I joined a #biggestloser competition!

I decided to kick my butt into gear, I would join a biggest loser challenge with a few other bloggers. There is no requirement to actually post a blog post but I decided to give myself a little more motivation and share it on my blog... Intimidating!

The Harry Potter Alliance and Child Slavery

There is no way any sane person can argue in favor of Child Slavery, it's just not going to happen. It's a horrifying thing that no parent or child should ever have to think about, let alone deal with. Sadly it is the reality for many children and families. I don't even want to think about if it were someone in my family, it's terrifying and it happens way too often around the world.

Recently my eyes were opened to the child slavery and labor revolving the cocoa plant. Children are kidnapped and forced to work 12 hour days, and beaten regularly.

This year one of the campaigns The Harry Potter Alliance is focusing on is child slavery, and as part of that they are urging Warner Brothers to use fair trade chocolate when selling products under Harry Potter's name. The HP Alliance received a report from Free2Work that states that Harry Potter chocolate received an 'F' in human rights, Warner Brothers of course denied this and stated that they have their own report proving they don't actually have an F, but refused to show it. The HP Alliance is asking that people sign a petition asking Warner Brothers to show this report. You can click here to sign it!

I may not be an HP fan, but I know MANY of you are, or your children are. I urge you to sign the petition, and buy only fair trade chocolate! I will never eat chocolate again unless I know it is free trade, I can't eat it knowing it may have affected the rights of children. It is hard to wrap my mind around the fact that a simple decision like this will affect children just like my own brother around the world.

Click here for a list of Free Trade Chocolate in the US.
Click here to find products if you are in Canada.

Yummy Breakfast Sandwiches!

The hardest part of eating healthy for me is that fact that I am completely addicted to Tim Horton's breakfast sandwiches. If I could only eat that everyday, all day, I would be perfectly fine with that. The problem is that they are 380 calories each, and 20 grams of fat. Plus the fact that if I go to Tim's I have to get an Ice Cap, and my boyfriend has to get an Ice Lemonade and a Raisin Bran Muffin.

I have tried alternatives. They do sell frozen breakfast sandwiches in store and I have tried two different brands and didn't like either, and of course I can always cook them up myself... The problem with that is I am lazy. I don't mind running/exercising for an hour or more a day but I hate cooking for myself. Finally my mother suggested I make a batch of breakfast sandwiches myself and freeze them, then microwave them one at a time when I want them. Home made food is always better then store bought, right?

I made a small batch of only 4 sandwiches the first time, here is what I used;

• 4 Large Eggs
• 4 English Muffins
• 4 Slices of light cheese
• a little bit of butter for the frying pan
• 4 pieces of paper towel

I beat up the eggs in a bowl with a bit of butter and basically made a big flat omelette. I cooked it thoroughly and cut it in four slices. While the omelette was cooking I toasted the four english muffins. I then placed a quarter of the omelette on an english muffins, and then a slice of cheese. Wrap each muffin separately with a piece of paper towel. Make sure the cheese is cooled so it doesn't stick to the paper! 

Now the paper towel was my mom's idea. When I had tried the store bought egg sandwiches they were a bit soggy after I had taken them out of the microwave! The paper towel helps prevent soggyness! 

They were good, however the next time I made them I used poached eggs instead and I liked them waaay more, I'm not a big omelette fan! I plan on trying fried eggs next! The best part is they took only 2minutes in the microwave AND they are only 260 calories! Yum!

SUPER Easy HEALTHY Vegetable soup!

I'm sure everyone knows how to make a simple Vegetable soup! This soup is GREAT if you are trying to lose weight, or trying to get your veggie servings! Vegetable soup is healthy and a great comfort food!

Here is what I use for my Vegetable soup:

3 Celery Stalks

5 Carrots

2 Onions

Half of a Cabbage

Half of a Turnip

1 Box of Vegetable Broth

Chop 'em all up! Doesn't it look delicious?

It's still steamy!

It takes about 10 minutes to chop everything up and then about 3 hours cooking it on Medium-Low, until the carrots and turnips are cooked thoroughly. Voila! Grab a bowl and store the rest for later ;) I know this is insanely easy but I hope I can inspire someone! 

My Top 5 FREE weight loss apps and websites!

This image is used by permission from Hobbies on a Budget.

I mentioned in my post about Realistic New Years Resolutions that you don't need to spend lots of money getting fit. If one of your New Years Resolutions is to get healthy then you should check out these 5 FREE websites. Each one can help you start and keep motivated on your journey towards a healthy lifestyle.

In no particular order, here are the top 5 websites I have used and loved;

• SparkPeople - I talked a bit about this one in my New Years Resolutions post. Sparkpeople is a huge website and it's 100% free. 
• When you create your account it will customize a plan for you, and guide you through the different stages of your weight loss.
• You can choose to use their meal plans, or make your own with their huge calorie counting database, and you can even add your own food too. 
• You can also track all your physical activity, and set goals for weeks/months/the year for calories burned, miles, and of course pounds and inches lost. 
• They also offer TONS of exercise videos, some that require no equipment at all, and very little space. There are also pictures and videos to help make sure you are doing the moves correctly, like lunges and squats!
• They have a huge index of articles on weight loss, health conditions, motivation, and so much more.
• As a fun bonus, they have a 'points' feature and a trophy system. When you reach certain milestone, like 250 or 500 miles in one month, you earn trophies. You earn points when you do things like tracking your food and physical activity.
• They have a very active message board that you can talk to other people or ask questions.
• There are also groups that you can join depending on your interests, like groups for runners, cyclists, or people who enjoy certain workouts, like P90x, Jillian Micheals, etc.
• Runkeeper - Runkeeper is a simple app for iPhone or android users. It keeps track of your runs, walks, hikes, whatever you do outside. It uses your phone's GPS to track your distance. 
• The app has Training Plans and you can pick goals like run a 5k, 10k, or lose weight.
• You can see fitness reports for the past week, month, year, lifetime, or a custom period of time.
• You can upgrade to 'elite' for additional features.
• Lose It! - Very simple website that lets you count calories and track physical activity.
• They also have an app for the iPhone and iPad so you can keep track on the go.
• The goals page can help you stay on track.
• You can join challenges to help motivate yourself.
• EarndIt - I posted a bit about this one before here, but it deserves another mention.
• Track your progress and earn giftcards. I earned myself a few, click here to see what I got from BodyRock Sport!
• Challenges that offer extra prizes are a good way to help you get in some extra physical activity.
• Works with FREE apps like Runkeeper, everytrail, foursquare, and endomondo. It also works with things like the FitBit, Bodymedia FIT, etc.
• Youtube - Yes... Youtube! This one is pretty self explanatory, you can find TONS of workout videos on youtube!

I hope some of you have found this helpful, and try out something! You CAN lose weight and start a healthy lifestyle this year, and you don't need to spend a ton of money doing it!!