Tasty Tuesday! Proteins and Amino Acids

We are taking Tasty Tuesday on an adventure into education.

Lets talk about Proteins and Amino Acids. What are they and why do we need them? What foods should you eat and how much?! Well first lets look at what foods contain the best for optimal health! Whey protein, brown rice protein, pea protein, sacha inchi, quinoa, chia, flax, amaranth are just a few of the highest quality Proteins and Amino Acids.

Ok Erin what do they DO? Well here is a small list of things that they do for your body!

• Help build and repair muscles 
• Reduce hunger and food cravings 
•  Help keep blood sugar steady 
•  Promote healthy skin, hair, and nails 
•  Support brain function to help promote alert thinking and well-being 
•  Support your immune system to help you stay healthy and strong

Lets look at the  sacha inchi, Also known as sacha peanut, mountain peanut, or Inca peanut.
Why is it so powerful? What makes it a "super food"? Well Sacha inchi is said to help promote weight loss. Sacha inchi in some countries is used to fight depression, reduce cholesterol levels, prevent heart disease, and help with diabetes management.

Here is a link to learn more Sacha Inchi

One of the easiest ways to get all of these  Proteins and Amino Acids is finding a nutrition dense Shake that contains these at its purest and natural form like shake listed here. Click the hyper link to learn more!! or simply click this link as well :
http://shakeology.gettingfittogether.com/EDOWELL2011/

Friday Favorites: Meal Planning

I think I might be in the minority of people that love to meal plan. I love it!
Why meal plan?

Planning first of all helps you to stay organized and on a schedule. It also if you make it work can help to save you money. How? Here is my list of how.

1) You shop with a budget.
2) With the budget comes you shopping list. Stick to your list.
3) You are only shopping for that week!

My husband, Dad, and myself live on $100.00 or less budget for groceries.

So here is a quick way for first time planners!!

 What you need first in a calendar, I use a weekly one without dates.

Second two of your favorite cookbooks

Pick your favorite 2-3 recipes,  use the calendar and pick you days where you want to eat them . Why 2-3? The common misconception is that everyday should be a different meal. To me that is wasteful spending. So we generally stick to 2.

I also, because of our weight loss journey, meal prep. Which is something I strongly recommend for busy families, I grocery shop on Saturday's and prep on Sunday's. It makes it so much easier for us. And having a specific day in which I do each activity is helpful.

Lastly I want to leave you with this. It is Important that as a family you sit down and eat with each other. At a table. This is really important for parents with young children, because of the lesson if social behaviors, that are learned from the simple act of being together. Also let them help in the process of planning. Make their relationship with food positive. Also there are so many benefits of cooking your own food on a nutritional level!!!