Healthified Mac N Cheese

Mac N Cheese. My girls love it. It's easy to make. It's cheap. But I feel guilty every time I serve it to them because it's not a nutritional all-star.

But, I've found ways to adapt it so I don't feel nearly as guilty when I cave in and fix it for them.

First, while the noodles are cooking, I will throw in some frozen veggies. Usually peas because it's always fun to say to them (EVERY SINGLE TIME), "eat your mac n cheese n peas.... please." Then, when I make the sauce, instead of butter or margarine, I use Brummel and Brown spread. It has 50% less fat and calories than butter and tastes great! For the milk, I will often just use our skim milk but I will usually use Almond Breeze (or Silk) unsweetened almond milk when we have it on hand. It has way less calories and sugar than milk and, again, tastes great!

Well, we certainly know her version
ain't exactly healthy!

Lately, I've made another addition because it always bothers me that the pasta is not whole grain. So I tried sprinkling in some ground flaxseed into the sauce. This boosts the fiber and protein plus gives you the bonus of those healthy Omega-3s. I started off with just a tablespoon to make sure the girls would be OK with it and they didn't say a word! Gobbled it up like usual, so I've bumped up the amount to about 2 tablespoons.

With these changes, I'm convinced that this is a pretty well-balanced, decently healthy meal. And the modifications are so simple, it's still super quick and easy!

Healthy convenience. Love it!

Fitness is FREEDOM... and POWER!

Trying to keep up with the kiddo!
Not so easy when I'm on foot
and she's off training wheels now!

As I launched out on a spontaneous run with R the other day, I realized what an incredible, amazing blessing it is to be able to be fit and healthy enough to just jump into the moment - specifically, an ACTIVE moment.

A few days ago, it was spectacularly gorgeous outside.  Suddenly, R wanted to ride her bike, and I wanted to go on a run and next thing you know, we're out doing just that!

Last week, the girls begged me to join them jumping on the trampoline.  I thought, why not?!  I can, I should, it feels great and it was FUN!

Lately, I could give you a ton more examples of instances along these same lines.  But you get the idea.

Not much thinking or convincing myself wen into doing these workouts/activities.  I WANTED to do them, so I did.  That's FREEDOM!  That's POWER!  That's how I want it to be for the rest of my days on this earth...

Fitness gives us the freedom and power to...

Reach new heights!
(That's R, waaaaay up there!)

Weather the seasons.

Navigate some pretty tough terrain...

Keep the simple things of life just that:  simple.
(Like a back yard game of hopscotch)


Get Fit.  Overcome Lazy.  Empower yourself.

Happy Groundhog Day! I Ran From My Shadow, Too!

Lately, my clothes have been tight.  Uncomfortable. Unflattering.  I mean, I can still wear them.  I haven’t gotten THAT far off-track, but, they tell me that I am not currently in possession of my desired physique. 

I do not own a scale.  Not that I’m against them, but I just haven’t ever felt the necessity to own one.  My clothes and the mirror (and my husband – he is brutally honest) are what I personally use to keep track of my body composition fluctuations.

Well, when I was home at Christmas, I stepped on my parents’ scale.  Just out of curiosity.  An’ it weren’t pretty.  I was about 10 pounds heavier than where I like to be when I’m feeling and looking my best.  It was no surprise, really, but disconcerting, nonetheless.

With today being Groundhog Day, it reminded me that I’ve been acting like a scared groundhog.  At the end of December, I curiously and tentatively stepped on the scale (the groundhog pokes his sleepy head out of his hole), I glanced at the digital read-out in shock and quickly jumped off (he sees his shadow looming and scrambles back into his burrow) and I continued my unhelpful behavior  for, roughly, six more weeks – too reluctant to make a commitment just yet to get the body composition changes that I need and want (the skittish groundhog hides out underground for six more weeks thinking he’s better off delaying the inevitable end of his hibernation).

Well, I’ve had it!  I’m sick of running away from hard work and discipline.  I’m sick of hibernating and postponing my day of reckoning.  The time has come to stop mindlessly stuffing my face and to become more consistent with my workouts.

It’s time to start casting shadows of a different kind:



If this is what 6 more weeks of winter looks like in Vegas,
then I'll take it!



Just had to throw this one in:  Those are our shadows being cast
from no other light than the bright moon!


What shadows are you going to cast this year???

How I Overcame Lazy This Week: I Got a Christmas Bonus!



The original zip line that
started it all!



My Christmas Eve eve started off with my Random Act of Fitness #38:  doing the zip swing at the park.  We're at my parents' here in Washington for Christmas and it is stinkin' cold!  Not surprisingly, no one else was nutty enough to be there at the playground, which was nice because no line for the zip swing this time!  After run-pushing the girls several times, K and I took our turns as well, which we can't do on our mini version back home.  It was fun!



My turn!



Next, I started my deliberate act of fitness while K and girls stayed to throw rocks in the Columbia river.  I headed off to run along the river and jog my way home.



Sorry about the funny face.
I couldn't really feel it.



Man, winter running is NOT for wimps!  It was about 22 degrees and mostly overcast.  It was around noon and there was still frost on the ground.  Starting out I was really wishing I'd brought my ski mask... and this was the first time I did not appreciate the "cooling" feature on my running shoes.  However, by about mile 3 I was starting to feel my extremities again.



So relieved my feet didn't overheat. 
That's the frosty ground!



Now here's where Random Act of Fitness #39 comes in.  I had intended to run a fairly direct route to my parents' house, but I ended up kinda getting lost!  This little mishap roughly doubled my planned mileage, thus granting me an unplanned opportunity to overcome Lazy since I was, more or less, running randomly through unfamiliar neighborhoods trying to work my way back home.

By the time I encountered a path that would correctly lead me home, I'd warmed up significantly and was rather enjoying myself.  I'd gotten to explore unfamiliar parts of town and see some unexpected sights. And heaven knows, I definitely needed the extra calorie expenditure with all of Mom's home cookin' I've been inhaling!  It was kinda like a little Christmas bonus.



Iceburg!  Dead ahead!
I never would've seen this had I
stayed on course.



So I'm tellin' ya... play with your kids every chance you get... never pass up an opportunity to run along a river when you've got one close by (even in the dead of winter!)... and don't be afraid to get a little lost every so often!  It just might result in a bonus that's a little better than the Jelly-Of-The-Month club.

My Overdue Tribute to Grandpa Johnson: One Un-Lazy Fella

I wanted to get the report out on our awesomely active Thanksgiving holiday weekend much sooner but a sobering family event and just the general busyness of the season have messed a bit with my best-laid plans.

This wasn't no pansy hike!
But worth it to enjoy some Indian artwork.

First off, I would say that the Johnson family totally succeeded in overcoming Lazy this Thanksgiving!  Along with the expected gobble, gobbling, we had some great, active family fun.  This started with our hike at Sloan Canyon on Thanksgiving morning to discover ancient Indian petroglyphs.  Along the way we even picked up a small Gila Monster, whom we named Gilbert.  Well, I called him that, anyway.

This was followed up by our First Annual Johnson Family Golden Sneaker Challenge.  I was afraid this might be overshadowed – or even cancelled – due to the aforementioned dismaying occurrence.  Our Grandpa Johnson passed away the day after Thanksgiving and – although not totally unexpected – it certainly cast a bit of melancholy into our mood.

Just look at that concentration during the
"Squash Relay"

But you know what, we gathered the family together the next day as planned for our Thanksgiving-themed fitness challenge, and our despondency was quickly replaced by laughter and energy and joyfulness.

We realized that we were doing exactly what Grandpa would’ve wanted to us to do and, in fact, probably would’ve joined us in, a decade ago!  This is a man who was utterly no-nonsense and impatient with wastefulness, whether it be time, emotion, material objects or good health.

And they're off...
The Gobbler Chase!

He never would’ve tolerated us moping around, feeling blue, all on his account.  In fact, I like to think he was pleased that we gathered together for a wholesome, healthy and enjoyable family activity that refreshed us and reminded us what is important in life.

By our actions, I think we honored his memory the best way we possibly could.  Arthur G. Johnson was a humble and brave WWII hero, an incredibly diverse and dedicated physician and – probably, most importantly – the best father, grandfather and great-grandfather you could ever wish for.  

We’re glad you overcame Lazy, Grandpa Johnson, and were able to bless our lives in so many ways.

How I PLAN To Overcome Lazy This Week: We're Adding a New Healthy Thanksgiving Tradition

I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving this year.  I can’t wait to see my family and enjoy the good food. . . and this year, I’m especially looking forward to the 1^st Annual Johnson Family Golden Sneaker Challenge! 

I’m still working on the details but there will be things like a pumpkin relay, a gobbler chase, a 5K turkey trot, an Indian (ahem – native American) hieroglyphic hike… and, of course, some power shopping (possible requirements:  a running pace and jumping jacks while waiting in line).

I did something similar with the Taylor side of my family this summer during our reunion at the beach and it was AWESOME!  It turned out to be one of the highlights of the vacation.

We’ll see how much we can fit in… after all we’re not abandoning the usual traditions, nor do I want to eliminate some luxurious down-time while the kids occupy themselves with unstructured free-play.

I just wish we had a few more hours of daylight this time of year. Curse you, daylight savings… and planet Earth for tilting away from the sun!  It’s winter, but we still wanna play outside!

Have a happy (and healthy) Thanksgiving!

Random Act of Fitness #22: Keeping pace with my 5-year-old

This girl amazes me.

Because of my 5-year-old daughter’s seemingly limitless energy, trying to keep up with her on any given day provides many opportunities for an RAF… if I decide to join her!

Well, this week on one of our walks to school, I did, indeed, keep pace with her!  Once we exit the gate of our neighborhood, she usually jets off down the sidewalk and impatiently waits for me to catch up so she can hop her way across the lines of the cross walks and then resume her little race.

I usually walk briskly to so she stays in sight and isn’t kept waiting too long, but the other day, I matched her running pace and hopped right along with her across the streets and got my heart pumping a little more than usual. 

See you can even do interval training on the walk to school!