Chocolate Ball Revenge

So, I just wrote in my last blog that I've been obsessed with chocolate balls. Chocolate balls are a really easy dessert that you don't even have to cook. They come in a bag and you mix the batter with water and oil, put them in the fridge and pop them in your mouth. Healthy? No, they are definitely not healthy. So, now that I let myself go today and ate maybe four - ok, I'll be realistic - maybe 10...I have to figure out what to do with myself! At first, I was going to calculate how many calories I consumed and then work off that many calories tomorrow.

And then I decided to be human. Ok - so I goofed...so I like the chocolate balls a bit too much and I need to remember next time to feed the extras to.............anyone but myself! So, I will exercise tomorrow just like I try to do everyday and I'll survive. And I won't - I repeat I won't - get on the scale tomorrow and be even more horrified with myself than I already am. I do think that's it very important to put our health in perspective. So, sometimes we fall off the wagon and sometimes we indulge. It doesn't mean that we are bad, nor does it mean that we can't get back on. It also doesn't mean that we've gained a hundred pounds. Good lessons to learn on a night when I'm full of chocolate balls!

Exercising in Winter

How do you make sure to get enough exercise in the winter if you usually exercise outside? Many of you might use treadmills and only exercise indoors - and you don't have a problem. But, for those of you who like to walk, run and be outside, the winter can be very trying. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Go to the mall. I'm always amazed when I go to the mall early, that there are so many people walking there! Some malls even have walking groups to bring walker together. You can stay fit and have fun in the winter with a walking group.

2. Time your exercise - Unless you live in Maine or Vermont, there aren't that many days when you can't find a way to be outside. Don't exercise at the coldest times of day. Try to get out in the middle of the day so that it's less cold. Similarly, jump at the better weather if you have a flexible schedule. If it's rained for two days and suddenly the sun is out - run for it and have fun enjoying the better weather while you can.

There are many ways to stay fit in the winter. No one has an excuse to stop moving - you just have to find the right plan and stick to it! Get moving and enjoy!

Chocolate Balls

So, I usually use this blog to write about health and things that we can all do to be healthy. But, today I feel like a bit of a hypocrite. How does someone go about writing about health when they have been stuffing their face with chocolate balls all day? What, you may ask, are chocolate balls? Unfortunately, my answer may send you running for the pantry with a sudden urge for chocolate, which is certainly not my job as a health blogger. Oh dear...what is one to do? Well, chocolate balls are a delicious dessert that I make frequently with my kids. They actually come as a mix, similar to a cake mix or pancake mix. You throw the powdery batter into a bowl, mix in water and oil and then roll the batter into small balls and put sprinkles on top. There is no cooking involved here - just put them in the refrigerator, let them harden, and you have chocolate balls.

I don't generally have a sweet tooth and I don't have trouble resisting desserts. But, for some reason I just can't get away from these chocolate balls. It might be their size - each one is so small...you just assume it won't hurt. And then one turns into two...and you know how that goes. So, I've been trying to resist them all day and hoping the kids would gobble them up. The temptation is terrible! I vow not to make them again for at least...well...at least another week. How's that for commitment?

The Joys of Brussel Spouts

Ok, so you might be laughing now. Brussel spouts? You say. Yes. My kids actually love brussel sprouts. They are a delicious and very nutritious food that the whole family can love. How do you make brussel sprouts delcious? Here are some ideas. Similar to tofu, brussel spouts take on a lot of the taste of what they are placed in. So, I often make them with soy sauce. Put the brussel sprouts in a skillet and cook them in soy sauce - you don't need any oil or anything else - just soy sauce. They end up soaking in the flavor of the soy sauce and being delicious. You can also saute them with mushrooms, onions and butter or margarine. Also delicious.

Other ideas for brussel spouts are in the oven. Bake brussel sprouts with a little margarine and then put them over baked potatoes for dinner. Delicious and crunchy. There are many ways to use your favorite vegetables, or to discover new ones that can become your favorite. It just takes a little bit of creativity and some experimentation and you can be eating healthy, great vegetables every day of the week!

One extra tip - it's very important for your kids to think that everything is delicious. If you tell them from a young age that brussel sprouts and tofu and everything else are delicious, then they will try these things. They may not end up liking them - but the more things they try, the more of a chance they give themselves. And this can make the difference.

Fresh Air and Sun

We've just survived another round of jet lag in my house, and I believe strongly that fresh air and sun helped us to recover. These two things are incredibly important in our lives, and we often take them for granted. How many people say in the middle of the day, "I must get outside! I need some air!" It's very important, especially if you work inside all day long, to take a few minutes to escape during a lunch break and to take a short walk. Most of us don't get enough time outside and it shows. Our children are often antsy and overly energetic and we tend to sit in front of a computer screen feeling lethargic and frustrated.

So, when the kids had jet lag, I dragged them outside virtually the entire day. I figured that the fresh air certainly couldn't hurt, and it could probably help to wipe them out and get them back into sleeping at the right time. Once we started doing this, the outside became like oxygen for the kids. They woke up in the morning begging for the park and asking to go bike riding. Yes, it has been a bit tiring for me, but it's wonderful to see them up and out so much. I'm hoping to be able to continue this during the school year. It's obviously more difficult when they have long school days and shorter amounts of sun with the winter, but it's still important to get out. So, get up, get out and get moving!

Winter Blues

Fall is here and it's beautiful outside. At least in most places...but we all know that the winter is coming. It's important, especially now that the kids are in school and interacting with so many people, to try to keep everyone healthy. Nice idea, but how do you do this? Here are some suggestions:

1. Wash your hands! Your children need to get in the habit of washing their hands often. When they come in from the park, when they wake up, when they go to sleep, and before they eat they must wash their hands. Of course, they need to wash them after the barthroom as well.

2. Vitamins - Not everyone agrees that these do anything, but some families like to give their kids multi-vitamins. They can't hurt, afterall, and they may help to keep your kids healthy.

3. Eating right - This is probably the most important thing to do to stay healthy. It's very important to continue to eat well in the colder months. We all want to sit with a huge piece of bread and a warm bowl of soup, and then have hot chocolate. Continue to give your kids fruits and vegetables and to have them in your diet as well. Eating well is very important to staying healthy.

Get ready for winter now and stay healthy!

Jet Lag

There is definitely nothing healthy about jet lag. Nothing. Period. End of story. We just returned from an international trip, and I've been finding that jet lag is the culprit for my dieting downfall. It's not easy to be up all night long, watching the kids, and keep myself from eating. And what do I want in the middle of the night? Junk. That's what is going to feed my head that's spinning and my nerves that are shot. So, I found that I spent the first few nights indulging in all sorts of terrible things - ice cream tastes wonderful in the middle of the night. There must be something magical about ice cream that makes it transform into a nurturing blanket of calm at 3:00 am. But, the next morning, that calm is certainly gone, and the pounds aren't.

So, what is one to do? First, I started to get the kids into a routine and forced myself to do so as well. Munching isn't quite as tempting if we are going to sleep at 12 as it is at 4 am. Next, I made myself actually evaluate my level of hunger before I indulged. Was I really hungry or just bored and tired? And what did I really need? During the day, I started to cut up all sorts of vegetables, so that at 2 in the morning when I had a baby in my arms, I could grab for something healthy rather than another cookie or granola bar. Fortunately, we are all sleeping again and this issue is behind us. Hope it helps any of you who are travelling or returning now that the summer is ending!

Moderation - Even with Drinks

So, I've recently jumped back into drinking coffee head first. I had tried to steer clear of the many, many coffee houses in my neighborhood and to avoid both caffeine and caloric drinks, but it was too good to be true. I was doing the South Beach diet for awhile and was really trying to stick to everything that it advocated. And it worked. I lost 20 pounds and my husband lost 25. A miracle! Amazing! And then we went on a three week vacation and we said to ourselves before we left that we hoped we wouldn't gain it all back. It's not easy to juggle eating out all the time with a diet and being on the go with eating a no-carbs menu.

What I found has been very surprising. Even though I've added a few more cokes to my routine and I've had a few too many coffees with delicious additives, I've still managed to maintain my weight. No, I didn't go crazy and eat and drink everyday whatever I wanted. But, I had figured that I had to either be 100% or 0% on this diet. And I've found that there is room in life for moderation. Although it's certainly preferable to drink only water all day long, one or two cokes or coffees a week isn't going to send me off the deep end. And that is very satisfying news!

For Love of Chocolate

I was on the South Beach diet about four months ago, and now chocolate seems to be calling my name. What is one to do when a certain undesirable food just won't leave them alone? It's definitely been a difficult few weeks. Fortunately, I'm still exercising like I was and I'm still eating, in general, as I was...but the darn chocolate is calling my name. So, I've come up with a list of a few options that I have, and that you probably have if something starts to call your name.

1. Listen to it in moderation. There is nothing wrong with having a little bit of chocolate (especially if it's dark chocolate) once in a while. When it's more than once in a while...then the problems begin.

2. Try to substitute the chocolate for something else. Maybe you can have some coffee? Maybe a chocolate mint will work?

3. Get it out of the house! Ok - so my husband likes the chocolate and can eat a little at a time. But who cares!? I can't, and I need it out of the house. Period.

These are my first three ideas...I'm trying to think of others as well. Hope these help as a beginning.