Welcome to Heart Healthy Mama!

It's the official launch of my new blog, Heart Healthy Mama! (Formerly "The True Adventures of Cakegirl"). Last August my husband was diagnosed with Heart Disease, and underwent emergency surgery to put a stent in his heart. Needless to say, this was a life changing event for our family! It made us take a long, hard look at a lot of things, and one of the biggest was looking at the way we ate.
We really didn't think we were doing too bad in that department until we met with my husband's dietician and she started pointing out the little things that we took for granted- that were actually BIG things. We never looked at the sodium content in anything. And let me tell you, once you do start looking, it can blow your mind.
The recommended daily allowance of sodium for adults is around 2400 milligrams, 1500 for a heart patient (though they are now trying to lower it to 1500 for everyone.) It may seem like a lot, but next time you're rooting around in your pantry, take a peek at the food packages.
There's the usual suspects- pretzels, potato chips, etc. But then there are ones you don't really think about. Anything prepared from a box (flavored rice or noodles, meal kits, etc)- loaded with sodium! Most pre-packaged snacks are filled with sodium and saturated fat.
Our pantry has changed a lot in the past few months, and by doing some research (and reading a LOT of packages) we have found a lot of great products, which I will be sure to share with you here. We also eat a lot more fresh fruits and veggies.
So, in this blog it's my goal to share with you some of the new recipes I've discovered and old recipes that I've modified to fit our new guidelines. I also welcome you to share ideas and recipes of your own, and favorite products and things that you enjoy.
Now, don't get me wrong - I still occasionally indulge in a fast food meal, or a rich dessert. I'm a firm believer of trying to do things in moderation-I don't think you should completely deprive yourself of treats
But I can tell you that by eating healthier, I feel better, I've lost weight (even without working out, like I should be doing, and I really will one of these days!), and I'm hopefully passing on good habits to our daughter.
Keep an eye out- this week I will be sharing my first recipe, Chicken Joes!
And here is my first product recommendation: for a super yummy, easy, fat free dessert try Trader's Joe's Reduced Guilt Brownie Mix. Surprisingly yummy and fudgy (my favorite type of brownie), they are great plain, and I bet they would make an awesome brownie sundae with Edy's Fat Free Ice Cream!
Have a wonderful week!
-Mama