Peanut butter...yea!!!! I LOVE peanut butter. It's an inexpensive source of protein which also happens to be delicious. It's great in sandwiches and in baking. Try putting a Tbsp. in your morning oatmeal for a delicious protein boost!

Do me a favor though and don't purchase the above type of peanut butter. You see, most commercial peanut butter contains not only peanuts but partially hydrogenated oils, also known as trans fats. Trans fats have been linked to cardiovascular disease because they raise LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and lower HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). Trans fats have also been linked to obesity due to the fact that eating trans fats causes people to eat too much of the food that the trans fat is in.

So what's the alternative? Natural peanut butter! Natural peanut butter contains ONLY peanuts. No sugar, no salt and certainly no trans fats. It is critical that you read the label. Some companies claim that theirs is a "natural" peanut butter but then you look at the label and there's all kinds of other junk in the product. Buy ONLY peanut butter that lists peanuts as the ingredient.

Okay, I realize this one is sort of obvious but I was truly inspired by these glowing balls of cheese. (In a weird sort of way.)

I always have such mixed emotions when I see a product like this on the store shelves. I feel horrified and amused at the same time. Amused because they just look so...silly. I mean, Cheese Balls... seriously??? They don't even remotely resemble ANYTHING in the natural world! Is there any better example of a non food item than this? I'm saddened and horrified because there are people who actually purchase these products. Cheese Balls wouldn't be on the market if SOMEONE wasn't buying them, right?

Cheese Balls contain so many disgusting ingredients I don't even know where to begin.

Two of the main ingredients in cheese balls are enriched flour and partially hydrogenated soybean oil. Let's look at enriched flour for a moment shall we? Anytime you see the word "enriched" on a product it means essentially that it has been processed to remove all the healthy ingredients. Soybean oil is a genetically modified organism (GMO). GMO's have been linked to obesity, cancer, reproductive problems, food allergies and digestive problems. Some of the other ingredients include ferrous sulfate, tricalcium phosphate, sunflower oil and/or corn oil which are all used in processed foods. In a nutshell, there is absolutely NOTHING in cheese balls that should be going into your body.

Although they are funny to look at.

This is the question I get asked all the time in regard to eating clean. So many times people get so caught up in this diet or that diet. Or the whole high protein low carb thing. Or the counting points or calories thing.

There are so many reasons to eat clean but my favorite reason is this first one:

• 80% of what you look like is due to what you are eating

When I first heard this I was SHOCKED. I mean, I knew it was important to eat right but I had always believed that exercising was a lot more important than what I put in my mouth. So I decided to actually put it into practice and see what happened. I had been working out regularly for about 9 months but I hadn't really cleaned up my diet. I was getting all kinds of frustrated because in 9 months I lost a whopping....2 pounds...

I love quinoa. I love the nutty flavor and how it's so versatile. It's also a great side dish for just about everything. Unfortunately there are quite a few articles out there that really complicate the preparation of this delicious gluten free grain. Here is a very simple way to prepare it. Enjoy!

Still eating microwave popcorn? STOP!!!! Microwave popcorn is filled with chemicals. The best popcorn is made from scratch and is SOOO much tastier than the nasty microwave stuff.

(Adapted from Tropical Traditions recipe)

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. coconut oil

1/2 cup popcorn

3 Tbsp. butter

Salt

Makes 4 servings.

Instructions:

In a large pan melt coconut oil over high heat. Add popcorn and cover pot with lid slightly ajar.

In a small saucepan, melt butter. You want the butter to become light brown and have a nutty aroma. (Be careful not to scald it!)

As soon as the popcorn is done popping, turn heat to lowest setting. Drizzle 1/3 of the butter over the popcorn. Sprinkle with salt and stir. Repeat two more times.

Let the popcorn sit for 5-10 minutes on the lowest setting. (This is the hardest part for me because I usually start eating it out of the pan and can't seem to wait!) By letting it sit like this the moisture will be drawn out of the popcorn and it will be nice and crunchy.