sweet Things allowed on my healthy eating plan

My new healthy eating plan allows for no sweeteners except for honey and fruit juice.... so, what do I put on my whole wheat pancakes???? 

Well,  I like St. Dalfour Red Raspberry all natural 100%  fruit jam- sweetened with concentrated grape juice- available at HEB (if you live in Texas).

I also like R.W. Knudsen organic apple butter- sweetened with apple juice- I purchased mine at the health food store- but our Wal Mart used to carry it.

When I'm craving a sweet treat I like Barbara's Fig Newtons in raspberry flavor- sweetened with a bunch of concentrated fruit juices.

Or sometimes I just eat three Krispy Kreme doughnuts- but I'm trying!