VINEGAR MARINATED STEAK

This is a classic meal made quick and healthy! 

I got the marinade from a Discovery Health article :)

PREP/COOK TIME: 20 min

Total Calories (for entire meal): 419

INGREDIENTS (for marinade):

1 Cup White Distilled Vinegar

1 Cup Water

3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Minced Garlic to taste

Black Pepper to taste

Rosemary to taste

All spice to taste

INGREDIENTS (for meal): 

USDA Choice Beef Chuck Boneless Eye Steak (or choice lean steak) (mine was 6 oz)

Pinch of Salt

1/2 Cup Generic Steam in the Bag Broccoli cuts

3 oz Sweet Potato (mine was 1/4 of a whole)

MARINADE:
1. Place water, vinegar, Extra Virgin Olive Oil along and all spices in a large zip lock bag.
2. Add a very small amount of salt to the outside of the steaks you intend to cook and place in bag.
3. Place bag in your refrigerator for up to 24 hours. (mine only was in for 1 hour and still very flavorful)

MEAL:
1. Place whole sweet potato in a microwavable tupperware container filled with water (or a bowl covered
    with plastic wrap) and microwave for 10 minutes
2. Meanwhile, place a skillet on the stove at medium high heat and coat with non-stick cooking spray
3. Remove steak from marinade and place directly on skillet for 3 minutes per side (or longer to preference)
4. When sweet potato finishes in the microwave, place the broccoli in the microwave and cook as directed
5. Cut the sweet potato in forths (should yield approx. 3 oz pieces)
6. Place portions on plates and ENJOY a healthy yet satisfying meal!

NUTRITION FACTS:
Total Meal Calories: 419
Carbs: 20 g
Fat: 19 g
Protein: 36 g
Sodium: 153 mg
Sugar: 8 g

ZUCCHINI/SQUASH LASAGNA

This dish does take some time but it is DELICIOUS and can easily be made ahead of time, frozen and then reheated quickly on a busy week night. 

Credit to Roni who's excellent recipe I only slightly modified. Find her original post here: http://greenlitebites.com/2007/12/16/zucchini-and-spaghetti-squash-lasagna/

Prep Cook Time: approx. 1 hr. 

Calories per serving: 147

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 Zucchini (often listed as "green squash" in the store)

2 Cups cooked Spaghetti Squash

8 oz 99% Fat Free Ground Turkey

1/2 Cup Fat Free Ricotta Cheese

4 oz Shredded Mozzarella (Part Skim)

1 Cup Classico Tomato and Basil Sauce

Parsley flakes and Black Pepper 

1. Cook and gut Spaghetti Squash:

                       A. Stab skin of squash approximately 10 times to create steam holes

                       B. Place in microwave and cook for approx. 5 min per pound (mine was 4 lbs so 20 min)

                       C. Let cool for approx. 10 minutes 

                       D. Cut in half long ways as shown below

                       E. Use a spoon to remove seeds and attached gooey guts from center (gently)

                       F. Use a fork to scrape out stringy meat of squash into a bowl (my squash yielded 4-5 cups) 

 2. While cooking Spaghetti Squash, cook the ground Turkey in a skillet on medium-high
 3. When the Turkey is cooked, place in bowl and add the cup of sauce to it. Mix to complete meat sauce

4. Slice Zucchini into thin slices
5. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
6. Smear a very small amount of sauce on the bottom of an 8 in x 8in glass dish to prevent sticking
7.  Place a layer of Zucchini pieces next, as shown below.

8. Place a layer of cooked Spaghetti squash on top of the Zucchini as shown below

9. Place a small amount of the Ricotta cheese on top of the Spaghetti Squash, spreading as much as possible

10. Next, place a layer of Mozzarella

 11. And finally, a layer of the meat sauce

 12.Continue layering in the same order, starting again with Zucchini, until your ingredients are gone.

 I was able to get about 2 1/2 layers since my third layer ended with the Spaghetti Squash and I just threw the rest of the cheese on top. 

12. Place in oven and cook for 30 minutes
13. This recipe creates a lot of water because of the veggies so after 30 minutes, use a turkey baster to suck
      some of the water out or simply carefully tip the dish over the sink to drain some of the water (I did this
      since I don't have a baster)
14. After draining, place in over for another 15-20 minutes
15. Cut into 4 pieces and enjoy!

ENJOY!

NUTRITION FACTS:
Serving size: 1/4 of dish
Calories: 147
Protein: 20 g
Carbs: 14 g
Fats: 1 g
Sodium: 293 mg

TIP: I made this ahead of time and placed it in the refrigerator. I simply reheated in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes when we were ready to eat. To save longer than a day or two, simply freeze and reheat the same way for about 30 minutes. 

TURKEY MEATBALLS

At only 365 calories per serving (including the green beans I paired with it) this is a great, quick way to have pasta for dinner without blowing your diet! 

Credit to the Insanity Nutrition Guide from which this recipe is slightly modified

INGREDIENTS 

(measurements are for 1 serving but in the pictures I made 2 servings)

3 oz Extra Lean Ground Turkey

1 Egg White (3 Tbsp of All Whites)

1 Tbsp Seasoned Bread Crumbs

1 oz Whole Wheat Pasta of your choice (usually about 1/2 cup cooked)

2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese

1/2 cup Pasta Sauce 

(I use Classico Tomato and Basil because it is lower in sodium and calories than most other sauces. Trad. Sweet Basil is only shown below because I had left overs and bought it before I realized it has more calories)

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
2. Place ground turkey, bread crumbs, and egg white in bowl and mix together

3. Form meat mixture into small quarter sized balls and place on lubricated baking sheet
4. Place in oven and cook for approximately 10-15 minutes
5. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to the instructions

 5. Remove from oven. If you made 2 servings, simply divide however many balls there are in half

6. Place pasta in a bowl with meatballs, sauce and cheese then microwave for 30 seconds to melt cheese
7. I paired this with Steam-in-the-bag green beans (1 cup per serving) which I microwaved while cooking

NUTRITION FACTS Including green beans):
Total Cal: 365
Carbs: 41 g
Protein: 36 g
Fat: 6 g

OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS

In marketing and in the media Omega-3 fatty acids tend to be lumped together.

There are, in actuality, 3 main variations: ALA (found in plants/seeds) and DHA/EPA (found primarily fish oils or eggs).

DHA and EPA are what people are usually really talking about when they are discussing the potential health benefits of omega-3's since a diet high in oily fish has been shown to mildly lower blood pressure, lower risk of stroke, and have positive affects on cognitive, inflammatory and psychological disorders.

However, ALA is still an important dietary component since the human body cannot create it on its own but can partially convert (although inefficiently) ALA to DHA and EPA and all of them are essential components of many different functions such as regulating blood clotting and building membranes in the brain. And although the research is preliminary, studies have shown that daily doses of ALA significantly reduced both self-reported stress and anxiety levels and objectively measured Cortisol (stress hormone) levels.

Most Americans don't get enough Omega-3's.

SOURCES OF Omega-3 ALA:

Common name	Alternate name	Linnaean name	% ALA†	ref.
Chia	chia sage	Salvia hispanica	64%	[9]
Kiwifruit seeds	Chinese gooseberry	Actinidia chinensis	62%	[9]
Perilla	shiso	Perilla frutescens	58%	[9]
Flax	linseed	Linum usatissimum	55%	[9]
Lingonberry	cowberry	Vaccinium vitis-idaea	49%	[9]
Camelina	camelina	Camelina sativa	35-45%
Purslane	portulaca	Portulaca oleracea	35%	[9]
Sea buckthorn	seaberry	Hippophae rhamnoides L.	32%	[10]
Hemp	cannabis	Cannabis sativa	20%	[9]
Rapeseed	canola	Brassica napus	10%	[2]
Soybean	soya	Glycine max	8%	[2]
			†average val

SOURCES OF Omega-3 DHA/EPA

Common name	grams omega−3
Herring, sardines	1.3–2
Mackerel:Spanish/Atlantic/Pacific	1.1–1.7
Salmon	1.1–1.9
Halibut	0.60–1.12
Tuna	0.21–1.1
Swordfish	0.97
Greenshell/lipped mussels	0.95[76]
Tilefish	0.9
Tuna (canned, light)	0.17–0.24
Pollock	0.45
Cod	0.15–0.24
Catfish	0.22–0.3
Flounder	0.48
Grouper	0.23
Mahi mahi	0.13
Orange roughy	0.028
Red snapper	0.29
Shark	0.83
King mackerel	0.36
Hoki (blue grenadier)	0.41[76]
Gemfish	0.40[76]
Blue eye cod	0.31[76]
Sydney rock oysters	0.30[76]
Tuna, canned	0.23[76]
Snapper	0.22[76]
Eggs, large regular	0.109[76]
Barramundi, saltwater	0.100[76]
Giant tiger prawn	0.100[76]
Lean red meat	0.031[76]
Turkey	0.030[76]
Cereals, rice, pasta, etc.	0.00[76]
Fruit	0.00[76]
Milk, regular	0.00[76]
Bread, regular	0.00[76]
Vegetables	0.00[76]

LEMON OLIVE SALMON

This is a quick and easy recipe for flavorful salmon!

INGREDIENTS:

4 oz Salmon filet

1/2 lemon or about 3 Tbsp lemon juice

5 fresh basil leaves or basil flakes to taste

5 Pitted Kalamata Greek Olives

1 Tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

PREP/COOK TIME: 20 min

TOTAL CALORIES including green beans: 234 (additional nutrition facts at the end)

1. Turn oven to BROIL so it can pre-heat
2. Place Salmon filet on square of foil, shiny side up. Pour a teaspoon of Extra Virgin olive oil and smear it on top of the filet.
3. Mash up the basil leave in your fingers, breaking them into pieces and place the pieces on the filet.
4. Rip olives in half over the filet so any juices drip on the fish and place them face down on filet

5. Squeeze half a lemon over filet then cut same lemon half into slices and place on filet

6. Wrap foil around filet bringing short sides in first, then bringing the long sides together and rolling down

7. Place foil with fish in it directly on the lowest oven rack for approximately 10 minutes.

8. I paired this with 2/3 cup of steam in the bag green beans which I cooked in the microwave for 5 min while the fish was cooking.

9. Remove foil package from oven and unwrap. If the fish is a light pink color and looks like it will flake apart easily, it is done. If it still has dark pink anywhere you can see, put it back in for a couple more minutes. Below is a picture of it when its done.

ENJOY THIS HEALTHY TASTY DISH BECAUSE YOU ARE GETTING:

234 Calories

24 g Protein

12 g Fat (9 g of good fat!)

  8 g Carbs (2 g fiber, 2 g sugar)

345 mg Sodium

PLUS for your vitamin daily values you are getting:

2% Vitamin A

42% Vitamin C

4% Calcium

4% Iron

AND!!!!! 61.2% Daily Value of Omega-3 Fatty Acids 

(see Fun Facts post about Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids!)

KASHI FLAX BANANA BOWL

This is one of my favorite on-the-go breakfasts! Credit to the Insanity Nutrition Guide.

1 Cup Kashi Go Lean - Original

1/2 Cup Silk Lite (or Skim milk)

1/2 Banana

1 Tbsp Flax seed (I use Bob's Red Mill Flax because that is what my local grocery store happens to carry)

I'm be honest with you, the Kashi Go Lean is bland and Kashi is expensive (about 5 dollar a box when not on sale here in NYC) but it is one of the best breakfast cereal options out there so it is worth it in my opinion and the banana makes it nice and sweet. The tupperware bowl in the picture is from Sterlite and perfect if you are one of those people that is always rushed in the morning. You can put all the ingredients except the milk in the bowl the night before and put it in the refrigerator. Then in the morning just pour the milk in as you are running out the door and eat it on the go! Or get some milk at work and eat it there. Much better for you than a McMuffin and just as quick!

This whole breakfast comes out to:

270 calories which breaks down to 

61 grams of carbs (23 grams sugar mostly from banana, 17 grams of fiber)

19 grams of protein 

6 grams of fat (all good fats)

For your daily vitamin values you are also getting:

11% Vitamin A

20% Vitamin B-6

50% Vitamin B-12

17% Vitamin C

30% Vitamin D

55% Calcium

20% Iron

34% Phosphorous

30% Magnesium

30% Riboflavin

10% Folate

35% Potassium

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

The flax seeds give you a nice punch of Omega-3: 1800 mg to be exact. It also is a good source of Omega-6 fatty acids. 

FUN FACT: In marketing and in the media Omega-3 fatty acids tend to be lumped together. There are, in actuality, 3 main variations: ALA (found in plants/seeds) and DHA/EPA (found primarily fish oils or eggs). DHA and EPA are what people are usually really talking about when they are discussing the potential health benefits of omega-3's since a diet high in oily fish has been shown to mildly lower blood pressure, lower risk of stroke, and have positive affects on cognitive, inflammatory and psychological disorders. The Omega-3 in flax seed is ALA which is not tied to these things BUT it is still an important dietary component since the human body cannot create any of these fatty acids on its own but can partially convert ALA to DHA and EPA and all of them are essential components of many different functions such as regulating blood clotting and building membranes in the brain. And although the research is preliminary, studies have shown that daily doses of ALA significantly reduced both self-reported stress and anxiety levels and objectively measured Cortisol (stress hormone) levels.  

THE GROCERY LIST

I shop for my boyfriend and me. We live in NYC where prices tend to be inflated compared to the rest of the country but I am able to keep our grocery bill to around 200 dollars a month. This is a list of the items I typically purchase each month and always have on hand. Of course, many of these things last for months so if you bought all of these in one shopping trip it would probably be more than 200 dollars but your bill would even out over time once you have a base established. I usually pick about 1 meal a week that I may buy specific items for that I don't usually have on hand but other than that, this is it!
I shop at a normal local super market, except in the summer when we try to get our produce from a local farmer's market because it is of a much better quality

FRESH PRODUCE
- apples (sometimes pears instead)
- grapes
- bananas
- melon of some kind
- lemon
- romaine lettuce
- spinach
- tomato
- onion
- mushrooms
- bell pepper
- cucumber
- avocado
- celery
- baby carrots


FROZEN
- Steam-in-the-bag veggies (there is usually a store brand and the minimal extra cost is worth the convenience to me because I can just throw the bag in the microwave while I'm making the main course. I usually get broccoli, green beans, and a mix like California blend or stir fry...no mixes with corn because it isn't very nutritious)

- Mixed Whole Berries (usually a bag includes strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries)

- Bag of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

- Bag of Salmon Fillets

- Birds Eye Voila! skillet bags (these are kind of high in sodium but my boyfriend and I can split a bag for dinner for less than 500 calories each and they are tasty, relatively cheap, easy dinner options. I usually get Garlic Chicken, Alfredo Chicken, or Orange Chicken since they are lowest in calories)

- Weight Watchers Ice Cream Sandwiches (one of my dessert options, not bad at 120 calories each)

- Weight Watchers Snack Size Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Bars (curb chocolate cravings for only 45 cal)


DAIRY/EGGS
- Silk Lite Original Soy Milk (My boyfriend is lactose intolerant and I used to get skim milk too but I actually really like this in my cereal so I only get this now. Can't be beat with all the good stuff and only 60 cal per cup.)

- Non-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt (brand doesn't matter to me here as long as its Greek. I get the cheapest)

- Low or non-fat Cottage Cheese (again, I get whatever is cheapest)

 - Presidente Fat Free Feta Cheese

- Cabot 75% Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese block

- Cage Free Eggs (white or brown doesn't matter...same nutritional value)

- All Whites Brand Egg Whites

- Unsalted Butter


BREADS/CEREALS
- Arnold Bakery Lite Whole Wheat Bread (40 cals per slice!)

- Fiber One Whole Wheat English Muffins (100 cal each)

- Arnold Sandwich Thins -Multi-Grain (100 cal each)

- Melba Toast- Whole Grain

- Rice Cakes (sometimes)

- Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers(sometimes...the child in me craves them lol)

- Post Brand Grapenuts

- Kashi Go Lean

-Kashi Go Lean Crunch


GRAINS/STARCHES
- Old Fashioned Oats (store brand, plain)

- Goya brown rice

- Wild Rice (not wild rice mixed with long grain which is what you will often see...just the wild rice)

- Quinoa

-Pancake mix

-Whole wheat pasta


NUTS/DRIED GOODS
- Whole Walnuts (unsalted)

- Almond Slices (unsalted)

- Pecan pieces (unsalted)

- Raisins


DELI
- Low Sodium deli turkey
- deli sliced Roast beef
- Reduced Fat Swiss cheese

CANNED GOODS
- GOYA Low Sodium Red Beans
- GOYA Low Sodium Black Beans

OTHER
- Mustard
- Smart Beat Mayo
- BBQ sauce
- Ketchup
- Olive Oil
- Canola Oil cooking spray
- salsa
- Mrs. Dash (GET THIS! It doesn't have sodium but its a great, quick chicken seasoning)
- lemon juice
- minced garlic
- honey
- Stevia In The Raw
- Shop Rite Super Chunky Natural Peanut Butter
- Welch's Natural Raspberry Spread
- All Natural Maple Syrup
- GNC Whey Protein

HOPE THIS IS HELPFUL!

PRINCIPLES

I personally don't believe in extremes because I don't believe they are sustainable. Well, maybe they are for some people but I have to be realistic...here and there I'm going to have dessert! My Great Grandmother Starr (a firecracker of a woman who has certainly spent her life indulging in all of the fun and excitement life has to offer) harps again and again.."everything in moderation." That is the mantra that guides my aims at a healthy lifestyle. Below are some general guidelines I follow. Read them, see what works for you, make habits you can stick with long term.

*DISCLAIMER: I don't have any sponsors (yet lol) so any references I make to sites or brands are of my own free will with no compensation.

1. KEEP IT SIMPLE: If it is too complicated, I won't stick with it. People end up eating fast food because it is quick and easy most of the time. I avoid this by making sure I have foods on hand that are easy to pack up and take with me. Having stuff that is quick and easy to make the night before makes it more likely I'll be munching on grapes and carrots as I drive instead of grabbing a burger.

2. NATURAL WINS: There are so many "diet," "sugar free," "calorie free" options out there. I generally avoid those things. When I have the option between sugar free syrup that is WAY lower in calories and natural maple syrup that is packed with sugar and calories that oozed directly out of a tree somewhere...I choose maple, for example. First, I think that it is worth some extra calories to avoid having a bunch of artificial chemicals doing who-knows-what to my insides. Second, I avoid artificial sweeteners because of reason number one and because there are a number of studies that have shown they increase appetite and end up causing weight gain and potentially even cancer (although everything seems to cause cancer these days). When I need a sweetener I go with honey or Stevia In The Raw (brand) and if I look at the ingredients and there is corn syrup I pretty much immediately put it back on the shelf. Third, fats are good if they are the right kinds of fats and getting reduced fat peanut butter instead of natural peanut butter, for example, often means you are losing many of the fatty acids that make it a nutrient packed food in the first place. I use regular butter instead of margarine. Jelly with sugar instead of with corn syrup. Whipped cream made from actual cream. You get the point I imagine.

3. LESS PROCESSED: I do buy processed foods but I try to keep it to a minimum. First, because they quickly drive up your grocery bill. You get less food and nutrients for what you are spending typically. Secondly, because they tend to be super high in sodium (soups, cheeses, deli meats etc). I do buy deli meats and cheese so we can make sandwiches but if possible, I get a low sodium variation. Old recommendations for sodium per day were around 2500 mg. However, with more research, that has been modified to 1500 mg per day (actually learned that first in Army nutrition class lol) and that is what I follow. I do buy my beans canned for simplicity sake but I only buy Goya low sodium variations. I buy vegetables frozen most of the time so they don't go bad and don't have salt added.

4. SMALLER MEALS: I got in the habit of eating 5 small (around 300 calorie) meals per day when I was following the Insanity (it's a workout program if you aren't familiar) nutrition guide. I have settled at around 1300 calories per day since it is an amount where I feel satisfied all day and don't gain weight. I usually eat about 5 times per day still but I have 3 meals that are about 250 to 400 calories and 2 healthy snacks of 100-200 in between. Eating more frequently keeps your metabolism burning and keeps you from getting starved and gorging yourself. It makes me feel lighter and have more energy which contributes to helping me stick with a fitness plan. At first, this DOES take a little planning but it becomes second nature once you have been doing it for about a month and keep the right kinds of food on hand to make it easy.

5. TRACK YOURSELF: Tracking your calories seems like its only for health nut crazies and people too much time on their hands but with what technology has to offer these days it is so easy and worth it! I use myfitnesspal.com and most of the foods I eat are already entered in their database so I just search something like "Shop Rite low fat cottage cheese" and the exact item with the same serving sizes and nutrients pops right up! Then I just click to put how much I had and it gets entered into my food log for the day. You can choose which nutrients show up on your tracker and set your daily calorie and nutrient goals. How can you know what is good or bad about the way you are eating if you have no idea how much of each nutrient you are actually consuming? You can't. I personally track Calories, fats, carbs, protein, sodium, sugar and how much water I'm drinking (because I'm terrible about drinking enough water!) Tracking what you are eating is also a great weight loss tool because it makes you mindful of what you are putting in your body and helps curb the mindless snacking or underestimation of calories that tends to get many us.

6. DRINKS: I really only drink water or milk on an average day because juice has SO much sugar and goes down so smooth that I tend to have too much of it lol. I don't really have soda unless I am at a restaurant (see cheat principle below for more details about that). I do have coffee or tea sometimes but I only add some honey or maybe a little milk. Personally, I just don't drink enough water as it is and I would rather eat my calories than drink them so this works for me. If that isn't going to work for you, then find a plan of moderation that does but remember you have to count those calories too! And remember what I said about the artificial sweeteners earlier...

7. CHEAT: Yes, I believe in cheating, in this case. However, this requires self control. I focus on sticking to one cheat day a week where I eat the disgusting and delicious foods that western civilization has to offer :) It is important to conceptualize this day as a day where a little indulgence is ok...NOT a day where you go out of your way to indulge in everything possible. Maybe on a Saturday my boyfriend and I will have pancakes and some turkey bacon for breakfast and go out to dinner and order what we want. Or maybe we stick to our normal routine and just have pizza for dinner. Remember...the calories still count and if you stuff yourself with everything you can find all day because you "deserve it" for eating healthy all week, you will cancel out any weight loss progress you were having, not to mention, you will probably feel sick because you have become accustomed to eating smaller portions.

8. MARKETING: There are so many silly marketing concepts out there that really are unfounded. For example, there is no nutritional difference between sea salt and table salt. It is simple shaped differently and some chefs like the texture better but it is been marketed as the "healthier choice." It isn't. Brown rice is more nutritious than white rice because it still has the hull on it which contains fiber and other nutrients but it is still not a terribly nutritiously efficient food. People think, "oh it's brown rice so I can eat a ton of it since it's healthy" but that is not the case. It is fairly similar to white rice and sure, of the starches out there, it is one of the better ones but it is still fattening and should be eaten in the right proportions. Remember, moderation...even if it is a "healthy" food.

9. MINDSET: Many of us are taught that food can be used as a reward at a very young age. We have class pizza parties for accomplishments, ice cream if we are good, etc. This is a problematic dysfunction in food thought for most Americans in my opinion. Studies have shown that many people allow themselves to eat more when they work out because "they earned it" or have a brownie because they had a stressful day at work and "they deserve it." If you allow yourself to conceptualize food this way, it will be very difficult for you to live a healthy lifestyle and accomplish and changes you wish to see in your appearance or health. You eat to live. Food is fuel. That is it! I still have to remind myself of this fairly often since I tend to want to stress binge eat. There is nothing wrong with enjoying your food but changing the way you think about it is central to changing your life.

10. DO YOU: There are almost always substitutes. If you like a recipe but don't like a particular food in it, then find a comparable substitute. Eat healthy but eat things you like. Some people would say in response that they don't like any healthy food but I really don't believe that. Many people just haven't been conditioned to learn to like healthy foods and there are so many ways to make healthy but delicious meals! Do this for you and no one else. You can't do this for someone else or it won't last. You have to choose to live this lifestyle because you want to be a healthier and happier person. Do it because you want to teach your family and kids healthy eating habits. Do it because you say no to the food conglomerates that make poisonous, unhealthy foods cheapest and most accessible and as a consequence, our nation is plagued with diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and heart disease. Do it because you are important and you are worth it.