June | 2015 | The Sweet Life Sugar Free, LLC

Archive for June 16, 2015

Macadamia Nuts, Anyone?

Posted on June 16, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

So, I bought some Mahi Mahi last week Hmmmm. It was on sale, so that was great! In fact, it was a fantastic deal! The problem…I detest cooking fish! It makes the house smell, it has bones, and as much as I cook, I always manage to destroy it! My usual downfall is overcooking because I’m afraid of undercooking! I am not sure what possessed me to purchase this beautiful slab out of the ocean, but I did, so I had to come up with something before my whole house smelled like fish!

Surprisingly, this fish dish was super simple, and it turned out delicious. I did get an upturned nose when my ten year old walked in the kitchen and smelled the raw fish I was deboning. At the end of the meal, however, it was all devoured with the kids asking for more. I had to divy up the end of it so everyone could have second helpings. Best of all, the house actually smelled like roasted nuts instead of fish. Double yay!

To make thing even better, I pulled this dish together faster than I can write this post! I looked up several recipes, and most were very sweet either with added sugar or contained very high fructose fruits like mango and pineapple that do a number on my blood sugar levels. All the macadamia nut recipes were mixed with flour or breadcrumbs, so I decided to go for it, and see what I could do on my own. If it hadn’t been 6 pm and a family screaming for dinner, I may have kept scouring the internet, but I’m glad for you and me, that I was short on time because this was simple, delicious, and nutritious.

We always have Macadamia Nuts on hand in the Lutz and Stavros households. If you don’t; run out and get some (or order here). They are one of the best nuts you can have around! They are lower in carbs than most, and much higher in fat than practically all, so they are Keto perfect in my book. In fact, when we were in Hawaii, I practically lived off of these beauties and have never been in deeper Nutritional Ketosis. It was fabulous. When I returned, low and behold, I found this gorgeous purple can of natural wonder in the snack aisle at Costco. Who would have thought? Now, I did have a bit of a panic attack when I couldn’t find them for a while, but no worries, they are back! And…just in case you are wondering, these magnificent nuts contain 24 grams of healthy fat, only 4 grams of carbohydrates, and 1 gram of sugar per quarter cup.

I popped open a can and got to work. All you need for this tasty Keto fish is Mahi Mahi, Macadamia Nuts, Kerrygold, a food processor, and your grandmother’s cast iron skillet! Yes, I really do have my grandmother’s old skillet, and it is a beast of a weapon! If you don’t have your grandmother’s, you can get one here.

Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi

1 1/2 Pounds Mahi Mahi Cut into Filets

1 Cup Ground Macadamia Nuts (More if you like – You can find some here.)

1/2 Stick KerryGold Butter

Food Processor

Cast Iron Skillet

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut your Mahi Mahi into filets. I did different sizes for adults and children, and it cooked just fine.

Debone and remove the skin (I just removed the section of bones with a filet knife from the middle of the filet – the bones are very large given this is a huge fish so they are easy to see and cut out.)

Grind your Macadamia nuts finely in a Food Processor. I used my mini-Cuisinart, but the large one would have been better. Fresh Macadamia Nuts are very hard so you need a powerful unit. This is the newer version of one I have here. Don’t over process or you will get a paste.

I sifted out the fine crumbles and put the larger pieces back in with the next batch.

Start melting your butter in your skillet.

All you have to do, is press your filets of fish into the ground Macadamia Nuts on both sides. After I had both sides nicely coated, I went back and added the rest to the top of the filets. You can never have too many Macadamias!

When your butter is sizzling, add all of your filets gently. I cooked them for 4 minutes on each side, and then moved the whole skillet to a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes and they were perfect! Please use your oven mitts so you keep your hands to eat!

Serve immediately. I served them with left over squash casserole and bacon brussels that brought smiles around the table!

Enjoy!

Posted in Dinner, Main Course, recipe, Uncategorized tagged with cast iron, dinner, Entree, Fish, food processor, kerrygold, Macadamia Nuts, Mahi Mahi, Main Dish

Refreshing Summer Limealicious Dessert

Posted on June 12, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

Going Keto means no sugar, but it doesn’t mean no desserts!

Every once in a while, I like to experiment with sweet recipes. Sometimes it is as easy as taking an old recipe and just replacing the sugar with Swerve or Stevia. Sometimes it takes a little more creativity, and other times, I can find new Keto recipes online and adjust to our taste.

I was a legitimate sugaraholic before I started Keto. I was one that had to have desserts after every meal. Once I started on something sweet, I had to finish it, even if I was completely full! Keto has helped with this sugar addiction tremendously. I still like sweet, but I don’t crave it like I did. We also keep sweets to a minimum so that the kids don’t expect something sweet after every meal. It is always a special treat!

When I say addiction, sugar is a real addiction! Did you know that sugar is 8 times more addictive than cocaine? In fact, sugar has almost the same molecular structure as cocaine. That is a pretty scary statistic knowing all the diseases that sugar causes and progresses. We will talk about this more, but sugar is BAD!!!!

I will no longer eat anything with sugar, but have substituted it with Swerve and Stevia. I am also going to try chicory root in the near future too! The following recipe uses Swerve. Some, like my family, love Swerve and cannot tell the difference. I have heard others say they experience an aftertaste. I do sometimes taste sweet on my tongue when I drink water after eating something that was made with this substitute. Overall, I think it is a great sweetener with no glycemic effect, no GMOs, and no digestive effects like Xylitol can have on some individuals. It is all natural made with Erythritol, and is diabetes friendly and gluten free. Another great component is that it measures just like sugar so you can use it in your old recipes when sugar is the only substitution needed. It is great for us Ketoers.

We will do a post soon on all sweeteners, but Swerve is my primary go-to. It can be purchased at Whole Foods, Sprouts, and other health food stores, or online. Even Amazon has it, and we have it in our Amazon store here. There are two different kinds. One is granular like white sugar (orange package), and the other is Confectioners Style (purple package) which is more like powdered sugar. I use Confectioners in this one.

The Granular is great for anything baked, but can get grainy when refrigerated.

That being said, any time I make something cold, I use the Confectioners Style.

Without further ado, here is a scrumptious recipe for you to try that is perfect for summer!

Key Lime Cheesecake Bars

Crust:

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/4 cup Honeyville almond flour

1/2 cup Swerve (Granular)

6 Tbsp butter, melted

Filling:

3 1/2 8 oz packages of Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup Swerve (Confectioners)

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 eggs

1/2 cup Key Lime juice (Yes, it makes a difference – this part is time consuming so take that into account)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9×13 pyrex baking dish with butter or coconut oil. Grease well!

Combine your almond flour, 1/2 cup of Swerve granular, cinnamon and melted butter. I use my hands to really combine well because it is a thick crust-like consistency.

Press all the crust evenly into your baking dish or use a mini muffin pan with liners to make mini cheesecakes.

Bake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes.

For the filling:

In a large mixing bowl, beat your room temperature cream cheese until soft and fluffy.

Add your cup of Swerve confectioners, and vanilla. Continue to beat until well combined. Add your eggs, one at a time, beating in between each. Add your lime juice slowly, while beating constantly. It should be fairly runny and smooth.

Pour the mixture over your baked crust. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until firm. (About 15-20 minutes for mini-muffins, but check because sizes can differ.) Cool completely, and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

Cut and enjoy. Serve with Keto whipped cream if you desire for a super rich dessert.

Note: This crust is delicious, but can be crumbly so use a very sharp knife and a spatula to remove from dish.

Posted in Dessert, Health, recipe, Sugar, tips, Uncategorized tagged with addiction, cheesecake, Desset, keto, limes, sugar, Sugar substitute, Swerve

Dinner Party Appetizer

Posted on June 11, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

This is one of Erin’s recipes that I love. She does many of her recipes by feel and look, but I did my best to measure most of these simple ingredients. I literally did these yesterday, and thought, why not make my post on this now?

We had a dinner party last night, for which I was assigned an appetizer. Sometimes, when dining with many, it is hard to please everyone with a Keto dish, which is why I usually sign up for an appetizer or a salad. You can do a lot of Keto appetizers such as guacamole, hot artichoke dip, spinach dip, stuffed mushrooms, different kinds of poppers, etc. There are many!

Yesterday ended up being busier than expected, and I had all of these ingredients on hand, so I went for the mushrooms. They are always devoured in minutes, and really only take a few minutes to make as long as you soften your cream cheese first. After you make them once, you won’t even need the recipe!

Sausage and Cheese Stuffed Mushroom Appetizer

Your portions will change based on the amount of mushrooms you want to stuff. I did one large package of mushrooms from Costco.

Ingredients:

Large package of mushrooms, washed and stems removed

2 8 oz packages of cream cheese

2 packages of ITALIAN sausage (I did one mild and one hot) removed from casings (There were 5 links per package, and I had a ton left over. I used about 2 cups of the crumbled sausage and saved the rest for breakfast in our eggs.) Use as much as you like though.

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

Kerrygold for baking

That is it folks!

Directions:

Remove casings from your sausage and brown on medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes until crumbled.

Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl (hopefully in advance to soften)

Add sausage and combine with cream cheese.

Add Cheddar and mix until evenly distributed.

Take your mushrooms, from which you have removed the stem, washed and dried.

Using a teaspoon, fill the caps of the mushrooms until there is a heaping amount. Place in a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Put a few slices of Kerrygold around the perimeter of the mushrooms as well as the middle. You want it to melt for a nice non-stick surface that gives a wonderful flavor.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Plate and serve!

Make sure you serve these with a napkin. They are so delicious, you may find yourself drooling!

Posted in Appetizer, Dinner, recipe, Side Dish, Vegetable tagged with appetizer, cheese, cream cheese, dinner party, mushrooms, sausage, stuffed mushrooms

Restaurant Worthy Side Dish!

Posted on June 11, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

Most of you know by now that I love squash! All squash, but especially summer squash! Lucky for me, it is summer, and all those summer squashes are plentiful. The yellow is my favorite!

About a year ago, we celebrated my dad’s birthday at a great restaurant in San Antonio called Bohanan’s. It is a wonderful special occasion restaurant if you have not tried it! Most of my family would consider themselves foodies, and really enjoy a great meal. I am no exception! You can always count on having a great meal at Bohanan’s. Not only do they have some of the best steaks in Texas (which is saying a lot), but they have great seafood and side dishes as well. One of my favorite side dishes we were served that evening was their Baked Squash. It is melt in your mouth delicious, with just the right amount of savory paired with the sweet. The sugar in ours is, of course, replaced with Swerve or natural sweetener of your choice.

Just a few weeks after my father’s birthday, I found the squash recipe in our local Sunday paper. I just love restaurants that publish their prized recipes! It was so close to being Keto, that I knew I could tweak it to make it healthier for our family without the sugar and flour. I think I have mastered it enough to share:

Sweet Life Baked Squash

Serves 10-12 (Can half, but saves great for leftovers)

3.5 lbs yellow summer squash

1/2 brick of Kerry Gold butter (extra for top)

20 slices of Kraft cheese

4-5 tsp of Swerve granular

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 tsp Celtic salt

2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

4 eggs

Almond Flour for top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and gather your ingredients.

Start by washing the squash, trimming off the ends, and cubing it.

Place your squash in a large saucepan and cover with water and a pinch of salt.

Boil for about 10 minutes until tender when pierced with a fork.

Drain in a colander, place back in the pan, and cook over medium heat to release more of the moisture in the squash. Stir for a few minutes, and then remove from heat. Most (not all) of the moisture should be evaporated from the pan at this point.

Stir in your Kerrygold, Kraft cheese, Swerve, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper.

Mix until all the cheese is melted.

Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl, and temper them by adding a small amount of the squash mixture. Then pour them into the pan, and mix well. It will look super runny, but it will firm up when you bake it.

Pour your mixture into a 9×13 baking dish sprayed with coconut oil.

Top with a sprinkle of Almond Flour and a few dabs of additional Kerrygold.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

This dish goes great with any kind of bar-b-que, hamburger patties, steak, fish – really anything. I was going to serve it with some brisket, but my husband was in the mood for burger patties so that is what you see.

I hope you enjoy this great side dish with your next summer meal! Enjoy!

Posted in Dinner, recipe, Side Dish, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with Bohanan's, cheese, dinner, kid friendly, side dish, squash, Summer

Preparing for the Road Trip!

Posted on June 9, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

Yesterday, Erin posted about air travel, and relatives or friends preparing for your visit. Summer also means road trips, and we do quite a few! The Lutz clan just returned from the Texas coast. I knew after a busy school year, that I wanted it to be a relaxing time for the family. As much as I love to cook, I didn’t want to be running upstairs, while the rest of the family played in the pool, just to start dinner. I also know that my kitchen at home is much more stocked than any vacation home on the planet – and I am not one that likes to be without my kitchen tools. It is just so much faster and more efficient to have the right tools! You can find many of the tools we use in our store. The best thing to do is prepare in advance!!!

There are a few staples we always take along with us (coconut oil, a spinner, cream, eggs, and Kerrygold), and several meals that are easy to prepare and freeze for easy travel that have become our “summer road trip meals”. It takes a little planning, but it is totally worth it, to prep some food before you go. I start making a list about a week before we leave, so I can do my grocery runs and start prepping! A few of the things I did before we left were:

1. Spiraled some zucchini for noodles, and packed in a airtight container. Spaghetti is a super easy meal to throw together in a pinch. I took some precooked sausage that I boiled to throw on top with my favorite low-carb pasta sauce. Normally, I would top with shredded mozzarella or parmesan, but I forgot the shredded cheese. We did have string cheese, so for those that wanted cheese atop their spaghetti, I just pulled some strings off the string cheese. Along with a salad, topped with avocado, we had a meal in a flash.

2. I used my Cuisinart to make Cauliflower rice in about 2 minutes. I put it in a Ziplock bag as flat as possible for easy packing, and freeze. This freezes so well, and then all you have to do is defrost, throw on a cookie sheet for about 25 minutes and you have rice ready to go. Serve with fish (you catch) or I used a chicken curry and broccolini that I had in the fridge. Another well-balanced meal!

3. Pack those frozen casseroles you have made when you have extra ingredients. I had a frozen zucchini lasagna made from extra ingredients when I made one recently for dinner. Defrost, throw in the oven, and dinner is ready in 40 minutes – no cooking or dirty dishes!

One trick I use for freezing is to line an 8×8 pyrex with heavy duty foil before I start layering lasagna or any other casserole. I wrap it up and freeze in the dish. Once frozen, I lift the whole thing out of the Pyrex and wrap in Saran very well. Now you have a brick of food that is easy to pack in the ice chest and don’t risk leaving your dish away from home. When you are ready to cook it, remove the plastic wrap and defrost in an 8×8 dish. Almost any condo or vacation home has an 8×8 pyrex or metal pan I have noticed. You can cook it in the foil in which it was wrapped. Check out this link at Southern Living for step by step freezing directions.

4. Another easy meal is precooked Bar-B-Que. I bought a precooked whole brisket which gave us dinner, a few lunches and dinner ready to microwave when we returned home. My trick for this is easy – save your bacon grease from breakfast when you cook on a foil lined cookie sheet. Yes! You can leave it out all day – I promise it will be fine! I plop that slab of meat in the grease, wrap it in extra foil, and you will have the juiciest pre-cooked meat you can imagine. I shredded cabbage before I left home and cooked it with bacon, onion and garlic. Store in an airtight container, and this re-heats better than any other veggie and is so good for you. We will be sharing this recipe soon! It is an excellent accompaniment to Bar-B-Que. This is the shredded cabbage before I cooked it!

5. I made another casserole that I had in the freezer that was similar to Chicken Divan like most of our mothers used to make. It’s the one with chicken, broccoli and cheese in a creamy curry sauce. The original recipe is almost Keto, but I change out the canned soups for more mayo, lemon, broth, and cream. Top with lots of cheese and you have a winner, winner, chicken dinner. I always serve with a side salad. Add the avocado my friends!

6. Generally we have scrambled or poached (yes, I take my poacher) eggs and bacon for breakfast. Check out our amazon store to see my poacher. Sometimes I mix in chorizo with the scrambled eggs to change it up. Last time I made a quiche at home, my kids requested ham and cheese, so I decided to do this ahead since the boys were playing golf early the next morning. It made for a quick breakfast with no clean up. I sprayed a casserole dish with Coconut Oil spray, cubed some ham, topped with cheddar cheese, and mixed 8 eggs with 1 1/2 cups of cream and garlic salt and pepper (go light on the salt for once on this one because the ham and cheese are already salty.) Poor the egg mixture over the ham and cheese and store in the fridge overnight topped with saran. In the morning when everyone is rising, remove the saran and pop it in the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour. This gave us two easy morning meals that were very filling, and the kids gobbled it up!

7. We had tons of left-overs at this point, so we served buffet style one night, and also at lunch if we weren’t making lettuce wraps for the beach.

8. We always eat out one night for some fresh fish. It just happened to be Snapper season, so my husband and I both started with peel ’em and eat ’em shrimp, and ordered the Snapper Special at Seafood and Spaghetti Works that was fantastic. It was blackened in butter and topped with sliced avocado and a crabmeat pico de gallo. It was amazing, and it could not have been more Keto. Once you learn to eat Keto, it really becomes easy to eat out. See our tips in our eating out post.

Isn’t that beautiful? REAL food is just awesome! These are the foods that were designed to fuel our human bodies.

As you can see, I really did no cooking at all for seven nights. It was all reheating, and I had a healthy dinner ready every night with less than 20 minutes of prep time. I literally prepped dinner and set the table while the children were bathing each night!

If you want a relaxing vacation with your family, plan ahead! It is so worth it when you can prepare dinner in a flash while the family is winding down from a fun day in the sun. (Wear your sunscreen!)

We all hope everyone has a safe, fun, relaxing summer filled with memory making vacations!

Posted in Dinner, Eating Out, Groceries, Main Course, Restaurants, Side Dish, tips, Uncategorized tagged with groceries, meal ideas, preparation, tips, trips, vacation

‘Tis the Season

Posted on June 9, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

We all know what time it is! Summer! Which for many of us, means it’s time to make the rounds and visit family and friends near and far.

The Stavros clan just returned from a quick trip to Denver. We had a great time up there, and of course, had to return home all too soon. We are very blessed to be able to stay with family while there. Staying with relatives makes the trip so much fun because it is like a home away from home, but in some ways better; fully equipped kitchen, in-laws for childcare, and of course, laundry facilities.

When we first started with Keto, we were actually in Denver staying at the in-laws house, so my mother-in-law knows, for the most part, what we do and do not eat. Before we arrived, she had stocked the fridge with some of the most basic of Keto friendly foods, which was great! I know when we have family or friends over, we often ask them if there is anything they would like for us to have on hand for their visit. Having these things makes it much more comfortable for everyone. In general, the first thing anyone wants to do after a day of flying or driving is eat, and the last thing they want to do is go to the grocery store.

Here is a quick list of SUPER basic Keto friendly foods that you don’t have to feel guilty about asking your in-laws to pick up.

1. Eggs

2. Butter

3. Bacon

3. Cream

4. Whole milk-kids

5. String Cheese

6. Coffee/Tea

If these things are in the house, it is a ton easier to stay happy, and not hungry.

Depending on your relationship, and how supportive your hosts are, you could possibly ask for coconut oil. But that might be pushing it a little.

You can check your coconut oil, no carry on. Consider buying a smaller plastic container, pack it well, double baggie it, and you should be fine. But you can also buy some after arrival. Almost all grocers carry it at this point.

Just don’t forget your coffee/tea whizzer and you’re set!

Bru Joy Milk Frother Stainless Steel - Best Hand Held Milk Foamer Wand With User Manual - 2 AAA Batteries Not Included

Posted in Groceries, tips

Cheesy Tater Tots!

Posted on June 6, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

Summer has arrived, and so has burger and hot dog season! We all love a good cookout in the more relaxing summer months. Of course, what goes hand in hand with burgers? Some sort of fried potato off limits to us low-carbers! Going Keto means no more fries and tots, right? Wrong! I told my children I was making tater tots, (which they have missed) and they started doing cheers!

I did NOT tell them how I was making them, however, and they could not tell the difference. These suckers were good, and there was nothing left to save after dinner. Bummer!

Keto tater tots take a little preparation and forethought, but overall they are pretty easy – and I don’t even fry – before or during Keto, until now. This was a game changer for our family!

Cheesy Tater Tots

1 large head of Cauliflower

1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese

1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

1 Egg

2 tsp Psyllium Husk Powder

1 tsp garlic salt

1-2 cups Bacon Fat

Salt and Pepper to taste

Shredded Cheddar to melt on top (I used sharp cheddar)

Directions:

Cut your cauliflower into small pieces to steam. Place in your steamer and steam until tender but not too soft.

Place in your food processor, and pulse until it is smooth without any chunks.

This is not enough, above ^.

This is how it should look below:

At this point you can make mashers or tots!:) I’m going for tots!

After you get your cauliflower to this consistency, you are going to want to wring out the excess water – and there is a LOT!!!

This is the time consuming part, and you will want to make sure your cauliflower is cool, or you will burn off your finger tips. Trust me – I didn’t quite burn mine off, but it was close! Make sure you allow time for your cauliflower to cool either right after steaming or after processing.

Once cool, I use a light dish towel to wring out the excess water. You can use a cheese cloth as well. The cauliflower will slip right through a colander.

When you place it on the dish towel, be ready to start wringing. See the water spreading…It will look like this:

After you squeeze and squeeze, and wring and wring, it will look like this:

Doesn’t look verry appetizing, but just wait!

Now, take your cauliflower “paste”, and add your cheeses, egg, and garlic salt. You may have to use a dull knife to scrape the dry cauliflower off the towel.

Mix well. It should be a very thick mixture. If it is too runny to roll, then add your psyllium husk powder a little at a time.

It should look like this:

Take out about a teaspoon of “dough” at a time and roll into your tots! This is fun for the kids too!

Now, get your yummy bacon grease ready (that you have saved from all those batches of bacon, right?) Remember that cast iron skillet that Erin posted about? This is the perfect time to pull that big daddy out as well!

Start heating your fat in your skillet over medium heat! Your grease really needs to be perfect. If it is too hot, they will burn, but if it is not hot enough, the tots will stick to the bottom of the skillet. Keep it on medium, and be patient. The first picture is my mason jar of grease. The second is the grease melting in my cast iron skillet. Yum!!!!

You will also need to set up a plate with either paper towels or a mesh splatter shield to drain your tots after they cook so they start to crisp. I used a splatter shield over a plate, and had it ready to go before frying.

When your grease is hot, gently drop your tots into the grease, and move them around so they don’t stick to the bottom. Continue to rotate until they are golden brown on all sides:

When they are cooked on all sides, remove to your plate.

This was my first batch, before my oil was hot enough so you can see where some stuck. I was not very patient:).

Once you remove them, you can add salt and pepper, if you like, or cover with cheese.

Let them cool slightly and serve! I hope you enjoy these beauties as much as we did!

Happy summer, folks!

Posted in Dinner, Kids, recipe, Side Dish, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with Bacon Grease, cauliflower, Cook Out, dinner, Frying, kid friendly, kids, potatoes, Summer, Tater Tots

Bottoms Up!

Posted on June 4, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

Well this article doesn’t mince words – http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/21/health/sitting-will-kill-you/

Nor does this one – https://hbr.org/2013/01/sitting-is-the-smoking-of-our-generation/

There are hundreds, if not thousands of these articles coming out.

While we don’t know the exact amount of sitting a day that could be considered “safe” it’s fairly easy to guess that most of us likely are exceeding that amount.

I started to think about the hours spent on my tush, and the reality is…. I’m sitting more than any other position, including laying down to sleep!

8 hours at work

1 hour, roughly, in the car

2 hours of screen time at home – don’t judge: online shopping, writing, researching, etc.

1 hour for meals or coffee

12 hours

OUCH!

I don’t think that I am outside the “norm” for those of us that work in an office environment.

I have tried to get up as much as possible. Drinking a lot of water helps ;). I also like to get up to talk to coworkers – 9x out of 10, jokes are funnier in person than through email or instant messenger.

Recently, I was inspired by a fitness minded co-worker and purchased a small elliptical. It was the best decision! I feel SO MUCH BETTER. You can find the exact one here.

Not to toot my own horn, but I am averaging over 30 miles a day while at my desk. It sounds like a ton, but I am doing this off an on for EIGHT hours, so it adds up-over 150 miles a week!! I really had no idea how much I would enjoy this guy, or the amount of miles I could log. It’s AWESOME, and I feel so much more energized. I’m thinking about buying another to put under my home desk as well.

Stamina In-Motion Elliptical Trainer

Even those that are not in the office environment should pay attention to the amount of time they are sitting. It truly adds up quickly – between the car, computer, phone time, and even a ton of “activities”, can and likely, are being done in a chair. So, get up and move when you can!

Posted in articles, Health, tips tagged with exercise, wellness

How Much Water Should I Be Drinking?

Posted on June 3, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

Great question! But the reality; there is no hard and fast answer. We have heard 8 glasses a day for years, but how on earth is that the best answer for all of us?

Yes, we are all primarily made up of water, but just like in most things, we are all different in our needs. A great starting point is to take your weight, divide that number in half, and drink that many ounces.

For example:

Me: 130/2= 65 ounces

I really like how universal this formula is for everyone. The hubs weighs about 200, so he goes for 100 ounces a day. Our 3 year old is about 35 pounds, so we shoot for her to get in about 17 ounces of water a day. This is simply a good place to start.

The other major aspect of how much water to drink can depend on your environment, both internally and externally. Humidity and heat especially, can do a number on all of us, but exercising in these conditions can be a recipe for disaster. Years ago, I watched the Rock and Roll Marathon here in San Antonio, and the conditions were terrible; incredibly high humidity, coupled with unseasonably high temperatures – even for us locals. Due to this, multiple professional marathoners either decided to run only a half or dropped completely. They knew that the conditions were not ideal for their bodies and did the right thing. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. People can and do get seriously injured or worse when they do not pay attention to their thirst and what is going on in and around them. We all know the very first thing that we should do when we start getting that back of the throat tickle, or our kid or cubicle neighbor starts coughing, is to up the water intake. Our bodies need water every single day, especially when we are fighting off or recovering from illness.

Coming into summer, here are some symptoms of mild dehydration:

Thirst
Loss of Appetite
Fatigue or Weakness
Chills
Dry Skin
Skin Flushing
Dark Colored Urine
Dry Mouth
Head Rushes

Further Dehydration can cause:

Increased heart rate
Increased respiration
Decreased sweating
Decreased urination
Increased body temperature
Extreme fatigue
Muscle cramps
Headaches
Nausea
Tingling of the limbs

Cases of extreme dehydration can also cause:

Muscle spasms
Vomiting
Racing pulse
Shriveled skin
Dim vision
Painful urination
Confusion
Difficulty breathing
Seizures
Chest and Abdominal pain
Unconsciousness

Dehydration is not something to ignore, and it has a fairly straightforward resolution – drink more water. Of course, like anything, that can be easier said than done.

Today I carry water with me absolutely everywhere. Yes, I have a mom purse, and it can be heavy at the start of the day with my 40oz water bottle, but it’s 100% worth it.

I find that I will drink more water out of a bottle than a cup or a glass. It is a mental thing. I also prefer room temperature water, where as others need to have their’s chilled. Some people love straws. Others want lemon, lime, or other fruits infused. It’s all in what works for you. Anyone with a soda addiction might want to start with a fizzy water like La Croix. Swapping out one soda a day for water, or even having one after finishing 40 ounces of water as a reward, is a great place to start. Think progress not perfection.

So many people get “sick” of water, but once you start drinking an adequate amount, and find out what makes the water taste better to you, that can go away. You will start to feel better, and often times your body, and especially your skin will thank you. You may even begin to enjoy it.

Posted in Health, tips, Uncategorized tagged with health, water

Dinner in a Snap!

Posted on June 2, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

It seems that everyone I run into lately is running around in a million different directions, and the last thing on their mind is dinner.

I get it! I’m a mom of three busy kids, and it’s the end of school! In fact, I am pretty sure that May and early June compete with December for the busiest months of the year.

A friend told me today that she just needed some simple dinner ideas to throw together before her son’s baseball games. My thought is, that many of you need some easy dinners to throw together this week, so here are a few I have pulled together in a snap on weeknights that I am just too busy to even think about dinner, but still want to feed my family something healthy!

1. Salmon and Veggies (Love broccoli with Salmon)

Make sure your Salmon is wild from a good clean source, and not farm raised. I like the Alaskan Salmon, but any reputable fresh fish retailer will be able to help you pick out a great fillet. I usually get the whole fillet and cut them into portions for my various ages of children and adults in the house. Sprinkle with butter and lemon pepper. Bake it at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the thickness and serve with a steamed vegetable topped with Kerrygold.

Then we like to top it with this sauce:

2. Beef Shish-kabobs with peppers and onions.

These are super easy to make ahead, but I bought these on a whim at Central Market when I knew I was in a pinch. They were marinated in a lime marinade and were melt-in-your-mouth tender and delicious. I served these with a side of asparagus that I roasted on 425 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes. Topped with Kerrygold, salt and pepper.

3. Many of us forget just how healthy eggs are for so many cells in our bodies. Eggs are the “perfect” food as we like to say! We always think of eggs for breakfast, but why not serve them for dinner. We do this often when the hubby is out of town because he doesn’t want eggs twice a day, but the kids love it. It is a great nutritious meal anytime of the day! Super simple and super healthy! We call it breakfast for dinner – creative-huh?

Hopefully these are just a few ideas to help you power through the week. Check out your grocerers meat display case. Central Market has great quality prepared meats (like the shish-kabobs) that you can throw on the grill Many other places do as well. Pick up some patties, some sausage or some steaks and serve with a side veggie roasted or steamed and topped with Kerrygold and seasonings. Super simple, super healthy, and super fast!

Hope everyone has a great first week of June!!!

Posted in Dinner, Groceries, Main Course, recipe, Side Dish, Uncategorized tagged with asparagus, Broccoli, dinner, eggs, salmon, shish-kabobs