I LOVE LOVE LOVE to try new recipes! Last week one of my dear friends and I went to a cooking class at Silver Dollar City's Culinary and Craft School. I have enjoyed several of these classes over the last several years. All of the things she has prepared are wonderful. Well this class was no different. I did tweak the recipe to eliminate some of the fat and calories from it. So I will put my tweaks in where I substituted so that you can either make it the way she did or you can make some changes like I did to make it a more healthy choice.
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice (I used Uncle Ben's Whole Grain and Wild rice)
3-14 oz cans of chicken broth, divided (I used reduced sodium, fat free chicken broth)
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (I diced mine up)
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt (I used Mrs. Dash Onion and herb blend)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup heavy whipping cream (I used fat free half and half)
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
In a 4-qt. pot, combine uncooked wild rice, 2 cans of the broth, carrots, celery, and onion. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered for 35-40 minutes or until rice is tender but still chewy, adding the mushrooms the last 5 minutes of cooking.
In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt, and black pepper. Add the remaining can of chicken broth.. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute or more; stir in whipping cream. Add this mixture to the rice mixture, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken; heat through. Garnish with chives if you like. Makes 6-8 servings.
Nutrition facts WITHOUT the tweaks:
364 calories, 24 g. fat, 1016 mg. sodium, 20 g. carbs, 2 g. fiber and 20 g. protein
that would be 10 Weight Watchers points plus per serving.
With my tweaks it comes out to 4 Weight Watchers Points Plus per servings.
We really enjoyed it greatly!!!
Hope you enjoy it! It doesn't take really long to prepare!
Keep on keeping on!
Monday, October 8, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Fall Time is COMING!!!!!
The temperatures are finally getting cooler after a very hot, dry summer. It is so refreshing to be able to get my walks in outside instead of on the treadmill. Don't get me wrong I like my treadmill, but I SOOOOOOO enjoy being able to take my walks outside.
With the cooler temps comes the soups and chili time of the year! Which is really my favorite!!! You can make so many healthy options for soups and chili!!! I LOVE a good vegetable soup and sometimes I will add in some ground turkey or some smoked turkey sausage for a little variety.
I all so love the fall craft shows and fun fall events! Today I went to Silver Dollar City with a dear sister friend of mine. It is their Cowboy festival. Now I have to say that the food at Silver Dollar City is out of this world!!! They have some of the best cooks around for a theme park!! But another reason that I love going to Silver Dollar City is the hills!! I used to just about curse those hills because I would be so winded coming back up them and would just wish that there would be a different way to get out of the park...but alas..NO! Silver Dollar City is set in the beautiful Ozark Mountains. So you start at the top and walk down into the valley to get to the shows and rides... Well...you really get a great workout walking around the park! I usually don't let myself eat a lot at the park. Every so often, we will eat at the park. But they will let you bring in your own coolers!! So it is very easy to pack up your favorite healthy snacks and it can make for a great day! Most amusement parks will also give you free cups of water! Take advantage of that! You don't have to drink the sodas! You will also save money!!!
Look for fun ways to get some walking in! You don't have to go to an amusement park to do it, although it really is fun! Find a nature trail close by and get a friend, your children etc to go walk those trails.
Go to the zoo if you happen to have one near by. Since the temps are cooler, the animals are more likely to be out and be playful! They enjoy the cooler temps too!
Go to the park and play ball or Frisbee with friends or family.
There are always fun things you can find to do, you just have to look for them sometimes!!!
Enjoy the beautiful weather and spending time with family and friends!!!
Keep on keeping on!
With the cooler temps comes the soups and chili time of the year! Which is really my favorite!!! You can make so many healthy options for soups and chili!!! I LOVE a good vegetable soup and sometimes I will add in some ground turkey or some smoked turkey sausage for a little variety.
I all so love the fall craft shows and fun fall events! Today I went to Silver Dollar City with a dear sister friend of mine. It is their Cowboy festival. Now I have to say that the food at Silver Dollar City is out of this world!!! They have some of the best cooks around for a theme park!! But another reason that I love going to Silver Dollar City is the hills!! I used to just about curse those hills because I would be so winded coming back up them and would just wish that there would be a different way to get out of the park...but alas..NO! Silver Dollar City is set in the beautiful Ozark Mountains. So you start at the top and walk down into the valley to get to the shows and rides... Well...you really get a great workout walking around the park! I usually don't let myself eat a lot at the park. Every so often, we will eat at the park. But they will let you bring in your own coolers!! So it is very easy to pack up your favorite healthy snacks and it can make for a great day! Most amusement parks will also give you free cups of water! Take advantage of that! You don't have to drink the sodas! You will also save money!!!
Look for fun ways to get some walking in! You don't have to go to an amusement park to do it, although it really is fun! Find a nature trail close by and get a friend, your children etc to go walk those trails.
Go to the zoo if you happen to have one near by. Since the temps are cooler, the animals are more likely to be out and be playful! They enjoy the cooler temps too!
Go to the park and play ball or Frisbee with friends or family.
There are always fun things you can find to do, you just have to look for them sometimes!!!
Enjoy the beautiful weather and spending time with family and friends!!!
Keep on keeping on!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Finding Joy for the Journey!!!
This past Saturday we participated in a 5K! The Cherished Kids 5K is special to my heart as it is an organization at our church that raises funds to help the foster children in our area and also to help with adoption of children.
I had decided to participate in this since I like doing 5K's. Well then a group of us decided to participate together. That group was an awesome group to participate with. They are all members of our life group from church and have become our family away from family! We had a wonderful time and I am so proud of each of us that participated in this event! We had 3 of our teenagers to participate and they did an awesome job and we had several of us adults that participated!!!
I encourage you to find an activity that you like. Of course you could be like me when I first started and didn't really enjoy much of anything!! LOL!! I enjoyed being the youngest person in a water aerobics class! But then 5 years ago I did my first Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning! That first one was rough because I was severely overweight and it through my body into a sick mess when I was done! But after that, my body does quite well with 5K's. I even jog some now on the Turkey Trot. I have even signed up with a friend of mine to do my first 1/2 marathon this November. We will be walking most of it, but we ARE going to do it!!!
You don't need a gym membership to get healthy! Find walking trails near your home or find a park that may have a walking path and just start walking! Find a fun DVD and do that at home. Find a Zumba class in your neighborhood and try that! Step in place during commercials! That alone would take care of 15 minutes a day!! Park in the farthest parking spot at the store! It would save time because you are not riding all through the parking lot looking for a close parking space. It would also save gas because you are not riding through the parking lot! It will get you some extra steps in! And it's easy to find your car because hardly anyone parks out that far!
Find a way to get in some activity!! Take care of you and...
Keep on keeping on!!!
I had decided to participate in this since I like doing 5K's. Well then a group of us decided to participate together. That group was an awesome group to participate with. They are all members of our life group from church and have become our family away from family! We had a wonderful time and I am so proud of each of us that participated in this event! We had 3 of our teenagers to participate and they did an awesome job and we had several of us adults that participated!!!
I encourage you to find an activity that you like. Of course you could be like me when I first started and didn't really enjoy much of anything!! LOL!! I enjoyed being the youngest person in a water aerobics class! But then 5 years ago I did my first Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning! That first one was rough because I was severely overweight and it through my body into a sick mess when I was done! But after that, my body does quite well with 5K's. I even jog some now on the Turkey Trot. I have even signed up with a friend of mine to do my first 1/2 marathon this November. We will be walking most of it, but we ARE going to do it!!!
You don't need a gym membership to get healthy! Find walking trails near your home or find a park that may have a walking path and just start walking! Find a fun DVD and do that at home. Find a Zumba class in your neighborhood and try that! Step in place during commercials! That alone would take care of 15 minutes a day!! Park in the farthest parking spot at the store! It would save time because you are not riding all through the parking lot looking for a close parking space. It would also save gas because you are not riding through the parking lot! It will get you some extra steps in! And it's easy to find your car because hardly anyone parks out that far!
Find a way to get in some activity!! Take care of you and...
Keep on keeping on!!!
Exciting Adventures on the Road of Life!
This school year is proving to be an exciting one! We have decided to home school the last 2 remaining children that we have! Which means a ninth grader and a third grader! One of my concerns was...oh my..if everyone is home, then we are going to be baking more, eating more etc. because we will be in the house. Well we decided to nip that in the bud really quick. We have been making a weekly menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner so that we aren't so tired that we make bad choices with our food or we just can't think of what to eat for a meal so we just do the easy thing and go to a drive through. Now don't get me wrong, I still love a good french fry every now and then but I am learning more and more I don't like fast food fries. I would just rather make my own fries...by baking them in my oven.
So here we are on week 3 of school and so far the menu planning is working out great! Although we did settle for fast food on Saturday night because 3 out of the 4 of us had participated in a 5K earlier in the day and we were all very tired!
We have only made one batch of chocolate chip cookies since school has been in session and that was while the college student was home, so he ate most of those and we didn't have to worry about them.
So I am once again learning that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail! I don't want to fail on this journey. I want to succeed and continue to become more healthy!
It truly is making a difference in my life! Just went to the doctor last week for a yearly blood work check up. I try to keep close tabs on that due to my family history of high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol etc. Several years ago before I started on this journey, my numbers weren't horrible, but they were slowly creeping up to what I feel were dangerous levels! But when I got the results from this last battery of tests, I was thrilled beyond belief as to what is happening to my system as I improve my health!!!
My fasting blood sugar was 95 the last time I had it checked. This year it has dropped to 88!!! They want it to be between 70-100!
My cholesterol has dropped from 155 to 145!
My HDL needed to be above 40 and came in at 51!
My LDL needed to be below 130 and they came in at 76!
My triglycerides needed to be below 150 and that came in at 91.
My blood pressure was 108/over 60!
I can't tell you how much better I feel now that I have realized that taking care of me is just as important or more so than taking care of the other people in my life that I take care of. The one thing I am remembering is that If I don't take care of me, who will take care of those that I take care of?
If you want to do something special for yourself, please take care of you!
Keep on keeping on!!!
So here we are on week 3 of school and so far the menu planning is working out great! Although we did settle for fast food on Saturday night because 3 out of the 4 of us had participated in a 5K earlier in the day and we were all very tired!
We have only made one batch of chocolate chip cookies since school has been in session and that was while the college student was home, so he ate most of those and we didn't have to worry about them.
So I am once again learning that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail! I don't want to fail on this journey. I want to succeed and continue to become more healthy!
It truly is making a difference in my life! Just went to the doctor last week for a yearly blood work check up. I try to keep close tabs on that due to my family history of high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol etc. Several years ago before I started on this journey, my numbers weren't horrible, but they were slowly creeping up to what I feel were dangerous levels! But when I got the results from this last battery of tests, I was thrilled beyond belief as to what is happening to my system as I improve my health!!!
My fasting blood sugar was 95 the last time I had it checked. This year it has dropped to 88!!! They want it to be between 70-100!
My cholesterol has dropped from 155 to 145!
My HDL needed to be above 40 and came in at 51!
My LDL needed to be below 130 and they came in at 76!
My triglycerides needed to be below 150 and that came in at 91.
My blood pressure was 108/over 60!
I can't tell you how much better I feel now that I have realized that taking care of me is just as important or more so than taking care of the other people in my life that I take care of. The one thing I am remembering is that If I don't take care of me, who will take care of those that I take care of?
If you want to do something special for yourself, please take care of you!
Keep on keeping on!!!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Summer Time Coming To An End....
Well here we are as we see all of the back to school sales, school supply lists that summer is coming to an end and students are getting ready to go back to school. School starts here next week!
That usually means getting back into a "normal" routine, what ever normal is! It means earlier bed times and earlier wake up times.
As your students prepare to go back to school, lets try not to do a breakfast of convenience! It is really easy to get into the pop tart, toaster strudel, cold cereal and milk kind of thing. But try starting the day with less sugar and more protein! Try making breakfast burritos made with eggs and turkey sausage and shredded cheese on a whole wheat tortilla. It really doesn't take that long to make. Get the kids involved too! Try oatmeal with fruit in it. Children need that extra in the morning to keep their brains working solid until lunch time.
Lunch time is another thing. After working in the school district for a few years, I observed a few things. Usually your children don't eat what they buy for a school lunch. Most students throw away over half their lunch. I always made a point to make lunches for my children. We always made it the night before to save time in the morning. Lunches usually consisted of a sandwich on sandwich thins, carrot sticks and ranch, and a fruit cup in its on juice (less sugar that way.) Every now and then we would do baked chips and maybe if we made homemade cookies etc at home, we would put a couple of those in there. We have done salads in the lunch box, etc. Plan those healthy lunches and that will help them until they get home in the afternoon. Also make sure to put an ICE PACK of some sort in their lunch box. I saw several students with gogurts (which is another yummy option) or sandwiches with mayo on them, cheese etc with no refrigeration at all!!! That will cause food to spoil and in turn cause tummy problems.
I remember getting home in the afternoon from school wanting a snack. Make sure you have healthy options for after school snacks. Apple slices with peanut butter is a yummy option especially with a nice cold glass of milk! String cheese and grapes is another yummy option.
Make an effort to help your students this school year to do the best that they can do at school. Healthy foods will help make a huge difference in their day!!
Make sure that your students get to sleep at a good time. Make sure that backpacks are ready the night before and that will help save time in the morning and homework put in after it is completed that way there is no risk of leaving it at home.
Have a wonderful school year!!
Keep on Keeping on!!
That usually means getting back into a "normal" routine, what ever normal is! It means earlier bed times and earlier wake up times.
As your students prepare to go back to school, lets try not to do a breakfast of convenience! It is really easy to get into the pop tart, toaster strudel, cold cereal and milk kind of thing. But try starting the day with less sugar and more protein! Try making breakfast burritos made with eggs and turkey sausage and shredded cheese on a whole wheat tortilla. It really doesn't take that long to make. Get the kids involved too! Try oatmeal with fruit in it. Children need that extra in the morning to keep their brains working solid until lunch time.
Lunch time is another thing. After working in the school district for a few years, I observed a few things. Usually your children don't eat what they buy for a school lunch. Most students throw away over half their lunch. I always made a point to make lunches for my children. We always made it the night before to save time in the morning. Lunches usually consisted of a sandwich on sandwich thins, carrot sticks and ranch, and a fruit cup in its on juice (less sugar that way.) Every now and then we would do baked chips and maybe if we made homemade cookies etc at home, we would put a couple of those in there. We have done salads in the lunch box, etc. Plan those healthy lunches and that will help them until they get home in the afternoon. Also make sure to put an ICE PACK of some sort in their lunch box. I saw several students with gogurts (which is another yummy option) or sandwiches with mayo on them, cheese etc with no refrigeration at all!!! That will cause food to spoil and in turn cause tummy problems.
I remember getting home in the afternoon from school wanting a snack. Make sure you have healthy options for after school snacks. Apple slices with peanut butter is a yummy option especially with a nice cold glass of milk! String cheese and grapes is another yummy option.
Make an effort to help your students this school year to do the best that they can do at school. Healthy foods will help make a huge difference in their day!!
Make sure that your students get to sleep at a good time. Make sure that backpacks are ready the night before and that will help save time in the morning and homework put in after it is completed that way there is no risk of leaving it at home.
Have a wonderful school year!!
Keep on Keeping on!!
Monday, July 2, 2012
Arguments on the journey....
On road trips there always seems to be arguing along the way! "Mom...they are looking at me!" "Don't touch me...mom they are touching me!!" etc...
The same thing happens in life as well. It became very noticeable to be on Saturday as I was doing my half-marathon training. The training for Saturday-5 miles!!! I haven't done that distance except for a March of Dimes walk over 23 years ago! That was just walking....this on Saturday had jogging in it!!!!! Well in my mind, I started going...well I can make it for sure to do a 5K but not so sure about the 5 miles! Well ok..I made it to 3.2 miles and said...well ok..you made it this far you can make it to 4 miles You have done that before. Yep...got to 4 miles...and said..You know what...you have gotten this far you might as well go ahead and finish up the 5 miles! So I did. It was an argument in my mind...part of me wanted to talk myself out of it...part of me was fighting to finish the 5 miles!
When the arguments come...push yourself to finish what you set out to do! Don't quit!!! Keep going! You will feel better because you finished! Don't let the "stinkin thinkin" get the best of you!!! The more you beat the "stinkin thinkin" the easier it will be to complete your goals!
Keep on keeping on....
The same thing happens in life as well. It became very noticeable to be on Saturday as I was doing my half-marathon training. The training for Saturday-5 miles!!! I haven't done that distance except for a March of Dimes walk over 23 years ago! That was just walking....this on Saturday had jogging in it!!!!! Well in my mind, I started going...well I can make it for sure to do a 5K but not so sure about the 5 miles! Well ok..I made it to 3.2 miles and said...well ok..you made it this far you can make it to 4 miles You have done that before. Yep...got to 4 miles...and said..You know what...you have gotten this far you might as well go ahead and finish up the 5 miles! So I did. It was an argument in my mind...part of me wanted to talk myself out of it...part of me was fighting to finish the 5 miles!
When the arguments come...push yourself to finish what you set out to do! Don't quit!!! Keep going! You will feel better because you finished! Don't let the "stinkin thinkin" get the best of you!!! The more you beat the "stinkin thinkin" the easier it will be to complete your goals!
Keep on keeping on....
Sunday, July 1, 2012
It is HOT outside and Vacation fun!!
So summer has arrived in great force!!!! The outside temperatures have been AWFUL!! I have moved my workouts indoors just to not be in the heat...even early in the mornings have been difficult!
One thing I want to encourage you is to DRINK WATER!!! You need to stay hydrated!!! Especially if you do a lot of exercise, working out in the yard or spending a lot of time outside!
Vacations are also in full swing! Lots of people are on the road going from place to place! You can still make healthy choices while on vacation!!! Shocking I know!!! If you are driving...take healthy snacks with you in the car. Don't load up on all junk foods! Take fresh fruits with you, cheese sticks, water bottles, baby carrots, chopped celery, almonds etc.. Make healthy choices while traveling. It is ok to splurge and enjoy yourself, but don't make it 24/7 for the entire time you are on vacation! Your body will not enjoy that! One thing I have learned is that if you plan ahead, you can still maintain or even lose weight on vacation!!! Plan some activity...swimming, walking...so something!!!
When you go out to eat, look up the nutrition information on the web and make your choices before you get there...and STICK to your decision! I like to order first when we are on vacation because that way my decision is less likely to change. I have also noticed that when I make better choices, my family tends to make better choices in what they choose to eat.
Then another thing I will add....choose a diet or lifestyle change that you can stick with for the rest of your life! There are many options to choose from! I go to Weight Watchers because I truly enjoy the meetings, getting encouragement and help and the accountability.
There is also myfitnesspal.com It is free and online. You enter your food items for the day and it will hep you keep a journal of exercise and foods.
Healthy eating has to be a part of your everyday life forever!!! If you can't or won't eat cottage cheese or fat free cheese for the rest of your life...then make those changes in other ways! Cut out or cut back on sodas and add more water. Use reduced fat cheese etc...instead of high fat choices.
One thing you need to know, is that it is ok to splurge every once and awile! If you are at an amusement park and feel the need for a carmel apple or even a funnel cake, then do that...but might I suggest to split the funnel cake with SEVERAL people!! Moderation goes a long way!!!
Make healthy changes for no other person but yourself! You are the only you there is!!!
Keep on keeping on!!!
One thing I want to encourage you is to DRINK WATER!!! You need to stay hydrated!!! Especially if you do a lot of exercise, working out in the yard or spending a lot of time outside!
Vacations are also in full swing! Lots of people are on the road going from place to place! You can still make healthy choices while on vacation!!! Shocking I know!!! If you are driving...take healthy snacks with you in the car. Don't load up on all junk foods! Take fresh fruits with you, cheese sticks, water bottles, baby carrots, chopped celery, almonds etc.. Make healthy choices while traveling. It is ok to splurge and enjoy yourself, but don't make it 24/7 for the entire time you are on vacation! Your body will not enjoy that! One thing I have learned is that if you plan ahead, you can still maintain or even lose weight on vacation!!! Plan some activity...swimming, walking...so something!!!
When you go out to eat, look up the nutrition information on the web and make your choices before you get there...and STICK to your decision! I like to order first when we are on vacation because that way my decision is less likely to change. I have also noticed that when I make better choices, my family tends to make better choices in what they choose to eat.
Then another thing I will add....choose a diet or lifestyle change that you can stick with for the rest of your life! There are many options to choose from! I go to Weight Watchers because I truly enjoy the meetings, getting encouragement and help and the accountability.
There is also myfitnesspal.com It is free and online. You enter your food items for the day and it will hep you keep a journal of exercise and foods.
Healthy eating has to be a part of your everyday life forever!!! If you can't or won't eat cottage cheese or fat free cheese for the rest of your life...then make those changes in other ways! Cut out or cut back on sodas and add more water. Use reduced fat cheese etc...instead of high fat choices.
One thing you need to know, is that it is ok to splurge every once and awile! If you are at an amusement park and feel the need for a carmel apple or even a funnel cake, then do that...but might I suggest to split the funnel cake with SEVERAL people!! Moderation goes a long way!!!
Make healthy changes for no other person but yourself! You are the only you there is!!!
Keep on keeping on!!!
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