Eating Healthy on a Budget

We've had nearly two weeks living on our own and we've come up with a sort of routine already. Neither of us tend to be home together a lot just due to the circumstances of our jobs, and that seems to work out just fine. We are great when it comes to communicating and letting each other know when the boys are coming over or other friends or the such.

We have also gotten pretty good at grocery shopping, which is interesting cause when I talk to other people about roommates and cooking and food they seem to do things differently. All I can say is that we are splitting the cost of food and that is working very well.

This brings me to a thought that I had concerning this sort of cooking. Maybe it's the personal trainer in me....idk! Is it possible to eat healthy and not break the bank with organic foods? Turns out yes, it is! Here are a few things I've learned through research as well as just from experience.

1. When going grocery shopping, have a list and stick to that list. It helps to plan your meals ahead of time so you know exactly what you will need.

2. Eat seasonally. Produce is cheaper while it is in season, not to mention it is easier to find and tends to taste a lot fresher. This can also be achieved by going to farmers' markets. I know my area does have winter farmers' market, check and see if your area does! I'm hoping to go this month and see how prices look and see what they have in general!

3. Cook large amounts of food and freeze portions for later. This includes rice, beans, meat, veggies, etc. Honestly, this is very useful. If you are planning on keeping your stuff in the freezer for a while, make sure you put the date on the container or bag so you know how old they are!

So, yea. I hope that these are helpful! Yay for healthy eating while not breaking the bank!
How do you eat healthy? I love hearing responses!

Love,
Sara :)

ps. I am working on making some fun magnets, time has just not been on my time lately....

Setting A Healthy Example

How many of us hear that we are role models every day? Well, it's true. What we do really has a big impact on what the younger/next generation does. This is a lot of pressure on us to do well and to set good examples in any and all aspects of our lives. Yes, I mean all aspects of our lives. From the little things, like doing your homework and reading to looking for cars when crossing a busy street, to the big things like eating healthy and listening to what everyone has to say, the eyes of whoever admires you are following every move you make and every step you take.
I have a younger sister who I try and set a good example for by staying positive when things are getting rough and teasing her when she gets down. We love to do things together, and while our eight year age gap can be a barrier sometimes, it doesn't stop her from coming down to my room to watch our favorite scenes from Frozen or Rise of the Guardians or looking at Pinterest and listening to music. I've been thinking of even giving her a Musica Monday recently since she has some music in her arsenal that I have not yet heard.
One of the seemingly hardest ways to set an example, especially in our modern society, is to set a healthy example. I found a list at chosemyplate.gov that talked about being a healthy role model for children, and my list here will be loosely based off of that list.

1. Watch what you do. The eyes of your admirers are always watching you, be it fans or siblings or your employees, they look to you for what they should be doing and they will always follow your lead.

2. Have fun wherever you go. It's important to remember that life is not just about being serious, having fun is still a major part and if your siblings or employees see you relaxing and having fun with life, that positive energy is more likely to transfer to them. Even if it's in the kitchen, make food fun or make the workday enjoyable when you can! No one wants to be bored all day.

3. Listen to what they say. Make sure to understand when your sibling asks for your help, they are asking you instead of mommy or daddy. Remember, it might have taken that employee all day to get the courage up to ask you the question or tell you about something. Listen to what they have to say and really take it in, don't ever brush it off, it seems like you are just brushing them off as well.

4. Limit TV, encourage physical activity. There's more to do than watch TV! Get out and do stuff together, it encourages physical activity and is a great way for children to build their social skills. Not to mention, it's fun :)

5. Be a good food role model. Try new foods, and understand that not everyone will like every food (do you?). Don't make anything different for dinner for someone (unless dietary restrictions apply) just because they don't like the food you are serving. Tell them to either eat dinner or make their own (usually solves any sort of problems).

Alright, so this post was a bit different and still feels slightly sloppy, but I wanted to get this small list out there and see what the response was! I've got some things planned for this month and it is going to be a busy month! I'm moving on the 29th!!!!!! Signed the lease!!! So much stuff to get ready! Ahhhh!

Love,
Sara :)

Vitamin D

And now for something kinda different. As you know, I'm a bit of a health nut (oh you didn't know....well I am sometimes! As exemplified by the brownies I'm going to make tomorrow (seriously! They're like healthy brownies!!)) and part of my job at the training studio is to write a weekly newsletter that goes out to anyone interested! Last month (sorry it took me a while to get it here) I did a little blerp about Vitamin D. Lately, we have been getting a bunch of questions at the studio concerning Vitamin D, hence the newsletter I wrote concerning the pros and cons of Vitamin D. Now, I did not take a side in this argument and I will not take one now because to each his/her own, but I will present to you information that you may find helpful or interesting concerning Vitamin D. Sorry if this isn't exactly your cup of tea, but I think it is interesting :)

The majority of our Vitamin D (80-90%) comes from exposing our skin to direct sunlight. There are two types of supplemental Vitamin D: Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3. Vitamin D2 comes from fortifed plant-based food and supplements, while Vitamin D3 comes from fortified animal-based food (such as baked salmon and tuna and yogurt). Vitamin D assists with teeth, bone, and immune system health. It helps prevent bone diseases such as rickets (osteomalacia in adults) and can also help with heart and blood problems.
Vitamin D supplements are recommended for those who are not exposed to sufficient sunlight and therefore do not absorb enough into their body. For the most part, taking in extra Vitamin D in the form of supplements does not seem to harm an adult. There is a possible risk to develop Vitamin D toxicity (especially in infants), which simply means that your body will produce more urine due to excess calcium.
In either case, make sure to talk to your doctor before starting any supplements. Especially if you are pregnant or taking other medications.

Alright, that's my little blerp on Vitamin D and Vitamin D supplements. Pretty interesting, no? Well, I hope that you enjoyed my little spout of information because I think this kind of stuff is interesting and there will probably be more of it later!

Also, I'm thinking of getting a Zumba certification. Has anyone done it before? Is it fun? What does it take?

Thanks,
Love,
Sara :)

Easy Things To Help You Stay Healthy

When people first look at trying to be healthy, often it is a panicked: 'omg! Complete lifestyle change needed right now!' This really isn't a good way to go, because you won't lose those bad habits you had and you'll instead start hating the 'healthy' lifestyle you've started. I would suggest something much simpler: start one step at a time.
If you want to change you eating habits, then start with swapping out that bag of potato chips for a bag of dried fruit or carrots or a bag of baked chips even. If you want to start exercising, don't jump right in and say 'I'm going to exercise every day for an hour!' Seriously? Going from being sedentary (not exercising) to full blown is not a great way to start. I know, I know, the TV shows we all watch tell us differently, but honestly starting out with walking the dog in the morning a few days a week, or going walking with friends, start taking the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator (escalators are not the same as stairs, sorry). These simple things are the things that can start getting you on the road towards a healthier lifestyle.
Other tips I've found from looing around include: always having a water bottle on you and drinking and refilling it several times throughout the day, eat something every 3 hours or so (not a full meal mind you) in order to help you from getting hungry and overeating, and find something that motivates you to get better and focus on that!

Hope this was interesting! I'm sitting at work alone with no current clients (Thursdays are suuuuuuper slow!), so I thought now would be a good time for a blog post :P

Love,
Sara :)

Tofu Rigatoni Casserole

I understand that not everyone is vegetarian or even really all that concerned about what they ear. But I'm both and I would really encourage everyone to at least watch what you eat! It really can make all the difference in your daily life, why not start by trying that new(er) idea: Meatless Mondays. As Americans, and much of the human race in general, we eat way more meat than we need to in a day, and in addition to not eating nearly enough greens, fruits and other vegetables, our health is suffering because of it. So, I'm going to put this up as a healthy Meatless Monday option. Word on the street is that even kids find this yummy!

These are nearly all the ingredients that you will be using, shown in the above picture. All the ingredients are listed below:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for drizzling
1/2 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 pinch dried oregano
1 (12 to 14-oz) package firm tofu, drained (don't let this scare you, tofu is a friend, not scary!)
1 large egg
1 pinch grated nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 (10-oz) package spinach (I did not use all the spinach! You can if you want, or you can use most of it, like 8 oz, then the rest for lunch)
1 (1-lb) bag rigatoni, cooked al dente and drained (Barilla Plus is good, otherwise whatever you have)
1 lb fresh mozzarella, grated (about 4 cups)
3 oz grated Parmesan (about 3/4 cup)


1. Preheat the oven to 350F. You might also want to start your pasta at this point (follow the directions on the package for that.
2. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-heat. Add the onion. Saute for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes more.
3. Add the tomatoes and oregano. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a blender, process the tofu, egg, nutmeg, salt, and pepper until smooth.

4. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and fold in the spinach, cooked rigatoni, tomato sauce, 1 cup of mozzarella, and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan.
5. Drizzle a coating of olive oil into a 13x9-inch baking pan. Add the pasta mixture and sprinkle the remaining cheeses over the top. Bake until golden and bubbling, 35-40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

This recipe was adapted from Epicurious.com and the kitchen of a coworker of mine. I also want to put in two notes here:

1. This really is very good. My entire family loved it (and they are cautious about tofu and spinach!).

2. I am working on getting a new camera, thinking of getting either a digital camera or a digital handheld video camera with a built-in. Suggestions?!

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Sara :)

Sleeping Healthy

So, I realized that I haven't done a post about being healthy lately, it used to be I had a blog entirely for that, but seeing as I no longer have more than one blog (which could change in the future?? looking for opinions on that!) I suppose that I will have to just add some up here. Today's topic is going to be about something called sleep (radical, I know!) and the different theories surrounding it.
There is a hormone made in the brain called Melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that signals to the body when it is time to start preparing for sleep. In a recent study by the Journal of Applied Ergonomics, when you use a backlit digital table, such as a iPad or laptop computer, for two hours before bed your Melatonin level drops by an average of 23%. This can change depending how bright the light is and what you are doing on the tablet. Without getting into the scientific details of the study, pretty much when you use a bright screen for an extended period of time before you try to sleep, you are suppressing the hormone that tells your body that it is time to sleep, meaning you are going to be less likely to be able to sleep well. (Information originally found in FITNESS magazine and the link above) This can also be connected to excess use of cell phones before bed, which is not recommended. Using these types of screens doesn't allow your brain to settle down and start considering sleep because it is too busy doing other things; it is similar to trying to fall asleep when your roommate comes in a turns on the light after you are comfortably in bed and almost asleep: you wake up and takes a bit longer to fall back to sleep. This drop in Melatonin has also been linked to some cases of cancer, especially breast cancer in women, as well as heart attacks.
Another thing to consider about sleep is that a lack of sleep can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular problems. It can also lead to an increase in potential for psychological issues and emotional distress. I haven't looked at a lot of research on this, supposedly women are more prone to these, but researchers aren't positive since the majority of studies have been performed on men. Yet, a study at Duke is putting this idea out there now, so perhaps there is something to it?
A lack of sleep has other consequences which I am sure many people have experienced, I know that I am slightly ashamed to say that I have. A lack of sleep can lead to a disruption in learning and attentiveness. While this may not be a big deal for weekends or for days spent at the house, but a disruption in learning can affect schoolwork for anyone in school as well as work performance in general. If you can't stay awake during school or work, your performance will inevitably decrease which isn't something that is very helpful or positive. A disruption in attentiveness can do the same things for school and work related issues, but it can also lead to other problems such as inattentive driving, or walking, or just being generally unaware of your surroundings.
Alright, I've gone through a bunch of negative things about lack of sleep, but I do think that they are important to know! On the other hand, 1-I'm almost done with this post and 2-I'm going to add a little positive flair at the end :D
I know that there is always more stuff to do during the day, and there just isn't enough time to get all the sleep that you may need, but if you get enough sleep and are productive during the day (the hard part....believe me I know) then you will be better off than not getting enough sleep! FITNESS magazine online provides a great story called "5 Steps to a Good Night's Sleep" which I think you should all read if you get the chance because it has some very good points!
All in all, get enough sleep, my friends, and life will just seem a lot better :D Let me know what you guys think about me having a fitness section for this blog or if I should create another blog entirely for just fitness ideas like this, I promise that I would listen to all the opinions and take my decision from there! :)
Also, I started trying out Tai Chi....it's interesting, more of a workout than one might think!
Happy Saturday!
Love,
Sara :)

Image from here

Is Conditioner Hurting your Skin?

According to the dermatologist I see, it turns out that acne can actually in part be caused by conditioner. Allow me to explain. What conditioner does is coats your hair in a sort of oil-like lubricant that allows you to better comb through it. While this is nice for people with thick curly hair that tends to develop hard and unyielding knots (rats' nests, as my mother called them), it can actually plug the pores of your skin, causing breakouts. Adult acne is apparently quite common in people who had severe acne as a child and teenager. I am one such person. I have had acne since middle school and it has been a constant battle for me to get rid of it, even after using topical creams and drugs (tetracycline), I still have occasional breakouts. As much as I hate for this to sound like an advertisement, I guess it is going that way. This thing the dermatologist was slightly disappointed that it wasn't working and asked me about my showering habits. It had never occurred to me that what I was doing with my hair would affect my face, so I replied that I used shampoo and conditioner and body wash, then used the face wash that he had specified to clean off the shampoo and conditioner from my face. This is where he corrected me. He asked if I used the same towel to dry my face and my hair, I replied yes. He asked if I touched my hair and then touched my face at any point throughout the day, I replied yes. Then it dawned on me, he continued by explaining that even though I was washing my face correctly, whenever I touched my hair, which was coated in the conditioner to help with my knots and frizz, and then touched my face, I was unknowingly blocking some of the pores on my skin. He suggested that if i did need to use conditioner, because knots in hair do happen and conditioner does help, to only use a very minuscule amount and only in the area that would be needing it. He also suggested that I use less shampoo, since excess shampoo does not help your hair or face in general. He also recommended not to use the 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner since that would do the same thing (this also, I would imagine, removes the 3-in-1 shampoo, conditioner, and body wash).
I have taken in this advice and for the past week, since my appointment, I have not been using conditioner, except when absolutely necessary. My findings? *drumroll please* It actually works! Who would have thought that the professionals know what they are talking about! Just kidding, but I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that it actually worked. I would suggest this for anyone struggling with severe acne, but do talk to you dermatologist or family doctor before making any life changes based off of a blog. This seems to be working for me, so I wanted to share it with you in hopes that maybe it will also work for you!
Anyways, I have my first day of my interim class today (it's called Monsters: Myths & Movies) and I am super excited! I will update you all on it either tonight or tomorrow.
Happy Thursday! Yea....it's weird, my class is starting of Thursday, and ever better is that my prof will be in Boston for the weekend, leaving right after class today, so we don't have class tomorrow! Sweet right?! :P
Alright, later my dear friends :)
Love,
Sara :)