In celebration of Frozen Food Month (March)…..

Your freezer can be your super hero… OR it can stab you in the back!

Super hero freezer will store your food for months at a time as well as create a safe-haven for your meals that essentially cook themselves.

Feeling like you’ve been bamboozled and stabbed in the back by your freezer is when you open the icy abyss only to find your food freezer burned! NOOO! The culprit? Air. So let’s talk about how we can defeat this nemesis.

So…. air is the problem. But not just air alone. Air has to combine with moisture which is what forms these nasty ice crystals, aka freezer burn. Foods that have a high water content such as fruit or veggies have the hardest time warding off this nasty villain. But all foods may suffer from this regardless.

How do we stop it!?

Get rid of as much air as possible! It will likely take you a little time and planning but it will be worth it! The point of using your freezer as your super hero is that it allows you to buy in bulk and have out-of-season fruits and veggies on hand among other things. This will all be in vain if freezer burn wields its icy fist.

Just because you purchase items out of the freezer case does not mean your food is safe from ‘the burn.’ These packages may be sealed, but there is still a whole lot of air in there. Sealable plastic bags to the rescue! If you’ve bought meat in bulk, now is a great time to separate it into smaller portions and get a nice “burn shield” in place. First, wrap the portions tightly in plastic wrap and then place in sealable plastic bags. (Don’t forget to mark and date it!)

If you’re going to freeze food that you’ve already prepared at home, still be aware of the air factor. If the food isn’t too messy, wrap it in plastic wrap first and then place in a plastic container if you like, or a sealable plastic bag. If the food is messy (such as soups), freeze it solid and then wrap that frozen block in plastic wrap and put it back in a container to go back to the freezer. Afraid you’ll forget to wrap up that frozen block?! Try sticking a layer of plastic wrap on the surface of soup (or whatever), pressing out all air and then close it up.

Stick a layer of plastic wrap on ice cream, sherbet or sorbet!

REMEMBER! Time will eventually be an accomplice to the crime of air regarding your frozen food. So date your frozen foods vigilantly!

Now confidently shake your fist in the air and say with me, “Freezer burn no more!”

The weather is changing quickly and preparing us for the cold and termination dust (snow). We tend to stay inside a whole lot more and of course, eat a lot more. We have to bulk up to stay warm, right!? WRONG….

Winter also means holidays and get-togethers with luscious spreads of glorious food. It’s easily MY favorite time of the year just due to the food. So, less physical activity in general and plenty more food equals out to weight gain and some major anxiety over the next swim suit season! Oh, and don’t forget that exercise is good for your immune system too! Winter time can bring some nasty illnesses.

Unfortunately, holidays can also bring stress. What do we tend to do when we get stressed out? It’s surely not exercise! Just more thing that is bad for our bodies and our minds.

Alright, so we already know all of this. The question is, what are we going to do about it? There are lot of options for getting exercise when it’s less than desirable to be outdoors. There are lots of exercises you can do at home and using very little time. Take 15 minutes or even a half hour, if you’re so bold, to do some crunches and squats. Be innovative. You don’t need a bunch of fancy equipment to get the exercise you need. Walk at the mall with a friend if you’d like! Or, join a gym or an organized sport.

If you’re like me, you lack some self-discipline. It’s a lost art in a world of convenience and instant gratification. (Perhaps that’s another reason we have such a hard time maintaning an exercise regiment?) I do TaeKwon Do two nights a week for two hours each class. Besides it being a great workout (as well as improving my flexibility and self-defense skills), it keeps me accountable. I pay a small amount each month, but mostly the other students in my class keep me from bailing each week. Some are children and/or lower ranking and they count on me to be there each week to practice together and help teach them what I know.

Can’t afford an organized sport or a gym membership but are lacking in the self discipline department? Engage a friend or family member to exercise along with you. It’s more fun with a buddy and it surely makes you more accountable. How about a spouse, child or roommate IN your own house!? Even better!

Conclusion? Make a plan and get moving! Don’t fall into the typical self-loathing at the end of the year from all the food and drink you consumed and not a lick of exercise. You can do it and so can I!

Don't feel like this at the end of the holiday season!

Phew! I’m all motivated now. I WILL exercise when I get home tonight!

The holidays are right around the corner and with them come over eating. Especially in two weeks on Thanksgiving. There is so much good food. Since I was on Weight Watchers last year I have a better idea what I need to do this year to stay on track.

The turkey is easy. Only eat the breast meat only and no skin. I know that is the best part but trust me it is a huge difference in fat and calories. Since turkey is a great source of protein I load up on it so it fills me up. Try to stay away from the butter on your mashed potatoes and eat a regular vegetable instead of the green bean casserole. Make whatever you take to the meal a healthy and low fat choice so you know you have at least a couple things you can eat.

My plate will consist of turkey breast, corn, mashed potatoes with fat free sour cream, cranberry relish, one deviled egg and something low fat for dessert. I usually provide one of the desserts so I know I have a low fat option to satisfy my sweet tooth. This year I am taking a low fat cherry cake topped with fat free whipped topping. It is super moist and very yummy!

I also take something to do. The holidays are a time to spend with family but let’s face it you sit there and talk and EAT! I take along some low fat snacks for later in the day and try to keep my hands busy by playing with the kids in another room away from the food.

The holidays can be very enjoyable and healthy as well. It is all about choices and if you make a conscious decision to be healthy you will get through them with little weight gain.

I will post some healthy recipes I like that work well with the holidays. The cherry cake I am taking to Thanksgiving and my low fat Oreo pudding. Watch for it next week.

Our season of the Chief Garden has finally come to an end. The recent cold weather really put a halt on much more production. We’re still grabbing up a couple tomatoes here and there but nothing like before. The jalapenos look stunted. The ones that are left are just stout little things. We didn’t plant any cool weather plants such as kale, broccoli or cabbage.

It will soon be time to till it all up nice and neat for the winter. I don’t believe we’ll be planting any “green manures” such as oats or rye. This is essentially a ground cover for your garden during the winter months. It helps hold in nutrients and can then be tilled back into the soil come spring time. Not only is it helpful to your soil, it looks much nicer than a yucky muddy plot in your yard.

Our end of season harvest count is (drum roll):

Cherry Tomatoes: 692

Beefsteak Tomatoes: 10

Zucchinis: 93

Yellow Squash: 47

Jalapenos: 111

Seranno Peppers (HOT!): 46

Cantaloupe: 4

Watermelon: 3

The rosemary and oregano is still doing fine but the basil and chives have seen their days. There are still just a handful of zucchini and yellow squash but they also seem to have stunted due to the recent chilly weather. They can be picked when they’re still small and are quite tender. I’ll probably pick them in the next day and have a end of season meal.

Our bell peppers grew quite late. There’s one that’s recognizable as a veggie but he’s just a miniture guy.

Also, a few zucchini were “disformed” and a lot of our cherry tomatoes were split open while still on the vine. I recently learned this is due to inconsistent watering.

Until next season, happy harvesting!

I celebrated my one year anniversary from starting my weight loss journey on October 3rd. I am happy to say I maintained my loss and I actually lost a pound and half this week. I had hit a plateau and then gained some so it feels good to lose again.

I was told by my trainer to increase my cardio to help move the weight loss along. I want to loss weight while I am participating in the Move to Lose competition at work. This is a fitness program through Chief and the Defiance Area YMCA. I tried the elliptical machine the other day. I like it better than the treadmill. Twenty minutes on it is a killer on the legs. I know it is helping though. My sister and I were really doing well over the summer power walking and running the steps at the track but once school started we have not been as diligent. Life gets busy and fitness just seems to take a back seat. We are walking but the steps have not been a focus.

I know the loss I had this week has been due to tracking my food intake again. It is amazing how much better you do if you write down what you eat each day. I fell off the tracking wagon as you know and now that I am back on I know why I gained. I will say it is fun having my co-workers doing this with me. I have had a lot of support over the past year from friends and family but it really helps having everyone in my particular department watching what they eat. We are all in it together and we all want to succeed. Teamwork is the key.