This Makes Me Feel Better

Julie sent me this link and I found it to be pretty interesting...

I can burn calories without really doing much. (Not that this alone is going to get those last baby pounds off of me, but I am thinking that EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!)

Here are the highlights:

*Fidgeting, tapping feet, gesturing with hands, or twirling hair for 150 minutes a day can burn 350 calories a day.
*Standing burns %50 more calories than sitting.
*Pacing burns %90 more calories than sitting.
*Having 250 milligrams of caffeine with a meal can increase the calories spent metabolizing the meal by 10%. Drink Green Tea, black coffee, or unsweetened tea instead of soda, so you dont get the calories!
*Eat more veggies to help burn more calories after you eat.
*Add 5g of Tabasco sauce to your meal to raise your metabolism by 12-20 percent for up to two hours after eating.
*Drink ice cold water, rather than room temp. water. Your body burns more calories to warm the water up.
* Shivering burns calories!

Happy Birthday SHAD!!

I am a day late...typical Tracy fashion...but I still wanted to give a shout out to my big brother, Shad. My brother has been the best brother in the world! We don't always agree, and we butt heads a lot with our conflicting views on just about everything....HOWEVER, he has always always always been there when I needed him the most with love in his heart and without judgment. I am so proud of the man he is, the husband, and the father that he has become.

I love my bubba. Thanks for all you have done for me.

Everyone Must Get This Book!

Andre brought this book home from work yesterday. It's called Supermarket Survival Guide: Eat This, Not That by David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding. Andre had told me about it previously, but this was the first time I actually got to flip through it. It's awesome! Just to get your curiousity going, I'm going to give you the book's 20 worst packaged foods in America.

Worst Crunch Snack- #20 Gardetto's Special Request Roasted Garlic Rye Chips
fat equivalent- 3 strips of bacon
Eat instead- Snyder's of Hanover Sourdough Nibblers

Worst cookie- #19 Pillsbury Big Deluxe Classic White Chunk Macadamia Nut
Fat E.- 5 "fun" size 3 musketeers bars
E. I.- Toll House Chocolate Chip

Worst Yogurt- #18 Stonyfield Farm Whole Milk Chocolate Underground
Sugar Equivalent- 4 cherry popsicles
E.I.- Breyer's Cookies n'Cream YoCrunch Lowfat with Oreo Pieces

Worst candy- #17 Twix
Saturated Fat Equivalent- 11 strips of bacon
E.I.- 100 Grand

Worst ice cream- #16 Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter
Fat E.- 1 McDonalds Double Cheeseburger
E.I.- Edy's Slow Churned Peanut Butter Cup

Worst "Healthy" Pantry item- #15 Pop-Tarts Whole Grain Brown Sugar Cinnamon
Sug. E.- 1 Snickers Bar
E.I.- Sun-Maid Raisin English Muffins with Cinnamon

Worst Condiment- #14 Eggo Original Syrup
Sug. E.- Two Haagen-Dazs Vanilla & Almond ice cream bars
E.I.- Smucker's Sugar Free Breakfast Syrup

Worst Drink- #13 Arizona Kiwi Strawberry
Sug. E.- 4 original fudgsicle bars
D.I.- Tropicana Lime Raspberry Fruit Squeeze

Worst Frozen "Healthy" entree- #12 Healthy Choice Complete Selections Sweet & Sour Chicken
Sug. E.- 2 scoops Breyers Reese's Peanut Butter Cup ice cream
E.I.- Kashi Southwest Style Chicken

Worst Cereal- #11 Quaker 100% Natural Granola, Oats, Honey & Rasin
Calorie E.- 8 chicken wings
E.I.- Kashi GOLEAN

Worst Packaged Side- #10 Pasta Roni Fettuccine Alfredo
Sodium E.- 4 medium orders of McDonalds french fries
E.I.- Pasta Roni Nature's Way Olive Oil & Italian Herb

Worst Baked Goods- #9 Otis Spunkmeyer Banana Nut Muffins
Sug. E.- 3 1/2 Rice Krispies Treats
E.I.- Vitalicious Apple Berry Muffin

Worst Frozen Treat- #8 Toll House Ice Cream Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwhich
Cal. E.- two slices of hand-tossed pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut
E.I.- Skinny Cow Low Fat Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwhich

Worst Individual Snack-#7 Hostess Chocoalte Puddie Pie
Saturated Fat E.- 2 McDonald's Quarter Pounders
E.I.- Chocolatey Drizzle Rice Krispies Treats

Worst Packaged Lunch- #6 Oscar Mayer Maxed Out Turkey & Cheddar Cracker Combo Lunchables
Cal. E.- 15 chicken nuggets
E.I. - Oscar Mayer Deli Creations Fajita Beef & Salsa Flatbread

Worst Stir-Fry -#5 Bertolli Grilled Chicken Alfredo & Fettuccine Complete Skillet Meal for Two
Sat. Fat E.- 22 Strips of bacon
E.I.- Birds Eye Steamfresh Meals for Two Grilled Chicken in Roasted Garlic Sauce

Worst Frozen Breakfast-- #4 Jimmy Dean Pancake and Sausage Links Breakfast Bowls
Cal. E.- 6 bowls of Fruit Loops
E.I.- Jimmy Dean D-lights Breakfast Bowls turkey sausage

Worst Frozen Pizza- #3 DiGiorno for One Garlic Bread Crust Supreme Pizza
Cal. E.- 6 Slices Domino's Thin n Crispy Cheese Pizza
E. I.- South Beach Diet Deluxe Pizza

Worst Frozen Entree- #2 Hungry-Man Classic Fried Chicken
Cal. E.- 5 Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnuts
E.I.- Banquest Select Chicken Parmesan

Worst Packaged Food in America- #1 Marie Callender's Creamy Parmesan Chicken Pot Pie
Sodium E.- 8 small bags of potato chips
Fat E.- 23 strips of bacon
Cal. E.- 7 Taco Bell Fresco Beef Tacos
E.I.- Marie Callender's Oven Baked Chicken

Are you shocked? Appalled?? I was. This is just the beginning! I love that this book gives you a better alternative to the crap food. Anyway, I can't stop looking at this book, and decided all of you should know about it. They also have a book just for kids foods. I gotta get that one. Happy Reading!!

My Homemade Granola

Ok, so I mentioned in an earlier blog that whole grains help to get your brain going. I suggested oatmeal for breakfast, but I dont really like oatmeal. Here's another alternative: granola. You can buy it, of course, at the store, but where's the fun in that? Impress your friends with this yummy and versatile recipe.

Ingredients:
4 cups rolled oats
2-3 cups chopped nuts ( I use almonds, peanuts, and soy nuts)
1/2 cup syrup (I use light)
1/2 cup honey (I try to use local when I have it)
1 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
1/2 cup oil


First, preheat oven to 350. Then pour syrup and honey in pan and heat on low until it has thinned out.

Pour all 4 cups of oats into large bowl.

Add your shredded nuts,( I put mine in a food processor.) vanilla, oil, and salt to the oats. I usually use salted nuts and almonds and forgo adding salt. Mix well, then add the thinned syrup/honey mixture. Again, mix well. :)

It should be wet, but not soupy. I cover a cookie sheet with foil, for easy clean up, and put a VERY thin layer of granola. The thinner the layer, the crunchier the granola...I like it CRUNCHY!

Bake for 25-30 minutes. It should be a dark golden brown. Take foil, with granola on top, off cookie sheet. Place aside to cool. Recover cookie sheet with foil, and add another layer of granola. You should be able to get two layers if you are making it thin enough. Bake second layer. Wait until completely cooled, then break pieces off of foil. I like mine in big chunks, but you can also crumble it it you'd like.

This is half of a batch.

The beauty of this recipe is that you can add or change it as much as you want. I have added chocolate chips, flax seed, and sun-dried cranberries before. I usually just use whatever I have on hand or remember to buy when shopping. You can't go wrong. It's pretty addictive, so watch out. A little is good, but a lot...kind of fattening! When I am working, I use a snack zip lock baggie, and fill it. It's a great mid-morning snack. In fact, my students always ask me to bring it for them. Now that I think about it, I remember my fourth grade teacher telling me that peanuts were brain food. You'll be getting a double dose of brain stimulation with this recipe!

Hope you all enjoy...

My Love for Etsy Strengthens

I have for some time had a huge crush on etsy.com . If you are not familiar with Etsy, it is "your place to buy and sell all things homemade." Ohhhhh, how I love this site. There are so many beautiful, beautiful things created by real people with hearts and souls. It's an amazing site. You must check it out.

Ok, so I said all of that to get to this...I was casually enjoying the Tennessee Aquarium the other day with Julie, Rondi, and the kids when I stumbled upon something very interesting. What was it, you ask? Well. This woman had a camera, and normally I would be checking it out, but not this time. What I noticed was her SUPER COOL camera strap. Before I could even think twice I had asked her where she purchased such a unique item. Her words were simply this, "Cotton Candy on Etsy." I should have known.

Needless to say, I rushed home to get online in order to confirm...yes...etsy...cotton candy...by natalie...yes...fantastically cool camera straps. Now I am not only crushing on Etsy as a whole, I have narrowed my love down to these brilliant camera straps. Thought you might like to see...





These are two options that I fancy. This Natalie genius has many patterns to choose from. Someone tell my husband for me.

Summer's Over= Brain Restart

I only have one week until I have to go back to work. The school year will be starting, and I have to be ready with all my gears moving in the right direction. I was doing some light reading, and I found five ways to fuel your brain by eating. This has to help, right? Yeah, that's what I thought. So here we go...

1.Salmon and Omega-3s -Omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon and other cold water fish protect and feed the brain. This beneficial fat positively affects brain chemistry and is important for brain development and beneficial for basic brain function.

2.Whole Grains - It is no secret that the brain loves carbs. As a matter of fact, the brain uses 20 percent of the body's supply of this important dietary component. The brain likes a steady supply of carbs, which is best provided by whole grains since they do not spike your blood sugar. Try oatmeal for breakfast to start your brain out on the right foot.

3.Potassium-plays a major role in nerve function, which can affect the brain. Avacados are high in potassium, as are apricots, bananas, and kiwis.

4.B Vitamins -There are plenty of B vitamins and they are all good for your gray matter. This family of vitamins help basic brain and nerve function, and B6 converts tryptophan into serotonin, the feel-good brain chemical. Vitamin B rich foods are whole grains, beans, dairy products, poultry, and fish.

5.Vitamin C-a powerful antioxidant, can help prevent that foggy brain feeling, especially after a fatty meal. Why not opt for fresh strawberries for dessert next time you eat a rich meal?

I'm going to try to find some recipes to post for some of these "make you brainier than ever" foods, so stay tuned....

**Hope you all enjoyed your weekend, and a shout out to old Lee friends...Addie, Paula, and Cindy...lunch was fantastic!**

Homemade Donuts...Yum.

My monthly meeting of the Belletristic Skirt Society was last night. The hostess had decided on breakfast for our food theme. I took the donut angle, but decided instead of buying them at Krispy Kreme to make them from scratch. Here's how it went...

Basic cake donuts-

* 4 1/2 c flour
* 4 tsp baking powder
* 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 2 eggs
* 1 c sugar
* 2 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
* 1 c milk
* 1 tsp vanilla


Sift together the dry ingredients. (I, as you will see, forgot to do this, but it worked out ok.)

Beat eggs and sugar until light.

Add butter, milk, and vanilla.

Add dry ingredients and mix until a soft dough is formed.






Do not over mix. If dough is too soft to roll, chill it for an hour. You can roll dough out of a floured surface, flatten, and cut with donut cutters. However, I just used a small spoon and took the dough straight from the bowl.

Fry in 370 degree oil until golden on both sides, turning once.


Remove from oil, hold over hot oil for a few minutes to drain, and then finish draining on absorbent paper. Recipe makes 3 dozen.

I made a glaze by boiling 1/3 water and mixing in 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar. It didn’t come out as thick as I wanted it to, so I ended up rolling the donut holes in the glaze. Then I put them in a bag of sugar, or sugar/cinnamon mixture, and shook to coat the donuts.






(The only bags I had were left over Santa bags..)

I also rolled them in the glaze and dusted them with powdered sugar.







They turned out pretty good. I didn't care for the nutmeg, but Andre said that was why he liked them. Everyone at book club loved them, and wanted to take some home. I will definitely make them again sometime.