Sugar. So sweet.  So yummy.  So addictive?  So TOXIC???  I know. It sounds extreme.  But with so many of us struggling with health and weight and heart disease and diabetes, might we be doing something wrong?  Dr Robert H Lustig thinks so.  He has been researching the effects of sugars on the endocrine system since 1998 warning about the dangers of fructose and its involvement in the obesity, heart disease and diabetes epidemics in adults and now children.  He was recently interviewed for a segment on 60 Minutes. ... Read more » about Is Sugar TOXIC???? + {Sweet Potato & Carrot Fries}

How's everybody doing this fine Thursday morning?  Me? I'm in a good mood, silly even, thanks for asking :)  (Babycakes' new favorite word is "silly"... accompanied by lots of giggling).  Reboot Day 3 went much better.  I was peppier, more energetic, happier, and most importantly: headache-free.  YAY!!!  Someone asked me yesterday where I get all my salad recipes.  She was looking for a resource, a place to go... ... Read more » about Reboot Salads + {Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti}

In response to yesterday's post about Rebooting tips, someone asked me why I'm doing a Reboot again.  She felt I already had a healthy diet and had achieved good balance in my life.   And she was right!  I am so thankful for where I am right now.  Yes I still have 30+ more pounds to lose, but I am eating a healthy variety of foods, taking in good fats and lean meats, and losing weight slowly week to week.  I don't feel like my body NEEDS another Reboot right now; this time I'm doing i ... Read more » about Highs/Lows + (Pomegranate Oat Chia Protein Balls}

Day 1 complete!  Here's an honest look at the first day of a Reboot.  I woke up excited to start, surprisingly refreshed given the hectic evening a few hours earlier.   It was actually the first night I EVER remember writing a to-do list for what I needed to accomplish between 8PM and 11.  Whew!!  So I started with the lovely cinnamon apple bake, but by 10:15AM I was really hungry.  I fought it by drinking another glass of water and snacking on a few sugar snap peas (don't worry, that's ... Read more » about Reboot Tips + {Love Yourself MORE}

First a few confessions.  My hubby said my blog was full of lies (thanks honey)... but what he meant was that I'm never showing you the WHOLE picture.  I'm only showing you the part I want you to see.   I'm not sure what you think about me or my life, but I struggle with the same things you do.  My sink is more often than not full of dishes, waiting for the dishwasher to be unloaded.  Even Babycakes' sink looks like mine! ... Read more » about Reboot Part 1: Grocery List, Menu, & Cost

Last night we had friends over for dinner.  While that might not sound like a big deal to you, to us... to me and my veggie-hating-hubby, it was a big deal.  We were fairly hermit-y before Babycakes, but now that she's arrived we are even more so.  I told Babycakes we were having friends over and she said, "no momma... ... Read more » about Greek Yogurt Blueberry Banana Bread

Let me start with a sincere welcome to all the new readers of this blog.  I am so glad you are here!  It has been amazing to see all of you taking an interest in living the sweet life... no sugar added.  It is definitely EASIER to sit back and let life happen, to eat all of the convenience foods presented to us on a daily basis, to come up with 1000 excuses, to not exercise self-control and let food WIN, to allow ourselves to literally self-destruct... ... Read more » about Motivation + {Marinated Peppers, Jicama, & Corn Salad}

I was having a bit of a "down day" over the weekend.  A little bit of the same sentiments going through my head as that brutally honest Monday, but also some new thoughts, some new discouragements.  Yes, I have soooooooo much to be thankful for!  Yes, I've come a loooooong way.  Yes, I've lost 47 pounds.  But... ... Read more » about A Hip Downtown Eatery + {Hip Fat}

I am so excited that dear hubby helped me plan, dig, and build my first real veggie garden this weekend.  It's still too cold to plant (hence the indoor tabletop garden to start), but getting the infrastructure and soil ready for planting is most of the hard work!   I scoured the aisles of the local Lowe's to determine what sort of material I wanted to use for the sides / walls of my raised vegetable garden.  I was thinking in my head I'd use more like "timbers" stacked 3 or 4 high around e ... Read more » about Veggie Garden Progress + {Pink Kale Juice}

I don't like April Fools' Day.  I hate realizing I've been duped and believed something that is just a joke lie.  (Like last year when my friend shared a sonogram on her FB page, to which I responded with some long mushy congratulatory rambling of excitement, only to find out it was a joke.  Seriously though, who jokes about THAT?!?!)  Well this weekend, I discovered something that is definitely NO JOKE.  You've probably heard of them or tasted them in the past year or two:  VitaminWater & Sobe Lifewater -  Yu ... Read more » about B-Vitamins for Energy are NO JOKE!