Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin contains free-radical fighting carotenes! I made these this wkd and they turned out really good.

1.5 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 c. fat-free milk
1/2 c. canned 100% pure pumpkin
1 T. canola oil

Preheat oven to 375. Coat 12 muffin pan with spray (or use liners). Stir flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt in large mixing bowl. Beat egg in small bowl for 30 seconds until foamy. Add milk, pumpkin and oil. Beat well. Add to flour mixture and stir until moistened. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 15-17 min. until tops spring back when touched. Once muffins are cool, they can be wrapped tightly and put in freezer for up to 2 months. About 125 cal. each. (about 2 WW pts each). This came from Prevention May 07 magazine and i altered it a bit).

Mexican Casserole

Tom, Melanie and me enjoying the Mexican Casserole.






1 lb. uncooked lean ground beef (7% fat)
1/2 c. green peppers
1/2 c. onion
2/3 c. water
1.25 oz. pkg of Taco Seasoning Mix
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
6 large tortilla (flour or whole wheat)
16 oz. Taco Bell Home Originals Fat-Free Refried Beans
3 c. 2% shredded cheese (mexican)

Cook beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain well. Add water and taco seasoning, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer for another 10 min. Place 2 tortillas in a sprayed 13" x 9" x 2" baking dish. Spread with half of the refried beans and beef mixture. Top with 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Repeat layers. Top with remaining tortillas and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min. or until heated through and cheese is melted. Let rest for 5 minutes and cut into 8 servings. Weight Watchers points - 7 per serving. This came from the Weight Watcher website.

Mom's banana bread made healthy

We grew up eating this all the time. I've altered it to make it a bit more healthy. It's yummy!

3 ripe or overripe bananas (4 if small)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. splenda
1 egg
1.5 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. applesauce
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Mash bananas with fork (or blend in blender). Stir in other ingredients. Pour into sprayed loaf pan and bake one hour in a 325 degree oven. 12 slices. 2 WW points each.

Beef Fried Rice

1 lb lean ground beef (93% fat free)
1 c. cooked brown rice
1 green pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 pkg. fresh mushrooms
1 onion
1 tsp. Garlic Salt
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Italian seasonings
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 c. shredded low fat cheese

Brown the beef in a skillet. While beef is still pink, drain off fat. Add sliced vegetables and seasonings to the skillet.
When vegetables become cooked, add 1 serving of cooked brown rice and toss together. Top beef and rice with shredded cheese, melt.

This is a Body for Life recipe. It's one of our favorites!!!

Scary Stats

* Scary Stat: Indiana High School kids (all) in 2005: 45% did not meet the criteria for physical activity (20 minutes 3 times per week)

* Another Scary Stat: In 2002, ½ of all foods consumed by 12 to 19 year olds was soda.

* Yet Another Scary Stat: Over 90% of new food products for kids have sugar as the #1 ingredient.

* A Final Scary Stat: According to the 2003 Journal of Pediatrics, in 2003, kids under 12 ate an average of less than two servings of fruits or veggies per day. Kids over twelve ate an average of 3.5 servings per day. BUT, one of those servings (in both categories) was French fries.

Christmas '06

Tom and I enjoy ballroom dancing and we attended a dance at our church, Perimeter Church in December . We attended this same dance a year ago...it was our first official date. It was fun to go again this year...as a married couple.

Our Wedding-Sept 06

I married Tom Shivers on Sept. 23, 06. We had a lovely wedding in my hometown of Lowndesboro, AL. We enjoyed visiting with family and friends. We felt SO blessed by everyone attending our wedding and showering us with gifts. We took a 5 day cruise to Mexico for the honeymoon. We enjoyed the gorgeous weather,good food and dancing everyday! The yummy cake shown is the bride's cake - and each layer was different - but each one was chocolate. (layers included, snickers, german chocolate, heath bar, etc). Who says a girl can't have her cake and chocolate icing too???

Charleston

Tom and I took a trip to Edisto Beach, SC in February. It was a beautiful weekend, but a little chilly. We also spent one day in Charleston. We enjoyed a 2 hour city tour and then took time to walk the streets and see the beautiful homes and churches. This picture below is the one of us in Charleston.

Did you know?

*That a hamburger and fries from any fast food restaurant looks the same 5 yrs later as it did when you first bought it? Goes to show you all the preservatives that are in that food! How long do fruits and veggies last? A week maybe? Stick with those foods that are natural and will go bad if you don't eat them with in the week.

*It's better when shopping at the grocery store to stay around the outer edges - this is where all the fresh food items are: fruits, veggies, dairy, meats, etc

*Eating veggies may PREVENT heart disease and stroke (Heart-Healthy Living Winter 06)

*Lifting weights helps keep your metabolism up. It also may take 4 mo. to see the results of your lifting weights. Don't give up! (Prevention Feb 07). Women start LOSING muscle mass at age 30 if they DON'T lift weights!

Cranberry Oat Applesauce Bread

1 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c. quick-cooking oats
1 2/3 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 egg whites
3/4 c. coarsely chopped fresh cranberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8X4 inch pan. In a small bowl, combine applesauce and oats. Set aside for 5 min.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon; stir to mix well. Add the applesauce mixture and egg whites. Stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in the cranberries. Bake for 45 minutes in preheated oven. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 min.
this is www.halfmysize.com
If cut into 16 slices it's 2 weight watcher points each.

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Chicken Spaghetti Recipe

8 oz. cooked chicken
3 c. cooked spaghetti (4.5 oz dry)
3 oz. lite velvetta
4.5 oz chopped green chillies (canned)
1 can fat free cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. bell pepper

Mix velvetta with soup and chillies and heat. Add other ingredients. Pour into a sprayed 9X13 inch dish. Cover with foil. Cook 10 min. at 450 degrees.
Serves 6. This is a weight watchers recipe. Each serving is 4 WW points.

What is Juice Plus?

I have been taking Juice Plus for almost 3 years now. Juice plus is 17 different fruits and vegetables and grains in an inexpensive capsule. It contains 7 different fruits: apples, oranges, pineapple, cranberries, peaches, cherries and papaya. It also contains 10 different nutrient dense vegetables and grains: carrots, parsley, beets, kale, brocolli, cabbage, spinach, tomoatoes, and barley and oat fibers. We are now supposed to get NINE-TWELVE servings of raw fruits and vegetables each day. Who does this? Imagine how much money you'd spend on this many fruits/veggies per day. One apples (one serving of fruit) is $1.00 and if you were to get a salad at a restaurant (2-3 servings of veggies) it will cost you approximately $10.00. A bunch of grapes will cost around $3.50 (and one cup of grapes is one serving of fruit).
When you look at the cost of fruits and veggies, Juice Plus is a very inexpensive way to get 5-6 servings of vegetables each day (by taking 2 fruit capsules in the am and 2 veggie capsules in the afternoon). It's cost about $1.33 a day! (less than the cost of TWO apples)!!! Basically the foods in Juice plus have been picked off the vine, dehydrated (not losing any of the nutritional value) with the sugars taken out. The product has powerful phytonutrients and antioxidents needed for your body! I'm not one to give into whims and new fads. Nor am I one to throw money away! I'm so glad I've been able to give my body what it needs with Juice Plus. I am a distributor of Juice plus. Check out my website at www.juiceplus.com/+cm40230 If you're interested in getting juice plus please email me or sign up on the site!
Juice plus also comes in chewable and gummie form (for kids or adults) - they're yummy!

What's good for you?

It's all the rave today...eat less fatty foods, get at least 30 minutes of exercise at least 3 times a week, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, etc. In today's fast paced world, one has to really be conscious to make these things happen. It's too easy to stop at fast food restaurants while on the way to the children's activities, and who has time to look into finding healthy recipes and cooking? Exercise is also pushed aside because of our busy lives. But it's critical that we take care of our bodies and those that we care for. I recently heard that we will outlive this generation of children because of what they are putting in their bodies! Amazing isn't it? I want to be a resource for those who don't have time to read a whole nutrition magazine or search for recipes. I enjoy reading about nutrition and health and i'd like to pass it on to those also interested.