Feeling the urge to snack or need to bring an appetizer to a party but want to keep it healthy? We’ll lend you our Light Cucumber and Herbs Mousse recipe. Only 80 calories per portion.

Yields: 8+ portions
PrepTime: 30-45 minutes
Per Portion: Calories 80 / Protein 3g / Fiber 2g / Fat 6g / Carbs 5 / Sugar 2g

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What are your plans for this Mother's Day? Throughout the years I have found that it's not at all about the gifts, but the special things you get to do with your family. The time I spend with my family is truly priceless - we are always having fun adventures that keep me moving and grooving. If you're looking for some fun and healthy ways to celebrate the moms in your life, consider these activities:

1. Cook breakfast - Cooking breakfast for Mom is a classic way to celebrate this special day. Why not take it a step further and invite Grandma over to celebrate multiple generations of maternal love? Incorporate a favorite healthy item of each Mom, such as a favorite fruit or muffin.

2. Plan a hike - Pack a picnic and plan a hike at your nearest park. Enjoy the good things in your life as your entire family explores nature while catching up with each other, without the distractions of TV or the computer.

3. Share memories - A favorite activity of mine on Mother's Day is to simply have everyone share a beloved memory. Nothing beats laughing while reminiscing. Sometimes we even flip through old photo albums - plus the kids get a kick out of looking at all the old clothing styles.

4. Plant the family garden - Planting a healthy vegetable garden can be the start of a fun new tradition.  It gets the family together and promotes good eating habits throughout the summer. It’s fun to pick your favorite veggies and herbs before dinner and plan meals around what you have planted. Plus the kids can learn a little something along the way.

I love this time of year because my family starts making plans for our next family vacation. Whether we decide to jump on a plane or stay home and enjoy the many amenities in our own community, it's sure to be a good time. Like many families, we enjoy visiting zoos, museums and of course, theme parks.

While these types of activities offer plenty of opportunity for fun, one area they are often lacking is in the healthy food department. Fair-type foods seem to be the most popular - like funnel cakes, corn dogs, French fries, hamburgers and plenty of ice cream treats.

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Looking for a healthy lunch or a quick dinner idea? Try our Skinny Tuna Sandwich. It’s packed full of protein and fiber to keep you feeling satisfied. Plus tuna is a good source of Omega-3 , magnesium, potassium and vitamin B complex.

62g of protein per serving.

Yields: 1 portion Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
Per Portion: Calories 550 / Protein 62 / Fiber 5 / Fat 17 / Carbs 39 / Sugar 8

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Trying to find a diet that fits your lifestyle is a challenge. Often this journey leads you down many paths that ultimately results in a dead end. Not only can this leave you feeling discouraged, it can also cost a lot of money in worthless exercise products, expensive books and costly supplements.

I know all too well the frustration of trying over and over again to lose weight without success. For those of us who want to shed some extra pounds, it's all too easy to get wrapped up in the latest fad - from eating mangos day in and day out, to contorting yourself in workout equipment that looks more like a torture device than a fitness machine. I know because I feel like I've tried it all.

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Yesterday I was out to eat and I saw this woman sitting next to me eating this dainty little salad that seemed to be the equivalent of three bites of food. It was plated beautifully and looked tasty, but I had to chuckle to myself because it was definitely not a meal - it was barely a snack.

Does that mean a larger salad would have filled her up? Not necessarily. How often have you finished a plate overflowing with salad only to be hungry a couple hours later? What's in your salad counts, and a couple of carrots mixed in with some lettuce likely won't do the trick.

If you want to create a healthy salad that also keeps you feeling full, follow these easy steps. 

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After years of dieting, I want to share some wisdom. While it took me a long time to realize this, hopefully you can benefit from it now and reduce some of the most common diet struggles.

Sacrifice does not equal diet success. 

If your diet feels like a sacrifice, it's probably not the right diet for you. You need to find a diet that fits your lifestyle - one that you can succeed at each day and maybe, just maybe, actually enjoy. Making changes to your eating habits can take time, but it shouldn't leave you feeling deprived.

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Some people love heading to the gym to exercise. But I like to think outside the box, especially when Spring rolls around and the sun is shining.

Here are some of my favorites:

Gardening – Spring/Summer is perfect for gardening. My family and I love spending time in the garden and it's a great way to enjoy the outdoors while burning calories. We are planting a vegetable garden this year which means we get to enjoy a fresh bounty of healthy peas, lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots at the dinner table.

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Here’s the skinny on our twist to Chicken Cacciatore. We know the skin is the best part but if you want to stick with your diet plan, it’s the first thing that has to go.   But don’t worry, this sensible meal is satisfying and full of flavor.  This delicious recipe will please the whole family and is low in calories!

Ingredients

• 6 chicken thighs (bone and skin removed)
• 1 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 large carrot sticks diced
• 1 can pureed tomatoes (no salt added) (14.5oz.)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (no salt added) (14.5oz.)
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
  

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If you watch your diet like I do, making healthy food choices means being aware of fat content. But, did you know that there are some "fatty" foods that are actually quite good for you?

Bad fats are the saturated fats often found in meat, cheese and butter. Good fats monounsaturated and polyunsaturated - give your body what it needs to be healthy, helping you to absorb fat-soluble vitamins and feel fuller for longer.

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RightSize^® Health & Nutrition will be making their appearance on The Balancing Act on April 1^st and 8^th at 7 am (ET/PT) as part of the Mission Makeover™ series, which follows the journey of three women who want to transform their lives in the areas of health, wellness, fitness and more.

“It is hard to stay on track while dieting, so RightSize meal replacement smoothies are the perfect solution for our viewers to get the nutrition they need."
             - Doug Campbell, EVP of Programming, The Balancing Act^®

The Balancing Act^® strives to help today’s modern woman balance it all by bringing them exceptional solutions to everyday problems. Entertaining, educational and trusted by women, America’s premier morning show airs weekday mornings on Lifetime television at 7 am(ET/PT).

Don’t forget to tune in!

Being overweight isn't just about the size of the clothes in your closet. The hardest part of being overweight is how much it can affect your quality of life.

Having those extra pounds can limit you from all the things you want to do. It can be heartbreaking not to be able to play with your kids like they want, to get out of breath every time you run errands, to limit the activities you do with friends because you're not sure you can handle them.

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Indulge without the guilt this Valentine’s Day.  

Craving dessert but afraid to give in? You don’t have to with our mixed berries trifle. You can have your cake and eat it too!

 
Ingredients:
2 hard granola bars (crumbled)
6 oz. greek yogurt (plain)
½ cup mixed berries (frozen)
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
Artificial sweetener to taste

Directions: Mix yogurt with one packet of sweetener and vanilla. Set aside. In a food processor, puree the frozen berries.  Then in a red wine glass (or fancy glass of your choice) arrange layers of yogurt, pureed fruit and granola, topping the dessert with a light crumble of granola. Serve immediately.

Total yields 2 portions
Calories 162.5 / Protein 13.9g / Fiber 2.5g / Fat 3.1g / Carbs 21 / Sugar 11.5g

Being overweight takes its toll physically, but it's also difficult from a mental standpoint. When I first decided to change my life by losing weight, a big motivation factor was how helpless I felt. Each day I felt like I'd failed both myself and my family. I knew I wanted to change, but every time I tried the newest fad diet, I would go back to my old habits within weeks. I'd feel bad, and then I'd eat even more.

Eliminating the downward spiral
I was sick of feeling helpless and wanted to regain control of my life. With the support of of my family, I made a permanent change. Now, each day I make good eating choices and make time to be physically active. I celebrate small successes and I don't get down on myself for little bumps in the road. Today I no longer feel helpless, and neither should you.

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Fill Up On Fiber and Protein

Protein and fiber offer numerous benefits, especially if you're dieting. These two powerhouse nutrients provide your body with what it needs to keep energy levels high and blood-sugar levels stabilized. Plus, they keep you feeling full for longer, so you're less likely to snack or eat a larger meal than necessary.

Here are the basics on both of these important nutrients:

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It’s  RightSize's 10th anniversary and they are “shaking things up”! Three lucky Woman’s World Magazine readers will win a “RightSize for You!” makeover prize package. Start with a hunger-smashing, 3 month supply of RightSize meal replacement smoothies. They are rich, creamy and now formulated with more protein and fiber along with natural ingredients like green tea and ginger root extracts. The lucky winners will also win a $400 gift card for a new yoga/workout wardrobe to show off their “right size” makeover!

For more information and contest rules visit Woman’s World Magazine online.

The familiar food pyramid most of us grew up with is gone. No, that doesn’t mean we can go all out with fatty foods and sweet treats. In September 2011, the USDA announced the new MyPlate icon – a circular icon replacing the dated pyramid.

I wanted to know more, so I visited http://www.choosemyplate.gov/and learned that the fundamental new message of MyPlate is that half of your meal should be fruits and vegetables. What a great message for adults and kids alike. I immediately called a family meeting to discuss what these changes meant and how we can try to make our plates look similar during meal time. 

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Are you a vegetable lover or are you trying to find an interesting way to work vegetables back into your diet? If so, here is an easy recipe to try. Our R&D Lab put a healthy twist on the basic frittata.

Ingredients:
½ tsp. olive oil
1 egg
1 egg white
1 tbsp. fat free milk
¼ tsp. baking powder
½ mushrooms (sliced)
½ zucchini (sliced)
¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

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Do you ever feel like you are popping a few ibuprofen pills almost daily? Or like allergies are requiring expensive over-the-counter medications? Even if your new healthy ways are causing a little bit of indigestion, here are some natural remedies to save some cash and keep the meds only for more severe aches and pains.

For Allergies: If you are anything like me, fall is the worst allergy season around. Even with my daily anti-histamine, I struggle with a stuffy nose and watery eyes. Good news, allergy sufferers!

• Diets high in anti-oxidants and omega-3’s can help ease seasonal allergy suffering.
  

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You made it through the holidays and now it's time to celebrate 2013. Do you have any new year's resolutions this year? It seems as though everyone has one, and even though we start the year with grand ambitions, too often a month or two later, we lose sight of the goal. Why do so many people fail at their new year’s resolutions?

I think there are several reasons. First, too many people consider a resolution an all-or-nothing undertaking. Viewing it as something so black and white means if you slip, you simply give up altogether. For me, I know weight loss is an ongoing process, and it's human nature to have an off day here and there. Missing a day at the gym or eating an extra cookie is not what ultimately matters. It's the cumulative effort that counts, so remember to reward yourself and celebrate the small successes as you make your way toward your ultimate goal.

The second reason I think people fail is that it's too easy to make excuses. There will always be a reason to fail - you're too busy at work, there's not enough money, you don't feel well, the kids take up all your free time. There is a plethora of excuses, but if it's important enough, you'll make it happen. Don't let life get in the way of your goals, because in the end your goals will make life so much better.

Finally, I think people make resolutions that are too vague or are completely unrealistic. Want to lose weight? Don't just join a gym with the intention of working out, set a specific goal of going once a week. Saying you'll go every day is rather ambitious and can set you up for failure. Another good example: Instead of focusing on losing 50 pounds, set a goal for 5. When you succeed, you can always build on the momentum.

Happy 2013 to all my RightSize readers. I'm happy to have you with me through my weight loss journey and look forward to another great year.