Burn Fat from Foods We Eat...

Foods That Burn Fat!  Is that possible?

Enjoy lots of foods while burning fat.  I made a list of these and have the list hanging on my fridge.  When I crave foods that are full of saturated fats, sugar, lots of carbs, and concentrated sugars I force myself to pick another food off the list and to follow the portion size on the label.  These foods give us fiber, protein, monounsaturated fats, Omega 3, and satisfies hunger.   They are healthy choices:

Oatmeal, Almonds (24 per day), Whey, Berries, Eggs, Beans, Bread, Peanut Butter, Sim Milk, Avacodo, Non fat Cheese, Green Vegetables, Whole Grains, Tuna & Salmon, Olive Oil or Canola Oil, Herbal Tea.

Learn to choose foods that burn fat and keep your weight under control.


Health is Happiness!

brenda.bailey.1@hotmail.com

Portions: My How Things Have Changed in the U.S.

*Since the 1950's , the average size of a burger has increased by 223 %

*since the 1960's, the average weight of a woman has increased by 24.5%

*Since the 1950's, the average size of a fountain soda has increased by 500%

*Since the 1960's, the average weight of a man has increased by 28 pounds

*Since the early 1900's, the average size of a chocolate bar has increased by 1,233%


Check your serving sizes!  Portion sizes have been growing and so have we.

*The average restaurant meal today is more than 4 times larger than in the 1950's.

*Adults, on the average are 26 pounds heavier.

If we want to eat healthy, order the smaller meals on the menu and split it with a friend or eat half and take the rest home for another meal.  When my son-in-law was working in Japan it was easier for him to keep his blood sugars level as they package their food according to the portion sizes.  I haven't been to Japan, but I can say I have seen a lot of Japanese people and on average they are not overweight. 

Eating the correct portion sizes are important to help you maintain your weight and your health.  READ THE LABELS on every container and then only eat the portion size.  You will be amazed!

Health is Happiness!

brenda.bailey.1@hotmail.com

*Source:  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
 

5 Ways to a Better Nights Sleep

Ever get that foggy, sluggish feeling when you first get up in the morning or when you hit that afternoon slump? That sluggish feeling could actually be adding pounds to your waistline and taking years off your life.
So, what’s the solution to a better night’s sleep and bidding ”good-bye” to that sluggish feeling? Seven to nine hours of quality sleep!



Take a look at five ways to creating a better night’s sleep:
1. Set Your Sleep Routine. Yes, we know, easy for us to say. Between juggling your daily responsibilities and taking care of your family, you’re lucky if your head hits the pillow at all every night. Make an effort to get your body into a regular routine of relaxing around the same time each evening. Put on your pajamas, brush your teeth and relax by reading a good book for 15 minutes before climbing into bed. Routine is your best friend.
2. Consume Carefully. Consider what you consume: from the amount of water you drink daily (you should have half of your body weight in ounces daily) to the foods you eat. Are the foods you’re giving your body “life-giving” and meant to fuel your energy or do they just satisfy a craving? Keep your Isagenix products on hand and snack healthfully, making sure to take your Ageless Essentials™ with Product B™ daily along with your IsaLean® Shake.
3. Turn Off the Lights. Melatonin helps control sleep and wake cycles, being produced at high levels by the brain at night and dropping in the early morning hours. Lights from the TV, computer or other devices interfere with the release of melatonin, making it more difficult to fall asleep by increasing alertness and shifting circadian rhythms later. Be sure to turn off all light-emitting devices for at least an hour before bed to help your body wind down.
4. Exercise Early. Schedule your run or exercise routine for first thing in the morning instead of in the evening. Vigorous exercise even three hours before bedtime can keep you awake since it stimulates some of your major organs including your heart. Another benefit to exercising early? Studies show that those who exercise in the morning stick with their routine better than those who wait until later in the day, promoting increased weight loss. Some research even shows that those who exercise in the morning sleep sounder at night.
5. Supplement Your Sleep. Sometimes you need a little support to help you get to sleep. That’s where the new Isagenix Sleep Support and Renewal™ comes in. Formulated by Isagenix Scientific Advisory Board member Dr. Michael Colgan and Isagenix Scientists, Sleep Support & Renewal is a melatonin-infused spray that, when taken daily, provides a more restful night’s sleep.
Sleep Support & Renewal also:

• Reduces the time it takes to fall asleep
• Improves quality of sleep
• Increases total time of sleep in persons who suffer from sleep restriction or altered sleep

Curious if it will work for you? Here’s what a few people said about their experience with the Isagenix Sleep Support & Renewal melatonin spray:
“I am one of those people who has had a hard time sleeping most nights I walk the floor, read emails, read a book and about the time my husband (who could sleep at the drop of a hat) gets up in the morning I would finally be able to sleep. If I did get any sleep then it would be intermittent for a few minutes at a time. Since starting the Isagenix Sleep Support & Renewal, one spray and I am out for the night. If I have to get up during the night for any reason I just roll over and go back to sleep.” -Lyn M.
“I’ve had sleep issues for many years coupled with serious bouts of low energy and brain fog. Can’t remember the year that I just got up and went and then just went to sleep without the worry of if I would fall asleep.” -Andrea H., New York
“My recall of names and places has improved a lot since I started using The Isagenix Brain and Sleep Support System. I can’t imagine the results in a year from now.” -Denis L., Ontario
Don’t take your sleep for granted! Aim for a restful night tonight. Visit Isagenix.com and select “Our Products” and then “Targeted Solutions” to learn more and add the Isagenix Brain and Sleep Support System™ to your Autoship today for a holistic approach to your sleep health.
Want to dive deeper into the science of sleep? Read this article by Dr. Michael Colgan on IsagenixHealth.net.

Isagenix Newsletter

To Better Health!

brenda.bailey.1@hotmail.com

Honesty is the Best Policy

Raising kids takes a lot of hard work but it is worth it. The more time that is spent on helping children learn basic skills while they are young will make them more independent in their adult life. Too many children in today's world just exist. They are not being taught life skills. Parents are busy and involved in their own lives and schedules and not paying attention to actually teaching their children.

While raising our children I used a few guidelines based on the Ten Commandments found in the Bible. One was "Thou shall not steal." Our children at a small age were taught to respect other member's of our families belongings and not use them unless they asked first. If they borrowed something they were to return it in good condition and if they ruined it they had to replace it.

Money was left laying around the house and no one took it. If the child took something from a store they returned it. If the clerk accidentally gave them the wrong change, they returned the change and made it right.

The children were taught to respect our neighbors property and to not walk through their yards. When the baseball went through the neighbor's window, the child had to apologize to them and help pay for the repair.

As parents we had our children do many chores around the yard and house to earn money to help pay for the things they wanted. Our second daughter had earned enough to get her first bicycle. I will never forget the experience of taking her to the store with her jar of money. After picking out her bicycle we started for the check out stand and witnessed another young girl with a bicycle who was being escorted by a policeman through the front doors. As our daughter paid for her bicycle with money she had earned, the cashier told our daughter how proud she was of her and that the other young girl had tried to steal the bicycle. It made a huge impression on all of our children.

Your are either honest or you are not and Honesty is the Best Policy in all we do.

Comments:

email brenda.bailey.1@hotmail.com

Gluten Free Zuchinni Bread/Banana Bread/Muffins

I have been experimenting with this recipe with lots of success.  If I bake one large loaf the center doesn't cook all the way through and the outside gets really dark.   I make 3 muffins and put the rest of the dough in a bread pan.  The loaf is not as tall but it cooks all the way through.   I also substitute 3 large ripe bananas for delicious banana nut bread & muffins.

1 cup nuts, chopped
1 1/2 cup freshly shredded zucchini
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups GF Flour Mix (1 c rice flour; 1/4 c tapioca starch; 1/4 c potato starch)
1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (1 tsp per cup of flour)

Shred the zucchini and chop the walnuts in a food processor and set aside.
Use a mixer to beat the eggs, add sugar, oil and vanilla.  Add baking soda, cinnamon, salt and baking powder.  Slowly pour in the flour and xanthan gum until well mixed.  By hand, mix in the zucchini and walnuts.  Pour in a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.  Take out and cool on baking rack.

Enjoy!

Busy Summer

After several months of not posting an entry to my blog I'm not going to make any excuses but happy that the busy summer of family reunions, canning, yard work, etc. is coming to a close.   We work hard in the summer months raising a huge garden, but the yummy fruit and vegetables make it all worth it.

Exercise is important to me so I've been walking and jogging and ran my first 5K this summer.  It was so exciting, even if I was about the oldest one in the race.  Yes, I made it across the finish line in 14.59 minutes.   I was not the first or the last but I made it!  (I was so afraid my kids would have to come find me laying alongside the road.)

This is a before picture I took before I started losing weight.

I tried every fad diet, even took diet pills but nothing seemed to work.  I was overweight for 13 years with weight I gained during menopause.  I had yearly check ups and the doctor suggest Weight Watchers but I'm gluten free and knew I needed to figure this out on my own.

I have used Isagenix Products to help curb my bad eating habits.  The Cleanse is awesome and I use it about once a month.  No side effects, it just cleans out the bad stuff from your blood stream and internal organs.  I make sure I drink at least 60 ounces of water a day.  My breakfast is either scrambled eggs with bacon bits & orange juice or gluten free granola and a fruit.

I'm not usually hungry before lunch so I drink 20 oz. of water during the morning.

Lunch is on the go as I have to eat inbetween customers so I snack on ham rolled around mozerella cheese sticks, a dill pickle or a cucumber, tomatoes and a fruit. 

I try to drink more water during the afternoon and about 3:00 p.m. if I start craving something sweet I again eat another fruit & almonds.

If I still am craving chocolate, which is my downfall in the late afternoon I treat myself to a dark chocolate Almond Cherry Cluster I found at Costco.  One piece has 90 calories, 6.5 grams of sugar, 2.5 grams of fiber, 1 1/2 grams of protein, 2.5 mg of sodium, 5.5 g fat and 8.5 grams of carbohydrates.  I don't worry about this treat as my day was filled with empty calorie foods.

Dinner consists of a green salad with regular dressing, a meat or meat dish, and a drink of milk.  Ice cream with peaches, banana, strawberry etc. is another treat I use after dinner to satisfy the desert craving.

20 to 30 minutes on the tread mill six days a week help to burn the extra calories.  

Every person is different and has health issues so it is important to monitor your health and choose what works best for you.  I have been gluten free for over 31 years so I am use to not eating a lot of breads, cakes, cookies, pies etc. that are filled with calories and fat.  

This picture was taken on Aug 11, 2012 when I ran my first 5K at age 65 with my son and daughter-in-law.  It was so fun and rewarding.  If I can do this so can you. 

So here is the grandma's challenge...Take control of your life. Eat healthy foods and exercise. 

Comments email brenda.bailey.1@hotmail.com

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Serves 12  

We received this sumptuous flourless chocolate cake recipe from one of our gluten-free readers who said, "My gluten-eating friends now all use this recipe because of its taste and simplicity." We made it natural with the addition of real butter in place of margarine and unbleached cane sugar. We replaced the light corn syrup with honey. Enjoy this luscious cake — a little goes a long way!


This is a very rich desert that resembles the flourless brownie desert served at the Outback Restaurants.  I love this recipe!! and so does my family!!!

Ingredients

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 3 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
1 1/4 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract

Method

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Spray the paper with cooking spray, too, then set the pan aside.

Place two-thirds (8 ounces) of the chocolate and 1 cup (2 sticks) of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Stirring often, melt chocolate with butter until completely blended. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. (Alternatively, you may use your microwave to melt the butter with the chocolate, if desired). Add sugar and mix well. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Sift cocoa into bowl and stir until just blended.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake has risen and top has formed a thin crust. The cake should be just firm in the center when done. Cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate, removing sides of springform pan. Remove and discard parchment paper and set cake aside to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the chocolate glaze. Melt remaining 4 ounces chocolate and 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat, then stir in milk, honey and vanilla. Set aside to cool slightly.

When cake has cooled, pour glaze onto the center. Using a spatula or the back of a spoon, very gently smooth glaze along the top and sides of the cake. Chill cake, uncovered, for 30 to 60 minutes before serving to set the glaze and make the cake easier to slice.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 slice): 440 calories (300 from fat), 34g total fat, 19g saturated fat, 155mg cholesterol, 40mg sodium, 40g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 32g sugar), 7g protein

The link to the recipe is found on the: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/753

Here's to Healthy Eating!

brenda.bailey.1@hotmail.com

Magic Muffins - Basic Muffin Mix

THIS RECIPE WAS HEAVY WITHOUT MUCH FLAVOR. I AM GOING TO TRY ADDING MORE EGGS, CUTTING BACK ON THE FLOURS ELIMINATING THE POTATO STARCH AND FLAX SEED MEAL, ADDING LEMON ZEST AND USING LUNDBERG'S SHORT BROWN RICE FOR THE FLOUR.  The banana nut was good but I liked My Blueberry Muffin recipe better!


This recipe comes to us from Cams Mom in the Gluten-Free Forum.
Just start with basic mix then add fruit of choice. Basic mix recipe and variations below:


Basic Mix
½ cup brown rice flour
½ cup white rice flour
¼ cup tapioca flour
¼ cup potato starch flour
¼ cup Flax seed meal
2/3 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup Shortening


To this you need to add:
1 cup of something wet (sour cream, banana, yogurt, apple sauce)
2 eggs

Variations:
Banana Chocolate Chip
Use 1 Cup mashed banana for the wet ingredient (plus 2T milk, soy or almond milk)
add choc. chips. or nuts if desired


Apple Cinnamon with Crumble Topping
Use 1 cup plain yogurt for the wet ingredient
1 apple cut into small chunks
add in cinnamon with dry ingredients


For crumble topping use:
1 tablespoon butter (or sub)
brown sugar
cinnamon
almond meal
a little gluten-free flour
mix it together and sprinkle on each muffin

The basic procedure for all muffins is mix dry ingredients then cut in shortening until texture of coarse meal. Add wet ingredients to dry and beat on med. with electric mixer for 3 minutes. Should be thick batter (not dough but thicker than cake batter). Mix in fruit by hand. Scoop into lined muffin tins generously (like fill them up for a good professional looking muffin!). I use an ice cream scoop to get uniform size and shape.
Then bake at 350F for about 25 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean).


 UNTIL THEN....OR IF ANY SUGGESTIONS COME IN...

Here's to Healthy Eating!

brenda.bailey.1@hotmail.com

The Best Blueberry Muffin Recipe

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

I made up this blueberry muffin recipe and it is so yummy.  I combined 3 different recipes and I LOVE THIS RECIPE!

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice flour (I ground Lundberg's short brown grain rice in my grinder)
½ cup tapioca starch
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon GF xanthum gum
½ cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup milk (or other liquid such as applesauce, sour cream, rice/soy milk)
1 teaspoon GF vanilla
½ teaspoon lemon flavoring
1 cup blueberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Stir to mix. Add rest of the ingredients. Mix well. If the mixture seems dry add more liquid.  The moisture in rice flour varies.  Spoon into lightly oiled muffin cups or cup cake liners. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until brown.   (Makes 12 muffins.

Here's to Healthy Eating!

brenda.bailey.1@hotmail.com

Banana Pecan Muffins-What about Blueberry????

I have been looking for a GF blueberry muffin recipe.  Does anyone have a good recipe?  I like the blueberry muffins you can buy from UDI's but they are expensive and you only get 4 of them.   I have been eating gluten free for almost 31 years now and muffins have been one food that has been hard for me to get to be light and fluffy. I found this recipe on the Gluten Free Club's Blog and was hoping someone could help me change the ingredients to Blueberry Muffins. Banana Pecan Muffins Sweet banana muffins loaded with nutty pecans. Ingredients: 1-1/4 cups rice flour 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 tsp gluten free baking powder 1/4 cup chopped nuts 2 eggs 1/4 cup oil 1 tsp gluten free vanilla 1 cup mashed bananas (make sure the banana is fully ripe) Directions: Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine in a bowl all the dry indgredients, including the nuts and mix together. In a separate bowl add the eggsand beat until frothy. Add the oil, vanilla and mashed bananas and stir to combine. Add the wet ingredients mixture to the dry mixture and stir just until combined. Lightly grease muffin tins or line with paper cups. Fill muffin cups to 3/4 full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Tip: Make sure to use bananas that have started to form brown spots (like the ones in the photo below). You will find that it improves on the taste and the texture of your muffin as compared to if you used yellow bananas.

Please share your ideas too!!! Healthy Eating Everyone! brenda.bailey.1@hotmail.com