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Recession or No Recession, You Still Gotta Eat! by Janice Taylor

As the news of the recession hits hard and food prices continue to climb, some of us are worried that we may not be able to feed our families in a healthy manner. Our Lady of Weight Loss to the rescue!

Before you head off to a burger joint to partake in their $2.00 'bargain' meal, here are four of Our Lady of Weight Loss's favorite recession proof foods that come fully loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and zeaxanthin (woo hoo, it has the world thin in it!). These scrumptious cheap eats will give you the best bang for both your calorie buck and your pocketbook buck!

Turkey: I hear-tell that there isn't much taste difference between a fresh and frozen turkey, and at 99 cents a pound (non-sale price!), a frozen turkey is half the price of a fresh turkey (double the bang). You get a whole lotta' bird that can be stretched from one dinner to the next. Turkey dinner one night turns into sandwiches the next, then potpies, tacos, fajitas, soup and anything else you can conjure up!

Turkey Rebellion (It seemed like a good name at the time and now I get requests at home for more of that Rebellion stuff.)

Ingredients:
1 pound Turkey, shredded or cut into julienne strips.
1 Iceberg lettuce, cleaned, chilled and torn into pieces
1 Bibb lettuce, cleaned, chilled and torn into pieces
1 green tart apples, unpeeled & cored, cut and diced
1 red tart apple, unpeeled & cored, cut and diced
2 or 3 tablespoons orange juice
1 cantaloupe, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
1/4 pound seedless red grapes
raspberry vinagrette (low-fat, low-cal) dressing - optional

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except lettuces in a large mixing bowl. Make sure that orange juice has coated the fruits and turkey. Place lettuce on salad plates. Arrange turkey and fruit mixture on bed of lettuce. Add dressing to taste.

Eggs: Known as the perfect protein, eggs are, in addition, a spectacular source of antioxidants, lutein, zeaxanthin and protein. You can poach 'em for breakfast, make egg salad for lunch and how about those dinner omelets! The egg industry has come up with some pretty sophisticated and fancy technology, enabling egg producers to keep prices (relatively) low. While other foods are now skyrocketing, eggs continue to be one of nature's best buys among high protein foods.

Devilishly Delicious EGGS (from Our Lady of Weight Loss: Miraculous and Motivational Musings form the Patron Saint of Permanent Fat Removal)

Ingredients:
1 dozen hard-boiled eggs
1/3 cup reduced fat mayo
1 sweet pickle, diced
2 heaping tablespoon honey Dijon mustard
juice from 1 fresh lemon
hot sauce, 2 major shakes - 3 if you are a hotty
salt n' pepper to taste
fresh parsley, optional!

Directions:
Take hard-boiled eggs and cut the long way. Take yokes out and put in medium-sized mixing bowl. Add reduced fat mayo. Mix in the rest of the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Then take a teaspoon of egg mixture and neatly place in the whites. (Do your best NOT to lick your fingers!) If you like, you can sprinkle a little paprika on top. The red is lovely on top of the yellow. And for a touch of green, add parsley sprigs here and there. Artfully, please.

Rice and Beans: Talk about cheap n' easy! Beans and Rice are the quintessential easy to make dish and the perfect combo. FYI, the average person eats 300 to 400 pounds of rice each year. Rice is the staple of the world and can be the meaning between life and death. Songs, poems and haiku's (Japanese poetry) are written and sung about rice. Check this haiku out!

It's Haiku Friday
Time for a Haiku Salad
Rice, salad leaves, beef! (by Apple Venus, KillerSalad.com)

Killer Rice n' Beans

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium Vidalia (sweet) onion, chopped, (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 medium green pepper, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies
- plus 1-1/2 cans of water
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, undrained
1 cup of rice, raw

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet that has a lid over medium heat. When hot, add onion and green pepper; sauté until the vegetables soften and brown a bit. Add the fire roasted diced tomatoes. Increase heat to medium high, add bay leaf and thyme and water. Stir in the beans with their liquid. Add one cup of raw rice. Reduce to simmer and cook until rice is fully plump!

Kale: Dark, leafy greens are cheap, easy and a good idea! They are loaded with vitamin C, carotenoids and calcium; and may well have more nutrients than any other vegetable!

Here is one of my favorite recipes from Our Lady of Weight Loss: Miraculous and Motivational Musings from the Patron Saint of Permanent Fat Removal. It was submitted by Kick in the Tush Club member, Mary Margaret of Houston, Texas. Mary Margaret tells us that a good way to eat an entire bunch of kale is to tear it into bite-sized pieces and put on a sprayed (olive oil spray or nonstick spray) cookie sheet. Dust with Parmesan cheese and put under the broiler for a very short time, until crispy. "I eat all those vitamins right off the tray by the stove," she says. "It never makes it to the table. Feels absolutely virtuous. "

Ingredients:
8 cups Kale
nonstick spray
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 cup chopped pecans or slivered almonds

Directions:
Preheat over to 400 degrees. Stir in all ingredients except nuts until well blended and place on the cookie sheet. Scatter the nuts on top. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve at once!

Stay tuned for more recipes and tips on how to feel, look and be delicious through the good times and the bad times! Recession or not!! (Sign up for Our Lady's Daily Feed subscription!)

Spread the cheap n' easy word (NOT the icing!),
Janice

________________________
Janice Taylor is a Life & Wellness Coach, Cert. Hypnotist, author,columnist, seminar leader and 50 pound big-time-loser.

Want to wake up thinner on New Year's Day?

Follow her on Twitter!

Want a free Weight Loss Consult?

Today's 'Get Jiggy' jigsaw Our Lady of Weight Loss puzzle is inspired by the season! Yes, today is the last day of November ... tomorrow is December. The holiday season is here! OH My!!!

Are you ready to rock n' roll? Stay steady the course through-out the holiday season?
Join with me.

Jump on the Christmas Diet bandwagon! Let's wake up thinner on New Year's Day! Imagine that!!

Spread the word ... NOT the icing!
Janice
__________________________________
Janice Taylor is a Life & Wellness Coach, Cert. Hypnotist, author,columnist, seminar leader and 50 pound big-time-loser.

Want to wake up thinner on New Year's Day?

Follow her on Twitter!

Want a free Weight Loss Consult?

How to survive Thanksgiving? Get through it without gaining 7 pounds of excess weight and 20 pounds of family baggage? Just follow these 10 tips and enjoy!

The Best Ever Thanksgiving Survival Guide to Mental Health

1. Manage Your Expectations. Remember ...Thanksgiving is just like any other day in life. It's filled with ups, downs, glitches and unexpected happenings. Whatever your expectations of Thanksgiving may be, please lower them right now!

Do you think every dish is going to be delicious? Think again. Do you think that none of your buttons are going to get pushed? Think again. Do you think that the air will be filled with happiness and gratitude every single second of this fabulous family day? Think again

Manage your expectations!

2. Don't Regress. Your brother isn't 13, and you're not 9. It doesn't matter that he was bigger than you, elbowed you, teased you, took your favorite toy and smashed it! NO! It really is NOT relevant in the NOW. Let go of the past!

3. Celebrate You. If you find that comments from family members, or rather your interpretation of their comments, sends you on a downward spiral, then come armed with the knowledge that you are wonderful. You are fabulous!

What amazing qualities do you possess? Are you strong? Thoughtful? Creative? Whimsical? Friendly? Determined? Caring? Funny? Celebrate you!

Jot down a quick list of the qualities you like most about yourself and bring the list with you to Thanksgiving. Tuck it away in your pocket or up your sleeve, and if feelings of insecurity start to come up for you, then quietly disappear into a quiet corner, take a quick peek at your list. Take in a deep breath. Own your greatness.

4. Give the Little Kids a Break. All that energy, all that food, all that sugar. It's inevitable. Someone is going to spill something, cry, get cranky, fall down, break something. Prepare ahead of time. Bring enough games, DVDs and books to occupy the little ones. And bring a bag of extra patience for yourself.

5. Pretend "They" are Someone Else's Family. Don't we all love our friend's family? Don't we find them interesting, loving, and funny? Pretend that you are not related to 'them.' Get a fresh start; a new perspective and you may be surprised find that they're not so bad after all.

6. Become a Foto-Food Journalist. Bring a camera and give yourself a journalistic assignment. Perhaps you can take a photo of each person eating, or holding a plate filled with their favorite food? Interview them and ask "What is it that is so compelling about pumpkin pie?"

7. Wear Tight Pants. Take your winter sweats, loose pants, elastic waist -bands and ditch 'em. You will definitely eat less if there is no room to grow.

8. Say "No, Thank you." Even though some people show their love through food, you don't have to eat it! Rehearse saying "No, Thank You!" In numerous languages, just in case English doesn't work.

9. Visualize. Instead of losing control and feeling really bad about yourself at the end of the day, in addition to possibly feeling ill from 'it all,' at the very onset of the day, before you venture out into the world, sit in a quiet place and visualize.

Visualize that it is the end of the day. Yes, you made it through the day, and you are feeling proud. You enjoyed the day, practiced moderation, enjoyed the company of others, felt grateful for what you do have in your life (your glass is more than half full). Add any details to vision in your mind's eye that bring forth visions of happiness, success, actions that are in alignment with your values and goals. Make it real, set your intention and carry this image with you! Yes, you can make it through the holidays without the glaze!

10. Thanksgiving is NOT a Gateway Holiday. Contrary to the agreed upon reality, you do NOT have to gain 6 or 7 pounds this holiday season. Create a new reality. Join with us as we change at The Christmas Diet change the tradition and actually WAKE UP THINNER on New Year's Day! Now imagine that!

Spread the word ... NOT the icing,
Janice
__________________________________
Janice Taylor is a Life & Wellness Coach, Cert. Hypnotist, author,columnist, seminar leader and 50 pound big-time-loser.

Want to wake up thinner on New Year's Day?

Follow her on Twitter!

Want a free Weight Loss Consult?

Got the Holiday Blues? You're not alone! Truth be told, the holidays are a tossed salad of emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, frustration, hunger, loneliness, joy, love, gratitude and loss - oh and the dressing is stress! True enough!

Now that we have acknowledged this fact - yes, the holidays can be overwhelming, stress-filled and nerve-wracking, the opposite side of the coin still holds true.

Thanksgiving is a time to remember what we are thankful for. It is a time to exercise our gratitude muscle. To reflect and hold dear what is meaningful.

1. second chances
2. puppy love
3. passion
4. flowers
5. photography
6. Central Park's Harlem Meer
7. trees
8. cell phones
9. life in general, YAY I'm alive
10. opportunities
11. answered prayers
12. desire
13. love
14. creativity
15. possibility
16. new friends
17. old friends
18. family, near and far
19. heat
20. electricity (Go! Ben Franklin)
21. pineapples
22. dried apricots
23. Our Lady of Weight Loss
24. Beliefnet
25. soft fuzzy blankets
26. taste buds
27. the busy sounds of the streets
28. emotions
29. sushi and sake
30. full moons
31. the stars
32. glitter glue
33. memories
34. computers
35. Internet
36. individuality
37. the Constitution
38. laughter
39. pears
40. forgiveness
41. crazy glue
42. gratitude
43. the mysteries of the Universe
44. the telephone
45. thunderstorms
46. snow
47. health
48. time to laze about
49. cousins
50. tears
51. coffee
52. take out menus and home deliveries
53. birthdays
54. oceans
55. New York bagels
56. bubble baths
57. squirrels
58. hiking trails
59. park benches
60. birds singing
61. lavender plants
62. movies, good or bad
63. weeping willow trees
64. sister bloggers
65. sales! 1/2 off sales!
66. that I live in the good ole USA
67. the way God works
68. comedians, in particular, Chris Rock
69. good yummy books to get lost in
70. soft sofas to curl up on
71. comfy shoes
72. fun scissors
73. my fluffy cat
74. toe socks
75. cow pj's
76. frequent flyer miles
77. unplanned weekend
78. blind faith
79. scrapbooking
80. magazines
81. clementines
82. small kindnesses of others
83. day dreams
84. a clean house
85. perspective
86. moments of grace
87. paint
88. deep breaths
89. the courage to move on
90. midday naps
91. spray butter
92. lip gloss
93. wifi
94. soft breezes
95. bread
96. Metropolitan Museum of Art's admission price is 'suggested'
97. I have a hairdresser that 'gets' me
98. buttons
99. pretty vintage paper
100. silly anything
101. Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills - Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip -
He who watches over you will not slumber;
Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches over you
The LORD is your shade at your right hand;
The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all harm -
He will watch over your life;
The LORD will watch over your coming and going
Both now and forevermore.

What are you grateful for?
Please leave a comment, so I can add it to my list!

Spread the word ... NOT the icing,
Janice
__________________________________
Janice Taylor is a Life & Wellness Coach, Cert. Hypnotist, author,columnist, seminar leader and 50 pound big-time-loser.

Want to wake up thinner on New Year's Day?

Follow her on Twitter!

Want a free Weight Loss Consult?

Inspiration and motivation are BIG topics in the Land of Permanent Fat Removal. Aren't they?

People look to Our Lady of Weight Loss and me and ask, "How can I stay motivated?"

And Our Lady of Weight Loss answers, "Hey, you brush your teeth everyday, don't you? Well motivation is an every day event, too."

Truly, you don't say, "Oh, I brushed my teeth last week, you mean I have to do it again???" For goodness sake. Motivation is the same. You have to seek out and take in as much motivation as you can.

To that end, Beliefnet has got a treat for you! They blew my mind with their "Most Inspiring Person of the Year 2008" sponsored by the Responsibility Project.

Join with me in watching each and every video, reading each and every story, taking in as much inspiration and motivation as you can from these incredible lives, and then vote!

Stay inspired!

Spread the word ... NOT the icing,
Janice
____________________________

Janice Taylor is a Weight Loss Coach, Author, Columnist and 50-pound big-time-loser.

Interested in one-on-one coaching? Write Janice for a free consult.

Want more information on how YOU CAN wake up THINNER on New Year's Day? Christmas Diet