What’s up people. I have some bad news and some good news.
The bad news, no recipe today. I know you’re devastated. I make ridiculously yummy food and you were wondering what to eat tonight. But it’s been a weird week and it’s only going to get busier and sadly that means I get less creative in the kitchen.
However, now for the good news:
I’m having a Give Away!
Slimkicker.com contacted me about a week or so ago about wanting to do a giveaway on my blog. And since I’ve never had that offer before, how could I pass it up?
I’ve perused the website a bit. Its similar to myfitnesspal.com or other various diet sites on the web. Slimkicker, however focuses on trying to turn losing weight into a game as well as actually try to keep you motivated. You join challenges and set goals and as you reach your goals and complete your challenges, it reminds you to reward yourself with a prize you previously decided on. In addition they also have a recipe database worth perusing.
Now for the fun part. The give away is an electronic kitchen scale. I have an electronic kitchen scale and I happen to use it ALL of the time. It’s great to know exactly how much of something you are eating or to properly portion out food to freeze, know proper cooking times, etc.
To win this glorious scale you must leave a comment on this blog post and share a fun/creative challenge idea related to fitness or diet. The slimkicker folks will pick their favorite challenge idea and I’ll announce the winner in about a week. Make sure you leave contact information!
OH and check me out on there, username sbragg87
A Blog to Bragg About 
My wonderful boyfriend makes some of the best spaghetti sauce I have ever had, it is actually the first meal he ever made for me. Beginning this year we were trying to start eating better but I don’t think spaghetti is one of the best meals and we weren’t willing to give it up. Instead we made a compromise, we began to weigh out the pasta before cooking it. The next time we made spaghetti we would reduce the portion size until we got down to a size that was filling but healthy. It’s wonderful to know that you can be healthy without giving up the things you love.
My goal for August is to buy a new produce (veggie or fruit), once a week, and then find 7 new recipes to use it in. How many ways can I use this __(ex:eggplant)____ this week? I’m hoping that this will help me discover new foods, recipes and also cut my food budget by buying in-season produce.
My challenge idea would be to ride your bike to work everyday, or if you can’t bike, get off one station earlier, or park further away than usual from your workplace.
at our house we’ve started playing “chopped”. one person goes to the store and buys 3 weight watchers “power foods” and brings them home. and the “chef” has to make a complete meal including the three ingredients, supplemented by what’s already in the fridge/pantry/freezer. keeps things fresh and exciting 🙂
My goal for the month of August is to see how many colors I can get on my family’s plate for dinner each night. Tis the season of fresh fruits and veggies, and therefore, I want to get reds, oranges, greens, blues, and all the other foodie colors on their plates. And as an extra incentive, if they eat all of each “color”, they get to choose the next night’s meal. Kind of a fun contest to get everyone to eat their fruits and veggies so that they don’t have to eat something they don’t like/want the next day!
Oh, and a new, awesome electronic kitchen scale would be great so I know I’m giving them the right portion sizes for each meal!
My goal for the month of August is to see how many colors I can get on my family’s plate for dinner each night. Tis the season of fresh fruits and veggies, and therefore, I want to get reds, oranges, greens, blues, and all the other foodie colors on their plates. And as an extra incentive, if they eat all of each \”color\”, they get to choose the next night\’s meal. Kind of a fun contest to get everyone to eat their fruits and veggies so that they don\’t have to eat something they don\’t like/want the next day!
Oh, and a new, awesome electronic kitchen scale would be great so I know I\’m giving them the right portion sizes for each meal!
I have always been a big carb lover and found myself using too many starchy carbs to round out my meals. Although I am aware that eating carbs in moderation is good for you, I knew my habits were a bit excessive. I decided to challenge myself with substituting a green vegetable for every meal I would previously have used a starchy carb. For example, instead of pairing my chicken stir fry with an abundance of rice, I served it atop a mound of sauteed kale. I would take note in my food journal every time I did this, and at the end of a designated period of time, if the times I chose veggies outweighed the times I chose rice or pasta, I rewarded myself. This system worked out great for me and I really learned to love different types of green leafy vegetables (and they filled me up more)!
A food scale would be a great way for me to continue on my weight loss journey and really tune into my portion control issues.
Slimkicker Challenge:
Your body takes time between in-taking food and your brain registering as “full”, so we’ll be combining a couple of ideas to make a two week-long, two part Slimkicker challenge: (1) Stay hydrated and maintain a fuller feeling by drinking 500ml of water a half hour before every meal. (2) Chew each bite of food at least 30 times. Doing this ensures that not only you’re pacing yourself, but it aids the body in processing your meal. The net result? You’ll find yourself being more satisfied with smaller portions.
Keep making those healthy choices!
I’ve been reading your blog since the first post. It’s been awesome seeing it grow and develop over the last few years!
I’ve got a killer sweet tooth as you know, and since starting paleo it’s been difficult cutting out the sweets and treats. I was amazed to find any alternatives that satisfied my cravings, but were still relatively healthy. My suggestion is that instead of caving in and buying a candy bar or baking up cookies and cakes, go access that wonderful Internet and search for alternatives. I’ve been surprised to discover that I (and my picky kiddos) love cookies made with coconut flour and sweetened with only fruit!
I believe the best way for each of us to get control of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, & a host of other things (including cancer) is to focus on what we put in our bodies! I know that it may sound crazy, but one of the biggest problems is portion size. We eat and drink too much of everything. The challenge I like most of all is a challenge to actually weigh and measure your portions for a week. After a week of doing this, you will slowly get used to knowing the correct portion size that is for your build and body. This is a challenge i hope to fill by using the new scale in the give-away!
Here’s to a healthier you and me!!!
Pingback: Happiness Project: July Check In | A Blog to Bragg About
My scale just died so I am in need! I am challenging myself to pay more attention to what I eat and how much I eat. Like so many others I am surrounded by too much food. I am trying to live by the words “taste, don’t eat.”
Pingback: Five Things Friday | A Blog to Bragg About
I have a real problem with sweets especially ice cream, so instead of buying ice cream I would like to challenge myself to eat mashed frozen bananas with some other flavoring mixed in to trick myself and make me think I’m eating dessert, but it’s really healthy! My husband and I are also picking up new hobbies. We just started rock climbing and bought bikes to trick ourselves into working out. Instead of going to the gym or doing a video for a week or 2 we can just have fun rock climbing or biking and not dread working out.