I’ve got a confession to make. Some recent visits to my doctor have made me realize I don’t get enough FIBER and I need to change this pronto. We all know fiber keeps things moving along, right? It’s good to be regular but sometimes we associate fiber with scary foods like *shudder* those dry bran muffins always sitting in the day old section in the cafeteria. Who ever buys those??

While fiber isn’t the answer to all my digestive issues and abdominal pain….it’s a good place to start. Of course fruits and veggies are an excellent source of fiber- but we all know that. Don’t we? If you’re not already cooking with whole wheat pasta and/or brown rice, this is yet another good reason to make the switch. I think these alternatives are much more filling than their white counterparts, and no, you DON’T sacrifice taste at all! When foods are processed, such as white pasta and white bread, the fiber is removed.

And since I’m praising the Quinoa Plant, I might as well put in yet another plug for this little pseudo-grain; yup, full of fiber!

Don’t forget nuts. I love to snack on raw almonds, pecans and walnuts, as well as sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Just make sure you enjoy nuts in moderation since they do have some fat…but it’s a good fat, really. Throw some on top of salads, put some into 100 calorie baggies and throw in your purse for a mid-morning snack.

Beans, beans and beans. I love my legumes. I’m a Veggie so getting my beans in is easy…but even my meat-eating friends incorporate beans into their meals. A friend of mine actually purees beans into all her pasta sauces and her kids are none the wiser! To them it’s “spaghetti and red sauce” and to Mom it’s fiber and protein!

I have been playing around with a bran muffin recipe I found awhile back and have now got it where I want it. Since applesauce is used in place of fat (butter, oil etc) these muffins are practically fat free! The recipe calls for whole wheat flour and yes, some white flour but I’ve found with ALL whole wheat, the muffins just don’t rise enough and are too dense. I throw in whatever I’ve got in my house; fruit, nuts, coconut, raisins, cranberries and/or chocolate chips (for a little bit of indulgence). I hope you like them as much as me!

1 1/2 cups bran (I’ve found works equally well with oat or wheat bran)

1 cup milk

1/2 cups applesauce (prefer unsweetened)

1 egg

2/3 packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup whole wheat flour,  1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix the bran and milk together in a small bowl and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile mix the applesauce, egg, brown sugar and vanilla in a seperate bowl. Stir in the bran mixture until smooth.

In another bowl mix together the dry ingredients.

Stir in the wet bran mixture into the dry, careful not to over mix here.

Fold in whatever goodies you want to add and spoon into lightly oiled muffin tins. I found they stick to paper muffin liners so I spray my tins with Lite Pam.

Cook for 15-20 minutes…I check mine at 16 minutes!

ENJOY!

Goal Setting. Ouch. Those 2 words diets and fitness regimes always bring up…

This is where things can get tough. Setting personal goals can be really challenging because we don’t want to fail and often put extremely high hopes on ourselves. The key to reaching your goals is to search within yourself and really ask what you want, and what YOU can do. Setting realistic goals will make achieving them easier because you can see the end and you can visualize the result. 

A good example of an unrealistic goal is, “I need to lose 50 lbs. by summer time”.  And let’s say summer is 4-5 months away. This goal seems so far in the distance and the amount of weight is astronomical to me at this stage in the game. Personally, I want to set a more realistic, reachable goal such as, “I will lose 5-10 lbs. THIS MONTH and exercise EVERY OTHER DAY for at least 20 minutes.” I know I can work at this goal because it’s a) short term, b) the lbs. to lose is within reason and believable and c) I’ve given myself a little extra with the goal of exercising every 2 days. Which one would you set for yourself and KEEP?

In your journal, write down 5 goals you would like to set for yourself and look at how to incorporate them into your life as soon as possible. This is where your daily affirmations come into play too as you can reinforce your goals daily through them!