Hope For Yo-Yo Diet Cycle - Shake The Crave

 Here is my diet cycle.  Sound familiar anyone?  Day 1 – I’m so motivated.  I've got a vacation, events, and cute clothes to wear and I'm going to take advantage of it by being 10 lbs. lighter!  This is the day I will pull myself out of the quagmire of diet failure!  I start out with a healthy breakfast.  I know that it’s important to start out with a good breakfast!  Gotta keep that energy up!  2 hours later, however, I start to feel hungry and my stomach starts to feel a little growly.  I go in and grab a healthy sized healthy snack, telling myself I will watch it at lunchtime.  It’s definitely not too late, I've got this!  Lunchtime comes and I’m feeling hungry again.  I look at what my co-workers or my husband or the people on the Food Network are eating and I don’t want to be deprived, so I get myself an extra helping of something plus another food item.  Alright now I’m feeling a little apprehensive about the future of this first day of the rest of my life.  C’mon, let’s not make it like all of the rest of the days I failed!  I swear to myself that I will definitely have to watch it from now until bedtime.  Evening comes around and I’m watching my favorite t.v. show.  I can’t watch t.v. without feeling a bit hungry, which I am.  It’s been 5 hours already.  I feel deprived but yet at the same time I tell myself I should be careful.  I eat a full dinner.  In front of the t.v.  Day 1 – Epic Fail!!!!

Day 2 – I don’t eat breakfast, in fact, I don’t eat until 2 pm.  I hop on the scale again, after this morning’s initial eye-popping number  to validate that this was a great idea.  Sure enough, I’ve lost a lb. from this morning’s dismal reading.  Great!  It’s a good thing, ‘cause I’m hungry.  I look in the freezer and there sits a carton of my favorite ice cream!  Tillamook, you are a bad, bad company because before I know what’s happening, I dish out 3 large scoops of Mudslide.  Ha!  But I’m being  smart.  I put in a half cup of Oatmeal to up the fiber count!  And hey, that’s all I’ll be eating until right at 7 pm when I plan to have a healthy green smoothie and call it a night.  

  At 3 pm I realize that I committed to bring food for our women’s group summer get-together.  It’s going to be salad with a chicken option and desserts.  I tell myself I will just have the salad and a tiny bit of chicken for the protein.  When I get there, it looks amazing! The food is delicious and conversations are lively.  I look around and I am not, by any means, the biggest gal in the room.  It makes me feel more at ease and so, I sample all of the entrees and many of the desserts.  I leave realizing that I have just failed Day 2.

But there is a ray of hope.  After my 4^th of July food fest, I found the motivation to do a little less eating and a little more exercising and so this morning I was right at my ready-set-go weight.  It is 15 lbs. above what I’d llke to be, but not as bad as it could be.  Of course I've already repeated my Day 1 pattern.  However, I do know something that breaks my cycle of epic diet fails. 

Appetite Curbing Foods.    I recently wrote about barley being very good at suppressing the appetite because it makes you feel fuller longer.  It really does work!  Another thing that is a great substitute for the ice cream that somehow I feel like I need in my life,  is an appetite suppressing  shake.  It needs to have natural ingredients and it needs to make me feel full, as well as satisfy that sweet-tooth dairy craving I have.  It's the craving that makes me buy ice cream even though I know I’m kidding myself when I tell myself that it will only be eaten in small amounts and will last for at least a fortnight.  I will eat every last bit of it in less than a week.

 I know appetite curbing foods work because I was successful at replacing certain trigger foods that are high in calories--low in staying power.  And that is why I’m not any heavier than I am right now.  I just need to have a lot of it on hand.  And that is my commitment.  

 Trusted Health Products carries some amazing natural facial care products that I love.  Now they have finished developing and have released their newest product.  It’s called Shake The Crave, an all-natural  meal replacement/snack.  The name says it all.  I like it because it’s 120 calories of high protein, great- tasting goodness!  You can mix it with whole milk, 2% milk, almond milk, rice milk, coconut milk, etc. depending on your preference.   I really liked the taste of both the chocolate and vanilla!  They taste great, not like some kind of yukky diet drink.  And it does keep me very satisfied until it’s time to eat.  It’s got 100% organic natural ingredients.  Here is the ingredient label for the vanilla:  Organic Non-Fat Dry Milk, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Coconut Powder, Organic Ground Vanilla Bean, Electrolyte Blend (Potassium Citrate, Calcium Chloride, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Sulfate, Potassium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride).Allergen information: Contains milk and coconut.

At only $40 per canister, allowing for 2 shakes per day for one week, the cost boils down to $2.67 per day.  Not bad, you could break an energy drink habit, a diet coke habit, or a candy bar habit for that amount, replacing it with something amazing for your health!  Right now you can get a free 2 sample package for just the cost of shipping, which is $4.95 U.S.  It’s a great way to see for yourself whether or not you can succeed at your goals, especially if you have unwanted food cravings!

disclaimer:  I received sample products for review purposes.  All opinions and experiences are my own. 

Summer Bean And Barley Soup

I’ve been interested in cooking with different grains lately for health reasons, but also for diversity.  We recently rediscovered cracked wheat cereal and it’s not as terrible as I remember when I was a kid.  My cute mom would try to make us eat it, but to no avail!  The mistake she made with that was to have a variety of cold cereals tucked neatly into the cupboards. What sugar-infused kid wouldn’t prefer the artificial rush of manufactured cereal over cracked wheat?  We were good at holding out, that’s for sure! I've wondered what other kinds of grains are out there that I haven’t tried, but want to now!

 I’ve chosen barley as my grain du jour and will be focusing on some recipes here for the next little while.  For one thing, barley is a natural appetite suppressant, keeping you filled up for up to 16 hours, while being tasty and  nutritious. As someone who loves to eat-- and eat a lot--this would be a great weight control tool!  I know from first-hand experience that while it is hard enough to practice portion control when feeling satisfied, it is virtually impossible when hungry! 

Barley has the most fiber of all the grains, which is why you stay feeling fuller, longer.  It may also have anti-diabetes and anti-obesity actions.  Basically, it is eaten like rice, except it takes longer to cook.   Hulled barley is the best, because it has the tough outer shell taken off, but is still not processed other than that.  It’s also best to soak it overnight unless you are cooking it for a long time.

I made a Bean and Barley soup in the crock pot that was really tasty and super easy! It had Parmesan Cheese, bacon and lots of veggies. 

 I actually utilized the rind on the cheese, which is naturally salty, to give it a bit more flavor.  Also, because it's summer, I put my pot outside on a bar stool because I don't want the extra heat inside! That's why it's called Summer Bean and Barley Soup!  Put the pot inside and it becomes Winter Bean and Barley Stew!  See how that works?

Adding the rind to the mix!

Ingredients

1 cup multi-bean mix or Great Northern Beans, rinsed and soaked overnight.

½ cup barley

3 cloves garlic, smashed

3 medium carrots, roughly chopped

2 ribs celery, roughly chopped

½ medium onion, roughly chopped

1 bay leaf

4 tsp. dried Italian herb blend

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 14-ounce can whole or diced tomatoes with juice

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 Parmesan cheese rind

Optional: 4 - 5 crisp bacon strips, crumbled, Hot n' Spicy All Purpose Seasoning

Mixture before cooking and adding water

 Directions

Put beans, barley, vegetables and seasonings and cheese rind into a crock pot.  Add 6 cups water, cover, and cook on high until the beans are tender and the soup is thick, which could be 6 – 8 hours. 

1 hour before done, add the tomatoes and stir well.  Just before serving, add the Parmesan and the crumbled bacon.  If you have any Hot 'n Spicy All Purpose Seasoning, you can put that on and it really makes the flavor pop! I use Spike. Serve with a crusty bread and salad.  You'll stay full for quite awhile! 

 

Finished Soup, ready to add condiments

Natural Ways To Treat Mature Skin!

I called my sister the other day to catch up and talk about her upcoming visit in July.  I mentioned some things I've noticed myself doing lately, like telling my husband I can only do a certain number of activities in one day, choosing and agreeing upon which ones we do.  I can’t just go, go, go until we run out of time or money.  Because before that happens, I will run out of energy.  Her response was humorous but true, “We’re getting OLD!”  She said it in a kind of disbelief, as if our mortality has sneaked up on us and we didn’t even realize it.  Of course, I’m not ready to say I’m old because of the negative connotations.   

   I believe that being mature, however, is a great compliment – things like coming to terms with life, having experience on a variety of fronts, wisdom, etc. and so forth, and so I’m going to refer to myself as
"mature"  (although I'll be the first to admit I'm like a teenager in some ways~I like to drive fast and I love Bruno Mars, for instance!).

Of course another sign of maturity is the wrinkles that come a-callin’.  I have found that there is the commercial way or the natural way to treat them.  I use a little of both.  (e-mail me and I’d love to share with you what I am currently doing!) But right now I’d like to discuss some of the benefits of natural ingredients in the care of your skin.  

Natural ingredients can be either home-grown in your garden, obtained at a health food co-op or they are sold by companies that combine and formulate natural ingredients as the sole active ingredient or in exclusive formulations. 

Here are some natural skin remedies I’ve found to be good:

1.     Cleansing with oils.  I didn’t start the Oil Cleansing Method until last year and I’m so glad I did.  When I was a teenager I cleansed with soap. When that became too drying, I used foaming cleansers until they too, became too drying, at which time, I switched to the creamy cleansers.  It wasn’t until just this last year that I started using oils and washing it off with a hot washcloth.  It leaves my skin feeling moist and not tight-feeling.  Suggested oils are Castor Oil, which is slightly drying, but the best bargain for cleansing and dissolving and it is a natural antibacterial! Mix it with other oils like avocado, apricot kernel oil or Argan oil (all excellent for mature skin).  Mix them together, for instance 1/3 part castor oil to 2/3 part any other oil.  All you do is mix them in your hand, apply to a moistened face, leave for 30 – 60 seconds, steaming optional, and remove with a hot washcloth.  Ahhh…..feels great! 

2.    Easy Natural Remedies From The Kitchen – There are so many of these, I’m sure your grandma had her own kitchen beauty secrets but here’s a few that I know: 

   Put the last bit of leftover egg white from a cracked egg under your eyes now and then and watch the wrinkles disappear.  You can soak cotton pads with buttermilk and pat it on your face.  Let it dry for 15 minutes then remove to refine your pores. Mayonnaise can be used as a mask or even a night cream to relieve dry skin!  (If you can stand the smell!)

3.    Rosehip Oil – This versatile oil has been touted by some as the next Coconut Oil!  This oil is full of viatmins, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids that are known to correct dark spots and hydrate dry, itchy skin, all the while reducing scars and fine lines.  Try to get cold-pressed because it has all of the unaltered nutrients.  The oil absorbs directly into the skin and one only needs a very tiny amount for it to be effective!  I use a few drops a few times a week. 

4.    Combination of ingredients – To keep up with scientific studies on natural compounds and oils, companies are constantly formulating combinations of these ingredients to make the ultimate natural beauty product.  I really like the Vitamin C Serum made by InstaNatural.com, combining Vitamin C,  Ferulic and Hyaluronic Acids (known for exfoliating and brightening skin), Aloe Vera and Vitamin E.  It really does a great job for a fraction of the price you’d pay at  a department store!

  Going the natural ingredient route is a great way to know what is in your beauty products, but even with that being said, make sure that you're not getting more in them than you bargained for, such as strange preservatives.  Also please watch out for anything made in China.  I am really leery of products coming out of China because so many times, upon independent testing, toxic ingredients are found to be in those products. Not always, but be careful!

  I've had fun sharing some of my natural beauty routines. Have your own fun and find the natural ingredients that make sense for your beauty routine!

A Weekend $50 Flash #Giveaway! Choice Of Amazon or PayPal!

For THREE Days ONLY a few blogger friends and I are offering this Weekend Flash Giveaway! 
One lucky reader will receive $50 USD Paypal Cash or Amazon Gift Card!!
This giveaway is for THREE Days Only! Enter Now!
We are making it easy peasy to enter! Just use the form below.
Remember, this giveaway ends at 11:59 pm on June 22, 2014! Tell your friends so they can enter, too!

Good Luck!

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A Great Dentist! Tips For Getting One!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. However, the thoughts and opinions below are my own.

I’ve been in the market for a new dentist for awhile now.  We moved some time ago and because it wasn’t THAT far away, I continued to see my old dentist, where I used to live.  But that proved to be time consuming and I found that it was too easy to put my dental visits off because, well, the dentist isn’t my most favorite place to spend my time!  I can rationalize not going to get my teeth worked on in favor of so many other things.  

 In my search for the perfect dentist, I found and used a few tips for finding a good dentist that I thought I’d share, so you won't put it off like I did for so long!  My teeth paid a price!

Waiting for my exam and cleaning

 Tips For Finding A Great Dentist

·    First of all, As a new patient, you should receive an inspection of the teeth, gums, tongue, lips, inside of the cheek and palate at the minimum.  With adults, a periodontal probe should be inserted between the gums and teeth to detect abnormally large crevices. Good dentists also chart their findings in detail.

·        Be wary of flamboyant advertising-- it is likely to signify an emphasis on mass production rather than quality.

·        Friends and family members are a great resource. They can tell you about the personality of the dentist and office staff, and answer questions. Here are some things to consider with them:

1.     How well does the dentist explain treatment options?

2.     How long do you have to sit in the waiting room?

3.     Do you feel comfortable asking questions?

4.     What is the environment provided?

5.     How does the office handle emergencies?

6.     How long do you have to wait for an appointment?

7.     How are bills handled?

8.     What is the location of the office?

9.     Charges for each treatment?

·        Other Places To Call:

1.     Your dental insurance company — Your insurer will provide names and contact information for dentists in your area who take part in the company's dental plans. Usually you will have to pay a lower fee if you use these dentists. Your insurer also may have other information, such as whether the dentist accepts new patients.

2.     Your state's dental association — Each state has a dental association that can provide names of dentists who are members of the American Dental Association (ADA). ADA membership is voluntary. Most dentists are members. However, ADA membership does not mean a higher quality of care.

3.     Your local hospital – Some hospitals have their own dental clinics, or can recommend local dentists.

4.     The nearest dental school —A dental school in your area can be a great resource. Most dental schools have clinics that accept new patients. The care given at these clinics is excellent. The cost is often lower than visiting a private-practice dentist. Usually, routine care at a dental school clinic is provided by dental students and residents (dentists who are completing advanced training). They are supervised by dentists who teach at the dental school. For complicated and newer procedures, these clinics offer state-of-the-art care. Check our list of dental schools in the United States and Canada to see if there's one near you.

I think I’ve finally found a great dental group in my area!  It’s called Platinum Dental Care!  It's one of 5 dental offices with Platinum Care Dental Group around Utah Valley and Northern Utah! 

 I was referred to them through some other Utah Bloggers that are in the know and I decided to give them a try.  The time spent in the waiting room was very minimal, but the time I did spend there was spent looking back at some very beautiful smiles on the wall.  

 They gave me an initial exam along with a cleaning.  I found them to be very personable and friendly.  My dentist was very professional and answered all of my questions thoroughly.  

My dentist and Cara, the hygienest

 I loved both of the hygienists.  I actually had two appointments, the first one was the exam and the second one was the cleaning.  So I got to be with two hygienists and really liked them both.  I found the exam to be informative and thorough ( I liked how Cara used the periodontal probe and explained the measurements they were taking on my gums) and I found the cleaning to be pleasant, with the latest technology.  Afterwards I was given a dental pack with a toothbrush, floss, mouthwash and toothpaste!  I plan on going back to get some more extensive dental work done, because my teeth shouldn't pay the price for my procrastination!

 

My other cute hygienist

My teeth are happy!