Flu got you down ... I'm with ya ...

I am sitting here in my bed ...

It's been a crazy busy few weeks ... the Christmas prep, the ski equipment roundup, the trip to Colorado...

Friday I was all set to get back to accomplishing my daily goals, work on marketing my book, my business, and of course have some normalcy again.  I wish I could tell you that because I eat very carefully, take umpteen immunity boosters and carry around anti-bacterial hand gel in the airport to be slathered all over my family that I wouldn't get sick.  Oh yeah, I'm down with the flu.

I really don't do doctor visits ... I try to heal myself without drugs.  However I knew something was up with this one when I had a houseful of kids over and I hid in my room!

Anyway, the only reason I'm writing (I mean I really am sick ... not trying to get out of kid rearing homework projects, runs to Michaels - local peeps ... you know that science t-shirt project? and the historical marker project?  My husband has seriously got more patience than I do by far!)  is because
a) I'm bored out of my mind ... with horrible aches and pains
b) I did get a new MacBook and I trying to experiment and
c) not for nothing, but have you ever noticed the minute you finally slow down your pace, sometimes your body thinks it's ok to get sick?  

Those of you who know me are about to roll your eyes at me ...

I think it's a signal that we have to listen to our bodies and stop when we need to stop.
Yes ... I also believe that someone sneezed on me or coughed in the plane too .... (eeew!!)  but my immunity was compromised from weeks of non-stop doing.

Someday I'll learn!

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2013!

Krista

Here is my favorite pic of our trip ... my family doing the ski thing together!  No matter how cold it was, we were still together which in itself a simple and happy place!

Jolly Green Drink

Smoothies!
After Thanksgiving you may be looking for a really good upgrade for your food intake!
I found a recipe in my favorite e-book:  "crazy sexy Juices & Succulent Smoothies" by Kris Carr called "Breakfast of Champions," a recipe contributed by Christine Cook.  I did tweak it as I love my coconut milk!  The recipe below is what I made this morning ... it truly gave me tons of post Turkey Day energy and it kept me full past lunch!

Just a heads up ... this makes 48 oz!  I shared it with my husband and daughter ... who had no idea there were greens filling their glasses!  If you are afraid of green drinks, here is another one to convert you (and your family)!

Now is a great time to refuel with some great foods as we are now into the holiday season of over-indulgences and those stresses that usually catch us off guard in December.  Do something good for yourself and drink those fruits and veggies to boost your immunity and keep you going like the Energizer Bunny!  Once you incorporate these energy boosting drinks into your day, you will make it a part of your routine.  Your brain and your gut are very good friends.  There is a direct line of communication between your belly and brain.  What you put in one majorly affects the other!

Brain in Belly ... ok not this direct but there is such a connection with how we feel when we eat well!

Jolly Green Drink ... although it was pink!

Makes 48 oz.
3 big handfuls of spinach or baby kale
1 banana
1 green apple
2 handfuls of frozen blueberries
5-6 frozen strawberries
5-6 pieces of frozen mango
1 scoop of protein powder (I use Jay Robb's egg white protein)
2-3 cups liquid enough to think it to your preference (I used coconut milk along with water)

Blend and serve immediately!

Secret mission for hiding fiber ...

Quick little tip I wanted to pass on ...
I have a very picky eater ...
She really is giving me a hard time with her veggies and most fruits ... (you'd think this would be getting easier as they get older right?)  Especially with the addition of braces and all those non-foods they tell you not to eat!  Ugh ... and I'm not getting into the belly aches that accompany non-fiber diets here, but those aren't fun as you all know.

If you make lasagna or other Italian pasta dishes ... take a can of white cannelini beans ... rinse them well and add them (I use 1/2 a can) to some red sauce in the blender.  Your family will never know they are hiding in there!  You can get more creative with different meals but it is so easy to do.  I told them after they devoured it and they could care less.  Whatever...

Enjoy your secret mission!



PS ... I love, love, love my Vitamix blender ... we use it multiple times each day and it always does it's job.  See my book for more uses of this godsend:

www.refuelyourathleticfamily.com

Back to Regularly Scheduled Programming...

If you're like me, today is really the first "regular" day in over two weeks since we experienced that bad girl Sandy.  I'm not into talking about it anymore...so hopefully everyone has recovered and is ready to move forward.

But ... one thing I heard from so many people is that the loss of power, heat and "normalcy" led to let's just say ... lots more wine.  More hot coffee.  And crabby attitudes after about 3 days without power.  I for one am guilty of this.  Add to this mix Halloween and sugar in the kids who are not on their active schedules ... not what we were used to.  I used to envision loss of power to be kinda nice without any tv, computers, phone, etc.  Using that time to reconnect over board games was nice for maybe a few days but everyone had had it after 9 days!  When the power returned, everyone felt better and my dormant vacuum, dishwasher and hairdryer were happy to be back!!  Anyway, the only reason I bring this up is because I felt pretty crappy while the power was out.  Not terrible, but boy did I feel so much better when it came back!  Eating my regular fresh foods and more importantly ... drinking water made everything easier.  I'm assuming when you are cold without heat you just don't crave water or want to drink it.  Here are some tidbits I found to help you all get motivated to drink your water:

*75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
*In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak it is often mistaken for hunger.
*Even mild dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.
*One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
*Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
*Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
*A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
*Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

DRINK YOUR WATER!

Ok, so how much?  The rule I advise my clients to use is simply this:
Divide your body weight in half.  That is the number of ounces you should be drinking!
Ex:  120 pounds ... 60 ounces

It's really quite amazing when you take a minute to listen to your body.  As soon as I refuel with water after forgetting to drink ... the headache disappears, the energy rises and I don't have a craving for sweets!!

So give it a try ... and remind your kids to drink as well!  Those math tests could sky rocket!!

Drink up!
Krista

If you'd like to learn more about the benefits of eating right, please visit my website to check out my book:  "Winning the Game:  The Busy Mom's Guide to Refueling her Athletic Family in 6 Easy Steps"  ... www.RefuelYourAthleticFamily.com

Chili!

Yes, another recipe that I have found helps the busy family when you get home from a full soccer day (or I'm sure football, softball, swim, field hockey) especially with that nip in the air we are tasting here in NJ.  Yesterday was one of those days that needed some menu planning or it would have been another call for pizza.  I do enjoy my pizza, but after these kids just got thrown around on the field and played hard using up their energy stores,  I believe the nutritional requirements are better met with a healthy batch of chili and cornbread!  Plus we get to watch the pre-recorded football games that we miss during the afternoon of soccer ... chili seems to score high with the friends and family on that one.  Plus, there are great health benefits to eating spicy foods if you like to make yours spicy!  See my list at the bottom if you are into learning more about why hot foods are good for you!

I tend to tweak my recipes all the time, but this is a very basic recipe that you can use and alter to your liking.  My kids really don't like it too spicy so I usually cut the recipe's measurement in half.  You can also get creative with different veggies and peppers ... even add some red wine or grated dark chocolate to the sauce.  On a typical Sunday, we leave the house before lunch and return in time for dinner.  So, if you get this organized the night before, you can get it going that morning before you leave to bring your kids to whatever game or practice they might have and have it done when you get home.  Use your slow cooker!  Follow the directions and once it is mixed together put it in the slow cooker for about 6 to 8 hours on low.

Easy enough and done when you get home!  Serve it up with some shredded cheddar, cilantro, sour cream, green salad and corn bread.
Ready, set...

Chili
Serves 8

2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic - crushed
1 lb. ground sirloin
1 14 1/2 ounce of chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce
3 Tablespoons of fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons of chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 15 oz can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 15 oz can of garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
1 15 oz can of black beans (drained and rinsed)

Directions:
1.  Heat olive oil in a large soup pot.
2.  Add onions and garlic to pot.  Cook until soft.
3.  Add ground sirloin to the vegetables. Cook until no longer pink.
4.  Add remaining ingredients (except cilantro) to the pot.  Mix well.
5.  Pour mixture into slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low about 6-8 hours.

Easy enough and done when you get home!  Serve it up with some shredded cheddar, cilantro, sour cream, green salad and corn bread.

Then ... smile to yourself super mom, because you rocked the busy Sunday obligation day with ease ;)

Happiness,
Krista


Health Benefits of Spicy Foods:
1.  weight loss
2.  heart health
3.  cancer prevention
4.  lower blood pressure
5.  eases depression and stress

 

GRILLED PINEAPPLE!

Told you I'd give you this one ... making it tonight for my B's birthday dinner!
If you want to enjoy your pineapple in a new way or maybe that pineapple is getting a bit too soft (yucky fruit flies around?) try this!

Grilled Pineapple with Minted Honey

1 pineapple
2-3 Tablespoons of honey
1 mint stalk

1.  Get pineapple ready for coring - cut top and bottom off.  Slice in half lengthwise. Use apple corer or other kitchen gadget to core the middle out.  Cut slices about 1/2 inch thick.
2.  Brush olive oil over the slices.
3.  Grill on medium heat with cover closed for about 5 minutes.  Flip and grill other side for about 4-5 minutes.
4.  Remove from heat and drizzle honey and chopped mint over pieces.

Grilled Pineapple

5.  Enjoy!

I leave the skin on the outside while grilling and cut off before eating.  You can remove the outer skin before grilling as well.

BBQ Pulled Chicken Recipe

Hi All,

If you are like me, you may be scrambling to find something new to feed the kids after practice on weeknights.  It is that time of year to get back on track ... new schedules for the kiddies, new schedules for us and whatever sport they are playing is in full swing. 

I am glad to share this new bbq pulled chicken recipe!  I tweaked this recipe (as I usually do because I run out of spices or tomatoes or something ...) but it came out so good that we had 3 days worth of dinners (not kidding).  I like to change it up each day but the basic recipe below is pretty versatile.  And best of all...the crock pot is open for business again.  So easy to do and done when they walk in the door so you don't have to deal with, "What's for dinner?  I'm starving!!" as they rummage through the cookies that you thought you hid pretty well.  

Enjoy ... serve on rolls, add some sour cream, maybe some lettuce, over a salad, with some grilled fruit (grilled pineapple was awesome!  A recipe for that tomorrow!)... the list goes on and on.

Barbeque Pulled Chicken

courtesy of EatingWell:  Feb/March 2006

8 servings

Time to prep:  25 minutes

Cooking Time:  5 hours

Ingredients:

1 8 oz can reduced sodium tomato sauce

1 4 oz can chopped green chiles, drained

3 tablespoons  cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

Preparation:

1.  Stir tomato sauce, chiles, vinegar, honey, paprika, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, ground chipotle and salt in a 6 quart cooker until smooth.  Add chicken, onion and garlic;  stir to combine.

2.  Put the lid on and cook on low until the chicken can be pulled apart, about 5 hours.

3.  Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred with a fork.  Return chicken to the sauce, stir well and serve.

Happy Eating!

Krista