Rice Crackers Rock

There are a bazillion things you can eat with rice crackers.
I'm not talking bland, here. I'm talking creativity.

From main-dish masterpieces to sweet little dessert discs --
Here are just a few of my favorites...

*gourmet cheeses
*cream cheeses
*cream cheese and cucumber
*mushrooms sauteed in olive oil
*onions sauteed in olive oil
*tuna
*chicken salad with a light yogurt
*salsa
*spaghetti sauce
*tomato slices
*with a touch of gourmet mustard on top
*almond spread
*peanut butter
*cashew butter
*sesame butter
*sunflower butter
*fresh fruit, sliced
*fresh fruit spreads
*honey and yogurt swirled on top
(and any combination of the above...)

I just had my dinner, sitting here working at the computer. The foundation: the famed rice cracker.

Stock a box. Be creative and post your favorites. I'd love to hear.

Here's to feeling and looking fab,
Erin

Sweet Blueberry-Melon Crunch

My sweet tooth was acting up this morning (so soon?!), so I decided to satisfy the cravings with this luscious breakfast:

Mix in a bowl...
Cantaloupe melon, diced
Blueberries
Chopped Pecans (a "toss")
Raw Pumpkin Seeds (another "toss")
Toasted Sunflower Seeds (a sprinkle)

Pour over the top...
Naked Superfood Fruit Smoothie, "Blue Machine" (100% blueberry, blackberry, apple, and banana juice)

Fabulous! Enjoy!

In love with great breakfasts,
Erin

Pears-n-Pecans for Breakfast

Feeling in a morning breakfast rut? As the sun rises, some of us tend to put the sames things into our bowls and onto our plates. Go for variety in the morning!

Here's a simple, fast, tasty breakfast to throw together and enjoy. (I enjoyed it this morning...fabulous!)

In bowl, combine:

• 1 small, ripe organic pear, cut into bite-sized pieces
• ~ 1 1/2 T. chopped pecans
• ~1 T dates
• 1 tsp freshly-ground flax seed (prepared in the coffee grinder)
• heaping T. Soy Protein (I like the Now Sports 90% Protein brand)

Add filtered water, to mix into a creamy mix.

Dribble of honey over the top...and Enjoy!

To a great morning,
Erin

The Curse of the Mocha Latte

I have a weakness.

Okay, so I have lots of weaknesses. But let's talk about my most famous weakness: The Mocha Latte.

First of all, it's not just a weakness. It's a habit. All right...it's more than that. It's an addiction.

I write for a living. When in serious writing mode, I absolutely have to have a Mocha Latte. And that's not all. The Mocha Latte has a companion: The Chocolate Chunk Cookie (albiet Gluten Free). The significant physical change coursing through my veins due to the genuine sugar rush (flowing with a bit of caffeine) is unmistakable.

(Now, stop that--that talking to the computer. I can hear your words loud and clear: "Do you have any idea how many calories--and how much sugar--that is?!"...I DO know...hence this blog. On with my confession....)

The situation: I'm finishing a six-week blast of daily mega-writing events. And now my pants are tight. Blast. The Mocha Latte--and its companion--are no doubt to blame.

Oooh, did you catch that? I sure did. I just blamed a sweet cup of steamy, creamy liquid and a little disc with oozy-sweet choco-goodness for my own decisions. Amazing how quickly we do that, eh?

"Eating Clean" + Lots of Mocha Lattes/Chocolate Chunk Cookies = Self Deception.

Don't get me wrong: a bit of a treat here and there isn't a sin. (Tosca Reno has her coffee, too.) I know that it's the "have to have it" (and lots of it) that puts it into a new category.

SOOoooo, here I am. Deciding that it's time to return to the basics:

1. Clean eating is clean eating. Period. The name says it all.
2. Why do I want to eat clean? To feel good. Period. (Okay, and to look good, too.)
3. Needs and wants are two distinct animals. Keep them in their separate cages. I want the "treat"; I don't need it.
4. A habit is made into a habit through simple repetition. Time to repeat something new. Sorry, Mocha. Sorry, Choco-Chip.
5. Intention + Support = Greater Chance of Success. Hmmm. Let's put some accountability in here. Anyone empathetic to the cause?

You're supposed to feel better after confessions, aren't you? I have a mixture of sadness in the farewell and courage/relief in the new direction. I'll focus on the courage/relief. And I'll stick with organic water decaf.

Oh. And if you've an anti-clean-eating "curse" that's following you around, too....then toss it into the abyss with the Mocha and the Choco-Chipper...put your face to the wind...and let's move on, together, eh?

Eating clean for results.

Here's to us both, back in the world and eating clean,

Erin

7 Reasons to Eat Clean: Revealing Article on Additives

What's in those "additives" in your food, anyway?

Check out this article posted today:

http://health.msn.com/womens-health/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100232497&imageindex=1

I've had times when I was quite ill, feeling awful physically and emotionally. I don't want to ever be there again. Eating clean makes sure that only the purest foods fuel my body. I want to feel my best. I want to be as healthy as I can be. I want to have the most energy possible, to impact our world positively. Eating clean does that for me.

My guess is that it can do that for you, too.

Eating clean is not a diet. It's a lifestyle. It's a choice. Because I want to feel and look my best--and because I want to have the energy, bright mind, and physical strength to do what I'm called to do--and to leave a legacy for my family and for others--I choose to eat clean.

All best until next time,
Erin

A Fabulous Lunch...

A lot of people think that to eat clean (and gluten free), you have to eat bland, uninteresting, boring foods. Not so!

I just threw together the most fabulous lunch that I've enjoyed in a loooooong time -- and I bet that you'll love it, too:

In a large pan, "stir fry" in hot olive oil...
> garlic pieces, chopped
> rings of onion
> ~1 c fresh broccoli

When the onion has browned edges, add:
> a little more olive oil
> two large handfuls of fresh spinach
> heaping T. of Tassos Bruschetta Olivara (imported from Greece...has sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese, peppers, & herbs)

When the spinach steams down to wilting,
> take the pan off of the heat
> Add freshly-chopped tomatoes
> toss
> serve
> and EAT!

Serve with rice crackers or a gluten-free breadstick.
(Note: I was craving veggies big-time, so this meal is missing a protein. The fix? In a few hours, I'll have a high-protein snack. If I had wanted protein in this meal, I would have added lentils to the mix, when adding the broccoli. Either way...delicious!)

EASY, Fast & Fabulous Chili

The Eat Clean Lifestyle Challenge: Day 6

Because I'm often short on time, when it comes to meal prep, I love making simmering pots of food. Why? Aside from the time savings, we can dip into the pot all week...and so many "big pot" foods are better the second and third day, aren't they?

Try this FABULOUS Chili... (a variation on my husband's recipe) -- So easy, so fast, and so good for you. Gotta love it!

Here's the recipe (with easy substitutions in parentheses, if you want to make prep time SUPER fast):

1. Grab 1 big pot.
2. Put in...

• 1-2 lbs cooked/grilled chicken breast (from your frozen stash from grilling "en masse" on what I fondly call, "Grill Day") ...(OR 2 lbs cooked ground turkey breast)
• 6-8 chopped up fresh Roma tomatoes (or 2-3 lg cans of organic diced tomatoes)
• can of organic cooked lentils
• 1 can organic tomato sauce
• 1 med onion, diced (can be sauteed in olive oil before or placed in "fresh")
• fresh cooked beans, prepared/boiled earlier in the day (or 2-3 cans of organic beans--navy, kidney, whatever you like)
• 1/2 pkg. frozen organic corn
• 1 lg bag of fresh spinach (or 1 lg frozen square of organic cooked spinach)
• 1/2 lb fresh cooked/diced green beans (or 1/2 pkg frozen green beans)
• dashes of chili seasoning to taste (Check ingredients! Buy from a health food store!)

3. Simmer half a day.
4. Remove from the heat, eat what you'd like, then coolnand refrigerate the leftovers for dipping into all week long.

Whether snowy or not, chili is a perfect dish during lingering February days...so enjoy!

All my best, 'till next time,
Erin

5 Reasons Why I Love my Juicer (and why you might love one, too)

The 21-Day Eat Clean Lifestyle Challenge: Day 2

Some friends of mine turned me on to getting a juicer. Now I don't know why I didn't get one sooner. Here are the top 5 reasons why I love my juicer (and why you might love one, too):

5. Juicing packs in the vitamins...the EASY way. Yes, supplements are great. But getting your vitamins from the home source--fresh veggies and fruits--is the BEST for your body and overall health. I want the best...don't you?

4. Snacks for kids (and me!) just became easy. My kids think the juicer is cool. I mean, come on...put solid pieces of carrot, apple, and pear into a machine and watching them get demolished into liquid--how great is that? And THEN they get to drink it! It's like science to them--and it's guilt-free health science to me. Anything that takes away parent guilt is phenomenal in my book (many of us carry around way to much of the stuff).

3. The benefits of carrot juice are astronomical. It's true. Steve Meyerowitz, author of Juice Fasting & Detoxification: Use the Healing Power of Fresh Juice to Feel Young and Look Great, calls carrot juices "energy drinks" (42), cancer fighters (37), and "probably the most popular drink of the health movement" (37). On top of that, carrot combos are delicious. Try them.

2. My daily veggie and fruit intake went way up. That means more health, more energy, and less muffin-top waistline. Can't beat that.

1. Juicing is fast. With busy days, I like--and need--fast.

Looking over the list, notice the words EASY, FAST, BENEFITS, ENERGY, DELICIOUS....That's a list that I can live with. Yes, juicers can be pricey (mine was just over $100, and for a large family on a budget, that can make a dent). But the benefits blew past the cost in the first week. Again, I find myself saying, "This is great--why didn't I do this before?"

So stay with the thought: A juicer just might be a help to you eating clean and looking great, too. I don't sell the machines or anything like that (no kickbacks here); the recommendation comes purely on benefit analysis. And I'm all about living a lifestyle with benefits that make a difference.

All my best--until next time,
Erin

21-day Eat Clean for Health Lifestyle Challenge

Want to look superb, get to the weight you want, and feel stronger? I'm inviting you to join me over the next 21 days to Eat Clean--and to feel and see the results.

If you're like me, you have a busy life. Believe me--I know. Six of my 13 children still live at home; all six are home schooled; books I'm writing need to be finished for the publisher; the house needs to be kept up; there are kid appointments to keep and college students on line to teach. And I'm sure that your life is full, too. We all have commitments. So what's keeping you from doing what you want to do...from looking how you want to look...from feeling what you want to feel? I'm guessing that, with some finagling, we can make this work.

You see, living everyday LIFE often keeps me from LIVING everyday life. The too-busy whirlwind doesn't allow me to focus and get to what I REALLY want to be--on the inside and out. Or does it? Am I making excuses for myself? Well, I think I might be...because when it comes down to it, I can decide my fate--and so can you. I can make my choices--and so can you. I can go beyond anything that I've tried before--and so can you. With the right stuff, we can make it happen. This last week, I finished 21 days of eating clean. It was GREAT because the RESULTS were great. I feel stronger than I have in a long time. Is it time for you to feel stronger than you have in a long time? I'm ready to do it again...because I want MORE out of this life. Perhaps you are ready for more, too.

Will you join me?

I'm simply asking you to join me over the next 21 days to focus on "eating clean": fruits, vegetables; pure protein; "good" oils; no sugar or fried foods; whole grains (and if you're gluten free, the grains on your "list"). There's no contest here; you won't win money or gifts. You will get support. Each day, I'll post a blog. Read this blog every day for the next 21 days, and you'll get ideas and encouragement, how-to's, and ways to make it work. I believe that knowing that someone else is "with you" helps tremendously.

Hey--What's to lose? (If you need to, weight, for one!) Seriously, it's simply something that I'm going to commit to, personally. I'm not getting anything from this (money, fame, kudos); it's just something that I'm going to do. And if it's time for you to come along, I'm honored. Let's do it.

All best,
Erin

P.S. You or a friend can jump in any time in the next 21 days, too. Let's get the momentum going--together.