11 Nutritious Back To School Foods to Fuel the Brain & Body for about $3

Who says it costs too much to eat healthy when you have a family of hungry growing children and teens, or you’re living on a college student budget? GOOD NEWS! There are tasty, cheap, healthy food choices that can fuel your body and mind for a great new school year. Many of these foods cost less than $3.00 per package and make 5-15 servings. Prices may vary based on location and the season.  This is a list of staples to keep in your kitchen the entire school year.

1.    Old Fashion Oatmeal

§  Uses = hot cereal, Muesli cold cereal (oats, raisins, sunflower seeds or nuts and honey), add to muffin mix, sprinkle on yogurt, toast for granola

§  Serving Size = ½ cup dry oats

§  Price = 42oz  $2.99

2.   Frozen or Fresh Vegetables

§  Uses =side dish to fill half plate, in soups, stews, pasta, stir fry & casseroles

§  Serving Size = 1 cup

§  Price = 14oz frozen broccoli $1.79 or med head of cabbage $1.18

3.   Brown Rice

§  Uses = hot cereal, fried rice, with lentils, in soup, stews, casseroles & burritos

§  Serving Size = ¼ cup

§  Price = 32oz bag $1.29

4.   100% Whole Wheat Bread

§  Uses = toast, French toast, sandwiches, bread pudding

§  Serving Size = 2 slices

§  Price = $1.39

5.   Canned Beans or Dried Lentils

§  Uses = Burritos, side dish, in soups, chili, with rice, salad, makes dip

§  Serving Size = ½ cup

§  Price = 29oz  can black beans $1.66 & 10oz dry lentils $1.59

6.   Canned Wild Caught Salmon

§  Uses = with crackers, sandwiches, pasta, salad, pasta, casseroles, patties, wraps

§  Serving Size = 3 oz

§  Price = 15oz can $2.19

7.   Marinara Sauce

§  Uses =  spaghetti, tortilla/English muffin pizza, lasagna, chili

§  Serving Size = ½ cup

§  Price = 32oz jar $2.89

8.   Whole Wheat Tortilla (medium)

§  Uses = soft tacos, burritos, pizza, quesadillas, wraps, crepes

§  Serving Size = 1 tortilla

§  Price =  8 for $2.69

9.   Plain Fat Free Yogurt

§  Uses = with cereal, fruit and granola parfaits, smoothies and anything you’d use sour cream for

§  Serving Size = 1 cup or 6 – 8 oz

§  Price = 32oz container $2.89

10.   Whole wheat pasta

§  Uses = pasta dishes, macaroni & cheese, and pasta salads

§  Serving Size = 1 cup

§  Price = 12-16 oz box or bag $1.39

11.    Olive Oil

§  Uses = sauté, stir fry, salad dressing, baking, grilling

§  Serving Size = 1 tbs

§  Price = Cooking Spray $2.99 or 17oz $4.89 (I know it’s over $3, but it will last over 3 months even for a family of five (5) using it with healthy cooking daily.  It stays freshest when refrigerated.)

3 Tips For A Healthy Start to the New School Year

Get ready, get set and GO BACK TO SCHOOL!!  After a wonderful slower paced summer vacation, late nights watching the Olympics, getting back into the school routine may be a bit of a challenge.  But with this three (3) step game plan you will be set to win!

1.          PLAN AND PRIORITIZE

o   Download a free calendar and create a family calendar or purchase a large “dry erase” board and write down all school and extra curricular activities for the week or month.  This will help keep the entire family organized!

o   Mark busy days and plan meals that will work well on those days.

o   Call family & friends to make requests for any help you may need.

o   Get a spiral notebook for your child to journal their goals for the school year for everything from behavior and attitude to organization, study habits, extra vurrivular activities and grades.  Put dates to these goals and review them with your child weekly throughout the year.

2.         HEALTHY FOOD AND PROPER HYDRATION

o   Call a few family meetings to Discuss the connection between healthy eating and their ability to focus and concentrate and get good grades.

o   Set goals for healthy lifestyle  e.g. drinking more water (even at school like every time they pass the water fountain), walking, eating 5 fruits and vegetables a day or baking rather than frying foods.

o   Encourage your children to assist with the grocery shopping and making a weekly list.  Go to the store together and have them select the vegetables and put them in the shopping cart.   

3.         REST

o   Implement a set plan on how you intend to “settle down” for the night.  Try having your child read for 15 minutes or take a bath or listen to soft music to settle them down from summer’s late night fun in the sun.

o   Start mimicking your school’s schedule a couple of weeks before school starts.  That means getting the kids to bed early and seeing what time they naturally wake up on their own. 

o   A NOTE TO PARENTS:  This means you too.  Soon we will be headed to fall and we all should be getting to bed soon after the sun goes down.   Talk about refreshing.  YES – sleep works!

Next time we'll talk about an Affordably Healthy Back to School Nutritious Shopping List  to fuel the body and brain with out breaking the bank!

What Mom's REALLY Want for Mother's Day!

What do flowers, clothing and jewelry all have in common?  May not be what you think.

So hear me now Dads and kids Mother’s Day is SUNDAY and a recent poll suggests that almost half of you forget to honor Mom altogether. So we are here to help because another poll suggests that we’ve been getting it all wrong when it comes to gift ideas too.

Over the years the most popular gifts tend to repeat as flowers, clothing, jewelry, gift cards and accessories. These are nice and all, but not necessarily what Mom wants most.  So what do Moms really want? Survey after survey says mom's greatest wish is for a little R&R, ideally an entire day off from all responsibility.

In one poll, one out of three admitted that they secretly want to be alone on the holiday…that’d be me…Forty-eight percent of moms in another survey named a day at the spa as their number one gift choice…once again me…LOL. 

Simply put, if you want to make the mom in your life feel special then the best gift is affordable even in today’s economy and will keep her healthy: Rest is the real Reward!

Here is how you can pull it off affordably: 

• Make a coupon for her day off so she can choose when she wants to use it.  You might even have the kids make chore coupons for things they will do for Mom on Mother’s day or whenever she wants to redeem them.
• Next make your plans for things to do to keep the kids busy for Mom’s day off (e.g. park, zoo, museum, etc.).  Plan their meals and perhaps take paper and crayons and have an art time for them to make cards for Mom and grandma. 
• If you want to indulge Mom with a spa day there are ways to get more for less.  Groupon has tons of deals where you can get like a $235 spa deal for $79 or $78 deal for $39 so still well under $100 bucks.  And Moms do deserve it! 

Mother’s Day a Tough Time for you?

Now I still get to celebrate my awesome Mom and in fact she will be in town so we get to be together.  But I know for some Mother’s Day is a tough time.  Father’s day is tough for me because I lost my dad in 2008, so I can sort of relate.  Be encouraged, though because where there is grief there was love and that is something to be grateful for. Perhaps celebrate that love by writing a letter of appreciation to your lost loved one.  Now if you know someone grieving, offer to include them in your activities or give them space.   And if you know a single mom, take her kids for her.

Let’s make the most of what ever we have and serving our Moms or others can help us get there.

It's Not Easy Being Green

What do the  Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act all have in common?  Here's a hint, Friday I started my weekend by dropping off a trunk load full of old electronics to the ABC 13 E-Cycling Drive then I went to the recycling center to take our paper and cardboard and Saturday I did some cleaning with non-toxic products.  You've guessed it, April 22^nd is EARTH DAY! The day that gave birth to each of those environmental protection acts and is now the largest civic observance in the world. Earth Day is all about protecting and preserving the global environment for ourselves and our children. The theme this year is Mobilize the Earth™. 

So here are three things you can do to celebrate Earth Day:

• Do some Spring cleaning and participate in recycling or e-cycling events
• Make a pledge for the Billion Acts of Green: Plant a Garden. Bike to Work, Get an Energy Audit and do what it says, write your legislator about going green or eliminate toxic cleaning products and pesticides in your home.
• You can also sign the petition for Renewable Energy for All, asking  government to end fossil fuel subsidies, invest in renewable energy technology, improve energy efficiency, and make energy universally accessible. 

It’s can be easy being green when you make it a habit.  Not to mention the savings that can be found.  Because of Earth Day we take our bags to the store more times than not, we recycle most of our plastics, boxes, papers, glass, and metals on a regular basis and we finally planted a tree to replace the one we lost with Hurricane Ike in 2008 three and a half years ago! SO this year I think I am going to go for the energy audit!  What will you do? Visit www.earthday.org so you can join the celebration for a better today and tomorrow for our planet!

70 Year Old Beauty Reveals Her Secret ‘Fountain of Youth’ or Is it Her 'Sea of Wisdom?'

We hear all this talk about eating more fruits and vegetables but does it mean anything?  I mean illness and disease are a part of the aging process right?  Well, not according to Annette Larkin whose long time commitment to healthy living has rewarded her with the scientifically expected yet totally uncommon outcome.  She is totally fit, disease, chronic condition and prescription drug free and stunningly gorgeous. 

You know It’s one thing for skinny young celebrities to tell you to eat right and exercise…yeah, right, that’s entertainment and totally unrealistic.   But when this elegant 70 year old grandmother says it, all we can say is, I’ll have what she’s having.

Here she is sharing her secret about what she calls her ‘fountain of youth.’ Looked to me more like a ‘sea of wisdom. ‘ Look, listen, learn, imitate and repeat…

Now Walmart's Telling Us What to Eat...Is that a Good Thing?

Thanks to fast food and junk food advertising campaigns we know exactly what to eat to perpetuate the growing obesity epidemic.  But have you heard the news?  Walmart, the largest seller of food in the U.S., recently unveiled a new logo with the tag line Great for you in an effort to do a better job at telling us what to eat. The seal identifies foods that are healthier options and actually has legitimate criteria.  Only fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy, eggs, whole grains and foods lower in sodium and sugar earned the seal.   

 

For years Walmart has been one of my best and most reliable excuse busters for folks who are convinced that healthy is not affordable.  Believe it or not this is a picture I recently took at Walmart of a ‘value pack’ that was actually a fantastic value.  It may surprise you, but affordable healthy choices have been at Walmart all along, they were just a little harder to find.  But this is exactly where I sent some of my very first 20-something year old clients back in 2005. 

Thanks to their Health Initiative and now this new logo, Walmart has continuously increased its healthy offerings and made them easier to find.  To top it off, Walmart is committed to improving even more ingredient labels by lowering sodium and sugar contents so that by 2015  so they can earn the seal too.  President and CEO of Walmart said that “No family should have to choose between food that is healthier for them and food they can afford.”  And despite all the cynicism, I can appreciate his remark and the position the company is making to help our nation.

Walmart has long been my go to place to help people budget for healthy living because they cover all the bases from the food to the workout gear, exercise equipment and DVDs.  Plus they have the inspirational books, candles and bath salts needed for the rest and relaxation that is also a part of total wellness.   In fact, when I co-authored FITatudes Just Tell Me What to Eat: Ready to Use, Budget Friendly Eat Well Tips for Busy Folks in a Bad Economy back in 2009 we included a sample menu with pricing from Walmart so people could really see the possibilities.

For as much heat as the mega store gets, they do quite a few things right especially when it comes to living well.  For one, they were among the first to start making organic foods more affordable.

This move is huge and sets a standard because Walmart stores are everywhere.  They are where Whole Foods are not and offer prices that the everyday American working families, college students, single moms and seniors who have the most hurdles to overcome with healthy living can stomach (pun intended J).    

My hope and prayer is that they will take it a step further with promotions, sponsorships, events and contests that will engage young people and young adults, foster customer loyalty for young people and young adults, encourage prevention and contribute to a Fit Destiny for Generation Y.

Watch out for the Blitz on Super Bowl Sunday: Have A Party Game Plan

Are you ready for some football?  Well the super markets, member warehouses and pizza places sure are.  In fact while I was in Costco yesterday and there was music, there were decorations and the sample stations had quadrupled! This was carefully planned, well executed blitz on arm chair quarterbacks. Okay and yes I did come out with a couple of extra items I sampled LOL! It really works.

 

See they know that Super Bowl Sunday is one of the biggest eating days of the year – second only to Thanksgiving. It also tops the charts for television sales, which go up drastically prior to game day. Just in time to sabotage our New Year’s resolutions to get FIT and save $money$.

Well not so fast! You can enjoy the festivities and still remain on the winning side with a Super Bowl Party Game Plan. Here are the plays:

 1.      Budget Action Fake: If it’s not in your budget to buy the new flat screen TV don’t buy it.  You will still enjoy watching it on what you have, at a restaurant or on a friend’s flat screen TV.  And come Monday morning you won’t have the TV Bill blues.
2.      Pre Game Plan: Have a small healthy snack before you head to the party that way you won’t be in binge mode when you get there. You can just focus on the game, the fun, friends and family.
3.      Single Plate Run: Prepare yourself a plate rather than mindless munching from a bowls. Then go ahead and eat a cookie or brownie for dessert - and let go of the depravation “being good” mindset.  Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial so enjoy in moderation and pray for contentment.
4.      The Crystal Punch Play: Choose Crystal Punch as your beverage of choice (That’s Water…NOT to be mistaken for Crystal Light J).  Jazz it up with a lime.
5.      Couch Potato Route:  Get up from that couch for more than seconds and a potty break.  Here’s how (remember, passing the chips does not count as exercise, no matter how heavy the bowl):

o   Commercial Seats: This tightens your legs and buttocks.  Start with your back against the wall and your knees bent, so legs are at a 90-degree angle.  Hold this position till the end of one commercial or you can do this while chatting with your friend right next to you!

o   Commercial 10s:  Three exercises, each lasting 10 seconds -  First perform as many push-ups as possible for 10 seconds.  Next turn onto your back and scissor kick for 10 seconds.  Stand up and do jumping jacks for 10 seconds.  Take a 30 second rest and repeat cycle.

o   Buddy Lower Lift:  Lying on your back on the floor, grab hold of a friend’s ankles. Lift your legs up to 12 o-clock.  Keeping your legs together and  lower them as far as you can without your back coming off the floor then lift back up. Go for 30 seconds then switch with your friend.

Have fun and never forget that you are Destined To Be Fit!

Remember, before starting this or any exercise program you must consult with your health care provider first.