• About
  • Gardening
  • Whole Food Supplements

Creating a Healthy Lifestyle

Creating a Healthy  Lifestyle

Monthly Archives: June 2012

Veggie Art

29 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Family Fun, Healthy Eating

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Family Fun, Healthy Eating, Vegetable Art, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Veggie Art

Veggie ArtHave fun with raw veggies! Children of all ages can make silly faces, rainbows, or their own creation using vegetables.

Get creative with a wide variety of vegetables cut into different shapes and sizes.  For example, cucumbers and carrots can be cut into round shapes or into sticks.  Broccoli can be large stalks for trees or small for earrings, as in the photo.

Gather a colorful selection of vegetables.  This could include carrots, celery, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, snow peas, tomatoes, bell peppers (red, yellow, orange or green), jicama, or any other vegetable that would taste good raw.

Create your own masterpiece. take a photo, then bring out a dip or hummus and enjoy eating your creation!

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Advertisement

Take The Sodium Quiz

28 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Eating

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Convenience food, Healthy Eating, nutrition facts labels, Packaged Food, Salt, Sodium, sodium intake, Sodium Quiz

Take the Salt QuizWhich food has the highest amount of sodium?

a.  Jello Instant Pudding

b.  Cup O’Noodles

c.  1 dill pickle

d.  1 cup Progresso Lentil Soup

We all need some salt in our diet, yet if we consume too many processed foods, we may be getting an unhealthy amount.  Check the Nutrition Facts Labels of everything from soups and sauces to condiments and crackers.  In other words, take a look at any food or drink item that has a label on it.  Remember to look for the number of servings in the container and serving size. It is not uncommon for a packaged food or bottled drink to contain more than one serving.

To balance out your sodium intake, increase your servings of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, unsalted nuts, and lean protein.  In addition, when you prepare your own meals and recipes, you have control over how much salt you add, if any.

Answer: b Cup O’Noodles has 1500 mg of sodium, a Jello Pudding has 400 mg, c. 1 dill pickle has 900 mg, and d. 1 cup Progresso Lentil Soup has 810 mg.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Easy Homemade Hummus

27 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Recipes

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Garbanzo Beans, Healthy Eating, Healthy Snack, Hummus, Recipe, Vegetarian

2 large garlic cloves

1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas) drained

2 tablespoons plain non-fat yogurt or water

2 tablespoons peanut butter or almond butter

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

salt and pepper

Mince garlic in a food processor.  Add remaining ingredients and blend, occasionally scraping down the sides of the work bowl.  Continue blending until it reaches a smooth consistency.  If too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of water.  If desired, season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to a small bowl.  Cover and store in the refrigerator.  This recipe can be served cold or at room temperature.

Enjoy with raw vegetables: carrots, celery, cucumbers, jicama, colored bell peppers (red, yellow, orange or green), tomatoes, broccoli, or cauliflower.  It’s also great with toasted whole wheat pita bread.

Fast Walk, Jog or Run Your Way to The Finish Line!

26 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Body

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

10K, 5K, Exercise, Fast Walking, Full-Marathon, Half-Marathon, Healthy Body, Movement, Recreation and Sports, Running, Walking

Fast walk, jog or run your way to the finish line!Have you ever thought of doing a 5K, 10k, half-marathon or full-marathon? 

The first race I ever did was with the American Stroke Association.  I had gotten a postcard in the mail to train and raise money for the organization.  I was not a runner and had not exercised consistently in a while, yet I was so drawn to doing this.  

After hearing two stroke survivors talk about their experience of having just finished a full marathon (one of them was 82 years old), I figured that if they could do it, I, being able-bodied, could too.  So on January 15, 2006, after 7 hours of running and walking and running and walking, I finished a full marathon. 

Since 2006, I have completed numerous half-marathons, mostly by walking 15-16 minute miles, as I have mentored and trained others to finish their first race.  I have since organized a group of friends who, for the past 5 years have been getting together every Saturday morning to train for half-marathons, our favorite distance. It also happens to be the most popular distance of races in the United States.

Now is a great time to plan and train for a fall or winter race.  You can start with a 5K (3.1 miles), a 10K (6.2 miles), a half-marathon (13.1 miles) or a full marathon (26.2 miles). Search online for races in your area, contact charity organizations or visit a local running store, they may even have a training program you can participate in.  You can also find training schedules online.

If you live in Northern California and would like to train with my group or meet up at a race in the area, just leave me a comment below.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

The Holidays are 6 Months Away!

25 Monday Jun 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Mind

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Birthdays, Care Package, Christmas and holiday season, Donating, Gift Giving, Giving, Holidays, Philanthropy

You might be wondering why, here in June, I would be writing about the holidays we celebrate in December. 

While we are many months away from the holiday season of family traditions and gift giving, there are many individuals and families who could use our assistance year round.

There is the gift of time, a short visit, a cooked meal, offering to clean or do laundry, or providing a ride.  Think of people who are ill, injured or elderly. 

There are also many families that could use a gift of necessities such as clothing, footwear, toiletries, and food. If you aren’t sure what to get, gift cards work well. You can “adopt” a family in your community, or you can get a group of people together at work, your religious organization, or in your neighborhood and spread out the giving.  Contact local religious organizations or donation organizations to find out if they have families to “adopt.” 

Once you have your family, then provide a “care package” of new or gently used items throughout the year.  Think about the needs you have for each season; summer, fall, winter and spring, as well as at holidays and on birthdays.  Donations can be big or small, something for the whole family, for each member or each child.  During the summer months, a donation of summer clothing, school supplies, books and toys would be useful. 

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Childhood Experiences Can Shape Who We Become as Adults!

22 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Family Fun

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Acting, Animals, Camping, Career Counseling, Cooking, Dance, Family Fun, Games, Gardening, Imagination, Interests, Jigsaw puzzle, Library, Music, Passions, Photography, Playing, Puzzle, Reading, Science, Sports, Summer camp, Summer Fun, Things to do, Writing, Zoo, zoo volunteer

Childhood ExperiencesWhat were you interested in as a child? If you have children, what are they interested in or passionate about?  Did you know that many adults, when seeking career counseling, are asked about childhood interests?  Following your interests and passions, with a little imagination, can lead to a satisfying career or hobby.

Here are some “memory joggers” for adults and ways for children to explore and foster their interests and passions:

Science – get several books about science from the library and find some science experiments to do at home, visit a science museum, take a class about an area of science that interests you, or attend a science camp.

Animals – visit a zoo, volunteer at an animal rescue organization, foster a dog or cat, offer to walk a neighbor’s dog, take horseback riding lessons.

Sports – if you like being active, join a team, attend a sports camp, or get a neighborhood game going.  Try a new sport: badminton, ping-pong, tennis, golf, baseball, basketball or volleyball.  Go see a local team play live or watch some of the 2012 Olympics.  Make your own fun Olympics with activities like: jumping rope, hula hooping, doing jumping jacks, hopping on one foot, or relay races. You could also read books about your favorite sports teams, players, athletes or coaches.

Gardening – grow a garden of vegetables, herbs or flowers.  Participate in or start a community garden in your area.  Ask a neighbor with a garden if you could help maintain it.

Swimming/water play – create your own Olympics with a friendly neighborhood swim contest, have a parent/kid race, or join a swim team.  Play Marco-Polo, pool volleyball, toss a beach ball, get out the water guns, run through the sprinklers, or play catch with water balloons.

Enjoying the outdoors – get out in nature by going outside in your back yard, visit a park, the mountains, desert, or beach. Run through the grass, collect rocks or shells, or pick up trash. Go camping, make mud pies, build a sand or dirt castle, dig a big hole and fill it with water then put your feet in it, or build roads in dirt for toy trucks and cars.

Playing games – play board games, cards, or make your own themed game with cardboard and dice or cards.

Acting – play charades, write a skit and perform it or make a short movie and record it.

Music – listen to different types of music, go see a live concert or performance, watch musical movies, take singing lessons, learn to play the piano or another instrument, read biographies about music artists.

Computers – learn how they work, or learn a new computer program, take a class, create a website.

Photography – take pictures, frame some, make a collage, choose a theme to photograph, take black and white photos, edit photos on the computer.

Dance – put on some music and dance, take lessons, go out dancing, watch dance shows on TV or live.

Cooking – find some new recipes to cook, create your own recipe, take a cooking class, make your own cook book with your favorite recipes or family favorites.

Puzzles – do a jigsaw puzzle, Word Search, Sudoku or Kenken (math related) puzzle.

Reading – find a good book to read, a mystery, drama, or biography, visit your local library, they often have summer reading programs, start a book club, browse a used book store.

Writing – write poetry, a short story, a children’s book, a blog, or keep a journal.

Love, Health and Happiness,

Phyllis

The Lowdown on Sugar

21 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Eating

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Empty Calories, excessive sugar, Healthy Eating, Sugar, summer fruits, Taste Buds

Why does sugar have to taste so good and not be so good for us?  I’ve heard that long ago, before the invention of processed food, when people ate what nature provided, that one way of telling if something was safe to eat was if it tasted sweet.  While this may have kept humans alive centuries ago, today it is creating quite a health crisis.  

Excessive sugar intake can cause significant weight gain, lead to type 2 diabetes, and contribute to metabolic syndrome. The empty calories in sugar don’t provide any nutritional benefit, often leaving us feeling unsatisfied and wanting to eat more.

Now that summer is here, so are sweet summer fruits!  Peaches, nectarines, watermelon, berries, kiwi, melons, plums, cherries, apricots…  Okay, they may not always satisfy that craving, but I think this is what nature intended in the sweets department. So the next time you are craving something sweet have a piece of fruit.  By adding one or two servings of fruit to your daily eating, you can change your taste buds over time, and one day you may find that your cravings for sweets will be satisfied by fruit. 

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Black Bean Salad

20 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Recipes

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Avocado, Beans, Black Beans, Healthy Eating, Recipe, Vegetarian

Black Bean Salad2 cups black beans, drained and rinsed 
1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup corn (fresh or canned)
1 tablespoon green onion, finely chopped
1 ripe avocado, diced
 
Dressing:
1 tablespoons olive oil 
1 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Optional: add salt and pepper to taste
 
Place beans, peppers, corn and green onion in a bowl.  Prepare the dressing by combining all of the ingredients.  Pour dressing over bean mixture and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.  Right before serving, add the avocado and mix gently to not mash the avocado.
 
Serve as a side salad, on top of a green salad, with warm corn tortillas or baked corn tortillas.
 
  

Could You Spend $2,000 a Day, Every Day?

19 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Family Fun, Healthy Body

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Calorie, Diet, Family Fun, Game, Healthy Body, Healthy Eating, Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition facts label, Serving size, Weight Loss

MoneyIf you were given $2,000 every day, you might have a hard time spending that much money, every single day.  Yet, if you were given $2,000 a day and you had to buy your calories at $1/calorie, some of us could easily spend that much before noon, or on one meal! 

Calories are our body’s energy currency. Calories are used to create energy for our body’s daily activities. Olympic athletes can fuel their bodies with 5,000 or more calories each day, while most of us non-professional athletes only need a fraction of that, about 1600 – 2500 calories a day.  (Check with your doctor to determine your ideal weight and caloric needs).  The more active you are the more energy your body needs.

Make it a game and try this on your own or with your family: “Buy” your calories for three days in a row and see how much you are really “spending.”  You don’t need real cash to do this.  Money from games like Monopoly or Payday will work. Remember to include everything you eat, drink and chew.  This includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, all drinks, snacks, tastes, candies and gum. For calorie information, see the Nutrition Facts label of each food item for calories per serving and serving size.  When eating out, the calories may be posted on the menu.  If those options are unavailable, there are many sites online that have calorie count information.

No matter what “diet” we choose, our bodies need calories for energy, and unused calories get stored as fat. When we understand this concept, then eating with awareness and making good choices replaces any temporary diet. This is the an important step in creating a lifestyle of healthy eating.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Moment by Moment

18 Monday Jun 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Mind

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

All is Well, Anger, Anxiety, Basic Needs, Faith, Family, Fear, Financial Stress, Friends, Future, Health, Healthy Mind, Overwhelmed, Past, Positive Psychology, Relationships, Stress, Trust, Well-being, Worry

Moment by Moment“I have everything I need in this very moment.”  This is one my favorite statements I say to myself when I’m feeling overwhelmed, worrying about the future, or caught up about something in the past.  That doesn’t mean I don’t make plans, set goals and make “To-Do” lists.

When you think about it, what do you really need?  Saying, “I have everything I need in this very moment,” at a core level, is true.  It’s a mind-set that can produce a sense of well-being by lowering stress, anxiety, fear, anger and resentment. You may need to pay a bill next week, deal with a difficult person at work or at a social gathering soon, or are worried about retiring in 20 years. Yet, today in this very moment, you are okay and have enough for right now.

As long as your basic needs are met each day, you truly have everything you need in this moment. Many of us are fortunate to have much more than our basic needs.  We may have a computer or smart phone to access knowledge, a job to earn money, a car to get around, good friends or family who love you or a pet you are fond of.  You may also have a body that functions well most days, allowing you to do all that you do in a day.

Have you noticed that over the course of your life, that most things work out? How many meals have you missed or nights have you not had a place to sleep?  Take a moment to feel, that in this very moment, you have everything you need and you are okay.  Have faith and trust that everything you need will show up. I’ve noticed that the more I live from the place of “all is well in this moment,” the more all is well in every moment.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

← Older posts

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012

Categories

  • Family Fun
  • Healthy Body
  • Healthy Eating
  • Healthy Mind
  • Recipes

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Creating a Healthy Lifestyle
    • Join 87 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Creating a Healthy Lifestyle
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...