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Fall and winter, aka Food Season, kick into high gear

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and The Laughing Cow.

 

 

While the weather outside gets frightful, down here in Florida, it’s actually easier to stay fit.

The weather finally (FINALLY!) becomes less swamp-like and long walks are delightfully do-able. I walk everywhere when the weather cools down. Over to the dog park, out for a few laps around the track while my kid’s at baseball practice, down to the grocery store for a few things.

But just as the weather makes outdoor exercise something to look forward to, the Season of Food also cranks up. It begins with Halloween and doesn’t let up until Super Bowl Sunday.

So, I’ve got to have some tricks up my sleeve. One big trick is micromanaging any and all family get-togethers. If it’s at our house, I can control the menu and dole out potluck instructions to family members.

“No you may not bring fatty frozen chicken wings.”

“Yes, a vegetable tray would be perfect!”

You can also come up with healthier versions of off-limits appetizers. Instead of those greasy little bruschetta toasts topped with more greasy spreads, try my version: It’s a piece of Wasa crispbread topped with a Laughing Cow Light Mozzarella, Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil wedge, a few slices of tomato and a sprinkling of basil.

The entire thing is around 70 calories. You can make up a bunch and serve them as appetizers for a holiday get-together. Or just enjoy it as an afternoon snack. You can vary the cheese and the herbs to suit your global tastes.

How about Queso Fresco & Chipotle with a sprinkle of cilantro for a Mexican twist? Be creative and no one will ever know you’re going all “healthy” on them.

Now it's your turn

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The love affair with my lunch box

I've been enjoying my Nutrisystem meals for five entire days, and I must say I am impressed.  I was on Nutrisystem 20 years ago when there were brick & mortar centers peppered through my county.  Waaay back then, the food was, for lack of a nicer word, "different".  My sister referred to it as cat food... lots of tins of "pate" which, in fact looked like cat food.  But that was a whole different Nutrisystem.

NOW, food comes in microwavable containers, little boxes, trays, cup-o-noodle type cups and bags.  And
the food is actually, quite nice.  I've been enjoying breakfasts of scones, pastries, pancakes on Saturday and fritattas on Sunday.  Lunches have been enjoyable. I've enjoyed chicken and noodles two different ways, and today's lunch, by far, has been my most favorite.  The red beans and rice with sausage was really really tasty.  My lunch-buddies even sampled it and were equally impressed.  I have been supplementing the boxes and cups of food with yogurt, fresh fruits and veg, and water. Lots and lots of water.  I'm even still drinking my coffee (my 1 "off-program" cheat) as I can't give up all of my old friends at once.

The rice and beans came in a box. Based on this fact, I assumed that the food came in a tray. Imagine my surprise today at lunch when I went to heat up my lunch that I saw it came in a bag.  Add 1 tablespoon of water and microwave. When I brought my "bag lunch" to the table, my lunch buddies told me I was eating Astronaut food.  It may have looked like a MRE, but it sure tasted great!

If you would like to shrink with this sister, go to www.nutrisystem.com/nsblog, or dial 888-853-4689

DISCLOSURE: Nutrisystem has provided their food program to me free of charge in exchange for my weekly updates. I am not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed in this post are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Tossing my cookies

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and The Laughing Cow.

In my decades-long quest to finally get all the weight off, I have eaten my share of diet cookies. Some actually taste OK, others ... not so much.

 

Have you tried a cookie diet? (I'm not talking about plowing through a sleeve of Girl Scout cookies while watching HBO.) I'm talking about those sawdust-filled ick sponges touted by noted wellness experts, like Snooki.

 

A couple months back I tried it again. You eat two cookies for breakfast, two for lunch, two for a snack and then eat a sensible dinner. Here's how the first day went:

 

8 a.m.: Two cookies and black coffee. I eat the cookies very slowly, coming to the realization that they taste better if you eat them really quickly because there's some weird aftertaste going on.

 

Noon: Two more cookies and some water. Wondering whether Mint Milanos work as well.

 

12:45: Hungreeeeeee. Perhaps I'll eat another cookie now and have one later in the afternoon.

 

2 p.m.: Is it later enough yet? I'm looking at my sink sponge with hunger in my heart. I eat the sixth cookie.

 

3 p.m.: How early can I eat dinner?

 

3:15: Cookie diet experiment is a total failure as I do one of those Very Hungry Caterpillar things (one piece of chocolate cake, one ice cream cone, one pickle, one slice of Swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one sausage, one cupcake, and one slice of watermelon).

 

OK, I wasn't as bad as the Caterpillar, but there was some fevered grazing going on.

Here's the thing: Even though you're eating (air quotes) cookies, you're still depriving yourself of real food and eventually it's going to backfire. Which is why eating small amounts of real food is better in the long run. There's nothing to go "on" or "off."

If you want a cookie, eat a cookie. A real cookie. Just not a box of cookies. Bite it, write it and move on.

Or have some cheese ...

Share a funny story, video clip, picture, etc. in the comment section and you will be entered to win $150. Please keep your comments G-rated as any profanity or offensive content will automatically disqualify you from sweepstakes entry. You should also Visit The Daily Laugh hub (see link below) to read funny content each day and for weekly chances to win $100 at the “Play For Laughs” game. If you share something really funny, we may even use it in The Daily Laugh!

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Shrinking Sisters reviews Shakeology

I'm a whey protein fanatic. It's my go-to source for smoothies. And I just learned at my latest Cleveland Clinic session that whey is even better than the gold standard egg protein for bioavailability.

And the whey has been doing its work. In the past couple months I have put on nearly 10 pounds of muscle, while still managing to lose 5 pounds. I've never been so happy to gain pounds in my life.

On a scale of zero to 100, egg protein is 100 but whey protein concentrate scores a 104. So it's better than perfect. If you want to see the whole list, there's one HERE.

And right now, my absolute fave chocolate protein powder is Beachbody's Shakeology. Believe me when I tell you that it is far and away the best tasting chocolate protein powder on the planet. I did a test this week with a bunch of single-serve packets that I bought at Whole Foods. I made the same smoothie every day with the same exact ingredients (chocolate whey protein, 1 cup nonfat milk, 1/2 frozen banana and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon). Every smoothie tasted incredibly bland when compared to the Shakeology chocolate smoothie.

I really have no idea what magical ingredients Beachbody put into Shakeology but it slaughters the competition in taste. It also has 500 mg of calcium per scoop so you don't have to buy calcium supplements if you use Shakeology. And it has a fair amount of fiber as well. There's also something in it that just kills any lingering bloating.

You can mix it with milk and ice for a traditional smoothie or you can actually just use water and ice for a 140-calorie snack. Unlike other protein powders, there is enough body in Shakeology to make a straw stand up in your glass with mere water.

And I love it so much that I became a Beachbody coach to get a 25 percent discount on it. It's not cheap but it's still far cheaper than buying a premade smoothie from a smoothie shop. You can also save on it by ordering it auto delivery. You'll get some great workout DVDs when you do it that way.

Aside from the chocolate, there's also a Greenberry flavor that makes great fruit smoothies. You just need to get over the fact that your shake comes out an impressive olive green. The Greenberry is great mixed with acai juice. (I use O.N.E. Amazon Acai.)

If you're interested in Shakeology, you can buy it HERE.

I purchased the Shakeology on my own and am not being compensated for my review, but I am a Beachbody coach because I absolutely adore the product.

'No calories left: Enjoy your dinner!'

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and The Laughing Cow.

'No calories left: Enjoy your dinner!'

That's what my food journal basically told me when I tallied up the calories from breakfast, lunch and assorted snacks. 7 p.m. -- too early to go to sleep, and a bowl of naked lettuce just isn't going to cut it.

Why do I do this to myself? (Another reason why I now "write it then bite it.")

So while I still made the pasta dinner I had planned for the guys, I broke out the Bare-Bones Meal for myself.

Yay! Cooking twice burns twice the calories, right?

Actually, the Bare-Bones Meal is quite good. It just happens to be less than 100 calories. And an extra 100 calories in your day every now and then won't ruin your eating plan.

So what's my Bare-Bones Meal?

1/4 cup Egg Beaters, any variety (I used Southwestern) -- 30 calories

1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry -- 20 calories

1 Laughing Cow Light wedge (to go with the Southwestern Egg Beaters I used the Queso Fresco & Chipotle flavor) -- 35 calories

Pour the Egg Beaters into a nonstick pan. After they set somewhat, put in the spinach and break up the cheese into little bits over the whole thing. Cook until set.

That's it -- 85 calories! And you can knock yourself out with a couple tablespoons of salsa for another 10 calories. I also sprinkled a little Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle on to turn up the heat.

And it doesn't involve one leaf of lettuce or one stalk of celery.

Hey, speaking of Laughing Cow...

Share a funny story, video clip, picture etc in the comment section and you will be entered to win $150. Please keep your comments G-rated as any profanity or offensive content will automatically disqualify you from sweepstakes entry. You should also Visit The Daily Laugh hub (see link below) to read funny content each day and for weekly chances to win $100 at the “Play For Laughs” game. If you share something really funny, we may even use it in The Daily Laugh!

Check out the Daily Laugh Hub to check out other bloggers' stories. You'll also have 11 other chances to win $150 each month & the chance to win $100 from the Daily Laugh Hub on BlogHer!

Click HERE for official rules.