After School Healthy Snacks

As a busy mom, it can be challenging to make time between after school activities for healthy snacks. Add in today's processed foods and tight budgets and it can be difficult to make the right choices when it comes to food. However, today more than ever it is important for families to see the importance of organic foods, non-GMO, and nutritionally balanced eating so we encourage healthy habits. Some of my favorite (and more importantly, kid approved) healthy snack ideas ....

ANTS ON A LOG What you need: Celery, Peanut Butter, and Raisins

SWEET POTATO FRIES

CARROTS AND PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE What you need: 3 tablespoons of peanut butter, 1 tablespoon of honey, A splash of soy sauce, A few drops of sesame oil, Water to smooth and Carrot sticks. Mix everything but the carrot sticks together with a fork or whisk in a bowl. Add water as needed to thin mixture to a dipping consistency (all-natural peanut butter needs more; traditional brands need less but I recommend all-natural). Let the kids help clean the carrots and stir ingredients.

Join Me and Play Little Healthy Competition

Register before Sunday at Midnight..... What is Little Healthy Competition? I still get wildly enthusiastic about the little things… I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind. ~ Leo Buscaglia Little Healthy Competition is a lifestyle game where players collect points for completing healthy activities in a variety of areas. At LHC we take a holistic approach, believing that our emotional, spiritual, financial and environmental health is just as important as our physical health. Hence the point possibilities are almost endless. (Points for brushing my teeth and making a budget? Heck, yeah!) The purpose of the game is to win! Players win by accumulating points and reaching their goals while creating a fresh, playful perspective around their health. Each game is unique, but players can expect lots of cash as well as mysteriously healthy prizesto motivate them throughout their journey and one lucky player will win a FREE 3 day, 2 night vacation for 2 that can be used in many of the top resort destinations in America. How would you like to get away to Las Vegas, Maui? Charleston? This is only a start, the list goes on. Are you looking for a fresh approach to your health? Is it a challenge for you to... Eat healthy food? Minimize stress? Exercise regularly? Go to church or have a spiritual practice? Tackle that budget you've been meaning to do forever? Balancing those healthy habits with the your never-ending to-do list? Or, do you simply want to experience greater joy and more playfulness? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then jump in to Fall Fitness and register now. Not only will you be healthier in 6 weeks, you may be going on vacation to celebrate! Make sure you list my name when you are asked who referred you and email me so I know you are playing.... Register at www.LittleHealthyCompetition.com

EWG's Hall of Shame

Did you know The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit organization focused on environment and public health, recently came out with their Cleaners Hall of Shame list. With products containing carcinogens, asthma instigators, and poisons, some shiny cleaners might come at a high price. According to the press release: Just 7 percent of cleaning products adequately disclosed their contents. To uncover what’s in common household cleaners, EWG’s staff scientists spent 14 months scouring product labels and digging through company websites and technical documents. EWG staff reviewed each ingredient against 15 U.S. and international toxicity databases and numerous scientific and medical journals. According to the EWG study, 53 percent of cleaning products they reviewed contained lung-harming ingredients. Not to mention, well-known carcinogens like formaldehyde and chloroform were found in several cleaners. Making safe non-toxic choices can be as simple as going back to the basics and taking lessons from our Grandmother's. Cleaning products shouldn't leave behind more toxins than they are supposed to clean up.

National Cholesterol Awareness Month

Prepare and Prevent.... With more than 100 million adult Americans suffering from high cholesterol, the Centers for Disease control have declared September, National Cholesterol Awareness or Education month. By creating a nationwide campaign to help educate adults about the causes and risks of high cholesterol, the CDC hopes to make a big impact on the number of American’s at risk of heart disease and other cholesterol related illnesses. One of the reasons high cholesterol is such a pervasive condition is that it has no real symptoms. As such, many adults aren’t even aware they have it. With that, the CDC recommends that adults see a physician for a cholesterol check at least every five years starting at age twenty. Specialists suggest starting at age twenty because a predisposition to elevated cholesterol can actually be genetically inherited, and it can lead to an early onset of the condition that may not be related to diet or fitness at all. While most instances of high cholesterol are related to weight, there is a certain segment of the population who may be at risk from a young age. Fortunately, nutrition experts have discovered certain formula to help regulate cholesterol levels in the blood. By consulting with your doctor, and then adding a naturally derived cholesterol regulation supplement to your diet, you can dramatically decrease your risk of excess cholesterol and cut down on your susceptibility to heart disease. Coupled with regular exercise and a diet rich in low-fat, high-fiber foods, these powerful supplements will have a tremendous impact on your whole body health. If you do decide on a Statin as your treatment, you may want to consider adding CoQ10 to your daily health routine, as Statin's block your bodies natural ability to absorb CoQ10.