Do You Struggle to Include Calcium in Your Diet?

Calcium is an essential nutrient that gives structure and strength to bones and teeth, helps muscles work properly, and has a number of other critical functions. If you don't consume enough calcium, your bones must tap their reserves to make sure there is an adequate amount of the mineral in your bloodstream. Over time, this constant withdrawal weakens bones and can lead to osteoporosis.

You can always take a calcium supplement to get what you need, but there are a variety of easy ways to increase your daily intake.

• Cook your oatmeal with low-fat milk instead of water.
• Get a nonfat latte instead of a plain cup of coffee.
• Make your hot chocolate with low-fat milk instead of water.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds on cooked rice, salads, or in stir-fries.
• Dollop plain, nonfat yogurt on your baked potato instead of sour cream.
• Dip your vegetables in plain, nonfat yogurt flavored with herbs.
• Have a handful of almonds and an orange as an afternoon snack.
• Have a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese with pineapple chunks.
• Add some chopped kale or other dark green leafy vegetables in your next pot of soup.

5 Ways To Stay Positive When Miserable People Are All Around You

Trying to be positive and happy around miserable people can be a challenge that sometimes deserves an award just for being there. For example, the day you walk into work actually excited about it and feeling good until your coworkers begin talking about how they work too hard for too little, none of you are ever going to get a raise and they are pretty sure you will all be let go soon without warning. Another good example is when you have very exciting and happy news to tell your close family members or friends and once you tell them, expecting joy and happiness from them, they only question your thought process, making you feel bad for ever sharing your news in the first place.

So the next time you encounter an individual or a group of miserable and negative people try these tricks to help you maintain your positive outlook.

1. Hold on to your happy feeling – Remember what you were feeling so good about in the first place or even draw from other things that make you feel good. Really feel the happiness that comes from those thoughts and no one will be able to pop your bubble of positivity that is surrounding you.

2. Appreciate it and turn away– Acknowledge the fact that you have identified their negativity. That act alone means that you can separate between being negative and being positive. Then pivot away from that energy and realize that you are doing something good for yourself, which is not letting in the negative.

3. Turn their negativity into your positivity – Have a sense of humor about it all. Try to cheer them up and be willing to laugh at yourself when you fail. See their negativity for the silliness it is and if you can show them how silly their worries really are then be happy that you were able to show them that.

4. Feel good that you can see more positive in their lives than they can – The very fact that you can recognize their negatives when they can not, puts you into a different energy vibration altogether. This helps you to see how awesome your positive outlook is and how much better you feel about your life than they do. Relish the feeling of happiness you get and remember the empty feeling of negativity that they have which comes with their outlook.

5. Stop it in its tracks – If you have to be in the situation and hang out with someone who is being miserable then do not let the parade of negativity continue. Let them know that you have a different outlook on the subject they are talking about. You can try to tell them your view point and how what they are talking about is not as bad as it seems but if they do not want to see any good in it, believe me they won't, and it will just heat up their point of view. So tell them bluntly that you would rather talk about something else or nothing at all if they continue with their rant. In most cases this should work and may even take them out of their negativity long enough to help them feel good.

Unfried Ice Cream

Serves - 4
WW Points - 5

2 cups low-fat vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup cornflake crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
 
Place four 1/2 cup scoops of ice cream on wax paper lined baking sheet. Freeze for 1 hour or until firm.

In a shallow bowl, combine cornflake crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Roll ice cream in crumb mixture to coat. Freeze until ready to serve. When ready to serve, drizzle each serving with 1 Tablespoon of honey.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 246 Calories; 3g Fat (10.2% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 55g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 9mg Cholesterol; 174mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Fat; 3 Other Carbohydrates.

Mastercook 11 Finally Here!

At long last!!! Mastercook 11.0 is finally available! I have been waiting two LONG years for this, so forgive me if I'm a bit too excited!!! For so long, Mastercook did not support Window Vista or 7. Well, the answer to our prayers is finally here. The newest release works for both, as well as XP. I have tried several other recipe management programs in the past couple of years, but none of them have met my needs like Mastercook.

• Scale recipes to the size you need
• Figure nutritional info on your own recipes
• Organize, sort and print your recipes
• Create shopping lists
• Import recipes from the web
•  Includes an On The Go app for iPhone

My order is placed and I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival! Get your order placed!

Tomato Salad

Serves - 2
Points -  1

Ingredients:
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/2 small onion, diced
2 teaspoon basil, fresh, chopped
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper, black, freshly ground
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Divide into two serving and enjoy.

Nutrition info per serving:
Calories: 56
Total Fat: 3 g
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 154 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 7 g
Dietary Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 1 g

Have You Lost Your Direction? Write Yourself a Letter.

In our busy lives, it is so easy to get caught up in our day-to-day routines that we oftentimes lose track of WHY we are even trying to be healthier, eat healthier, lose weight, or whatever your end goal may be. During stressful moments, it is so much easier just to revert back to old behaviors than to be mindful in the moment. If this sounds like you, do yourself a favor. Take 10 minutes out of your busy schedule and do something nice for yourself. Write yourself a letter about why you want to lose weight and live a healthier life. Is it to have more energy? See your children grow up? To look better? Only you know your reason, but write it down. Save your letter in a safe place. Then the next time you don't feel like taking that 20-minute walk or think you just MUST have that slice of chocolate cake or large fries, take out your letter and read it to yourself. You just might change your mind. I'm off to write my letter now!

The Mysterious Kiwano Horned Melon

While shopping in my local Kroger this morning, my 6 yr. old son pointed out a rather odd looking fruit and asked curiously about it. I love trying new things so I was on a mission to find out more about this funny, prickly looking fruit. It is called a Kiwano Horned Melon and here is what I have discovered...

1. It is available year round.

2. It has the flavor that compares to a cucumber with a slight lemon and banana taste.

3. It has edible seeds and a jelly like center.

The most exciting part... 1 melon is a mere 25 calories, 0 g. fat and 1 g. fiber! It even packs 40% of daily Vitamin C. Not too shabby!

It is a tropical fruit, so it cannot be stored in the refrigerator. Look for a golden orange color with no bruises or cuts in the rind. You can keep a kiwano melon for about 2 months.

Idea: Peel, cube and toss into fresh fruit salad for a new texture and flavor!

Zucchini and Red Onion Pita Pizzas

These are so easy and delicious for a quick lunch! You could use fat-free Mozzarella and save a point, but I prefer the rich goodness of the Asiago.

Serves - 1
WW Points - 5

1 Western Bagel Alternative Pita
1 wedge Light Laughing Cow Cheese
1/4 cup zucchini, thinly sliced and sauteed
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced and sauteed
1/4 cup Asiago cheese, shredded

Place pita on baking sheet lined with foil. Broil for 2 minutes, watching carefully so pita doesn't burn.

Remove from oven, turn pita to other side and spread with Light Laughing Cow cheese. Top with sauteed zucchini and red onions. Sprinkle with Asiago cheese.

Return to oven and broil for 3 minutes, being careful not to burn. Remove from oven, cut into 4 pieces and enjoy!

Gave Away My Skinny Clothes

Yes, you read correctly! I gave away my skinny clothes and I have to say it was completely liberating. Recently, in the midst of a move, I found myself standing in my closet feeling completely overwhelmed. Now mind you, this closet was the size of a small bedroom and it was FULL of clothing, all sizes that I have ranged through the last 15 years. I always hung on to my "skinny" clothes because someday I was going to "get back into them". Those clothes had somehow became my security over the years that everything would be okay. What I didn't realize until my recent epiphany is that those very clothes that I had thought were my security were actually keeping me in denial about my real problem of being FAT! Those clothes represented years of guilt. Now, I'm not saying it started out as an easy process, but one by one I went through every item tossing anything that did not fit into the donation pile. By the time I had reached the last of it, I felt as if a huge burden had been lifted. I felt happy. I was actually giving myself permission to be happy right where I was at that very moment, at that very size. It's like a fresh start!

While I believe it's important to get rid of your "fat clothes" during your weight loss journey, I believe it is equally important to rid your life of anything that is causing you to feel guilt or shame and preventing your success. What will you find in your closet?

Lasagna Lover's Pasta Rolls

When I started this recipe, I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. I only had "oven ready" lasagna noodles. However, I cooked them for 8 minutes and rinsed in cold water. Turned out great! You could also use whole wheat lasagna noodles to add extra fiber content.

From: Halfmysize.com
Serves - 8
WW Points - 8

1 Egg, beaten
16 ounces fat-free cottage cheese
2 cups skim milk mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
26 ounces spaghetti sauce
12 ounces lasagna noodles, cooked (16 noodles)

1. Heat oven to 375ºF.

2. Mix first 5 ingredients until well blended.

3. Spread 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Spread each noodle with 3 Tbsp. cheese mixture; roll up. Place, seam-sides down, in dish. Top with remaining sauce and Parmesan; cover with foil.

4. Bake 50 min. or until heated through, uncovering the last 10 min.

NOTE: May be refrigerated up to 24 hours, then bake, covered, 1 hour 5 min. or until heated through, uncovering the last 10 min.

Servings: 8

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/8 of a recipe (8.2 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 380.57
Calories From Fat (24%) 92.76
% Daily Value
Total Fat 10.45g 16%
Saturated Fat 4.83g 24%
Cholesterol 55.07mg 18%
Sodium 781.05mg 33%
Potassium 443.77mg 13%
Total Carbohydrates 47.73g 16%
Fiber 3.49g 14%
Sugar 10.65g
Protein 22.61g 45%

Great New FUN Workout!

I just received my new "Just Dance" workout game for Wii. It is so much fun! Just watch the screen and follow the moves. It's that simple. Work up a sweat before you even realize it. Make it a dance party with up to 4 players. Did you know you can burn up to 600 calories per hour depending on how hard you dance? Not too shabby! Give it a try!