Back To School- Children's Lunch Box 101

Here are the top 10 ways to sneak "good health" into your child's lunch box without he/she realizing it!

1. Shape UP! Get creative. Use cookie cutters to cut out different shaped sandwiches.

2. Roll up: Change it up a bit by rolling up turkey and cheese or peanut butter and jelly in some soft tortillas or try the Mexican Pizza-Spread pizza sauce on a tortilla, sprinkle grated cheese on top; place another tortilla on top and heat in oven until cheese melts. Cut into pizza triangles.

3. You Cracker me up-Try packing a few crackers along with a side of cheese and ham or turkey slices or Jif To Go.

4. Don't Forget The Veggies! To ensure your child gets his/her daily requirement of vegetables cut up a selection of carrot sticks and celery sticks. Consider also other veggies like cucumber, ears of baby corn, cherry tomatoes, zucchini. Pack a small container of dip!

5. Fruit Cubes: Cut up different pieces of fruit and package in a plastic container. Use caramel or vanilla yogurt as a tasty dip.

6. Don’t forget the snack attack: Include snacks like Zen soy pudding, Attune bars, Bear Naked Granola bars, Twist, Fruitables Yoga Chips or Fruit Bu. You can even make your own Snack mix by combing small crackers, cereal, dried fruit or pretzels and raisins, nuts or even yogurt or chocolate covered raisins. Store in small zip lock bag.

7. Pack 100% juice, low-fat milk, Zen soy or Herbal H20 instead of sodas.

8. Once a week, have your kids pack their own lunch! Encourage the kids to make sandwiches with whole-grain breads or bagels, tortillas, pita pockets, or colorful wraps.

9. Delicious leftovers from last night? Why not pack them for lunch?

10. Try to pack something extra special each day, like a note saying “I love you” or even a simple smiley face.

September 21, 2009

Kim Kardashian, Rihanna & Jennifer More Life You!

Just when you thought celebrities were from Venus and you were from Mars, exciting news that makes them seem a little bit "Just Like Us." Winter weight gain, childhood sports, and a weight we can relate to. Sure this article applies to the Diet Diva, but I'm sure ya'll can find something to take away that will boost your own self-esteem.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Don't be so hard on yourself. Winter doesn't just pack on pounds around your midsection but it apparently has also packed the pounds on the largest lady humps Hollywood has to offer, Kim Kardashian's backside! I know, that was a little harsh, but who doesn't have a little bit of animosity towards this quasi-celebrity? What is she seriously famous for? Her BUTT! If you are famous for your ability to be a good singer, you should be praised for your angelic voice and chart topping achievement. If you're famous for having a large booty, shouldn't we be able to talk about its large success? Here is a recent picture of Kim's famous can.

Let me clearly state, I am not trying to be mean, or say she is the "F" word. I am simply saying, even Kim Kardashian gains a little in the winter.

3 RIHANNA REVELATIONS: Singing sensation Rihanna talked about her figure in a recent interview with Fabulous Mag, a British publication. We've read many articles on Rihanna and her workout routine so we won’t bore you with the old details but here are a few things that we relate to Rihanna with:
1. "I work out every day but I need a trainer to motivate me – I
don’t find it much fun working out on my own," said the 20 year old. We don't find working out fun at all, so at least she isn't lying and pretending that she loves to exercise.
2. Her least favorite body part is her legs! "I’m insecure about them. Everyone wants to have slim, perfectly-toned legs and I’m the same. I do weights but I don’t want my legs to bulk up so I do a lot of cardio," she admits. I couldn't agree with a sister more.
3. When asked if size mattered she replied NO. Rihanna claims that sometimes she is a size 2, and sometimes a size 4. In my opinion, she doesn't look this skinny but I guess the camera adds 10 lbs??? She tells the magazine that, "Being slim makes me feel better about myself. It boosts my self-esteem, and having a toned body helps with my job because I wear a lot of skimpy costumes. My weight fluctuates, but I don’t weigh myself every day. “I’m 5ft 8in and weigh around 9 stone, 7 pounds (133 lbs.)" That sounds pretty skinny, and doesn't look that accurate, but who am I to say she is lying? She sounds like she has a normal relationship with food and her body so I'm going to conclude that I like her.


THE COVERED DISH: If you thought Addison Shepard was the cover model this month for Shape magazine, you're not alone. I totally thought it was Kate
Walsh, but I was wrong! It's Jennifer Esposito from "Samantha Who?"
She looks so happy. After reading the article I realized I have a lot in common with this fabulous actress. Sounds like me and my background. While growing up she was a gymnast, figure skater and used to play every sport there was growing up. Although my gymnastic career was short-lived, I did used to compete is figure skating competitions and prance around in a glitzy leotard with makeup and my hair done, all before the age of 10. As a result, Jennifer dabbles in a variety of workouts. She loves to do Pilates and yoga, as well as regular cardio and strength workouts. "Pilates really strengthens my core, which I need, but I feel like it also makes my legs look longer and leaner than weight workouts do," She says. This quote is like my motto but I get yelled at by all the trainers I work with when I say this, unless they teach yoga or Pilates... Anyway, this is the first celebrity that seems to do what I do for exercise, and I would like to rejoice because she looks fabulous! She must be doing something right, so it helps me believe I am too!

March 10, 2008

Your Next Prez Could Be A Weight Loss Champion

Last night while you were watching reruns or really bad game shows on network TV, Britney Spears was hospitalized and suprisingly (to me at least) Mike Huckabee won in Iowa. And you thought I would I only cared about pop culture? Shame on you. As a former Political Science minor, I analyzed the past presidential election down to a T. But did you know that the new Republican Front-Runner for the Presidential election is also a diet expert? Well, not really but he did lose 100+ lbs and wrote a book about it.





Since I'm sick of hearing about B.Spears I'm going to tell you a little about this baptist preacher turned politician who is the former Arkansas Governor. In 2003, he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and lost over 100 lbs in the next year. In 2005 he wrote, "Quit Digging Your Grave With A Knife And Fork" which is a 12-Stop Program to End Bad Habits and Begin a Healthy Lifestyle. Far from the typical diet book, it's target audience is towards middle-aged obese men. Here are the 12 steps.

1. STOP Procrastinating.

2. STOP Making Excuses.

3. STOP Sitting on the Couch.

4. STOP Ignoring Signals from Your Body.

5. STOP Listening to Destructive Criticism.

6. STOP Expecting Immediate Success.

7. STOP Whining.

8. STOP Making Exceptions.

9. STOP Storing Provisions for Failure.

10. STOP Fueling with Contaminated Food.

11. STOP Allowing Food to Be A Reward.

12. STOP Neglecting Your Spiritual Health.



In his own words Huckabee says,

"My faith is my life -- it defines me. My faith doesn't influence my decisions, it drives them. ... Real faith makes us humble and mindful, not of the faults of others, but of our own."

January 4, 2008