It's Snack Time

I often say that eating is one of my favorite past times.  To make sure that I'm not only eating but I'm eating well, I try to choose meals and snacks that are balanced and easy to prepare. Today, I had a variety of snacks which I haven't had in a while.  Today's snack consisted of:

Red pepper hummus

Baby carrots

 Avocado

Pineapples

If you are new to preparing snacks, my recommendation is to pre-wash and pre-cut your fruits and vegetables because you will save a lot of time once you're ready to eat.  We all know that proper planning is the best way to stay on track with healthy living.  

Is Yours Biodegradable?

One of the best trends of my time is upon us.  Healthy living!  Many of us have taken a stand to eat clean, exercise more or just adapt a new and improved lifestyle.  One key component that has been forgotten is being environmentally conscious.

I've taken a stand to reduce the amount of waste that I produce.  About a year and a half ago, I switched about 90% of the products that I used to the Melaleuca brand.  Not only are they biodegradable but they are concentrated which uses less plastic over time.

One of my all-time favorite products that I've used is the Melapower 6X Laundry Detergent.  This is the holy grail of all laundry detergents that I've used.  It can get out almost any stain with no pre-treatment and it's gentle on your clothes.  In addition to being good to our ecosystem, I love that I can pronounce each of the ingredients in the detergent.

Today, I challenge you to make one change that reduce waste.  It can be anything from using fewer paper towels to recycling in your community.

Sharp as a Knife

In addition to being healthy and feeling well physically, one of my primary areas of interest is maintaining mental acuity.  Over the years, I have read several studies that indicate different ways to boost your brain's sharpness and most of which are no-brainers.  Of course we've all heard that reading, learning something new and playing strategic games helps but I was just introduced to a new tip that I've been trying for myself! 

In reading last month's issue of Vitality for Life, I stumbled on an article that provided tips for how to keep your brain in tip-top condition.  The one suggestion that I had never been introduced to was the notion of using your non-dominant so that you can shake your brain out of the routine that it is used to.  I've been trying this for the last two weeks and I have to say, it definitely shakes my mind out of the cruise control state that I can normally operate in.  

Initially, I started with easy tasks as suggested in the article like brushing my teeth with my left hand and crossing my left leg over my right.  I've worked up to being able to text at a decent rate left-handed and even operate a lighter! 

If you want to try this out, you will be amazed at how more thought is required to work with your non-dominant hand.  I would suggest starting with tasks that require gross motor movements like carrying your bag with the opposite hand or drinking out of a water bottle.  Then, build your way up to the big league! You will be surprised at the difference a hand can make. 

Queen of Greens

Kale is one of the forgotten superfoods that I've been making a conscious effort to add more of to my diet. It's is packed with iron and calcium which is great if you're trying a vegan diet.  On top of that, it has antioxidant properties which helps fight cancers and is anti-inflammatory which is great for people who have joint or autoimmune disorders. It also has tons of vitamins that include A, K and C and it's low in calories.  Needless to say, kale has rightfully earned the title of Queen of Greens because of the amazing benefits.

And as much as I like eating healthy, I also love flavor.  I decided to incorporate kale in my diet by making Curried Kale.  I totally winged this meal but I want you all to be able to check it out and possibly get some inspiration for how you can eat more kale.

If you want to try this out, I've included the ingredients below.  You can add the seasonings to your liking.  I've been enjoying the taste of curry so I added more because it gives the dish a more Caribbean flavor.

Curried Kale

Kale
1/2 white onion
2 Jamaican hot peppers
Fresh Garlic
Curry powder
Chili flakes
Sea salt
Old Bay Seasoning
Olive Oil

Put olive oil in a heated pan.  Add the onion, garlic and Jamaican hot peppers.  Sautee and then add remaining ingredients and cook.

If you haven't tried kale, you're definitely missing out.  Now that you see how easy it is to prepare, hopefully you'll be getting your dose of the Queen of Greens sooner rather than later.