Week One- Accomplished!

Happy Saturday Everyone! It's my last big weekend of the summer, my fiance and I are moving into our college apartment Wednesday. And soon after, its back to classes and school work. So I decided its finally about time I actually stuck to my plan of getting healthy.

I finally realized that its up to me. No one can change my body for me, and no one can make me do it. The reality of it is- I have to be willing to change me, and I have to want to change for me. What I mean is if your not ready to commit 100% your never going to reach your goals, and well, you'll have to start all over again! I know I'm tired of starting over! I figured I'd start before I went back to school, hoping to change some of my basic habits so I'm not doing it when school starts!

So what exactly am I talking about? Well I'm starting my journey to a healthier life. I've started eating better and really focusing on my portion sizes. And I'm happy to say I've made it through week one. Now this isn't to say I did perfectly, because I promise I didn't. Just last night we had a little celebration for my fiance finishing his summer job, and well the food was so terrible for you. But the big thing is, I'm back on track today.

How am I doing it you might ask? I wish I had a magic button I could tell you to push, or a fail proof "diet" plan, but honestly I'm doing it my way! I'm simply replacing junk food with healthy food and I'm starting a walking plan when I get back to school.

I'm here to tell you, YOU can do it too! I just want to give you a few pointers and tips that I've looked at before starting my journey.

1) "Eating healthy is too expensive." I'm here to tell you its not! If I can do it on a college kids budget, I know you can do it too! Here is a great article that really puts things into perspective. It may surprise you how much healthy food you can get at the store for those 4 fast food meals you (and your family) were going to have for dinner.

2) "Do your research." No one wants to sit for hours and hours doing research about something. But it is a good idea to develop some sort of a plan. Take the time to find some healthy recipe alternatives to your favorite foods. You may also find some great tips! Such as how food journals significantly increase your rate of success!

3) "Find a program that works for you!" Just because there is this "amazing" diet program that your best friend did and lost 20 pounds doesn't mean its going to work for you. There are so many resources out there to help you on your journey, find one that is right for you! I'm using a free online site called SparkPeople. It is a really wonderful site that provides tons of resources in one spot! It has everything- food tracker, exercise tracker, recipes, calorie calculator, teams, support, workout videos and more! It's certainly something to look into, maybe it will work for you!

4) "Drink more water!" For me this is super easy. I already drink tons and tons of water. Its my drink! (I'm not crazy I promise, but I'll take a cold glass of water over a cold soda a-n-y day!) I actually just bought this really cool water bottle as part of my back to school supplies. But the cool thing about it (other than its pretty turquoise color) is it has ounces marked on the bottle. So you can easily tell if your getting your 8 glasses (64 oz) of water a day! Now I got the 32 oz version of this bottle, and easily drink 4 bottles a day. But if your like my fiance and think that is just too much water, stick to just 2 bottles a day!

The only other thing I did was really prepare for my journey. I prepped my food. Yes, I took the time to chop veggies and get snack ready. And honestly, it is more than worth the time! Its so much easier to grab a healthy snack now, since they are just as convenient as the less healthy options. And really, you can do the prep for the whole week in just an hour or two. But I also spent a few hours making some healthy freezer foods! I made chicken and spinach taquitos as well as zucchini carrot muffins. Boy are they good! I promise, the recipes are coming!

I know this post is long, but I really hope it helps! If it helps just one person, it was worth it! I'm going to continue to share my journey with you, but I'd love to hear yours as well! Feel free to share your own tips, we can all help each other!

Storing Fruits and Vegetables

For those of you who may not no, I like many people, want to get healthy and loose weight. Which I am finding this topic to be much easier to talk about than to actually do! One of the hardest things for me is eating right! I just love food! I've learned there is nothing wrong with that, I just have to be better with what foods I choose to eat.

 One thing I just cant stand is how much stores are charging for fresh fruits and vegetables. And if your anything like me, they go bad before you can eat them all. Who wants to waste food or money? I know I don't. So today, after so research and testing, I've created some tips for the best way to keep those fruits and veggies their best as long as possible!

Refrigerator Storage Tips

• Keep produce in a perforated plastic bag, in the produce drawer. You can make your own perforated bags by slicing holes in the bag with a knife. Be sure to space them out, such as a grape bag.
• Keep fruits and vegetables in separate drawers. The ethylene build up from different produce will cause spoilage. 
• Keep herbs upright in a glass of water, just like you would flowers in a vase, and cover with a plastic bag. Snip off the ends before placing them in the water.

Keep Separate

• Potatoes and Onions
• Apples and Bananas
• Apples, Figs, Apricots, Tomatoes, Honeydew, and Cantaloupe should be stored separate of other fruits. 

Check out this chart! (Took a lot longer than expected... but its well worth it!) Here are directions for storing specific fruits and veggies.

I hope you enjoy this post! Let me know if I forgot something, or if you have some tips or tricks of your own!

Reusable Bags- Are you choosing the right one?

So today's post was not planned, in any form of the word. It actually came about from me wondering through some Facebook business pages. I feel it is very important to give you a little bit of information that will keep your family safe!

There are so many companies starting to offer reusable snack bags. I just wish they took the time to research the materials they use before developing a product. Today I saw numerous bags being lined with PUL (Polyurethane Laminated Fabric). o what is the big deal you ask? Well PUL is not, I repeat is not, food safe!

Don't get me wrong it has its uses. PUL is great for cloth diapers, actually its excellent. And its great for other crafts and such! First I would like to point out that there is a wood stain called polyurethane. And let me tell you, if you stay  around it too long it can induce on heck of a headache! But I digress, lets take a look into PUL:

• The Process- Basically what happens is the PUL is applied to the surface of more porous materials (fabrics), such as cotton or polyester. This application is done through heat bondage where a single layer of PUL is applied to a layer of fabric using strictly heat. While this application leaves the fabrics with a waterproof layer and still provides flexibility, it contains many chemicals. Also due to is heat bondage in some cases the fabrics may start to "un-bond" or separate.
• Toluene Diisocyanate, one of the main chemicals used in the process. This chemicals is actually classified as "highly toxic!" This chemical is used in the production of all polyurethane products. Check out this page from the EPA that lists the effects of this chemical, cancer is even listed! Or this chemical safety card from the CDC.
• "According to the National Institute for Occupational Saftey and Health's International Chemical Safety charts, this substance is possibly carcinogenic to humans." Read more HERE. (Sources are listed there as well.)
• I'm sure there are people out there who will tell you PUL is safe for reusable bags as long as you put the laminate side away from food. But honestly, you really think that will solve the problem? The two materials are heat bonded, when they heat up the chemicals found in the PUL is sure to find its way into the porous fabric. With so many health risks from this material- just don't risk it!

So, keep the PUL for other crafts and home projects. Its great to upholstery dinning room chairs, to make high chair liners, or even baby bib. Or heck, save tons of many by using cloth diapers! Some outdoor clothing is made using PUL as well as many shower curtain liners.

I don't know about you, but I don't want my food anywhere near this stuff! So what now? What kinds of reusable bags are safe for food, and your family? Choose bags with cotton or nylon (rip-stop only) linings. Both of these fabrics are proven to be food safe. If you are looking for a more stain and water resistant lining, choose nylon. If you are looking for a more "all natural" product go with an organic cotton.

Still need some more information? Leave me a comment or send me an email! I'm happy to help you make a safe and healthy choice for your family!

* Please note- The above statement is my opinion, I have sited facts that I have found over numerous hours of research. I have also had phone calls with manufactures  and suppliers of these products. The statements above are correct to the best of my knowledge, I have done everything in my power to ensure this.