February Health Awareness

• American Heart Month
• AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month
• National Children’s Dental Health Month
• International Prenatal Infection Prevention Month
• African Heritage & Health Week (first week of February)
• Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week (February 7-14)
• Condom Week (week of Valentine’s Day)
• Eating Disorders Awareness and Screening Week (last week of February)
• National "Wear Red” Day for women’s heart health (February 5)
• Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
• World Cancer Day (February 4)
• Give Kids a Smile Day (February 5)
• National Donor Day (February 14)

Common New Year's Resolutions!

Does your resolution make the list? 

Exercise more
Lose weight
Eat more healthily
Take a more active approach to health
Learn new skill or hobby
Spend more time on personal wellbeing
Spend more time with family and friends 
Drink less alcohol
Stop smoking

How will you stick with your resolution this year?

If you're needing tips for sticking to your goals this year we've got several suggestions to get you started!  Mary is always here to help advise and guild your healthy goals! 

Set a specific goal!  Don't leave an open-ended goal hanging. If you want to lose weight, set an exact goal. If you want to spend more time with family and friends set an exact goal, for example, I want to have dinners as a family or I want to turn phones off at 6 pm and have a game night.  Having an exact goal in mind will lead to more success.

Next, how is this possible?  Example: Okay, I want to exercise more.  Well on Saturday's instead of sleeping in an extra couple of hours I will wake up at my normal time and head for a walk, or to the gym. Find out where this new goal fits into your life. 

Now ask yourself: Is this goal realistic?  Set yourself a goal you can achieve. Don't set yourself up for failure to begin with.  If you want to lose weight set a healthy and reasonable amount.  Don't expect yourself to lose 30 pounds in one week and then give up when it doesn't happen.

Get excited!! If your goal is depressing to you, it will be harder to achieve.  Set goals for yourself that excite you and you can be pumped up and thrilled to work towards! 

January Health Awareness

• Cervical Health Awareness Month
• National Birth Defects Prevention Month
• National Glaucoma Awareness Month
• National Radon Action Month
• National Stalking Awareness Month
• Thyroid Awareness Month
• National Winter Sports TBI Awareness Month
• National Folic Acid Awareness Week (first full week of January)
• National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (last week of January)

NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS!!!

Let's talk about New Years Resolutions!!! 

What are yours this year?!  How are you going to make them happen this year?! 

How can we keep those resolutions? 
Let's face it, very few of us actually keep those big goals we makes!! So the first thing in keeping your resolution is to think about what you REALLY want. 

Weight is a HUGE resolution I hear about.  So I'm going to focus there for now.
Do you want to lose 10 lbs? Or gain 10? Or maintain that 20lbs you lost last year?  Or is your real goal to be healthy?  Why do you want that weight loss goal?

The first step for any weight related goal is to assess.   Do you eat well?  Do you know what the best foods for you are? 

The next step is to set goals to reach your end goal. 
What is the first thing you need to do to step towards your goal?  Do you have a support system?  Do you know what to do to lose/gain your first pound?  Start with a realistic goal. 

Next is to make a plan.
Write out your goals.

And finally.  Smash those goals!!

If you feel your resolution goals leave you feeling overwhelmed, call me today.  I want to help you reach every goal you set for yourself and more! 

(816) 803-5742

Do you have a veggie hater?

Many kids hate that dreaded green thing that invades their dinner plate.  Vegetables.  They aren't all green...but they are all "EVIL" if you ask a lot of kids.  So how on Earth do you get your kids to eat those ....well we won't say the word....? 

EGGS!!  If you mix veggies with eggs (dice them small!!!) it won't effect the texture and it's super easy to add that "special touch" kids will love! 

BAKED GOODS!! Zucchini bread and all kinds of muffins can be a great (and sneaky) way to get those veggies in! 

SMOOTHIES!!  Avocados, spinach, or kale in a blender with your kids favorite fruits?! Instant win!

PASTA!! Spaghetti a favorite?  Chop up some zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus, or squash up and sneak it in there!  Or make zoodles or turn to the oh so yummy spaghetti squash and skip the noodles!

Want to read more?! 

https://greatist.com/health/40-unexpected-ways-add-veggies-meal 

Recipe Monday!

IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS!!! Here are a couple main dish ideas!! What do you have for Christmas?  Turkey or Ham?


http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/252854/fresh-ham-with-red-pepper-glaze/

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/249964/turkey-tenderloin-with-cranberry-shallot-sauce/

Recipe Monday!

Another yummy but healthy recipe!  This one is perfect for kids and for breakfast!

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/257003/banana-bread-french-toast/

Left Over Turkey!

Thanksgiving is done, company has left, and now you've got tons of turkey in the fridge and no idea what to do with it!  Check out these awesome ideas!!

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/quick-healthy/quick-easy-turkey-recipes

Other Bloggers You Need To Follow ASAP

Happy Monday! I'm just now getting around to sharing with you guys some of my favorite health bloggers. These are people who I keep up with on a weekly basis and I just want to share them with you! 


First, we have Sassy Kitchen. I love her posts because she has meals and recipes for everyone whether you are vegan, vegetarian, gluten free or dairy free! 

Just like Sassy Kitchen, Lexi's Clean Kitchen, has a recipe for everyone. 

The next blogger is Lee from Fit Foodie Finds. Along with awesome recipes and tips, Lee has a section for fitness tips and even lifestyle and fashion.

Last but not least, here is a Paleo food blogger named Juli at PaleOMG. I love Juli's attitude and how honest she is about her cooking style. I've tried a few of her recipes and they are delicious!


Go and give these guys some love and check out their pages. I promise you won't be disappointed! 




You can check out my page and blog here.

Healthy Thanksgiving Recipe (Desserts)

Recipe alert! We all know one of the best parts of Thanksgiving dinner is dessert (besides spending time with your family and loved ones 😉) but they are usually chucked full or sugar and calories! I've found a few different classic holiday recipes that vary in low calories, sugar free and vegan options. Satisfy your sweet tooth this year without the guilt afterwards! 



Triple Apple Pie

Healthy Pumpkin Pie

Zucchini Bread (Vegan Options)

2 Ingredient Fruit Dip

Healthy Thanksgiving Recipe (Green Bean Casserole)

Guys! It's time for another Thanksgiving dish! This one I'm super excited about because it's one of those side dishes that is almost impossible to make healthy. 

But I managed to find a couple recipes for you to try out this year. 

When Thanksgiving rolls around, another very popular dish at the dinner table is green bean casserole. Now we all know that some veggies covered in cream of mushroom soup, topped with breadcrumbs and fried onions isn't good for us. But what if it could be?

"Just 1/2 cup serving of classic canned cream of mushroom soup is overloaded with sodium - nearly 1,000 mg of 36% of the recommended daily value - which has been linked to high blood pressure when consumed in excess." 

And don't forget that most of the good nutrition that we can get from the green beans will be lost in the cooking process. So I've done some serious digging and managed to find a couple recipes that offer and lighter version of this classic holiday dish. Click the links down below to find them and let me know what you think! 

Healthy Green Bean Casserole - EatingWell 

Vegan Green Bean Casserole 

Paleo Green Bean Casserole

Healthy Thanksgiving Recipe (Potato Dishes)

We've got another healthy Thanksgiving recipe today! One of the most popular dishes for Thanksgiving are the mashed potatoes. Some of you might be rolling your eyes because how can mashed potatoes be healthy? Well potatoes themselves aren't necessarily bad for you. When we make mashed potatoes we add so many extra fats and calories to the dish between butter, oils, cream, cheese and sour cream. Take all of that out and eat the correct portion size and voila! Most people would think I'm crazy for suggesting you take all of that out because let's face it, that's what we think makes it taste so good. But I've found a couple recipes for healthy and delicious potato recipes.



Vegan Mediterranean Mashed Potatoes


Garlic Potatoes, Green Beans and Cauliflower


Cauliflower Mashed "Potatoes"


Potato Salad

Healthy Thanksgiving Recipe (Gravy)

We're officially 17 days away from Thanksgiving, but who's counting? 😉 Our next recipe is a healthy gravy. That may sound a little strange to most of you. Most gravy is high in carbs and fat per serving size. Down below are the nutritional facts of a store bought canned chicken gravy. Notice the serving size is only 1/4 cup but it contains 14% of your daily sodium intake and 3.4 grams of fat. I've found a healthier alternative that saves you 60 calories and 4 grams of saturated fat per serving. Sounds good to me! I'll leave the link down below. 

Healthy Homemade Gravy

Serving Size: 1/4 cup
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 31 Calories 47
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 3.4g		5%
	Saturated Fat 0.839g	4%
	Polyunsaturated Fat 0.892g
	Monounsaturated Fat 1.517g
Cholesterol 1mg		0%
Sodium 343mg		14%
Potassium 65mg
Total Carbohydrate 3.22g		1%
	Dietary Fiber 0.2g	1%
	Sugars 0.46g
Protein 1.15g