What to do with Sweet Cravings

This totally works for me, but remember what works for one person might not work for another. Usually after lunch, my mouth says 'GIVE ME SWEETS' but my mind says 'You're better than that, don't do it' So instead of heading for the cookies I go to my stash of raisins. Yes, raisins. They are a little old fashion but the taste of them satisfies my craving and they are healthy. I buy the big long raisins. However, if I want something with a little more substance I eat an Apricot Real Fruit Bar. Try it sometime maybe it will work for you too.

However, if you must indulge in a little sweet something. Have it, but just a little.

Using healthy oil instead of butter experiment

Just posted a great pdf conversion chart for substituting oil in place of butter on the Food Facts page at SnackSmarts.com. Very cool! Use Canola or Olive Oil in place of your butter or margarine. Canola and Olive Oil have healthier fats than the other oils, butter, and margarine. I actually made chocolate chip cookies with Canola oil instead of butter, and I used whole wheat flour instead of white...and the cookies were awesome! They had a little crisp on the outside and they were soft and chewy on the inside. Note that the batter did look different but it was worth the experiment. I will do it again!

Daniel Fast (Diet)

My husband and I just finished a 21 day 'Daniel Fast'. During the fast you could only drink plain water and eat the veggies, fruit, nuts, legumes, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, oils. You don't eat dairy, meat, fish, eggs, butter, anything with yeast in it, sugar, preservatives.

At first I thought it was going to be really hard, but after the first four days it was awesome. I felt so good. My energy was up all day long and I could think clearer. I HIGHLY recommend doing this once a year. In fact, this morning I tried to drink coffee...something I used to do every morning...and I spit it out. It tasted nasty.

More info here about the fast, the purpose, etc.: http://danielfast.wordpress.com/ We really enjoyed the cooking and wholefoods. Yes, it totally makes a difference what you put in your body!!