Quinoa for Two

So often I hear "I can't cook homemade meals for just the two of us" or "just me" or whatever reason keeps people out of the kitchen cooking real food from real ingredients. And it's all rubbish excuses! here is how I make a small batch of quinoa just for my son and me (it's actually just for me, he doesn't like it, but it was my original recipe so now it serves me dinner and two lunches):

1 C Chicken broth (or whatever broth you have)
1/2 C quinoa
1 clove garlic
juice from half a lemon

Bring broth to a boil.
Reduce to low.
Add quinoa.
Add lemon and garlic (minced/grated/finely chopped)

Simmer 10-15 minutes, covered, until broth is absorbed.

You can eat it as is (the chicken broth, garlic and lemon juice are delish on its own), or you can jazz it up a little. Here are links to previous quinoa recipes posted: Quinoa Salad and Friend Quinoa.

That's it. Makes a small batch for a small family. Real food. Real ingredients. Real love.

Mindfulness Activities

Hello and good morning (it is currently morning).

I wanted to share with you a few "mindfulness" activities today which I've found helpful for me and my family. But first, I wanted to share with you a little about how I came to find mindfulness activities to begin with.

Picture it...Fort Knox, 1980ish. A young mother with two super young children and a husband overseas. The youngest of the children always bouncing off the walls, running in circles around the coffee table, up super early, unable to stay focused. You guessed it, that child was me! Military doctors diagnosed with severe ADHD (both attention deficit AND hyperactivity, they are different and the diagnosis can be one, the other or both) and suggested...medication! Of course, even in the 80's that was the go to.

My mother, truly an Angel among us, decided to delay medicating me favoring, instead, behavioral interventions as a first line of attack. For me, this approach worked (it may not have the same results for anyone else, I am just sharing my personal story with ADHD). She put me on a strict schedule/routine, researched foods that exacerbated hyperactivity and disrupted typical brain function, learned self-soothing techniques to teach me, coached through impulse control difficulties, etc. There are many areas of ADHD that most people don't realize-we're not *just* bouncing off the walls (click here for a good overview from the NIH: ADHD Summarized).

The two top interventions my mother taught me, coached me, reinforced (and sometimes forced) and gave to me are: meditation and breathing. Sounds simple, right? Well, it is if your brain is functioning typically. But for me, when I get swept up in the moment and begin to act impulsively sometimes I forget to breathe. You read that correctly, sometimes I forget to breathe and certainly I do not breathe deeply. You can imagine the signals of fight, flight or freeze this sends throughout my body. And for me, with severe impulse control issues I almost always fight. Now, some 35+ years later, I can talk myself down, step away and take a few breaths. I have learned to scan my body and read when it is heading towards the edge...my face gets hot, my neck gets red (I can feel it), my pupils change, I can feel the color of my eyes morphing, my shoulders raise up and my chest caves in...these are all signals for me to engage in something or else...well, it rarely ends well. Luckily, I'm not a violent person but I am very vocal.

So I take a few breaths. But it's not just taking breaths, it's taking intentional breaths in a very intentional way:
Breathe in for a count of two, breathe out for a count of two (repeat a few times)
breathe in for a count of three, out for a count of three (repeat a few times)
Breathe in for a count of four, out for a count of four (repeat a few times)

Often many people stop at a four-count breath. See if this works for you. For me, I have to take myself up to a count of six to really get control of my body. I have also learned breathing in for a count of six forces me to use diaphragmatic breathing (more on diaphragmatic breathing from the Cleveland Clinic here: Diaphragmatic Breathing). Sometimes I can actually feel light headed from receiving so much oxygen! It almost always talks me off the ledge and brings me back to reality. The act of counting while breathing also distracts me from the conflict that I may be attempting to resolve, whether real or perceived.

And the second gift my mother gave me was that of meditation. I want to save meditation for an entire post on its own so please return for that one. I am working on compiling some resources, links, and even some videos of me coaching you through some guided meditations.

So, long before "mindfulness" was a field of study, an en vogue catch phrase...well informed and educated parents across the US have been using it to help their children learn to live with and thrive with ADHD...both with and without pharmaceutical interventions. I will put together a more exhaustive list of activities which I've found helpful, for today try some deep breathing and see if it has an effect on you, I know it has on me!

Delayed Awakening

SO it's Spring. But it's also snowing.

We went camping for Spring Break, and it was warmer in the caves we explored than out by the campfire.

My peach trees are fully bloomed out, and covered with snow.

I am ready for the Spring Awakening.

But Mother Nature isn't.

And that got me to thinking back on times in my life when I felt ready for an awakening, but it kept getting delayed. Like I WAS READY DANG IT, let me be rebirthed already! But that winter season kept lingering. One example that comes to mind is I kept falling in love one proverbial winter season. The next guy was so much better than the last, but not as good as the next next one. I just knew my life was taking on a wonderful rebirth when I found The One. I began a dual life of living in two cities...I began to end contracts with clients in one city and explore securing contracts with new clients in another city. I just knew this my Spring was about to burst forth in all kinds of glory!

And then one day I got a phone call that he was breaking up with me. Yea, pretty much like that. We had discussed apartments the day before, deciding on a one bedroom with a small study for my office, even though it was about $3,500/month vs. no study which was about half that. I never saw him again, in fact that was our last phone call. Yes, he broke up with me via  phone call and then communicated via text from that point forth. Bam! Back in the winter season of my life. I was devastated for awhile.

But after going to my favorite beach, or church as I called it, doing lots of meditation at the Thai Temple in Tampa, and probably eating more carrot cake and bacon than I should...I decided this WAS the Spring of my life as God/Source/Mother Nature/whatever-name-you-prefer intended, just not that *I* intended.

So I called my grandma, who was rediagnosed with cancer around that time and told her I was moving back to Kentucky! I came home for a long visit and told my parents on the day I was setting my compass back to Florida, one last time. And my life has, indeed, entered a fruitful spring season these last several years.

Ultimately, my father died suddenly and unexpectedly, followed by my grandmother a few months later. I adopted a child, bought a house and changed careers. Talk about a rebirth! But it took time; Creator's time, not my time. I could not force this to happen anymore than I can force the snow to stop falling as I type this. I just had to sit with it and let it be. (inspiration, : Let It Be)

So whatever you're dealing with, struggling with, enduring please keep going. Sit with it if you must, ponder if you will, meditate if you prefer...but keep going. You breakthrough is coming; your spring is around the corner!

Jazz Up Your Salad

In the past, when I heard the word salad I thought dull, boring, iceberg lettuce DROWNED in dressing maybe with a few slivers of carrot and radish. Toss on some Bacos Bacon Bits if I was really fantasizing. 

So it is easy to understand why salads were...unappealing to me. UNTIL I began to jazz them up! 

Now my regular salad ingredients include the usual suspects (mixed greens, carrots, tomato, bell pepper, etc.) along with:

Blueberries

Sliced strawberries

Apple pieces

Smoked salmon (OMG y'all, forreal!)

Smoked gouda cheese (see a theme?)

All kinds of nuts and seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, almond, walnut)

Cranberries (fresh or dried)

even certain flower petals (pansies, nasturtium, squash/zucchini) can be added! 

Since redefining what a salad can include, I really CRAVE them sometimes. I try to have at least 3-4 "colors" and 5 different ingredients in each of my salads. This ensure I have a variety of vitamins and nutritional intake as well as increasing my fiber intake. As I am approaching 40, I have been doing some research on the health benefits of proper fiber levels and they seem to be plentiful including lowered risk of heart disease, diabetes, and possibly some cancers, too!  An added bonus, because of all the delicious flavors, I usually only add less than 1 Tablespoon of salad dressing, reducing calories, fat, sugar and most importantly to me salt content! 

So what are your favorite salad additives? I am ready to jazz it up even more! 

Revisiting New Year's Visions, Goals and Resolutions

We are in the third month of 2018. Years ago when I was training for my first marathon (which started off as a goal to just lost 15 lbs before I went to Thailand. Then turned into a walking/running goal, then a 5K goal, then half marathon, then marathon) my dear friend Trino, a co-runner, source of inspiration and later a personal trainer turned NYC actor told me that you hit critical drop out periods at 30 and 90 days in your physical fitness goals. I have no clue if there is any science behind that (mental note research pubmed and google scholar ...)but it has stuck with me.

And so here we are, in our 90 day critical drop out period. Some of us (myself included) have kinda achieved some goals and resolutions we made but maybe we've gone soft on working towards them. For me, I have allowed soda back into my life on a weekly basis and also drastically reduced my running. I am still meal-planning, watching my coffee shop stops and hiking. So I am closer to my goals than I was January 1, but not as close as I would like to be this coming December 31.

What a great time to revisit, replan and recommit! I am reminded of the SMART technique of goal setting and will sit down to do this before the day is over and begin my week anew; recommitted to my goals for 2018!

S--Specific. This is tricky for me...I want to be specific to my goal, but also I want to avoid being TOO specific. For instance, I'd love to lose 20 pounds by December 31st so that is specific. But I am not sure if "maintaining a 2,000 daily caloric intake diet" would be too specific. So, find the level of specific that works for you. I will caution "lose weight" may be too general. :)

M--Measurable. The goal has to be able to be measured. Do you want to "save money" but no clue how much? Can you look on your progress intermittently and say, "YES! I am 50% towards my goal!"? So instead of "save money" maybe, "save $100" and then you can begin to measure your success!

A--Actionable. How and what are you going to do in order to achieve your goal? If you want to "stop smoking by December 31" do you have a goal to reduce it? "Stop Smoking by December 31st by reducing my cigarettes from 2 packs a day to 1.5 packs by June 1st, then to 1 pack a day by September 1st, then zero packs by December 31. I will achieve this by taking a walking break instead of a smoke break; meditating in the evening before my "goodnight smoke" " etc. You get the picture.

R--Realistic.   Your goals can be in the "stretch" zone, and still need to be realistic. If I say "I want to save $10,000 by March 28" and it's already March 11...that's not a very realistic goal. While I believe in setting goals that scare me, I also believe in setting goals that are at least somewhat realistic.

T--Timetable. Put a timetable to your goals and your action steps to achieve them! In my monthly savings envelope (Weekly Savings Envelope Blog), for instance: I want to save $1,000 for Christmas spending by Thanksgiving. I will do this by keeping a weekly savings envelope and putting an amount each week, coloring in a square of the week.

I could add more to this acronym to be the following:
A--Accountability. Find a group of people, or at least another person, to whom you can be accountable. This person will likely need to be someone whom you truly trust and can confide in because it's possible you'll fall off your goals and will need to be honest about that. In this honesty and accountability you can determine what is, and isn't, working for you so that you can adjust.

S--Survey. Stop every now and then to survey where you are, where you were, and where you're on the path to go. Adjust as necessary.

S--Say it. No, seriously, say what your goals are out loud. To yourself and your accountability people. The people in your home. The people in your family. For instance we are saving for a new truck, to help with that expense I have cut out my coffee shop stops. And I share with people why so they know why I am no longer joining them for weekly coffee. It's true.

So there you have it. Check in on those resolutions, goals and visions you set for yourself (whenever you did them) and see how you're doing. Do you need to get back on track? Do you need to set more ambitious goals? How are those around you doing?

Keep up the work, it can be hard and rewarding work if you stick with it!

At least that's my 26.2 cents worth. ;)
Donald

Chocolate Avocado Mousse

As many of my regular readers know, I battle high blood pressure. So far I've been able to maintain a high end of "acceptable" BP thru diet and exercise. As some of my closer friends also know, this year has been beyond stressful and I've slacked off both my diet and activity levels. So I am attempting to slowly but surely get back on track with one change every week. This weeks was attempting to reduce processed sugars while increasing potassium and fiber. Years ago, I came across a vegan chocolate avocado mousse and it was...ok. I have since altered the recipe significantly and I LOVE it! Today, I'll share with you my recipe which may be higher in calories (due to the avocado) and sugars (thanks to the strawberries and banana) but again, my goal is to reduce refined sugars so this recipe fits my goals (as developed in collaboration with my medical doctor) just fine. Please consult your doctor and healthcare provider, as I am NEITHER of those and am making absolutely no recommendations, merely sharing a snack that is healthier for me.

1 Avocado
1 Banana
1/3 C fresh strawberries (can sub any berry)
1/2 C skim milk (can sub whatever milk)
1 T white sugar (can sub honey)
1 t vanilla
1/3 C cocoa powder

Here's the real tricky recipe part: Put it all in a ninja blender and blend til a smooth, creamy, mousse texture. It does gel up a smidge when fully chilled in the fridge. Due to the fresh nature of this recipe, I try to eat it within a few days.

If you REALLY need a sweet-fix, you could mix in: one crumbled up cookie, mini chocolate chips, whipped cream on top, etc. You could also probably reduce the calories and carbs by swapping almond milk in place of skim milk, eliminating the white sugar (that's my goal eventually) or subbing honey or stevia (yuck) in its place. This is also SUPER d'lish with raspberries, I just didn't have any. Blueberries were only ok, their flavor is not strong enough to compete with the avocado and cocoa in my opinion. I've also left out the berries and added mint or orange extract for flavoring. I tried instant coffee once, but the flavors were just too strong and competing.

Here is a link to the nutritional information of the recipe, as given: Chocolate Avocado Mousse Nutrition.

What healthier dessert options have you found?

P.S. (shhh): I also do not feel guilty about eating this in the morning, midday or even night time !

Make Life Easier

I posted this on my Facebook the other day, and now I've found a beautiful article to go with it.

In general, I believe that we each have an obligation--a social contract--to make one another's lives just a little bit easier. It doesn't take much and can be as simple as: learning about someone's likes/dislikes, learning about and diagnosis they may have (Biased opinion there on my part), smiling at them and wishing them a good day as you hold the door in the morning, bringing them a coffee for no reason, calling to share the name of a book or show they may LOVE...the list can be quite varied and inexpensive. But it is our social obligation to ease the burden of life for someone else. Whatever way(s) we have the means to accomplish that is our call and responsibility. These are NOT mere random acts of kindness, these are INTENTIONAL acts...the intent being to make your life easier and more pleasant. It's as simple as that. So here is the article I stumbled upon...

Teachers Create Comfort Closet

And this is my FAVORITE NPR Story Corps (which is my favorite podcast)

A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
(we listen to this story in one of my ethics classes)