A little cold weather won't get us down!

Rather than accept defeat, I'm trying to look for solutions to possible problems. One being the cold weather settling in and making a home here. Last week, however, instead of hiding inside and feeling sorry that cabin fever has begun, we bundled up and went for a walk to find leaves for a turkey art project. Even a half an hour of outside time can do wonders to uplift my spirit. I am grateful for gloves and my beautiful children- oh, and turkey art projects. 

Date Night

at the top

At the base

 We enjoyed a small break from all these April showers and a glimmer of sunshine poked through the clouds for a brief moment, and Mr. and I took full advantage.  We also had a small break from Little Miss and Little Mr. at the same time.  For our date night, we decided to go on a hike.  I almost talked myself out of it a million times, thinking, it’ll take too long, it’ll be too cold, it’ll get dark too soon, etc.  I’m quite sure I had more excuses not to go, but the excuses to go (it’s free) won out.  I’m so glad they did, because we enjoyed the experience tremendously.  The trail is classified as a 1.75 mi easy/intermediate hike.  So I thought, ok, I can run 3 miles while pushing a double jogging stroller, how difficult can it be….  Wow! I really should work out more, especially on the stair master!  I struggled a lot more than I thought I would, but I also did a lot better than I thought I would after we started.  The view at the top was magnificent and beautiful.  The peace of nature and looking down on the hustle and bustle of a college town on a Friday night helped put life into perspective for us.  I am so grateful for the health that I am blessed with.  I know what lying in a bed, not being able to even sit in a chair feels like, though I know that is nothing to what some have gone through health-wise.  Anyway, I saw how far I’ve come, but also how far I still have to go.  I’ve lost weight by changing my food habits, now I have to start an exercise regimen.  On the hike someone had motivational quotes posted at each turn and one of them said, “Be proud, but never satisfied”, perfectly summing up my experience this weekend.

*p.s. all the excuses I had NOT to go, were all false! We didn't run into any of those "potential" problems.

Time out! We need a substitution.

In honor of the March Madness tournament winding down I thought I would make a cheesy reference to basketball in this post.  I don't know that many people can play an entire game of basketball.  Therefore they allow substitutions.  Somebody to take their place when their energy is winding down and they need a break.  I know this analogy doesn't fit perfectly, but sometimes when our energy is winding down and we start to notice the weight creeping on, we need to make some food substitutions. Yes, the food may not taste quite the same with the substitution, but a lot of the time it can taste quite close.  My friend and I talk a lot about health, food, and exercising together.  She has had her own "get healthy" journey and she is fabulous.  Anyway, she brought me some chocolate chip cookies that had white beans substituted for shortening.

The Centers for Disease Control reports that ½ cup of cooked dry beans provides up to 13 grams fiber and up to 22 grams protein. You can make fat-free or low-fat baked goods by substituting pureed white beans for all or part of the shortening or oil called for in the recipe. The result with be a lower-calorie baked good with added nutrition.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/264702-how-to-replace-fat-in-recipes-with-white-bean-puree/#ixzz2Q4svdPFN

THEY WERE SO GOOD!  I only had one (being good), but they were soft and delicious.  Mr. and Little Miss had no idea there was anything "sneaky" about them, until I told him what she had done.  She also tried them on both sets of extended family (hers and in-laws) and said they gobbled them up.

Some of my other favorite substitutions include greek yogurt for sour cream.  I love sour cream, but I don't love the nutritional facts very much.  Even the low-fat still has quite a bit of calories when compared to greek yogurt's low far option.  Take a look.

 While nonfat Greek yogurt has just 130 calories per cup, no fat, 9 g carbohydrates, 9 g sugar and 23 g protein, 1 cup of the full-fat type has 300 calories, 23 g fat, 7 g carbohydrates, 7 g sugar and only 15 g protein. A cup of sour cream is still far richer, however, with 445 calories and 45 g of fat but just 5 g protein, 6.5 g carbohydrates and 8 g sugar. Reduced-fat sour cream has a slightly more positive nutritional profile, with 325 calories, 7 g protein, 29 g fat, 10 g carbohydrates and 0.5 g sugar per cup; and a cup of fat-free sour cream has 175 calories, 7 g protein, no fat, 36 g carbohydrates and 1 g sugar. While full-fat sour cream has 120 mg cholesterol per cup, Greek yogurt has none.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/526634-nutritional-values-of-greek-yogurt-vs-sour-cream/#ixzz2Q4uQkD1l.

I've already mentioned my substitution of cauliflower for rice and even a pizza dough. Also, my substitution of squash and zucchini for lasagna noodles, I've replaced spaghetti with spaghetti squash, potato fries with butternut squash, dairy milk with almond milk,bread with lettuce.  The endless possibilities provide fun and creativity to aid in a healthier lifestyle.  What are some of your favorite substitutions? 

How to make your produce last

Yesterday it rained and rained and rained.  Stuck inside all day, Little Miss and I painted up our own little storm.  I painted a portrait of some of my favorite foods.  We have these foods on hand almost any given day of the week.  I thought it represented what I wanted to post about today perfectly.  I've received a few questions and concerns regarding Bountiful Baskets that I would like to address, and they both pretty much have the same answer. 

1. I think my produce would go bad before I could get around to using it.

2. Is the produce from Bountiful Baskets good?

Yes, the produce from Bountiful Baskets is good.  However, sometimes it takes some TLC and reviving what you receive back to life.  Here are tips for reviving and making your produce last for as long as possible.

• Give all your produce a vinegar bath when you come home.  The vinegar kills any mold spores and other bacteria.  This is especially important on berries. I clean my sink first, then add 1 part white distilled vinegar to 3-10 parts water (I don't really measure it out) allow to soak for at least 2 minutes before rinsing with cold water. *They will NOT taste like vinegar
• For veggies such as lettuce and celery that are looking limp and dead soak, them in water to revive the crunchiness.  Through osmosis, water will travel into the veggies and bring them back to life.
• Store delicate herbs such as parsley and cilantro like flowers.  Put them in water and cover with a plastic bag, then place in the fridge.  Do this with asparagus as well.
• Wrap broccoli and celery in aluminum foil and store in the fridge
• To chill or not to chill? Think about where it's found at the grocery store. Zucchini, chill. Tomatoes, not to chill.
• Keep mushrooms in a paper bag
• Freeze anything you won't get to and save it for later.

sources: vinegar wash found here

 27 tips for making produce last longer found  here  

also some came from Bountiful Baskets Facebook page.

Looking through the eyes of my three year old

Little Miss discovered that she could operate the camera feature on my phone.  She steals my phone at any opportunity and clicks away.  Mostly she shoots pictures of Little Mister, her finger covering up the lens, or her making silly faces. 

 Occasionally though, I’m able to get a little glimpse of life as she sees it.  Here are a few of her better pictures.

Her Legos

The Grocery Cart

Mr. and me cleaning out the fridge and putting away our 

Bountiful Baskets bounty.

I’m so happy to see that she sees us doing things to make our lives healthier.  We participate in the Bountiful Baskets food co-op every week.  I love the Christmas-like surprise every Saturday.  There are so many perks to bountiful baskets.

1.     Financial- usually cheaper than buying produce at the store

2.     Time-aside from volunteering every now and then, you don’t spend time at the grocery store with potential temptations screaming at you.

3.     Meal planning-  I have an easier time thinking of meals to use what I have, rather than thinking of a meal and then buying what I don’t have.  To help with recipes you can like their Facebook page or follow their Pinterest board.

4.     Health- fruits and veggies, you know everything you get fuels your body with nutritionally dense foods.

5.     Fun- I get mystery produce and I have to get creative and try new foods that sometimes appear in my basket, again, thank goodness for the Facebook page, or I wouldn’t have known what to do with kale, purple carrots, gray squash, acorn squash, etc.

So give it a try, even if it’s just for one week. You can find all the information you need on their website www.bountifulbaskets.org but hurry and sign up because they only have a certain amount of spots at each site, and sign up only opens on Mondays and Tuesdays usually.

Curling my Hair

I have had quite a few people ask me how I curl my hair.  I've curled my hair since forever it seems.  My freshman year in college I even permed my hair to assist in the ease of curling.  True story.  I actually would ask girls all the time how they curled their hair.  I've even asked strangers at the mall when I like their curls.  Anyway, after trying almost every method out there, with the invention of Pinterest I finally found a few tutorials that I like.  You've probably seen her blog The Small Things, pinned hundreds of times on there, because she's amazing at explaining every little detail for us hair dummies.  In fact, I love all of Kate's hair tutorials, but I use two methods in particular when I curl my hair.  The wrap around method and the curl from the top down method.  Keep in mind the cut of your hair will make a difference in the final outcome.  I have long layers cut into my hair for the exact reason that I wear my hair curly probably 90% of the time.  The prep work I do to my hair includes the following: I wash and condition using Pureology volume shampoo and conditioner.  After the shower, I towel dry and use a leave in conditioner.  I'm currently using It's a 10, but I also like Big Sexy Hair's leave in conditioner spray.  I then took Kate's advice, to use Aquague uplifting foam, best product I've ever used for volume. I wish salons carried it in SLC, but I can only find it on Amazon. Then I blow dry and curl.

happy curling,

Tara

"I could never ______"

"I could never _____" Fill in the blank.  I have said "I could never" for as long as I can remember.  Yet, when I look back upon my life, I'm overwhelmed by all of the "I could nevers" that I have. 
I could never have children.
I could never run a half marathon, not to mention a mile.
I could never weigh what my drivers license says I do.
I could never wear animal print.
I could never love my body.

and yet....

I have two beautiful children.
I have run a half marathon, 210-Ks and a 5-K, and I love running.
I weigh 6 lbs LESS than what my drivers license says I do.
I own cheetah print flats, although my daughter wins in the animal print department with a coat, cardigan, pants and shoes which she chose to wear all at the same time on Easter, prrrrr.
Finally and most important, I do love my body. 

So then why do I continue in this cycle?  I've recently decided to try my best to ban this phrase from my vocabulary, starting with my latest, I could never do a triathlon because I can't swim.  Well goodness, Tara, children can learn to swim, why can't you?  Therefore, I would one day like to finish a triathlon.  What's something you thought you could never do and then you did?

Go Lean and Green

What does "Lean and Green" meal mean? Everybody should eat at least one lean and green meal a day, period.  Dieting or not, it's just good practice

"For the Lean, you’ll have 5-7 ounces of lean protein; the Green is three servings of low-glycemic vegetables. Depending on your source of protein, you’ll get some healthy fat, too, and that will help keep you full and satisfied."

taken from: http://taracarpenter.tsfl.com/?page=how-it-works

You can find a list of Leans and Greens on the website.  If you happen to be vegetarian, take a look at your Meatless-Lean. options.  We really enjoy trying new creative "greens" since salad everyday gets boring fast.  A few new foods we've tried include: fennel bulb, kale, turnips, butternut squash, and spaghetti squash.  Some of my favorite meals include: Lettuce wrapped turkey burgers with baked butternut squash fries, spaghetti and turkey meatballs with spaghetti squash and cauliflower crust pizza. I even made a lean and green Lasagna using zucchini and yellow squash instead of noodles, and I liked it! (Those of you that know me at all already know that I have always HATED lasagna.) Concluding, I dare you to try a new food. Find something you've never even heard of, google a recipe and try it out.  It's an adventure so maybe don't experiment on dinner guests. Also, if you decide to give TSFL a try and have me as your FREE health coach, I provide a list of lean and green meals that I've personally tried, for your first month, week by week, including recipes. Yep, I make achieving health that easy.

Cauliflower

I have a new love affair with Cauliflower.  You can roast it, steam it, blah blah blah.  I've known about those forever, and frankly, who really likes steamed cauliflower?  Well, I recently discovered a whole new world in the cauliflower universe: cauliflower rice.  What you may say? Yes, cauliflower can replace rice!  Since starting TSFL I haven't had rice with any of my "rice" dishes.  I've had to put my stir-fry on a bed of lettuce, edible, but not even the same.  You can also use this to make cauliflower crust pizza which hit the lottery at our house.  Husband even liked the pizza. Huzzah! Win-win in the Lean and Green category.  I love that I can still have some of my favorite foods and stay on plan by just making a few creative substitutions.

Tuck in Your Shirt

Did anybody ever tell you to tuck in your shirt? Well I hope you listened to that very wise advice.  I recently came across a picture on pinterest that led me to this blog.  She suggested tucking shirts into skirts or jeans and admire the instant silhouette created. So...I tried it. I can't believe the difference it makes in portraying the shape of my body.

Surprise! I have a waist.  I feel like it makes my legs look longer and my hips smaller. I get more of the desired hourglass shape rather than a pear shape. My skirt has a black elastic band so I added a belt to hide that and break up my torso from my legs. So I will now preach to tuck in your shirt!

Shirt:American Eagle Outfitters (c/o Mom's closet)

Cardigan and belt: I can't remember, I've had them for so long.

Skirt: Walmart (c/o sister)

Nylons: H&M (I love nylons, thank you Kate Middleton for making them somewhat less elderly)

Shoes: DSW

Caution: When someone you love is on Take Shape for Life your clothes may begin to disappear as none of their clothes fit them anymore :)

A Surprising Discovery

Honestly, I started the Take Shape for Life program because I wanted to be the “Hot Mom”.  In some ways, I suppose I’m still that insecure high-school sophomore,( or junior, or senior) :) girl still trying to figure out me and my life purpose.  So I searched and watched tutorials and paid a lot of money to figure a few things out.  I still have a lot to figure out and many of these thoughts have only occurred to me as I type this post.  I’ve colored my hair for almost 15 years, I’ve gotten a spray tan, I recently got acrylic nails and embarked on a very expensive make-up journey, all in the pursuit to feel good about my appearance and ultimately, myself.  Of course I’m not saying that doing any, or all, of these things is bad, but I had all the wrong reasons.  I still thought my worth lied in how I look, and trying desperately to not look like me.  Do I still love make-up? You bet.  Will I still get mani/pedis? Of course! However, as I have lost the weight I’m finding that I feel better.  I’m healthier, my body gets so much more of the nutrients it needs and not all the sugar and emptiness I was feeding myself before. And with that feeling better, I like me.  I have learned to embrace so many of the aspects that I loathed before. I no longer have “man-hands”, I just have “hands” and I’m so grateful for them.  I no longer dread my roots growing out, because I’m going back to my own hair color.   I even went out in public in flip-flops without a pedicure!!  So, why lose weight? To look great in a white bikini (my ultimate swim-suit dream)? No.  To give my body a fighting chance at allowing me to enjoy me and the life that I am meant to live without always yearning to live the life of another? Yes!

Enjoying Tara,

Tara

Eating Out...Gasp!

Can you eat at a restaurant and still achieve optimal health? Of course!  I love eating out.  I don’t have to cook, clean, or worry if anybody will like the meal I poured my heart and soul into making.  However….eating out often equals eating calories, calories, and more calories!  But it doesn’t have to.  Last night my husband took us all out to Olive Garden, the ultimate place of sin when you’re on a diet, or is it?  Let’s take a look at how I did.  What I used to order: raspberry lemonade (110cal) maybe 3 or 4 breadsticks (140 cal each) with alfredo dipping sauce (460cal), chicken fetticine alfredo pasta(1440 CAL!!!), with salad and dressing (150 cal). THAT IS A TOTAL OF 2,580 calories!  Even if I ate half of my meal I’m still consuming 1,290 calories in one meal.  Well last night I ordered: water (0 cal), salad with out dressing (60 cal), and from their lighter menu, the seafood brodetto (480 cal). For a grand total of : 540 calories.  Still quite high for one meal, but you can eat a whole plate and not completely kill your waistline.  So my tips for eating out for Optimal health for the rest of your life:

•  Say NO to the bread.  You don’t have to even let them put that free bread on your table. There’s almost no nutritional value and it’s loaded with calories, not worth it!
•   Drink water, you can add a lemon for flavor, or a diet drink
•   Skip the appetizer
•   Salad dressing on the side or not at all
•   Most restaurants these days have a lighter menu to order from so try to find something that most closely matches a “lean and green” meal
•   Never order anything fried! Always baked or grilled
•   Skip dessert and eat your delicious Medifast brownie when you get home
• If you have some time ahead you can always look up the nutritional facts online and plan your meal before you go to the restaurant so you are less tempted by the higher calorie, higher fat choices.

And that is how the weight will stay off just by adopting a few life-long healthy habits you can still enjoy eating out without the calories.

Happy dining,

Tara

Toast Your Nuts.

Do it, just do it.  Nuts provide a wonderful source of protein, good fat, and vegans can eat them!  Almonds, walnuts and pistachios are an optional snack on Take Shape for Life.  So for those days when you have the munchies or just want to eat something, you can eat nuts.  But for goodness sake toast them!  Just throw them on a cookie sheet in a pre-heated 350* oven  for around 15 minutes.  Delicious!  I also toast walnuts, pine-nuts; really just any kind of nut should be toasted! I hope this tip changed your life, because once I started toasting my nuts, it changed mine.
Happy toasting,
Tara

Motivation

"Changing our emphasis from what we're against to what we're for can have a dramatic impact."

Dr. A's Habits of Health:The Path to Permanent Weight Control and Optimal Health by Dr. Wayne Scott Anderson

Motivation and weight loss go hand-in-hand.  In "Dr. A's Habits of Health" found here, he mentions that often our weight loss goals are based on problem solving, or something in our life that we want to change through weight loss.   Illness, over weight, lack of energy, etc. initially motivate us to lose weight.  However, when that is your focus, once those "symptoms" are gone, you essentially return to your old habits.  Instead, we should focus on what we want, optimal health for example.  Optimal health means something different to each individual.  For some it may mean to run a 5k, to another a marathon.  Figure out what optimal health means to you and focus on what you want!  The positive thinking can make all the difference because you won't stop until you have what you want.  You're more likely to stay at how you want, once you've reached it, and not yo-yo back to how you were before.  I want to have a fighting chance at keeping up with my kids.  They have so much energy!  I want to love my body and appreciate it working at it's best.  I want to always feel comfortable to take my kids to the pool in the summer and not have to hide.  Mostly, I want to eventually stop worrying about weight and image and enjoy food to energize and fuel my body.  I want to pass on to my daughter a positive image about her body, food and how to enjoy this precious, often too-short, life.

Friendship

source

Friendship.  Relationships make up life.  In critical points of our lives, friends often times make all the difference between success and failure.  Especially when trying to change your life.  Weight loss is difficult when attempted alone.  On the Take Shape for Life program you always have a friend.  That friend is your health coach.  I decided to become a health coach because I wanted to help people change their lives, more specifically, I wanted to help one of MY friends change her life.   I want to support them through their weight loss journey.  To share the successes and the fall backs.  If you have a bad day on the plan, I want to help pick you up, dust you off, and walk with you to a good day.  So to start off my blog and journey of being a health coach for Take Shape for Life, I share this tip:

make your health coach your friend.

Your friend,

 Tara