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carol@inkwellcoaching.com

Crown Point, IN

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March 23, 2023

The Truth About Green Bell Peppers

Green bell peppers are not a favorite of mine. In fact, when I order veggie skillets, I usually request that they be omitted. I find them to be bitter

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Food, Health
March 16, 2023

Care for an Exercise Snack?

The terminology “exercise snack” is rather intriguing. I wanted one before I knew what it was. Would it be coated with dark chocolate? Is it low i

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Health
March 9, 2023

Decrease Your Stress and Enjoy a Muffin

Let’s start with the muffin. Last week I wrote about the health benefits of eating wild blueberries. Saturday morning, I decided that I had to have

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Food, Health
March 4, 2023

Plant-Based Wild Blueberry Muffins

Plant-Based Wild Blueberry Muffins These muffins are dairy-free, gluten-free and egg-free. The texture is different than mainstay blueberry muffins. I

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Breakfast, Recipes
March 2, 2023

Tiny Berry Packs a Powerful Punch

If you’ve not yet discovered Wyman’s Wild Blueberries, now is your time. These tiny little berries are one of the healthiest (perhaps even #1) and

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Food, Health, Personal Development
February 23, 2023

Debate on the Dirty Dozen

“Should I spend my money on organic fruits and vegetables?” “Is organic produce superior nutritionally?” “Does it really matter?” I hear t

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Food, Health
February 16, 2023

Choosing a Tasty Pineapple

In the past week, a discussion came up about pineapple. How do you choose a tasty one? Well, for those inquiring minds, here you go.  How to choose a

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Blog, Family, Health, Personal Development
February 8, 2023

Happy Birth Month

You’re probably thinking that I just celebrated my birth month. And I did. One year ago. Already. How quickly the years go by.  I recently read No

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Family, Friendship, Health, Personal Development
February 2, 2023

Colorful Cauliflower and Fresher Berries

Interesting what shows up in conversation when a bunch of friends gather. Most recently, this is what happened. “So, have you ever wondered how caul

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Food, Health
January 25, 2023

5 Ways to Stop Playing the Comparison Game

We all do it. As human beings, it’s part of our nature. We compare for points of reference. But we don’t have to play the game anymore. If you fin

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Health, Personal Development

Banana Oat Muffins (Gluten and Sugar Free)

April 10, 2017
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Recipes, Treats

Banana Oat Muffins (Gluten and sugar free)

  • ½ cup pitted dates
  • 2 Tablespoons virgin coconut oil (or butter)                                               
  • 2 ripe, medium-size bananas, broken into pieces
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cups rolled oats (I like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Old Fashioned Rolled Oats, if you are making   without gluten)
  • ¾ cup almond flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the dates in a small bowl and pour ½ cup boiling water on them. Let dates soak for 5 to 10 minutes to soften.

While the dates are soaking, prepare the dry ingredients. Place the oats in a blender or food processor and pulse until you have a coarse powder. Pour into a bowl and add the almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine and set aside.

Once the dates are soft, drain the water, and leave them very wet. You need to smash them, and the easiest way I found is to put them in your blender or food processor with the 2 eggs and pulse until you no longer have large date pieces. Pour this mixture into a bowl and add the coconut oil, bananas and vanilla. Mix on medium high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.

Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture, a little at a time, mixing after each addition.

Drop by tablespoonful or small scoop into muffin tins lined with baking cups. Bake until a toothpick or tester comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.

*Variations: Add ½-1 teaspoon cinnamon, and/or some chopped nuts. I may even add chocolate chips at some point. I’m sure those would be tasty, although then you would have “added sugar” and they are not as healthy.

New Beginnings

April 5, 2017
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Health, Hope, Personal Development

Spring. It may not feel like spring today, depending on where you live. In fact, there’s a chance I could wake up to snow. Yet, somehow, my crocuses and daffodils seem to know when it’s safe to show up. They’re okay. It’s their time for a new beginning.

And, depending on how life has happened, it may be a good time for you to enjoy a new beginning as well.

Many times we get stuck and take pause. We think about making better choices with food, getting more exercise, practicing more awareness, and then…we pause. Life takes over and we get lost in the shuffle of work, family, illness, meetings, and more. “I’ll start my new fitness routine on Monday”…or “I’ll eat better next week”…or “My diet starts after the big birthday celebration.” It never seems to end. It is one vicious cycle of bumps in the road of life. Pause.

We had every good intention back in January. And now, welcome to April and your new beginning!

Here’s a great way to get started, if you need some help. Think about what being fit means to you. What does a fit person choose to do? Spend a few minutes today and make a list of about five things you think a fit person does.

If I were making a list, one thing I think about is starting the day with a breakfast that includes protein. Another would be to have regular times scheduled during the week to get some exercise. Okay, now you’re on your own.

It’s tough to take the journey to your best healthy and fit life, if you don’t know where you’re going. It’s like taking a vacation and not really knowing where you’d like to be for a week. (Right about now, I would really love a beach, the ocean, and some sunshine!)

So, if you are on track with your plan for 2017, I applaud you! Stay the course. If you had a bumpy first quarter, cheers to new beginnings. Make your list of five, then pick ONE of them to work on. Step into the role of “fit person” today. This is a mind game and you will believe whatever you tell yourself.

I’m here if you need help sorting it all out. Sometimes the game is tough to get through alone. It’s the reason I tell my friends at the gym, “See you tomorrow.” We count on each other to show. It’s what a fit person does.

See you around, Fit Person!

“Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.” -Alan Cohen

Take a Step…Back

March 29, 2017
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Family, Food, Health, Personal Development

Do you often feel as though you can’t move fast enough? Too much to do and not enough hours in the day, right?

We can get so caught up in our “To Do” lists that we barely breathe, and that’s never good. Sometimes we propel ourselves forward by first, stepping back. So, how does this work?

Stop for a moment and consider all the things you’d like to accomplish, today. From the moment your alarm goes off and your feet hit the floor, it’s a race to get it all in. At some point, take a step back by thinking about the action you are stepping into. Is it a good idea? Could you make a wiser choice? Is what you are doing worth your time?

Examples:

*You know you feel better and are more efficient when you have breakfast. However, you tell yourself you simply don’t have 10 minutes to make a protein smoothie or cook a couple eggs.

*You see that the evening is packed with kids going in several directions, you have a meeting, and your personal chef called off for the year. You saw this craziness coming at you like a freight train early in the week and it is the perfect day to toss a chicken or pot roast in the crock pot. You never made it to the grocery and now you don’t have anything to make for dinner.

*You’ve been burning both ends of the candle and have not gotten proper rest for weeks. Everyone at work and in your social circle is sick. No time for sleep, or so you think. You are invincible, so not to worry.

*You’re going through the drive-thru because you’re starving and you don’t have many options. Would you like a drink with that hamburger and fries?

*There has not been meaningful conversation with your spouse for…a very long time because you are always on the go.

In every case, if we stop, breathe, step back and think for a moment, we can make what appears to be a crummy situation a bit better. Grab a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts or even a nut butter sandwich as you run out the door; pick up some food from one of the hot food bars or a rotisserie chicken at a local grocery; go to bed thirty minutes earlier; if you must have the burger and fries, drink water, add tomato and lots of lettuce to the burger, and don’t supersize anything. Maybe even skip those fries; Go on a date!

Practice stepping back from habits that don’t serve you—the ones that keep you stuck. When you do this one small step at a time, it adds up. Eventually you will find yourself in a different place that, in the past, seemed impossible to reach.

“Step with care and great tact, and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act.” –Dr. Seuss

Ever Dream of Being a Superhero?

March 22, 2017
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Friendship, Fun, Health, Hope

I did something out of the ordinary this week. I went to see a movie with my girlfriends. We all needed a break from real life to relax and have fun. The “scenes” before the featured film showed regular, everyday people becoming Superheroes, seemingly overnight. Cool!

This got me thinking–each one of us has the potential to be a Superhero. We don’t need to morph into some special form or do battle with a force of evil from another world. We can simply support someone we care about as they face their personal battle.

Have a friend working too many hours? Or perhaps a co-worker struggling to stick with an exercise program or stop smoking? Are you feeling a bit down because snow is covering the beauty of the crocuses? Do you need to be a bit kinder to you?

There are times when I get caught up in my own stuff and lose sight of what someone else is experiencing. Everyone is dealing with something and so much of the time, whatever I may be feeling bad about, is not a big deal.

You may be reading this and having the best day, or possibly your worst day. Wherever you are in this picture, perhaps you can be a Superhero to someone. You don’t need any special powers to make this work. Oh, I take that back. You do need to pay attention and be present to the people around you. That in itself, is a special gift.

Whatever battle you are encountering, you will face it in a more powerful way because you helped someone else. Whether you offer someone kind words, encourage them to go with you to the gym, listen to their struggle, or take them to the movies, you are a Superhero. Every little thing we do matters.

If you are great at being the Superhero for your family and friends, at the expense of taking care of you, send me an email. We will work on this Superhero thing together.

“The door is more than it appears. It separates who you are from who you can be. You do not have to walk through it…you can run. –Franklin Richards (of The Fantastic Four)

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