Chilly Days, Chili, and Fiber :)

Chili is such a versatile dish, I think.  Sometimes I eat it sloppy-joe style, sometimes with warm stoneground corn bread from the oven, and sometimes I eat it with brown rice.

Today I even added on some spaghetti squash.  I was halfway through my meal before realizing that I still had some in the fridge.  Popped it in the mirowave for a minute or so, and out came the  most perfect chilly day meal.

Did you know that vegetarian chili (or even meat chili which you add beans and veggies to) is loaded with fiber?  And keeping you regular is just one of its many job descriptions.   It also:

• can help control blood sugar—especially important for people with diabetes
• helps lower cholesterol, due to its “binding powers.”
• lowers digestive problem risks

Fiber is actually a carbohydrate, but it’s not able to get digested by the body which means zero calories with tons of health benefits.

How do I get more fiber in my diet?:

Remember that there is a whole variety of food sources to get fiber from, and the best way to get it is through actual food.  Supplements or foods with added fiber may offer some slight benefits, but they don’t offer you the “whole package” that whole foods have to offer you (vitamins, minerals, polyphenols–that’s another topic altogether! )  Here are some of the best sources to provide you with both insoluble and soluble fiber.

Insoluble Fiber Sources—good for constipation/irregularity:

• almonds
• celery
• whole wheat flour
• wheat bran
• many other “fibrous” vegetables

Soluble Fiber Sources—helpful in stabalizing blood sugar levels and reducing cholesterol

• oatmeal
• beans (such as chili… )
• barley
• apples

Just a note…remember to increase fiber intake slowly and include lots of water too to prevent any uncomfort!  You don’t want to eat three big bowls of chili if you don’t normally eat that much fiber in your diet.

(p.s. What’s your absolute favorite way to eat chili? :D )

Ode to the blender

Goodbye old blender, you have served me so well.  Through good times and bad, you were always so dependable.  Yes, in the last few days following your 25th birthday, you couldn’t chop ice like you used to.  But you still gave it your best shot, blowing steam when necessary, coughing at times–very loudly, I might add–and sometimes you would decide just to take a rest for a little while.  But you will always be remembered for all the good times that you gave me, and all the chillers that you provided to my satisfaction. :D

Hello new blender, so shiny and nice.  Complete with the addition of a food processor—oh the endless possiblities that you’ve now provided me with.

Thank you for all the well wishes and the “I understand” comments from my last post.  These past couple of weeks have guarenteed to me that this semester is going to be a busy one.  Medical Nutrition Therapy homework alone is consuming at least 2 hrs. a day.  But the nice thing is that I find it super interesting!  I enjoy studying the material—most of the time! —and I’m excited over all the new things that I’ll be learning. 

But then today I felt as if I were missing you all and needed to recap on all your blogs to see what’s up in the bloggy world. :D 

And, aside from homework and business, I’ve still had time to cook, bake and try new foods…one of which was spaghetti squash.

I was so excited to find one at an organic farm stand that I stop at regularly on my way home from school.  I baked it up immediately (350 oven for 45 minutes after cutting in half and removing the pulp/seeds,) shred it into a bowl, and then found myself wondering what to do with it.  Eat it straight up? (because it is super tasty, by the way)  Mix it with pasta and eat it with sauce?  Eat it as a side vegetable?  Ideas?

And, of course, following my philosophy of “waste not, want not,” I roasted the squash seeds too.  I just popped them in the 350 oven, sprayed with pam, and tossed on some salt and garlic powder.  My parents didn’t care for them, but I couldn’t stop eating them.  They were crunchy but chewy (think fibrous ) but I loved the flavor and mouth feel of them.

But spaghetti squash and seeds aside, my favorite meal thus far from the week has to go to these black bean burgers, which I stole the idea from Alison.  They came out perfect!!  I used a combination of ketchup, mustard, and bbq sauce (amy’s organic brand,) added in some red onions, used a mix of oats and whole wheat flour, and threw in some corn too.  For seasonings, I used garlic powder (lots of it! ) and cayenne for a bit of a kick.  I think next time I’ll try some cilantro and salsa in there too.  Mmm…

With a side of baked sweet potatoe fries…yep, definitely the highlight meal of my week.  What was yours?

Toll on Time

This semester is really taking its toll on time, and I have to apologize for the lack of posts (or comments on your blogs!) lately.  I’m afraid they won’t be as frequent as I had hoped, which made me decide to completely stop blogging for now. 

This doesn’t mean I’m gone for good (sorry! ), and it also doesn’t mean that I’ll stop reading your lovely blogs either.  It does mean that I’ll have much more time to devote to homework and such, without the worry of having to keep up with the blog.  Because blogs should never become a “worry”…they’re meant to be a reward and joy for those who enjoy writing and photography (and food of course! )

I’m sorry to keep switching things up on the blog, but I didn’t think it was fair to leave things hanging with such infrequent posts and all.  Sometimes life requires more time in certain areas, and something has to give just a little (and giving up running, in my opinion, is just not an option ). 

Oh, but before I end this post, I just have to give a big THANKS for all the congrats and support along the way that you all gave for the 10k race!   For all of you wishing to do the same, have confidence in yourself and know that you can do it with proper training and fueling.   I started out with 1-mile (and practically died by the end! ), eventually extending my mileage per day and week.  You have way more strength and endurance in you then even you know.  Don’t be afraid to show it.

I’ll see you around!

Challenge Yourself! And the 10k recap… :)

“It’s funny—I feel most happy not when I’m all gussied up with makeup, but when I’m sweaty and in a t-shirt and sneakers.”—a realization I came to today during my run.

I’ll take you through today with my normal thought processes to give you the full experience.

5:30am…really?  I was about to pull the blankets back over my head before realizing that today was the big day.  My stomach did a somersault as a I lept out of bed.  Everything was prepared from last night, so all I had to do was throw on my running clothes, grab a quick snack and head out the door.

The race wouldn’t be for another 3-1/2 hours, so I grabbed a bowl of yogurt with flax and a kiwi for a snack to tide me over.

7:30am

1-1/2 hrs. seems to be the ideal time for me to have my meal before I run.  And since I’ve had such a good experience of eating bagels with pb, that’s what I went with.  Along with a very ripe banana on the side.  Which made me come to the realization that I actually don’t like bananas by themselves.  Weird, huh?  I ended up taking a bite along with the bagelwich, because I couldn’t eat it alone.  Strange, but true.

8:30am

My dad and I arrived at the race with 1/2 hr. to spare, which is a good thing because we could *not* find the starting line.  Some people told us it was over a hill, and others told it was further back the other way.  Finally we ran into a race volunteer who told us it was just a ways over the beach.  I’m rather glad we found ourselves walking though, because after the car ride, I definitely needed to stretch my legs out!

Lacing up the sneakers, I was feeling slightly nervous, but more excited by this point.  The pre-race nerves were starting to melt away into sheer adrenaline.  This was it!  Those mornings of not wanting to run, the runs that made me want to keep going forever, and the runs that left me breathless with sheer happiness.  The good and the bad, all combining to prepare me for today!

Once we made our way across to the registration, we were welcomed with the music…

…and food—to be enjoyed post-run, of course.

9:00am

Before I knew it, it was time to line up and I felt sort of as if I were in a dream.  My dad and I had agreed early on that we’d just run our own pace and meet back up at the end.  He’s competitive and fast…I’d be happy to just not come in last and I’m slow.   In other words, we knew that we’d both enjoy the race far more if we just did our own thing.  So with a quick “good luck!” and a loud pop from the starting line, we were off!!

I started off really slow.  Even slower then my normal long run pace.  I wasn’t sure how to judge the run, or where I could push or hold back.  So I decided that I would stick with the back of the crowd until the second mile and see how I felt from there on.

After each mile marker, I progressively picked up my pace, feeling an edge of competitiveness that not even I knew I had.  Instead of using the downhills to recover as I normally do on my runs, I quickened my turnover rate and gained ground.  Rolling up hills, I told myself to remain steady and go according to how my breathing was. 

Before I knew it, the 4th mile had come around, and I found myself settling into a groove—pushing myself a little harder then normal, but not to the point of feeling exhaustion either.  Still two miles left!

Then the 5th mile came, and I kicked it into higher gear.  At one point I was sprinting, feeling a bundle of energy and adrenaline rear up in me.  I felt so good!!  Then, just as I was starting to feel fatigued, I saw the very last hill that I needed to conquer.  From there on, it was all downhill and only .2 miles to the finish line.  With onlookers clapping and cheering me on, I found a last surge of energy to race up the hill…

Then I saw the finish line!!  I passed through with a huge grin on my face, excited that I just finished my first 10k.  I reveled in the moment with fellow runners who were also smiling ear to ear, before finding my parents on the other side. 

Official time:   58:38, with a pace of a 9:27 mile.  I was really happy with this, since my two main goals were to finish and to get it at 60 minutes or under.  

This insane guy, however, won the race in 30 minutes.  THIRTY MINUTES!  Talk about setting some serious PR’s, I’m sure!

My dad and I enjoyed some post-race food and fun.  I first drank this smoothie, stashed the banana away for later, and enjoyed a bite or two of delicious french toast (which tasted like warm cinnamon rolls…yum!), scrambled eggs and a roll. 

After completing the race and refueling, I felt on top of the world.

The day was perfect, by the way.  Not a cloud in the sky, 65 degrees, only slightly breezy.  And the ocean was ice cold, which was perfect for icing my legs later.  Does it get any better??

We made our way to a picnic area, where I completely refueled and calmed the growling stomach with a feast that my mom had prepared.  Whole wheat pasta salad with shrimp and garbanzo beans, and a side salad with cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, red onions and raspberry viniagrette.  Major yum.  And the perfect food to refuel with after the race.

+ an apple and a few medjools for dessert.

I didn’t think the day could get any better, but…I was wrong.  Despite my grubby, sweaty self, I just really didn’t care, and the afternoon was spent walking around the town of Gloucester.  There was a great little cafe which has amazing soy au laits.  Sitting down, sipping on my coffee, feeling the warm sun and a cool breeze, people watching—the day just became perfect in every way.

During the car ride home, I again felt hunger pangs, and broke into the almonds for a handful.  I’ve been really into these lately.  Just a handful keeps me surprisingly full, and they’re nice and crunchy which I love.  They’re also easily transportable, so I’ve been bringing a handful in a little case wherever I go for emergency situations.

Upon arriving home, there was leftover homemade white bean and black olive soup (courtesy of moosewood cookbook, again!  I’m telling you, this cookbook is worth its money in gold ), and some homemade honey oat bread from yesterday.  Eaten on the deck, while the sun gently set overhead. 

Dessert, of course, was one of my all-time favorites: 85% dark chocolate with peanut butter.  Mmm…

I’m so happy I ran this 10k.  I was a little skeptical that I could actually do it at first, but it turned out to be such a wonderful experience.  And I came to the realization that, you know what, we each have our own race that we can run.  Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself with something.  Whether it’s walking or running a mile, a 5k, a 10k, a marathon, or even in other areas of your life that you might want to challenge yourself with—it doesn’t have to entail exercise, it can be anything.  We each have unique goals and ideas.  Today, the 10k was my marathon.  Now it’s time for a new challenge and who knows what that might be??

What’s your current challenge?  School?  A 1/2 marathon?  Running a mile?  Eating more fruits and vegetables?  Loving life?

Please share!

Pre-Race Nerves

“Maybe I should think about the race a little more and you should think about it a little less,” my dad half-jokingly told me as I admitted that I was experiencing pre race nerves.  My dad is cool as a cucumber for tomorrow’s run.  I, on the other hand, haven’t felt this nervous since my freshman year of college before hiking for 12 days in the Adirondacks.  My stomach is full of grasshoppers (not butterflies, that’s just too nice a word,) and my mind is running a million miles per minute.  I hope I can capture some of this held up energy tomorrow morning for the race.

So…what’s a girl to do with pre-race nerves?

Well, first I googled everything I possibly could on pre-race nerves, of course.  Some stuff made sense, like: “Don’t feel the need to carbo-load the night before,” and “Lay out your running clothes the night before.”  And some stuff was silly, “Don’t eat the morning of the race.”  Just goes to show you that sometimes it comes down to a little common sense.  My favorite advice was: “Don’t call it a race, call it a ‘fun run.’”  This is especially true for newbies like myself.

The second thing I did was to admit my pre-race nerves.  No sense in dealing with this type of thing all by myself!!  With my dad’s cool nature, he had a way of calming me down by simply stating that he plans on starting off slow and seeing how feels from there on after the second mile.  I guess that will be my plan then, too.  I’ll just enjoy it.  A first race is something to remember.  

The third thing I did, was bake.  A lot.  I had random thoughts running through my head, “did I eat enough today?” “did I have too many rest days this week?”  “not enough rest days?”  Gah…I needed to take my mind off of it.  And since nobody was around this afternoon to smack some sense into me, demanding that I calm down immediately, I just…baked. 

First I made a honey oat quick bread.  This is one of my favorites because A) it doesn’t require rising–I’m impatient, B) it’s addicting, but in a good way.

Honey Oat Quick Bread—courtesy of Eating Well magazine…this is the one rare recipe where I follow it exactly.  Love it!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, or quick-cooking (not instant) oats, divided
• 1 1/3 cups whole-wheat flour, or white whole-wheat flour (see Tip)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 8 ounces (scant 1 cup) nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup clover honey, or other mild honey
• 3/4 cup nonfat or low-fat milk

Preparation

1. Position rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°F. Generously coat a 9-by-5-inch (or similar size) loaf pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon oats in the pan. Tip the pan back and forth to coat the sides and bottom with oats.
2. Thoroughly stir together whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Using a fork, beat the remaining 1 cup oats, yogurt, egg, oil and honey in a medium bowl until well blended. Stir in milk. Gently stir the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture just until thoroughly incorporated but not overmixed (excess mixing can cause toughening). Immediately scrape the batter into the pan, spreading evenly to the edges. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon oats over the top.
3. Bake the loaf until well browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. (It’s normal for the top to crack.) Let stand in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a table knife around and under the loaf to loosen it and turn it out onto the rack. Let cool until barely warm, about 45 minutes

 

Then I made a hummus that came out looking more like egg salad.  So I resorted to calling it chunky hummus, and decided that I liked it this way.  I can just tell people I meant for it to be chunky and thick. ;)  No, actually, this is the result of a very old blender and a can of chickpeas, a garlic clove, 3 T. lemon juice, cumin, cayenne, and parsley.  It was really delicious, and I did actually end up liking the chunk factor. 

Still feeling the grasshoppers in my stomach, I went back to the kitchen for more baking.  I found a recipe for bran muffins on the back of a Bob’s Red Mill wheat bran bag that sounded nice.  I didn’t have the required applesauce, but I figured mashed bananas would do just fine.

Banana Bran Muffin—courtesy of Bob’s Red Mill, with a few variations

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup wheat bran 

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup raisins

1 tsp. baking powder 

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup Milk 

1/2 cup honey

3/4-1 c. mashed, very ripe bananas (I used about 3 total)

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Eggs, beaten 

Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine wheat bran, flour, baking soda and baking powder. Stir in nuts and raisins. In a separate bowl, blend applesauce, milk, molasses, oil and egg. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Spoon into greased muffin tin (or paper muffin cups) and bake for 15-20 minutes. Makes 12 marvelous muffins.

Taste verdict?  To be announced tomorrow…  

Tomorrow I’ll have a nice, full recap of the race.  My mom volunteered to be the photographer, so hopefully there will be some nice shots.  As long as I’m not lying on the side of the road somewhere…although that might make for an interesting post. ;)

Okay, off to enjoy a campfire and hopefully get my mind off of tomorrow’s race!!   Wish me luck!

Brown Rice for Breakfast

You all know how much I just love using up leftovers from the fridge.  I hate seeing things go to waste, especially when it’s from my over-guesstimating on how much food that I need to make—and ending up with enough to feed an army!  This is exactly what happened with last night’s meal, as I found myself with a ton of leftover brown rice.  In this situation, there was really only one thing that could take care of such an overabundance…

If you thought that was oatmeal or cottage cheese curds, look again. ;)  It came out rather nice, although–I have to point out–it still needs some perfecting before I can call it complete.  I think it would be a good idea to actually let the rice sit in the liquid overnight so that it absorbs all the flavor.  But the raisins went wonderfully with the mix, as did the walnuts.  So if you’re daring and want to take a shot at eating brown rice for breakfast, then let me know what crazy ideas you can come up with for yourself—or for me, because I inevitably always cook more rice then everyone can eat which means I’ll be trying another morning meal with it soon enough.

Here’s how I made this particular bowl (but again…not perfect—it needs a tweak or two! )

• 1-1/2 c. leftover, cooked brown rice
• 1/2 c. POM juice
• 6 oz. plain yogurt
• 1 banana

Stir, stir, stir…and top with:

• handful of raisins
• sprinkle of coconut
• about 2 T. walnuts

I think next time I’ll even mash a little of the banana and add it in.  The POM juice was great in there but kind of tart like cranberry juice.  So it definitely needs some sweetness.

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Tonight I am home alone again.  I’m actually really enjoying these free nights where it’s just me.  Not that I enjoy being a hermit all the time ( ), but sometimes it feels so good.  I found myself 15 minutes into a yoga video before feeling some intense stretches that I figured would be best saved for after the race.  No sense in getting muscle aches beforehand.   In the meantime, I spent my evening doing gentle yoga and later I plan on a bubble bath (it’s Friday Spa Day, after all ) and reading my new Runners World front to back.  Friday nights are so lovely.

Oh, and stay tuned for a series I plan on putting together, called “The Art of Eyeballing.”  I hope it will be of some help to calorie counters who might want to try a more intuitive approach, as well as seasoned intuitive eaters who might want the practice at figuring out what a proper portion of certain food items are…and how they vary depending on each individual!

Happy Friday!

Apple Crisp

Apple Crisp is one of those desserts that just screams autumn.  Cinnamon mingling with brown sugar, all swirled in with gooey apples and finished off with an oatmeal studded crust.  It doesn’t get more ‘fallish’ then that, does it?  And with a big bag of freshly picked apples sitting patiently in the kitchen, this recipe was begging to be put to use.  Speaking of bagged apples, by the way, I can’t get over how fast they’ve been going down lately.  I think I had forgotten what a fresh, crisp apple tasted like until this week, and now I simply can’t get enough of them.

Anyways, back to the apple crisp.  Some people insist on topping theirs with icecream.  Others, like me, argue that a dollop of cool whip is where it’s at.  We happened to have vanilla icecream in the house tonight, so that’s what I went with.  Either way, I don’t think you could go wrong.

Apple Crisp (serves 6) –adapted from Gold Medal Flour’s Children’s Cookbook

• 6 medium tart cooking apples, peeled and sliced
• 6 T. water
• 1/4-1/2 c. flour
• 1/4-1/2 c. oats
• 6 T. brown sugar
• 4 T. butter, softened
• 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 350 F.

2. In a square baking dish, add apple slices and sprinkle with water.

3. Mix rest of ingredients with a fork until crumbly and sprinkle over apples.

4. Bake uncovered until golden brown and apples are tender, 25-30 minutes.

5. Enjoy.

Kohlrabi: The Funny Looking Vegetable

Every day after school, I pass this little organic farm stand on my drive home.  It’s run and operated by an elderly, retired couple who garden for the pure joy of it.  Aside from their assortment of tasty, fresh vegetables and cheap prices, they also offer a whole host of ideas and inspiration.  I always take for granted where my vegetables are coming from, but to actually talk to the growers is a real treat.   And with today being Tempt the Tastebuds Wednesday, I knew immediately that I wanted to sample a new vegetable. 

I pulled into the old dirt road and realized that nobody was home.  An old, rusted tackle box was left out front for the money to be dropped off in, and a small assortment of vegetables was being kept under the wooden shed.  I went in looking for the most odd, random vegetable I could find and left with a handful of these.  The sign read “kohlrabi.”  I thought they looked more like space ships.

What is a kohlrabi?  It’s related to the cabbage, but is often compared to a turnip in flavor and crunch.  It also has a lot of bragging rights when it comes to nutrition.   One cup of raw kohlrabi contains:

• 40 calories
• 5 g. fiber
• 2 g. protein
• 140% vitamin C!

Not bad for a funny looking veggie.  You might be more familiar with seeing the green varieties in the supermarket, which are equally just as nutritious. 

Anyways, on to how you can actually eat a kohlrabi!  I did a little research and found that the flavor is often compared to turnips, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and even apples.  After peeling the tough exterior, I sliced a chunk off and ate it raw.  And immediately I understood the cabbage/turnip comparisons.  It had the sweetness of turnips with the crunch and slight bitterness of cabbage or radishes.  You could totally eat it raw, on top of salads or sandwiches.  In fact, I plan on doing just that!  But I’m a huge fan of roasting my veggies, and couldn’t wait to see how these would come out after being subjected to some high heat in the oven.

I layered the peeled and sliced kohlrabi onto a sprayed cookie sheet, and popped it in the 425 F oven for 20-25 minutes, flipping once half way through.

I added a little salt and pepper, and took a bite.  It was wonderfully crispy, rustic, and earthy.  I’m a new fan of this funny looking veggie, and can’t believe that I haven’t tried it until now.  Considering how easy it was to prepare and how much both my dad and I loved it, I think its going to find a new place in the household.

Have any of you ever tried kohlrabi, and if so, what’s your favorite way to prepare it???

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I have to give a big shout out of THANKS for all your support and your kind comments, regarding the change of direction that the blog is taking.   I also appreciate the advice, comments, suggestions for future posts as well.  I’ll definitely be including more oatmeal posts and nutrition posts as some of you requested , and if there’s ever anything else you’d all like to see, feel free to give a shout out.

In further news, tomorrow I have a 3-mile run planned.  It’s the last one before Sunday, which is the day of the 10k!   Off to get a good nights rest so I can feel refreshed for a morning run…

…G’night!

An End and the Beginning of Something New :)

Last night I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine who is actively participating in a program that promotes the intake of fruit in children.  Once a month, the kids are introduced to a new fruit and different ways they can implement it into their diet.  Bananas in their cereal, berry smoothies, etc.  I was excited about her project, and suddenly thought to myself, “what am I doing that reflects my passion for nutrition?”  Then as I was reading Pregnancy Nutrition today, I couldn’t help but feel even more motivated to do something.  Hopefully I’ll be getting involved with WIC (women, infants and children) soon to help promote healthy eating in moms and their children, because that is something that I feel passionately for.

Another thought came across my head, over how I kind of want to change the format of the blog a little.  By now, I’m sure you all know my average, typical day.   So I’d kind of like to go back to what this blog was originally meant for: the occasional–not necessarily daily–entry when I feel inspired to write (which will give me more flexibility.)  I plan on writing better posts when I do write, rather then any rushed last minute scrambling.   I really want to focus more on healthy living issues, nutrition questions and answers, recipes, running thoughts, etc. 

I’m excited about this change because it’s more the direction that I wanted it to take in the first place.   Best of all, this will give me more time to read all of your blogs and take the time to answer any questions asked on the blog or via email.  AND it will give me the flexibility to take a few days off when I need it for homework–or hopefully getting involved with WIC!!–which is important too.

So there you have it…the end and the beginning of something new.  Stay tuned for more updates and changes as they come.

Smilie List and Monday Mood Lifters

Monday should start with the complete smilie list, don’t you think?  And please, if you have your own smilie list going or plan on joining in with me on any of these, let us all know about it!

The Weekly Smilie List:

Sunday: Baking Day…   Keunger mentioned how she loves to bake, and I couldn’t agree more.  It’s just so…relaxing!  
Monday: Coffee Day!
Tuesday: Biggest Loser Night…I know for a fact that some of you will be joining me in watching this new season.
Wednesday: Tempt the Tastebuds…trying new foods that I’ve never had before is going to be exciting!
Thursday: Make Someone Smile Day…okay, you ever notice how when you manage to make someone smile, it makes you smile too??  I figured it might be a good idea to pass on the smiles to other people, whether it’s buying flowers for my memere, randomly complimenting someone, helping someone out, etc. 
Friday: At-Home Spay Day
Saturday: Slow Down Morning…Susan mentioned how one morning a week, she’ll skip her usual workout and plan a nice breakfast while leisurely enjoying it.  Loved the idea!   My ideal morning consist of a favorite breakfast, a cup of really good coffee, yoga, and my journal.  Since the week can be so hectic, I’ll definitely look forward to having one morning a week where I can just slow down.  

A couple other fun ideas:

“Wear something that makes you feel great to school,” Mia
“Pick one sunny day and for 15 minutes, sit outside in the September sun and soak it in,” Balance for Mere (I totally did this one today, and totally loved it, by the way. )

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Mondays require a couple of things in order to be completely enjoyed.  First, you need a good breakfast.  I planned ahead last night and popped none other then the breakfast cookie into the fridge, with a glass of milk on the side. 

Second requirement?  Coffee.   If you’re not a coffee drinker, tea works well too.   There’s something about holding a warm cup that instantly sparks a feeling of coziness.

Third requirement: Get your groove on!  Go for a walk, spend some time at the gym, go out for a run, etc.  Whatever gets you moving is good, and really stomps out any lingering Monday Moodiness.

This morning I went for a 4-mile run, and I found myself smiling from ear to ear by the end.  I literally started my day on the right foot, and felt incredibly energized upon returning.

Fourth requirement: Eat well!  Fuel up with good-for-you foods that give you energy and nutrition.  My go-to snack of the day was yogurt with flax and pumpkin seeds.

Fifth requirement: Spend some time in the sun.  If you don’t have any sunny skies at the current moment, still go outside for some fresh air, and turn some lights on in the house for a while to “brighten” up the day.  It doesn’t have quite the same effect as the sun, but does wonders for cheering up any dark weather.

Summer decided to peak its head out this afternoon, reminding me that it hasn’t completely left yet.  I soaked up some September sun just as Meredith suggested, and it felt wonderful!   I also ate lunch outdoors, which was the very last of the lentil tacos (I promise! haha…,) guacamole and the last of the rosemary scones with olivio butter. 

…oh and a very crisp cortland apple for dessert.

Sixth Requirement: Coffee of course!  I know I already mentioned it in the second requirement, but it bears repeating since it is Coffee Monday after all.   Today I tried starbuck’s pumpkin spiced latte.  I asked for a tall with just 1 shot of syrup.  It was good, but next time I’m going to take a sip first and add cinnamon to taste.  I think it would have been perfect with just a touch more spice.

Seventh Requirement: Fish!!  Especially the fatty ones such as salmon, which contain high levels of omega 3 fatty acids.  Among other things, they’ve been shown to boost your mood.  I had haddock tonight, which is much lower in the healthy fats then salmon, but it still offers a little.  For your best source, though, go with a nice peice of salmon.

I was still hungry after dinner so I added in a little snack…peanut butter rollup.

I used to eat this snack all the time as a kid…

My eighth and final way to enjoy my Monday included going for an after dinner walk, reading an interesting homework assignment, and making a berry chiller.   Tonight’s mix included:

• 1 banana
• 1 c. frozen blueberies
• 3 prunes
• 1 c. milk
• Natures Path Pumpkin Granola sprinkled on top

Do you do anything special to perk up your mood on Monday?  Or are you usually pretty happy regardless of what day of the week it might be?  Do share!