post Thanksgiving thoughts...

It is hard for me to believe that it is December 1st! I realized today in somewhat of a panic that I am not ready for Christmas. By that I mean, decorating, gifts, cards, baking, etc… I am looking forward to doing a lot of Christmas baking with my Grandma this year that will be fun. However it is not scheduled yet!


Today I wanted to review the Thanksgiving poll we did. Our polls at this site are for fun. They certainly are not scientific but an easy way for people to chime in. We would really appreciate your sharing our site each month with your friends and family and asking them to participate in that month’s poll. And if a little “healthy” information rubs off on them, well that is always a good thing! OK so we are just getting rolling with establishing a monthly poll. We had 7 votes in November; let’s make a larger splash in December!

42% voted they would be having a Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner
57% voted they would be having a Modified Traditional Dinner

All other categories were 0 votes

Reviewing the poll also returns my thoughts to my post on “Beating the Holiday Weight Gain Blues.” I personally feel and the scales say that I am a few pounds heavier now than the lst of November. I am fighting that fact face on and even though I did walk some in November it wasn‘t enough and my plan is to make exercise a December requirement. I know, I’ve already stated all my other Christmas things are yet undone, however I know I’ll feel better and get more done when I feel good and take care of myself. Make a reasonable goal and schedule it. My reasonable goal is to exercise 3 times a week between now and Christmas. Monday, Wednesday and Friday works for me. If I can get a walk in on Tuesdays and Thursdays I will, but if there is not time, I’m not going to stress about it because I’m meeting my primary goal. My M-W-F routine is a favorite aerobics DVD. (The weather becomes a non-issue!) What is your favorite exercise? And please share your ideas for exercise routines during especially busy times.

Smiles,

Stacia

The Practice of Gratitude

The Practice of Gratitude

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday.  It hasn’t been politicized and it has remained non-denominational.  Turkey is cheap and you can make the celebration as low key as you want.  Hallmark sells a few cards but the holiday seems to survive largely based on a desire by Americans to preserve a tradition over 400 years old. 

Now I could easily get sidetracked into a rant about how far we have strayed from the original Thanksgiving Dinner – as if anyone really knows what happened back in 1621 but I'm willing to bet that Black Friday was not part of the celebration.  I know you all will be thankful if I avoid that.  So, I’ll just say that the meal the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians shared at Plymouth was probably a harvest celebration.  You meat lovers will be happy to know that the menu would almost certainly have been dominated by meat, mostly wild game.  The events of the “first Thanksgiving” have become highly romanticized but the sentiment and tradition of a fall feast and being thankful has, thankfully, survived.

Kahlil Gibran, a Lebanese-American author who lived from 1883 to 1931, wrote, "Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving."  What a wonderful way to start a day.  Not with worry or reluctance but with joy at the prospect of loving the people, creatures and, indeed, the world around you.  With that thought in your mind and in your heart, a smile will naturally come to your lips.  By being thankful for the day to come without knowing what lies ahead, you have created a spiritual openness to receive even more blessings.

I write in a prayer journal every night.  At least once a week I write down everything that comes to mind that I am thankful for.  At times it takes a while to fill the page but when I’m done, I feel thankful for the act of being thankful.  I believe that by practicing gratitude I will attract more blessings to myself.

There maybe days when the most you’ll feel thankful for is the air you breathe but there will be other days when a baby gives you a smile, when you help someone by giving of yourself, or when the warm sunshine of a spring day kisses your face – days when you cannot count the many gifts for which you are grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, and may the practice of gratitude bring you even more to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day and every day.

To your health,

Vicki

Beat the Holiday Weight Gain Blues

It is hard to eat healthy meals when there are holiday treats everywhere you look. And, guess what? The barrage of cookies, candy, and buffets won’t end for another month. Nor will the busy schedules that can make the drive-thru lane of the closest fast food restaurant look like a good choice.

Arm Yourself for the Season with Cinch!

 

 

 

Cinch delivers a knock-out blow to the temptation of “just a taste” of unhealthy holiday treats. Think of a Cinch shake for breakfast or lunch as your main defense. With 24 grams* of hunger-fighting protein, plus extra leucine so you don’t lose muscle, and four delicious flavor choices, Cinch shakes are a great way to help keep your day on track. Chocolate? Vanilla? Strawberry? Café Latte?
Take your pick and leave the chips-and-dip behind.
 

 

Need even more convenience? Try a Cinch Meal-in-a Bar. Keep one in your purse, gym bag, or just tuck one in your pocket when you head out the door, and you have a super quick, super healthy, breakfast or lunch option. It is even faster than “fast” food, and costs less than most – so no more excuses for eating burgers and fries. No more guilty, bloated feelings from the so-called Value Mega-Meal you just ate. Instead, you get the great taste of a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip or Berry Almond Crunch Meal-in-a-Bar**, and a bit more change left in your pocket for your holiday shopping.

Let us help you make this the year you beat the Holiday Weight Gain Blues!

To your Healthy Weight, Stacia

Home-style Chicken Stew

Home-style Chicken Stew

1 sweet onion (yellow onion), diced
2 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
3 stalks celery, sliced
½ cup baby carrots
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 sweet potato, diced
2 whole (bone in) chicken breasts
¼ cup vermouth (fortified wine) use any white wine you have or apple cider, etc…
2 cans chicken broth, sodium free, retain at least 2 T. to combine with cornstarch
Dried jerk seasoning
Salt and Pepper
2 T. cornstarch (combine with reserved chicken broth)

Dry chicken with paper towel and sprinkle with jerk seasoning on all sides, Rub in as in a dry rub. Allow chicken to sit while you prep onions and get ready to brown chicken. Melt butter in larger skillet. (Use skillet that has a fitted lid for later.) Add oil and heat to medium to medium high and add diced onion. Caramelize about 15 minutes. Add chicken breasts, skin side down about two minutes to brown and get color, turn and repeat other side. Remove chicken to a plate.

Deglaze pan with wine/cider/juice. Add garlic, carrots, celery and potatoes. Stir to combine with the onion wine mixture and allow to cook covered with lid a few minutes. Stir in chicken broth, S & P as desired. Top with chicken breasts and cover. Cook over low or simmer heat approx 30 to 45 minutes or until veggies are tender and chicken is just cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate. Add cornstarch/broth slurry to thicken broth/veggie mixture and increase heat a few minutes to thicken sauce. Meanwhile, shred or dice chicken, removing bone and skin. Return meat to the pan and stir.

Serve with crusty bread for an all in one meal. (i.e. veggie, protein, a little starch and fat.)
Makes approx. 4 servings.
Original recipe by Stacia Brethen

Take Care of YOU for your family

My post today is about family. Vicki and I planned a work session today, which was pre-empted by family needs. Our best-laid plans sometimes are really not that well planned because the really important things to do are to take care of your immediate family needs. We are so blessed to be able to pay attention to those needs and put aside the other business of the day.
My thanks to Vicki today as my time was also tuned to my home. I made a comfort food dinner with pantry ingredients already on hand. I knew I was going to serve chicken so that was already out of the freezer. I was just going to do a simple bake on the chicken and my hubby was also thankful for a bowl of what seemed like a long slow cooked stew. Anyway enough on cooking.  Included is the recipe for you to enjoy. (See seperate post)

The family topic also brought to mind the subject of taking care of ourselves. This is a struggle sometimes to take care of ourselves when we each have unique physical and/or mental problems we deal with on a day-to-day basis. With that understood, each of us can give the gift to family of taking care of our health the best that we can that day. One of my personal struggles is living with MS. In additional to professional medical care (i.e. prescriptions), I also take Vitalizer every day.

The reason I like it so much is because my entire OTC supplements I need every day is in one daily strip. I don’t need to open a bunch of vitamin bottles to get what I need.

Bone health and proactively working to decrease my risk for Osteoporosis is another reason I take Vitalizer. Osteoporosis disease is a big risk in my family as I’m sure it is for many of you as well.

Check out the link to the Landmark Dietary Supplement Study by clicking the link to the right under “Additional Information”. Ask us how you also can get started on Vitalizer.

This photo is of a great lady who has made a point in her life to take care of herself and her family. She also happens to be Vicki’s Grandmother and mine. She is 94 and while she does now have severe Osteoporosis, she still “takes exercise” by doing a little walking and “getting a little sun” for 15 minutes on her porch. It was only a few years back that she and her late husband were going to water aerobics for seniors! That’s my healthy family tribute for today!

 
 
 
 
 
 
Take care of yourself today,
 
                                                                     Stacia

Feeling Stressed? Try a trip down a happy memory lane.

I am working on photos today, trying to organize, delete duplicates and bad shots, etc. And I found myself just wanting to look at photos and go down memory lane rather than work on them! When I came across this one, I decided if I share it on Sisters 4 Healthy Living I am working and not just goofing off!

In all seriousness, this really is a way to beat stress. To look back at this photo I took of a beautiful scene at The Great Sand Dunes National Park, I am able to let go and visualize myself back there enjoying the sight and the fun vacation Vicki and I took there.

So this Monday or any time, if stress is either threatening or already there, see if you can find a photo that takes you back to a good place. Or imagine that good place while looking at the Great Sand Dunes! And consider adding Shaklee's Stress Relief Complex to your daily dietary routine.

Here is a description of the product from the Shaklee web site:
"Relax the mind and body the natural way. Try the natural approach to stress management. Stress Relief Complex utilizes a unique combination of natural ingredients to help you relax without causing drowsiness. In as little as 30 minutes, Stress Relief Complex will provide quick relief from everyday tension, while promoting alertness."

Here's to Stress Relief and by the way, Happy Monday!

In Good Health,
Stacia

(Click the link to the right, Shop Shaklee Products, to find more product information.)

Fruit Smoothie

Vicki and I recently got to spend some time together. (Yea I know you saw the photos!). When we get together our time goes fast and while we like cooking we also like walking. The perfect answer? A smoothie. I've been making these for my husband and me. They are filling, delicious and lowfat. Vicki loved the smoothies and we think you will, too.

So here is my smoothie receipe:

Fruit Smoothie:

One cup lowfat milk
One cup Fatfree plain yogurt
Two scoops Vanilla Cinch Shake Mix
One bananna
Frozen fruit - about a 1/2 cup of whatever you like. (Strawberries and raspberries are my favs)

Blend until smooth. I use an immersion blender for quick cleanup.

My husband loves these and usually makes a joke about it. He'll say "This taste great, and I suppose it's good for me too!" It is nice to sneak in some good nutrition and especially in a husband pleasing way.

Let me know if you like the recipe and ways you find to make it your own!

In Good Health,
Stacia


Shaklee's Cinch Shakes are:

• Delicious, healthy and satisfying meal at home or on-the-go
  
• Powered by Leucine^TM to help preserve muscle while you lose weight
  
• With 24 grams of protein* to help control hunger and help you feel full
  
• Contains no soy

Whey Cinch Shakes are Kosher. For more information about Cinch or any of Shaklee's great products, click on the Shop Shaklee Products link to the right.

FLU in the news...

Most of us are certinally aware of how much the flu and specifically H1N1 is in the news. Here is some general information from the Immunity Research Site from their Cold and The Flu Fact sheet:

    " Some of the symptoms of the cold and flu are similar, but the two illnesses can usually be distinguished. Typically, colds begin slowly, two to three days after infection with the virus. The first symptoms are usually a scratchy, sore throat followed by sneezing, a runny nose and possibly, a cough several days later. Signs of the flu include sudden onset with a headache, dry cough and the chills and these symptoms quickly become more severe than those of a cold. Fever of up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit is also common. (SOURCE: U.S. Food and Drug Administration). "

If you would like to read more of this Fact sheet, follow the link below to the Immunity Research Site and click on FACT SHEET ON COLDS AND THE FLU under the "Learn More" heading. This is not a specific sheet on H1N1 but good self education information to help you and your family. Since H1N1 is in the news increasing our knowledge on our immunity system seems like a pretty good idea! There is also a Immunity Health Glossary of terms on the site. Hope you find this helpful and here's to your good health!

Happy Fall - Enjoy the outdoors!

Hello and Happy Fall! It is beautiful where I am right now in Western Colorado. Sisters 4 Healthy Lives (S4HL) was formed partially because of our deep enjoyment of the outdoors and being "out" in it! We are not weekend warriors but want to make the most of exercising by enjoying the outdoors everyday. i.e., walking the dog, hiking or out taking photos, but keeping it simple.

Healhty living doesn't have to be complex and it is not all or nothing. The walk you take today is a great start to walking several times a week. Taking care of yourself from the inside with healthy nutrition does not mean you never again eat a cookie! Vicki and I are real people just like you. This photo of our recent outdoor adventure brought these thoughts to mind. Hope you enjoy the photo and we will share more thoughts and ideas with you as we go!