Junk Food

The Art of Being Happy...Be Happy

FYI: Scroll to the bottom of the page to mute the music player so you can hear the video.

Fresh Strawberry & Cinnamon Almond Salad

2 c Spring Mix

1/4 c Fresh Sliced Strawberries

12 raw almonds

Drizzle greens and strawberries with your favorite vinaigrette.

I used a mix of strawberry balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Lightly coat almonds with olive oil.

Sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon & sugar.

Top your salad with cinnamon almonds and 1-2 T crumbled feta.

Super YUMMY and super EASY!

GET YOUR GREENS IN TODAY!!!

Summer Salad #2

Roasted Veggies

Blackened Salmon

Leafy Green Salad and Honeydew

Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Petite Baby Carrots, Teeny Tiny Potatoes

Toss veggies with olive oil, fresh herbs and sea salt.

Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

Tip: Be sure your veggies are dry before roasting.

If you wash them just

before baking they will steam rather than roast.

Blackened Salmon

Use blackened seasoning (your choice) found in

the spice isle at your grocery store.

I prefer to only use on one side of the fish.

Tip: Once you start cooking your salmon in a little olive oil

(med. heat, about 2-4 min)

cover and let it continue cooking another couple minutes.

Remove lid, flip fish and finish

cooking until desired doneness. Your salmon will be moist...

dry fish is hard to swallow!

My 15 yr old Sophie made a Citrus Sauce to top our fish.

1. Juice of 1/2 a lemon or orange juice

2. 1-2 T Dijon mustard

3. 1/4 c Italian Dressing

Heat through and drizzle.

I like to break my salmon apart and toss it with my leafy greens giving me a

beautiful summer salad.

~delish~

Lunch Time

Sitting down to enjoy one of my favorites lunches and I realized I was color coordinating!

Apparently I not only eat the rainbow, but I wear it too.

Before I ate I quickly did a few push-ups at the counter.

I started with 25 and then thought,

"If I'm going to do 25, I might as well do 30."

So I did.

Do more. Be more. Right!

WHY NOT!

Remember sneaky exercise counts!!

EVERY BIT!

Occasionally I drink a glass of juice.

Today it happens to be 100% carrot juice made by

Bolthouse Farms and found at most grocery stores.

If you haven't tried it, I encourage you to indulge.

It is sweet but not sweet like apple juice.

Think healthy when you first try it.

I like mine with crushed ice.

Fresh Herb Salad

1 c Fresh Herb Salad (EASY!)

(I buy Earthbound Farms Organic in the big 1 lb container)

1/2 c sugar snap peas

1/2 an orange pepper cut into bite size pieces

1 mini gourmet cucumber sliced

1/2 c baby petite carrots

1/4 c baby lima beans (rinsed & drained)

Sprinkle with slivered almonds

Drizzle your favorite vinaigrette.

My family's new favorite is Brianna's French Vinaigrette.

BON APPETITE!

Amazing Apricot Chicken

My girls are so accustomed to me taking pictures of the meals I prepare.

During dinner, I know I've nailed my recipe when one of them exclaims,

"Mom, take a picture of this one!"

Apricot Chicken is a fruity dish loaded with flavor.

The recipe is simple!

I served it with Butter Crunch Greens (my favorite),

Lightly Steamed Broccoli & Carrots

and a Hard Boiled Egg.

Amazing Apricot Chicken

Combine:

1/2 c. apricot preserves

1-2 T. low sodium soy or tamari sauce

1/4 c. minced onion

1-2 T chili sauce

1 T dried parsley

1 T vinegar

Spoon over 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Bake in a covered 9x13 pan at 350 for 50 min.

Remove cover and bake 10 more min.

ENJOY!

Elvis Parfait Breakfast

Elvis Parfait Breakfast

Combine:

1/4 c reg oats

2 T raw buckwheat groats (it adds crunch, but optional)

2 T chia seeds

1 c milk

1 banana sliced

sprinkle of cinnamon

drizzle of real maple syrup

Top with:

1 T almond butter

I am just headed to the gym to teach Funky Fusion.

But I quick made this and will forward to eating it when I get home.

It needs to sit at least 2 hours in the fridge.

Do not cook!

You can also make it the night before and let it sit overnight.

How easy is that!!!

This can very easily be a vegan recipe, (just use rice or almond milk, which sometimes I do). Although I am not vegan, this recipe was inspired by Angela Liddon, a 100% vegan.

All these years...

A dear friend sent this little comic to me... it says,

The correct way to weigh yourself:

I can't believe I was

doing it wrong all these years.

General Health and Wellness Brochure

I was at my local grocery store, Festival Foods and a bright colorful pamphlet caught my eye!

Click here to see...

A portion of it read:

"Navigating all of the nutritional information in a grocery store can be pretty complicated.

That’s why NuValTM Scores are on all kinds of foods, from apples to cookies,

from yogurt to noodles to tuna.

The NuVal Score helps improve you and your family’s

overall nutrition with the foods they already eat."

I LOVE IT!

A health conscious grocery store with like-minded

goals such as my own!

Check it out next time you shop Festival.

If this is not available to you perhaps you could be the one to encourage such information to be implemented in your home town!

My Post Crescent Interview on Body Shapes

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away — unless you’re the apple.

What makes that the case? YMCA of the Fox Cities healthy living and weight-loss coordinator Stacy Summers explains.

“An apple body type carries their weight on the upper half of the body, while the pear shape carries their weight on the lower half of their body.”

Apples might think finding jeans that fit well is their toughest battle, but they face more significant challenges than that. A larger waistline can mean a greater risk of serious health problems. Read on to learn more.

Why am I an apple?

If you tend to store fat around your midsection, you can thank your mom and dad for that.

It comes down to genetics, Summers said.

However, that doesn’t mean your shape is completely out of your control. When your calorie intake and expenditure is balanced, your body won’t accumulate fat, no matter where your DNA tells it to go.

Stress, exercise and nutrition all play a part in that formula, said David Brown, president and owner of Underground Functional Fitness.

If your genetics have unleashed what he called “the Santa Claus effect,” you’re likely falling down on three fronts: “the mind, the muscle and the food.”

So my waist isn't all that trim. What's the big deal?

As it turns out, fat carried on the top half of your body is fundamentally

different from fat carried on the bottom half of your body.

“In general, those who have an apple-shaped body have more fat around their organs. That in and of itself is a health risk,” said Shana Hussin,

a ThedaCare registered dietitian and health coach.

This visceral fat surrounds the heart, lungs and liver like the Styrofoam in an electronics box. That puts pressure on your vital organs, Brown said.

Worse, though, is that visceral fat can become interstitial fat that invades the organs like the marbling in meat. This tends to increase cholesterol, blood pressure and triglycerides, which puts you at increased risk for heart disease.

And that’s not all. Abdominal fat “messes with your insulin levels.

That’s when diabetes starts to set in,” Brown said.

Won't doing lots of crunches help?

Summers said she gets questions like that all the time from people hoping to master their bodies’ problem areas. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.

“There’s no such thing as spot reducing. There’s no such thing as doing extra ab work for the apples or extra lunges and squats for the pears,” Brown said.

In fact, when Brown trains apples, he’s careful of exercises that position them on their backs or bellies, as many ab-centric movesdo.

These exercises can increase already higher-than-normal pressure on the organs.

His suggestion for anyone looking to lose fat, whether from their middles or their hips: Move those muscles that offer the most reward for your effort. The abdominal muscles are small and consume relatively few calories; by comparison, the large muscles in the thighs are energy-burning powerhouses.

If crunches won't work, what will?

Apples might want to spend less time doing sit-ups and more time calming their minds with yoga or tai chi.

“There is research out there that apple-shaped body types collect their fat around their abdomens, and that can have to do with stress,” Summers said.

But when it comes right down to it, apples have to face the same hard truth that we all do. You can’t magically shrink your middle or any other body part. You simply have to eat less and exercise more — if only that were simple.

“If (my clients) are looking to lose weight in general, I don’t do much different with a pear vs. an apple,” Hussin said. “I just try to get them as healthy as possible.”

In that process, she may take a slightly different approach to an apple’s fat intake. An emphasis on omega-rich healthy fats as well as oat-based foods may help lower cholesterol to reduce an apple’s risk of heart disease.

Beyond that, Hussin, Summers and Brown all agree: Whole foods — like apples and pears — are the key for apples and pears alike.

As Brown put it, “If it had a face, if it swam, ran or anything like that, you can eat it. If it grew out of the ground, you can eat it.”

How will I know I'm making progress?

Most of us rely on our scales to tell us whether we’re making fitness gains. But apples especially may want to look elsewhere for affirmation.

Tracking body mass index, or BMI, is helpful. Summers recommended www.bmi-calculator.net to determine this weight-to-height ratio, adding that women should aim for a BMI of 18.5 to 20.5.

One word of caution from Brown: BMI can be misleadingly high if you’re muscular. That’s why he prefers using waist and hip measurements to see whether his apple clients are headed in the right direction. (See breakout box for details.)

Pears have it easy, don't they?

It may seem like pears get off without a health hitch. “I’ve had people say, ‘Well, I’m a pear shape so I don’t have to worry so much,’” Summers said.

But pears have their own set of concerns, according to Brown. They are more prone to osteoporosis and eating disorders. Also, their fat deposits put pressure on blood vessels and lead to more varicose veins.

Then, of course, there’s cellulite. That subcutaneous fat may not wreak havoc on the organs, but it can be stubborn and slower to come off than an apple’s visceral fat, Brown said.

So apples, take heart and take action. You’ll be glad you did — and so will your ticker.

If you always do what you always did,

you will always get what you always got.

-Mark Twain

I Find It Inspiring

Recently two WI men, ages 61 and 80 were out ice-fishing.

The ice broke beneath them and they ended up "surfing"

7-12 foot waves on their small chunks of ice until being rescued two hours later.

Now that's what I call being fit!

Remarkable!

Read their story HERE.

Happiness Along the Way

This was sent to me by a reader. So I thought I would share...

We convince ourselves that life 
will be better after we get married, 
have a baby, then another. 


Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough 
and we'll be more content when they are.

After that we're frustrated that we 
have teenagers to deal with, 
we will certainly be happy 
when they are out of that stage.

We tell ourselves that our life will be complete 
when our spouse gets his or her act together, 
when we get a nicer car, 
are able to go on a nice vacation, 
when we retire. 


The truth is there's no better time 
to be happy than right now. 
If not now, when?

Your life will always be filled with challenges. 
It's best to admit this to yourself 
and decide to be happy anyway. 
One of my favorite quotes comes 
from Alfred D Souza.

He said, "For a long time it had seemed 
to me that life was about to begin -real life. 
But there was always some obstacle in the way, 
something to be gotten through first, 
some unfinished business, 
time still to be served, 
a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. 
At last it dawned on me that these 
obstacles were my life."

This perspective has helped me to see 
that there is no way to happiness. 


Happiness is the way, 
so, treasure every moment that you have. 
And treasure it more because you shared it 
with someone special, 
special enough to spend your time... 
and remember that time waits for no one.

So stop waiting until you finish school, 
until you go back to school, 
until you lose ten pounds, 
until you gain ten pounds, 
until you have kids, 
until your kids leave the house, 
until you start work, 
until you retire, 
until you get married, 
until you get divorced, 
until Friday night, 
until Sunday morning, 
until you get a new car or home, 
until your car or home is paid off, 
until spring, until summer, 
until fall, until winter, 
until you are off welfare, 
until the first or fifteenth, 
until your song comes on, 

until you die, decide there is no better time 
than right now to be happy... 


Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

8 Ways I Like to Burn It!

Here are 8 ways I personally burn additional calories throughout the day.

I've been doing this for so long it has become a natural part of my everyday living.

You can burn up to 350 additional calories.

1. Keep hand weights in the kitchen cupboard or out sitting on the counter.

While waiting for your dinner veggies to saute, or soup to simmer,

grab the weights and sneak in 3 sets of 12 reps.

2. Take the stairs 2 at a time... or 3 if you are feeling ambitious

(just hang onto the railing). *wink*

3. Lunge right and left while loading the dishwasher.

4. Drink a glass of water every time you walk past the sink.

Keep the glass out on the counter to serve as a reminder.

5. Fidget while sitting at the computer.

Listening to upbeat music helps keep your foot tapping & moving.

6. Invest in a hands-free ear piece while talking on the phone... and clean!

Clean anything!

7. Each time you're tempted to open the fridge or pantry and you are truly not hungry...

do 25 push-ups against the counter.

Works every time! And if you're still feeling the urge...

do another 25!

8. Clean the house with PURPOSE! While washing windows or oiling doors, squat down and

up reach high over your head and back down to the floor.

While mopping or vacuuming... push and pull focusing on your abs.

Squeeze your stomach muscles as you pull.

A Little Bit of Heaven Two Thousand Eleven

We're off to a great start!

January 2011 is here!

My motto for the year:

A Little Bit of Heaven Two Thousand Eleven

I imagine you've established your resolutions and look

forward to what this year will bring.

Heaven to me is living my life to the fullest with a

bright outlook

and doing all I can to embrace it!

Healthy living IS all it is cracked up to be.

I love that the body I've been given sustains me each day allowing

me to experience the world around me.

But how do we keep this exuberant outlook for a little longer

than 3 weeks...

this really should be the resolution to

the resolution.

Establishing goals for yourself is fantastic!

So how do we stay motivated?

Find more success by applying or more of these:

1. Buddy up.

Find others with like-minded goals and join forces!

I've always believed two heads are better than one.

2. Get to know your body.

Build a better relationship with yourself.

With any relationship worth building, you must

invest the time to be good to yourself.

Listen to your BODY TALK everyday!

IF YOU ARE NOT HUNGRY... WAIT!

IF YOU ARE NOT SURE YOU ARE HUNGRY... STILL WAIT!

Your body will let you know when it is ready for food.

3. Work it out.

Find the best workout that fits your personality.

If you are competitive: join a rec sports league,

sign up for a 5K, a bootcamp class or FUNKY FUSION!

If you are social: try a dance-based workout like

FUNKY FUSION!

If you are outdoorsy: go snow-shoeing, hiking or

simply walk the neighborhood.

If you are romantic: sign up for Zumba, line-dancing or

FUNKY FUSION!

My personal New Years Resolutions is as always to continue

on the healthiest lifestyle path I possibly can

AND

to EMBRACE MONDAYS!

YAY FOR MONDAYS!

Mojo Balls aka "Lara Bars"

2 c. dried fruit (your choice)
Here I used dried cherries & pears.

Puree dried fruit in the food processor until it looks something like this...

Remove fruit and throw in 2 c. raw nuts (your choice)
I used pecans.Remove nuts...

And then slowly add the nuts and fruit together.
Until it looks like this...
Form into golf-sized balls & roll in unsweetened coconut
or chia seed. (optional).

Store in the fridge or freezer in an air-tight container.

The girls LOVE to take these in their lunches!
Super Easy to make!

Tips for a Happy Thanksgiving Tummy

I can't believe it was a year my sister-in-law Allison and her hubby, Kev's brother, came for Thanksgiving last year. Seems like yesterday. Our dear friends the Watkins came as well and we sat for over an hour after dinner and visited and chatted just enjoying our time together.

I loved it and look forward to being with them again this year.

Getting ready for Thanksgiving was just part of the fun!

The adult table.

The kiddie table.

Yes, they ate on china.

Why not?

Tips to Keeping a Happy Thanksgiving Tummy!

1. Extra Small Portions of a few of your favorites.

If you have lots of food options, enjoy them while keeping it

into perspective by eating 2-3 bites of each.

2. Talk it up.

Visit with your family and friends. Remind yourself that Thanksgiving is about relationships and being thankful for the blessings in your life... your family and friends.

3. Plan a physical activity for Thanksgiving Day AND the day after!

If you live in the Fox Cities you can sign up for the Turkey Trot. Take your family along.

Set up a game of flag football or a bike ride... even an active walk will do.

You can also sign up for the FUNKY FUSION/ZUMBA event the day after....

"BURN THE TURKEY" at the Heart of the Valley, 9:00-10:30 a.m.

FREE to the public! Bring a friend/family member!

Non-members need only to bring in a canned food item.