A Holiday Treat You'll Be Craving

My core body temperature must be like ten degrees colder than normal, because I swear I'm always cold! I love warm foods in the winter to warm up my chilled bones. One of my favorite body warming treats is Swiss Miss Sugar Free Hot Chocolate. There is sixty calories in one serving. I like to make it with a cup of skim milk which means there is a total of 140 calories and and 10 grams of protein.  These pictures are from last Christmas. My mom woke us up to a hot chocolate bar. Skim milk all heated and ready to go in the hot chocolate maker. We had sugar free Swiss Miss, chocolate raspberry, dolce de leche, and mint flavored hot chocolate to choose from. There was fat free whipped cream, crushed candy cane, graham cracker crumbs, marshmallows and flavored syrup as toppings.

Too bad this photo is kinda blurry...cause MAN mine was good. I chose Sugar Free Swiss Miss, whipped cream, and dusted it with a little bit of graham cracker and candy cane. SO GOOD. I think this is such a good sweet fix for a cold wintery night.

When I was flying home to Arizona for Thanksgiving this past November and my plane was delayed a few hours I was starving, and freezing. As I was walking around trying to find myself something healthy to eat I contemplated getting some Starbucks peppermint hot chocolate, because man it's delicious. I decided to check the nutritional info on it, because I'm crazy like that...I found that for a Tall (which is the smallest size they offer, 12 oz) with skim milk  and no whipped cream, it's about 260 calories. For a Grande (16 oz) it's 344 calories, and for a Venti (20 oz) it's 566 calories. YIKES! That just didn't sit so well with me...I prefer my 140 calories thank you. For some reason I feel ok with spending 250 calories on some fat-free frozen yogurt, but on hot chocolate? No can do. Is that weird? Probably. Do you have things you'll splurge on, and other things you don't find worth touching with a ten foot pole?

Saturday Tid Bits

Just a few things. 
- I hate when all the people around me start to get sick. I feel like it only means sickness is looming around me. Yesterday at the gym a man had his gym shorts stuffed with kleenex. I watched as he blew his nose (very snot-ishly I might add) and then stuffed his tissues back in his pocket, wiped his nose with the back of his hand, and picked up his dumbbells again. SO GROSS. I know I'm a bit of a germaphobe but COME ON. Common courtesy? I made a point to touch NOTHING he touched.

- I purchased my favorite Sugar Free Swiss Miss hot chocolate this week, and I have already busted out the Coco Motion twice. Sugar free hot chocolate gets me through the winter.

- I am %95 sure I'm running the Utah Valley Full Marathon with my sis next June. She is already signed up! Anyone else planning on doing it? I think I'm finally in a place where I'm injury free and able to train like crazy. I'm even a little excited...
p.s. I'm recruiting anyone who wants to run the same race, so we can talk about training and such for the next few months! 

- I also busted out my big puffy North Face and my Uggs this week. These items become part of my winter uniform when it gets cold. Ugh. I miss being able to run around like this...

- I've been listening to Christmas music all day. For your info...In a battle between Michael Buble and Justin Beiber's new Christmas Album, Buble is killing it. Sorry Beibs.

- I love Saturdays. They are just the greatest. I got in an AWESOME circuit workout this morning that started my day off right!

November 5th: Today I am grateful for my job. We had a work meeting at Elevate this morning, and I was reminded of just how awesome the people that I work with are. I have been so blessed with a job that I love, and fabulous work support. We are going to be doing a lot of things involving the community here in the near future, so I'll be sure to keep you posted.

One year ago today...Oh I love reality TV.


Have you started to listen to Christmas music yet?What was your Saturday workout? It's helping me adjust to this cold weather! What are you grateful for today?

Positive Thoughts for a Healthy Mindset - It all started with the Christmas lights.

I know that there is power in positive thinking. I have to try and remind myself this...in the most positive way of course. It is very easy for me to rattle off to you the reasons why winter is not my favorite.

- snow
- looking more like Edward Cullen and less like Jacob (did i seriously just reference Twilight in reference to my fading skin...yowza. I did not see that coming.)
- having to wear 12 layers to keep warm at work as opposed to my nike tempo shorts
- driving in the snow
- walking in the snow
- falling because of the snow (inevitable)
- not being able to run outside

You get it. HOWEVER...I was actually thinking today about the reasons why I like the cold weather. Like I said, power of positive thinking.

- Diet Swiss Miss hot chocolate. It warms my soul.
- Being wrapped in blankets
- Delicious warm soup
- ABC's 25 days of Christmas movies, and all other Christmas movies for that matter. I can quote 98% of Home Alone. My sister and I used to watch it like it was our job. 
- Christmas. Christmas parties. Christmas music. Christmas scents. Christmas lights. Christmas presents. The Christmas Spirit. D) all of the above.
- Appreciating my trips to Arizona and the sun and warmth that comes with it. Did I mention I'm going back on Thursday...YAY!
- Frozen Yogurt and Pizza Factory Salads.  Oh wait, that is all the time. But I love them in winter as well as the summer.
- Holidays.
- Did I mention Christmas lights? I did. Well...that is where this thought process started.

Yesterday morning as I was driving to work around 5:30 AM and I passed the Christmas Lights on at one of the outdoor malls that I pass every day. I know this pic from my phone won't do it justice because they are so phenomenally beautiful, but this is what I saw nonetheless.

At a tired moment I got so excited for Christmas and the lights gave me a huge boost! This positive train of thought continued throughout my day...

I had a client cancel, which allowed me to get a quick 6.5 miles in. It was early and I didn't have a ton of energy, but I kept thinking how grateful I was to get my cardio in and done. I also was thinking back to all those months where I couldn't run. These positive thoughts kept me going, and my run went great. Positive thoughts = positive outcomes.

Sometimes my early mornings + being on my feet with my clients + several clients in a row can start to drag my energy levels down. I was feeling tired, and I started thinking about how lucky I am to have a job that I love, and to get to work with such great people. This reminded helped me to push through being tired, and do the best I could to help my clients.

I planned out my food for the day this morning, and stuck to my plan. A thought occurred to me yesterday about how often we dress to hide the gross way we feel inside. Do you get me there? For instance, maybe you overate and didn't exercise one day and you wake up feeling gross. Those are the days where I go for lose-fitting, comfy clothes. I don't want to have to dress according to my food choices. I know that sounds crazy, but that reminder helped me to stick with my good meal plan. My challenge to you there? Go to bed feeling good, healthy, and on top of the game. Don't go to bed feeling defeated, bloated, and thinking you're going to have to start over, yet again, tomorrow. Get in a positive mindset, where your healthy goals are a reward to you. They will be a reward to you because you will feel good, and you'll want to keep going in a positive direction.

Positive thoughts -----> Positive outcomes -----> Positive actions -------> More Positive Thoughts

I think you get the cycle.

What helps you stay positive or overcome a negative cycle of feelings? For me it is usually a good full day of proving to myself that I CAN do it; Exercise of course helps, and preparation is a key part as well. What are you feeling positive about right now?

November 30th: Today I am grateful for a positive mindset. It has changed my whole day. I am also grateful that tomorrow I will be boarding a plane to Arizona. WAHOO!

One year ago today...No Soup for you! This is one of my FAVORITE healthy potato corn chowder soup recipes. It is BOMB.

February's Favorite Finds

Let's face it, I love to eat. I am definitely one who has favorites that I just can't do with out. I find delicious things and want to eat them at every meal!!

Here are my favorites as of this month...

1. Santa Barbara Mango Salsa (I get this at Costco)

I could drink this. I put it on salads, in wraps, over eggs, over veggie patties, with chicken...it's basically good on EVERYTHING. It's about 20 calories for two TBS and worth every single bite.

 

2. La Tortilla Factory Low Carb Whole Wheat Tortillas. 

These are amazing. Just look at the stats...80 calories, 8 grams of protein, 12 GRAMS OF FIBER!!! 12! I fill them with turkey, chicken, tuna, eggs, veggie patties, all sorts of veggies, or any thing else you can think of. I even cut them into strips and broil them to eat as tortilla chips. I know some of you have said you haven't been able to find them. They do have them on Amazon, but the shipping costs twice as much as the tortillas. Kinda worth it...I get mine at Costco. One pack of 20 is like 5 bucks.

 

3. Swiss Miss diet hot chocolate. 

I have been loving this stuff all winter. At 25 calories a serving you can't go wrong. They come individually packaged, so you don't have to worry about measuring correctly. 

4. Starkist Chunk Light Tuna in Water individually packaged. 

I can't even believe this made the list...I've changed. I LOVE these single serving packages because it takes out the guess work if you are trying to focus on acquiring a certain amount of calories or grams of protein. One packet has 80 calories and 18 grams of protein. Not too shabby. I mix mine with some fat free miracle whip and put it in a La Tortilla Factory wrap with some spinach.

 5. Extra Dessert Delights Gum. 

I know, I've raved about these before...but it's because they are so good. I think my favorite is the mint chocolate chip. It tastes like ice cream in my mouth. SO good.

 6. Skippy Natural Peanut Butter.

Yum. That is all that needs to be said here. This stuff is T-A-S-T-Y. I love it on toast, in a pb and banana wrap, in my oatmeal, in cookies, or just straight from the finger spoon. It has less sugar that most PB and you don't get that icky oil separation that I hate.

7. Ginormous Costco Bag of pre-cut broccoli florets. 

I go through this in a week. Not kidding. It is amazing how easy it is to eat broccoli when it's already prepped for you. I steam these florets with baby carrots using my easy steam method, and then put them in salads, soups, with chicken, on rice...etc. I LOVE BROCCOLI. Thank you Costco.

8. Fat Free Sugar Free Chocolate Jell-o Pudding mix. 

"You're not Jell-o. You're never gonna be Jell-o."
I LOVE this stuff. I use it in the morning to make my chocolate peanut butter oatmeal. It is so tasty. I love the actual pudding that it makes too. It makes for a great snack, but for now it's all about flavoring the oatmeal.

All of those favorites just made my mouth water...
What are your favorite go to foods? On top of these things I'm obsessed with old fashioned rolled oats, whatever fresh produce I can get my hands on, protein shakes, and grilled chicken. Do you know where that Jell-o quote comes from? Anyone? Anyone? Bueler...?

A Healthy Grocery List - Muncher Cruncher Approved

Today as I whipped up my quick and delicious lunch I got to thinking. I have a lot of favorite healthy food items that I swear by. My lunch consisted of a few of these items which is where this train of thought began.

Lunch was simple:
Whole wheat bagel thin with sliced turkey and honey dijon mustard and 1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese with tomatoes, salt, and pepper. 

 Usually any sort of turkey sandwich I make has spinach and a lot more veggies on it. However, when I went to the store this week they were out of lettuce. Yep. Straight up, 100% out. No romaine, no spinach, no nothing. So annoying...

I am absolutely in LOVE with these little bagel thins. I tried them about a month ago, and I can't even tell you the last time I'd had a bagel before that. Usually bagels come about the size of my head and with about 400 calories right along with it. I'd rather put my calories elsewhere. But, due to the fact that I do think bagels are very tasty, I was delighted to find these little 110 calories delights. They are perfect for sandwiches, are great dipped in soup, and would be awesome made into a little oven pizza.
 
I have clients ask me for different food suggestions all the time. They want to know my favorite brands of this, that, and the other. I am always so happy to share my favorites because finding great food that is healthy and delicious makes me excited. Why wouldn't I want to share it. So...without further a do, my Muncher Cruncher approved shopping list.

Produce:
*Let's be honest. Good fresh produce is AWESOME. This list consists of my favorite specific ways to eat it. It is definitely not all I buy. I can hardly name a fruit or veggie I don't like, BUT keep in mind, these are just my favorites.
- baby carrots
- cherub tomatoes
- baby spinach/spinach (LOVE the huge bag at Costco. Such a great price)
- fresh blackberries/strawberries/blueberries/raspberries to nibble on (frozen for protein shakes)
- apples (I prefer crisp apples so I love fuji, gala, braeburn and honey crisp)
- bananas
- avocados
- Costco mini sweet bell peppers
- Costco broccoli florets (amazing way to take ALL the work out of eating broccoli) 
- Salad Bars (Sometimes it is just more worth it to me to pick up an awesome salad with tons of fresh produce over my buying each item and making my own salad.)

Dairy:
- skim milk
- Almond milk
- Vanilla soy milk
- 0% fat greek yogurt (I like Fage and Chiobani the best. Costco sells a container of Fage at a great price.)
- Eggs (I end up ditching most of the yolks, but egg whites are an AWESOME source of protein.)
- part skim mozzarella string cheese
- low fat cottage cheese

Packaged (dry):
- La Tortilla Factory whole wheat low carb tortillas (one of my favorite products ever made. ever.)
- Whole wheat bagel thins (There are several brands of these. I always get the ones with the lowest calories and highest amount of protein and fiber.)
- Special K Protein Plus Cereal (This stuff is AWESOME. I mix it with other cereals to boost the protein.)
- Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal (I try not to over do it on the cereal because most are higher in sugar, but if I do eat it this mixed with the Special K protein plus is my go to.)
- Swiss Miss Diet hot chocolate (They have a sugar free variety as well, but i prefer the diet. It only has 25 calories per serving)
- Ranch Salad dressing packets
- Taco seasoning packets
- Chocolate Muscle Milk Light
- Biochem Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
- Quaker Slow Cook Old Fashioned Oats
- Raw Almonds (I like the Costco bags)
- Brown Rice
- Skippy Natural Peanut Butter

Packaged (refrigerated):
- Costco Deli Turkey
- Costco Mango Salsa
- Hummus
- Kroger brand low fat avocado ranch

Canned:
- chick peas
- non-fat refried beans
- black beans
- Costco all white mean chicken
- Tuna (I actually get the individual servings that come in the pouch)
- Healthy Choice/Amy's/Progresso Light Soups
- Light Marinara/Pasta sauces
- Turkey Chili

Frozen:
- Costco individual Edama mae packets
- Morningstar Black bean veggie burgers
- Chicken Breasts
- Popsicle Brand sugar free fudgesicles
- Vegetable blends (the California mix is my fave)

This is a pretty comprehensive list of the items I have on hand for my meals all the time. Hopefully it will give you some ideas of some new items to try! Do you see any of your favorites on this list? What are your most common go-to meal items?

My two cents for the week

When I have good info I like to share it. These are some tips that I think everyone should know...

 1. Orowheat Whole Wheat Bagel Thins are BOMB. They help to lower the carb count in your diet if you are looking to do so. They have some substance to them so they are tasty. They are only 110 calories. They still have some fiber and protein and they are delicious. I like them with turkey sandwiches (as pictured above), with tuna, or even open faced in the oven with some marinara, spinach and a little mozzarella. Try them. You will be in love.

 2. The only way to buy your slow cooked oats is at Costco. It is the best deal. This box comes with two separate five pound bags so one stays perfect and fresh while you soldier through the other. If you are anything like me...soldiering through oats is what I do best.

 3. Edamame in individual frozen packets is an AMAZING quick protein source. Three minutes in the microwave and you have 13 beautiful grams of protein for 156 calories. This is an amazing afternoon snack, or side to any meal. I got this one at Costco. (I promise I have no affiliation with them aside from the fact that I like to give them lots of money in exchange for produce.) I have seen similar individual packs at different grocery stores as well.

4. I am a huge fan of buying veggie trays for my produce for the week. I ditch the dip that comes with it and use my own low-fat versions of ranch or hummus. I love this option because the veggies are ready to eat and you get a variety. I'll snack on these for the next week or so with dip, in salads, oven roasted, or even thrown in some cottage cheese like I had for dinner tonight. This method is great for those who need produce on the go.

5. Swiss Miss Diet hot chocolate with light whipped topping is my favorite sweet treat in the winter. You can't beat the 25 calorie hot chocolate packets, and the whipped topping for an additional 20 calories makes you almost feel decadent. It's good. Promise. 

There you have it. My two cents for the week. Do you have two cents you'd like to add?

What I love about Sundays

One thing I miss about being a kid/living at home is definitely Sundays. I used to love going to church with my family, coming home and putting on my sweats, taking a nap, waking up to the smell of mom cooking an awesome dinner, getting to lounge and watch movies, and finishing the evening with a fabulous dessert. With my parents being in town this weekend it was almost like old times. Young times? You get it.

Here are a few things I love about Sundays...

Being DONE speaking at stake conference. Man, that was scary. It was a great experience though.

Sunday dinner of COURSE. Thank you mom, it was delicious. Garlic roasted veggies, roasted red potatoes, Swiss chicken, and fresh fruit. All favorites. It was so good. I devoured every single bite! Nothing like a good, healthy, home cooked meal!
 
I got to lounge around in all of my lazy/pajama wearing/Sunday rest day glory. I watched the old parent trap. Helloooo pocket sized Haley Mills. I can't wait for you to grow up and become Miss Bliss. I really do love this old flick. It's such a good one. 

 My mom topped the evening off by whipping up a batch of my FAVORITE Low Fat Zucchini Cookies. Man, these are so good. If you haven't made them yet, please set aside all important obligations and do so now. They are worth EVERY bite. I can tell you that much.

I just have to say one thing. Ben is the most boring bachelor EVER. He makes awful decisions. Also, Lindsey...you're darling, but wipe off about 9/10ths of that makeup. K? That is all. 

What do you love about Sundays? Is Sunday your rest day? Did you get the holiday off today? I worked, mainly because I am here, and I would rather not interrupt my clients schedule if possible! I did get to spend some time with the family which was AWESOME. 

If you haven't entered February's Mix Giveaway do it now!