Happy Thanksgiving OSB!!

First things First!  Congratulations to our orginal OSB lady SHANNIE!  She gave birth to sweet baby boy Tucker 11-24-09!!  I have a feeling she'll be joining us again soon!

Hope you all having an amazing and blessed Thanksgiving!

Cheers to eating smart!

Thanksgiving tips from Hungry Girl:

Getting nervous about next week's food-fest? Read this handy guide to make sure you don't make any rookie mistakes, plus check out our bestest holiday recipes... Happy, happy!

Thanksgiving TRUE or FALSE! "To prepare for the big meal, I should eat as little as possible earlier in the day and save ALL my calories for dinner." FALSE! This is actually a terrible idea. Eat a substantial but sensible breakfast and a light meal several hours before the Big One. Otherwise, you'll likely be SUPER-HUNGRY and make bad food decisions during your holiday meal. Not to mention, you'll probably be cranky. "I should drink a lot of water throughout the day, especially right before the meal." TRUE! A glass or two of water before the meal will take the edge off your hunger and help you recognize fullness faster. Plus, drinking a lot of water is pretty good advice for ANY day of the year. "At dinner, I should ONLY eat steamed veggies, salad, and lean turkey breast -- that's all." FALSE! Well, you could do that if you want to be miserable and torture yourself, but we're not into self-deprivation. You can STILL celebrate and enjoy the meal without going overboard. So sure, bulk up on the lighter stuff (salad, broth-based soup, white-meat turkey, non-creamy veggies, etc.), but also allow yourself to take a few bites of your favorites. Just be smart and keep it moderate. And maybe add some exercise to your day of festivities! "I can have dessert without feeling guilty as long as I don't overdo it." TRUE! If you fill up on protein and veggies at dinner, you shouldn't be too hungry by the time dessert rolls around. So grab a small sweet treat and pair it with some flavored tea or coffee -- maybe contribute some dessert-flavored coffee or holiday-themed tea to the feast. (Celestial Seasonings Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride and Gingerbread Spice are GREAT.) And as for the stuff you chew, choose wisely. If you know that a sliver of your cousin Kim's three-layer caramel cheesecake always leads to four and a half slices, pass up that trigger food for something you can enjoy without going into a sugar-coma.

Vegetarian OSBers

I thought the above book would be my next read. Maybe my new inspiration. Each year I attempt to live my life one step closer to being free of meat. This is hard for a meat & potato raised girl. So I just take baby steps, one meat-free meal a week, then one fish based meal a week. It is slow but the entire family participates. Raising our own vegetables in a garden and shopping at the farmers market is something we also do together.

How many OSB members have embraced a vegetarian lifestyle?

Please, leave your comments.

Everyone have a blessed Thanksgiving.

Pile your plates high with fresh fruits and vegetables of the season. Consider an alternative to the roasted turkey centerpiece. And drink lots of water.

But most of all, enjoy the fellowship with your friends and family!

Roll Call

It's Wednesday OSBers!  Time for Roll Call and Weigh in.

Personally this is the hardest time of year for me...loads of goodies are wheeled in to my office daily and it seems the girls are constantly bringing candy home!   HELP!!!!  I didn't ask for this!

How do you handle the snack overload?

Leave a comment and let us know how you're doing!

Good For You -

Trident Xtra Care Gum is the only sugar-free gum that actively protects and strengthens teeth.

Try it, it is good for you!

Iconic Food Product

In July, Kraft Foods Australia decided to change the ingredients and name of the beloved yeast paste Vegemite. The reaction was fierce and will probably be documented in marketing textbooks in the future. For those unfamiliar, Vegemite/Cheesybite is a staple breakfast food made of creamcheese and brewer's yeast extract in a paste form. Babies are weaned on it. Schoolchildren eat it on sandwiches and adult's love it on hot buttered toast. 

American's may find this product uninteresting, but I am sure some of you out there have tried this at one time or another.

What iconic food products do you have on the shelf of your pantry?

 

 

ROLL CALL!

WOW!!  It really is Wednesday!!

Hello OSB!  It may be late, but its still Wednesday and that means roll call and weigh in!

I hope everyone is staying on track with the huge amounts of Halloween candy, I know its hard.. but check out the post below.

GOOD LUCK LADIES!

Leftover Candy ...

I found the following article HERE and I've bolded the ideas that are best for those of us trying to avoid adding the LBS.

10 Things to Do With Leftover Halloween Candy

Halloween candy gets pretty tiring after a couple of days. Here are some ideas for using it up.

1. Homemade flavored vodka

Some candies dissolve beautifully in vodka, creating "infused" booze. If you plan on making flavored booze for holiday presents or parties, now is the time to start. Besides candies, you can add coffee, rosemary, cinnamon, pepper, citrus fruits, or dried flowers. I'll bet that Wether's Originals dissolved in vodka make for some tasty shots.

2. Baking and sweets

Many candies melt in the heat of the over, leaving you with a wonderfully gooey treat. Here are some possible recipes:

* Biscuits filled with tootsie rolls
* Cookies with peanut butter cups
* Candy corns chopped up and added to candied yams
* Crushed Jolly Ranchers and Dummies on top of challah bread
* Brownies with "fun size" chocolates
* Popcorn balls with pretty much anything
* Butterfinger cake
* Peppermints (the red and white kind or Peppermint Patties) mixed into hot chocolate or coffee for a cheap mocha
* Use as an ice-cream sunday topper
* Freeze until summer, and add to homemade ice cream

3. Cooking
# Sweet and sour sauce (any sour candy will work)
# Pixie sticks for a porkchop glaze (red or white wine, vinegar, pixie sticks, salt)
# BBQ chipotle sauce with Smarties or Red Hots

4. Crafts

If candies get stale and seem rather inedible, consider using them for fun arts and crafts.

* Make Halloween wreath for next year
* Candy garlands or ornaments for the Christmas tree
* Mosiacs
* Candy necklaces
* Decorate the holiday gingerbread house
* Christmas cards and gift wrapping decoration

5. Bribery/Doling

If you are swift enough to grab your kids' candy while they sleep, it can be doled out for MONTHS as bribes. Need the leaves raked? Two Hershey's kisses per bag (not adjusted for inflation, that's what I used to get paid). OR, just slowly dole out a piece a day in kids' lunches. My parents used to throw it in our Christmas stockings, too along with nuts and persimmons.

6. Donate it

Nursing homes, doctor's offices, women's shelters - everyone loves candy, and spreading the sweetness can be a great way to avoid gorging on it all yourself.

7. Send it to overseas troops

Not so much for chocolate (which doesn't travel well), but other candy is appreciated as a part of care packages for the troops (US only, not sure about other nations' deployments).

8. Take it to the office

Adults are sometimes able to restrain themselves a little bit more than kids - share those sugary goodies with coworkers.

9. Keep some in the car for emergencies

I keep a small stash of sugary candies in my car. I'm diabetic, and every now and again, I go into insulin shock, meaning that I need to eat something sugary, fast. Car candy has been a saving grace a number of times. Also, you never know when you'll be trapped in the car for hours with no food or water - candy can be a welcome distraction or sustenance if caught on a moutain pass during a rock slide or the freeway behind a massive accident.

10. Make an Advent Calendar, Pinata, or Holiday Centerpiece

The countdown to Christmas used to be one of my favorite things about the holidays. Alpha Mom has some really great ideas for decorating during November (she counts down the month of November with her adorable advent calendar).

What do you do with your leftover candy?

Eating Breakfast and Burning Fat

Eating a breakfast made with complex or slow-release carbohydrates such as oatmeal or bran cereal will help you burn more fat.  These complex carbohydrates do not spike blood sugar as high as eating refined or simple carbohydrates, like white toast. In turn, insulin levels do not spike as high and because insulin plays a role in signaling your body to store fat, having a lower levels will help you burn fat.  

What are good breakfast meals : 

Oatmeal is an example of the perfect breakfast meal.  

Muesli - a cereal cereal served with low-fat yogurt is made of chopped dried fruit, nuts, rolled oats and ground flax seed.

Wake-Up Smoothie - fruit, protein, and vitamin packed.

Breakfast Taco - smaller than the breakfast burrito, made with egg substitute and reduced-fat cheese.  

Breakfast Parfait

Banana-Bran Muffins

Now start your day off with a nutritious meal, burn fat during your workout, and have the energy to make it all through the morning!

WEDNESDAY POST TIME!

Happy Wednesday again! These weeks are flying by!

Let's hear it for ROll Call and Weigh in!

Step up to the comments section and let us know if you lost, gained, or stayed the same.

Good luck OSB!

The dreaded stairs ...

Several weeks ago at Weight Watchers, I had committed to taking the stairs more. I couldn't promise to take the stairs UP, but I decided I could always take them DOWN. Easy, but still helpful towards my goal.

I came across this video a few days ago and decided that if it was more FUN to take the stairs, I'd be more willing to go UP too! lol

Quote for the Day

"When one person walks,

IT'S EXERCISE.

When an entire country walks,

IT'S A MOVEMENT."

- the first Challenge Walk Off for the 50 Million Pound Challenge

Roll Call Wednesday!

Good morning OSB!!!!!!

Time for Roll Call and Weigh in!

This fall is proving to be very hard for me on eating right and working out.. how about the rest of you?

Watch How Restaurants Cut Cost

In an effort to cut cost due to slow business many restaurants are being creative. As a thrifty consumer and calorie conscious individual I always want to be aware of this. So this is what I have to share.

1. Restaurants are using smaller bowls for their complimentary snacks. Do not be shy about asking for a refill.

2. The true cost of freebies like bread get wrapped into the increased menu price.

3. Many restaurants are holding back on serving tap water and pushing waiters to serve bottled water with a mark up average of 192% or cocktails and other pricey beverages.

4 Switching ingredients. As the price of everything swings wildly and can directly affect menu prices, many restaurants simply switch ingredients on the menu as needed. For example, when the price of sea scallops went up, less expensive cod replaced the scallops on the shellfish kabob in a popular restaurant.

5. More and more restaurants are splitting apart their menus and offering each side a la carte.

6. Portion Patrol. Many restaurants are providing fixed priced specials but typically have smaller portions.

7. The average mark up for iced tea is 4,400% and don't expect a lemon wedge with it.

Information provided by SmartMoney.

Weigh In Wednesday!

Its time for Roll Call and Weigh in again friends!

If you are new, welcome to our group. We hope to add value to journey for a healthy life style!

Leave a comment and let us know how your week has been!