Top 5 from the Trenches: High Volume Fruit and Veggies
Hello from the clinic trenches. Dieters in my classes tell me all the time they need to find foods that are easy to grab, high in volume, convenient and delicious. What is the answer? Fruits and vegetables! Recently, I polled my classes and here are the top 5 strategies for getting high volume with veggies and fruits. Read Full Post
Souper Entree!
You can’t keep a recipe this good a secret! It’s warm, savory, and has a bit of a crunch to it. I like it enough to eat it several times a week. I’m talking about the HMR Savory Chicken. We all have our favorites, and this, for me, doesn’t even make my top 5. However, I L-O-V-E it when it’s prepared like this… Read Full Post
Top 5 from the Trenches: Entrees with Veggies
In this blog series, I highlight the “Top 5 faves” in our local HMR Program. This time around we are going to look at the top 5 entrée and vegetable combo recipes that dieters in our clinic are eating on a regular basis and would consider their “go-to” recipes when they want something filling, delicious and easy for lunch or dinner. Read Full Post
Take Control of Your Food Environment
Let me tell you a story about Rebecca* and her attempt to stick to her diet in the face of an un-supportive environment. Perhaps you can relate to her experience… Read Full Post
Sneaky Chef: The Purees Edition
I got into the habit of making purees regularly when I was making my own baby food. It was so simple to pour a puree into an ice cube dish and freeze it for later use. I’ve continued to do this to be able to have quick and easy access to some extra vegetables that can be easily incorporated (or hidden) in other foods I prepare. Read Full Post
My Favorite Kitchen Gadgets (and how I use them to make my life easier): The Blender Edition
I do most of the cooking for my family and rely on my favorite kitchen gadgets to help me make quick, delicious and nutritious meals. Read Full Post
Hacking Your HMR Shakes
Preparing an HMR shake is pretty easy – powder, water, ice, blend. Given how creative HMR dieters can be, I wanted to share some of their tips and tricks for making shakes in different ways. If you are looking for new flavors, textures, high or low volume, or just want to try something different, I think this blog will be worth your time. Read Full Post
Eating Healthy Fats
To many people working hard to lose or maintain weight, fats are often thought of as a 4-letter word. The calories of fats are twice as concentrated as calories from carbohydrate or protein, which is why they make foods so calorically dense in such small amounts. But we don’t need to avoid all fats. Some fats are actually considered healthy. Read Full Post
Hacking Your HMR Entrees
(Hack: modifying an item to create additional functionality)
At first glance, preparing an HMR entree seems very straight forward. Open the box, microwave for 1-2 minutes, add spices or vegetables, and eat. In fact, there are a lot of other creative ways to enjoy entrees. Let’s take a look at some of the tips and tricks veteran HMR dieters use.
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March is National Nutrition Month
March can be such a challenging month, weather-wise. At least in the northeast, it truly can come in like a lion and go out like a lamb. The cold and gloom of still-wintery weather can lead to hibernation from healthy behaviors. So what can you do to reverse this? Read Full Post
Top 5 from the Trenches: High Volume Shakes
Ever wonder what other HMR dieters’ favorite recipes are? Welcome to the first in a series of “Top 5” lists all about our most popular (and most filling) recipes, according to HMR dieters. We’ll explore everything from high volume shakes made with fruit, to entrees with veggies, as well as grab-and-go veggie and fruit snacks. Read Full Post
The Importance of Good Hydration All Year Long
Most of us know it’s important to stay hydrated, but what may be surprising is that our fluid needs in the winter can often be the same as at the peak of summer, when heat and humidity are excessive. Our internal regulation of fluids is managed by thirst, but dehydration can trick us into making poor decisions. Read Full Post
Sneaky Chef: The Beans Edition
In a previous blog, I wrote about how I incorporate zucchini into foods. Here, I’m going to share some tips on how to include extra servings of beans into your family’s meals. Read Full Post
The Can Man: Adding Volume to my HMR Entrees
My 25 years with HMR have been an exciting ride, and I have seen a lot of changes to the program. One big addition that I remember vividly was the introduction of the HMR Entrees. Read Full Post
Really Easy Meals: The Five-Bean Potato
Have you ever been in a situation where you’re rushed, hungry, and not quite sure what to eat? Well, my friend, you have come to the right place. Read Full Post
Make a Shake, Make it Great: Use Spices, Coffee and Cocoa
Originally published October 24, 2011, this blog was part of an early series on add-ins to jazz up your HMR Shakes. We thought it was worth sharing again, in case you missed it the first time... Read Full Post
Those Little Cuties!
I’m sure you’ve seen them! Cuties® are little mandarin oranges that are a popular sight in winter months. They can actually be two different kinds of mandarins, depending on the month. They are seedless, super sweet, easy to peel and kid-sized. Read Full Post
Share the Love this Valentine’s Day
Every year on February 14th we celebrate Valentine’s Day, and while cards and flowers are perfectly acceptable gifts, the real big hits that day are candy, chocolate, and nice romantic dinners. In other words, indulgent food is usually involved. This can put people working on their weight in a bind – but there is another alternative… Read Full Post
Tell your Honey to Take a Hike!
So many holidays and celebrations are centered around food. It doesn’t have to be that way! Read Full Post
New Year’s Resolutions: Useful or Useless?
Over dinner with a friend, we began discussing New Year’s resolutions, which led to a debate on whether they were useful or useless. “They are worthless!” he exclaimed, “No one ever keeps them, and then people feel like failures!” Of course not everyone follows through with a New Year’s resolution, I thought, but they are definitely not useless. Read Full Post
The Super Bowl: Who’s Going to Win?
Super Bowl is arguably the biggest football event of the year. To have a successful weight management day, take a look at some of these delicious recipes. Read Full Post
After-School Snack of Champions
With the influence of HMR on one shoulder and a gourmet chef on the other, I try to make my kids after-school snacks that are fun, delicious AND healthy. Read Full Post
BBQ that’s PDQ and ITB
Good barbecue can be a bit of a production to make, and it tastes great. Oh, there are two other things we should agree on: It’s pretty high in calorie and definitely not “in the box.” Or is it? Is there a way to get that great barbecue flavor without blowing your diet? Indeed, there is. Read Full Post
A Blast from My Past: The Counter-top Blender
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to get stuck in a rut with your daily routines? One of my preferred routines was to make my daily HMR shake with a Braun® hand-held Immersion blender. It wasn’t until I was stretched out of my comfort zone that I realized how much of a rut I was in. Read Full Post
The Secret Life of a Five-Bean Entrée
All HMR entrees lead a secret life, and the Five-Bean entrée is no exception. Here’s the secret: they also make great soups. Read Full Post
How to Pick a Diet
So you’ve made weight loss a priority for the New Year. But this time you want to make sure you actually have a chance of success. Sound familiar? In fact, studies have shown that 82.5% of people pick a diet that is virtually guaranteed to fail. Weight loss can be successful, however, if you know what factors are important to consider. Read Full Post
Soup: The Weight-Loss Secret That Comes in a Bowl
Allow us a moment to ponder the lowly bowl of soup. When you think about it, soup is just a main course with water added, right? It’s the same amount of food and you’ll eat just as much, right? Well, as it turns out, not so much. Read Full Post
The Rehabilitation of Brussels Sprouts
If ever a vegetable needed a public relations makeover, it would be the Brussels sprout. Just do a quick online search for Brussels sprout and you see comments such as “Tastes like punishment!” and “Soft, mushy and yucky – no thanks!” So, let’s blow up traditional ways of cooking them. Instead of boiling, let’s try something new – like roasting. Read Full Post
Girl about Town: Hot Drinks for Cold Days
All summer long, when it’s too hot to cook or I just want something cold and refreshing, I’ll happily blend up a fruit smoothie or make a shake with a no-calorie add-in. However, in these colder months, I haven’t been as excited to have an icy cold beverage… Enter hot drinks. Read Full Post
Suffering from Holiday Diet Fatigue? Pump up the Volume!
This might be a good time to take a step back and review what’s been happening the past few weeks. So far, you’ve survived Halloween, Thanksgiving, holiday parties, Hanukkah (for some), and Christmas (for others). But, we’re not quite done yet. The New Year’s weekend is coming fast. Read Full Post
Demo-licious!
This was a fun and easy way to introduce my friends to HMR and get them on their way towards their weight loss goals. I’m happy to report that they’ve already lost 4.5 to 10 lbs each in the first 2 weeks on their diets! Read Full Post
To Snack or Not To Snack?
How many times have you heard the advice that it is better to eat smaller meals throughout the day instead of 3 meals a day? Eating more frequent meals has been said to help “speed up your metabolism,” decrease your appetite, or increase your energy level. Is this just another diet myth or is there any truth to it? Read Full Post
Healthy Hanukkah Helpings
Unlike other Jewish holidays, such as Rosh Hashana, where apples and honey are the most recognized food of the holiday or Passover, where bitter herbs, eggs and harroset play a prominent role on the plate – Hanukkah is all about The Gap. Here are some Decision-Free and Healthy Solutions/Phase 2 ideas for a low-cal, healthy Hanukkah celebration. Read Full Post
The Phase 1 ‘Stay In the Box through Year End’ Challenge
During the holidays, you may ask “Do I eat off the diet, or stay ‘in the box?’” Well, staying “in the box” is a virtual guarantee of weight loss and those that don’t will likely struggle. So, here’s the challenge to everyone in Phase 1: Stay “in the box” 100% over the holidays. Here’s how to do that without feeling like you’re depriving yourself. Read Full Post
Banishing the Baking Blues
This time of year, it is so fun to be in the kitchen with my children creating cookie masterpieces! However I also struggle with having baked goods in the house as I could easily eat a lot of calories in baked goods several times a day. This has been a dilemma for me until I found some recipes for baking things that are not meant to be eaten. Read Full Post
Moo Goo Gai Pan: In the Box Take-Out Food
During a recent trip to the grocery store, something caught my eye. It was the huge amount of floor space devoted to ready-to-eat take-out food. Does anybody buy groceries in grocery stores anymore? The good news is that you can make “in the box” fast food… Read Full Post
Pesto Change-o
One of America’s favorite sauces for pasta is pesto. Unfortunately, traditional pesto runs anywhere from 850 to 1,200 calories a cup, or about 65 calories for a single tablespoon. Let’s see if we can put pesto on a diet, perhaps even lowering the calories to “in the box” levels while maintaining its flavor. Read Full Post
My Winter CSA Share
In a previous blog I waxed poetic about the benefits of having a CSA share. But did you know that a CSA share doesn’t have to just be for spring, summer or fall? Yes, there are also winter shares, and shares that go year round. Read Full Post
Building the Better Burger: Portabello Burgers
On a recent trip to visit family in CA, something caught my eye as I traveled from the airport to my destination. It was hamburgers – they were everywhere… Read Full Post
The Phase 1 Thanksgiving Challenge
Most people know that breaking a diet, even one time, can drastically reduce weight loss… So, here’s HMR’s challenge to everyone in Phase 1: Stay “in the box” 100% over the long Thanksgiving weekend. Let’s take a look at how you might do that without feeling like you’re depriving yourself. Read Full Post
Autumn Chili
One of the problems with traditional fall foods is that they can have me packing on pounds faster than the Red Sox fall out of 1st place in September. With that in mind, I started working on some classic fall recipes that are full of flavor, have lots of vegetables, and are low in calories. Read Full Post
Taking a Bite out of Holiday Weight Gain
Whether you are in Phase 1 or Phase 2, the year-end holidays can be challenging. It seems like when the Halloween candy first appears in stores, to Thanksgiving, on through December’s holidays, and perhaps ending with Super Bowl Sunday in early February, Americans are faced with one over-eating occasion after another. Read Full Post
My Favorite Kitchen Gadgets (and how I use them to make my life easier): The Food Processor Edition
I recently wrote about how much I love using my crockpot. With a big family to feed, and small children underfoot, I am able to make healthy and delicious meals without a lot of fuss or time spent in front of a hot stove. I will now share my love and appreciation for another helper in my kitchen: the food processor. Read Full Post
Raise the BeneFit Bar
When only something chewy and flavorful will keep your hand out of the cookie jar, having a good Benefit® Bar recipe can make the difference between staying the course or going off track. Read Full Post
Lettuce Play With Our Food
Were you ever told not to play with your food? Well, I give you permission to play with your food. I don’t mean sling your Chicken Pasta Parmesan across the room, or finger paint with 70 Plus pudding. No, I’m talking about playing around with HMR Shakes and Entrees to create fun, new recipes that you can really get excited about! Read Full Post
Empty Nest – Empty Fridge!
After signing the lease for the last of the kids to move into their own apartment (and the college years almost wrapped up too!), I’ve hit what is fondly known as the “empty nest” stage! Can anyone else relate? Is it what you expected? What I don’t think I could have ever expected is that it would change my routine around meals. Read Full Post
Picnic Beans
My parents were consummate party throwers. Nothing wild, mind you, but they were either hosting or attending get-togethers sometimes 2-3 times a month. Backyard cookouts, company picnics, church pot lucks, beach parties, kids’ birthdays and just plain old ‘hey, lets have a party’ were occasions to get everyone together and ‘bring a covered dish.’ Read Full Post
My Favorite Kitchen Gadgets (and how I use them to make my life easier): The Crockpot Edition
I like to tease my husband that the local Best Buy® store is his best friend. He likes to spend time there visiting his favorite gadgets and daydreaming about bringing them home one day. Since I do most of the meal prep and cooking in the house, I thought I would introduce you to my best kitchen friends (i.e. gadgets that make my life easier)... Read Full Post
Freeze, Frappe or Float
Depending on where you hail from in the U.S., you may know them by different names. Where I’m from, when you blend ice cream and soda together you get a “freeze.” I’m talking about those blended, thick, frosty, icy shakes that are reminiscent of malt shop fare. One big sip and you have instant brain freeze. Read Full Post
A Train, A Plane, and A Hotel Room
I had a trip planned to Boston, MA from my home in California, and I wanted to make sure I arrived at my destination without having gained weight. So, I did an experiment: to see if I could stay on track, eat healthy and arrive at my destination without blowing my calorie budget on snacks along the way. Read Full Post
Dips Without Chips
The problem with most traditional dips is two-fold. First, they are served with chips. In nutritional parlance, chips are basically a crunchy vehicle for salt and grease. Hey, I guess someone had to say it. The second problem is the dip itself. Read Full Post
Fast Food for a Family of Five
Before having my children, even as far back as when I was single, I’ve always thought of the HMR Entrees as the starting point of my meal, kind of a “hamburger helper” if you will. I am a volume eater and like a big plate of food, so I have always added vegetables to the entrees. Read Full Post
Make a Shake, Make it Great: Use Extracts
In the first three “Make a Shake, Make it Great” blogs, we discussed using diet soda and sugar-free flavored water, then sugar-free syrups in your shakes, and finally sugar-free puddings and Jell-o®. The next stop in our series is using extracts in your shakes. Read Full Post
Dynamic Entree Duos
Many HMR foods go together just as well as some of your old favorites. Let’s take a look at some entree + entree combinations that have become HMR classics. Read Full Post
Farm Fresh, Any Time of Year
As I’ve mentioned in a previous blog, we belong to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for vegetables and fruits. We have done both summer and winter shares and I have gotten pretty good at finding new recipes to use up these fresh goodies. Read Full Post
Girl About Town: The Lost Weekend
We all know how it is. Friday comes (TGIF!) and a whirlwind of freeform activity ensues: dinners with friends, birthday parties, watching “the game,” Brunch (with a capital B), not to mention all-day affairs like weddings, family parties, etc. These types of weekend activities tend to involve lots of eating (and drinking) and not so much exercise… Read Full Post
Misleading Labels: How ‘Zero’ Calorie Foods Contain Hidden Calories
We were having green beans and mushrooms with dinner the other night – one of my favorites. As usual, we had the no-calorie spray butter on the table and I noticed it was getting a little low. Funny, we had just bought a new bottle last week. Oh well, it has zero calories right? Read Full Post
Just Like Mom Used to Make
There’s nothin’ like my mom’s oatmeal. When I was a kid my mom would send my brother, sister and me off to school with a warm bowl of oats that was to die for. Even now, I get all warm and fuzzy inside when I think back to that delicious bowlful of love. Read Full Post
Make a Shake, Make it Great: Use Sugar-Free Pudding or Jell-o
The third in a series, this blog focuses on ways to add variety to the flavor of your shakes by using sugar-free pudding or Jell-o®. Read Full Post
Kids and Kabobs
I recently decided to introduce vegetable kabobs to my kids since food on skewers is so interesting to little children. I mean really, who doesn’t like food on a stick? Read Full Post
Recipe Substitutions: Great Taste, Less Calories!
A common question I hear is, “how can I make some of my favorite recipes lower in calories but still have them taste good?” Well, making small ingredient changes to the fat content of a recipe you love can often cut a lot of calories and have very little impact on the overall quality and taste.
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Veggies Undercover
Several years ago, there was a raging debate over the wisdom of hiding pureed vegetables or fruits in children’s food. Parents with picky eaters were at the forefront of this movement. They reasoned that since vegetables and fruits are so important for good health, it was okay to get this nutrition into their children in whatever way they could. Read Full Post
I Eat Whole Cantaloupes
I know calories. I mean, I’ve worked for HMR for 22 years, so I better know calories! But recently, some calorie information really struck me in a new way. Melons, like honeydew, watermelon and cantaloupe, are only 10 calories an ounce. Read Full Post
No-Bake Entree Recipes, Part 1
Sometimes you just don’t want a hot meal; like lunchtime, summertime, and lazytime. Give your microwave the afternoon off with some easy, throw-together meals that don’t require a kitchen appliance. Read Full Post
Make a Shake, Make it Great: Use Sugar-free Syrups
In the first ‘Make a Shake, Make it Great’ blog we discussed using diet soda and sugar-free flavored water. The next stop in this series is using sugar-free syrups in your shakes. Read Full Post
CSA Share, How Do I Love Thee?
CSA Share, how do I love thee, let me count the ways:
I love the bounty of fresh vegetables and fruits you provide.
I love the new vegetables we have never tried that push us to try something new.
I love the interest you pique in my children when they see interesting shapes and colors among the produce. Read Full Post
Diary of a Demo
It all started on a Saturday morning run with my friends. We’ve met up every Saturday for 7+ years to slug out a few miles together and update each other with what’s going on in our lives. I’ve thrown a few BeneFit Bars their way over the years, but they’ve asked me very few questions about dieting. Today was different. Read Full Post
Make a Shake, Make it Great: Use Diet Soda or Sugar-free Flavored Water
HMR makes 2 basic flavors of shakes: vanilla and chocolate (the Chicken Soup and Multigrain Hot Cereal also count as shakes, but we’ll talk about them in another blog). While most people think the vanilla and chocolate shakes taste really good on their own, at some point they might want, well, something else. Read Full Post
Going Nuts for PB2
What is PB2? It’s made from, well, peanuts. Specifically, it’s made from roasted peanuts that have been 85% defatted and ground into a powder. It comes in two varieties, plain and with chocolate (pure genius!). Read Full Post
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2012 (56)
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April
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Introducing the 2012 HMR Triple Imperative Challenge Is it Really More Expensive to Eat Healthy? No Longer Black and White! The Guinea Pig Diet Really Simple Soup: Garden Chicken and Rice Common Phase 1 Challenges: Family Pizza Night Jackson’s Drawing Top 5 from the Trenches: Entrees with Veggies Girl about Town: Every Little Bit Counts Take Control of Your Food Environment Healthy Families: Bringing Vegetables and Fruits into Meal Times
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March
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Dixie Dog and My Workout Rut Teach Your Children Well Sneaky Chef: The Purees Edition My Favorite Kitchen Gadgets (and how I use them to make my life easier): The Blender Edition 5-2-1-0 Let’s Go! The Mileage Club Hacking Your HMR Shakes Eating Healthy Fats Gluten-Free Diets – A Closer Look Hacking Your HMR Entrees My Gym Dilemma March is National Nutrition Month Top 5 from the Trenches: High Volume Shakes The Importance of Good Hydration All Year Long
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February
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Sneaky Chef: The Beans Edition The Can Man: Adding Volume to my HMR Entrees Family Matters: Being Active Together Really Easy Meals: The Five-Bean Potato 5-2-1-0: Eating through the Rainbow Make a Shake, Make it Great: Use Spices, Coffee and Cocoa Those Little Cuties! Share the Love this Valentine’s Day Tell your Honey to Take a Hike! Working Out in Winter Months Your HEART is in Your Hands!
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January
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The Super Bowl: Who’s Going to Win? 5-2-1-0 Let’s Go! After-School Snack of Champions BBQ that’s PDQ and ITB A Blast from My Past: The Counter-top Blender The Childhood Obesity Dilemma The Secret Life of a Five-Bean Entrée No Time for Morning Exercise? How to Pick a Diet Soup: The Weight-Loss Secret That Comes in a Bowl The DVR is my Secret Weapon So You Made a New Year’s Resolution to Lose Weight. Now What? The Rehabilitation of Brussels Sprouts
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April
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2011 (71)
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December
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Girl about Town: Hot Drinks for Cold Days Suffering from Holiday Diet Fatigue? Pump up the Volume! Demo-licious! To Snack or Not To Snack? Sneaking in Physical Activity during the Busiest Time of the Year Healthy Hanukkah Helpings The Phase 1 ‘Stay In the Box through Year End’ Challenge Banishing the Baking Blues Moo Goo Gai Pan: In the Box Take-Out Food Training for White Rock Girl about Town: The Well-Stocked Pantry Pesto Change-o Turkey Chili with Beans: Three Ways
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November
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The Kids are Back in Town Are You Planning to Stay “In the Box” on Thanksgiving? Un-learning Theory Building the Better Burger: Portabello Burgers The Phase 1 Thanksgiving Challenge Wondering How to Make Sense Out of Health Information on the Internet? Autumn Chili Taking a Bite out of Holiday Weight Gain My Favorite Kitchen Gadgets (and how I use them to make my life easier): The Food Processor Edition Raise the BeneFit Bar Starting Over: How an Injury Brought My Exercise to a Whole New Level On the Road… and on the Decision-Free Diet Lettuce Play With Our Food
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October
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Empty Nest – Empty Fridge! Can You Reset Your Metabolism? Yoga with Irene On the Road: How to Take Your Exercise with You Picnic Beans Girl about Town: Party Down at the Pot Luck My Favorite Kitchen Gadgets (and how I use them to make my life easier): The Crockpot Edition Freeze, Frappe or Float A Train, A Plane, and A Hotel Room Dips Without Chips Sneaky Chef: The Zucchini Edition
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September
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A Conversation with Jason Fast Food for a Family of Five Make a Shake, Make it Great: Use Extracts Dynamic Entree Duos Are School Lunches Getting Healthier? Farm Fresh, Any Time of Year Girl About Town: The Lost Weekend Misleading Labels: How ‘Zero’ Calorie Foods Contain Hidden Calories Just Like Mom Used to Make Make a Shake, Make it Great: Use Sugar-Free Pudding or Jell-o Yo-yo Dieting: Harmful or Harmless? Kids and Kabobs
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August
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Recipe Substitutions: Great Taste, Less Calories! Benefits of Weight Loss that Your Doctor Won’t Tell You Yikes! The Gym! Veggies Undercover I Eat Whole Cantaloupes No-Bake Entree Recipes, Part 1 Looking for Straight Talk about Nutrition? The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly… of working out with kids in tow Make a Shake, Make it Great: Use Sugar-free Syrups Girl About Town: Putting Your Best Foot Forward CSA Share, How Do I Love Thee? Diary of a Demo The 4 O’clock Shake Make a Shake, Make it Great: Use Diet Soda or Sugar-free Flavored Water What’s on the Menu? Lots of Calories!
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December
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