Just a Few Faves in the Kitchen

Gee, is everyone tired of all the 'health' posts yet?  I must apologize in advance... or is this one of those moments where it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission??

Blogging is about what's going on in your life, right?  Well since I'm in the middle of a crazy yeast cleanse diet, health is on the mind a lot more as of late.  Or maybe I'm just losin' it?  You know, as a side effect of my dietary changes.  OR maybe it's because bloggy friends keep posting beautiful, sugary yummies on their blogs that I can't have.  {insert big ol' pouty lip}  You know who you are! ;)

Here's a few of my favorite food swaps or guiltless indulgences...
See how I get you back with my healthy-sugar-free pix?
{I know... it doesn't have the same effect.}

Spaghetti Squash

I love to substitute spaghetti squash for noodles.  Simply cut in half, scrap out seeds, place on baking pan and bake for roughly 45 minutes @ 350 degrees.  Let cool.  Then using a fork,  you're ready to scrape out your 'noodles'.  {I put mine on the pan face down as to not turn the 'noodles' brown.}

It's a great carb alternative; however, it's a texture my family decided didn't compare to noodles, so for them I alternate between whole-grain or gluten free pasta.  Spaghetti squash is worth a try.  Do you have any creative uses for this veggie?

Stevia

If you read my blog, this shouldn't be a shocker. ;)  I mostly use this in my teas or lemon water and DK uses it in his coffee.  {For more information, click here.}

I'm looking forward to trying Xylitol as well.  {For more information, click here.}  Gracie has a love-fetish with honey, so I'm going to try this.  Although we use great-local-raw-organic honey, it still gives an insulin spike.

Raw Almonds 

I can thank Dr. Oz for enlightening me on this one.  Who knew that roasted nuts were hydrogenated?!  What a disappointment.  Considering how fragile some oils are, it simply makes sense.  Sigh.  I have to admit... roasted, salted nuts taste better, but I've acquired a taste for these unsalted, raw almonds.

I'm thinking I could one day make my own chocolate covered almonds with some 85%  dark chocolate... hmmmm.  32 oz!  Yep.  When we found these at Tarjet, we bought a total of 4!!  You probably think I've gone nuts mad, but this is one of the few things I'm allowed to eat while doing this yeast cleanse. 

Spry Gum

Let's face it.  You know I have a sweet tooth and Biggest Loser is always advertising gum for those purposes, but I don't want sugary gum or any containing "phenylalanine".   {I can copy and paste that word much better than I can pronounce it.  For. Sure.}   Thanks to our local Vitamin Shoppe, we discovered this gem!  It's my new candy!  It's sweetened with Xylitol and now I can say yes when my girls ask for gum.  Yay!  The only down side is that the pieces are small, so I eat about 3 at a time {with no guilt}.  It's not the softest gum compared to some, but it makes me happy.  ;)  Click here for more info.

Sugarbusters Protein Shake

I'm often asked what kind of protein shakes I use.  Of everything in my kitchen, I must say that the Sugarbusters Protein Shake is my favorite... and has been for years!  {Ironic how my favorite gets the smallest pic.  I'm out and need to order more!}  I have been using this particular shake for five years now.  Cold-filtered whey is one of the best forms of protein.  It's great for the immune system.  Personally, I like it to help keep my blood-sugar stable... and sometimes, well...

that's all this busy mama has time for.  Love. It.

Unfortunately, many shakes on the market are laced with fillers and counterproductive sweeteners.  The Sugarbusters shake is sweetened with Stevia and there are no fillers!  I like the one that Jorge Cruise's book, The Belly Fat Cure, recommends okay, but it has the ol' "natural ingredients" in it's listing.  Ugh.  That could be anything from MSG to.... you name it!   Companies are sneaky in how they get to categorized ingredients on labels.  It should be a crime.

Our whole family enjoys a good shake.  I drink one everyday at some point.   Of course, I give my girls a smaller portion.  When they were younger, I would freeze it to make "ice cream" for them.  They were so young, they never knew the difference.  Now?  Well, they've unfortunately had too much exposure to the real deal since then, but they still enjoy a cold shake.  ;)

If interested, you can find some here.  They offer it in chocolate and vanilla.  I haven't tried it yet, but I've heard of adding a lil' nut butter to the chocolate shake to make sort of a Reeces flavor.  You can add berries or cinnamon to the vanilla as well.  Yummo on the go!  {The magic bullet comes in handy for this!}

And if you haven't heard enough...

More Belly Fat Buster tips

There's so much more... but,

that's all the healthy stuff I'm going to subject you to.

Now let's see what tempting treats all my friends will post tomorrow while I'm crunching away on my raw almonds??

See how nice I am in not calling you out?
Teehee...