Tradin' in the Cheddar for Celeriac-ac-ac-ac-ac-ac

This morning I made Celeriac Souffle from a recipe out of the book "In Season". It was splendid. It's only a few ingredients; celeriac, eggs, mustard, butter, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  I highly recommend it. The celeriac is packed with potassium and is beneficial for high blood pressure, due to high levels of phthalides.

Cancer

In the past week I have been informed that two of my friends have been diagnosed with cancer. The first, in his mid-thirties with one kid and one on the way, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. The other, in her forties, with leukemia. I have had a heightened awareness (and fear) of cancer and its widespread hold on our nation for the past few years, due mainly to the increasing number of friends and acquaintances affected by this disease I have accumulated in my short life. Ironically enough, I am currently reading the book Anti-Cancer. This book is well written and enlightening. I highly recommend it and wish that all of my friends and family would not only read it but also implement some of the fundamental anti-cancer lifestyle changes this book identifies.

My winter activity - Yoga

Since the weather is not cooperating for outdoor activities, I found this link with yoga videos if anyone is interested.  They have one free video each week, you can buy a video for a few bucks or you can subscribe to unlimited classes for an entire year.

http://www.yogatoday.com/videos

I've tried this week's free video and it's not as easy as I thought it would be at the beginning. I was sore the next day, but it definitely makes you feel more relaxed because it makes you focus on breathing. Too bad I can't be taking the class in person since they are in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and it looks beautiful!

Portions and Healthy Snacks

I am always amazed at how much food you get when you go out to eat. The sad thing is I usually eat it all as I am a glorified member of the "clean plate club". However, here are some guidelines when trying to measure how much an actual serving is when reading the dietary information on food.
Baseball: a serving of vegetables or fruit
Rounded handful: 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta and a good measure for pretzels and chips
Deck of Cards: serving of meat except fish
Golf ball: serving of dried nuts or dried fruit
Tennis ball: about 1/2 cup of ice cream
Computer mouse: small baked potato
Compact disc: one pancake or waffle serving
Thumb tip: 1 tsp of peanut butter
Six dice: serving of cheese
Check book: serving of fish

It is also a good idea when you are first starting out, to have at least one thing at every meal that you can have have seconds of so you don't leave the table hungry, such as broccoli or salad with fat free dressing or cucumbers.

Sorry Mom

I came across this blog yesterday:

http://fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com
It's nothing that we all don't already know, but seeing it and reading it makes you think. It's no wonder that the nation's health is so bad. School lunches; what a perfect place to provide a healthy lunch. Instead, you couldn't eat a truly nutritious meal here if you wanted to. Public schools should be teaching nutrition, and school lunches should be the example.

-Chad

Starting Small

The best thing about changing your habits and your lifestyle into a healthier one is to start small. Anytime, you feel like you are giving up everything or sacrifcing, you more than likely will not be successful. So start each week with another goal. For instance, week 1, try to cut down your soda intake by 1 to 2 soda's a day. Week 2 try to get outside and walk or do some type of activity two more times a week. Week 3, try at least one new vegetable and one new fruit. You never know what you're going to realize you like! Now these are just examples, you can adapt this anyway you want. The main idea is you do not have to empty all your cabinets and eat tofu and yogurt all day. I have started the weight watchers again and this time Chip is joining me, and this is one of the main things I love about the program. It is all about choices. You can eat what you want within reason, you just need to make the choice if that food is worth more points that you will not be able to use later in the day. And of course as Holly talked about, exercise actually gains you points because you burn off some of the calories you took in. Exercise doesn't have to be running 5 miles or kickboxing, it can be as simple as walking the dog for 45 minutes or so. I did really good with this once before and then I am ashamed to say, I fell off the wagon and succumbed to the holidays and the winter not wanting to get out of the house because it is too cold thoughts. After my last visit to the doctor and with my future cruise, it is time to get my butt back in shape. I will keep you guys updated on our progress.......if Chip can do it, anyone can do it! :)

American Heart Month - Get Active

Well, I must admit that ever since Dylan was born, our level of activity has been limited.  First I was recovering from surgery, and then it was winter.  I don't want to take him out in the freezing cold to exercise, and there isn't much room to move around inside our little house.  We tend to shy away from exercise for the sake of exercise.  We would rather be doing some type of activity, like hiking or playing a game.  Plus, I need new tennis shoes since my feet grew during pregnancy and it looks like they will never go back.  

Excuses, excuses.. I know...  

Since there are so many important benefits to exercising, we really need to start making it a priority.  Chad and I have trouble finding the time and the energy.  So cheer us on (and we'll do the same for you!) as we try to find creative ways to incorporate exercise back into our lives.  With the days getting longer and warmer weather on the way soon, we hope it will get easier for us. 

Some of the benefits according the the American Heart Association website (we already know these, but reading the list helps motivate me a little more):

• Reduces the risk of heart disease by improving blood circulation throughout the body
• Helps manage blood pressure and cholesterol
• Prevents bone loss
• Boosts energy level
• Helps manage stress
• Improves the ability to fall asleep quickly and sleep well
• Counters anxiety and depression and increases enthusiasm and optimism
• Establishes good heart-healthy habits in children

Here are some tips on easy ways to incorporate physical activity into your daily life:

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2155

American Heart Month

February is American Heart Month.  According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the #1 killer of Americans.  They offer seven areas that we can improve to reduce our risk of heart disease:

1. Get Active
2. Control Cholesterol
3. Eat Better
4. Manage Blood Pressure
5. Lose Weight
6. Reduce Blood Sugar
7. Stop Smoking

I think that everyone who is reading this is a non-smoker, so one down, six to go! :)   I'll be updating with more information in each area throughout the month.

For more information now, you can visit this link:
http://mylifecheck.heart.org/Multitab.aspx?NavID=8&CultureCode=en-US

If you browse their site you can find even more information on ways to keep your heart healthy: http://www.americanheart.org

Tuesday Night Blackened Tilapia

In an effort to lose some extra pounds, Erik and I are eating smaller portions and healthier meals.

Tonight we went with whatever we had in the freezer and pantry - frozen broccoli, tilapia, and basmati rice.

I steamed the broccoli with some cajun seasoning, and somewhat followed a recipe for herbed rice. The tilapia was pan fried following a Food Network recipe.

Herbed Basmati Rice Recipe
Big Daddy's Blackened Tilapia Recipe


The tilapia turned out very good - the smoked paprika made it a bit too smoky for my liking, but Erik loved it. We found a really great recipe to make our own cajun seasoning, which I used on the broccoli and would have been good on the tilapia too. I can share the recipe if anyone is interested.

It's our third week of cutting back our "American-sized" portions, and since the holidays I know I have lost a few pounds. It has been a challenge, but we are going to keep it up!

To kick start this new site, Chad created a pancake recipe that we had for breakfast this morning:

1 cup Flax Seed Meal
1 cup Whole Grain Pastry Flour
1/4 cup Corn Meal
1tsp Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Evaporated Cane Juice (cane sugar- unrefined)
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1 Large Egg
1 cup Skim Milk
2 tbsp Canola Oil
1/2 cup Water

These are heartier than normal pancakes - so don't expect the normal Bisquick flavor. You don't need as many to feel full, and the fullness lasts much longer.

Healthful Hint: Use real butter and real maple syrup. They taste better and your body can process them better than margarine and extra sugary syrup. Plus, the syrup has fewer calories!