A Birthday, a Meal Plan & a Giveaway!

Happy first birthday to Wholesome Bits!

I created this space to unload my ideas and inspiration for living a healthier life. Our family has made changes... drastic changes... over the last 5 years and when you see visible changes with your eyes, it can't be contained. Hence, Wholesome Bits. You can read more about our 3 part journey to health starting here.

I have enjoyed this year's journey with you. I have been humbled by reading some of your emails of how this little blog has helped you in your journey too... Here is a one,

I am almost headache free. I certainly don’t get them every day or even every week but every now and then one creeps up on me. I lost 19 pounds so far. I have more energy. My BM’s are more regular (uh, you’re a nurse, you can handle that, right?), I have more energy. I have more clarity of mind, I can focus and concentrate whereas before, I was unable to even read a simple newspaper article. The other day I noticed another new change, my nails are healthier and stronger for the first time in my life! I’ve always had very thin brittle nails and assumed that was hereditary. Nope. It was lack of proper nutrition! My skin looks healthier and younger. I sleep better at night. I’m not as irritable and cranky. I’ve been enjoying getting out more and socializing. My joint pain is GONE! Ooo, I even convinced my husband to get rid of some of our carpet and install hardwood and ceramic.

And another one writes,

Your Wholesome Bits blog is a big source of encouragement for me... PLEEEESE keep blogging.....I thrive on your posts and links....they keep me motivated.

So this year has been a complete blessing to me to have readers like YOU who have encouraged me along the way as well!

So thank you!

I look forward to another great year of healthy living and hope you will continue to join in the fun too!


Now to this week's meal plan!

This week I am needing to stay within budget and again am trying to force myself to not run to the store. Do you understand the dismay this puts upon a foodie like myself? It's just not natural to not be surrounded by the beautiful fresh foods in my local produce section several times a week. Oh well... I. will. do. it.

Monday
Honey Sesame Chicken
Brown Rice
Roasted Carrots

Tuesday
"Creamy" Tomato Soup from Pretty Delicious Cookbook
Wasa crackers
Blueberry Smoothies

Wednesday
Cinnamon-Oatmeal waffles
Turkey bacon
Homemade applesauce

Thursday
Foil-Baked fish with black beans and corn (thanks to Pinterest for helping me discover this recipe!)
Purple cole slaw

Friday
Grilled chicken sausage pizza with LOTS of veggies! (never tried grilled, but we'll see what happens!)
Spiced pumpkin cookies


Now for the giveaway! I love giving things away and in celebration of Wholesome Bits' first birthday, here's the goodies one person will get!

First, one of my favorite healthy cookbooks is none other than,

Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients.


Written by the editors of Whole Living, this cookbook is organized into chapters on breakfast, snacks, sandwiches, soups, salads, main dishes, side dishes, and desserts. The recipes are accompanied by simple instructions and beautiful photographs to keep you inspired to eat well at any time of the day.

The next giveaway is another favorite. A pantry staple I am never without. Great for cooking, baking, frying and even effective in treating eczema, dry skin and much more... 16 oz. jar of extra virgin, organic coconut oil. Here is a more detailed blog post of all the reasons I can't get enough of coconut oil in my life.


And last, how about a bar of shampoo soap?

Its 100% vegetable oil formulation lathers quickly, cleans well, and rinses out and easily, leaving you with healthy, beautiful, and clean hair. It will not strip the natural oils from your hair (there are no detergents) for this reason most people do not need a conditioner! It just smells clean.

So there you have it! Three fun, healthy items just for one person. Please leave one comment saying what healthy thing you will strive do in the year 2012. If you like Wholesome Bits on Facebook, you'll get another entry, just say you do.

Contest will close in just days on Wednesday at midnight.

Due to shipping, entries are limited to those living in the 48 contiguous United States.

Good luck!

7 Ways to Save so You Can Eat Healthy

Yesterday I was talking to a good friend of mine who is striving to feed her family healthy like me. Of course, the conversation came up about the rising costs of gas and food and how it is getting trickier to buy healthy foods when the junk foods tend to be so much cheaper.

It would be much easier to grab the junk stuff, but keep focused on the bigger picture of growing a healthy future for you and your family. It may become a challenge to budget for better foods, but it can be done.

Here are some ways I have found that really help my family to buy healthier in a struggling economy...

1. Shop the sales. Very obvious, but very important. And if possible, stock up on those items if you can. When strawberries and peaches are cheap, load up and then freeze them for something good later. 

2. Stop buying the junk. If you stop buying junk, it clears the way for the healthy stuff!

3. Find ways to cut back... specifically you! I have personally made decisions to cut back on my own luxuries so there is a little more leftover for buying food that will benefit my family, specifically my kids. I only get my hair cut once a year, I don't ever get my nails or toes done... and to be a little transparent here, I purchase over 90% of my clothes and shoes either from the Target clearance racks or from my personal favorite, Goodwill. 

4. Shop at different stores to get better deals. I know, more work for you, but this can really help your budget. If grapes are on sale at one store, but apples are cheaper elsewhere those little changes will add up.

5. Clip coupons. Most coupons are for processed foods, but if you look, sometimes there are really good coupons for healthy foods. Like coupons for cherry tomatoes, clementines, Dole salad bags, healthy protein bars, organic juices and more. Here are a few sites to check out for coupons and savings... Mambo Sprouts, Frugal Living, Saving Naturally, and Stonyfield, Seventh Generation, Whole Foods Market.

6. Buy generic where you can. Aldi is a great place to shop. Did you know they are owned by the same family that operates Trader Joe's? I like to buy several things at Aldi like tortilla chips, whole grain pasta, bread and crackers, 100% fruit juices, oats, ground turkey and they have the cheapest and best veggies chips around.

7. Make your own sweets and snacks. My family is a "sweets" family. So this can be a challenge, but I have found when I make my own, from-scratch treats, it helps cut costs plus is so much healthier. Things like oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, homemade granola bars, super healthy brownies and of course, smoothies.

What ways help you buy healthy in our economy?