Can you believe that January is almost done!  Thats right… It’s feeling a little surreal, when just the other day it was New Years and we were celebrating and making our new years resolutions.  If you have all been following me on twitter (which by the way is a must @thatssoyummy ) then you already know I am knee deep in my Ten in 2010 Healthy Challenge.

Week three has officially been completed and just like the other day I am proud to say that I have lost 11 pounds…… WOOHOOO!!!!!!

I have completely changed my lifestyle… I workout everyday for at least 1 hour and a half most two; I I eat a protein shake after each workout, I have been drinking water, water, and more water; and last but not least I have been eating salads, brown rice, and protein.

This is a great recipe I found for Brown Rice and Black Beans (see below)

or you can try a Mediterranean Salmon Pasta Bowl (just substitute and add whole wheat linguine)

The biggest thing for me was stopping the late night snacking, which I guess is pretty much everyday snacking… breads, juices, soda, COFFEE (which by the way I miss you so much!) and desserts.

Like these…

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookie Cups

or what about these Oreo Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Bars…

and especially not these Caramel Chocolate Fudge Brownies.

So the fight continues, 3 weeks down 7 more to go….. Let’s pray that I stay strong for the remainder, which I think I just may!

So 2009 has come and gone, and 2010 is here before our eyes.  This is the time when folks all around vow to make healthy New Years resolutions.  I know because I used to be one of those people who vowed that each year I would eat heathy and exercise.  The difference this year is that I vowed that I would start before the year ended and continue strong when 2010 began…. and that is what I have done.

A fellow food blogger, Lori from Recipe Girl decided the same thing and has organized a Ten in 2010 Healthy Challenge.  The challenge will begin, today January 2nd and will continue for 10 weeks.  The best part about it is that yours truly will be participating and you can too!  To jump start my goal, I joined my whole family at my local YMCA, not only is it for m e but for them as well.  A family that works out together feels better together. I am proud to say that I have been going everyday for the past two weeks and love it.. with that as well I am eating heathier, drinking plenty of water and cutting down on the sweets.

My goals for this challenge are:

• Drink plenty more water

• Eat more veggies and fruits

• No more COKE or soda like products

• No more sweets (this will be a hard one)

• Workout everyday, giving myself Sunday possibly a break

• Sleep at least 6 hours a night

• Prepare healthy delicious meals for my family

• Cleanse my body of all the nasty toxins I have accumulated over the years

Of course that doesn’t mean I will deprive all of my fabulous readers of the delectable yummies I make and share with you all because that would just be unfair.  I will just also be sharing more healthy and delicious recipes as well throughout my challenge.

For more information on the challenge and to sign up  visit Lori’s site.  Also, if you would like to track your progress on Spark People, we have a 10 in 10 group. Click here to join.

If this interests you at all then make sure to sign up and challenge yourself to become more healthy for you and your family.  WOuld love to support you and all of those that have already signed up for the challenge.  Let’s make 2010 an GREAT year and start it off right!

(Image from Recipe Girl)

This question is being raised all over our schools due to some schools and activist groups who feel that chocolate milk should be banned from school cafeterias.

I know you may be looking at the screen asking yourself “WHAT?!?”  Ban chocolate milk…. not possible.

I know when I was a child before choosing anything I would go straight for the chococlate milk.  To this day I still love chocolate milk and so do my children.

I recognize the important role milk plays in our children’s lives today and so does Raise Your Hand For Chocolate Milk. Raise Your Hand For Chocolate Milk is a new campaign from the National Dairy Council and Milk Processor Education Program that is focused on promoting the benefits of keeping chocolate milk in schools and prevent them being banned as schools have done with sugary sodas and candies.

Top 5 Reasons to Keep Chocolate Milk:

• Milk Provides nutrients essential for good health and kids will choose it over regular milk, the majority of the time.

• Flavored milk contains the same nine essential nutrients as white milk and is a healthier alternative to soda and sugar juices.

• Drinking low-fat or fat free white flavored milk helps kids get the 3-daily servings of milk needed in their diets.

• Children who drink flavored milk meet more of the nutrient needs; do not consume more added sugar; fat or calories; and are not heavier than non-milk drinkers.

• Low-fat chocolate milk is the most popular milk choice in schools and kids drink less milk (and get fewer nutrients) in schools if it is taken away.

You can also sign the “Raise Your Hand For Chocolate Milk” petition to show your support to keep chocolate milk on the menu in schools nationwide.

I raised my hand!  Did You???

Each week we round up our most yummy posts and recipes from our friends at the Kitchn.

This week, the Kitchn rounds off this weeks appetizers with a scrumptious chick-pea pancake.

Also in the Kitchn, ten most riskiest foods, Japanese citrus fruits, brown butter ice cream, and how to make apple butter.

• Top 10 Riskiest Foods: Are You Concerned?: The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a consumer watchdog group, recently released this controversial report.

• A Roundup Of Some Japanese Citrus Fruit: Come and discover this small islands wide assortment of citrus fruit.

• Autumn Recipe: Brown Butter Ice Cream: This ice cream is the perfect topping for any warm fall dessert.

• Apples Galore! How To Make Apple Butter: If you have never tried this easy made butter which is just applesauce slowly cooked down.

• Do You Know What A Jibarito Is… It’s a Sandwich In between Fried Plantains…. Yummy!

• Can Chocolate Save Your Life, It Just Might Be Able To.

• What Is The Difference Between a Skillet and Sauté Pan?

• Freezer Burn, yucky stuff… Learn How To Stop It!

• How Long Will Food Last In Your Refrigerator?

Follow these easy tips to keep your frozen foods fresh.

Ever wonder what those grayish, frosty spots that you find on the surface of foods,they are known as freezer burn.

Freezer burn occurs when food is improperly wrapped and exposed to too much oxygen.  This technically is a process of chemical sublimation and is done intentionally when making freeze-dried foods.  

Lucky for us freezer burn will not rot meat or produce, but has a tendency to cause items to toughen and taste spoiled.  Which if you ask me is not tasty at all… Yuck!  

Protect food from freezer burn and yucky ice crystals by tightly covering it with freezer-safe wraps and bags.  Always remember to make sure to squeeze out excess air.  

Wrap large items like meat and loaves of bread in a double layer of plastic wrap, wax paper, or aluminum foil, then store in a container or plastic freezer bag.  Store smaller items like chicken stock, sliced carrots, and such in small-sized containers or plastic bags.

Whenever anything is placed in the freezer the chance of it getting freezer burn is inevitable, thats why you must always remember to rotate your freezer after a while.

Image: Transguyjay/Flickr

According to scientists recently, Popcorn is said to be the latest and most unlikely food to provide health-boosting properties. The traditional buttery air popped snack contains a surprisingly large amount of healthy antioxidant plant chemicals called polyphenols, scientists have claimed. 

Polyphenols, which are also found in fruits, vegetables, chocolate, wine, coffee and tea, are known to protect the heart and reduce the risk of cancer.  

US chemist Dr Joe Vinson, who made the discovery, said: “We really were surprised by the levels of polyphenols we found in popcorn. I guess its because it’s not processed. You get all the wonderful ingredients of the corn undiluted and protected by the skin. In my opinion it’s a good health food.” 

What do you think about that…. should we all go out and start ordering our favorite movie snack from now on?

Image: jmacphoto.com/Flickr

I know that chocolate on some days have definitely saved my life in one way or the other!

Apparently chocolate also has the ability to save your life as well.  According to a study done in the September issue of the Journal of Internal Medicine suggests that eating chocolate can prevent death in heart attack survivors.

Scientists found, after conducting a study, with men and women, ages 45 to 70, who ate chocolate two or more times a week were three times less likely to die from heart disease than those who never ate chocolate.  

“Our findings support increasing evidence that chocolate is a rich source of beneficial bioactive compounds,” the researchers wrote.  The results are likely due to cocoa’s antioxidant levels, according to study coauthor Dr. Kenneth Mukamal.

Image: Savor_soaps/Flickr

• How To: Measure Dry Baking Ingredients: Learn all that you need to know to bake your favorite desserts.

• Ants in the kitchen are never fun or appetizing, find out ways to get rid of them for good.

• Quick and Easy Recipe: Fried Rice.  Just add your favorite addition inside the rice, chicken, pork, or shrimp.

• Did you know there are different kinds of salts to cook with…. Here are 6.

• Got MILK?  Or maybe Fizzy Carbonated Milk, the new addition to the Global Coca-Cola brand. 

Ants…. these little annoying crawly buggers that love to attack anything that might sit on your counter for more than 20 minutes at a time.  I started thinking about a way to get rid of these tiny critters after speaking with my sister who happens to be a victim of these lil monsters.  Every time Aly, my sis, leaves out a box of donuts or cookies that are still in the container mind you, she comes back to find an army of ants feasting on her beloved sweets, and if you knew my sister you would know that doesn’t sit well with her at all!
I know that these creepy crawlies usually come out when they sense anything sugary.  Thats why it is so important when wanting to kill them you need to make sure to get them inside of their colony and allowing the ants to take it back inside their colony and sharing it with their friends and queen.  

When you see a trail of ants follow the path and see where it leads.  While following the path make sure to scrub down the line with vinegar scrubbing away all the remnants of the nasty little buggers until you get to the opening of the colony.  When you reach the entry way fill it with Borax or diatomaceous earth and seal it off with clear caulk.  Go around the inside and outside of the house, finding their entryways and blocking them off with more Borax and diatomaceous earth and clear caulk.

There are a few ways though that can really help you combat this takeover besides the above method… make sure to keep your house and kitchen EXTREMELY clean!  Wiping down the counters after use, sweeping and mopping the floors clean, not leaving food out, and keeping sugary foods well-sealed.  Also don’t forget to seal dry pet food in airtight containers.

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