Super Swaps

I love finding swaps for naughty foods!  It leaves me being able to enjoy "treats" but without the guilt, making it that much easier to stay on track.  After doing a low-carb, non-dairy cleanse to support a friend, I picked up a few more.  Here is my current list of favorites:

--roasted, sliced carrots for sweet potato fries
--lettuce for tortillas
--roasted, cubed butternut for potatoes
--Greek yogurt for sour cream
--ground buffalo for ground beef and/or turkey
--pizza with half the cheese
--roasted kale or cabbage for rice with Asian-style dishes
--quinoa for rice
--roasted spaghetti squash for half or all of pasta
--build up your spaghetti sauce with extra veggies like mushrooms and spinach
--make your own sauces with fresher ingredients like tartar sauce and salsas

Try to find a small swap here or there in your weekly menu.  A small change here or there can start to add up BIG in your calorie-count!

Oils for Living

As far back as the pharoahs, essential oils were highly valued commodities, so much so that often they were stolen from graves and tombs right along with other treasures like precious stones and minerals.  They were held in such high regard for their healing and therapeutic powers that the three wise men came baring them as gifts to the baby Jesus (frankincense, myrrh).

In my quest for good health, I've begun using essential oils as a resource for cold prevention (citrus blend), healing the endless stream of cuts, scrapes, and bruises (maleleuca), and deeper relaxation for stress points and during massages and baths (lavendar).  While I haven't found them to a be an instant cure-all, they do seem to have an impact without leaving me feeling like we're left with nothing but popping pain pills or taking dose after dose of cold medicine...a more natural weapon to have in the arsenal of family health!

There is a great site (and an app, too!) that lists oil "recipes" for whatever your ailment or need from acne to cellulite (lemon) to stuffy noses (peppermint):

http://everythingessential.me/

Build up your daily health regimen to include some help from this natural but powerful resource!

A Fry for Your Eyes

I always love a good food swap and, boy supermoms, did I stumble across a good one this weekend!  We made carrot "fries"!  Yes, it sounds strange, and the smell of the roasting carrots had me ready to abort the mission, but it worked!  They were texturally correct and had a flavor surprisingly close to an actual sweet potato fry without the added hundred or more calories.  Here's how we did it:

1 lb bag carrots, peeled and ends removed
2 Tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper

Cut the carrots in half lengthwise.  Cut each half into quartered strips.  Place carrots, olive oil, and sea salt and pepper in a bag; shake to coat and allow to marinate for several hours.  Preheat oven to 400-degrees.  Spread carrots onto a baking sheet and roast in oven for approximately 25-30 minutes.  Remove when brown on edges and crisp.

My waistline is grateful for this discovery, and as a lover of sweet potato fries, my tastebuds were more than satisfied.  Give these a try, supermoms, serve with ketchup and enjoy!

Score Some Weed

All it took was that very first time, and I"ll admit, I was instantly hooked on 'weed.  By weed, supermoms, I'm referring to quite another mystical green plant than what you may be thinking...ahem!  What I'm totally tripping out on is seaweed!

Seaweed is a sea veggie (as opposed to our more familiar land vegetables) that has been around since, well, forever.  It's medicinal qualities were quickly discovered by our ancient ancestors, who used them for rituals, making seaweed an instant must-have for the nobility of the day.  For few calories and even less to no fat, it is practically a one-stop pharmacy dispensing hearty dosages of potassium, folic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium, iodine, and various other vitamins and trace minerals.  Twenty-times more nutrient-dense than its land-based counterpart, it has been shown to help bolster energy, increase fat metabolism, cleanse the digestive system, and strengthen the immune system.  To boot, seaweed also has a high-fiber content, aiding in weight loss by promoting the feeling of fullness despite its small caloric impact.  You can bet that all these benefits make it a great cancer fighting superfood, too! 

Now, most of you probably get an occassional hit of 'weed when enjoying a sushi roll.  Did you know that you can also get it in powder form to sprinkle in foods or in sheets to crumble on salads or in soups?  If you really wanna be daring, the newest rage is to eat the sheets plain!  I know, that got some of you just cringing at the thought of eating it in its purest form without camouflaging the flavor with soy sauce or something.  I thought the same thing, believe me!  But, I dove in anyway, bought a supply, rolled the sheet, hesitantly took a bite, and discovered that it actually tasted pretty good!  They are slightly salted and surprisingly crispy...like a potato chip...only without the guilt!  I find myself snacking on them all the time now, especially in the afternoons, before dinner, when I usually get a massive case of the munchies.  It's a little different, I agree, and definitely an unconventional food choice.  It might take some getting used to, but I think it's well worth testing out.  Ha, so score some 'weed and try for yourself, supermoms!  Check back in and let me know what you think!

Just Peachy!

Mmmmm, the peach harvest is now in season! This sweet, juicy fruit makes for the perfect quick-grab snack. Thanks to an article in a recent Men's Health, we found another fun way to enjoy peaches...grilling them! It sounds crazy, I know, but follow these easy steps for a fun and healthy spin on dessert:

2 peaches, halved and pitted
4 small pats of butter spread (I use Smart Balance)
1 packet sugar substitute (I use Splenda)
Cinammon, to taste

Lay the peaches out on foil, pitted side facing up. Pat each half with a little butter; I couldn't taste the butter, so you don't need to slather it on and add the extra calories. Sprinkle with a little sugar and a strong dash of cinammon...the cinammon adds more of the flavor for fewer calories than the sweetener, and it also has health benefits. Throw on the grill for 20-30 minutes; baking at 350-degrees may also work for you. Remove, let cool, and indulge in this sweet treat!

PB Toast

*Supermom tested for prep-easability, good-for-you-ness, and lip-smacking results!*

There is not a whole lot easier than toasting a slice of bread and slathering on some butter spread and peanut butter! If you find yourself never having time for breakfast, the premier meal of the day that is best not to skip, PB toast is a great option...it is so easy, your kids can also eat it (sans nut or gluten allergies, of course!), and it goes great with a hot cup of coffee! Given that I have a toddler, who seems to time the end of his breakfast with a firm "all done", as soon as I sit down with my plate, I find that this breakfast can also easily be eaten on the run, using a napkin in place of a plate. It is tasty, whether eaten right out of the toaster or nibbled on here-and-there, due to unexpected diaper changes, phone calls, or clean-ups. I get my day off to a great start with a nutritious mix of whole grains and protein with a little fat to help it stick till my mid-morning snack...this is surprisingly low in calories and in those naughty sugars found in pastries, bagels, and some cereals and bars. Eating a good breakfast also gets my metabolism up and running and helps me feel more energized for the day. Mine typically looks like: 1 slice whole-wheat bread (actualy wheat, not the enriched crap), 1/2 Tbsp Smart Balance spread (one of the only spreads that doesn't have trans-fat, otherwise known as partially-hydrogenated soybean oil), and 1/2 Tbsp natural peanut butter (I've done the real natural pb with a couple packs of Splenda added to the jar, as well as the Skippy stuff). Enjoy!