Ratatouille-Style Vegetable Stew

Having a healthy lifestyle calls for creativity in the kitchen. As well as thinking outside the box on eating.  Last week's trip to the West Side Market, I bought a beautiful bag of fresh basil, and nice size eggplant. According to WHfoods.org, eggplant is a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B1, and copper. It is a good source of manganese, vitamin B6, niacin, potassium, folate, and vitamin K. Eggplant also contains phytonutrients such as nasunin and chlorogenic acid. 

With the veggies that I already had at home, this was a fun recipe to whip up over the weekend.  It was light and very filling.  As an extra idea, you can add some wheat pasta shells on the side and some grilled or baked lean meat. Enjoy!














INGREDIENTS: 

• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 cup medium-diced red onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1½ cups medium-diced red bell pepper
• 2 cups medium-diced eggplant
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes 
• 1 cup medium-diced zucchini
• ¼ cup vegetables stock, homemade or boxed low-sodium
• ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh chives, minced
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Ground black pepper, to taste 

INSTRUCTIONS: 

• In a Dutch oven or large skillet on medium, heat 1 tbsp oil. 
• Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. 
• Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. 
• Add bell peppers and sauté for 2 minutes. 
• Add eggplant and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. 
• Add tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. 
• Add zucchini and cook for about 1 minute. 
• Add stock and simmer until liquid has thickened and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. 
• Stir in basil and chives.
• Stir in vinegar, remaining 1 tbsp oil and black pepper. 
• Ladle into bowls. 

SERVES 4

Original recipe from Clean Eating Magazine.

Connect With Yourself

Being healthy is more than just exercising and eating the right foods, it's also about mental balance. This includes how you handle stress. 

Emotional well-being and taking the time to connect within yourself is important for you to establish. The mind, body, spirit must flow in harmony. 

Meditation is one such method in establishing a connection with yourself. It's funny, we will have an excuse for not having enough time for so many things that deem good for us, yet we have time or "find" time for things that stress us out! 

[PAUSE..THINK ABOUT THAT] Things that make you go....hmmmm. 

I was one of those who just couldn't squeeze another activity into my daily regimen. I had to realize that I'm the one who is creating or allowing my schedule to be the way that it was. It's about deciding what's important, and what do you value more; yourself or everything else. Keep in mind, that without valuing yourself above everything else, you will NOT be any good for anything else, right? 

I challenge you to take this moment to begin the process of connecting with yourself. Here is a link to a guided meditation (DON'T CLOSE THIS POST...LOL). Just try it, let your mind have a peaceful moment and let me know your thoughts. 

Get comfortable and click here to begin.

Enjoy!

Bench Donkey Kicks

Adding to the butt toning (or building) regimen, here is another one of my favorites, donkey kicks. These require really no equipment. You can do these on a bench, as shown, or the floor. I would strongly recommend that you place a mat or fold up a towel for your knees.  


Take your right knee and bring it toward your right elbow, while engaging your core, then swing the right knee out and up, and engage your glute muscles on the lift. Do a set of 20-25 reps, then repeat on the left leg. Opt for 2 sets on each leg.

The donkey kick works your lower back, core, legs and glutes. With every lift you are toning all your glute muscles.  This movement is great as an alternative to doing squats.   


No excuses - go ahead and have at it!

Never Giving Up!

Taking a moment to reflect on things in my life, remembering the obstacles that life had placed in my path, every bump, hurdle, cliff, mountain, ocean, windstorm, landslide - you get the picture, I just think - WOW! How did I manage.

I see myself as being very determined and I know that life is truly what we make it. Who wants to believe that the situations that we experience, are out of our control. Every challenge has a solution. You have to challenge yourself - to live! Why not? You can truly amaze yourself if you don't become defeated and decide to move forward. 















A few weeks ago, I was invited to share my story, my view, my challenge. I hope that in some way, that you too, are motivated to do more, to be strong, to overcome and to live like you've never lived before. I share this VeloSano Video with you. 

No matter what comes along in your path, never give up pursuing your journey!

Lying Leg Curls

The focus of this exercise is the hamstrings and glutes. The back of the thighs that tend to be forgotten in regular workouts. Grab a moderately heavy dumbbell and a fitness mat and get ready to hit the floor. 

First, get down on your hands and knees and place a dumbbell between your feet. Being sure to have one end of the dumbbell supported by the top of the soles. Hold the dumbbell securely and then lie onto your stomach.  Place your hands under your chin and rest your head on top of them.  

Now, keeping your thighs on the mat, begin to curl your knees up while keeping the dumbbell locked in between your feet. 

Continue with this movement, raising and lowering the weight for 15-20 reps. 

This is one simple, yet very effective move to build those muscles in the back of the legs. Enjoy!!!

When I Started My Yoga Practice

It was in mid-March of 2013, that I would think seriously about making yoga part of my lifestyle. For years, I felt that yoga was “too soft” and “tranquil” for me. I stretched, worked on my flexibility and even had countless conversations with people who swore by yoga. I just wasn't completely captured as it being something that would stimulate my current workout routines. It just wasn't my "yoga" moment.  However, it had always been in the back of my mind.  Especially, when I knew of all the benefits that yoga possessed. 

On March 21, 2013, my time had come. I decided that yoga would become part of my regular lifestyle. Not sure if it was due to my renewed spirit after the thyroid cancer experience or the fact that this time out, I vowed to be a much better resource to my trainees and my network with fellow instructors. Heck, the common goal for us is having a healthier lifestyle and a better quality of life.

I dove deep into my yoga practice and welcomed it into my life like a new found love. Looking back, I’m appreciative that I began my practice at this time of my life.  I don’t think I would have truly practiced it before or made the time. I was all weights and strength building with moments of teaching Zumba. Things happen when they are supposed to...right? 

We have the power over our bodies.  We can either take care of ourselves or not.  We can fuel ourselves with the right nutrients or not. We can stress out over everything or develop a method to controlling that stress.  Yoga brings it all together getting you to start from within – your mind, your spirit, your body. I appreciate that. NAMASTE!

Know the Affects of Wearing Heels

Let's talk about wearing heels. Being healthy is not just eating better, controlling stress and exercising. It also includes things like the shoes we put on our feet - HIGH HEELS! I have nothing against heels. Believe me, I have a nice collection of them. It's important to know how these beautiful and sexy shoes affect our bodies.  

Looking at Osteopathic.com, statistics show that high heels are one of the biggest factors leading to foot problems in women, with up to a third suffering permanent problems as a result of prolonged wear. These favorite sexy shoes, can cause a range of ailments, from ingrown toenails to irreversible damage to leg tendons. High heels have also been linked to overworked or injured leg muscles, osteoarthritis of the knee, plantar fasciitis and low back pain. 

The increased weight on your toes causes your body to tilt forward, and to compensate, you lean backwards and overarch your back, creating a posture that can strain your knees, hips, and lower back. I'm willing to guess that most women that wear heels and experience the above symptoms, relate them to the shoes.  The Huffington Post provides a really nice graphic illustrating the effects that these beautiful, sexy shoes have on our legs and feet. 

I'm not in favor of eliminating heels, but like everything else, being knowledgeable about the effects, you are able to make some solid adjustments to minimize future problems. 

Here are a few tips:

• Wear heels on days that require limited walking or standing.
• Alternate your shoe choice throughout the day or from one day to the next. Don't wear your high heels all day; and wear more comfortable shoes, such as athletic or walking shoes for commuting to and from work. Wearing shoes that allow your body to move naturally during walking will allow your feet, legs, hips and back to stretch.
• Stretch. Take time every day to stretch your calf muscles and feet. Osteopathic.com recommends putting a pencil on the floor and try picking it up with your toes.

When wearing heels, keep in mind the above tips and listen to your body.  Remember, it's not worth sacrificing your legs or feet for a moment of sexiness.  

Shrimp Salad Sandwich

This sandwich was so dang good.  You can simply taste it from reading the ingredients list.  On warm, hot days or days where you want something satisfying and light, you will enjoy this sandwich. 



Clean Eating Shrimp Salad Sandwich

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 oz frozen cooked shrimp (peeled, deveined and tails removed), defrosted, drained and roughly chopped (I prefer the uncooked shrimp)
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt 
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill (dried dill works too. Only use about a teaspoon)
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• Dash hot sauce (optional) 
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

For the sandwich:

• 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 2 lightly packed cups arugula or baby spinach 
• 4 whole-grain Kaiser-style rolls or whole-grain buns, split and toasted

INSTRUCTIONS:
In a large bowl, combine shrimp, celery, yogurt, dill and Dijon. Season with hot sauce, if desired, and salt and pepper. Divide shrimp mixture, tomatoes and arugula between rolls.

Nutrients per Shrimp Salad Sandwich (1/2 cup shrimp salad and 1 roll): Calories: 179, Total Fat: 2 g, Sat. Fat: 0.5 g, Carbs: 18 g, Fiber: 2 g, Sugars: 4 g, Protein: 21 g, Sodium: 370 mg, Cholesterol: 129 mg

Simple Quinoa Tabouli

The thing about eating healthy is to explore foods that you wouldn't ordinarily eat. People get so fixated on eating the same items over and over with the belief that it’s safer this way. NO! Why put yourself or your tongue on such boring restrictions. You don’t have to be a gourmet chef to create delicious and healthy meals. Besides, once you put forth the effort to create some healthy recipes, before you know it, you’ll be whipping up your own dishes and saving money too!

Quinoa Tabouli

1 cup dry quinoa (cooked according to package instructions)

After quinoa is cooked and fluffed, in a large bowl move it into a large bowl. Add cucumber, tomatoes, onions and herbs and toss to coat.

1 1/2 cups chopped cucumbers (I used one large cucumber)

1 ½  cups chopped tomatoes (or use cherry tomatoes - halved)

1/2 cup chopped onion (can substitute green onions)

1 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

1 ½ cups fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk garlic and lemon juice. Drizzle in the olive oil. Add the cumin. Season to taste with Kosher salt and pepper.

1/3  scant cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

1 garlic clove, grated

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½  teaspoon ground cumin

½  teaspoon Kosher salt

¼  teaspoon pepper

Drizzle dressing into quinoa mixture. 

Absorb the Positive

The other morning as I was driving, I happened to catch a look at the moon. It was making its way west. I had to go and take a look from one of my favorite spots on Lake Erie. 

The streets here were covered with snow. The side streets were even worse, but I just didn't care. I made my way to the lake. Parked my car. Walked to an extremely cold spot and stood there and took in such a beautiful moment. 

It's times like these when the universe reminds you of how precious life is. How important it is to stop and look around you. Life isn't perfect and neither are we. But, if you take a moment out of each day and just absorb the positive around you, your eyes will open to so many more positive things. 

Being healthy isn't just physical, it's also mental. Hugs!

I've Returned...YAY!

I’m back. Since, my last entry, I got caught in the social media tornado! So, it’s not that I’ve fallen off the face of the earth, very far from that. It appeared that I had landed up in the “social media oz” that took me on the path to the “Land of Instagram”, playing with the flying “Tweets” and ended at “The Facebook City”…LOL!

I can say, it’s been a very interesting journey. It appears that I had to “re-route” a huge area of my life.  I had to let go of a major relationship.  Often times, we fight that feeling in our gut that tells us to let go.  Maybe, we think we will be seen as failures because it didn't work out. NOT! If things are always negative and where both people are not nourishing the relationship, it will have no life and die! I see myself as a success in making the decision to let it go. Lesson learned! New routes bring interesting paths and undiscovered territories. LOL!

I’m still learning more and more about my body after my thyroid cancer. I will continue to share as I hope that my story will help others to not give up on their goals. I have so much to share and look forward to the adventures of 2015.