Potatoes and Stuffing and Pies, Oh My!

How was your Thanksgiving celebration? I hope it was as happy as mine was! I tasted some of everything and enjoyed every bite! We also celebrated my husband's birthday so there has been celebrations galore! Monday morning will dawn bright and early and I will be back on my normal plan!

This year we made stuffing balls, instead of a casserole of stuffing. A member of our community, Nancy, described how her family made stuffing. Basically, make your regular stuffing recipe, then form balls (a little smaller than a tennis ball), then rub each ball with olive oil, then bake for about 30-40 minutes until a nice crust forms on each ball. The inside is yummy and moist and the outside has a nice crust to enjoy! It is a great way to portion out a serving! PLUS, we had a hoot of a time making jokes about balls.....all day long. I formed the balls then my 81 year young Mother rubbed each one with olive oil. We cracked up the whole time! My Father, husband and brother watched and cracked jokes the whole time too! Probably burned off extra calories laughing so hard!

I did indulge in 2 workouts on Thanksgiving day....not that it mitigated all the extra calories, but it felt good just to do it! It is Sunday morning and I am gearing up for my 2 hour Sunday routine. Then we will put up our Christmas tree!

This afternoon a friend is coming by so we can outfit her for an upcoming black tie event. It is so fun to share dressy clothes with a girlfriend!!! (I've never done it with a guy friend....ha-ha)

So, tomorrow morning will bring juicing and protein shakes for a few days to balance out all the celebrations. Please let me know how your holiday was!

Desire to seek balance in life. Dedication to celebrating life's special times! Discipline to love yourself enough to stay focused and reconnect with your healthy journey!

New Challenges to Overcome

I received a skin cancer diagnosis this week. I have basal cell carcinoma above my lip on the right side. The really great news is that I will have Mohs surgery to remove it, I will completely heal and I will be able to put this behind me. My doc said that there is a 99% chance of full recovery! I like that number!

At first I was scared, then I was angry and now I am focused on a healing journey, not a health crisis. It was interesting that in between scared and angry I was totally moved to want to do stress eating! I ate some grilled pita with an artichoke dip, then I stopped myself. Stress eating is so easy to fall into. But I am really glad I was able to so easily access my "stop" button.

I will not be able to workout for one week following the surgery, so I will have to be uber-vigilant about my caloric intake.

So I'm changing my eating plan to include juicing. The extra nutrients that you can ingest from juicing organic fruits and vegetables can really increase the healing process for the skin. My first day I made a juice with swiss chard, carrot and apple. Today is was pomegranate, swiss chard, carrot and apple. It was delicious! So each day I will create a nice big glass of healthy healing organic juice and enjoy every drop!

Desire to heal completely! Dedication to doing everything possible to put this into my rear view mirror. Discipline to be vigilant with my nutrition and fitness.

They Fly By!

Where did this weekend go? It is Sunday at 5:30 in the evening. We have had a very full day! Instead of the gym this morning, we hiked up Mt. Woodson in the Poway area of San Diego. We hiked up 2,500 feet of elevation in a 2.2 mile distance. Of course, we hiked back down again, as a helicopter transport is not in our budget this year. :-) It was definitely a good exercise session. I got my heart rate up higher than I have ever had it. No, not because of the elevation climb, but because we had just started down the mountain and we heard a distinctive rattle. Yes, it was a live rattlesnake, all coiled up and looking at us! I thought I was going to fly back down the mountain. I didn't know my feet could move that fast. After I stopped shaking, we resolved to walk in the center of the trail, with Allen in front of me....I am not sure I like being that close to "nature"!!!

We had lunch with friends. I had a grilled chicken salad, no dressing, with iced tea. I also had about 2T of a hummus appetizer. So, I stayed on plan. For dinner I am roasting a pan of veges including beets, onions, sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Should be a yummy plate of dinner! Right now, I am snacking on soy crisps. If you haven't found them yet, see if you can find them in your store. The brand is Full Circle. They are Sea Salt Soy Crisps. A serving is 21 crisps. They are round crisps about 1.75 inches in diameter. One serving has 120 calories, 3 grams of unsaturated fat, 8 grams of protein and 15 grams of carbohydrates. The ingredients are soy flour, rice pieces, sunflower oil and sea salt. They are delicious!

I am holding steady at my plateau. I am embracing my plateau as a proving ground for maintenance. I know that when my body is ready, I will shed my final 14!

Desire to incorporate new types of cardio. Dedication to avoiding poisonous snakes on the trail. Discipline to stay on plan while enjoying friends and food!

Find Your Bliss

It is Saturday morning and I am still filled up with gratitude for an amazing sunrise this morning. I watched as the sky turned from black to grey to tinges of pink to blazing striations of red, orange and magenta and then to blue. It was quite a show! Now, I am about to begin my yoga practice, but first I need to give my tummy a few minutes to digest my breakfast. This morning I had an Ezekiel english muffin toasted with some avocado on top. It is a delicious healthy 240 calories. And so satisfying! Lots of nutrition from the organic whole grains and creamy healthy fat from the avocado! MMMMMMM!

As I watched the truly blissful sunrise, I was struck by how important it is for us to find our bliss and ensure we wallow in it often enough. For me, my Saturday morning yoga practice is blissful. I almost always walk away from my yoga with a very centered mind, body and spirit.

Finding the right activity for YOU is what is most important. Is it a walk at your special place? Is it meditation? Is it cooking or baking something nutritious to fuel yourself or your family? Is it spending time with your puppy or kitty? Is it carving out time to spend with your partner? Is it some other form of physical expression? Dance? Painting? Making music? Whatever it is, please experiment and find it. Then do it. Often enough to fill you up with gratitude for your beautiful life! Part of our healthy journey is appreciation for what is, at this moment, right now.

Desire to find your bliss. Dedication to honoring your bliss. Discipline to frequent wallowing in your bliss!