Blueberries!

Yes, that's right!

I saw this at the grocery store the other day and knew I HAD to try it. {Plus, it was on sale, so I kind of had to right?}

I love blueberries. Not just a little bit...but A LOT. Blueberry muffins....blueberry scones....blueberry waffles...blueberry cheesecake....oh yeah!

As many of you know, I have been attempting to eat healthier. These last few weeks I have really been struggling to keep to my goals. Every night after dinner my sweet tooth kicks in and it's been hard to stay strong. In fact, last night I ate a bag of M&Ms. {They were SO good!} BUT! This is not good...once I get started I often have a hard time staying strong and it snowballs from there.

Well, this cereal is going to save me! {I hope}

Considering that most candy bars/chocolate items contain super large amounts of carbs, I figured why not swap them for a nice bowl of blueberry cereal goodness instead? What is the difference you ask? Well...let me tell you.

0 grams of fat in my cereal....10 grams of fat in a package of M&Ms

100 calories vs. 250 calories

7 grams of sugar vs. 30 grams of sugar

Plus, the cereal has Vitamin A and C, and contain 45% of your daily needs for iron.

My sugar craving is gone...and I didn't blow it for the day. Hallelujah! Both my brain and my tummy can be happy.

Steps to a healthier you

That right my inter-peeps. I've gone healthy.

I know...I'll give you a second to let the shock wear off.

Last week I started my Nutritional Science class and the first assignment involved the use of a food diary. {YIKES} I then had to weigh my food choices against the recommended servings from MyPyramid, which is the latest version of the Food Pyramid. You can go to MyPyramid Tracker and do the same if you'd like to check it out.

Turns out, though I thought I ate fairly good {not counting the splurges on baked goods} I found that the majority of the food I eat is basically empty calories. Lots and lots of calories...with absolutely no nutritional value.

So, I did some research {because I had to for the assignment} and found out which were the better foods and did all my grocery shopping based on that list. It took me FOR-E-VER to do my shopping this last time. Reading labels and comparing labels is rather time consuming. And this time I wasn't just quickly scanning the fat content like I normally did before. I was looking for the iron and calcium and vitamins and fiber that the food contained. I also had to check the ingredient list to make sure that foods saying they were multigrain, or whole wheat actually contained substantial amounts of those items. You'd be surprised at how many foods claiming to be better are really the exact same as the original.

Anyway...I have been eating this way for almost two weeks now. And let me tell you....I eat A LOT of food. I had no idea I could eat this much food and still stay within my limits. Turns out fruits and vegetables really are good for you. Crazy! :0)

Three cups of milk per day

Two cups of fruit per day

Three cups of vegetables per day

5.5 ounces of meats or beans per day

6 ounces of grains per day

See? Lots of food! I thought I had to be hungry to lose weight. I have already lost a pound, and honestly, I wasn't really even trying. I was just eating, and learning to eat while I did it. I can now say that I get a full days supply of all of the essential vitamins and minerals required each day....simply by eating. And not over-eating....just eating GOOD. I have never gone over my calorie recommendations, nor the fat recommendations. In fact, I'm usually on the low side...but I'm full. I am full...my tummy is happy.

And that makes me happy.

So, go check out the website. Fill out your food diary and see what you are getting out of your daily food intake. Are you healthy?

8 Week Challenge....Are You Ready?

My blogging buddies, Sisters Sassy and Honey Bunch, have extended a challenge. It's an

8 week challenge. I am one week into this challenge. The idea is this: we all want a healthy body AND a healthy body image. We don't have to be stick figure supermodels to be healthy. {I honestly think those people are some of the most unhealthy people on the planet} So, you set some goals for yourself...and you give yourself 8 weeks to get going on it already! :0)

My goals were this:

I, Ashlee, am going to get FIERCE! Which means {dang it!} I'm going to have to start exercising and actually stick with it. Sigh. Don't I sound motivated? And...less sugar. BUT, everything in moderation. We all read on my blog what happens when I try to deprive myself of sugar. :0)

If you don't know what FIERCE means...let me tell you my definition. I'm not looking to lose oodles of weight. I know I need to drop some pounds, but I'm trying not to focus on that. I'd rather focus on replacing the ripples of fat with bulging muscles. {Ok, maybe not BULGING, but toned!} I don't want to jiggle anymore! Can I get an "amen" here?

Week 1 of this challenge went smashingly. I watched my calorie intake, exercised four days, and lost {Tah dah!} three pounds! I was very pleased with myself and was so excited with that number on the scale.

And then we had Girls Night. More specifically, DEATH BY CHOCOLATE Girls Night. It was fabulous and I exhibited absolutely NO self control. I ate chocolate. It was so yummy! I ate an almost fat free, low calorie dinner before I went in an attempt to fill my tummy so I wouldn't eat so much. It didn't really work. :0(

And then the hubby went away for the weekend to play in a golf tournament up in Boise {He took second by the way!} When the hubby's away, the wife....doesn't really cook. The kids would rather I just warm up some chicken nuggets or make some mac and cheese. Why bother cooking? So, we ate like crap AND we made chocolate chip cookies. Guess who ate most of them? Sigh. There's that lack of will power again.

I told myself that I was going to jump back on the bandwagon on Monday. I didn't. I didn't exercise and I didn't stay away from TOO MUCH sugar. I have gained back two of the three pounds I lost. I'm pretty much back where I started. Sigh.

And then, Sassy posts today about accountability. For our goals in this challenge. She sent out yet another challenge for us to post about this on our own blogs. What? Then I'll really have to try! Not that I wasn't trying before, but there are people that live around here and see me that read this blog. They'll be watching.....

Maybe that's just the motivation I need. :0) Thanks Sassy!

So, as I was writing this I realized that some of you have no clue what I even look like. :0) Wierd huh? So, I took some picture of myself so you'd know what I started at. These were taken by myself...so they aren't the nicest pictures...

This is me! I thought about getting all dolled up for you. Putting on make up and curling my hair. But that would be presenting a false image of myself. This is what I look like almost every single day. Hair NOT done, make-up NOT on. I'm a stay at home mom. My kids don't care if my hair is curled. :0)

And this is almost ALL of me. The daughter wanted in on the photo shoot. Gotta love the Cheeto face! :0) This is my usual attire. Jeans and a tshirt with my hair pulled back in a bun. Sexy huh? Isn't black supposed to be slimming?

So, since I'm baring myself to all of you....I figured I might as well pass along the challenge. What are your self image goals?

I'll keep you posted on my results. Hopefully there are some actual results to share. :0) At least there isn't a death by chocolate night in my near future.

I'm Trying.

To be healthy that is...

Of course, it is the week of Thanksgiving and I can guarantee you that I will have gained several pounds by the time this week is over. BUT! I do try to pick healthy things on a normal day to day basis to eat. Although I do usually end up blowing it with my after dinner sweets. Sigh. A girl can only give up so much!

Anyway...found this cereal


and LOVE it! It's called Oat Flakes & Wild Blueberry Clusters. It's one of Kashi's Heart to Heart cereals. And not that I have high cholesterol or blood pressure or anything of that sort...but it never hurts to eat a little whole grain now and then! ;0) And blueberries...I just love. And...did you know that blueberries are among the fruits with the highest antioxidant activity? Antioxidants can help protect the body against the aging process. So, it tastes yummy and helps me have that youthful glow. ;0) You can't go wrong with this one!