Miracle Noodles... Get in Me BELLY!

When my mother-in-law was visiting us a few months ago, we got some chap chae - Korean glass noodles that are delicious.  What we didn't know was the noodles needed to be warmed up before they got the soft texture we had consumed so many times at Korean restaurants.

While my mother-in-law was searching online for a remedy for our lifeless noodles, she came across these "miracle noodles" which I cannot WAIT to purchase and try!  They are a bit pricey, so it will have to wait.. but can you believe it?  NO CALORIES!  Like eating air!  Learn more here!

Update: For those unwilling to shell the cash on these miracle babies, just try spaghetti squash!  You can cook it in the oven on a bed of water until it's soft (I usually cut it in half and then turn it upside down on a sheet and cook for about 350 degrees for 20-45 minutes).  Then, you just scrape off the squash and it turns spaghetti ish and is a great substitute for noodles!

You can mix in... cooked onions (1/2 chopped and cooked until translucent or about 3 minutes, some feta (1 cup), a 16 oz can of diced tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper.  We all love it!!

12 Snacks I Always Have In the House

90% of being healthy is eating right!  To help encourage that, and because my husband and I are notorious for chowing down on any snacks we have at home, we try to keep the snacks to a minimum and since I'm always home, I try to keep healthy snacks around for those moments when I just need to munch on something and am not really hungry or I'm hungry, but need something with protein and not too damaging as dinner is quickly approaching.

That said, here are 12 snacks (all 100 calories or less per serving) that I aim to always have on hand, in no particular order, which are all great and helped me get back to pre-prego weight asap.

1. Water - see my prior post, water is so important!
2. Almonds - warning, these are jam packed with protein, more than a a handful is actually more calories than you need when just in need of a snack
3. Raisins - need something sweet and quick?  Raisins!!
4. Ritz crackers - these got me through most of my first trimester and are a good snack, not super healthy, but just enough to help curb your hunger a bit
5. Bananas - easy fruit - you just peel it, no cutting!  no washing!
6. Apples - easy fruit - you just wash it, no cutting necessary - and if so, I just cut four pieces around the core and avoid anything else (like peeling it)
7. Dip - for veggie dipping, mine is homemade wannabe Cafe Rio dressing, you can get the recipe here, hummus will also do, but I didn't have it on hand- I usually have one or the other
8. Carrots - helps you see, taste great with dip or hummus ...what's up Doc?!
9. Celery - zero calories.. what?!  it takes you more energy to eat it than to burn it... so whatever you eat with it can have some calories.. like the dip!
10. Dark chocolate - okay, so the raisins weren't doing it... dark chocolate is superior to all other chocolates so eat some (but not too much!) it's supposed to lower blood pressure because it's a potent antioxidant.  What does that mean?  All you have to know is that antioxidants get rid of destructive molecules that are associated with heart issues.  
11. Light Yogurt - mmmm also helps with the sweet cravings and the pro-biotics in it help fight the yeastie beasties!
12. Ice cream - we always have ice cream at home.  It's our go to for dessert and it's a healthy dairy item

Lose Weight By Drinking H 2 the O

Did you know drinking TONS of water can help you lose weight?!

You don't say.  Tell me more Daisy.

Most of the time, when we snack or think we're hungry, we're really just thirsty.

Drinking water ALONE, can help you lose weight - no exercise, no eating right, etc. but of course, there won't be much lost there if you don't do the rest.  The reason lies int he fact that the body is able to flush out waste when you have enough water (poop any?) so having a regular time in the bathroom for number 2 comes with good water and a good fiber-ific diet.

Why do I know this?  Have tried it.  Whenever I look at my food journals and see that I have been eating a lot of sugary snacks - mostly candy and cookies, it's because I haven't been drinking much water.    And.... for the thousands of dollars my mom paid for me to go to charm school when I was 19, the first thing the fitness expert told us was... start drinking more water if you aren't already.  So from that day on, as much as I hated water.. I have started (tips on making it taste better include adding a slice of lemon, orange or cucumber).  Some people think water will bloat them... not true.  Instead, water helps rid your body of excess water ... try it if you don't believe me.

The prescribed amount is 8 glasses per day... but who uses glasses right?  I probably drink about two Nalgene bottles (that's one liter per bottle or 34 ounces each).  If you drink water bottles, look at the ounces and try to get around 64 ounces a day (a coke bottle is about 16 ounces or two cups and a normal water bottle like the one I'm drinking below is around 16-17 ounce a day so four a day of those.. or more!)

Yes, that's a lot of pee-ing and makes it hard if you're in a line of work (teachers... sorry) where you can't go often.. but it's what's good for you!

So H 2 to O, get your drink on.