Healthy Snacks Made Easy

When arriving home from the grocery store or farmer’s market, take a few minutes to wash and prepare fruits and vegetables. Cut watermelon and cantaloupe into bite pieces and store in the refrigerator. Cut celery and carrots into snack size and place in zip type bags. If the healthy foods are already prepared, grabbing them instead of prepackaged foods is easier.

Getting Organized for Weight Management

I released 42 pounds in five months and have kept it off for over a year now. People still ask me how I did it, so I wanted to give you some tips on organizing your weight management.
1. Change your thinking. Instead of thinking about losing weight, think about releasing weight. Losing something implies that it is only misplaced and will eventually be found. But, when you release something, you let it go.
2. Organize your kitchen. Clean out the cabinets and the fridge. Get rid of the stash of candy, the sugary cereal, the refined foods, the high fat cheese, the cookies, the crackers, etc. If it is not there, you can’t eat it. An example of this for me is crackers. I love crackers…any kind of crackers. I can’t eat just a few. I don’t stop until I have eaten half the box. So, I just don’t buy crackers….problem solved.
3. Stock the pantry. Stock the pantry with whole grain pastas (spelt pasta or brown rice pasta are my favorites and the closest in taste to the refined kind we all grew up on). Stock up on dried or canned beans and fruit (choose fruits without sugar) for those times when you are too rushed or tired to cook. Stock up on some healthy snacks for those times you just have to have an extra snack. I keep light popcorn, various soups and Cheerios on hand for those occasions.
4. Plan your meals. Leaving your meals to chance helped contribute to the extra pounds. Plan ahead, do your grocery shopping, and cook ahead on the weekend, if you don’t have time to cook during the week. For example, I have been very busy this week, so I made a big pot of brown rice spaghetti, a healthy spaghetti sauce, a turkey breast in the crockpot and cut up a big container of salad. We have had plenty to eat all week without cooking. (I’m heating up a plate of that spaghetti as soon as I finish this article!)
5. Schedule your weight releasing activities. Whether it be a book to read about weight release, a tape to listen to, seeing a therapist about emotional eating, or especially exercise, schedule those activities into your day. Make them a priority and don’t skip!
6. Quit making excuses. Cut out the excuses for your weight woes. You know the ones I am talking about…
“I don’t have time to exercise every day!”
“I am too busy to cook and plan my meals.”
“My mother made me clean my plate so it is her fault.”
“I have to keep refined foods in the house for my spouse and/or children.”
“My parents were overweight so my problem is genetics.”
You have a choice as to what you eat and how much you exercise. Excuses don’t accomplish getting rid of your household/office clutter or getting rid of your body clutter. Eating healthy and exercise do. That is how I accomplished it and so can you.

Thankful and Organized for Thanksgiving

When I was single and living in Austin, Texas, my family was far away in North Carolina. I had a lot to be thankful for and having a lonely pity party was not on my Thanksgiving to-do list. So I found other ways to enjoy Thanksgiving.

I love to cook. I found a service agency that paired me up with a family that needed a helping hand for Thanksgiving. I was given the family’s name, their situation, how many to cook for and directions where to drop off the Thanksgiving dinner. That first Thanksgiving I was paired with the Johnsons, a family of five, the youngest being about two years old.

I cooked the traditional turkey, dressing and veggies and had picked up a couple of pies at the store. (As much as I like to cook, I don’t bake.) Almost as an afterthought, I picked up ice cream, some fall flowers, and some inexpensive candles and candleholders.

I made my delivery that afternoon. When I knocked on the door, Mr. Johnson and his oldest son came out to help me carry in the boxes of food. Mr. Johnson was quick to tell me that his family didn’t usually take hand-outs, but that he had been injured on the job. I told him he was doing me a favor…giving me somebody to cook for because my family was far away and that was all that talk we were going to have.

Inside the house, I was helping Mrs. Johnson unpack the boxes and the little two-year old spotted the ice cream. Her eyes got huge and she said, “Mommy, look! I-queem!” About the same time, Mrs. Johnson was unpacking the candles and candleholders and we both got emotional. We cried and hugged and the Johnsons’ insisted that I stay and eat with them. I wasn’t supposed to. I was supposed to just deliver the food and leave, but how could I refuse such a gracious family?

I signed up to do this for the five years I lived in Texas and it was some of the best Thanksgiving holidays I ever had. Now I have a wonderful husband to share Thanksgiving with. No matter how you celebrate Thanksgiving, the holiday can be less stressful if you use some of the following tips:

- Make a plan: Decide what you are going to do for the holiday now.

- Start a tradition where each guest or family member shares one thing they are thankful for.

- Get the house cleaning out of way early in the week. Book now if you plan to have a professional clean for you.

- Prepare side dishes and desserts ahead of time and freeze.

- Plan a menu. Decide what you are going to serve, write it down and stick to it.

- Frozen turkeys take 3-4 days to thaw in the refrigerator. Don’t forget to take your bird out of the freezer in time to allow for the thawing.

- Consider inviting a single friend or neighbor to join your family.

- Have some games on hand for the children to enjoy so the adults can watch ballgames, converse or nap after dinner.

- Make a grocery list and shop for non-perishables early.

- Have some disposable containers on hand so everyone can have a “to go” snack.

- Get out your serving dishes several days ahead of time. Label them with sticky notes. Others can help you dish up just by putting the stuffing in the bowl marked stuffing and so forth.

- Set the table the day before or at least early Thanksgiving morning.

- Mashed potatoes or other vegetables can be made ahead and kept warm in the crockpot.

- Cut up vegetables the day before and store in the fridge in zip bags.

- Consider just fixing the turkey and make the rest of the meal potluck.

- If you are terribly busy, most grocery stores sell ready made holiday meals. If you decide to use this option, keep in mind you still have to put in your order several days to a week ahead of time.

- Start yet another new Thanksgiving tradition by taking a walk after the meal.

7 Tips for Meal Planning

I attended a ladies brunch at my church last Saturday. During a question and answer session after the two speakers, the topic was brought up about meal planning and what to do for those days when you don't have time to think about dinner plans, much less actually cook! Our pastor's wife asked that we send her tips for meal planning, which she is going to compile to share with our members. I wanted to share with you what I shared with the church ladies.

Tip 1. My mom would be the first to tell you she is not a cook. However, she had three tried and true meals that she could make well and fell back on (a lot.)

1. Baked chicken
Baked potatoes
Baked beans
Brown & Serve rolls

Bake the first three for one hour, add the rolls and serve it all after the rolls are golden.

2. Baked Ham
Baked potatoes
Baked beans
Brown & Serve rolls

Bake the first three for one hour, add the rolls and serve it all after the rolls are golden.

3. Spaghetti
Salad
Brown & Serve rolls with butter and garlic on top

So…the tip here is: Have a couple of tried and true recipes that are quick and easy. Always keep the ingredients for those meals on hand and you’ll be ready for whatever life hurls at you that day.

Tip 2. Crockpot cooking. Defrost and even put the ingredients in the crock the night before and refrigerate. Pop the crock into the pot in the morning, turn it on and forget about it until time to serve.

Tip 3. Cook ahead and freeze for those days. Foods that freeze well: Pasta sauces, most casseroles, baked ziti, lasagna, red beans & rice, soups, stews. The nice thing about most of these type dishes…they cook well in the crockpot so combine Tips 2 and 3 for really streamlining your cooking!

Tip 4. Meal planning is very important. Why? Because if you don’t plan what you are going to prepare, then how do you know if you have all the ingredients on hand? I don’t mean a diehard list that you must have chicken, rice & broccoli for dinner on Monday, May 12th, but just jot down some menus. Then buy the items you need to make all the items on the list. Then on Sunday night, May 11th, you just choose from the list what you want to fix on May 12th. Another reason meal planning is important is to take advantage of the grocery store specials and seasonal specialty items. We can all use some help trimming our food budget these days. Shopping and then using the on-special items really does save.

Tip 5. Plan ahead. Look at your calendar for what is coming up during the week. If you have a late meeting or a sports event on Tuesday night, then you will know and can plan a crockpot meal, or soup/sandwiches or pizza out that night. Don’t wait until the last minute to decide on what to fix. A little planning ahead relieves a lot of stress.

Tip 6. Sign up for my free weekly e-newsletter that has a new recipe plus other tips and information in it every week. The recipes are tested, nutritious and are geared for people with busy lives. You can sign up on the home page of the No More Chaos website at http://www.nomorechaos.biz/

Tip 7. Cooking and meal planning is much easier in an organized kitchen. Check out articles on my website, http://www.nomorechaos.biz/ for kitchen organizing articles such as, Clutter Free Kitchen Counters, What’s for Dinner, Parts 1 and 2 (about meal planning) and Cleaning out the Pantry. Once on the website, click on Article Archives to find these articles and lots more.