How to buy:

At the grocery store or farmers’ market, choose dry, plump, and brightly colored berries with no obvious rotten spots. Do avoid containers with juice stains – this is a sure sign that the berries either have been battered or are overripe. Also be on the lookout for moldy spots – mold travels like wildfire through berries, so avoid containers with signs of mold.

How to store:

This is important because berries are quite perishable and quite fragile…

Until you are ready to eat your yummy berries, store them unwashed in the refrigerator in a covered container. As I said above, fresh berries don’t last long and are best used within two days of purchase. Berries can also be stored in the freezer for up to four months. To freeze, spread the berries out on a cookie tray and freeze before consolidating into a smaller container.

How to prepare them for Eating:

When you’re ready to use your berries, you can enjoy them as is, or with a dollop of let’s say organic whipped cream or topping. Another idea is to top the berries with yogurt, or perhaps mixed in with some good healthy high-fiber, whole-grain cereal. Berries can even be added to salads.

Need more ideas? Or, have any ideas? Please leave a comment.

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You and I know that in life each of us can run up against an excuse every single day. What do I mean
by excuse.

I can name 100 right now, and so can you…

Don’t have time to exercise;
My husband and kids won’t eat anything but high calorie foods;
No one in my family is lean and everyone is fat;
Eating healthy is too expensive;
My office vending machine has no healthy snacks;
I went off the diet again.
I haven’t exercised for so long I don’t know where my workout clothes are.
I strained a muscle.
I have a big deadline at work;
My workout buddy is on vacation;
I’ve tried to lose weight before and as usual, it’s not working!;
Gas is too expensive and so I can’t drive to the gym;

On and on and on… Right?

There’s always something.And so I say “so what”! You need to start saying this to yourself. When something comes up in your mind to block you from any goal, fitness or otherwise. Say to yourself, “so what”. How can I do it despite this road bump? Ask yourself how. And then wait for the answer. If the answer does not come. Ask the question again, and again, and again until you get the answer to the how.

One of the reasons you and I should not accept excuses from ourselves or from others is that there is always someone out there who is going through exactly what you are and they are still achieving success in fat loss, in business, in parenting, you name it. And even more impressive, I guarantee that there are thousands of people out there who have much bigger mountains to overcome and they too have been able to achieve fat loss success.

How bad do you want to be healthy and successful at every thing you do?

Go get my free report that will get you started on your fat loss journey: www.kathystrahan.com

Tell me what you have overcome to achieve fat loss. Tell me what your excuses are for not achieving fat loss. I really want to know. Please leave a comment.

Ingredients

2/3 small clove garlic
Dash salt
Pinch pepper
1/3 teaspoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 teaspoon red wine vinegar (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 head romaine lettuce, outer leaves removed, washed, dried, torn into bite-size pieces, and chilled
1/3 small head iceberg lettuce, outer leaves removed, washed, dried, torn into bite-size pieces, and chilled
2 2/3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/6 sweet white onion, sliced thin
2 2/3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 green bell pepper for garnish

Instructions

To make the dressing: In a salad bowl mash the garlic, salt and pepper to a paste. Add the mayonnaise, continuing to mash until smooth. Mix in the lemon juice and vinegar, if using. Gradually whisk in the olive oil.

Add the romaine and iceberg lettuce, parsley, onion, and the Parmesan. Toss gently. Pile the mixture into shallow salad bowls, sprinkle with a little Parmesan, and serve.

Garnish with bell pepper, if using.

Nutritional Information:
176 calories
16 g total fat (3 g sat)
6 mg cholesterol
4 g carbohydrate
4 g protein
2 g fiber
238 mg sodium

list of 8 items
1. Post Grape-Nuts Trail Mix Crunch: 5 grams fiber, and 22% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole grain wheat, malted barley, and sugar, followed by raisins and wheat bran.

2. Fiber One Bran Cereal: 14 grams fiber, 0% calories from sugar. First three ingredients are whole-grain wheat bran, corn bran, and cornstarch. This cereal only appeals to some people. I would suggest enhancing the flavor with cinnamon, fresh or dried fruit, and/or roasted nuts.

3. Fiber One Honey Clusters: 13 grams fiber, 15% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole-grain wheat, corn bran, and wheat bran.

4. Quaker Oatmeal Squares: 5 grams fiber, 19% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole oat flour, whole-wheat flour, and brown sugar.

5. Shredded wheat: 6 grams fiber, 0% calories from sugar (for a generic brand). The only ingredient is 100% whole grain cereal. I enjoy this with added fresh or dried fruit and nuts. If you opt for the frosted variety, it has 6 grams fiber and gets 23% of its calories from sugar.

6. Frosted Mini Wheats: 6 grams fiber, 24% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole-grain wheat, sugar, and high-fructose corn syrup.

7. Raisin Bran: 7 grams fiber, 40% calories from sugar (in Kellogg’s brand). The first three ingredients are whole wheat, raisins, and wheat bran). Sugar is listed fourth in the ingredient list, but many of the calories from sugar come from the raisins.

8. Kashi Heart to Heart Honey Toasted Oat Cereal: 5 grams fiber, 18% calories from sugar. The first three ingredients are whole oat flour, oat bran, and evaporated cane juice. This is a higher-fiber alternative to Cheerios. I think they taste better, too. But that may be because there is more sweetener added (the evaporated cane juice).

Mix pineapple undrained with dry pudding in medium bowl.
Gently stir in whipped topping.
Cut cake horizontally in to three layers
Place bottom cake layer cut side up on serving dish
Spread 1 and 1/3 cups of the pudding mixture on to cake.
Cover with middle cake layer.
Spread 1 cup of pudding mixture on the middle layer.
Top with remaining cake layer and spread the remaining pudding mixture.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.
Makes 10 servings.
www.kraftfoods.com

Double-A Applesauce Muffins
Makes 18 muffins

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups whole-grain pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1 large egg
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 medium Golden Delicious apples, grated
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup currants

To Make:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat 18 muffin cups with cooking spray. (Don’t use paper liners.) In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, egg, brown sugar, and oil until smooth. Stir in the apples, applesauce, and currants.

Pour the apple mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just blended. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared cups, filling them nearly to the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until springy to the touch and lightly browned. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Per muffin: 100 calories, 19 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 2 g total fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 3 g dietary fiber, 115 mg sodium

Makes 40 to 45 healthier almond cookies.

Ingredients:
¾ cup ground unblanched hazelnuts or blanched almonds
¼ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup confectioner’s sugar, plus more for sifting
grated zest 1 orange
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the hazelnuts and whole wheat and white flours and set aside.

In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter until it is light.

Add the confectioner’s sugar and orange zest and beat until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients and mix very well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Cover with wax paper, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, or until firm enough to handle.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper (the paper is easier to handle and makes for much easier cleanup).

Shape the dough into balls 3/4-inch to 1 inch in diameter and place 1-1/2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.

Bake in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes, or until golden around the edges, rotating the
pans halfway through baking. Cool the cookies for 2 to 3 minutes on the pans, then carefully slide them off onto a sheet of wax paper. Sift confectioner’s sugar over the cookies while they are still warm.

Almond cookies are fragile while hot, so don’t handle until they are cool.

Nutritional information (per 2 to 3 cookies) 51 calories, 3.9g fat (1.5g saturated), 3.8g carbohydrate, 0.6g protein, 0.3g fiber