Mailbag Monday | The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans LLC

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First of all, I know there HAVE to be questions out there. So next week? We better have a ton. As in, our mailbox better be busting at the seams. Okay? Please.

Cause begging for questions this week made me feel like a total dork. Which, in all reality, I am. But still.

Just in case you forgot, email your questions to [email protected]. Or you can drop them in the comments to this post! See? Easy! And don’t forget to identify yourself and give us a link to your blog. If you want to be identified, that is. We’re happy to answer anonymous questions too. Yeah, we’re totally cool like that.

Right. Now that I have all that out of the way, I did manage to force some questions out of a few peeps, so in no particular order, here we go:

What is your best tip for eating on vacation…having fun but still maintaining some sense of healthy eating? Tiffany of Releasing Me

Like so many, I struggle with the balance between having fun and being on vacation while still eating healthfully. In my mind, I’ve got this thing that BAD FOOD=fun. And that I might miss out on something really fabulous wherever I’m visiting hello Texas and fried pickles.

The best advice I have is to try to stay somewhere where you can do a little of your own cooking. This allows you to have better control of what you are eating (no hidden ingredients, extra oil or butter), and will also save you a bunch of money. Double bonus! If you have a little kitchenette, you can pretty much eat the same types of things you’d eat at home.

Another thing I like to do is find out if there is a farmer’s market and hit it up for fresh, local produce. Last year when we went to Kauai, I feasted on fresh papaya with a squeeze of lime for breakfast every morning. We had these fabulous little bananas called ‘apple bananas’, that were absolutely amazing – my son ate at least five a day. And the pineapple? Good enough to make you want to slap your momma. The wonderful thing about trying indigenous produce is that you feel like you’re getting a true taste of wherever you’re staying. And you truly are!

If there’s something you want to try that is not so great for you, share it! If you split something decadent amongst four people, you’re only doing a quarter of the damage.

Finally, remember that you ARE on vacation. Indulge a little. Just try to walk a little extra to work off those calories!

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What is your “go-to” healthy recipe? The one you rely on when you don’t have any other ideas? Our Sister Christy

If I have no other ideas? I would have to say turkey tacos. I don’t have any particular recipe for them, but I will tell you I either skip the tortilla and do the taco salad thing, or I use La Tortilla Factory tortillas.

You can do so much with taco salad. I usually pop open a can of kidney beans to bulk it up a bit, and I’ll throw in whatever vegetable I have in the fridge. I really love sweet bell peppers and tomatoes.

I also whiz up a simple, healthy dressing in my little food processor…a little nonfat yogurt, about half an avocado, minced garlic, lime juice, cumin, chopped cilantro, salt and pepper. I’d give you measurements, but I really just chuck it together. Taste as you go to make it to your liking.

Also? I do use cheese, but I always make sure I use sharp cheddar – more bang for your calorie buck.

Another thing I eat a lot of if I just can’t face cooking? Gardenburgers on Oroweat Sandwich thins, piled high with lots of lettuce and tomato. I could eat Gardenburgers all day long. Yum.

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I would love to know what food plans you follow – Weight Watchers, Atkins, high protein/low carb, no sugar, calorie counting? Audrey of See Mama Run

So, I’ve been on and off of Weight Watchers since my early twenties. It is a great program, if you stick with it…and like they really stress, it is a LIFESTYLE, not a diet. I think it worked for me because it taught me portion control…something I’ve struggled with my entire life.

I’ve also tried Spark People – because it’s free – and it works on the same principles as Weight Watchers in that you need to fill certain nutrient quotas each day while staying under a certain calorie point. Which is really simple. Seriously. Dieting is all math. Calories in versus calories expended.  Ta da! I know, genius.

I did jump on the low carb bandwagon a few years back, but you know? Totally restricting something from your diet makes you want it more…meaning, face, meet pan of brownies. Binge-o-rama. Plus, I’ve watched family members do it completely wrong. As in, they think that they can have WHATEVER protien they want in mass quantities, as long as it’s protien. But seriously? Bacon and hot dogs? Bad idea. So I’m not a fan of carbohydrate restriction. Our bodies need protien, carbohydrates AND fat, yes, fat, to function. End of story.

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Whew! Hope I answered some burning questions! And maybe, just maybe, I stirred up some more.

So, what are you waiting for? Flood our mailbox! Don’t make me beg.

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