Great Summer Breakfast

I'm big on pressing the importance of eating breakfast every day. It's so important for your body's metabolism, for giving you energy, for keeping you full until lunch... I could go on. This summer I have been super busy, and haven't had the opportunity to take the time to wash and cut up fresh fruits to have on hand for morning breakfasts, or to put fresh walnuts in my oatmeal and enjoy at my kitchen island before heading out the door.

In lieu of a sit-down breakfast, I've been making smoothies and protein shakes each day to get me going. Once upon a time, a mere smoothie was not my idea of a filling breakfast. In fact, I still couldn't go for several hours on just some blended fruit and ice. When I started regularly adding a natural, soy protein powder to the blend, along with a little almond milk or peanut butter for consistency, I found that I was full until my morning snack, and started my day with a healthy way to "break the fast."

So what do I put in said blends?

 This one is my fave, just for the simplicity and flavor

• 1 tbsp Soy Protein Powder (which is a great value, and can be found here)
• 1/2 tbsp peanut butter for flavor (I don't want to overdo the protein, so I don't add much)
• one whole frozen banana
• 1 cup of almond milk

I'm not big on sweets in the morning, but this blend is perfectly sweet for me:

• 1/2 cup mixed, frozen, organic berries
• 1 cup of almond milk
• 1 tbsp soy protein power
• 1/2 cup fresh, 100% juice (such as cranberry or pomegranate)

Happy Earth Day!

This year marks the 40th anniversary for Earth Day. Today is a day that people everywhere celebrate our planet, and appreciate our precious environment. During yoga class tonight, our wonderful instructor read from Thich Nhat Hanh's beautiful book: Peace is Every Step. This excerpt is not only appropriate for Earth Day, but is a beautiful reminder of how connected we all are to the earth, fellow animals and organisms, and our atmosphere:

The Sun My Heart

"We know that if our heart stops beating, the flow of our life will stop, and so we cherish our heart very much. Yet we do not often take the time to notice that other things, outside of our bodies, are also essential for our survival. Look at the immense light we call the sun. If it were to stop shining, the flow of our life would also stop, so the sun is our second heart, a heart outside of our body. This immense "heart" gives all life on Earth the warmth necessary for existence. Plants live thanks to the sun. Their leaves absorb the sun's energy, along with carbon dioxide from the air, to produce food for the tree, the flower, the plankton. And thanks to plants, we and other animals can live. All of us--people, animals, and plants--consume the sun, directly and indirectly. We cannot begin to describe all of the effects of the sun, that great heart outside of our body.

Our body is not limited to what is inside the boundary of our skin. It includes even the layer of air around our Earth; for if the atmosphere were to disappear for even an instant, our life would end. There is no phenomenon in the universe that does not intimately concern us, from a pebble resting at the bottom of the ocean, to the movement of a galaxy millions of light-years away. Walt Whitman said, 'I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars..." These words are not philosophy. They come from the depths of his soul. He said, 'I am large, I contain multitudes.'"

Wishing you many sunny days...

Sugar: Not always such a sweet thing.

Adult-onset diabetes is running rampant in our country. These days there are more deaths attributed to diabetes-related problems ever. Don't worry, I'm not being insensitive here. Many people can't help having blood sugar and diabetic problems, as their issues are hereditary or something they are born with. However, many adults who develop blood sugar problems and adult onset diabetes can easily control or rid the issue by simply making a few lifestyle changes and undoing poor choices made with diet and exercise as they have aged.

Harvard's School of Public Health gives some great tips to help reduce our risk of developing diabetes:  

• Put exercise first. Regular exercise by itself can cut diabetes risk. Exercise also helps to manage your weight. Choose things you enjoy and do them every day.  
• Try to keep your weight in check. Being a healthy weight is the best thing you can do to lower your risk of diabetes. Need to lose weight? Getting active and eating smaller portions slowly are your best bets.
• Choose healthy fats. Sure, they’ve got long names, but a diet rich in mono and polyunsaturated fats can help lower your risk of diabetes and heart disease. Canola oil and olive oil are great choices, as are the fats in avocados, nuts, and seeds.
• Focus on plant foods. A diet high in whole grains can help lower the risk of diabetes and keep appetites in check. Choose a good variety of whole-grain foods.
• Cut back on refined carbs and sugary drinks. White bread, white rice, white pasta, and potatoes cause fast and furious increases in blood sugar, as do sugary soft drinks, fruit punch, and fruit juice. Over time, eating a lot of these refined carbohydrates and sugar may increase your risk for Type 2 diabetes. To lower your risk switch to whole grains and skip the sugar.

 Source: Harvard School of Public Health

Words to Live By

“If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.”
- Thomas Edison

Pause.

Ahh, Spring. What a beautiful time of year.
I literally hugged a tree today.

The changing of seasons is a beautiful time to pause and appreciate
nature, loved ones, the beautiful things in life.