When I have spoken about my journey with Food $ense, I don’t think the thought ever entered my head that it would one day be over.  I have come to realize the living a healthy lifestyle and making positive changes is a process and there is no finish line. I didn’t ever think I would one day say goodbye to Snappily Ever After and not have it be my life. But today, that’s what I am doing. Saying goodbye to you, my friends and community. You have blessed my life more than you will ever know, more than I could imagine when I placed my first wobbly footsteps on this path.

Although I am moving on, Food $ense is here to stay and they have other blogs, websites, classes and resources that are still free, in your communities and they offer all kinds of exciting classes and experiences. You can go with your whole family and prepare a meal and eat together (Create Family Meals), you can attend classes with your small children (Mommy and Me) or you can take your kids to have a story, play games and make a snack (Food Fun and Reading). This is all in addition to the traditional classes that they have always offered both in person and online.

Visit Eat Well Utah the official blog and sign up for the newsletter – that will include classes that are offered in Your very own county! Kids Create is the Food $ense blog for kids, it is written for kids and has so much information, recipes and activities – all geared towards kids wanting to make better health choices for themselves.

Find them on Instagram – along with the official Food $ense account, on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.

Snappily Ever After has followed me through some of the hardest, most challenging and growing years of my life, I am sad to leave you all, but I know without a doubt that I am leaving you in the best hands possible!

I’ll see you at the Farmer’s Market!

Kerry

Mindful Eating - starting a practice

With all the chaos that I feel goes on in my life, I have tried to develop some habits and teach my children some tools that can help deal with stress in this wild world we all live in.  One of these habits that I have been working on and trying to teach my oldest is Mindfulness. He tends to become overwhelmed quite easily and stresses out over things that others seem to deal with effortlessly.

I discovered mindfulness when I was looking for ways to not only help him relax, but also to help him focus his energies. It is a really awesome process and thankfully it is just as easy at it sounds. Being Mindful of yourself and aware of what is happening in the present. Sure it can take a lot of time and effort to master, but just like yoga and meditation, it doesn't take a lot of skill to start practicing.

You can do lots of things mindfully, exercise, meditation, housework, but one of the biggest mindful movements is Mindful Eating. Isn't the idea of that wonderful? The really good news that goes along with that wonderful idea is that it can be really really good for you. Over the last 20 years there have been several studies done that show mindful eating can help you be in better health and improve your relationship with food.

So how do you actually do it, this mindful eating stuff.  Here is a good way to get started:

1. Read up a a little on what mindful eating really is. Here is a great website that answers just that exact question. There are principles and suggestions that you can add to your practice.

2. Just be mindful - just be aware.  You don't have to start out knowing everything about it, this is a practice that you are beginning. Just the fact that you are beginning in a step forward. Start by being mentally focused and engaged in exactly what you are doing. Put down your phone, do not multi-task and be engaged fully in the one thing you are doing.

3. Check in with the 4 mindful points. Examine each point of mindfulness, if you are not being mindful gently bring yourself back to your focus.

a. Mind: Am I tasting each bite or am I zoned out when I eat? (You can download the awareness checklist here.)

Body: How does my body feel before and after I eat? Low energy? Stomach rumbling? Full? Empty?

c. Feeling: What do I feel about this food? Guilty? Pleasure? Joy? Disappointment? Regret?

d. Thoughts: What thoughts does this food bring to mind? Memories? Beliefs? Myths? Fears?

Being mindful of ourselves, especially while we are eating can help us enjoy our food and our meals more completely.  Start out slow, give yourself one meal or snack a day that you are going to practice being mindful during. You will love the feelings that it gives you and how much more you enjoy your meal and the food.

Active Moms Means Active Kids

I read a really interesting article the other day on my local news website. It talks about how even increasing your activity level as a mom just a little can increase the activity level in your kids. This is great news for anyone wanting to help their kids be a little bit healthier. It isn't "new" news to anybody that being active is better for you than sitting around all day. But it is exciting news that being more active ourselves actually helps our kids be more active. Another great reason to move a little bit more.

Let's Move, is a Great place to start if you are looking for ways to be more active. They have great ideas for seasonal activities and also can help you find parks, playgrounds and things to do outside. There is even a fantastic section for Parents that can help you get started being more active.

When it comes to the internet there is no shortage of information and people willing to share ideas with you. If you don't know where to start try searching "easy ways to be active" or "simple ways to boost activity". But it all really just starts with you wanting to make a little bit of a change or improvement.

Ways to Stay Motivated!

  To stick with an exercise routine, you need a reason to carry on when that little voice inside says, "Sit on the couch. Have a doughnut."

And just knowing that exercise is good for you doesn't seem to be enough to get you moving. Here are some ways to help you stay motivated when your courage is waning and you don't really feel like putting on the work out duds and sweating to the oldies. 

Be Realistic - First time exercisers tend to make the mistake of being overly ambitious with their goals and expectations. Instead of telling yourself that you want to exercise an hour a day five days a week, start with 1/2 a day three times a week, or ten minute walks two times a day. Just doing more than you are doing right now is an improvement!


Don't Expect Perfection- Another pitfall is all-or-nothing thinking, a perfectionist way of looking at things. This kind of thinking can cause you to miss a day and then give up all together. If you prepare for some sidesteps on your journey you won't be so mentally disappointed when there are setbacks.

Keep Track of Your Progress- Whether you decide to go high tech or keep in old school, keep track of your progress. Are you getting faster, doing more reps, able to lift more weight? You will be more likely to stick with it when you are able to see the improvement you are making.


Don't Compare Yourself to Others- This is no one's journey but your own. Don't let other people's lifestyles and choices prevent you from benefiting from the changes a healthy lifestyle can bring to you. Don't let others deter you from your goals.

Find the Fun in It. - As children exercise was just play, it can still be that way for us as adults. Find an activity you enjoy. There has been an explosion of classes at gyms, if you are aren't the gym type, walk around your neighborhood or up and down the stairs in your house. Get out and play with your kids or your pets. Do something you enjoy.

Get Support - Enlist the help of your spouse, girlfriends, boyfriends, buddies -- anyone who will encourage you to stay on track. But remember they are suppose to be a help, no nagging allowed. 


Break it Up- If you can't find an hour (or even a half hour) to give yourself time to exercise, break it up into smaller increments and do 3 sessions of 20 minutes, or take 3 ten minute walks. Studies have shown that these mini workouts can be just as effective as doing it all at once.


Make it Convenient - Make this work for you. If you are too tired at the end of the day to workout, set your alarm a little bit early and do it in the morning. If you are pressed for time, don't spend extra minutes driving to the gym - do exercise videos at home. These are changes you are making for yourself and the more convenient you can make it, the more likely you are to stick with it.


Forget the Past - You are no longer in high school trying out for the cheer leading squad or trying to run a mile in p.e. Let the past go, if you weren't the best athlete then that doesn't matter at all now. Let those feelings go, forgive and forget and give these changes to yourself as a gift.


Reward Yourself. - But not with food! If you stick with it for a month, but yourself a new workout outfit, tickets to a movie or perhaps some flowers. Try a reward that supports your new mind-body connection. This will help you to savor the rewards of your hard work.

Maple Roasted Pumpkin and Veggies

When I first started trying to follow My Plate I had no idea how I was going to feed my family all those vegetables. I didn't know how I was going to eat all those vegetables.  Trying to achieve half a plate at every meal seemed like a nearly impossible task. 

But as I have learned through Food $ense classes and just putting the things I have learned into practice, it isn't as hard as you might think - and actually can be really really delicious. 

I began first by adding a green salad to lunch and dinner. It was easy, the kids could help me prepare it, and my bigger kids could easy do it on their own. Everyone could choose their own dressing and so I never had to face any, "but I don't like salad" complaints.  It quickly became habit and I felt really good about the changes we were making. 

Something else that I have recently started doing, is roasting up all the veggies that I have left in the fridge on Saturdays during my meal prep. I always add a great big onion to them, toss them in a little bit of olive oil spread them out on two baking sheets (because I make a LOT) and then sprinkle them with a little bit of salt and pepper.   I used these veggies as a go-to side dish all week until I run out of them. 

That means that without even having to think about it, I have added a green salad and then a side of roasted veggies to my plate without even having to think about it.  Then when I make dinner during the week, I can plan much smaller portions of protein and grains because I already know we have lots of vegetables to fill up on.  I don't even worry about "do roasted veggies go with this" because you don't think that for a second about a green salad, it just goes with everything, I feel that way about roasted veggies. 

Ingredients

2 lbs cubed pumpkin (sweet potatoes or winter squash)

1 lb brussels sprouts 

2 red onions, peeled and each onion cut into wedges

1/4 cup walnuts (or other sturdy nut like almonds or pecans)

3 tbsp maple syrup

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp dried chili flakes, adjust to taste 

1/2 tsp salt

Black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F.

Peel and dice the pumpkin into 1“ cubes, If your brussels sprouts are large, cut them in half.

Place the pumpkin, brussels sprouts, onion and walnuts onto a large baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup, then mix with your hands until it is evenly coated.

Sprinkle the veggies with the dried chilli flakes, salt and pepper.

Roast for 25 minutes, or until the pumpkin is browned and cooked through. 

Toss once at around 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven, Serve immediately.

How to Get Started Being Active

I saw this quote on an instagram story this morning and I couldn't help but think about how this applies to beginning to be physically active.  We all live busy stressful lives and for a lot of us, at the end of the day, all we want to do it tune out and sit on the couch - not move or do one more thing.  Just me?   No ? 

The mental discipline to becoming active and making physical activity a habit can be more overwhelming than either the physical resistance or work. Choosing to make a change can be the most important step - nothing happens without that first choice to change and live a healthier life. 

First - begin by taking that choice and making a commitment to yourself.  You are worth the health and happiness that being active and living a healthy lifestyle will provide for you and also the people that you care about.  Get rid of the mental excuses, You are worth every ounce of effort that it takes you. And each choice for good is worth twice as much as staying in the place that you are at.  You aren't suddenly going to be perfect at "being healthy", but you don't have to tell yourself, "I'm too tired" or "I can't" - you can start by simply saying, "I'm Not too tired" and "I Can"

 Second - get your stuff together. If you are going to be walking, find the nicest walking shoes that you have, or buy the best shoes that you can afford. You won't want to go if your feet are killing you.  If you have decided to swim, get your towel, suit and a pair of goggles in a bag. Perhaps you are getting on a bike, make sure your tires are pumped up and the bike is in safe working condition and get a helmet. Set out the DVDs and your water bottle, or make a date with a walking partner.  Everything you can do to eliminate excuses that we make for ourselves will help you take those first hard steps.

Next - Start slowly. While it is recommended that adults get about 2 hours and 30 minutes or 150 minutes per week of moderate physical activity. This is about 30 minutes 5 days per week. You aren't going to be doing this the first time you get active. Start with just 10 minutes at a time for a the first week. Starting at a level that doesn't destroy you, but challenges you will give you chance to see yourself progress into higher levels of fitness instead of making you want to give up. 

Then - Fuel your body. I find that when I am being more active I just want to feed myself better. I care more about what I am doing for myself and how I am taking care of me. I find it lots easier to drink more water and cut out soda, have my fruits and veggies and eat less junk food.

If you are looking for more ideas or support, please visit Food $ense at our website or find local classes where you can connect with people who have the same goals as you.

When Kids Eat Healthy, So Do Parents

I would be willing to bet that almost every parent has uttered the phrase, " I am not running a restaurant" - I would be willing to bet that even the parents who actually run a restaurant, do not feed their kids that way.  It is impossible to run a family and cook each person a different breakfast, a different lunch and a different dinner. 

" You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit" probably originated at the dinner table. 

But studies are finding that children who eat better have parents who eat better.  On this journey to love a healthier life, I have been the one lagging behind, I am the one with doubts, the one with weird food hang-ups and the one who resists change the most. It is probably because I have had my bad habits the longest. 

Our kids are open to trying new things, they are brave and adventurous and if we didn't put all our anxiety on them, they'd lead us the way into healthy lifestyles.  Kids love to play, when did we as adults stop playing? When I take my kids to the farmer's market, they want to discover everything, they want to feel it and smell it and taste it. I am the one thinking, " I have heard that ____ is really bad / strange / yucky" 

Not only are our children great examples to us, but they inspire us.  I want my children to leave long lives, full of health that allows them to be anything they want to be.  By choosing to provide them food that is unhealthy, I am not only depriving their bodies of nutrition that they need, but I am planting the seeds for bad habits that will last a lifetime. 

I struggle still in my quest to be a healthier person. I struggle with being active and having a piece for fruit instead of an ice cream. But I am motivated for my children. There are lots of things I won't do for myself, but I will do for my children. These choices aren't easy ones, and I am certainly not always perfect, but the people that I am doing it for are the most important people in the world and they are helping me to be a better person for myself and them. 

10 Healthy Tips Almost Everyone Can Agree On

Can you believe that I just typed "Everyone Can Agree On" and "Healthy" in the same blog title. 

I actually can't think of too many things that more people seem to disagree on (and feel really strongly about) than food and nutrition. 

There is so much confusing information out there, so many studies, big ones and small ones, and most of them seem to completely disagree with each other. 

So what are you suppose to believe, even people with the very best intentions to make healthy lifestyle changes can hardly know where to turn with arguments coming from all sides. 

Nothing is true 100% of the time. - and nothing is perfect for every single body, body type, situation and budget, But these tips are pretty accurate most of the time, for most body types, most situations and most budgets. 

Mostly, the Most. 

* Start Your Day With Breakfast

Eating is much better for you than not eating. It's that simple. 

 * Eat Less Fast Food

The portions, the fat, the salt, the chemicals, the eating on the run. Nobody could argue it was good for us - we should do it less. 

* Eat Real Food

This one is a compromise for almost all of us. Yes! you can grow every single thing you put into your mouth yourself, but most of us don't do that. Buy things that are as "real" as you can get and read your labels. And then make the decision for yourself and your family, "what is the best choice that I can make here" - do that, and you'll be doing just fine. 

* Listen To Your Body

We all start out as babies, eating when we are hungry and stopping when we are full. Along the way, we get really confused about when, why and how much we are eating. Get back to listening to your body. Learn to read your own cues, are you thirsty and not hungry, are you bored, are you eating because you just need something to do with your hands? Listen to your body tell you what it needs. You'll be surprised at how smart you already are. 

* Eat More Vegetables

This one is about as 100% as we are going to get. There isn't anyone that doesn't think you should be eating your veggies - Including your mom!  Follow this pattern : Fresh, Frozen, Canned - any veggies are better than no veggies. 

* Drink Water

There isn't a single thing that is better for you to hydrate with than water. Sports Drinks, soda companies, energy drink makers - they're all trying to sell you something that you don't need. Your body needs water, it doesn't "need" any of those other things. 

* Don't Skip Meals

There are a lot of different reasons behind this one, Metabolism effects, binge eating later, being hungry messes with your brain .. and on and on.  But it all boils down to the fact that our bodies need fuel to run. Fuel your body the best way that you can - and you'll be just fine. 

* Snack If You Need To 

This could be a whole argument all on its own, but it just comes down to the truth that eating healthy food is better than not eating.  Joseph gets to work early in the morning, so he has breakfast before 7am, that makes him hungry for lunch around at 11 (and really hungry by 12) - he gets the 3:00 slump and isn't home from work until 6:30 - From 11:00 to 6:30 is a really long time if you are Hungry.  Kids who come home from school are in exactly the same situation, eating something healthy is always always better than not eating at all. 

* Avoid Soda

Sugar, I don't think I need to say more. 

* It is Okay Not to Eat Perfectly

Being healthy is a journey, it is a process and it changes as much year to year as it does daily. Every single body, and every lifestyle and every situation have different needs.  Maybe you are a man who works long hours at a very physically demanding job, perhaps you are a mom with young kids and running on no sleep, hormones, activity levels, budgets and time - they all have an effect on what we can and do put in our bodies. 

Don't beat yourself up because you aren't Perfect - perfect according to who, to what standards, in what situation. Make the very best decision that you can in that moment and keep on making that best decision in that moment that you can. 

Those best decisions still aren't going to add up to a perfect way to eat, because that doesn't exist (and people who are telling you it does aren't being truthful) so be kind to yourself, you are here and that means you want to be healthier and choice by choice you'll be moving in that direction. 

Create Better Health

As someone who keeps a blog that posts a lot of recipes and talks about food, you would think that I was someone who loves to cook and be in the kitchen. That perhaps I read cookbooks for fun or really enjoyed hosting dinner parties with friends and that we laughed in my magazine perfect kitchen while I prepared foods with complicated names and expensive ingredients. 

That couldn't be further from the truth. I have never loved cooking. It is pretty low on the list of things that I have to do and some people enjoy. Most days, I don't even like it at all. But here I am, getting to write a blog about it and you might be wondering why I spend so much time writing about something that isn't my passion. 

Because taking care of my family IS my passion and a few years ago, I learned that feeding them healthy food, having family meals and being active together was one of the best ways that I could take care of them. 

I learned these things from Food $ense classes.  One of the very coolest things about these classes are that they are offered all over the state of Utah, I promise, you do really have some in your area!

Or you can do what I did and learn all about it online. 

Maybe you have seen us your local Farmer's Market, or at a community event. Maybe you have received a copy of our Yearly Cookbook. Or even got a copy of our Newsletter.

I took a brave step into this world that would mean a lot of changes for me and for my family. I wouldn't have thought twice about picking up dinner 4-5 times a week at a fast food restaurant. I may have even thought, look at what a good mom I am being - able to afford this "luxury" and taking my kids to such a fun place.  I would say, Let's get our work done and we'll go get a soda.  But I was beginning to realize that these things that I was doing that I thought were so good for my family was actually hurting them. 

It has been such a journey.  I was so scared to begin. I didn't know where to start or if I could keep up with it, what if I failed, like I always did on the crazy diets? I had so many questions and I felt so unqualified to start.  

Then I thought about it like riding a bike. You don't expect to just know how to ride a bike and then you just start riding a bike because you already know how.  Nobody starts something for the first time because they already know how to do it. It makes so much sense when you think of it that way.  You begin this journey, BECAUSE you don't know how to do it! 

And you aren't going to be perfect at it, no one is. And that is the beauty of it. You'll start to make one good choice at a time, and then another and another and each choice for the better helps you to create a healthier life for you and the people that you love. 

Please don't think that you can't begin just because you are not already perfect at it. 

Please don't think that when you show up for a class that you'll be the only one there that has never poached an egg ( I Still never have done that!)

Please don't think that because you have never bought spinach that no one in your family will want to eat it. - My kids and husband eat things I would never have guessed they would.  In fact, the other day, I picked up fast food meals for the kids and headed to my mom's office for a picnic. We got the kids all set up and they were excited for their toys and yogurts and my mom opened an avocado, Charlie immediately abandoned his cheeseburger and ate her entire avocado and my poor mom was forced to eat a cheeseburger for lunch. 

I don't get to sit here and say,  Oh yes! I have always fed my kids the finest avocados and so of course they love them. It shocked me more than anyone else. This journey is always surprising and fresh and new for me.  I am always learning something new and sometimes things don't work out well at all, and I am learning that is okay too - there is no such thing as perfectly healthy or a perfect diet, there is only such a thing as people trying to be better everyday.  

If you are looking for a place to start,  Please try Food Sense. The classes are always free, they have yummy samples and things to share, the teachers are compassionate and knowledgeable and so real! If classes with a group aren't you thing, Join our online community and read our blogs, connect with us on social media and become a part of our community of people who want a better life for themselves and people they love. 

Better health doesn't come because people already know it all, Better health is created everyday by tiny little choices that we all can make. 

5 Things That are Making Me Happy Right Now - Vol. 2

 

my Goodness, it is good to be happy. These first two weeks of summer have left me so frazzled and really just at my wits end. I decided that if I was going to survive this summer, and if my kids were going to survive this summer, I was going to need to start looking on the bright side. 

Here's my first month of summer list of things that I have decided to be happy about. 

1. Old Fashion Arts and Crafts - I am introducing the kids to sidewalk chalk art, making pom poms, melting crayons, finger knitting, water coloring. Almost anything that keeps little hands busy keeps me happy. It is so hard to work at home during the summer. You feel like you can't get any peace and quiet and the mom guilt for sitting on your laptop while you kids beg you do to something is sometimes crushing. Sitting together and having them work on a project keeps us both happy. 

2. Summer Rain Storms - How awesome is the rain when you don't even have to come inside. You just keep on playing basketball with your buddy and dry off when the sun comes out again. 

3. Kid of the Day - We have one stool at our kitchen table. (and Everyone wants to sit on it) Everyone wants to be first, have the red cup, eat cereal out of the bowl with the straw attached and it was driving me crazy. So we started having Kid of the Day. Who ever is kid of the day gets everything their way that day. We have three little ones, so each are assigned two days.  And mom gets to spend most of her day not hearing about who's turn it is to sit in the middle cushion on the couch. 

4. Eating Outside - Grilling, Picnics and Roasting food on sticks around the fire pit. Even slicing up a watermelon and spitting the seeds into the grass is a passage into summer. And keeping my kitchen clean(er) is making me really happy. 

5. Walks at Dusk - Sometimes it is just Joseph and I, sometimes we take the stroller and the kids ride the bikes or we pile them all into the little red wagon. After being inside for the better part of the day because of the heat, it is so nice to get outside and breath the air. It is nice to connect and spend some time unplugged. 

8 Reasons Why You Should Go on a Walk Right Now

Walking can do wonders. Walking is almost always accessible, it doesn't cost anything to do, there isn't even a specific time you can and can't do it. You can do it alone or with a friend, you can take the whole family or just the family pet.  Here are some reasons that you might not know yet, why you should go on a walk right now. 

1. Walking Just Make You Happier - According to a study done by researchers at Duke University, being active outdoors was proven to boost your mood. They recommend at least 30 minutes - three times a week for happiest results, but I know I have felt the effects of walking outside on my mood, and I often recommend it to my kids, "just take a walk" 

2. Walking Reduces Stress - Anytime your body is active and moving it increases the flow of the hormone cortisol through your body. This helps your whole body manage stress better, not just your brain. 

3. Walking Gives Your Brain a Rest - Or in other words, walking can clear your mind. This is especially true if you can find a place to walk that is more natural than an urban area - like a park or a hiking trail or perhaps a rural road. You don't have to be a vigilant and you can just enjoy the scenery and let your mind turn "off" for a bit. 

4. Walking Makes You More Creative - this reason goes hand in hand with letting your brain take a rest. When you let your brain take a break and it doesn't have so many worries or thoughts racing around you are open for creative thoughts, for new ideas and solutions to problems that you may not have thought of before. 

5. Walking Improves Concentration - A study was done on children who walk to school and adults who walk to work and it was found that both felt like they were better able to concentrate. While that is medically official. It stands to reason that all that fresh air, movement and brain resting can get you ready to focus use your brain better when it comes time. 

6. Walking Makes Your Bones Stronger - Any type of movement is great for your body, but exercise that you can sustain long term and do regularly will benefit your overall health the most long term. This means stronger bones, a stronger heart and less risk of chronic diseases. Start now and keep it up for the best results to your overall short term AND long term health. 

7. Walking is FREE - You don't even need a special kind of shoes to start walking, just head out your door and you've already begun. 

8. Walking Builds Relationships - This can be with the person that you are walking with, the people that you meet in your neighborhood or community or even people that you meet on the trail. I know that walking for Joseph and I just enables us to connect with each other without the business of our home around us. Even when we take the kids, they run up ahead or fall asleep in the wagon and it ends up being just the two of us talking.  When I walk with my teenage son, being able to just walk and talk side by side means we can talk about complex issues that are more awkward to talk about when you are looking at each other. Taking that time to walk with a child can help connect them to the world around them  -- and even just walking alone, you can connect with yourself, with that place in you that a lot of times get drowned out by the noisy world around us all. 

So many reasons, all pretty good ones too,  How about we both get off our screens and go take a walk. 

5 Things That Are Making Me Really Happy

I just love May.  My Daughter's birthday is on the 28th of April and we just start partying then.  It is then my birthday, my sweet sister's birthday, our beloved grandma's birthday and then mother's day. 

I am really happy, I want to share with you a few reasons why. Maybe they will be something you'll want to put into your lives, maybe the will spark some happiness in you, or maybe they will give you a laugh about the things that make me happy. 

1. The Spring Weather: I live in Northern Utah and our spring weather can be described as chaotic, at best. In March, we had a week of 75 degree temps and We had snow on the 28th of April and they closed some of the canyon roads because of avalanche danger. - But now, The spring we all know and love begins. I can be outside without sweating in the 100 degree heat and getting a sunburn from the altitude. May has the best weather in all of Utah, which I will firmly defend until October, which also has the best weather in Utah. 

2. The 1 Minute Rule: I used to spend a lot of time, stepping over things, wiping around piles and grumping about things that would have taken me less than a minute to change. If you want to read a detailed explanation all about it, you can go HERE.  But basically, if it would take you less than 1 minute to do, then do it now. It has me checking things off my list, walking across my kitchen floor without grumbling about socks left there and living in a MUCH MUCH neater home. Making me a much happier person.

3. Spending 15 Minutes with Each of My Teens: I really like my teenage boys, they are funny and smart and I like hanging out with them. But I am seeing less and less of them as they get jobs, have more school activities and develop into adults with their own lives. So I have committed to spending 15 minutes each day with them one-on-one.  I'll pick up Jett from rehersal with no little kids in the car, so we can talk all the way home without interruption. I'll stop what I am doing for "me time" when Lex gets home instead of having him just poke his head in the door and say, "I'm home".  I feel like connections that I felt like I was losing are becoming stronger, and that is making me very happy. 

4. Meal Planning: I got out of the habit of doing this for a while and even though I knew exactly why - the money I spend on groceries increased, the quality of the food we were eating went down, my stress levels went way way up and I was unhappy.  I find dinner VERY overwhelming and Meal Planning lets me get a handle on it more than anything else. If you want to know the basics, you can check in with Food Sense here and they can tell you all about it.  I have written all sorts of things about it on the blog - if you go to the sidebar and find the "search blog" box, you can read all sorts of ideas, tip, tricks and hear stories about how it works (and fails) in our family. Starting this habit again has made the hugest change in my nightly happiness and dinner being a pleasant experience for all involved. 

5. I Have Started Having a Create Day: Thursday is my laundry day. My kids have a pretty quiet day on the Thursdays and that means I spend a lot less time in the car. So I do ALL my laundry on Thursday, I start early in the AM and keep it humming until evening, I dump it all on the bed, and fold while I watch a movie and then have the kids put it away. - But while the machines are running I spend time just creating things I love. Some days I paint and draw, some days I craft, some days I knit or explore something that I have been curious about trying. This day feeds my soul and I don't have to give up a day of being productive to have it. I look forward to laundry day all week. It makes me really happy. 

... For When You See Me at The Drive-Thru

Years ago when I was asked to start this Food $ense journey and share it all with you. I had so many emotions. I was scared and excited and I was incredibly motivated to change my life.

In the first three months, I attempted to give up any grain that wasn't whole, sugar entirely, and in a whole separate universe of giving stuff up, I was going to give up my Coke.  - all in three months. 

I was obviously going to sprint my way to good heath, and hopefully get it done in under... oh say, 6 months at the max, at least for sure before Christmas and the holidays rolled around. 

It was a new world, I had all the tools, I had all the support, I even really really wanted to succeed. 

..... and then....  life just got so normal. 

And while I had made great changes, and I was moving forward in my journey. I began to compare myself to every food blogger, every nutrition expert, every before and after photo. And there wasn't a single time that I didn't come up short. 

It suddenly didn't matter that I had switched to a fresh bread made by my local bakery. I was still eating bread. It didn't matter that I was having more meals with my family. I wasn't having ALL meals with my family and some members were still pretty grumpy about it. I felt better, but I certainly didn't look any better. Where were my victories that I could post on Facebook about. 

How were people supposed to know all the changes that I was trying to make if I didn't look completely different?

I started to feel so self-conscious in my own skin. I analyzed every part of my life and worried constantly that it wasn't going to be enough. That I wasn't going to be enough for you. That my story and my hope to inspire you and take this journey with you would be invalid because I wasn't perfect. 

It sounds silly to type that and say, I want to be your friend and help you through this really hard journey, but since I haven't gotten it perfect 100% of the time, I can't be your friend doing it. 

Something deep inside us makes us not want to struggle, to have it be hard, to have to earn it. 

And I personally have such a hard time with there not being a Perfect 10 diet. For every person and every different body and different daily situation there are different needs - how can I know that I am doing well at this, if I don't realize where gold medal / world record is. 

And here is the answer -- To Honor the progress.  Honor All forms of Progress. 

I'm just gonna let that sink in for a bit. 

If you feel like you aren't measuring up on the scale, or with the weights or the times on the treadmill, look for other victories. Emotional, Mental, Behavioral and not just physical. Step a few steps back, maybe quite a few, so you can see the whole big picture - the great big wide - across a lifetime picture.  I bet you're doing better now than you were. If for no other reason.. that because you are HERE and you WANT to do better. 

Don't just acknowledge that progress, I want you to honor it. 

And if you see me at the drive-thru, you can be sure I'll smile and wave and not give up on myself or my goals or my family. This healthy lifestyle is a long journey and the most important part is that we don't give up and perhaps even enjoy this process that is making us so much more than we could have been.  Drive-thru's, missed days at the gym, birthday cake for breakfast and All. 

Just Breathing Can Really Reduce Stress

Each of have stress in our lives to some degree. Some perhaps deal with it better than others. Maybe even you have dealt with it in times of your lives better than others.  

I know I am one big stress ball, frankly, most days, I am an anxious stressed out wreck. And while I do have a busy life and lots on my plate - also tend to worry about things (a lot)

Along the way, in learned to deal with my stress, I have picked up a few breathing techniques that I thought I would share with you. May I humbly suggest that you try one or maybe all of them and see how they might fit into your life. Our bodies run so much better when we are feeling less stress.  And that is what we all want. -- And some of us just want to get through the day without pulling our eyebrows out!

Breathing exercises work because they reconnect us to our bodies and help to quiet our minds. 

Deep breathing does more than help us relax; it’s been scientifically proven to improve wellness.

The First one is called : Equal Breathing -

How to do Equal Breathing:

• Inhale through the nose for a count of four.
• Then exhale for a count of four through the nose (this adds a natural resistance to the breath).
• Do this 2-3 times.

After you have practiced this for a while, you might want to increase the number to 6 or 8.

When my Ezra can't calm down and sleep, I do this one with him.  I let him lay down and close his eyes and I count for him.  I say, "breath in.... 2, .. 3, .. 4.. and breath out ... 2, ... 3, ... 4.  Some night I end up doing it until he falls asleep, but he is learning to do it on his own.


 The Second one is called : Deep Belly Breathing - 

If you have ventured into a yoga class or watched a yoga video on youtube, then you have seen this breathing technique. It is my personal favorite one to practice, because I feel like it involves my whole body more than the other two.  It is the one that I choose to do when I am trying to fall asleep and my mind is racing.

Believe it or not, most of us have actually forgotten how to breathe into our bellies.  Here is how you do it.

• Lay down on your back on a bed.
• Put your hands on your belly.
• Breathe naturally and notice if your belly is going up and down.
• Now gently breathe into your belly; keep your hands on your belly.
• Keep breathing till you feel your belly going up and down gently.
• Do this breathing for 3-10 minutes depending on how much time you have.

I hear that if you practice this enough times. (like as in a Yogi), you can start to breath like this all the time. - No wonder they are so relaxed!.



“The 4-7-8 (or Relaxing Breath)" Exercise by Dr. Weil

This one is a little more complicated it and if I am going to do it, I honestly really have to focus (which is hard for my mind).

But I want to tell you a story, my son Jett was going into a theater audition and he really wanted the part. He had tried out a week earlier for a part he felt he had a good chance of getting it and he didn't get it. But then we called back to audition for a different part. The previous rejection had him extra nervous and as this was one of the last parts in the play, he was desperate to do his best.

We were a little bit early for his call time, so as we sat in the car, I asked him if he wanted to try a new breathing exercise that I had just learned and did he want to try it.  It took him a few repeats of the breath to get the hang of it, and then we continued until he call time came. He was relaxed and confident.

If you are really interested -- the science behind this breathing technique is amazing.  Really cool stuff.

Here's how you do it.

• Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there through the entire exercise. You will be exhaling through your mouth around your tongue; try pursing your lips slightly if this seems awkward.  (It will at least the first time) 
• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
• Hold your breath for a count of seven.
• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.

This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.


I know life is stressful, I know we all are dealing with a lot, and most of it is completely out of our control. What we do have control over is how we react and how choose to move forward.  Good Luck out there, friends.

5 Habits of Healthy Eaters

I loved it when I turned 30, I said "Good-Bye" to the insecurities and frantic feelings of my 20 and embraced the fact that I had made it through trying to survive my entry into adulthood. 

When I turned 40 last year, I felt the exact same way. I loved leaving the pressure to be "The Perfect ____" anything and really gave myself to enjoying the process and the journey that life is. I figured half my life was over and it was time to really start enjoying every single day. 

But I'll be honest with you, I really do wish that I learned the power of good habits sooner.  I wish that I had set into place the habits that would make things that I struggle with now a little bit easier (like going to be early, or taking walk when I feel moody, or writing thank you notes)

I especially wish that I had started my healthy food habits earlier.  I don't want to say that I "regret" because I don't.  I wouldn't be who I am, or have the strong convictions that I do without the life experiences that got me here. And although that doesn't make sense really, I do want to share with you some habits that I am working on now, that will hopefully make me happier and healthier in the future and give my family and my kids a great foundation to build a healthy happy future on. 

1. Eat Real Food : In our modern US society, the rate of obesity and the rise of chronic disease have increased at the same rate that our consumption of processed food.  I am going to let you make you own assumptions after that. 

So probably not a one of us could honestly say that we think Cheetos are "good for you", but what exactly IS "real food". 

Michael Pollan (an advocate for healthy eating) recommends that you don't eat anything that your great-grandparents wouldn't recognize as food.  But that means that my great-grandparents who lived their whole lives in the high Rocky Mountains, probably wouldn't recognize sushi or my beloved curry, perhaps even everyday fruits like bananas. That seems extremely restricting considering lots of our great-grandparents only ate what was grown locally and in season. My husband would miss seafood so badly. 

So what can we say is "Real Food".  Some people say anything that you can buy in its natural state, and some say anything without an ingredients list, and others say, foods with less than 5 ingredients. 

I prefer to just say, buy as good of food as you can afford.  If you can't afford peaches in the middle of winter, but you love them desperately, then buy frozen.  If you want to use butternut squash in a recipe instead of buying the pre-cut (and preserved) kind, buy a whole one and prepare it yourself. 

If you are just making the transition to rice, and you kids find it super strange, then buy the white rice, then mix it 1/2 and 1/2 and then use brown rice. Healthy food is only good for you if you actually Eat it. 

So go as "Real" as you can. Try to limit how food has been processed and preserved and just don't worry about the rest. It is better to do the best than you can, than to do nothing at all because you can't be perfect. 

2. Develop Good Shopping Habits:  Retail therapy has got to be the absolute worst anti-therapy out there. Yes, stores are designed to make you walk although through them to get to the milk and the eggs. Flashy displays, enticing placement, and the seasonal candy front and center as you walk in, make it very hard not to just throw things into your cart and they cry at home later. 

I have spent more shopping trips that I would care to admit to, filling my cart with junk food and impulse buys only to realize when I got home that I had spent twice as much money as I should have and now we are going to have to make cuts in the budget to be able to pay for the other bills. That is absolutely no way to have "therapy". 

But if you are going to be preparing and eating healthy food at home, you need to actually go to the store and buy food.  Our family has a system that works for us.  I browse the store ads and make a menu plan and grocery list. Then early on Saturday morning Joseph does all the grocery shopping. He always buys everything on the list, he never buys things like the cupcakes they put right in front of the milk case, and he actually is really speedy, but I think that is just because he is a speedy walker. 

Find a system that works for you. Maybe shopping late at night after you kids are in bed and the store is nice and quiet.  Maybe doing a grocery store pick-up keeps you on budget. Make a plan when you aren't hungry, aren't in the store, and aren't under any pressure and stick to it. Then assess how adjust your plan to what isn't working and what might better. Pretty soon you'll end up with an amazing shopping habit, that will provide you with the fresh healthy ingredients that you need and will be friendly to your budget. 

and YES!! a husband that does all the grocery shopping IS the best thing in the world! 

3. Eat Good Carbs: You body needs fuel to run and that is exactly what carbs are. They don't make you fat, they aren't the devil and they aren't going to make you die. But they are probably the easiest thing to eat that is bad for you. Chips! Processed Cookies! Soda Pop! Cake! Candy! - Yeah, you probably shouldn't be eating those things. 

But putting them in the same group as whole grain bread, brown rice, oats, nuts, beans is just bonkers. 

The word carbohydrate is really the measurement of your body burning fuel for energy. And just saying that any food that provides carbs is bad, is confusing, mislead and frankly just wrong. 

Eat more good carbs and eat less bad carbs.  Not sure which is which... read your nutrition label.  Look at fiber, sugars and nutrients, it will also list carbs, but keep in mind that the carbohydrates in a apple and a twinky are Not the same. 

4. Eat Good Fats: Good fats help your body absorb and process all those nutrient rich foods. They also have good nutrients in them as well.  I remember growing up that I loved avocados. We didn't buy them very often because they were so expensive and food money was tight. But I remember my mom saying, "that's okay, they are full of fat and you shouldn't eat them very often anyway." 

We have been so brain-washed by the low-fat, no fat media that we can't imagine any fat, not making us.. well, "Fat". 

Fats contribute to the feeling of being satisfied after you have eaten. Let's be honest, they make lots of things take so darn good.  Take for example - Popcorn. I fed my kids bags and bag of microwave popcorn for years. It was a snack they could make themselves and it was pretty cheap. As I learned more from Food $ense, I became really uncomfortable with all the chemicals in something as simple as popcorn. So I bought a microwave air popper, It is really just a bowl with a loose fitting lid, and when my kids make popcorn, I let them melt a little butter and put salt on it.  What?! How dare I add butter AND salt to my air popped most natural popcorn. Because it tastes good, that's why. And allowing my kids (and myself) to make a bowl of popcorn and adding a bit of butter and salt (we've had to talk about how much) is way better than a bag of chips, better than movie theater butter microwave popcorn and it really is just as delicious. In this case, eating a fat makes things a lot better. 

5. Mindful Eating: This one came about because of our 14 year old.  He is a bigger kid and he loves food. He loves to try everything and things taste so good to him.  He is totally my kid and we love to eat.  But as we were sitting down to dinner, both Joseph and I noticed that he would eat a plate of food, dish himself up again and be done with a second before most of us were done with our first.  He was eating so fast, bent over his plate just moving his fork as fast as he could. 

I got a lot of help from Joseph on this one, since he had this problem himself. We are working on helping our son, put his fork down between bites, taking time to engage in the dinner table conversation, and chew his bite completely before he takes another one. 

This is not exactly all there is to Mindful Eating, so I am going to share a post with that my friend Candi wrote for her Eat Well Utah blog.  It is all about mindful eating, why it is SO important and how you can get started doing it. 

Some of these may be habits you already have, so might be ones you can never imagine being able to do. Perhaps take one and begin to incorporate it for a month, then add another. Maybe take one that you feel will have the biggest impact in your life and begin with that one. Remember there are not bad steps forward, and we are all going to slip, but it is all about keeping trying because even one good choice is better than doing nothing at all.