Day 3 - no added sugar challenge

Gosh last night was tough, I was really craving that block of chocolate and those ice creams we had down the beach. I now officially know how it feels to become an addict of something. Sure. You may just think it's sugar and not a real drug but it's still considered an addictive "unhealthy" substance so really, I can put it in that category if I wish.

So for someone that has been eating relatively clean and then binging on all this sugar, I sure am paying for it. Moody. Agitated. Tired.

MIND over MATTER.

I can get through this. Trying to educate myself over the internet and re-reading the Sarah Wilson I QUIT SUGAR ebooks as some of you that know me, I am not a huge fan of reading at the best of times. Much rather be looking at those pretty pictures in Belle, Vogue, Inside Out etc.....magazines. Also her books cover heaps on all this sugar stuff so for those asking all these sugar questions, I highly recommend this book. I will also do a book review once I have fully read it, for those that are wanting a  sugar free bible to assist them in their day to day food choices.


Special blog guest


I am in the process of also writing up an additional post about which foods to avoid that have added sugar and also what to look out for in the ingredients list and nutritional tab. My lovely friend Karin is a Nutritionalist and Health Food Coach in New York and I will invite her to do a blog post on her views on sugar and finally be clear on some of those questions you have been asking. I really want us all to be on the same page. This is new to me, even though I ran this challenge last year. So I will clip on as much information as I can and hope you too can help with any of your resources.

Apologies once again for my delayed responses to the last few days of my posts, we have been in over drive here at home (wend preparation) as kids go back to school again and my husband starting a new job so I don't see him from 6am-8pm. So I am a one woman show and heavily tied up with managing our family and home so please be patient with me.....


I managed to do my FYM workout this morning and I love the fact that I don't have to spend hours at the gym and can do a workout between 15-20 minutes per day. What's your workout like? How long do you workout per day? Per week? Do you prefer to workout at the gym or can you motivate yourself and workout at home?

Breakfast

Pear and cinnamon porridge

I have so many variations that I make with our basic porridge concoction, so feel free to type in porridge or oats in the very top left hand corner box to see what I mean. I have added strawberries, orange, etc.....to our fave breakfast meal. What's your favourite?

Snack

2 hard boiled eggs with vegetable sticks

Lunch

Chicken wrap with feta, tomato, cucumber and spinach 

Snack

Tzatziki dip (yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice & garlic)
with vegetable sticks and rice crackers

Dinner

Chicken tenderloins with cauliflower, broccoli and beans

Okay another super quick dinner tonight as we have a few things on.

Method:

1). Season chicken tenderloins with S&P, tarragon (omit or replace with your favourite herb), garlic and lemon juice
2). Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes while you wash and prep your favourite vegetables.
3). Steam veggies as you either bake the chicken tenderloins or I prefer now to use my Chefs Toolbox as I can leave in my sauté pan with the lid on and attend to whatever one of our 4 kids are wanting from me at this busy hour (5-7pm is mahem at our place)
4). Once all vegies are cooked to your liking I like to mix up some yogurt, seeded mustard and glaze the vegetables so they have a bit more flavour!

How did you survive Day 3 of our no added sugar challenge? Thanks again for coming and I really do love you all visiting, please tell me about how your day is going. See again here tomorrow.

Xx Dani

Try Freezer Cooking For Tasty, Economical Meals

By Christine Szalay-Kudra

A lot of people enjoy cooking every night but it can become
boring. If you have a busy day, having to think about what
to make for dinner can be stressful, especially if you are
going to have very little time to cook that day.

The easy solution is to cook once a week or once a month,
divide the food into portions and freeze it. Another name
for this once a month (or week) cooking is freezer cooking.
Imagine spending one day making a month's worth of dinners
and then having twenty nine days where you do not have to
cook. Looking at it like that, it is easy to see the appeal
of once a month cooking.

The Best Recipes for Once a Month Cooking

There are all kind of meals, which freeze well, and they
will taste just as nice when they are thawed as when you
first made them. Cooking big batches of food is a real
time saver and if you have a busy weeknight coming up, you
can simply thaw your family's evening meal in the
refrigerator overnight and it will be ready to warm through
in the evening.

You can often get great discounts when you buy in bulk. A
big package of boneless chicken pieces, for example, works
out cheaper per pound than buying a pair of chicken thighs
or chicken breasts. Perhaps you spot some ground lamb on
special offer one week or turkey another week.

There are freezer recipes for all kinds of meats, poultry,
and fish. Meat and poultry in sauces and soups keep for up
to six months. You might want to make some tasty family
favorites like
(http://www.bonelesschickenrecipe.com/Chicken-Recipes/international-recipes/chinese-curry-chicken.php)
chicken curry or beef stew. Beef bourguignon, chicken tacos,
and beef lasagna are other freezer cooking ideas.

Freezer Cooking Tips

Pick a day when you will not have many commitments or
interruptions. Make sure there is enough space in your
freezer and make sure you have all your necessary
ingredients ready. Remember too that you can save time
buying other frozen foods on special offer like precooked
meatballs or cooked shrimp. Simply add these to your thawed
meals to liven them up.

You can either cook one kind of meal at a time or have
several on the stove or in the oven, depending on your
cooking experience and what you feel comfortable with doing.
When you cooked meals are cool, divide them between freezer
bags or plastic food containers, seal them, and wipe the
edges clean. You will be able to fit a lot of meals in the
freezer if you store them flat in zippered food bags.

You will need a lot of plastic wrap and aluminum foil,
freezer bags or plastic containers. You will also need a
marker pen to write the name of the meal, the cooking date,
and any special cooking instructions.

Sometimes you can make a creamy dish but cream does not
freeze well so leave it out of the meal and add it when you
reheat it. Potatoes do not always thaw well either, so you
can either use slightly undercooked barley or pasta as a
replacement or add fresh potatoes when you reheat the dish.

Indian Food - The Misconceptions And Truths

By Rajeev Sinha

There are many myths and misconceptions about Indian food.
Lets just take a quick look at a few of them. This could be
interesting.

All Indian food is spicy: Though Indian cooking is hot and
spicier when compared with European or Western cooking,
there are lots of regions in India where the food is bland,
even sweet. In case you want to try something less-hot, go
taste some Gujarati dishes.

Gujarati cuisine has a touch of sweetness in almost all of
its dishes. Traditional South Indian cooking (except Andhra
Pradesh) is generally less-spicier than other regions in
India. Kashmiri cuisine also incorporates sweet tasting
dishes in its menu. So when someone tells you Indian cooking
is spicy, don't entirely believe them.

Most of Indian recipes are Vegetarian: Well, not entirely
true. While many sections of India are strictly vegetarian,
the array of non vegetarian food available in this part of
the world is immense.

Many of the Hindus while vegetarian have traversed to the
other side and there's a great population of non vegetarians
in India. Muslims and Christians in India also consume meat,
while Hindus do not eat them as they considered it sacred.

There is no variety in Indian cooking: Many, especially
foreigners and first time visitors to India, are of the
opinion that Indian food doesn't have so much of choices.
Indian cuisine is probably one of the most varied
food-culture on the planet!

This is actually a misconception around the world and even
in India. Chicken Tikka did not originate in India. It was
brought into India by the Mughals and has its origins in
Persia.

Indian food is all about Curry: Curry is something that was
again made popular by British-South Asian ethnic groups.
While Curry abroad may refer to a thick and spicy gravy
dish, India takes a different meaning altogether. In South
India, Curry may refer to a vegetable side-dish that is
often served with rice.

You will also find that in certain Indian regions, food is
served on a banana leaf or an areca nut leaf. These
traditions have been passed on to families since many
generations and many modern Indian continue to follow then
regardless of caste differences.

For further information and video recipes please visit the
buzzing food community at ifood. If you are an Indian food
lover you can also take a look at
(http://www.ifood.tv/r/indian/recipes) Indian Recipes and
(http://www.ifood.tv/network/south_indian/recipes) South
Indian Recipes.

Addiction Trends Of The Last 30 Years

By Catherine Cosgrove

By definition, an addiction is described as being abnormally
tolerant or dependent on something that is psychologically
or physically habit-forming. Addictions come in many forms,
from substance abuse addiction to behavior addictions, all
of which may require intervention or professional treatment
to overcome. As addictions have changed and redeveloped over
time, programs have had to progressively change and modify
approaches as well. In fact, while addiction trends have
changed in the last three decades with some becoming more
problematic than others, more help is available for
overcoming addiction than ever before.

Though alcohol dependency has been a constant addiction
recognized for many years, in the mid-1970s, illicit drug
use and addiction peaked to a point almost rivaling that of
alcohol. Illicit drugs, including cocaine, heroine, and
marijuana were the primary source of drug addictions until
the 1990s. At this point, illicit drugs that were more
cheaply made and acquired, like meth, became a growing
trend.

Marijuana dependency and addiction is a source of interest
in both the medical and political sectors today. As more
states explore the legalization and government control of
marijuana for medical purposes and even recreational use,
the potential for marijuana use to peak and become as
problematic as alcohol addiction is possible.

While dependency on illicit drugs continues to be a problem
for some, prescription drug addiction has nearly
overshadowed illicit drugs in the last decade. Narcotic pain
relievers and stimulants top the list of prescription drug
addictions. In 2001, reports indicated that nearly 87
percent of prescription drug addicts were white. Some
reports also indicate prescription stimulates, such as those
used to treat ADHD, are primarily abused by people under the
age of 21. In addition to prescription drug addiction, over
the counter (OTC) drug addiction has seen a rise in the last
decade.

In addition to substance abuse, other addictions that are
behavior oriented have seen rises and falls as well. Some
behavior-based addictions that have existed for years have
only recently become recognized as genuine addictions
requiring intervention. For example, where gambling
addictions were once unacknowledged, 12-step programs for
gambling addicts are now as mainstream as AA. Similar
addictions, including sex addiction, have also seen an
increase in awareness. Certain addictions, like food
addictions, have less social stigma but have come into the
forefront as behavior addictions requiring modification
nonetheless.

For many, an addiction may stem largely from habitual
familiarity but many addictions are both psychological and
physiological. Those who struggle with addiction are bound
not only by the psychological habit but in many cases, a
physical addiction. Substances that cause the body to
respond to an absence, such as caffeine, nicotine, or an
opiate drug, make overcoming addiction that much more
difficult.

With an increase of studies pertaining to the psychological
and physical dependencies created by addiction, programs to
overcome addiction have improved as well. Programs to treat
addiction were once barbaric in some sense, ignoring the
psychological aspect of addiction. Today, programs that
focus on the individual and each aspect of their addiction
make it possible to overcome addiction once and for all.
Through various support and treatment programs that address
an individual's addiction in both traditional and
non-traditional methods, addiction recovery is becoming more
successful.

Addictions of all varieties have seen some resurgence in
different times but the core of addiction and the road to
recovery remain the same. People struggling with addiction
are often depressed and can see their life spiraling out of
control but feel too alone or ashamed to ask for help.
Oftentimes, denial is at the core of addiction, with those
suffering from addiction unable to acknowledge their
dependency. Those who are involved in an addict's life also
feel alone and afraid and may not know how to help.

Thankfully, as addiction at its core has remained virtually
unchanged, the influx of information available through the
Internet and the increase in public awareness and health
education curriculum has improved the way people can find
help. Additionally, this increase in information and
awareness has improved the way recovery and treatment
facilities are able to offer help. Treatment and recovery
centers exist for nearly all types of addictions, in nearly
every part of the country. Substance abuse hotlines and
mental health benefits through insurance companies have also
helped to facilitate addiction help. If you or a loved one
is struggling with addiction, the first step to recovery is
to ask for help.

Catherine Cosgrove is a representative of Heritage Home Drug
and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center. Heritage Home Drug and
Alcohol Rehabilitation Center offers a tranquil and
therapeutic environment to begin your recovery from alcohol
and drug addiction. Our team has worked together in
(http://www.sobriety.ca/) drug rehab centres for many years
and will give you a personal, unique, and individualized
approach to emotional healing and sobriety.

Want To Live A Better Life? Help The Environment

If you start to live green now you will be adding more time
to your life because natural food is better for your health.
It is also better for the environment. Eating naturally
grown food and walking more will definitely improve anyone's
health. There are many more things you can do to improve your
health and at the same time make the earth a greener place
to live.

There are several ways you can live a greener life that
are easy to implement. Most cities have garbage services
that pick up recyclable materials in addition to your trash.
It is simple to set up a separate container for cardboard,
plastics and other recyclables. On trash day, your garbage
service takes it away and does all the hard work of
recycling all those materials.

Try to drive less. By combining your errands, you not only
save fuel and reduce the traffic on the roads; you are
giving yourself less stress from dealing with traffic jams
and other drivers. Carpool or use public transit when you
can. If you choose to ride a bike or walk for some of your
errands, you also get needed exercise. This will help keep
your heart healthy and keep you limber and toned.

Instead of tossing everything in the garbage, try tossing it
on a compost pile to fertilize your garden in the spring. It
will save you money because you won't have to go to the
store and buy organic fertilizer, in fact it may even save
you a trip to the store. Throw all the old vegetables and
fruit in and any clippings you have from cooking in the
pile. Coffee grounds, egg shells, leaves and grass can all
go in the compost pile. Do not put in meat or bones as it
will attract insects and takes too long to decompose. Hose
down the pile occasionally to keep it from drying out; it
won't break down as well if it is dry.

There is a lot you can do in your home to get more green.
Open up the curtains and let the light in. Natural light is
the best light to see by and you can avoid using energy by
leaving your lights off more. Start using the new compact
fluorescent light bulbs and stop wasting money and energy on
the standard bulbs. These bulbs will last much longer and
use less energy. You will love not having to change light
bulbs all the time.

Small things like recycling cans, bottles and plastic
packaging helps lower your garbage bills and helps reduce
your carbon footprint. Use cloth bags when you shop instead
of taking their paper or plastic bags. Some stores even
knock off a few cents when you use your own bags. All of
this will help reduce pollution, which is healthier for you
because you'll be breathing cleaner air.

Once you get started, you'll be amazed at how easy it is to
live greener. You'll be amazed at how much better you feel?
both physically and mentally. Plus, you'll feel better
knowing you're doing your part to have a healthier planet to
live on. So go ahead? live greener and live longer. You'll
be happy you gave it a try.

The Strawberry - King Of The Berries

Don't you just love a fresh, juicy strawberry? There really
is nothing else quite like it. With fast shipping these
days, you can get strawberries almost any time now, but it
just is not the same as picking that perfectly ripe berry
right out of your garden.

Strawberries do not need a lot of skill to grow, and the
fresh taste makes it more than worth having a few pots on
your patio or a plot in your garden. Fresh strawberries are
delicious on their own with a little cream and sugar, or
added to other recipes.

Today's strawberries originate from a plant native to
America. The large berries we see now are a hybrid of a
South American strawberry that was crossed with a North
American strawberry. This allowed the southern plant to
survive the cooler climates in the north. Strawberries have
long been a symbol of health and luxury in Europe.

On the other hand, in Argentina, in South America, they were
considered poisonous until the middle of the 1800s. These
plants varied a great deal in size, shape, and flavor, they
usually bear the distinctive red color and nearly
heart-shaped fruit that have made them so popular.

While most people think of eating strawberries raw, there
are other recipes you can make with them that are
exquisitely delicious. A really easy recipe is to cut the
berries into small pieces, then place them in a bowl. Cover
the cut up berries with water and sprinkle white granulated
sugar over the top generously. Add some ice, and let the
whole mixture soak in the refrigerator for several hours.
When you are ready to eat it, you will find a lovely cold
summer dessert.

Many people love the firm texture of strawberries, but they
might not be altogether fond of the sweetness, or perhaps
they prefer their flavors a little more complex. If this
describes you, think about putting out a bowl of good
balsamic vinegar and powdered confectioner sugar, and then
dipping the fruit into first one, then the other. The
sweetness will be enhanced by the sharp taste of the vinegar
and you will find that this makes an excellent end to a good
meal.

Strawberries are not just for dessert. Add some sliced
strawberries to a spinach salad to add color and sweetness.
A dressing made of honey, mustard, balsamic vinegar and rice
vinegar makes a nice accompaniment to the spinach, berries,
red onion slices, and caraway seeds. Eat this for a light
lunch or serve it as a side salad at a dinner for instant
compliments.

Another great spinach and strawberry combination takes
tender baby spinach leaves and strawberries sliced on the
diagonal and adds them to a little Gorgonzola cheese and
tasty homemade croûtons. Top it off with a little dollop of
ranch dressing and a grind of fresh black pepper. This
creates an incredible combination of crunch, sweetness, and
tartness that delights the palate.

Do not relegate strawberries only to shortcake. They have a
lot more to offer than the traditional dessert. Strawberries
are nutritious and flavorful, and are the ideal berry to
serve. There is a reason the strawberry is everyone's
favorite.

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