Tuesday, January 26, 2010

NOLA, Here I come! (Or Smelling the Blasted Roses)

I’m traveling this week, so I just wanted to put up a quick note thanking everyone for your nice comments about my resolutions post. To that end, I’m going to list a few great sites I’ve discovered to help me along that path. So if you struggle with any of the same issues I do, feel free to look around!

Healthy Writer Blog
I just discovered this site, and it’s great…other writers struggling to stay healthy in our sometimes stressful, often sedentary profession. Stop by, you’ll enjoy it!

Success stories always keep me motivated, so here are a couple of sites with real people’s weight loss success stories:
Top 50 Incredibly Inspiring Weight Loss Blogs
The Weigh We Were
WW 100 Board

And in my quest to cut down on processed foods, I’ve read a couple of really good books this past month that I recommend.
YOU on a Diet
The French Don't Diet Plan
Both books do a wonderful job explaining why processed food is so bad for us and gives pointers on why and how to remove it from your life.

To that end, here’s a nice cookbook to help with that.
Cooking the Real Age Way
Anything by Rachael Ray or Mark Bittman tends to use healthy, natural ingredients that taste great, too.

I also purchased all of the supplies I needed this week to start making my family’s bread and crackers at home. (Before you think I’m crazy, check out the two books I referenced above. Really opened my eyes to the dangers of processed foods, diet foods, high fructose corn syrup, etc. I was amazed to see several unhealthy ingredients/chemicals in my favorite commercially produced breads and crackers once I knew what to look for).

My friend and fellow writer, Laura P, posted a great recipe for homemade whole wheat crackers over at her blog.
The Land of Moo (easy whole wheat cracker recipe)
I’ll keep you posted how that goes!

If you’re looking for some wonderful ideas of how to cut back on TV time for your kids (or yourself), here’s a great resource:
Instead of TV

And last, but not least…smelling the blasted roses. I have decided that I am leaving my laptop at home this week as I travel to New Orleans for a fun few days with my husband and a few of our friends (sans kiddos…woohoo!) It was actually a tough decision—which shows you how mental we writers are! I am not going to feel guilty about not writing, I am taking a few books (Dream Man by my friend Nancy J. Parra is already loaded onto my I-Phone), and I’m going to live it up in the Big Easy.

(I won’t tell them how hard I rooted for Favre)

Next week, we’ll work on the “Writing Every Day” Resolution. I’m getting there…

8 comments:

  1. Hi Heather, I hope you have a fabulous time on your trip. Thanks for posting these great links. I've been gluten free for 18 months and it really makes a difference-crazy all the scary things they put in foods these days.
    Hope you enjoy the book!! Cheers~

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  2. Sooooo, you're the one who jinxed the Vikings into losing, huh? Thanks alot...I was actually rooting for them after Green Bay lost. Now, I gotta cheer for the Colts. Sigh.

    Anyway, thanks for all the great links. They'll be fun to explore. And have fun in the Big Easy, though you might not see much of it once you start on Dream Man. Awesome book! Seriously.

    See you next Tuesday! I'm still lovin' your blog.

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  3. Can't wait to check out those links.

    Thanks to your info about the evils of soda on Saturday, I have officially cut back on my soda intake with plans to eliminate it all together. It's going to be tough(you know how much soda I drink) but I have to do something.

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  4. Heather,

    I'm careful with my processed foods, too. I usually buy fresh or frozen vegetables, but if I pick up canned vegetables I drain them and wash them before cooking.

    The bread I buy is Amana 12 grain bread made in Iowa at the Amish or German community (I can't remember for sure), and it's better than any other bread on the market. They sell exclusively to HyVee.

    Interesting post, Heather.

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  5. Heather - I'm rooting for you.

    Keri - I'm cutting back on soda, too. That's the one big food baddie I haven't let go of yet. And it's so very bad for us.

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  6. My daughter came home from school yesterday after I'd posted my comment and told me I have to stop drink so much soda. She said her science teacher told them that too much soda can actually eat a hole in your stomach. She was very worried knowing how much soda I drink.

    So, only had four glasses yesterday and none yet today. Head hurts and am fighting the craving, but I'll get through it with great friends like you guys.

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  7. Thanks for the links also wanted to let you know I have an award for you over at my blog. If you choose not to participate, no worries - just my way of saying I enjoy your blog!

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  8. Have a wonderful, laptop-free time in New Orleans!!

    Thanks for all the links. :)

    Corra

    from the desk of a writer

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