Ok so I looove sweet potatoes in pretty much any form. There is a local restaurant that makes sweet potato fries that I regularly order and cant get enough of. Not the best on the waist line, but uber delicioso. I often make my own at home that are baked, not fired and are much healthier. I recently came across a recipe for these sweet potatoes CHIPS that I tweaked and now am obsessed with. Nothing like a healthy chip, right? There is something magical about sweet potatoes and cinnamon together. Its like they should always be together, married or attached at the hip, best friends like Heather and I. Anyhoo, here's the recipe and I hope you and your family enjoys!
This is what you need:
~ 2 Sweet potatoes
~ 1 tbsp butter (or spray butter if want lighter)
~ 1/2 tsp salt
~1/2-3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
What to Do:
1-Preheat oven *375
2-Thinly slice the potatoes----I used my cheese slicer and it worked like a charm. If you have a mandolin, use it!! The thinner the better!
3-Melt butter in small bowl in microwave and add the rest of your ingredients. Stir, then add Sweet Potatoes
4- Spray cookie sheet and add coated potatoes, arranging them into a single layer.
Bake for 12mins, stir, then for another 12 mins or until corners curl up. Turn off oven and let sit.
Do you want to lose weight? Feel less stressed? Be healthier?
There is no better day than today to start taking care of yourself! I know it can be hard to find the time for yourself, but YOU ARE WORTH IT! When you take care of yourself, you feel good. And when you feel good, everyone around you benefits from it. My husband knows that when I go out for a run, I come back feeling good, and therefore I have more patience with the kids and I can handle the day to day stresses much better.
Here are 7 benefits of getting physical activity from the Mayo Clinic: No. 1: Exercise controls weight
No. 2: Exercise combats health conditions and diseases
No. 3: Exercise improves mood
No. 4: Exercise boosts energy
No. 5: Exercise promotes better sleep
No. 6: Exercise puts the spark back into your sex life
No. 7: Exercise can be fun
A cheap and fun way to get your exercise is running!
Running is not like riding a bike. You can't take a break for a few years and then jump back into it at the same speed as when you stopped. I used to run almost everyday years ago and I was in the best shape of my life. I can remember running a half marathon and not getting tired at all. A few months ago, a friend asked me to do a 5K with her and I said "SURE!" I wanted to start running any ways and I knew this would give me a push to get started. I thought a 5K would be easy until I went out that first day to start my training. I thought I was going to die! I couldn't run for even 2 minutes without being completely out of breath. I came home exhausted and knew I needed to start off slower. I'm not 20 anymore and I could definitely feel it. I wrote a running plan and in 6 weeks I was running for 10 minutes straight with no problem. Here is what I did:
Put on my favorite music, laced up my running shoes and started my timer..... it's time to RUN!
I try to run 3-4 days a week
Days 1 and 2
Walk 3 mins.
Run 1 mins.
For a total of 15 mins.
Days 3 and 4
Walk 3 mins.
Run 2 mins.
For a total of 18 mins.
Days 5 and 6
Walk 3 mins.
Run 3 mins.
For a total of 21 mins.
Days 7 and 8
Walk 3 mins.
Run 4 mins.
For a total of 24 min
Days 9 and 10
Walk 2 mins.
Run 5 mins.
For a total of 30 mins.
Days 11 and 12
Walk 2 mins.
Run 7 mins.
For a total of 29 mins.
Days 13 and 14
Walk 2 mins.
Run 9 mins.
For a total of 35 mins. Days 15 and 16
Walk 2 mins.
Run 10 mins.
For a total of 38 mins.
Keep increasing your running time with each run. I don't time myself anymore, but after 3 months I was running for 45 minutes while only walking 2 minutes to start and 2 minutes to finish.
Make sure you always start and end with walking.
It is also a great idea to keep a journal of your progress. Then you can look back and see how far you came from day one. If you have back or knee problems and can't run, then speed walk. TIME says you can add YEARS to your life with just 15 minutes a day of exercise!
I had such a blast running the 5K with my friend Lisa. It feels great to set a goal and complete it. My boys were at the finish line waiting for me and they looked SO proud! They all said they want to do it with me next year! It's one thing to talk to your kids about being healthy and exercising, but it's another to show them how.
You don't have to wait until New Year's Day to start..... Start Today! Dishes need to be washed, laundry needs to be done, bathrooms need to be cleaned, but most importantly... you need to take care of yourself. YOU ARE WORTH IT! Signing up for a run is great motivation to start a training program. Here are some websites to look for a marathon near you: Marathon Guide Runners World Running in the USA
There are many different runs you could sign up for! Brandi and her family did a mud run last year and they had a blast running together!
There are also a lot of helpful running apps you can get for your smartphone...
RunKeeper Join the more than 12 million people who are using RunKeeper to turn their phone into a personal trainer in their pocket! Track your runs, walks, bike rides, hikes, and more using the GPS in your iPhone.
Cost:Free
Ghost Race Training for a marathon? Looking to beat your personal best? Do you need that extra push? Stop running against the clock and start training against a competitor. Set the distance and pace you would like to beat and get ready to train! Keep track of all of your fitness activities from taking a walk outside to working out in the comfort of your own home. Monitor your progress with the built in history storage complete with weather details at the time of your activity.
Cost: $0.99
Get Running (Couch to 5K) Targeted more for beginner runners. With three enjoyable workouts a week, in nine weeks you will be running continuously for half an hour, even if getting off the couch is a struggle today!
Cost: $2.99
Fitnio Fitnio is another GPS-based tracking and monitoring app for walking, running and cycling. The app records your activity and then displays distance, pace, caloric burn and also keeps an ongoing log of all workouts and also syncs with its website. Fitnio also provides an emergency contact option in the event that immediate help is needed during a workout.
Cost: $1.99
Run Coach Pro Run Coach Pro puts a personalized training plan in your pocket. Training plans are available for getting fit or race events (5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon, and 50K Ultra).
Cost: $0.99
Map My Run MapMy is a fitness tracking application that enables you to use the built-in GPS of your mobile device to track all of your fitness activities. Record your workout details, including duration, distance, pace, speed, elevation, calories burned, and route traveled on an interactive map. You can even effortlessly save and upload your workout data to any of the MapMyFitness websites where you can view your route workout data, and comprehensive workout history.
Cost: FREE
You don't need an expensive piece of equipment or a monthly gym membership to get the exercise you need!
Running or walking outdoors is also a great way to soak up some vitamin D!
US News Health says:
The sunshine vitamin may protect against a host of diseases, including osteoporosis, heart disease and cancers of the breast, prostate and colon. What's more, sunlight has other hidden benefits — like protecting against depression, insomnia, and an overactive immune system.
Make sure you put on sunscreen if running for long periods of time and follow these important safety rules from RRCA.
Don’t wear headphones. Use your ears to be aware of your surroundings. Your ears may help you avoid dangers your eyes may miss during evening or early morning runs.
Run against traffic so you can observe approaching automobiles. By facing on-coming traffic, you may be able to react quicker than if it is behind you.
Look both ways before crossing. Be sure the driver of a car acknowledges your right-of-way before crossing in front of a vehicle. Obey traffic signals.
Carry identification or write your name, phone number, and blood type on the inside sole of your running shoe. Include any medical information.
Always stay alert and aware of what’s going on around you. The more aware you are, the less vulnerable you are.
Carry a cell phone or change for a phone call. Know the locations of public phones along your regular route.
Trust your intuition about a person or an area. React on your intuition and avoid a person or situation if you’re unsure. If something tells you a situation is not “right”, it isn’t.
Alter or vary your running route pattern; run in familiar areas if possible. In unfamiliar areas, such as while traveling, contact a local RRCA club or running store. Know where open businesses or stores are located in case of emergency.
Run with a partner. Run with a dog.
Write down or leave word of the direction of your run. Tell friends and family of your favorite running routes.
Avoid unpopulated areas, deserted streets, and overgrown trails. Avoid unlit areas, especially at night. Run clear of parked cars or bushes.
Ignore verbal harassment and do not verbally harass others. Use discretion in acknowledging strangers. Look directly at others and be observant, but keep your distance and keep moving.
Wear reflective material if you must run before dawn or after dark. Avoid running on the street when it is dark.
Practice memorizing license tags or identifying characteristics of strangers.
Carry a noisemaker. Get training in self-defense.
When using multi-use trails, follow the rules of the road. If you alter your direction, look over your should before crossing the trail to avoid a potential collision with an oncoming cyclist or passing runner.
Call police immediately if something happens to you or someone else, or you notice anyone out of the ordinary. It is important to report incidents immediately
Start running today and let us know how you are doing! We would LOVE to post your progress to inspire others who read this. Take a before picture and your measurements to compare with later.
Go HERE to read 101 tips to get you motivated to run. You can do it... YOU ARE WORTH IT!
Happy Running xoxoxoxoxox
Are you using the toilet the right way? Did you even know there is a "right" way to use it?
Talking about what goes on in the bathroom is not usually something people like to talk about.........
except this lady!
My boys actually inspired me to write this. They LOVE to talk potty talk. They know how much my husband and I DON'T want to hear about their daily bathroom business, but they continue to tell us any ways. Then one day, my son asks me, "Why is it so gross to talk about poop? We all do it." I agreed and then told him, "Just not while I'm eating please." He was right though. Why do we have such a hard time talking about something that is so important to our health?
The main reason for starting Sparkly Polliwog was to share the things we do to make our lives better. As personal as this next story is for me, I feel I have to share it. If I would have read this 12 years ago, maybe I wouldn't have had to go through all the pain, money and discomfort that I did. If you have had any problems with constipation or hemorrhoids, read on because this could change your life! It did mine!
According to US News Health, over 63 Million people suffer from constipation! In the United States alone the cost of treating constipation is about $235 MILLION a year!
I was one of those people. After having my first son over 12 years ago I developed postpartum hemorrhoids and constipation. I dealt with it for over 10 long, very uncomfortable years. I think I went to see the doctor more than I actually went to the bathroom in those 10 years. I did EVERYTHING the doctors told me to do. I ate more fiber, exercised, drank more water, no soda, meditated, ate prunes and yogurt, stomach massage. I tried going at the same time everyday, Metamucil, phsyllium husks, enemas, etc etc etc. Nothing worked!
In 2005 my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer. He had over 3 1/2 feet of intestines removed! It was then that I decided I needed to take this more serious and start trying other options. I went to the library and got every healthy eating book I could find. The first thing I did was remove dairy from my diet. Then meat, then all animal products, and finally all cooked food. I went 100% RAW! I ate only fruits, vegetable and sprouted seeds and nuts for over a year and my bathroom problems stayed the same.
When I moved to the East Coast I started adding cooked foods into my diet. It was much harder to get fresh organic fruits and veggies in Connecticut during the winter. I can remember feeling so hopeless. I tried everything I could and I was still the same as I was over 10 years ago. I ate a lot healthier, but the constipation was still the same. I can remember lying in my bed one night asking God to fix me, telling him that I wouldn't ask for anything else for myself ever again. It seems a little dramatic now, but after 10 years of being backed up, I was all out of ideas.
About 3 months later my lovely SIL and BIL came to visit us. She told me about a book her husbands mom got him for his birthday called The Guru In You. I decided to buy it on my phone that night and started reading. I had no idea it was going to change my life the way it did. That was almost 2 years ago and since reading it I have gone to the bathroom EVERYDAY, most days more than once! I feel so much lighter, less stressed and so much healthier.
From Dr.OZ: Squat to Improve Bowel Movements
"If you squat when going to the bathroom instead of sitting, you can
release your bowels three times faster. This is actually the position
that people around the world used for thousands of years before the
invention of toilets. Squatting also reduces the development of
hemorrhoids and strengthens your legs."
From Yogi Cameron Alborzian:
"For thousands of years people have been sitting on the floor or squatting on the toilet, which is the natural sitting posture."
How could something as easy as changing the way I used the toilet fix all my problems? I had my doubts at first but I decided to try it for a week and see how it went. Two years later I am still squatting. I will NEVER go back to sitting. My stomach cramps are GONE, my constipation is GONE, my hemorrhoids are GONE!
From Natures Platform: Seven Advantages of Squatting
1. Makes elimination faster, easier and more complete. This helps prevent "fecal stagnation," a prime factor in colon cancer, appendicitis and inflammatory bowel disease.
2. Protects the nerves that control the prostate, bladder and uterus from becoming stretched and damaged.
3. Securely seals the ileocecal valve, between the colon and the small intestine. In the conventional sitting position, this valve is unsupported and often leaks during evacuation, contaminating the small intestine.
4. Relaxes the puborectalis muscle which normally chokes the rectum in order to maintain continence.
5. Uses the thighs to support the colon and prevent straining. Chronic straining on the toilet can cause hernias, diverticulosis, and pelvic organ prolapse.
6. A highly effective, non-invasive treatment for hemorrhoids, as shown by published clinical research.
7. For pregnant women, squatting avoids pressure on the uterus when using the toilet. Daily squatting helps prepare one for a more natural delivery.
There are many different things you can buy to go on your toilet to make squatting easier......or you can just squat on the toilet itself.
It is so weird that during the 10 years of going through all these troubles, I never heard about squatting, not even from all the doctors. It is not something that people will usually bring up during a friendly conversation, but it is such an important subject. Please pass this blog along......you never know who could really benefit from it. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
I started cooking steel cut oats in the crockpot so that my family and I could wake up to a yummy, healthy and FILLING breakfast. My family isn't always the easiest to please, but these recipes has been a success with the masses. You can cook this on low over night, or put on High for 2 1/2 hours at night then store it in the fridge and warm up in morning (just add a lil liquid-almond milk, milk before warming)
Here are a few recipes that our families like:
***makes3-4 Servings
Maple/Brown Sugar Oats
2 tbs real maple syrup
2 tbs flax seed (optional)
1 cup uncooked steel cut oats
3 tbs brown sugar
1½ C unsweetened almond milk
1½ C water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbs coconut butter/ or butter
Spray crock pot with non stick spray
Add all ingredients in crock pot and stir
Chocolate Oats
1 c. steel-cut oats
4 c. water
1/2 c. almond milk
1 T. cocoa powder
1 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt
2 T. coconut sugar or brown sugar
Spray crock pot with non-stick spray. Combine the water, milk, vanilla.
Whisk in the cocoa, sugar, and salt.
Stir in the oats.
Spray crock pot with non-stick spray (this prevents the oatmeal from sticking).
* This recipe is best cooked for 21/2 hours on high in the crockpot. It sticks too much for overnight cooking.
***my kids like to add some brown sugar when I use coconut sugar to sweeten it up. I prefer to add peanut butter~yum!!! Chocolate and pb!!! Yes, seriously, what goes better together then those 2 ingredients!? I put the mini health chocolate bars on top for effect. As much as I wanted to eat the lil melting morsel, I with strained since it was 6:30 am ;), I should get an award.
Apple Cinnamon Oats
1/2 C Steel Cut Oats
1 3/4 C water
1/2 C peeled & chopped apple
1/4 C raisins
1 tbs butter
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1Tbs Brown Sugar
Spray crock pot with non stick spray
Add all ingredients in crock pot and stir
A 1/2 cup serving of cooked steel-cut oatmeal without anything in it provides only 150 calories. It is a great source of complex carbohydrates, and provides 4 g of soluble fiber, which works to lower cholesterol. It also provides 5 g of protein. Some other great options to add to your oats to make it even healthier: berries, wheat germ, and all nuts! Get crazy! and get healthy! Let us know how you like your Steel Cut Oats!
Have you ever looked at the ingredients of most dog treats?
My new puppy has become a big part of my family and I like to feed my family healthy food. There are a lot of treats you can buy without all the extra ingredients, but they are more money then I want to pay. Is there a way to have cheap and healthy dog treats? YES!
Here are two great recipes to make for "mans best friend".
Sweet Potato Chews
Only 1 ingredient- SWEET POTATO
I used three sweet potatoes I got from the farmers market. Tell them you are making dog treats and see if they have any sweet potatoes that aren't "pretty" enough to sell. You can usually get them a lot cheaper.
1. Set oven to 250*
2. Peel you SP
3. Slice your SP. I used my food processor to slice the SP about 1/3 inch thick. It was VERY fast this way, but if you don't have a food processor then just use a knife.
3. Put SP slices on baking sheet covered with parchment paper
4. Bake for 3 hours. Turning once.
5. Let cool and then put in refrigerator for up to three weeks or freezer for up to 4 months
- 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce ( I just used a peeled apple that I put in the blender)
- 2 Eggs
1. Cook your sweet potatoes. Prick with a fork and Microwave until tender, about 6 mins or cook in oven at 350* for about 45 min.
2. Scoop out about 1 cup of sweet potato and put in bowl and mash. You can feed the skin to your dog as a treat while your cooking.
3. Mix the applesauce, flour, and eggs in with your sweet potato. I just put the applesauce, sweet potato and eggs in my blender and then added it to the flour.
4. Form a ball and roll out 1/2-inch thick on a floured surface. (I have mats that I used instead of the floured surface)
5. Cut out shapes using cooking cutters. Arrange cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet.
I have always been a bean fan, but it wasn't until I became a vegetarian that I started to make a large batch weekly and using them almost every day. This is a basic recipe that Heather and I use that isn't over powering so you can use in many different dishes, but has enough flavor to eat on its own.
WHY make & eat BEANS? You might ask. Well why not??? Here are some benefits of the mighty bean:
Ok, so let me start off by saying that I LOVE me some popcorn!! Heather knows since we were kids that I am a huge cheese fan and when she said she was going to make me "Cheesy Pop" I was like heck yea, bring it on. Then she whipped out some flaky stuff that said nutritional yeast on it, I was like, "Hold up, wait! Uh uuh, I don't want that". But she made it anyway and let me tell YOU, once you go Cheesy Pop, you NEVER go back!!!
Smoothie Recipe
2 bananas
1 Cup pumpkin puree
2 Cups Milk (your choice-vanilla almond milk is really good)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
handful of ice
dash of vanilla
Blend it all together and Enjoy!!
**makes 2-3 servings
We've been best friends for almost 25 years. Together, we laugh, raise 3 kids each and are always looking to try new things and shine as strong women. Raising kids and being wives is not always easy, so we wanted to share our experiences and the things we try to make things easier.
All views and statements are our own and should be used for informational purposes only. We are moms, not doctors, or therapist, or Martha Stewart. Take what we say and decide on your own if you want to take our advice, recipes or ideas. We are not liable for any burned cookies, hyper kids, distraught husbands or anything else that you try from this blog/vlog. :) Thank You~Sparkly Polliwog
3-Melt butter in small bowl in microwave and add the rest of your ingredients. Stir, then add Sweet Potatoes
