WHAT FOODS HAVE PROTEIN? Can you really get enough protein from foods other than meat? The answer to that is absolutely yes!!! While I am not vegan (and don’t intend to be), I do believe that limiting my animal protein intake has enormous health benefits. Great news is that there are lots of plant-based foods that contain not only protein, but fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and loads of other health boosting stuff. Here’s the top 5: Lentils Black Beans Quinoa Amaranth Green Peas There’s plenty more, but I have a fabulous lentil soup recipe you may really enjoy! Type “RECIPE” in the comments and I’ll shoot it over to you 🙂 media-20171211-1

HOW TO AVOID GAINING HOLIDAY WEIGHT This is a pretty controversial topic, but in my humble opinion (and what has worked for me and many others), is to concentrate my efforts NOT on depriving myself of an occasional healthy sweet treat or favorite comfort food, but rather to focus on maintaining a diet that is high in fiber. After all, it’s fiber, and specifically soluble fiber, that swells in the stomach and is responsible for telling our brains to stop eating because we’re full. So…..if I’m getting enough fiber in my diet, I will eat less. Sounds like a pretty good reason to make sure I’m getting lots of fiber to me! What are your thoughts on eating high fiber foods? media-20171211

I just published my very first cookbook! This cookbook is the ONLY resource you will need to create healthy delicious holiday treats and meals that you and your family will LOVE! It's literally soup to nuts with 52 full-color recipes and full nutrition information. Diabetic and heart friendly 🙂 https://holistichappyliving.com/HHCBookCoverPreview

HEALTHY FATS & THE HOLIDAYS Lowering and maintaining healthy cholesterol levels is something else that pretty much usually suffers during the holiday season. I mean, well, there’s always sooooo much rich, delicious food!!! Stay on track this holiday season by replacing the fats you use to create your delicious recipes with the healthy alternatives like extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, ghee or organic grass-fed butter. Do you use any of these healthy fats on a regular basis? P2-Healthy-Fats

HEALTHY SWEETS FOR THE HOLIDAYS The holidays are a particularly difficult time for those of us who are concerned about controlling our blood sugar. All of those yummy cookies, cakes and candies….oh my!!! So what can you do to maximize flavor and minimize the harmful spikes? The answer to this question is of course, as is with all things nutrition, a very personal one. People have completely unique tolerances for different foods. Most of us are painfully aware of the effects of consuming refined sugars and carbs, and it has been my personal experience (and that of numerous clients as well), that by replacing those two ingredients with healthy sugars and grain-free flours. What is your favorite way to substitute ingredients to keep yourself on track while still enjoying a sweet treat on occasion? P1-Sweets

#WTMKlive - Is there such a thing as healthy Cream of Anything soup? I've got all the answers! Grab your aprons and join me in my kitchen, live today at 1pm eastern time. https://www.facebook.com/CWiedecke 20171109-WTMK-Mushrooms

STOP THE BLOAT WITH CELERY I guess men suffer with bloating too, although I’ve never heard one complain about it. But for us ladies, bloating is something that we are very much aware of! Did you know that celery actually works as a diuretic? Woohoo! That means that is is great for detoxing our bodies and releasing excess fluids. How is that even possible? Well, celery has great benefits for lowering blood pressure and improving the blood circulation in our digestive system. It is that action that helps to improve digestion and relieve puffiness and bloating from water retention. What are your thoughts? 👇👇👇 Celery3

1 TIP TO LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE NATURALLY There are millions of people today who are struggling to lower their blood pressure, and there are just about as many different pharmaceutical drugs that are prescribed every day. But what if you’re looking for a natural way to reduce your blood pressure, something that can be used in addition to the medications that will not only help to reduce your blood pressure, but also provide you with amazing health benefits to boot? I’m sure we’re all aware that it is chronic high blood pressure is an important risk factor that leads to coronary heart disease, which is the leading cause of death today. How can celery seemingly magically lower blood pressure? Great question! Celery has been shown to act as a smooth muscle relaxer, which aid in the movement of calcium and potassium in our cells. This helps blood vessels to expand and contract more easily, which improves blood circulation and promotes better overall heart health. What is your favorite way to eat celery? 👇👇👇 Celery2

REDUCE CHOLESTEROL WITH CELERY I’m sure I’m not the only one who has struggled with reducing my cholesterol. I’m also sure that I’m not the only one who found they were allergic to statin medications or suffered some crazy bad side effects of those medications. Celery to the rescue! Yep, you read that right! Celery contains a compound that has been shown to reduce bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol, so you get a total win win situation. Who knew that by munching down a few stalks of celery every day, we could not only be having a great snack, but lowering and stabilizing our cholesterol at the same time?!?! What is your favorite way to eat celery? 👇👇👇 Celery1

What Do Sugar Cravings Mean? So far this week we’ve covered the top two things that can help you to tame your sugar cravings. Today is tip number three. You may think I’ve lost my mind with this one, but truly, it’s really almost as effective as tip number one. How many times have you said to yourself, “I’m hungry for something, but I just don’t know what it is”? I know I’ve said that to myself plenty, and then you go around the kitchen eating pretty much anything in sight to try to satisfy that craving. The best way to conquer that problem is to….you got it…..drink a big glass of water! I know, maybe I sound like a broken record, but here’s why it helps. The water will temporarily fill you up, and then you can use that time to really THINK about what nutrients your body is trying to tell you that it needs. More action steps and tools for understanding what your body is telling you will be disclosed in my FREE livecast presentation on Wednesday, Oct 4th at 8pm eastern time. Are you registered yet? Don’t delay, seats are limited!!! https://holistichappyliving.com/go/ I’ll be back tomorrow with a recap of what we’ve learned so far. Until then! Water2

How Much Water Do I Really Need? Yesterday we talked about a couple of great ways to conquer stress eating. Did it help you? Today, the second top cravings trigger is dehydration. That’s right, dehydration. Your body is on average between 57% to 65% water, and most people don’t drink nearly enough water to keep their body fully hydrated. Since your body relies so much on water to properly function and perform the billions of processes it does every day to maintain our health, drinking a sufficient amount of water daily is of utmost importance. The general rule for water consumption is that you should be drinking one-half of your bodyweight in ounces of water daily. If you are exercising or live in a dry climate, that amount could be drastically higher. So, when those cravings hit, STOP! Before you eat anything, drink a big glass of water. More action steps and tools for staying hydrated will be disclosed in my FREE livecast presentation on Wednesday, Oct 4th at 8pm eastern time. Are you registered yet? Don’t delay, seats are limited!!! https://holistichappyliving.com/go I’ll be back tomorrow with the tip number three to conquer your cravings. mineral-water-1532300_1920

Eating Healthy Doesn’t Have To Be Hard Let’s face it, when you’re trying to turn your whole eating lifestyle around, it can often be difficult and confusing. That’s ENOUGH work. Then you add on trying to tame your sugar cravings! Now the whole task seems almost impossible...can you relate? The good news is that it doesn’t have to be hard! Yep, you can actually have your cake and eat it to! How is that even possible? Join me for a FREE special livecast presentation this coming Wednesday, October 4th at 8PM EDT to learn: The trouble with sugar What your healthy options are How to finally get results And….. Be guilt-free Healthier Enjoy your food Seats are limited, so make sure you register early. Only those who registered will be provided with the replay link. www.holistichappyliving.com/go Brownie-Points-Livecast

HEALTHY BUDGET FRIENDLY SNACKS It’s 3pm and you’re starving! What do you do? How can you stay on track? Here are four (4) portable, nutritious and delicious options to pack in your purse: Roasted unsalted (or lightly salted) cashews, pumpkin seeds or almonds Apple, peach or pear Baby carrots, celery sticks, cucumber slices and some grape tomatoes Hard boiled egg How’s that for a few great suggestions to chase away the munchies and keep you on track? What’s your favorite on-the-go snack? Apple

#WTMKlive - Healthy 10 Minute Meal! Yep, you read that right! Grab your aprons and join me in the kitchen at 1pm eastern time. https://www.facebook.com/CWiedecke 20170928-WTMk-Healthy-10-Minute-Meal

EATING OUT - FIVE HEALTHY TIPS How many times have you gone out to eat and worried about how you’re going to stay on a healthy eating plan? How do you keep from eating the huge portions and having sides that are very carb heavy? Here are five (5) tips to stay on track when you’re eating out: 1. Ask for a petite, luncheon or kids sized meal; 2. Ask for a doggie bag right at the beginning and put half your food in the to-go container so you aren’t tempted to keep eating; 3. Don’t even look at the menu. Ask the waiter for the vegetable offerings of the day are. Most restaurants will have grilled fish or chicken dishes, so ask for whichever one you prefer and ask for a double serving of vegetables instead of the potato portion 4. When ordering the salad, opt for a vinaigrette type dressing and ask for your it to be served on the side so you can portion how much you use 5. Instead of having the waiter serve bread before your meal arrives, ask for a crudite platter. Things like cucumber, tomato, olives and pickles can all serve as a great appetizer without carb loading your meal. Which of these great tips will you be incorporating on your next restaurant visit? Restaurant-Food

THE TRUTH ABOUT ORGANIC FOODS Some of the things I hear most often is; “I can’t afford to eat healthy”; or “healthy foods are too expensive” or even “healthy foods take too long to make”. While it is true that you can spend considerably more on organic fruits and vegetables, it is also true that you don’t have to buy all organic. Yep, you heard that right. There are only about a dozen fruits and vegetables that you should always try to buy organic. They are: Apples Celery Sweet bell peppers Peaches Strawberries Nectarines Grapes Spinach Lettuce Cucumber Blueberries Potatoes I would say that if you can purchase these items from a local farm market, you don’t really need to worry about whether they are organic or not. Local (small) farmers are good soil stewards, so they automatically aren’t killing their soil with chemicals. What are your thoughts? Dirty-Dozen

ONE TIP TO LOSE WEIGHT....FAST!!! Does your weight loss journey look like this? One tip: GET HELP If you are a woman who is sick and tired of being sick and tired and are ready to get off that diet roller coaster. I invite you to join my Lose 10+ Pounds In 90 Days group program. We are starting on 10/2 and the program will take you all the way through the upcoming holiday season. How great would it be to actually lose weight, get healthy and also have amazing holiday parties and dinners? I'm offering a special price for the program, but that price expires tomorrow morning (925) at 8am. There's only 9 spots left, so ACT FAST!!! If you have any questions, comment below or message me! I'm here for you! www.holistichappyliving.com/3g Roller-Coaster-Diet

SNACKING, SNACKING, SNACKING…. And you just can’t seem to stop? Oh my word! You worked so hard all day to eat all the right things, but how can you ever control your blood sugar and lose weight if you can’t control that vicious snack monster? Wanna learn what you’re doing WRONG so that you can FIX IT ASAP and FINALLY be able to make healthier choices? Join my 4-Day FREE Tame Your Sugar Cravings Challenge AND TOGETHER LET’S TAME THAT SNACK MONSTER! 😜 https://holistichappyliving.com/tame-sugar-cravings-4-day-challenge/ Tame-Sugar-Cravings

What Are Healthy Crunchy Snacks? I’m sure you’ve heard me say before that I've always been a chip monster, so conquering my crunchy cravings was definitely on my to-do list. Most of the time, the reason that people crave something crunchy is because for whatever reason, crunchy cravings are usually associated with stress. Is that why around three o'clock I always felt like I needed a bag of chips? Quite possibly. How did I solve that problem? Well, crunchy foods of course! Celery is a great chip craving substitute because it's well.....crunchy. It is also a little higher in sodium content that some other raw veggies, so they also help with the salty part of that crunchy chip craving. One of my favorite things to pair with celery sticks is some yummy hummus, which give great protein and healthy fat. Another fabulous (and the one I turn to most often) is nuts. I absolutely LOVE cashews (even though they are actually a seed and not a nut). The only real problem with the nuts you buy at the store is that first off, they are roasted in unhealthy oils and are LOADED with added salt. Something most of us definitely don't need. The answer I found was to make my own roasted nuts. It's super simple and very fast. They only take around twelve minutes to roast. So from start to finish, you can have a whole pile of delicious roasted cashews in under fifteen minutes! Did you miss the recipe? Comment “ME” and I’ll get it to you! W5-P2