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December 19, 2024

Easy Holiday Baking and Cooking Substitutes

Holiday meals are about bringing people together, but when some guests have food sensitivities or allergies, it can feel like a challenge to make ever

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Christmas, Food, Health
December 12, 2024

Doorstep Dining Done Right

‘Tis the season of parties, buffets, Christmas cookies and oodles of joyful gatherings that include delicious, even healthy, food. At the same time,

admink
Christmas, Food, Health
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

What Color is Your Mood Ring?

December 30, 2021
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Christmas, Health

I heard a song today that had a line that went something like, “She’s wearing her mood ring and it’s never the same.”

Remember the mood rings of the ‘70s? I had one and always wondered how they worked, and if they really reflected my mood.

The reason I bring it up is because I wondered what color mine would be today, post-Christmas festivities, with some cleanup left and a pretty lonely Christmas tree.

All the preparation and anticipation in the rearview mirror. Now what?

Guess it’s time for 2021 reflections and making plans for 2022.

Yawn. I think it’s time to hibernate instead.

Oh, wait. This message is supposed to INSPIRE you. Sorry. Maybe I’ll get there…

So, I think my mood ring color would be (drumroll please): YELLOW. And not because it’s sunny here. It’s been rather dreary for days, which could explain my desire to hibernate. 

Yellow may signify any of the following emotions: mild anxiety, nervousness, confusion, mixed feelings, creative energy, happiness, willing to take risks, good health.

Of course, the meanings for the colors depend on which site you read. This is the spectrum for yellow, and since the emotions are all over the place, I chose it.

Here are some other colors along with their meanings and you can decide what color you’d like to be today. Or, put on your ring and let it tell you.

Black: Stressed, worried, lost, and overwhelmed, OR your mood ring could be broken.

Gray: Beginning stages of worry, fear, sadness, grief, dread, and on the way to black.

Brown: Restless, anxious, impatiently waiting for something, confused.

Green: Calm, stable, relaxed, default color.

Red: Excited, passionate, anger, embarrassment.

Orange: Heightened emotions of yellow.

Blue: Calm, content, peaceful, relaxed, forgetting about all world stressors.

Violet: Enlightenment, balance, intense romantic feelings, clarity, deep purpose.

In case you’re wondering, mood rings change their color based on the changing temperature of the wearer’s body. It does this by making use of liquid crystals with thermotropic properties. Your mood can affect your body temperature.

Mood rings are still on the market, and there are more specific color guides that go along with each manufacturer’s ring. As you may have guessed, they’re not always accurate, and the life span of a mood ring is about 5 years. Toss out the one you have from the ‘70s.

Whatever color you’re feeling, now is probably a good time to think about (and maybe even create a list) of all the things that you’ve accomplished in 2021 that you’re happy about. 

What are you grateful for?

This may even lead you to consider some plans for the coming year.

Which reminds me—my word for 2022 is GRATITUDE. It’s a great word that is a great way to feel all the time. I’m going to focus on practicing more of that.

Since a majority of people begin the year with rather lofty health and fitness goals, I’ll offer some tips next week on how to stay the course with realistic expectations.

Thank you for reading my weekly blog posts and putting up with my many moods.

Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy, and blessed 2022! (And a blue colored mood ring.)

With love and gratitude,
Carol

“Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one.”—Brad Paisley

The Case of the Missing Goat Milk

December 22, 2021
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Christmas, Food, Fun

Last Saturday I made a special trip to the grocery store to purchase a can of evaporated goat milk. I needed it to make my nutroll.

Of course, I remembered to pick up a few other items while I was there. 

The next day, I gathered the necessary ingredients for my baking adventure.

I was all set, except for the goat milk. Typically, when I’m going to use an ingredient the day I come home with it or the next, I leave it on the counter.

No goat milk. I searched all the places where it could be and nothing.

I searched again.

Was I losing my mind? (No need to answer that.) How could I lose a can of goat milk in a span of 24 hours?

The item was on my receipt, and yet I didn’t remember taking it out of a bag once I was home.

After minutes of searching and feeling very frustrated, I headed over to the store’s service desk. Lo and behold, it was an item that had been left in a bag with the cashier and turned in.

The crazy thing was that I even asked the cashier if I had all my bags. Mistakes happen.

I got my goat milk, again, and went home to my baking.

I share this story for several reasons.

First, it’s that time of year when all kinds of goofy things happen. Too much going on, we get distracted, we forget. I think it comes with the season. If you’ve experienced some weird stuff, welcome to my world.

Second, if you ever do leave something at the store, take your receipt and go to the service desk. Although the items had been put away, there was a list in their system of all the items that had been returned to the shelves.

Third, I was grateful to know that I didn’t lose a can of goat milk in my house and that I haven’t quite lost my mind.

 I wish you and yours a beautiful Christmas.

Much love,
Carol

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”—Isaiah 9:6 

Can You Really Have Too Many Cookies?

December 16, 2021
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Christmas, Food, Health

Sometimes, yes. It is possible.

Perhaps you hosted a festive holiday gathering and overbought or overbaked.

Or your guests all had the same hostess gift idea.

The cookie exchange was big fun, and now what do you do with all of them?

Since eating too many cookies isn’t the healthiest option, here’s an idea. 

You can freeze all those cookies.

Lately I’ve been surprised to learn that lots of people have not thought about freezing cookies.

When I was little, my mom and grandma would bake a delicious assortment of cookies and a couple batches of nutroll. Something wonderful was always coming out of the kitchen.

Since it’s impossible to bake everything the week of Christmas, they’d bake their way through December and freeze most of it.

When baked goods are stored properly, they freeze beautifully up to six months.

Allow the cookies to cool and gently stack in an airtight container. Depending on the type of cookie, you may want to put a piece of saran, parchment, or wax paper between the layers to keep them from sticking together.

You could also place the cooled cookies on a cookie sheet in a single layer to freeze. Once frozen, then place them in the container.

Cookies that are already decorated with frosting, contain a meringue, or are coated in chocolate or powdered sugar do not freeze well. This explains why mom would freeze the Mexican wedding cookies (also known as snowballs) without the powdered sugar and roll them in it just before serving.

They were fabulous.

Raw cookie dough also freezes well for up to six months. You can freeze drop cookie dough in a solid lump or portioned out into balls.

Dough for cutout cookies can be flattened into a disc and wrapped tightly and bagged before freezing. Alternatively, you can cut out the shapes you desire and freeze them on a baking sheet before storing them in an airtight container to bake later.

While this doesn’t solve the “too many cookie” problem, it’s another way to have fresh cookies without a huge investment of time when you need them. Plus, they’re warm.

If you’re making cookies with a thin batter, it’s best to bake them and freeze the cookies afterward. 

I freeze cookies all year. This allows me to portion out a small amount of Mr. Non-Compliant’s favorites while keeping the rest of them fresh. It keeps him (and me) from eating too many at one time.

Wishing you a healthy, joyful, and delicious week.

Much love,
Health Coach Carol

“Christmas cookies and happy hearts, this is how the holiday starts.” —Unknown

Holiday Survival Tip: Christmas Cookies vs. Exercise

December 9, 2021
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Christmas, Food, Health

‘Tis the season of amazing Christmas cookies and so much more. 

What’s your mindset these days?

A. It’s the holidays so I’ll eat whatever I want and deal with it next year.
B. It’s the holidays so I’ll eat whatever I want and spend more time exercising.
C. It’s the holidays so I’ll starve all day to save up for the party food/drinks.
D. It’s the holidays and I’m losing my mind because I’m so stressed out.
E. It’s the holidays and I’m trying my best to not eat too many treats and I’m doing ok.
F. None or ALL of the above or some other combination, depending on the day.

Whatever description best fits you, here’s a fresh idea.

What if you took the focus OFF the food and focused on adding some extra movement into your day?

I think that sometimes we get so caught up thinking about not eating too much of something, we get obsessed with it.   

It happened to me the other day. I’d eaten a satisfying meal rather early in the evening, and then started thinking about popcorn.

Probably because when my family was visiting during the Thanksgiving holiday, we watched a movie and ate some really tasty popcorn—right after dinner.

It was very fun.

So, there I was, on my own, wanting that popcorn.

I kept talking myself out of it, then back into it, until I finally made the stuff.

The good news: I only made a small batch, and I was happy. Done.

Funny thing was that I had plenty to keep me busy, so I wasn’t bored. I just got it in my head that I wanted popcorn and it wasn’t going to go away. However, I was feeling a bit hungry by then… (justification of my actions by the food police.)

That’s what I mean about getting overly obsessed about a food. It could be anything.

If you recall, last week my friend had an encounter with some gingerbread men—12 of them. (But they were small.)

Here’s an alternative to focusing on food.

Get Moving.

Maybe you are already in a good place with walking or running or hitting the gym or something, anything.

Or maybe you’re not.

Whichever it is, focus on sticking with your exercise routine or start walking—even a little bit. (Can you do 5 minutes 3x a week to start?) 

And not with the mindset to burn calories and lose weight. This thought process isn’t productive. There are studies that prove it.

Think of your chosen exercise as something to help you:

  • Increase strength
  • Boost confidence
  • Relieve stress
  • Improve your mood
  • Increase your energy
  • Improve blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood lipids
  • Enhance movement skills, balance, and endurance

The time you invest in starting or continuing your exercise habit is well worth it. Just 15 minutes of medium-intensity exercise can lead to immediate improvements in mood and working memory.

 (Check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program.)

And speaking of cookies…

Saturday’s Amazing Cookie Bake was a hit and my Christmas tree spritz cookies turned out actually looking like trees this year. 

And yes, they taste amazing.

Last year I had a broken cookie press, so instead of trees I had ornaments. (Round blobs of dough that I named “ornaments.”)

If you’d like help adjusting your current mindset around food and/or exercise, shoot me an email and we’ll work it out. There’s no time like the present.

Merry about 2 weeks away from Christmas,
Health Coach Carol

“When it comes to health and well-being, regular exercise is about as close to a magic potion as you can get.” Tich Nhat Hanh

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