A Quick, Easy, Filling Snack!

Finding a healthy snack that will also fill you up can be a challenge. The best nutritional value provided by snacking on popcorn is that it is high in fiber. Most people don't get enough fiber in their daily diet so its an added bonus.  Plus it helps fill you up and keep you full longer. It's quick simple and easy.

POPCORN!

What you need:

large pasta pot with lid

2tbsp popcorn kernels

1tsp Vegetable oil

• Place pot over high heat with 1tea spoon of oil and 3-4 kernels

• When the kernels begin to pop add 2 table spoons of kernels and recover

• As the kernels begin to pop gently shake and or move the pot around over the heat
• Once the popping stops (for at least 3 seconds) remove from heat and pour into a bowl. 

(I like to sprinkle a little salt on top)

For added flavor you can add flavor with a variety of different spices like Cinnamon, Garlic Salt, Paprika, Parmesan Cheese, calorie free popcorn toppings or for a buttery guiltless topping you can spray a few sprays of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.

4 WW Points Plus Value

78 Ways To Cut 100 Calories! Featured Post From Women's Health Mag..

 I found this article and thought I would share it with all of you. it was a very easy way to cut calories from your diet everyday, no matter the situation.  They have a bunch of great ideas to help you tackle all kinds of situations.

78 Ways to Cut 100 Calories from Your Diet 

From: Women's Health Magazine

Calories can be cruel. Sweat through a 30-minute workout and you can torch 200. Take three gulps of a foamy frappuccino and you're right back where you started.But slashing those suckers can be as effortless as piling them on. We've found 78 ways you can cut 100 or more calories at a pop. From picking the right slice at Pizza Hut to skipping the whip on your latte, they'll add up so fast, you won't miss a thing—until poof! Your love handles are gone.

Cut 100 Calories...

At Breakfast:
• Ditch the Pop-Tart for a slice of high-fiber toast with strawberry jam.
• Gotta have carbs? Split a bagel with a coworker.
• Drink your two cups of joe black. Or order a single espresso instead of your usual latte.
• Swap OJ for the real deal—one fresh orange.
• Trade a side of regular sausage for turkey.
• Top your waffles with Reddi-Whip instead of syrup (or use sugar-free).
• Skip the whip on any Caribou Coffee 16-ounce drink.
• Eat your granola from a 4-ounce mug, not an 8-ounce bowl.
• Lose the Yoplait Thick & Creamy and have a Yoplait Fiber 1.
• Order pancakes, but hold the butter.
• Scramble together 4 egg whites instead of 2 whole eggs. 

At Lunch:

• Leave the Swiss cheese out of your sandwich.

• Slather your bread with mustard rather than mayo and save 80 calories per tablespoon.

• Pass up croutons at the salad bar.

• Use up to 10 pumps of ranch dressing spray instead of pouring 2 tablespoons from a bottle.

• Devour a slice of Pizza Hut cheese pan pizza instead of the meat lover's variety.

• Take your iced tea unsweetened.

• Reach for a Snapple raspberry white tea instead of a Snapple raspberry iced tea.

• Stuff chicken salad into a whole-wheat pita instead of between slices of multigrain bread.

• Make your burger turkey, not beef.

• Slurp minestrone soup instead of cream of anything.

• Go bunless—shed your hamburger roll.

• Use south-of-the-border savvy: Have a quesadilla made with two 6-inch corn, not flour, tortilla 

At Happy Hour:
• Nurse a single glass of wine instead of downing 2 beers.
• Ask for your rum and cokes in a highball glass. Bartenders pour an average of 20 percent less liquid into taller tumblers, so you'll swig less per round.
• Drizzle extra hot sauce, not blue cheese or ranch dressing, on your wings.
• Ordering a cocktail? Make it on the rocks instead of frozen. Slushy fruit drinks tend to be made with bottled mixers that contain added sugar and syrups.
• Blending your own? Have a daiquiri, not a piña colada.
• Pop the cap off of an MGD 64 instead of a bottle of Killian's Irish Red.
• Sip a glass of water between drinks—pacing yourself can help you cut back by a glass or more.
• Dip your nachos in salsa rather than guacamole.
• For automatic portion control, sip wine from a Champagne flute, not an oversize goblet. 

On Your Snack Break:
• Drink sparkling water instead of soda.
• Move your stash of Hershey's Kisses at least 6 feet away from your desk—you'll dip in half as often.
• Drain the heavy syrup from your can of fruit cocktail and then rinse the fruit with water before digging in.
• Have 1/2 cup of fresh grapes instead of that little snack box of raisins.
• Lay off the Lay's Classic potato chips and have a handful of Rold Gold pretzels.
• Munch on a bag of Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop Kettle Korn, not Movie Theater Butter.
• Chase down the ice-cream truck for a Good Humor vanilla sandwich, not a King Cone. 

During Dessert:
• Stop eating when you hit the crust. The edges and bottoms of baked goods are especially caloric because they absorb the butter used to grease the pan.
• Fill your bowl with sorbet instead of ice cream—you can have an extra 1/2 cup of the former and still slash calories.
• Next time a cocoa craving hits, ditch the dish of chocolate ice cream (about 3/4 cup) for a Fudgsicle.
• Have sugar-free Jell-O instead of pudding. Better your nighttime treat jiggle than your thighs.
• Go ahead and have that piece of birthday cake—just scrape off the chocolate frosting first.\
• Eat 5 meringue cookies instead of 2 chocolate chip ones.
• Pass on the à la mode and savor that brownie au naturel.
• Can the cone. Have your ice cream in a bowl.
• Top your dessert with 1/2 cup of fresh berries instead of 2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup. 

In the Kitchen:
• Substitute nonfat Greek yogurt for a serving of sour cream.
• Use chicken broth (low-sodium is best) instead of oil to sauté meat and veggies.
• Making homemade mac 'n cheese? Cut 2 tablespoons of butter from the recipe.
• Replace the oil or butter in cakes with Sunsweet Lighter Bake prune-and-apple mixture or any brand of unsweetened applesauce.
• Next time you make meatballs, meatloaf, or burgers, go half-and-half with ground beef and turkey.
• When preparing packaged foods that call for butter or oil, like rice and stuffing, use a broth instead.
• Swap low-fat cottage cheese for whole-milk ricotta when you make lasagna or stuffed shells. 

At the Drive-Thru:
• Pass up a Wendy's baked potato with sour cream and chives and chow down on value fries instead. Amazing but true.
• Have a McDonald's cheeseburger instead of a Quarter Pounder with cheese.
• Downsize your drink: Trade a large fountain soda (with ice) for a medium.
• Go for grill marks. Order a flame-broiled chicken sandwich rather than one that's breaded (and usually fried in oil).
• Treat yourself to an ice-cream cone at McDonald's instead of Dairy Queen.
• Crunch on one Taco Bell regular taco instead of a Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco. And all the hot sauce you want.
• Slurp a cup of Panera Bread's low-fat chicken noodle soup instead of the cream of chicken with wild rice.

• Make your daily pick-me-up at Starbucks a skinny vanilla latte, not a regular. 

When You're Not Cooking:
• Request the lemon chicken with white rice, not fried.
• Skip the crunchy noodles with your bowl of wonton soup.
• Ask for an order of Szechuan Shrimp instead of your usual General Tso's.
• Choose the pasta with 1/2 cup of marinara instead of 1/2 cup of Alfredo sauce.
• Indulge your inner carnivore with beef stroganoff, not meat lasagna.
• Go with the baked potato (butter only), not the mashed, as your side of choice.
• Dip your dinner roll in marinara sauce instead of olive oil.
• Avoid anything breaded. Flour and bread crumbs not only add calories but also absorb more cooking oil.

Find the original article on the Women's Health Magazine website HERE

What do you think? Have any other tips to share?

Grilled Shrimp in a "Buttery" White Wine Sauce..

Now I am sure some of you are saying WHAT! How can that be healthy? Well after much experimentation I have created a healthier version of that fatty yet delicious meal.  Now I am a sucker for a savory creamy white wine sauce but I know it isn't a fan of my waistline.  By tweaking a few ingredients I have created a distinctively tempting alternative. And because I do not like "diet" tasting foods or lame recreations, I also tasted it against a regular butter white wine recipe.

This recipe is for at least two.  When cooking a single meal just for myself I simply cut the recipe in half.

You Need:

Sauce Pan

Frying Pan

Ingredients:

20-24 peeled shrimp

White Wine (dry) I use Chardonnay

Brummel & Brown

Garlic

Thyme

Basil

Rosemary

Salt & Pepper

1. To start put 3 Tablespoons of Brummel & Brown in a sauce pan over medium heat.  
2. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and saute
3. Add 1 Cup of White Wine  

• About a 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• About a 1/2 teaspoon Basil
• About a 1/4 teaspoon Rosemary
• A pinch of Salt and Pepper

       And Bring to a boil. Then let simmer for a few minutes.

At this point you can do one of to things

1. You can saute your shrimp in the sauce as is or

2. You can thicken the sauce

I like to add a little cornstarch to thicken the sauce up a bit before I add the shrimp.  

To do this add:

• 1Tablespoon of cornstartch &
• 1 Tablespoon of cold water in a small  bowl or cup and mix it together
• Bring the sauce back up to a boil and slowly mix in the cornstarch solution

     4.  Add your peeled shrimp to a frying pan over medium heat

5.  Pour the sauce over the shrimp and saute until cooked 

(nice and pink)

 

Now again you can do one of two things:

1. Top off a salad with these deliciously flavored shrimp

2. Pour the sauce and shrimp over whole wheat pasta

 Either way... Yum!!

Let me know what you think or if you have other ideas of how you can use this recipe!

Recipe yields 2 servings Each serving has 6 WW Points Plus Value

9 Tasty Low Calorie Foods!

It's a new year and many people have made resolutions to loose weight, get fit, stay fit, or eat healthier! These are tasty, healthy, diet-friendly foods that are also low in calories. If you are want to find some creative new ways to boost your weight loss try some of these!!

Popcorn:
One cup of air-popped popcorn contains only 30 calories! Its low in calories and easy, you can make plain popcorn right in your microwave. Just take a brown paper bag, spray the inside with cooking spray like "PAM" and add four tablespoons of popcorn kernels. (for extra flavor you can add some flavor with cinnamon, garlic salt, chili powder or any other spice)  fold the edge of the bag over twice to close and microwave the bag on high for 1.5 to 2 minutes.

Salsa:
Salsa is tasty and flavorful with very few calories, about 20 per ¼ cup.  Fresh homemade salsa or bottled  makes a zesty, low-cal dip for crunchy veggies like baby carrots and celery sticks. It's also the best slimming condiment for sandwiches, burgers, and baked potatoes. Use it place of calorie killers like mayo, sour cream and butter.

Grapefruit:
Besides being refreshing grapefruits are sweet and hydrate you. Its also one of the few seasonal winter fruits. It's just 120 calories for one large grapefruit. Plus since you eat a grapefruit one segment at a time, it also helps pace your eating.

Frozen cherries:
Frozen cherries are a healthy solution to those pesky sugar cravings. Snacking on them right out of the freezer bag is like a healthy version of Italian ice.  Plus they are only 110 calories for every ¾ cup.  They are also another treat that will help  stretch out your snack time.




Hot sauce:
Research shows that spicy foods suppress your appetite and ups your metabolism.  I love flavoring bland foods with it or even adding some spice. Try some on eggs, in soups and stews, or mix it into spreads like hummus to add some heat.

Naturally flavored seltzer:
You should be drinking 8 glasses of water a day but if you're bored with plain tap water try adding some flavor and carbonation with naturally flavored seltzers.  Best of all it's calorie-free, fizzes like soda, and comes in tons of flavors. (Just make sure the label says no sugar)






Whole-grain sandwich thins:
Sandwich thins are the best thing since sliced bread! These little things are tasty and a top and bottom have the same amount of calories as one regual piece of bread (100 calories) . These whole grain buns are great for sandwiches, toast, mini pizzas and anything else you can do with bread.

Egg whites
Egg whites are pure protein containing only 17 calories apiece. They are an ideal ingredient for a low calorie breakfast that will keep you energized. For a slimming start to the day try making a spinach omelet or scrambled eggs with sauteed vegetables.

  

Shrimp:
At only 8 calories a piece, shrimp are a great source of lean protein, which also helps to boost your metabolism and suppress your appetite. You can start your next meal at a restaurant with a shrimp cocktail appetizer to help fill up so you don't over eat.  Or try sauteing some shrimp with veggies, like onions, mushrooms, peppers, and broccoli, for a healthy dinner. I also like to top my salads with grilled shrimp.

So the next time your stomach starts to growl, you have a sugar craving, need a healthy snack or want to try a new healthy meal keep these tips in mind!  Let me know what you think and other great Low Calorie foods you LOVE!

New Year, New You!

As Maria Robinson once said, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”  Nothing could be closer to the truth.  But before you can begin this process of transformation you have to stop doing the things that have been holding you back.
Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.  If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you.  You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot.  Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth.  And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.
2. Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on.  No, it won’t be easy.  There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them.  We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems.  That’s not how we’re made.  In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall.  Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time.  This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.
3. Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself.  Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves.  Read The Road Less Traveled.
4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.  Yes, help others; but help yourself too.  If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.
5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else.  Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you.  Don’t change so people will like you.  Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.
6. Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
7. Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing.  Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success.  You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.
8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us.  We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past.  But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future.  Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.
9. Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive.  But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.
10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either.  You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else.  Read Stumbling on Happiness.
11. Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.  Evaluate situations and take decisive action.  You cannot change what you refuse to confront.  Making progress involves risk.  Period!  You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.
12. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises.  Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.
13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely.  It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company.  There’s no need to rush.  If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.
14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet.  Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you.  But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.
15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others doing better than you.  Concentrate on beating your own records every day.  Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.
16. Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.  Ask yourself this:  “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”
17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you.  You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough.  But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past.  You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation.  So smile!  Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.
18. Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart.  You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate.  Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.”  It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.”  Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself!  And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too.  If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.
19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.
20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway.  Just do what you know in your heart is right.
21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it.  If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.  Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.
22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things.  The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.
23. Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done.  Read Getting Things Done.
24. Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile.  Don’t take the easy way out.  Do something extraordinary.
25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while.  You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well.  You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears.  The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.
26. Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life.  When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.
27. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out.  But making one person smile CAN change the world.  Maybe not the whole world, but their world.  So narrow your focus.
28. Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy.  One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time?  Three years?  Five years?”  If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.
29. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen.  Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story.  If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.
30. Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life.  Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs.  Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.

I see myself all over in this list. These are all excellent reminders and it contains helpful advice to think about as we head into a new year! This is something that was passed on to me and I thought would be beneficial to share with all of you. The original post can be found HERE

An Obituary printed in the London Times...

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, 'Common Sense', who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were lost long in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

- Knowing when to come in out of the rain
- Why the early bird gets the worm
- Life isn't always fair
- And, maybe it was my fault

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (Don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (Adults, not children, are in charge)

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun tan lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason. He is survived by his four stepbrothers: I Know My Rights - I Want It Now - Someone Else Is To Blame and I'm A Victim.

Attendance at the funeral was not many, since so few realized that he was gone.

Top Ten...

 It's that time of year again to take hold and look at the crazy food concoctions that came out of State Fairs this year...

Each year gatherings from small venues to huge state fairs across the country offer visitors an array of food vendors with hundreds of options, most of which are fried and or on a stick for easy eating.

Since only the guiltiest of pleasures are considered as ingredients, the selection of food is often more ridiculous than you could expect and the combinations keep getting more obscure.  But when you can deep fry anything and call it delicious, hundreds of fair goers seem to rally around you.

Here is a look at some of the weirdest concoctions to come from fairs around the nation this year...

10. Chocolate Covered Corn Dog — The Orange County State Fair:

9. Deep Fried Kool-Aid — San Diego County Fair:

8. Deep Fried Butter On A Stick — Iowa State Fair:

7. Buffalo Chicken in a Flapjack — Texas State Fair:

6. Red Velvet Funnel Cake — Florida State Fair:

5. El Bananarito — Texas State Fair:

 4. Chocolate Covered Jalapeno Poppers — Minnesota State Fair:

3. Deep Fried Salsa — Texas State Fair:

2. Breakfast Lollipop –- Minnesota State Fair:

1. Fried Ice Cream Burger — Florida State Fair:

Thoughts?

Quick Note!

I just wanted to take a moment and let you all know that some things have happened recently in my life and that is why I haven't posted in a few weeks. I have been dealing with some tragic deaths in my family and have not been motivated to keep up with my postings.  I am trying to get back into the swing of things and should have New posts coming soon!!