Label Lies, Crappy Foods in Disguise

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Yeah, I know this is a repeat picture, but I had to post it on Halloween!

Today and tomorrow I will be talking about food labels. They are a big issue right now, and I believe you can never know too much about them.
Would you feed your child, or yourself for that matter, bagel-fuls for breakfast or a snack, and think to yourself "I'm making a healthy choice, or a "better" choice?" . With 200 calories, 2 grams of saturated fat, and very few health benefits (10% calcium and 10% iron among them), these Bagel-fuls are just glorified junk food if you ask me. Yet, they proudly display the "Smart Choices" logo on the front of the box, providing parents, adults, and children a false sense of security. If this is a smart choice, what isn't a smart choice?

Another example is Cocoa Puffs. The first ingredient, whole grain corn, does a nice job of providing the consumer with a whopping 1 gram of fiber. The second ingredient, sugar, does an even better job of providing the consumer 12 grams of sugar. Personally I like to look for no more than 10 grams of sugar for my morning meal. Let's not forget the serving size is 3/4 cup, which is not much. So I'm confused, what makes this a "Smart Choice"?

If you haven't read about the Smart Choices controversy yet, click the link and enjoy. For a review, the Smart Choices program uses "science-based" guidelines and criteria to select the foods on the market that are "smart choices". This program was designed to help consumers make better choices at the grocery store. While the concept is great, it seems to be a bit misleading.

My last example is the new Fruit Loops, with FIBER! Check out the ingredients;

Ingredients

SUGAR; WHOLE GRAIN CORN FLOUR; WHEAT FLOUR; WHOLE GRAIN OAT FLOUR; OAT FIBER; SOLUBLE CORN FIBER; PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (ONE OR MORE OF: COCONUT, SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED OILS)†; SALT; SODIUM ASCORBATE AND ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C); NIACINAMIDE; REDUCED IRON; NATURAL ORANGE, LEMON, CHERRY, RASPBERRY, BLUEBERRY, LIME AND OTHER NATURAL FLAVORS; RED #40; BLUE #2; TURMERIC COLOR; YELLOW #6; ZINC OXIDE; ANNATTO COLOR; BLUE #1; PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6); RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2); THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1); VITAMIN A PALMITATE; BHT (PRESERVATIVE); FOLIC ACID; VITAMIN D; VITAMIN B12.

I actually made note of the fact that SUGAR is the first ingredient to the lady at the FNCE conference in Denver. She was flustered, to say the least. And if you go to the website you'll notice some fun recipes they have provided for you to create with your Fruit Loops. More Smart Choices here; crispy ice cream sandwich sundaes, crunchy pudding squares, fiesta cookies, lovely!

I'm not going to turn into some really strict RD who says no to everything, but the thing that really makes me mad is that these claims are misleading. Most of you are very good at reading labels and understanding what is "healthy" and what is not, but the lay public may not know much about food labels, which is why programs such as Smart Choices were created! Unfortunately when a program is created by a food company, it will be created in a way that will allow it to include many of their own products. Too bad.

Question: What are your thoughts on the Smart Choices program? Do you think there is a better solution? Personally I think cereals and other products should be required to highlight the "good" and the "bad". This way people could actually learn what to look for. If ALL companies did this, it wouldn't hurt anyone's sales. The companies could also provide advice such as, "mix this cereal with a small handful of bran flakes to add more fiber to your breakfast!", for their products that are lower in fiber, like the Cocoa Puffs. Or, "Add some fruit to your cereal to add more vitamins and minerals!", etc.

Coming Up: Stay tuned for some foods that may be in YOUR cabinet and which may be tricking YOU (they tricked me!).

Giveaway Update: Check out the blog makeover giveaway over at the Zesty Cook ! I hear he does an amazing job, plus I've seen some of his work and it's very impressive.

Tonight Nick and I are taking his mother out for dinner, as it's her 35th wedding anniversary (and Nick's dad passed away a couple years ago). Everyone have a SPOOOOOKY GOOD DAY! Thanks for reading.

Do You Weigh Yourself?

Yesterday I spent the entire day re-creating many of my lost files, but I'm very much aware that many of them are gone for good, including all of my statistics from my research (if my adviser ever finds that out....I'm in trouble!!). Anyway, before I get started on my work for the day, I thought I would post the "Top Ten Reasons Not to Weigh Yourself", as I know many people weigh themselves often and I truly believe it's not the best idea. Why? I used to weigh myself all the time back when I had an eating disorder, and I really believe it made things worse. This is not to say that anyone who weighs themselves will get an eating disorder, but I do think that it puts the focus on the wrong issue and it causes one to become pre-occupied with a number, rather than an overall sense of health and well-being.

The Top Ten Reasons Not To Weigh Yourself

1. Weight fluctuates from day to day, which is not a significant indication of overall weight change.

2. Daily weight changes often are due to water weight, which naturally rises and falls.

3. Seeing a change we don't like on the scale may make us feel negative about ourselves and our bodies.

4. Focusing on weight tends to correlate with other negative behaviors that we want to avoid.

5. The scale will never say what we want it to say.

6. How we feel about ourselves is more important than the number on the scale.

7. The scale does not consider body composition (the ratio of muscle, fat, and other tissues). For example, as we exercise and gain muscle, we might look trimmer and more fit but actually weigh more, as muscle is heavier than fat.

8. We should not let a machine determine how we feel about ourselves.

9. Weight is not a measurement of self-worth

10. YOUR reason

Source: NutriFit, Sport, Therapy Inc.

Bottom Line: I do think it's ok to weigh yourself every once in a while to keep yourself on track and to prevent gradual weight gains/losses throughout your life. I usually weigh myself about once a month, just to keep myself on track (and also to make sure I have not LOST weight). I encourage you to take this list seriously and really think about how the scale effects your emotions.

Today I leave you with the only mountain view I had while in Colorado. This was the view from the convention center in downtown Denver!

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

FNCE Day 2; Omega Updates

To those of you who commented on my post from today, it WAS a duplicate post :) I realized I had not updated the date and it wasn't showing up when I opened my blog, so I re-posted it. Sorry for the confusion! To update you on my hard drive, it's officially gone and I have had it replaced now. I am still about 5 days behind since it had all of my documents for the company we are launching next week, therefore I have yet to read anyone's blogs and I feel so bad. I am just a mess right now, PLEASE forgive me! Again, I am still drawing the winners of the giveaway tonight, and I will post about it tomorrow. Thank goodness I had already uploaded all of my pics from the week/weekend before my computer started to hate me, so this post will take you through FNCE day 2!

Free Breakfast!

For breakfast on the second day my friend Fatinah and I decided to eat some of our freebies, so an apple with Barney Butter was perfect! I had never tried Barney Butter and let me tell you, it's AWESOME! It tastes like peanut butter, but it's made with almonds. This is good for me because I know almond butter is a bit healthier, but I like the taste of peanut butter better.

We walked into the expo on day two and I went right to the Smart Balance booth to complain to them about their FISHY peanut butter. Guess what?? This (below) is their new reformulated peanut butter! I tasted it and it was FISH TASTE FREE!! I was so excited, people probably thought I was crazy. Notice what it says on the front, "Rich Roasted". This is new, so keep your eyes peeled.

Seminar #3
Omega Fats, The Latest Research

- Research now indicates that an increased intake of omega-6 fatty acids (chicken, dressings, corn oil) DOES NOT lead to more inflammation, and it in fact reduces the risk of heart disease.

- An increased intake of omega-6 fatty acids also decreases IL-6, an inflammatory compound in the body.

- ANOTHER update from one of my posts; Do you choose wild salmon because you think it's got more omega-3 fats? Well if you do, you should stop! Why? There is actually MORE omega-3 in FARMED salmon! And, it's cheaper :)

- For those of you who take a flaxseed supplement or choose to eat walnuts and other sources of ALA (an omega-3 fatty acid) instead of fish or fish oil, you should know that it has been shown to be VERY POORLY converted to DHA and EPA.

Ok, back to the expo. LARABAR!!! Check it out, they were just sitting there on the table for us to grab. They weren't the full sizes, obviously, but the small sizes are just as good.

I've heard a lot about these VitaTops. I grabbed a few of them and I thought they were Ok. Not what I expected though, sort of dry in my opinion.

Puffins! Many of you were interested in this cereal. I asked the lady if I could have a coupon and she was so rude, she said; "Do you EAT this cereal?!". I was like, "umm, yeah, or why else would I want a coupon?"

Thank goodness for these eggs, as I was on sugar overload with all the juice and bar samples! Eggs on a stick are pretty fun, you should try them sometime.

And of course sitting in a plastic egg is just as fun. I look like a moron.

Kettle Cuisine had a pot of about 6 different types of soups for us to sample. I tried the carrot and butternut squash soup. It was delicious.

The Beef Council was there also. This little taste was just what I needed. Healthy, right? An egg and some beef! haha

Another favorite in the blog world, Cabot cheese!

Ok I've got to get back to work now. All work, no play. Sorry this post was sort of "to the point and boring", but I hope you learned some things. I am so excited to get back to regular posting and reading everyone's blogs. I hope you all understand why I have not been commenting on your blogs lately, I am just so behind. Stay tuned for the announcement of my giveaway tomorrow morning! I would also like to give a special shout out to;

LESLIE AT DREAM DINNERS in Seattle, Washington. She was kind enough to supply me with two awesome bags, one for me and one for my giveaway! One of the lucky winners will receive it one, they are great.

Thanks for reading everyone, and of course, thanks for being patient with me and being loyal to my blog :) You are all so great!

Sprouted Grains and Biggest Loser Review

I've been hearing a lot lately about sprouted grains and have been curious about their nutritional value for some time now. The other day I spotted an article in the LA Times, which claimed that although sprouted grain breads are much better than white bread, they may not be any more nutritious than other whole-grain bread varieties (link).

Here Are Some Highlights

Whole-wheat (whole grain wheat) bread is made by grinding wheat kernels -- comprised of a vitamin-rich germ, a protein- and carbohydrate-dense endosperm and an outer shell called the bran -- into whole-wheat flour.

Sprouted-grain breads are made from wheat kernels (often called wheat berries) that are allowed to sprout and then ground up and baked into bread. Because the kernels are not ground into flour, such breads are often referred to as "flourless." (Sprouted-grain breads do, however, contain gluten -- so they are no easier to metabolize for people who are unable to digest this wheat protein.)

Sprouted-grain breads made from an array of grains and legumes can provide a complete set of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins (Good for vegetarians/vegans).

Sprouting also causes some trace minerals, such as zinc, to be "freed up," or released, from the bran of the wheat kernel.

Sprouted-grain products have distinct nutritional advantages over white breads, but when compared to other whole-grain breads, they're usually nutritionally comparable -- although nutrient contents can vary, depending on the sprouts included. On the whole, the types and amounts of nutrients -- such as calcium, iron, niacin and fiber -- in sprouted-grain breads are often comparable to what's found in whole-grain breads.

Other Benefits Besides Nutrients

On the other hand, resources such as "Food For Life", who manufactures and sells sprouted grain products, make plenty of claims that sprouted grains are better for reasons such as; more easily digested protein and grain, and sprouting neutralizes phytic acid (phytic acid decreased the absorption of many important minerals).

Bottom Line: You may prefer the nuttier flavor of the sprouted grain breads/products, or you may find that your body does react to these grains in a more positive way, but unless you are a vegetarian or vegan they may not be providing any more benefits than regular whole grain breads/products. This is important to keep in mind since these products are often much more expensive than non-sprouted varieties of whole grains.

Question: Do you eat sprouted breads/grains? Why do you eat them?

Recent Lunches

Hodge Podge: Cooked vegetables, turkey burger, cottage cheese, laughing cow, dollop of salsa

Question: What's your favorite Hodge Podge of foods for lunch?

Here is some hodge podge scooped on some Love Force gluten free, vegan, sunflower bread!

Leftovers! Spaghetti squash, pasta sauce, POM lean ground beef sauteed mushrooms, garlic.

Biggest Loser Nutrition Review

Dislikes
I didn't like how all the temptations were sweets. Why no salty food? I know this is sort of a petty complaint, but come on, who isn't tempted by a handful of fries or greasy chips?!

The exercise tip Jillian gave, which I couldn't figure out the name of (Dead Lifts??), seemed like it could easily get someone hurt if they did not know what they were doing. Think about all the back problems that could result from that...yikes.

I found it interesting that Jillian has a good friend who is suffering, or who suffered, from cancer and now Jillian is a huge cancer advocate. That's fine, good for her, but sponsoring and selling a detox product may not be so great for cancer prevention Jillian. I'm pretty sure cancer prevention, and even treatment, is all about natural and holistic diets and remedies.

I didn't like how Moh said the "show" saved his life. That gives off the wrong message because then people will think they can't do it on their own. I'm just thinking about the people who are truly obsessed with the show and want to be on it SO bad. They will assume they can't do it on their own. Anyone else agree?

Likes
Apparently I really like Bob, because my first two "likes" refer to him. I loved his exercise advice regarding push-ups. He said if you can't do the "real" push-ups, to them against the wall or even go lower and use a chair. I do that :) He added to his advice by saying you should do some at each commercial break. Awesome idea!

Bob said he hated it when people complain when they lose weight (like Rudy, who lost 8 pounds). Obviously he was complaining because he was used to seeing a bigger number, but come on, 8 pounds is 8 pounds! That's awesome. When you complain about losing 8 pounds how does that make others feel who only lose 3 or 4? I go through this same issue where I work. People lose 3 pounds in a week and get pissed because it wasn't the 8 pounds they lost the week before. Come on people! Anything is better than 0, or gaining!

It made me happy to see Moh giving kids nutrition advice at the end. Good for him.

Question: Would you like to add anything to my like and dislikes? Comments? Other opinions?

Today is Thursday and I am going to be busy busy busy. For starters, I need to start packing for Colorado (I don't have much time to pack tomorrow and I'm leaving Saturday!). After a bit of packing I have to go to work on some weight management handouts, then tonight is our monthly Columbus Dietetic Association meeting! Today's topic is "body assessments" and we get to see a Bod Pod and Under-Water Weighing!

Have a great day, and thanks for reading :)

Soup, Salmon, and Spaghetti Squash

Yesterday I found out why I love you guys all so much! Instead of considering me a scrooge because of my "holiday pet peeve", you all seemed to understand where I was coming from and supported my views! Even those of you who didn't 100% agree still gave me some positive feedback. Thanks everyone! I loved reading your comments.

Single Serving Soup

One of my favorite things to make/eat during the fall and winter is soup. Unfortunately Nick doesn't like soup, so I usually have to eat it for lunch. Something I really like to do is just buy some chicken broth and add cooked veggies, whatever meat I have laying around, some type of bread or bean for carbohydrate, and melted cheese. Normally I buy low sodium, but the last purchase I made was NOT low sodium.
Check out that sodium. I mean, seriously, 24% of my daily value in one cup of this chicken broth!
When I make dumb mistakes like that, I just add about 1/2 cup of the broth and then add 1/2 cup tap water instead of 1 full cup of broth. For this particular soup (below) I added 1 cup cooked vegetables, 2 ounces lean ground turkey, garlic, pepper, a bit of cayenne and a slice (1 ounce) of light Havarti cheese.

On a cold fall day this is the perfect lunch. I thought about adding croutons or beans, but I had a handful of granola on the side instead.

Something I've been meaning to do for a while is try these salmon patties. I got the idea from Shannon of "Lessons to Learn". After heating up this beauty for about 2 minutes, a added a slice of light Havarti cheese and zapped it for another minute, then added the salsa. I didn't even use a bun on this sucker and it was an excellent combination! Not to mention that this was a healthy meal, with a hefty dose of Omega-3.

Gina and Nick's FIRST Spaghetti Squash!

I finally bought one.

After taking about 10 minutes to cut it in half (yeah, I know, pathetic), I turned the squash upside down and cooked at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.

This was the result. It was perfect, I did not add a thing. Just use a fork and scrape it out. It's fun!

Nutrition Facts for Spaghetti Squash (1 cup)
42 calories
2.5 grams fiber
1 gram protein
28 mg sodium
9% vitamin C/3% vitamin A/iron/calcium

Nutrition Facts for Spaghetti Noodles (1 cup)
221 calories
2.5 g fiber
8 grams protein
1 mg sodium
0% vitamin C/0% vitamin A/10% iron/1% calcium

Bottom Line: There are nutrition benefits in both, but if you want to add sauce, butter, meat, or whatever to your spaghetti, spaghetti squash is a better choice so you can eat all that without too many calories! Also, when was the last time you saw someone only eat 1 cup of spaghetti? At least with the squash you can eat more than one cup and it's still ok!



Which one is mine?
a)
Or

b)?
Answer: Mine is "a", it's basically the same thing, only slightly smaller portions, and no avocado (Approximations; 3/4 cup squash, 2 ounces lean ground beef, 1/2 cup cooked mushroom and red pepper, 1/4 cup roasted garlic pasta sauce. Those red peppers are huge. I was lazy when I was cutting them, but they were really good.

Question: What's your favorite way to eat spaghetti squash? If you aren't a fan, what's your favorite way to eat regular spaghetti?

Giveaway Alert: Emily of "The Health Nut" is giving away a 10 dollar gift card for some granola from "Mix My Granola!" Check it out.

I'm off to the gym, then the library, the my parent's house for my mom's birthday celebration! Thanks for reading!

Kashi's Mayan Harvest Bake Review!

I've decided pumpkin is going to have to be a staple in my diet from now on. Seriously, how can I live without it? Now that I have it, I don't ever want to loose it again! The bowl of heaven below contained: 3/4 cup steel cut oats, 1/4 cup pumpkin puree, 1 t brown sugar, 2 t honey, a bit of Purevia.

And I was full for three hours, which included a powerful workout! I've been trying to push myself harder during my workouts by including some intervals on the elliptical (really fast for 1 minute, then medium speed for 1 minute). I've been doing this for about 2 weeks now and I already notice a difference in my strength and endurance!

For dinner last night I broke out this Kashi frozen entree. I don't buy frozen entrees often because a) They are a waste of money, b) They create waste in landfills and my own trash can, and c) They are processed and therefore....well, you'll see later on**.

Check out these nutrition facts! Can you think of the two things about these facts that I did not like? Can you think of what really got me excited?

I didn't care for the fact that this entree had 380 mg sodium, but since I do not get a lot of sodium in my diet this isn't so bad in my case. For other people this may be too much (**by the way, sodium is the main reason I don't like processed foods). I also did not particularly care for the 58 grams of carbohydrate. I like to get more carbohydrates during the day (when I know I will be using them for physical energy) and more protein, fruits, and veggies at night. However, the fiber in this entree was 8 grams, wow! That's an excellent source of fiber. I took 3 Beano with this meal. I was also excited about the potassium (400 mg, 11% DV) and the vitamin A (100% DV). Do you know where the vitamin A came from?

If you guessed plantains and sweet potato, you're correct! I know how many people are into buying foods with short ingredient lists, but even though this one is super long, is there any word that is not familiar to you? I can't find one word I don't know, which makes me happy :)

Sorry my photography was not very good.

I took one picture on the plate, and one picture in the plastic container. These are two giant polenta patties! I gave this entree a 9 out of 10 for taste and nutrition (it was docked for the high sodium).

And last night was a cinnamon/Purevia popcorn night (yes, despite all the carbohydrates in my dinner, I still had some late night popcorn!). If you have not tried this yet, what in the world are you waiting for?!

Today I am working for a while (yes, work on the weekend, fun!), watching OSU crush Wisconsin (ummm..hopefully...) then picking up my brother to take him to the apple farm for apple picking! My parents are out of town and Nick and I are in charge of him for the day/night (need to make sure he doesn't have any wild middle school parties!).

Question: If you were to create your own frozen meal/entree, what would it be? I'd try to freeze my pumpkin steel cut oats, so it could be popped in the microwave and ready to eat in minutes, rather than the 20 minutes it takes to make it. Yeah, I could sleep about 15 minutes longer....muahaha!

On more thing before I go. I received this wonderful award from Naomi of "One Fit Foodie!" (thanks Naomi!!). I'm super flattered about all the great awards I've been receiving lately. It really makes me feel good about what I'm doing with this blog. You are all so great!

More Pumpkin and Fresh Vegetable Food Safety Update

Thanks for your comments on my post yesterday. I asked you all if you had ever been personally effected by an unhealthy diet, and if so, what got you to change? I also asked for some good examples of how to help people start making healthy changes.

Leslie from "Leslie Living Life" described how she has not always been healthy and her attitude regarding calories was that they didn't really meant much to her, nor did they effect her decisions. She explained how the guidance of her husband, who is very focused on health and wellness, is what has helped her get where she is today, living a healthier lifestyle.

Diana, from Soap and Chocolate made another good point, saying that you can't make a person change unless they are READY to change. Amen to that!

Melissa, from Melissa Nibbles said this; An unhealthy thing I used to do in high school was binge and purge. I had always wanted to stop, but it was a coping mechanism for a more serious issue. It wasn't until I addressed that issue that I was able to stop. I think this happens with people that overeat or stress eat too. Rather than deal with the problem or stressful issue, they seek comfort in food. The only way to stop doing that is to look at food for what it is...just food.

Melissa's comment is something I can relate to, with my eating disorder history. When I was anorexic I knew I was not being healthy, but obviously that did not deter me from not eating and not nourishing my body. So why did I do it? Obviously I had other issues going on, ones which I could not fix so I figured I could "fix" them by controlling my calorie and fat intake. All of the above comments pointed out some important concepts about getting people to change. First, some people know so little about health and nutrition that even seeing the calories in the foods they are ordering is not going to make a difference. Second, if the only place they are getting the information about food and nutrition is at the fast food restaurant, and they are not hearing it from those people they are surrounded by and look up to, it will be hard for them to make a change. Last, many people are dealing with bigger issues in their lives and eating healthy is simply the last thing they want to deal with. Instead, they feel that they can at least mask their pain and unhappiness by eating whatever they want and whatever makes them feel good (or for Melissa and I, controlling our food and calories to the point of obsession). Keep in mind, the study that showed calorie posting did not make a difference was done in a poor neighborhood. Different outcomes may have been seen in a more wealthy neighborhood, and in fact I would expect positive outcomes in wealthier neighborhoods. Why? Most of them have a basic knowledge of health and nutrition! The calories actually MEAN something to them. I hope society can come up with some better ways to reach the people who have not been brought up surrounded by health and wellness. and help them make healthy changes. It's a slow and difficult process, but I see a bright future ahead for our society.

TURKEY PUMPKIN BURGERS
Yep, I added pumpkin puree to the very lean turkey meat I purchased. I did this for three reasons; 1) To add more bulk and to allow for more burgers to be made from my 1.4 pound package, 2) To add some moisture to the very lean burgers, and 3) To add some extra nutrients of course!
Last night I cut up one burger into chunks and put it into a wrap. Taking Naomi's suggestion, I added some Laughing Cow to my wrap, along with the burger, some veggies, and some new salsa.

PUMPKIN SOUP!
Anthony of "From a Dietitian's Perspective" sent me a recipe for pumpkin soup, which sounded amazing, but contained too many ingredients for my short and simple way of cooking. I wound up using another recipe recipe instead, which called for FOUR ingredients! It's as simple as:

1) Add one can pumpkin
2) Add 1 cup milk (I used vanilla soy!)
3) Add 1 cup chicken broth
4) Add 1/2 tsp. rubbed sage, and some salt and pepper

After mixing the ingredients and getting the soup hot, I served myself a bowl and enjoyed it with some whole wheat bread. I could have added a bit more salt, as it was slightly bland, but overall this soup was very good. I think it would also taste great with a bit of sour cream, which I did not have.

Nutritionally speaking, this soup provides some Vitamin A (beta carotene), and calcium, while also being low in calories and fat. In other words, this is a very nutrient dense food!

Fresh Vegetable Food Safety

If you have not seen it or heard about it in the news, there has been a lot of hype the last several days about the danger of leafy greens (especially bagged leafy greens) in relation to pathogen risk. For those of you who don't know, my graduate studies research was focused on fresh vegetable food safety, so this issue is important to me. Before you stop eating greens I encourage you to look at the FDA's recommendations and just remain cautious when you purchase leafy greens, don't give them up! If you are healthy and you are safe in the kitchen, you have nothing to worry about. The risks do NOT outweigh the benefits in this case.

Question: Have the latest news stories about the "danger" of fresh cut lettuce had any effect on you? I actually noticed many of the pre-cut greens were on clearance at my local grocery store!

For now I'm going to go workout, then do some work for Imagination To Burn (the new corporate wellness company I am working for!). Tonight Nick is home (yeah!) and we will catch up on some shows, do lots of laundry, and hang out and be merry :) Have a great day, and thanks for reading!

Sunday Recap and More Pumpkin Creations

Check out the cool shirts we wore at the walk for juvenile diabetes! Doesn't my mom look so pleased to be photoed in such a cool t-shirt?! haha We walked for Sarah's team. Sarah is a young girl who goes to the school where my mom is the school nurse. Her team name was "Sarah's Super Striders!".

The walk was a hit. I believe there were about 5000 people that showed up, but that's a random guess really. Here is the back of the shirt, which addresses the fact that all proceeds from the walk are for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

I hate to be such a downer sometimes, but I was slightly disappointed to see that some of the booths that were at this event were handing out tons of candy. Now I realize juvenile diabetes isn't always about weight, but still, aren't we supposed to be pushing health and wellness?? They were also handing out apples and bananas, which was great. Of course, why should I talk? I made this Saturday night:

Pumpkin and Walnut Frozen Yogurt
This was better than my first batch. Instead of using pumpkin spice, I used cinnamon and nutmeg!

After the walk for juvenile diabetes, I came home and tried out some tuna with Laughing Cow cheese, which was recommended by Lindsay of Banana and Chocolate.

As you can see I also added some marinated mushrooms and red pepper, as well as some pepper spice. I made little appetizers with the cucumber. Overall, I really enjoyed this!

Yesterday I also made some Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread from Cooking Light magazine. As always, I made a few changes to the recipe in order to make it lighter and healthier. Here are some of the changes I made:

I used about 2 T less sugar
Substituted 12 T flaxseed for 1/2 cup oil
I did not have any pudding so I used fat free yogurt
Substituted whole wheat flour for white
I used walnuts instead of chocolate chips

The bread tasted amazing, and was about 50 calories/slice less than the original, plus it had some ALA fatty acids (essential Omega-3 fat).

Taste of Grandview
Last night my mom and I went to the taste of Grandview with Nick's mom and sisters. Nick was working at the event, so we got to see him too :)

Here was the main meal I got, which was a flank steak with a palenta cake, roasted tomatoes, and fried leeks. On a scal of 1 to 10, this was a 9.5!
We also got some appetizers. A restaurant called Third and Hollywood was selling half artichokes, hollowed out and filled with a mayonnaise/bacon/dill sauce. They were AMAZING.
The artichokes were grilled, check it out!
And of course we had to try some pumpkin bisque! It was ok, not the best.

Question: What was the last new food you tried? Did you like it? For me it was fried leeks. I had never had them before and they were so tasty! They were basically like mini friend onions....so obviously they were delicious.
Question: Is there a food that can "unbake?" Check out Special K's "UnBake Off" and submit your idea by October 19th!