Almost 25 Weeks Along!

I am almost 25 weeks along in this pregnancy! It's actually going pretty fast. My next appt will be the one that we'll do the glucose testing on, I can't believe I am already that far!

Things have been very good the last few weeks. I am feeling pretty good most days, and haven't had too many complaints (except heartburn...ouch!) The kicks this little girl is giving are SO fun to feel. We nicknamed her Thumper, because she thumps my belly instead of kicks it. She's so strong!

We've started thinking about names but there isn't one that has jumped out at me as being the one.

Which doesn't surprise me really...it took a couple of days after my daughter was born to finally decide on a name for her. We are just indecisive like that, with pretty much a lot of things :)

My Daughter is still really excited about this baby. She is always finding little ways to include her baby sister and she hasn't even met her yet! She'll include her completely on her own in conversations, including her when even I forget to.

One night we were all cuddling on the couch, the 3 of us. My Husband asked her jokingly who her best friend was. After he asked he whispered 'Daddy' as a helpful clue to the answer :)

I said "No, let her answer' Thinking for sure she would pick her Mommy. I mean, we spend all day together after all :)

She was quiet a moment...then said....

'My baby sister!"

So freakin sweet! I hadn't even thought of that answer, and here she is thinking of the baby, and already saying they are best friends. It makes me so happy to see her so excited about this, and it makes it all the more exciting for us.


........

I have been having some pretty strong food cravings...mostly for Chinese food (yum!!) and fried chicken. Actually any kind of chicken will do...like drummies with barbeque sauce...mmm. And especially KFC. Yeah, not proud of that but what can I do? I made a late night run the other night just to pick up some crunchy goodness, and it was totally worth the effort.

Now I want some Chicken again, LOL!

I won't be around much the next week...we have a trip planned that will take us out of state. Kinda exciting, but I am a nervous flyer so hopefully I can handle that okay :) I'll be back mid next week!

CafePress T-Shirt Review & Giveaway! (Winner Gets 2 Tees!)

One of my favorite items to wear would definitely have to be the classic tee shirt. Tees are not only comfortable for me to wear, but there are also so many designs to choose from that there is always something to fit my mood and style. One of my favorite places to find new tees for myself and my family is CafePress!

CafePress has a huge selection of products that would be perfect for every member of your Family. Their items make wonderful and unique gifts too, I actually bought my Husband's father's day present from CafePress last year and he loved it! CafePress offers the best selection of personalized gifts and unique t-shirts, clothing, mugs, art, and posters. You can even create a Custom Design all of your own.....perfect for a business, school team, or a great personalized gift for a loved one!

CafePress sent my daughter and I each a tee shirt for this review, and right away I knew what themes I would select for us. With another baby on the way, I was interested in checking out their Maternity Line to see what styles they offered for Moms to be. What I found was a HUGE variety of tee shirts that ranged from humorous to sweet, ones that made me laugh and made me smile!

I loved this tee shirt, it's a line I have used on my Husband before, LOL!

I loved this one too, perfect for my January Due date!

For my daughter, I wanted to get her something that would celebrate her being a big sister. Afterall, this is an exciting event for her too! They had a lot to choose from, it took awhile to nary my choice down to one! This Big Sister Tee will be perfect to wear when she gets to meet her sister for the first time! In fact, it's already one of her favorite shirts to wear, and she is so proud to show people her shirt and let them know that she gets a baby sister soon! I think these shirts are a great way to get an older sibling excited about a new baby and let them feel included in it all....it's a special gift!

Here we are in our tees! I ended up choosing the Mommy's Sidekick tee, because baby kicks are my favorite part of pregnancy :)

My shirt is so comfortable to wear, and fits my growing belly perfectly. I ordered a Large to ensure that it would fit me the whole 9 months. The shirt is also a longer length which is perfect because it covers my backside when I have to bend over! That's something I need even when I am not pregnant :)

CafePress products are very easy to order, and their website is easy to navigate with a helpful themes to get you started, and a search bar to get you to something specific you may already have in mind.

If you are looking for a great gift, you're sure to find a great item that will fit that person's personality perfectly! I know my Mom loves Grandma themed sweatshirts to wear in the Winter...it's the perfect Christmas gift!

CafePress would like to offer one winner 2 T-Shirts! - One for you and One for a Child (choose the size - onesie, toddler, or youth!)

Please visit CafePress and then leave a comment telling me the name of a product you liked from their website!

EXTRA ENTRIES: Please leave an additional comment for every extra entry you complete

1. Follow my Blog
2. Subscribe to my blog by email
3. 'Like' Ladybug Soup on Facebook
4. Follow Ladybug soup on Twitter
5. Follow CafePress on twitter
6. Tweet or blog about this Giveaway - please leave the link!

Giveaway will end on October 6th at 10pm CST. Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be emailed directly. winner has 72 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: I received the 2 mentioned products in exchange for an honest review. No monetary payments were given. All opinions expressed in this post are my own and different people may have different experiences with products and/or company.

Anytime Costumes Winner!

Anytime Costumes Giveaway Winner

Comment #304...Anne J


Congrats!!


I have emailed the winner, and she has 48 hours to reply or a new winner wll be chosen. Thanks to everyone that entered!

Week 3 of Emergency Preparedness Month - With Another Giveaway!

I hope you've all been enjoying the Emergency preparedness posts and have been learning some great new information! To catch up be sure to visit Week One and Week Two's posts, this will give you a great start in preparing you and your family for an unexpected emergency.

This week, we will focus on our furry friends....our beloved pets!

Do you have an Emergency Plan for your pets? For many people, pets are an integral member of the family; however, when disaster strikes pets are often left out of the emergency preparedness plan.

As you design your plan, here are a few steps to keep in mind to make sure your beloved pets are taken care of:

Create a Pet Survival kit along with your emergency preparedness kit. Include:

• Pet food
• Vet records
• Can opener
• Cat litter/pans (if applicable)
• Medications (if applicable)

• Keep your pet's identification tags up to date and securely fastened to their collar. In case you are separated, your pet's doctor will know exactly whom to contact.

• Make sure to choose an alternate location within your emergency preparedness plan that allows pets. Keep in mind that many emergency shelters are unable to accept pets due to public health reasons

• If you are ever concerned about including your pet in your emergency preparedness plan and need advice, contact your local animal shelter or animal control office.

• For more information please visit www.clorox.com/redcross and download the emergency preparedness guide: Prepare Yourself Now For Peace of Mind Later

And to help one reader get their Emergency Kit started, I have one $25 gift card to giveaway this week!

Please leave a comment telling me what you would include in your pet's kit...if you don't have a pet tell me an item you would include in your Family's Emergency Preparedness kit.

EXTRA ENTRIES: Please leave an additional comment for every extra entry you complete

1. Follow my blog
2. Subscribe to my blog by email
3. 'Like' Ladybug Soup on Facebook
4. 'Like' Clorox on Facebook
5. Follow Ladybug Soup AND Clorox on Twitter
6. Tweet about this Giveaway (leave the link please)

Giveaway will end September 28th at 10pm CST. Winner is chosen via radnom.org. Winner has 48 hours to reply to my email or a new winner will be chosen.

As a blog tour participant, I received information and giveaways from The CloroxCompany and Consumer Queen at no cost to me. I was compensated for my time by TheClorox Company for participating in this project. All views are my own.

Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue Now Available on DVD & Blu-ray!

Everyone's favorite fairy is back in the brand new movie Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue!

In this all new adventure, you'll follow along as Tinker Bell meets her very first human being...and it's not who you'd think!

Years before meeting Wendy and the Lost Boys, Tinker Bell met Lizzy, a little girl with a steadfast belief in the power of pixie dust and the magic land of fairies. During the fairies’ summer visit to the flowering meadows of England, two very different worlds unite for the first time and Tink develops a special bond with a curious child in need of a friend. As her fellow fairies launch a daring rescue, Tinker Bell takes a huge risk, putting her own safety and the future of all fairykind in jeopardy.

Experience Disney’s astonishing all-new movie about the true power of faith and friendship. Bursting with excitement and imagination, Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue is magical entertainment for the whole family. You might even learn to fly.

We were able to review this fantastic new movie, in the DVD/Blu-ray 2 disk Combo! I was really excited to see that this movie was available in Blu-ray, because we recently upgraded to a nice big HDTV and a Blu-ray player! The colors and images on the Blu-ray DVD were so vivid and fun to watch, it really made you feel like you were part of the fairy world, flying right along with Tinker Bell! My daughter loves Tinker Bell and was so excited to see there was a brand new story to hear about her. She also really enjoyed all of Tinker Bell's friends and even I enjoyed seeing more of their personalities in this film!

This was a really great movie to watch with my Daughter! It had adventure, friendship, and a storyline that will hold your interest just as much as your Children's. It would be the perfect DVD for a family movie night!

I have some fun Tinker Bell crafts and a recipe to share with you today! Just click on the image to view the printable instructions!

And here is a special coupon you can print for $10 off the Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack from Disney Movie Rewards!

Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue is in stores now and can also be found on Amazon for approx $21.99

3 winners to Announce

Glow Baby $25 Gift Card Winner

#44 felesseta

Congrats!



Piggy Paint $15 Gift Card Winner

#20 Mom2anutball

Congrats!



$25 Gift Card (Winner of 1st emergency preparedness giveaway)

#99 Kathy

Congrats!



All winners have been emailed! If winners do not responded within time frame stated on email, new winners will be chosen.

Week 2 of Emergency Preparedness Month-Builidng Your Kit - With a GIveaway!

Last week, I introduced a series of posts on National Preparedness Month, and this week I will be focusing on building your Emergency Preparedness Kit with your Family.



I will be honest with you, as of right now we do not have any type of emergency kit set aside for our Family. That's why this topic is so important...I am sure many families are in the same situation as mine. As I share these tips with you, I will be implementing them here in my home as well. By the end of these 4 weeks, I know I will be better educated on being prepared for an emergency.

So let's get started with building an emergency kit!

An important component of emergency preparedness is building a comprehensive emergency preparedness kit. Feel free to use this emergency preparedness kit checklist as a start to your kit:

• Water (minimum 3 day supply for evacuations, two week supply for home) washing and drinking)
• Non-Perishable Foods (minimum 3 day supply for evacuations, 2 week supply for home)
• Assorted Battery Pack (purchase the pack that provides a variety of battery sizes so that you're prepared no matter the need)
• Flashlight
• Multipurpose Tool
• First Aid Kit
• Medications (at least 7 day supply)
• Battery Powered or Hand Crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio if possible)
• Extra Clothing
• Sanitation and Personal Hygiene Items
• Cell Phone With Chargers
  
• Family and Emergency Contact information
• Extra Cash
• Emergency Blanket
• Map(s) of the Area
• Household Liquid Bleach. Did oyu know that bleach, like Clorox Liquid Bleach, can not only disinfect surfaces but also can be used to create drinkable water? Here's How:

• To Disinfect Surfaces: Use 1/4 Cup Bleach to 1 gallon of water, or as directed on the label, to disinfect hard, non-porous surfaces in your home.

• To Disinfect Water: If you need to purify water in an emergency, (and do not have the means to boil it for 3-5 minutes), you may disinfect your water using bleach. If water is clear, add 8 drops (1/8 tsp.) of bleach per gallon of water. If water is cloudy, add 16 drops (1/4 tsp.) of bleach per gallon of water. Mix the solution thoroughly and let it stand for for about 30 minutes before using. Properly treated water should have a slight chlorine odor. If it doesn't, repeat dosage and allow water to stand an additional 15 minutes. The treated water can be made drinkable by pouring it between containers several times.

• Copies of important documents - in case of emergency, you'll need copies of birth records, household lease or deed, medications list, passports, and insurance policies

....

• Check out your local home supply store. Many of them sell pre-assembled emergency preparedness supplies that provide a great foundation for the full kit you will need to build.

• When disaster strikes, you could be anywhere, so make sure you have either a full or abbreviated emergency preparedness kit. (i.e. food, water, change of clothes) at work and in your vehicles.

• make sure the members of your household are aware of each kit, its contents, and its location. In the event of an emergency, its essential to make sure everyone, even the children, are prepared.

• Are your pets included in your preparedness plan? If not, they should be! See nexct week's blog post to create a plan for your pets.

• For more information, please visit www.clorox.com/redcross and download the preparedness guide: Prepare Yourself Now For Peace of Mind Later

And just like last week, I will be giving away one $25 gift card to one reader to help with starting their own emergency preparedness kit!

To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me one item you would need to add to your kit after reading the list I provided above.


EXTRA ENTRIES: Please leave an additional comment for every extra entry you complete

1. Follow my Blog
2. Subscribe to my blog by email
3. 'Like' Clorox on Facebook
4. 'Like' Ladybug Soup on Facebook
   
5. Follow Clorox on twitter
6. Follow Ladybug Soup on twitter
7. Tweet about this contest on Twitter (an easy way to do that is to hover your mouse over the SHARE button at the end of this post, then click twitter. It does the work for you!)

This giveaway will end next Thursday Sept. 23rd at 10pm CST. winner is chosen via random.org. Winner has 48 hours to reply to email or a new winner will be chosen.

As a blog tour participant, I received information and giveaways from The CloroxCompany and Consumer Queen at no cost to me. I was compensated for my time by TheClorox Company for participating in this project. All views are my own.

This Is SO My Daughter....

Today I dressed my Daughter up in this pretty little ballerina outfit, and she was all about the spinning, turning, smiling, laughing, and looking oh so pretty!

There was lots of falling down & giggling!

Then when her Daddy got home from work, he surprised her with this Pirate sword that would match the Pirate hat she got from the dollar section of Target.

Of course, being a Pirate means bothering the Cat and making her tough girl faces :)

I love that she is such a girly girl but still loves to play with dinosaurs & wear her pirate hat. Life with this little one is just so much fun! She is one spunky little girl!

National Preparedness Month - Helpful Tips & A Giveaway!

September is National Preparedness Month, and I am excited to be working with Clorox and some other great bloggers to bring you all helpful tips on how to keep you and your Family better prepared in case of an emergency.



Thankfully I have not personally had to deal with any natural disasters, but my State is no stranger to them. Many parts of Minnesota have dealt with floods that have ruined homes, businesses, and schools. Some parts of the country may be well prepared for these types of emergencies, because they live in an area that has seen them before. But a lot of times it is unexpected, and can happen suddenly and quickly.

The best thing you can do is be prepared, and over the next month I'll be sharing tips on how to do just that. This week, I'll highlight three critical steps to create an Emergency Preparedness Plan for your household in case of an emergency.

Each week, I will also be giving away a $25 Gift Card to help you start your own Kit!

Disasters can happen quickly and unexpectedly. The most important step to staying safe is being prepared BEFORE an emergency occurs.

When designing your Emergency Preparedness Plan, you can implement the following three easy steps ...

• Purchase or Build an Emergency Preparedness Kit - your kit should house enough supplies to last your household a minimum of three days for evacuations and 2 weeks for emergencies at home. Next week, I'll offer specific tips on building a disaster kit with your family. Include things like: water, non-perishable food, flashlight, radio, first aid kit, a multi-purpose tool, important medications, and copies of personal documents. You may also include household liquid bleach such as Clorox for cleaning and disinfecting and emergency water sanitation.

• Make an Emergency Preparedness Plan - Schedule a meeting in your household to discuss what to do in case you are separated during an emergency. Choose 2 places to meet - one right outside the house and the other outside your neighborhood. Be sure to practice and review the plan twice a year!

• Get Educated - Get to know the types of disasters (i.e. hurricanes, floods, or forest fires) prevalent in your area so that you can better tailor both your kit and plan. Find out how local officials will contact residents of your city to advise of important safety information. AND get first aid training. Learn critical techniques like CPR and how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED)

For more information, please visit www.clorox.com/redcross and download the preparedness guide: Prepare Yourself Now For Peace of Mind Later.

I also have one $25 Gift Card to giveaway this week for one reader!

To enter this Giveaway, please leave a comment telling me an item that you would include in your Preparedness Kit.

EXTRA ENTRIES: Please leave an additional comment for every extra entry you complete

1. Follow my Blog
2. Subscribe by email
3. 'Like' Clorox on facebook
4. Follow Clorox on Twitter

Giveaway will end on September 16th at 10pm CST. Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.

Be sure to watch for next week's post on building an Emergency Preparedness Kit with your Family, and another chance to win a $25 gift card to help get you started!

As a blog tour participant, I received information and giveaways from The CloroxCompany and Consumer Queen at no cost to me. I was compensated for my time by TheClorox Company for participating in this project. All views are my own.

Anytime Costumes Giveaway! (Win Costume of Choice Up To $50!!)

It's officially September now, and I for one am very excited to be looking forward to the Fall! The best part of these upcoming months is definitely the holidays, and the next one we have to look forward to is Halloween!

If you think it's too early, think again! It takes a lot of the pressure off when you are already fully prepared by the time October rolls around. When you deal with items selling out, and time to ship a product, earlier is definitely better. For my Daughter's 2nd Halloween, I waited until the last minute to order an Elmo costume, and the thing barely made it here in time. I was one panicked Mama!

To start your Halloween shopping off right, I recommend checking out Anytime Costumes! They have a great selection of costumes for people of all ages, from infants to adults. Their prices are also very reasonable, which is definitely something I look for before buying a product. They also have some helpful recommendations if you are looking for some Couples Costumes or costumes to do with a group of people! This is great for Halloween Parties!

This Mermaid Costume is adorable, and really caught my Daughter's eye!

Anytime Costumes also has adorable Toy Story costumes, and I predict they will be huge this year because of the movie's success! This Woody costume is too cute for a little boy!

This year I am beyond excited to take my Daughter out trick or treating. Last year was her first year going door to door, but we only did 2 blocks or so. She loved every minute of it! it made her so happy to say hi to people, see other kids trick or treating nearby, and to be dressed up as Snow White was the icing on the cake. This year, we are heading out to a great block right away, so that she can get a great experience in!

Picking a costume was a little tricky this year, only because she wanted to be everything! She loves playing dress up, and was game for being whatever she could get from me :) I knew I wanted to get her something warm, because trick or treating in Minnesota is cold. To avoid the whole jacket over the costume thing, we ended up choosing the Child Monkey Costume!

She pretty much is a little monkey anyway, so this suits her perfectly :) On the day the costume arrived, she wanted to put it on immediately! Of course! So we opened it up, and got her dressed up as a little monkey. The costume comes with the monkey outfit (one piece jumpsuit with a tail!) a monkey hood with ears, and monkey feet footsies. Head to toe perfect! Her little face looked so completely cute in the monkey hood, and she was SO proud of it! The first thing I did was get her over to her mirror so she could see too...she laughed & laughed!

This costume will be perfect for Halloween. It is SUPER soft and very warm. We ordered a size up so that we would have room for clothes underneath and I figured I could always pin something if it was too big. They have good sizing info on each costume, so I recommend looking at your individual costume and deciding which size would be best for you/you child.

You can find a great selection at Anytime Costumes, from girly to humorous, to different animals...and everything in between! you can find some great Sale prices too, and have an easy to navigate website that will take the hard part out of shopping.

Right now there is also Free Shipping on orders of $50 or more when you enter SUNNYTEN at checkout. This code is mentioned on their website, so I am not sure of the expiration date.

One person will win ANY COSTUME OF CHOICE - up to $50!!

The required entry into this Giveaway is to Follow My Blog Through Google Friend Connect - then just leave a comment saying that you do!

EXTRA ENTRIES: Please leave an additional comment for every extra entry you complete.

1. Visit Anytime Costumes and leave a comment telling me which costume you like!
2. Subscribe to Ladybug Soup by email
3. Follow me on Twitter
   
4. Tweet about this Giveaway. You can Tweet once a day - leave the link each day you tweet (you can copy and paste this tweet if you'd like: Anytime Costumes Giveaway! @Kelliebug (Win Costume of Choice Up To $50!!) http://t.co/ig9A0HM
   
5. 'Like' ladybug Soup on Facebook
6. Blog about this Giveaway-leave the link
   

Giveaway will end on September 18th at 10pm CST. Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be emailed directly. Winner has 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen. US Residents only please.

disclaimer: I received a complimentary costume to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed in review are my own and different people may have different experiences with products and/or company.

Piggy Paint: New Project Earth Line - Review & GIveaway!

Having a little girl means that I get to do fun girlie things like play with hair, play princess dressup, and more recently indulge in some play pampering. One of my daughter's very favorite things to do is have her nail painted!




Last year we got to try out the kid friendly and eco friendly nailpolish brand Piggy Paint and it was instantly a hit, for both my Daughter and myself. She loved to have her little toenails and fingernails painted just like Mom, and I love that there were no harsh smells or chemicals in their nail polish. it was a perfect fit! Since that review, I have bought another bottle of a pretty pink that shows up so well on my daughter's nails. It was great for Summer sandals!
Recently Piggy Paint launched a new line of paints called 'Project Earth' These new colors are perfect for young ladies that are concerned about the Earth and doing their part for the environment. Many kids are learning ways to be more earth friendly and also more friendly to our bodies by choosing products free of harsh chemicals, so this really seems like a wonderful idea they had!

With names like 'Drama' and 'Eat Your Peace' tweens will be jumping for these new styles! They even have one that glows in the dark - so cool! I would have loved that one when I was a young girl!

Piggy Paint was kind enough to send me and my Daughter 2 bottles to try out from their new Project Earth Line - LOL and Solar Power. LOL is a hot pink color that is just perfect for a girlie girl like my Daughter. It's so bright, cheerful, and really fun! The Solar power is a hot yellow color. Before I tried that one I was thinking it might not show up well, but I was completely wrong. It looked so great on her nails, and you could absolutely see that it was there.

Like all Piggy Paint experiences we have had, there were no harsh odors when we did our nails. In fact, no odors hit me at all! The only hard part was trying to keep my 3 year old from smudging her paint...she is almost impossible to keep still :) We did a really fun pattern - we alternated pink and yellow for her fingers, then painted her big toe Pink and her little toes yellow :)



It turned out so cute, and later that day when we were at Target, she literally held them up to strangers walking by and asked them if they liked her nails! It was SO funny! She was very proud and kept saying how beautiful they were!

Use Coupon Code LADYBUG10L when checking out for 10% off your Piggy Paint Purchase - also good on Sale items! Expires 11/30/2010

Also if you spend over $35.00 Domestic Shipping is FREE! (They DO ship worldwide as well!)

One reader will win a $15 Gift Card to Piggy Paint!

Please visit Piggy Paint and tell me your favorite color they carry!

EXTRA ENTRIES: Please leave an additional comment for every extra entry you complete

1. Follow my Blog
2. Subscribe to my blog by Email
3. 'Like' Ladybug Soup on Facebook
4. 'Like' piggy Paint on Facebook
   
5. Follow Ladybug Soup on Twitter
6. Follow Piggy Paint on Twitter
   
7. Blog about this Giveaway - leave the link
8. Tweet about the Giveaway - leave the link

Giveaway will on September 17th at 10pm CST. winner will be chosen via random.org and will be emailed directly. Winner has 72 hours to reply to email or a new winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: I received the mentioned products at no charge to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own and different people may have different experiences with products and/or company.

Another Winner!

Winner of Robby Wash laundry Ball

#58 Nancy's Couture

Congrats!

I have sent over an email, please reply within 72 hours to claim your prize. thanks to everyone that entered! If you are still interested in checking out the Robby Wash Laundry Ball, be sure to visit their website!

Ways to Make My Favorite Foods More Healthy! Still Delicious, But Better For Me!

On January 1st, I started on my weight loss goal of losing 10-12 pounds. Those numbers may not seem that high, but it was still quite a challenge! Especially since I really enjoy food. And I wasn't doing any kind of exercise program yet, so adding that in was a really big challenge too.

The first thing I needed to do was change the way I ate food. I cut back on calories and fat, and found myself hungry all the time. It was like as soon as I said the word DIET, my brain went into hunger overdrive! But once I started, I found that I didn't want to give up, didn't want to throw it all away for 1 day of fattening foods. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. And also? I had a secret goal in mind...I wanted to lose those pounds so that I could get pregnant. I didn't want to start my pregnancy at 134 pounds. I wanted to start it at 120. And you know what? I did!

I'll admit that I am not normally the healthiest eater. I don't like too many kinds of vegetables (yes, sad I know!) But I do love fruit! And salads! I quickly found there were many healthy options that appealed to me that wouldn't break my diet plans. Here are some ways that I made my favorite meals/foods healthier for me, and still had them taste great.

1. I love a loaded baked potato, don't you? Well if you eat them the way I used to, you'll be adding butter, sour cream, cheese, and bacon bits. That adds up to a lot of calories and a lot of fat!

• Substitute the regular sour cream for FAT FREE Sour Cream. You'd be surprised to see how much fat you are getting from those simple add ons. I would recommend skipping the butter and bacon bits, and using Weight Watchers Cheese or a low fat shredded cheese. Use more sour cream than cheese & you'll get taste without the extra calories!

2. Love Tacos? Me too!

• Use healthy lean Chicken Breast instead of hamburger! Chicken is one of the healthier meat options, and if you cook it right, you won't be adding fat. I use my George Foreman Grill because it's convenient and uses no oil, butter, etc to cook it.

3. I love crunchy salty snacks - like chips, but not the fat and calories that they are usually loaded with.

• Instead of reaching for the greasy chips I eat fat free pretzels. They have a little salt for taste, and are one of my favorites! Snyders of Hanover is one of my favorite brands, and this version is fat free!

4. Popcorn is another snack food that my Family loves. But When you add salt & butter, it's not a healthy snack anymore1

• We recently bought our own popping machine, so that we can control what kind of fat & calories go into it. We then bought some Kernal Seasons to sprinkle on our popcorn as an alternative to butter. You can get tons of flavors, like Caramel, Kettle Corn, White Cheddar, and more! Each goes for about $3.99.

5. Healthy Lunch Sandwich Option! Normally you'd get the mayo, cheese, or add some butter to the bread...

• Since I am at home all day, I need a healthy lunch option. I liked to use shaved turkey breast lunch meat on whole grain bread. Whole Grain bread is a must, especially if you are trying to eat healthy. We don't even buy white bread anymore, and haven't for probably 2 years now. If the turkey sandwich is dry, you can add a tablespoon of BBQ sauce to spice it up a little. There's no fat in most of them, unlike butter or mayo. Perfect!
  

6. Stir Fry!

• Remember when I mentioned I don't like veggies? Well the truth is that I WILL eat them when they are mixed together with some pasta or rice. That's a great way for me to get my vegetable servings in, and I often will make one with chicken breast added in. Delicious, hardly any fat, and getting veggie servings!
  

7. When you Bake or Cook, use FAT FREE milk and low fat butter/margarine.

• After my Daughter turned one, she got on whole milk. And guess who else did too? Yeah, that would be ME! Whole milk has so much fat and calories! and since I drink the stuff like it's going out of style, and use it in a lot of my casseroles, I was getting FAT and didn't even realize it. Now that she's 3, she gets 2%. I drink that or Skim.
  

8. I love ice cream and sweet treats, but don't love the fat and calories.

• I LOVE Kemps Frozen Yogurt Bars. Seriously, they are so yummy! and when I was right in the middle of my diet, wanting so badly to cheat, I would eat one of these and it would really help with my sweets craving. 50 Calories. Zero Fat. Yum!
  

9. Pasta Lover...but the difference is in the sauce!

• I am CRAZY about Alfredo sauce, but the calories and fat content in them is through the ROOF! Especially when you got to a restaurant, it could easily be the most fattening item on the menu. Instead of eating pasta and Alfredo sauce, we will eat it with a marinara sauce or red sauce. It's SO much better for you, and still tastes great!
  

10. I am an egg lover, but the way I used to eat them was not so healthy!

• I would prep the frying pan with lots of butter, and scramble my egg in it. Yummy, but not healthy! Now I hard boil my eggs instead. I cut out all of the butter and instead get all of the health benefits that eggs offer.

These are just some of the ways you can still eat foods that taste great and are healthier for you too!! Small changes that you make to your diet everyday can really add up in the long run. Even cutting out soda and drinking water is a great start! you can even buy flavored water, like Aquafina Flavor Splash (so good!)

Do you have any favorite foods or meals that you know how to make healthier? Leave a comment or join the conversation at Twitter Moms!

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and WeightWatchers SmartOnes blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

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