The No-Sugar Diet: What I'm Eating (Days 1-3)

Hopefully I won't bore you all to tears by sharing what I'm eating while making the break from sugar.

Day One:
Breakfast: scrambled eggs with a little bit of shredded cheese
Lunch: leftover white bean chili, plus snatched a small piece of french bread pizza that I had made for the kids
Snack: A banana (Fast Food!), some raw almonds
Dinner: Chicken, broccoli, and brown rice
Snack: homemade unsweetened apple sauce
Drinks for the day: water, herbal tea sweetened with stevia

Day Two:
breakfast: fruit smoothie
Snack: homemade unsweetened apple sauce
lunch: salad made of organic greens, some dehydrated goodies, turkey, blue corn chips
Dinner: spaghetti and meatballs
Snack: homemade honey whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter
Drinks for the day: water, herbal tea sweetened with stevia

Day Three:
Breakfast: scrambled eggs with some shredded cheese and bits of real cooked ham
Lunch: homemade pizza at our homeschool get together
Dinner: ended up being pizza also
Snacks: honey whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter, 2 oranges
Drinks: Water and herbal tea sweetened with stevia
Not an entirely successful day today, because I am sure I consumed some trace amounts of sugar in the pizza that I ended up with for two meals. (a fluke! This does not normally happen.) However, I'm giving myself a big pat on the back because I passed up cake and ice cream from my child's birthday two days in a row, and didn't so much as lick off my finger when icing got on it! Don't you think that deserves recognition?! :)

I'm not feeling any withdrawal symptoms from this yet, but I assume that I probably will. I did stop off at the store today to stock up on salad greens and some fruit. When I shopped for this two week period I wasn't planning to go off sugar, so I don't have all of the most helpful items on hand, and haven't had/taken time to make any of the healthy snacks that tend to help me get past the first few days off going off of sugar. (I've done this 2 or 3 times over the past decade) Tomorrow I hope to have some time to make a few things that might help. As it stands right now, I've been feeling pretty hungry and feel like there isn't that much to choose from to eat. It's not entirely true, but I get a little tired of eating what's here when I haven't planned for this change in advance.

SO, Tip For The Day: if you are going to try to make a change in your diet, Plan Ahead! It will help you be more successful and minimize the down side to adjusting to what you eat.

You Are Gonna Love This!

I know that many of you are working on making healthy improvements to your diet, while also keeping it affordable and practical. While I love to provide you with resources that do just that, I do not like to reinvent the wheel! :) When someone else has a great resource that I know is going to help you, I love to let you know about it.

For the next couple days there is an incredible sale on 17 awesome ebooks that are going to be such a *great* resource for you!

Check these out:

Eating Healthy On A Budget e-booklet: Some very practical tips that will be especially welcomed by those of you that are skeptics. No-nonsense ideas that can help even the tightest budget be healthier than ever!

The Bread by Hand eBook: A wonderful resource for those of you wanting to make homemade bread, but lack any special equipment for it. If you've got hands, you can do this! :)

Momma's Guide to Growing Your Groceries: A fabulous resource for all of you that are thinking about doing some gardening this year, and full of great ideas that even a more experienced gardener can use.

Also included in this amazing collection are a 14 MORE resources that will help you save bunches of money and time!

Hurry on over to read all about it. This is really an awesome deal, and I am sure that you are going to find the information extremely helpful and valuable.

Have fun!

On My Mind Today--Weight Loss and Getting Off Sugar

With my first 4 or 5 babies, most of the extra weight came off by the time the child was around 1. (Just in time to get pregnant again--ha!) The last baby is turning six tomorrow. Obviously, the extra weight isn't going to leave on it's own. :/

Thankfully, I'm tall. (about 6') I can get away with carrying some extra weight without looking too bad. But let's face it--weighing 25 or 30 or 40 extra pounds over my ideal weight (whatever "ideal" is...) just isn't too good. It makes my heart work harder than it should. It makes the bulging disc in my lower back complain more than I'd like. And I'm tired of not fitting into clothes like I want to.

This isn't the first time I've thought about this, obviously. I've gone through spurts where I was concerned enough to join a fitness center and go workout almost every day. I did lose over 15 pounds doing that at one point, and I have kept that off, so it wasn't all for nothing. (I also felt hungry and tired all the time, and never got that supposed "high" from exercizing regularly. What a bummer!)

What I've found is a case of conflicting priorities. For instance, I homeschool five of my children. And I'm normally the only person at home with them. How am I going to take time to go to the fitness center every day? I don't want to leave them home alone. And bringing them along with me seems a little too adventurous. (though I have considered getting a family membership, and setting up all of those little legs on stationary bikes and treadmills while I do my thing. I'm sure my workout time would double because of all the interruptions of people tripping and falling on the treadmill, and fighting over whose turn it is to ride the bikes, and whether or not the balancing balls can be kicked or thrown across the room....oy!)

I do enjoy my Leslie Sansone walk at home DVDs, my rebounder, and my Joyce Vedral weight listing DVDs. Somehow, I lack the internal motivation to get those out and put them to use very often. It's too easy to find something else that needs to be done, or get sidetracked. (now I understand why some people hire personal trainers to come to their homes. If I had someone showing up at my door to make me workout, I know it would happen.... I would also like a personal chef to cook healthy meals for us all the time!!)

Another conflicting priorities issue I deal with is one of the ones that keeps me from being a hard-core health nut. And that's the fact that so many fun and nurturing things in life and in our society revolve around food. At first glance (and second, and third...) it seems hard to imagine how to get the same warm-and-cozy mothering in if I'm not willing to make cookies or have birthday cakes. My husband often invites me to have a date night at home, where we watch a movie from netflix and have a "treat." I have noticed that these treats are now happening several times a week, and usually they are not healthy or low calorie. (There is a reason that I do not preach perfectly healthy eating--I would not be practicing what I preach!)

I did manage to lose about 5 pounds over the holidays (how weird is that?!) but I've now gained two of them back, probably thanks to all of my "special" treats that are becoming all too commonplace these days.

So I had an epiphany ;) last night and this morning. Maybe I need to challenge myself to get off of sugar, and get back to the many ways of making treats, date nights, and fun times with my kids also be healthy. (Yes, I should still try to exercise, but right now getting off of sugar completely seems like something that might help me without taking a bunch of extra time.)

It is funny how when I am thinking from within my own issues, things can feel so difficult. "I don't know what we'll eat!" wah wah wah.... But if I treat my issues as if it is one of my class members writing and asking for advice, suddenly I have a whole bunch of truly great ideas for how I could keep the nurturing and fun aspects of eating in place, while making it more healthy. (I enjoy myself as a healthy eating coach a whole lot!)

So today, a decision: I'm going to try to get off of sugar, and use my creativity to have healthy treats that my family and I will enjoy. I don't know if I'm going to be able to stick with it for very long, or how consistent I will be. But I figure it'll be a good series of blog posts to share with you guys, and maybe it will help you get some ideas of some more changes you could make at your house.

Class Member Feedback, and Whipped Banana Oatmeal

I got this from one of my wonderful class members and thought you all would benefit from the information!
~Erica

Hey Erica!

I loved your breakfast ideas. My girls love the heart to heart and the honey sunshine as well. I enjoy eating them as well. If you sign up at Kashi they give you coupons to print off for 2 dollars off. I know at our wal-mart the boxes are like 2.98 so you can get a box of Kashi cereal for 98 cents :) Also when you print them off if you hit the back button you will be able to print it again. (there is a limit though.) Then they refresh every so often.

Also my 3 yr old loves oatmeal, and I love making it for her it's very filling and full of great things for her. I thought I would share a recipe I use as well as a lady who has a website with a ton of variations. Anyways, I just thought I would share. http://www.katheats.com/kaths-tribute-to-oatmeal/

Whipped Banana Oatmeal

• 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup 1% or skim milk
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 a banana (I’m usually making this for 2 so we split the banana)
• Pinch of salt
• Stirred in:
  • Wheatberries (or spelt or rye or kamut berries)
  • 1 tbsp ground flax
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

For two servings, we start by combining rolled oats, water, and skim milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Slice a banana into VERY thin pieces, leaving just a few bigger chunks. As the oatmeal heats, stir vigorously at times to “whip” the banana into the oats. The oats will take 5-7 minutes on medium heat to fully absorb the liquid. They’re done when they reach your desired consistency! Then we stir in vanilla and ground flax (and often wheatberries) and portion into bowls. Add any toppings you like, such as almond or peanut butter, walnuts or almonds, coconut, crumbled granola plank or bar, or trail mix

Another comment from a super class member!

Peggy has been doing great in the class, and she wrote me this after the fabulous call we had on March 6:

I just wanted to thank you and your Mom for tonight's conference call.

I have a page of notes and a new way to look at salads -- salad doesn't mean just lettuce anymore. I honestly never thought of a bowl of raw veggies as "salad".

I have gotten so many ideas and you always answer -- it's like having a personal coach!

I like the Ranch Spritzer salad dressing, I use it on baked potato, too, along with lemon pepper -- don't miss the sour cream & butter that way.

Your Mom is right on target about planning ahead -- that is one of the best things I have learned from you, it is too easy to "justify" the drive through when you are tired and hungry.

And, I want to say again that making just one change a week has made this less overwhelming, it's not all or nothing -- looking back, I see progress (hey, I couldn't even spell whole wheat flour) but it has been gradual enough that the changes will stick --

I can't say thank you enough. Peggy

Handy Little Tip About Bread Crumbs

Last week I made a batch of bread, and today the last few slices of the last loaf were looking kind of sad and I didn't think anyone was going to eat them up. So, I threw them into the food processor and made it all into bread crumbs. After that I popped all the crumbs into a container and put it in the freezer. Now when I make anything that calls for bread crumbs I have nice, healthy Honey Whole Wheat crumbs!

If you have heels of bread or crusts that your kids don't eat :) left over, you can always do this. If your food processor isn't handy, you can throw all the bread scraps into a ziploc bag in the freezer and just turn them into crumbs when you need them. It can be a little harder to get them uniform in size (sometimes bigger frozen chunks of bread remain) but if you don't care too much about perfection when it comes to bread crumbs, then it'll be ok. :)

Class Member Success!

Guess What?? I just had to tell you -- I am still needing a caffeine boost to get started in the morning, but all the rest of the day I am drinking your special lemonade. This was one of my goals, and I am so tickled -- I will start next week to completely get off the diet sodas. I am adding a scoop of protein powder to a smoothie and that makes a great breakfast for me -- I have MS and sometimes breakfast is more than I can make so this has been a big help to me. Thank you so very much -- Peggy

I love to hear from my class members about how the recipes and strategies are working for them! So many of you are succeeding in making healthy changes and I am very proud of you! Way to go!
~Erica

This Deodorant Passed the 16 Year Old Boy Test!

It's been a very long time since I've been aware of the dangers of aluminum and other harmful chemicals in most deodorants and antiperspirants. I've tried a few natural alternatives like the crystal thing and some other potions, but mainly I have found that they didn't seem to work well and weren't convenient to use.

Since adding the Miessense Organics line of products, my own family has been test driving their deodorant and I just had to let you know what we're finding:

It's easy to use and truly is unscented (Which we like. Scented varieties will come later on.)

I asked my 16 year old son to give it a try. He did, and just came in to tell me that he has no underarm odor in over 24 hours since using it! (and that included him going to a concert where it was hot and sweaty!) If THAT isn't a testimonial, I don't know what is!!!

My husband, a professional firefighter and EMT is also using it and finding it works well.

I've also used it and am also finding it very effective. (My armpits don't stink. There. I said it.) ;)

I am so excited about this!

As I learn more about the toxins in everyday body care products, and how the damaging effects accumulate as we get older, I am thrilled not only for myself, but especially for my children to have a really safe way to take care of these needs that won't cause their health to suffer later on.

You can purchase Miessense Deodorant here.

Q&A: How do you get wheat for baking?

Some of you are starting to think about trying out making homemade bread. I have enjoyed baking bread for many years now (close to a decade, actually! which is making me feel rather more experienced at this than I had previously considered myself to be!!).

I do grind my own wheat, and get wheat in 25-50lb. bags from a local Amish store that special orders it for me. If I were you, I'd do some searching on google for "organic wheat" and see what sources you can find. For sure there are places that will ship it in buckets, but of course that is more costly than finding it someplace local. You could make some calls to any of your area health food stores, bulk food stores, and Amish or Mennonite stores to see if they can help you. Typically these smaller stores have a whole catalog of products they can order, so if they know someone wants a particular item, they can get it in stock for you. If you live in an area where wheat is grown, you may be able to purchase it right from a farm.

My bread recipe is here. I use a Whisper Mill to grind wheat, and a Bosch mixer for kneading.


I will give you a little tip: On March 17 you are going to have access to a wonderful resource that will show you how to bake your own bread without needing any special equipment at all. Be on the lookout for my email that day! :)

Black Bean Brownies?!?!

On the class conference call on March 6, Tammy mentioned that a friend of hers had made fudge brownies that included black beans in the recipe!! (and apparently nobody could tell the difference)

Oh. My. Goodness!

Well, we couldn't let *that* go, now could we?!

I told Tammy that her "assignment" was to get that recipe for us, at least for curiosities sake! Here's what she sent:

Ok Erica, here's my homework assignment:-)  The black bean brownie recipe.
This friend is following weight watchers so she kindly included the
weight watchers points value for the brownies.
 
Black Bean Brownies 

1 box low fat fudge brownie mix
1 15oz can black beans(drained and rinsed)
1 cup water

put beans (drained & rinsed) and water in food processor.  Puree until smooth.
Mix with brownie mix.  Bake in a 9X13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking
spray.  Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350F.

servings 18
WW points: 3

So there you have it.  
Again thanks for the call last night I really enjoyed it.
Your mom sounds like a great person and she is full of wonderful ideas
and information.

Blessings from WV,
Tammy

Quick, Easy, and Healthy Recipes

I got this link today and saw some very interesting, colorful, and unique recipes that I thought you all might enjoy checking out. Clickety click!

Q&A: How do you make homemade yogurt?

One of the things that was discussed on our conference call the other night was making homemade yogurt. What a wonderful way to be sure that the ingredients going into your food are safe and healthy! Plus, making yogurt is very economical and easy.

If you buy a yogurt maker there will be specific instructions on how to make it work with that particular maker. To make yogurt without a yogurt maker, there are a ton of resources available on the internet. Click here for one link I found.

If that one doesn't seem like a good fit for you, google "make homemade yogurt" and you're sure to find something that works better for your situation.

One thing I liked in the above link was the tip for making the yogurt a little thicker. When I have made homemade yogurt I have always found it kind of thin and that didn't go over so well with my family.

To sweeten homemade yogurt you can add any fresh or frozen fruit and whir it up in your blender or food processor. You can mix in applesauce or any healthy jam or jelly. You can also leave it plain and add liquid stevia in a flavor that you enjoy! This adds flavor without calories.

Finally! Organic Skin Care!

Today I am about as excited as I've ever been about a new product. I have been literally bouncing up and down since my product shipment arrived a few hours ago!

For many years I have been learning about the many dangerous chemicals and carcinogens that are present in the common lotions, cleansers, cleaners, and body care products available today. It is a shame when even supposedly "healthy" products still contain dangerous parabens, petroleum products, and more.

Thankfully, I have found the Miessence brand, and it is one that I am SO excited about! This company produces organic, botanical products that are TRULY safe, healthy, and beneficial for you. Plus, they work GREAT and smell SO good!

I first learned about Miessence probably 2 years ago, and was incredibly impressed with the products and the overall integrity of the company as far as their dedication to TRULY providing safe, certified organic products (not just pretending to be "natural" for marketing purposes). I always grow this business completely debt-free, so I had to wait to add these products at a time when I was comfortably able to do so. Last week I made the decision, and I am VERY excited about it!

Truly, I could not give you a higher recommendation than I can for these products. I know you are going to love taking care of yourself so well!

I have many Miessence products in stock for those of you that want to order items along with your regular purchases, but you can also visit my Miessence web site to see and purchase all items from the full range of products. If you see items there that you would like to purchase through Supermom's Health and Wellness, send me an email to let me know, and I'll try to get it in stock for you.

I'll have more information for you about these *great* products in the future, but I just got them all added to the site and wanted to let you know about it. Go check 'em out!

Green Smoothies--from a class member

Just wanted to pass on what we and many others do to add greens in our diets. We use baby spinach or romaine lettuce along with fruit and must have bananas for smooth texture. You can add flax meal or nuts to add more protein. If you think yuck, just try baby spinach and frozen bananas and you will be amazed! Can’t taste the spinach at all! if you add TONS of strawberries to make it red then noone will know the green is there! Some hard core raw people use cabbage, chard and other greens that are more bitter.

Thanks!

Jeanette

Jeanette wanted me to mention that she was inspired to try this because of Serene Allison's wonderful raw foods recipe book Rejuvenate Your Life. I am a big fan of this book as well!

On Sale This Week

Just wanted to pop in quickly here to let you know that this week our three best products for building up the immune system or beating sickness are on sale:

Berry Well
Ultra Immune
Winter's Breeze

Sale ends Sunday morning!

On a personal note, yesterday I did some recipe experimentation for you guys! I was able to successfully convert a donut recipe into something pretty healthy and still quite yummy. :) I'll be sharing it with you sometime soon. :)