A Year of Gratitude

Q

The biggest problem my husband and I have is coming up with different things to eat. Generally our menu consists of the same thing, just a different day each week. We don’t take the time to check out new recipes, so I have enjoyed the recipes you have suggested in your newsletter. One thing we do is make "planned overs." We make more than we can eat at one setting so we have planned overs for a different night that week or that we can freeze for something quick down the road.

A

I love that you have "planned overs." Sounds so much better than left overs. I think a lot of people get tired of the same meals over and over. Maybe you'll get some ideas from this recipe web site...
[FULL ANSWER]

Do you want to be happier and make more of your moments? Here are a few provocative questions from Alan Lakein's book (reviewed above) to get you thinking :

-- Do you enjoy playing with moments?
-- Do you cultivate quality moments?
-- Do you include quality moments in routine tasks?

In fact, if you’re looking for a New Year’s theme, how about selecting A Year of Pleasurable Moments? You can use the Alan Lakein's book – take one chapter a month – to practice the recommendations for adding more pleasure to your daily moments.

The first day of every month, you can read a chapter before going to bed. Each chapter is just 6-8 pages. Then your focus that month can be to incorporate several of his suggestions.

Want to know more about how to add pleasurable moments and create that as a New Year's Theme? Register for the f-ree New Year's Evolution teleclass here.

Healthy Fast Food Kitchen™ . . .
make it fast, eat it slow

Soup's On! Want to lose weight, eat more often at home, cook and eat for less, quicker? Eat soup! Soup fills you up, satisfies you, and is a fabulous way to work in a wide variety of vegetables that are high in nutrients and fiber - the secret ingredients to vitality and good health.

Start a soup club with your neighbors or at work following these guidelines: use only real (whole) foods and limit or eliminate additives, preservatives, fake fats, and any other highly processed fake junk. When I look at recipes that include the following kinds of ingredients, I kinda flinch: fat free (anything), MSG or Accent, Velveeta or American cheese, white bread, Egg Beaters, etc. There are enough fake things in life without eating fake food. To enhance your health, enjoyment, and satisfaction of eating - eat real food. Soup is real food. Sound interesting?

I'm offering a 30-day teleclass that starts in mid February to help you streamline your kitchen so you can make soup fast and eat it slow. You'll also get great recipes for soups and sides. Check it all out here

But for now, here's a quick tip to get you into the kitchen making soup. Get out your cookbooks or go to allrecipes.com and see what soup recipe inspires and excites you. Maybe African Bean soup, or Savory Hot Pepper Soup, or Ham and Bean soup. These soup recipes are all on my top 10 list. What's on your list? chili, 18 bean, curry, tomato, potato, lentil, chicken noodle?

Packrats, Paper Hounds & Procrastinators™ . . .
life is too big to drag it around with you

What can you clean or declutter in just 15 minutes? Try it. You'll be surprised how much you can accomplish. I'm working with a client who has committed to working just 15 minutes a day in her kitchen. After just one week, she is amazed at the transformation.

I like to make the most of little spots of time before leaving for an appointment, when I'm waiting for a phone call, or when I'm waiting for water to boil. Or I sometimes set a timer for 15 minutes and see how much I can get done.

Here's a list to get you thinking about what you can do in 15 minutes or less: Clean off the top of the refrigerator, empty the dishwasher, hang up your clothes, pick up everything on the floor in your bedroom, wash and bag veggies for the kids' lunch boxes, clean out under the kitchen sink, dejunk one drawer, make your bed, scrub the tub.

Make a list of 50 things you can do when you have 15 minutes

or less. Post it on your refrigerator as a reminder when you have a few

extra minutes or if you take up the challenge to spend 15 minutes

every day decluttering or cleaning something. You'll be amazed at what

you can accomplish.

Move More. . . your body
thinks it's dead unless you move™

I used to hate doing ab crunches until I shifted my focus to the pleasurable aspect of finding and feeling my abs. Now I'm hooked. Reconnecting with the body is a very pleasurable thing for those of us who are overly intellectual head cases. Our jobs and lifestyles can turn us into disembodied heads. But if we focus on physical movement as a fun thing - like we did when we were kids - even ab work has the potential to be fun and enjoyable. I confess, I feel virtuous when I do it - and that's kind of fun too.

Simple, Clean Green Living . . .
for busy people who love the planet™

If something bugs you, find a way to simplify it. For example, if you're always losing your keys, determine a special place that you ALWAYS put your keys. And always put them there. Possible locations include having a hook by the door, a small basket on the counter, or a dish on your dresser. And it never hurts to have spare keys made of your house and car keys. Bury one set in the back yard (or wherever) when no one is watching or stash it someplace outside that isn't obvious like under the welcome mat or on top of the door frame. These two locations are way too obvious. Have a couple of extra copies made and put them in a special container in the kitchen.

If this sounds like a good idea, do it right now. If you wait you may not get 'er done.

Perfect Environments for Healthy, Happy Living . . .
let the environments do the work for you™

Most of us don't drink enough water. Water competes with high-flavor beverages like soda pop, flavored coffee, beer, wine, etc. Most people know that their bodies would be much happier if they would just drink more water.

In order to be successful in drinking more water in the long term, you need to set up a system or "water-drinking environment." Get a container that holds the number of cups or ounces of water you'd like to be sure to drink every day. Fill it up and put it on your desk or counter so you'll be able to see the water level throughout the day. At a glance you can see when it's time to enjoy a glass of water so you can keep up with your goal. Having a visual reminder is very helpful. Another fun piece of this system is to buy a special cup or glass that is beautiful, or sexy, or fun, or funny. Seeing the glass will make you want to drink up!

Smoke Now, Quit Later . . .
smoke guilt-free while you get ready to quit™

Did you know that smoking is bad for your back? Numerous studies show that smokers are more likely to suffer back pain than nonsmokers. Nicotine may damage the lower back by decreasing blood circulation and reducing the flow of nutrients to joints and muscles. Also, smokers are more prone to couching which stresses back muscles.

When I smoked, I was always looking for reasons to quit. I looked for many many years until I finally got a job in health promotion where I would be in charge of the smoking cessation program. Bingo! I finally found a compelling reason to quit.

If you've had a lot of back pain and want to see if you can get rid of it by quitting smoking, go for it! Maybe this is a good, compelling reason for you.