Life Just Got Easier & Healthier Because Of Healthy Choice ~ So Can Yours

Health, Happiness, Hamstrings readers do I have a FABULOUS program to tell you about. Not only will this program make your life a little easier (at least in my opinion) and healthier, but the research findings are quite interesting.

As you know, from previous posts, I have been working with TheMotherhood and was thrilled to participate in a program with Healthy Choice. Healthy Choice has conducted a 30-day study where participants replaced 10 meals per week with a Healthy Choice meal for either lunch or dinner. They have found, as part of a reduced calorie diet, eating Healthy Choice prepared meals can lead to more energy and feeling healthier. Other findings from the study that peeked my interest include:

• Participants in the study lost an average of six pounds and trimmed their waistlines by about one inch. Improved the quality of their overall diets by increasing dietary fiber, reducing saturated fat intake by 50 percent and consuming 30 percent less cholesterol and sodium.
• As Americans look for ways to make simple, positive changes to their diets, incorporating a ready-to-eat, pre-portioned healthy option, such as Healthy Choice, is a simple way to be more healthy conscious, lose weight and improve quality of life.
• Portion control is key to successful weight loss. Healthy Choice takes the guess work out of this fundamental fact. With 70 varieties that are fewer than 400 calories you are provided with positive nutrients such as whole grains, fiber, protein and antioxidants.
• Brands with “healthy” in their name are held to a higher nutrition standard by the FDA. Healthy Choice is the only major brand in its category that can all 100% of its products “healthy” as defined by the FDA. This means each meal must be:
• Low in fat
• Low in saturated fat
• Controlled in sodium and cholesterol
• Supply at least 10% of the daily value for three beneficial nutrients (calcium, protein, fiber, iron, vitamin A or C)

We were then asked about three healthy choices our families have made for a healthy lifestyle. The three that we have implemented include:

1. One meatless meal a week: Every week we have one meal that is all vegetarian based. One thing that has been fun about this choice is the new things we have tried. I have come to love tofu and my daughter now adores beets. When we go to the famers market I challenge myself to try one new vegetable or use a vegetable in a different way. I love asking the farmer for suggestions.
2. Since the weather has finally nice my daughter and I take a walk, however long or short, after dinner. It has become a tradition and she runs to her car (the little push toy car) after she eats and chants “outside, outside” after she eats her dinner.
3. We are starting to bring lunch instead of getting it out. Thank goodness for Healthy Choice. This is where this study comes in and makes my life easier.

The review:

Healthy Choice gave us the opportunity to review two Healthy Choice meals. I tried the following meals:

        

Golden Roasted Turkey Breast:

The meal was VERY flavorful. How fun…..Thanksgiving in May. I really liked the green beans which were perfectly cooked. Kind of silly, but I was so happy to know I had the dessert waiting. LOVED the portion control aspect of the meal. The cranberries in stuffing made me smile. On to dessert, which was tasty. It was a nice compliment to the dish especially since there were cranberries in the stuffing. I actually went and got a spoon to finish the sides of the try for the dessert. My ONLY complaint was that there was less crumble than I hoped for, but I am a berry fan so it didn’t really bother me. Best of all……………..No guilt finishing and cleanup  was a BREEZE!!!!! For a busy mommy that is key.

Honey Balsamic Chicken:

I could smell the aroma immediately which made me excited to dig in. I was thrilled that ALL the veggies stayed whole including the asparagus and tomatoes. The tomatoes really impressed me that they kept their shape. The sauce was nice and thick and there was enough left to dip the potatoes in. This was a VERY flavorful dish.

I will be purchasing both of these again. Nice thing about these Healthy Choice meals is they are pretty accessible. Make sure you pick some up to day and get your self on track. I know you will be happy you did especially since Healthy Choice makes it so easy.

Enjoy this beautiful day!!!!!

~Lauren

****I was compensated by Healthy Choice and TheMotherhood to do this post****

Wonderfully Wordless

Ever since Mr. Man has opened the second paper spending time together as a family, especially during the week, has been difficult. By no means should you see this as a complaint, since he is doing this FOR our family, but it makes the day we spend together even MORE important.

Last Saturday, which I mentioned in this post, we spent a wonderful day an hour away from where we live. All we did was laugh, play, laugh some more, and had fabulous food. It was so nice to get out of our surroundings and focus only on US. THIS is when memories are made…..what a wonderful day we had.

While I intended to make this post wonderfully wordless I had to add a few details on our adventure and what it meant to me. Now for the wordless part:

 

 

The picture that is one of my favorites is the one in the middle with our shadows. How cool is that!!!!!! Have a fabulous day.

~Lauren

Flashback……..

This weekend Bean, Mr. Man and I had some FABULOUS family time. More on the day in another post, but I had to share these pictures:

 

2009

2011

Bean-

All I can say is WOW….you are growing. You are officially a toddler and are almost 2. This beach will always be a place where we have such wonderful memories. Can’t wait for the next trip to this wonderful place. Nice to know it is only an hour away. As you know……it is dear to Daddy’s heart. Boy did we hear LOTS and LOTS of stories. One’s he will tell us EVERY time we go.

Love always,

Mommy

Simplicity…….

 

After reading one of my favorite blogs, a blog that warms your heart, and makes you smile, I decided to post some pictures.

Bean, love of my life, sometimes, when people ask me how you, are my response is, you are kicking my butt. Reality, is I might complain, moan, and even bitch, but I would have you NO other way. I am SO proud to be your mommy. Thank you for being you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don’t change!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Recap On The Kellogg Virtual Breakfast

 

As detailed in this post, last week I had the unique opportunity to be a co-host of a virtual breakfast sponsored by Kellogg on TheMotherhood. With several other mother bloggers, we discussed the new 2010 Dietary Guidelines and the importance of a nutritious breakfast .

This talk featured, Sarah Woodside, registered dietitian for Kellogg and Liz Ward, registered dietitian, author and one of Kellogg’s Breakfast Council members. Through a live video feed (which you can view below) the conversation centered around what nutrients a good breakfast should provide, healthy options on the go breakfasts, and how to implement the new Dietary Guidelines into our menus, specifically when it comes to breakfast.

While a full summary is available here, I would like to provide you with some highlights of the discussion:

1. The importance of fiber was re-emphasized. While I always knew how important fiber was in our diet  learned that The Dietary Guidelines lists fiber as one of the nutrients adults and children aren’t eating enough of. According to Liz Ward, “a new study suggests that eating a high-fiber diet -  particularly fiber that comes from grain foods like breakfast cereals -  just may help you live a longer life.” She indicted that it reduces risk of death from cardiovascular disease. This disease runs in both lines of Mr. Man’s family which hit close to home.
2. Be aware of labels. Watch whole grain claims on the front and as a rule of thumb, check make sure an item has at least 3 grams of fiber per serving.
• I was happy to hear that Kellogg has made the conscious effort to reduce the sugar and increase the fiber content on such cereals as Fruit Loops and Apple Jacks. They indicated these cereals now have 3 grams of fiber per serving. On a side note, when I told Mr. Man this he smiled ear to ear. He is a fan of both of these cereals.
3. The best nutrients in the morning would be a combination of protein, carbohydrates, and a healthy fat. In their (Kellogg’s) opinion an ideal breakfast could be Kellogg Mini Wheats, milk, and fruit.
• Also, think outside the box. It doesn’t have to be what we Americans define as traditional, but make sure it has a protein, carb, and health fat to keep you fuller for longer.
4. An interesting fact I learned was cereal and milk provided 10 key nutrients for those in the United States and cereal ranks most nutritious choices when it comes to snacks.
5. Some totally, and I mean TOTALLY awesome initiatives that Kellogg has been working on include the Kellogg “Fiber Tracker” (tells you how much fiber you should aim to eat each day based on gender and age), meal plans (which can be found here) and recipes.

While I ALWAYS knew that breakfast was the most important meal of the day, this virtual breakfast with Kellogg gave me a new focus. I realized the importance of fiber and why I should make good decisions first thing in the morning. By making small changes, like adding some high fiber cereal to my normal yogurt in the morning, I am not only benefiting my body by refueling it, but I may help to live a longer life. Amen to that!!!!!! No complaints here.

I would like to thank Kellogg and TheMotherhood for this wonderful opportunity. Readers, I hope you got as much out of this talk as I did.

As promised, here is the video of the breakfast that you can view again:

 

This video is provided by TheMotherhood and is the virtual breakfast sponsored by Kellogg.

 

Disclosure: I was compensated by Kellogg and TheMotherhood to write this post

Mark Your Calendars' Kellogg Virtual Breakfast THIS Wednesday!!!!

sponsored by Kellogg.

 

HELLO readers and friends!!!!! I hope you are enjoying this dry day. Don’t know about you, but we have been having pretty wet days on and off the last week. I am happy camper that I am not using an umbrella and ditching my raincoat.

As the title of this post indicates PLEASE mark your calendars for THIS Wednesday, April 20th at 11am EST. I have been invited by TheMotherhood  to co-host a virtual breakfast. Please join me at this awesome online text based event where we will be discussing the nutrients that make up a good breakfast, on the go options, recent research finds to name a few. One of the best parts is is virtual you neither have to leave your house nor get out of pajamas. Should be LOTS AND LOTS of fun.

Here are the details:

 

What: You’re invited to a Kellogg virtual breakfast to discuss morning nutrition and the recently released 2010 Dietary Guidelines.

When: The virtual breakfast is happening on Wednesday, April 20, at 11 a.m. ET.
Where: In TheMotherhood

Who: Join Sarah Woodside, registered dietitian for Kellogg, and Liz Ward, registered dietitian, author and one of the Kellogg's Breakfast Council members, to discuss the nutrients a good breakfast should provide, options for healthy breakfasts on the go, recent research findings on nutrition, and more.  Sarah and Liz will speak to us via live streaming video, while we chat and ask questions through a real-time, text-based conversation.

 

Can’t wait to see you there!!!!!!!!!!!!