Tips and Tricks

We made the paper! Not uncommon living in a small town, but still... The editor of the paper emailed us asking us to share what we are doing to be successful.  That's kinda cool, but isn't this a competition?  of course it's not like we have a secret either. So I guess we'll be in the paper next week too!

I thought I'd post some foods that I've discovered that are delicious.  I actually crave these things now, and my cravings for cookies and chips are, albeit slowly, diminishing.

Kashi Cereal: I have it every morning for breakfast, and one serving has 10 grams of protein, a bunch of fiber, and whole grains and it keeps me full for at least 3 hours.  The regular Kashi is gross.  The crunch is good, but a bit too crunchy.  What I'm addicted to is the Go Lean Crisp.  My favorite is the berry blast flavor, with dried strawberries and whatever else in it.  There is also a Cinnamon flavor that tastes just like Cinnamon Toast crunch.

Salsa: There are so many flavors!!! And the generic brands are more delicious that the more expensive name brands.  In 2 Tbs., which is more than enough, there is about 10 calories, which is nothing! There are tons of different flavors too.  Right now I have a spicy, smokey, fire roasted chipotle habanero and a sweet peach mango in my fridge.  It's good in wraps, fish tacos, on chicken, you could even dip veggies or crackers in it.  And everyone loves saying, "salsa."

Dark Chocolate: Let's face it, sometimes a girl needs chocolate.  When a craving hits, I'll have about a Tbs. of dark chocolate chips.  It's the purest form, with the least added oils and sugars, and it's full of antioxidants.  Plus it has helped me ween myself off of sugar.  I've gone from having this everyday to maybe once a week now.

Yoplait Light Yogurt:  I have it everyday for snack.  It also helps curb a late night sweet tooth.

Other things I love: hummus, golden raisins, Puffins Cereal, garlic, cilantro, Mrs. Dash, red pepper flakes, rosemary, thyme, lemon, lime, avocado, olive oil, minute brown rice, lemon pepper, dried mixed berries, green chilis, olives, ummmmmmmmmm sugar free pudding, Prego Veggie Smart pasta sauce, and my food processor.

Also, if I want to snack at night I'll go take my shower or brush my teeth or do something else to distract myself, and it usually works.  It's a lot like quitting smoking, you have to distract yourself until you get past the craving.

I try to use fresh ingredients that are as close to their natural state as possible.  Of course that makes it all more expensive.

Finally, other than my morning coffee, all I drink is water.  Everything else bloats me way up.  Even sugar free drinks, like Crystal Light.  Once in a while I'll have a little bit of a 0 calorie flavored water, but only about 8oz.

I saw this on Pinterest, and it kinda makes me regret my delicious Doritos treat I had last week.