eating Archives — Thrifty Mommas Tips

Are Your Getting Enough Fruits and Veggies? Printable Fruit and Vegetable Journal

Paula — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 05:25:43 +0000

Healthy eating and healthy living is a constant goal here. We each exercise a lot and we are a very active family in my opinion. In fact my kids are involved in many sports and we try to balance that out by building in our own sports and fitness goals and activities too. One area where we all need help though is eating. We strive to include enough fruits and vegetables daily, but don’t always get there. Eating well can be challenging for any family. There is always room for improvement. I have a brutal sweet tooth that is hard to get a handle on. But this year so far I have targeted my high blood pressure issue by making my diet over. In fact I eliminated a lot of sodium. Never ever do I add salt to anything now and I seek out foods that are lower in sodium. And also I have trimmed my caffeine consumption. So now I have dramatically reduced my coffee intake. But am I getting enough fruits and vegetables? Actually, I know I can do better with that. We squeeze salads in often but because of my Crohn’s Disease and high blood pressure I have some restrictions on food already so it can be challenging to get all the nutrients I need. Some vegetables don’t work for me and neither do some fruits. Sometimes I can fix that by adding smoothies. Do you get enough fruits and vegetables daily? Do your kids get enough servings of fruits and vegetables? Did you know that you are supposed to get 7 to 8 servings of fruits and vegetables if you are a woman and you are over age 35. If you are a kid and you are roughly my daughter’s ages 11 to 13 then you should get 5 to 6 servings. The Canada Food Guide recommendations can be found here if you are interested in more detail. Either way, regardless of your age we all need to be conscious of healthy eating and strive to add more fruits and vegetables to our diets. This printable fruit and vegetable journal can help you and your children to keep track of what you are eating and strive for healthy eating habits. I have some other printable healthy eating and food journals on Pinterest. All these printables are free by the way. To access the printable you can either right click on the above image and save to your computer and then print it out or you can download from the PDF link below. The PDF link below is typically clearer and bigger so I always recommend that. Printable Fruit and Vegetable Journal – red-green

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Five Easy Gluten Free Lunch Ideas

Paula — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 10:11:03 +0000

Gluten free eating is on the grow. Did you know that? In fact over the coming decade it is rumoured that 25 per cent of the population might be eating gluten free. Chances are good, that even if you don’t eat gluten free right now, that someone you know eats gluten free. I recently ran a gluten free roundup here and was shocked at the response to the post. That shows me that many of my readers are gluten free. In fact I was gluten free for several years in my twenties because my Crohn’s Disease was probably at its worst ever back then. I was very limited with what I could eat and it seemed for many years like almost every food gave me stomach pain. So dairy was banished for at least a decade or more and then I went gluten free. I was gluten free and dairy free for at least five to ten years in my twenties. Back then gluten free was not what it is today. Today’s gluten free community has a lot of options. Even many popular restaurants are on board. I keep saying this, and one day soon I will do it. I really need to try this again and see what it does for my energy levels and my weight. I need to shed about five to ten pounds. Here is the link to my popular Twenty Fantastic gluten free recipes roundup post. I know you will find some great recipes there. And here are five easy gluten free lunch ideas. Easy Gluten Free Lunch Ideas Gluten Free Oriental Beef Lettuce Wraps – Thrifty Mommas Tips Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad – By Dawn Nicole Avocado Tuna Salad – Home Made Interest Turkey & Bacon Lettuce Wrap – Tastes of Lizzy T’s Veggie Hummus Cones – Nibbles By Nic

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25 Best New Year’s Eve Recipes

Paula — Sun, 28 Dec 2014 13:39:07 +0000

New Year’s Eve is just around the corner and whether you are a naturally gifted entertainer or not (yes there is such a thing) there’s a recipe for pretty much everyone here in this list of 25 best New Year’s Eve recipes. The key, I think, is to have a variety of options and not to stress out over entertaining. The food may be one of the biggest parts of your evening and your entertaining, but don’t forget guests are really there to visit with you. Years from now they will remember spending the night enjoying the company of good friends. They probably won’t remember what they ate. If you’re looking to host a fantastic New Year’s party, great recipes can help you to get ready. You’ll want to have a mix of finger foods, dips, and real food on hand so look no further. Here I have compiled a list of 25 best New Year’s Eve recipes to give you some ideas and variety to choose from. These New Year’s recipes are sure to please any party guests you might have! Happy entertaining and don’t forget to leave me a comment or share these recipes if you liked them. Pin the post, tweet it or share it to Facebook. Happy New Year! May 2015 be happy and healthy for you and yours! 1. Crockpot Hamburger Dip 2. Baked Hot Pastrami Sliders 3. Doobers: Pickle Ham & Cheese Appetizer 4. Chicken Alfredo Lasagna 5. Easy Cocktail Sauce for Shrimp 6. Mimosa Popsicles 7. White Cheddar and Thyme Gougeres with Smoked Sea Salt 8. Tropical Sangria 9. Sausage and Tomato Stuffed Mushroom 10. Spicy Jalapeno Hush Puppies 11. New Year’s Eve Oreo Cookie Balls 12. Pasta and Lentils 13. Cranberry Pomegranate Bellini 14. No-Bake Chocolate Rum Balls 15. Easiest Ever Oven Roasted Ham 16. Vanilla Cupcakes and Champagne Frosting 17. Truffle Popcorn 18. Coconut Butter Nutella Pie Pops 19. Sticky BBQ Slow Cooker Meatballs 20. Candied Bacon 21. Fried Corn Dip with Bacon 22. Spicy Peanut Chicken Wings 23. Bacon Poblano Hot Crab Dip 24. Guacamole 25. Mini

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Five Children’s Fall Essentials

Paula — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 00:05:00 +0000

This is a post by My Contributor Bonnie Way, mom of three girls under six years old, living in BC. September can feel more like a new year than January, as a friend of mine recently mentioned. Summer is over and for many kids (and even parents!), school is starting again. It is a good time to catch sales on new clothes, school supplies, and other fall essentials. Here is what Iím making sure I have on hand as this new season begins. 1. Cups and bowls and spoons. As kids start preschool and school, it seems like there are never enough eating utensils in the house. I like the stock up on a few extra sippy cups because all of my girls, from my 6-year-old down to my toddler, can use them. It seems they are always thirsty, so I try to keep one in my bag when we’re going out. And the spill-proof factor is necessary for school lunch bags. 2. Books and crafts. Colder weather outside means more time inside. To avoid the “I’m bored!” refrain, I organize the bookshelf and look for some good deals on new books and crafts to keep on hand. Having a stash of small things like card stock paper and new stickers, a pack of Rainbow loom elastics, or pipe cleaners and pom poms helps pass the rainy afternoons. (And when I’m out of ideas for what to do with those supplies, there’s always Pinterest.) 3. Raingear. Fall means the end of sunny, warm weather and the beginning of rainy or snowy weather. That means itís time to pull out the coats, pants, boots and hats from last year and make sure they fit or watch for a sale to get new ones. Here on the Island, we have a lot of wet, rainy days, so Iíve come to appreciate the girls full-body rain suits. 4. Healthy snacks. Back to school means packing lunches again (or snacks for my preschooler), so I start watching for good deals on healthy snacks at the grocery store. I like to keep a variety of foods on hand to keep kids from getting bored with what I’m packing them. And having some easy-to-grab snacks is great for times when I’m in a hurry packing lunches or we have to run out for a playdate or a meeting. 5. New clothes. Kids grow fast. Even if your children aren’t yet starting school, fall is a good time to check the wardrobe and put away the summer things to get out the winter things and see what fits or doesn’t fit from last year. I like watching for sales and shopping secondhand stores. What’s on your to-do list as fall approaches? What fall essentials are you stocking up on? We are Tommee Mommees. We have received some perks as a result of our affiliation with the group. Bonnie Way also writes at thekoalabearwriter.com

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Male Infertility Infographic #abhc4ivf #abpoli

Paula — Sun, 15 Jun 2014 04:00:00 +0000

One in six couples of reproductive age will experience infertility. Infertility can be a devastating diagnosis, financially, emotionally and physically. Male infertility makes up about 40 % of all infertility cases. But somehow male infertility seems to have less awareness than female infertility. In fact the split between the genders and infertility rates is close to equal at 40 % each. There are many causes of infertility from cancer to Crohn’s Disease. A prior sexually transmitted disease can mean you might be at high risk for infertility. There are a few myths and facts here I wanted to share about male factor infertility. Whether infertility is caused by male or female factors, or unknown causes, we know there is a highly effective treatment for infertility which is IVF, or in vitro fertilization. ICSI is also commonly used where male factor infertility is the cause of a couple’s inability to conceive. Unfortunately in many provinces such as BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan there is still no funding for IVF. At a cost of $10,000 to $13,000 a round, even when IVF is prescribed as the best course of action, it is often financially not feasible. Public funding for IVF coupled with single embryo transfer has proven to save money in many countries where funding exists. When couples experiencing male infertility or female infertility need to remortgage a home just to pay for necessary medical treatment, they often take more chances with their health transferring multiple embryos. Multiples come with higher lifetime health needs and costs. Where funding is in place, the rate of costly multiples is reduced. It’s time for every province to invest in the future and support infertile couples. Public funding for IVF makes sense, saves money and creates healthier moms and babies. That’s a win win for everyone.

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Healthy Living: Align Probiotic Review

Paula — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 18:48:00 +0000

Probiotics have been in the news a lot this past two years so I have updated this post to include a bit more information. Align Probiotic is one of the options on the market that claims to support digestive health. This post is my personal experience with the product. My loyal readers here know that I have some health issues, mainly digestive, directly related to Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s Disease is an inflammatory bowel disorder that effects the digestive tract the entire way through. How to manage life with Crohn’s Disease is a whole other post. It flares at any time and disappears and then reappears somewhere else. In fact, even when surgically removed and digestive tract resectioned, the Crohn’s often resurfaces in a different section of gut. It is a very tricky autoimmune disorder that also comes with pain. I manage my Crohn’s disease well most of the time with diet, exercise, medicine and even alternative therapies. Over two decades, I have learned that I tolerate Vitamin C, Calcium, Vitamin E (Ascenta Health, Nutrasea Fish Oil) and Adult multi-vitamins. The combination helps me daily. At times, I have used probiotics, but not consistently. Update 2017: I now add probiotics daily in some form to support immune system and gut health. A few months ago I spotted this product Align on the shelves at Loblaw’s and was immediately interested. I started noticing Align probiotic reviews also. It claimed to aid digestive symptoms of IBS (inflammatory bowel syndrome) which is in the gut also, but significantly different from Crohn’s and colitis. Gut health and probiotics have long been linked, so IBD or IBS can probably both benefit somewhat from taking a probiotic daily. I am very conscious of maintaining the right level of helpful bacteria in my digestive tract. I eat yogurt that is high in acidophilus. And I often boost probiotics after illness especially when I have been on an antibiotic which knocks out healthy bacteria. So when I was sent the Align product to try I jumped at getting started. But then over Christmas my family got sick with the flu and I felt the results of my trial period with this new probiotic supplement were compromised. So I stopped less than three days in and started again in the New Year. My New Year’s goal for the entire family is better health in all domains, mental, physical and emotional. So what better time than the New Year? Now, I have been on Align for three weeks now and obviously it hasn’t cured me of digestive disorder. This product is still interesting to me. It is a bit expensive, but that said if I saw miraculous results I would obviously pay the $29.99 or more a month (28 count package) to use this. Align is more expensive for the 42 count package. It is taken once a day. Align can be found at most grocery stores, big box stores and at some on line hotspots like Well.ca. So how well does Align Probiotic work? I have noticed a few really clear symptoms and results since starting Align. 1. My stomach tends to – how to say this delicately – move more efficiently. In essence I noted more regular bowel movements. (which makes me wonder if my daughter needs this..please note packaging states: product intended for age 12 and up.) 2. More gas – I burp a lot more. At first I was a bit alarmed. And while I didn’t really need help in that department, I can see a small benefit to this. Better out than in, so to speak. Also the materials and information from Align indicates this is a common, but temporary symptom. Taking Align regularly and consistently will make this disappear. 3. Align does not upset my stomach. (Many things do, so don’t shrug that off.) 4. Align is not harmful in anyway because it is a probiotic supplement made from a patented bacteria called Bifidobacterium infantis and marketed as Bifantis. Bifantis has been shown to be the only probiotic bacteria that effectively reduces symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome. In my experience, this product doesn’t hurt. If I end up with a significant change once I halt use and experiment with that then I will resume use. As well, I am curious to see if the burping passes. TMI Alert: I really don’t need encouragement to burp. My whole family knows this to be true. There’s great potential for this product in retirement homes and nursing homes where bowel issues are a constant concern due to aging bodies. The price will be a concern to some. Of course Align probiotic supplement won’t cure all your digestive ailments, but it can help and it really doesn’t hurt to try. To me a package of 28 for $29.99 isn’t outrageous. Align probiotic comes with a digestive results tracking sheet which is a nice little guide to jot down your observations so you know whether or not it makes an impact. MY ALIGN Probiotic Assessment Align gets a $$$$ out of $$$$$. Docking one $ for cost. Easy to use packaging is a bonus. It comes divided in one week at a time packages and each day is clearly labelled. (not unlike birth control pills, so you don’t forget a day.) I plan to continue using this supplement until it is all gone and I will stop for a couple of weeks to see if it makes a difference. I received a month supply of Align for purposes of this Align Probiotic Review. This post has been updated to include affiliate links so my readers can easily find this product and buy. My opinion is 100% honest and all my own.

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