Easy Veggie Ideas

What are some great ways to eat lots of veggies throughout the day? Here are some of my favorites:

1. Pita Pizzas or Calzones
-Start with Western Bagel Alternative Pita
-Spoon some low cal pizza sauce
-Pile on the veggies
-Top with a little bit of mozzarella cheese


2. Weight Watcher's 0 point vegetable soup
-Can freeze in individual servings

3. Quick Egg White Veggie Omelet

4. Broccoli Salad (Lasts for a few days in the fridge)

5. Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers
-Frozen veggies with cheese sauce you steam in the microwave
-1 pt. for huge serving

These are my top 5, what are your ideas?

Container Vegetable Garden

As part of my quest to make vegetables a bigger part of my life, this year I decided to plant a container vegetable garden. This type of garden is perfect for people who do not have a big planting area or maybe just have a deck or patio and no yard at all. Now is the perfect time of year for doing this. I am not a gardener, and do not consider myself to have a "green thumb" at all.

But how great will it be to be able to eat garden fresh vegetables in a couple of months?

For those of you who are interested, this is how I got started:

1. I bought/found my containers and saved a lot of money by using storage containers instead of traditional pots, which are expensive. I went to Walmart and bought some big buckets for $8 each, and drilled drainage holes in the bottom with my husband's drill. The plastic pots that size were $14. Then I found a couple of rectangular storage bins laying around in the garage, and drilled holes in them too!

2. Then I went to Home Depot and bought my potting soil. I bought the cheapest one that would work for vegetables, because you can add your own fertilizer/plant food. The big bags I bought were $4.99 each, versus $13 for Miracle Gro.

3. Then I went to a gardening center/nursery to buy my plants and plant food. You can buy them at Home Depot or Lowes, but as a beginner gardener, I wanted to talk to someone knowledgeable about which plants to buy. The plants are about the same price anywhere, anyway.

4. Came home and filled my pots with soil, and mixed in my plant food, and planted the plants.

This happened last Thursday, and they have already grown at least 3-4 inches already! It is very exciting. I encourage everyone who has even the tiniest sunny place to plant a veggie or some herbs. It is really a fun thing to do with kids, or even with your partner. And not to mention, a really smart thing to do in this economy.
Patio Tomatoes
Zucchini
Green Beans
Green, Yellow and Red Bell Peppers
Grape Tomatoes

Jillian Michael's - 30 Day Shred

Last week I won an exercise DVD off of a blog called It's A Lifelong Journey. I'd heard about this particular workout video from other bloggers and was super excited to give it a try. It is called Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred.

So Saturday morning I popped it into my DVD player and gave it a try. "Try" being the operative word here. Honestly, it kicked my butt. It was only 20 minutes and for someone who (delusionally) thinks of them self as reasonably in shape, I realized the harsh truth.

To break it down:

There are three 20 minute workouts on the video. Level 1, 2 and 3. I did Level 1. Following a short warm-up, the workout is split up into interval training. 2 Minutes of Strength, 2 Minutes of Cardio, followed by 1 Minute of Abs. This process is repeated 3 times with different exercises. Then you have a brief stretching period to cool down.

For those of you who want details, you do pushups, jumping jacks, jump rope (without the rope), lunges, squats, crunches, and many other forms of torture. No resting for the weary, either. She says, "No Rest! If you want your body to change, you have to ...!" So I have done it twice and both times I thought I was going to pass out. I was supposed to do it this morning too but that is another blog post....

Right now on Amazon this video is pretty cheap. For a workout that really works you out in 20 minutes (everyone has time for that) it's a great deal. (I've linked to Amazon at the top of this post)

Another tool for a cardio slacker

by Melanie J.

Uh-oh....it's one of those mornings. I'm tired because I didn't sleep enough, I have an extra kid at home since school's out, I put on a pound over the weekend, and I really need to work out. Chances are my normal kickboxing class at the gym is out of the question because the babysitting room will be extra full, so there's going to be no one barking at me and telling me what to do.

So now what?

I do best with group exercise classes when it comes to cardio because I get less bored and being around other people forces me to step up my exercise game. But if it's not possible to make one of the classes, then I've learned to have a variety of other options lined up so that I get my cardio done anyway. I have several different exercise DVDs from tae bo to cardio dance on hand and can always check more out from the library for a dollar. I know which cable channels have exercise programs in the morning that I can follow along. These are good options for me, but the best one, the one I have the most chance of sticking out...is walking.

But that's because I have a secret weapon: my iPod.

You've all figured this out already, right? But if yours is full of high energy music chosen to keep you moving, then....we use our iPods differently. I've found something else that works even better to keep me going longer: podcasts. There are dozens, probably hundreds, of these little gems available for free from iTunes on every subject you can imagine. I just load my iPod up with ones that sound interesting, load the baby into the stroller, and hit the pavement with my heart monitor ticking off the calories I've burned. Learning about something new or getting caught up in a story while I'm doing my super cool power walk makes it easier to go just a little farther because then it's not about burning just a few more calories; it's about finding out what happens next in the podcast. And I burn a few more calories anyway.

Perfect for a slacker like me that can't always get out the door just because I should. It's that little extra bonus that makes lacing up my sneakers slightly more likely and every small victory counts. Especially this week!

Wednesday Workout Tip from the Queen of Slackers

by Melanie J.

So it's almost Thursday and this is a little belated, but I wanted to share my Wednesday Workout Tip with you guys, something I'll try to do every week.

Know first that I hate working out. At least, I do while I'm thinking about exercising and then while I'm exercising. But I like how I feel after, whether it's because of the endorphins or my gradually shrinking waistline, I'm not sure. Since I want to keep my downward scale trend (21 pounds and counting), I have become the master at finding little tricks to get myself up and at 'em with cardio everyday. So here's the first one:

A heart rate monitor.

Yep, it's that simple. No matter what kind of cardio I choose (and maybe I'll blog about that next Wednesday) a heart rate monitor that I bought last spring from Target has pushed me to get just a little more out of each workout. It's a pretty straightforward device. A digital wristwatch picks up and displays my heart rate and calories burned so far from a slim strap that goes around my chest. The plainer ones will just do the heart rate, which my husband finds sufficient. For me, though, having that little number of calories I'm burning grow bigger and bigger is exactly the kind of instant gratification I need to keep me going with my exercise. If I'm pooping out but notice that I've burned 320 calories, I find myself thinking, "I'll just go until 350" and then I find it's easy just to push to 400 after that. If I'm getting bored with my cardio (because the elliptical trainer at the gym? Snooze fest), I just go faster and harder to get the calories burned faster which is a nice challenge to my usual rhythm.

The monitors range from $50-100 depending on the features you want, but mine (a Polaris) has been worth every penny because I know I've burned thousands of extra calories over the last few months that I wouldn't have without my little wristwatch telling me how close I was to a new goal and level of success.

I also blog about random and what I think are hilarious life slices at my other blog, Write Stuff.

Liz Rosenbaum Fitness Blog

I just came across a really good blog on healthy habits and fitness. She is doing a give-away right now that any mom would appreciate. The winner of the contest will receive a cute divided plate that has pictures of the type of foods that should be in each section for portion size. I think it is genius; it helps kids see the types and portions of food to be healthy. I am working on improving the eating habits of my toddler, and loved the idea. Check it out!

Distraction

Was reading another blog, Kath Eats Real Food
and her post talks about how she was at the library working on a project and didn't think she could make it to lunch without eating. However, she drank some water and got absorbed into her project - and made it to lunchtime with no problems.

This made me think. Today I am battling monstrous PMS chocolate cravings. All I want is a huge cookie sundae or chocolate cake, candy, whatever. It is ridiculous. I ate a little chocolate mint 2-point bar, instead of something worse, but the craving was not fixed. Not in the slightest. I whined to my husband about it, and he said that PMS doesn't cause chocolate cravings. I argued. But that is not the point. The point is what to do about them. (the cravings)

So I left the kitchen, went to my computer and started blog-surfing. Then I read the post. It made me think about distraction. It works with even the stubbornest toddlers (most of the time), why not with food? As I read her simple statement I realized that as I have been on the computer, and then am off to the next task of the day, the craving has been put on the back burner. It just needs to stay there till tomorrow night when I will have my splurge meal.

So how can I make this technique work in the future now that it is conscious? I need fight the cravings with other activities, whether it is something mundane like laundry, or whether I need to go outside, and walk to the park with my daughter. But now I have a tool to help me when the times are tough.

Weight Loss Blogs

So as I learn more and more about the blogging world, I continue to come across great sites. The author of Greenlitebites also writes a blog about her journey of losing 70 pounds and keeping it off. She has videos and great discussions on her blog Roni's Weigh.

Another recent find is Yummy Diet Food. This site focuses on great low fat/low calorie products, and has some recipes on there too.

I feel like I am spending a lot of time online with this little project, but it is so fun! I love to come across great sites - it helps keep me focused and motivated in my own journey.

I would love if anyone had any other favorites to share.

New Way to Cook Veggies

With most of my dinners, I usually make steamed veggies. I have been doing this for years. And they are good. But tonight I tried something new. A friend and I have started doing a meal swap. We are both doing Weight Watchers, and we both have small families, so we decided to split up Mon-Thursday dinners and each cook 2 meals, enough for both families. I cook for everyone on Monday and Tuesday, and she cooks on Wednesday and Thursday. We write the points of the meal down on a sticky note, and deliver the meal between 5:30 and 6pm. It is sooooo great. Meal planning time is much lower, food is less wasted, and grocery bills are lower. And you get different types of meals than you would normally cook, which is nice because variety really helps when you are eating to lose weight. It also motivates me to try out new recipes, and make my meals really balanced.

So tonight, I tried out a recipe for roasted veggies that a few of my friends use.

8.5 Points Total, servings vary
(1.5 points total if you use olive oil cooking spray instead of oil.)

1 lb veggies ( I used broccoli, but you can use asparagus, zucchini, or other types of veggies)
2 T minced fresh garlic
2 T Olive Oil (Can adjust for smaller amounts of veggies) (Could omit and use spray, probably)
2 T Grated Parmesan Cheese
Kosher Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Stir veggies, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl till coated. Line baking sheet with foil. Top with the veggies, and sprinkle on the parmesan cheese. Roast in oven until crisp tender. Time varies with the different type of vegetable.

Slimming Slip

A few weeks ago, I was getting dressed for church, and I put on a new dress, one of those high waisted knit dresses. As I was finishing getting ready, my husband said that there were too many lines (its low cut, so I had a cami on underneath) and it didn't look that great. So I went and looked for myself and not only were there too many lines, but too many lumps too. So the dress went back in the closet, until I ordered this fabulous body-shaper slip from Layers Clothing.
Not only does it double as an undershirt/shell but it streamlines all the lumps. No muffin top, only a smooth body. I think I will wear it under every dress I own.