My Valentine to YOU!

Happy Valentine's Day! I have decided to give you, my patients, AND myself a special Valentine- a free "do-over" for any New Year's Resolutions that have perhaps fallen to the wayside. Did you promise to head to the gym after work three days per week, but now a heavy snowstorm blocked your way for a few days, and you simply dropped the whole thing after missing a week? What about walking your dog each morning- same excuse? In Austin, we had SNOW on the ground last week, but today it is literally 73* and SUNNY, so we need to head back outside.

How about eating more plants and less processed stuff? If the main GREEN in your diet is a Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookie, it's time to focus on more color. Even if your choice today is a chocolate covered strawberry vs. chocolate truffles, take that step and grab the luscious strawberries.

Whatever derailed YOUR good intentions, please use this "get out of jail free" card to cut yourself some slack, and START OVER TOMORROW (or better yet, TODAY!) And if your sweetheart asks what you'd like for Valentine's Day, ask for something that will promote your health, like new work out shoes or clothes, a pedometer, a heart rate monitor, or even a gym membership or an exercise bike! If you are still deciding what to get YOUR Valentine, and he or she hates the idea of exercising and you think a gift like that would offend them, at least choose a pampering gift that wont undermine their weight loss efforts, such as a gift certificate for a manicure or massage.

BOTTOM LINE: Enjoy this Valentine's Day and refocus on your HEART healthy habits for 2011!

Gluten-Free Heavenly Pancakes! ( A Brief GF "Commercial")

Okay, forgive the interruption in talking about the secret stash of medicines doctors keep in their cabinets- I guess you can consider this a commercial, though I personally do not stand to profit! However, I had to break in because this morning, my kids and I devoured the most DELICIOUS GLUTEN-FREE pancakes!

Over the weekend, which teaching girl scouts about celiac disease and wheat allergies (and earning the "Let's Get Cooking" badge), the girls and I discovered a new brand of Gluten-free flours and mixes. We made chocolate chip muffins using "King Arthur's GF Muffin Mix" with soy milk (Vanilla Silk milk- because that's what was in our fridge- so these were "GFCF"-gluten free casein free) and let me tell you, they were scrumptious! And not, "wow, that's really good FOR GLUTEN-FREE", but actually delicious, in and of themselves! They had an almost sugar cookie flavor (perhaps some almond extract?) taste, and a moist, delicious, cup-cake texture. No grit!

After that success, last night I purchased a box of the pancake mix from the same maker, and voila- this morning's feast! Forget butter and syrup when you've got cool whip and fresh strawberries. We all wolfed down round one, and went back for second helpings. I showed a bit of restraint and grabbed this picture before finishing my second one...

For the record, I'm sure there are many new GF mixes and products that are delicious. We like the Betty Crocker GF Brownie mix, for example. But we've also tried a bunch that have flopped, so I wanted to share this latest success story for the ONE in ONE HUNDRED Americans who have celiac disease.

BOTTOM LINE: Gluten-free does not mean giving up all your favorite foods (especially breakfast)- try some new GF recipes, mixes, and products and share with me the ones you love!

Support Girl Scouts- Buy some cookies today!

Okay, how can I recommend cookies when I'm supposed to be all about health? Simple! I have never said that desserts were "bad". I am way less about what you can NOT eat, and more about, well, MORE fruits, veggies, and exercise! Unless you have specific medical issues (such as gluten intolerance), cookies can be included in a healthy diet. (If you have celiac disease, we'll talk about yummy cookies for you another day- the Girl Scouts do not yet have a gluten-free cookie, though I hope they are working on developing one.)
Today marks the official start of Girl Scout Cookie season. I am a troop leader for a wonderful group of Junior Scouts, and we, along with the rest of American Girl Scouts, will be out selling cookies. Our troop does not set any cookie-selling records- to be honest, we joke we do "cookies-light". However, our girls look forward to our annual week or two of cookie sales, enjoying customers' tales of their daughters selling cookies and taking pride in the number of boxes of cookies we receive as donations for our men and women in the military. Of course, back in MY day, we had to go door to door, walking our neighborhoods and taking orders long before we handed out cookies...but I digress!
Scouting is still a wonderful opportunity for girls of all ages to build "confidence, character and courage" as they learn new skills and have fun.
BOTTOM LINE: Enjoy a girl scout cookie or buy a box as a donation for your favorite charity, and THANKS for supporting GIRL SCOUTS!