Fast & Easy Eats

Who said delicious had to be hard work?  Here is a breakfast I made the other day, and you could certainly have it for a yumm-o snack, too!  It is simply a cut up banana, w/ plain non-fat greek yogurt (HELLO PROTEIN), chia seeds, hemp hearts & vanilla.  Cut it up, serve it and EAT IT UP!  Fast, Easy Eats!  mmmmmmmmm!

Training for bikeMS

I'll be the first to admit training for my bikeMS 150 mile ride hasn't gone as I would have liked it.  However I have been able to get some decent mileage in, while enjoying my life and family.  Balance & moderation in life is key.

Bikes racked at Grandpa's House

Family bike ride at Kensington Park

 

My nephew's debut on my blog, Isaac 8 months

 Trust me I know training is uber important.  I will get on my bike as much as I can in the next week.  Luckily I will be on vacation and can devote my mornings to it!  I am hoping for at least one 30 mile ride, and there after getting near 15 miles a day in... the big day is 7/14 & 15.  I know I will survive.  No biggie  ::wink::

REST HARD

WORK HARD, REST HARD

Rest is equally important as hard work.  When you rest, and do it well you are absorbing all the benefits of the hard work you put in.  If you feel like you are constantly spinning your tires working sooooo hard, but getting no where fast-take a moment to reflect.  Are you getting enough sleep?  7-8 hours at bare minimum.

Heck if you want to make your reflection time restful and meditative take Supta Baddha Konasana just like our froggy friend here.  Placing your hands on your belly, and breathe deeply.  Namaste!

Adventures in Sprouting: Quinoa

Here goes nothing!  I am experimenting w/ sprouting.  My first round I chose to try Quinoa.  We'll see how it turns out.  I used 2 tbsp of quinoa.  First, you rinse it.  Then, you put it in the sprouting jar w/ 3 times as much water in it and let it soak over night.  

The next morning rinse the quinoa in lukewarm water & drain.  Then set the jar on the side.  Continue to rinse daily until sprouted.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a blog in progress.  The quinoa has sprouted just barely.  If it doesn't grow I will try another seed/bean 
soon!

UPDATE 6/21--Quinoa sprouts didn't take off well :O(  Any votes on what I try to sprout next?

Powerful Noodles

My kiddo loves pasta.  Who can blame him?  Carbs=comfort, right?  Though an issue of ours is that spaghetti sauce is gross, and who could stand spinach in your noodles?  Well, I could.  Let's face it, kids can be PICKY!  I used egg noodles which have a good amount of protein.  Then, just a touch of butter.  Sprinkled it w/ lowfat mozzarella, and my secret weapon, YEAST FLAKES!  This time my secret weapon went on undetected and he gobbled up this pasta like no one's business!  Did I mention it took a matter of minutes to whip this together?  Here's to mommy triumph!

Grilled Baby Portabellas

I am not going to pretend to be a master griller.  Here is one of my attempts to make yummy portabellas.  First, wash them off well.  Then, I trimmed the stems and then cut them off and grilled them too.  I grilled them w/ olive oil & tamari.  Seasoned them w/ season salt, fresh ground black pepper, & yeast flakes.  This will be my "meat" for a few days.  Don't worry I will get my protein in!

Share your portabella recipes here!

Mighty Monkey Muffins

Yum-o!  These muffins were modified from the Door to Door Organics website.  My son and I made them together.  I macerated the berries (tossed them w/ just a pinch of sugar), and then I tossed them w/ a bit of flour so the would float throughout the muffins.  We added carob chips to some of the muffins, and cut the wheat flour in half w/ almond flour.  That is what makes these muffins MIGHTY!

Ingredients:

fresh blueberries
2 medium extra-ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (we used frozen & thawed them)
2 eggs
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder

1 1/8 c Whole Wheat flour

1 1/8 c Almond Flour

1 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick of butter, melted
2/3 c brown sugar, packed (play w/ this amount the recipe wasn't clear so this is what we tried)

Directions:

Combine mashed bananas, eggs, sugar and butter until well blended. Stir in blueberries and vanilla extract. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to banana-blueberry mixture. Spoon into muffin cups. Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let them cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then serve while warm. This recipe makes 12 good sized muffins.

UPDATE:

  5 days after these muffins were baked the berries were STILL plump and juicy!!!
 

Tuna Fish

This morning I had an urge to eat tuna fish.  It has been awhile since I've had any.  It seems when I really crave meat, and eventually give in I regret it.  Not because I feel bad necessarily, but because it doesn't taste as good as I remember.  So today I chose to eat some seaweed instead, nori to be exact.  Let me tell you, it certainly SMASHED the craving... and then I ate a banana to cleanse my palate.

My point of sharing this w/ you is that sometimes our cravings are telling us something.  Next time you REALLY want to eat something sit back, and ask yourself why.  Then, reflect.  Is it really that I am dehydrated?  Am I stressed?  Am I hormonal?  Or am I lacking in a nutrient?  Then, do a quick and easy google search on the nutritional value on your craving.  Is what you are craving really what you need nutritionally?  Are there other options?  Slow down and think for a minute before you are quick to throw something down the hatch.

Organic Berries

It isn't too often that we have a problem eating all the berries before they go bad, but it does happen now & again.  Did you know that you can prolong the life of fresh berries in your fridge?  Here is a neat tip I learned at the MHealthy Champion Retreat.  Turn your tap water on as hot as it will go.  Fill a bowl and let your berries soak in it for a minute or 2.  Then, rinse them off.  Dry them w/ a salad spinner if you have one.  Line a glass bowl w/ paper towel.  I like to use my pyrex bowls w/ lids.  Do this and your berries will last so much longer than usual.  The hot tap water kills off any mold spores that may have gotten into or on your beautiful berries.  ENJOY!

Reflections MHealthy Retreat

Yesterday I was honored to be on a panel of MHealthy Champions.  Over the past week I went over and over what I was going to say when it was my turn to answer my question.  It sounded so good, so humble, so genuine... and then when it was my turn to speak the words didn't come to my lips.  I stumbled on my words, but I got the gist of what I wanted to share across.  In some ways that is very humble and real.  My question was, "Keeping people engaged can be a challenge.  What do you do to keep things fun?"  For a week I let this question marinate.  I really felt like I had no answer.  And then some answers did come to me.  I use different ways to reach people: encouraging emails, fun eye catching flyers, walks on campus or to the farmers market, & workshops.  I have been the captain of our departments ActiveU team for the last three sessions.  ActiveU is a program where we are all on a team to encourage each other to be active while offering a sense of a "community".  It is a pretty awesome thing to be a part of.  What else keeps people engaged?  Let's face it.  People like incentives.  What can I offer as an individual at a HUGE university?  When I give Wellness Workshops I also give a neck & shoulder massage as well as teach healthy ways to make smoothies.  Everyone needs human contact, and adding in knowledge is empowering.  Since I have partnered together w/ MHealthy I now lead a "To Market" walk.  Participants that join me in walking to the local farmer's market on our lunch hour receive a MHealthy reusable grocery bag and recipes that are relevant to the current produce.  All of these things don't seem like much to me, but when I take a moment to pause and look behind me I see how these little things have impacted others in a HUGE way.  It is one of the most rewarding things to feel; how a little bit of effort and care on my part can really help someone else to blossom.

stay tuned...more to come!