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December 5, 2024

Post-Thanksgiving Mini Reset

Thanksgiving may have left you feeling a little too much like the stuffed turkey centerpiece. If you’re ready to shake off the sluggishness before m

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Christmas, Food, Fun, Health
November 28, 2024

Savor, Stroll, and Stay Thankful

Thanksgiving. A time to enjoy the company of loved ones, share stories, and of course, indulge in delicious food. Here’s a tip to help you savor

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Family, Food, Fun, Health
November 19, 2024

Gobble Up These Thanksgiving Preparation Tips

Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude, gathering, and indulging in an amazing feast. However, hosting can sometimes feel more like a marathon than a ce

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Food
November 14, 2024

Mediterranean Feel-Good Soups for Fall

As we transition from fall into the holidays, staying mindful of our health goals can help us enjoy the season without feeling run down or overwhelmed

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Food, Health
November 7, 2024

Healthy Eating FAQs and Answers

Before I get into this week’s topic, I must first retract a statement that I made last week about Mr. Non-Compliant. I stand corrected, as he did NO

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Food, Health
October 31, 2024

Mr. Non-Compliant’s Birthday Fest

This week Mr. Non-Compliant (aka my dear hubby) celebrated a birthday. He flaunted his morning non-compliance by leaving the EMPTY cinnamon roll box o

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Family, Food, Fun, Health
October 24, 2024

Not a Vegetable Fan? Read This

It’s not just kids that wrinkle their nose at a plate of green stuff. Lots of fully-grown adults feel the same—inclined to hide their Brussels spr

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Food, Health
October 17, 2024

How Safe is Your Cinnamon?

I’m a huge cinnamon fan. I shake it in my coffee, smoothies, muffins, stewed apples, and of course, pumpkin pie. Years ago I mixed it with a little

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Food, Health
October 10, 2024

10 Simple Tips to Ease into Fall

Fall is officially here. I know this not only from the calendar and fewer hours of daylight, but by the temperature of my house when I wake up in the

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Food, Health
October 10, 2024

Cumin, Coriander, Fennel (CCF) Tea

To make a cup of CCF tea (Cumin, Coriander, and Fennel tea) using seeds, follow this simple recipe: Ingredients: 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon

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Everything Else, Recipes

Persimmon, Christmas Movies and Compassion

December 15, 2022
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Christmas, Food, Health

Intrigued by seeing persimmon fruit in the produce section of the grocery store, I decided to be adventurous.

The Fuyu variety that I found are about the size of tomatoes. When choosing persimmons, select those that are deep red or orange, have glossy, smooth skin and have their green leaves intact.

I bought two not knowing anything about them. We ate one a few days after purchase and the other sat for about 5 more days.

The first one was firm and sweet, however the second one was sweeter with more of a honey flavor. It probably had time to ripen, since I kept it at room temperature. Refrigeration stops further ripening. 

Cut persimmon like you would an apple, by removing the green stem, inner core and slicing into bite-size pieces. The skin is a little tough—good fiber.

Persimmons have lots of important nutrients, are a good source of fiber, promote heart health, support healthy vision, reduce inflammation and aid in digestion.

When I shared one with Mr. Non-Compliant, he asked “So why would I eat this instead of an apple, if it’s like eating an apple?”

My response, “It’s good to add variety to your diet to get lots of nutrients and experience adventures in eating.”

He ate it. I think he then pulled out the container of M&M’s. More variety and adventure, I’m guessing.

I’ll be buying more of these. Persimmon would be delicious in a salad with greens, goat cheese, walnuts or pecans, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Great eye appeal too.

You could also add this attractive fruit to hot cereal, smoothies, baked goods, yogurt. 

If you choose the heart-shaped Hachiya persimmons, they must be fully ripe to be enjoyable. This variety is on the mushy side and is well-suited for chutneys, pies and puddings.

Christmas Movies

When you think of Christmas movies, what comes to mind? The Santa Clause, Home Alone, It’s a Wonderful Life, Elf, to name a few. The dispute in our home is whether or not Die Hard is in this category.

I vote NO. I’m outnumbered.

Curiously, what do YOU think? I’d love to know. Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?

I’d like to settle this once and for all.

Thanks for your input. (Please vote NO.)

Compassion

It’s that time of year when life can feel a bit crazier than normal. As our patience is tested to the extreme, may we all be more compassionate and offer others grace.

We never know what our neighbor or fellow driver may be dealing with.

Remember to drink your water, eat some vegetables and get sleep. It’ll be easier to find compassion for the rest of humanity—and for yourself.

Sending you love,
Health Coach Carol

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” — Dalai Lama

5 Tips to Help Calm Holiday Overwhelm

December 8, 2022
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Blog, Christmas, Food, Health

In conversation, I’m hearing the sentiment of overwhelm from just about everyone.

Too much. Too many. Not enough time.

Decorations, parties, gift wrapping, cards, playing chauffeur, appointments, work. Time for you—WHAT?

Let’s be realistic. Stuff has to get done and somebody’s got to do it. Odds are good that someone is YOU. 

I’ll be brief, since I know you’re in a rush to get to the next email or pack a lunch or something.

Here are 5 tips to help you through the craziness, and a link to my yummy, easy, “great for leftovers” Italian Sausage and Gnocchi Soup recipe.

  1. Laugh and commiserate with friends. My calendar book (no, I still don’t use my phone because I like paper and ink) looks like it belongs to a 5-year-old with all the cross outs and rewrites. Whatever. Having some silly time over a meal with good friends is great therapy to relieve stress. Guess what? They’re all stressed too. Get the commentary (aka whining) about it out of your system and move on. You’ll feel better.
  1. Eat a salad. You’re hungry, short on time, not in the mood for anything in particular and need to eat. When this describes my life (most days), I eat a salad. You get a good load of vegetables into your day. Toss in any leftover chicken or meat for extra protein. If you have a hard-boiled egg, that works too. Keep salad supplies on hand so that it’s easy to throw together. FYI, I buy mixed greens in the box or bag for convenience. That’s cheating, you say? No, it’s a shortcut. I typically follow the salad with a bit of dark chocolate.
  1. Sleep. I covered this topic in last week’s blog, but in case you forgot, sleep is important to not feel as stressed. Everything is better when we’re well rested. Resist the temptation to stay up way too late. You’ll feel grumpy the next day and your family and friend won’t like you so much.
  1. Stay grounded. Remember to use the practices that work for you, whether it’s prayer, meditation, exercise, vacuuming, scrubbing toilets, all of the aforementioned. My attitude about cleaning changed when I realized I could pretend I’m in silent retreat as I pray and clean my home at the same time. No plane ticket required. 
  1. Be okay with good enough. Usually everything gets done just in the nick of time. While you may have some expectations that fall flat, it’s probably not a crisis. Enjoy the season and let go of perfectionism. When a day feels too burdensome, revisit tips 1 through 4.

Here’s a link to the recipe I promised. It’s quick and easy when you’re in a hurry and need a hearty meal.

Italian Sausage and Gnocchi Soup

Cheers to you,
Health Coach Carol

“All is calm all is bright.”

Italian Sausage and Gnocchi Soup

December 7, 2022
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Main Dishes, Recipes

Makes about 6 servings   

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
  • 1 pound bulk Italian sausage (or other ground meat)
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 generous handfuls of fresh green beans, cut in 1-inch pieces
  • 4 cups beef bone broth (or beef stock)
  • 1 can (14 ½ oz.) diced tomatoes with juice
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
  • Small package of your favorite gnocchi (I used potato gnocchi)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Cook sausage, onion and pepper until sausage is no longer pink and vegetables are tender, breaking sausage into crumbles; drain if there’s excess grease. Add green beans, broth, tomatoes, basil and parsley; bring to a boil. Cook, covered, until beans are tender, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in gnocchi and return to a boil. When gnocchi are cooked, soup’s on.

Got Stress? Try Sleep

December 1, 2022
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Health

Whew! Another Thanksgiving celebration in the books. Hope you enjoyed some great family time along with your traditional as well as some non-traditional dishes.

If you’ve done any shopping online or in a store during the year, you’re probably getting way too many dings on your phone to “hurry and take advantage of the biggest savings of the year” on just about everything.

We hadn’t even finished doing the dishes on Thanksgiving Day when the Black Friday sales started happening. In fact, many of the deals were advertised well in advance of turkey day.

And now, Cyber Monday is giving us “one more chance” to get our shopping done—all week.

 Seems as though everything is getting pushed up quicker in the calendar.   

Between the retail craziness, holiday social events, work, family responsibilities and getting to the grocery, the stress level may be a bit on the rise. For everyone.

The solution?

Get your sleep.

I read about a study that raised this question: Is stress worse because of a lack of sleep, or do we not sleep due to stress?

One feeds the other, creating a vicious cycle.

Participants in the study recorded results to some specific questions daily for at least 30 days in a row.

The conclusion of this particular study: lack of rest contributed to a higher stress level the following day.

Now, a different study with a different group may come up with the opposite result.

However, here’s the takeaway.

During this especially stressful time of year, getting your sleep is a priority. Most adults need 7-9 hours each night.

When so many things are vying for our attention, sometimes we simply have to stop and go to bed.

Complicated things often seem simpler after a good night’s rest.

I think about the days when my boys were very young and missed their naps. Or when they got a bit older and spent the night at someone’s house. They were severely sleep deprived.     

Tired kids are usually cranky kids. Babies cry and get fussy when they’re tired. We’d cry too sometimes if we could get away with it. 

Stress is easier to manage when we’re rested. We can’t control how others drive or the extra demands that show up in a day. We can control how we handle it.

Plus, getting proper rest helps build your immune system so that you stay healthy.

The next time you consider burning the candle at both ends, remember that it’s painful to get burned.

Sweet dreams,
Health Coach Carol

“It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.” — John Steinbeck

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