I’m speaking out! Our bodies were created to heal themselves! Given the right nutrients and life-style, we can live a healthy disease-free life!!
Here in America we are bombarded with advertising and other media influences that lead us in a different direction. The sick state of the nation is evidence of it! We need to get educated and consciously change our course.
A “must read” is Montel William’s Living Well. Just click on Suggested Reading above, and type in Montel Williams Living Well and you can order it right now!
Like me, Montel Williams has been afflicted with Multiple Sclerosis. He has totally transformed his life! I am joining Montel Williams in the quest for healthy living!
Montel taught many things, for today, I’m covering one baby step: Snack Foods.
Montel suggests to do our grocery shopping on the parameters of the grocery store. We will find the fresh, healthy, unprocessed food there. The produce, dairy, meat and bread sections are all on the parameters. The processed foods, “junk foods”; canned and boxed are down the isles.
Montel tells us to pay attention to the rainbow of colors in the produce section! There is a surprisingly delicious variety of foods there. When our primary diet is produce, our bodies will be energized and empowered by the disease-fighting antioxidants the produce contains.
When we start preparing and eating produce, we will begin to crave those things, and the “junk food” will begin to loose importance.
For 15 years as a mom, I prided myself as a “milk and cookies mom”. You know, a stay-at-home mom who has fresh cookies to greet the children off the school bus. It was quite difficult to be focused on healthy snacks, cookies were so familiar!
When I lost my health, I needed to change. I wish I would have started when my children were younger. As a mother and homemaker, if I had set the example, learned to love and serve the produce, the family would have followed.
Montel talks about having a variety of colors on every plate of food. The brighter the color, the more nutrition it contains. An easy example to illustrate this, is lettuce. Iceberg is a crisp, clean, crunchy lettuce. Being produce, it is a good source of fiber, being light colored, it has fewer vitamins. In our local supermarket we will find the darker, more nutrition-packed varieties of Romaine and Leaf lettuce. These antioxidant rich foods supply the body with what it needs to feel good!
Here are some snack ideas you’re seeing my transition going from a junk food junkie even if it is homemade, it’s still junk – to falling in love with the produce section!
I’ve started drinking Montel’s smoothies! Just like the title of his book, over the 21 Days to Transform my Life we’ll see how I do! I’m ready to feel really well again!
Please leave comments with your ideas for healthy snacks!
16 Mostly Healthy, Some quick, Always Delicious Snacks
1. Rice cakes topped with 100% natural applesauce (my kid’s favorite)
2. An old time favorite -Ants On a Log -celery filled with peanut butter and raisins
3.Peanutty Apple slices
Large, unpeeled apple, cored, quartered
½ cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
Crushed corn flakes
Cut each apple quarter into three slices.
Spread cut sides of apple slices with peanut butter.
Roll in corn flakes. Makes 12 slices.
4. Orange Julius
3-4 oz frozen orange juice concentrate
¼ cup organic sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk (or soy milk)
Ice cubes
Blend until ice cubes disappear
5. Sliced fruit & all natural yogurt dip
6. Fruit Kabobs
Put small pieces of fruit on a toothpick- these could be apple wedges, raisins, orange sections, pineapple, grapes, melon balls, prunes
7. Sliced vegetable with dressing of your choice
8. Crackers & almond butter or peanut butter
9. Nachos
10. All Natural Yogurt & Granola
11. Banana Shakes
Mix in blender: 2 cups milk, 2-3 frozen bananas,
1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 cup sugar
12. Rice Pudding
1 cup water, lightly salted
1/2 cup organic brown rice
4 cups milk (or soy milk
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
3 eggs
1/2 cup organic sugar
1 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons sugar
In a large pot bring 1 cup lightly salted water to a boil. Pour rice slowly into the water. Do not sir. Cover tightly and cook exactly 7 minutes. The rice will appear slightly underdone. Add the skim milk slowly over low heat for 1 hour. Beat eggs, and add the 1/2 cup sugar, raisins, and vanilla. Pour mixture into rice, stirring slowly until the rice begins to
thicken. Serve hot, warm, or cold with mixture of cinnamon and sugar sprinkled lightly and evenly over the top. Serves 6
13. Lilli’s Fruit smoothies
Frozen fruit
8 oz yogurt
1teaspoon vanilla
Blend until smooth
14. Graham crackers with peanut butter.
15. Montel’s Tropical Fruit Smoothie
Ingredients
1 mango, peeled and seeded
1 papaya, peeled and seeded
1 banana, peeled
1 orange, peeled
5 ice cubes
In a Vita-Mix blender, process ingredients until smooth. Enjoy immediately, or keep 2-3 days in refrigeration.
16. Montel’s Sweet ‘n asy Green Smoothie
This is a healthful, delightful drink with a perky pale green color. The kids will love it!
Makes 2-4 servings.
Ingredients
2 bananas, peeled
3 oranges, peeled and quartered
1 head of romaine lettuce
4 cups of cold water
Procedure
In a Vita-Mix blender, add ingredients in order: bananas, oranges, and then romaine. Add water to the “Max Fill” line on the blender. Blend all ingredients at medium, then high speed until smooth. Serve chilled. Will keep for 2-3 days in refrigeration
January 5th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
I have 3 kids and I am always looking for great snack ideas! I think this is a great list – I would only substitute honey or organic sugar, instead of white sugar. Thanks Linda!
January 6th, 2010 at 3:02 am
Thank you Tara, I will!
February 23rd, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Also, Tara check out my post http://lindagraceonline.com/get-the-focus-on-you/ and get a picture to go with your comment!
January 17th, 2010 at 7:18 am
Hi Linda,
some great recipes here and very healthy too
thanks for sharing these ideas.
January 17th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Thank you! Do you have any that you’d like to share? Let me know! linda@lindagraceonline.com
January 19th, 2010 at 6:42 am
Great stuff here
February 23rd, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Hey, check out http://lindagraceonline.com/get-the-focus-on-you/ and get a picture to go beside your comment!
February 3rd, 2010 at 10:35 am
This is a great site, I love the theme you are using. I Stumbled it for you and bookmarked it on Digg.
February 23rd, 2010 at 4:22 pm
I’m sure by now you’ve got a gravatar, but if you use the same email address you used for this comment, it will put the picture on, no matter how much later! Check it out http://lindagraceonline.com/get-the-focus-on-you/
February 23rd, 2010 at 2:43 pm
I LOVE smoothies! I have one every single day! Thanks for some new recipes Linda! Another good tip for smoothies is to use a little agave nectar to sweeten them. It’s lower on the glycemic index, and tastes wonderful!
.-= Judy Zavislak´s last blog ..Mom of 5 loses 60 pounds with Beachbody Home Workout Routines =-.
February 23rd, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Thank you! I’ll look into agave nectar! I look forward to reading you post also!
March 31st, 2010 at 2:59 am
Thank you for sharing some great snack recipes, I will be trying these out for my children and also myself!!
.-= Lisa @ Driving School Bromley´s last blog ..Driving Schools Bexley, Driving Schools in Bexley =-.
June 13th, 2011 at 11:08 am
How about popcorn? Raisans? Cottage cheese?
July 18th, 2011 at 7:55 am
Judy, I’m a fan of smoothies too and I love the fact that you can make such a huge variety of them yourself! I’m always keen to try new combinations so I’ll be giving the argave nectar a go- thanks for the tip! I’ve recently been adding beetroot to a few of my own recipes and have found that it really adds to the flavour. Combining different fruits and veg in smoothies ensures you get a great balance of nutrients in one drink which is a real bonus for me on the occasions that I haven’t eaten as healthily as I’d like to.
August 17th, 2011 at 9:51 am
Hi Linda. As for me, I make it a point that my healthy snack recipes include whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Thanks for the recipes. I’ll try them out and will let you know how it turned out.
August 22nd, 2011 at 9:02 pm
Jeff,
I hope you will! And share with me your favorite snack recipes, will you?
Linda
August 31st, 2011 at 10:53 am
Mmmm, I’ve never tried applesauce with my rice cakes, but it sounds like a delicious way to amp up two already wonderful snacks! Thanks for the tip
Rosie
August 31st, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Rosie,
Yes, the 100% applesause is a delicious sweet treat that is relatively healthful!
Linda
December 20th, 2011 at 5:47 pm
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point. You clearly know what youre talking about, why waste your intelligence on just posting videos to your weblog when you could be giving us something enlightening to read?
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January 3rd, 2012 at 2:29 am
I love all your snack ideas. I’m pretty sure my little tykes are going to love them. Do you have some healthy recipes for special occasions? Something deceptively rich but oh so good on the body?
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January 11th, 2012 at 9:28 am
Theresa,
I’m sorry to say but these recipes are all I’ve got! When I started blogging 3 years ago, I was trying to decide my niche. As a 45 yr old I felt I had a ton of information to offer and It took me 2 and 1/2 years to finally find my purpose in my circumstance! Then I started MSrelief.com and that is where my primary focus is!
Linda