This post is a continuation from Feb 1st. -- so to bring yourself up to speed just scroll down to that date.


If you work a typical 8-10 hour day (not including a hefty commute) you probably don't have much time to do something for yourself, or at least you don't think you do. Remember from my earlier post -- the most important thing in life is to stay healthy and part of that is to focus on staying grounded throughout your day?


Are you sitting behind a computer screen at work? maybe sitting in a cubicle? Time can get away from you when you are on the computer...I know it happens to me all the time, but I am working on taking a break every hour for 10 minutes. If you sit for hours and don't walk around periodically, it affects your health.  You don't have to walk all the time, instead do some yoga stretches at your desk.


If the weather is nice spend time outside during lunch. Maybe spend 5 minutes meditating or read something inspiring.


When you get home make yourself a green smoothie...it doesn't have to be anything fancy... my favorite easy-to-make smoothie is:

1 banana
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 spring water
handful parsley
handful kale

blend and drink up


put your feet up and relax for at least 30 minutes...or what I call decompressing from work.

Now you have the energy to do what you normally do in the evening. Before bedtime...turn off the television and read (nothing scarey or dramatic) and then when its time to turn out the lights, imagine yourself sleeping peacefully.


Namaste!   Inge

I started buying coconut water and organic soy milk from my neighborhood 99 cent store ( I am sooo happy they exist and sell these, regular markets charge sometimes 3 times as much for same brand) And by the way I buy WestSoy soy milk bec...ause it does not contain carageen...if you don't know whats bad about carageen, Google it. Anyway, to save more money I freeze the coconut water and soymilk (in seperate) freezer trays and use the cubes in smoothies. I usually add 3 cubes coconut water and 4 cubes soy milk. I throw them in after I add everything else and let them melt -- then I blend them together. Yum!


I make a smoothie everyday...here's the recipe for the one I'm drinking right now.

3 cubes frozen coconut water

4 cubes frozen soy milk (organic)

1/2 cup parsley

1/2 banana

2 large carrots (juiced)

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup spring water

teaspoon ground flax seed ( I use Bob's Red Mill) I don't have a grinder right now.

 

 

Throw these into a blender

Allow the frozen cubes to melt; it takes about 15 minutes and then blend mixture

Enjoy!

 

 

xo   Inge

I was in Mother' Market the other day and I was hungry so I bought myself a smoothie. I decided on their breakfast smoothie, even though it was late afternoon because I never had one with granola in it. It was really good but expensive....$8 for 16 ounces. I figured in the future I can make my own at home.



Here's my recipe: 1/2 cup mixed berry organic juice, 1/2 cup organic soymilk, 1 banana, 1/2 cup Nature's Path Hemp Granola Cereal. Blend in blender and you got breakfast or snack you can take with you.


xo Inge

 

 

 

 

 

Do you live near a Dollar Store or 99 cent store that sells food? Check the shelves and even the frresh produce section because they are selling more and more organic and healthy choices. I found organic plain soymilk from WestSoy and Parro...t coconut water. The other day they had orangic lettuce and arugala in a package. I made myself a green smoothie with 1/3 rd of the can of coconut water and I poured the rest in an ice tray to use later.

In case you are wondering what else I added to smoothie:

1 banana, 1/2 cup kale, 1/2 cup parsley, 1/2 cup spring water and 1/3 can coconut water. Yum!

 

 

xo     Inge

I helped out at the Ostomy booth at the UCI healthfair last weekend and met this terrific woman who runs Home Care Assistance. Its for people (mostly seniors) who need extra help with daily things like cooking, groooming, running errands and plain old companionship. There lots of these type of agencies in Orange County but what makes this one different is that client care manager, Sandy Rasque, focuses on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and eating. Her staff provides healthy meals that includes fresh vegetables, fruits and even smoothies.


Have you ever stayed in the hospital and been offered Ensure to  either gain weight or keep the weight on? I have when I was getting chemo/radiation treatment. Anyone who has been through this knows that eating is a real problem. Everything tastes awful, so doctors suggest Ensure. Now don't get me wrong they mean well. Ensure has protein and calories but mostly from sugar, and studies show that cancer loves sugar. Why give it what it wants? And in my case, the Ensure was way too sweet.

 So when I was in the hospital my family brought me smoothies from Jamba Juice. Yes, they have sugar too but at least it is somewhat healthier than Ensure.

When I got home we bought a juicer and a blender so we could make our own fresh green smoothies. Before long I was throwing everything in but the kitchen sink. My smoothies must have contained at least 600 calories, all from fresh fruits and veggies, along with soy milk andd yogurt.

Well, Sandy figured this out and wanted her seniors to have a healtheir alternative. Her motto is "Changing the way the world ages". She teaches her staff how to cook healthy meals, including how to make delicious, healthy smoothies (with real fruit and veggies) and serve them to their clients. They also will shop for the food that they will be serving.

This is one of the books sitting on her table at the health fair.

I was so impressed with Sandy's fresh approach to caregiving that I wanted to tell others about her and her agency. I briefly worked for another home care agency a few years ago and what a disappointment that was. It was clear to me that they were all about their 'bottom line', not the clients or their employees for that matter. They paid low wages, expected their employees to drive sometimes 30 + miles to an assignment and only stay 3 hours. Seniors ate (in my opinion) substandard meals. The food was usually processed, fast food, purchased by the senior or family member and prepared by the caregiver. There was no suggestion to eat healthier by anyone. The caregivers I met didn't look too healthy themselves either.


I know of group homes that run the same way, maybe even worse when it comes to healthy meals. I used to work in an adult day program and my clients used to tell me what they ate at home. I also saw the junk food they brought to the program. Nothing healthy in those lunch boxes. How can one expect to have a healthy mind when its fed junk?


Recent studies show that the majority of people with autism have intestinal problems and the correlation is processed food containing GMOs. (You didn't think I was going to talk about health without bringing up the health problems caused by GMOs, did you?)


I think feeding seniors, the mentally ill andd even us, healthy fresh foods will give us a better chance of living a longer healthy life. What fun is it to live longer but to do so being sick? I know thats not for me.

I am hopeful that Sandy's approach to senior care will catch on with other agencies and hospitals for that matter. Everyday more and more health care providers are understanding the connection between good health and eating healthy food. I see new patients all the time in the cancer center who tell me their doctor tells them "no sugar" and thats a step in the right direction.


Sandy was making and giving out samples of one her smoothie recipes at the fair and I thought I would share it with you:


Blueberry Banana Smoothie:


1 ripe banana
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup nonfat yogurt
3/4 cup lowfat milk or almond milk
1/2 cup crushed ice


Throw in blender, puree and serve!




xo     Inge

 

I made the abosulte BEST smoothie just now. I bought fresh figs at the store. They were on sale, so I figured I would try them. Eating them au naturale was pretty bland, so I decided to experiment. I peeled 7 figs and added them to 1/2 cup coconut milk, a banana and threw them in a blender. WOW! Who needs milkshakes? Make mine a fig smoothie! Figs are full of phyto-nutrients and anti-oxidents. They spoil fast so I suggest peeling and freezing them.

 

xo  Inge