What the kale update!

Just wanted to give a quick update on the kale post. My blogger friend Carey pointed out that if you have thyroid problems you need to be careful eating cruciferous vegetables. What are cruciferous vegetables you ask? Well they include broccoli, cauilflower, brussel sprouts, kale and cabbage. The website Livestrong has this to say: 

"Green vegetables, especially kale, contain chemicals called goitrogens that may inhibit absorption of dietary iodine. A decrease in iodine in your body can worsen symptoms of hypothyroidism, a condition where your thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones. The hormones produced by your thyroid gland are essential for regulating your metabolism. Goitrogens are almost completely destroyed during cooking, so avoid eating raw kale in excess with hypothyroidism."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/519961-greens-kale-thyroid-problems/#ixzz2TeqNFPzS

 This is something I knew in the back of my head, but quite frankly  had sort of forgot about it until Carey brought it up. Most of these vegetables I do cook, but I did have the kale raw yesterday. So thanks for the heads up Carey. 

This doesn't mean you have to stop eating these veggies. Just cook them first and that will destroy the goitrogens and make them safe to eat. 

Stay healthy my friends. So glad we all support each other and love that we share knowledge. Have a great rest of the weekend!! XO

Thought for the day:

 Let go of what has passed. 
Let go of what may come. 
Let go of what is happening now.
Don't try to figure anything out.
Don't try to make anything happen.
Relax, right now, and rest. 

— Tilopa

What the kale??

I am really loving kale these days. I first tried making this salad I saw on the food network called massaged kale salad. It was really good. 

Recently I had a similar type of kale salad  with baked eggs on top at a restaurant in New York City. It was delicious and today I decided to recreate it from my own kitchen for a tasty lunch. I was very happy with how it turned out. 

I also placed some chopped kale on a baking sheet, tossed it after spraying with a little olive oil cooking spray and sea salt and baked for about 10 minutes at 300 degrees. I took Rosalie's advice and removed it sprinkled with some Parmesan cheese and returned to the oven for a few minutes. Delish!!

In case you aren't familiar with marcona almonds which I used in the kale and egg recipe, I highly recommend you try them. They are rounder, softer and a little sweet. They come from Spain. I store mine in the freezer to keep them fresher longer. Nuts have natural oils and they can go rancid if left in the cupboard too long. I put all my nuts in the freezer and just remove what I need when I need it. They don't turn mushy or get wet and will last forever. Well maybe not that long, but I have had some in there for quite some time.

Kale before its massage

A much more relaxed kale after it's massage!

Baked eggs over kale.

Extra virgin olive oil ½ - 1 Tbs*

Fresh lemon juice 1 tsp*

Sea salt

Balsamic Vinegar 1 tsp*

Kale, washed and cut into pieces 6 cups

Cheddar cheese grated 2-3 tbs

Parmesan or Pecorino cheese shredded  1 tsp

Marcona almonds chopped  2 -3 tbs

Eggs 2

*Amounts are approximate. Alter to your own taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Spray a small oval dish with cooking spray.

Break eggs carefully into dish.

Sprinkle with about a Tbs of milk or cream to prevent eggs from drying out. Do not stir.

Bake for 10-14 minutes depending on how done you like your eggs.

Place kale in a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice, salt and olive oil.

Vigorously massage the kale until it softens and decreases in volume.

Add the balsamic vinegar and toss.

Add the marcona almonds and shredded cheddar cheese and toss together.

Spread on large plate, top with baked eggs and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Thought for the day:    "There are two types of people; those who eat kale and those who should."  Bo Muller-Moore 

Thought for the day...

" All stress comes from resisting what is."
                                          Oprah Winfrey


I had to share this quote that I just read. Isn't this true? If we could only just live in the now moment and accept what is, how peaceful and stress free our lives could be.

It is natural to always resist. We resist change, circumstances, even the weather. I can't tell you how many outdoor parties I stressed out about due to the weather forecast. Guess what, when it rained, we hovered under tents, danced in the garage and still had a great time.

Don't resist....just accept....breathe....and give in to the here and now!! XO!!

Do you suffer from insanity?

Happy Tuesday to all! It's cold here in the northeast. I AM NOT turning my heat back on even though my house was 60 degrees this morning! It's the middle of May and our morning temperatures shouldn't be in the 30's. It's insane for this time of year! It's supposed to warm up tomorrow and the rest of the week, so I'm throwing on an extra sweater and sucking it up!!

Have you heard of the Beck Diet Solution? It's not a diet, but a book helping you use various cognitive (The definition of cognitive is being or involving conscious intellectual activity such as thinking, remembering, or reasoning.) techniques to help you be successful at whatever eating plan you follow. If you follow them on facebook, or subscribe to their daily emails you will get little nuggets of daily inspiration and motivation. Here is what was posted today:

 Tuesday Reality Check: The sooner you accept that there is no easy way out for lasting weight loss, the sooner you’ll be able to get yourself to do what you need to do. Stop looking for the magic bullet and start working on healthy eating – it will bring you results (although probably not as quickly or easily as you’d like).

I have to tell myself this all the time. It's simply doing the same thing over and over every day that will get you results. It's insane to think that we can cheat frequently, not count those BLT's (bites, licks, tastes) and still reach our weight and fitness goals.

It's insane to think we can forget our eating plans and goals on the weekends and get results.

For me I need constant reminders and examples and I get that through the blogs of my friends,  and daily reminders and motivations like the one I posted above.

 
I wanted to share what I had for breakfast this morning. It was insanely (are you getting the repetition of that word??) delicious.

I toasted two slices of Alvarado street flax seed bread. Spread that with cream cheese. Top with  smoked salmon, sliced red onion, sliced tomato, capers and cracked black pepper. 

This was really tasty and very filling. Not to mention all the benefits of the salmon. It's high in protein, low in fat, full of flavor, and loaded with Omega three fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. If you've never had it, give it a try. I give it a two thumbs up!

Enjoy your Tuesday. Sending love and hugs from me to you! XO!

Thought for the day:  Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.    Albert Einstein

The Sweetest Day for Moms

My pride and joy....my three boys!

      I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day. We spent the weekend at the shore trying to get everything ready for the unofficial start of summer in two weeks. We had some damage to our landscaping and needed some replacements. We also lost our refrigerator in the garage when it flooded, so we bought a new one for upstairs and moved that one into the garage. Sounds silly to need a fridge in the garage, but that’s the beverage and ice center and backup fridge when the kitchen one is full. I really couldn't do without it. All in all we didn't have that much damage. Further north is still a mess and some people have lost everything.

Yesterday we came home and my boys put together a little hot sauce arrangement( I love hot sauce!!)

and three yellow roses. 

My oldest son and his wife gave me a great basket filled with wine, body and bath products, and a candle. All things I love. The best part was the two cards they gave me with beautiful heartfelt sentiments inside. Those are really the best thing to get. To have someone say you are loved, cherished and appreciated is all anyone really wants to hear.

DIL and MIL. My new daughter!

Later in the day we went out with my parents and the kids, except John who is in New York, for a Mexican dinner. We had a great time. All in all it was a productive and relaxing weekend all at the same time.  I hope whatever you did, or whoever you were with, you were made to feel loved and appreciated. That’s all we really  need right? Sending hugs and love from me to you! XO!

Thought for the day: 

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.

My gift to me.... 2012 Miraval Rose. This is the first release by Brad Pitt and  Angelina Jolie from their Provence Estate. Wine makes me happy!!

Organizing your diet and your life!

Do you love it?

Do you use it?

Everything needs a home

The floor is not a home.

Put it down once.( meaning put it down the first time in the place it belongs)

A place for everything and everything in its place.

These are all sayings that I have to keep myself organized and decluttered.  Sometimes I like to go off topic and talk about lifestyle issues. Organization is one of them. So here's what I'm thinking about today.

 I feel strongly that a tidy, organized home helps you to not only move around your space better, but makes you feel lighter and less weighed down. When everything is tidy and in order I feel that I am more relaxed and breathe easier. I have an allergic reaction to visual clutter. Well not really, but it feels that way. It makes me hyperventilate. Sort of!

Drawers and closets have to be constantly tidied up. Here are a few things I do religiously to stay organized.

1) Don't look at the big picture. Just take one drawer or one closet shelf and organize that. Do it while chatting on the phone or mindlessly listening to the radio or TV. If you do that consistently you will have all of your drawers and shelves organized eventually.

2) If you really aren't sure you can part with something, put it in a bag or box. Add as many items as you want.  Put the bag in a closet out of site. If after a six months you find you never went back to that bag to get that blouse, fancy serving platter or whatever the item may be,  then take the whole bag to the local goodwill or charity site. DON'T OPEN IT. Get it out of the house!

3) If you have clothes that you love, but don't fit into right now, do the same thing. Label the bag with the size clothing and get it out of site. If and when you get back to that size you know where to find your bag. If you don't, you can donate the whole bag. It makes your closet organized and easier to find what you can actually wear. 

4) Always keep a shopping bag in your closet. If you pull something off the shelf or the hanger, try it on and don't love it, or if it's stained, torn, out dated, or unflattering.....TOSS IT IN THE BAG! No matter how much it cost or who gave it to you.You will never go to this piece of clothing as a first choice and if you do, you will never feel good wearing it. We all have made those fashion mistakes where we fall for something because the sale is good, bought what turned out to be an unflattering color, or don't want to hurt a loved ones feelings by parting with a gift. You wear 20% of your clothing 80% of the time.Get rid of those items that you don't love. They are weighing you down!

Now you might not move the scale with these techniques, but I swear you will start to feel better and lighter as the clutter decreases.  You will find things more easily and be less stressed.You will have more time to try out all the great recipes we share on these sites. Sending hugs and love!

Thought for the day: “Organize your life around your dreams - and watch them come true.”

What are your eating commandments?

Hello my friends! It's been awhile and I'm sorry for my absence. I guess I have spring fever along with a bad knee. I'm coming along in that area. My Dr said after a chondroplasty it can take up to three months to know if it is going to help me. I think I have turned a corner and I am walking better. He still doesn't want me to do any weight bearing exercises like walking or standing longer than I have to. The bike and elliptical are OK, so I will start that soon. Of course I am walking around the house, but he means no long walks for exercise. Poor Roscoe keeps looking at me each morning wondering why our walks have stopped.

I have thinking about our little blogging community and how we are all changing and evolving regarding our eating and exercising. So many of us have changed up the plan, switched to another, or are doing our own combinations of various plans.

That's why the weight loss industry is a billion dollar one. It doesn't seem like many people can stick with one thing for the rest of their life and every time someone else comes up with a new plan that works for them, we think it will work for us too. And it might...for awhile....or forever...or maybe not  all.  Like other addictions  (drugs, alcohol) that you can stop forever, you can't stop eating. That's why food addictions are so hard to conquer. You never have to take another drink of alcohol, or take a drug if that is your addiction. But you do have to eat, every day, several times a day  and in various situations.

I think we all need to come up with our own personal eating commandments. I know that it is unrealistic for me to think I will never have a bite of mac and cheese,  a piece of watermelon or a bite of a dessert. I know that I can't cut out everything that's white, like rolls and bread forever. I want to but I don't think I can really do that forever. But I will try and that's a big step. Maybe just admitting that to ourselves makes it easier should we choose to indulge. I think choose is the important word. If you are going to have a "cheat" food, then at least don't do it standing over the kitchen sink shoving it in your mouth without any thought or plan. Own it, savor it, keep in mind the three bite rule, and then be done with it.Get right back on track and follow your commandments.

These are my commandments of eating.  These are rules I know I can stick to  every day.

1. I will keep my sugar intake low. White sugar is bad. I can keep it to 15 gms a day. This means also watching my fruit intake.

2.  I will avoid all white foods. White food is bad.  We all know it.White sugar, white flour, white rice fall into this category. I will avoid these foods. I know if I do slip and have some, it will lead to more cravings, and more hunger in the days to follow.

3.  I will not use artificial sweeteners. They are bad for your health. Really bad! And there is lots of evidence to support that. I have cut them out of my life, and don't miss them at all. I now use Stevia in my coffee.

4. I will track on my fitness pal. I have to watch my calories along with my sugar and carb intake. Some people don't, but if I don't watch those calories I won't lose, even if my sugar and carb intake are within the limits.

5. I will drink 8 - 10 glasses of water a day.

6. I will get some activity, at least 30 minutes every day.

7. I will limit my carbohydrates daily. This includes even the complex ones. They slow my weight loss, bloat me up and make me crave more. Currently I am trying not to eat any complex carbs after lunch.

8. If I really can't resist something or it's a very special occassion, I will exercise that famous three bite rule. And the bites have to be normal size, not scoops!! This can't be an everyday occurrence however no matter how special you think your days are!!

9. If I slip, stumble or fall hard off the wagon, I will immediately pick myself up and start back on a healthy way of eating with the very next bite.

Please share your commandments. I want to hear! Sending you all love and hugs!

Thought for the day:  You have to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.