Mums United Healthy Changes Challenge Giveaway!

So, here it is!

The big giveaway has arrived!

So let's get back to where it all started...
Love Your Heart.
We have been making changes in our house.
I set goals.
Did we reach our goals?

Less tv for the kids.

We have made a difference on this one, I have been planning little crafting and cooking activities with Eve and Eli has a new bouncer which he loves to play in or he sits in his high chair and sucks on some oranges and watches us cook. They still watch more tv than I would like, but it is a slow process, hampered by rainy weather.

More family walks to the park.

Yes, we have been out and about as a family, walking to the park, wandering on the beach or exploring new parks to run around in. I would still like to get out a little more on weekdays though.

Meal makeovers.

Our diet has been thrown upside down and shaken all around over the last few weeks. I have experimented in the kitchen with new recipes and have had Eve in the kitchen with me, learning about vegetables and tasting new ones, raw and cooked. Eli has tried new foods too, and he loves to chew and suck on oranges and toast.

Healthier snacks.

I feel like we have achieved something good here! My snacks have been mainly vege sticks with hummus and Eve has started to eat apples by herself, no chopping, straight off the core. I still buy her bananas as well, even with the high prices. I find that it is mainly our choices, I still buy her snack foods but I choose things like rice wheels and popcorn which I can have too. They are a much healthier alternative to oil soaked chips!

Less takeaway food.

We have had a little bit of takeaway food, but less than usual. My husband and I have date night on Saturday night and we always get take away for dinner so it's a little special. I decided to try something different and cook a nice meal for us, one we both like, but tweaked to be a bit healthier. Another alternative was buying just a naan bread to have with home cooked spicy vege soup, instead of buying the usual other fried goodies and curries as well. I make my own brown rice at home instead of ordering white with our meals and I buy a healthy quick meal or two for those nights where we are all exhausted and hungry and tempted to eat bad foods.

More vegetables.

Yes, yes, yes! I did some experimenting in the kitchen the other nit and threw some vegetable in my wok with a little olive oil and garlic and they came out divine, I had a huge serve of those with my dinner and definitely got in my days worth of veg!
Every week when we get our food shopping I chop up celery and carrot into sticks and pop them in a big container in the fridge for snacking.
Each week when we get our shopping I make up a big bowl of salad, no dressing so it lasts longer. It's great to have as sides for our dinners and I also throw a big handful in a tortilla with some tuna and cheese for a nice quick lunch. I like to mix it up a bit with different salads each week so we have good variety.

All in all i think we have made some great changes, and will continue to do more.
I have learned quite a lot along the way, but my best tip for you....
Try doing your food shopping online!
I did our food shopping online last week, it was so easy to just pop on the computer and find what I was after and put it in my virtual trolley. I ordered only the necessities and was stunned to see I had saved us $100 off our usual grocery bill!
I bought no junk food.
No chips or chocolate were thrown in to the trolley while my back was turned.
No temptation to lead you astray.
Give it a try, it is easier than you think!

To help you on your way to a healthier diet and lifestyle I have three awesome prizes up for grabs:

**Third prize is a $50 Woolworths Gift Card.**

I understand that some of the healthier foods can be more expensive, but my advice is to give them a try, try online shopping, or skip the aisles that you don't need anything in. It will save your waist and your wallet!

**Second prize is a $100 Rebel Sport Gift Card**

Looking for some inspiration to get the family involved in some fun activities? Why not try something new? Get some equipment from Rebel, they have a great range of fun games to get the whole family involved! (who can resist giant water blasters?)

**First prize is a whopping $200 Kmart Gift Card**

Oh yes, how awesome is this! I love Kmart, it has everything there. Everything you could need to change your lifestyle to a healthier one. Grab some comfy workout clothes to exercise in, get your kids a new bike to ride, grab some fun outdoor toys to run around and play with, pick up a heart healthy cookbook and maybe a grill or steamer. They really do have it all, and at such great prices.

So here are the boring but necessary details.
I've made it easy to enter.
Each of these will get you one entry:

• Follow my blog

• Become a fan of my blog page on Facebook

• Leave a comment with your a healthy tip.

So you can get your extra entries (and mr random.org can work his magic) PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE AN EXTRA COMMENT TELLING ME IF YOU ARE A NEW FAN ON FACEBOOK OR FOLLOWER OF MY BLOG.
(E.g. "Hey there, I liked you on Facebook, my name is Daisy D)

The giveaway will end two weeks from today, on the 18th of November. I will random.org three times to find the winner, if the same number is drawn again after already winning, I will draw again.

It is only open to Australian residents (prizes wouldn't be of much use elsewhere!)

Good luck everyone!!