3 Mother’s Day Junk Foods to Eat!

Happy Mother’s Day! Alas, I’m stuck in Denver while my family is celebrating in Toronto. Worse, ol’ Bally the Dog is stuck in the Dogs Wag Inn kennel this weekend. (I’m serious, that’s what it is called!)

But I hope you’re going to have an amazing day.

And I’m about to make it better with some great nutrition news.

But first, I must address this complaint that I get all the time. “Craig, you’ve told me all my favorite foods are banned. There’s nothing good left to eat!” And it’s my fault. Sometimes I forget that not everyone is a robot like me. ☺

I’ll admit it. If something’s healthy, I’ll eat it. But I have to say, even I, ol’ Craig “The Kitchen Clutz” Ballantyne can make healthy food taste good.

Take for example the summer salads I’ll soon be making again out on the farm for lunge (I mean lunch. Oops, too much exercise on the brain!)

In a big bowl I’ll mix fresh spinach (from the Ballantyne farm garden), tomatoes, red peppers, sundried tomatoes, watermelon or grapefruit, and walnut pieces. Then I pour on lots of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt on top. It’s the perfect mix of sweet, salty, and fresh.

But not all the Ballantyne’s are like me. My sister prefers “real food”. She couldn’t eat that every day like I do. Besides, she loves going out to fancy restaurants, and she has a 10-year old kid that she has to cook for…and he can be picky…whereas my 10-year old dog will eat anything, ha!

Recently I put together a list of Healthy Junk Food. This is perfect for anyone that’s ever thought, “All the good foods are on the banned list!” Trust me, they’re not. Here are some treats you can enjoy while on a fat-burning diet.

1) Dark Chocolate

Ready for great news? According to LiveStrong.com, an ounce of organic dark chocolate (70-85% cacao) three times per week helps you avoid overeating. It’s also PACKED with nutrients, delivering healthy fats and significant amounts of magnesium, iron, copper, and potassium.

I prefer to have mine with another healthy junk food: A spoonful of almond butter. That hits the spot after one of my big summer salads and gives me the mental alertness I need to work all afternoon on new workouts for you!

2) Grass-fed hot dogs

Each year my friend Joel Marion has a huge SuperBowl party. All of your favorite fitness superstars are there, including my dear friends Shaun & Karen Hadsall, Danette May, the DelMontes (Vince & Flav), John “Roman” Romaniello, Mike Geary, and Isabel De Los Rios. Last year Isabel did something that shocked me.

She always brings food for her two well-behaved young boys, Christian and Marcos, and I was blown away when she gave them hot dogs.

“Isabel,” I said, “Am I seeing things or did you just give your kids hot dogs?”

“Of course, Craig, grass-fed hot dogs are fine. The boys love them.”

And she’s right. Rodale’s Organic Life magazine just released a list of the 9 best hot dogs and said, “Grass-fed, organic dogs are higher in omega-3s and vitamins, and untainted by the genetically modified animal feed, hormones, or antibiotics in unhealthy factory-farmed fare.”

Number one on their list? Applegate’s uncured beef hot dog. That’s the same kind that Isabel brought to the SuperBowl (and that’s NOT shocking!). Enjoy some dogs on the grill at your next cookout … all while looking lean and staying healthy.

3) Healthy fried foods in coconut oil

What? Fried foods? “Healthy?” Yes, this can be done. You can enjoy some of your favorite restaurant fried foods at home if you stick to a LOW-temperature and use coconut oil. Even better, make an amazing fried food dessert using fried plantains in coconut oil with melted 80% dark chocolate for dipping. The calories are low but the taste is through the ROOF!

Here’s the great news…

These three things aren’t the only tasty treats you can enjoy on a fat burning diet.
My good friend, Chef Gui has put together a special offer just for Mother’s Day so that you can discover how to overeat the foods you love at every meal and still lose weight.

Claim your Mother’s Day Discount Now

Let me know how it goes,

Craig Ballantyne, CTT
Certified Turbulence Trainer

PS – Let’s make this a BIG week, okay? Here’s how…

Get out of your comfort zone. Build your social support. Meet and learn from new people. Try something new. Record how it goes. If it works, add that habit to your daily routine. If something, anything, doesn’t work for you, replace that bad habit in your daily routine. Identify your triggers. Turn your mistakes into lessons. Fail forward. Look on the bright side of everything you do. Plan your work and work your plan. Set a deadline, earn a reward, and never, ever give up on what is important to you. Make the right decisions – right now – for your right life.

You can do it. I believe in you… Make us proud!