Sharing another pasta recipe

Hey gang. It's still a little crazy here, but getting better. Either that or my mind is so far gone I no longer notice the lunacy of my household. :)

Sharing a recipe today from Dreamfields pasta. If you aren't a fan of Dreamfields, then go check it out anyway and use the sauce recipe. ;)

Classic Tomato Sauce with Linguine

Unexpected Inspiration

This video isn't exactly lc related - but sure says a whole lot about life, working towards goals, and in the end, what's most important.

Atlanta based photographer Zach Arias made this video for Scott Kelby's website. For those who aren't familiar with photography circles, Scott in an amazing teacher and photographer. And in all honestly, so is Zach.

The reason I felt so compelled to share this video is because I know we ALL go through these phases - whether it be photography, writing, weight loss... or just getting through each day. This video has single-handedly brought some sanity back into my life. It's helped me see so much. I hope it's as helpful for you.

Probiotics

Source
Dr. Briffa's latest blog post about probiotics is very interesting. As someone who takes probiotics daily, I especially found it interesting that they may help prevent common illnesses, such as cold or flu, in children. I've been giving my kids probiotics as well and now that I think about it, we have had less of the sickies around here than we usually do. Of course the true test may come when winter sets in and everyone we come in contact with is hacking and sniffling.

For those who aren't familiar with probiotics, here's the definition from Wikipedia:

Probiotics are dietary supplements of live microorganisms thought to be healthy for the host organism. According to the currently adopted definition by FAO/WHO, probiotics are: "Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host". Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria are the most common types of microbes used as probiotics; but also certain yeasts and bacilli are available.

At first, probiotics were thought to beneficially affect the host by improving its intestinal microbial balance, thus inhibiting pathogens and toxin producing bacteria. Today specific health effects are being investigated and documented including alleviation of chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases, prevention and treatment of pathogen-induced diarrhea, urogenital infections, and atopic diseases.

I buy my probiotics from GNC and, if I remember correctly, they contain around 14 million live bacteria. (Do they pay someone to sit in a lab and look at these with a micrscope, while they count 14 million of these little suckers???)

For those of you who eat store bought yogurt, (watch those carbs!) Activa has probiotics in it as well, but I'm told it's not as effective as taking the supplements.

Spaghetti Squash

Hey everyone! I'm trying to get things organized for the new school year about to start. I'm cleaning, purging old books, etc. It's taking some work to get it all done, but I'm confident I will start this year of homeschooling better organized than last year. I can't say it will stay that way, but at least I'm on the right foot to begin with.

Just posting a link today since I'm still working all this stuff out. I put up an article on Examiner yesterday about that awesome lc food the spaghetti squash. Go have a looksie and tell me what you you think!

Low-carb foods 101: spaghetti squash

New Carb Tracker for iPod and iPhone

Now I need to get one of these:

Cool photo by nickwinch


So I can get one of these:




It's totally cool and will work on the iPhone or iPod. Hubby has the iPhone and the above shot came from a screen shot of his phone. He's loving this application! The rest of the screen shots we took are in the slide show of my latest article on Examiner. Please visit me there to see the rest and get all the fun details!

Scarlett Johansson uses low-carb

Found an interesting tidbit about Scarlett Johansson's diet strategy while preparing for her role as Black Widow in the upcoming Iron Man 2 movie. You can read more about it here.

Too bad low-carb can't fix ugly. If so I'd be gorgeous by now! ;)

The zoo can be great for exercise

Hey gang! Here is the latest from my Examiner column. This particular article talks about our closest zoo, but I'd wager the same information applies to most zoos around the nation, sans prices or specific attractions.

Please stop by my column and say hello!

St. Louis Zoo: exercise, fun and low-carb food

Low-carb bake mix, chocolate almonds and sugar habits

Hello all you wonderful people out there in internet land! Isn't it just a peachy day!?!

*This is me trying to be chirpy and happy. I think it comes across as more annoying than anything though, so I'll stop.*

Honestly, yesterday was a rough one. I'll spare you the details. Let's just say I burned myself 3 times by the end of the day and it was no surprise ending. :{

Today is a new day, so I'm working on a better outlook. And if you have some good mojo, please send it my way just in case.

Weight-loss has been slow, but steady. Can't ask for more than that really.

I've recently put up 3 new articles on Examiner. Please come visit me at these links so I can buy my kids some shoes.

Atkins announces new Atkins Cuisine pasta and bake mix

Kick the sugar habit with 12 week teleclass

Cocoa Roast Almonds make mouths happy

Healthy Kids Winner!

Hey everyone! Sorry this announcement is a day late. Yesterday was filled with my kids 4-H activities and it totally slipped my mind in all the chaos.

I had my boy draw a name from the entries we've gotten and I'm happy to say the winner of Fred Hahn's Strong Kids Healthy Kids book is....

Sally B in WI! Congrats!!!

Thanks to everyone who entered. I wish I could give you all a copy.

Sally B, I'll be shipping your book out this week. Watch your email for details. :)

Win Fred Hahn's Strong Kids Healthy Kids!

Well, you won't win HIS kids, just the book with that title.

So anyhoo, I'm super excited today! Why? Because my 12 year old son has decided he'd like to take better care of himself. He's trying to watch his carbohydrates and exercise. He's become my diet buddy! :)

To celebrate I'm giving away a copy of the very book we are using to help him. As someone who has used Fred Hahn's Slow Burn approach, I can tell you that it is one lulu of a workout in a short amount of time. With the release of his fantastic book Strong Kids Healthy Kids, I can now feel confident in helping my son get through an effective workout. And the cherry on top is the fact that this book contains great carb-conscious nutritional advice just for kids!

I've just finished a full review on the book at my Examiner column, so please go check it out. I'll wait.......


*humming off key*

*attempting to whistle but pathetically spitting on the keyboard instead*

*picking lint off my shirt*

*inspecting the gunk trapped between the keys in my keyboard*


Great! Your back!

Ok, so here's how you win this wonderful book. Simply send your full name and address to healthylowcarbliving@gmail.com and be sure to put in the subject line I WANT HEALTHY KIDS. This will help me keep it out of the spam-a-lot box. (We delete all your information after the drawing so you'll never be spammed or bothered!) Send me your info by midnight central time on July 17th and you'll be entered into the drawing. On July 18th my son will randomly draw a winner from the pile and I'll announce it here. (So be sure to check back!)

That's it. That's all you gotta do. :)