Halfway through the school year I am running out of creative lunch ideas.  (That makes me sound like a mom who clips coupons and researches learning games online.  Oh wait… geez, I’m well on my way to have a soccer bumper sticker and matching minivan.)  My kids are creatures of habit and they could eat the exact same meals every. single. day.  Ham and cheese, peanut butter, and cold pizza are the staples in my daughter’s lunchbox but I desperately want her to branch out.  However…I NEED HELP!

What do YOU pack your kids for lunch??? Or do your kids prefer Mystery Meat Mondays and Flaky Potato Fridays?  My kid actually bugs me all the time to let her buy lunch, but I have too many coupons for buy one get one Caprisuns and granola bars…

I’m sick of Lean Cuisines and since I nearly ran out of food during the snowstorm I was forced to get creative.  I thought I’d share my snacks and concoctions here.  Everything listed here (as well as any food I will EVER list in the future) is super quick and easy to make.  If you’ve ever met my son, you know I rarely have time to cook elaborate meals in my kitchen. 

Activia Light Vanilla Yogurt (Fat Free)
Make all the Jamie Lee Curtis jokes that you want.  I love this stuff.  At only 70 calories per serving I consume about a carton a week.  I eat it with my cereal every morning.  It also boosts your digestive system – and that’s all we’re gonna say about that.

Kellog’s Special K Low-Fat Granola
I’m super picky about cereal.  This one, I believe, is fairly new.  Or I’m just out of the loop – which is highly likely.  I had tried Kellog’s original granola and loved it, but this I can love and not feel too guilty if consume the whole box in a couple of days.  Pair this with the Activia yogurt and you have a yummy breakfast that is only worth 260 calories.  Other cereals worth an honorable mention here are Fiber One Honey Clusters and Kashi Go-Lean Crunch. 

Pepperidge Farm Mini Whole Wheat Bagels
Who doesn’t love bagels?  These little suckers are fabulous.  They are 110 calories.  I eat them toasted with one cooked egg white (16 calories and TONS of protein) and a half a slice of American cheese (30 calories).  It makes for a VERY filling snack or sometimes I’ll fix a couple of them for breakfast.

Parmesan Couscous with Chicken and Vegetables
Near the rice section in the grocery store you can find couscous and several brands like Near East have a Parmesan flavor.  I cook this up, divide it into three equal servings and pair it with 4oz of grilled chicken breast and as much zucchini and onions (sautéed with cooking spray) as I want.  This makes a huge meal for only around 350 calories. 

Orville Redenbacher 100 Calorie Mini-Bag Kettle Corn
I was 27 before I ever tried kettle corn.  This is one of my favorite snacks.  It’s the perfect blend of sweet and salty and packed with fiber. 

Weight Watcher’s Giant Fudge Bars – 110 calories
Here’s a throwback to days of counting points.  I LOVE these ice cream bars.  They are packed with fiber and actual chocolate taste and they’re HUGE. 

Homemade Fajitas
I *heart* Mexican food, but Mexican food eaten out is a big diet no-no.  So, at home I improvise.  It’s quite easy.  On top of the stove simply sauté 4oz of chicken breast, then add in onion and I like using red, yellow and green peppers cut into thin strips.  Sprinkle with about half a package of taco or fajita seasoning and serve.  Easily less than 200 calories if you use fat free cooking spray rather than oil.  This does not include tortillas – but hey, live a little!  For 200 calories you can afford to splurge on a tortilla.

Landshark Lager
150 Calories per bottle.  OK, this really shouldn’t be on THIS list but it’s my blog and I can post whatever I want.

I have to stop writing now as it is making me ravenously hungry.  I hope you enjoyed these and I certainly hope you will share some of your favorites with me!

I joined the YMCA about a year ago when some friends of mine started raving about their wonderful yoga class.  I went one time and was instantly hooked on yoga.  I could lie on the floor, wiggle around a bit and be sore the next day like I’d actually accomplished something.  How fabulous!  Previously, I had all of the typical excuses for not joining the gym:

1. I hate exercise.
2. I can’t afford it.
3. I hate exercise.
4. It would be a waste of money.
5. I hate exercise.

For the first few months, I participated in the yoga class and ran long boring laps about the gym track.  I can’t run on treadmills because I feel like I run and run and run and never get anywhere.  However, oddly enough running around in a full circle over and over and over doesn’t really bother me.  After a while, my knees began to ache and the doctor told me that I needed to lay off running or I would wind up having surgery before I turned thirty.  Single mom’s have no time for knee surgery.  I felt so defeated!  Against every instinct within me, I had kept up with this horrible daunting routine for the sake of my body and it was my body that revolted and halted my progress.

And then I considered swimming.

I swam competitively in my younger days but hadn’t been in a pool, without the company of a Corona, in well over ten years.  However, the pool looked cool and inviting and the regular swimmers seemed to have no struggle at all.  Surely this would be like water yoga!  Why had I wasted so much time on the boring running track??  I went to the store and purchased the following items (and I suggest you do the same if you want to take up swimming):

• Competitive swimsuit.  A lap pool is no place for a bikini – not that I own one anyway.
• A decent pair of goggles.  I personally like Nike swim gear.
• A swim cap to harness any flowing locks that will try and choke you death when you breathe. 
• A pair of flip flops because athlete’s foot is from the fiery pits of hell.

My first day of swimming, I looked like a pro – right up until the moment I actually got in the water.  One lap in I realized, “This is NOT yoga.  This is freakin’ hard.” After two laps, I seriously contemplated just letting myself drown in the deep end, so the lifeguard would have to tote my butt out of the water and back to dry land where it belonged.  Because I am not a quitter (quite stubbornly so), I swam two more laps.  The next day I did two more.  And the day after that I was up to ten.  Somewhere along the way I fell in love with the water all over again and four days a week you will find me in the pool.

The swimming adventure has taught me one thing: that fitness doesn’t have to be miserable.  You simply have to find something that you can fall in love with.  You can’t expect the love to be immediate, but once you start seeing results, the effort is worth it.

Need more motivation?  Google Dara Torres.  She’s a FIVE-time Olympian at age 41 and broke a World Record just three weeks after giving birth in 2006.  She’s my hero.

Wanna try swimming but aren’t really sure where to start?  Here’s a great video:

First of all, pregnancy does UNGODLY things to the female anatomy.  When I was pregnant with my daughter I gained weight in areas that were just unnatural.  I swear I had fat kneecaps.  For 42 weeks I happily ate for two, regularly sitting down with a spoon and a carton of ice cream because the baby needed calcium!  It wasn’t until the scale went over 195 pounds and I got yet another dreadful speech from my OB that I thought, this might be a problem.  By then, it was too late.  I was too big and far along to even waddle properly.

Somehow, I had convinced myself that shortly after delivery, a few weeks – tops, I would be back into my pre-pregnancy attire.  I was certain that I would lose the majority of it during delivery, but to my dismay, my daughter only weighed 8 lbs rather than the 62 lbs I expected.  I also planned to breastfeed which would shed off the excess baby fat that was left over.  I’m still convinced that someone deserves to be hung on a cross upside down for starting that lie.

Six months later, I gave up and succumbed to Weight Watchers and began my own personal battle of the bulge.  Just as soon as I could fit back into my blue jeans – I was pregnant again.  This time I was married to a man who loved ice cream as much as myself and back up to 198 I soared.  I blame him. 

The extra weight lingered for a while longer this time.  It wasn’t really until I began the world’s worst and most effective diet – The Widow Diet – that I lost those last twenty pounds.   It amazes me what stress can do to a body.  In a month I lost over twenty pounds and nearly wound up in the hospital.  Dislclaimer: For you extreme dieters out there – I do not recommend burying a loved one for the sake of weight loss. 

As life began to improve, the pounds slowly crept back on until I finally got a hold of myself, accepted the fact that I am no longer 17, and began to really give a crap about my body.   I began exercising regularly and (most of the time) eating right. 

On the Resources page of this blog and currently on the homepage, you will find a link to the LIVESTRONG website.  They have picked up a beautiful application called The Daily Plate.  Since I no longer have time for groups like Weight Watchers, this little tool has changed my life.  The site gives you an idea of your nutritional needs to help you meet and maintain your weight goals and then calculates your food intake including calories, fat, carbs, sodium, protein, etc.  I have yet to find a food that is not already included in their database – including popular restaurant menu items.    They also provide a fitness tracker so you know how many calories your body burns doing everything from Running to “Family Reunion (sitting, eating, not fighting)” – actual example.    

Unfortunately, Lance Armstrong is not paying me to promote his website – yet.  However, I do highly recommend it.  I will warn you that it is addicting.  If you have any other sites, tools or tips to recommend please feel free to post them here.  I would love to check them out and maybe post them on our resources page!