Vegan Cooking Class!

Part 2 of the sister's birthday!!

After a good run, a hot shower, and some good family time, the women of the house were off again!  This time, we were going to Whole Foods to do a cooking class of Asian-style vegan foods!  I know it was my sister's birthday, but WOW! Could this day have been any more wonderful for me?!  *lol*  The funds that Whole Foods raised from this class went to help victims of the Pacific chaos going on.  So that was another huge perk!

The menu laid out for us was an Asian ginger salad, Miso soup, and a pear dessert!  We got in pairs and off we went!  The recipes were created by a raw vegan chef, so you know they're healthy!  Good produce, fresh fruit, and no oils!  Hooray!

Carolyn and I started with dessert (because who wouldn't want to?!  Ok, that's also the station we were kind of randomly assigned to...)

Here's my beautiful model of a sister displaying our pretty dish!

That's a baked pear with a delicious almond milk spiced sauce (and decorated with a star anise just because it's pretty! Don't try to eat one!  They're HARD!)

Then we went to the salad station and made this delicious Asian salad with a ginger sesame dressing!  I actually didn't care for the dressing that much, but the salad with its orange wedges was a sweet treat!

Lots of good greens in this one!  Plus some almonds, cucumber, and carrots!

Here's my most wonderful mom walking back with her bowl of Miso soup - the third station!

Udon noodles, bok choy, and wakame in a miso broth - quite good, but not "green" enough for my liking ;-)  I'd do tons of bok choy with just a smattering of noodles if I had my way!  But still super yum!

Here's our giant pot of soup - we made enough for 8 people so we could take home the left overs!  Tee hee!

So that the other event of Saturday!  Quite enjoyable!  Plus the next day, I had lots of leftover salad to enjoy for lunch :)  Yay!

Peace and Beauty in a Tropical Paradise

After a week in the glorious Pacific, I felt rejuvenated and relaxed.  Don't forget tot ake time to take care of yourself!

While Stress can sometimes push you through a hard time, too much of it will burn you out.  It taxes your blood pressure, your mental focus, and runs down your adrenal glands. 

 

"Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.." --Philippians 4:8 (The Message Bible)

Fun Creatures of the Island

Time out from health and nutrition to share the fun wild creatures we saw while we were there! I suppose to me, this was a health thing. Nature and living critters (most) are a thing that bring me happiness and peace. Where I live and work, it is just a cacauphony of chaos! I walk past busy streets with blaring horns and thumping radios; I walk past exhaust-exhuding parking garages; and I walk past smoking coal factories. Ugg! So I welcome the quite life and the natural creatures as a break from all the man-made machines.

Ahhh, peace. :)

So, first! Boonie Dogs! Stray animals are viewed as just the way of life there. No one really claims them, but no one really minds them either. I'm not exactly sure how they survive, but they were everywhere!

And of course, Dave and his love of catching gekos...

We would walk along the beach and find many little sand crabs, too! This one was a little baby guy. How cute!

I'm still not sure what kind of moth this one is... anyone? It made me think of a deck of playing cards!

We saw several hermit crabs. Both small ones...

...and big ugly ones!

I LOVE the coloring and spotting on this red guy! So crazy!

Such amazing variety in creatures! My general rule is - as long as it has more than 2 legs but less than 4, I'm usually ok. But I suppose I may make an exception for the hermit crab... depending how you define "legs" with them! ;-)

My "Staycation"

Good morning! I am taking some time off of work for once - and NOT going anywhere or doing anything major.

I guess that has become termed a "staycation" when you just stay home. But I am using it to get myself recharged and revamped. Work has been particularly tiresome lately, and I have had cabin fever brewing! I did not want my entire summer to get away from me without getting to enjoy some of it!

So yesterday, Dave and I took a mini-road trip to have dinner with my dad. Today I took a glorious run outside!

Four miles, high humidity, few people - perfect! And what made it extra perfect? I saw a family of deer crossing my path as I went! This beautiful doe walked out, followed by her two little fawns - fresh with the baby fuzz and white spots! I wished so badly that I had my camera! They didn't seem particularly scared by me. I slowed to a walk, and tried to approach. Of course, they didn't let me get TOO close, but probably within 5 feet or so! Then they just lazily continued across the path into the brush.

And what fantastic colors there are on the trails now! So many bright colored flowers have blossomed up and wave gently in the air! Lovely, lovely, lovely! So it was quite a rejuvenating run, and at the end I had my wonderful coconut water waiting (no chemical, artificially colored and sweetened sports drinks for me, thanks!) and I took my shoes off and did some stretching in the grass. (I really need to get myself a good portable mat.) I came home and made a "Blue-Green Power Smoothie." Quite an interesting drink, but rich in revitalizing potassium, replenishing coconut electrolytes, powerful proteins, and more!

So my goals for each day of my staycation: study, sweat, and snack on all natural foods! (With maybe one splurge night at Dave's request...)

And do some relaxation/meditation in quiet, and of course have fun!

Don't forget to take time for yourself! With all the balls you juggle - family, job, classes, gym time, taking care of friends, dealing with housework or car repairs... you need to make sure you keep yourself healthy and energized! Slow down, take a few breaths, and take 15 minutes at least for yourself! I am spoiling myself with a full 5 days for me, but... well, I am blessed that I have that option right now :)

Love to you all! Take care!
~Katie

Zzzzzz......

My dearest hubby boy has been having trouble sleeping again lately, and feeling fatigued during the day. And lets face it – most people these days thrive on caffeine to get through a brain-fudgy day! I am pleased to say that today, after a long night of sleep, I am enjoying caffeine-free spice tea rather than my normal green tea. But I’ll be the first to admit I find it difficult to commit to normal, healthy amounts of sleep. In such a busy world, it is so easy to want to sacrifice sleep to have more time to do other activities or errands. 42% of all healthy, middle-aged women report some kind of sleep trouble, including difficulty falling asleep, awaking during the night, or not feeling refreshed in the morning.

But sleep is essential! The journal, SLEEP, did a study that found too little sleep (less than 5 hours per night) may increase your risk of abdominal fat, versus those who got at least 6 hours of zzz’s per night.

Not only that, but it is during our visit to lullabye land that some of our most important immune system functions occur, along with some important antioxidant activity.

So how much sleep do you need? Sadly, there’s no “magic number” that’s cookie-cutter perfect for everyone. But the Sleep Foundation says the average adult can use 7-8 hours nightly as a rule of thumb, then adjust from there based on the individual. Note when you feel really well rested versus feeling tired or foggy. The foundation goes on to say that researchers are learning about two factors to a person’s needs: basal sleep needs, and sleep debt. Basal needs are how much your body needs on a regular, average basis. The sleep debt is what it sounds like – any extra rest you may need after skimping on sleep in the past, sickness, disrupted sleeping, etc. The good news is they say over time, you CAN pay off sleep debt and get back to a healthy cycle!

Healthy sleep is a complex issue and takes both mind and body into consideration. So yes, you may have more trouble sleeping if you’re stressed or anxious. You may have trouble waking if you’re depressed or ill. Some things you may have little control over (I wake to garbage trucks clanging and crashing behind my bedroom 2 to 4 times a week between the hours of 1am and 5am... ugg!) but other things you can control! Environment, exercise, nutrition.

Environment:
*Make sleeping consistent – go to bed and wake around the same time, even on weekends
*Create a wind-down program of reading, bathing, or listening to music
*Make sure you have a comfortable bed
*Keep your room free of “sleep stealers” like tv, computers, or other distractions.

Exercise
*Daily! Even if it’s only a 20 minute walk: Your body needs to have at least a little bit of physical fatigue to sleep. Just because you’re mentally exhausted at the end of the day does not mean your body will be ready to sit still and rest.
*Exercise will also help you re-regulate your appetite to help balance out a healthy diet
*Do not exercise too closely to bed time (aim for at least 1-2 hours before) or it may stir you up more than help you relax.

Nutrition
(of course, my favorite area!)
*As is so commonly shared: avoid stimulating food or drink such as coffee, tea, cola, chocolate. (Or at least go for caffeine free – NOT “decaffeinated” as it may still have small amounts of caffeine!)
*Also avoid alcohol – while is seems like a relaxing idea, studies show that it does interfere with good, restful and rejuvenating sleep.
*For dinner, avoid sugar-spiking foods (sugar, refined flours and grains, pop) and stick to whole foods. Be sure to include some protein and healthy fats.
*Avoid a large dinner shortly before bed – aim for 4 hours before; only have a light snack if you’re truly hungry, not just because you’ve got a case of the munchies

You may think a heavy meal will be an enjoyable way to give yourself a ticket to food-coma land, but like the alcohol, it’s not actually restorative sleep. You may feel tired after a large meal, but your body actually goes in to over time – your circulatory system is pumping more blood to the digestive tract, your stomach is secreting extra gastric acids while the smooth muscles start roiling and churning for digestion, and your pancreas is spitting out its enzymes. Your body is a’workin’!

Make sure you eat regularly through the day: don’t eat a huge meal because you neglected to eat, and are trying to “make up” for the missed needs! Instead of trying to “treat” damage done during the day, “prevent” it from happening in the first place! Nutrition isn’t really retroactive. It takes time to break down in your body and be utilized. You get nutrition after you eat, not before ;-)

Ok ok, I know – all is easier said than done! So many things that could affect your sleep and your health! So, pick one or two to aim for – if you’re going to have a huge dinner, at least keep it healthy and light; if you’re going to insist on ice cream for dessert, at least try to limit the portion and have it early; if you can’t take that tv out of your room, at least unplug it (I find there’s a slight electrical sound from my tv and I would not be surprised at all if it can subtly affect sleep! When we actually shut the whole thing down, not just turn off the screen, there’s a substantial and noticeable snap followed by real silence!)

Pick your own goal, but make sure you’re taking care of yourself!

Sleep well, on this wonderfully warm weekend!

~Katie

Simple Crave-Control Technique

Well I am getting ready to kick off a lovely three day weekend with the family :) Hopefully you have some enjoyable things planned.

I hope to just relax!

And along with relaxing – breathing!

(Well, of course you’re going to breath, silly girl – like you have a choice?!)

I mean more than just normal breathing. You may already be familiar with the connection between breathing and stress reduction. If you’re not, here’s the skinny: slow, deep breaths can help reduce stress!

That’s it! Simple!

But I find another benefit to a few deep breaths: regaining control over food cravings.

The conflict of food can be a real source of stress for some people! When something is presented in front of me, my mind beings to wage war – The tongue is screaming to indulge; the body is asking for healthy foods. While it’s subtle, I have noticed that I start to tense up – my mind races between motivational quips to stop me, and simultaneously dumps a whirlwind of excuses and reasonings as to why indulgence is fine. (Don’t get me wrong – occasional indulgence IS fine. I’m taking about an on-going, too-often occurrence!)

When a person is anxious, breathing naturally shallows, along with a host of other automatic processes. But if you intervene, force yourself to calm down and breathe deeply, quiet your mind, I find you can often regain control and lessen the stress!

It’s not fool-proof, but it has helped me many a’time!

(And I have read from a source that I can’t recall right now, a theory that extra oxygen is beneficial to the body – keeps you more alkaline. And hyperbaric chambers pump oxygen into sick and injured individuals under the premise that various diseases cannot thrive in high oxygen environments. So hey! There may be additional bonuses besides kicking the craving!)

Hang in there, enjoy life, smile, and know you’re lovely! :D

~Katie