Calories Count!

I will say time and time again calories count. The new catch phrase is whole grains. Several times this week I heard “I eat whole grains. Why aren’t I losing weight ?” I will admit its good to eat whole grains. You still have to be conscious with your calories. If your eating too many calories your not going to lose weight. Whole grains are not a fat burner. I’ve lost weight before and my downfall is latching on to something I can’t keep up or making my diet so restrictive I give up. Not this time. I’m making permanent changes. I now prefer brown rice to white. Quinoa to mashed potatoes but I do know in the end calories count. Don’t let a diet myth stop you in your tracks!

Kale My New Crave!

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I’ve been a spinach and okra girl lately but I have to change it up so I won’t get bored. I bought Kale and I’m loving it! I never really ate it growing up. I’m used to turnip and mustard greens. I put in my omelet for breakfast, I ate for lunch with brown rice and chicken apple sausage. Dinner kale sauteed in a tsp coconut oil with garlic and cayenne pepper,grilled chicken breast and sweet potato. I’ve also seen some great recipes for green smoothies and Kale chips. I tried store bought kale chips and they were gross. Fresh is the best. I like that Kale  has a peppery taste. It goes good with garlic and of course my favorite red pepper. Whats your favorite kale recipe?

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Gluten & Dairy Free Day 1

I searched my small town and found plenty of gluten-free products in the larger chain stores. Raley’s had the best choice. I found gluten-free waffles, crackers,pancake mix, cookies, and pasta. The problem is I usually don’t eat those things. I’m really not a big starch girl. I see it is easy to be gluten-free and not healthy. Many of the foods were just empty calories. I plan to do gluten-free the healthy way. I usually eat egg white omelette with veggies for breakfast. I throw in a whole wheat tortilla and turkey or chicken sausage. I switched to a brown rice tortilla. Kind of crumbly but not bad. I did brown and wild rice for lunch and dinner. This is one of my usual choices so not really a big deal. I like my frozen meals for lunch.That eliminated my Kashi frozen meals. I guess I will have to make lunch which I was planning to do anyway. I didn’t realize the dairy was such a big thing either .I accidentally bought spinach feta sausage. Oh well. I will pay closer attention next time. So far so good.  One lesson learned already. Read labels! Gluten free does not always mean healthy.

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Fresh & Easy

I go to grocery stores just for fun. It’s a habit I picked up from my Mom. We just loved trying new stuff. I decided to go to Fresh & Easy while I’m in Vegas. We have them in California but not near my house. After this visit I realize I like this store. It’s not worth the drive like Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. They have their own brands which is cool. I like there ready to eat meals. Eating Well Meals are pretty good. A little heavy on the carb side. I would also add veggies. They are a good starting point for a quick-lunch. I did like the instant brown rice. I picked one with seaweed and sesame. I recommend this store for my niece. She is single and eats fast food a lot. She needs something fresh and easy .
What’s your favorite grocery store?

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I Love Trader Joes

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Trader Joes is my favorite grocery store . Of course I live in a town that doesn’t have one but that’s ok i have 3 within half an hour. Contrary to popular believe it’s not a health food store. It has plenty of healthy food but also has plenty of not do good food.  Its hard to explain why I like Trader Joes until I read their story on their website. They have innovative, hard-to-find, great-tasting foods and not at a whole paycheck kind of price. I like how there is always something new to try. As I stated before you muse be careful and read labels. I will share some of my favorite products on my latest trip.

• Trader Joe’s Rice Medley – It’s a blend of brown rice ,red rice and black barley . It comes in a microwave bag and is ready in 3 minutes. It taste so good. A good source of whole grains
• Trade Joe’s Greek Style  Yogurt- great flavors , low in sugar and high in protein. The pomegranate flavor has 13 g carbs, 14 g protein with 110 calories.
• Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup make sure you get the low sodium.  Great as a soup alone or as a base for many meals last time I was there they made a chicken tortilla soup with it. Did I tell you about the samples
• Trader Joe’s Chicken Chili LIme Burger great taste for a meal in a flash. I make burgers with green chili and avocado. Only takes 6 minutes to cook from frozen

These are just a few of my favorites. The fresh veggies and fruits are excellent. Prices are cool to. It’s definately worth the trip.