What I Ate Today: Breakfast

I haven't done one of these posts and wanted to show a breakfast I made this morning. I made an omelet with a sprinkle of light shredded cheese and broccoli. I love omelets as they are filling; they help keep me from getting hungry around 11 am before lunch. The broccoli also helps with making this a satisfying breakfast and adds a little something different to a standard omelet.

 

Yummy!

What did you have for breakfast? What is your favorite breakfast to keep you satisfied until lunchtime?

Healthy, Easy Hot Chocolate Recipe

Hot chocolate is perfect for this season. It's perfect for relaxing on a cold winter night. However, the regular mixes or store bought hot chocolates have a ton of sugar in them. Even though it may be comforting and delicious, it doesn't help when you are trying to avoid extra holiday weight. I wanted to share an easy to make hot chocolate recipe that is low calorie! Just a note, this does not have all the sugar we may be used to with hot chocolate. It may taste different for those that are looking for a sweet hot chocolate since it's not very sweet. But it's very yummy!

You will need:

 

-Almond Breeze Almond Milk (this one is the Original, which has a bit of sugar)

-Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

-Ground Cinnamon

Pour Almond milk and put in microwave for 30 seconds. Add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder and stir until the powder dissolves. Add a pinch of cinnamon for taste.

Add your favorite mug!

The almond milk has less calories than regular milk and the cocoa powder is healthier than the typical sugar filled hot chocolate mixes. The cinnamon adds a nice spice and flavor!

Do you love hot chocolate around this time of year? What is your favorite hot chocolate recipe?

How To: Chocolate Covered Strawberries

My latest project this weekend was chocolate covered strawberries. I have been posting my What I Ate Today posts and thought a recipe post might be something you would enjoy! I am no chef so I wanted to share a super basic "how to" for this treat. Overall, this is a low point (or calorie) yummy dessert!

1. Ingredients:

 

Strawberries (washed)- make sure they are fully dry before you dip them in chocolate.

 

Chocolate- I used Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate. You can use any type of chocolate, dark chocolate is a bit of a healthier choice.

 

I used a little more than a quarter of the chocolate bar since I only had a few strawberries. This was about .5 oz.

2. Line a plate with parchment paper.

 

3. Microwave chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 20 second intervals. My chocolate took 40 seconds, it was just melted and I just "crushed" it with a spoon. Thank you to Snack Girl for the chocolate melting tips in her chocolate figs post!

4. Gather chocolate to edge so you can dip the strawberry into a high level. Hold the strawberry from the top, preferably by the top leaves. I dipped the strawberry at a 45 degree angle and twisted it around in a circle.

 

5. Place the strawberries leaves down on the parchment paper. Put the strawberries in the fridge for an hour to let the chocolate harden.

6. Enjoy!

This is a yummy, low point treat. For those of you following Weight Watchers, the strawberries are 0 points and the chocolate is 4 points for the whole amount used. For 2 chocolate covered strawberries, it's about 1 or 2 points. Hope this helped!

Do you eat chocolate covered strawberries often? Will you be trying out this recipe?

What I Ate Today: Lunch

I seem to get the most creative with my lunches so I guess I post those the most. I packed a delicious lunch today, I think I might have the same for dinner! This may not be the leanest meal (because of the way the chicken was prepared mostly) but it filled me up and tasted so good.

-Trader Joe's French Green Beans

-Trader Joe's Quinoa Duo with Vegetables

-Chicken kebab (from Russian store)

What is your favorite lunch?  Do you always eat the same thing or do you like to mix it up?

What I Ate Today: Lunch

I haven't been doing these posts lately because I haven't been too original with my meals. I don't think you guys need to see 3 posts in a row of oatmeal! I want to share interesting things with you, not the same old thing everyday. =] Today I made ("made" is used loosely lol!) a lunch that was so delicious!

-Trader Joe's French Green Beans

-Trader Joe's Saucy Scallops with Mushrooms

I would just like to express my LOVE for Trader Joe's, especially their frozen food aisle! There are so many amazing ready to eat meals that you just pop in the microwave for 3 minutes and ta-dah: yummy food! Both the components of my lunch are from that aisle. I love trying all their different options.

What did you have for lunch? Have you ever shopped in Trader Joe's? What are your favorite things from there?

What I Ate Today: Starbucks Bistro Box

The title isn't necessarily correct, I ate this Wednesday! It was a great mid afternoon snack while catching up with a sweet friend. Starbucks has introduced a line of Bistro Boxes, which include healthier options for snacking or even as lunch. These boxes include small meals that are much more nutritious than their usual cake/bread offerings. I chose one with more fruit in it since fruit is 0 PointsPlus on Weight Watchers.

Protein Bistro Box:

Cage Free Egg, white cheddar cheese, honey peanut butter spread, multi grain muesli bread, apples and grapes.

The peanut butter in it came in a little packet (like the ketchup packets but bigger!). I have seen Katie with these in almond butter. I think these are such a great idea for on the go! I sneaked it in my purse ;) 

These Bistro Boxes are pretty filling. They include nutritious items that will fill you up as opposed to just junk. I approve! :)

For those of you observing Yom Kippur, have a easy fast!

Have you tried the Starbucks Bistro Boxes? What do you think of them?

What I Ate Today: Breakfast

I am loving doing these What I Ate Today posts, it helps me get more creative with my meals. I do have lots of nail polish posts coming out if you are tired of these! Today I added some pumpkin to my oatmeal (a suggestion I found on Healthy Diva Eat's blog). I bought a can of Organic Pumpkin at Trader Joe's (LOVE that place!) and it's a great addition to the oatmeal. It makes it more full and adds some nice subtle flavor.

 

-Weight Watchers Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal

-Frozen Mixed Fruit (I add this before so the fruit defrosts as the oatmeal cooks)

-Sliced Almonds

-Chia Seeds

I love that the WW oatmeals come in the cups because I usually have my breakfast on the go and it is much more convenient than the regular paper pouches!

What is your favorite breakfast? Are you a pumpkin fan?

What I Ate Today: Post Workout Shake

I love having a shake after my workouts. It's my favorite way to get my energy back and they are so refreshing. My favorite ingredient in my shakes is bananas, they are naturally sweet so no need to add sugar. =]

 

-Skim Plus milk-1 cup

-Frozen Raspberries

- Banana

-Whey Protein

-Peanut Butter-1 tsp

-Chia Seeds

 

I LOVE this thing, it's a single serve blender. It has the handle and the extra top so you can take it to go. After a morning workout, it's so convenient to take the shake with you and then clean it once you get to work. It's one of those little conveniences I didn't know I was missing!

Here is my video on my favorite post workout shake:

What is your favorite post workout snack?

What I Ate Today: Lunch

For lunch I ate ANOTHER salad! I've been loving salads lately. You can get so creative with them and eat a lot without any guilt! I don't add dressing, which might sound weird, but I find dressings take away from the deliciousness of the actual vegetables. I love vegetables and love to add different flavors and textures. I have not found a dressing I like and a lot of them are mostly fat. I love to enjoy the vegetables as they are. :)

 

-Romaine Lettuce

-Cherry Tomatoes

-Sugar Snap Peas

-Broccoli

-2 teaspoons Sliced Almonds

I have been asked if salad fill me up and the answer is actually no. While I am full once I eat the salad, in a few hours I am getting hungry but that isn't a problem for me! With fruits and vegetables, you can eat a lot without the guilt. I have heard some people being afraid of the sugar in fruit but it is not the same as table sugar! The sugar in fruit is natural! Of course it is not recommended to eat more than 6 or 7 servings of fruit but you can eat a lot more fruit in the day than candy, without the guilt. Just my input :)

What did you eat today? Are you a salad fan?

Your Feedback Please!

I write this blog for you guys and who better to guide the posts I do than my wonderful readers!

Yesterday I did a "What I Ate" post, where (as self explanatory as the title is) I shared my meals and snacks. I am hoping to incorporate more health posts into this blog since I can't post as often as I would like on my health channel. After I did that post, I got some mixed feedback on it. Though it was mostly positive, I always welcome constructive criticism!

I have thought about doing these health posts on a separate blog but to be honest, 2 channels and 2 blogs is a little overwhelming for me and I never want to feel like any of this is a chore (since I do love this so much!). I also had a suggestion of doing these posts on Tumblr, (maybe I'm wrong) but I don't see a comment section on Tumblr and what I love most about my blog and channels is the interaction!

So my question for you all is: What do you think of the health posts on this blog? I want to incorporate it into the usual posts, but by no means let it be the ONLY content I post.

-Do you like the idea of the posts? Do you think they will be helpful?
-Do you think I should keep the posts on this blog?

I want to do a good compromise for those that do and don't like these posts while still having fun with it. Please let me know what you think and any suggestions you may have since you are the ones reading them. =]

Tips on How To Stay Healthy

I know this isn't on the same topic as my usual beauty/makeup posts but I thought I would share some tips on how to stay healthy! If you follow me on twitter, you probably know that I have joined Weight Watchers almost 2 months ago. I am so happy with my decision and have been thinking of whether I should start a blog or channel focusing on my journey, tips, etc. (Let me know which you prefer please!) I tweeted about a week ago and asked what were your favorite health tips were. I have learned some on my WW journey too so I wanted to compile a list of the responses and my tips. Of course since I have so much to share, I may or may not (ok, I will) add in a bit to the responses I received!


1. emoney429 recommended to "drink lots of water". Sometimes when you are thirsty this feels like hunger. I try to stay hydrated throughout the day and if I am hungry to drink a bottle of water and then see if I was truly hunger or just thirsty.

2. She also recommended "eating a lot of fiber". I definitely agree with this (as does Weight Watchers!). Fiber rich foods help satisfy you longer so you are not hungry an hour later.

3. narsaddict is a fellow Weight Watchers member. She recommended "watch your portions, eat 5 small meals a day, drink lots of water, excerise, and don't deprive yourself." These are definitely things that Weight Watchers teaches and I agree with them. Not only are these things that help you be successful during weight loss, but these are lifestyle benefits too!

Warnings:

Weight loss and staying healthy isn't all about encouragement of good, healthy foods, but it is also important to watch out for things that are not as healthy as they may seem.

1. Meadowlea says, "don't restrict yourself completely! Reward yourself every so often. You'll burn out quick by depriving yourself too much." I completely agree! I think this is why a lot of "diets" fail. Once you tell yourself that you can't have something, that's all you may want! It is important to leave room for indulgences. As a health psychology teacher of mine said, "If I ignore my chocolate craving, a week later I'll eat the whole cake". It's perfectly ok to treat yourself to a small piece once in a while. Just don't treat yourself too much! ;)
 
2. Meadow also claims, "Don't be fooled by "organic" or "natural" labels; do your research! Those labels can be tricksy! ;)" Food labels and claims are not regulated by the government! The companies have to put nutritional info but if they decide to slap on an "organic" label, they can do so even though it's not! I recommend always glancing at the ingredient list and nutritional value.

3. susyxxxx warns, "definitely do NOT skip meals.... 5 small meals a day is ideal - then your body won't go into 'starvation mode' ". This is so important to keep in mind. Our bodies are designed to get nutrients from food, once they see there aren't nutrients coming in, they try to save all they can and not let them go. It may seem like a good idea to skip a meal and then you don't have the calories but in the end, you may end up being hungry and then overeat. The 5 small meals is a great idea! I personally have 3 regular meals and 2 snacks (usually fruit) but the 5 small meals keeps you from getting hungry often.

 

4. narsaddict says, "certain juices have tons of sugar be careful. with crackers make sure they are not high in sugar or salt. also its better to eat regular fruit then dry." These seemingly "healthy" items may be packed full of added ingredients, such as sugar or salt, to "add taste". It is always better to go to the fresh, unprocessed route. Instead of banana chips, go for the actual banana! 

My additions:


All the ladies added great points and I couldn't have said them better! I would add:


1. Be wary of "fat free" items. Usually they may be fat free but other ingredients have been added, such as sugar or salt.


2. Drink lots and lots of WATER! As mentioned, water is great to hydrate your body without adding the sugar or flavorings of other drinks. Your body NEEDS it and will be happy to receive it.


3. Eat more fruits and vegetables. These make great snacks in the middle of the day and have lots of vitamins and nutrients.


4. Lastly, don't look at it as a chore! If you feel like you're forcing yourself to do all these things when all you want is a big pizza, the change won't last long. I view Weight Watchers as encouraging a lifestyle change, rather than a fad diet that is drastic. This is how I view all these tips; it's something I want to implement throughout my life, not just while I hope to lose weight. Once you start eating healthier and being a little more active, this is what you start craving (personal experience, everyone is different, etc.).


Thank you for reading these tips! Please let me know if you like these posts and if you would like to see a health channel/blog. =]


What are your favorite weight loss tips? How do you stay healthy?