LiveWell Vermont

If you find that you can't shake the urge of having something sweet, these options might be perfect for your sugar craving without having a major impact on your calorie intake. Looking for a healthy ice cream alternative?   Try freezing ripe bananas, and puree them with any of your favorite flavors such as vanilla, cinnamon, or a couple tablespoons of dark chocolate chips.   Blend until creamy and enjoy a fibrous sweet treat! A new take on apple pie. Scoop out the core and stuff the insides with a mix of oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.   Wrap the apples in foil and bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes. The baked apples soften into a spoonable treat while the brown sugar melts down into a caramel syrup! Make your own all fruit Popsicle !   Blend your favorite fruits (berries work great) with a splash of lime or orange juice and freeze them in a Popsicle mold or ice cube tray.   Add a bit of low fat plain yogurt to boost the...

April Archives- Each Thursday of April we will throwback to some of LiveWell's most popular posts from the past! This blog was originally posted in 2014. Could you benefit from slowing down and reducing your stress? Do you wish you had more time for relaxation and fun? If your answer is YES, read on... It's amazing to think about what many of us are willing to put up with day in and day out...very long work hours, sacrificing vacation time, missing out on their children's milestones, or maybe even suffering from a few stress-related illnesses.  This begs the question: for all that we are sacrificing, how many of us are truly happy? Could it be that the quest for happiness is not in how many hours we work in a week, but in how many we can thoroughly enjoy? With this in mind, we urge you to consider the following tips to help get you started in freeing up more time for relaxation and fun!  Decide what's most important to you.  Center your life around ...

Parsnips and carrots are season! With a 20 minute prep time, this recipe is a quick and delicious way to create the perfect side to complete your meal. Ingredients: 2 pounds parsnips, peeled 1 pound carrots, unpeeled 3 tablespoons good olive oil 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill or parsley Cooking Instructions: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. If the parsnips and carrots are very thick, cut them in half lengthwise. Slice each diagonally in 1-inch-thick slices. The vegetables will shrink while cooking, so don't make the pieces too small. Place the cut vegetables on a sheet pan. Add the olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss well. Roast for 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the vegetables, tossing occasionally, until the parsnips and carrots are just tender. Sprinkle with dill and serve hot!

April Archives- Each Thursday of April we will throwback to some of LiveWell's most popular posts from the past! This blog was originally posted in 2013. Americans spend eight hours a day sitting (and another four hours watching TV and playing computer games) according to a Harris poll conducted by the America On the Move Foundation. Now consider your own day. How many hours per day do you spend sitting at a desk or the couch, either in your office or at home? Chances are it's a fairly substantial amount of time. Between work and the endless number of things people now use computers for, you may easily be spending more time at your desk than anywhere else, which is why learning how to sit at a desk and still be healthy is so important. What are the Downfalls of Sitting Too Much? In general, sitting for long periods of time - whether at a desk, in the car or elsewhere - is not a health-promoting thing to do. One negative aspect of sitting is that...

Being conscious of your salt intake is important to reduce the likelihood of high blood pressure and reduce the chances of developing heart disease. Decreasing your sodium intake can be difficult, especially if you habitually add table salt to your food. Give these sodium reduction tips a try! ·       Cut back on prepared foods- Most of our salt comes from processed, prepared foods such as crackers, cheese, canned foods, breakfast cereals, and restaurant foods. Even processed foods that don’t taste “salty,” like breakfast cereal, can have surprisingly high sodium levels so be cautious. ·       Eat smaller portions of salty food- Choosing foods with lower sodium doesn’t mean losing flavor. Human taste buds aren’t sensitive enough to notice a minor (30 percent) reduction in salt, and for many types of foods, salt reductions of up to 30 percent won’t taste noticeably different. ·       Discovered reduced...

April Archives- Each Thursday of April we will throwback to some of LiveWell's most popular posts from the past! This blog was originally posted in 2013. Depending on your fitness goal, there are some common mistakes that could be stalling your progress. Whether you're doing cardiovascular exercise to drop weight, lose body fat, or decrease stress, read more for the most common cardio mistakes, and how to fix them. Goal: Decrease your Body Fat Mistake: Doing the same thing over and over again. If you get on the same cardio machine, clock the same amount of time, at the same intensity every day, you're wasting your time. Doing the same thing over and over again, your body adapts and stops changing and will not drop body fat. The Fix: Change it Up. Change up your routine including intervals. Each time you workout, push yourself harder than the last time. That could include increasing speed, adding incline or doing a completely different type of exercise. If you ...

Quinoa Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms Submitted by Noreen Lake Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups cooked Quinoa 4 large Portobello Mushrooms 1 med. onion chopped 2 lg.carrots peeled and chopped 2 gloves of garlic chopped 2 cups fresh spinach Portobello mushroom steams chopped 1 TBSP coconut oil vegetable broth as needed  1 tsp ground coriander  or to taste salt and pepper to taste 1 tsp ground cardamom or to taste 1/4 c. Nutritional yeast Optional: shredded Swiss Cheese   Directions: Remove steams of the Portabella mushrooms, chop and set aside.  Prep all other ingredients and set aside.  Place coconut oil in pan on med heat, when oil is melted add onion cook until translucent. Add carrots cook for 2 - 3 minutes or until fork tender constantly stirring, to keep ingredients from sticking. If needed add a splash of vegetable broth while cooking.  Add chopped mushroom stems and continue stirring for another 2-3  mi...

April Archives- Each Thursday of April we will throwback to some of LiveWell's most popular posts from the past! This blog was originally posted in 2014. Achy back? Give yoga a go. People who took yoga or stretching classes are twice as likely to cut back on pain medications for their back aches as people who managed symptoms on their own, one University of Washington study found. While yoga isn't a good idea if you have severe pain, those with occasional soreness or chronic aches may greatly benefit from certain postures that can help lengthen your spine, stretch and strengthen your muscles, and return your back to its proper alignment. It's always a good idea to ask your doctor before starting a new fitness regimen, especially if you're prone to pain. Once you get the green light, try these seven soothing poses for back pain. You can do these poses in any order. Gradually increase the intensity by holding them for longer amounts of time. Downward-facing Dog ...

Peanut Noodles Submitted by Rebekah Herrick Ingredients: 8oz noodles (regular spaghetti works fine, rice noodles work too) 2tbsp olive oil 1tbsp minced fresh garlic 1tsp minced fresh ginger 1/3c peanut butter (crunchy if you want nuts in your sauce, creamy if you want a smooth sauce) 1/4c soy sauce (low sodium if you're watching the salt) 1/4c chicken broth (veggie broth if preferred, reserved pasta water works too) 1tbsp lemon juice 1/4tsp chili powder Preparation: Cook noodles until done and drain. While noodles are cooking heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic and ginger and saute for 1 minute. Next add the peanut butter, soy sauce, broth/water, lemon juice, and chili powder. Stir over the heat until the peanut butter melts and the sauce is smooth. Toss with pasta - and you're done! Sprinkle with sesame seeds or chopped green onion if you're feeling fancy. To make it healthier and add variety, try sauteing veggies separately and tossing the...