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7 Life Changing Healthy Habits for Men

September 9, 2016 by Jenni 713 Comments

This post is sponsored, in partner with Smartypants Vitamins. All opinions are 100% our own and honest, as always.

 

healthy habits for men

I often talk about women’s health and aging — but I’ve realized that my husband isn’t getting any younger either. He’s no spring chicken, although still just as hot {wink wink}. However, with age comes a whole other set of “rules”, so to speak. That’s where these life changing healthy habits for men comes into play.

 

Healthy Habits for Men

1) Do a few stretches before putting on your work clothes, uniform, or suit and tie.

Men often hold a lot of stress (physical and mental) in their shoulders and back. Getting straight out of bed and ready for work – doesn’t really work out as well as it used to in your younger years.

 

2) Eat a protein packed breakfast (or smoothie).

Even if it’s on your way to work. Some quick and easy ideas are hard boiled eggs, greek yogurt, a breakfast sandwich, all natural protein breakfast bar or smoothie, etc. These are perfect options to eat quickly!

 

3) Pack a healthy lunch to work.

Most men used to be able to go on caffeine and a candy bar all day but as they get a little older, they need something more substantial mid-day. Fast food options aren’t always healthy options, so bring your lunch with you.

 

 

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4) Don’t forget your vitamins!

Since men don’t typically follow their body’s lead when it comes to nutrition, taking daily vitamins ensures that they get what they need. SmartyPants Men’s Vitamins are my husband’s favorites. He loves the gummies and he loves the flavors!

 

5) Walk the dog OR cat, or goldfish. 🙂

Men who work – especially behind a desk all day — DO NOT get enough walking in. After dinner, go for a walk around the block or neighborhood. You’ll release some tension and stress – and maybe even lose a few pounds! If you’re up for it – join a gym!!

 

6) Read a book or magazine for 20 minutes before bed.

Turning the TV off and just reading before bed will allow you to fall asleep faster and statistics have proved, that you get a more restful nights sleep. Worth a shot, fellas!!

 

7) Schedule annual checkups with your doctor!

Men tend to only go to the doctor when they literally think they’re dying. At least, that’s what MY husband does. As we get older, we need to be more aware of our bodies – and scheduling those checkups keeps…well……things in check.

 

 

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Why my husband loves Smartypants Vitamins.

He has never been the kind of guy to take multivitamins of any kind. EVER. Until fairly recently when he started noticing that by noon, he was feeling very run down. He started taking a daily men’s vitamin – but never really noticed any changes in how he felt.

When we had the opportunity to try Smartypants Vitamins for the whole family, he quickly noticed a change overall with the Men’s Complete. He felt better, had more energy, and just felt better as a whole.

 

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He loves the flavors and he swears that he’s eating candy! There are 3 flavors in each bottle, lemon crème, blueberry, and blackberry. They’re all the same color though. Why? Because SmartyPants doesn’t believe in using synthetic dyes and colors. ONLY PREMIUM ingredients, not the funky stuff.

 

 

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You can find SmartyPants Vitamins for the whole family online and in stores near you!

 

You’ll want to follow SmartyPants Vitamins on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter to stay up to date with the latest and greatest!

 

Filed Under: Family, Health & Wellness, Miscellaneous Tagged With: healthy, Mens Health, Vitamins

Ways To Keep Kids Healthy in the Fall #LoveMatys #MomsCheckIn

November 6, 2015 by Jenni 744 Comments

Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Maty’s Healthy Products. All opinions on the yuckies and snotties are my own.

 

Natural Ways to Keep Kids Healthy in the Fall. www.sweetpenniesfromheaven.com

Ways to Keep Kids Healthy in the Fall

Do you try to stick to natural ways to keep kids healthy in the fall? We do! We’ve tried the OTC medicines over the years, but honestly…the side effects just aren’t friendly. I hate the idea of giving these to my kiddo. Most of the time, our allergies, colds, flu viruses and bugs just take time to run their courses. Finding natural ways to ease the symptoms is better all around.

Our Moms Check In moms are talking about our favorite more natural ways to keep kids healthy in the fall. We’d love to hear your tips too. Drop us a comment below or chat with us on social media using the hashtag #MomsCheckIn and #LoveMatys!

Ways to Keep Kids Healthy in the Fall…

– Eat a well balanced diet with lots of fruits and veggies. Hide them in their favorite foods, if you have to!

– Take lots of extra Vitamin C! Also, something like this immune boosting tea would be perfect!

– Keep a humidifier and/or essential oil diffuser going.

– Stay on top of their seasonal indoor/outdoor allergies.

– Get them used to always washing hands and using anti-bacterial hand gel or wipes.

– Dust and vacuum more often in the fall.

– Choose a more expensive furnace filter in the fall. The heftier ones trap more allergens.

 Ok! Here are more tips from our moms… 

 

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“Eating well is so important. Of course you need to eat fruits and veggies, but also some spices have been shown to have awesome health benefits. A good multi-vitamin can help fill in any missing nutritional gaps. We also make sure that we are practicing good hand washing. Lots and lots of hand washing!”

– Amanda is the mom to Joshua and owns It’s a Fabulous Life. If you are looking for a one stop place for all things mom, It’s a Fabulous Life is it! Full of recipes, fashion, DIY projects, recipes and parenting articles it’s the place for all of Mom’s favorites to come together! Follow her on Twitter here!

 

 

 

stephanie

“Mike, Sam and I have been battling some icky symptoms already this fall. My advice: lots of fluids and rest! I’ve also been mindful to disinfect things whenever I’m able. If you can’t always make it to a sink, a little bottle of hand sanitizer nearby is excellent.”

– Stephanie is the mom to Sam and the author of Spaceships and Laser Beams. If you ever need party ideas her site is the place to visit! Specializing in all things boy, it’s full of inspiration! Follow her on Twitter here!

 

 

 

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“Staying on top of seasonal allergies is huge for us. Increasing their vitamin C intake + hiding lots of fruits and veggies in our meals for the extra vitamins that are essential to our immune system. We do have to hide them, to get the kiddo to eat them, haha! We also use natural remedies vs. most OTC cold/flu medications because honestly, the side effects are just awful with those. We encourage lots of warm and hot liquids too, especially hot tea and chicken broth.“

– Jenni is the mom of one and the author of Sweet Pennies From Heaven. A hearth and home website, Sweet Pennies From Heaven focuses on recipes, crafts and creating a comfortable home. Follow her on Twitter here!

 

matys-products

If you’re on the hunt for natural and organic products to help ease cough, cold and congestion then check out Maty’s Healthy Products. They make excellent products for the whole family! Read our recent Maty’s product review here. Maty’s created their line of products when their daughter, Maty, was born with severe heart defects. They were dedicated to finding and creating natural ways to get healthy.

You can find Maty’s Healthy products at most retailers, including Walmart – or you can shop online! I invite you to follow Maty’s on social media as well. You’ll find all sorts of great information on natural health and wellness. Follow Maty’s on Facebook, Maty’s on Pinterest, and Maty’s on Twitter!

 

 What is Moms Check In?

Who are the moms of Moms Check In? We’re 3 moms who are also professional bloggers. We chat about a new topic each week. We talk about things from dirty diapers to date night, and everything in between. Moms love to talk to other moms and let’s face it…MOMS know everything!!

Before you leave, let us know…

What are your best ways to keep kids healthy in the fall?

 

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, Kid Friendly, Moms Check In Tagged With: cold and flu, fall, healthy, kids, Moms Check In

Easy Spiderman Lunch Idea | Spiderman Berries and Chobani

October 20, 2015 by Jenni 549 Comments

This post brought to you by Chobani. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Sweet Pennies From Heaven.

An easy Spiderman lunch idea, with Spiderman Berries and yogurt! www.sweetpenniesfromheaven.com Do you pack your kids lunch for school? This is a fun Spiderman themed lunch, complete with Spiderman Berries and yogurt. I seriously scan the cafeteria lunch menu that they send in little man’s backpack every month and I say to myself,

Nope.

Ha!

He won’t touch that with a ten-foot pole.

Bleck.

Eww.

Well even I wouldn’t eat THAT.

Seriously though. I’m not knockin’ the school cafeteria food. Some of it’s good eatin’ BUT little man’s a particularly picky eater, so we just pack lunch. Even then, there are days that he won’t eat some of it. I’ve learned that being a little creative in the lunch bag can really help. If your kiddos are Spiderman fans and love berries, then these Spiderman berries are for you — err, them! They’re really simple to make too!

An easy Spiderman lunch idea, with Spiderman Berries and yogurt! www.sweetpenniesfromheaven.com

Spiderman Berries

These Spiderman Berries are sooooo easy! Use either raspberries or strawberries mixed in with some blueberries. Melt a little white chocolate and dollop on Spidey eyes on the fresh raspberries using a fork. Then you can use black gel food coloring to trace the eyes, using a toothpick. Let the white chocolate dry before adding the black gel. The chocolate hardens pretty fast, if your berries are cold out of the fridge.

 

 

An easy Spiderman lunch idea, with Spiderman Berries and yogurt! www.sweetpenniesfromheaven.com Yogurt is full of protein and it pairs perfectly with berries – for breakfast, lunch or as a snack! I found these Chobani Kids® Pouches of yogurt with Spiderman on them! I love love love that these are made with REAL fruits and veggies. They don’t have anything artificial in them – no preservatives, artificial colors OR flavors at all! Chobani Kids® Pouches have less than 5% lactose, they’re gluten free and of course they have those healthy gut-friendly live active cultures and probiotics. All those healthy germy bacteria that our bellies need to work well.

 

 

An easy Spiderman lunch idea, with Spiderman Berries and yogurt! www.sweetpenniesfromheaven.com I worry that little man gets too much sugar in his diet though, because goodness knows the boy has a sweet tooth. He gets it honest…so do I. Chobani Kids® Pouches have 25% less sugar than other yogurts – AND 2X the protein compared to some other brands. We found them at Walmart in Strawberry, Grape and Vanilla & Chocolate Dust flavors.

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Ohh, and if your kiddo isn’t a fan of Spiderman – they have them with Doc McStuffins on them too!!! Soooo stinkin’ cute – and healthy too so be on the lookout and grab some on your next grocery store trip! They also come in Chobani Kids® Tubes, and Chobani Tots® Pouches for the younger kiddos! Head over to Chobani Kids Savings to score a coupon!! Woot!

Do your kids love yogurt?

Visit Sponsors Site

Filed Under: Kid Friendly Tagged With: healthy, kids, Lunch, Spiderman berries, yogurt

7 Healthy Sandwich Spreads – Great Substitutes for Mayo

February 16, 2015 by Jenni 1,323 Comments

healthy sandwich spreads

Need some substitutes for mayo?

I’ve got some healthy sandwich spreads ideas!

I’m a big fan of a really great sandwich. A couple of our favorite sandwiches are this Copycat Starbucks Egg Salad Sandwich recipe and this Copycat Applebee’s Clubhouse Grille. I like to place myself on the same level as Joey Tribianni from the show Friends. He too, loves a really good sandwich!

Most women love a great plate of pasta, but for me — just give me a good sandwich! For the past year, I’ve been trying new healthier alternatives for some of my favorite recipes. I’ve come up with a nice list of healthy sandwich spreads which are great substitutes for mayo or Miracle Whip. We usually feel as though we’re getting ripped off if we don’t slather a little sum’n sum’n on our sandwiches. Who wants to eat an old dried up sandwich anyway, right?! I use and love EACH and EVERY one of these options below.

 

1. non-fat greek yogurt

The greek yogurt can be dressed up if you like by adding some seasoning. Any kind of seasoning that you like. A little salt and pepper, some garlic powder, some cayenne. You get my drift. I usually just stick a butter knife down in the container of greek yogurt and lay on a plain even layer of it to my favorite club or turkey sandwiches. It’s non-fat and it adds a bit of tang and texture to my sandwich that’s different from the norm. NOM!

 

2. hummus

Ohh yes, please! If you’ve never tried hummus as a sandwich spread — you MUST. Of course, you probably won’t like it if you don’t like hummus but I looooooove hummus. It’s another fun flavor and texture added to your sandwich instead of mayo. Much healthier too. I buy different flavors of hummus but my favorite is the roasted red pepper. Mmmm.

 

 

healthy sandwich spreads

3. mustard

Yep. You heard me right! You might already use mustard as a sandwich spread but if you’re also using mayo — just forget the mayo altogether. The mustard overpowers the flavor of the mayo anyway so it’s like “ghost” mayo. Like it’s not even really there. So why eat those calories when you can’t even TASTE it. Save those calories for something else!

 

4. pesto

Do you love pesto? My brain always connects pesto with pasta, though. However, I have been known to spread a little bit on a grilled chicken sandwich and it’s really really good. If you make your own, you can razzle-dazzle it up anyway you like.

 

healthy sandwich spreads

5. salsa

It adds some spice to your turkey or chicken sandwiches. I also love it on my breakfast sandwiches in the mornings. I just cook an egg and a turkey sausage patty in a non-stick skillet and toast some bread. Put the sandwich together and spread a little salsa on. Just a little “southwest” spin on a good sandwich.

 

healthy sandwich spreads

6. avocado

……or some guac! YES! Mash up a little avocado with a fork and spread on your sandwich. I love the texture of it and of course it’s fun because it’s green. This is an easy way to trick the kiddos into eating it too. Kids just think anything green is fun. If I don’t have any fresh avocados, then I usually always have some guacamole in the fridge.

 

7. honey mustard

Okay now I know what y’all are thinking. But don’t knock it till you try it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a little bit of sweet with your tangy when it comes to a dressing. I personally love a little bit of honey mustard on a sandwich. We dip chicken in it right? Why not put a little dab on your sandwich? If you buy bottled honey mustard, you’ll probably notice that they’re not as low-fat as you’d think so I usually make my own at home. I don’t make a lot at once…just usually enough for my sandwich or for our chicken tenders at home. There are plenty of recipes out there, but I tend to shoot for easy and literally just mix a bit of dijon mustard with a bit of honey and stir it up. Voila.

 

Don’t miss these healthy posts on the blog…

  • Low Fat Fudge Brownies (only 2 ingredients)
  • Greek Yogurt Recipes (dips, cakes, cookies and more)
  • Sweet and Sour Tuna Salad
  • Skinny BLT Pasta Salad
  • Low Fat Muffins (using canned pumpkin)

 

healthy sandwich spreads

So, what do you think? Are you interested to try any of these healthy sandwich spreads? Do you have a different healthier substitute for mayo? If so, we’d love to hear!!! Drop us a comment.

Filed Under: Featured, Health & Wellness, Miscellaneous, Recipe Box Tagged With: Greek Yogurt, healthy, hummus, mayo, sandwich

Dark Chocolate Nut Clusters with Cherries

February 12, 2015 by 396 Comments

I have a confession.  At some point I have developed a sweet tooth.  It never used to be this way.  I used to always go for the salty or sour snack over something like chocolate but recently that’s changed.  It was always easy to find somewhat healthy options for salty type snacks but sweets are a bit tougher.  These Dark Chocolate Nut Clusters with Cherries are the perfect solution!  Not only are they delicious but they are a much healthier option.  Because they are homemade I also know everything that goes into them and feel good about my family enjoying them!

Dark Chocolate Nut Clusters

Dark Chocolate Nut Clusters with Cherries

Ingredients:

  • 24 oz dark chocolate chips
  • 2 cups chopped walnuts
  • 1 tbsp organic virgin coconut oil
  • 1 1/2 cups dried cherries (or another dried fruit that you like)
  • parchment paper

 

Dark Chocolate Nut Clusters with Cherries

 

Instructions:

In a microwave safe bowl combine the chocolate chips and the coconut oil.  Melt on high in the microwave for 2-3 minutes stirring often.

Dark Chocolate Nut Clusters with Cherries

 

 

When the chocolate and coconut oil are completely melted and smooth add the walnuts and dried cherries.  Stirring them together until all are well coated.

Dark Chocolate Nut Clusters with Cherries

 

 

Drop the mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper using a large spoon.

Dark Chocolate Nut Clusters with Cherries

Place the clusters in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to help the chocolate set.  Remove from freezer and let them harden the rest of the way.

Transfer to a platter to serve right away or into mini cupcake wrappers.  If you are not going to serve immediately (or eat them all, trust me it is tempting) place them in an air tight container and store in a cool place.

These are a great treat and there are so many health benefits of dark chocolate, coconut oil, walnuts and cherries!  Make some of these and share with your Valentine!

Dark Chocolate Nut Clusters with Cherries
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Jenni
Dark Chocolate Nut Clusters with Dried Cherries and Coconut Oil make a delicious and guilt free homemade treat!
Ingredients
  • 24 oz dark chocolate chips
  • 2 cups chopped walnuts
  • 1 tbsp organic virgin coconut oil
  • 1 1/2 cups dried cherries
  • parchment paper
Instructions
  1. In a microwave safe bowl combine the chocolate chips and the coconut oil. Melt on high in the microwave for 2-3 minutes stirring often.
  2. When the chocolate and coconut oil are completely melted and smooth add the walnuts and dried cherries. Stirring them together until all are well coated.
  3. Drop the mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper using a large spoon.
  4. Place the clusters in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to help the chocolate set. Remove from freezer and let them harden the rest of the way.
  5. Transfer to a platter to serve right away or into mini cupcake wrappers. If you are not going to serve immediately (or eat them all, trust me it is tempting) place them in an air tight container and store in a cool place.
3.2.2885

 

Don’t miss these other yummy treats…

peanut butter s'moresTagalong Peanut Butter S’Mores

 

  • Pumpkin Pie Puppy Chow
  • Coffee and Cream Popsicles
  • Mini Banana Pudding in a Jar
  • Simple Frozen Hot Chocolate
  • Reese Cup Peanut Butter Bars
  • Chocolate Pudding Filled Dirt and Carrot Garden Cupcakes

Do you have any favorite treat recipes that have a healthy twist?

 

 

Filed Under: Recipe Box Tagged With: candy, cherries, dark chocolate nut clusters, healthy, Recipes

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the chick behind this blog! I'm your ordinary, everyday wife and mom to an incredible pair of stinky guys! I am a self diagnosed coffee addict with a ginormous sweet tooth, preferably baked goods!! My hope is to help you, teach you, and entertain you on your way to a more thrifty and frugal lifestyle! Along the way, you'll find awesome recipes, great tips, and tons of randomness! We have loads of fun, so ya'll come back now, ya hear?!

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