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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Turkey Chili with Beans: Three Ways
There are few foods that say ‘America’ as much as chili and many areas lay claim to being its birthplace. Having thoroughly researched this I can definitely state that chili was first created in Texas. Or Spain. Or California. Or the Canary Islands, or Arizona, or Arkansas, or New Mexico, or South America. 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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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
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
Dinner Party Dilemma
I had dinner guests coming and my husband and I were doing the Healthy Solutions® Diet—yikes! Not wanting to break our dieting momentum I had to think of something we could all eat. By the way, I’m kind of known for my good eats with these particular friends, so the pressure was on to produce a meal that was “in the box” as well as gourmet enough to serve to guests. 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 (23)
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February
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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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February
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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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