Frugal Living

Take the KD Challenge & Enter to Win Cool KD Gear #KDChallenge

March 17, 2015 By Sarah Roe Leave a Comment

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You know we all love Kevin Durant and recently, he joined up with Shape Your Future to challenge kids across Oklahoma. He is challenging our kids to eat better, move more and be tobacco free! Each month, Shape Your Future and Kevin Durant offer up new challenges and new prizes. Right now, you can jump rope and enter to win a KD Max Air Backpack!

You can enter as many times as you’d like by posting your challenge on their facebook page. To make it even better, the grand prize is a meet & greet with Kevin Durant! If you’d like to find a challenge to accept, visit Shape Your Future KD MVP Challenge page and grab your video phone!

Kevin Durant is encouraging our kids to get at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day and to fill half of their plates with fruits and veggies at each meal. Our kids need to learn to eat better and move more, these things are wonderful and I think the KD Challenge is great! I also believe in leading by example, my kids see me work out regularly. They also watch as I eat fresh produce daily and try out new things too!

KD and Shape Your Future is a great example of healthy living made fun and easy. Check ’em out, have your children pick a challenge and then post your video. It’s simple and it’s fun! Stay healthy!

For more information and tips and tricks to keep you and your family healthy, visit Shape Your Future.

Physical Activity Month: Get Walking

March 17, 2015 By Sarah Roe Leave a Comment

For Physical Activity Month Shape Your Future is challenging Oklahoma families to take their healthy habits on a summer adventure during the month of May, through the Shape Your Future Summer Challenge. The Shape Your Future Summer Challenge encourages Oklahoma families to explore Oklahoma with the goal of helping their kids get 60 minutes of physical activity each day.

Just 30 to 60 minutes of activity each day helps people of all ages maintain a healthy lifestyle. According to the American Heart Association, benefits of physical activity include:

Better mental and physical wellness.
Stronger immune system.
Lower risk of developing diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
Longer life expectancy.
Lower risk of developing high blood pressure.
Lower cholesterol levels.

For me personally, I’m walking away stress. I’m living proof that stress can take it’s toll on your physical body but I’ve learned that exercise is an amazing way to release stress. I say, get walking!

Shape Your Future Summer Challenge recommended summertime activities include:

Visiting your local pool
Taking a bike ride
Hiking, rowing or climbing
Flying a kite
Hula hoop
Hop scotch
Visiting the zoo

Get out there and get healthy! For more activities and more information about Physical Activity Month and the Shape Your Future Summer Challenge, visit www.ShapeYourFutureOK.com.

Healthy Recipe: Easy Zucchini Pasta at Home

March 17, 2015 By Sarah Roe Leave a Comment

Here is a repost of one of the most popular articles from this year. Hope you enjoy and those of you who have not tried this yet, now is the time!

We have been talking all about getting healthy lately, why? Because it’s time. Time to stop the junk flowing into our bodies. I’m determined to eat healthy and in doing so, I have also had to change up what I’m making for dinner. I’m gluten free so I can’t do pasta anymore unless it is the overpriced gluten free version. But, I might have just found the best substitute on the planet, zucchini.

Yep, zucchini.

If you want to kick the pasta habit, this is your substitute. If you just want to find another way to eat your veggies, this works for that too. I made it originally because I ended up with a lot of zucchini in a produce basket a few weeks ago. Now, I”m craving it!

Here’s the thing about making zucchini pasta, if you’re going to commit to it, you should buy this:

That is the gadget will change your life. Seriously. It is amazing. If you’re going to do this long-term, it’s worth every single penny.

The recipe is simple and you can vary it up any way you’d like. For me, I just need the basics and I think it’s delicious. Believe me when I say, I’m never buying pasta again.

Ingredients: (Makes 2 servings)

3 Zucchini

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (just a little bit)

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

First, wash and prepare your zucchini. The first time I did this, I did not have the slicer above so I used a knife. It was dangerous, it did work but it basically gave me strips of zucchini rather than noodles. I’m telling you, the gadget above is SO worth it.

See how beautiful that is? My kids actually did those, it was THAT easy! Now, after the zucchini is prepared, get a pot of boiling water going on the stove. When it is ready, throw in the zucchini pasta and cook for about 5 minutes. Basically, it is just like spaghetti. Once it is cooked the way you like, drain out the water and place the zucchini in a bowl.

Then, simply toss with a little bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt & pepper to taste. I use Pink Himalyan Salt but you can use what you’d like. That’s it. It’s done and it’s AMAZING.

You can actually use spaghetti sauce if you’d like, this dish is so easy to work with and make your own. For me personally, I’m just keeping it simple. Have you tried zucchini pasta? Let us know what you think!

Disclosure: This message is sponsored by TSET at ShapeYourFutureOK.com. All opinions and tips are my own.

Skip the Bottle: Save 93% by Using Filtered Water

March 16, 2015 By Sarah Roe Leave a Comment

The average American spends hundreds of dollars a year on bottled water. Not only are these plastic bottles generating a lot of trash, they are also expensive.

The average cost of a liter of water through a filtration pitcher such as this one from Amazon.com is about 3 cents per liter. Bottled water costs about 44 cents per liter on average. That’s 93% less. To do the simple math, if you drink two gallons a week, you would save over $200 dollars per year switching to a filtered pitcher and generate less trash as well. Sounds like a good deal to me!

They are simple to use, just fill them up from the top through the filter, put the pitcher in the fridge and pour a glass when you need it. The water tastes great.

The Culligan Water Pitcher is on sale right now for only $17.93 and free shipping with Prime!

Water Does the Body Good + A Must Have Water Bottle

March 16, 2015 By Sarah Roe Leave a Comment

(Guess posted by Jessica):

Hi! Let’s flap our lips about water!

I used to hate water. I would gag while drinking it or just chug as fast as I could just to get it down the pipe. I did everything I could to cover that sparkling taste I now love. I would use water flavorings, lemon slices, Crystal Light or even sliced strawberries. I did not like water, but I knew it was an important part of a healthy lifestyle so I was on a mission to make it my friend. Over time I started to like it and I now drink 10 glasses a day. I drink it plain with no water flavorings. I’m learning all natural is the best!

I have discovered a water bottle that keeps the water cold for 6 hours! I always chug it way before that, but I love that the water stays cold the whole time. This is especially magical on hot summer trail hiking days. Just kidding I don’t hike, but I do love it on my power walk, in my car and just about any where you can take a drink.

The Polar Bottle Water Insulated Water bottle is a must have and it’s on sale on Amazon for $6.99 so even better!

You go over and save on that bottle and I’ll be over here chugging.

Note: Certain colors are priced lower.