Why Bother?

http://www.flickr.com/, photo by M. Gifford

Why choose a salad over a burger? Why eat grapes instead of Whoppers? Some people really just want to be skinnier, not healthier. If that’s the case with you, there are certainly easier ways to go about it than breaking a sugar addiction, searching for raw cheese, and avoiding hydrogenated oils.

Do you remember Brach’s Gum Dinger candy? They were kind of like blow pops without a stick, and I think they were cherry flavored. The grocery store across from my junior high school used to carry them in the bulk candy section, and we’d buy them by the bagful.

Believe it or not, I actually had friends who went on a “Gum Dinger Diet.” Since the candy had a wad of gum inside it, they would suck on the candy as long as they could, then they’d chew the gum as long as they could in place of breakfast, lunch, snacks, etc.

So, could a person really lose weight eating nothing but candy? I suppose it’s possible, but can you imagine how unhealthy that would be?

Likewise, a person going on a diet just to get skinny is going to miss out on some great health benefits. Instead of suffering through yet another diet, you could actually change your lifestyle in order to really reach a point where you experience great health, feel good, have more energy, and greatly reduce your risk of a ton of illnesses and diseases.

You must have a reason to make this kind of shift, though, because we all know it requires a lot of effort. So, I'm asking you: Why do you want to be healthy?

Personally, I have a huge list of reasons for our family getting healthy: For starters, I don’t want my husband to be a prisoner to prescription medications, I don’t want my daughter, who has a fever condition, to have to spend her childhood in bed, I don’t want to dread getting up every morning because it just feels so much better to lie around...

Even more than any of those reasons, though, is that I know God created me with a specific purpose, and I don’t want to miss out on the life He intends for me to live because I haven’t taken care of myself.

What is your reason? Do you want to be in great health so you can take more mission trips after you retire? Do you want to be there to see your grandchildren enter this world and grow up? Do you want to be able to play with your children without feeling exhausted?

Unless you have at least one real, tangible reason for wanting to take control of your health, you probably won’t take it seriously. Looking hot in skinny jeans is not going to be enough. If that’s all you want, try the Gum Dinger Diet!

Our Monday Challenge today is for you to make a list of your reasons for wanting to live a healthier lifestyle. You might only have one really big reason, or you might have a lot of different ones. Write them down, share them with your spouse or best friend, print them out, and put them up someplace where you will see them every day.

When living a healthier lifestyle seems too hard to maintain and that chocolate cake looks too good to resist, refer back to your reasons for some extra motivation.

Check out the video, Your Big “Why" about a doctor who found his big "Why" through his grandmother's failing health.

I’d love to hear about your big “Why!” Email me at lifeunrefined@gmail.com or include your big “Why” in the comments below!

"Like" Life, Unrefined on Facebook! Click here.

Smoothies for Breakfast!

http://www.flickr.com/, photo by Calvert Cafe & Catering

When we changed how we ate, I totally expected to have to give up Cocoa Puffs and Lucky Charms. What I didn’t expect was for Cheerios to be off limits. (Yes, even multi-grain. Check the ingredients. Boo!)

This seriously limited the breakfast options for this cereal loving family. We started eating eggs, but we couldn’t handle that every day. I’d rejected the idea that a healthy smoothie could actually taste good, especially if it included ingredients like spinach and kale.

When I went to a nutrition class at 180 Chiro, however, they made chocolate strawberry smoothies for us to try. (No greens included. Whew!) It tasted fanstastic, and it looked easy to make, too! This would make a great to-go breakfast for those days when we had to be out the door, or just didn’t want to eat eggs…again.

Our first few attempts at smoothies were kind of failures, though, and I got discouraged. The kids thought they were gross, and I had to admit, they didn’t taste nearly as wonderful as the ones Casey had whipped up for us.

I didn’t want to eat eggs every day, though, so we kept experimenting and looking for recipes that we would like, and I’m happy to report that after just a couple of tries, we discovered how many strawberries were just sweet enough, and how little milk kept it to a milkshake consistency. Now, we really do just toss a few ingredients in the blender, hit the button, and have breakfast.

To make your own fruit smoothies, start with these basic ingredients, then experiment to find what tastes just right for you.

Unsweetened coconut milk: Use about ½ to 1 cup. Almond milk works fine, too.

Protein: 1 scoop. Whey protein powder is the easiest, but if you don’t want to use that, consider adding cottage cheese, nut butter, like raw almond butter, or another protein source. If you do go with protein powder, check the ingredient label! A lot of these powders add artificial sweeteners that are terrible for you.

Sweetener: 4-6 drops of liquid stevia is plenty, since you will also be adding fruit. One of my kids prefers just a little apple juice instead.

Unsweetened chocolate (optional): My husband, Dale, actually puts chunks of extra dark—like 85-90% dark—chocolate bar in his, but I just throw in a scoop of unsweetened cocoa powder.

Frozen fruit: Toss in about a handful. Using frozen fruit keeps the smoothie cold and thick. You can buy your fruit frozen, or cut it up and freeze it yourself. We actually peel and freeze bananas individually on a cookie sheet, then cut them up and throw them in the kids’ smoothies. We also buy frozen strawberries in bulk at Sam’s. Dale finds a variety of fresh, organic berries there as well, and he freezes them on a cookie sheet, tosses them in baggies, then adds them to his smoothies. Use whatever fruit you want, although anything ending in “berry” is the best.

If you'd rather start with more specific recipes, check out our family’s three favorite smoothie recipes at Kid-friendly smoothies.

Go ahead and blend up a protein-rich breakfast to go this week!

Lunchables You Can Feel Good About



Lunch shopping. Photo by Ben+Sam, Flickr.com



Admittedly, most of us know that Lunchables (or their generic counterparts) do not give our children a healthy lunch, but the truth is, they’re cheap, they’re convenient, and our kids will actually eat them.

The problem is that they’re overflowing with sodium, sugar, preservatives, and refined flour.

So, what else can you send with your kids for their lunch?

Nearly any kind of lunchable that you can buy, you can make yourself. You’ll still be giving them the fun of lunchables, it will still be semi-convenient for you, and you’ll feel better knowing your kids are actually getting a nutritious lunch.

Check out these homemade options for some of the most popular Lunchables:

Meat, Cheese and Crackers

Slice up a chicken or turkey breast instead of using deli meat, which is filled with nitrites, nitrates, and sugars. If you really prefer deli meat, check out Applegate—no added sugars, nitrites, or nitrates. It also costs a lot more. If you live in the Nashville area, Publix, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's carry it.
Cut up some cheese into squares, or for added fun, get some mini cookie cutters and cut it into fun shapes.
Add some 100% whole grain crackers, such as Ak Mak or Mary's Gone Crackers.
Pair this with canned mandarin oranges (in their own juice, not light syrup) or unsweetened applesauce.

Pizza

Cut slices of pizza crust, place some sauce in a sealable cup, and shred some cheese to place in a baggie. For lunch, your child can assemble the pizzas. (Make sure to include a plastic spoon for spreading the sauce.) 

Hint: If you don’t have time to make pizza crust, consider toasting slices of Ezekiel 4:9 bread (found in the refrigerated or frozen section of your favorite store, possibly in the health food section), cutting off the crusts, and cutting in half diagonally to make a crust.

Tacos

Make your own taco meat and/or refried beans. Add salsa (no sugar added) and corn chips. (Target has some organic blue corn chips with whole flax seeds made with sunflower oil that run about $3.00 per bag.) Shred some cheese, place in a baggie, and let your child put together his or her own taco lunch.

Wraps

Food for Life has both corn and wheat tortillas made from sprouted grains. You can usually find these frozen or refrigerated in your grocery store's health food section. They're actually pretty good, and pack a surprising protein punch. Use these tortillas or make your own, then wrap chicken strips, sliced turkey, or your child’s favorite ingredients inside.

A few tips for busy families:

Make several lunches in advance over the weekend. Package them up, set them in your fridge, then grab them throughout the week for weekday ease.

Prepare one type of lunch in bulk. Make an entire pound of taco meat, separate it into single servings in snack size baggies, and freeze them. Pull out as needed for lunches. Do the same for pizza sauce, shredded cheeses, or even wraps.

Enlist your child’s help. Even if he or she isn’t old enough to stir the pizza sauce, your child can probably use child safe cookie cutters to shape the cheese, or drop 5 crackers into each baggie. Your child will also be more likely to eat a lunch he or she helped prepare.

To save money: Purchase items like unsweetened applesauce, yogurt, or mandarin oranges in bulk, then divide up into small reusable containers. Also, utilize the make-it-yourself options above for big savings. Most of them are very simple, like throwing a bag of pinto beans in a crock pot with some water and letting them cook overnight.

For some additional lunch ideas, check out 21 Ways to Plan Ahead for School Lunches, Real Food School Lunches II, and Real Food School Lunches III.