Weighting -- an update, Keep at it!

Neither sleet, nor snow, nor rain, nor hail, nor weekends will stop me from my healthy eating! But stress? Yes, stress will do it. And getting sick is also a major disruptor to the caring about what I eat... then there's travel coming up... So many things can distract us from a well-intended goal!

So here's my update: I've actually been doing very good! I lost 8 pounds in two weeks, basically eating less and healthier, exercise still takes a backseat to my busy life, but at least I'm aware of it and have good intentions and timers set to try to fit it in.

As far as the rest of the world, here are the top Resolutions of 2017 (not much has changed!)

1. Lose Weight / Healthier Eating 
2. Life / Self Improvements  
3. Better Financial Decisions 
4. Quit Smoking / Less Drinking

Unfortunately, one-third are broken by the end of January, then 80% overall. (from Statistics Brain and Franklin Covey via Answers.com)

These are not good odds. It is soooo easy to slip back into old habits. When you go back to work, you look sadly at your measly lunch, then snack for the afternoon pick-me-up and "What's for dinner?" chorus when you get home. These distractions can gang up on someone trying to lose weight and eat healthier--especially when no one around you is concerned about it!

You have to make it about YOU. Want to be happier with yourself? Is your "resolution" going to help you? Then you have to keep at it to reach your goal! When something is important to you, you will get it done. (wisdom from my dad!) The key is to make a conscious effort to think about everything differently. Experts agree: 

"Unless you first change your mind, don't expect your health goals to materialize." from US News

Though I'm sick and about to take a trip (so easy to eat poorly when we travel!) I'm keeping my goal in mind. Splurging a little is okay, but for too many days in a row--that's falling off the wagon. Gotta manage myself, and here's how I intend to do that:

• Reminders, notes, timers, and the journal sitting out on the counter--these are all helpful tools to keep my mind focused.
• Need a snack? Think about it! How many calories do I have left? I remind myself: fruit and veg are "free" calories.
• Have a drink instead of a snack. Flavored water is very helpful for my tastes and holds the hunger at bay for a bit.
• Keep busy! This is not hard for me. I always have stuff to do. And it keeps me from raiding the snacks!
• Don't stock sweets and snacks you like. I try to buy things my family likes that I don't. If I don't like it, I won't eat it!

How are you doing with your "resolutions?" Whatever your goals--I hope you're having a successful 2019 so far!

#WeightLoss, take 2019

loved having all the boys home!

I'm at it again. And this is definitely NOT a New Year's Resolution. I don't want to make a cliche resolution to eat better, exercise more, and lose weight. I really want to make a life change. And if I keep trying, it's bound to stick one of these times, right?

I know I can do it. Over the summer, I stayed with my plan for a couple of months and lost 10 lbs. Then life exploded and my healthy eating diary got packed up with the rest of the house, soon followed by the holidays and family. Forget trying to get back to eating healthy with all that activity and stress. And that's why most people decide to wait and make changes when the holidays are over. The New Year is a good time to reset life.

So, here's the Plan that Works! for me:

• Write down all Calories
• Start with a Max of 1500 cal/day, then cut back more
• Fruit and Veggies are "Free" - I don't count those calories to encourage myself to eat more of them
• Drink more Water - I start with 16-20 oz/day and add more
• Creative Exercising - burn calories any way I can!
• Stand more at work
• Take stairs instead of elevators
• Park farther away at the store - especially if I need to shop at several stores: I park in the middle of the lot and walk around
• Master the stairs at home - I do 10 flights up and down when I can.
• Keep the house cleaner, or vacuum more... much as I hate to clean!

I'll post updates soon. And I wish you all luck with your resolutions or aspirations to improve!

Let's make 2019 a prosperous, positive year!

Healthy Eating Tips - Do's & Don'ts

I am determined to lose some weight.

off-balance!

Unfortunately, I have to start over again since I went on a trip for two weeks! I wasn't terrible, but I was definitely side-tracked. Before I left, I had a good system going and felt better about myself. I even intended to keep it up while I was away, but I had to eat out too often. That's a killer for keeping track of healthy eating!

So here's what was working for me - keeping it simple and easy!

finding the balance

• SNACK RIGHT - I cut up fruits and veg into serving sizes and bag them. Easy to grab and munch on!
• ALSO... When buying snacks for the kids, don't buy stuff you like. Only get stuff they like so you won't be tempted.
• MEAL RIGHT - though it may conflict with your family, try several small "meals," -- this also helps keep you from snacking between. OR time meals so you can eat with your family, but eat small portions.
• WRITE IT DOWN - When you write down calories or other info about the food you're eating, you will eat less! And No Cheating!
• DRINK MORE - Water is the best, but any sugar-free drink will do. And if you feel hungry but you don't want to eat yet, have something to drink!
• WORK IT, GIRL! - Find a way to get in some extra steps. When I feel I need extra exercise, I go up and down my stairs 10 times or more. It burns so good!

Now, here are the Don'ts:

• Don't beat yourself up - making any lifestyle change is hard, especially the healthy kind. Try, try again!
• Don't expect quick results - the older we get, the longer it takes to see a change.
• Don't get discouraged - even if you don't see the results, you will feel them. You should be proud of yourself for doing it!

Got any advice or stories to share?

Thanks for stopping by!

Try, try again

Healthy Lifestyle Update: No comment

I fell off the wagon again, hard. But I’m not giving up.
Some days are too stressful to worry about finding something healthy to eat. Plus, there were donuts at work. I can’t resist free donuts. Poor excuses, I know But I’m weak. I have good days and bad days. So I guess my goal is to have more good than bad, and more good in a row.

I decided I need a solution for this problem if I’m going to be successful - that’s the analytical side coming out. So here’s the contingency plan:

• emergency healthy snacks - baggies of nuts, craisins, trail mix, cheerios - yes, give me some dry cereal! and stash them in my purse. granola bars and nutrigrain bars are good too - just gotta watch the labels, some are more calories than others!
• reach for a water - lots of times I’m not hungry, I just need a pick me up, even a diet soda is better than a cookie or chips
• french fries only once a week - if I have to drive thru (not ready to nix it completely yet, just too convenient) I have to limit the fries, one of my favorite things. At least I always get the kiddie size. Allowing myself fries once a week, I will manage when I can enjoy them - like a reward.

I am proud to say I walked the doggy this week =)
And yesterday, I did a little walk-a-thon for a good cause.
The nicer weather helps!

How you doin??

The best time to start a #diet - part 2

Timing is everything - ain't no joke.
IMHO, I think Spring is a great time to set healthy eating plan goals because:

• No major eating holidays
• Warmer weather is on the way, so you'll want to bare more skin soon
• Better temps also encourage outdoor activities
• The produce section selection starts to improve - more good eats to pick from!

So try on your warm weather clothes - if they don't fit, don't throw a fit! It's time to get fit!

I did all of the above. As I came dangerously close to my weight limit (which is sadly similar to the Debt Ceiling--every time it's close, we raise it a little) Unlike the government, I decided to do something about it.

Phase 1: I started by setting actual hard limits on my snacking and substituted more natural choices.

Results: For the first week, this worked out well. Due to work, family problems, and baseball season, I was forced to make some schedule changes and fell off the wagon which proceeded to run me over a couple of times... Quick drive-thru dinners save lots of time, but are horrible for a good eating plan.

Overall, I lost two pounds. yeah.

I still consider myself in Phase 1 until I master it for three weeks (when it becomes a habit!) But I want to add a little more to it, so I'll call it Phase 1b.

Phase 1b: snack limit & natural choices, plus walk the dog at least once a week.

this is me BEFORE

Sounds easy enough - but with my time constraints, I have to make tough choices. My weight is the least of my problems - until I'm dead! Prevention is a necessary evil that most people don't make time for. But in reality, we're just set in our ways and want to eat and do what we like. Starting kids in a healthy eating pattern when they're young is important.

Unfortunately, the rebellious teenage years usually undoes all the good they learned. But that's another story...

Anyhoo, unless I think of a spectacular idea for a post, I'm going to keep updating you on my progress. Talking about it helps! If you want to join me, please feel free! Misery loves company! But don't expect any pictures - I'm not that brave and I don't have enough confidence in myself to see much of a difference... Argh! I guess losing my negative attitude might help!

Good luck to us!

The best time to start a #diet - part 1

You know DIET is a four-letter word.

that's diet, btw

It's so negative. This is what it means to me:

D - Deny
I - Ingesting
E - Every-
T - Thing I like!

I used to try fad diets. Some worked at first. But you know the story - once you see some results, you give yourself a reward. Then something comes up, like a vacation or Thanksgiving or the weekend! and the diet is out the window.

I don't diet anymore. I've been dieting all my life - never satisfied with my weight. Sound familiar? That's a problem in and of itself - a self-esteem problem that is shared by most women. With age, and child-bearing, I grew to accept my form. I maturely realized I wasn't going to exercise my butt off (ha ha). I chose to spend my valuable spare time on things that were most important to me, like family and writing.

I stayed relatively healthy and not too heavy. Then the Change hit. No one said anything about the 25 extra pounds that magically appear!! And in such a short time! I didn't change my eating habits or minimal exercise routine, but BAM! Here I am about to hit my max weight of dire consequences. This is unacceptable and I now have to do something drastic. But I won't call it a diet...

Time to UPGRADE MY LIFE!

I have four constant goals:

But these goals are wishy washy and vague, and easily ignored or appeased. "I drank three cups of coffee - that's mostly water" or "How many raspberries do you think are in a jelly donut? That counts." I groan at my own excuses!

So I am undergoing a lifestyle change. I have to be serious. I also have to be reasonable with the expectations I place on myself. But most of all, I have to have WILL POWER!

At least I'm starting this undertaking at the best time to start a change of eating habits - SPRING!

In Part 2, I'll talk more about my plan and why Spring is the best time to start it. I decided to go for it on Thursday 3/29, so I'll have a 2-week update on my progress as well... Wish me luck!

Do you have a max weight? Do you diet? How do you stay healthy?

Hope you're having a great start to this Stormy Spring!

Maintain, No gain #holiday #diet

December is the most stressful month of the year. What a terrible time to go on a diet!

Sorry, Annalisa - I mean, make a healthier lifestyle change. Which is really what I know I need to do.

We at the RRHA (and on our Facebook page) have a goal this month - to NOT GAIN WEIGHT DURING THE HOLIDAYS!! We aren't even trying to lose, that would be a bonus!

Every year we eat so many yummy extra num nums that are usually only around during the holidays, then we have to make an empty New Year's Resolution to shed the extra pounds.

So here is some advice for Maintaining and Not Gaining, but still being able to experience the Joy of the Season!

• Smaller portions - There are so many delights, you want to try them all. You can with smaller portions.
• Smaller bites - and savor each one, then you're done!
• Share a plate with a friend - you will eat less because there's less AND you don't want to eat more than your friend! And you both usually leave something on it (You can have it. No, you can have it...)
• Bring a healthy dish to the party! - I seek out something healthy to balance out all the yummy bad stuff!
• Stop eating BEFORE you feel full - Hate that bloated feeling! Your eyes are always, always bigger than your stomach. And if you want your stomach to shrink without a medical procedure, you have to train it to be satisfied with less.
• More fruit/veg/protein on the plate than carbs - Remember to have a colorful plate of food, not just a colorful plate your kid made!
• Be aware of calories/carbs - Take a glance at that box of cookies or the ice cream carton before you take a bite. Sometimes sticker shock can help you turn away. Is that goodie worth ALL THOSE CALORIES?
• Park farther away - Shopping is the best form of exercise. Make it count. Especially in a shopping center where you have to visit several stores. Shop til you drop, then hike out to the car and be amazed and feel accomplished at all your steps!
• DIET is a FLW (four letter word) - 
• A diet is a temporary thing. A healthy new lifestyle is what we're aiming for here.
• A diet is usually an extreme change, a shock to the system that the system will resist - these smaller changes can move you toward better eating habits that you can keep and continue to improve upon!
• A diet usually fails - immediate results don't last
• Once the diet is over, you usually crash back to your previous weight.
• Try it, don't diet!

The above helpful healthful hints could carry you into next year, too. Plus with a little more exercise, you could lose pounds and inches that have snuck up on you!

Are you IN? Join us for daily or weekly or whenever we can CHECK-INS on our FACEBOOK PAGE!

Charts - Military-style Diet

I found a new diet. It looks great too. I even altered it to suit my tastes. It's called the Military Diet and claims you can lose up to 10 pounds in 3 days!

Unfortunately, I'm a huge slacker and monitoring my eating habits takes time and losing weight isn't high on my priority list. I hate that I'm gaining weight like a hippo even though I haven't changed eating habits in years. It's the cursed age. So now I have to make major diet changes so I can have more energy and less mass when it's time to keep up with grandchildren! Time shows no mercy!

So this Military Diet is a little extreme, but it has good principles. I already know what I'm supposed to do, I just don't wanna! Eat more veg, fruit, grain, and drink more water - eat less crap. Same old story! To inspire myself, I made some fun charts...

Here's the blank, if you're interested.

I don't intend to lose 10 pounds in 3 days. I need a complete lifestyle change of eating habits. Counting calories is time consuming. Paying attention to calories makes me feel guilty. But there are many days I wake up and say, this is the day I start eating better. Then my husband brings home pumpkin donuts - come on! I am gradually doing better, drinking more water and reaching for fruit or veg more often... just gotta keep trying to RESIST YUMMY TEMPTATION! Not to mention, exercise more...

If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears!

Keeping the weight off

I’m going to do a brave thing with this post. I’m going to talk about my weight.

I’ve been metabolically challenged since I was about ten. Over the years, I’ve probably done about 80% of all the eating programs out there, with varying degrees of success—usually slow with such plans as Weight Watchers. 

I’ve been quite successful with some programs—How to Lower Your Fat Thermostat (Neuropsychology of Weight Control), South Beach, The Fast Metabolism Diet, and most recently Take Shape for Life.

The odds are not in our favor as far as keeping weight off. I've lost enough weight in big batches to build a large adult male. If I added up all my smaller stints, I'll bet it's equivalent to a small woman.

What makes it come back?

It can be temptations (we eat what we eat because we like the food), or lack of support at home (sabotage by loved ones). Sometimes our bodies even fight us. For example, have you read that New York Times article about the weight regain by The Biggest Loser contestants?

It’s not just discouraging, it’s plain depressing. I have wondered many time why I keep trying. I’m active. I work out. I try to eat right. Why can't I be smaller?

So, I decided to take the plunge and try Take Shape for Life. The thing that encourages me that this time could be THE time is that I have a health coach. She and her husband (a fellow writer), together, lost about 200 pounds on this program, and they’re keeping it off.

The key is the support. I’ve never had much with other programs I’ve tried.

*takes a deep breath*

Last April 20^th, I weighed 241.8 pounds (I’m 5’9”). *cringes* And that's not the most I've ever weighed--that was 249 pounds (without being pregnant). 

As of last Monday, I weighed 191.6. 

**begins rant** Can you believe my stupid body wouldn’t give up that lousy .2 pounds so I could say I’d lost 50!!??! **endrant**

Here’s my before picture next to my current picture.

And believe it or not, I was sucking that gut in on the left.
I wish the one on the right showed my waist (which is smaller than my abdomen--much smaller).

Do I worry that people who know me say are thinking things like:

There goes Donna again. How long will she keep it off this time?

 Heck, I have my own little demon sitting on my shoulder asking me this very question. So, do I fret?

Oh, yeah.

Am I hopeful?

Heck yes! My freaking slip fell off walking to my office last week!

I want good health. I want to be here for my grandkids for a long time. 

Dang it, I’ve got a lot more books to write.

Donna K. Weaver is an award-winning author, wife, mother, grandmother, Harry Potter geek, Army veteran, karate black belt, and online gamer.

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Weight Loss Competitions: Motivation for Healthy Living

Huge thank you to everyone who read my last post, and cheered me on! I’m happy to be back today and talking more about weight loss.

From my heaviest weight ever (at nine months pregnant) I lost a total of 51 lbs, mostly thanks to two separate weight loss competitions. These things are great for jump-starting healthy habits, and even better if you’re competitive like me, and looking to shed a few pounds.

Disclaimer: Losing weight didn’t change how I feel, or my bad relationship with food. I still feel like me, but I also feel better.

How it Works
Participants form a group (both of mine were on Facebook.) Each member pays in cash (I paid $20 for the first, and $10 for the second) And the winners get the payout. I made a total of $100 so not a bad return. There are winners for whoever has the most points (a daily checklist of good habits like drinking water and exercising) and whoever has lost the most percentage wise. I won the percentage both times. I also won on points the first time around, but one person can’t win both categories.

These competitions were inspired by the Lifetime Fitness challenge. If you’d like full details of the competition email me and I’ll send you the everything.

What Worked For Me
Not every body is the same. Not everyone is going to lose weight by keeping all the points. When I began the competition, I was rigid about my points. I’m glad I was, it freed me from my sugar addiction (it took a full three weeks to no longer crave it) and it started me running.

I never in my life thought I would become a runner, but now I can’t live without it. I didn’t feel that way until both competitions were over, a four month span.

It was hard. I didn’t lose very much weight in the beginning. I had to try and follow the book until I could figure out how to break the rules to my advantage. It got me thinking more about what I put in my body.

But here’s the most important thing you have to know before starting one of these: After the first competition, I was mess. I ate everything in sight. I didn’t exercise as much. I gained 8lbs in 4 weeks. The thing was over. I won. So that was that. But it wasn’t. That’s why I did the second competition.

The second time around, instead of being strict about points, I worked on balance. I found a way to not feel like I was starving all the time, and still lose weight. The key was in letting myself live a little on the weekends, then being military strict during the week.

I discovered that when I held back, I actually enjoyed the times I could indulge more. That, was the best gift I could’ve been given.

Come back for my next post where I’ll be talking about everything I ate on my strict days, and share a few recipes!

Jennie Bennett is a hopeless romantic. Thankfully, her husband is willing to be cheesy now and again. It’s probably the reason they have four kids. When she’s not swooning over her favorite romantic television shows (Kdramas) she’s writing love stories. Well, in between changing poopy diapers. Her family currently resides in Houston, TX.

Fruitalicious Dried Snacks

Happy Wednesday, peeps! If you were hanging out with me Monday, you might have picked up on the fact that I’m kind of a fiend for saving cash. I’m a DIY-er driven by an obsession with not paying for anything I might be able to do on my own. Or possibly trade pizza and a 6-pack for.

So sticking with that theme – let’s talk about fruit! Dried fruit, that is...

C'mon, don't act like you haven't seen this in your crisper.

In my 2-person household, we have the bad habit of buying fruit and then forgetting about it in the mysterious depths of the crisper drawer until it sprouts a carpet and/or terrible smell. Out of sight, out of mind, you know. We WANT to eat healthy, but in our busy lives snacks that come pre-packaged and non-sticky tend to be the first thing we grab. Anyone who's ever tried to eat a plum on the drive to work knows exactly what I mean. And has a sticky steering wheel.

After we threw away another package of spoiled apple slices, my wonderfully brilliant husband decided that we should try our hand at drying it and making fruit snacks and trail mixes. If you buy trail mix or dried fruit for your family, you know how pricey it can be in the store for the natural products, and the cheaper ones end up being mostly sugar and preservatives.

So yes, what I’m saying is this is totally a win-win.

Being the thorough engineer that he is, he did the research on what kind of dehydrator would be the best for us and we settled on this one for us based on the size, ratings, temperature settings and price. There are so many options out there and you can spend anywhere from $20 - $200 on a dehydrator, but even some of the higher end ones had terrible reviews. 

Lesson: Unless you like throwing money away for fun, do the research!

After lots of trial and error and some rather interesting experiments, we discovered that our favorites are thinly sliced dried pineapple chips, cantaloupe/honeydew, cinnamon apple slices and watermelon chips.

That’s right... Dried WATERmelon. Counter-intuitive, isn’t it? But O....M....G.... Dried watermelon ultimately tastes like watermelon candy and has a taffy-like texture that will become your favorite sweet snack. And getting healthy snacks in the house that your family WANTS to eat (and quite possibly fights over) is its own reward!

Left to right: Dried Watermelon, zucchini chips, fig slices, sliced/seasoned tomatoes,
honeydew, trail mix, and cinnamon apple slices. One giant pile of YUM.

The snackalicious possibilities are endless with a dehydrator and there are resources a-plenty on the web to give you great ideas to try. Here’s a few to get you started:

Fruit leather guide: These are basically homemade fruit roll-ups with any fruits you choose. It’s the perfect solution for those overripe fruits you don’t want to just throw away. Not to mention delish!

Kale Chips: My favorite is garlic and cashew

36 Foolproof Recipes: This’ll get you started, and then some!

Now that your mouth is watering and your pocketbook is ready for a refill, go salvage your fruit drawer!

Body Fuel

Diet truly is a four letter word. Any time I go on a diet, I'm immediately obsessed with every cake and cookie in the cupboard.

It's insanity. I've dipped so low as to rip open bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips to appease a screaming sweet tooth.

Going on a diet never seems to work.

To me, athletes have a much better view of the body.

They're not as obsessed with how their body looks as they are concerned with how their body performs.

Food for them is fuel, not a reward or an obsession.

My kids are athletes, and they're also students. As such, they often have a long wait between lunch and dinner. To beat the afternoon slump and give them enough energy to carry them through practice, it's important to make every calorie in their bagged lunches count. I shoot for high protein/ healthy carb balance.

These wraps fit the protein bill nicely, but they can also add up on the grocery tab. At a dollar per wrap, that's not outrageous, but they're so easy to make- why not make them yourself?

the wraps

Mission makes a low carb, high fiber tortilla that is full of protein. Pair them with some cheese, ham, and pepperoni; roll them up; and you have a great lunch food.  I like to use the fat free cheese, lean ham, and turkey pepperoni. That way, I can make up a whole lot of them and eat them as my own guilt-free snack.

A blurry shot of the ingedients

 Another great protein add to the lunch is a cheese stick and a carton of milk. Toss in a banana for some potassium, and you have a great lunch for an athlete.

Then, before practice, they can enjoy a snack before breaking a sweat. Here's a tasty, energy maintaining treat that isn't several dollars per bar!

Spicy, Sweet And Super Easy

Everyone is suffering from the end of summer blues because of the end of summer crunch. Parents night is this week at a lot of places. School supplies don't buy themselves. The kids need clothes. Some of them refuse to try anything on (because they won't be standing in line to return it when it doesn't fit), and you're trying to soak in the those last moments of summer before you shuffle the kids off for 10 more months.

I can't help with most of that, so I'll help with dinner instead. We can make this healthy and easy. You need 2-5 ingredients. The essentials are: a medium to large sweet potato for every member of your family and enough Wolf Turkey Chili with Beans to go around.
Here is how to make this complicated meal.

1. Line an oven rack with aluminum foil. (We don't want to clean).
2. Pre-heat the oven to 350.
3. Poke holes in your sweet potatoes. 
4. Set a timer for 45 minutes and go wash your hair, do the dishes, or peel a kid off of something.
5. Remove the potatoes and set them to cool.
6. Heat the chili on the stove top.
7. Cut the center of the potatoes and stuff with chili.

Now here is your chance for those optional ingredients. We've done chopped onions, shredded cheese, and low fat sour cream on top of these potatoes. The first time I made these, I thought it couldn't possibly be enough food for my husband so I paired it with a salad. The salad wasn't needed. This is very filling and looks pretty on a plate. The potato is sweet and the chili can be spicy, so it's an awesome dish. This is 11-12 weight watcher points depending on the toppings you add. And if you took my advice on Monday and got away, this is something easy to make away from home. Wrap the potatoes up in aluminum foil and cook them on a grill. You can use an out door cooking pot to heat the chili over the grill as well. (It's already cooked, so you could eat it cold but it won't taste as good).

Going Old School

School lunches are the beginning of the end of nutrition for our kids. Once they start eating at school, we have less control of what they eat. The government tries to help with required side dishes and limiting calories and whatever else they're trying to do, thinking they're helping. But kids will eat what they want to eat. Healthy choices start at home.

These old sayings and quotes are honest to goodness truths...

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

You are what you eat.

If you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it.

True healthcare reform starts in your kitchen, not in Washington (source)

Eat to live, not live to eat. - Socrates (source)

Garbage in garbage out. - George Fuechsel (source)

The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not. - Mark Twain  (from brainy quotes)

In general, mankind, since the improvement of cookery, eats twice as much as nature requires. - Ben Franklin  (from brainy quotes)

The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition. - Thomas Edison (source)

Today, more than 95% of all chronic disease is caused by food choice, toxic food ingredients, nutritional deficiencies and lack of physical exercise. - Mike Adams (source)

To get our kids to eat better in life, we must do it ourselves at home first with as much natural foods as possible and keep the artificial, processed foods to a minimum. I'm totally guilty of taking advantage of time-saving pre-packaged goodies to pack lunches with. But I try to balance those with more healthy options.

So here are my tips for packing healthy lunches:

• nature has plenty of pre-packaged, serving-size foods, take advantage of them!
• and for the bigger or harder to manage fruits and veg, pre-cut and prepackage them yourself - this is also great for grabbing a quick snack!
• try to keep a ratio of at least 4 out of 5 healthy choices
• the main dish - pbj or pbb(anana) sandwiches on white wheat bread are my boys' staples
• at least one fresh fruit or veg - my bigger boys need more food, so they get two or three
• a healthy side - nuts, granola bars, pretzels, whole grain crackers
• a low-cal drink - they make low-cal juice pouches, and sometimes water is what they choose - everyone should drink more water!
• a sweet - this is my clinker, but as long as you have all the rest and you don't go overboard, everyone deserves a little dessert, and there are healthy choices here too.

Bon appetit!