I’m so excited to have my little container garden included in the first “Share Your Wake Forest Garden” tour! Share Your Wake Forest Garden is a weekend where residential or community gardens are open to neighbors and visitors from our town to stop by just to enjoy, ask questions, and get gardening tips. It takes place Saturday, May 12 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, May 13 from 1-4 p.m. There are 19 host gardens from all parts of Wake Forest.

Maps will be available the days of the walk at the following sites: Wake Forest Farmers’ Market on Saturday morning, at these host residences both days: 4116 Field Oak Dr. in Majestic Oaks subdivision; 123 Chestnut St. in Mill Village; 112 North Ave. on the corner of N. Main St.; 7205 Pantonbury Pl. in Prestwicke subdivision (off Wake Union Church Rd.); and 8025 Hawkshead Ln. in the Purnell Rd. area.

Mother’s Day is in 3 weeks. And if you are like me, you already know what you want from your hubby and kids. I want this charm for my Pandora bracelet.

This year, I also want moms to think about giving themselves a gift. And I don’t mean a new handbag or pair of strappy sandals. I’m thinking of a gift that makes a much bigger fashion statement (although I love a nice Big Buddha handbag).

How about giving yourself a healthy, more energetic body?.

Before you click away to read your favorite fashion blog, hear me out.

Even if you are in pretty good shape – I know there is one area of your fitness you want to improve. In the 3 weeks leading to Mother’s Day, we can all focus on these 3 little things we can realistically do every day to make us feel like a fit mom. And if you’re not a mom – that’s ok, still join in! After just a couple of days, you’ll actually see results on the inside, which is really the best place for change to start.

So here’s how we’re gonna get fit for Mother’s Day…..

Starting tomorrow and every day until Mother’s Day take these 3 small steps to get fit:
1. Slip away from sugar. Replace sugar sweetened beverages with water, low or fat-free milk.
2. Get a fresh start. Every morning for breakfast, drink a glass of fresh homemade fruit & vegetable juice.
3. Step up your game. Move at least 8,000 steps daily.

We can do this! I’ll share tips along the way to help you stick with these 3 little steps. Join my mailing list for blog updates.
And I want you to leave comments here to share your progress with us at the end of each day. Take a picture of the number of steps on your pedometer. Share a great juice recipe. Tell us how many glasses of water you drank for the day. Anything you want!! Moms want to know!

So if you’re in…..leave a comment on my blog saying “I’m in! I’m getting fit for Mother’s Day!”

My grandma is my Master Gardener. She is the person I call on every spring to get tips and guidance on what to plant and when. This year she happened to be visiting us for a few weeks when she declared it was “planting time”.

We dusted off my pots, prepared the dirt and trekked off in search of vegetable plants. I found a few at a local garden center and the rest at Lowe’s. My grandma and I planted broccoli, Bibb lettuce, cauliflower, Cherry tomatoes, yellow peppers and strawberries. This is my first year planting berries so I am excited to see how many strawberries I’ll actually get. I love having a garden, but this year my garden is very special because my grandmother and I planted it together. She is 85 so every moment we can share together is a blessing.

Digging in the dirt and nurturing a garden always makes me feel close to nature and inspires me to explore growing more foods that are wholesome and natural. Growing up in a family of sharecroppers, I learned early on the value of growing and eating your own food. You can ensure that the food you eat is grown free of additives and chemicals. Plus it’s cheaper and fresher than anything you can buy from a grocery store.

Every day I see something exciting happening in the garden. I’ll post regular updates and gardening tips to help you – just in case you are thinking about starting a garden. Go ahead – it’ll be fun and we can swap stories!

In addition to a well-stocked pantry, you must also have some basic essentials in your refrigerator to make cooking better meals at home quick and simple. You don’t have to stock all these items at one time, but you’ll likely find yourself relying on them frequently in your day-to-day cooking.

You can find these and other staples at your local farmer’s market, grocer, or natural-foods store.

• 1% or skim organic milk
• 100% fruit or vegetable juice
• Almond milk
• Butter
• Capers (optional)
• Cheeses—2% cheddar, feta, freshly grated parmesan, mozzarella, romano, and blue cheese
• Chicken breasts—boneless, skinless
• Chicken (free range)—whole, skinless parts, rotisserie
• Chicken stock (homemade if possible)
• Cottage cheese
• Cream cheese
• Deli meats (nitrate and nitrite free)—turkey, chicken
• Eggs (free range)
• Fresh ginger
• Fresh fruit—organic apples, bananas, oranges, kiwi
• Fresh produce—tomatoes, onions, peppers, herbs, lemons, limes, oranges
• Frozen cheese ravioli or tortellini
• Frozen yogurt and/or sorbet
• Fruit—peaches, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries
• Greek yogurt
• Hummus
• Keifer
• Leafy greens—spinach, kale, swiss chard, collards
• Natural peanut butter (stir and store)
• Nuts—almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, pecans
• Olives—black, green, kalamata, nicoise
• Polenta
• Reduced-fat sour cream
• Seafood—salmon, tilapia, shrimp
• Soy milk
• Soy products—tofu (soft, firm, extra firm, silken), veggie burgers, breakfast links, tempeh
• Vegetables—edamame (soybeans), broccoli, corn, bell-pepper-and-onion mix, peas, tomatoes, celery, carrots, squash, and other family favorites
• Vegetable broth
• Water
• Whole grain bread, tortillas, wraps, buns

I really like pantry checklists. They’re essential to smart shopping and healthy cooking. A thorough checklist helps me have a good handle on what’s in my pantry and what’s not, so I can save time and money while shopping and preparing nutritious meals for me and my family. The Quick Wins Healthy Pantry Checklist is designed to help you establish a good base of traditional pantry staples so you can easily whip up a delicious and nutritious meal or snack.

These are simple, unprocessed or minimally processed items to help you transition to a more basic diet which is high in plant nutrients yet low in calories (i.e. nutrient-dense diet). When your pantry is well-stocked, you’ll find it is much easier to create simple, flavorful dishes in a short amount of time. Having a well-stocked refrigerator is also a must!

Print this list – then pay your pantry a visit to see what you already have on hand and what you need to pick up on your next visit to the farmer’s market or grocery store. You may want to consider laminating this list to make it durable—you’ll be using it a lot!

WHOLE GRAINS

• jasmine rice
• basmati rice
• brown rice
• arborio rice
• wild rice
• whole wheat couscous
• whole wheat pastas
• buckwheat noodles
• corn meal polenta
• quinoa
• millet
• bulgur
• barley
• oat groats
• wheat berries
• popcorn
• buckwheat pancake mix
• whole wheat breads
• whole wheat tortillas
• corn tortillas
• rolled oats
• steel-cut oats

DRIED LEGUMES (BEANS)

• lentils
• red kidney beans
• cannellini beans
• chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• black-eyed peas
• adzuki beans
• five-bean mix
• borlotti beans
• black beans
• great northern beans
• pinto beans
• lima beans
• navy beans
• split peas

DRIED HERBS AND SPICES

• curry powder
• ground cumin
• chili flakes
• ground cinnamon
• cinnamon sticks
• garlic
• chili powder
• crushed red pepper
• Italian seasoning blend
• Tarragon leaves
• Ground ginger
• paprika
• turmeric
• seasoning blends
• cayenne pepper
• iodized salt
• sea salt
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• white pepper
• nutmeg
• bay leaves
• basil
• oregano
• parsley
• rosemary
• thyme
• cloves
• allspice
• sage
• whole peppercorns
• bouillon (beef, chicken, vegetable)
• cardamom
• sun-dried tomatoes
• lemon pepper
• dill
• curry powder

News flash – you’re probably grossly underestimating what you eat and how much of it you eat. And this leads to a BIG problem. Know why? Because if you take in more calories than you expend – you will gain excess weight. If you eat too much sodium, saturated fat, trans fat, sugar and food additives – you could end up in the doctor’s office, ER, or your local funeral home.

How many moms do you know who made drastic changes in their diet and fitness AFTER they were diagnosed with a serious health problem like diabetes, heart disease or cancer? Miraculously, they started taking the stairs instead of the elevator. You see them snacking on fruit instead fries. And they are able to say ”no” to the bread basket.

That’s because they gained 20/20 vision during their wake up call.

Don’t wait unit your doctor tells you that you HAVE to make a change. Start sharpening your 20/20 vision now.

Healthy eating is the foundation of a healthy life. One of the simplest and most empowering ways I’ve found to get a real grip on daily eating habits is to use mobile apps. Most every mom I know has an iPhone, Blackberry, Android or iPad – or some other personal mobile device. Mobile apps can encourage and support healthy eating habits by tracking your daily meals, providing nutrition info on the foods you eat, help you explore new foods, as well as, alert you when you have maxed out your calories for the day.

MyFitnessPal:

• Simple user interface, new HD display ROCKS!
• Easy goal tracking
• Ability to tract of all major nutrients - calories, fat, protein, carbs, sugar, fiber, cholesterol
• Mobile and web access, plus seamless integration across my iPhone and iPad – updates appear on both devices
• Ability to scan barcodes for packaged foods I’ve eaten
• Easy to add and customize foods
• Simple to create “favorite” foods so I don’t have to repeat entry of common foods

MyNetDiary:

LoseIt:

Health-conscious, tech-savvy moms have a real ally in the iPad. The iPad offers a revolutionary way to manage your diet and your health – and have fun while doing it.

If you’re totally honest, I bet right now you primarily use your iPad/Smartphone for entertainment and leisure activities (email, reading, games, online shopping, surfing, social networking, and music). Well, I am about to introduce you to a whole world of ways to turn your iPad into a cool tool to help you create a healthy life.

When I got my iPad, I was determined to use it as much as possible so I could “get my money’s worth” out of it. To do this, I sought countless ways to integrate the iPad into my everyday activities and personal interests. Everyone knows my passion for food and nutrition, so my first order of business (after setting up my email and music library) was to download some useful apps.

Here are a few tips to seamlessly merge an iPad into the things you do every day:

1) Keep your iPad with you or within close reach

2) Get some killer apps

3) Learn how to use both your iPad and your apps

I’ve listed my top 23 ways to use the iPad to eat better. I will use this list to create more detailed blog posts in the future which will include helpful apps for each of the healthy eating activities listed below.

1. Track/record food intake
2. Convert food measurements
3. Determine nutrition of whole foods
4. Figure out serving sizes
5. Learn health benefits of specific foods
6. Track weight loss (or gain)
7. Find recipes
8. Share recipes
9. Collect/store recipes
10. Access cooking timer
11. Look at “how-to” cooking videos
12. Stay abreast of nutrition news
13. Engage in social networking/health community forums
14. Take cool food photos!
15. Record my medical history
16. Learn food safety tips
17. Determine which chemicals & additives are in processed foods
18. Find out what’s growing local
19. Find out which foods are in season
20. Find out which foods to buy organic
21. Find out which foods are GMO vs. Non-GMO (genetically modified)
22. Read digital health & nutrition books/magazines
23. Organize and track pantry staples

How do you use your iPad/Smartphone to eat better? Which food & nutrition apps do you love?