A couple weeks ago, I confessed to you and the entire Internet world my love of dietary fiber and digestive regularity. Some of you shared my excitement. While others are probably planning ways to avoid me at upcoming New Year's parties.
So I'm just going to put this on the table, tell me what you think: macaroni and cheese. Just imagine — you can get all the benefits of fiber while enjoying a tasty, low-fat version of this traditional cheese-laden comfort food!
Healthier Macaroni and Cheese
Serves 4
Adapted from a recipe by EverydayHealth
Ingredients
- 1 lb whole wheat elbow macaroni
- 1.5 cups fat-free evaporated milk
- 1 cup low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup low-fat or fat-free ricotta cheese
- 1 cup cheese low-fat sharp cheddar (add more to taste, if desired)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 teaspoons of USANA Fibergy® Plus*
- 1 tablespoon Italian bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese (optional)
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook elbow macaroni in salted water according to package directions.
- In a large saucepan, heat the evaporated milk over low heat. Add the ricotta, cottage and cheddar cheeses until they melt, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Remove the cheese sauce from the heat. Stir in Fibergy Plus. Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and mix well.
- Pour the mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese, if desired. Bake the casserole for 15-20 minutes until bubbly and the top is browned.
Your Turn
Are you cooking with Fibergy Plus and using it in interesting ways? Tell me how in the comments section! We love creative ideas!
*Fibergy Plus is hydrophyllic so will thicken when combined with water. When cooking with Fibergy Plus, keep an eye on your dish to make sure it doesn't thicken too much!
Eating well is an important part of being healthy. From PRODUCT ADDICT'S Test Kitchen is a monthly column offering useful nutrition tips, as well as delicious, healthy recipes that use nutrition in creative ways.
Forget boring, mundane beauty regimens — mix it up with your much loved products to create the ultimate winter makeover! Ring in the New Year with supple lips and shiny locks. Read on to learn 5 ways to kick boring to the curb.
1. Soft, supple lips
Mix 1 teaspoon brown sugar with 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil. Gently rub onto lips in a circular motion to exfoliate. Rinse. Dry with soft cloth and generously apply Sensé Proteo-C Lip Balm. Voilà! Perfect pout for your New Year’s kiss!
2. Smooth, soft feet
Use Rice Bran Polisher to gently exfoliate rough, dry skin from the soles of your feet. Rinse. Dry with soft towel and apply a liberal amount of Intensive Hand Therapy to both feet. For extra rough spots try scrubbing with a natural pumice stone!
3. Bright, white teeth
Try brushing your teeth with fresh strawberries. The natural fruit acids along with the texture of the berry’s skin will help gently remove surface stains to reveal a more attractive smile. Follow with Natural Whitening Toothpaste for extra whitening effects.
4. Glowing skin
Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar to the Energizing Shower Gel and gently scrub entire body to exfoliate. Rinse and dry. Apply a liberal amount of Firming Body Nourisher to your feet, elbows, and hands. Next, apply an all-natural self tanner to your entire body. Be sure to moisturize everyday to make your glow last longer. Self tanners are a great way to look beautifully bronzed!
5. Revived, moisture-dense locks
Apply a generous amount of Nourishing Conditioner to damp hair. Wrap with a warm towel. Wait 10 minutes and then rinse with cold water. The cold water seals your hair cuticle so hair looks shiny and resilient!
Well there’s the scoop! Wishing you all beauty and health...
If you have any stories, comments, or questions that you would like to see addressed in this blog, please post in comments! To learn more about Sensé skin-care products, please visit http://myfountainofyouth.usana.com and like us on Facebook!
Now that I’ve known you all for a couple months, I thought it would be appropriate to take our relationship to the next level by giving you an update on my digestive health. I'm quite regular. And it’s fantastic.
Today’s post is all about dietary fiber and how much I love it. And why you should, too.
I first started paying attention to fiber a couple years ago. At the time, Fiber was (and still is) a big topic. As Tim, our Manager of Social Media Content, says: “Fiber is so hot right now.”
But it’s not a fad thing. Health practitioners have been singing the praises of roughage for as long as moms have been telling their kids to stop horsing around and eat their vegetables. As always, mom was right.
Benefits Abound
Dietary fiber aides and helps maintain healthy digestion. Fiber also helps control blood sugar levels and lowers your risk of certain colon-related diseases like hemorrhoids, which is a common problem, especially among office workers. One very cool thing about fiber is that it may also help aid weight loss by making you feel fuller, longer.
I’ll admit, when I first learned the benefits of fiber, I went a little overboard with the celery sticks and the double fiber bread. Then there was that high-fiber cereal I used to eat that tasted like hamster pellets combined with sawdust sprinkled with dirt. And all I got was a measly 2g of fiber per bowl.
I don’t know why I was punishing myself. I’ve since learned that eating healthy can and should be pleasurable.
Turning to the Pros
Lately I’ve been doing the Fibergy® Plus/Nutrimeal™ thing and it’s really been a lifesaver. Since I’m not a morning person, breakfast has to be fast and preferably portable. USANA has this “blenderbottle®” that can be seen bouncing around in my knapsack as I’m racing to the car in the morning with only half my makeup on. I like to throw some Nutrimeal in there or some orange juice with Fibergy Plus, plus an apple or some yogurt. That pretty much keeps me going until lunch.
And since I need to eat every 3 hours lest I get cranky, I do my co-workers a favor by having a USANA Nutrition Bar as my afternoon snack. The Chocolate Fusion one is hands-down my favorite flavor. It satisfies my sweet tooth, gives me a nice nutritional boost and it has 3g of fiber to boot. No more rabbit food for me!
Versatile Fiber
And guess what I learned today? You can mix Fibergy Plus in just about anything — from peach juice to almond milk to egg nog. It's great in chocolate milk, especially after a strenuous workout. We even mixed it with onion dip! Our Senior Manager of PR/Social Media Lisa's trick is she mixes the Fibergy Plus into her Nutrimeal for an extra creamy boost of health. I'm going to test it in soup, pasta and some other recipes — yummy dishes that also get us closer to our daily recommended intake of dietary fiber.
So... are you sufficiently jazzed about fiber now? Digestive health is fun!
Let Me Know
How are you getting more fiber into your diet? What are some cool ways that you're using Fibergy Plus?
My topic today stems from an experience I had at Costco a couple of weeks ago. Of course, the samples were out, and I went to one table to get a couple of tasters for myself. I told the woman, "Thank you" — as this is my standard response when I receive something from someone. She looked at me and replied, "You do not know how nice it is to hear that."
Awkward silence.
I was speechless. Honestly, I do not remember what I said. What I do remember is that I was sad and disappointed, yet not surprised.
Society's levels of politeness, common courtesy, and mutual respect have deteriorated to appalling lows. It started some time ago, and, with the prevalence of technology and social media, it has just gone downhill fast. Now that we are hiding behind computer screens and phones, we do not place the same value on the importance of interpersonal communication.
Simply A Smile Can Help
Often, it is the small things that make a big difference. Holding a door open, a smile. Making a connection. My neighbor, whom I am not that friendly with, helped me clear a foot of snow off of my driveway and sidewalk recently. Good Samaritans do exist, and helping someone does not have a one-size-fits-all requirement.
The holidays are a busy, stressful time of year — for everyone. So, while we are may be aggravated to wait in yet another line at the store, the person working at the register has been standing in the same spot for hours.
Let's all try to take a few deep breaths, be a bit more patient and understanding, and acknowledge others in a kind way.
If I instill one thing into my future children, it will be the importance of politeness, common courtesy, and respect. I am going to make an extra effort this holiday season. Will you join me?
Lunch with PRODUCT ADDICT is a monthly series focused on how we fit social media into our lives in a positive, healthy way. Feedback is always appreciated.
Daniel Lopez can’t stop talking about USANA and the RESET™ program. And with good reason.
Since starting on RESET at the beginning of Kathy Kaehler’s Summer Slimdown, Daniel has dropped an impressive 82 pounds* in eight months — including 26 in the first month alone.
“A lot of people ask me what the secret is,” Daniel said. “And I say, ‘It’s no secret,’ so I tell them all about it.”
Although he now spends time talking about USANA, it was an act of listening that put Daniel on the path to RESET success. His nephew approached him about USANA, but he wasn’t ready to listen with an open mind. Daniel gave his nephew a hard time, something he now apologizes for every time the two meet.
“When you get to be my age, you think you know everything,” he said. “But you don’t.”
Daniel, who is 60, admits the older he got, the more comfortable and resistant to change he became. “When you’re fat and happy, you just stay there,” he said.
But everything wasn’t happy. For a while, Daniel had been battling lower back problems caused by a fall at work. The bulging disc and tailbone injuries kept him from being active, which resulted in his weight topping the 300-pound mark. After a trip to the doctor, he also found himself on cholesterol medication.
Daniel’s family grew concerned with the amount of medication he was taking. They convinced him to start taking the Essentials and Proflavanol®. He noticed a difference, and, shortly after, was ready to become an Associate. His first order arrived on February 21 of this year.
His interest in weight loss led him to RESET, and 80-plus pounds later, Daniel said his life is changing for the better. He’s still in the Transform phase of the program — drinking a shake at breakfast and dinner, and having a low-glycemic meal at noon — but he’s getting close to his goal. His wife says he looks good, but Daniel is shooting to drop under 200 pounds.
He’s still working on it, but the benefits are already showing up. He said his weight loss has taken a lot of pressure off his lower back and tailbone. The new, lighter, healthier Daniel has the energy to do the yard work he’d been putting off.
As for the advice he’d give to anyone starting their own weight-loss journey, Daniel said the main thing is to drop the shield of skepticism and be open minded. He also recommends getting more information and listening to the stories of those people who have used RESET, because he said the more you hear from people who have been successful, the more confident you’ll be.
It comes down to doing what Daniel did — taking a little time to listen, and then taking action.
“I’m living proof that RESET works,” he said. “And I can’t stop talking about it.”
For more information about USANA products, please visit http://myfountainofyouth.usana.com.
*Results not typical. The typical weight loss is 4.5 pounds in 5 days.
Cody Blair still gets called names.
Whether those names are better is debatable, but the names certainly are different. They come from a different place, for a different reason.
“Now they call me anorexic,” the 22-year-old from Las Cruces, New Mexico said.
And those people are joking, of course. It wasn’t an eating disorder that transformed the Cody Blair of 2008 into the Cody Blair of today — healthy, fit, and missing 140 pounds.* It was a change in lifestyle and an introduction to USANA’s Nutrimeal™ shakes — and later, the rest of the RESET program—that has people commenting on his new, slimmer, healthier physique.
The names Cody used to be called were very different. He remembered going to Pennsylvania for college and hearing insults about his weight hurled at him on a consistent basis. These insults cut deep, diving Cody into depression. For a month, he stopped eating regularly.
Then his mom introduced him to USANA’s shakes. The selling point for Cody was the way the shakes made him feel fuller for longer. He started having a shake at noon and another before 7 p.m. This allowed him to start losing some weight. Pretty soon he was giving up junk food and parking further away from his destination so he could get exercise walking to and from his car. Other people started noticing the results.
“I didn’t know it until I got home from Pennsylvania, but my clothes didn’t fit,” Cody said. “My mom said, ‘Your pants are too loose.’”
The weight loss has continued for Cody. Just this summer he won a RESET contest for those in his mom’s USANA organization. His final total after those two months: 43 pounds. For this impressive accomplishment, he won $500 — most of which has gone toward buying new clothes that actually fit.
“It’s an awesome feeling, except it’s expensive,” he said.
Money and a new wardrobe aren’t the only reward Cody’s weight loss has earned him.
“To be able to be told by people that you are their inspiration, to help somebody is a bigger benefit,” he said. “I know that when I got my smile and pride back, it made the world seem so brand new, one day I hope to help as many people as I can, so that they can feel what I feel.”
During this year’s International Convention, Cody spent a lot his time in the store staring at the wall of the USANA Foods display — the wall adorned with his picture. He started getting recognized.
“People were happy to see a real person,” he said. “Someone that’s not on TV, that’s not Photoshopped or anything.” To help other people realize that weight loss is possible for normal people, Cody said he’s thinking about starting a blog.
For now, he is planning on starting a workout regimen so he can start building some more muscle.
“I want them to call me muscle head,” Cody said. It seems like that’s a name he could live with.
CONGRATULATIONS, CODY!!!
If YOU are ready to experience TRUE HEALTH and are committed to making a lifestyle change, RESET is the perfect way to begin 2011! Order this product at http://myfountainofyouth.usana.com.
