Sip Red Cider Vinegar with the Mother EVERY DAY!

You have probably noticed everyone posting and talking about drinking red cider vinegar with the mother once a day.  I found this to be a big factor in helping me lose weight.  I find that it helps reduce my cravings for sugar.

Check out this website article from Healthy and Natural World which includes more information based on a research study published in 2009.  It states: "The Bio-science, Biotechnology and Biochemistry journal published a study finding that drinking 2 tbsp. vinegar for just three months caused significant decrease in body weight, abdominal fat, waist circumference, and triglycerides." - Healthy & Natural World


Red cider vinegar has amazing properties. Read this article which thoroughly explains how it has 23 health benefits.  Here are some highlights as it relates to weight loss and digestion in general:

• Reduces sugar cravings while helping the body react properly to sugar intake
• Acts as an appetite suppressant
• Aids in digestion
• Detoxifies the body
• Reduce acid reflux & high cholesterol

Notice the "mother at the bottom."

Red cider vinegar with the mother is the best option.  The mother is the mucky looking substance at the bottom of the jar that contains pectin, beneficial bacteria and enzymes.  Read this website article to learn more from bodyecology.com.

Enjoy making this a habit every day!

Mote Pillo Recipe: Healthy Breakfast with Hominy & Eggs

Hominy is a great ingredient to use in your healthy recipes.  According to this LIVESTRONG.com article, hominy is low in calories, fat and sugar and high in fiber!  Hominy's taste and texture make it a great alternative to pasta.  Below you will learn how to make a popular breakfast recipe from Ecuador called Mote Pillo.  It is easy to make, delicious and healthy!

Mote Pillo ingredients:

1 tablespoon lard or olive oil
1/4 onion diced
6 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 29 oz. can hominy
1 tsp achiote for color (optional)

Cooking instructions:
Saute onion over medium-high heat.  Meanwhile mix the eggs and milk together in a bowl.  Add hominy in the pan with the onions and cook for about 5 minutes or until tender but not mushy.  Add in  mixed up eggs, cook until the eggs are cooked but still creamy.  Serve hot.  Sliced tomatoes make a great side for this dish.  Enjoy!

More hominy facts and pictures:

Nutrition facts 29 oz. can of hominy: 5 grams of fiber (19% daily value), 3 grams of protein, 0 grams sugar, 16 grams of carbohydrates (4% daily value), 1 gram of fat 0% trans or saturated (1% daily value)

Onion and hominy sauteing.

Thai Zoodles Your Way

Enjoy Thai chicken with noodles without the carbs with this recipe which features spiraled zucchini "noodles" popularly called "zoodles." When my friend told me she loved Zoodles, I wasn't convinced.  But, my entire family including my husband loves them!!!

Why I think you will love this meal & spiralizing vegetables:

• It doesn't include pasta but tastes and feels like it does.  Trust me.  If you have never used a spiralizer to make "noodles" out of vegetables you need to try it.  You can buy one for around $25.  
• You can use the recipe below as is or use the table to customize a creation that includes the ingredients you love.

the You Food lifestyle: Seven Healthy Habits

Embrace and love the Seven Healthy Habits and enjoy the health and weight loss that follow.  Check back often for blog posts that discuss each and provide recipe ideas and inspiration.

The "You Food" Lifestyle

I will share with you in a series of blog post entries, the guidelines I used from several diet plans and tips that resulted in me reaching my goal weight faster than expected: 20 pounds lost in ten months.

I was that girl with a huge appetite that ate more than the average man.  I am still that girl but now, I truly love eating healthy foods something I and my friends and family are shocked to hear.  When I slip and eat bad food my body quickly reminds me that I love healthy foods, making it easy to stick with eating healthy foods.  That is something you will hear from many people but I always thought that was WAY too good to be true.  It turns out the body gets used to the benefits of healthy foods.  You will struggle, as did I in the beginning but after some time eating healthily you too will find that your body craves good food, making it easy on you to stick with it.

I call this the You Food Lifestyle ©.  Notice this doesn't say the You Food Diet.  That is key.  Also, notice You is listed first.  This is not a short-term diet plan to be dreaded. This is about YOU creating a Food Lifestyle that works for YOU for the long-term.  This is a lifestyle to look forward to.  To be inspired by that becomes a natural habit vs. something you have to try to stick to.

I am not a nutritionist nor a dietitian.  I am just a regular person that struggled with eating bad things resulting in gaining 20 pounds over the course of several years.  I will not and can not promise you a minimum amount of weight lose you will expect and how long it will take.  What I will offer you is my success story and the simple guidelines I followed to get there.   Before I started the You Food Lifestyle I tried other diets that I couldn't stick with such as Clean Eating, South Beach and Weight Watchers.  Now, I am not saying that these diets do not work.  They do.  But, what I am saying is I struggled with following any of those diets to a tee.  Weight Watchers by far worked the best for me and it is the foundation for the You Food Lifestyle, but so is the South Beach diet and the Clean Eating diet.  The You Food Lifestyle uses guidelines from all three diets plus other healthy eating tips.  YOU will create your own Food Lifestyle that you love and works for you.  I hope you enjoy these blog entries and have your one success reaching your weight loss goal with the You Food Lifestyle.

Cheesy Mexican-Style Beans with Eggs

Post Purpose: one recipe guide for putting together your own healthy recipe.

This is a guide of how to create

Cheesy Mexican-Style Beans with Eggs:
Pinto beans, monterrey jack cheese,
 chopped jalapenos, sliced tomatoes, hot sauce, sour cream,
squeezed lime juice & cilantro.

a healthy, low carb, high protein meal that is flavorful and satisfying.
This recipe doesn't include any carbs from bread products, instead it is high in protein due to the eggs, beans and cheese. However, if you are using the Weight Watcher's diet as a guide, adding one tortilla to this meal only accounts for around 2-3 points which isn't a large percentage of a typical daily point allowance.

The key to this meal is to allow each person to add the flavors that they love such as jalapenos, salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, etc. Try loading it up with tons of tomatoes and even better if you can add vegetables to it! Consider serving it with a side of fruit as shown in the image on the right.

Recipe Framework: 
This meal can be enjoyed at breakfast, lunch or dinner.

• Ingredients:
• Eggs - fried, over-easy, scrambled, boiled, etc. Canned beans - pinto, kidney, lima,black beans, etc. 
• Cheese - Monterrey jack, cheddar, colby jack, etc. 
• Flavors for the beans: jalapenos, fresh cilantro, salsa, hot sauce or any sauce you like, squeeze of lime or lemon, sour cream, etc. 
•  Put it together: 
•  Put the beans in a microwave safe dish and put the cheese on top. Microwave for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. 
•  Meanwhile, cook your eggs the way you choose or the way each person chooses! 
•  Then plate everything and let everyone add the flavorings they want. 

The goal here is for everyone to be excited about the meal and the control they have over the taste of the meal. 

Remember the mantra, "It isn't what you can't eat but what YOU DO EAT." 
Help your brain associate pleasure with healthy foods by thinking about 2 main things every time you eat healthy foods:

1. How amazing the food tastes.
2. How the food will improve your body and mood.