It’s the final week of New Year, New You! I honestly cannot believe how quickly this month has soared by, but I’m glad we’ve been passing the dreary winter days with talk about setting healthy habits in 2012. In case you’ve missed any of the posts from the past 3 weeks, here’s a quick recap:

• Week One: Eat More Produce
• Week Two: Snack Smart
• Week Three: Swap Your Sweeteners

Stay Hydrated

This final week is all about staying hydrated with high-quality liquids. So often we think of food as being the key player in our overall wellness, but water is a critical element as well. It is estimated that our bodies are comprised of 60-80% water! Think of what that means if we are not properly hydrated. Our cells need water to thrive and carry out their many duties in our bodies.

A while back, I read a fascinating book called Your Body’s Many Cries for Water: You’re Not Sick, You’re Thirsty!, which highlighted just how vital water is for our health. You can survive for days (even weeks) without food, but your system rapidly deteriorates without water.

My top tips for staying hydrated:

• Set a timer. I recently began using one of these handy timers for my interval workouts, and I’ve found that it also makes an excellent water timer. Every 30 minutes when the timer goes off, it reminds me to drink at least a half cup of water. I gulp it down, hit the reset button, and start all over again. It’s amazing just how quickly a half hour goes by before it’s time to drink up again!
• Flavor your water. If you don’t like it’s taste, add a few drops of essential oils, citrus wedges, or stevia to give your glass a flavor boost. A reader mentioned to me recently how she likes to cook cranberries down with water to make a thick (unsweetened) sauce, then strains them and adds them to a glass of cold water for a refreshing sugar-free beverage. Sounds fantastic to me!
• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Water comes to us not only by the glass, but also in fresh produce. A veggie and fruit-centric diet will deliver water as well as other vital nutrients to your thirsty cells.

The recipe below for a soothing Fennel, Mint, & Ginger Tea is one of my favorite hydrating beverages to sip this time of year. If I feel like I’m coming down with a cold or other bug, I’ll add a splash of apple cider vinegar to the tea as well. Both fennel and ginger are incredibly soothing to the stomach, while mint offers fresh flavor and plenty of antioxidants.

For more tips and recipes for staying hydrated, check out:

• Lexie’s Kitchen sharing Cherry Lime Chia Fresca
• Gluten-Free Easily sharing Tips for Staying Hydrated
• Real Sustenance sharing Sugar-Free Ginger Ale

The Giveaway

This week I'm giving away one (16 ounce) LifeFactory glass water bottle in aqua blue! I drink from my lime green bottle every single day. LifeFactory bottles are free of BPA, PVC, phthalates, and lead. They are also dishwasher safe, but very easy to clean if you wash them by hand.

Enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post with your tips for staying hydrated.
• Follow Daily Bites on Facebook or Twitter and leave a comment saying you did.
• Follow Lexie's Kitchen on Facebook or Twitter and leave a comment saying you did.

The giveaway is open until 12:00 CST on Wednesday, February 1, 2012. The winner will be randomly selected and notified that they have won via email. Contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada only, age 18 years or older.

Full disclosure: I purchased the product for this giveaway myself because I have personally tried it and endorse it. This is not a sponsored post.

Fennel, Mint, & Ginger Tea

Makes 1 cup of tea

1 cup water

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

1 one-inch piece finely grated fresh ginger root

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, torn

Apple cider vinegar, honey, or unsweetened almond milk to taste, if desired

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Bring the water to a boil in a small pot. Add the fennel, ginger, and mint leaves and stir to combine. Remove from heat, cover, and steep for 8-10 minutes. Strain, add other ingredients if using, and enjoy.

In the grip of winter’s icy fingers, it’s often easy to let the gray days dampen our spirits and send us into the kitchen to pass the time and warm up with way too many baked goods and sweet treats. I’m all for a healthy cookie or scone once in a while, but to be completely honest, I just don’t eat very many sweets. Reason number one is that I simply feel better and enjoy eating more of other foods like salads, proteins, and smoothies. Reason number two is that I simply don’t crave treats and carbohydrate-rich foods.

People ask me often how I can develop so many recipes for delicious baked goods and manage to keep from eating them all within a day. The key is that I don’t crave muffins and cookies or hanker for a bite (or 12 bites…) of indulgent chocolate cake after dinner. One quick taste and into the freezer or refrigerator it goes to savor over days and weeks.

The first step to overcoming a sweet tooth is to conquer carb cravings once and for all. Today I have 10 tips to share with you that have worked well for me in kicking my cravings to the curb. Stick with these 10 steps and you’ll be well on your way to passing up that plate of brownies any day.

1. Eat!

If you want to manage your carb cravings responsibly, you can’t starve yourself of proper nutrients and good-tasting food! If you force yourself to eat nothing but bland “diet food,” subsisting on dry chicken breasts and steamed broccoli day in and day out, of course you’re going to have nothing but chocolate cake on the brain. Instead of focusing on the foods you shouldn’t eat, focus on what you should: colorful produce including lots of leafy greens and fresh vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, beans and legumes if they agree with you, and healthy sources of fat like olive and coconut oil, avocados, and nuts and seeds.

2. Drink.

Very often we crave carbohydrate-rich foods (or just food in general) when we are dehydrated. Keep your body’s cells plump and hydrated with pure water to fend off cravings and stay on track. If you don’t like the taste (or lack of taste) of water, add a few drops of liquid stevia and some citrus wedges to your glass.

3. Keep a food journal.

Tracking what you eat is a powerful and effective way to home in on what foods might be triggering your cravings. If you eat a carb-heavy breakfast, for instance, and find that you’re hankering for something sugary a few hours later, perhaps it’s an indicator that you need more protein in the morning. If you eat few carbs until the evening, but find yourself dragging by mid-afternoon, that could be a sign that you need more carb energy sources in the first half of the day to keep you stable. See where I’m going with this? Try to listen to your body and respond accordingly.

4. Cook at home.

There’s no way around this one, people. If you want to nourish yourself with high-quality food and get on track with keeping your cravings in check, YOU must be the person preparing your food. Cooking and eating at home, where you can monitor your portion sizes and focus on quality over quantity, is critical to your success with adopting a balanced diet. Restaurants also offer far more temptations than the home environment. When there’s no tiramisu or triple chocolate chunk ice cream around or on your home menu, you won’t eat it.

5. Explore new foods.

Many of the carbs we crave are traditional comfort food recipes that we’ve somehow grown to love. Think mac n’ cheese, chocolate chip cookies, salty crackers, or gooey brownies. Exploring new foods and cuisines will give you new favorites to enjoy sensibly.

6. Plan.

Planning is vital to the success of conquering your cravings. Keep healthy snacks on hand at all times so that when hunger strikes and you’re scrambling for something sweet, you have a smart choice at your fingertips. Knowing what you’re making for dinner will help prevent the last-minute stop at the fast food joint at the end of a busy day. It’s much easier to stick to healthy goals when you have tools like meal planning to help you get there!

7. Focus on responsibility, not restriction.

Remember that conquering your cravings is about YOU being the person in control. When you take control of the food choices you make, you have the ability to cut yourself some slack every now and then. Your goal is to be a responsible, conscious eater, not a drill sergeant. Enjoy the foods you love in moderation as special occasion treats (and in small portions) instead of restricting them into non-existence altogether.

8. Know your weaknesses.

We all have individual downfalls and areas where we are weaker than others in our lives. Becoming aware of your weaknesses and polishing those areas leads to long-term success. For night eaters, their weakness is between the hours of 8 and 11 pm, which quickly becomes a feeding frenzy. For others, stress sends them into a brownie-fest that doesn’t stop until they’re overstuffed and sick. Tune into your weaknesses and use your personal strengths to overcome them.

9. Reflect.

So much of what we crave is linked to far deeper, more emotional issues. Food is deeply personal. Take time to reflect not just on what you eat and when you eat it, but also why you’re eating it in the first place. Think through questions like: how do I feel right now? What did I feel like before I ate this? How do I feel afterwards? What is my opinion of myself right now? Am I talking to myself positively or negatively? Why?

10. Seek help if you need it.

For many people, cravings can signal hormone imbalances, thyroid conditions, and amino acid deficiencies. If you’re one of those people who have tried everything, given every method of balanced eating a go, worked through emotional issues, developed a support system, and on and on, but you’re still seeing no results, consider getting help from a qualified professional. Often just a few herbs and supplements can bring the body right back where it needs to be.

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What are your tips for conquering cravings? Do you have any helpful resources to share?

It’s the third week of New Year, New You, the month-long pure living event I’m co-hosting with Lexie’s Kitchen. This week, we’re celebrating with wholesome, refined sugar-free treats! Glad you stopped by, aren’t you?

So far in this event, we’ve shared our favorite ways to eat more produce and learned how to make smart snack choices. If you missed any of the posts from the last two weeks, here’s a recap:

Week One: Eat More Produce

• Tips for Eating More Produce from Celiacs in the House
• Kale with Caramelized Onions from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen
• Fennel, Orange, & Sesame Salad from Gluten-Free Cat
• Kale Salad Wraps from Lexie’s Kitchen
• Chopped Chicken & Vegetable Salad from Daily Bites

Week Two: Snack Smart

• Gluten-Free Veggie Burgers from Silvana’s Kitchen
• Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie Dip from Cook IT Allergy Free
• Cinnamon-Fig Cashew Spread from Go Dairy Free
• Sticky Toffee Power Balls from Lexie’s Kitchen
• Healthy Gluten-Free Snack Ideas from Daily Bites

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Swap Your Sweeteners

This week is all about indulging sensibly in treats that are free of refined sugar. Sugar effects our bodies negatively in dozens of ways and contributes to diseases, weakened immune systems, and many chronic illnesses. Sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, elevated adrenaline, anxiety, crankiness, and difficulty concentrating. Because sugar decreases our bodies’ sensitivity to insulin, regular sugar consumption can lead to the onset of diabetes. It also has the ability to increase metabolic disorders in healthy people and promote a host of degenerative diseases, many of them life-threatening.

This article by Nancy Appleton, author of Lick the Sugar Habit, lists 76 ways that sugar can negatively influence our health. It’s highly convincing and I would encourage you to read it if you’re on the fence. Another wonderful resource for those looking to eliminate or greatly reduce sugar in their diets is Get the Sugar Out by Ann Louise Gittleman. The book contains over 500 reader-friendly tips that are easy to implement and remember. You might also want to pick up a copy of Amy Green’s book Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free, which contains 180 recipes that are entirely free of refined sugar. (You can read my review of Amy’s book here.)

Of course, just because you don’t eat sugar doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a sweet treat once in a while. In all of my cooking and baking, I use only natural sweeteners like fruits and fruit purees, honey, organic maple syrup and agave nectar, coconut sugar, and stevia. I also tend to use much less than typical recipes do because over time, my taste buds have adapted to a less sweet way of eating.

Let me tell you, I don’t miss the sugar one bit. Naturally sweetened treats taste just as good as those made with cane sugar without giving me headaches, puffy eyes, and energy crashes.

Soft Island Bliss Cookies

Take these cookies, for instance. Sweetened entirely with honey, they absolutely hit the spot if you’ve got a pesky sweet tooth. The trio of citrus zest along with the subtly sweet coconut unite to create a soft, chewy cookie that evokes the flavor of the tropics. Close your eyes, munch on a cookie, and you’ll quickly be whisked away to a land of salty breezes, swaying palms, and sun-washed beaches. Ah, bliss!

For more nutritious, refined sugar-free treats, you’ll want to check out this week’s New Year, New You contributors:

• She Let Them Eat Cake sharing a Cookie Dough Milkshake
• Diet, Dessert, and Dogs sharing Low-Fat Cinnamon Walnut Loaf and tips for swapping your sweeteners
• The Daily Dietribe sharing Banana Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free sharing Top Tips for Swapping Your Sweeteners

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The Giveaway

Update 1/25/12 – This giveaway is now CLOSED.

Want to stock up on healthy alternative sweeteners for all of your winter baking projects? We’ve got you covered!

Today I’m giving away a gift package of organic sweeteners from Wholesome Sweeteners, a leader in the natural sweetener industry. The package includes:

• 1 (32 fl. ounce) bottle of Organic Unsulphured Molasses
• 1 (16 ounce) jar of Fair Trade Organic Raw Honey
• 1 (11.75 ounce) bottle of Organic Raw Blue Agave
• 1 (11.75 ounce) bottle of Organic Blue Agave
• 1 (11.75 ounce) bottle of Organic Cinnamon Flavored Agave Syrup
• 1 (75-count) box of Organic Stevia (powdered)

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Here’s how to enter:

• Leave a comment on this post with your ideas or tips for reducing refined sugar in your cooking.
  
• Share about this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest and leave a comment saying you did.

This giveaway is open until 12:00 pm CST on Wednesday, January 25, 2012. One (1) winner will be randomly selected and notified by email that they have won. They will also be announced in next Thursday’s New Year, New You post. Contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada only, age 18 or older.

Congratulations to Erin, the winner of last week’s healthy snack giveaway.

Full disclosure: I was provided with the products from Wholesome Sweeteners for this giveaway at no charge. Opinions expressed about these products and/or the company are strictly my own.

Soft Island Bliss Cookies
Makes about 18

Adapted from Healthful Pursuit

To finely grate the citrus zest, I find a Microplane grater to be the most effective tool. Since citrus is a heavily sprayed crop and you are literally using the peels of the fruits, choose organic citrus if possible here.

2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup blanched almond or hazelnut flour
Scant 1/2 cup honey
2 large eggs
1  1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix with a rubber spatula to thoroughly combine. Form small (1- to 1  1/2-inch) balls of the mixture into small cookie shapes with your hands. Place on the baking sheet.

Bake for about 15 minutes, rotating the pan once halfway through, or until golden brown and just firm to the touch. Cool completely before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

As I read through all of the comments on last week’s healthy snack post, I saw a common theme in many of your favorite snack ideas: dips and spreads, particularly hummus or bean dip, nut butters, and guacamole.

So I thought that with so many spread-lovers out there (myself included), a good sturdy cracker recipe was in order.

I can’t get enough of these grain-free crackers. Even though they are dairy-free, the texture and flavor offers plenty of buttery richness. Blanched almond flour and sunflower seeds lend heart-healthy fats and protein to the crackers, meaning that just one or two satisfy a craving for something crisp and salty. Slather them with your favorite dip or spread for a winning snack combo.

A few of my favorite cracker toppings:

• Homemade Spicy Mustard
• Spiced Carrot Hummus with Garlic Oil
• Fiesta Guacamole
• All natural jam (my favorite is Bionaturae’s Wild Berry Fruit Spread)

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More Sensible Snack Ideas

Don’t miss my easy 3-step recipe for homemade apple-pear sauce at The Balanced Platter. It takes less than a half hour to make and beats store-bought sauce any day.

There also still time to enter the giveaway for a few of my favorite snack products featured last week for New Year, New You. Head over here for the details.

If you are looking for healthy recipes across the board for breakfast, lunches, and snacks for kids and adults alike, you’ll definitely want to check out this e-book from Alisa Fleming, Smart School Time Recipes. It’s packed with nutritious recipes (many of them gluten- and dairy-free) from dozens of great bloggers. You can get it right now absolutely FREE for your Kindle! I’m about to download mine today. Don’t have a Kindle? No problem. You can get the PDF version here.

Garlic Herb Crackers

Yield will vary depending on the size you cut your crackers

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1  1/2 cups blanched almond flour

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon salt-free Italian seasoning or dried herb blend

1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon dark maple syrup, honey, or organic agave nectar

1 tablespoon water

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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, process the almond flour, sunflower seeds, herb seasoning, garlic powder, and salt until finely ground. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, maple syrup, and water. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until a thick dough forms. Use your hands to form the dough into a thick square or rectangular mass. Place the dough between two sheet of parchment paper and roll out to about 1/8-inch thick.

Transfer the dough (parchment paper and all) to a baking sheet. Remove the top sheet of parchment and cut the dough into cracker shapes using a pizza cutter. Bake for about 12 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant. Cool completely before separating into crackers. (Store in an airtight container at room temperature.)

Looking for more healthy recipes? Visit Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

It’s week two of New Year, New You and this week’s theme is Snack Smart. If you’re in need of some healthy snack inspiration, you’ve come to the right place! Swing by Lexie’s Kitchen today, too, for her mouthwatering recipe for Sticky Toffee Power Balls.

If you missed any of last week’s tips and recipes for eating more fresh produce, here’s a quick recap:

• Lexie’s Kitchen – Kale Salad Wraps
• Celiacs in the House – Tips for Eating More Produce
• Gluten Free Cat – Fennel, Orange, & Sesame Salad
• The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen – Kale with Caramelized Onions

Snack Smart

I’m a big advocate of eating nutritious snacks throughout the day. Snacks help keep cravings at bay, maintain stable blood sugar, and prevent that famished feeling we can get before a meal that causes us to overeat or make unhealthy choices.

These Fruit & Nut Breakfast Treats stretch well beyond breakfast in my house. Packed with fiber-rich nuts and seeds that also contain healthy fats, just one or two will keep you satisfied for hours.

Also rich in fiber and beta-carotene is this Spiced Carrot Hummus with Garlic Oil. Keep a batch in the fridge to enjoy all week long with veggies or rice crackers.

For a high-protein snack after a workout or when you find yourself craving sugary carbohydrates, try these Shredded Vegetable Meatballs. Lean turkey, zucchini, carrots, and parsley unite to create a nutrient-dense option that also travels well in lunchboxes and coolers. Pack a container of salsa or mustard for dipping.

This refreshing Stone Fruit Salsa is the perfect pick-me-up when you’re craving something sweet and juicy. If stone fruits aren’t in season or available where you live, try swapping in diced pears, mangos, pineapple, or tart apples. Serve the salsa with Homemade Tortilla Chips or your favorite cracker.

Last but not least, these Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Balls are sure to kick any pesky sweet tooth. Although they’re free of refined sugar, you’d never know it from the luscious chocolatey flavor.

For more healthy snack recipes and tips, check out…

• Go Dairy Free sharing Cinnamon-Fig Cashew Butter Spread
• Silvana’s Kitchen sharing Gluten-Free Veggie Burgers
• Cook IT Allergy Free sharing 12 Healthy Snack Ideas and a Simple Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie Dip recipe
• Lexie’s Kitchen sharing Sticky Toffee Power Balls

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The Giveaway

UPDATE 1/18/12 – This giveaway is now closed.

When you just don’t have time to make your own nutritious snack and you need a quick nibble to grab on the run, there are a few great allergen-friendly products out there that I highly recommend. And today, I’m giving a way a snack package including all of them!

Included in the gift pack:

• 1 (3 ounce) package Go Raw Pizza Flax Snax: Made from seeds and spices, these savory raw crackers taste just like pizza—I kid you not! I keep a little bag of them in my purse to munch on when I’m running errands. They’re also an essential for traveling.
• 1 (3 ounce) package Go Raw Original Super Cookies: Just three ingredients—coconut, sesame seeds, and dates—make up these sweet and crunchy cookies. Just one or two kick a sweet tooth in a flash. All of Go Raw‘s products are certified gluten-free, organic, raw, and vegan.
• 1 (8 ounce) package Made in Nature 100% Organic Black Mission Figs: Nothing says delectable like a moist dried Black Mission fig. If you’ve never had them, you must try them! Loaded with fiber and antioxidants, Made in Nature’s figs are sun-dried and unsulphured.
• 1 (1.1 ounce) squeeze pack of Artisana Raw Almond Butter: I can’t get enough of Artisana’s delicious organic nut butters. They now make their butters individually packaged in small squeeze packs, perfect for taking on airplanes, road trips, or whenever you need the convenience of nut butter in a no-muss-no-fuss package.

There are three ways to enter this week:

• Leave a comment on this post with your favorite healthy snack ideas.
• Follow Daily Bites on Facebook and/or Twitter and leave a comment saying that you did.
• Follow Lexie’s Kitchen on Facebook and/or Twitter and leave a comment saying that you did.

This giveaway is open until 12:00 pm CST on Wednesday, January 18, 2012. One (1) winner will be randomly selected and notified by email that they have won. They will also be announced in next Thursday’s New Year, New You post. Contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada only, age 18 or older.

Congratulations to Karen and J. Lee, the winners of last week’s double cookbook giveaway!

Full disclosure: I purchased the products for this giveaway myself because I have personally tried them and endorse them. This is not a sponsored post.

We’re just over a week into the new year, and I think it’s time we get right down to it and talk about the dreaded E word: exercise.

You read mostly about food here, which is the way I plan to keep things in 2012. I’m not turning Daily Bites into a fitness blog (don’t worry!), but a big part of a well-rounded healthy lifestyle is movement and activity, so I think it’s an important topic to touch on every now and then.

Be advised that I’m not a fitness professional and have no formal training when it comes to exercise and movement. Everything that I’m sharing with you here is based solely on personal experience. You’ll want to consult with your qualified health care professional to determine what form of activity is best for you. Stay safe!

As for me personally, when it comes to physical activity, I’m a big believer in three key points:

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1. Variety

You must, must, must keep your exercise routine shaken up in order to a) challenge yourself and build strength/speed/stamina, b) enjoy your workouts and not become bored, and c) prevent injuries. Last summer and fall, I got into a regular routine of running 3 or 4 times per week, going to some weight training classes at my gym, and occasionally throwing in a yoga or pilates class for fun. What I discovered, though, was that after almost 3 months of sticking with this plan, I still hated running, I hadn’t become significantly stronger from all of the weight training, and I felt like every other week I was battling some kind of injury.

That’s when I decided a change was in order. Could I build strength, stamina, and speed without stepping on a treadmill or lifting a dumbbell? I decided to put myself to the test and give high intensity interval training (HIIT) a go.  My HIIT workouts are short, usually no more than 20 minutes of actual working out, but very intense. Exercises include things like push-ups and variations of push-ups, pull-ups, squats, jumps, kicks, planks, and more. Almost everything is done with my own body weight. During the intervals, I push really hard. After 12-15 minutes of pushing to my maximum level of effort (or as close to it as I can come!), I am usually out of breath, sweating, and begging for a swig of water.

Along with the HIIT workouts, I’ve also kept up with yoga/pilates classes about once a week and occasionally throw in a sprint session on the treadmill if I have the energy and time. Otherwise, I walk briskly a few days per week and try to focus on warming up and cooling down thoroughly after HIIT sessions.

The verdict? After roughly 4-6 weeks of sticking with this plan, I feel stronger, faster, and more conditioned than I have ever felt before. More than anything, I feel like the variety of my exercise program has helped the most. Every day is a little different. I’m not just running 5 days a week or doing a gazillion bicep curls and crunches, hoping to tone up by hitting the gym for an hour a day. I’m keeping my body guessing as to what’s coming next.

And the very best part? I absolutely LOVE this way of exercising! Which brings me to point #2:

2. Sustainability

Your form of exercise needs to be sustainable-–physically, mentally, and financially. Because I work out with pretty much just my own body weight and very few pieces of equipment, I can essentially work out anywhere. In my basement, at a gym, in a hotel room—you name it. Because I’m not injured all the time, I can keep up with the regimen and sustain it long term.

If you enjoy what you’re doing for exercise, you’re going to stick with it! When I was running a lot more this summer and fall, I literally had to drag myself out the door, dreading the XX miles I’d have to slog out on road or the treadmill. I tried to convince myself that it was good for me and my heart, but no matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t grow to love it. I even tried reading Runner’s World for a few months to get inspired and motivated.

Didn’t work. I’m just not a runner.

But have me drop and do burpees, push-ups, planks, and squat jumps for a rotation of 12 minutes, pushing at my absolute max effort? I’ll give you all I’ve got!

For the first time in months (maybe years), I’m actually excited to work out every day. I can see myself sticking with physical activity (along with plenty of rest days!) for life.

3. Set Goals

I recently wrote a post about goal setting and how valuable it is for me personally. I challenge you to set goals for yourself when it comes to physical fitness. Use them as motivation to work toward what it is you want in your life. You can read this post for more details about goal-setting, but here are a few examples of what effective fitness goals could look like:

• I will walk for 30 minutes at least 4 days each week.
• I will fully recover from {insert injury here} before I begin exercising again.
• I will support my training with a healthy, balanced diet that incorporates plenty of fresh produce, lean protein, and healthy fats.
• I will learn how to ski this year.

You don’t have to run a marathon or squat a certain number of pounds to be fit and and strong. You just have to be committed to moving in some way every day and giving your body the rest it needs when it needs it.

How do you approach exercise? What are your tips or ideas for beginning and sustaining an exercise routine? Any fitness goals for the new year? Share in the comments.

Even though it’s a brand new year and most of us are trying to stick with a few healthy resolutions, I don’t feel the least bit guilty about indulging in these nutrient-rich truffles. They are simply packed with good-for-you ingredients.

• Pumpkin seeds: These delicious seeds, also known as pepitas, are a good source of iron, magnesium, zinc, and copper—all essential nutrients for our well-being. They also contain phytosterols, compounds in plants that may help reduce blood cholesterol levels and decrease risk for cancer according to WHFoods.
• Flaxseeds: I’ve sung the praises of flaxseeds in many a post. They offer fiber in addition to healthy essential fats. I keep a big container of ground organic flaxseeds in my refrigerator at all times to add to baked goods, smoothies, salads, and more.
• Cinnamon and ginger: Spices offer loads of anti-inflammatory power, not to mention incredible flavor and aroma. Cinnamon in particular may also help stabilize blood sugar when consumed in sufficient amounts. Ginger aids in digestion and supports the immune system as well.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder: Rich and chocolatey, unsweetened cocoa powder offers some antioxidants that may help prevent free radical damage in the body. Choose organic cocoa powder whenever possible, or try a raw variety like this one.

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You’d never know that these decadent truffles packs so much stellar nutrition into every bite. The moist, sweet-spicy filling offers many layers of indulgent flavor, while the chocolate coating literally melts on your tongue.

Don’t think something that’s gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, nut-free, and vegan can taste much better than cardboard? Take one bite of these truffles and you’ll be thinking again, I promise.

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More nutritious treats you might enjoy:

• Two-Bite Orange Walnut Crumble Cakes from Daily Bites
• Almond & Nutmeg Biscotti from The Spunky Coconut
• Cinnamon Raisin “Bran” Muffins from Cook IT Allergy Free

A few quick news bites:

My book was featured in the February/March issue of Living Without as one of their top picks! Get a copy of the magazine to see the review of my book and several other great gluten-free cookbooks.

Also, Heather at Gluten Free Cat kindly reviewed my book and is sharing the recipe for Shredded Balsamic Beet & Kale Salad. She has some incredibly positive things to say…so hop over here to read her post. Thanks a million, Heather!

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Pumpkin Seed Power Truffles
Makes 12-14 truffles

For the truffle filling:
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup (packed) pitted Medjool dates
1 tablespoon dark maple syrup or organic agave nectar

For the chocolate coating:
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
2 tablespoons dark maple syrup or organic agave nectar

Make the truffle filling: place the pumpkin seeds in a small pan over medium heat. Toast the seeds, shaking the pan occasionally, until lightly browned, fragrant, and beginning to pop, 3-5 minutes. Transfer the toasted seeds to a food processor fitted with the steel blade.

Add the cocoa powder, flaxseed, cinnamon, ginger, and sea salt. Process until finely ground, 20-30 seconds. Add the dates and maple syrup. Process until the mixture holds together when pinched between 2 fingers. Form the filling into 1-inch balls. Freeze for 15 minutes.

While the truffle balls freeze, make the chocolate coating: in a small pan over very low heat, combine the cocoa powder, coconut oil, and maple syrup. Stir constantly until the mixture is smooth and resembles melted chocolate. Transfer to a small bowl.

Roll the frozen truffle balls in the melted cocoa mixture to coat completely. Transfer to a parchment- or waxed paper-lined plate. Freeze for 10-15 minutes until the chocolate is set. Store the truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Optional pumpkin seed garnish: While the chocolate coating on the dipped truffles is still wet and not set up, place a few pumpkin seeds on top of each truffle. If the chocolate has set up before you can place the seeds on top, use your finger to dab a very small amount of the chocolate coating directly on the pumpkin seeds. Press the chocolate side of the seeds onto the truffles to adhere.

Find more nutritious recipes at Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and Wellness Weekend.

Welcome to the first week of New Year, New You, where this week’s theme is all about eating more produce! Each week on Thursdays in January, Lexie from Lexie’s Kitchen and I, along with a handful of other bloggers, will be bringing you recipes and tips to help you stay on track with your healthy eating goals. Our main objective is to cultivate a community of people that are moving toward positive changes when it comes to their health and wellness. Our hope is that we will all make strides toward improving our health one bite at a time, sustaining those strides throughout the new year.

Are you as pumped as I am? Let’s jump in!

This week is all about incorporating more fruits and vegetables into our diets. When we load up on fresh, colorful foods, our bodies glow from the inside out. In the past few months especially, I’ve made a significant effort to weave more colorful produce into my meals. As my body has adjusted to a high-vegetable diet, I now find myself craving dark greens, root vegetables, fresh garlic, and herbs like never before.

Work more fresh produce into your diet with these simple steps:

1. Eat a huge salad at least once per day. I usually do this at lunch, loading it up with crunchy vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fat so that it sticks with me into the afternoon. Even if you don’t eat many vegetables at your other meals, you’ll know that you’re getting in some stellar nutrients by committing to just one salad each day.
2. Stock “long shelf life” veggies in your fridge. I’m talking about the ones that don’t wilt after a day, like carrots, yams, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, celery, and onions. Because they last a while, you’ll always have an assortment of vegetables to grab at a moment’s notice and incorporate into your meals.
3. Eat more vegetables than fruit. It’s easy to put all of our eggs in the fruit basket, so to speak, when it comes to eating more fresh produce. While fruit is rich in many health-supportive vitamins and minerals along with lots of fiber, it also packs a hefty amount of natural sugar. To keep your blood sugar stable and avoid “sugar swings,” make vegetables that backbone of your diet, incorporating a few small servings of fruit here and there as healthy side kicks.

Load up on your veggies with today’s recipe for an easy chopped chicken and vegetable salad. Packed with crunchy carrots, celery, fennel, and more, it’s guaranteed to boost your immune system and kick your new year off to a super-healthy start!

Find more veggie-packed recipes and tips this week from:

• Wendy at Celiacs in the House sharing dozens of practical tips for eating more produce
• Ali at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen sharing Kale with Caramelized Onions
• Heather at Gluten-Free Cat sharing Fennel & Orange Sesame Salad

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And now for the giveaway!

UPDATE 1/11/12 – This giveaway is now closed.

First things first, swing by Lexie’s Kitchen for a chance to win a copy of Eat Fresh & D-tox for Your Life, an e-book filled with 40 tips and recipes from dozens of bloggers for energizing soups and smoothies!

Now, about today’s cookbooks. There are a dozens of cookbooks that I find indispensable in my kitchen, but today I’m giving away two books that really hit the mark when it comes to creative vegetable recipes.