In Training-Get it?

We are , in fact, always in some kind of training. We may be trying yoga for the first time, learning a new healthy eating plan, or even taking a pottery class. Here are a few life tips for whatever you may be doing with your day today.

Always remember to stretch before and after you do any kind of exercise.
Try your best not to snack. Grab an apple if you just MUST have something.
Eat your 5 servings of fruits and veg. daily. It is not that hard. A serving is only 1/2 cup.
Try Quinoa or some other different food.
Read a magazine you have not read before. I like to recommend “Real Simple” or if you are an HGTV fan you might try their mag. or the “Magnolia Journal.”
Try to actively fight a bad habit.
Make a list of NOT meals or calories, but rather of foods you like to eat that are healthy and then try to keep to these foods. After all, you just said you LIKE them.
Evaluate yourself-Daily if you need to, but on a regular basis. No one knows YOU like you!

OK, so you hate other people’s tips-I get that. Just pick one and try it. Maybe you will go on to get on board the “Train.” Let me know how it goes.

A “pear”ently Yummy

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I love pear and yes, out of season I even use canned pears. I buy the kind that are canned in lite syrup and then I drain the syrup into tea, any type of water, just a jar of juices I keep in the fridge to caramelize things, and on and on. The easiest way to eat a pear is just out of hand, but you might also try a 1/2 peeled pear on a leaf of Romain lettuce with some blue or feta cheese. It looks really fancy when plated as a starter or salad.

I also really like to poach pears. Use canned or fresh and poach in just about anything you like that is flavorful. I poach in red wine, white wine, maple syrup added to water, even cheap sparkling wine.

Just barely cover the pear halves and bubble the liquid until the pears are al dente. Save the juice to pour over the pears and decorate with some mint leaves. Yummy-I think YES!

Ok, so life just gave you some lemons

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I love that old saying that when life gives you lemons you should make lemonade, but we here at “Skating Uphill” like to think out of the box. When life gives you lemons, first of all, jump up and shout “Lucky Me!” Then you can:

Make lemonade and make lemonade ice cubes to put in tea
Make a lemon merengue pie
Use squirts of lemon on vegetables or fruits
Saute fish with lemon and white wine
Make lemon bars
Put lemon peel down your garbage disposal to clean and refresh
Rub lemon and or peel on your hands to kill the odor of fish or anything else you have been working with
Use lemons in any kind of fruit bowl display to add big color
Make lemon curd and bake it in those little puff pastry cups
Make an easy pie with a graham cracker crust, a tub of Cool Whip, a package of lemon pudding, and 1/4 cup of squeezed lemon made boiling hot in the microwave with a package of lemon jello added to it and disolved. (I use Jello instant pudding and add 2 cups of really cold milk then stir for 2 minutes.) Combine all and pour into the pie shell. Put this in the fridge for at least 2 hours. It is lo-cal and really yummy.

See, being given lemons is not so bad really, is it? And if you do not want the lemon and you do not want to do any of these things, give the lemon back!!

Just A Thought

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I love getting cards and letters in the mail. Do you? Well, this is the best way to assure that you will be receiving messages from friends and relatives-Send some out yourself. I have been doing this as part of a New Year’s Resolution I made several years ago and it has worked so beautifully. I get at least two cards, letters, yes, and even a post card or two each week.
Bring some joy to your day by putting some joy out there for someone else!!

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Beautiful surroundings are good for your soul. Create lovely things in your home. Perhaps make it a bit of a hobby and give yourself a budget. I think you will find that you can do a lot with very little $$$$. In fact, you might make that a challenge. I wish you beauty!

Yes, Med. Again

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I know, I Know, yet again stuff on the Mediterranean Diet. I just can’t seem to help it. The more I try to stay on the basics of this plan, the better I feel! I am doing the 5 servings of fruits/veggies per day and once you start to count, it is pretty simple. (I almost said it is “A piece of cake!”) Since a serving is only 1/2 cup, keeping track is simple too. You quickly get a feel for amounts. The three servings per week of fatty fish is pretty easy too. I love salmon and I make salmon patties, have cold salmon salad, and fool around with different sauces, within reason of course. Best of all? Put a piece of salmon on the grill!

I love tuna too. (BTW, Herring not so much.) Tuna is probably the most versatile fish in the world. A tuna sandwich is super. Tuna salad can’t be beat. Tuna and whole wheat noodles with a 1/2 can of lite cream of mushroom soup is a variation of the dish I lived on in college.

This small and simple little guide to the Med. Healthy Eating Plan should be of help. I will continue to feature items of interest on an on-going basis!

BTW-Please notice I said Healthy Eating Plan/Not Diet!

Protein Powders ET/NT

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Yes, ET/NT stands for Eat This/Not That and I would like to share just a bit about different protein sources. Nuts are a really great source of protein and that is a given. It is also a given that nuts are very high in fat. When you are recommended to snack on protein, the amount given in 1/4 of a cup and that is not much.

A better source, in my opinion, is protein powder. You can buy it anywhere and there are many different brands. You can add it to a smoothy, pretty much any food you choose, or most beverages. It comes in different flavors too. I personally like “Garden Of Life Organic Vanilla” in the tall white plastic can. I actually get it at Walmart! One serving (125 calories) is your protein for the day. Try protein powder for something different as a source. This is especially important for vegetarians too.

The Conversation

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Eat This/Not That

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I have said many times before that wrapping whatever in a tortilla is great for any meal or snack, but you can also use this trick for lovely and even elegant appetizers.

Lay down any type of tortilla and spread it with lite cream cheese or Laughing Cow. If I am using fruit I like to spread with flavored cream cheese like strawberry or pineapple. Finely chop your filling.

For fruit I use strawberries, blueberries drained canned pineapple, chopped apple and cinnamon, or really just about anything. Do NOT pulse this in your blender. It makes the filling much to finely chopped and damp. I use my little hand chopper.

If you prefer vegetable, use broc, cauliflower, BLT, tomatoes or again just about anything. Spread your cream cheese or Laughing Cow and add filling on the tortilla and wrap tightly. With a sharp knife, slice the roll very thinly. The spirals are quite festive, and if you dress the platter with curly Italian parsley or cilantro, it makes a lovely appetizer tray.

You can take this anywhere!

Eat This, Not That-Smoothy

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Yes, be alert even in Smoothy World! If you use ice cream instead of frozen yogurt or ice cubes you may be in trouble. Do you use full fat yogurt? Do you use whole milk? Have you tried the 5 Calorie Cran-Apple drink as your liquid? Have you checked to see how many calories there are in your protein powder? (If not, get ready for a shocker, and next time read the label!) Did you know that one of those little Dole fruit cups that come in the 4 pack has only 40 calories?

Your good morning Smoothy can be a total calorie bomb instead of a healthy breakfast alternative. BTW, vegetable smoothies are fantastic and usually only 1/2 the calories of fruit. Try a cup of vegetable broth, low sodium of course, and add some broc, celery, and fresh spinach, and ice cubes. Yes, it is rally good and if you add your protein powder, it can set you up for the whole day.