The biggest loser!!!

I seriously love the show Biggest loser!! This is only my 2nd season of watching. Who watched it last night??? I get such extreme joy seeing people get healthy, I know I say this all the time - but seriously!!! And I really respect the show, for showing on air that their is a physician out there that is willing to throw away 8 bottles of meds for a contestant after just 3 weeks of diet and exercise!!! After 21 days the body doesn't need the Cholesterol meds, blood pressure meds..etc, etc!!! I wish more people tuned in!!!!! And my hope is that at least 1 person who was watching gets on the road to a healthier lifestyle and better choices!! Kinda like this blog...if just 1 person is seeing some light, some change for the better...... I want everyone to feel healthy!

I think 1 of the staples that goes unnoticed when changing your diet and exercising is the introduction of more water. Water is the 1 and only thing that can variably keep us alive, it is the one and only thing our body can sustain itself on. It just so happens I am starting to read the book Your body's many cries for water I am just a few pages in, but I just know it will be a great kick in the pants for me to drink even more water!!! Cause I always like to think I am drinking enough water, but I know I am not. I was gone all day yesterday from home and didn't bring a single drop with me....nor did I want to spend money on a stinkin bottle!!! So I did stop at a few drinking fountains - one at the grocer and one at the kid's school - which by the way, I am soooooo grateful that they still have drinking fountains at school..cause otherwise I just don't think kids would drink that much water....do your kids drink water?? I really didn't drink that much water growing up at home. I drank plenty of Pepsi though!!!

Well yesterday was another good day of eating...I took a banana with me and some coffee as I headed out the door to bring the kids to school. I also knew I was gonna be out and about in town all day long so brought with me a smoothie - my frozen half of saturday's smoothie. So it thawed out and I was able to drink it later on. At lunch time I was at the grocery store and decided to belly up to the salad bar. Filled a container with a ton of lettuce and all sorts of fixin's, some dressing and really dug in. I was pretty full cuz the salad was huge and you know what...so much cheaper than any other lunch I would have had - burrito at Qdoba, sandwich at Panera, And I only step into McDonalds, burger king, etc and begrudgingly hand over $5+ for a mere tiny bowl of lettuce...if I am forced!!!

Picked up the kids from school and came home. One of the favorite after school snacks around here is bean dip. Which basically consists of a can of refried beans(no crap in the can, check your ingredients) I spread the beans in a pie plate and pop in the Microwave for a few minutes, then I add some salsa or chili pepper - something to give it some zippy flavor and some shredded cheddar. Heat again and put it on the counter - we all swarm around the plate and dip with corn chips or tortilla chips - both chips should have very simple ingredients. Frito's - whole corn, corn oil and salt. The key is to walk away, LOL. Moderately snack, LOL!

Dinner was chicken - another very easy dish. With 5 ingredients

Olive Oil - Garlic Powder - Salt and Pepper - Worcestershire Sauce

let me talk about worcestershire - most brands are made with corn syrup. The brand I buy is Natural Value. Look around find the one with the ingredients you are comfortable with!!

I had a package of 4 Chicken leg quarters(the thigh and drumstick together), I layed them in a 9x13. Poured some Olive Oil on each piece and rubbed it in. Sprinkled the chicken with the Garlic powder and S&P. Then I shook a few glugs of worcestershire on each piece and rubbed it all around shoving it under the skin. Oven preheated to 375. Covered the dish with aluminum foil and baked for 45 minutes, uncovered for another 10 or so - you will know they are done when you stick a fork in the meat and it springs out clear juice. If no juice comes out...they aren't done! This took me all of 6 minutes to assemble and shove in the oven. Gotta love that when you've been gone all day.

For our vegetable - I simply made a veggie tray. We could probably have a veggie tray every night and everyone would be so pleased!!! This household loves raw veggies with Ranch. I have this nice plate with 4 sections - I fill 1 with carrots, one with sliced cucumbers, one with sliced red peppers - those 3 things are staples in our house. the other slot gets a mix - sometimes radishes, mushrooms, grape tomatoes or broccoli..depending what is in the fridge. the best thing about the veggie tray - it is so easy to put together, and seriously what is better than raw vegetables...but water :P Everywhere I go I bring a vegi tray..when there are little kids involved because kids love vegi's and Ranch and I get so giddy when they eat them - you would be surprised the amount of little children who surprise their parents by wolfing down red bell peppers...give them a try!!

Also want to address Ranch Dressing....if you look at the bottles in the store you will notice the ingredients list is a MILE long. my guess to keep it good on the shelf.
Here is my recipe. It takes under 10 minutes to make and if you buy fresh buttermilk that has a good expiration date(like over a week away) The ranch can last in the fridge a month!!!! Go buy the spices to have on hand cause you will make this over and over. Don't deprive yourself of vegi's....bathe them in this......made with real food! Have you seen the back of a Ranch packet lately???? Monosodium glutamate, maltodextrin which is just sugar!

Ranch Dressing

2 cups Mayo
1 C Buttermilk
1 tsp dried chives
1 tsp dried Parsley
1 tsp dried dill weed
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

In a bowl whisk everything together. refrigerate.

I store mine in the tupperware dressing container.

*also this recipe can easily be halved if you know you won't use it up! I made half batches all the time before my boys grew into heavy eaters.

*If you like it really thick replace the buttermilk with sour cream(the real stuff) or even do a 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup buttermilk.

...back to dinner..also had a caesar salad - which is basically just a few types of lettuce, some red or green onion, grated parmesan and Caesar dressing - currently trying the Full Circle brand, so far so good with the ingredients. I made my own caesar dressing last week and while it was good, it did not last long in the fridge, only a few days.....and well that's hard...still searching for something though!!