It is an effort to eat healthy foods. Think about it. We are so busy in our daily lives. When it comes to meals, we often make the easy choice. Sometimes this means grabbing what is quick. This is not always best.
What you eat will affect how you look and feel. It really is that important.
Feeling sluggish, having trouble sleeping or frequent digestive issues? It could be something that you are not eating.
Take a look at what you actually eat by keeping a food diary. No need to get crazy about it. Just do it for 3 or 4 days. Everything you eat or drink and I mean everything, just write it down.
Think about how you feel emotionally and physically. Your diet is responsible for how you feel. It is like putting cheap gas into a car. It is going to sputter and run rough. The same goes for your body.
Make small changes and you will begin to see a difference. Eat consciously and the results will amaze you.
coming later: a fun recipe for summer along with a how-to on starting your charcoal grill.
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
The Unofficial Start of Summer is Here!!!
It's Memorial Day Weekend- the unofficial start of summer. Barbeques, swimming, picnics- lots of outdoor activities!
Here are some ideas for your holiday celebrations!
Cooking outside makes it easy to enjoy outdoor activities like relaxing by the pool.
Make it easy on yourself by preparing food ahead of time. The night before your picnic, prepare boneless chicken breasts by cleaning and marinating them. This way when it is time to grill, they will be ready to go.
You can do the same with your fruit salads and veggie salads.
The danger in outdoor cooking is not being mindful of keeping your warm food warm and your cold food cold. If serving food outdoors, make sure to keep it in a shaded area and set containers of food in bowls of ice to keep chilled.
Be careful of using mayonaise based salads outdoors. They can go bad quickly in the heat.
You don't need to go crazy with food for a holiday bbq. Prepare ahead of time to make it a relaxing day for you and your guests.
Ice cream cake
Dena Bolton
The following is a list of links of articles that are geared towards anyone who cooks. They are written by Momma Vicky's writing "friend" Dena Bolton.
Dena Bolton is not just a writer, she is a friend who I have never met in person but for the last 2+ years has been part of an online writing community that supports each other. I am glad to be a part of this group of writers who have found each other online and built some strong friendships.
As fate would be, Dena just so happens to live in Tennessee near my sister. I "introduced" Dena to my sister and they have become friends. Dena has been very helpful to my sister sharing her knowledge about gardening.
Unfortunately, as I write this post, my dear friend Dena is in the hospital and is being treated for a serious illness. I am using my post here today to promote Dena's newest articles (written before she was hospitalized but just published today).
So- check out one of these articles. I am sure that you will learn something useful. Dena also is a featured contributor and is very knowledgeable about gardening, alternative medicine and food and wine. Enjoy!
Grilling basics - It is more than just throwing some meat on a hot grill and hoping for the best.
More grilling basics about charcoal grills - If you are used to a gas grill or even an indoor electric grill. You need to read this article.
Pasta and sauce is a simple dinner choice. It is so much more than opening up a jar.
Fresh vs. dried herbs - yes there is a difference!
Dena Bolton is not just a writer, she is a friend who I have never met in person but for the last 2+ years has been part of an online writing community that supports each other. I am glad to be a part of this group of writers who have found each other online and built some strong friendships.
As fate would be, Dena just so happens to live in Tennessee near my sister. I "introduced" Dena to my sister and they have become friends. Dena has been very helpful to my sister sharing her knowledge about gardening.
Unfortunately, as I write this post, my dear friend Dena is in the hospital and is being treated for a serious illness. I am using my post here today to promote Dena's newest articles (written before she was hospitalized but just published today).
So- check out one of these articles. I am sure that you will learn something useful. Dena also is a featured contributor and is very knowledgeable about gardening, alternative medicine and food and wine. Enjoy!
Grilling basics - It is more than just throwing some meat on a hot grill and hoping for the best.
More grilling basics about charcoal grills - If you are used to a gas grill or even an indoor electric grill. You need to read this article.
Pasta and sauce is a simple dinner choice. It is so much more than opening up a jar.
Fresh vs. dried herbs - yes there is a difference!
Smarter Grocery Shopping
Quick- do you buy a 5 lb. bag of Eastern potatoes for $1.49 or 2 - 32 oz. packages of frozen french fries for $4?
If you answered yes to the frozen fries, you just spent more money than necessary.
Here's another one. A 14 oz. box of Aunt Jemima pancakes for $1.99 or a 1 lb. box of complete pancake mix for $1.79?
The answer here is the complete pancake mix. (complete means all you add is water)
A 5 lb. bag of potatoes can yield far more servings than those two bags of frozen french fries. And really, you are not saving money buying those frozen fries. Peel some potatoes (or wash the skins up real well), cut them up yourself and prepare as desired.
With the complete pancake mix, it is technically a convenience food but unlike buying frozen pancakes or waffles, it is far less money to buy a mix and you will get more servings this way.
To go a step further you can make your own dry mix for pancakes and waffles using flour, powdered milk and other baking ingredients to save even bigger. But, a Complete pancake mix is a good base for chocolate chip pancakes (throw chocolate chips in) blueberry waffles (add fresh or frozen berries) and many more ideas for diy cooking at a savings.
If you are concerned that the 5 lb. bag of potatoes will go bad before you get to use them all, prepare them ahead of time and put in freezer bags.
You do not need to be a chef to eat well. Eliminating some of these convenience food items from your grocery list and replacing them with smarter cost-cutting choices will not make your life harder. You will be able to spend less at the grocery store.
Yes, I will not lie. It is going to take a little bit of prep time but once you get into the habit, it will be like putting the groceries away once you get home from shopping.
Choosing the bag of carrots instead of the more expensive "baby" carrots can save 50%. Pre-packaged veggies for snacking? Really? Compare the costs. If you have money to throw away you probably are not reading this.
Most people I speak to are living on less and paying more for the basics. We all need tips on how to stretch a dollar. Momma Vicky comes from a large family and has one herself. No one is starving around here and there are always leftovers for brown bag lunches.
Smarter grocery shopping involves planning by looking at the flyers and cutting coupons for the items that you use on a regular basis. Take advantage of sales and have a pantry stocked with the basics. (next post)
You can eat healthier and not break your food budget!
If you answered yes to the frozen fries, you just spent more money than necessary.
Here's another one. A 14 oz. box of Aunt Jemima pancakes for $1.99 or a 1 lb. box of complete pancake mix for $1.79?
The answer here is the complete pancake mix. (complete means all you add is water)
A 5 lb. bag of potatoes can yield far more servings than those two bags of frozen french fries. And really, you are not saving money buying those frozen fries. Peel some potatoes (or wash the skins up real well), cut them up yourself and prepare as desired.
With the complete pancake mix, it is technically a convenience food but unlike buying frozen pancakes or waffles, it is far less money to buy a mix and you will get more servings this way.
To go a step further you can make your own dry mix for pancakes and waffles using flour, powdered milk and other baking ingredients to save even bigger. But, a Complete pancake mix is a good base for chocolate chip pancakes (throw chocolate chips in) blueberry waffles (add fresh or frozen berries) and many more ideas for diy cooking at a savings.
If you are concerned that the 5 lb. bag of potatoes will go bad before you get to use them all, prepare them ahead of time and put in freezer bags.
You do not need to be a chef to eat well. Eliminating some of these convenience food items from your grocery list and replacing them with smarter cost-cutting choices will not make your life harder. You will be able to spend less at the grocery store.
Yes, I will not lie. It is going to take a little bit of prep time but once you get into the habit, it will be like putting the groceries away once you get home from shopping.
Choosing the bag of carrots instead of the more expensive "baby" carrots can save 50%. Pre-packaged veggies for snacking? Really? Compare the costs. If you have money to throw away you probably are not reading this.
Most people I speak to are living on less and paying more for the basics. We all need tips on how to stretch a dollar. Momma Vicky comes from a large family and has one herself. No one is starving around here and there are always leftovers for brown bag lunches.
Smarter grocery shopping involves planning by looking at the flyers and cutting coupons for the items that you use on a regular basis. Take advantage of sales and have a pantry stocked with the basics. (next post)
You can eat healthier and not break your food budget!
Healthier Eating Simplified
There is so much talk today about obesity, preventing heart disease and diabetes and avoiding fast foods. I prefer to cook at home versus eating out. I try to use the freshest ingredients and avoid prepared or processed foods. Often I get comments about the beef recipes that I have because it seems that the vegans and anti-beef eaters see me as an easy target to criticize.
Everything in moderation is my mantra when it comes to food. You need to find a balance. Eating a small portion of a lean steak is not going to kill you. Eating it every day may not be healthy but that is where balance comes in.
Learning what is healthy and what you should avoid is not that complicated. Take oil for example.
Healthy oils do exist and knowing the kinds of oils and what benefits there are is one way of making healthier eating simpler. We need oil in our diet. This is not condoning deep frying but using oil in a stir fry is healthy.
Homemade salad dressings are easy to do. There really is no need to buy bottled dressings. Avoiding processed foods as much as you can can improve your health and makes weight management easier. There are always choices such as low-fat mayo instead of traditional mayo. If you absolutely need to use canned gravy instead of making your own, choose a fat-free or lower sodium variety.
If your family likes meals like macaroni and cheese, make your own. Use whole grain macaroni to add more nutrition. As long as you cook it long enough, they won't even notice. Making your own cheese sauce is easy. Use your own choice of cheese or cheeses, a combination of cheddar, swiss and monterey jack makes a very tasty cheese sauce. Just add it to a white sauce which is simple. You can use non-fat milk, butter substitute to further lower calories and fat. Throwing steamed or frozen vegetables into it makes sure you are getting another serving of healthy veggies.
It may seem like it takes a lot of thought and preparation to eat healthier but once you make it a habit, it becomes second nature.
Everything in moderation is my mantra when it comes to food. You need to find a balance. Eating a small portion of a lean steak is not going to kill you. Eating it every day may not be healthy but that is where balance comes in.
Learning what is healthy and what you should avoid is not that complicated. Take oil for example.
Healthy oils do exist and knowing the kinds of oils and what benefits there are is one way of making healthier eating simpler. We need oil in our diet. This is not condoning deep frying but using oil in a stir fry is healthy.
Homemade salad dressings are easy to do. There really is no need to buy bottled dressings. Avoiding processed foods as much as you can can improve your health and makes weight management easier. There are always choices such as low-fat mayo instead of traditional mayo. If you absolutely need to use canned gravy instead of making your own, choose a fat-free or lower sodium variety.
If your family likes meals like macaroni and cheese, make your own. Use whole grain macaroni to add more nutrition. As long as you cook it long enough, they won't even notice. Making your own cheese sauce is easy. Use your own choice of cheese or cheeses, a combination of cheddar, swiss and monterey jack makes a very tasty cheese sauce. Just add it to a white sauce which is simple. You can use non-fat milk, butter substitute to further lower calories and fat. Throwing steamed or frozen vegetables into it makes sure you are getting another serving of healthy veggies.
It may seem like it takes a lot of thought and preparation to eat healthier but once you make it a habit, it becomes second nature.
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