Sunday, October 31, 2010

Menu

A lot of people think they have no time to eat healthy so they wait until dinnertime and think "Oh crap! what's for dinner? Honey, what sounds good to you?" to which Honey says "I don't know what sounds good to you?" then you say, " I don't care, you pick something." Then Honey says "I don't care either. You know what I like so either just pick something up or make something." Then, because its late and its much easier, you just pick something up on the way home. This conversation comes very easy because its the exact same conversation I've had many, many, many, MANY times!!!!

Except sometimes, I don't say Honey........ :)

Anywhooooo, so what I do is this. I make a menu for the month. It only takes about 15-20 minutes to pull out my planner and list some things my family likes to eat. You'll notice that 4 days are crossed out. That's because its Thanksgiving weekend. I'll either be cooking or not that day and the rest of the weekend I'll be off riding horses with my parents in the Kiamichi mountains of Oklahoma. Woooo Hooooo!!!

This is my actual day planner and my actual menu for the month that I just wrote up. If I don't do this, then I end up having the aforementioned conversation, with or without the use of the word, Honey. You'll notice that a few of the entries have "leftovers" where a dinner option should be. Thats because I know my family by now and I know that they will not eat all of what I prepare and I don't want to waste the leftovers and create extra work for myself by preparing something else when there is still perfectly good food in the fridge.

What you don't see is that I made these plans with my schedule in mind. I know that on Tuesday and Thursday evenings I come home late from teaching yoga. Honey gets a little pissy (can I say pissy? Is the word pissy allowed in the blogging world? Is it like tv where you can't say certain words? I don't think so. And honestly, there really isn't a better word I could use. He really does just get pissy.) when dinner is too late. It's not his fault really. He gets indigestion and heartburn when he eats too late and then goes to bed. Sooo, being the good wife that I am, I prepare meals in the slow cooker on those nights. Monday nights I have Tae Kwon Do, so the same goes for Monday nights. I don't have anything written for Saturdays because its junk food night at our house on Saturday nights.

OH BOY!!!! You have to know about Saturday nights!!! Junk food night is the bribe I use to get my family to eat relatively healthy the rest of the week. It really works but I'm almost sorry that I introduced it. Now, I'm completely shackled to junk food night! Here's another conversation at my house.

"Honey, I'm going out with some friends on Saturday night." To which Honey says, "But.......It's junk food night....You can't go, cause I'll miss junk food night. You know I don't want to miss junk food night." *sigh* Again, sometimes without use of the word Honey.... :)

Also, I don't list breakfast or lunch. Those meals are super easy to "wing it". We usually have cereal, eggs, oatmeal, organic toaster pastries or something for breakfast during the week and a big Sunday breakfast that doesn't need planning. And for lunch we usually just have soup, sandwiches, salads or something. Whatever the mood strikes.

So, now that I have my menu. I will go make a grocery list for the week. Go buy said groceries and I'm all set! Now, I already know what's for dinner and it takes a big load off each evening trying to figure out what I'm gonna feed my family when I'm tired from a very full day of conversations with Honey! Again, sometimes without the use of the word Honey!!! :)

Friday, October 29, 2010

eggs

This is one of my favorite way to eat eggs. And since its your lucky day, I'm going to share it with you!!!!

Okay, you can do the happy dance now.

Go ahead, cowboy, dance.........


That's how you dance? Really? Okay, then.....

Just kidding!!! I'm sure you're a really great dancer! In fact, you should go out dancing tonight! If you do, call me. I've been wanting to go out dancing lately myself. Cut a rug, do a jig, get my groove on...


What? Oh yeah. The eggs. *sigh* Okay, here it is.

Before, I tell you, you need to know that I'm a dumper inner and not so much a measurer. But, I'll do my best.

melt some butter in a skillet. This is just one serving so I'm gonna guess it was about a Tablespoon of Butter.

Sautee a handful of chopped onions, a handful of chopped mushrooms in the butter until the onions are translucent. Then, add about a cup (or more) of torn baby spinach. You can use a lot of spinach. It cooks WAY down. Then, add 2 eggs and scramble around. I also added a pinch of garlic and a pinch of salt. When the eggs are done, turn off the heat and add grated cheese. Lots of grated cheese.

Now, you can use whatever makes you happy, but because I like to be super healthy, I used organic veggies, free range eggs, and raw cheddar cheese, and sea salt. And let me just say......MMMMMMMMMMM
and even better? It took about 10 minutes from start to finish to prepare. I had some fruit with it to make it a meal. Dinner in fact!

This post is part of Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday. You can check out all the other entries here http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-october-29th/

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Cancer Awareness?

I just have to say, I'm sick of "cancer awareness" !!!!!!!

Really, I'm sick of cancer!!! I know how that sounds so let me say, No! I do not have cancer! Nor am I uncompassionate to those that have suffered the disease.

But, every time I turn around someone is posting on facebook about cancer awareness. "97% won't re-post" about cancer awareness, as if you don't re-post, you don't care about cancer patients. Football players are wearing pink shoes in honor of breast cancer awareness. Races are being run in the name of cancer awareness, and the list goes on endlessly

I absolutely DO CARE about cancer and those with it!!! But, the thing is...we already know how to prevent cancer. We ALL DO!!!! We just elect not to do those things. I mean, GEEEESH!!! by now, seriously, are we not aware????
The CDC said in the 1960's that the rate of cancer was 1 in 300. Well, sure, back then maybe cancer awareness was needed. I mean...1 in 300. Wow, probably very few people even KNEW someone with cancer. It was a big, scary deal. But, over the years, the cancer rate has risen. Now, in 2010, the CDC says the cancer rate is 1 in 2...

Let that sink in  for just a minute...... 1 in 2..........




1... in... 2. Its an even bigger, scarier deal!

So it seems to me that we are all aware. And what is all this awareness actually accomplishing? The cancer rate continues to rise and people are still out wearing their pink shirts all in the name of awareness. But, what I want to know is, how is wearing a pink ribbon going to prevent me or my friends from getting the disease? Does anyone have an answer for that? Does anyone ever even ask that question?

I don't think so. It makes us feel like we're doing some good if we're out "fighting cancer". But, really how are we fighting it? By raising money for pharmaceutical research? Pharmaceuticals don't prevent anything. Nor are they proven to be the most effective treatment for anything. Do you know that the biggest cause of death is "pharmaceuticals as prescribed" Okay, now ponder THAT for just a moment....

"As prescribed" Not, as in overdose or mixed with other drugs, or mismanaged by the patients....... "as prescribed"!!!!

So...... Why, why, why are we busting our butts to raise money or "awareness" (because from what I can see those two are synonomous right now in this regard) for that?

Why, why, why is there not "awareness" for the death rate of "pharmaceuticals as prescribed"?

Why is there no "awareness" for the fact that eating lots of fruits and vegetables truly IS cancer prevention.

See, I told you we already know how to cure cancer. Don't do the things that cause cancer. Don't smoke. See, you already knew that didn't you? Don't spend hours out in the sun in the middle of the day. I bet you knew that already too! Don't inhale asbestos. I'm not saying anything new there either. Eat your fruits and veggies. Your mom has been telling you that your whole life!

You can prevent 70-90% of ALL disease just by eating 9-13 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. That is from the USDA. It used to be 2-3 servings but with our politicized and industrialized farming practices they had to increase it to 9-13 due to the lack of nutrients in our food. But, that's a HUGE discussion for another day.

So basically you have a choice.  You can consume high amounts of anti-oxidants and live a healthy lifestyle and not only prevent cancer but all disease. The only side effects of that are looking and feeling better.

OR....

You can continue to eat the junk being sold in stores and restaraunts as "food" and pin all your hopes and dreams on cancer research and a "pill" that will prevent cancer. The side effects of current cancer treatments are loss of hair, loss of weight, killing your immune system, death, etc.

hmmmmmmm....I wonder which I will choose?

Did you also know that there really are all natural cancer treatments that have no side effects that are proven to work? One of them is The Gerson Therapy. In a nutshell, its high dose vitamin C IV therapy.
But, you're doctor (even if he believes it) can't legally administer this therapy. Legally, your doctor can only prescribe surgery, chemo, and radiation for cancer treatment. They can only legally prescribe those treatments even though there is statistical proof that natural therapies work better than the conventional therapies.

Cancer is continuing to rise, people are still out trying to "make a difference" but nothing is helping.
Its actually getting worse!!!! So, this is me calling for a new cancer awareness campaign.

Prevent cancer!!!!! Eat 9-13 servings of fruits and vegetables. Eat real, whole foods instead something from a box or a window. Drink tea. Don't smoke!!! Stay out of the sun (I'm still unsure about sunscreen. I've heard reports of the chemicals in that being worse than the sun! Your best bet is to just go out for a little while and then find some shade, preferrably a nice hammock with a book and drink ). Drink in moderation. Exercise. Pray. Laugh often and love a lot.

Doesn't that seem simple? Much better than running a race to give your money for a pill that likely will do more harm than good anyway! I'm not saying don't go run the race. For sure, go run, hang out with your best friends and lend support to your cancer surviving warriors. But, just be "aware" of what you're actually raising money for and how it would be more effective.

Now, that you're "aware" go spread the word.........

Friday, October 22, 2010

Product Review: Emv






This post is part of Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday where real food enthusiasts can "fight back" against industrialized farming thereby creating better health for our families. If you're interested, you can check it out here Fight Back Friday 10/21/10.

I've decided to start doing some product reviews. I'm very excited about this. In fact, I've been pondering new directions to go with my blog. I'm very excited about that too!! It'll still be geared toward making our families healthier but I've got new ideas in which to do that. One of them is the regular product reviews. I'll also be adding some herbal information as well.

I would like to start off by saying that alot of the products that I use are sold through network marketing. I know a lot of people are turned off by that, but not me and I'll tell you why. Number 1, all the best products are sold through this type of marketing. So much so, that Warren Buffett and Donald Trump now own network marketing companies. Robert Kiyosaki reccomends network marketing as the least expensive way to start earning residual income in his books. Number 2, I'm big on loyalty. I like to support my friends and family in their business ventures when I can. I would rather see them do financially well than some big, faceless corporation. Not that I'm anti-big business per se. I am a conservative after all. I do believe in the free market system. But, if a friend has a great product I'd rather help them out anyway. Not only that, BECAUSE network marketing has such a bad rap, I think if my friend has decided to attach their name to a product and actually sell it, it must be a really great product!!

So, the first product I want to tell you about is one that I've attached MY name to and decided to sell. It's Monavie. If you want to learn more you can go to my website Monavie.  The product in particular I want to share with you, though, is Monavie's healthy energy drinks.

This is very exciting because our kids LOVE energy drinks, Monster, Redbull, etc. and they are SO bad for us!! Deadly, in fact! I know, I know, you probably think I'm being overly dramatic but No....I'm not. They truly are deadly. In fact, doctors are reporting that those energy drinks sold in stores cause irreparable heart damage!!!! Okay. Let that soak in for just a minute. IRREPARABLE HEART DAMAGE.......

They are full of caffeine, sugars of all different varieties, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, colors, and additives. Oh My!!!

What we love about Monavie's Emv is that its a healthy, sustained energy (my husband and I absolutely love them and we didn't drink energy drinks before). There are no jitters or crashes with this product. Also, there are no added caffeine, sugar, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, colors, or chemicals. It's all natural, healthy, and best of all, it has the anti-oxidant equivalent to 6 servings of fruits!! So, not only is not bad for you like the others on the market, but its actually good for you!

My teenage son loves energy drinks and I was forever getting on to him for drinking them. Really, that's the one thing that will get him into serious trouble. I'd rather see him with a beer in his hand than a Monster. (He overheard me say that one time and he got excited. "All right!!! I can have beer!" Ha Ha! Silly Boy! No)

My point is that you can allow your kids to drink them and not feel like a bad mother. It's actually good for them. For sure, its better than a Coke! the energy in Emvs come from a slow release carbohydrate, green tea extract, and yerba mate extract. In fact, some parents are giving it to their children with ADHD before bed to help them sleep. And it works!!!!!

For those that are calorie conscious, Monavie recently came out with Emv Lite. It has less than half the calories of the original. However, to get less calories, they had to remove some of the fruit. The original version is 80% fruit whereas the Lite version is only 20% fruit. Then because it has less fruit its not as sweet. So, they added Stevia to sweeten it. I love it. I'm a big fan of Stevia though. If you aren't familiar, Stevia is a very sweet herb that has been used in eastern countries for decades and just now being discovered here in the west. It tastes a little aspartame-y though (which I really do like, not the aspartame, but the flavor. I used to be a big aspartame consumer until I learned how bad it is). So, if you don't like that flavor, I would reccomend the original. I personally drink the Emv Lite. I work it into my caloric budget. Occasionally, I will have the original, just because. On some occasions, I have more than one in a day. Oh My!!!! :)

If you want to try it, leave a comment below, and I'll pick 10 random winners to a free one!!!! in the comment, leave your preference to the original or the lite and your email address so I can email you to get your shipping address.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Yogurt


Yogurt
Originally uploaded by mistypearson@rocketmail.com
Here's another recipe for you. If you like sweet, fruity yogurts, you have to try this instead! It's so much better for you and doesn't have any added sugars or artificial anythings added to it.

1 small container of plain, fat free, greek style yogurt
2 packets Stevia
1/2 t vanilla extract
handful of raspberries

Mix together the first 3 ingredients well (you could stop here and it will taste delicious!!!) then fold in the berries (you can also use other fruits as well)

That's it!


Now go make it!


Feed it to your kids...


Then, go sit and read a book. Let them do whatever they want. Don't let it bother you. You've fed them a super healthy snack so you've already been a good mother today. Rest in that knowledge and feel superior to the other mothers who fed their kids a sugary, fake yogurt.


aaaaahhhh! feels good huh???? You know you can eat the yogurt too! It's really delicious and it won't make you fat. Man, does this day just get any better????????

Yummm!


Yummm!
Originally uploaded by mistypearson@rocketmail.com
I live in the south and we southerners love our fried foods.

As a diet nazi, I like to eat real foods that are healthy. I also want my family to live a long, healthy life so I like to feed them healthy foods too. I, personally, plan to live to be 130 years old and I don't want to be here all by myself!!

When we first started eating healthy (as defined by me and other real foodies and not crazy fitness mags!) I found it hard to break old habits. We used to either eat out a lot or eat food from boxes. I just didn't know there was any other way. I'm sure there are a lot of people that think that way too. I know, because I've looked in their pantries. I've seen lots of Hamburger Helpers and cake mixes.

Then, I realized that if you just eat meats and veggies you're pretty set. So I bought a George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine (I love both George Foreman and his grill!!!! I read his book. You should definitely pick it up and read it) I've grilled lots on it but that gets to be just a little boring eating that all the time. Then, I figured out how you can turn almost any of your favorite foods into healthy foods just with a few little tweaks!

Now, you will see some butter in my recipes. But don't freak out!! Butter is your friend and not the enemy those crazy low fatties would have you believe. I eat lots of butter and cream and I'm not fat, nor do I have high cholesterol, blood pressure, or blood sugar. You just have to trust me on this. If you don't, then read some books by Drs Perricone and Mercola and Suzanne Sommers, Marilu Henner too. I know it sounds crazy but its true!

Here's a recipe for you:

Salmon Patties
We love to fry salmon in a patty form here in the south! You will occasionally find some who pronounce it correctly (sa-mon), but mostly you'll find everyone says (sal-mon). Don't try and correct them. They don't want to change. Believe me, I've tried. It doesn't work. Just enjoy the patties!

1 large can wild caught alaskan salmon
1 egg
1 cup oatmeal
1t. garlic powder
1t. onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

In a large frying pan, heat up some peanut oil ( I use peanut oil for frying because as far as I know, it doesn't turn into trans fats at high temps. While olive oil is a nutritious oil, it's not stable at high heats so it's not a good option for frying.)

In a medium large bowl mix up all the ingredients. form into hand size patties. When the oil gets hot, place the patties in the oil. fry until they are brown on one side and then flip. Cook until brown on all sides. Drain on paper towels.

I served these with fried sweet potatoes ( melt butter in a frying pan and slice sweet potatoes. Place sweet potatoes in the melted butter and fry until mildly brown and soft. Add a little salt) and canned beans.

And voila!!! You have a pretty nutritious, quick meal! Its fairly low glycemic and has your protein, starch, and fiber. I would also serve a side salad as well to get some greens in the body. But, the whole thing takes about 20 minutes to prepare start to finish and my family loves it (Well, not my son, but he's a picky eater and behaves as if I'm poisoning him if he thinks I snuck a vegetable into his food. But, don't listen to him, he's odd. He gets that from his dad I'm sure!)

Friday, October 15, 2010

Whats Going On Right Now

Are you like me? I often wonder what other people are doing, especially in the evening. You know, when you drive past homes and you see soft lights in the windows and wonder "What are THEY doing?" Its why reality tv is so popular, I imagine.
When I was little, I used to imagine that I was starring in my own tv show for giants. In my imagination giants were greatly entertained by my antics as I went about my days.

So, Ive decided to share with you what Im doing right now.

Im sitting in my favorite chaise watching the Rangers play the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. Its very exciting because its the first time in history the Rangers have gotten this far in the playoffs. The Rangers are winning, by the way, 3-0 in the top of the 4th inning.

I like to knit while I watch baseball. If you dont know me, I have to clue you in. I live in a tiny house out in the country. We have one tv and its in the living room. My husband has been bucking for a tv in the bouduoir for years...but that aint happenin'. But thats a crazy story for another day. He is also a HUGE sports fan. We have to watch all the Rangers games, all the Cowboys games, and all the major golf tournaments!
He recently started making some noise about college football but I nipped that in the bud pretty quickly!

So you can imagine that I get quite a bit of knitting done. Guess what everyones getting for Christmas?? :)

Right now, though, Im working on a baby blanket for my brother-in-law and his wife. They are expecting their second baby this winter. Awwwwww!

Leave a comment telling me what you're doing, cause you know, I want to know!

Meanwhile, I gotta get to work on that blanket! I hope the Giants find it entertaining.......

Go Rangers!!!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Deadly Poison In Our Food



I heard last night that Glenn Beck (we love him!!) was having some health complications due to aspartame consumption.

That prompted me to write about aspartame today and tell you what a horrible addition to our food that has been and what it's done in our family.

My husband, Robbie, has multiple sclerosis. He grew up playing sports and has been super athletic all growing up. Shortly after our son was born 18 years ago, he started noticing small things like tripping and blurry vision. Being a manly man, he wouldn't go to the doctor. Years later, he had some absolutely HORRIBLE leg weakness. I finally just made an appointment with the doctor and sent him. They did numerous tests and couldn't find anything.

Meanwhile, jump back....we used to have absolutely horrible fights about once every month. Now, part of that could be explained on youth, pride, and the inabilty of moi to control her mouth. However, part of that was the fact that I had to walk around on eggshells to not send my husband into a rage that would last for months at a time. He literally went 4 months without speaking to me other than hurl outrageous hate at me because I wanted him to get us free Six Flags tickets from work to donate to our son's swim team fundraiser. He didn't want to do it, so I went behind his back and got them from one of his co-workers. He got so mad that he cussed me out and didn't speak to me all summer.

Meanwhile...he was drinking about 12 diet cokes a day. I had no idea. I knew it was his drink of choice. Back then, in our house, all of our diet and nutrition info came from women's health magazines and Muscle & Fitness. My Lord! Pick up one of those mags and see all the advertisements for fat burners. Health my hiney. Anyway, we ate super low fat, and sugar free foods. Well, back then, for us, sugar free meant aspartame-y. We had sugar free jello, sugar free kool-aid, sugar free cokes, sugar free lemonade, sugar free all snacks. And all three of us were "soft and pudgy" including me who at the time was teaching 15 aerobics classes a week.

We went to Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws and my sister-in-law's grandmother saw me drinking my beloved diet Dr Pepper. She told me that her friend had gone blind and her doctor told her to stop consuming aspartame. She stopped and her eyesight came back!! That prompted me to look up the effects of aspartame knowing that Robbie was drinking alot of it and he had all these unexplained health issues. By then, his arms had become weak as well. What I found was astonishing. Aspartame has been found to have side effects that mimics MS, Parkinson's, ALS, anxiety, rage, vision problems, balance problems, stomach issues, etc.

I told my husband that we had to stop consuming aspartame (which is in a lot of food by the way!). Immediately his arm weakness went away, our fights have become less frequent. In fact, its been almost a year since our last squabble, not even a real argument. He immediately also regained some of his leg strength. WOW!

But, you'll still hear doctors say "No, the FDA approved it so it must be safe" That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Do you know that the biggest killer in our nation is not heart disease or cancer, but "medications as prescribed by their doctor". How many of us haven't seen the commercials for lawyers suing drug companies because the side effects killed people? Those were FDA approved drugs. Have some common sense. They approve things all the time that we shouldn't be consuming. Not only that, there is a lot of politics in our food. So, it behooves the health conscious consumer to be aware and pay attention.

Other things I found interesting is that aspartame was studied in mice and neuroscientists have reported that mice that were given aspartame had holes in their brains. What's even more disturbing than that is that animals are better able to metabolize it than humans. Even worse than that is that children don't have mature brains able to protect themselves from the poison. It is a poison too. Don't be fooled. It is a neuro-toxin that literally poisons your body. It's even more poisonous when its been heated to above 86 degrees F. Think about the Jell-O. What about the Diet Cokes stored in the garage? Geesh! No wonder disease is on the rise.

I want you to go read Dr Mercola's article Aspartame Dangers for the more technical information on "why" its bad for you.

Be aware, pay attention to where your food is coming from, stay informed, and take charge of your family's health.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Conservative vs Eco Friendly

I was listening to the news yesterday and heard all day about the uproar in New York about whether people on food stamps should be allowed to buy junk food. I say "Heck no!!"

'Wait a minute' you might be thinking. 'Arent you a conservative? You actually WANT government to dictate people's choices? Isnt that contradictory?'

No. And I'll tell you why.

If the government is paying for your food, then they get to tell you what you can buy with it. Its like telling your kids "You live in my house, you live by my rules." There is incentive there to get up, stand on your own two feet and make your own decisions. If someone on food stamps REALLY wants a Coke then they should think to themselves 'What can I do to earn $1.50 to buy myself a Coke?' Instead of 'I wish someone would give me money for a Coke. Stupid government wont let me have one.'

Anyway, you can see how my conservative thinking applies to this situation. Which brings up something else. How does someone reconcile their conservatism with their yoga mat weilding, herbal tea drinking, raw milk buying, organic gardening self?

This is a good question, I think, because it seems you are expected to be one or the other. Thats simple too. I care about our environment because its a greater reflection of our bodies. I'm all about improving my family's health and helping other people do the same. If the environment I live in is toxic, then its likely that my body will be toxic as well. Do you know they have found jet fuel in breast milk??

And you dont have to be "a liberal, environmental kook" to care about the environment. Its just common sense really. For instance, I use phosphate free detergents because phosphates kill toads. I'm on a mission to "Save The Toads!" because toads eat grasshoppers. Grasshoppers eat my garden and I dont want pesticides on my family's food. The toads help me do that. I dont need the governments help with that. I just want them to leave me alone and stay out of my way while I do it.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Yoga

The first twenty years of my adult careerhood (is that a word?) was strictly fitness. I worked at big, hard core, hard body health clubs as well as more family friendly YMCAs. I taught lots of aerobics classes, lifted lots of weights, and corrected lots of people's forms during their exercise. Then....

I took a yoga class.


At first it made me mad. I know, how weird is that???? I had already lifted weights for two hours and taught an aerobics class that morning. I saw the yoga instructor walk in as I was packing up my music. I thought 'Oh yeah! Yoga! I keep forgetting about yoga. I probably should stay and do it. After all that working out I just did, I probably really could use a nice, easy, little stretch class.' - Yeah, Right!!!!!!

My muscles started quivering. My body started sweating and I started to get muscle cramps. THAT made me mad. I had no idea that there was actual physical work involved in yoga. Who knew???
Well, I realized that I wasn't as strong, balanced, and flexible as I thought I was and decided that I probably should continue the yoga. I didn't. I was busy. Ya know, right?

Well, let me rewind a minute. My mother didn't breast feed me as a baby. You didn't know I was gonna rewind back that far did ya? :)  Well, she didn't! You don't know what kind of damage that does! I could have been a model if my mother hadn't stunted my growth!! I know, I know. But, that's what I going with, anyway. So, anyway, I nursed my son when he was a baby. It was the most relaxing thing ever once you get past the first month when you feel like nothing more than a cow. I told my mother how relaxing it was and she said it was because I was sitting down and stopping. Nope. That wasn't it. It was the nursing. If I had known she was wrong, I'd still be nursing that teenaged young man today!! Hey, don't judge me! :)

So, when I stopped nursing, I sat down with my sweet baby and waited for the relaxation to kick in....waiting....waiting....Hey!!! There's no relaxation here! I was robbed!!!!

When he was about two, I took a yoga certification for some continuing education credits for my group fitness certification. At the end, we lay in savasana for about ten minutes with some guided meditation. I sat up from that and went "Oh yeah, baby!! There's the relaxation I've been missing all this time!" I've been hooked ever since.

Okay, fast forward back to now. So, I've been teaching yoga for about ten years now. I love it. I'll tell you why. It helps with flexibility. When I'm practicing yoga, I don't need as many chiropractic adjustments. There's that whole relaxation thing I just told you about. It builds strength, not big, bulky muscles, but actual strength you can use in your everyday life. It also adds nice definition to your muscles. Bonus!!!!!! It helps you to be more mindful of your body. That's important for several reasons: 1 - it helps you to avoid injuries and 2 - it helps you know what your body needs nutritionally, thereby preventing illness. Yoga is also a wonderful stress reliever. Did I mention that its very relaxing???? Well....The actual DOING of the yoga is not relaxing. But, the golden reward of savasana at the end is truly heaven.

Okay, now that I brought up heaven, I have to bring up something else about yoga. I heard on the radio today about a minister who wants his parishoners to stop doing yoga because its anti-Christian. That is one ignorant minister. So, I wanted to say this, lest this happens in your church. There are some eastern religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc that yoga is an integral part of their religion. Yoga itself, and by itself, however, is not a religious act, depending on how you use it. Here in the United States, where it's taught in mainstream  gyms all over, its just the asana practice that we do. There are some forms of yoga where you only chant or meditate. Here, however, its mostly just the physical part that we do and it can actually ENHANCE whatever religion you practice, even Christianity. You're supposed to be quiet and meditate to know God, anyway. How many people really practice that? How many people even know how to quiet their mind, if they even know what that means, exactly? Yoga can help you do that. The picture at the top of this article is the Sun Salutation. That's a wonderful place to start if you're learning on your own. I reccomend that you find a yoga instructor and take a class. If you're a beginner, look for beginner classes. If you want a real treat, go to a bigger city and take a class at a real yoga studio and not a gym. I will warn you that you may find chanting at a yoga studio. But, you get the whole "zen", relaxing, experience. And I promise, they will not try to convert you from Christianity. In fact, you might find that the majority of instructors are Christian as well.

Do your mind and body some good and try yoga! You'll love what it does for you. - Namaste!!! :)







Friday, October 1, 2010

sugar free peach melba


MMMMMMMMMMMMMM...........


Imagine this with real, fresh, organic cream poured on top.



MMMMMMMMMMMMMM.......

Let me tell me how you I made it. Its super simple and it won't make you fat. I promise. In fact, it can help you lose weight. NO!!! Really!!! Its true. Now look at that delicious picture again.

Unbelievable huh??? But, I kid you not.

This is enough for one person. So don't tell your family. Or better yet, tell them that its healthy and they'll stay away from it and you can have it all to yourself.

Take one organic nectarine (I know, I said it was peach melba. It's really nectarine melba. But peach melba just sounds better, ya know?)
Cut that up into chunks while you're melting 1/2 Tablespoon butter in a pan. I love butter. I'm going to marry butter when my darling husband of 20 years is not married to me anymore. I don't know when that will be but I'm going to keep stringing butter along until then.
Once the butter is melted, reduce the heat to medium and add the chunks to the pan. Sprinkle two teaspoons full (real teaspoons that you stir iced tea with and not measuring spoons) of ZSweet on the nectarine chunks and stir around, or sautee, if you will. ZSweet is Xylitol and Stevia. It has zero calories, is all natural, and is low glycemic.
Once the nectarine is softish*, add a handful (or 3!!) of organic raspberries (blackberries are super yummy too!!) into the pan and stir them around gently just to coat them with the glaze.
Turn off the heat and pour your mixture into a bowl. Then pour cream over the top.

*This recipe works really well with peaches or nectarines that are not quite ripe. You know, the ones that aren't very tasty and juicy to eat right out of your hand? Yeah, those. The juicy ones, just eat 'em before you get in the house. That's what you're supposed to do with those. That way you can hose your face off while you're still outside.

Then, sit back and enjoy every single, delicious, nutritious, slimming bite!!!

The caveat to eating butter and cream and still losing weight is that you can't eat fat and sugar together. So, you could have this with protein and vegetables and still be losing weight. You can't eat anything starchy or high glycemic and then have this. Otherwise, it WILL make you fat. Soooo, you can enjoy the buttery, sweet goodness just don't have any sugar, bread, pasta, or potatoes when you eat it. Easy, huh? :)