Wanting to eat healthier, more natural foods but don’t think you have the money to do so? Well, the people at Whole Foods want you to as well and have offered this as a tool to help you shop their store and do so on a budget.
http://media.wholefoodsmarket.com/pr/wf/national/6-18-08valuetips.aspx

I hope everyone had a delightful 4th of July and found following program to be very easy and not a trouble or hindrance. I found a way to get through fine, without any challenges. Just don’t go to a 4th party! I felt sad for a minute when I realized that no one, not even my family, invited me to a party. Then I thought how lucky I was to not be invited. I was able to do my own thing and got a few chores done at my house. I didn’t have to face any food challenges or give up the freedom of my choices as to what I wanted to eat. It was a nice day, once the rain stopped. I do have to say, I enjoyed a work-day of not being out in the rain but in bed listening as it hit the windows. I hate going to work on rainy days. Here was a Friday I didn’t have to be out in it and could take the nap like I always say I want to be doing.

I have discovered through outdoor activity that I am allergic to poisonous weeds. I know I got into poison Ivy and Sumac in the last few weekends. I am attaching a link to the images of these, so you can try and avoid them. I honestly had no clue what the poisonous weeds looked like. I had heard Leaves of three, let it be. But a lot of things in nature have three leaves! So, here is a picture guide.
http://www.webmd.com/allergies/tc/poison-ivy-oak-or-sumac-topic-overview

INShape Indiana is starting a new challenge today. This one sounds fun and has a neat way to score yourself. A lot of the things it asks you to do, we already do as WW members. The Summer Fit program info can be found here: http://www.in.gov/inshape/2331.htm


I have another foster dog coming this week. She is an 8 week old puppy, or thereabouts. Since I don’t have a fenced yard, I should be getting lots of walks in! This will surely help the half-marathon training!

What are you doing to amp up your activity these days? Has anyone planted a good size garden that you need to work to offset some of the rising food costs and fears of salmonella? If not, it may not be too late!

Following is an article from the WW website on what you can do when you travel on your summer vaca!

Busy or not, here we come. Every month “Everyday Gourmet” serves up new recipes, cooking tips and ideas for dishes that are elegant in taste and presentation, yet simple enough to prepare and enjoy in a snap.

Even with high gas prices, summer means time in the car. We’re sticking around home this year, taking another one of those “staycations” people are talking about. But we still plan to head out to the local lakes and state parks to take advantage of rural Connecticut’s beauty.

Along the way, we’ll have some healthy munchies to make things even better. After all, car food is an American passion. Most of us grew up with the car trip: Mom packed a lunch and we made up time by not stopping at a restaurant.

There’s no need to blow our lifestyles with unhealthy snacks. Why eat junk just because we’re in the car? Besides, no one will miss those ever-present chips with these fiery cherry tomato poppers. Just have the diet soda or bottled water handy!

And talk about an easy lunch—these wraps are wholesome and satisfying. They’re also easy to eat while you’re on the road or parked at a rest stop along the way.

For dessert, who could resist these sweet, sticky, chewy little morsels of dried fruit and spices? They’ll last for days, a treat during your whole vacation.

So crank up the air conditioning and forget about the crazy price of gas for a bit. You’ve got some easy, economic road food that’ll keep you moving on down the highway!

About the Dried Fruit BitesThese little candies are like the filling to fig cookies without any of the cookie part in the way! They’re a hit with the kids and can be stored in a plastic bag at room temperature for up to four days. For the best results, dice the dried fruit until the pieces are all about the size of the raisins.

Dried Fruit Bites
Makes 25 servings
POINTS® value 1 per serving

Ingredients
· 18 dried California apricot halves, diced
· 11 pitted prunes, diced
· 2 dried figs, stemmed and diced
· 1 cup golden raisins
· 3/4 cup dried cranberries
· 1/2 cup dried pitted dates, diced
· 2 tsp vanilla extract
· 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
· 1 3/4 cups crispy rice cereal

Instructions
1. Place all ingredients, except cereal, in a food processor. Pulse until well chopped and blended, until the mixture begins to form into its own mound (but not until it’s a puree), less than 1 minute.
2. Transfer the mixture to a bowl; add 3/4 cup cereal. Stir with a wooden spoon until the cereal is evenly distributed in the mixture.
3. Crush the remaining 1 cup cereal with your cleaned, dried hands to a fairly fine powder (or you can seal the cereal in a zip-top bag and crush it with a rolling pin or a can.) Place crushed cereal in a shallow bowl.
4. Roll fruit mixture into 50 balls, about 1 heaping teaspoon each, dropping each into the crushed cereal and rolling until well-coated.

· Serving size: 2 balls.

About the Cherry Tomato PoppersWhat could be easier? Sweet cherry tomatoes are paired with spicy jalapeños and some cheese for an easy snack that’s ready when you are. Store them, covered, in the refrigerator or cooler for a day or two; but for the best taste, let them come to room temperature for 20 minutes before eating.

Cherry Tomato Poppers
Makes 8 servings
POINTS® value 1 per serving

Ingredients
· 32 cherry tomatoes
· 32 jarred pickled jalapeño slices
· Four (4-inch) low-fat mozzarella cheese sticks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Instructions
1. Slice off the very top, stem-end of each cherry tomato; use a small grapefruit spoon to spoon out and discard the insides, leaving the walls intact.
2. Place 1 jalapeño slice inside each hollowed-out tomato. Add a piece of cheese and press gently into place.

· Serving size: 4 cherry tomato poppers.

About the Curried Turkey WrapsHere’s an easy lunch in the car. Wrap these sandwiches in wax paper and then in aluminum foil so you can peel the wrappings down and eat on the go.

Curried Turkey Wraps
Makes 6 servings
POINTS® value 3 per serving

Ingredients
· 1 cup shredded carrots
· 1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
· 1/4 cup mango chutney
· 2 tsp yellow curry powder
· 12 oz low-sodium deli sliced turkey
· 3 cups bagged shredded salad greens, preferably a mix with crunchy Romaine
· 6 medium whole-wheat tortillas

Instructions
1. Mix the carrots, mayonnaise, mango chutney and curry powder in a medium bowl.
2. Spread 1/4 cup carrot mixture onto each tortilla. Top with 2 ounces turkey and 1/2 cup salad mix.
3. Roll each tortilla closed. Lay a piece of wax paper on top of a piece of foil; set the rolled tortilla on top. Roll closed and seal the ends by twisting them shut. Refrigerate or put in the cooler for up to 6 hours.
4. Serving size: 1 wrap.