Weekend Chores – Like Money in the Bank

Jul 19th, 2010

You get home from a long, tiring day…..open the fridge……see a wall of produce in plastic bags…..shut the door and head to Taco Bell or Applebee’s.  The same thing happens the next day because you’re even more tired and busier.  By day 3 or 4 you get an attitude about it (annoyed with yourself for being lazy and wasteful, annoyed at your spouse because he/she doesn’t cook, frustrated with your busy family life that gets you to bed by 11 and up by 6 – day after day).  Finally on the weekend you clean out the drippy mess and either put the fruits and veggies in the real compost pile or in the trash and vow to do better. 

I’ve done this myself so I know what I’m talking about. 

One secret to success is to keep a list of everything perishable that’s in your refrigerator so you can plan meals.  Take the list to work with you and while on break or enjoying  your morning tea, ponder the list for meal ideas.

Another secret is to better manage your fridge, and do it on the weekend or whenever you feel you have the most time.  It doesn’t sound appealing, but it’s very satisfying to take everything out, see what you have, and then put it back in an orderly way.  If you have a few extra minutes, prep as many of the fruits and veggies as you think you’ll eat in the next few days. 

I just did this and I feel very virtuous.  Now I can start the week with a hopeful attitude about cooking and eating at home.  In fact, while I was cleaning and organizing my fridge, I made a salad for tomorrow and bagged up snack baggies of cherries and grapes. 

I’m not always successful, but I like to get the week off to a smooth start by getting the following chores done on the weekend:

• getting groceries
• planning meals for the week
• cleaning and organizing the refrigerator
• doing laundry
• changing the bed sheets
• mowing the lawn
• calling friends and family (not really a chore but it’s on my mental list each week)
• cleaning, dusting, and vacuuming

And if I really want the week to go smoothly, I spend several hours doing whatever I want to do relaxing and having fun.  If all I did was chores, I would soon see the corners of my mouth droop – and no one wants to see that.  So I have plenty of fun too.  This weekend I lounged on my deck for hours working on a writing project, had a wonderful brunch with my Lawrence “family,” and bowled for the first time in decades.  Thankfully they now have automatic scoring.  My first game was 112 and the second was 165.  Then we celebrated with a snow cone – another thing I haven’t done for decades.  So it was a great weekend and I’m ready for the week ahead. 

How about you?  Leave your comments and stories at the comment link below.

Healthy Living – Simpler is Better

May 25th, 2010

I started the spring season, March 29, with a major spring cleaning diet that was a combination of flop and success.  It was a flop because it went on too long and was too restrictive.  Remember I was avoiding caffeine, all processed foods, soda,  sugar of all kinds, alcohol, gluten, dairy, junk food, fast food…..so you see why it became difficult as the 6 weeks dragged on and on.  It was too big of a dietary leap for me to take all at once.  When I got busy or stressed, I started eating out a little more and a little more.  I prepared fewer meals at home, and then finally I quit following the program all together.  It was like I “forgot” that I was doing the program.  I bet you’ve been there, done that too.

It was a success, though, because I learned that it was quite easy to avoid many of the low-quality foods and beverages – a snap in fact.  I was able to eat much more cleanly than I thought I could.

Because there’s still one more month of spring to experiment with ”Spring Clean Your Body,” I’m doing a much simpler, shorter program. I’m on day 3 of a “preparation diet” which means I’m not eating sugar, white flour, and I’m not drinking caffeine. Now avoiding just those three things I can handle.  And I certainly can do it for one week.  After the preparation week, I’m going to follow a healthy eating, detox program described in The UltraSimple Diet book by Mark Hyman, M.D.  I’m a big fan of his philosophy, scientific methods, and programs.  He’s written many books and is a popular television personality.  For 20 years he was “Co-Medical Director at Canyon Ranch Lenox, an internationally acclaimed health resort where he combined the best of conventional and alternative medicine with a blend of science, intuition, integrity and compassion.”

After the 6-week attempt, one week feels like a cake walk.  Oops, no cake!

Would you like to join me this week and experiment with not consuming caffeine, sugar of all kinds, and white flour?  Please provide comments at the link below.

Want to See What’s in My Grocery Bags?

May 23rd, 2010

I’m starting another two week cleansing program so I went to the Community Mercantile “The Merc” to stock up on healthy foods.  Check out the video below to see what’s in my grocery bags.  See if you can guess how much it cost.  I’ll share the total at the end.

Want to join me in my healthy eating plan this week?  I’m going to focus on eliminating caffeine, sugar, and white flour. 

And hey, if you know any good ideas for how to use these groceries, please share at the comment link below.

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP) Recall

Mar 27th, 2010

Have you heard the latest about the recall of thousands of processed, packaged foods?  Another reason to eat more whole foods (i.e.,  not processed).

The FDA announced that HVP manufactured by Basic Food Flavors has been recalled, and an estimated 10,000 products are affected by this recall. Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) is a flavor enhancer commonly used in processed foods.  The recall was issued due to possible salmonella contamination.  <<More

When a recipe flops….

Nov 7th, 2009

I call myself an intuitive cook – that means I usually don’t use recipes.  It also means that sometimes my cooking flops like it did the other day when I ad libbed a green curry chicken.  The problem is I don’t have much skill at Thai cooking.  I have a lot more skill at eating Thai food.  So it wasn’t surprising that my soup turned out poorly.  I didn’t know how to correct the seasonings.  Everything I tried made it worse.

Lesson learned (hopefully).

The solution is obvious – add to my skills as a cook.  My city offers a variety of whole foods cooking classes at the Community Mercantile.
I can sign up for cooking classes.  I can also scour the web for recipes and cooking demos like I did this morning.

How fun!  See how a problem (ruining my dinner) can turn into fun…..

So now the resources are pouring in…..

A friend sent me a wonderful web site that I think you may also enjoy.  Here’s a recipe for the Pea Shoot salad pictured below

If you think you can’t cook, reach out and take a class, gather recipes that are surefire winners.  Set yourself up to succeed in the kitchen.

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Do you have a cooking success or failure story.  Tell it at the “comment” link below!

Another Fabulous Fall Meal (Gluten-Free)

Oct 25th, 2009

I’m having a lot of fun cookin’ up new ideas for fall produce–and sharing them in videos like this one.  Here’s what I had tonight.  The color is washed out because it loses resolution from the video conversion process.  But, trust me, the colors of the real thing were bright and appealing!

So………….I want to have more healthy dinner ideas from you!  At the comment link below, describe your healthy meals and how to make them.  And if you send me the embed code for a video, I’ll plunk it in so everyone can see it.

Night After Night – What's for Dinner?

Oct 24th, 2009

Now I’m on a roll with the fall harvest.  On my stovetop right now I’m steaming spaghetti squash.  When it’s fully cooked you can scrape it away from the shell in spaghetti-like strands.  Here’s a preview…

I’m not an expert on spaghetti squash.  I think I’ve had it once maybe.  So I’m channeling the universe again, and the universe says, top it with a spaghetti sauce with sauteed garlic, fresh mushrooms, and add several handfuls of fresh spinach at the end.  Next, I christened it with a few shakes of red pepper flakes.  But for the more delicate pallets, you can skip the heat.

I don’t know what the etiquette is for complimenting your own cooking, but since nobody was here to eat it with me, I went on and on about how great it was.  And it was great.  It satisfied me on so many levels. 

You can’t see how beautiful it looked because this video washes out all the colors.  You also can’t smell it and see the swirls of heat coming off of it.  It was slurpy-good and I mean that in the best sense of the word.  You can see all the juice this little number created.  Even Toby wanted to lick the plate!  But I beat him to it!

Share your ideas for healthy fall meals at the comment link below.  And include your “recipes.”  I don’t really use recipes but describe the basic ingredients.  Would love to hear what you’re cooking!

What's For Dinner

Oct 23rd, 2009

Here’s what I’ve got baking in the oven. I’m working on going gluten- and dairy-free and I’m trying to wrap my mind around how to make things taste good. So tonight I cut open an acorn squash from the farmers’ market and started channeling the universe for ways to make it taste like heaven.  After a long work week, I want food that tastes great and satisfies all of my senses.

Note:  When I cook intuitively, each step becomes clear as I move through the processes of washing and chopping and scanning the row of spices. 

Here’s what came to me while tuning in.  I mixed the following fruits and nuts together adding a small amount of olive oil for moisture, flavor, and health benefits:

• One apple (chopped)
• Small handful of dried cranberries
• Small handful of organic raisins
• A tablespoon each of raw sunflower and pumpkin seeds
• 5-7 walnuts
• A sprinkle of dried onions
• A dash of ground cloves
• A smidgen of ginger
• Several shakes of cinnamon
• Several shakes of sea salt

After mixing these ingredients together, I filled the two halves of the acorn squash and popped them in the convection oven on 375 for an hour.  I did not peel the acorn squash.  I just cut it in half and scooped out the seeds.  I’ll keep checking it in case it doesn’t take that long. It smells divine. 

I think hearty fall foods help compensate for the sometimes cold, wet, and dark days of fall and winter. Flannel sheets help too!  It also helps that it’s the weekend and tonight I get to do whatever I want!  I hope you set aside times during the week to do whatever YOU want.  It’s critical to health and happiness.  And I’m not just saying that.  It’s critical.

Just checked and it’s not done yet so I’m snacking on celery dipped in red pepper humus. 

Anybody have ideas for some healthy, hearty fall foods? Tell us at the comment link below. 

Fitness Routine Inspires Healthy Eating

Jun 7th, 2009

a 30-Day chronicle about getting back in shape

Have you  noticed that when you make a commitment to do something healthy, you end up doing even more healthy things than you originally planned?

That’s happening with me.  Sticking with my fitness program has really inspired me and it made me want to eat really well.  Notice I said “really” twice!  I find myself thinking all the time, “How can I make this healthier.”  I used to think “How can I make this taste better.”  That’s quite a switch for me.

Since I got serious about fitness, I’ve been drawn to raw foods-also unusual for me.  I’ve often said it’s got to be hot for me to be happy.  Eating raw food is definitely more appealing to me when the weather is hot, so I’m taking advantage of this hot weather and my newfound interest in extreme eating (for me that means raw!). 

Today’s menu made me really happy about eating.  Friends who know me well will be saying “where’s the meat?”

Morning Meal

Watermelon – lots of it!

Lunch (see video below)

More watermelon,
Whole Rye Bread
Hummus
1 oz leftover Chicken from Middle Eastern Restaurant

Dinner

Green smoothie (rainbow chard, spinach, apple, cucumber, water)  This was my first green smoothie ever and it was surprisingly satisfying.  I felt very virtuous.

Evening snack

Raw nuts (Brazil and almond)

Here’s a 35 second video peek at my lunch….

Your Turn:  Do you eat raw food?  What percentage of your diet is raw?  Got a favorite raw combo to share?  Comment at the link below.

Should you see a physician before starting an exercise program?

Medical Disclaimer: Any information you obtain from this blog series is not
intended and should not be construed as medical advice and is for the sole purpose of providing information derived from the experience of the author. Diet, exercise or other lifestyle changes should be made only after consulting with your own intuition, common sense, and health care practitioner.

Success Strategies to Help You Stick with Fitness

Jun 6th, 2009

a 30-Day chronicle about getting back in shape

Wanted to let you know that the longer I stick with my fitness routine, the more committed I get to healthy eating.  That’s a bonus.  In my next post I’m going to open my fridge and kitchen cabinets and tell you about what I’ve been eating.

Success Tactics

Here are some of the things I’m doing to help me stick with my decision to get fit again:

1. Before I started my program, I did a personal assessment:  weight, measurements (calf, thigh, hip, waist, bust, biceps).  I’ve been keeping these measurements for years and have watched them steadily grow along with me.  Now I’m watching them steadily decrease.  Very motivating.
2. I’m keeping a food and fitness journal.  It’s nothing fancy, just a place to regularly record my daily food and fitness choices.  Research is clear that people who record their daily food intake, lose weight.
3. I went public with my story in order to add a bit more interest and challenge.  As I share my story in this blog, I’m forced to think about what to say.  That makes me take a closer look at what I’m experiencing every day.  I’m becoming more aware and that’s always a good thing.  
4. I’ve invited you to share your story.  Other people’s stories are always inspiring.  So please share your comments, questions, and favorite resources at the comment link below.

Should you see a physician before starting an exercise program?

Medical Disclaimer: Any information you obtain from this blog series is not
intended and should not be construed as medical advice and is for the sole purpose of providing information derived from the experience of the author. Diet, exercise or other lifestyle changes should be made only after consulting with your own intuition, common sense, and health care practitioner.