Adventures of New Veggies

I thought I would try two different vegetables last night. I made three different things, and thought they were all pretty good. 

1) Delicata Squash: My new favorite! This long winter squash is SOOO easy to cook. I sliced it in half lengthwise, scooped out the seeds, and cut them into 1/2" "moon" shapes. I tossed them in olive oil and sprinkled on some salt.  I baked them at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, and flipped them with a spatula every 10 minutes. The goal is to get them nice and browned on the edges. They tasted almost like sweet potato fries. I even got the boys to eat the MOON FRIES too! 

Since my oven was still hot...

2) Chard Chips: I made these just like I do with Kale Chips, and while these were quite good, I liked Kale Chips better. Just look how bright green these veggies are!!!

3) Chard Stems with Parmesan: Everything is better with cheese. Since I eat a paleo diet, I really don't each much cheese or dairy of any kind. However, I did try these last night and I thought they were good. First, I sliced the stems of the chard into sticks and par-cooked them in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Then I put them into a pan, added a little EVOO, and some Parmesan. I baked them for about 15 minutes or until the cheese was nice a brown. 

Cassie Shares Her Cooking Thoughts for 8WW

I'm a very simple cook. I usually don't give myself a whole lot of time to put things together so the less time things take the better.  Every morning I eat one or two eggs with some bell peppers mixed in and it's yummy.

Last night I threw together a really good lettuce wrap. It was just mixed bell peppers and a couple pieces of cut up chicken wrapped in lettuce. Really simple but tasted great! 

Meditation Station

In the past year, I've learned that meditation is very beneficial for lots of reasons. I started meditating when I did 8 Weeks to Wellness with a CD that gave me directions on how to breathe, what to do, etc. After falling asleep the first few times, I finally got it figured out. I find that meditating gives me mental clarity, helps me concentrate more, forget about the little stuff that happens in a day, cheers me up if I am "down", and helps me relax before bed. 

Sometimes it's hard to find time or a place to meditate in our crazy house, especially if the male creatures of our family are awake. This led me to create a "Meditation Station" which is a portable tub of stuff that helps me wind down for the day. While most of my meditating comes from quiet music and repetitive breathing, I also have included some other quiet activities in the tub when I need some time to reflect. Here's what I have included:

My Bible, a Smash Folio journal, a small book I put sermon notes in,  fun items for my journal (flower cards, thank you notes, fun photos, etc.), some scrapbook paper/markers/glue sticks, and anything I love but don't know where else to put it. I highly recommend a  Smash Folio--they are tons of fun and very inspiring! 

Everything I need fits into this tub. I added a clip-on timer in case I get really "zoned out".

This is a great way for me to slow life down, reflect on all the blessings I have, and relax my mind, body, and soul at the end of the day. Add the meditation station with Deepak Chopra on Pandora, and I am ready for my mind-soothing moments. 

Give it a try! I know your brain and body will thank you! 

Myth: Fat Makes You Fat

One thing we've certainly learned about nutrition after participating in 8 Weeks to Wellness, Paleo, and general research, FAT DOES NOT MAKE YOU FAT. Fat is not the enemy, and it can even make you HEALTHIER!

Now, we are not talking about the fat they use to cook food with at fast food restaurants, but good quality fats found in foods like avocados, olive oil, eggs, nuts, and coconut oil. Not all fats are created equal. Eating good fats in place of saturated fat lowers the “bad” LDL cholesterol, and it improves the ratio of total cholesterol to “good” HDL cholesterol, lowering the risk of heart disease. Eating good fats in place of saturated fat can also help prevent insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes.

How do we use the good types of fat in our house? We cook with olive oil, coconut oil, and eat plenty of avocados. We don't buy anything that says Trans Fat, Fully or Partially Hydrogenated Oils of any kind, and try to make sure that we eat lots of good fruits, vegetables, and meats of high quality. 

Here a few pictures from tonight's dinner:

1) Our youngest is the best eater of us all. No dairy for him, just lots of organic vegetables, fruits, and meats. And we do throw in some whole grains for balance. Tonight's "appetizer" plate consisted of blueberries, strawberries, avocados, and kiwi. 

2) Roasted Green Beans and Brocolli--I love roasting veggies. I cut up what ever vegetable we have on hand (green beans, sweet potatoes, brocolli, etc.), mix with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and roast in 425 degree oven for about 12 minutes. Yum!

 3) Kale Chips--Cut the stem out of large leaves of kale, coat with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and bake in 400 degree oven for about 6 minutes. The key with Kale is to not let it get brown in the oven, but take it out when it is crispy and not chewy. We have family fights over Kale chips. (I have a secret batch hidden so I can snack while watching Hawaii 5-0 tonight! Ssshhh!)

4) Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes (in you guessed it, olive oil). Simple recipe: Take 2lbs of chicken and place in 9 x 13 baking dish. Dump on a jar of sun-ripened tomatoes in olive oil (produce section of grocery store) and bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is done. I cook with foil on top of for the first 20 minutes, and then finish baking until chicken is done. 

Tonight's dinner had more olive oil than usual...I was trying to cook ahead for the week a bit. I love that my family is eating healthy, and tasty, meals! 

"When Diet and Exercise are Not Enough..." False.

Health is not about bad/good luck with your genes. You don’t have arthritis, heart disease or back pain because your parents did. Getting old DOES NOT mean you should have more health problems and more pain. Do you really think we are supposed to have more pain and sickness/disease the older we get? Your health choices ultimately determine what genes are expressed or not expressed. I’m not saying that genes don’t play a role, they do, but they are not the determining factor in your health. Being healthy requires regular deposits in your “health” account.

Our society has been blasted with commercials and ads that say, “When diet and exercise are not enough…” Diet and exercise don’t fail. Making healthy choices don’t fail. Our society is about getting quick results right now by taking care of the symptoms, not the problem. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, pain, and other health conditions usually result from poor health choices and stress. Getting healthy and reducing your physical, chemical, and emotional stress will eliminate the problems. Here are 5 healthy choices you can start to get healthy with. To learn more about incorporating these healthy choices into your lifestyle, come listen to our next 8 Weeks to Wellness orientation. Check the office and website for details.

1.     1.  Have your spine and nervous system checked by a Chiropractor. Your nervous system controls everything. Make sure it’s working at 100%.

2.      2. Eat healthy. 5-6 small meals/day with a balanced portion of carbs, protein and fat.

3.     3.  Exercise- 3-4 times/week for 30-45 minutes. It needs to include cardio and resistance training.

4.    4.   Relaxation techniques-massage, meditation, yoga, reading, etc can help relax your mind.

5.      5. Sleep

Pandora Junkie

Music motivates me, relaxes me, and at times in my, has actually paid the bills. I use music when I relax, workout, or drive to work. I even have a "cleaning CD" which has an embarrassing mix of hip-hop music that I just can't seem to get enough of. 

I recently discovered Pandora, which could quite possibly be the best invention of all time. It's my favorite app on my phone and I use it all the time. Here's how I use it, and hopefully you can find a way to incorporate it into your life too. The idea behind Pandora is that you can create channels of music that are custom made to you. For example, Wes and I created a "Maroon 5" channel we use when we are driving. If a song is on that we like, we click the thumbs up button. If there is a song that we don't like, thumbs down it is. Pandora learns to play what you like most. 

Here are my Top 5 Channels:

1) Quick Mix--all the best of today's music (Great for singing loudly in the car)

2) Heart Meditations Radio with Deepak Chopra--great for meditating, a relaxing soak in the tub, or giving birth to. 

3) Pop and Hip Hop Power Workout Radio--This is FANTASTIC for your jog or weightlifting session. 

4) Maroon 5 (Or your favorite band)--all your favorites without all the fillers 

5) Holiday--This was great at Christmas. It learned to filter out "This Christmas" and all the other radio songs that are overplayed in our area. 

Find ways to add music to your life TODAY! Turn up the volume & get your blood pumpin'. Your body will thank you! 

How Do You Play?

Part of my Primal Blueprint Challenge is to play. Just simply play. The author, Mark Sisson, suggests biking, hiking, playing on the beach, long strolls in the morning and evenings, etc. All things I love to do! Yay!

BUT...this is Iowa. In January. So I started thinking about ways we can play in Iowa during the really cold months. And then I had the added complication of playing with a 5 year old and a 1 year old. I hit a wall of ways to play in Iowa, without snow.

Here's what I've come up with so far (and I'm counting on YOU to help me add to my list because I have lots of play time ahead of me!) 

• Sledding/playing in snow/building in snow  (if we ever have snow again)
• Bowling
• Ice Skating
• Family Dancing (This is a lot of fun with Dr. Wes in the house. Please see our Facebook video if you've never seen him dance. We love to dance; he's the only one of us who will do it in public. :) )
• Hike a trail
• Go on a walk someplace new
• Geocaching (this is something I really want to try!) 
• Obstacle Course (inside or outside)
• Walking the Dog
• Playing at a Playground

PS--Did you do anything outside today? It took me all day to get to be able to go outside. I walked our dog, Barkley, at 7pm under a sky full stars. It was so nice I didn't even wear a coat. I sacrificed dinner with my men, but had a really relaxing time outside. I hope you found a way to get energized today too! 

Katie's New Wellness Challenge

I've recently been hunting for a new wellness challenge. I saw Dr. Denise of 8 Weeks to Wellness posted this book as a good starting place for a wellness plan. I completed 8 Weeks to Wellness myself last spring and lost almost 7% body fat, 22lbs, and felt amazing. I've since kept off all the weight, but I feel like my body is not the same quality it was at the end of 8WW. I know I could do it again pretty easily, but I wanted to try something different just for fun. 

I've been spending the last two weeks reading about the Paleo and Primal way of living. Very basically, this means just eating meat and plants. No dairy. No grains. Your life is supposed to be as close to a hunter-gatherer's way of life as possible. I was interested in this for a few reasons:

• Eating 2-3 meals per day with snacks is great for my lifestyle
• Increased energy (taking care of two boys and being awake as a doula for days at a time requires some energy) 
• Intermittent Fasting (great for my life as a doula; sometimes eating isn't an option)
• Balanced approached to living--eating, exercising, slowing life down, etc. 
• Adding lots of flavor and spices to meals (a personal goal of mine)
• A "kick in the butt" for continued weight loss and breaking some bad habits I've developed
• Workouts are short and sweet, but quite intense 

Today I started eating and living "Primally". So far, so good. 

Here's an idea for you to try: Salads in a Jar

Layer your basic salad ingredients in a quart-sized Mason jar. Start with dressing and end with lettuce. As long as they don't touch, your salad will stay fresh for up to a week in the fridge. I made four salads last night and stuck them in the fridge. All I need to do is turn them over, shake, and eat!  This is truly FAST FOOD! 

(My dressing is EVOO, lemon juice, and Italian Seasonings from Tastefully Simple). 

Welcome!

One of our staff goals for 2012 is to create a place for patients and wellness community to learn more about living a wellness lifestyle. All of our staff members will be blogging regularly, and we know there will be something new and educational for all of our readers! Is there something you want to know more about? Let us know! 

What are your health goals for 2012? How can we help you with your goals? 

Do you want to...

• Get off medications?
• Live with less pain?
• Lose weight?
• Run a 5k? A marathon?
• Walk up the stairs without pain?
• Learn how to meditate?
• Eat better?

Put goals in writing somewhere you can see them every day. Talk to Dr. Wes about your goals and let us help you make 2012 a very successful year!