Monday " Mention"... Environmental Working Group

http://www.ewg.org/foodscores 

http://www.ewg.org/foodscores/content/ewg-food-scores-state-of-americas-food-landscape

     The Environmental Working group had developed a data base you can access on your computer or phone to help with making healthier options when shopping at the grocery store. There are catagories to pick from and you put your product in their data base you they will give you a score based on different factors. So if you have a concern with a particular product in your cabinet and wondering if it's a healthy choice, put it in the data base and see the results. It's nice to have a tool that helps cut down on some of the confusion and buzz words when trying to pick and choose foods that will nourish our bodies.

EWG's Food Scores just took the work out of grocery shopping for me!: EWG's Food Scores rates more than 80,000 foods in a simple, searchable online format to empower people to shop smarter and eat healthier. Each item in the database is scored based on three factors: nutrition, ingredient concerns and degree of processing. a href='http://ewg.org/foodscores/'Check it out and see how your favorite foods score./a

Power of Suggestion...

Good and Plenty...

Someone gave me these garden grown cucumbers because they felt like the had plenty to share, and I was overjoyed! So as I was making this salad http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/tomato-onion-and-cucumber-salad-recipe.html ( I left off the olive oil) I got to thinking about the power of suggestion. What if those who had a garden or even if you go to the farmers market and bought a few extra things, and gave that extra to someone you know that maybe doesn't cook much or could just use something nutritious to eat?. You never know what that might spark, through the power of suggestion.  It could inspire them to want more healthy choices, they might ask you about the food, and it doesn't need to be delivered with a speech. When something is given with love from one heart to another ~ "it's all good."
If you watch TV or read a magazine, you know the power of suggestion that lingers there. So why not try and offer a healthy suggestion and see what power it has.

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and visit http://wholefood-living.com/index.html to see how I can help you on your way to a healthier you!

The Three "Ps" in the Kitchen...

1.Priorities ~ precedence, especially established by order of importance or urgency.

2.Planning ~ a process of thinking about and organizing activities required to achieve a desired goal.

3.Preparing ~ to make ready before hand for a specific purpose.

Has your kitchen become a place of convenience rather than a place of intention? Is your kitchen a place where healthy food options have taken a backseat to just getting something, anything on the table? If so, maybe the Three “Ps” can help.

“Priorities” help remind you of the importance or urgency when striving to make a lifestyle change in your eating habits. It can feel daunting, and full of new information, and it’s easy to want to give up before you get started. But keeping it a “Priority” will offer the little nudge you need to continue to move forward. It’s also about balance, if your eating strays and you find yourself back to (what feels like) square one, there is always another meal with which to start over. Be kind to yourself when learning a skill, it’s a process and that’s where “ Planning” can help.

“Planning” starts with finding a good system of writing down the meal ideas and shopping list. I have a calendar hanging up in my kitchen and each week at the top of the square, I put what we’re having for dinner. The kids love to go over and see what their eating that day. Often they have their own ideas which makes my job easier. Plan simple meals ( maybe crockpot meals) for days your schedule is hectic, I like to plan the meals that are more time consuming on Sunday when I have the most time. Finding the recipes is easy these days. If you don’t already have a great cookbook or recipes that have been handed down through the family, ask you friends what are some of their favorite meals and remember “google” is only a few clicks away. Once you have a plan, I keep a running shopping list on the side of my refrigerator so when I’m out of something or in need of an item for a recipe it’s already on my list. It may take a few tries to learn what works for you, but when you find  just the right rhythm, it will leave you confident in “preparing” that meal you can feel good about serving.

“Preparing” is where the magic happens. It’s where you marry flavors and then relish in the love affair of a healthy meal. Starting with reading over your recipe ( even the day before) so you can organize what is required to get done. If meat needs to be taken out of the freezer, put it in your refrigerator the night before or beans need to be cooked you can soak them ahead of time. Things like, stirring, chopping, measuring, and pouring can be assigned to others ( if you have helpers in the kitchen). The most important step is to have fun and savor feeling good about your decision to make eating healthy a priority. I promise you, you won’t regret it!


~ If your ready to make a change and/or need help with better food options - contact me at:
~ Nancy@wholefood-living.com http://wholefood-living.com/index.html

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