I’m Moving

I’ve decided to move my blog over to blogger.com because I can do more customizing with the template, and I love the new look!

You can find me at http://hissweetgypsyrose.blogspot.com/

I’ll continue to post blog entries here as well as at the new location for another week, then this blog will no longer be updated.

Quick Dinner Ideas

With school starting in just over a week, I need to come up with ideas for quick and easy dinners.  I’ll be attending school full-time, Monday through Thursday, and that means there’ll also be homework.   Cooking a dinner that’s complicated and takes a long time is not going to be on the agenda.

Kathleen Zelman from WebMD has some great suggestions:

What’s for Dinner?
A dietitian’s own strategies for fast weeknight meals.
By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic – Expert Column

It’s late afternoon; I’m busy working in my office, and have no idea what I am making for dinner tonight. Sound familiar?

I wish I was one of those people who spend Sunday afternoons prepping and freezing dinners for the week. But frankly, after a long week, cooking is the last thing I want to do. Sundays are my day of rest.

Now that both of my children are off at college, I only need to prepare dinner for two. Luckily, my husband is happy to eat whatever I put in front of him and, more important, he does the dishes!

In my house, we always try to eat healthy food and keep the calories in check. I never put butter on veggies, and “fried” is a foreign word in my kitchen. Meals are straightforward and simple because it takes less time, and because we would rather enjoy a glass of wine or a scoop of low-fat ice cream instead of a fancy cream sauce.

Grocery Smarts

My strategy for quick and easy dinners starts in the grocery store. The produce bins in my refrigerator are always full. In addition to fresh fruits and veggies, I load the refrigerator with low-fat yogurt, fat-free half-and-half (a cooking trick I learned from our “Recipe Doctor” Elaine Magee), a variety of cheeses, hummus, eggs, and skim milk.

Depending on what is on sale, I stock my freezer with items such as pork and beef tenderloin, salmon, tilapia, boneless chicken breasts, and lean ground round. When I get home from the market, I divide these foods into portions for two so I can easily defrost them a few hours before dinner. Also in my freezer is a supply of whole-wheat rolls, ciabatta rolls, Lean Cuisine dinners, chicken pot stickers (I toss them into chicken broth with mushrooms and scallions to make soup), and bags of frozen veggies.

Staples in my pantry include cereal (Kashi Go Lean Crunch and Special K are our favorites), brown rice (Uncle Ben’s ready rice), whole-wheat blend pasta, canned petite diced tomatoes, Mandarin orange segments, sweet potatoes, nuts, a variety of canned beans, soup, coffee, and assorted teas (my afternoon pick-me-up).

In the Kitchen

My favorite equipment for quick meals includes the grill, grill pan, microwave, and toaster oven. Most fresh veggies are simply washed and lightly steamed in the microwave, followed by a squeeze of fresh lemon and a sprinkle of lite Cajun seasoning. The exception — asparagus, red peppers, zucchini, and eggplant are pure perfection when grilled on the barbeque or in the grill pan. Grilling these vegetables caramelizes the natural sugars so they melt in your mouth. I have converted many a veggie-hater with these grilled delights.

Meat, poultry, and fish used to be considered the center of the plate, but in my house, they are treated more like side dishes. The easiest and quickest way to prepare meats and seafood is on the grill, in the grill pan (during inclement weather), or in the toaster oven.

I am also a huge fan of the store-bought rotisserie chicken. I used to roast chickens until I discovered how inexpensive and delicious they are straight from the grocery store (Costco is my favorite). For just the two of us, we get at least two meals from one chicken. One night, we eat roasted breasts. Then, I pull off the remaining chicken and either toss it into a pasta dish; serve it cold over a bed of broccoli slaw; or make a fruity chicken salad with red grapes, slivered almonds, and light mayo, plus a touch of honey and tarragon.

We enjoy small portions of our entrees and fill our plates with vegetables and a whole-grain side dish. And dinner would be incomplete without some kind of side salad! I usually have field greens, romaine lettuce, and a bag of broccoli slaw on hand. Sliced fruit, dried cranberries, Mandarin oranges, canned beans, nuts and a little cheese are typical salad add-ins. Dressings are homemade or store-bought light vinaigrettes or Caesar. Sometimes, I just add a little water to the bottle of dressing to lighten it and make it go further without adding extra calories.

My goal is to make sure the pantry, freezer, and refrigerator are always stocked for quick and easy meals. I try to prepare five meals a week; the other nights we go out to eat, order in pizza or Chinese food, or nosh on leftovers. I sometimes make big pots of split pea or vegetable soup and freeze portions for future meals, but most days, we enjoy quick, healthy meals that are a cinch to prepare.

I am no Rachael Ray, but here are some of my favorite meals that I whip up in less than 30 minutes:

Quick Meal No. 1: Greek Salad Wrap and Brown Rice Salad

For the Greek Salad Wrap, load up tortillas and then roll them up for a refreshing vegetarian entree. Into your whole-wheat tortillas, place:

* Fat-free feta cheese
* Sliced cucumbers
* Chopped tomatoes
* Hummus
* Sliced olives

Drizzle with salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, and olive oil, then roll and serve.

For the Brown Rice Salad, mix the following ingredients, toss, then chill or serve at room temperature:

* Small can of Mandarin oranges, drained
* Uncle Ben’s brown ready rice, cooked and cooled
* Toasted, slivered almonds
* 1/2 to 1 package of broccoli slaw
* Ginger salad dressing to taste

Quick Meal No. 2: Chicken Breasts

Your menu for this meal includes:

* Grilled chicken breasts
* Baked sweet potatoes (you can make these ahead of time and reheat in the microwave)
* Mixed salad greens with goat cheese, pears, and toasted pecans with light balsamic vinaigrette
* Ciabatta rolls with a few teaspoons olive oil for dipping

If you think ahead, defrost the chicken breasts, then lightly pound to tenderize them, and toss them into a Ziploc bag with some light salad dressing or a mixture of citrus juices plus a few herbs.

If you haven’t marinated the breasts, baste them with barbeque or grilling sauce before grilling. Slow-roasted sweet potatoes are so sweet and delicious they need nothing more than a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Quick Meal No. 3: Roasted Pecan Salmon

This menu for this healthy meal includes:

* Roasted pecan salmon
* Grilled asparagus
* Steamed new potatoes with parsley and a dollop of fat-free sour cream
* Mixed greens with avocado, grape tomatoes, black beans, and a light dressing

This is a company-worthy menu, but salmon is so readily available, so healthy, and freezes so well that we eat it at least once a week. Here are some other ideas for salmon or any fish: Top with a salsa, or make a teriyaki or balsamic glaze to pour over the fish after it is cooked.

Quick Meal No. 4: Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Here’s the menu for this speedy but satisfying meal:

* Grilled pork tenderloin
* Sugar snap peas (you can steam or microwave)
* Couscous with veggies
* Caesar salad with chopped apples and a light dressing

As with the chicken, you can defrost the pork tenderloin ahead of time and marinate it in a teriyaki or any kind of light salad dressing. Otherwise, baste it with equal parts honey and mustard or a store-bought marinade before you grill.

For the couscous, I saute whatever vegetables I have on hand (mushrooms, red peppers, and squash are a yummy combination) and toss into the couscous when cooked. Voila! Another easy meal.

Quick Meal No. 5: Pasta With Vegetables

This just might be the fastest and easiest option of all:

* Pasta with veggies and optional meat
* Broccoli slaw salad with toasted sesame seeds, slivered almonds, scallions, Mandarin oranges, and a light vinaigrette.
* Whole-wheat rolls

For this weekly empty-the-vegetable-bin dish, I toss a variety of lightly steamed veggies with pasta or Israeli couscous (pearl pasta). Sometimes I also add leftover chicken or fish. Then I top with a little goat, feta, or Parmesan cheese. The sauce is either a simple drizzle of olive oil or a dry-packaged sauce (such as Knorr garlic cream sauce) that I make with skim milk and no any extra fat.

She has some great menu ideas.

I like to keep frozen vegetables on hand along with couscous and brown rice that I’ve cooked ahead of time with either chicken or vegetable broth.  I make it ahead of time and freeze it in smaller portions so that when I need some rice for a recipe all I need to do is pull a small bag out of the freezer and heat up the rice in the microwave.  Voila!  Quick and easy 🙂

I buy bags of frozen chicken tenderloins, making smaller portions of meat easy and it also cooks faster than a whole chicken breast.

One of the typical things I do is saute some meat in my cast iron skillet – sometimes it’ll be a nice chicken apple sausage, but it can be whatever lean meat you like – or I bake some chicken or fish with a favorite seasoning blend, usually salt-free.

While the meat is cooking, I get a bag of frozen rice out of the freezer and run hot water over the bag for a minute or two to start the thawing process.   If I’m cooking the meat in the cast iron skillet, I finish that and remove the meat from the skillet.  Either way, once the meat is out of the skillet or if I’m baking the meat, I make sure the skillet has  heat on the stove with a tablespoon or so of olive oil.  If I’ve cooked the meat in it, I don’t clean the skillet so that the flavor of the meat enhances the rice and vegetables.   I empty the bag of rice into the skillet, and then add a bag of frozen vegetables and saute until done, adding seasoning to taste.   Once it’s cooked I mix the meat back in and serve.  Delicious!

I would like to note that I choose lean meats and add a little olive oil when cooking them in the cast iron skillet.   I love the way meat browns in it and refuse to give it up.

What are some of your favorite quick and healthy meals?

Cat Photo of the Day

Getting Organized

I’ve had nearly 2 months off, and what have I really done?  Almost nothing!   Now with one week left before the start of school, I want to get a few things done around the house.

My sweet husband comes from a family of pack rats, and I’ve accumulated a lot of stuff in the 18 years I’ve lived in this house.  When he moved in after our wedding, we were overflowing with stuff.   Too much stuff.

Today I am tackling our ‘junk room’.   It’s the same concept as a junk drawer, but it’s a whole room!  Yikes!   So I’m getting that organized today and getting rid of all the stuff we don’t need…empty boxes, useless papers, stuff like that.

Once I’ve accomplished that, I can start organizing the living and dining rooms more effectively, and will finally be able to have friends over without feeling embarrassed by all the stuff piled here and there.

Getting the house organized and serene is part of living a healthy life.   I firmly believe that your surroundings influence your mood and attitude, and a messy house causes stress and even anxiety.

My sister-in-law forwarded a Fly Lady email to me that I want to share here.   I’ve highlighted some things that really spoke to me in my situation:

Eviction Notice – Clutter Pack Your Bags!

Dear Friends,

Clutter has a way of taking over our lives. Clutter becomes that unwanted houseguest that you can’t get rid of. It robs us of peace while we are home and it also steals any bit of joy when we leave home; the dread of returning to that mess. What about those of you that will not even go anywhere because of the chaotic state of your home.

We received a message today from a member that gave up their family vacation to clean and declutter their home.  “Thank you for the God Breeze.”  I realize that it had to be done for the safety of a crawling baby, but I felt that I needed to address this inconsiderate squatter, so you could see what he is doing to you and your family.

When a home is filled with clutter, it takes on a life of its own.  Your whole day is spent giving it attention, instead of your family and yourself. Let’s look at some of the things we give up so we can devote our lives to this inconsiderate houseguest.

1. Clutter filled homes are not welcoming to friends or family, so we do not invite them over often. When we do, we almost kill ourselves trying to get the house presentable so we will not be embarrassed. You know the drill. Major Crisis Cleaning until 3:00am and they are coming the next day. As a result of not wanting to make the preparations, we alienate ourselves from our friends and family by closing our doors and throwing away the key. Clutter is a very selfish housemate. It wants you all to itself. This is another way for the Evil One to attack families. When the structure of the family is broken down, he wins. Clutter is his most effective weapon.

2. Clutter in your home does not allow your mind and body to rest.  The guilt of all the clutter keeps you working non-stop. You can’t organize clutter; you can only get rid of it, like a diseased cancerous tumor. Purge it from your life and you will find out what living is all about. Clutter causes you to turn down invitations to lunch or weekend getaways with your husband. It will also get in the way of you taking time for yourself. It yells at you, you don’t deserve to have any fun; you have not taken care of ME yet. Oh selfish clutter. Like a spoiled child, it requires all your
attention.

3. Clutter tells the world that you are not worthy. We have all heard it. If you can’t take care of this, you can’t have it. We have been brainwashed by this clutter to believe that we do not deserve to have nice things since we can’t keep our home looking presentable. So we only buy more clutter at yard sales and junk shops, because it only cost a dollar. Now don’t email fussing about this. I love yard sales as much as the next person, but think about this mentality for a few minutes. Don’t we deserve to be surrounded by pretty things that we love, instead of someone else’s cast-offs? When we quit wasting our money on more clutter to feed the already growing demon in our home, we can save to purchase things that make us smile.  (I disagree with this one, I’ve found some perfectly wonderful things at thrift stores and yard sales, it’s about the quality, not the source.)

4. Clutter never wants you to leave home. This is why he make is so difficult for you to pack and go on vacation. Laundry has to be done, you have to get people to come to the house to feed your critters, or worse yet, you need someone to house sit for you. Clutter will never allow strangers in his domain. He wants you all to himself. The bills have to be paid, so you can go, clutter invades your finances and family responsibilities. You don’t have wills done, because it is just too much trouble. So you stay home, so you won’t have to make the decision of who will care for you children in case of an accident. Clutter loves to keep you home, so he has your full attention. He throws every obstacle in your path.

5. Clutter loves to make you sick. This way you are totally dependent upon his way of life. He robs you of your health, so this gives you an excuse to give him more clutter. The more there is the happier he becomes and more sick you get. Sometimes you will not allow people to come into your home to help, because clutter has quarantined you. Or shall we say imprisoned you in your dungeon.

6. Clutter’s main sustenance is chaos. So when you are running around your home searching for something in all the mess, clutter is celebrating with a feast. Trying to find a document on your desk is not fun for you, but clutter begets clutter. You end up making an even bigger mess during the search.

7. Clutter loves ignorance, because you know no other way to live. If you did, he would not have a home that provides him of all the undivided attention that you give his needs. You have never enjoyed a peaceful afternoon without clutter vying for your every thought and deed. He knows that if you ever feel one ounce of peace, you will tell him to hit the road, because that peace is so contagious.

It is time to put clutter in his place and send him packing from whence he came. So where does clutter belong and how do you get rid of this unwanted houseguest?  It is not easy. He keeps pleading with you that “you need me”, and laying many guilt trips on you for what relatives will think if you put him out into the cold. (You know those gifts and inherited clutter you have been saddled with over the years.)

Your clutter did not accumulate overnight and it is going to take days, weeks and sometimes several months to rid yourself of this squatter. We do it in small steps to make it easy on you. This way, your houseguest has no clue that you are evicting him. Slowly but surely the clutter will leave one boogie or one room rescue at a time. Some of you may need to take a “get tough” approach and order a dumpster or set up regular pickups from charity thrift stores. What ever you decide to do, consistency is the ticket to getting him to vacate your premises. Just 15 minutes a day is all you need to set him on the road. When you kick his bottom out your door, you will begin to have your home to yourself again.

Peace is just a boogie away.

It is time to pack his bags and send him out into the world to fend for himself. You have wasted enough of your time on him. From now on, you are going to become very particular about whom you bring home to reside with you and your family.

Are you ready to evict this squatter, so you can FLY?

FlyLady

P.S. Are your special clutter friends taking you from your children?  One day after you are gone your children will have to evict clutter once and for all: a dumpster is a proper coffin. Clutter took you away from them. Don’t let clutter become your only loved one. You have flesh and blood precious souls around you.

Cat Photo of the Day

Here you go 🙂

All-or-Nothing Thinking

Are you guilty of this?   I am!  It makes healthy living such a challenge sometimes.  When I fail, my tendency is to give up completely, but I’m getting better at overcoming this challenge.

I recently read an article with some good tips on overcoming this:

5 Steps to Banish All or Nothing Thinking

All or nothing thinking can negatively affect your weight-loss efforts in ways you don’t even realize. For some, the idea of either doing things to “perfection” or not at all may even keep them from losing weight altogether. This article will help you understand the connection between weight-loss difficulties and this mind frame and provide steps on how to lose weight and avoid all or nothing thinking.

Step One: Get a Life (Change)!
The first way to avoid all or nothing thinking is to shake the idea that losing weight is something you do “right” just temporarily and then the work is done. The fact is, most people who successfully lose weight — and more importantly, keep that weight off — make healthy, permanent lifestyle changes such as getting regular exercise, consciously practicing portion control and finding ways to prevent emotional eating.

If you look at your weight-loss efforts as something you’re only doing “for now,” those new, healthy changes won’t be permanent. But if you try to do too much too soon, the changes will last only days. Small, gradual changes are what will work. And seeing the big picture — that little slip-ups don’t count, but long-term changes do — helps keep things in perspective.

The truth is, step 1 sucks. But it’s the reality I have to face. This is a lifestyle change, and I need to view it that way. The good news is that I don’t need to do it all at once 🙂 And I can attest to that…I’ve been making small changes over the last 10 years, and the weight is coming off…slowly, but it’s coming off. Before that I was gaining about 10 pounds every year. Scary!

Step Two: Give In Now and Then
Severely limiting your food intake or completely cutting out your favorite foods sets you up for a binge. That ever-present sense of deprivation not only makes overeating a risk, it also makes life downright miserable. Temptation becomes much less powerful when you know it is fleeting and can be quelled with less than you think. So, allow yourself a small portion of something “bad” that you really love now and again instead of telling yourself it’s off-limits for good. While this can be daunting at first, you will become accustomed to satisfying your craving with a small treat and you’ll learn when to say “when” and in turn feel more confident in your weight-loss efforts.

This does help me 🙂 Small amounts can be even more satisfying, not only because the amount is small, but because I conquered and controlled the urge to binge. I don’t feel guilty or bloated.

Step Three: Stop Saying the “D Word”
D for diet, that is. Following a strict diet naturally lends itself to giving in to all or nothing thinking: You’re either “on your diet” or you’ve “blown your diet” and if you’ve done the latter … well, you might as well quit altogether and eat whatever you want, right? That kind of “black and white” thinking can make your weight-loss efforts much more difficult and may even prevent you from losing weight at all.

Few of us can stick to a diet plan that restricts entire food groups or relies on one type of food — such as freeze-dried, pre-prepared meals — as its mainstay. (Honestly, how long do you really think you will be able to eat those for each meal?) Believe me, I’ve been there: Go on a diet that requires you to eat foods you don’t like and you will eventually dread every meal. Find the middle ground: Somewhere between following that overly-strict diet and eating everything you want, there is a point at which you can be both happy and healthy.

Being on a diet is a surefire way to fail. I need to view this as a lifestyle change. Find healthy foods that you like, and use those as the core of your eating plan.

Step Four: Forgive Yourself
So, you decided to follow that “give in” step last night and allow yourself a cookie. But before bed you enjoyed a few more. And then this morning … you polished off the package for breakfast. Does that mean it’s time to go off the rails the rest of the day just because you blew it this morning? No way!

Not allowing yourself to make mistakes is the worst mistake you can make. Here’s some food for thought: All or nothing thinking is a way to let yourself off the hook. Subconsciously you think: “Oh, now I’ve screwed up. Glad I don’t have to bother anymore!” … for some of us, quitting something just because we didn’t do it perfectly is an easy escape route.

There’s an old saying: “No matter how far you’ve gone down the wrong path, it’s never too late to turn back.” and that is true in every aspect of life. So don’t think just because you made less-than-ideal choices today, you can’t start over tomorrow. It sounds trite, but every day truly is a new beginning. You can’t erase last night’s binge, but you can aim for a much healthier today!

Guilty as charged. And realizing that it’s a way to let myself off the hook is essential to stopping this way of thinking. It’s a sneaky way of giving in to my cravings and pretending that I’m a failure. I do have the choice and the ability to make it, I need to keep my goal in mind.

Step 5: Celebrate Small Victories
Reward yourself for the small challenges you surmount. Acknowledging your achievements — no matter how insignificant they seem — with non-food rewards will help you stay motivated throughout your weight-loss journey. Yes, brown bagging a healthy lunch four days in a row instead of getting fast food is a victory. Doing an exercise video a just twice this week is a triumph if you didn’t do it at all last week. Rewards don’t have to cost a dime — they can be as simple as allowing yourself time to read a chapter of a favorite author or enjoying a long bath.

Take it easy on yourself as you learn how to be a new, improved, healthier you. After all, you’re only human … a soon-to-be much lighter human!

This is the best part of all 🙂

Changes

Nearly two months have passed since my temp assignment at Vision Service Plan ended.  In that time, I haven’t received a new temp assignment or found a job.  It’s been an interesting time, and has given me the chance to stop and think about my career path and what I’d like to do.

I’ve done a lot of drifting with my career, basically taking whatever job came along.  I’m tired of that after doing it for nearly 20 years. I’ve gained some great experience with data entry, administrative assistant work, and have learned title examining. It’s time to take control, though.

The unemployment rate in California is over 10%, and employers have their choice of employees.  I’m a good employee, but there is no demand for title examiners, I can’t keep doing data entry, and my secretarial skills are over 10 years old.   As you can see, it’s not going to be easy to find a permanent job.

Over the last year I’ve had plenty of time to think about this, and after my assignment at VSP ended, I gave my career future serious consideration.   I also filed for unemployment benefits because I wasn’t sure I’d get a new assignment right away.  Good thing I did that, because I didn’t 🙂

Working with the California EDD is a royal pain in the patoot.   You might as well give up calling them from your home phone, you won’t get through.  I did some research on their website to find out about going to school and staying on unemployment, which led me to their flyer with information about California Training Benefits (CTB).  From reading that I learned that I needed to go to a Sacramento Works One Stop Career Center and see if I could qualify for WIA in order to take advantage of the CTB program (you can also qualify if you haven’t worked for4 weeks and meet other criteria).

My adventure continued as I went to a one stop career center a few miles from where I live.  I met with a couple of career coaches who were very helpful and found out what I needed to do.  I had to attend some workshops at the career center, and then fill out a scholarship application.   One of the criteria was that I had to choose a course that was approved by WIA and then do research about the job outlook, pay rates, demand, etc.  I also had to interview an employer or employee in the job I was choosing.

Again, I was very fortunate.  It turns out one of my friends from church is not only in the career field, but is a Finance Director/Controller!   I didn’t know his job title, and when he told me I said, “OOooohhhh, I got the big guy!”

I did a lot of research, and it culminated with the news that not only did my application get approved, but this course was also qualified under ARRA (The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act) and my tuition would be paid 100%!!!

So here I am, less than 2 weeks away from my orientation and the beginning of classes at the school of my choice, and ready for a new stage in my life, that of student!

I have a new laptop with the appropriate software, wireless internet connectivity, and the drive to get good grades and make the Dean’s List.   Woohoo!!!

I am taking an accounting clerk course at a nearby business college, and will graduate on July 2,2010.

I am blessed 🙂

I’m Back!

And I’m ready for more blogging 🙂  Life has taken another change this last 2-3 weeks…I was working as a temp for Vision Service Plan (VSP) up to the 31st of July.  I’d been there for a year, and I knew the end of the assignment was coming.  It wasn’t a surprise or a shock.  It had been a good year, and VSP is rightly named as one of the 100 best companies to work for in the United States.

After my temp assignment ended, I assumed that my agency would have another assignment for me rather quickly, but that hasn’t materialized yet.  As a precaution, I applied for unemployment and found out last week that I’ll be receiving a regular check.  That’s a huge relief 🙂

I decided to take advantage of this opportunity and look into whether or not I qualify for taking classes while staying on unemployment, and am still waiting to find out.  If I do qualify, I plan to take a course in bookkeeping and office management to enhance my skills.  I have almost all the experience I need to be an office manager except for the bookkeeping skills, so this would be a good move for me.

Meanwhile, I’ve been in a waiting mode this last two weeks, and everything has been put on hold, including this blog.  It’s a bad habit of mine, doing nothing while in waiting mode.  I need to stop that.

This blog will still be about my journey to a healthier life, but I’m going to expand the focus to include thrifty living and my experiences with that.  I’ll be sharing great websites and resources, as well as my experiences.

Oh, I’ll also be posting about our new kitten, The Mighty Diesel Thunderpurr.  I think you’ll like him 🙂

Happy Monday!

ZZzzzzzzzzz…….

Sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleeve of care,
The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,
Chief nourisher in life’s feast…
~ Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act II, Scene II

And if tonight my soul may find her peace
in sleep, and sink in good oblivion,
and in the morning wake like a new-opened flower
then I have been dipped again in God, and new-created.
~ D.H. Lawrence

O bed! O bed! delicious bed!
That heaven upon earth to the weary head.
~ Thomas Hood, Miss Kilmansegg – Her Dream

The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep.
~ E. Joseph Cossman

Even thus last night, and two nights more I lay,
And could not win thee, Sleep, by any stealth:
So do not let me wear to-night away.
Without thee what is all the morning’s wealth?
Come, blessed barrier between day and day,
Dear mother of fresh thoughts and joyous health!
~ William Wordsworth, “To Sleep”

Finish each day before you begin the next, and interpose a solid wall of sleep between the two. This you cannot do without temperance. ~ ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Come, cuddle your head on my shoulder, dear, your head like the golden-rod, and we will go sailing away from here to the beautiful land of Nod.”
~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Sleep. That most wonderful time of the day when you get to lie down on your bed, snuggle up with your pillow and blankets, cozy up to your spouse and cuddle with your cat….it’s wonderful 🙂

But did you know that a good night’s sleep also helps with weight loss?

Check out this article:

Lose Weight With a Good Night’s Sleep?
Sleepers Getting Less Than 6 Hours of Sleep a Night Tended to Be Heavier Than Longer Sleepers in Study
By Caroline Wilbert
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

If you are trying to lose weight, a good night’s sleep might help.

A new study found a link between sleep and weight. Study participants who were so-called short sleepers (meaning they got less than six hours per night) tended to have on average a higher body mass index, or BMI, than long sleepers.

The small study, presented at the American Thoracic Society’s International Conference in San Diego, was conducted with 14 nurses at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Nurses received counseling on nutrition, exercise, stress management, and sleep improvement through the program.

The participants wore armbands that measured total activity, body temperature, body position, and other indicators of rest and activity.

The average BMI for short sleepers was 28.3. That compares to an average BMI of 24.5 for long sleepers. The BMI range for normal weight is considered to be 18.5-24.9 and for overweight 25.0-29.9. BMI is calculated from a person’s weight and height and is an indicator of body fat.

Surprisingly, the overweight participants were significantly more active than their normal-weight peers. The overweight participants took an average of 13,896 steps per day, compared to 11,292 for normal-weight participants. The overweight participants also burned nearly 1,000 more calories per day on average than their normal-weight peers.

“We found so many interesting links in our data,” lead researcher Arn Eliasson, MD, says in a written statement. “Primarily, we want to know what is driving the weight differences, and why sleep and weight appear to be connected.”

There are several possible reasons, Eliasson says. Lack of sleep may disrupt natural hormonal balances, triggering overeating. Stress could also be a factor — contributing to less sleep and more eating in the same people.

He says that “higher perceived stress may erode sleep. Stress and being less rested may cause these individuals to be less organized than normal-weight individuals, meaning they would have to make more trips and take more steps to accomplish the same tasks. This might add to their stress and encourage other unhealthy behaviors, like stress eating.”

Eliasson and colleagues are planning more studies to investigate the link between stress, sleep, and metabolism.

So make it a priority to get to bed a little earlier and get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. You’ll not only feel refreshed, you’ll also be healthier!

Salads! Yummy, Delicious Salads!

I love salads! Red and green leaf lettuce, Romaine, asparagus that’s been lightly blanched, carrots, red, green, yellow and orange bell peppers, jicama, red onion, kidney and garbanzo beans, black olives, fresh peas and corn, lemon cucumber, basil and tomato feta cheese, pecans, avocado, all topped with a delicious vinaigrette…summer doesn’t get much better than that 🙂

Salads are also a great option on those hot summer days. You don’t have to turn on the oven and make the kitchen even hotter. Instead, just pull the ingredients out of the refrigerator and the cupboard, assemble everything, add a whole-grain roll on the side, serve this with your favorite drink, and voila! A refreshing dish that’s good for you.

You can also bake or grill chicken ahead of time and have it ready to add to your salads. Just marinate the raw skinless and boneless chicken breasts with a low-fat Italian dressing or vinaigrette for a few hours, cook thoroughly, chop then place into a container and refrigerate. When you’re preparing your salad, just pull this out and add it to the salad for a filling meal.

Be adventurous. If you’re used to iceburg lettuce, try some of the other lettuces instead. Red and green leaf lettuces are particular favorites of mine. The ruffled edges of both and the dark red color of the red leaf lettuce add wonderful color and texture to a salad. Fresh spinach doesn’t only add iron, it adds another layer of flavor. The bagged lettuces are another great option. It’s usually easy to find a bag of spring greens. Adding those to your salad makes for a gorgeous visual treat. The different shades of green, the frilly edges, the unusual shapes…mmmmmmm….it’s a feast for the eyes!

I also like to experiment with fresh herbs. Watercress is delicious on a salad, and if you like cilantro (I don’t) try that. If you’re making an Italian flavored salad, add some fresh basil. Let your imagination run wild!

Fresh and dried fruits can be a tasty addition. Fresh strawberries, grapes, peaches, oranges, or dried cranberries, raisins, dates…again, the possibilities are endless.

Experiment with some of the unusual store-bought salad dressings. Look in the health-food department of your favorite grocery store or be bold and daring and venture into a health-food store. You can also do a search on your favorite recipe website and make your own dressings. This is particularly handy if you need to have sugar-free dressings.

Here are a couple of delicious looking sugar free salad dressing recipes to get you started:

Strawberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
½ cup olive oil
½ cup sliced strawberries
1 teaspoon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (balsamic is even better, but carb counts vary, so be careful)
Salt and pepper to taste
Sweetener to taste (depends on sweetness of strawberries; you might not need it)

Preparation:
Puree strawberries in a blender or food processor. Add vinegar, mustard, and seasonings. Blend, then add olive oil. Blend until creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Makes 8 servings of about 2 tablespoons each.

Sweet and Sour Lime Dressing

Ingredients:
1 T lime juice (from a bottle is fine)
1 t water
2 T extra virgin olive oil
Seasonings to taste
Sweetener to taste

Preparation:
1. Put lime juice and water in bowl. Add sweetener to the tanginess level you want. (I like using liquid sucralose.)
2. Add salt and pepper. Or use a blend, like homemade seasoning salt. Whisk together to dissolve the salt.
3. Whisk in the olive oil.

Get even more daring and try edible flowers. You can find these at farmers’ markets and at specialty gourmet grocery stores, or do some research online and grow your own.

We’ve always known that a healthy salad is good for you, but the latest research shows that salads are an essential part of a healthy life:

4 Healthy Reasons to Eat a Salad Today
Making one simple change to your diet – adding a salad almost every day – can pay off with plenty of health benefits.
By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Have you had your salad today? Eating salad almost every day may be one of the most healthy eating habits you can adopt — and one of the simplest, experts say.

Eating salads is a super-convenient way to work in a couple of servings of vegetables and/or fruit. Green salads are on the menu of almost every restaurant. You can even buy a side salad (with Romaine lettuce, carrots and tomatoes, available with fat-free or reduced-calorie salad dressing) for a buck at many fast food chains these days. And you can make a green salad at home in 5 minutes, armed with a bag of pre-washed salad greens, a few carrots or other veggies, and a bottle of light salad dressing.

Not only that, but salads are cool, crunchy, and fun to eat (lots of textures, colors, and flavors). Most people enjoy eating salads–even kids! You can customize them to include the fruits and vegetables that appeal to you the most, and whichever ones you have on hand.

Here are four health reasons to reach for a salad today:

1. Eat Salads for the Fiber
It’s hard to believe that something we can’t even digest can be so good for us! Eating a high-fiber diet can help lower cholesterol levels and prevent constipation.

Not only that, says Barbara Rolls, PhD, author of The Volumetrics Eating Plan, eating more fiber can help you feel fuller, eat less, and ultimately lose weight.

2. Eat Salads for the Health Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables
Many experts agree that Americans need to eat more fruits and vegetables (especially dark green and orange vegetables) and legumes — all popular salad ingredients. David Jacobs, PhD, professor of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, says in an email interview that there is plenty of evidence that nutrient-rich plant foods contribute to overall health.

If you frequently eat green salads, you’ll likely have higher blood levels of a host of powerful antioxidants (vitamin C and E, folic acid, lycopene, and alpha- and beta-carotene,) especially if your salad includes some raw vegetables. Antioxidants are substances that help protect the body from damage caused by harmful molecules called free radicals.

For years, researchers have noted a link between eating lots of fruits and vegetables and lower risks of many diseases, particularly cancer. A recent study from the National Cancer Institute suggests that people whose diets are rich in fruits and vegetables may have a lower risk of developing cancers of the head and neck — even those who smoke and drink heavily. Foods found to be particularly protective include beans and peas, string beans, peppers, tomatoes, carrots, apples, nectarines, peaches, plums, pears, and strawberries.

3. Eat Salads to Cut Calories and Increase Satisfaction
If losing weight is your goal, you may want to start your meals with a green salad. Studies have shown that eating a low-calorie first course, like a green salad of 150 calories or less, enhances satiety (feelings of fullness) and reduces the total number of calories eaten during the meal.

Rolls, lead researcher of the study, suggests that “bigger is better” as long as the salad is bigger in volume, not in calories – which means more veggies and less dressing and other fatty add-ons.

“We saw reductions in consumed calories when people ate salads that were 1 1/2 cups and 3 cups in volume but around 100 total calories,” she says. The 3-cup, 100-calorie salad reduced the total calories consumed at the meal by about 55.

4. Eat Salads to Get Smart Fats
Eating a little good fat (like the monounsaturated fat found in olive oil, avocado and nuts) with your vegetables appears to help your body absorb protective phytochemicals, like lycopene from tomatoes and lutein from dark green vegetables.

A recent study from Ohio State University measured how well phytochemicals were absorbed by the body after people ate a salad of lettuce, carrot, and spinach, with or without 2 1/2 tablespoons of avocado. The avocado-eaters absorbed eight times more alpha-carotene and more than 13 times more beta-carotene (both of which are thought to help protect against cancer and heart disease) than the group eating salads without avocado.

If you dress your salad with a little olive oil, there may even be some additional years in it for you. Italian research on people aged 60 and older has suggested that a diet that includes plenty of olive oil and raw vegetables is linked to reduced mortality.