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I am sitting in my little cottage looking out at the apple orchard thick with new grass and yellow mustard. Juncos and finches crowd at my feeder and the sun is warming this beautiful pastoral scene to a balmy 70 plus degrees in March. I think of friends in not-so-warm environs, like my sister in Virginia, who posted photos of thick snow outside her house on Facebook the other day, and I smile: not a smile of smugness, but of overwhelming gratefulness for all I have. I have written about this many times: the importance of seeing things through the eyes of gratitude, but lately I find even adversity to be something which brings a thought of thankfulness as I contemplate what might have been worse. And as I ponder this I realize I was not always this way. There was a time in my life when I saw myself as a victim and my life circumstances a tragedy. I was reminded of this last night as I sat in a restaurant and overheard a conversation at the table next to me. A woman was recounting her day to her table companions as a never-ending litany of drama and negative experiences. Meanwhile one of her friends countered with several upbeat comments, only to be diminished by the woman's tragic tale of woe. No matter how much the friend tried to spin the conversation into a positive direction she got shot down. Eventually the table ended up in silence. click here for more...
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Cooking Classes with Janet Ciel!!
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Come check out my series of cooking classes through Parks & Recreation at Finley Center in Santa Rosa! The first class of the series was sold out and I had a wonderful, supportive, and intelligent group of attendees. I look forward to future classes being as enjoyable!
My aim in teaching these classes is to enlighten everyone on how incredibly easy and yummy it can be to lighten up your meals. Less, fat, less sugar, less calories, but great flavor and always super easy! I am not a gourmet chef; I am a regular person who loves to cook healthy meals, and teach others how to do it too. I am also big into shortcuts, so know lots of healthy products which make meals yummy with no effort at all.
These are all weekday evening classes, so not only do you get a fun, educational class, you get yummy food made for you after a long day at work! These are demo-only classes so you just watch and eat!
How can you go wrong?
The Magic of Fruits & Vegetables
Tuesday, April 2 6pm - 8:30pm
This class will focus on making vegetables that sing, and that substitute for starch in a meal, thereby saving calories. I will turn you on to little secrets for how to get your veggies tasting so good that even your kids or picky spouse will eat them. We'll do some great things with fruit, including combining them into savory dishes and making an all fruit sorbet.
Lean  Appetizers and Side Dishes
Wednesday, May 8 6pm - 8:30pm
As we get close to Memorial Day and the party season, we want to get out our party foods, and this class will give you all sorts of pointers on making awesome potluck fair which will fool the greatest "healthy food" skeptics.
 Baking Light
Tuesday, June 18 6pm - 8:30pm
This is my favorite class of the series because I get to put on my baking hat and make some to-die-for
desserts which will have little to no sugar or fat!! Yet they will be so yummy you will be shocked.
All classes taught in the kitchen at Finley Center
(Stonypoint & College Aves) Santa Rosa
$39/resident $49/non-resident
Click here to register
or email me with questions
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Recently my life has gotten quite busy, as I have a variety of work projects which seem to take up a lot of time. So I am finding myself cooking on the fly, as it were. Here are some recipes I have made recently which are quick and yummy.
 WHITE FISH VERACRUZ
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 lb Chilean sea bass or red snapper (bass is over-fished so the snapper is a better choice, but any firm white fish will work)
- 1 jar of your favorite salsa (I like Trader Joes Pineapple Salsa)
- 1/2 cup grated low fat Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
- 20 black or green pimento-stuffed olives, sliced
- 10 canned artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1) Heat oven to 350 degrees
2) Spray a baking pan with oil
3) Lay your fish in pan. Cover with salsa, sprinkle with cheese and olives and artichoke hearts.
4) Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until fish flakes softly.
4 servings Calories: 227 Carbs: 7g Fat: 11g Protein: 28 Fiber: 0 QUICK AND EASY WRAPS
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 red pepper, sliced thin
- 1 onion sliced thin
- 1 cup black beans
- 4 La Tortilla Smart & Delicious Low Carb Tortillas
- 1/2 cup grated low fat Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese
- 8 canned artichoke hearts, sliced
- 20 black or green olives, sliced
- 1 cup favorite salsa
These are sample filling ingredients...change the type of beans, use chicken or tofu, lettuce and tomato, etc....
DIRECTIONS:
1. Spray a frying pan with spray oil and heat to med-high. Saute pepper and onion until brown and soft.
2. Heat beans in pot on stove or in the microwave in a bowl
3. Lay tortillas on plate and sprinkle cheese on them, dividing it equally between the 4. Heat each for one minute in the microwave.
4. Top with remaining ingredients, roll up and serve.
4 Servings Calories: 262 Carbs: 36g Fat: 10g Protein: 21 Fiber: 17
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He's back....Yep, my buddy Jim from Sonoma has returned from his travels and within hours of the plane landing my inbox was filled with Jimbo-isms. Here is a cool item about Bryan Berg, a professional card stacker! Trained as an architect, he is the only known person to make a living building structures with freestanding playing cards. He uses no tape, glue, or tricks, and his method has been tested to support 660 lbs. per square foot.
Berg has stacked cards for corporate special events, public relations campaigns, and science and children's museums in many U.S. cities, Canada , Europe, and Asia .    |
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I just fell in love with this wicked fun grandmother. There is an expletive at the end, so just a warning, but definitely worth watching all the way through....
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This is such a beautiful breakdown of the various pigments of foods and what they mean for us nutritionally. Definitely worth a read...
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Here's a brilliant BBC short that will get you laughing for sure! 
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I knew this would get more than a few of you chuckling...
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One More Remarkable Video...
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A clever piece of stop-gap animation. Very well done!
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 As a certified Life Coach, specializing in weight management I offer both practical suggestions and guidance, as well as emotional and psychological support to help you through this most challenging of realms. Please consider taking that leap to get the help you need to lose that weight for good in 2013! |
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