The Healthy Vacation Guide

Vacation season is here! You deserve a break, after spending the last few months becoming a fitter, healthier you, right? While vacation is a time to relax and take a break from work, stress, and the usual routine, it shouldn’t be a break from your healthy habits.

With a little planning, you can enjoy your vacation and still maintain your current weight and fitness level. Whatever your plans – a family road trip, a tropical cruise, a sightseeing tour, or relaxing on the beach – you can avoid packing on those dreaded vacation pounds by packing some healthy foods and workout gear instead.

Roadies, Frequent Flyers, Cruise Control. Whatever your summer travel plans involve, read THIS SPARKPEOPLE ARTICLE for tips tailored to your travel style.

Being healthy is a lifestyle, not a quick fix. So, follow these tips to return home with plenty of memories and souvenirs, not extra pounds.

Healthier Ways to Eat Dessert

Smart Substitution: Dessert

-- By Liz Noelcke, SparkPeople Contributor Read her article HERE.

You can still eat dessert-- and enjoy it! Learn some smart substitutions to make your dessert a healthy part of your day.
Try:

• Low fat cookie
• Frozen 100% juice bar
• Fresh berries with low fat creamer
• A few pieces of chocolate
• Frozen grapes
• Angel food cake
• Pudding made with skim milk
• Non-dairy frozen dessert
• Low fat ice cream or sorbet
• Pieces of fruit
• A fresh fruit smoothie

Manage the Munchies with This TV Trick

By RealAge

You might be able to switch off food cravings just by pressing this button: "Mute."

Yep, just press the mute button on your remote control anytime a commercial comes on. Studies suggest that TV shows loaded with food advertisements could be a recipe for gaining weight.

Top 10 Rules for Eating Right

By David L. Katz, MD

O, The Oprah Magazine | July 14, 2009

1. Use smaller plates.
Whether you're already trim or trying to lose weight, one of the best things you can do for your waistline and your health is to downsize your dishware. Cornell University nutrition researcher Brian Wansink, PhD, has found that switching from a 12-inch to a ten-inch plate leads people to eat 22 percent fewer calories. If you downsized only your dinner plate, you'd be eliminating more than 5,000 calories a month from your diet. It really is that simple.

2. Make half of every meal fruits or vegetables.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends five to nine servings of produce a day, but if you follow my rule, you won't have to count. At breakfast, fill your bowl halfway with cereal, then top it off with berries or sliced banana. At lunch, eat a smaller—or half—sandwich, and add two pieces of fruit. At dinner, make sure your plate is at least 50 percent salad, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, or whatever veggie you choose. This ensures that you get enough nutrients and automatically reduces the amount of fat and calories you consume (provided you don't go crazy with fatty dressings and toppings).

3. Don't eat on the run.
When we eat on the go, our brains tend to register the food as a snack—regardless of how many calories we consume—leading us to overeat at our next meal.

4. The shorter the ingredient list, the better.
Most of the healthiest foods have only one ingredient: Think broccoli, spinach, blueberries, etc. Longer lists generally mean more sugar, more salt, more artificial flavors. More unhealthy stuff.

For the last 6 rules, Click HERE to read the full article.

Oprah: Geneen Roth-Women, Food and God

This article really made me think. I need to recognize what my body wants and needs and give it to myself responsibly. Normally, I don't allow myself regular white bread. Today, for the first time in many months I ate a sandwich made with 2 slices of white bread, 1 tbsp peanut butter and about 1/2 of a small banana sliced on it. It was 7 points and worth everyone of them. For the first day in many months, I have extra points and I am completely satisfied. Gotta love the good days!

I've surrendered to what my body really wants. And I can feel the change already. Since I began giving myself permission to eat whatever my body desires, instead of what my head tells me I should have, my relationship with food has become more peaceful. I might even say joyful.

If my body wants a piece of chocolate, I'll have it, without obsessing about how many calories it contains and how many steps it will take to burn them off. If my body wants some fries—which happens more rarely than I ever imagined when I was always on a diet and craving everything that wasn't allowed—I'll indulge in the best truffle fries money can buy. And eat as many as my body wants. Then stop.

The most loving discovery so far is that most of the time, what the body really wants is to be nourished. So here's the kind of food my body's been asking for since I quit depriving it and stopped using food as a pacifier:

Crispy whole grain toast (partially burned around the edges) with fresh almond butter melting on top. A quinoa salad with fresh basil and pine nuts. Green pea soup. Focaccia with olives and a great Bordeaux (sauvignon blanc if it's daytime). Cold slices of ripened mango. Really sweet watermelon. Thin pieces of crunchy cornbread and a bowl of crowder peas. Steel-cut oatmeal with chopped nuts, dried apricots, and cranberries. Salad greens picked from my garden with a lemon, garlic, and truffle oil dressing I make myself. Grilled fish, roasted corn, and fresh tomatoes.

I've found that eating well and being satisfied leaves no room for the junky stuff. Which is not to say that I won't eat a good salty chip or two. But I no longer have the compulsion to eat the whole bag just because I'm tired or overwhelmed.

It's a daily effort to stay connected and centered and not use food as a drug the way I have obsessively—in and out of one diet plan or another—for years. But it's also an invitation to stop the crazy, punishing behavior and do as the poet Derek Walcott offers in his poem "Love After Love": Sit and feast on your life. That, I know for sure, is the best meal ever—to partake of the soul's banquet abiding within each of us.

Hungry? Eat an apple.

Make this your rule of thumb: If you're not hungry enough to eat an apple, you're not hungry.

I read this today in a magazine and thought that is a good thing to do.

HG's Lava Flow 3pts vs. avg. 10pts

Oh, how I just love this drink. While I order virgin drinks, this is my favorite of them all. You can use pineapple juice in place of rum. I can't wait to try this.

Ingredients:
3 oz. rum
8 frozen unsweetened strawberries, partially thawed
1/2 cup fat-free vanilla ice cream
4 oz. (1/2 cup) sugar-free calorie-free coconut-flavored syrup (like the kind by Torani)
1/4 cup canned crushed pineapple packed in juice
2 no-calorie sweetener packets (like Splenda)
1 1/2 cups crushed ice or 8 - 12 ice cubes
Optional garnish: pineapple wedges

Directions:
Add rum and strawberries to a blender and puree until smooth. Distribute evenly between 2 tall glasses.

Rinse blender. Place remaining ingredients in the blender, and add 4 oz. (1/2 cup) cold water. Blend at high speed until smooth.

Very slowly pour the contents of the blender over the strawberry mixture in the glasses. If you like, garnish each glass with a pineapple wedge. Enjoy!

MAKES 2 SERVINGS


Serving Size: 1 drink (half of recipe)
Calories: 177
Fat: <0.5g
Sodium: 42mg
Carbs: 19g
Fiber: 2g
Sugars: 10g
Protein: 1.5g

POINTS® value 3*

Breyers Smooth & Dreamy Bars

Update: I just tried these last night. They taste as good as they look! YUM!

I have yet to try these but they look SO good! HERE is a coupon if you haven't tried them yet either.

More Fiber-Rich Tips

* Choose fresh fruit and/or vegetables over juice.
* To get more fiber and nutrients, eat the skin of cleaned fruits and vegetables.
* Include bran and whole grain breads daily.
* Drink more water to accommodate your increased fiber intake to reduce indigestion.
* Eat less processed foods and more whole foods.
* Try to meet your fiber requirements with foods rather than supplements.
* A large increase in fiber over a short period of time could result in bloating, diarrhea, gas, and all-around discomfort. It is better to add fiber to your diet gradually over a recommended period of about three weeks, to avoid abdominal problems.

Delicious Ways to Boost Fiber Intake

It's Easier (and Tastier) Than You Think!
-- By Christine Seymour, Health & Fitness Writer
for Sparkpeople
(I've cut out some of the highlights from this article, in case you're like me and like to "get to the point":) but there is more good info. in the linked article.)
Replace your white bread with whole wheat bread. Look for the words "whole wheat" at the top of the ingredients list...
Leave the sugary cereals on the shelves.
Whole grain cereals and bran flakes are usually jam-packed with fiber—about 5 grams in one ¾ cup serving!
Pass the beans, please.
Beans and legumes are always a healthy choice, usually containing 6-7 grams of fiber per ½ cup serving (cooked).
Sweeten with fruit; add volume with vegetables.One cup of fresh red raspberries holds a whopping 8 grams of fiber and blackberries are close behind at about 7.5 grams. Acorn squash (1/2 cup baked) and artichoke hearts (1/2 cup cooked) provide about 4.5 grams of fiber, and a baked potato (with the skin) comes in at just fewer than 4 grams. Get 2 grams of fiber in a serving of broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, carrots, green beans, spinach, lettuce, or tomatoes.

Kim, how's the tracking going?

I keep waiting to see how you're doing this week. Hopefully it's just that you haven't felt the need to post your tracker because you are doing so well! I hope you're having a great week. See you Thursday.

9 Hidden Reasons to Stay Motivated

Ways to Rediscover Your Drive
-- By Zach Van Hart, Sparkpeople Staff Writer

(These are all great reasons to stick with it. Find the one that fits you and post it somewhere to remind yourself why you're doing it.)

1. Confidence

How did it feel after that first jog around the block? Or when you finally walked the stairs at work without losing your breath? The more you accomplish, the more you’ll believe in yourself.

2. Fit into that dress

It’s been hanging up in your closet for two years now, just waiting to be thrown on for a night on the town. All it takes is for you to go that extra mile and stay on track. Before you know it, those two years will be ancient history.

3. Make the week easier

Ever felt like a week was taking forever? It feels like Friday, but it’s only Tuesday? This happens when you’re not working towards anything. When you have a goal in mind, you’ll want to cook that healthy dinner or go to the gym. The week will not only go faster, but be more enjoyable.

4. Gives you purpose

Every once in a while, we need a good reason to get out of bed. Here it is, right in front of you. Eat the healthy breakfast that’s going to jump start your day, go for your morning jog, or walk to the driveway and grab the newspaper. When you’re motivated, you have a reason to do what you do.

5. For your kids

And your grandkids. And their kids, too. The healthier you are, the longer you’ll be around to watch your kids grow and to spoil your grandchildren. They’ll want you to be around as long as possible; consider this just another present.

6. Power of momentum

It’s a scientific fact – something in motion tends to stay in motion. Momentum builds quickly and can lead to great results. Suddenly, you’re not only working for the goal, but also to keep your streak alive. Even more reason to reach your goals.

7. The ‘wow’ effect

Picture this: Walking into a restaurant, you run into someone from high school, and their eyes light up. They gasp, "Wow, you look great!" By sticking with your goals, this can happen. Watch the "wows" add up.

8. Spread the spark

When friends and family see how hard you’re working, they’ll wonder how they can reach their own goals. Guess who they’re going to look to for help? By staying motivated, you’ll not only help yourself, but others too.

9. Keep gaining experience

The more you do, the more you will learn and understand. You’ll discover which tactics work best for you and which ones don’t. It’s like weeding out the garden - not the most enjoyable job in the world, but when you’re done, all that’s left are beautiful flowers. Keeping sticking with it and soon it will be all flowers for you.

HG's Sweet 'n Chunky Chicken Salad

Hot Chick!

Dozens of fat grams in chicken salad = bad news. Crunchy cucumbers, red grapes, and yogurt dressing on the other hand = GREAT additions. Here's HG's guilt-free answer to the notoriously fattening Waldorf chicken salad...

Ingredients:
1 cup (about 4.5 oz.) cooked & roughly chopped skinless lean chicken breast
1/2 cup chopped Persian or Kirby cucumber**
1/3 cup red seedless grapes, halved
1/3 cup chopped apple
1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise
1 no-calorie sweetener packet (like Splenda)
1/4 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
dash salt

Directions:
Mix together the yogurt, mayonnaise, sweetener, lemon pepper seasoning, and salt. Coat the chicken in this mixture, and then stir in the chopped cucumber, grape halves, and chopped apple. Then try not to pass out as you chow down on this insanely good chicken salad! MAKES 2 SERVINGS

HG Tip! If cooking your chicken from scratch, use nonstick spray (not oil) to keep the fat count down.

**These short, sweet cucumbers rule in this recipe! But if you can't find 'em, any cucumber will do.


Serving Size: half of recipe (about 1 cup)
Calories: 145
Fat: 1.5g
Sodium: 332mg
Carbs: 14g
Fiber: 1g
Sugars: 10g
Protein: 21g

POINTS® value 3*

Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Salad with Chicken

Full 16oz salad had 280 cal, 8g fat and 5g fiber POINTS value: 5
I love when it's strawberry season and I can order this salad at Panera. It is so good yet so low on points. Today I ordered 1/2 salad, and onion soup with the cheese and croutons. I figure my lunch was approx. 7 points with the bite of french roll I had too. :)

HG's Creamy Dreamy Fruit Fandango

PER SERVING (1 cup): 131 calories, 3g fat, 67mg sodium, 26g carbs, 3g fiber, 18.5g sugars, 1.5g protein -- POINTS® value 2*

Is it a dessert? A snack? A side dish? YEP, it's all of the above. And it's gooooooooood! Chocolate chips and slivered almonds invade this sweet 'n creamy fruit salad...

Ingredients:
1 cup Cool Whip Free, thawed
1 tbsp. Jell-O Sugar Free Fat Free Vanilla Instant pudding mix
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped
3 cups seedless red grapes, halved
2 cups chopped strawberries
1/4 cup thinly sliced dry-roasted almonds (like Almond Accents)
2 tbsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Place Cool Whip in a large bowl, sprinkle with pudding mix, and stir until smooth and slightly thickened. Add fruit and toss to coat. Add almonds and chocolate chips, and gently stir. That's it. (It's really easy.) Eat up!

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

Boost your Vegetable's Vitamin Power

Sparkpeople had a great article on fruits and vegetables recently.

* It’s true that vitamins break down in heat and air. The longer and hotter you cook something, the more nutrients you lose. But there are simple, easy ways to avoid major vitamin loss when preparing fruits and vegetables. The most obvious, of course, is to eat raw fruits and vegetables whenever possible.
* Cook only until crisp and tender. Otherwise known as al dente, a crisper vegetable or fruit will retain more nutrients than a mushy one. A good way to achieve this is steaming rather than boiling your food.
* Use as little water as possible while cooking. This reduces the dissolving action of vitamins.
* Use big pieces rather than small, cut-up pieces. Minimizing the surface area of each piece prevents loss of vitamins when exposed to air.
* Cover your pots during cooking to contain steam and heat. This helps reduce cooking time and therefore saves nutrients.
* The water you’ve used for cooking vegetables can be reused in soups, sauces, stews or vegetable juices. This is a way to get the benefit of residual vitamins.

Baked Potato Skins With Creamy Spinach and Turkey Bacon

I was canceling my monthly pass to use my lifetime status and when you choose not to cancel a little booklet of recipes pops up. I thought this recipe looked really good. Someone should make these for ww's if they're as good as they look! hint, hint! :)
snacks

POINTS® Value: 2
Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 20 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Creamy spinach and salty bacon makes these potatoes a hit. Make a double batch for your next party.


Ingredients
3 medium potato(es), baked, sliced in half and cooled
1 spray(s) cooking spray
20 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
4 oz light cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 slice(s) cooked crisp turkey bacon, crumbled
Instructions

* Preheat oven to 400ºF. Scoop out flesh of potatoes, leaving about 1/4 of potato flesh in potato. (Reserve remaining potato flesh for another use such as mashed potatoes.)

* Place potato halves on a baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. While potato skins bake, combine spinach, cream cheese, salt and pepper in a medium bowl until well-blended.

* Remove skins from oven and spoon 3 tablespoons of spinach mixture into each potato half; bake until warmed through, about 5 minutes more.

* Remove skins from oven and top each half with about 1 tablespoon of crumbled bacon. Yields 1 potato half per serving.

Notes

* To easily dry spinach, place thawed spinach in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out liquid over the sink, as though you were wringing out a wet towel.

Do you have excuses for not eating fruits and veggies?

We all have reasons for not eating fruits and vegetables. Most pretty valid I think. For me it is that they feel forced upon me, like a torture. Have you ever noticed that fruits and vegetables are never an "off limits" food, rather a "must eat" food. Right there that makes me not want them. I need to think about them differently because the fact is, when I eat them, I really like them. I just need to remind myself that I'm not conforming, rather eating "good!"

Tips and Tricks (thanks to this Sparkpeople link)


* Add fruit to your cereal, oatmeal, waffles or pancakes at breakfast.
* Create your own yogurt flavors with plain yogurt and different combinations of fresh fruit.
* Snack on raw vegetables or fruits instead of chips or pretzels. Keep sugar snap peas, raisins or carrot sticks in your car, your office or your backpack.
* Use chunky salsa instead of thick, creamy snack dips.
* Drink 100% juice instead of addictive coffee, tea, or soda.
* Going out to lunch? Take a trip to the grocery salad bar. Use lots of dark green leaves and other vegetables instead of piling on all of the extras like eggs, bacon and cheese.
* Add frozen veggies to any pasta dish. It's an easy way to get in another serving of the good stuff.
* Keep fruits and vegetables in line of sight. Grapes, oranges, bananas, and apples make a colorful bowl arrangement on the table. If you see them, you will eat them.
* Dried fruit is just as portable as potato chips -- and less messy. It tastes especially good when added to basic trail mix.
* When cooking vegetables, makes 2-3 times more than you need and immdiately store the extra away for tomorrow. It'll save you time later on.
* Add your own beans and vegetables (tomatoes, spinach, peppers, cabbage) to canned and quick-serve soups.
* If you must have pizza, load on extra veggies and pineapple instead of fatty meats and extra cheese.
* Try berries, melons or dates for a naturally sweet dessert rather than the usual candy bar, cookie, or ice cream sandwich.
* Frozen fruit and veggies are nearly as healthy as the fresh stuff, and only take minutes to prepare.
* Combine fruit with your main meal courses. Raisins, apples and tangerine slices add sweet, crunchy variety to a salad. Apples complement pork, pineapple is great with fish, and orange slices are perfect with chicken.

Dreyer's Fruit Bars: The ultimate summer treat!

80 calories, 0g fat, 1g fiber POINTS® Value: 1
These are SO good. Stock up on these when you find them on sale.

I found these for $2.99/box of 6 at target-regular price.

Looking for a cleaner, fresher look...

Anyone good at blog design? I'm looking for a cleaner, fresher look. Maybe a white center background? Maybe something to incorporate "diamond foods?" I'm not especially good at this. Anyone else?

You had me at "Mini cheesecakes"

These truly are as good as they look! Make a batch of these the next time you need to bring a dessert. Mmmmmmm! Use whichever topping you like.



Mini Cheesecakes

desserts
POINTS® Value: 3
Servings: 12

Ingredients
12 item(s) *vanilla wafer(s)
3 oz cream cheese
12 oz fat-free cream cheese
1/2 cup(s) sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 item(s) egg
1 cup(s) Comstock/Wilderness Lite cherry, pie filling
Instructions

(*I input the recipe with red.fat and regular vanilla cookies and while there is a 3.5 pt difference in the entire recipe, each mini cheesecake still comes out to 3 pts)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with 12 foil cupcake papers. Place a vanilla wafer in the bottom of each cupcake paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and fat-free cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla and mix well. Add eggs and beat until smooth.
3. Pour cheesecake mixture into muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes or until centers are almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
4. Decorate cheesecake with cherry pic filling.
Makes 12 cheesecakes/servings.
(I don't know if you tried the last cheesecake recipe I posted but I finally made it and really didn't care for it personally so I think I'm going to delete that post. It just looked so good I couldn't help but post it.)

Tame the Emotional Eating Beast for Good

3 Ways to Get Back on Track
-- By Dean Anderson, Behavioral Psychology Expert

Read the FULL ARTICLE.

These tips are so helpful, now if I could just remember them!

The good news is that your Emotional Eating Beast is a pretty dim-witted critter, and you can trick it into going back where it came from without too much effort, if you know how to do it. Here are some tricks that usually work:

1. Play the Stalling Game. Your Beast has a very short attention span, and if you can manage to stall it for just a few minutes on its way to the kitchen, it will often forget why it woke up in the first place, and happily go back where it came from.
2. Play the Distraction/Substitution Game. If your Beast doesn’t fall for the Stalling Game, you can still use your superior mental capacities to keep the upper hand. The key here is to keep in mind that what your Beast really wants isn’t food, but emotional comfort. If you can find ways to comfort yourself that don’t involve food, the need to eat will go away very quickly.

3. Play the Good Beast/ Bad Beast Game. Even though the Beast may seem powerful and overwhelming, it is just as afraid of you as you are of it. It knows full well that you can and, someday, probably will just tell it to go take a hike, and that will be the end of the game.

How to Start Eating Healthier 15 Simple Ways to Eat Better Today

Make Healthy Eating a Habit
Eating healthier doesn’t have to be overwhelming. If you want to adopt healthy habits that will last, then the easiest way to do it is by making small, gradual changes. Don’t expect too much from yourself too soon—it takes about a month for any new action to become habit.
Read the full article.

6 Simple Steps to bringing out Bavery, Courage and Adventure

Click on this linkto get the full Oprah article.
I thought these steps applied well to our weightloss journey's. After all, we're all looking for life changes not just body changes aren't we?

Step 6: Find comfort in discomfort.
"Remember, it's supposed to hurt; you're supposed to feel sore," says Ford. She's not talking about just the physical aches and pains of the couch potato turned triathlon competitor, but also the mental and emotional uneasiness of the would-be CEO or aspiring artist. "Accept that you'll never get rid of self-doubt," Kashdan says. "An adventurous person will always have moments of feeling like a fraud—it's a sign that you're creating new roles for yourself, that you're evolving. It means you're doing great, passionate work."

25 Ways to Get Back on Track Today

Don't Give Up on Your Goals!
-- By Nicole Nichols, Fitness Instructor & Health Educator

Not long ago, you were energetic and determined to start your healthy lifestyle. Starting with enthusiasm and hope, you watched your food intake diligently, exercised like it was going out of style, and even avoided the temptation that seemed to lurk around every corner. You were confident that you were going to reach your goals once and for all!

Then certain tragedy struck! You ate an extra piece of birthday cake. Realizing you had “blown” your diet, you ate another and another and couldn’t get it together the next day either. Or worse, you missed one workout, and that turned into a whole week away from the gym. After that, your momentum to start over again was gone, and your gym bag hasn’t left the closet since.

Every time you misstep on your healthy journey, you have two choices: to keep walking backwards, which will surely take you even further away from your goals; or to accept your lack of perfection as normal and forgivable, and take not one, but two positive steps down the path that brings your closer to the future you want.

Read the FULL ARTICLE.

The Surefire Way to Sabotage Your Diet

(Even though I know better, I find myself still doing this.)
If you're still labeling foods as "good" and "bad," you may be hurting your weight-loss efforts. Find out why putting foods off-limits won't help you take off the pounds.
Do you ever notice that as soon as you decide a certain food is "off-limits", it's the food you crave more than any other? Read more in this Sparkpeople article.

No Bake Graham Cracker Cheesycake!!

This recipe looks too easy, too good and too low in calories to be true! I want to try it very soon!
I put the recipe on e-tools and it comes up with 1 pt per square. (I only did one layer of graham crackers and used regular since I couldn't find red. fat. Also, there are 8pts in can of lite cherry pie filling. If that spreads over the whole dessert, that's barely 2 pts per square! I'll post what I think when it's done.)
No Bake Graham Cracker Cheesycake

desserts
POINTS® Value: 1
Servings: 24

Preparation Time: 0 min
Cooking Time: 0 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Course: desserts

Ingredients
8 oz Kraft Philadelphia Free Fat-Free Cream Cheese
1 cup(s) 1% low-fat milk
2 Tbsp lemon juice, canned or bottled
1 oz fat-free sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
8 oz Cool Whip Free Whipped Topping
27 small item(s) graham cracker(s)