Generation Hi-C

I am from the Hi-C and Spaghettios generation. Soda was a dietary staple and buying Pringles in the can was almost mandatory in our weekly shopping trips. Mom and dad worked and I needed to eat. Awful stuff but it has given me a deep appreciation for real food and how it makes my body feel compared to prepackaged, processed "food" items.

My epiphany happened the day I chugged a can of soda to quench my thirst.  A friend and I were walking home from a trip to the mall and we were parched. We stopped in a grocery store and only had some change between us- just enough for a few cans of soda. After drinking it down, I was still thirsty. In fact, I was thirstier. Why did I not feel satiated? Oh, yeah, it's a can full of SUGAR and CHEMICALS! Seems obvious and simple but it was like a light bulb turned on in my head. I started reevaluating everything I was putting into my body and realized most of it was not REAL FOOD nor the fuel my body needed to thrive and work at its utmost potential. It was like I was dumping garbage into my fuel tank.

This epiphany only woke me up to what I was consuming every day and it was a long, arduous process to figure out what was really healthy and what was not. Today, every trip to the grocery store I see supposedly "healthy food" processed and packaged and therefore no longer FOOD. The food industry has duped the American public into believing what it is consuming is real. American consumers read "Weight Watchers" and "Lean Cuisine" on high sodium, preservative and chemical laden prepackaged meals and think it must be healthy. It's part of a diet plan! Contrarily, artificial coloring and chemicals such as ASPARTAME and BHT lurk in the ingredients and they can wreak havoc on our digestive systems and actually hinder us from losing weight not to mention potentially cause cancer or other diseases.

I urge all my friends who have struggled with losing weight and/or having a more healthy lifestyle to start by educating yourself on processed food and moving to a more whole foods diet. It doesn't have to be expensive or difficult! If you need more support, leave me a message and I can consult with you in your own kitchen! Together we will go through your cabinets and pantry and identify problem "foods" and I will offer you healthy alternatives to your favorite dishes.

You can start by checking out this article about a no preservatives diet
http://www.livestrong.com/article/324884-no-preservatives-diet/

and here are a few blogs that outline the chemicals to watch out for in your food
http://fromfat2skinnyin1year.wordpress.com/2012/08/03/weight-gain-additives/
http://www.3fatchicks.com/how-preservatives-can-cause-weight-gain/

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

My kids are obsessed with chocolate milk. Unfortunately, my eldest son is severely lactose intolerant. Chocolate coconut, almond, and soy milk are fine in a pinch but I do not like some of the ingredients in these cartons, specifically NATURAL FLAVORS and CARRAGGEENAN. Both look innocuous but the truth is that natural flavors are man made and can be animal derived. Carrageenan comes from red seaweed but it is processed and can cause inflammation in humans and studies found it to be carcinogenic to us as well. And forget about the premade syrup on the grocery store shelves. If you read the ingredient list, you will be hard pressed to even find real chocolate in it! So, after perusing Pinterest, I found a great homemade chocolate syrup recipe with all natural ingredients and nothing animal derived (skip the honey and use pure vanilla extract). The recipe is from Rebecca and her blog "Foodie With Family". It's delicious, easy to make and it sure does make a lot! The hardest part of this recipe was finding a bottle to put it in. I have to admit, I ate most of it off the spoon. Now where can I find a squeeze bottle?

Vegan Chocolate Syrup

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups water
• 3 cups raw sugar
• 1 ½ cups Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract (preferably homemade)
• ¼ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup or agave

Instructions

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a medium-to-large saucepan stirring until sugar is dissolved.

Whisk in the remaining ingredients until the cocoa powder is also dissolved. Return to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5-8 minutes. 

Pour the hot syrup through a fine mesh strainer and let cool to room temperature

 

Sensible Cotton Briefs

Somewhere between my first and second child, I stopped wearing sexy panties. There were several reasons for this but let’s just say that the number one reason was that awful feeling of discomfort that only itchy lace and unbreathable spandex can create against your nether- regions.  I am pretty sure it was one of those hot, humid days at the playground when I decided to ditch my silky satins. After bending down for the ninth time to tie my son's shoelace, I found myself with sweat dripping down parts of my body that I never knew could sweat. I finally took the hint. Sensible cotton underwear was the only way to go.

My husband never mentioned my new preference for the big and sometimes baggy cottons. He is a true gentlemen after all. Never did he comment on the bright colors and strange flowered patterns that only these kind of cotton undies could deliver. Never caring that I looked like I was wearing a cross between granny panties and the panties of a 6 year old. Only a few times did he take notice that the waist bands were unraveling or asked a question like, "Are those whales on your underwear?"

Recently, while doing my weekly shopping at Target- Ok, I really just needed to get out of the house-  I was throwing random red tagged items in my cart because, let’s face it, who can resist a cute, melamine plate and cup set for only $1.49? Somewhere between the brightly colored hand bags and the “As Seen on T.V.” end cap, I remembered I needed new underwear. I quickly went to the “sensible, cotton underwear” wall which consisted of the trusted name brands of Jockey, Hanes and Fruit of the Loom. I can’t lie, I picked out the 8 pack of solid colored cotton panties based mostly on the price.

The next morning, I tried on one of the freshly laundered underwear. They were blue with a gray stripe around the waistband. I thought they looked pretty boyish but boy were they comfy. From behind me, I heard my husband walk into the room. I turned around and his eyes popped open and a strange purring sound came from the back of his throat. Apparently, me + Hanes Her Way cotton briefs = Kelly LeBrock in Weird Science.

I am fully aware that this is a reference only people who grew up in the 80’s would understand. But I could see in my husband’s eyes his past adolescent fantasies reform and take shape in that very second.  There I was, reflected in his face, my short 5 foot frame replaced Kelly’s much taller and leaner body standing in a doorway with nothing but a half shirt and a pair of cotton briefs.  And I liked it.