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Sunday, March 28, 2010

From God to you, 66 Love Letters Book Review

Sunday for a lot of us is a reflection day, I like to find books to showcase that. Today we'll say's is Spiritual Sunday for book reviews :). For you who are looking for a great book that touches your heart and gives you strength I have found a perfect one. From God to You, 66 Love Letters by Dr. Larry Crabb is a beautiful book that just called to me. The back cover just caught my eye and made me shake my head yes as I answered the questions.
Have you ever read the Bible only to come away confused? Ever wondered if God actually had you in mind whne He began telling His story?

Though life may not be going according to your plan, Good has another one, far better than you can imgine. From Genesis to Revelation, experience His invitation to get you dancing with joy.
Many times I wonder about being good enough for God and people in my life. Being the best person can sometimes make me feel like I feel short. I know that no one is perfect and we all are doing the best we can, but of course we can always improve, I at least hope to improve.

I love how the first chapter he talks about not being able to sleep one night and from that came the beginning of this book. Isn't it funny how we are directed with out even knowing, at the time we may be mildly upset about the outcome but then later down the road it becomes clear to us. As we say it's God's plan we may just find out later what the outcome is, and learn to be patient because at first we may not be happy with why we were lead down this path but a brighter future awaits at the end.

Threw each chapter you will find a beautiful love letter to different parts and people in the bible. Each letter is written in a way to make you feel more apart of the bible. I found this to be an amazing book that brought me closer to my faith and that I am part of God's plan.

66 Love Letters Hard Cover is $22.99 or Amazon has it on sale for $15.63 or on kindle for $9.99.

Thank you to The Booksneeze for the opportunity to review this book, that is not currently on my nightstand to read a few more times!

I review for BookSneeze

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Her Mother's Hope Book Review

I love reviewing books for Tyndale House Publishers they always have the best themes with morals and just a great read!

Her Mother's Hope is set in the twentieth century. In this story you meet Marta Schneider, she comes from a strick family on her fathers side he makes no qualms that she will be nothing more than a servant. Her mother on the other hand encourages her to shoot for her dreams that the world is there for her. Leaving home to pursue her dreams she does just what her father says she will do by being a housekeeper and a cook. She doesn't let this hold her back she saves money and makes her own way to her dream of owning an inn.

Heartbreaking news from home makes her stronger and able to make the move from England to Canada. Once there she meets Niclas Waltert, he having the same goals and morals as Marta makes them a perfect fit. But as life goes she was not prepared for what she may lose of herself to be a wife and then motherhood. Their travels take them from Canada to California to raise her family, a far cry from her humble beginnings in England.

Marta so wants her children to be strong and have the best life possible, her way of parenting can sometimes come across cool and unloving. All along she wanted to be better but in ways took on her fathers sternness. Her oldest daughter Hildemara Rose has the hardest time with this she just wants her approval. Hildie falls in love during World War II and begins a family of her own. But as life works tragedy strikes and brings mother and daughter to get over their differences and hopefully bring them together instead of apart forever.

Buy a copy of your own and enjoy you'll be wanting to turn the page all the way to last 498 page. Hardcover is $24.99 on sale right now at Amazon $ 16.49 or on Kindle $9.99.

Thank you Tyndale House Publishers for another amazing book.

The 02 Diet Book Review

As you we all know I'm on a diet, LOL I know you all are sick of hearing it by now. But hey you love me so you'll stick around right? LOL.

On my quest to bettering myself I love reading all and anything I can get my hands on. When Brita offered me a new book I was on board. Keri Glassman MS RD CDN has come up with a new way of thinking. No more counting calories, it's about eating the right thing! I'm on board with that! The book starts with the science of the diet, which really helped get your mind in the game. She walks you threw different foods why they are good for you and in what way they are good for you.

I loved the meal planning pages that showed you exactly how to plan your week! This is a great book and plan, now for a busy mom on the go it may be a little hard to incorporate but sometimes when you need a change it takes a little sacrifice on your part. As always I say read get yourself all the information you can. Take from everything and make it what works best for you and of course what your doctors says is best for you!

Pick it up The O2 Diet: The Cutting Edge Antioxidant-Based Program That Will Make You Healthy, Thin, and Beautiful for $24.99 or on sale at Amazon for $16.99 or on Kindle for $14.99.

AND My favorite part some recipes to check out:

FOR BREAKFAST:

Caramelized Pear and Pecan French Toast

ORAC Value: 4,600

Makes 1 serving

Toping

  • 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup peeled and chopped pear
  • 1 tablespoon chopped pecans
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon honey, divided

French Toast

  • 1 omega-3-enriched egg
  • 1 tablespoon fat-free milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 slice 100% whole wheat bread

Directions

  1. Place a nonstick skillet over medium heat and coat with canola oil cooking spray.
  2. Combine the vanilla, pear, pecans, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon of the honey in a small bowl and stir to coat. Add the mixture to the skillet and cook, stirring, 3 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Coat the skillet once more with cooking spray and return to the heat.
  3. Beat the egg, milk, and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon in a shallow bowl. With a fork, dip the bread into the egg mixture. Flip to coat both sides.
  4. Place the bread in the skillet and cook, 1 minute per side, or until the bread is lightly browned and the egg is cooked.
  5. Top with the reserved topping and serve drizzled with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon honey.

FOR LUNCH:

Plum and Pecan Spinach Salad with
Pomegranate Dressing

ORAC Value: 11,000

Makes 1 serving.

  • 1 tablespoon 100% pomegranate juice
  • 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 1 ripe medium plum, cut into 1" pieces
  • 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) reduced-fat feta cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
  • 1 tablespoon raisins
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion

Directions

  1. Combine the pomegranate juice, oil, vinegar, and mint in a small bowl. Set aside.
  2. Place the spinach, plum, cheese, pecans, raisins, and onion in a medium bowl; toss with the reserved dressing.

FOR DINNER:

Sage-Crusted Chicken Tenders and
Crispy Kale "Chips"

ORAC Value: 4,400

Makes 1 serving.

Chicken Tenders

  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon shelled roasted sunflower seeds, finely chopped
  • 3/4 teaspoon finely chopped sage
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken tenders (2 ounces each)
  • 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey

Kale "Chips"

  • 1-1/2 cups packed kale cut into 11/2" pieces
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon extravirgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat a baking sheet with canola oil cooking spray.
  2. Place the egg white in a shallow bowl. Combine the sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, sage, and black pepper in another small bowl.
  3. Using a fork, dip the tenders in the egg white to coat both sides, and then dip in the sesame seed mixture, coating both sides. Transfer to one half of the baking sheet and mist the surface of the chicken with cooking spray. Flip the tenders with the fork and mist the other side.
  4. Combine the kale, garlic, oil, and sesame seeds in a small bowl, tossing to coat. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to the other half of the baking sheet. (Note: The kale does not need to be in a single layer.)
  5. Bake 15 to 17 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the kale is crisp and edges are browned. Flip the tenders and toss the kale halfway through the cooking time.
  6. Combine the mustard and honey in a small bowl and serve as a dipping sauce for the tenders.


What the publisher has to say:
Nutritionist Keri Glassman translates cutting-edge science into an easy-to-do program that will leave dieters energetic, healthy, and beautiful— inside and out. Glassman shows how dieters can—and should—indulge in foods like Caramelized Pear and Pecan French Toast and Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce and actually lose weight! The diet is based on the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale, a calculus developed by the USDA that measures how well a food protects against free radicals, the culprits behind many forms of cancer, heart disease, and symptoms of aging. Research demonstrates that eating a high- ORAC diet increases the antioxidant power of human blood 10 to 25 percent, strengthening memory and cognition, preventing cancer and heart disease, improving skin, and aiding in weight loss.

Friday, March 26, 2010

SafetyTat Discount Code

SafetyTat has generously offered my readers a discount! I'm so excited guys you so have to try them out and what better of a time then when you get a discount!

Head over to SafetyTat pick out the Tat you want and then when time to check out enter the code: RunningAway it may be case sensitive so enter it just like that! You will receive 10% off a $15 order!!!! Hurry this code only last until 4/13/10!! Now head over to SafetyTat now!

And of course don't forget to enter my giveaway TWO lucky winners will win a Quick Stick Write-On! Sampler Pack! Enter here: SafetyTat Review & Giveaway

Welcome to the Jungle (AKA Gym)



















































































































Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese
Martha Stewart

INGREDIENTS

1 small butternut squash (about 1 pound), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
1 cup homemade or low-sodium canned chicken stock, skimmed of fat
1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound elbow macaroni
4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup)
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated (1 ounce)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon olive oil
Olive-oil cooking spray or butter, to grease baking pan

DIRECTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine squash, stock, and milk in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
  2. Mash contents of saucepan; stir in nutmeg, cayenne, and salt, and season with black pepper. Stir to combine.
  3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles; cook until al dente according to package instructions, about 8 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a large bowl; stir in squash mixture, cheddar, ricotta, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan.
  4. Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking dish (4 inches deep) with cooking spray or coat with butter. Transfer noodle mixture to dish.
  5. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and oil; sprinkle evenly over noodle mixture.
  6. Cover with foil, and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil, and continue baking until lightly browned and crisp on top, 20 to 40 minutes more. Serve immediately.
Serves 6 (200 Calories per serving) Found this recipe on onsugar.com

Alexis Notes: I used my whole wheat pasta (no one still can tell the difference), We didn't have ricotta so I used mom trick of using cottage cheese blended (poor mans ricotta). I also didn't have sharp so it was medium cheese. ENJOY, get this Cole ate THREE helpings, he had two helpings and then bed time came back out and wanted more. This boy barely eats and he had 3 helpings of a healthy mac and cheese!

The Body Fat Solution Book Review

My favorite PR Girl Anna has done it again, sent me a book I totally love and need. Hello it was featured in Opera's Magazine and Men's Health Journal, that by my standards rocks!

As you know I've been trying to loose weight, I've been working out trying to eat better and smaller portions. So any extra help I can get I would love. This book is a great the introduction walks you threw the who what and why we are the weight we are. He leads you with each chapter of understanding the problem, wading threw the myths to reprogramming yourself and becoming a better person hopefully in the end.

Very interesting book and some great tips like everything you must always talk to your doctor first and find what is best for you. We are all built and made different things that work for one person may not be the same for another. My best thing I say is I read everything, get new tips and things that work with me.

Here is some great things the publisher broke down, they are better at words than I am :).

8 Overlooked Diet Mistakes That Put the Pounds Back On
By Tom Venuto,
Author of The Body Fat Solution: Five Principles for Burning Fat, Building Lean Muscle, Ending Emotional Eating, and Maintaining Your Perfect Weight

Clearly, we have an obesity problem in America and many other countries across our planet. Yet, I propose that we do not have a weight loss problem today. In case you're confused at this apparent contradiction, consider these statistics:

According to a study from Oxford University published in the International Journal of Obesity, within 3 to 5 years, about 80 percent of all "weight losers" have regained the lost weight, and often gained back a little extra.

According to research by the National Weight Control Registry, that relapse rate may be as high as 95 percent.

For comparison, relapse rates for drug, alcohol and tobacco dependency have been reported in the range of 50-90%.

This means that lots and lots of people have lost weight, but not many have kept it off. Therefore, we don't have a weight loss problem, we have a weight-relapse problem; we have a "not sticking with it" problem, wouldn't you agree?

In fact, the fall and subsequent weight-regain usually doesn't take years. Many people have abandoned their New Year's resolutions within weeks. By the time the Super Bowl party rolls around, the diet is ancient history!

If this is true, then shouldn't we put more of our attention on figuring out why you haven't been sticking with your program, and what you should do about it? That's why I put together this list of the 8 biggest mistakes that put the pounds back on.

This isn't your typical weight loss mistakes list, replete with diet food faux pas.

Rather than worrying about the minutiae of your diet plan, like whether you should be on low carb or high carb, Mediterranean or Okinawan, vegetarian or meat eater, I propose that if you simply focus on these 8 issues, you'll start getting more lasting results.

How? By being able to stick with whichever plan you decided was best for you! After all, even if you have the best nutrition program in the world -- on paper -- it doesn't do you much good if you can't stick with it!
1. No focus: you didn't set goals, you didn't put your goals in writing, and you didn't keep your goals in mind daily (by reading them, affirming them, looking at a vision board, etc.).

2. No priorities: you may have set a goal, but you didn't put it at the top of your priorities list. For example, your goal was six pack abs, but drinking beer and eating fast food on the weekend was higher on your priorities list than having a flat stomach.

3. No support system: you tried to go at it alone; no buddy system, training partners, family, spouse, friends, mentors or coaches to turn to for information and emotional support when the going got tough.

4. No Accountability: you didn't keep score for your own accountability -- with a progress chart, weight record, measurements, food journal, training journal, and you didn't set up external accountability (report to someone else or show your results to someone else).

5. No patience: you were only thinking short term and had unrealistic expectations. You expected 10 pounds a week or 5 pounds a week or 3 pounds a week, so the first week you lost "only" 1 or 2 pounds or hit a plateau, you gave up.

6. No planning: you winged it. You walked into the gym without having a workout in hand, on paper, you didn't plan your workouts into your weekly schedule; you didn't have a menu on paper; you didn't make time (so instead you made excuses, like "I'm too busy").

7. No balance: your diet or training program was too extreme. You went the all or nothing, "I want it now" route instead of the moderate, slow-and-steady wins the race route.

8. No personalization: your nutrition or training program was the wrong one for you. It might have worked for someone else, but it didn't suit your schedule, personality, lifestyle, disposition or body type.
Are you guilty of any of these transgressions? If so, the solutions are clear and simple: focus, prioritize, get support, be accountable, be patient, plan, balance and personalize.

© 2010 Tom Venuto, author of The Body Fat Solution: Five Principles for Burning Fat, Building Lean Muscle, Ending Emotional Eating, and Maintaining Your Perfect Weight

Author Bio
Tom Venuto is a fat-loss expert, nutrition researcher, and natural, steroid-free bodybuilder. Since 1989, Venuto has been involved in virtually every aspect of the fitness and weight-loss industry -- as a personal trainer, nutrition consultant, motivation coach, fitness model, health club manager, and bestselling author of the popular e-book Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, as well as other digital programs such as MP3 teleseminars and weight-loss membership websites. He lives in Hoboken, New Jersey.

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