Month / November 2012

by tessbrennan

I Have a Favor to Ask of You-Kindness to Yourself

When you have a favor to ask a friend, how do you approach them?

If you would like your friend or a stranger to do something for you, how do you ask?

(Even in the case of my closest friends) I, personally, am nice to them. I know that by treating someone with kindness, they are more likely to cooperate with me, to help me achieve my task. (That’s not to say it’s the only time I’m nice to them – Julie Hollingsworth) Smile

Why then? When we want our bodies, or our minds, to do something for ourselves do we insist on being mean, and rude, and hurtful?

arguing

Do we think that by calling ourselves stupid, ignorant, goofy, wrong, or other mean names that it will actually convince ourselves to maintain the behavior we are trying to attain?  Would it work if you were calling someone else those words?  (Probably not for long.)

I know many a person who has sabotaged their own success by such negative talk.

Try instead to use a kinder approach with yourself.  “I slipped up, yes, and now I will remember to do the way I want it done the next time.” It doesn’t matter if its weight loss, healthier eating, exercising, or changing careers.

My friends at Integrative Mindfulness and Shift and Wake Up do an excellent job and teaching others to be kind to themselves, and I have been amazed at myself and those around me in the things we have accomplished once we began being nicer to ourselves.

So, do me a favor. Be kind to yourself, be patient, and treat yourself as you would treat anyone else you would like to do you a favor.

by tessbrennan

4 Ways to Begin to Feel Good Fast

When you feel blue, out of energy, glued to the couch, and unable to move, stop for a moment. You aren’t dead yet and you have a choice.

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Take a deep breath, focus on that breath, as my friend from Integrative Mindfulness taught me.  Center yourself for a moment, then choose a different path.

Some ideas to begin down the new road…

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Move.  You don’t need to run the Boston Marathon, just begin to get some exercise.  Walk to your mailbox, park a couple spaces farther away from the store, do some leg lifts while you sit on the couch in the evening.  Just move.

Dress_it_up_lifeinbonitasprings

Grab some WATER. Say you don’t like water?  Try adding some mint leaves, a dash of no sugar added fruit juice, slice of lemon, or sliced strawberries.  Dress it up, put it in a beautiful glass, and enjoy this life giving treat.

More_Veggies_lifeinbonitasprings

Eat more veggies. I don’t want to hear, “I don’t like them”.  You’re a grown up, you can find ways to make veggies that you like to eat. Try new recipes.  I prefer http://AllRecipes.com they have a TON of recipes, lots of reviews and we rarely fail when we choose a recipe to try.  Don’t be afraid to doctor them up a bit to fit your tastes.

THERE. YOU. GO.

4 WAYS YOU CAN BEGIN TO START FEELING GOOD FAST.

For more information, or a personal consultation on getting yourself to feel good fast, just contact me.

A very special thank you, to my friend Chris Griffith of Life in Bonita Springs for the photos in my blog!

So, apparently I cannot count… here are 4 NOT 3 ways to begin to feel better.

by tessbrennan

Grilled Sweet Dumpling Squash & Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Time to try something new!  I bought this little beauty right after Halloween because I liked the way it looked and thought it would be a nice fall decoration.  Then, as it sat there, I thought… wonder what it would taste like. (reverting back to my 2 yr old self)  So, last night I grilled it and it was great!

healthygreasemonkey.com Sweet Dumpling squash

Along with 2 grilled chicken breasts on the grill, I made the whole dinner out on the lanaii on the hubby’s awesome grill. Time to completion was 50 minutes for the meal.

Sweet Dumpling Squash

  • 1 Sweet Dumpling Squash
  • 2 Tbsp of butter (you can use olive oil, but I was feeling indulgent)
  1. Cut a hole in the top of the squash and with a spoon & your hand clear out all the “squash goop” and seeds. (Just like a pumpkin)
  2. Drop the butter down in there.
  3. Preheat the grill, I used 2/3 burners lit in our gas grill
  4. Put the squash in the grill, but NOT over the lit burners. (I actually placed it on the top shelf of the grill so it could bake)
  5. Check it periodically. I cooked ours for 50 minutes and it was great. (Not to squishy, yet not hard and chewy)
  6. Remove from the grill, snap your quick photo with your smartPhone, and serve.
  7. I just took a sharp knife and cut the back side out, then scooped the squash out with a spoon to serve.

I am looking forward to trying this again with olive oil and some seasoning.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

  • 6-7 Large, Fresh, Brussel Sprouts
  • 1 Tbsp of olive or grapeseed oil.
  1. Wash your brussel sprouts and remove a few outside leaves.
  2. Cut the end off the sprouts and quarter them.
  3. Drizzle the oil on a large piece of aluminum foil or an iron skillet (one with a lid)
  4. Drop your quartered sprouts into the cooking vessel. (If foil, wrap it up and roll the edges to seal it up.)
  5. Place on the grill fro 15-20 minutes.
  6. Serve ‘em up and enjoy!

Hope you enjoy these two fall favorites.  Let me know how yours come out!

What a great way to add an extra veggie you your meal and not mess up the kitchen!

by tessbrennan

Cream of Anything Soup

I make most of the food in our house from scratch, (1) because I don’t want the traditions of my family to disappear, (2) because I want to KNOW the quality and actual ingredients that are going into my food, and (3) my darling daughter is allergic to corn.  (try shopping at the supermarket with that one!) LOL

I originally came across this recipe on Pinterest and loved the simplicity and how easy it is to use.  I wrote it down on a 3×5 card and taped it into my kitchen cabinet near the stove so I always have the recipe. (Now, I pretty much know it by heart.)  I love that it is simply what my grandmother did for years.

GreaseMonkeyMarketing.com_-_Cream_of_Anything_Soup

So, Here it is!

FeelGoodFast_Recipe_Cream_of_Anything

  1. In a heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
  2. Add flour and stir continuously for 1 minute (60 seconds)
  3. Add your liquid (milk, turkey stock, soy milk, water, whatever you like)
  4. Season to your likings – we just use a dash of fresh sea salt and a good twist or two of our fresh ground black pepper.
  5. Stir over heat until it has thickened and use for your recipe that calls for a cream of something soup.

We sometimes add better than bouillon to it for meat flavoring, I add diced mushrooms, celery salt, etc.  The options are limitless and the ingredients are few and much healthier than all the stuff you can’t pronounce on the back of the can. Smile

Happy eating!

by tessbrennan

18 meals from my 12 pound Turkey.

I saw several news stories this Thanksgiving about the amount of turkey people throw away after the holiday.  It’s a known fact that the most expensive food you buy is food you throw away. So I thought I would share with you how we got 8 meals and turkey stock for 10 more meals for my family of 3 out of one 12 pound bird.

I roasted it for 4.5 hours (1 hour longer than the package said to because it wasn’t done yet)

Suntan_turkey

Meal:

  1. Sliced turkey breast hot from the critter, fresh from the oven.
  2. Turkey sandwiches at a nearby theme park with swiss & mayo & mustard.
  3. Turkey casserole (whole wheat pasta, frozen peas, fresh carrots, cream of anything soup, french’s french fried onions)
  4. Turkey burritos (homemade refried beans, fresh made pico de gallo, cheese, Daisy Sour Cream)
  5. 5-8 are yet to be determined, the turkey has been frozen in 1 pound, cooked portions in ziplocks for a quick addition to any meal.
  6. The other 10 meals I will use this turkey in, will be in the form of turkey stock/broth.  I have 10 16 ounce portions frozen flat in my freezer to use when a recipe calls for stock.  I know what’s in it and what is not.

I will blog on the recipes and the process for dividing this bird up sometime this week as I have to head off to my other job for a bit.

Happy Thanksgiving & thank you for reading.  May you find yourself Feeling Good Fast!

by tessbrennan

Pico de Gallo–Our weekly version

Pico de Gallo
I use this stuff on EVERYTHING! It is important that we increase our raw veggies so we have more fiber in our diet and raw so we haven’t cooked the nutrients out of them!

I like to make a big batch once a week and then eat it on everything from omlettes to burgers, chicken, anything else that could use some relish or some kick!

Pico de Gallo

  • 3 good sized tomatoes (preferably organic – I prefer big uglies) Sliced and diced very small.
  • 1 large onion minced or diced very fine
  • 2-4 jalepeno peppers minced. (this can be adjusted to your liking, we also use our organic, home grown chili peppers for this as well.
  • 1/2 a large bunch of fresh cilantro (leaves only) minced up

Mix it all in a big bowl and let it sit at room temperature for at least an hour for the flavors to meld.  FABULOUS stuff!

Stores well in the refrigerator for a week to a week and half. I eat it on everything!!!

by tessbrennan

Clearance seemed like a good idea.

A month or two ago, I saw this “awesome” bargain!  It was this cute little mini cupcake maker that makes mini-cupcakes and muffins in like 7 minutes.

GREAT DEAL, or so I thought…  So today, I made my healthier pumpkin bread recipe for my baby girl and decided to dive into the mini-muffin category.  After all, it looks so fun and easy.  (Looks, in this case WERE deceiving.)

The first thing that happened was baby girl decided to test it to see if it was hot.  Thankfully, I hadn’t turned it on yet.  She left the room crying because mommy was displeased with her scientific method for checking the temperature of the muffin cooker. Sad smile

So, here goes.  I plug it in, let it heat up, set the timer for 7 minutes and open the pre-heated muffin cooker.  In pop 7 mini-muffin cups, then I try to spoon equal portions of dough into the cups. FAIL. 

I cook those puppies up. They weren’t full enough so they looked pretty miserable.

While the first batch cooked, I filled a ziploc with dough and clipped a corner to fill the next batch of cups.  The filling was much easier this time, had a better amount of dough in each cup, and closed it up with the timer for my next attempt at mini-muffins.

As I am preparing my muffin cups for batch 3 in the cooker, I make the executive decision to use BIG muffin cups for some of this.  (Made a dozen – in the oven).

Round 3 go into the cooker and I still had plenty of dough so I made a loaf of pumpkin bread too.  I ended up with 12 full size muffins, 1 small loaf of bread, and 31 mini-muffins that stick to the liners.

DON’T GET SUCKED INTO THE CLEARANCE HYPE LIKE I DID!

Bad_Idea_Cupcake

Now I will go clean out all the tiny little holes on the “bakery” so I can put it in a cabinet and most likely, NEVER, use it again. Smile

by tessbrennan

Movement is Key to Sustained Good Health

When my health was at my worst, my depression its worst, was when I was not moving. I was in a spiral and things just kept getting worse, until I chose to begin moving.

I moved a little at a time and gradually increased my duration and intensity. Today, I am a walker. (I don’t run, Zumba, or cross fit, I just walk and make smart healthy choices.)

Today, I want to offer to you, the choice to begin dancing like no one is watching.  Whether that is on the dance floor all night or just in the comfort of your own living room, or at the beach…

Once the movement begins, the healthier choices begin, the spiral makes a 180 and you discover more energy, fewer aches and pains, and in my case no more pharmaceuticals. (I’m down 55 pounds and off 6 prescription meds for good.)

If you’d like more information on how to Feel Good Fast then subscribe to my blog, or contact me to get your health 180 started.  We can get you facing in the right direction and help you to Feel Good Fast too!

by tessbrennan

How to make Protein Bites

Today, we are making peanut butter, protein bites with guest chef, CLB.

1/4 cup natural peanut butter

1/4 cup chocolate, Energizing Soy Protein

1 Tbsp + Honey

1 tsp Coconut oil (if your peanut butter is very dry)

Mix it all up & roll it into balls.  Store in refridgerator or freezer until you are ready to eat them.

1-2 balls = a healthy snack

6-7 balls = a healthy protein option for a child’s lunch.

CLB shows us how to mix up Protein Bites.

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For more information on healthy alternatives and how to Feel Good Fast, contact me.