Healthy Recipes, Snacks and Tips

I thought I would add a few ideas and recipes for you on the family challenge or just doing healthier stuff on your own. I know some of these save me for sure. Please add your ideas as well.

Honey is an all natural type sweetener, use honey or agave syrup to sweeten things instead of sugar, they also have health benefits. Use it as syrup on whole wheat waffles or pancakes, in smoothies, cookies, etc. Use your imagination. These are just a few recipe ideas that I love, especially when I'm feeling a certain sweet craving or something. Please add any recipes that you have tried or that think might be helpful, add them here or on the facebook group or email me and I'll add them.

Go to Snack Ideas or Helpers

*Crystal Light or Sugar Free Koolaid

*Sugar Free Gum

*String Cheese

*Snackable Fruit and Veggies, baby carrots, apple slices, etc.

*Nuts

*Trail Mix, no m&m's :)

*Sugar Free jello or pudding w/ sugar cool whip

*Pirates booty - I want someone to go to costco and get me some :)

*Plain non-fat greek yogurt topped with nuts, fresh fruit and honey

*sugar free popsicles or fudgesicles

*Air Popped popcorn, no butter, butter spray is okay. See how I do healthy microwave popcorn HERE. Microwave popcorn has a lot of unhealthy chemicals and added calories, even if it's light. My way is healthier and cheaper too.

*Celery or apples w/ Peanut Butter (try all natural PB, if it has 3 g or sugar or less, it's okay....in moderation of course)

Healthy Icecream

1 banana frozen (slice and put in ziplock and freeze)

• Peel your bananas first. • Cut them into small pieces. • Freeze for just 1-2 hours on a plate or in a ziplock in the freezer • Blend, blend, blend or put in a food processor - scraping down the bowl when they stick. • Enjoy the magic moment when they turn into ice cream!

Can add 1 tbs of Peanut Butter and Cocoa, or a little honey and cinnamon, or berries like the Banana Berry below shows. Whatever your little heart desires. Banana ice cream is actually pretty good. Try it, you'll be surprised and it's healthy! Yay!

Banana Berry

1 banana frozen in slices or chunks, 1/2 cup frozen berries, milk and a splash of vanilla. Blend to consistency of soft serve ice cream. Works great in a food processor. Can also use a blender.

Ranch Chicken Salad

Can or bottle of chicken, non fat greek yogurt, celery, grapes, packet of ranch seasoning.

Great on a bed of lettuce for a salad, whole wheat bread for a sandwich or whole wheat tortilla for a wrap. Also great with whole wheat crackers like Triscuit for a great snack.

Lighten Up Peanut Butter Cookies

1 Cup All-Natural Peanut Butter (creamy)

3/4 Cup Agave Syrup

2 egg whites

1 tsp. natural Vanilla extract

3/4 Cup All-Natural flour (whole wheat or gluten-free)

3/4 Cup Oats

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

Mix peanut butter, egg whites, agave and vanilla together in a small mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine flour, oats and baking soda. Mix the contents of the two bowls together and stir thoroughly. Let the batter chill for about half an hour before placing small amount of the batter evenly on a cooking sheet. Preheat oven to 375 and bake for 10 minutes or until your cookies are lightly browned.

No bake cookies

1/2-3/4 C honey

1/2 C cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c milk

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter (use Smart Balance or other healthier type butters)

2 1/2 C. oatmeal

Combine honey, cocoa, vanilla, milk,salt,and butter in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over med. heat and boil approximately 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in oatmeal. Drop by spoonful onto waxed paper. Allow to cool.

You can go here on my blog for a few more Healthified recipes, including Chicken Nuggets and Mac n cheese and more http://www.sparklesandbugs.blogspot.com/search/label/Healthier%20Food

Family Fitness Challenge: Because We Love YOU!

This challenge will be for 8 weeks. If you follow this it can help create an all around better you! We want to do this together, so we can all help each other and be there for each other and strive for better health. We want everybody around for as long as possible and believe it or not your health habits have a HUGE influence on that.

If any part of this challenge is holding you back, please tell us, we don't want anybody too intimidated, but we do still want it to be challenging. We can adjust it a little if we need to.

As a participant you will have the opportunity to earn points every day by following our list of requirements:

1-Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day

2-Exercise for 30 minutes per day

3-Eat 2 fruits per day

4-Eat 2 veggies per day

5-Get at least 7 hours of sleep per night (if you don't, get a nap to get in all your hours)

6-No Sugar (eliminating sugary foods and snacks in your diet, you could also eliminate white flour which turns into sugar if you really want more bang for your buck, you can make that call)

7-No Soda, Junk food or fast food- learn how to make your favorite foods, healthier, for example pizza: Make a whole wheat crust, use low fat cheese, turkey pepporoni..it's actually really good, You may have to be creative in this area, but I promise you it's do able and you will find yourself even more full from better fueling and filling foods

8-No eating after 8 pm (unless you didn't eat dinner then you can get it in...of course it will have to be healthy :)

9-Get at least 15 minutes per day of Scripture study or other uplifting reading

10-Write in your journal everyday you could use a blog or personal journal, even if it's a sentence or two. It counts! At least you are trying.

These 10 things allow you to earn 10 points per day. You will get ONE FREE DAY per week ALLOWING YOU THE FULL 10 POINTS FOR THAT FREE DAY. You must take a free day for all of the things in the day with the exception of exercise. For example, if you want to not excercise on Sunday, but take your free day for everything else on Saturday that's okay. The only exception is the exercise part, everything else must be on the same day. Make sense?

Each week you can earn a total of 70 points. I will create a google doc or something where we can input our points each week to see how each other is doing. You can also use our Family Facebook group here to talk about it, let us know how you are doing, give each other ideas for snacks, etc.

What do you say!? I'm way excited. I know a lot of you always talk about getting healthy and maybe even work at it. This would be something so fun AND so rewarding especially doing it together as a Family!

The reward? Of course a better you all around, you'll feel better, you'll be more spiritually uplifted, we'll be closer as a family. If we need something else to motivate us, this is where I would like your input. An idea is that we can all put $10 in a pot or paypal account. The winner with the most points will get it all. If there are multiple winners they will split it. We could have runner ups who get other prizes too? We could have some sort of prizes each week or every other week? Not sure what though. Or if we can't do the money thing what else can you think of that would be a great reward at the end. Please input! Thanks! I hope you all are ready to join us, Erica and I for sure are! We will start Monday, February 13th (don't worry you can take Valentines as your free day if you need to that week :)

Are you ready? Is it too soon! Do we need to give you another week? I hate not knowing what's going on in your minds, please share! Thanks!

Alley's Baptism

So Proud of Alley!  She is way excited! 

We will have treats afterwards at our house. We hope you can come.

Please let us know for sure!

Alley's Baptism

I haven't quite got invitations made for Alley's Baptism since I am laid up with just getting my tonsils out. :( So I thought I better post something about it so you all can put it on your calendar.  We would love everybody there that can make it.

Saturday, August 6th
5 pm- Mesquite Stake Center
{we will probably have a small get together afterwards for dessert at our house.}
Let us know if you will be coming :)

Who's in....Who's out :)

Hello Everyone!

Just a friendly reminder that the Kanab 10K is coming up in a few weeks. We are trying to get a head count as to who is coming/running and who is not. We need to know who is planning on staying the night as well so we can make the appropriate accommodations. If you are not running, make this a fun family day and come support those in the family who are running. If you are running then it would be wise to sign up before April 30th to avoid an extra 5 dollar charge. Sign up HERE or HERE if you haven't already. And if you just had your tonsils out and can't decide if you are running... we'll it sucks!

Here is some info about the race:

The Kanab 10K

Registration

20.00 before April 30th

25.00 after April 30th

The Kanab 10K starts north of Kanab at Moqui Cave on Highway 89 and finishes at the Kanab City Park. You will enjoy beautiful views of the vermillion cliffs during the entire course. A feast of post race refreshments for all participants will be available, compliments of Glazier’s Food Town.

*Absolutely no support vehicles, strollers, bikes, or dogs will be allowed on the race course.*

 

Packet Pick-Up: We encourage all runners to pre-register and obtain their packets between 5 & 8 pm the day before the race at Adobe Fitness Center (163 S. 100 E.). Packets can also be picked up between 6:00 and 6:30 on race day at the city park.

Location: All participants will need to be at the Kanab City Park (100 E. 500 N.) between 6:00-6:45 am to catch a bus to the starting line. Last ride leaves at 7:00! No exceptions! The race must begin at 7:30 am.

(probably won't have to take the bus, we can all ride up in a car together. We can have a non runner driver)

Awards: Custom made trophies by Western Hills will be awarded three deep for all running divisions (Age Brackets) and for the top male and female finishers. Top male and female finishers will also receive an additional prize valued at $1000. Also, all participants who finish are eligible for the drawing where cash and merchandise

will be given away. You must be present to win in the drawing held after the awards ceremony.

So who's in? Leave a comment and let us know your plans. ASAP

More FYI ... Lyndsey and Emilie have a dance recital at the High School the night before the race (Friday May 6th) at 7:00 p.m. and Desiree is having a baby shower Saturday after the races at 3:00 AZ time I believe. Everyone is invited to it all if interested!

Easter Plans??

Just wondering what is happening this weekend? We usually do something together on Saturday.  Does anybody have plans? What should we do? Who will be in town?

Fun Times!!

I've had so much fun the last month or so and just wanted to share the pictures with all the family!! I ran my first 5K and Hiked in Zions. It has been fun to get away, experience some new things, have girl time, see the beauty that we live so near too and not worry about the stresses of everyday life.  I can't wait to see everybody for some more fun events in a couple weeks with our family! Yay!
You can check the pictures out Here and Here