The Health and Life Mixing Bowl

According to Your World Wednesday

Bring your knowledge, insight, and spirit of contribution as we collectively support each other in experiencing a higher level of wellness.  According to Your World Wednesday is a chance for you to sound off by responding to an inquiry of the week.  Feel free to leave your contact information and/or website/blog address.  And please share this with others!  The more co-activity, the better!  A reminder that each comment will be reviewed before it is posted.  This week's inquiry:

What makes life fabulous on a stressful day? 

Seeing the Doctor: Getting the Best out of Every Visit

Getting top-notch health care in an ever-changing economy requires becoming a savvy patient.  Visit The Washington Post  for a great article on savvy healthcare consumerism and then hop over to the Johns Hopkins Health Alert site for more tips and tools.  Be sure to share this information with a friend or loved one!

The Face of Real Beauty?

Each Monday The Health and Life Mixing Bowl will start off the week with an inspirational "click".  Found something you would like to share?  Email me!

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you will never walk alone.

Thank you to the Quotable Quotes blog for this wonderful quote.

Make it a great week!

Nutrition with a Twist: Pumpkin Bran Muffins

Have the basic rules for eating healthier got you stuck in a rut? Each week, The Health and Life Mixing Bowl will serve up some good stuff to expand your nutritional options and perhaps ignite a genuine interest in eating better. Read more about these posts here.

Did you know that a pumpkin is really a squash? It is a member of the Cucurbita family which includes squash and cucumbers.  Pumpkins are loaded with Vitamin A and their seeds are a great source of zinc which has been shown to maintain prostate health and increase bone density in men.  By the way, almost 30% of hip fractures occur in men, and 1 in 8 men over age 50 will have an osteoporotic fracture.   Be sure to save those seeds for an important man in your life!

Here's a wonderful recipe from Suite 101's Healthy Cooking for Pumpkin Bran Muffins:

• 1 15 oz. can pumpkin
• 1 cup bran cereal
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup (3-1/2 oz.) sugar
• 2 Tbsp. (1 oz.) brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1-1/4 cups (5 3/8 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. allspice
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup (6 oz.) raisins
• Demarara or coarse sugar for sprinkling

In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, bran cereal, butter, and sugars. Stir in the eggs and buttermilk. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, spices, baking soda and baking powder. Stir into the pumpkin mixture, then stir in the raisins. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the batter for 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease or line the wells of a muffin pan with papers. Scoop the batter into the pan, using a heaping 1/4 cup of batter for each. Sprinkle the tops with sugar if desired, then bake in the preheated oven for 25-28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for five minutes before taking them out of the pan to finish cooling on a rack.

Yield: 12 muffins.

Per muffin: 150 cal, 3g fat, 3g protein, 19g complex carbohydrates, 12g sugar, 4 g dietary fiber, 41mg cholesterol, 348mg sodium, 288mg potassium, 881RE vitamin A, 2mg vitamin C, 3mg iron, 69mg calcium, 127mg phosphorus.

Enjoy!

Our Little Bundles of Greatness

"I have a little trouble in school, but some day I just might teach the world something."

"I may not have gotten picked first to play on the baseball team, but some day I'll own one."

These are hypothetical quotes from children who have been diagnosed with ADHD in a new commercial produced by Shire, a biopharmaceutical company.  When not fully understood, ADHD can be a devastating diagnosis for a child who is trying to thrive in a traditional education system.  An ADHD diagnosis is especially problematic for boys.  According the Boys and School, a project by the Men's Health Network, boys are approximately three times as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD or ADD, and are diagnosed with learning disabilities and behavioral disorders at a rate nearly twice that of girls. One study found that boys are referred for possible ADHD/ADD ten times as often as girls, leading some to speculate that normal boy behavior is sometimes misunderstood as disorders.

Touting themselves as "your ADHD support company", Shire developed ADHD Road Map, a support system developed by ADHD coaches and moms.  I learned about it after seeing their touching commercial. I literally had tears in my eyes watching it.  There's no doubt that Shire would love for you to choose their drug--that's a personal choice--but it's nice to see that complementary and alternative forms of treating ADHD are gaining attention.   

In my opinion, kids with ADHD are little bundles of greatness.  Their energy, creativity, intuition and desire to live life in full color are awe-inspiring.  From a societal perspective, we all lose out when we throw ADHD kids aside and label them as non-conformists.  These kids deserve a fair chance to shine.  Channeling their gifts as opposed to exposing their weaknesses might make our world a richer place.  Here is a list of people diagnosed with ADHD who have made outstanding contributions in the areas of entertainment, art, music and invention:

Ansel Adams, Anne Bancroft, Beethoven, Alexander Graham Bell, "Pappy" Boyington, Hans Christian Anderson, Lewis Carroll, Leonardo da Vinci, Walt Disney, Cher, Thomas Edison, "Magic" Johnson, John F. Kennedy, Robin Williams, Henry Winkler, and Stevie Wonder.Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell and Benjamin Franklin, Agatha Christie, Henry Ford, Mozart, Winston Churchill.

"I might be a little disruptive in school, but some day I will disrupt conventional thinking."

Here's to celebrating our strengths instead of fixing our weaknesses.

According to Your World Wednesday

Bring your knowledge, insight, and spirit of contribution as we collectively support each other in experiencing a higher level of wellness.  According to Your World Wednesday is a chance for you to sound off by responding to an inquiry of the week.  Feel free to leave your contact information and/or website/blog address.  And please share this with others!  The more co-activity, the better!  A reminder that each comment will be reviewed before it is posted.  This week's inquiry:

What mental benefits do you get from exercising? 

Simplify Your Life: Get Picky About Your Mail

Over eight million tons of trees are consumed each year in the production of paper catalogs, not to mention the hundreds of hours we spend de-cluttering our homes from a plethora of wasteful advertisements. Now Catalog Choice gives us the power to choose what hits our mailboxes.  Endorsed by the National Wildlife Federation and Natural Resources Defense Council, Catalog Choice is on a mission to put an end to mailbox clutter while protecting natural resources.  The best news of all?  It's free! According to the New York Times, 20,000 people have registered with Catalog Choice since its launch two weeks ago.  Want to take it a step further?  For $41.00 41pounds.org will stop most common junk mail such as credit card offers, coupon mailers, sweepstakes entries, magazine offers and insurance promotions, as well as any catalogs you specify for five years.  41pounds.org will also donate 1/3 of your subscription to an environmental or community organization of your choice.   De-cluttering is a big time waster!  Here's a chance to save your time for what really matters.

Life Balance in Less Than Three Minutes: The Mom Song

Each Monday The Health and Life Mixing Bowl will start off the week with an inspirational "click".  Found something you would like to share?  Email me!

You will enjoy this mom's perspective on life balance, even if you are not a mom.  It made my day about a week ago after a crazy morning with my daughter.  Make it a great week!

Nutrition with a Twist: Beans, Beans and More Beans...

Bean Soup, originally uploaded by Koay.

Have the basic rules for eating healthier got you stuck in a rut? Each week, The Health and Life Mixing Bowl will serve up some good stuff to expand your nutritional options and perhaps ignite a genuine interest in eating better. Read more about these posts here.

Bean soup is one of my favorite healthy comfort foods during the colder months.  I usually simmer a big pot of it on a lazy Saturday morning.  It's ready by dinnertime and it takes care of meals for the next couple of days.  Purcell Mountain Farms sells over one hundred different beans and lists all sorts of neat recipes on their website.  There are enough beans here to enjoy a new bean dish every week for the next two years! Here is one of their recipes for Spanish Tolosana Bean Soup:

1 cup Spanish Tolosana Beans
4 cups water
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 potato, peeled and cubed
1 carrot, scraped and sliced
1 celery rib, sliced
1 cup sliced green cabbage
28 oz tin chopped tomatoes in juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare Beans: Rinse and pick over beans. Pour boiling water
over beans to cover by 2 inches, cover and leave for 1 hour.
Drain, cover with water and cook over medium heat until tender. (Checking for doneness at 20 min.)

Prepare Vegetables: In another pan, cook the onion, potato,
carrot and celery in the 4 cups of water until tender. Drain,
reserving cooking water.

Prepare Soup: To beans add the undrained tomatoes and the
cabbage. Add cooked vegetables to bean mixture adding
reserved cooking water until desired thickness is reached.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Reheat and serve piping hot.

Enjoy!

Complaint Free for 21 Days?

"We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, climb over them, or build with them."

-William Arthur Ward

If Pastor Will Bowen has his way, the world will soon be full of people wearing purple bracelets declaring they are complaint and whine free. What a beautiful vision.  So what's wrong with having a little gratuitous whine fest? Isn't venting actually a good thing?  Doesn't it make us feel better?  Studies say no.  Venting can just keep anger and negative emotions alive.  Makes logical sense given that venting is highly addictive. So here comes Pastor Will Bowen and his brainchild, A Complaint Free World, armed with purple bracelets and a 21 day program (scientists believe it takes that long to form a new habit) to abate worldwide complaining.  Here's how it works:

1.  Order a complaint free purple bracelet and wear it on either wrist (3 free bracelets per household)

2.  When you catch yourself complaining, gossiping or criticizing move the bracelet to the other arm. 

Stay with it! It takes most people months to reach 21 days free of complaints. 

And it doesn't stop there!  There are plans to officially proclaim the day before Thanksgiving "Complaint Free Wednesday" to help us prepare for a day of gratitude.  Wouldn't it be great if we proclaimed this a way of life?  So try it!  Go to the Complaint Free World website, order your bracelet(s), and try to stay complaint free for 21 days. 

Your thoughts create your world.  Here's to creating thoughts of gratitude, abundance and joy.      

According to Your World Wednesday

I must have some shy readers!  I know you are out there! :)  Let's hear from you this week!

Bring your knowledge, insight, and spirit of contribution as we collectively support each other in experiencing a higher level of wellness.  According to Your World Wednesday is a chance for you to sound off by responding to the question of the week.  Feel free to leave your contact information and/or website/blog address.  And please share this with others!  The more co-activity, the better!  A reminder that each comment will be reviewed before it is posted.  This week's inquiry:

What is your favorite healthy food or meal? 

Today is "Blog Action Day": Be A Good Steward of the Earth

Each Monday The Health and Life Mixing Bowl will start off the week with an inspirational "click".  Found something you would like to share?  Email me!

The Health and Life Mixing Bowl is proud to be taking part in Blog Action Day, a day on which millions of bloggers will be writing posts related to the environment. 

The earth is a finite resource that has been given to us for just a short while.  Let's rise up to the call of being good stewards of this wonderful gift. 

Above is a trailer for the movie The 11th Hour.  May it open your eyes and your heart to a crisis we can control.  Support the movie and take action for your children, your grandchildren, and for generations to come.  Make it a great week!

Nutrition with a Twist: A is for Apple

Have the basic rules for eating healthier got you stuck in a rut? Each week, The Health and Life Mixing Bowl will serve up some good stuff to expand your nutritional options and perhaps ignite a genuine interest in eating better. Read more about these posts here.

My daughter went apple picking last weekend with her friend.  They brought home some of the best tasting apples I have ever eaten.  'Tis the season!  A medium apple has 5 grams of fiber, almost 20% of what you need for the entire day.  Other health benefits of apples include age-related memory improvement, reduced risk of heart disease in women, and weight loss.  Read more here. 

Here is a great recipe for Crunchy Apple Stir Fry from Virginia Apples.  Enjoy!

/2 cup onion, vertically sliced
1 cup fresh or frozen Chinese pea pods
1 cup (2 medium) carrots, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. water
1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 medium Fuji apple, cored & thinly sliced
1 tsp. dried basil, crushed

Stir-fry onion, carrots and basil in oil in non-stick skillet until carrots are tender. Stir in pea pods and water; stir-fry 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in apples, Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: Calories, 69; Fat, 2 g; Cholesterol, 0 mg; Fiber, 3 g; Sodium, 13 mg; Percent calories from Fat, 26%.

A Resounding "No" to Pantyhose: Real Clothes for the Really Active

I always tell people that the worst thing about working from home is forgetting how to apply makeup and put on a pair of pantyhose.  I am so glad those days are over!  As an entrepreneur, SAHM, and domestic goddess, my days are very full.  From working on my business, coaching clients, and attending casual business meetings to driving my daughter around town, attending school events, and taking the dog out, I am constantly on the go.  Did I mention running errands and hitting the gym? The bottom-line is that I need clothes that can keep up with me.  Prerequisite:  They must be cute.  What is an active entrepreneur to do?  Here are my favorite places to shop for activewear that is trendy, comfortable, and multi-functional: 

Title Nine

Patagonia

Lucy

REI

Athleta

Gaiam

Urban Outfitters

Sahalie

Sierra Trading Post

Shaktia Activewear

Nike

Reebok

Champion

According to Your World Wednesday

Bring your knowledge, insight, and spirit of contribution as we collectively support each other in experiencing a higher level of wellness.  Our new series of posts According to Your World Wednesday will feature an inquiry that you can respond to any way you wish.   Feel free to leave your contact information and/or website/blog address.  And please share this with others!  The more co-activity, the better!  A reminder that each comment will be reviewed before it is posted.  This week's inquiry:

How do you define wellness? 

The Biggest Winners on "The Biggest Loser"

pete8, originally uploaded by www.WinningMan.com.

You know what I love about the reality series "The Biggest Loser"? Before I tell you, let me say I have mixed feelings about this show.  I happened to catch the first episode of the season that showed several of the contestants checking in with a weekly weight loss of more than 20 pounds! I am pretty sure that it is physiologically impossible to lose that much weight in one week, at least fat weight, which makes me question many things....but maybe I shouldn't have such an incredulous attitude towards the show.  The reality series is a huge hit and it's actually helping millions of severely overweight people, albeit the drastic weight loss among some of the contestants.  But here is what really inspired me:  I read an article in the Washington Post about a few of the contestants who were voted off the show.  Instead of going back home and raiding the pantry, they continued to lose weight and lots of it.  I love it! Why?  It puts to rest the argument "If I had a live-in chef and a personal trainer, I would lose weight too!"

"The Biggest Loser" contestants were taught very simple concepts based on a very simple formula.  Very simply put, they ate less, they moved more, and they lost the weight.  Weight loss is not rocket science.  Why do we make it so hard and confusing?  I am thoroughly convinced that we all have the power to reach and stay at our optimal weight.  As evidenced by the post-show weight loss success of the former "The Biggest Loser" contestants, personal choice can supersede a personal trainer, a live-in chef , and even the support of a hit television show. 

Look Up, Get Up and Don't Ever Give Up

Each Monday The Health and Life Mixing Bowl will start off the week with an inspirational "click".  Found something you would like to share?  Email me!

An inspirational speech from Michael Irvin.  Make it a great week!

Nutrition with a Twist: Curried Vegetables

Curried vegetables - simmering, originally uploaded by Computer Science Geek.

Have the basic rules for eating healthier got you stuck in a rut? Each week, The Health and Life Mixing Bowl will serve up some good stuff to expand your nutritional options and perhaps ignite a genuine interest in eating better. Read more about these posts here.

I am always looking for different ways to prepare vegetables.  Curried Vegetables: Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Red Potatoes (cut into 1 1/2" chunks)
• 1 T. Olive Oil
• 2 Medium Red Onions (cut in large chunks)
• 3 Cloves of Garlic (minced)
• 2 teaspoons Curry Powder
• 2 Carrots (cut crosswise into 1/2" wide slices)
• 2 Zucchini (cut crosswise into 1/2" wise slices)
• 1 Cup Diced Tomatoes (no peel)
• 1 Cup Frozen Peas
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 Cup Plain Fat-Free Yogurt

Directions:

Boil potatoes in water till tender, about 10 mins. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions & garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the curry powder, stirring to coat. Add the carrots & the reserved potato cooking liquid. Cook for 5 mins. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring frequently, until the carrots are tender, about 5 mins. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, peas, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the peas are heated thoroughly, about 3 mins. Stir in yogurt and serve.

Nutritional facts: (per serving): Calories 213, Carbs 40g, Cholesterol 0mg, Total Fat 4.1g, Saturated Fat 0.6g, Fiber 7g, Protein 7g, Sodium 595mg.

Outsmarting the Status Quo: Strategy #6-Be a Hedgehog

A little late, but here we go:

You might already be very familiar with the hedgehog concept. The concept originates from an ancient Greek aphorism by Archilochus and is the main focus of the book Good to Great. Here is the story:

A hedgehog meets a fox along a path. The fox, being very sneaky, jumps out from behind some bushes and surprises the hedgehog. The hedgehog, being a hedgehog, rolls up in a ball and waits for the fox to go away.  Day after day, the same thing happens. The fox tries different tricks and creative ways to surprise the hedgehog.  The hedgehog continues to react the same way-she rolls up in a ball.  This one great thing works for the hedgehog.  Why change strategies?

The final strategy for outsmarting the status quo is to become the hedgehog.  When you find something you are great at, something that ignites your passion, and something that allows you to soulfully contribute to others, the status quo will lose its power. 

Sadly, too many of us leave our passion and unique attributes behind to pursue material things.  We do things we are competent at but not great.  We pursue interests that we like but not love.  We ignore our intuition that things could be better, that we could be more satisfied and that we could experience more fulfillment.  Being a hedgehog is a radical move. 

Becoming great rather than good starts by asking yourself, "What am I passionate about?" "What are my natural abilities and strengths?" "What can I do best in the world?" Here are two resources to get you started:

www.strengthfinders.com

www.authentichappiness.com

Finding out more about your unique attributes, strengths and talents, and following the other principles for outsmarting the status quo, is not just good for you, it's also great for the world.  The world needs more people who dare to step into their personal greatness!  Every day I am in contact with people who live in mediocrity.  They lack self-confidence.  They are ruled by scarcity thinking.  They have been conditioned to look at things a certain way.  Their ability to experience deep fulfillment and satisfaction is severely limited.  Let your journey toward greatness be healing for someone else! Want to improve your health?  Be the best at health improvement! Want to grow spiritually?  Be a powerful spiritual leader!  Want to improve your financial situation?  Shoot for greatness!  We are all capable of shining brightly, reaching our full potential and being great rather than good. 

This wraps up my series on outsmarting the status quo.  I hope you enjoyed it!

According to Your World Wednesday

Bring your knowledge, insight, and spirit of contribution as we collectively support each other in experiencing a higher level of wellness.  Our new series of posts According to Your World Wednesday will feature an inquiry that you can respond to any way you wish.   Feel free to leave your contact information and/or website/blog address.  And please share this with others!  The more co-activity, the better!  A reminder that each comment will be reviewed before it is posted.  Here is our first inquiry:

Why is eating healthy important to you? 

16th Healthy and Fit Family Blog Carnival

Welcome to the 16th Healthy and Fit Family Blog Carnival!  We have some great posts this month.  Here we go:

60 in 3 takes us back to basics and tells us How to Build a Healthy Meal on a Dinner Plate.

Taking it a step farther, Gill at Confessions of A Young Woman has been building fabulous healthy meals on the cheap with his post Cheaper than Chopsticks.

Inside Motherhood is taking healthy meals to the advanced level.  She's Cooking with her Kids and everyone is learning about healthy eating.

Babylune is having a discussion about baby weight and permanent changes to the family exercise routine. 

Wenda at Daring to Write has been losing weight healthfully and successfully for 7 weeks. She lists some advantages that show exactly how losing a little weight is good for everyone.

Alvaro Fernandez at Sharp Brains shares some fascinating research about brain exercise in the post Neuroplasticity 101 and Brain Health Glossary, a great post for parents who feel that their brain functions at about 50% as a result of having children. 

Todd Goldfarb makes the AM routine easier with a Seven Step Guide to an Effective Morning Routine at We the Change. 

Liz Smith at Modern Sage Online has some great tips that will help Keep Your Family Fit for Fall and Winter.

Bluskygirl reminds us that school has started and the colds have come home with a vengeance in the post The Sickies are Here at Goddess.

And for some comic relief, George at A Man and His Baby shares an interesting strategy for handling his wife's delivery in his post Husbands in the Delivery Room, Let us know if it works, George.

Thanks to all who participated!  The next Healthy and Fit Family Blog Carnival will be at Babylune on November 6th.  Submissions can be made via their Blog Carnival submission form.

 

The Door of Inspiration

Each Monday The Health and Life Mixing Bowl will start off the week with an inspirational "click".  Found something you would like to share?  Email me!

Walk through the door of inspiration!  Make it a great week!