Great Tool for Refueling Stressed Muscles

 

Happy Saturday!

What a week!

Back to school!

So reality is setting in for the next 9 1/2 months

Bring it on!

Just wanted to share a great product with you busy moms and dads of athletes that is being used in our house every night to refuel everyone's muscles, help with a nice sleep and keep bellies happy.  You can find it in a health food store, or order it online and it will last you a very long time!  If your family is training at least 5 days a week, you know there are days where you have to pull out the ice packs and set the timer to help them heal.  This will definitely aid in recovery. 

It's called CALM PLUS CALCIUM ... premium sports magnesium-calcium drink.

I'm not going to get into the whole blood-chemistry thing here but here's what it does for our athletes who are probably really busy this time of year, especially if they are playing for multiple teams at the same time:

"Natural Calm Plus Calcium is formulated to prevent a surplus of calcium robbing the body's vital magnesium supply and to avoid the symptoms associated with depleted levels of magnesium.  This premium formulation includes vitamin D, boron and vitamin C to facilitate the assimilation, distribution and utilization of calcium.  Natural Calm Plus Calcium is excellent for athletes and anyone who works out.  It assists in preventing muscle cramping and helps reduce lactic acid."

It's basically going to help them recover quickly and reduce muscle cramping and soreness.  There is a balance that needs to be maintained between calcium and magnesium and often times we are depleted in our magnesium levels which leads to a host of problems.  

Here is a link to explain it fully:  http://naturalvitality.com/natural-calm-plus-calcium/

The other benefit is it helps relax the muscles for a good night's sleep!  Love that!

Have an awesome Saturday!  

Krista

 

Hazy, Lazy Days of Summer!

Hope you are enjoying the above!!!
My mantra for summer is to "Do What You Love and Love What You Do!"

I know many moms right now who are trying to do as much as they can to infuse their summers with really good stuff.  We've had a really good start to summer with concerts (Bruno Mars and One Direction) , shore trips, soccer tournaments, a drive-in movie, tons of pool time (anyone else feel like throwing ice cubes in the pool?  90 degrees officially makes it a hot tub in my opinion!), swim meets, backyard bbq's and the list continues!

The One Direction Craze!!!

My sis and I at Bruno Mars ... kids would not pose with us!

 

 

Charlie is so happy with his lazy summer days!

Yes, the biggest splash contest continues!

Beach buddies :)

Lawrenceville, NJ GTT Tournament

Drive-in!  Beautiful night!

This is all great, but my house is lacking in some good food lately!  Anyone else feel the lack of schedule leading to no food in the house?  I rarely get excited to go food shopping but I'm really looking forward to going tomorrow!!!  So the question is, how to fit it in when you are strapped for time with all the other things pulling you in different directions?

5 Quick Tips to Help You Buy Healthy Foods:

•  Shop the perimeter of the store ... remember what that means?  Leave out the middle aisles ... plus they are full of processed foods you can do without.
• Go early in the day if possible to avoid the lunch crowd!
• Bring your list!
• Avoid foods that are "fat free" or "sugar free,"  they include fake stuff (you don't really want me to go into this right now do you?)
• Use the "Dirty Dozen, Clean Fifteen" List below to sort our what to buy organic if possible.

Wishing you much peace amid a beautifully busy summer :)
Krista 


"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do."
~Mark Twain



           Dirty Dozen (Buy these Organic):

1.      Peach

2.     Apple

3.     Bell pepper

4.     Celery

5.     Nectarine

6.     Strawberries

7.     Cherries

8.     Kale

9.     Lettuce

10.   Grapes (imported)

11.   Carrots

12.    Pears

Clean 15  (Lowest in Pesticides)

1.      Onion

2.     Avocado

3.     Sweet corn

4.     Pineapple

5.     Mango

6.     Asparagus

7.     Sweet peas

8.     Kiwi

9.     Cabbage

10.  Eggplant

11.   Papaya

12.   Watermelon

13.    Broccoli

14.    Tomato

15.    Sweet potato

Yummy Skincare You Have in Your Cabinets!

Happy Friday My Healthy Peeps!

I have had a great week off with my kids and their friends this week ... no homework and crazy schedules lead to one happy Momma!  I cannot believe it's Friday already!  Soon enough it will go back to insane after school and weekend schedules - between my two girls we have 4 soccer team schedules, 2 lacrosse schedules and 1 track and field schedule ... yep, enjoying the bliss right now of peace!

One thing I wanted to pass on to you was a very simple recipe for great skin care.  If you've been reading any of the stories recently about the chemicals in all your household products, you know that everything out there contains yucky unpronouncable (is that even a word?) ingredients that have serious health risks.  I've been using some all-natural skin care products now for the last 9 months and I have to say I love them and cannot go back to using the other stuff.  I threw out all the soaps, cleaning products and skin care as I cannot stand the smell of fake stuff anymore and because they are downright bad for us and the environment.  And ... my bloodwork that I update every year actually improved in my levels of hormones ... yep, at my age the numbers actually got better :)

So here's a fantastic scrub for you to try:

Homemade Face and Body Scrub

2 teaspoons of honey (raw, organic or local if you have it)

2 teaspoons of granulated sugar (organic brown sugar works best ... the regular kind is too soft) 

1/2 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil 

optional:  2 drops of lavender essential oil  (please contact me for ordering details)

Mix together in a bowl ... gently apply to face in circular motion and rinse!  I also get in the shower with this as to apply as an exfoliant to the rest of me!  Just make sure you don't leave any residue behind for your famiiy!

Chemical free and so much cheaper than expensive spa treatments!!

Enjoy!

xo,

Krista

 

UP! by JAWBONE A cool little accessory!

UP by JAWBONE
I absolutely love this product!!

I've only been wearing this for a week but I am amazed at how it really changes your thinking and awareness on so many levels!

What does it do?  Well, keeps track of everything for you.  What you do with that info is up to you!

Here goes:

• Sleep tracking (tells you how long it took you to fall asleep, hours of deep sleep, hours of light sleep, if you woke during night...add in a smart alarm and a power nap feature and you are covered.
• 24/7 activity tracking ... you set a goal for how many steps you want to take a day and it counts them up for you giving you bar graphs during the day ... and calories burned, distance covered along with a stopwatch mode and an idle alert.
• Food and drink tracking ... helps you keep track of what you ingest ... you can either type it in, use their library, or scan the barcode in for nutritional info. (See my photo below)
• Insightful information and trends you have demonstrated in neat little graphs.

You can get this product online (I think mine came from Amazon for $129.99) and use it with IOS5.1 or greater, iPhone 3GS or later, iPod Touch 3Gen or later or the iPad.

Personally I am fascinated by the sleep features ... I had no idea what my night consisted of while asleep!  It breaks it down to see when you are in deep sleep, light sleep, etc.  I feel much better when my light sleep is less and my deep sleep is longer.  I'm also on a mission to reach my steps for the day goal of 10,000 as I've been barely moving in my usual speed with being under the weather ... but it makes me want to move and walk the dog even if the weather is cold and damp!  

Ok, I could go on on about features but I thought maybe some of you who have heard about them might be happy to hear they are very cool.  Go buy one and start tracking yourself!! 

www.jawbone.com/up

Enjoy,

Krista

Here is a shot of today's nutritional breakdown ... my sugar is high!  I think that's because my green smoothie had a nice batch of fruit and veggies that do count as a sugar ... even though it is a natural source of sugar.  Just something to watch and be aware of as we all tend to over do it with sugar of some sort.  

Coconut Milk!

Happy Sunday!  Just had to share this product I just tried after a nice long walk with my dog on this warm morning!  I think this made my smoothie the best it's ever been so for those of you wanting to try coconut milk in your smoothies here is a good one to try:  Trader Joe's Original Unsweetened Coconut Milk.  I love that it's in this half gallon container and you can keep it cold in the fridge!  Inexpensive and for people who cannot tolerate dairy (I am dairy sensitive and right now with the pollen going up I have a tough time with the yogurt I love to use) and might be tired of rice milk - a great change.  The coconut is often overlooked because of the fat it contains.  But there are some great benefits to using coconut.  The serving size of one cup contains 3 g of medium chain fatty acids - which is a natural source of energy that is readily metabolized faster than long chain fatty acids.  Helps support metabolism!

Enjoy your coconut milk ...

The Joys of Food Shopping!!!

"I can spend hours in a grocery store. I get so excited when I see food, I go crazy. I spend hours arranging my baskets so that everything fits in and nothing gets squashed. I'm really anal about it, actually."
Cameron Diaz

Are you kidding me?  I guess shopping is a novelty for her!   I wish I felt that way about filling my cart with groceries!!!

Oh yes, the joy of food shopping!
It is so necessary but I really don't LOVE it ... Ok, I dread it.  But someone has to do it! 
To be on a mission to buy what your family needs when you are crunched for time isn't easy! Here are some strategies from my upcoming book "Winning the Game:  The Busy Mom's Manual for Refueling her Athletic Family."   

1.  What system works for you?  Handwritten list, no list, on-line shopping, smart phone app?  Stick with whatever works for your family.  If you're distracted like me, you will come home with food you really didn't need ... and you will forget that important ingredient you needed for your kid's birthday dinner!!  I need a list!!  Find something that works for you.  There are tons of apps out there that make it so easy to maintain your list.  I cannot live without the Cozi app.  Check it out!  http://www.cozi.com/
I also just found this link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP-aPj-LJEA  (The Grocery Gadget Free App). If you have an iPhone, iPad or itouch you can use this app that is super organized ... as goofy as this couple is I think I'll check it out.  Let me know if any of you use this!!
2.  Be Consistent!  Enough said.
3.  Make Conscious Choices!  Try to choose seasonal fruits and veggies.  They are less expensive and were grown more locally than those out of season fruits that had to come from the other side of the world.  Keep trying with the fresh foods if you have a picky eater.  The colors help us get different vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients into our bodies!  If you are buying meat, choose animals that have not been locked in factories.  They've never seen sunlight and mostly have eaten foods they were not really designed to eat.  PINK SLIME ... yeah avoid those companies that have not taken it out.  (Also check out your kids' school lunch programs ... many food services are removing those meats that contain pink slime but many haven't yet as they will be stuck with excess food that is in storage ... call the board of ed offices to inquire.
4.  Shop the Perimeter of the Grocery Store ... why?  Those are the aisles you will find your produce, meat, fish, cheese, baked goods and dairy.  You can avoid the high priced processed foods if you stay on the outside of the store.
5.  Avoid Foods With "Lite" or "Reduced Calorie"  These foods are usually watered down and have artificial sweeteners and chemical additives. 
6.  Become a Food Detective When Questioning a Product!  A quick overview of strategies - read the labels!  I've worked with children and parents on how to read labels thanks to Dr. David Katz who designed "Nutrition Detectives,"  a great educational tool.

*Don't be fooled by the big letters on the front of the package.  Look for the itty bitty letters on the back!

*The first ingredient is always the BIGGEST!

*AVOID foods with partially hydrogenated oil (trans fat) and high fructose corn syrup!

*AVOID foods with a long ingredient list!

*FIBER IS YOUR FRIEND!  Beware of whole grain imposters! Foods should contain at least 2 grams of fiber per 100 calories.

Ok, your turn to get it done...on your mark ... 

Just kidding ... I just put my groceries away and all I can say is Yay it's done!  At least for now :)

Happy Shopping Fellow Peeps!

Or Smart Phone App?

Krista

Handwritten list ....

Post-Game Eating Strategies

Hey Busy Super Moms,

As Spring sports are kicking into high gear in the coming weeks I wanted to pass on a quick list of foods that are good to eat post-game and those that should be avoided.  As my previous blog post mentioned, it is really important to replenish those growing bodies immediately after practices and games.  Our little athletes (some are now getting bigger than us!!!)  need to do this within 30 minutes as their muscles are like sponges at this point.  Food will be converted to glycogen much faster as their cells are sensitive to substances that change nutrients to fuel.


SUGGESTED POST-GAME SNACKS AND LIQUIDS:
fruit
sports bar (try to find those that are without refined sugars)
cereal and juice
bagel with butter or spread
crackers and string cheese
muffin
oatmeal cookie
yogurt
pasta or noodles

AVOID THESE FOODS POST-GAME:
carbonated drinks such as soda
caffeine
cheeseburger, hamburger
candy
anything with msg
doughnut or pastry
french fries
pizza with meat/double cheese
highly refined dry cereals such as Corn Pops or Reese's Puffs
Anything with high fructose syrup

 More strategies on refueling your young athletes coming soon from my new book:
Winning the Game:
The Busy Mom's Manual for Refueling her Athletic Family in Six Easy Steps   

Be Well and Enjoy this Sunshine!!
Krista

Need a fix of chocolate and peanut butter??

Here's a very cool treat for you (yes and you can share it with your kids if you are that nice!) ... the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter without the serious sugar of candy.  This brand of peanut butter makes different varieties but on those days that fruit just isn't cutting it ... you know those days that you crave the comfort food of your youth?  Get a jar of Peanut Butter & Co's  Dark Chocolate Dreams http://ilovepeanutbutter.com/... just like peanut butter it's easy to spread, goes great with bananas, apples or you can melt it for those ice cream treats!  There are no hydrogenated oils, no high fructose corn syrup, no gluten and only 7 grams of sugar per 2 Tbsp.

I have a thing for chocolate and peanut butter ... I remember those days in college that my suitemates and I would hit every vending machine in the dorms trying to find peanut M&M's!  Oh how we loved them! Especially at 3:00 am!  However those grams of fat, sugar, and fake colors don't appeal so much to me anymore.  So, I found this jar and even though I kind of feel a little guilty eating it ...  (but not so awful that I might cry when I see the wrappers in the garbage the next day) it truly hits the spot!  Yes, I'm a recovered SUGAR ADDICT!!!

Cheers to Chocolate and Peanut Butter!
Krista
 http://nutropolitan.tumblr.com/tagged/dark+chocolate+dreams/page/11

PS  Here's a link to a Livestrong article on M&M's:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/318329-peanut-butter-mms-nutrition/

Hello birdies...

Have you noticed the birds are getting busy here in the Northeast?  I love hearing them early in the morning because it means that we are closer to SPRING!! :)  Yes, it's still early and we could get a wallop of winter in the next month but the weather has been mellow and even if it's a tease for us, I am looking forward to it!

For me that means I change my food prep a bit.  Not that the grill has been closed all winter but I look forward to more seasonal fruits, veggies, salads, and smoothies!  I love throwing what ever fruit I have into the blender for my kids who drink them without protest!  I have a chapter in my upcoming book on "Efficient Cooking Methods" that helps busy moms use tools such as the blender for easy and healthy foods.  Most of us don't realize all the jobs a blender can do for us!  While I love to use them to mix up fun party drinks like Margaritas in the Summer they are really helpful in the kitchen in so many ways.  You can incorporate natural whole foods while not losing any of the original flavors you may be accustomed to.  Blenders are great for making smoothies, milk shakes, soups, dips and spreads, breads, all kinds of desserts and more.

One trick I use it for is hiding food from being noticed.  When I make lasagna I like to add some kale to my sauce for extra nutritional value without being obvious to my family.  You can certainly add a few leaves (depending on the size of the kale) without being noticed.  I also love to add beans such as cannellini to my chicken noodle soup!  I add some beans to the chicken broth and combine in the blender until smooth. It looks creamy and really adds a nice flavor with the benefits of the beans to those who would never ever eat a bean if put in front of them!  You can pretty much add whatever you'd like to try in a recipe without it being detected if you use a blender with some great blender power.  I've had many blenders over the years.  Most of them don't last very long but if you are serious about using an exceptional blender, please take my advice and invest in the VitaMix blender.  It is used every single day in my house (several times a day) and it's amazing!!!
http://www.vitamix.com/

Berry Delicious Smoothie

Yield: 3 cups (720 ml)

Preparation: 10 minutes
Processing: 45 seconds

1 cup (150 g) frozen pineapple

1 (118 g) ripe banana, peeled

1 cup (150 g) frozen unsweetened strawberries

1/3 cup (50 g) blueberries, fresh or frozen

1/3 cup (30 g) cranberries, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup (120 ml) ice cubes

1. Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid. 2. Select Variable 1. 3. Turn machine on and slowly increase to Variable 10, then to High. 4. Blend for 45 seconds or until desired consistency is reached.

Health Classification: Diabetic Friendly, Low Fat, Low Sodium, Low Cholesterol, Heart Healthy, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw

 Stay tuned for the green smoothies in my next blog!

Be Well,
Krista

Coming soon:  
"Winning the Game:  The Busy Mom's Manual to Refueling Her Athletic Family in Six Easy Steps"

Arm hurts but it's done!!! :)

Since this is the blog where I started my brain tumor journey, just happy to say the dreaded yearly brain mri scan with/without contrast is done! I really don't enjoy it but it has to get done and now I'm just so relieved. Not that I have even heard from my doctor as I am waiting to get an appointment but the whole process of the MRI has so many crummy memories that it just makes me nuts~!

However here is one tool I use when I am in need of it ... actually I use it every day but today I made a specific 11/7 list to get me there with a clear head.

I am in love with the website: http://www.cozi.com/family-calendar.htm
It has an app for you as well so your whole family can link up and see what's on the agenda for the day, week, month, year; what you need from your grocery list; each person's to do list and even some journal settings along with other posts that might help you organize family life. And I am a list freak! I love to cross off things! So every day I pull it up on my laptop, phone or ipad and check things off! If I can't remember what my husband asked for from the grocery store I bring up the list as he added it to it from his phone. And one of the best tricks I've learned was to put the meal of the day on it ... actual meal planning is done weeks at a time. Yes, those that know me know that I like to wing it most of the time but I have found that this is so important to keeping sanity in my kitchen, the grocery store and that time of the day you start to worry about ... WHAT'S FOR DINNER?

What a relief! Check it out!

Happy Monday! Sunshine out there and a beautiful sky! Here is a new tool I found for the kitchen and those meals that get boring. Pier One has many kinds of "tasting party"sets. I bought this with the intention to grab my kids' attention with it's colorful little compartments that are quite tiny and three little "shot glasses" (not really but about the size of one). I've used it in the morning with fruit so they can pick at it while waiting for what they really want ... at least they can get in their fiber and nutrients early in the meal. In this picture there is one cup of orange juice (smaller than her usual size), one cup of kefir (my picky eater actually loves it and being that she's on anti-biotics at the moment I've stocked up), and I juiced a big glass of beet, carrot and apple for myself and wanted to have them at least taste it ... success! I've also used it for building our own salads. I fill the compartments with whatever I have ... cut up carrots, cucumbers, edamame, fruit, seeds, and whatever else I think they'll add to a plain green salad. So far, so good. This way they are putting on what they like and it's their own creation.

Just my latest find that I thought I'd share!!
Enjoy :)

New Season

New Season it is! Holy cow it is cold out! How did it go from summer temps last week to now I'm debating putting on the heat ... shhhh don't tell my husband! I mean that was a quick change! New routines, new classrooms, new friends, new weather ... it's part of the deal with the new school year right?

I did have a great Summer season ... although it was so crazy with soccer and swim that it flew by! I love the warmth and sounds of the season. I truly will be one of those "snowbirds" who spends the winter down South!

This is a crazy pic of Sophie and I on the beach on obx in August. She truly can be present and loves life ... although her name should be Silly Sophie as she always entertains us!

But now that it is getting to be the busy season of Fall I have found myself forced to get organized again (thank God!) and use my time efficiently. I have found that the whole food thing we all are familiar with ... "What's for dinner?" to be extremely easy. How? Keeping it Simple! "Cook once and eat three times?" Yep, it is a tool that I was actually patting myself on the back this week as The Today Show had on Martha Stewart who was offering the same advice! Wow...really? I usually shake my head when I see her on tv pushing some ridiculous dessert or paella dish that I just don't have the time to make ... or even want to make ... but this one made my day!

My family is happy and I'm happy. No big deal!

You know the old quote:

If Momma ain't happy, nobody's happy!

And I rest my case :)




Goodbye Summer! See ya next year!

Relaxation Breath

Hi Everyone! More than a month has passed since I last wrote as time is flying by so quickly these days! Summer is in full swing and I am so happy to be in my favorite month of the year! A very rainy day today - not too many here in NJ this summer ... we have been so lucky with awesome weather (well except last week's super heat wave...).

I am feeling well these days as far as being "back to normal." Bryan and I took a trip last week to Bermuda to celebrate our 15 year anniversary! Again, time sure does fly. We had such a peaceful and relaxing week - one that he proposed 5 months ago while I was in the hospital after surgery on Valentine's Day. I still can't believe we pulled the trip off! I loved the scenery, the people and the atmosphere of the island. Of course we had "down time" to read and just relax and that is so what we both needed!

The day after we were back I was able to continue with my Reiki education. I have enjoyed learning and practicing this ancient Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that promotes healing as well. I have been able to practice on my family and it is so beneficial to them at any time but right before bedtime is really great. If anyone has a question about what it is and how it might benefit them please let me know!

Along with the breath work that accompanies yoga classes - yes, I still am in love with movement and breath - I wanted to pass onto you a very simple breath that I've learned years ago. It's called the "Relaxation Breath" by Dr. Andrew Weil. Anytime you are feeling stressed, tired, craving something or nervous this is easily applied anywhere!

-Inhale with your mouth closed for a count of 4.
-Hold your breath for a count of 7.
-Exhale your breath for a count of 8 with your mouth open - noise encouraged!

This 3 part breath is considered one breath. Start by doing this 4 times. Once you are practiced at it for about a month (can be done as many times a day as needed), you can move the session to 8 breaths.

Hope you are all well - see if you can stop the relentless running from yesterday and frantically chasing tomorrow, without rest and stopping to feel peace at some point in the present. Ok, yes I'm reading an excellent book about the present and couldn't help it!

Love and Light,
Krista