YUMMY VEGAN POPSICLES!

Craving something creamy and sweet but don't want to dive into a bucket of ice cream? Below is an awesome and easy recipe for creamy-fruity popsicles you can reach for when your next craving hits! You can decide how much of each ingredient to use based on how creamy you want them to be (and I guess-timate all my recipes, so sorry for the lack of measurements!)

Vegan Cream-sicles:
*Pomegranate juice
*Mango (or strawberries/raspberries)
*Soy Milk (or Vegan cream replacement if you want it to be even richer! Vegetarian: try Greek Yogurt.. mmmm!)

Put all ingredients into a blender. Once full integrated, pour mixture into an ice tray and place toothpicks into each ice-cube space (either put them in on an angle or wait for the creamsicles to solidify slightly and place in the center).

Enjoy!!

HEALTHY SNACKS

So you started a new eating plan and you're eating healthier foods and less calories. Good news: you're on your way to your dream body! Bad news: you're STARVING!

HERE is an article with a bunch of healthy snacks (healthier-splurges is more accurate) to help satisfy your hunger between meals without blowing your accomplishments. Some suggestions from Li combined with the article:

*Apple with peanut butter (Almond butter is even better)
*Hummus with whole grain crackers (try Trader Joe's Multigrain Savory Thins... mmmmm)
*Orange slices and walnuts
*Lemon sorbet with raspberries

To go even healthier AND help the planet: reach for certified organic items and READ LABELS! High fructose corn syrup and partially-hydrogenated oils do nothing but work against your efforts.

DOGA

You probably already know that yoga can help you lose weight and tone your entire body (especially Ashtanga yoga! Give it a try!). It works muscle groups that you don't even know you have all while moving the body in ways that help to eliminate toxins (not just mumbo-jumbo, it really works) and aid digestion.

In addition it can help ease stress and clear your mind during these difficult times. Hmm, so what else has been clinically shown to ease stress?? Pets! So it was only a matter of time before someone combined the two.

Welcome to Doga, the yoga you do with your dog! Watch the video report below to get the scoop on doga! Great for you and great for your pet :)

DOG FOOD FROM SCRATCH

(PHOTO: My doggy, Trevor, posing with his head poking through the wooden picture-posing stand)

A few months back I ran out of dog food and found that the local retailer no longer carried my favorite natural brand. While I sat in the aisle reading through all of the ingredient labels, I realized that even in the natural brands there are still ingredient lists that are unnecessarily long!

That's when it dawned on me: what better way to know what your pet is really eating than to make their food at home?

After a ton of research and some grocery store shopping, I found a GREAT recipe for dog food that is easy and cheap! On top of the ease of making it and knowing that I'm helping to extend my doggy's life expectancy, Trev LOVES eating it! Since I've had such success, I decided to share the recipe with the SexyHealthyHappy family. WARNING: Check with your vet before trying any new diet for your pet! Also, the recipe has meat in it, so if you prefer a veg/vegan diet for your pets it's still best to buy from your local natural pet store.

Basic rules: Dogs need protein, fat and vitamins/minerals in order to have a complete and healthy diet. They don't need carbohydrates, but a small amount of grain in their diet helps to fill any nutrient-related holes in their diet. The best way to give them a well balanced diet is to feed them a combination of vegetables, meat, and healthy grains. If you do not puree the veggies, they WILL come out in their poop (think corn), so make sure to grind them well. If you add fat (like cooking oils), it can cause diarrhea since they cannot absorb the oils in their intestinal tract. It is best to feed your doggy raw meat, but due to the risk of e-coli and other bacterial contaminants, it is also acceptable to lightly cook the meat.
*In general, you want a ratio of meat to veggies of 2:1. If you add grains, the ratio of meat to veggies+grains should be 1:1.
*Also of note, your dog wont need as much food, so give them about 1/2 what you were feeding them previously. Their poops will also be smaller, so don't be alarmed!

Use the CHEAPEST ground beef (high fat percentage) because the fat content will help keep their coat healthy, plus it saves you money! Veggies you can use (and ROTATE for each batch in order to make sure their diet is balanced):
*Carrots
*Broccoli
*Zucchini
*Green Beans
*Peas
*Spinach
*Potatoes
NOTE: BUY THE VEGGIES FROZEN! This way you don't have to worry about what's in season or the produce going bad.

For the grains, stick with BARLEY and only use it in every-other batch.

RECIPE:
2 lbs ground beef (cheapest available with high fat content)
1/2lb frozen carrots
1/2lb frozen peas
(Optional 1lb of barley, soaked and ready for use)

-Lightly cook the beef using a spray oil or VERY little olive oil
-Puree the vegetables (and grains, if added), then mix the meat and puree in a large bowl
-Scoop individual serving sizes into individual containers and store in the freezer

-When making a new batch, alternate grains every other batch and change the types of veggies every time. You can also alternate ground turkey or chicken into your batch rotations.

When it's feeding time, heat the individual serving size for about 30 seconds (till cool or slightly warm) and feed to fido! Watch him/her scarf it down gleefully!

WE'RE ON FACEBOOK!

The Sexy, Healthy, Happy Blog is now on FACEBOOK!

CLICK HERE to become a fan!

In the next month or two as the SexyHealthyHappy fan-base grows, we will be starting free organic giveaways to our facebook fans as well as the fans here on blogger.com! We'll give a head's up to all of our fans once the giveaways start. In the meantime, check in daily for the latest in the world of natural health!

Here's to living Sexy, Healthy, and Happy!
-Li

CALCULATING MADE EASY

Below are links to some awesome tools that help you to calculate everything from your BMI (body mass index, should be between 18-26 for females) to how many calories you burned doing various activities! I've used these several times, especially the one in which you give your height, DESIRED weight, and activity level, and it tells you how many calories you should be eating to maintain that weight. Links:

1) BMI Calculator
2) Ideal Weight Range Calculator
3) "Happy Weight" Calculator (your stress-free-but-still-healthy weight for your height and age)
4) Caloric Needs Calculator (MY FAVORITE! Great for providing direction if starting a new eating plan)
5) Calories Burned Calculator (Directions: Click on the link to the left, then look to the LEFT of the page and your will see the heading "Burn Calories" and a drop down menu beneath it that says "select an activity". Click on the drop down menu and select your activity. Follow instructions from there)

Seeing how many calories you burned doing housework, plus walking the dog for 10 minutes, plus gardening, plus doing pilates can belp motivate you to keep moving! Enjoy :)

FOODS TO FIGHT FAT

HERE is an article with a list of foods that help to speed up your metabolism. The list:

1) Whole grain cereal/Oats
2) Jalapenos, habaneros, and cayenne (and Paprika, if you don't want your mouth to catch fire)
3) Green tea/Coffee (and White tea!)
4) Lean beef, pork, chicken, turkey (but soy protein and tempeh/tofu/seitan are MUCH healthier forms of protein and they have the same effect)
5) Salmon, tuna, sardines (OR stop the over-fishing of our waters and save a life by eating FLAX instead! Same Omega 3's!)

So fill up on Omega 3's, fiber, whole grains, protein, and lots of organic and colorful veggies to drop that last dress size!

GREEN ENERGY SMOOTHIE

Mmm mmm! Try this recipe from natural health magazine for a pick-me-up. Great as a breakfast replacement:

Ingredients

2 cups orange juice
1½ cups apple juice
1 cup kale, roughly chopped
2 bananas
Crushed ice

Directions

Combine orange juice, apple juice, kale, bananas, and crushed ice in a blender and blend at the highest speed until kale is thoroughly integrated into juice. Allow ingredients to settle and foam to rise to the top before serving. Pour into glasses filled with crushed ice.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving: 160 calories, 1 g fat (0.13 g saturated), 39 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 2.2 g fiber, 12 mg sodium (0.5% Daily Value).

TIRED? TRY THESE TASTY TREATS

Feeling fatigued? Try adding these foods to your diet for a pick-me up!
Energy boosters are:

1) Broccoli
2) Brown rice
3) Eggs
4) Green Tea
5) Oats
6) Oranges
7) Nut butters
8) Salmon (OR Flax)
9) Sea Vegetables
10) Yogurt

link to the article above for some great "super snacks" as well!

STARTING A NEW EATING PLAN

HERE is an article with some tips for surviving your next attempt at a diet.
Tips:

1) Eat protein and whole grains to avoid the tummy rumble you're destined to experience when you curb your intake
2) Drink lots of water to aid your body as it sheds excess water stores
3) Plan an ACTIVITY for the weekend (like a hike, bike ride, Wii fest, or LAZER TAG!) instead of planning a night to eat/drink out. You're less likely to engage in behavior that will blow your whole diet
4) Add strength training to keep weight loss up when you hit a plateau
5) Replace old habits (like snacking on chips while watching TV) with new healthy ones (hula-hooping in front of the TV!). Every-time you resist your old habits it gets easier to resist in the future!
6) Call your doc to get a cholesterol test. If you need motivation to keep losing, knowing you're getting healthier may be a good one
7) DON'T GET DISCOURAGED AROUND YOUR PERIOD! Your body naturally holds on to an extra few pounds of water weight. Don't sweat it or give up, it's temporary
8) As you drop the pounds, buy some new clothes or lingerie. Fitting into something that makes you feel sexy and beautiful can help encourage you to keep going
9) Seek out new coping strategies, like dancing or listening to music, so when you reach your goal you wont sabotage your hard work with a binge
10) Mix up your workouts, especially if you hit a plateau. Stimulating new muscle groups in different orders can help rev up your lagging metabolism!
11) Enjoy yourself but don't give up on yourself while you're on vacation! Don't deprive yourself but don't let loose either. For example, instead of choosing either the fetuccini alfredo or a salad without dressing, go for the pesto pasta. It still has the richness of the alfredo but without all the cream and calories!
12) When you reach your goal, reward yourself (NOT WITH FOOD). Take a vacation, get a massage, etc.

Best way to beat the dowsides of diets? Change your eating lifestyle entirely instead of focusing on short-term weight loss; you're more likely to avoid the yo-yo dieting that so many (myself included) have become familiar with.