Fiber One Dessert

My husband was skeptical, but in the end we both enjoyed a healthy fiber- and antioxidant-rich dessert. Here is the recipe:

Put in a bowl:
1/2 cup mixed berries, microwave for 30-60 seconds until warm
Top with 1/4 cup Original Fiber One cereal
Add 1 scoop of No Sugar Added Vanilla Ice Cream

Enjoy your own little berry crisp!

Serves 1

Junk Food: My Enemey or My Reward?

Often times, people see junk food as the enemy. Greasy pizza, cheeseburgers, fries, and donuts often tempt us and cause us to abandon our resolutions. The truth is, we need to be offensive about our interactions with junk food. Here are the principles I live by:

1. Everything in moderation. Junk food is okay once in awhile-- and by that I DO NOT mean once a day, more like a couple of times a week.

2. I NEVER order fries. I know they are my weakness, and there is no good reason for me to consume deep-fried white carb.'s. (The same applies to donuts.) If I really want some, I will steal 3 or 4 from my husband.

3. I also NEVER order pizza. Pizza shows up enough at parties, meetings, etc. for me to eat it 2 times a month, so intentionally seeking it out goes beyond the whole moderation idea. Also, if I eat pizza, I do not eat the kind with meat. There are a lot of extra calories in pepperoni. (If you really want pizza, try making your own healthier version.)

4. If a dessert is offered at a party, I will ask for half of a portion. Often, I offer to bring dessert so I can make a nice cool whip/jell o pie or a fruit salad. On that note, I keep only low sugar dessert items in my house.

5. Junk food is not a reward. When it comes down to it, sometimes we think we deserve to break our healthy eating plan, only to later regret that hot fudge sundae. We must have a plan with a little leeway. Occasionally splurging will keep us from falling off the "wagon."

By the way, when it comes to dinner, we all get stuck sometimes with no other options but fast food. For those occasions, I recommend a grilled chicken sandwich and side salad from the golden arches. Avoid anything with the greasy beef fast food chains use.

For a fast dinner at home, I like Rice and Beans:

Cook some instant brown rice according to package directions.
Heat up a can of black beans, rinsed and drained, in the microwave.
Serve with salsa, shredded low fat cheese, and low fat sour cream.
Sometimes I add some corn (thawed from the freezer) or some tortillas to scoop up the beans and rice mixture.

This can be ready in 5 minutes and is quite filling, not to mention full of fiber AND budget-friendly!!!

Tonight's Dinner: Low Fat Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Recipe for Souper Yumminess:

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Cup sliced carrots
0.5 Cup sliced onion
0.5 cup sliced celery
pepper
2 minced gloves of garlic
3 Tbsp. flour
32 oz. chicken broth
2 cups cooked and sliced chicken (cooked in crockpot)
0.5 cup milk or soymilk
1 box of Wild and Long Grain rice

Prepare rice according to package directions.
Saute' veggies in olive oil until tender. Add pepper and garlice and heat until garlic is tender.
Stir in flour.
Gradually add broth and cook about 2 minutes on high.
Add milk, chicken, and rice, and heat through.

I served this soup with cottage cheese and fruit, and some whole wheat bread.

My Super-Healthy Mother-In-Law Adores My Pancakes!!!

Today, Health Nut Girl faced the challenge all married women eventually face: How do you make your mother-in-law happy? More importantly, how do you convince her that you are taking care of HER SON?

Thanks to Hodgson Mill Baking Mix, I was able to whip up some whole wheat pancakes. I followed the recipe on the box, substituting Egg Beaters for eggs and throwing in some pureed banana and flax seed. I served them up with Smart Balance Spread and low sugar jam and syrup. She was beaming!

These pancakes are quite good, and I enjoy them regularly.

I will have many more entries as I continue my quest to eat a more healthy diet.

Why eat healthy? I am only 26, and my cholesterol and triglycerides were somewhat high a year ago! I have adopted a new way of eating and successfully gotten my "numbers" under control.

I reduced my triglycerides from 213 to 89 and my cholsterol from 215 to 142! My HDL (good cholesterol) has increased from 57 to 60 and my LDL (bad) has gone from 115 to 64. I think a lot of my success is due to vegetarian meals, flax seed, almonds, and cheerios...