Why You Should Add Butter to Your Coffee

Posted by Angela Parker

· January 13, 2014

· 11 Comments

Week one we increased our water intake.

Are you feeling better already?

No more Sugar crashes or highs? We want to keep our blood sugar smooth and stable.

This next tip will help not only keep your sugar cravings at bay, but will also help you burn more fat, fuel your body and help you focus…

Want to know the secret??

This week we are going to focus on Healthy Fats!

Fats from animal and vegetables are so vital to our health. They are a “concentrated source of energy.” (Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon). Using fats as an energy source is also understood in Trim Healthy Mama‘s satisfying or S meals. read more

Why Grain Free? Part 2

Posted by Angela Parker

· January 9, 2014

· 1 Comment

Adapted from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/frederikvanroest/3842334310/

Why Grain Free? Part 2: Harmful Effect of Grains

Earlier I shared why we went grain free for a while. You can read that post here.

It took a lot of research for me to even consider this… I loved my carbs and bread and pasta…

So what kind of research did I find?

First, I learned about phytates that are part of the grain. This is mother natures way of “protecting” the grain so it would pass through the stool and then germinate once “deposited.” These phytates bind to other nutrients (like magnesium) in your foods and aren’t digested or absorbed. It is like starving yourself from the inside – but the calories are getting absorbed. You get fatter, just without the nutrients. read more

What is Stevia?

Posted by Angela Parker

· January 8, 2014

· 4 Comments

What is Stevia?

We learned in Cut the Sugar, that we need to make changes to reduce the sugar in our diets. I am so excited to see more and more Stevia products on the shelves. This is great news for people wanting a zero calorie, healthy sugar alternative.

What is Stevia exactly?

Stevia is actually derived from a plant. It is related to a daisy and ragweed (I’ll take the daisy, thank you!). The Stevia plant can be found in Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina and it is cultivated in China. You can even grow it yourself if you want! Stevia has zero calories and is 200 times sweeter than sugar without affecting blood sugar. Since it is sweeter than sugar, a little goes a long way! You also don’t want to over do Stevia because there can be too much of a good thing, then it will taste bitter. read more

4 Reasons to Cut out the Sugar

Posted by Angela Parker

· January 6, 2014

· 5 Comments

We are going to focus on Cutting out the Sugar!

This is not a new idea. Lots of popular diets have come to the conclusion that our sugar is out of balance in our Modern diet and this is the cause of our expanding waistbands.

Management of your Sugar and Carbohydrates is crucial for weight loss and your general health.

We know sugar is so important to get under control.

A low glycemic diet in general is healthier than a diet focused on lots of carbs. When our system gets overloaded with too many sugar and carbs, our cells start storing extra carbs as fat in our cells.

Our cells love to store carbs, so they are very eager and ready when we over eat our carbs. If we eat a moderate or low carb diet, then we can burn those carbs before they get the chance to be stored as extra fat. read more

New You New Years! Increasing Water

Posted by Angela Parker

· January 1, 2014

· 9 Comments

New You New Years Week One: Increasing Your Water

You made it to the first week of New You New Years! This week we are going to focus on increasing your water intake.

Last week we focused on awareness: Being mindful in what you are eating. Thinking about what you are feeding your body is the first step to changing your habits. Did you pick up on anything you need to change already???

During New You New Years, we are going to take baby steps each week so you can be a Trim Healthy Mama!

To increase our water intake, this could include drinking more water, tea, or fruit infused waters. My favorite way to drink tea is in Trim Healthy Mama apple pie sips. These are amazing!! I love them so much during these cold winter months when drinking a cold glass of water isn’t as appealing.

My sister and her husband really like to drink sparkling water.

Another tip is adding a little lemon to water with some stevia – a very simple lemonade! Adding lemon to your water also increases your vitamin C intake, which is great in these winter months for keeping you well and helps detox your liver! I made some really good pomegranate tea over Thanksgiving and sweetened it with some stevia for a real treat. Fruit infused water is easy to make too!

I really love drinking Greens in my water. It is an easy was to get in 38 superfoods and PLUS increase the water that I need too! I have a Probiotic that have helped a lot as well 🙂

Something I’ve been trying more recently is doing fruit infusions in my water, it adds great taste and is really simple if you use an Infusion Pitcher, here’s the one I prefer!

By drinking more water, you will help your body stay full. Sometimes when we feel the urge to eat, we really are just thirsty. Drinking Water is also good for constipation. Did you know that if you aren’t having a bowel movement at least ONCE a day (and 3x a day is the recommended amount) then you are constipated??? (cue music: The More you Knooooooooow!)

Summary: New You New Years Week 1: Increase your water!

What are you favorite ways to increase your water? read more

Trim Healthy Mama Review

Posted by Angela Parker

· December 30, 2013

· 113 Comments

Trim Healthy Mama Review

Trim Healthy Mama is the latest “diet” book craze. It seems like every where I turned there was something about Trim Healthy Mama. I was curious at first, and skeptical.

I had to find out for myself what all the fuss was about!

What was so new and different about this plan?

I heard about Trim Healthy Mama first from my sister. She and her family were starting to implement the plan… and seeing results.

Then, I joined the free Facebook group to learn as much as I could before buying the book. I was simply AMAZED at the transformations I saw in the Trim Healthy Mama Facebook group. I could not get enough of the life changing stories from these women (and some men too!). Joining the Facebook group is a must for starting out. There are amazing moderators to help with answers to any questions and also getting advice and encouragement. I would highly recommend joining the group to help you with your Trim Healthy Lifestyle.

After about a week of being in the Facebook Group, I knew I had to buy the book and see for myself what this was all about. I can say after reading the book and following the Trim Healthy Mama plan for about 2 months is…

I Love it!

You can even eat chocolate everyday! I’m sold!!

Some history: I had been eating more Paleo based recipes, Grain free, Gluten free… and I love this plan so much better than anything I have been doing for quite a while.

I think what I like about it is how balanced it is.

There are NO food groups that are eliminated like Paleo based diets which eliminate dairy, grains, and beans.

You can enjoy carbs, fats, and protein

The bottom line is keep fat and carbs separate and eat protein at each meal or snack.

You can enjoy both types of meals: Energizing and Satisfying just keep them apart. So you can eat a low fat/moderate carb (or E-nergizing) breakfast with bowl of oatmeal or a pumpkin muffin with nonfat greek yogurt OR you can have a heavy fat/low carb (S-atisfying) 3 egg omelet with cheese and sausage…. Just keep the two different kinds of meals (E and S meals) separated by 3 hours.

I think what I love most is that is works for anyone! It works for someone who wants to eat whole foods and it works for someone who needs more convenience foods in their life. Both women may approach Trim Healthy Mama from different angles initially, but there is a plan for both of them.

Trim Healthy Mama In a day:

Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal with stevia sweetened Greek yogurt (E)

Snack 2.5-3 hour later: Rye wasa crackers with peanut butter (S) or a Muffin in a Mug with Stevia Sweetened Greek yogurt on top (my favorite!)

Lunch 3 hours later: Grilled salmon on a salad with light dressing and lots of low carb vegetables and a light soup (E)

Snack 3 hours later: Apple and a few almonds (E) or a enjoy a great Trim Healthy Mama drink.

Dinner: Hamburger patty with cheese and avocado and grilled onions with homemade bun or eaten on a salad with high fat dressing (S) or a Salmon Cake on a Salad (S) or a Yummy Thai Curry (S)

Dessert: Chocolate Brownie in a mug with peanut butter Greek yogurt (S) or some Skinny Chocolate!

I seriously LOVE this eating plan!!!

I love the recipes and I love how I feel.

The Data:

I track what I eat on My Fitness Pal to know how many calories, carbs and sugar I’m eating regularly (not necessary, but I’m a data nerd!). Since I have implemented this Trim Healthy Mama plan, my carbs have been lower and my sugar intake has been lower. I’m so happy about both of those numbers!!

I also have effortlessly lost 5lbs!

I was always ready to cheat on all the other “diets” I had tried… I couldn’t do without dairy… I also love beans and whole food carbs. Now, I really feel satisfied and love that I can eat when I’m hungry and snacking is encouraged.

The authors, Pearl and Serene, have some really great tips in their book to help you stay trim and also getting the best nutrition you can to stay healthy.

Hope you guys check out the book! It really could change your life!

I’ve been posting some of my recipes that are Trim Healthy Mama inspired. Check them out!

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Adapted from http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjgarbutt/5646262735/

Best Brownie in a Mug (S)

Chocolate Cheesecake Balls (S)

Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins (E)

Stevia Sweetened Kettle Corn (E)

Waffle Iron Samon Cakes (S)

Turkey Thai Red Curry (S)

Butternut Squash Pumpkin Apple Soup (E)

Sugar Free read more

New You New Years!!!

Posted by Angela Parker

· December 26, 2013

· No Comments

New Years is next week! I know you are already thinking about what you are wanting for 2014. Some of you make the same resolutions every year and by February they are already a thing of the past.

This year will be different. This year you will make a change and stick to it!

How? You may ask. Because We are all going to be a part of New You New Years!!!

So lets talk about what New You New Years is going to look like. Every week, a new challenge will be presented to focus on the whole week. It may be to eat one vegetable at lunch and dinner. Or maybe it could be focusing on eliminating white sugar for the week. Maybe we could even focus on adding a 20 minute walk in or another exercise each day for a week.

Every week, we will focus on one single step… and take this one bite at a time (wink, wink).

This is YOUR time! This is THE time to choose to be the person you want to be in 2014. A healthier you, a better feeling you!

Our first week’s challenge will be simple… We are going to be aware.

Awareness is the key to change a habit.

In speech therapy, when we would work with people who stutter, most of the time they wouldn’t even realize they had just stuttered in conversation. We would replay their speech, and help them identify the problem areas, then they could back and restate the phrase or sentence and fix the stutter.

I want you to be aware about your food choices you are making each day. Read ingredients. Read nutrition labels. Figure out what you are actually putting in your mouth… You really ARE what you eat.

1) So look for the number of ingredients listed, and also can you pronounce or identify every item listed.

2) How many grams of carbs and sugar are you eating in packaged items?

3) How many items have something with soy, the word hydrolyzed or hydrogenated, or corn?

Now I want you to comment or write on my facebook wall and let me know how you are doing during the week.

What foods are you surprised to see sugar in or High Fructose Corn Syrup? How many carbs are in your favorite foods? Keep me posted!

6 Best Trim Holiday Drinks!

Posted by Angela Parker

· December 6, 2013

· 7 Comments

Holidays are the time to share with friends and family. This year you can share how you are staying Trim and enjoying all of your Trim Holiday Drinks!

No need to let this holiday season be an excuse for added pounds. These Holiday Drinks are the perfect solution to quench your thirst and satisfy your sweet tooth without adding to your waistband!

YOU CAN ENJOY THESE TRIM HOLIDAY DRINKS WITHOUT ANY GUILT!

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Gingerbread Cookie Protein Shake

Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Latte

Frozen Sugar Free Eggnog

Thin Mint Chocolate Chip Milkshake

Sugar Free Hot Chocolate read more

Stevia Sweetened Kettle Corn

Posted by Angela Parker

· November 14, 2013

· 19 Comments

Stevia Sweetened Kettle Corn!

Adam and I have started implementing the Trim Healthy Mama way of eating. You can learn more about the diet here at Gwen’s nest.

It is basically a low glycemic diet that separates the two fuel sources carbs and fats. By keeping these separated, you can enjoy all the food groups and still lose weight.

My sister and her husband are also following this plan and effortlessly seeing clothes fit looser and enjoying the new foods.

S meals are satisfying and using fat as the main source of fuel. E are energizing and using carbs (healthy, no sugar carbs).

This could be an E snack. For E, you could go up to 3 cups of popcorn – this would still only have 1 teaspoon of oil total and 18 carbs from the popcorn.

Today I’m going to share my recipe for Stevia sweetened Kettle corn. I’m taking one pan of agave sweetened and one pan of stevia sweetened to my small group this week for our snack. We will see how they tastes. (Agave is not on the THM plan, but it is for all the kiddos that come to our small group)

I’m using coconut oil for it’s added benefits for increasing metabolizing and helping with weight loss. You could also use butter

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of unpopped corn kernels

2 tablespoons of coconut oil

1 teaspoon of salt (I use pink Himalayan)

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

I used sweet drops liquid stevia and used about 1 1/2 full droppers – next time I may try xylitol or a powdered stevia.

Directions: Air pop corn kernels into a bowl. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a sauce pan melt your oil, salt, and sweetener. degrees.

Once melted, pour over your popcorn. You can mix your sweetened oil in with the popcorn with a spoon or your hands. After mixing, pour all the popcorn into a baking pan.

Place pan into preheated oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.

This recipe has been linked up to Trim Healthy Tuesdays at Gwen’s Nest. Go check out her Sugar Free Frozen Egg Nog recipe today! Also linked up at Make Your Own Monday’s at Nourishing Treasures!

It’s all in how you start

Posted by Angela Parker

· July 31, 2013

· 1 Comment

I was thinking… The start of your morning sets the tone for the rest of your day.

If you start your day eating something healthy, then you are more likely to continue through lunch and dinner.

I thought I would share my start of this Monday morning. (Not perfect by all means)

I nurse the littlest one at 1:30 am, 4:00 am, and 6:30 am.

The big kid woke up at 7:30 am, knocking on her door – this is actually pretty early for her!

I change the littlest one’s diaper and clothes (because her cloth diaper leaked a little – should have put on a night time diaper before bed… Doh!)

Put in my contacts, so I can see what I’m actually doing and head downstairs.

Brew a cup of regular coffee in my Kuerig – my only one for the day. I put in stevia, bentonite clay, and almond milk.

Little one gets fussy – because she is tired, so I nurse her again and put her in the swing for a nap.

Big kid is asking to watch Ariel, so I put on a movie for her while I get breakfast going. You have to cheat somewhere!

I cook a 3 egg omelet in my “OrGreenic” pan in some coconut oil, a little cheese, salt and pepper.

Big kid asks for tomatoes for breakfast, so I fix her plate with some grape tomatoes, sliced cheese, and 1/2 a banana.

I give her some Green Pastures chocolate cream cod liver oil blend and her Animal Parade vitamins.

I take Green Pastures cod liver oil blend in a capsule and my Perfect Prenatal.

Finally, 8:00 am breakfast is ready for me! I get to sit down – but now Big kid wants to watch Barbie – so change the Roku to Barbie and eat my yummy tummy eggs and finish my coffee.

Next is my 10 minute workout.

What do your mornings look like?

grassfedmama

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Click to Grab Your Free Keto Grocery List!

Why You Should Add Butter to Your Coffee

This week we are going to focus on Healthy Fats!

Why Grain Free? Part 2