I love smoothies and parties. You can often see me dancing and singing in my kitchen with an avocado in hand. Sometimes I have an audience, other times, it’s just me in my smoothie lab. I love playing around with different ingredients from frozen veggies to colorful superfoods. Want to create your own party with some plants? (You can thank Talia for the play on words or listen to her awesome podcast – Party in my Plants.) All you need are a few ingredients, an awesome high speed blender and family that’s open to trying new flavors. Here are a few of our recent favorites: Catch Me Mint and Mango Infusion Smoothies. Check out the recipes below and our healthy living page for more.
Two Simple Smoothie Recipes for Mint and Mango Lovers
Five Signs You’ve Graduated from Being a Yoga Newbie
Yoga can be incredibly intimidating when you’re new. As a beginner, I wore dark layered clothing because I felt self-conscious wishing I was thinner. Wanting to go unnoticed, I feared that everyone would see my stiff body. Within weeks, I bought my own gear. Using it correctly seemed easy, until my underwear flew out of my hot yoga towel. I quickly learned the importance of using fabric softener with these clingy items. So I initially separated myself from the room thinking I wasn’t as good as everyone else. What I soon realized is that it’s not easy to catch on right away. Yoga is more of a practice focused on personal intentions, rather than a class to conquer. No one was looking at me; they were all looking within themselves.
Clean Eating for Easter and Passover
I’m a retired marshmallow peep and chocolate caramel covered candy junkie. Formerly, the spring holidays meant adding a few pounds and a sugar rush hangover. I now think about how far I’ve come and what I can do to successfully navigate these challenging situations.
Easy Recipe: Healthy Blueberry Muffins
I don’t enjoy cooking. Following recipes takes too many steps and bores me. When I do prepare meals, I often experiment with ingredients and use only a few. Sometimes they work, other times they don’t. My goal is to satisfy my child with hidden nutritious ingredients. In addition, the preparation must around 5-minutes. When it comes to snacks, I try to serve clean and healthy ones. While I don’t love to cook, my mother still enjoys her kitchen. My childhood memories include the sweet scent of blueberry and zucchini muffins baking in her oven. To make her proud, below is a quick recipe for healthy banana blueberry muffins that even my husband ate.
Dining Out Healthy
I’ve always loved eating out. I have such fond memories devouring meatballs and spaghetti off the children’s menu at east coast diners. As I grew older, my family celebrated honorable report cards, choir concerts, dance recitals and mini-milestones at what I thought were fine-dining establishments: Mandarin Yen or Shakey’s Pizza. Even in high school, after football games, we congregated at Davanni’s, Carbonni’s, Perkins or my all-time favorite, Taco Bell. Whatever happy (often made up) non-traditional holiday we celebrated was at a restaurant. Truth be told, my mom was a fine cook, we just enjoyed the hassle free, family or friend focused meal. My mother also cooked healthy dinners, so dining out included gorging on cheesy pizzas, fried rice dishes and creamy pastas. I know better now that eating out doesn’t mean I have to let go of all inhibitions and start “my diet tomorrow.” While it’s tempting to overdo it, I’ve learned a few tips to keep my diet clean while enjoying a night out for travel, on business or just for fun.
How a Disney Princess Helped Me Discover My New Normal
I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in the Fall of 2013. The news was shocking and sobering, especially considering I knew very few people who thrived with it. Scared beyond comprehension, filled with sleepless nights and worries dancing through my head, I thought I knew what that diagnosis meant. At the same time, publicity ramped up for Disney’s “Frozen,” but I didn’t pay attention. The movie opened Thanksgiving weekend and after the holidays, the world knew it was not only a box office hit, but the key to a young girl’s heart. I didn’t realize, it would be to mine, as well.
As the world was singing “Do you Want to Build a Snowman, ” I was anxiously awaiting my first set of scans after being diagnosed. My mind was filled with wildly ranging thoughts:
Was this the calm before the storm? Would the results show tremendous growth and I would only have a few months or years left?
If so, would my child really know me? Should we tell him or not?
Will my new treatments debilitate me? Will I feel like myself? Will I be myself?