Healthy Frozen Foods

As of today I have {once again} banned frozen and crappy foods from the house.  I do allow some frozen convience foods.  I am allowing things that cannot be made.  I'm not going to lie, with 3 active kids who need to be run to various activities in the evenings I'd love to be able to pop things in the microwave and serve them for dinner.  But, as a Health and Wellness Consultant, a Sports Nutrition Consultant, a personal trainer and an all around Health Freak, I feel guilty doing it.  I feel like I am aiding the possibility of my kids gaining weight, slowing down at their respective sports and causing my children's health to decline.  

I, myself, actually do sit down stand in the kitchen, to eat 4 out of 5 meals.  The only meal I actually SIT DOWN to is dinner.  And I love quick foods.  If you have searched the frozen food aisles you'll have noticed that 98% of all frozen foods are loaded with fat.  {Isn't 98% of all PACKAGED foods like that?!??}  

I have found a few low fat/fat free options in the grocery store.  I have these in my freezer most of the time.

Quorn Kung Pao Chik'n 
240 calories
1.5 g fat
10 g protein

I found this one just the other day.  I bought it and will give y'all a review on it when I actually try it.  But, it's vegetarian, microwavable and only has 1.5 grams of fat.  Can't beat that!
Click HERE for the Quorn Website

Peas of Mind -- Veggie Wedgies
70 calories 
0 g fat

I love these so much!  There's 4 different flavors, broccoli, cauliflower, apple, and carrot.  They look like french fries (if you ignore the color), and they kinda have the same texture.  The kids love them too!
Click HERE for the Peas of Mind Website

Garden Lites Souffles
140 calories 
1.5 g fat  
11 g protein

This is another quick dish for me.  Little personal souffles in a bunch of different flavors.  Check the box though because some are not as low fat as the others.  But, they taste delicious and they only take 3.5 minutes in the microwave.
Click HERE for the Garden Lites Website


Lastly, of course are veggie burgers and veggie dogs.  My favorites are the MorningStar Farms veggie dogs and the Original Vegan Veggie Burgers by Boca.  Both only have .5 grams of fat per serving and a good amount of protein.  

Have you found any healthy, lowfat/fat free frozen options that I haven't?  Let me know!!

Omnivore's Dilema

Ever wonder where your food comes from?  Wonder how much fuel is being used to get your food to the store?  I know I did.  Even if you don't, do you enjoy an informative, good read?  Check out the Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.  

I'm not going to lie, there were parts that were a bit hard to handle.  I had a feeling that would be the case so I purposefully read the version meant for children.  But, there is an adult version that I plan on reading soon. 

If I still ate meat then this book would probably change that.  Honestly though, this changes the way look at both your meat and your veggies.

Are your organics hurting the environment more that they are helping?  Is that cage free chicken REALLY roaming free?  How much corn is actually in your diet?  {hint:  it's probably a lot more than you think.}

Do you know why sushi is served with wasabi?
Answer:  Because wasabi kills the bacteria that is potentially living on the fish.


I love sitting outside reading in the fall.  The weather in October is perfect for curling up on the porch swing and working your way through a good book.  This is a perfect sit outside read.  

Next book on the Kindle is Vegan Before 6 by Mark Bittman.

B is for Book Review

Time for another book review.  

This time it's My Beef With Meat by Rip Esselstyn.

The thing I love about Rip's books (his first one was The Engine 2 Diet) is that he doesn't really go into the ETHICAL reasons behind veganism.  Heck, he doesn't even call it veganism.  He uses the term "plant-strong."  We all know the ethical reasons behind veganism.  And I will not refuse to go into them here.  But, alot of people do not understand the health risks, diseases, and complications associated with eating meat.

The first half of the book is all about nutrition.  He has chapters dedicated to things like, protein, B12, and iron.  He also talks about vegan athletes, vegan kids, weight loss, poop and *gasp* sex.

The second half is the recipes.  140 total.  They all follow these guidelines:

• They are plant-strong!  One hundred percent plant based, they contain no animal products or by-products.  
• They contain no added extracted oils.
• They used little to no salt.
• They use minimally processed sweeteners (predominately pure maple syrup or dates)
• They are simple and easy to prepare.

Since I cannot have fat and I am prediabetic (which means I have cut out 99% of my sugar) these recipes are perfect for me.

They recipes are broken up into the normal subcategories, breakfast, sides and appetizers, pizza & flatbreads, sandwiches, etc.  But he also dedicates whole chapters to hummus, salads and tacos!  Most chapters have around 10 recipes.

I seriously can't wait to test out some of the recipes.  Keep watching the blog for them!  And if you can't wait for me then you can click the links below to either buy the book from Amazon or, check out the Engine 2 Diet webpage.  They have some great recipes on there.

I have another book loaded on my Kindle just waiting to be reviewed for you!!


Amazon.com
 Engine 2 Diet

High Tide's at Snack Jack's Restaurant Review

Friday was my parent's 35th anniversary.  Unfortunately Ken works all day every Friday so we decided to treat them to an early anniversary dinner.  

There's a little restaurant in Flagler Beach, High Tides at Snack Jack.  Ken and I have passed it a million times going to Daytona.  Every time we passed we would say to each other "I really want to try that place!"  But we never got a chance to go. 

We are so happy that we went there.  I think this will become our new go-to restaurant.  It's located right on the beach.  The walls of the restaurants are covered with funny posters.  My favorite was the one that said "Children Left Unattended Will Be Sold As Chum."  Most restaurants are a bit chilly but, High Tides uses ceiling fans and ocean breezes to naturally cool the restaurant.  You can choose whether you want to sit out on one of the 3 decks or inside.  What fun is sitting inside when you have a gorgeous view, beautiful day and a great breeze?  So, we sat outside and listened to the surf while we ate.  The menu is mostly seafood but, they have a couple not seafood items like beef burgers, a veggie burger and hot dogs.  

Everyone at the table was VERY pleased with what they ordered.  Here's a rundown of what everyone ordered: 

Sirr:  Clam chowder and shrimp scampi over linguine -- everyone claimed the chowder was excellent.  Chunks of potatoes, a lot of garlic (but not too much) and he said the linguine was good too.

Kaylee:  The Boogie Burger -- It was gone within a few minutes of it hitting the table.

Gramma:  Fried shrimp, onion rings and hush puppies --  I wish I had gotten a picture of the rings.  They were HUUUGE and gorgeous.  The shrimp were actually a really good size and Gramma said the hush puppies were excellent.

Sunny:  Kid's hot dog --  They use bun length, really thick hot dogs.  It was a great value.  

Mo:  Chicken wings in a honey barbecue sauce --  You get a dozen wings for $10 and 2 dozen for $18.  Most places only give you 6-10. 

Ken:  Raw oysters and steamed shrimp -- Ken always orders the oysters when he goes to a seafood restaurant.  If he doesn't like the oysters he doesn't review them well.  After eating the oysters at High Tides he decided that we needed to make this place a regular restaurant of ours.  

Me:  steamed shrimp, crab legs, and a side of steamed vegetables.   Everything was cooked perfectly and there was no fat related pain.  {I say fat related because I ate broccoli and cauliflower which causes pain due to gas}  I know that alot of times when you order crab legs at restaurants they have a tendency to be waterlogged.  Not these, they were just yummy, sweet crab meat. The shrimp was seasoned like Goldilocks, not too much not too little.  Ken and I liked the seasoning so much we bought a bottle to bring home.  
 

We spent about $20 a person.  But, Sirr and Ken both ordered a few beers.  The only thing that threw us off a bit was that it is a cash only restaurant.  But, they do have an ATM there.  

  
Whenever we go to a restaurant we let them know about my "medical condition" and the fact that I can't have any butter, oil or fat.  When we told our waitress about me she said that there was another waitress there who was dealing with gallbladder issues too!  She ended up coming out and we gave her some advice on dealing with the pain and what to eat.  It really felt good to make someone else's gallbladder journey a little easier and to know that other people are having as hard of a time dealing with it as I did.  Even after almost 2 years I still occasionally get depressed that I'm not "normal" and that I can't eat the same foods as everyone else.  But it also made me think that maybe I should start a support group for other gallbladder sufferers in the area.

So, if you are looking for a fun, funky little restaurant with AMAZING staff and great food, check out High Tides.  You will definitely make this a regular restaurant.   

Do you have a local favorite?  Why is it your favorite?  Tell me about it!


Website:  High Tides and Snack Jack

 

 

Jillian Michael's Slim For Life Book Review

As I've mentioned before, I enjoy reading diet and weight-loss books.  While on vacation I finished Slim For Life by Jillian Michaels. 

This book is set up in a (in my opinion) unique way.  Each tip is assigned a point value, either 3, 2, or 1.  3 pointers are the most important, the ones you should definitely do.  1 pointers are important but not really imperative to your weightloss. 


At the end of each chapter you add up your points then, when you add up all your chapter totals at the end of the book she ytells you what your score means.


Here are a few tips from the book that I thought were interesting.

• People who eat appetizers with hot sauce eat 200 fewer calories tyhen people who don't.
• Laughing reduces cortisol and epinephrine levels (fattening hormones) and increases endorphins and neurotransmitters (stress-busting hormones)
• Sex burns approximately 200 calories per 30 minutes
• Standing burns 1.5x more calories than sitting
• A person who fidgets burns 250 more calories a day
• Bloat busting foods:  Coconut water, bananas, papaya, yogurt, lima beans, cataloupe, and beets

I would highly reccommend this book.  Even if you don't need to lose weight there's some helpful hints for keeping the weight off.

So you can either order this book from Amazon (the link is listed below) or check it out from your local library.




Buy it on Amazon:  Slim for Life by Jillian Michaels

Gym Review: Thriv

I joined a gym today.  Joining a gym is a big risk to me just because I normally hate gyms.  It wasn't until recently that I learned to appreciate them and love them.  Plus I know that I have previously talked about not needing a gym.  The gym will never replace my bike or my love of doing things the traditional way (for example, taking a bike ride instead of a spin class)  Plus, this membership is attached to a 1 year contract.  To me there's the added risk of something happening and I'm going to waste money each month by not going.
I was originally planning on taking a tour and doing a test day at this gym and the other gym with a daycare.  I was going to review both gyms for you.  But, I really liked this gym so I decided to sign up instead of checking out the other one.  [Plus I didn't have to pay a signup fee if I joined today]  I'm super excited because this means that I can spend more time exercising.  Maybe I can actually gain that 4 pounds of muscle my trainer says I need to gain.  I have still decided to include my review.  Obviously I liked it enough to join but, I just wanted you to hear why I love it so much. 

Name:

Thriv Fitness Center

Address:

3 Commerce Blvd, Palm Coast, FL

Phone:

(386)446-7462

Website     Facebook

Hours:

Mon-Friday  5:30am-9:00pm

Saturday  8:00am-4:00pm

Sunday  9:00am-3pm 

Membership Prices:  Depending on which plan you choose it can be as low as $25 or as high as $45


Staff:  They are great.  I met the owner.  She's really nice and helpful.  I was amazed when they acknowledge Sunny before they said anything to me when I first walked through the door.  The staff in the daycare was great too.   

Cleanliness:  It was very clean.

Equipment:  Some is a bit outdated but they have a good variety and I didn't have to wait for anything. 

Amenities:  Daycare, lockers, a wide variety of classes and they also offer personal training

Classes:  Too many to count!  But, the ones I want to try are TRX, hot yoga and spinning

Other gym-goers:  These are some bad-ass people.  [In a good way]  At the school gym I am a very confident person.  But here, MAN do I feel out of my league.  But in a way I like that.  I like being pushed to get better [I'm slightly competitive]  

Skinny Rules: A Book Review

I love reading diet books.  Even though I don't need to lose weight I still read them from cover to cover.  Why?  For a number of reasons.

1) It's a subject that interests me
     It's the same reason my dad reads war novels or my sister reads science fiction

2) Validation that I'm doing things right.
     Don't you like it when the doctor tells you your health is good or the dentist says you have no cavities?

3) New ideas.
     I read cookbooks for new recipes.  Some people read style magazines to find a new look.  I read health and fitness books to get some new ideas to keep my weight off.

I finished the book, The Skinny Rules by Bob Harper (of The Biggest Loser) last nite.  This book is really great for someone who is just starting out.  It was also good for someone like me because it gives you a few new tips and tells you WHY you're doing some of the things you do (or should be doing.)

Bob lays it out in 20 simple, straightforward rules.  These are are meant to help you be successful on your health journey.  They range from "Don't drink your calories" (number 2) to "Go to bed hungry" (number 18).  [That one sounds alot worse then it really is]  Number 18 is actually about what time you eat in relation to the time you go to bed.

I would definitely recommend checking this book out of your local library if you don't want to buy it.  

Skinny Rules on Amazon 
Bob Harper's Official Page 

I mean seriously, if Bob Harper, a man who has helped 100's of people lose 1000's of pounds doesn't have a set of "rules" that work then there's not chance in Hell for anyone else.  Next on my list of books? Unlimited and Master Your Metabolism both by Jillian Michaels.