Tag Archives: Planning

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Trader Joes…Oh How I Love Thee

Have you been to a Trader Joes? If you have one that is local, or fairly local, I encourage you to go check them out. They have all kinds of goodness and much of it is cheaper than your bigger grocery stores. I mean just look at this picture of my local Trader Joes. Doesn’t it just look inviting and fun? IMG_20160205_105340398

I want to share with you one of my first experiences at this Trader Joes. Not only do they have good prices on a lot of their items but they also have a good selection of gluten free items. You can click HERE to check out their list of gluten free items.

If you have read my story  you know that my husband is gluten intolerant. When he went totally gluten free I was so overwhelmed!!! From reading books, to surfing the web (because everything on the web is TRUTH! Right? Yes I am being sarcastic). I mean, the whole gluten free thing was not on my radar to learn at that time in my life. Well…I didn’t get to choose when Jennie B learned all about gluten, it was kinda thrown at me. So, I set out to get him off gluten. Please remember that just because something is “gluten free” DOES NOT mean it is healthy! There is gluten free CRAP out there just like there is regular CRAP out there. Anyways, I printed off Trader Joes gluten free list and headed out. I walked into to store (feeling very OVERWHELMED). The experience of Trader Joes is not like your typical grocery store. Just the energy in there alone can get your heart racing, but in a good kinda way. They are totally up beat, fun peeps running the show. I had this list, and a long one list at that, didn’t know where over half the items where in the store and when I would find them I would have to make sure they were in fact GF. They have a little, and I mean little, GF sign on the products that are gluten free, which can be tricky to find. I bet I went back and forth from this aisle to that aisle back to that aisle saying, “Excuse me!”, “Where is this?”, “Where is that?”, “Do you know if you have this?”, etc. I mean I was ready to pull my hair out. I was wishing they served wine at the end of every aisle! No joke! (Yes, I would have drank that wine and called the hubs to come pick me up and all HIS GF groceries). It was an experience, let me tell ya!

That was the then and this is now! I LOVE Trader Joes. I mean I truly get excited about going to TJ’s! I really do, and NO I do not need the wine at the end of every aisle. Lol!

I thought you may enjoy some of my favorite items that I purchase on a regular basis. There is definitely more, but here are some of my top ones. I hope maybe this will inspire you to get to a Trader Joes and also to show you that you can get healthy items cheaper if you shop around.

Organic Apples and Pink Ladies at that!!!!

This is probably my #1 Fav and LOOK at that price!

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Organic Liquid Stevia. This is my #2 Fav.

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Organic Unrefined, Cold Pressed, Coconut Oil

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21 Seasoning Salute (I use this on A LOT)

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Organic Quinoa (Frozen, just heat up and serve…Yes please!)

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Organic Green Beans

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Organic Pears

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Organic Brown Basmati Rice

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Organic Green Tea

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Organic Beets (This one is for the hubs…Jennie cannot stomach beets)

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Trader Joes is also a great place to find processed meats that DO NOT contain sodium nitrate or sodium nitrite, one of the top five ingredients we should really try to eliminate from our diet. They also have decent prices on nuts, nut butters, frozen organic veggies, fresh organic veggies like spinach, kale and broccoli.

You can also find skin care products, Vitamin E oil, cleaning products, etc. Like I said up top, if you have not experienced Trader Joes, go check them out.

I would LOVE to hear some of your favorites finds from TJs.

Much Love,

Jennie B

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Jennie B’s Healthy Fried Rice

Do you or someone in your house hold like that greasy fried rice you get at your local Chinese restaurant? My son Loves it…I mean he could eat it everyday I do believe.IMG_1113

I wanted to come up with a “Healthy” version of the good ole Chinese Restaurants Fried Rice…I did AND it has been a HIT!

Did you know that local Chinese restaurant of yours uses white rice? Which is a bad (simple) carb. Now some may argue and say white rice is an okay carb, but white rice has been stripped of the majority of its nutrients and of its fiber. Brown rice is what you will find being served in Jennie B’s kitchen. My favorite is Trader Joe’s Organic Brown Basmati Rice. Brown rice is a complex (good) carb. It provides us with nutrients and fiber.

Jennie B’s Fried Rice Recipe

Cook your rice as directed.

-1 cup of your cooked Organic Brown Rice

-1 scrambled Egg

-1 tsp of EVO

-1-2 tsp of Organic Soy Sauce (I use Gluten Free) If it is organic than it is nonGMO

Scramble your egg first in a skillet. Then add your cooked rice, EVO and soy sauce. Continue to stir and get the rice a little “fried”. You are pulling that moisture out a bit by doing this. Add a little pepper if you’d like and it is ready.

Adding pulled or diced Chicken Breast is also very good. Serve it up with a salad and you have a balanced meal!

NOTE: If you are fixing this for more than two or three people you need to double the recipe.

As always, please let me know if you fix it and your thoughts!

Also, don’t forget the share bars for your social media outlets that can be found at the top and bottom of all my post. Share the LOVE.

Much Love,

Jennie B

 

 

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Freeze those Strawberries

Strawberries are coming in! Time to get picking AND freezing! 10277049_540553392721196_5674991866858977377_n

When it’s picking time I get so excited! I guess because it means that winter has come to an end here in the south (YIPEE! I loathe Winter, I really do!) and all kinds of goodness is to be harvested over the next several months. My freezer is becoming empty and is ready to be restocked with all that goodness. Do you and yours go berry picking? If you don’t you should. For many reasons.

  1. You will pay less if you pick them yourself.
  2. You get to pick the berries of your choice.
  3. When you pick any fruit or vegetable yourself you know where it came from. Note: Be sure the farmer does not use any pesticides.
  4. You get to support your local farmers. Now that is a win win for everyone!
  5. Make it a family outing. The little ones typically enjoy picking. (Typically…Lol!)
  6. We should eat fruit and vegetables when in season. This is another win win.
  7. You freeze them and therefore throughout the year you are eating strawberries that are “in season”.
  8. Strawberries are loaded with antioxidants. Eat your strawberries!

How to Freeze Strawberries

It is super easy…

-Wash them off and let them dry.

-Cut tops off (or not if you throw in smoothies or shakes) and place on a cookie sheet, without them touching each other, and flash freeze them. You can cut them in smaller pieces if you desire.

-Once they are frozen pop them off the cookie sheet, while they are frozen, and put in freezer bags.

By not having them touch during the flash freezing process is KEY. This prevents them from clumping together. Don’t you hate that? You know, when you buy frozen fruit and it is one big ole’ clump? It is because they all stuck together due to moisture.

As always I would LOVE to hear from you! Share is caring…if you like what you read please share on your social media outlets.

Much Love,

Jennie B

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Food Marketing 101

Marketing! MARKETINGUgh Marketing…Oh how I hate how they trick us consumers. It is sad that we have to be SO proactive when buying “food”. A very good example of this marketing scheme (as I like to call it) is in my blog, My Argument with the Cashier at Kroger. The food industry tricks us into thinking we are purchasing “Healthy Food” when in deed we are not. Well, if you truly think about it, why is there a health food section in the grocery store? AND how big is that section? Pretty small in comparison to the grocery store as a whole.

The ways they trick us…

  • Packaging – The packaging says “Whole Wheat”. Like whole wheat ritz crackers. Look at the ingredients. What is the first ingredient? Enriched! Not Whole Wheat. Then it gets worse. Notice the Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil AND the High Fructose Corn Syrup. Sorry to bust your bubble, but these crackers are nothing but CRAP! Ritz photo
  • Where they place items on the shelf – Brand Name food products are right at eye level, as well as whatever the latest trend or fad diet may be at the time. Like low fat, low carb and the like. This makes it more tempting to buy that product. Pay attention to food placement the next time you are at the grocery. (If you haven’t already.)
  • It’s Organic – Then it must be good for us? WRONG! WRONG! and WRONG again! There is organic crap out there just like there is regular crap out there. Sugar is bad for us whether it is organic or not. So, organic cookies, sugary cereals, ice cream, etc. are all still BAD. Get It? Good!
  • Green Washing – If you are not familiar with this, next time you are at the grocery store notice all the green, or earth friendly images on packaging. This lures us in (subliminally) thinking the product must be “good” for us. Don’t fall victim! Please!

I know, I know, it gets so confusing. If you do not already look at the ingredients you HAVE to start. The ingredient list, in my opinion and the opinion of many other health folks, is more important than reading the nutrition label. They both can be confusing, I know this, but you have to start somewhere. So start with the ingredient list. Please!

Now think of this, if you only bought food that did not carry a label what would you be buying?

Real. Food.

Now that is one crazy idea! Right? Well, while I know it is not realistic, for most, in today’s world it is something that we can strive to get better at. I know I can.

Where to start in this read labels thing?

-First off you would like to be able to pronounce all the ingredients. If you can do that, you are on the right track.

-Second here are six ingredients that you should stay clear of…

  1. High Fructose Corn Syrup
  2. Partially Hydrogenated Oils (Trans Fat)
  3. Artificial Sweeteners and Artificial Colors
  4. MSG (Monosodium glutamate)
  5. Sodium Nitrate and Sodium Nitrite
  6. Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)

Of course we could go much, much deeper into this whole marketing topic and what to stay clear of when it comes to those ingredients. A great example of marketing and why it is important to read labels is in my blog on Peanut Butter. If you haven’t read it I encourage you to.

Reading the ingredient list is one of the TOP things I teach my clients. I say all the time that knowledge is power. Knowledge IS power. This is HUGE when it comes to nutrition and being healthy. You need to know what you are putting in that body of yours. Then you get to make an informed decision as to what you are going to feed your temple. Don’t let the food industry make that decision for you. No one else is going to do this for you…well, unless you have a family member like me. Haha! (Disclaimer: I can lead my people to water, but when they are away from me they don’t always drink it). True Story! Oh and one more disclaimer: I am not perfect…I do not feed my temple 100% goodness all the time. If you follow me, you know my vices.

Be Happy. Be Healthy. Be YOU.

Much Love,

Jennie B

 

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Salsa Verde Crock Pot Chicken

IMG_20151129_171955803This is absolutely one of my favorites. You can’t get much easier than this recipe. Not only is it easy and good, but it is HEALTHY and goes a long way.

This recipe was shared in a private Facebook group while I was coaching an outstanding group doing my 21 day No Added Sugar Challenge. I added a little twist on the original recipe to kick it up a notch.

Salsa Verde Crock Pot Chicken

-5-6 Chicken Breast

-2 tsp cumin

-1 tsp black pepper

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1 Jar of Salsa Verde (read your ingredients and make sure it is all good and healthy ingredients)

-Frank’s Hot Sauce (to your liking) I add about 1 Tablespoon. If you don’t like a little kick then add 1/2 Tablespoon.

Add chicken to crock pot and sprinkle with seasonings and Frank’s Hot Sauce. Pour Salsa on top. Cook on low 6-7 hours or high about 3. Shred chicken when done. It may be a little watery, depending on the brand of salsa you use. If so, just spoon out some of the water. No biggie!

Serve over brown rice, quinoa, spinach salad (my favorite way) or in a corn tortilla. Top with some cilantro and fresh avocado. Bam! Dinner is served.

You should have left overs depending on how many you are feeding. I eat on this for about 3 days. This is a great recipe to plan to fix when you know your week is going to be a busy one. (Remember that planning and preparing to help you stay on track😊)

Let me know if you try it!

Much Love,

Jennie B

 

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I Changed My Mind

I Changed My Mind

Well, since I have been writing, writing and writing some more. I wanted to be sure to bring you good content worth reading. You know, something that you would want to share, something that will bring you back. Originally I was going to open up as the #1 thing to do to stay healthy and on track is to plan and prepare. While this is VERY important I feel like it should be  #1 ½.  But…. I got to thinking…(this can be good or this can be bad…HA!) If you are starting from scratch and you are ready to make that forever lifestyle change the #1 thing you need to do is figure out your WHY and set GOALS!

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Plan and Prepare

Want to know how I stay on track and keep my family on track to Living Life Healthy?

My #1  1/2  MUST to eating Healthy!
This is AFTER you have figured out YOUR WHY!
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This really is the key to staying on track! If you DO NOT plan and prepare then you are grabbing whatever is “Easy”! Right? But “Easy” really can be EASY!

Well, it is time to set aside a little time, and I do mean a little, to plan out your week and your grocery list.