Part of the reason I gained instead of lost or maintained my weight last year was due in part to my heavy travel schedule. (The other was probably due to my food sensitivities and not exercising enough.)

Well, this year already looks like it’s going to be just as busy. This week I’m in Los Angeles with my two kids for the Frigidaire’s Kids’ (good-for-you) Academy event with several other bloggers and their families. (You can follow us on Twitter by searching for the #kidscooking hashtag.) And next week I’m off to NYC.

Keeping healthy on the road

When the publicist for Dr. Wayne Andersen, founder of Take Shape For Life, sent me the following tips of simple actions you can take to avoid gaining weight while traveling, I just had to share. Since it’s directed at people who are doing a Medifast diet, I’ve expounded on several points for those of you are using other diet plans, like Weight Watchers, or are just trying to eat healthier and not gain weight when on vacation or a business trip.

If you travel frequently, you may want to also check out my post, 11 chair exercises to help you stay comfortable and healthy on long airplane flights.

Plan ahead for success

1. Before your trip, make sure you will have enough meal replacements while on your trip. You may want to mail them ahead to your destination to cut back on luggage. (This Mama’s tip: good meal replacements include bars, nuts, protein powders, packets of nut butter, etc.)

2. Find out if your hotel room has a coffee maker, refrigerator, or microwave. This will help you decide what products to bring.

3. See if your hotel has a gym or pool and bring appropriate clothes to get some exercise. No excuses! (This Mama’s tip: Some hotels have special rates at nearby health clubs like 24 Hour Fitness. If there isn’t a workout facility at the hotel, find out if there’s a walking trail, Y or rec center close by. Or indulge in a day of golf or a tennis lesson.)

Travel day preparation

4. Make sure to pack enough meal replacements for your travel day. Always bring an extra in case of layover. (This Mama’s tips: Pack healthy bars, fruit, dried fruit, tea bags, and/or individual packets of nut butters. It’ll help you save money, too!)

5. Remember healthy drinks will not make it through security. (This Mama’s tip: Bring an empty sports bottle. You can fill up at a water fountain in the terminal.)

6. If you don’t want to bring a sports bottle, you can mix drink powders and shakes in a water bottle. Just drink some water off the top before pouring the shake mix in.

7. A Medifast bar is a great snack for the plane. (This Mama’s tip: So are nuts, dried fruit and other types of meal replacement bars. Cynthia Sass, the author of Cinch! likes Larabars. Ask your seatmates if they have any nut allergies before breaking out the peanuts.)

8. If you have a coffee pot in your room, bring oatmeal, chicken noodle soup or instant soups to mix with hot water.

9. Remember to bring you shaker jar! (This Mama’s tip: stop by a convenience store or coffee shop to get some skim milk to mix with your protein powder. You can also get milk in most airport terminals.)

10. Drink lots of water. Air travel is dehydrating!

On your trip

11. This Mama’s tip: If your your hotel serves a complimentary continental breakfast, load up on healthy food like a hard boiled egg – toss the yolk – fruit, oatmeal, skim milk, etc. Or nosh on the goodies you brought with you. I like relaxing with a cup of tea in my room while I get ready in the morning, too.

12. Be aware of your schedule and don’t miss a meal! (This Mama tip: when you miss a meal, you’ll be extra hungry later and may over indulge. Instead, make sure to take some healthy snacks with you. Or head over to Starbucks for an egg white wrap, a mid-day oatmeal snack or a skinny latte.)

13. This Mama’s tip: Get enough sleep! Being sleep deprived will slow your metabolism and may cause you to overeat.

14. Order a salad and appetizer for you main meal.  It’ll probably be the proper portion. (This Mama’s tip: it’s probably cheaper, too!)

15. Remember that alcohol will let down your defenses and is full of empty calories and carbs! It’s best to choose club soda or a diet drink. (This Mama’s tip: Ask your server for lime or lemon slices to give your diet soda or seltzer water a little healthy flavor.)

16. Make healthy choices.  Some days you may have to have both lunch and dinner out, so make the best of it and choose wisely.

17. Don’t worry about losing weight. After all, sometimes the stress of traveling will slow your weight loss. The main objective is not to gain weight!

18. Remember to bring your journal and write down what you’re eating. Keeping track is important!

19. This Mama’s tip: Walk and take the stairs whenever you can. Don’t forget to pack comfortable shoes and good socks!

20. This Mama’s tip: Get back into your regular eating healthy and fitness routine as soon as you get back home. You may need to sleep in the first day though, especially if you’ve crossed several time zones and have jet lag.

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Disclosure: My participation in Frigidaire’s Kids’ Kids (good-for-you) Academy was sponsored by Frigidaire who provided me with travel arrangements to and from Los Angeles to participate.

20 simple tips to avoid gaining weight while traveling is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

I’m always looking for ways to exercise and stay fit and healthy on the road. This year it’s been a challenge with multiple airplane trips. Not only have I gained a few pounds, but I’m tired of being sore and jet lagged after a long flight.

So with another trip on my itinerary, I plan to take advice from EL AL, the national airline of Israel. These wellness tips from the Israeli Center of Pilates help airline passengers stay in shape, relax, and feel fresher during any flight as well as upon landing.

Each exercise can easily be done from the comfort of any seat, without disturbing neighboring passengers. (Well almost, just watch your elbows.) Exercises can be repeated as often as desired but should not be performed if there is difficulty or if pain occurs.

In flight stretches and exercises

BACK BENDS: Fold hands behind your head and stretch upward. Then, slowly roll your head down and around in a circle, rising slowly (and change directions).

LEG JOINT STRETCH: Bring knee to your chest, keeping your back in an upright position. Rotate leg in small circles in each direction. Alternate legs.

SIDE BENDS: Sitting straight up, place your hand on the opposite knee and twist your body in that direction. Repeat the same twist in the other direction.

SPINAL STRETCHES: Link your hands together and stretch your arms overhead. Bend to the right and to the left.

7 more in-flight exercises

ANKLE TWIRLS: Lift your feet from the floor. Outline a circle with your toe tips, moving one foot clockwise and the other counterclockwise. Switch directions.

FOOT PUSHES: Begin with both feet flat on the floor, raising them as high as you can. Then, raise your heels high and keep toes on the floor. Perform this in a continuous movement.

KNEE LIFTS: Raise your leg with knee bent, contracting the thigh muscle (quadriceps). Switch legs.

NECK SWIVELS: With shoulders relaxed, lower your ear to your shoulder and gently move your neck to the right side and then to the left.

KNEE TO CHEST: Bend forward slightly. Wrap your hands around your left knee and hug it to your chest. Hold the contracted position for 15 seconds. Still holding your knee with your hands, lower it slowly. Switch knees.

FORWARD BENDS: With both feet on the floor and belly contracted inward, slowly bend forward and move  hands downward, advancing toward feet. Hold this stretched position for 15 seconds and slowly return to a sitting position.

SHOULDER ROTATIONS: Arch your shoulders forward, upward and downward in gentle circular movements.

10 tips for staying comfortable during your flight

1. Wear loose, comfortable clothing and dress in layers.
2. Wear shoes that you can slip on and off easily or that can be loosened in case your feet swell. Some people bring bedroom slippers or slipper socks to put on after take off – great idea!
3. Drink plenty of water. Bring your own water bottle and have the flight attendant fill it up for you. Bring single servings of powdered drink mix in your bag to add to your water. I don’t know about you, but I drink more flavored water than I would plain water.
4. Reduce consumption of coffee, tea and alcoholic beverages.
5. Avoid heavy meals. Have a light snack every two to three hours.
6. Remove contact lenses and wear glasses to prevent eye dryness.
7. To equalize pressure in the ears, it may help to swallow and yawn.
8. If possible, get out of your seat and walk around.
9. Don’t forget to pack your pain medications in your carry on bag, briefcase or purse.
10. You may also want to look into a no jet lag homeopathic remedy like No-Jet-Lag Homeopathic Jet Lag Prevention Tablets. I’ve used them with some success and felt less tired the day after traveling.

11 chair exercises to help you stay comfortable and healthy on long airplane flights is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Dr. Susan Mitchell is an advocate of nutrition education and believes in integrating nutrition and exercise into busy lifestyles to achieve better health, increased energy and creativity. As a self-proclaimed chocoholic, she believes that realistic amounts of almost any food can be part of a healthy diet, too. She also has a fantastic blog where she writes about everything from weight loss to gluten free diets to greening your kitchen.

She’s now bringing her industry expertise and fun, informative philosophy to Target in her role as their health and nutrition expert, which is how I got the opportunity to interview her.

How to get your family to eat healthy both at home. at school and on the go

  This Mama Cooks!: A lot of people complain that healthy food is expensive and that it’s cheaper to buy a burger off the dollar menu than to make your kids a healthy sandwich with whole grain bread and lean meat. What’s do you say to that?

Dr. Mitchell: It’s a little more than simply comparing apples to apples. It’s a trade of time and low cost for a refined white bun, higher fat (and more saturated fat) meat, fillers and additives plus a higher salt/sodium content. On extremely stressful days, this option can be the easier route and an occasional treat for kids. On a regular basis, it makes for a nutritionally bankrupt diet. The good news is that most fast food restaurants now have apple slices to substitute for French fries, chocolate or white low fat milk for sodas.

This Mama Cooks!: Getting kids to eat a healthy but quick breakfast each morning is a struggle. I can barely get them to brush their hair? Do you have any tips on quick meals (to prepare and to eat) that pack a nutritional wallop?

Dr. Mitchell: Breakfast can be a challenge to get children to eat, healthy or not, so the younger you begin the breakfast routine, the better. Breakfast doesn’t have to be a huge production. It can be as simple as yogurt or soy yogurt with added chopped fresh fruit and/or granola such as Archer Farms blueberry granola. Lower sugar, higher fiber cereal with fruit and fat free/low fat milk or soy milk. Whole grain English muffins with peanut butter or low fat cream cheese topped with raisins, microwave scrambled eggs rolled in a whole grain tortilla (with salsa if desired), or an under-5-minute-smoothie are all easy yet very healthful ideas. Even grapes and cereal tossed in a plastic bag or container work…to eat as you go.

My publicist, Terri, says she leads by example. Her young daughter likes hard boiled eggs because she sees Terri eat them. She also doesn’t buy foods high in sugar so her kids have never been used to them.

Simple PB&J Smoothie Recipe

• 1 cup apple juice
• 2 T. peanut butter
• ½ cup strawberries (frozen are fine)
• 1 banana
• 1 cup low-fat vanilla  yogurt
• ice

Blend all together and serve.

Breakfast doesn’t have to be traditional foods either. Left over cold veggie pizza is often a kid favorite. Add cut up fruit and it’s very simple. Pre-sliced fruit is also available if time is really an issue. A fun idea is to buy fresh pizza dough and have kids make their own pizza…you provide the sauce, cheese, and the healthy toppings. The leftovers are great for breakfast.

This Mama Cooks!: While I put healthy food into the kids’ lunches, I often find it untouched while the pudding and snack bars are gobbled up. Do you have any suggestions for healthy school lunches?

Dr. Mitchell: Most kids go for the goodies first. They also get bored from the same ole, same ole…. Changing lunch up a bit from the traditional sandwich helps too. I like to include 4 items: fruit in season, cut veggies with a small container of dip, string cheese or yogurt or a sandwich, muffin such as pumpkin or blueberry or whole wheat pita bread if no sandwich.

Wraps are always a hit. These can be made ahead of time and cut into pieces. Include various lean meats or low fat cheese with lettuce and slice green/red peppers. Spread on a little mustard, low fat mayo or salsa…whatever your child likes.

Also wrap lean ham or turkey around a slice of granny smith apple for a change and stick a toothpick in it. Put peanut butter in a celery stick. Dip has a ‘cool’ factor and kids love to dip so send small containers of low fat ranch, hummus or honey mustard dressing along with cucumber slices, baby carrots or snap peas.

Keep in mind the color of the items you are packing, we all eat with our eyes so try to make the lunch eye-catching.

My friend Petra who has children ages 6 and 3, sets the tone by sending only healthy food for lunch and then has a treat ready when she picks them up from school or when they get home.

This Mama Cooks!: My family is on the go a lot. What are some quick, but convenient foods to keep in the house so I can throw them into an insolated bag before running out the door?

Dr. Mitchell: One trick I use when I work with motorcycle cops is to have them keep five or six baskets in their pantry and refill them every weekend with healthy snacks. This includes healthy snack bars, boxes of raisins, packets of dried fruit or nuts, trail mix, baked chips, 100% fruit bars, etc.

Also include grapes, string cheese, mini cheese, or snack bags you premix with items such as nuts, raisins, whole grain goldfish, dried fruits such as cranberries or blueberries and even small chunks of chocolate or a few mini M&Ms. Or try the Archer Farms blueberry nut blend.

This Mama Cooks!: We all have those days as parents when we run out of time and can’t put a healthy meal on the table, let alone get to the grocery store to buy food. What are some tips to getting kids to eat healthy when you eat outside the home?

Dr. Mitchell: Kids will always see how far they can push you so it’s smart to set some ground rules before you go such as…everyone eats a salad first (a regular adult salad will provide a nice portion for several children) and then their entrée. Or, choose a salad or soup (tomato or broth based) first. The children’s menu typically contains a high amount of fat so try to choose from the adult menu and split portions. If eating out is an infrequent treat, allow them to choose from the kid’s menu but have them eat their salad first.

Many restaurants offer several healthy options. Let children choose…they like the power of choice and to make their salad their own. Chick-fil-A has healthy options and even Taco Bell now has their new fresco menu with less fat. When parents lead by example and guide their children yet give them some freedom for choice, healthy habits grow.

More from Dr. Mitchell

You can listen to Dr. Mitchell's podcast on WDBO.com, her radio segments on Orlando's AM580 WDBO News-Talk radio or read her blog. Dr. Mitchell is also a co-author of three books: Fat Is Not Your Fate: Outsmart Your Genes and Lose the Weight Forever and Eat to Stay Young: The Anti-Aging Program.

An interview with Dr. Susan Mitchell, Target’s Nutrition Expert is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

As part of the Weight Watchers Momentum plan, you are encouraged to drink eight cups of liquid a day. The difference from a few years back is that you can include everything you drink – tea, coffee, diet soda, milk, fruit juice, etc. – and not just water.

I’m glad to hear that because I’m a big tea drinker. Luckily for me I live in Colorado, not far from the Boulder headquarters of Celestial Seasonings, and where all their teas are made, packaged and boxed.

Take the tea tour

Over spring break, I took the kids and my mother-in-law to the Celestial Seasonings factory tour. Not only is it free but we learned all kinds of cool info about tea. (Yes, the kids enjoyed it, too.) For example, did you know that all teas (green, white, and black) come from the Camellia sinensis plant? The different types are determined by how/where the plant is grown or how it is processed after being harvested. White tea is picked once a year from the top of the plants. Black tea leaves are oxidized tea leaves. And red teas aren’t really “tea” but are brewed herbal concoctions (for want of a better term) that are made from the leaves from Rooibos and heuningbos plants.

According to our tour guide, if you put milk in your herbal tea, it will curdle because many of the plants that Celestial Seasonings use in their herbal blends are acidic. And speaking of milk, if you put it in your tea (herbal or regular) it will “kill” the antioxidant properties of the tea. (Check out the Celestial Seasonings website for more tea and health information.)

Celestial Seasonings Cool Brew teas

Along with the wonderful tour, we had a chance to sample several new Celestial Seasonings teas in the tasting room. We also visited the Tea Shop twice and went home with over $50 of tea and Celestial Seasonings coffee. (They have a dollar bin, so I couldn’t resist.)

My favorite purchase was several boxes of the Cool Brew Iced Teas, which I learned about on the tour. The teas brew in cold water in just five minutes. Here are the varieties I purchased:

• Peach Cool Brew Iced Tea
• Raspberry Cool Brew Iced Tea
• Mint Cool Brew Iced Tea (only available at the Celestial Seasonings Tea Shop until May 2009)

My review

I have a four-quart Pampered Chef pitcher that I keep in the fridge filled with water and lemon or lime slices. I first brewed the Raspberry Cool Brew Iced Tea. They recommend four tea bags to one quart of water, so I put 16 bags into the pitcher, filled it with water and placed it in the fridge for a few hours.

While the tea brewed up great, it was too strong and bitter. So I decided to back down and only used three bags per quart when I brewed the peach and mint cool brew teas. Much better! The Peach Cool Brew Iced Tea was delicious and had a slight hint of peach. It wasn’t bitter and didn’t need sweetening.

However, the mint tea was fabulous! My husband drank two big glasses in a row and thought the tea was refreshing and made him “feel healthy.” We both agreed that the Mint Cool Brew Iced Tea would make a terrific mint julep. Just add a jigger of bourbon, some no calorie sweetener and serve it on crushed ice and you’re good to go!

Don’t have Celestial Seasonings Cool Brew Iced teas at your grocery store? Buy them from Amazon:

• Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Ice Cool Brew Iced Tea
• Celestial Seasonings Peach Ice Cool Brew Iced Tea

A few of my favorite things: Celestial Seasonings and their Cool Brew Iced Teas is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!

Well, it took five weeks, but I finally lost my first five pounds at Weight Watchers. (Actually I’m down six pounds.) I think the weight is coming off slower on the scale this time around because I’m exercising. In fact, I’ve also gone down a clothing size. (When I’ve done Weight Watchers in the past I never exercised. Now I’m doing at least 35 minutes, 2 POINTS worth, of exercise per day, six days a week.)

Challenges

My next challenge is my daughter’s birthday dinner tonight, since we’re going to a ‘50s diner type place that is not very diet friendly. Then it’s Chuck E Cheese tomorrow, followed by a few days at SXSW Interactive in Austin. (Hello, Texas-style barbeque!)

By the way, I’m speaking on the Dad is the New Mom panel, Room 18BCD, on Monday, March 16th from 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm. Come by and say hi! Since I’ll be gone, I may be away from my blog for awhile. But I’ll be very active on Twitter, so sign up for my feed.

My plans for the week

My hotel at SXSW is .5 miles from the Convention Center, so that means a good amount of walking. I’m bringing my water bottle to fill up on the airplane and during the conference. I’m bringing a pack of Weight Watchers oatmeal in a cup to eat for breakfast in my hotel room. I also have some low POINTS snack bars to keep in my backpack.

But if you know about SXSW, you know it’s all about the parties, too. Needless to say, I’ll have a beer or two, but hopefully I’ll be too busy running around to nosh too much.  As far as lunch and dinner, my plan is to stick to salads or lean meat/fish with some veggies.

So with that in mind, here’s a salad recipe worth indulging on from the from the folks at Driscoll’s Berries.

Blackberry and Pear Asian Salad

Prep time: 10 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

Directions:

1. Arrange lettuce, blackberries, pear, cucumber, green onion and almonds evenly on four salad plates.
2. Drizzle salads with dressing to taste.

Nutritional info

Calories:  152, Fat:  11 grams, Protein:  4 grams, Carbohydrates:  12 grams

This Mama's tips

• You can lighten up the recipe by using reduced calorie salad dressing.
• Check out more Driscoll’s berry recipes.

Weight Watchers update, SXSW, and a berry and fruit salad recipe is a post from: This Mama Cooks! Stop by for more healthy recipes!