A Recipe of Lies

I can hardly believe it's almost the end of 2012.  With a new year comes a sense of starting fresh and renewal.  I don't know about you, but I personally have started to get away from the whole "resolutions" since they are usually over-zealous, over the top at times and tend to be hard to maintain - or at least the ones I've tried to keep up in the past.

My goal for most of last year and will be into 2013 is to be healthier.   As I mentioned, I'm a diet whore junkie and I've recently been following the Eat To Live plan by Dr. Fuhrman.  It's been going really, really great.  Aside from currently having a cold, I feel really good.  The weight is still not coming off as I'd hoped but I haven't weighed in again hoping for a bigger loss (fingers crossed!).  I'm also currently reading his books Super Immunity and Disease-Proof Your Child.  They're quite eye opening and informative.

Ok, back to the post and my recipe of lies.

So, for 2013 my goal is be healthier.  Not skinnier or fitter or anything like that.  I'm just striving for health.  Just this past weekend I actually got my husband on board with the whole cutting out processed foods and eating healthier idea also which is awe.some.  I've been on Pinterest for quite some time and I've come across some awesome blogs and resources for recipe, inspiration and so much more.  So as 2012 went on, I had already incorporated green smoothies and had been eating a more vegetarian diet.  Now, I'm almost borderline vegan (but not exactly) due to the Eat To Live plan.  And now with the hubby aboard the healthy train we should be in even better shape to achieve health in 2013.

Me eating healthier. Check.  Husband on board and agreeing to eat healthier, unprocessed foods.  Check.

Kiddos - Yeah.  Not quite a check there yet.

It's just going to be tricking the kiddos to eating healthier that I have to work on.  I started that plan today by making Zucchini Banana Muffins (recipe found on Pinterest on this blog) which I made without the glaze.  No offense, but the "glaze" in the pictures looks like ketchup and is so unappealing - but I altered the recipe a bit to make it a little more palatable for our taste.  So I turned the Zucchini Banana muffins into Zucchini Banana Applesauce muffins and they are yummy!  (Note:  I think they are but I can't taste anything really due to this darn cold!)

Without further adieu, I present the recipe of lies!

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1  teaspoon cinnamon(I added more since I like cinnamon!)

1 egg

2/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce (the original recipe called for butter but I didn't use any)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4  cup of white sugar

1/3 cup milk – plus another splash as the mix was a little too dry after mixing

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups freshly grated zucchini

1/3 cup mashed banana (about 1 small banana)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and then get the muffin pan ready with either liners or non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine together flour, baking soda, salt,and cinnamon.  Mix well.

In a larger separate bowl, whisk the egg and brown sugar until smooth and until there are no lumps. Add in white sugar and continue to mix.  Add vanilla extract, applesauce and 1/3 cup milk. Add more later if you find the mix is too dry.  Whisk again until smooth and stir in the previously grated zucchini and mashed banana. Once combined, slowly add the dry ingredients a little at a time, folding the batter until just combined.  Divide batter into muffin cups.

Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. 

The finished muffin

Oh whoops, I forgot to put in the key ingredient.

THE LIE!

So, in the whole tricking the kiddos theme, my 4 year old daughter helped me bake these muffins.  I should note that she is a fairly picky eater and does not really enjoy trying new things. Or eating vegetables.  Or trying new foods.  Or - well, you get the idea. My 3 year old son is a bit more adventurous with trying foods and his overall taste for diverse foods.  So, when my daughter saw the green zucchini, she asked me what it was.

So, I sort of lied and called it a green banana.

Well, she totally bought it!  I was shocked.  This coming from a child who would shy away from parsley and green flecks in anything that was on her plate.

Then once the muffins were baked and cooled, she proceeded to eat it - green bits and flecks of zucchini and all.  (See image)

Am I proud that I lied?  No.  I mean, she saw with her own eyes that it was green - a color of food she normally is repulsed by.  Maybe because I quickly called it a green banana, it made it okay by her standards?  But for the sake of her long-term health and getting her to eat more green vegetables I guess I'd have to say it is a lie I'd tell over and over again.

And I just may.

While I consider myself an honest person, I'm kind of a huge fan of trying to sneak more veggies into foods that kids prefer to eat - such as chicken nuggets, cookies, muffins, chili's  soups and stews.  I really love Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious cookbook which I need to go back through and try more of the recipes again now that my kids are older.

Now tell me, do you struggle with the same "picky-ness" with your kids?  How do you or did you overcome it.  Did you ever tell lies to get your kids to eat new things?  I'd love to hear it?
~Carly

Eat To Live

Hello!

Well, as usual (lately anyways) this post is overdue.  I've had some changes happen over the past few months and I've been way off schedule. And sidetracked.  And distracted.

However, I've had a little more time to get back to doing a little more work now that my kiddos are both in preschool a few mornings a week.  It's not a lot of time, but I have been able to reclaim a little "me" time which has been very nice.

As you know from reading this blog (or if you're just joining me, welcome!) then you know that I'm somewhat of a diet hopper.  It's pretty safe to say that if dieting and I were family we'd be beyond dysfunctional.  This post is coming about three weeks into my latest "diet" craze on a lifestyle called Eat To Live by Dr. Joel Furhman.

Image courtesy of diseaseproof.com

Dr. Furhman has been featured in the documentary Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, on the Dr. Oz Show a few times and is highly respected in the medical community.  You may be thinking along the lines of Doctors writing books - aka Dr. Atkins of the Atkins Diet, Dr. Agaston of South Beach Diet, etc.  I thought along the same lines also - another Doctor with some miracle diet - blah blah.

Until I read the book.

It totally made sense.  In an easy to read and follow type of way.  The diet itself is another story.  It's NOT an easy diet to follow if you're not used to eating this way at all.  Especially when you have two small children who are somewhat picky and a husband who likely won't consider eating this way.

Luckily, I had already been drinking green smoothies and eating more of a vegetarian style diet for some time now after seeing a few documentaries, reading some articles and talking to some people.

Okay, back to the point...

According to Dr. Furhman and some other people recently - like Michael Pollen...this way of eating isn't or should not really be a short term thing.  Dr. Furhman  has said that weight and health have to go hand in hand.  They are very much intertwined.  This book promotes healing diseases such as diabetes (among other things) with the foods you eat.  This book promotes a vegan lifestyle for six weeks and in that six weeks you can lose up to 20 pounds or more.  There are non-vegan or vegetarian options you may follow but the results may vary.

I highly suggest reading the book, but in case you can't or just don't want to and would like the lowdown on the diet, here it is in a nutshell:

UNLIMITED (eat as much as you want):

• All raw vegetables, including raw carrots (goal: 1 lb. daily)
• Cooked green vegetables (goal 1 lb. daily)
• Beans, legumes, bean sprouts, or *tofu (minimum 1 cup daily in total of these)
• Fresh fruit (at least 4 daily).
• Eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomato and other non-starchy vegetables, cooked and raw (unlimited) (Dr. Furhman calls these GBOMBS on a Dr. Oz show)

*Beans should be eaten daily; tofu should be eaten less frequently.

LIMITED (not more than one serving):

• Cooked starchy vegetables OR whole grains–Maximum 1 cup per day (butternut or acorn squash, corn, sweet potato, brown rice, cooked carrots, whole grain breads*, whole grain cereals*)
• Raw nuts and seeds (1 oz. or 28.5 grams a day) or 2 ounces avocado
• Ground flaxseed (1 tablespoon a day)
• Soymilk, low-sugar preferred–Maximum 1 cup a day (I've been using unsweetened Almond Milk)

*avoid breads and cereals as much as possible

OFF-LIMITS:

• Dairy products
• Animal products
• Snacks between meals
• Fruit juice or dried fruits
• Salt
• Sugar

Sound confusing or crazy to eat that many veggies and avoid all that other stuff?  Glorious bread, sugar, sweets, chicken, cheese?  Yes.  It is.

Image courtesy of myself

At first.  At some point in the book it is mentioned that it's recommended to eat that much veggies, but not necessary.  He does say the more greens and veggies you eat the more weight you will lose.  I think I maybe have eaten the full two pounds of veggies a few days out of the past few weeks.  But still, I've been eating a lot of vegetables.  A lot.

So, going on week 3 how am I doing.  You're dying to know, right?  

Well, after my escapades in weight loss this year - Weight Watchers, Cinch, etc...I was nearly back up to my original weight when I started dieting!  

Frustrating.  Annoying.  Insert expletive here.

I've been yo-yo dieting all year.  Since I've started this plan, as of 5 days ago I've lost 5.8 pounds!  Yes, I've been tracking what I eat still on MyFitnessPal.  And yes, I count cleaning as cardio these days :)  It's extra and it counts.

Is the weight loss miraculous?  No.  Do I feel really awesome and amazing? Yes.  I can't tell you how good I feel cutting out a lot of the Standard American Diet (SAD).  So, again, this was as of 5 days ago and I haven't weighed in since so it may be more at this point.  

Have I stuck to the plan exactly?  No, not as I would have liked to in a "perfect" world where there are no cheddar bunnies to tempt me or heavenly smelling chocolate chip cookies I baked for a cookie swap coming up.  So, yes I have "cheated" a bit on this plan - I had a sprinkle or two of some cheese on a few things and I did have a turkey burger (all natural) the other night.  I did in fact taste test the cookies to make sure they were tasty.  So by no means have I been perfect.  I even had some cake for my son's 3rd birthday this past weekend.  I passed on the pizza but just could not pass on having some cake :)  

Again, this diet Dr. Furhman promotes is all about healthy weight loss that can be sustained over time.  I have really enjoyed this diet so far and I plan to continue. 

Do you know anyone who follows this diet?

By the way, feel free to add me as a friend on MyFitnessPal - I'm duckycarly!

~Carly

Liebster Award! And...Check out Meredith!

It's been an embarrassingly long time since posting but a friend of mine just gave me the nudge I needed to post here again.

Check out From Meredith to Mommy when you have a moment.  She's fun, fresh, honest and a good read.  She's also now one of the Circle of Moms Top 25 bloggers!  Woo hoo!

Meredith is up for a Liebster Award and has kindly pointed some new peeps in my direction.  As part of that award process, I'm answering 11 questions she's posed to me and a few other bloggers:

So, without further adieu, here are my responses to the questions from Meredith:

1. What would you do with a financial windfall?

If I came into a lot of money, I would certainly spend some, save some and then give some to close friends and family and then donate some to a few favorite charities on the local and national levels.

2. What TV show do you watch, but hate admitting that you watch?

Sadly, I love the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Orange County and New York City.  It's crap and I love it.  

3. Given a limit of five words, how would you describe yourself?

Loyal, honest, resourceful, loving and amusing.

4. If you had to leave this country, what country would you choose to live in?

Hmmm.  I would definitely have to say England.  I've always wanted to go abroad but would love to live in London.  

5. What is your dream home like?

With web sites like Pinterest and Houzz it changes every day.  Would I love a sprawling, huge mansion?  I used to.  So, I know it's cheesy and all but I'd say my current home is my dream home right now.  A center hall colonial with plenty of room, a fireplace, a guest room and a formal living room - which I call the "room that no one sits in."  It needs a lot of work and updates but it's perfect - neighborhood and all. 

6. If you could give up one household chore forever, which one would be GONE?

Cleaning the floors.

7. If you had to KEEP one household chore forever, which would you hang on to?

As annoying as it is, cleaning up after the kids.  They grow so fast that I know one day before I know it I'll be wishing I had toys to clean up and legos to step on :)

8. What habit do you hope your children (or future children) pick up from you?

I hope my children continue to love reading for fun and not only because they "have to" as they grow. 

9. What habit do you hope your children (or future children) NEVER pick up?

I hope they NEVER inherit my tendency to over exaggerate or be overly rude at times.  

10. What meal do you most enjoy PREPARING?

I like cooking dinner.  I make a really good chicken parmigiana   It's one of my husband's favorites and I really like making it. 

11. What are you most proud of in your life so far?

I'm very proud of many things in my life, but I think I have to go with the mother I've become for my two kids.  As any mom knows, kids can drive you crazy but I'm amazed at how much sacrifice and unconditional love you truly can have for your kids.  I always knew I wanted kids but I wasn't sure of the type of mom I'd be.  

So, there you have it!

Be sure to check out Meredith's blog and I'll be back soon with more updates :)

~Carly

Update & Pinterest Picks - 9/10/2012

I have not posted in quite some time. I have been somewhat busy with life and have gotten away from my blogging. However, I have been somewhat good about diet - but not exercise. It is actually what I've pinpointed as being the real pitfall of my efforts.
It turns out I've just been - well - lazy. Terribly, terribly lazy.
So, today after I dropped the kiddos at school, I leashed up our dog and we went for a 23 minute run with a few minutes of walking.
I have to say I'm impressed and proud of myself ;)
Now, if I can just keep it up!

Maybe wise Ryan can help:

Eat Fresh

And, no. I do not mean Subway!

I luckily live in a very nice area in Connecticut with access to tons of local farms and farm stands right in my town.

This is what I picked up today for about $5.

Yum!

Homemade Granola Bars

Morning!

I'm on day 3 of South Beach again and I feel great!

Obviously this recipe is not for me - it's for my kiddos who do enjoy a granola bar. Not everyday, but a few a week. They are quick and easy snacks to take along on our outings and to eat on the go. So, like most people I buy them at the store pre-made. I've tried both Cascadian Farms brand but my kids didn't like them as much as the Quaker ones.

So, considering my obsession with baking combined with my love of Pinterest - I came across this recipe from Savor The Thyme for either bake or no bake homemade 5 granola bars:

I only had some of the ingredients in the house - the key ones anyways.  However, you can make any combination of ingredients - almonds, dried fruits, nuts, flax, chia seeds - anything goes.

I made ours out of rolled oats, honey, peanut butter and some chocolate chips.

After one hour of being refrigerated and then cut to size

Cut to kid-sized portions on wax paper

Wrapping them and then storing them in tupperware

The long list of ingredients in  the chocolate chip Quaker  brand.

It was super easy and they taste really good. (yes I taste-tested!)

The kids couldn't even wait to try them before I could cut them up!  

If that's not success with a picky 4 year old eater and a 2.5 year old, I don't know what is :)

So after seeing that crazy long list of ingredients, making these is a no-brainer!

What do you make homemade versus store-bought?

~Carly

Back on the wagon

I hope this post is finding you well - and unharmed by my inability to stick to a choice of diet or exercise :)

I'm back on the South Beach/Low Carb lifestyle. I've had a lot of success in the past with it and I feel ready to do it again...again.

So, my breakfast today was eggs. Snacks were veggies and low fat ranch dip, a cheddar cheese stick and a lot of water! Dinner is baked salmon with sautéed spinach and garlic.

More updates on what I've been up to and some other changes I've been making!