Tropical Smoothies

When we went on a cruise a few years ago to the Eastern Carribean we stopped on the island of Dominica. We saw a sign that said "Best smoodies on da island" and it made us laugh! This recipe for tropical smoothies reminds me of those island "smoodies" and they are so tasty on a hot summer day! The best part about these smoothies is how good they are for you. Give this one a try!

1/2 cup water

1/2 lime, peeled

1 medium banana, peeled

1 cup fresh spinach, washed

1 cup pineapple chunks (fresh is best but canned will work)

1 cup ice cubes

1. Place all ingredients into a vita-mix or high powered blender in the order listed.

2. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to variable 10, then switch to high.

3. Blend for 1 minute or until desired consistency is reached. Drink immediately.

The Light Will Soon Return

We spent a few days over Easter weekend in Flagstaff, AZ. As we were exploring the historic part of town, we came across this mural. I wasn't holding the camera at the time, Devin was, but I commented on how much I loved the wall. Devin must have thought it was pretty cool too, because he took a few pictures of it. The message on the wall is this: "When you see only the dark, know the light will soon return."The first thought that came to my mind when I read this was the weather. We have had so many days of dark and gloomy weather, and it seems as if the warm and sunny days will never return. I am a person who needs sunlight in order to function. The gray skies make me feel sad, depressed and hopeless at times. But I know that eventually the sun will shine again, flowers will bloom, the skies will be blue and warmth will envelope me. I just have to hold on until the sun returns.

As I have pondered on this mural I realized that it also has a deeper meaning, at least for me. Life itself can be pretty dark at times. There can be so much sadness, tragedy and grief in this life that it can be overwhelming and consuming sometimes. But we know that it won't always be dark. The good and happy times will return eventually. We just have to hold on and trust that things will get better. The bad things can only defeat us if we allow them to, by focusing on them instead of the good and wonderful things in our lives.

I have learned that what we resist persists, and what we fight against only grows stronger. The bad times in our lives only have power over us if we give them that power. We can accept what is, deal with it and move on. We don't have to dwell on the negative. We may be surrounded by darkness from time to time, but if we just hold on, the light will soon return.

Bulgar Greek Salad

I'm posting another recipe because I thought this one was too good not to share. I found it in a Healthy Cooking Magazine from last year. This won first place in a whole grains recipe category, and it sounded so good, I wanted to try it. The prep time was a little more than I usually like to spend, but it was fairly easy to make. I think it's a great alternative to a summer pasta salad, and much healthier for you!

1 1/2 C bulgar wheat

3 C boiling water

1/4 C + 2 Tbsp lemon juice, divided

1 tsp salt, divided (I use sea salt)

1 1/4 C cubed cooked chicken breast

1 1/4 C chopped cucumber

1/2 C cherry tomatoes, halved

1/3 C pitted greek olives

1/4 C minced fresh parsley

1/4 C roasted sweet red peppers, drained and chopped

1/4 C chopped red onion

3 Tbsp minced fresh basil

3 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 C crumbled feta cheese

1. Place bulgar in a small bowl. Stir in the water, 1/4 C lemon juice and 1/2 tsp salt. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Drain well.

2. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, parsley, red peppers, onion and basil. Stir in bulgar.

3. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, oregano, pepper, cayenne, and remaining lemon juice and salt. Pour over bulgar mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

*2/3 C serving has 137 calories, 5 g fat, 12 g cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 7 g protein.

My kids don't generally like salads, so Devin wasn't a big fan of this one either. However, David and I both really liked it and it stayed good for quite a few days in the refrigerator to snack on.

Healthy Corn and Black Bean Chili

I found this great recipe in a Cooking Light cookbook and it has been a big hit with my family. I thought I would share it because it is so good and so easy to make.

1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey

2 tsp chili powder

1 14 oz. package frozen seasoned corn and black beans

1 14 oz. can fat free, less sodium beef broth

1 15 oz can seasoned tomato sauce for chili

Reduced fat sour cream (optional)

Sliced green onions (optional)

1. Brown the meat in a large dutch oven (I just use a big pot). Add chili powder while browning. Drain off any remaining fat.

2. Stir in frozen corn mixture, broth and tomato sauce; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 min. Uncover and simmer 5 more min.

3. Ladle chili into bowls and top with sour cream and onions if desired.

(If it seems too thick, add a little more tomato sauce and a little water.)

CALORIES: 193

FAT: 3 g.

PROTEIN: 20 g.

CARB: 20 g.

FIBER: 3.4 g.

My New Healthy Obsession

A friend of mine introduced me to these wonderfully weird but quite tasty bars, and now I am obsessed with them! Here's the cool thing: they are 100% natural -- no dyes, preservatives, HFÇS or anything else bad for you! They are also vegan, gluten free, soy free, dairy free and kosher.

So what is in them? The first one I ate had three ingredients: unsweetened cherries, almonds and dates. Its like you took a blender and tossed in the ingredients until it made a paste and then shaped it into a bar. Sounds gross, I know, and they even smell a little bit weird, but they actually taste really good!

I thought it might make my stomach hurt, with all those raw ingredients, but it didn't, which surprised me since I have a sensitive stomach. They come in all kinds of flavors, I've only tried three, but I plan to buy more and see which ones are best. The apple pie and peanut butter cookie ones are good, as well as the cherry pie which I already mentioned. Each bar has around 200 calories and 8 to 12 grams of fat. Cherry had the lowest fat content, and apple was the lowest in calories.

I'm thinking this is a good thing to keep one or two of in your purse for those times when you feel like reaching for a candy bar or bag of chips. These are satisfying and good for you :)

Breaking my Sugar Addiction

I love sugar. Well, not sugar so much as foods that have sugar in them. Doughnuts, cake, brownies, chocolate, all of it. But the more I learn about this sweet stuff, the more I am convinced that I need to break my addiction to it. So for the past week or so, I have been seriously cutting back on the amount of sugar I allow into my body. It's really HARD! I knew I loved sugar, but I didn't realize how seriously addicted I was to it. Here are some reasons why I feel the need to ease up (alot) on the sweet stuff.

* Sugar gives you a temporary "high" or burst of energy, but leaves you feeling depleted and lethargic when it wears off.

* Sugar can cause wide swings in your blood sugar levels which can lead to anxiety.

* Too much sugar can lead to vitamin B deficiencies, which leads to depression.

* Too much sugar can lead to insulin resistance, weight gain, and ultimately diabetes.

* Sugar suppresses the immune system which makes it harder for your body to fight off infections.

* A drop in blood sugar after a sugar "high" can cause neck, shoulder and head muscles to spasm which leads to tension headaches and migraines.

* Too much sugar causes yeast overgrowth which can lead to sinus infections.

Here are some easy ways to start cutting back on the amount of sugar in your diet:

* Check the label. If high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, fructose, glucose or sugar are one of the first three ingredients, put it back on the shelf! (Make sure you check everything, even salad dressings and whole wheat breads can have tons of sugar in them.

* Have healthy snacks that you actually like on hand. This will keep your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day and you'll be less likely to grab for that doughnut.

* Include a carbohydrate, a protein and a fat in every meal, and lots and lots of vegetables. Protein and healthy fats give you sustained energy, whole grain carbs help you feel full, and vegies add fiber which helps with digestion.

* If you are craving sugar, allow yourself one or two bites of your favorite treat instead of eating the whole thing.

Gratitude

I am constantly searching for ways to improve and enhance my physical health. Maybe it is because I am starting to see the effects of aging on my body, or maybe it is because I am just more in tune with my body now than when I was younger. Recently I had an experience that taught me that the changes I make don't always have to be outward based, like eating whole grains or getting more exercise, to make a huge impact on my overall health and well being.

About a month ago, my son almost died. It was a huge emotional upset for our entire family, and after the initial shock wore off, my heart was filled with overwhelming gratitude. I felt so thankful for life -- that his life had been spared and that so many highly skilled medical personnel had worked so hard to save him. I was thankful for my family -- without their love and support I would not have been able to be as strong as I was. I felt gratitude for my friends, who even if they did not know what to say to me or how to help, were there by my side, holding me up with their love and praying for us.

I realize now that gratitude helped me to make it through that very difficult time, and it is still helping me now. If all I had focused on was the pain of the situation, or if I had allowed myself to dwell on what could have been the outcome, I would have probably not have made it through. Having gratitude in my heart helped me to heal, and to move past the painful events that occurred. There is a real power in gratitude. The alternative, in my opinion, is despair.

A few weeks after the event, I returned to the hospital to thank some of the people, doctors and nurses, who helped us so much. It was one of the hardest and yet most rewarding things I have ever done. It was hard to go back to that place that held so many bad memories for me, but I felt compelled to show my gratitude to those who had been compassionate and caring and who went beyond their job descriptions to serve. One nurse I spoke to said she had been ready to quit her job, it had been such a horrible day. But then we came and she felt like she had done something worthwhile.

Being grateful is reward enough all on it's own. But the health benefits are also a great side effect of gratitude as well. Recent studies show that the benefits of gratitude may include: less stress, more joy, enhanced vitality, improved sleep, and faster recovery from illness. People who keep a gratitude journal have been shown to be happier, sleep a half hour more per night and exercise 33 percent more each week than those who don't. (Count your Blessings, by Valerie Reiss, Natural Health Magazine Nov 2010)

I remember a story I heard once about some women in a concentration camp who prayed daily and gave thanks for everything, even the lice infecting their scalps. They found out later that those lice had protected them from being raped by the camp guards. If we are able to see the positive things in our lives, even while enduring the painful things, our lives will ultimately be better, richer and healthier.