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Hi Everyone, I am so happy for the rain, despite it looking rather gloomy out this whole week. I know how badly we need it, and we certainly had a mellow winter so need to make up for it. What is interesting is that the birds at my feeder don't seem to mind in the slightest if it is drippy and cold. They will go to great lengths to get at those seeds. The bigger jays scare off the titmice and juncos when they swoop in and grab their morsel. Nuthatches inch down the trunk towards the yummy stuff, and even acorn woodpeckers make a shy appearance now and again. When the seeds get low in the feeder, determined finches are relentless in their pusuit of the last bits. As I sit and watch them it makes me think of how many of us are with food. We will jump through hoops to have that food we really really love. Of course the birds consume the seeds for survival, but on the other hand, the feeders in our back yards are like convenience stores for birds. They could gather it on their own, but this is so much easier, tastier and diverse, so why not? And how much are we like those birds? Do we go for the easiest, tastiest treat we can find? You are saying, well sure: of course! Why wouldn't I go for those things? Well here's a little shift in perspective...what is it costing you? So let's say your favorite treat is Oreos. Grab 'em at the store or 7-11 when you're on the road. We had a discussion on that very food today in one of my meetings. So here is some information on them: One serving of Oreos consists of three cookies. Each serving contains 160 calories, 7 grams of fat (2 grams of saturated fat), 0 grams of cholesterol, 1 gram of fiber and 14 grams of sugar. They contain high fructose corn syrup, which is addictive and very dangerous for diabetics or pre-diabetics, saturated fats which clog your arteries, and here's the $64,000 question....3 cookies is a serving. Can you stop at 3? The cold hard truth is this type of food is very addictive. That perfect blend of fat and sugar and a touch of salt has gotten millions of people hooked big time over the years. I am betting a good third of you reading this have a fondness for, if not a downright addiction to Oreo cookies. And a whole bunch of other foods like it. I will go back to that original question...what is it costing you? Well here's the answer. If you are eating food like this day in and day out it is costing you your health. It is costing you the weight loss you so badly want to achieve. And even if you are losing weight and eating Oreos, once you lose the weight you are still addicted and so slowly, over time, you will see these foods lure you back into the unhealthy amounts you consumed before. So it is costing you self control and weight maintenance. Yep, the birds are eating at the convenience store, but unlike our stores, this one only serves healthy and nutritious seeds for my feathered pals. How I long for a convenience store that would do that for us! But meanwhile maybe your food should not be quite so convenient, and dare I say it, a bit less tasty. Actually, on that note, I think when we let go of those sugary, fatty foods and begin eating healthier at first it may not seem as tasty, but over time a really delicious salad, with a myriad of ingredients, can seem just as mouth-watering as a cheeseburger. Maybe this week there might be one convenient, tasty food you might consider saying no to...Give it a try! |
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 The meetings are growing, slowly but surely. Each one has motivational discussions, as well as education, a little bit of physical activity, and a whole lot of shared empathy and support. The feeling I have is that I must be on the right track. Many people are following my new program, at least enough to know it is shifting them out of some bad habits and into making smarter choices overall. Many are learning things they never knew about food ingredients, addictions, smart substitutions, food sensitivities, you name it. Each week we talk about things even I didn't know about until I began the research to bring the information to the members.
I get comments from members that they like not feeling pressure to weigh-in, or be a certain number: as this is all about creating healthy habits, and re-thinking food choices, so there is no sense that they should be doing something other than learning and applying that knowledge when motivated to do so. They also comment on the lack of products being promoted. I sell nothing here except a $10 meeting.
I know there are some of you who have been wanting to come check out a meeting, but have not had a window, or you forget or...Maybe this is the week. We'd love to see you!
MEETING DATES/TIMES/TOPICS:
The meeting topic is the same for all locations.
The week of March 25th: COOKING DEMO: Intuitive Cooking Do you feel bound by recipes and want to just make a good, interesting meal without having to stare at a page? Come learn some cool shortcuts and ideas.
I will be demoing in Santa Rosa (both meetings), Sonoma (Monday evening meeting only), Petaluma (Monday morning only). I will not be demoing in Sebastopol.
Locations where I am not doing a demo I will be discussing the techniques. There will be no discussion circle in demo locations.
The week of April 1: Vegetarian/Vegan
Lately there is a lot of information coming out about consuming a more plant-based diet. Intuitively we know this is probably a smarter, healthier way to eat, but the idea to let go of meat, or other favorite foods seems daunting. Let's explore the ways in which people have converted and what motivated them to take this path, as well as ways we can bring more vegetarian/vegan cooking or foods into our lives.
Activity Guest Teacher for Monday, March 26th 5:30pm meeting and Wed March 28th, 9:30 am meeting
Trinity Church, Sonoma
BETTY ANN BRUNO TEACHING HULA MAI 
Hula Mai: When Betty Ann established Hula Mai in May of 2009, her hope was to inspire a love for the hula through knowledge and understanding of the Hawaiian culture. The classes cover basic steps of the hula and choreographed dances which include both 'Auana (contemporary hula) and Kahiko (ancient chants). Betty Ann says everyone can hula and feel good doing it because it is a dance of the heart. Hula Mai means "come here and dance".
Special announcement for Sebastopol meetings: No meeting March 30th due to the film festival!
And a sad announcement: I am closing my Petaluma Tuesday evening meeting because of low attendance. I promise to explore other options to open an alternate meeting in the area soon.
MONDAYS 9:30 AM
PETALUMA COMMUNITY CENTER
320 NO MCDOWELL PETALUMA
MONDAYS 5:30 PM
TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH
275 E SPAIN ST SONOMA
LOMITAS SCHOOLHOUSE
2421 LOMITAS AVE SANTA ROSA
WEDNESDAYS 9:30 AM
TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH
275 E SPAIN ST SONOMA
WEDNESDAYS 4:30 PM
LOMITAS SCHOOLHOUSE
2421 LOMITAS AVE SANTA ROSA
FRIDAYS 9:30 AM
SEBASTOPOL CENTER FOR THE ARTS
6780 DEPOT ST SEBASTOPOL
$10 / per meeting. Hope to see you at a meeting!
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RECIPES FOR THIS ISSUE
So I should warn you that practically this entire issue is sent to me by Jim in Sonoma, who has so filled my inbox that I will have to put out an extra issue to accommodate it all...
And he even sent a truly unique recipe for grilled quacamole of all things...check it out.
And I haven't had scalloped potatoes in years, but found this version and tweaked it a bit. See what you think...
For my favorite recipes
CLICK HERE FOR MY WEBSITE RECIPE PAGE
GRILLED GUACAMOLE
Ingredients:
- 6 ripe avocados, halved and pitted
- 1/2 red onion, sliced into 1/4 inch rings
- 2 small tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 lime, squeezed - salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
- Spray grill rack with cooking spray and preheat grill to medium-high heat.Place avocado halves flesh side down on the grill. Place red onion rings on the grill. Grill the avocados and onions for 3-4 minutes or until grill marks are visible. Remove from grill and let cool.
- Once avocados have cooled for a couple of minutes, scoop them out of their skin using a spoon and dice coarsely. Place in a large bowl.
- Dice the onion and add it to the bowl.
- Add the tomato, onion, cilantro, and lime juice. Stir together well, slightly mashing the mixture.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Place plastic wrap directly in contact with the guacamole so the mixture doesn't oxidize, and chill in the refrigerator for at least a half hour before serving. Serve with vegetables or chips
Nutrition Facts 4 servings
Calories 130
Carbohydrate 12.7g
Dietary Fiber 5.6g
Sugar .2g
Fat 9.2g
Protein: 2.4g
Sodium 80mg
3 CHEESE SCALLOPED POTATOES
Ingredients:
- 5 potatoes, sliced thin
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 cup water
- 2 Tbl flour
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup grated low fat cheddar cheese
- 1/8 cup grated low fat mozzarella cheese
- 1/8 cup finely grated parmesan
- 1/2 onion, sliced thinly
- 1/2 red pepper, sliced thinly
Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Boil a pot of water and cook sliced potatoes until tender.3. In a small saucepan heat the almond milk, and water with the flour and stir until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 4. Place a layer of potatoes in bottom of a 2 quart baking dish, sprayed with oil. Sprinkle a layer of grated cheese and spread onion and pepper slices over potatoes. Add a layer of white sauce. Repeat layers ending with cheese on top. Bake at 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Nutritional Information:
Calories: 257
Fat: 3.5g
Carbohydrates: 44.2 g
Protein: 12g
Fiber 5.1g
Sodium: 200mg
Sugar: 3.1
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BECOME A HEALTHY COOK!
 a unique cooking experience with Janet Ciel!
Cooking for yourself or your family can be fun, creative and delicious, and also much healthier. Come learn basics and a few fun secret ingredients which can take a dish from good to great.
Saturday, April 21st, 2012
1 - 5pm
Lomitas Schoolhouse
2421 Lomitas Ave
$35 before April 15 $40 after that date
includes recipes, product sampling, healthy cooking tips and yummy food!
(And I hope you all get the photo above. That is me as Julia Child. I will not be cooking like her, as you might guess....I just thought it was funny...) |
HOW TO KEEP BERRIES FRESH
Jim in Sonoma sent this information on how to keep berries from spoiling...
Berries are delicious, but they're also kind of delicate. Raspberries in particular seem like they can mold before you even get them home from the market. There's nothing more tragic than paying $4 for a pint of local raspberries, only to look in the fridge the next day and find that fuzzy mold growing on their insides. Well, with fresh berries just starting to hit farmers markets, we can tell you that how to keep them fresh! Here's a tip I'm sharing on how to prevent them from getting there in the first place: Wash them with vinegar. When you get your berries home, prepare a mixture of one part vinegar (white or apple cider probably work best) and ten parts water. Dump the berries into the mixture and swirl around. Drain, rinse if you want (though the mixture is so diluted you can't taste the vinegar,) and pop in the fridge. The vinegar kills any mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface of the fruit, and voila! Raspberries will last a week or more, and strawberries go almost two weeks without getting moldy and soft. So go forth and stock up on those pricey little gems, knowing they'll stay fresh as long as it takes you to eat them.
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CALCULATING NUTRITIONAL NUMBERS
Have you tried to calculate the nutritional information for the recipes you cook only to make you feel you should be Einstein? Thank you Kathy in Sebastopol for directing me towards this Nutritional Information Calculator. Just input the food and amounts for each recipe and it does the rest!
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EXERCISE CHANGES YOUR DNA!
My boyfriend brought this article to my attention. This is very cool!
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HILARIOUS ADS YOU WILL NEVER SEE AGAIN!
Thank you to my dear friend Linda who sent this collection of old old advertisements. We've come a long ways, baby...
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PLATES THAT TELL YOU HOW MUCH TO EAT!
 
Fran in Sonoma sent me a link to a unique new product. These are plates designed to delineate portion sizes! They are called Slimware. What a great idea!!
click here
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TEAM IN TRAINING FOR THE HUMAN RACE!
We have had a wonderful group these last few Thursdays meeting at Howarth Park to train for the Human Race. Maybe you'd like to join us? Every Thursday between now and the race at 11 am I will be at the trailhead at Howarth Park and walk the 3.8 mile loop around the lake. By May 5th when the race happens, we are going to be in great shape! How about you? If you walked with us last year you know how much fun it was, and if you didn't well here's a chance to get in gear for it. You do not need to coming to my meetings to join this. Come walk with us!
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MOVE AND YOU'LL LIVE LONGER
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Paraprosdokian
Surely you know what this means, right? Jim strikes again with these hilarious tweaked sayings...A paraprosdokian is a phrase or sentence that leads us down the garden path to an unexpected ending. "Where there's a will, I want to be in it," is a paraprosdokian. Here are some more...
1. Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience. 2. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on my list. 3. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak. 4. If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong. 5. We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public. 6. War does not determine who is right - only who is left..
7. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
8. Evening news is where they begin with 'Good Evening,' and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.
9. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.
10. A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station.
11. I thought I wanted a career. Turns out I just wanted paychecks.
12. Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says, 'In case of emergency, notify:' I put 'DOCTOR.'
13. I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.
14. Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.
15. Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.
16. A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory.
17. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
18. Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.
19. There's a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can't get away.
20. I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not so sure.
21. You're never too old to learn something stupid.
22. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.
23. Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
24. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
25. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
26. Where there's a will, there are relatives.
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25 DIET-BUSTING FOODS
Jim sent this as well. Truth is, most of this list is a given, except for a couple of them, and it should be 100 times longer. But this does have a few that were a surprise.
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10 PILLS
Paula from Santa Rosa sent this hilarious video...and she has a great voice too! |
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LIFE COACHING
Most of you know I am a certified life coach. Although my new weekly meetings incorporate life coaching it is not the same as one on one help. If you are challenged in your life to make change: to make things happen, this is a path towards fulfilling your dreams.
I always do a free half hour sample session.
Hope you'll check it out!
EMAIL ME FOR MORE INFORMATION:
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 "You only live once. But if you do it right once is enough."
~ Mae West
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