Happy Friday! To celebrate the first weekend of June we are sharing our love of essential oils by giving away a package of Martha's Favorite Essential Oils! (You'll find all the details at the end of the post.)
But first, we've got some slimming bites for you…
Slimming Bites: Inspiration & Recipes for Weight Watchers
Encouragement and inspiration are critical whenever you're trying to change your habits. This is especially true when the habits involve eating better, losing weight and creating a healthy balanced lifestyle.
Sticking with the slow and steady sensible balanced approach to lasting change can seem dull and out of step when compared with our society's obsession with the opposing messages of overindulgent excess on one hand, and extreme fad diets on the other.
My mission is to provide you with a constant supply of motivating articles and enticing Weight Watchers friendly recipes to encourage your pursuit of a happy, healthy, balanced life. Here are this week's hand-picked selections. I hope you find the time and space to sit down, perhaps with a cup of coffee or tea, or glass of wine or bubbly water, and savor them!
Healthy Weight Loss Inspiration
BJ Fogg's Advice for People Doing Weight Watchers | BJ Fogg, PhD by BJ Fogg. A behavior scientist and Weight Watchers lifetime member says that, "The Weight Watchers program clearly works. There's nothing gimmicky about it." And provides specific advice for success with the program.
How Can "Eating Healthy" Get In The Way of Healthy Weight Loss? | Bangor Daily News - by Jackie Conn, A Weight Watchers Manager in Maine. Too much emphasis on healthy eating as a weight loss method can derail successful weight loss progress. It can make a tough job much harder.
Do You Compare Yourself to Others | Roni's Weigh by Roni Noone. I remember being at the beach asking the husband to size me up (literally) to other women at the bar. Was I thinner? fatter? uglier? prettier...
A Day in the Life of Heather | Trading Cardio for Cosmo by Alexis Eagleton. A great series which showcases a day in the life of a real person on their weight loss journey!
How to Start A Habit You Don't Enjoy | Summer Tomato - by Darya Rose. Steps for forming a habit that isn't rewarding from flossing to fitness.
Favorite Weight Watchers Friendly Recipes
The Ultimate Mason Jar Salad Guide and Recipe Roundup | Organize Yourself Skinny - Tami provides a detailed step-by-step tutorial for making mason jar salads as well as a roundup of easy healthy Weight Watchers friendly recipes.
Mediterranean Topped Grilled Chicken (7SP, 8PP) | Emily Bites - The combination of the warm marinated grilled chicken topped with a cool a Greek-inspired "salad" of chopped crunchy cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, salty olives and creamy feta cheese is one I can't wait to try.
One Pan Spicy Peanut Chicken and Broccoli (8SP, 9PP) | Slender Kitchen - I'm a huge fan of one pot/pan meals, so this recipe, which reminded me of my favorite Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli, is right up my alley.
Creamy Slow Cooker Enchilada Soup (3SP) | Meal Planning Mommies - All you need is a can opener and a slow cooker to make this tasty Weight Watchers friendly soup, which can be stirred together in less than 10 minutes. Perfect for busy days. A simple and delicious way to satisfy your cravings for the flavors of the southwest for minimal calories/points.
Kale Caesar Salad (3SP) | Snack Girl - As a long time Caesar salad lover, this recipe using kale and a lighter healthier homemade Caesar dressing is one I can't wait to try.
And here's a fun video from Snack-Girl demonstrating how to make "massaged" kale salad…
6/7/16 GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED!
The winner of the Essential Oils Package is: Maggie, who said, "The easiest thing for me is all of the websites and blogs available for me to use to keep me on track and to give me inspiration for recipes and meal planning. The hardest part for me is when we are on vacation and friends don't eat as healthy as we do. Always try to do my best but it is challenging when fatty meats and lots of carbs are served at every meal."
Congratulations Maggie! Please send an email to support@simple-nourished-living.com to claim your prize. And thanks to all of you who stopped by and participated. I'm so grateful for each and every one of you being part of this community.
FAVORITE ESSENTIAL OILS PACKAGE GIVEAWAY DETAILS…
Now onto the Giveaway… to celebrate the first weekend of June we are sharing our love of essential oils by giving away a package of Martha's Favorite Essential Oils!
This Favorite Essential Oils Package, with a retail value of more than $160 includes:
- PureSpa Deluxe Ultrasonic Aromatherapy Oil Diffuser (Retail Value: $39.99)
- Mini Modern Essentials Usage Guide (Retail Value: $15)
- Balance Grounding Blend (affiliate link) (Retail Value: $26)
- Lavender Essential Oil (affiliate link) (Retail Value: $28)
- Lemon Essential Oil (affiliate link) (Retail Value: $13)
- Peppermint Essential Oil (affiliate link) (Retail Value $27)
- Wild Orange (affiliate link) Essential Oil (Retail Value $14)
TO ENTER
To enter the giveaway, just answer the following question in the Comments section of this post:
This is a two part question. 1) What do you find easiest about living a healthy balanced lifestyle? 2) What do you find most challenging?
Just let me know what you find 1) easiest and 2) most challenging about living a healthy balanced lifestyle and you'll be entered to win the Favorite Essential Oils Package.
THE RULES
One entry per person, please.
Winners will be announced Monday morning. Be sure to check back to see if you won.
Have a Wonderful Weekend and Good Luck!
This giveaway is sponsored by Simple Nourished Living. Awarded prize may differ slightly (color, design, etc.) from images that appear here - based on availability. Giveaway prizes may be forfeited if not claimed within 90 days.
Related:
- Daily Motivational Quotes for Weight Loss
- Is Calorie Denialism Hurting Your Weight Loss Efforts Like It Did Mine?
- The Power of Positive Thinking for Weight Loss Success
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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Cora
The easiest: being mindful of the choices I'm making,
Most difficult: using that mindfulness to make the healthiest choice
I love eating healthier, but I also love my treat foods and beverages, and since it all boils down to choices in the moment...you know!
Linda
1. Think the easiest thing man having a healthy lifestyle are there so many recipes out there nowadays. You can find them everywhere, social media Internet cookbooks. And the best thing is ingredients are very common and easy to fine now years ago when you would try to eat healthy it was very hard to find an ingredient you to have to go to a specialty store etc. I love trying new recipes.
2. The hardest thing for me personally is giving up the sugar. I have a sweet tooth and it's difficult for me not to revert back to my old habits. I don't have it in my house I'm fine but it's when I go to other peoples houses or when I go to parties and celebrations at work and then there it is I over eat and I indulge him what I know is that for me. Once my eyes see it it's very hard for me to walk away from it.
Julie Weidman
Easiest - enjoying lots of fresh fruits and vegetables
Hardest - finding time for meal planning/prep and exercise
bcg
easiest: eating fruit and veggies
hardest: exercise
Laura
easiest thing is loving how much better I feel when I eat healthy
hardest is balancing that occasional treat!
Gerry
The easiest thing about healthy living is the wide range of choices of fresh items we have at our fingertips. The hardest thing is weekends when there isn't much of a routine.
Wayne LeBoeuf
I haven't found anything easy about living a healthier life-style. The Weight Watchers program is easy to understand, the recipes from Hungry Girl are easy to follow and good, the advice to exercise makes sense. Living them is difficult. I live in an area where food is fundamental to family and social life. We get together to visit and eat, we get together to watch the game and eat, we get together to dance and eat, we get together to support the community at various events and eat.
However, the really hard part is modifying years of tradition, of passing up fried catfish, fried oysters, fried pickles, smothered pork chops, smother chicken and other wonderful foods. I am making progress and Martha is helping.
Gail
The easiest is that you can eat anything as long as you acknowlege it and watch your portion size. So it'ts a plan you can live with!
The most challenging is eating out and not having control over the way it's prepared.
Robin M
1. The easiest thing is that there are so many great choices for eating healthy. Tons of choices at the store.
2. The hardest is finding time and desire to exercise. And not eating too much of all the healthy and yummy food that you can prepare.
Darlene Barber
Easiest - I love to cook, try different ideas, and plan menus using healthy ingredients.
Hardest - so many gatherings and
get-togethers with friends and family center around food!
joy russell
The easiest for me is all the food you can eat on WW and all the idea's on Pinterest, makes it so easy. The hardest is excercising.
Donna Sharp
1. The easiest thing is the rewards you get from eating healthy. Energy, vitality.
2. The hardest thing is dealing with health challenges which limit my mobility. Pain can sure curtail getting up and getting moving.
Barbara A.
Availability of resources and healthy food products helps me live a healthy life. The hardest part is consistently exercising.
Sam Schrepfer
The easiest thing or rather the most rewarding is how good I feel; when I eat good, I feel rejuvenated and my stomach doesn't hate me. Therefore, it's easy to stay motivated. However, the hardest part is being ok with "cheating" sometimes, and also planning so that you don't have to cheat. I always want some "bad" foods but my view of them is what is hard. In other words, I feel regret after eating a so-called "bad" food when in reality, it won't affect me. Learning to come to terms with eating "bad" every once in a while has been hard. Along with that, making sure to plan ahead can be difficult if stressed or if in a pinch/rush.
Connie
Easiest: eating fresh fruits and veggies
Challenging: meal planning and sticking to it!
Andrea
The easiest part is the availability of healthy food via local farmers markets, online resources, even grocery stores are jumping on the band wagon. Same with exercise; there are lots of online workouts and programs provided by the community to fit different needs. The hardest part is time management. My job takes up a lot of my time. I have the meal planning down, but cannot always fit in the exercise.
Mf Fatsis
The easiest thing is seeing what's fresh and available in the market and deciding what I wish to make and eat. The hardest thing is actually finding the time to cook it.
robin
Easiest: buying new vegetables and trying them
Most challenging: Keeping chocolate to a minimum
SANDRA WOMACK
The easiest is having good recipes to use and it helps since I'm the only one to cook for. hardest for me is my want for sweets.
Rochelle K
The easiest is I love fruits and veggies. The hardest is making good choices when I go out to eat. Oh and sweets, I have a crazy sweet tooth.