Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Recipe Wednesday - Mustard Crusted Salmon with Green Beans

Recipe Wednesday means I bring you a great recipe to consider for your collection.  My intention is to bring you delicious recipes featuring better food choices.  Let's face it, if it doesn't taste good, you won't eat it no matter how good it is for you.  Maybe you heard Dr. Oz talk about how good it is for you to go meatless a couple nights a week?  Today's feature is Mustard Crusted Salmon with Green Beans, because having fish once a week shouldn't be reserved for the season of Lent.


Even those meat and potato guys will enjoy a meatless meal
 when something like Mustard Crusted Salmon is on the menu!

Today's feature is a meatless meal found nowhere other than Aldi.us, that's right!  So not only is this a better choice for supper tonight, but eating better doesn't cost as much.  Thanks to Chef Kates in the ALDI Test Kitchen for this healthy and satisfying dinner time idea!  It's good food, fast.

Prep Time: 10 minutes    Cook Time: 20 minutes    Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 cup Tuscan Garden Seasoned Croutons
1/3 cup Reggano Parmesan Cheese
1 TBL Stonemill Essentials Italian Seasoning
2 TBL Carlini Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
16 oz Season's Choice Extra Fine Green Beans
Salt & Pepper to taste
16 oz Sea Queen Wild Caught Salmon, thawed
3 TBL Burman's Dijon Mustard
1 lemon, sliced into wedges

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place croutons in a food processor and pulse, or crush in a ziplock bag, to form large, coarse crumbs.  Add parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and 1 TBL olive oil, pulse gently to combine.  Mixture should be coarse and crunchy.
3. Place frozen green beans on a baking sheet and toss with 1 TBL olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste.  Roast in oven until hot and beginning to caramelize, about 20 minutes.
4. Place salmon fillets on a greased baking sheet and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Spread Dijon mustard evenly covering each piece of salmon.  Top mustard with breadcrumb mixture.  Roast salmon fillets for 10 - 15 minutes or until cooked through and the topping is crunchy and golden brown.
5. Serve the salmon with the green beans and lemon wedges.
TIP: Place green beans in the oven to begin roasting before you finish topping the salmon fillets and dinner will be on the table in no time.

Try pairing this with Lemon Broccoli with Garlic for a little more supper time filler on the plate or put Recipe Wednesday in the search bar to find other ideas!

Links:
Aldi - find this week's features and recipe ideas.  Eat better for less!
Portion Sizes - how much is a portion?
Portion Control Made Easy - portion control plates
Shakeology - the SMARTEST meal of the day...and fastest, too!

Monday, January 12, 2015

Motivation Monday - Get Unstuck. Confidence is a State of Mind

Get Unstuck.  Confidence is a State of Mind.

     Motivation Monday  is the day of the week when I share a motivational idea or book title on my "have read" or "wish-to-read" list.  This Motivation Monday I want to share some thoughts on self-confidence, that negative inner voice, and getting unstuck.  As we start 2015 with all it's splendor and promise before us, have you already tossed aside that New Years Resolution in defeat?  Even if you have, today is the day you reclaim your confidence, your courage, get unstuck and grow to be what you have dreamed of!  You can even start with changes you'll feel TODAY!
What do you see when you look in the mirror?  Do see a rockstar?  Or, like many of us, does your head fill with negative talk?

Getting Unstuck - 'cus you are special and LIFE does happen
     This Motivation Monday, just far enough into the New Year that you may already be faltering on that resolution, I challenge you to join me on getting unstuck from that negative self-talk.  Let's restart.  We all have LIFE happening, it gets in the way.  The old proverb says "fall seven times, get up eight".  Today we start fresh because we are special.  LIFE happened, knocked us down already, but we'll get up.  Do as you always do and you'll always get what you've always gotten.  So today we begin our journey to get unstuck this year.


No Empty Promise Here
     I'm not here to sell you on empty promises, I have work to do, too.  I won't tell you it's easy or that it won't take work.  It will.  Hard work and commitment on our parts.  I can promise you that it is worth it!  Today, if you act fast (and I mean fast) you can grab a seat in celebrity Beachbody coach and creater of Turbo JamTurbo Fire and Piyo, Chalene Johnson's webinar about gaining courageous confidence to crush your goals in 2015.  This front row seat with the amazing Chalene Johnson that usually costs over $1,000 is FREE.  Yes, FREE.  But jump on this now and reserve your seat for this life changing seminar because they fill up fast and the seminar is tomorrow!  Open the sign up page HERE!

Want to learn how to let that inner lion roar about how kind,
beautiful, strong, compassionate and down right awesome you are?
Join me by making this New Years Resolution our new reality!

Negative Self-Talk
     What is negative self-talk?  Let's look at that example of looking in the mirror.  Do you see the Lion inside?  If you're like me, you don't.  If you're like me, you cringe when you see yourself naked in a mirror ~ shudder.  I got dressed up for the Christmas Party, just a few weeks ago, and sighed.  I thought "that's the best I can do with what I got."  After all, LIFE happened with a vengeance.  Going from working on my B.S. degree, working over time on a start up and commissioning project (the first of its kind in my state), etc, etc...LIFE happened.  My husband was diagnosed with gastric cancer and 22 days later, my dad suffered an inter-cerebral hemorrhage.  Everything I had on my plate, all my dreams, got shoved aside.  I became a full time caregiver...and a caregiver's caregiver.  All the weight I'd worked so hard to lose when I started the fitter Fitter is back.  Major setback.  Yet, it is understandable considering all the days I've spent sitting on my dupa in hospital waiting rooms.  Yes, LIFE happened hard, but I still beat up on myself for loosing all that ground...even though I still only had 24 hours in a day.  My negative self-talk came roaring back.
     "I can't believe she's wearing that!"  "Look how much weight she gained back!"  "She's so fat and lazy."  Fat.  Lazy.  Loser.  Quitter.  Failure.  I mean, I'm the fitter Fitter for crying out loud...and with all the caregiving responsibilities, I've let it go.   That's what rolled through my head.  That's what I expected to hear from everyone at that party.  What I heard was "you look great for all you've been through!"  "That's a pretty outfit, I didn't know you wore dresses, but then I've only seen you at work."  "You're so strong.  I don't know how you've kept it all together through all of this."  That's what I heard.  So, where's the disconnect?  I'm stuck in negative self-talk.

Sometimes we have to step away from the scale.
It won't reflect how hard you crushed your workout 
yesterday.  Instead, soak in that feeling of 
accomplishment that completing a workout gives you.

Be Your Own Best Friend
     Sit down with a piece of paper and write down those little things you say to yourself.  Make a column for the positive comments and the negative ones.  Now, look at those negative comments.  That's how you see yourself.  Would you say those things to your best friend?  No!  Of coarse not.  So, why do we talk to ourselves that way?  Spend a little time in the positive column.  Rewrite all those negative comments to be positive ones.  Make those positive comments into post-it notes and put them around your house where you will see them daily. 
     All that self-trash-talk is unhealthy and, did you know that research has shown that it can actually alter your physical appearance?  Mara Miller reported on a study in the January/February 2014 issue of Womens Health that "normal-weight people who viewed themselves as fat were more likely to end up overweight."  According to New York psychotherapist Christel Parker, "the pitfalls go beyond the scale".  That self trash-talk can spill over and "hinder friendships, job prospects and overall well-being."
  
Serious food for thought: Only YOU know what you've overcome.  Only YOU 
know the extent of your courage and strength, the depths of your inner beauty.
You got knocked down 7 times and stood up 8...and shook your fist at it!
So, why are you not your biggest cheerleader?


Break the Cycle
     You failed at that last diet, so you call yourself fat.  The self trash-talk blasts your confidence and that new fitness program gathers dust while you reach for the comfort food.  The comfort food puts pounds back on.  You feel worse.  It's a vicious cycle.  We break it today.  But how?
     1) Get Up! - Get out of the chair and put down the potato chips!  If Insanity hurt your knees, try Slim in 6.  Need something slower?  Start building your core and centering yourself with Tai Cheng.  Modify if you need to.  Finish that workout, no matter how many water breaks you need.  Take a walk.  Set that attainable goal, then reach it.  Then, give yourself permission to feel good about it.  Research has linked any type of exercise (cardio, strength training, stretching, yoga) to better body confidence.  It doesn't matter what your fitness level is.  It doesn't matter whether your weight changes.  Neither does the intensity of your workout.  Post about your workout, talk about it.  You're welcomed to join me on my facebook fitter Fitter page and post it there if you're afraid your friends will hate to hear about it, I'd love to hear about your daily successes!  According to psychologist Louise Wasylkiw, Ph.D. of Mount Allison University, "just talking about your workout can up your self-image."   And if you feel better about yourself and are reaching those goals, you'll keep at it.  If you keep at it, you will see the change in yourself when you look in that mirror or pull on that pair of skinny jeans.
     2) Listen Up! - Get in touch with your body, listen to it.  The more in tune you are with how your body works, the less you'll dwell on your appearance over how you feel according to cognitive psychology researcher Vivien Ainley.  A study showed that women who could more accurately count their own heartbeats objectified themselves less. Meditation, yoga and spending some quality quiet time being comfortable in your own company will help you get more in tune with you.  Your body, regardless of your dress size, is an amazing, incredible machine!
     3) Shut Up! - Stop that "Fat Chat".  Saying things like "OMG, you are soooo tiny; my thighs are tree trunks" or "the last time I fit into jeans that size I was 11" are more hurtful to yourself than you think.  Most of us women-folk think that type of self trash-talk is harmless, maybe even makes the other person feel better.  Some of us even think it's helpful to remind ourselves endlessly about how far we have to go to reach that ultimate weight loss goal.  But really, no really, it's anything but helpful and harmless.  Even those snarky little 3rd party comments like "oh, wow, look at how much holiday weight so-and-so put on" are negative reinforcement for our own body image.  Psychology doctoral candidate Rachel Salk of the University of Wisconsin challenges us to "challenge, then replace, fat talk."  Everyone can feel more confident, just by praising someone else's strength or health habits or workout routine.


I don't know, buy that flashy new fitness program you've been wanting...
or that Shakeology!


Get Unstuck, Put it into Practice and Feel Better About Yourself Now!
     This is definately a New Years Resolution to stick to.  You'll have to work at it, you'll probably even back-slide a few time.  However, it is one to stick to.  So, how do you do that when nothing has worked before...thus that self trash-talk and that last bag of chips (and I can't believe I ate the whole thing!)  How do we get unstuck?  And this will work even if you missed Chalene Johnson's Courageous Confidence Club webinar.  I promise!
     Here are some simple practices that can make perfect on this New Years Resolution and get you unstuck...and have you feeling more positively about yourself by tonight!
     1) Set Goals - yes, set goals.  Ultimately, I want to be the weight that fantasy chart at the doctor's office says I should be.  Realistically it's going to take some doing to get there, that's the Big Picture Goal.  So, set realistic and quickly attainable short term goals - lose a pant size, drop those first 10 pounds, crush your daily workout (even if it's Tai Cheng) for 30 days straight.  What ever that mini-goal, make it attainable and make it part of that Big Picture Goal.  Document that Big Picture goal and all the mini-goals to reach it.  Write it down, break it down.  What ever it takes to visualize it.
     2) Accountability - yes, that icky word.  But, it works.  If you have a workout buddy and do it together or have a cheering squad that looks out for you, you will be more apt to stick to your workout routine.  Again, if you lack a cheering squad, join me on my fitter Fitter facebook page and I'll be your cheerleader...and you can be mine!  The beauty of this is that you have someone who wants to hear you brag about your work out (even if the treadmill didn't break).  You'll find that when you have a support system, you'll even work out on days you really don't want to, just because you are accountable to them.  To me the accountability of the teambeachbody community was instrumental in getting it done...and I miss them when I haven't connected with them.  Accountability works.  This is even a great place to set up that old penalty jar.  Every time you catch yourself in self doubt, you owe yourself a payment.

your success, difficulties and I'll be your cheerleader!

     3) Fake it 'til you Make itYour body language not only speaks volumes to those around you, it shouts loud and clear to you, too.  "When you hunch your shoulders, cross your arms over your chest or look at the floor, you are announcing your self-consciousness" says body-language pro Lillian Glass, Ph.D.  Walk upright like someone is holding you up by a string extending from the top of your head and look the world straight in the eye.  Do a good ol' fashioned buttock squeeze when you talk to someone.  Squeezing those butt muscles will straighten your spine.  Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, toes pointing straight at the person you're talking to.  Don't be afraid to smile and talk with your hands.  Openness of that sort screams self confidence and makes us seem more secure to those we speak to.  
     4) Out with the Old, In with the New - Do a scan of you nest, your home environment.  Can you find any confidence-destroying things?  Old jeans that don't fit.  A sweater that's too small.  Your friends too perfect facebook posts always glaring at you from your screen.  Cut these things from your immediate surroundings.  If you can't totally ditch this stuff, at least put it away for a good, long while.  Then, when the Debbie-Downer-Decor is history, work to surround yourself with positive messages.  Remember rewriting those negative self-talk statements into positive ones?  Yeah, those.  Make inspirational notes of those and put them where you will see them. "You are amazing and beautiful inside."  "You kicked butt in your sweat session today."  Strategically placed so these messages are the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you see on your way out the door will boost that self-image. 
     5) Step Away From That Scale - No, really.  Step away from that scale.  Too often we obsess about that number.  Make stepping on the scale a special occasion by putting it away from a while.  If looking at that number sets off that self trash-talk, then don't do it.  You may have absolutely CRUSHED Sean T in that Insanity workout or nailed Chalene Johnson's Turbo Fire choreography, but you will NOT see that reflected in the number on that scale tomorrow morning. Instead, revel in the feeling of accomplishment that fitting that work out in gives you.  
     Just in case you need the extra pick me up of toting along a motivational read to help you get started on this, your new and improved New Years Resolution, there's Somebody, Help! I'm Stuck! - 101 Ways to Find Success and Achieve Anything You Want in Life! by Rodney D. Smith.  " 

Don't have a Kindle and would rather buy Shakeology than get a reader?  No worries!
You can download apps FREE to read this title on your computer, tablet or smartphone!

SOMEBODY HELP I’M STUCK; Everyday people wake up feeling stuck in life, work, relationships, marriage, and have no clue how to change their situation! Now there is a solution, to feeling Stuck in life. This book will change your life in way’s you never thought possible. 

“Rev. Smith has provided us with probing insights and practical realism. He takes an honest look in to the mind and spirit to lay out strategically ways to find success and achieve anything in life. This book is a self-help manual to guide us in facing challenges with the proper application and successfully achieve our desired goals. I commend this book to you--be prepared for the change and success God will bring to your life.” 
—Reverend Dr. Lee. P. Washington Pastor, Reid Temple AME Church Glenn Dale, MD 
www.reidtemple.org 

Rooted in faith and written with love, Rodney D. Smith has created the blueprint for helping others pull themselves out of a rut and into a more fulfilling life. Somebody, Help! I’m Stuck is a step-by-step guide to success for anyone looking to go a little bit further, see a little more clearly, or reach a little bit higher. There is power within the lessons of this book. All you have to do is grab it! A must read! 
Shalisa Powell, MEdCollege President, Chicago, IL 
www.shalisapowell.com 


Shakeology - learn what replacing one meal a day with this superfood can do for you
Somebody Help! I'm Stuck!
The Penalty Jar - Pick a Cause and Repurpose the Ol' Penalty Jar

Saturday, January 10, 2015

January is National Radon Action Month

Radon?  What the heck is Radon?
If you grew up in granite country like I did, you probably grew up knowing radon gas existed.  You probably already knew your home might have dangerous levels of radon.  But, have you taken action to test the level in Home Sweet Home?
     Well, we know it's a gas.  The Surgeon General warns that it causes lung cancer.  It can't be seen, smelled or tasted.  1 in every 6 U.S. homes has radon levels above the EPA guidelines.  It is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.  In fact, it is responsible for over 20,000 deaths annually.  Frightening, right?  So, why isn't there a law that protects us from this invisible, odorless, tasteless killer?

The Radon Abatement Act
     There is a law to protect your family from the dangers of Radon Gas, however, concerned citizens in only a few states have forced their legislators to enforce that law.  In 1988 Congress passed the Indoor Radon Abatement Act, the EPA was tasked with enforcement, Public Service Announcements are one way that the EPA works to raise awareness.  

Take Action
Top 10 Finalist in the National Radon Program Poster Contest (Cameron, age 11 of Peotone, IL)
     You change the batteries in your smoke alarms at Daylight Savings Time annually and check them, then go over your family's evacuation plan.  Right?  (If you forgot, then this is your reminder for that, too!)  So, what can you do about Radon in your home?  January is National Radon Action Month, that means that this is the perfect time to get your own Radon Test Kit.   It's a great time to educate yourself about the facts and myths about this dangerous radioactive gas.  The EPA recommended action level is 4 picoCuries/Liter (pCi/L).   You can learn more about January Is Radon Action Month at epa.gov.


Watch the RadonAway educational video on Youtube to learn more.
4 Easy Things To Do During January Is Radon Action Month
  1. Test Your Home - both the EPA and the Surgeon General recommend that every home be tested.  Testing is easy and inexpensive.
  2.  Attend a National Radon Action Month activity in your area - Contact your state radon program here.
  3. Spread the Word - spend time encouraging your friends and family to get educated and get their homes tested.  Find out more about how to spread the word at EPA.gov.
  4. Buy a Radon Resistant home by working with a Green Builder, or implement a radon abatement system in your existing home.
Dial 1-800-SOS-RADON, 1-800-55RADON, 1-800-644-6999 for the Radon Fix-It Hotline, or view the EPA's lis of other Hotlines for more information.
Print this infographic at GlobalPossibllities.org
How Does Radon Cause Lung Cancer?


     Some alpha particles emitted by the decay of naturally occuring uranium adhere to dust and aerosols in the air and are deposited in our lungs as we breathe.  Once in our lungs, these particles emit radiation, damaging surrounding tissue.  An alpha particle is 100 x more likely to cause cancer than any other type of radiation once reaching the targeted cell.

Where Do I Get My Radon Testing Kit?
Get your First Alert Radon Home Test Kit shipped to your door.
     You can pick up your own radon test kit at your local hardware store or home improvement store.   Or, for your convenience, you can get your First Alert Home Radon Test Kit here.  Do the test and mail it in, then, visit EPA.gov to help you determine what your test results mean.  You can find the website here to learn more about your test results.

Who Can Fix My Home?
     You can contact one or both of the following, privately-run, national radon programs:

  •  National Radon Proficiency Program (NRPP)   Toll Free: (800) 269-4174 or (828) 890-4117, Fax: (828) 890-4161, on the web at  www.nrpp.info or via email at info@nrpp.info .
  • National Radon Safety Board (NSRB)  Toll Free: (866) 329-3474, Fax: (914) 345-1169, on the web at www.nrsb.org, or via email at  info@NRSB.org .
  • Contact your state radon program to ask for a list of qualified contractors in your area.  Ask them if your state regulates or requires a contractor to carry special radon qualifications.

Share in the comments section if you've had your home tested.  Were you surprised by the results?


Links:
EPA's January Is Radon Action Month
EPA's Radon Where You Live - find out who to contact in your area to learn more.
Find Qualified Contractors in your area to Fix Your Home - an EPA website linking you to your state radon program
Get a First Alert Home Radon Test Kit
GlobalPossibilites.org - information and infographics

RadonIsReal.orgeducate yourself on the dangers of radon gas
Resources and Hotlines
View the Citizens Guide to Radon
Watch a video about radon: the dangers and abatement
What do my test results mean? - an EPA guide to understanding your radon test results