A Dear John to Gym :(

Dear Gym, In the last two years we have tried to make it work. We have shared laughter, tears, and lots of sweat. A lot! I know you have given your best, although in the last year you too seem to be stretched at the seams. Remember my four thirty in the morning visit because you were suppose to be available twenty four hours? You didn't even open your doors. Remember how you disappeared from sight? I sadly read your good-bye letter on the door, but offering your other locations to me. We had a good thing going. I could visit the library as a little treat next door and then over to you to stretch and sweat. Your other locations didn't really get me motivated as they were out of my way. I tried to rearrange my life to make us work, but it just isn't coming together. I know gym that you are a good gym but not the match for me. I will cherish our times together and if it is a consolation. You are the longest and most attended health fitness club relationship I have ever attained. Please know I did enjoy our zumba classes and will remember our jokes about me and my flexibility and coordination in the privacy of the women's gym. I loved how together we chose which elliptical would be best, no squeaks, sturdy handles for my book, and usually on the end to avoid avid talkative athletes who were enjoying the burn:) See I don't leave you with a bitter heart. I know it is due to my inconsistency that we couldn't really connect and melt this weight. There isn't another place yet, but you should know I am hopeful and on the prowl. So Dear Gym, it truly is not you, but me! Maybe someday in the future you and I will be a better match, but until then. Please feel free to advertise and grow your membership and know that I am forever grateful for the commitment, the effort, and the foundation we together built. No matter what else I go to accomplish in my fitness journey, none of it would exist without the building blocks of you. So Dear Gym don't take this as a kiss off or as a final good-bye, but just a simple thank and maybe someday soon we will meet again. Good luck dear gym, good luck! It is hard to say good-bye to anyone or anything. But sometimes that is the best act we can commit while exploring our journey. To Finally Understand Life by Living on my own HealthFULL journey I realize relationships and goals change and therefore must be reevaluated. The gym I belong to has gone under several trasformations. I do like the place but different perks and conditions have not made it condusive to my life at this time. I am beginning to seek out what will motivate me to stay physically active. I have some ideas and will be sharing them soon. But I encourage anyone else on their HealthFULL Journey if it is time to say good-bye to a strain in your life, it may be hard at first to acknowledge the time has come to say good-bye but it will become a blessing if you truly let it go. Become the person you were meant to be, not the person you COULD be, if only. . . 'Til we meet again. . .

Green with Envy

Have you heard, we are all supposed to eat more greens? Does that news make your mouth feel covered with a yucky film? Did you wrinkle your nose? Are your thoughts racing around whining, but we don't like to eat our greens? If any of these reactions sound familiar don't fret! I have some easy solutions for you.

We all know green leafy vegetables are healthy and good for us. Maybe it is this knowledge that makes us cringe, healthy never tastes good. But let me tell you a secret. . . are you leaning in? Are you ready to hear this? Healthy food can be tasty...shhhh!!!! I am being completely honest!

My two biggest complaints about the greens in leafy variety never tasted good and how do I prepare them? Let's tackle the prep because this is where you are going to make them tasty. Most greens can be added to a salad. Which is probably the healthiest way you can eat them ensuring there maximum vitamins are retained. I also find these somewhat bitter. But you can add a sweet component to your salad, because I sure do have a sweet tooth. I love fruit for this and keep it simple, apples chopped, berries halved or whole, or the good ol' raisins. Mix with a friendlier lettuce when adding dark greens at first to customize your taste buds because that is usually the unfriendliness. Sadly greens are strangers to too many of us. Become acquaintances , sneak them in a salad or possibly top a burger, but after awhile you'll become good ol' pals and they might even become the entree or at least the major side. Also not all greens are equally nutritionally nor flavor wise. So if you don't like one move on to the next. I am going to share our last two introductions. Beet greens which is pictured above in both pictures and Collard greens. I feel so southern, now that we have boiled our first on our own collard greens:)

Beet greens might be my favorite green and the recipe we made was so simple and so tasty. We just wilted them. The picture on the top left is that we ate them with country fried tofu (which sounds a little crazy but honest to goodness tasted like chicken) and brown rice. The top right picture is to show how pretty they get up close with this simple prep. If you look closely you can see how the red of the beets sweats through the leaves, pretty and tasty!!! We added a little olive oil (LITTLE). Keep your pan hot and just drizzle enough to thinly coat the bottom to avoid burning. Most leafy vegetables especially after rinse carry enough moisture to help them cook. This side takes no more than five minutes including the rinse. So again, heat your pan, add a little olive oil and then pour in your greens (a bunch or so). Stir them around as they begin to wilt. Add a pinch each (think no more than 1 tsp) of salt and sugar. Stir together a little longer and voila! You are done. The sugar and the salt highlights the flavor of the beet greens, so a little truly goes a long way.

The other green we have added to our repertoire is the southern collard green. Now I am no nutrition expert and will say I believe that boiling your greens, you are for the most part bleeding out the healthy nutrients unless you also consume the broth. But also in my opinion is that it is better to eat greens that may not be maximizing their nutrition value then just avoiding them all together. Moving on to how we prepared our collard greens. The secret is boiling your water with flavors. We included hot sauce, seasoning salt, garlic powder, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and a little bit of bacon. We simmered our water for roughly fifteen minutes, (I imagine a little longer would help increase the flavor) and then added the collard greens. We boiled them for forty minutes. They were authentic and delicious with our oven roasted chicken and red fried rice (including tomatos, red pepper, and red onion.) Also the plate looks so pretty with all the natural colors of the food.

Don't be green with envy at how we incorporated greens into our meals, pick up your own and figure out what easy prep would work best for you and your family. I am a challenged cook and promise you that adding vegetables to your meals is not nearly as hard as we want to make it sometimes. It is fun to taste food prepared for the first time by yourself. I find there to be a sense of accomplishment and a surprise. Did this turn out? Will I like it? Will we attempt this again, maybe fixed differently? The possibilities are endless. May you find veggies that will make your friends, family, neighbors, green with envy at how tasty and easy they were to fix. May your HealthFULL Journey help you to Fully Understand Life by Living and trying new flavors! 'Til we meet again. . .

Bunny-hop

Do you remember that popular wedding dance? Kick out kick out hop forward, hop BACKWARD, hop hop hop! To do the big hops forward we have to hop back. I don't like the rewind button. I would mind a do over or re-set every now and then but the rewind means we have to relive past mistakes. I hate being wrong. Like really HATE being wrong. I understand no one is perfect but what is done is done and it is hard...maybe not hard but uncomfortable. I hate that feeling. I hate watching awkward scenes in movies, I like to skip over awkward sentences, and I don't enjoy awkward scenes in real life because I don't like to be uncomfortable and certainly never want to be responsible for some else's discomfort. But I think that is a part of life. We need to feel the rough patches to adjust accordingly. I am working hard to look back to the moments in life that made me who I am today, physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally. This means I am going to have to pull out the time line I started. It means as I muddle through homework once again (still so foreign) I should remember where I was ten years ago attempting some of these subjects. I have started reading through a book entitled Body Clutter by the Flylady and the Dinner Diva (their names escape me right this second) to help unpack some of these emotional pounds. Some of their chapters I have to stop because they are just a little to close to my own truth. I think that is part of this process that challenges me. I am a creative person and enjoy a good story. I am realizing that about myself I recreated certain memories or events to a storifed version and have to almost relive it to allow myself to regain the truth and reveal the true emotions that I packed up neatly in my re-created story. I am sorry to tell you but I think we all are guilty of this every now and then. We paint ourselves the victim or embellish our hero moments. We prefer to omit the details that make us look imperfect and add a few details to make the story more interesting. Sometimes we do this trick so cleverly we even disguise the truth to ourselves and I think somewhere within these stories of mine lies some understanding to at least a few of these extra pounds I carry. So the bunny-hop I dance. I kick out to the right and the left I hop forward but now I must hop back. Forward is so exciting in the possibilities of the unknown and the adventures to be had. But the hop backwards is disheartening, it is not forward. It is where we have been. In these hops we left some hurts behind. We shrug off frustrations back there. But it is in these steps backward we gain the momentum to move such a distance forward. So I tentatively jump back because I believe I am truly ready to hop three forward. I'll revisit what I can find and see what I can hopefully uncover. I hope in your HealthFULL Journey all your hops are beneficial and exciting. I hope none leave you disheartened and that you reveal the fun and truth hiding in your own steps. Now get hopping! 'Til we meet again. . .

Continuing with the Wii

Isn't exercise fun? Well in the virtual world it is super fun. And the Wii Fit takes things pretty serious. I enjoy the yoga section and it gives you a choice would you like a female or a male trainer. I chose a female and she began changing her hairstyle. The first time this happened I was like that must have been my imagination but oh no she has done it several times in our 55 days together, because the Wii Fit lets me know the facts always. But what was super interesting/funny the other morning the male trainer asked if we could switch things up and have him step in as my trainer. I had to close my eyes and rub out the sleep to make sure I wasn't still sleeping. Nope , indeed my regular trainer couldn't make it. My hubby and I have joked quite about this. Was she sick? Was it too early? Maybe she had class. It was just odd, in a funny kind of way. I am slowly improving my balance. And isn't fun to see improvement? I know it is a game, but I still get super psyched when I beat my old scores:) And the plank exercise is no laughing matter. That exercise kicks my tush, or more appropriately my abs every time. It says that I am ready to compete against the "virtual" trainer on who can hold their plank the longest and I am without a doubt it will be the computer trainer who will win. I haven't got the guts (or maybe still too much gut:) yet to try...But someday :) The Wii Fit keeps me accountable to the most important person, myself. It lets me know when I last stepped on and how much I have worked out these 55 days. If I am progressing toward my goal or stopping short. It forces me to focus on movements I haven't attempted in years, Hula hoop seriously? I couldn't even do that as a kid. But I am still trying to swivel my hips with the rest of them. I unlocked the advance bike route....man oh man...I couldn't find the last flag to save my life. At one point it even offered to save my spot so that I could take a break and come back to finish the ride. Really, was this game taunting me, I found the last flag to stop the never-ending bike trip. And My legs were SORE!!! But in that good way of being stretched to their limit (and never beyond!). Also the runs are kind of fun with the obnoxious little cat, together we've climbed bridges, roofs, sand, hills, and paths galore. The other day Cor was on his lunch and greeted our puppy knowing exactly what I was doing. That made me feel good that he was aware of my effort. Not so I could get my gold star (though I do appreciate my blue star marking my Wii Fit progress), but that he knows I am doing it because I am actually doing it and sticking to something. It helps that it changes up to my choosing and kind of suprises me as well. Also, it gives me something to enjoy while doing the work and then stories to laugh with my family. A virtual trainer unable to make the workout is super funny:) I mean the backstory one can create and elaborate makes things hilarious. I am excited to feel like I have found my niche for the time being. Progress is happening and that is always motivation. This HealthFULL Journey is helping me to drop bad habits, broaden my horizons, and to look forward to the next adventure. May your HealthFULL Journey open your eyes and heart to new experiences that bless you daily. 'Til we meet again. . .

Bloody Fantastic!!!

Blood Orange meet my friends,

Friends meet Blood Orange.

Have you ever tasted a blood orange? Have you tasted an orange? For the most part, they are the same flavor. But if I am going to share this experience I have to tell you I was freaked out about trying this fruit. The picture you see is the actual blood orange I tasted, modeled next to the spinach salad we tossed it with (including yummy grape tomatos and blueberries). This picture doesn't do the peel justice. It looks like an orange with a spidery pinkish red that "bleeds" through the coloring. Although the outside coloring is noticeable it isn't really off-putting. But once you start peeling it away. Wowsers, freak-out city. There is just something that made my skin crawl when peeling away the peel and discovering an almost black fruit. It smelled very much like an everyday typical orange. But the color of the fruit made me think of decay, moldy, and definitely had to be rotten or at least bitter. I was getting the heebie jeebies and stalling the taste test. My hubby who is supporting me this entire HealthFULL Journey and participant in most activities, especially the new fruit, veggie, or grain of the week was standing there smirking. I offered him his piece and took my section. We both made a grimacing face and tried to wait out the other person. We agreed to both try on the count of three as not to sway the other. So, 1....2....3 and down the hatch. And the verdict was....it tastes like orange. The ending note was a tish more sour than an orange closer to a grapefruit or even that tart finish of a raspberry.

I do think the color is fun. It really did test my preconceived perception. We are conditioned to think food of this color is past its prime and it truly made me nervous to bite into this deep dark purple. If you want to spice up the color in your meal with the deep darkness factor this is easy to incorporate. My hubby and I included this with our spinach salad and it blended perfectly.

And of course there is some great nutritional value packed in this citrus powerhouse. Of course this is an excellent source of Vitamin C (Cold be gone!!!). The Blood Orange (I believe this type specifically is the Moro, but I am only guessing) is a great source of other nutrients. According to thedailyplate.com the blood orange also serves up a good amount of our daily fiber requirements, Folate (If there are any pregnant ladies with a hankering for citrus this is a good choice!), thiamin (Vitamin B1) and potassium. Some other small values are listed as well.

So get out there shop, garden, or trade with your neighbors to expand your tasting horizons. For we are embarking on a new season and it is a perfect time to tantalize and challenge your tastebuds. This activity of embracing new veggies, fruits, and grains is my favorite while traveling my HealthFULL Journey. Fully Understanding Life by Living for me means to embrace the adventure, to challenge my preconceptions, to laugh and enjoy the ride. I hope you all are finding newness in your routine to keep things exciting and challenging. May you too experience your own HealthFULL Journey. 'Til we meet again. . .

Junk food Junkie

My name is Suzy and I am a Junk-food Junkie. And I don't know why. I get these cravings and lose complete focus on everything else. I just am just fixated on getting potato chips and something sweet. (Little Debbies can you hear me calling?) And Ice Cream that is its own level of cravings. We were doing really well keeping out the junk food. Because I will totally confess, I cannot stop at one chip. I cannot stop at even one serving...or half a bag. So it really is just best to keep it away. Same with little Debbies, but that craving traces back to elementary school. You could buy a huge treat for a quarter from a gas station that was conveniently on the way home. And Ice cream, who doesn't love ice cream. I enjoy trying the kooky combinations. I sadly have to study the freezer when we go grocery shopping to make sure they haven't added new flavors. I know this is all a little too much information. But with this blog I am going for full disclosure and holding nothing back. How else can I expect to change my life (and improve it) than to air out the dirty laundry? But the truest form of junk food that frankly has defined my life.....Pop...or for those from other regions, soda. I can't imagine a time in my life that I didn't consume pop by the boat load. I have gone caffeine free, I have gone sugar free, and I have even gone caffeine sugar free. But I have not gone without. Recently I mentioned that water was becoming the drink of choice and LIMITING soda. However, a couple of rough days and late nights, Hello Diet Dr. Pepper. And yes I have heard the research, how diet soda is all chemicals, how it increases cravings, how it isn't even quenching true thirst, but it has been my friend and compadre many years. In our heyday I easily have drunk six to seven cans of soda whether it be sugar filled (roughly eight hundred calories) or diet kind (I do not want to know the chemical count). But for experimentation I had decided to give up soda for the Lenten season. It has been two and half weeks and I have to say there are days that I have the thought of a refreshing cola in the back of my head. A few days run down without my thirst being an issue and water has been the delicious filler. Eighteen days without a soda of any sort is definitely a record for me. At first my cravings for sugar were through the roof and now I am going through a salty (Sodium count can get high with soda)phase. I can't really explain it but I think I feel better without the soda. Once the cravings pass maybe I can be more descriptive and understand what truly feels different. This journey is definitely eye-opening and by Fully Understanding Life by Living I truly am appreciating new perspectives within new scenarios. I encourage you to switch things up. Because nothing changes your life more than allowing yourself the chance to view and experience things with a new perspective. Continue to enjoy your own HealthFULL Journey. 'Til we meet again. . .

Half-way

Well it is six months into the journey. I will not be the same after this year is done. I am excited by that fact. I wish I had more to report on the physical health but the focus has been leaning towards everything else it seems. I definitely have experienced life changes throughout this HealthFULL Journey but none that I expected nor planned. I will focus on the physical aspects as we come down the mountain. I am grateful for what I have learned thus far. The biggest change and why I haven't had much time to blog or anything else is I am a full-fledged college student once again. Crazy, exciting, and time-consuming. In the past I have promised quite a few people that I would return to complete my Bachelor's degree, but I must confess I had no idea if I ever would return. The longer one is away the farther the desire and the harder it is to pick up where one leaves off. It is part of my list of Undone. And though it is going to take several semesters to Finish. It is going to get crossed off the list. So I study my list to determine my next item to address. I reflect on my Journey thus far and am pleased. I do find it interesting that half way points tend to appear the farthest from a destination. You work so hard to get away from the starting point and then hit half-way and turn around to complete the journey. It sometimes looks bleak from this perspective but I know that with commitment, determination, and wonder this HealthFULL Journey is going to be worth it when crossing the finish line. I tell myself not to get discouraged. I tell myself to not get caught up in the drama or frustration. I tell myself that results are nice but not everything. It is the view on the Journey that will be everlasting. May you too Fully Understand Life by Living. Enjoy the view, rest up, and start heading home:) 'Til we meet again. . . .

Overwhelmed?!?!?

Do you feel some days you need to scream?

Of course, that's after you pull out all your hair!

There never seems to be any time to rest one's head and just dream!

Who can find one sock, let alone a pair?

Squeeze in a workout to squeeze into some jeans.

Hit the store with the healthifide grocery list,

Cross out ice cream to replace with good ol' beans.

Farewell, Creamy buttermilk ranch as you trade spots with vinaigrette mist!

Find the planner for some daily looks.

Must grab the laptop,

and hit the books;

all before I quickly drop!

Minutes don't tick - tock,

Because hours race.

What time is there to turn abs into rock?

All I want is just to keep up with my life's increasing pace.

I apologize for my whine.

I'll sniffle up my exhausted tears.

Don't worry about me, I'll be fine.

in a couple of years :)

Wii Can Do it!

Once again I have gotten caught up in the hype and love it! For New year's with our Christmas bounty my hubby and I went on one wacky adventure complete with funny salespeople, odd circumstances, and just those surreal moments but by the end of the day we walked into our house with a Wii System and the Wii Fit Plus. It did take me a couple of days to get over the intimidation of trying out the System but with butterflies in my tummy I slid in the wii fit disk. They kind of get down to business and before you know it they are configuring your BMI and your fitness age. They estimated my original Wii Fit Age at 43. Ummm I'm 29. That's not a compliment. And just in case you didn't catch their drift they say that is fourteen years above your actual age and that means you are weaker than you should be. Well nothing like tough love. But there are moments like wow it really does know me. "Your balance is not so good, do you find yourself tripping a lot?" I DO!!!! and then it told me to avoid afternoon snacks , Do they have a video camera that is my worst time for the munchies ;) It is fun and though it is not the most strenuous activity I appreciate that it is encouraging consistency. In nine days I have used the system four times. Getting more consistent by the day. I am excited to share my Fit Age is down to 34. I am only five years away:) Not bad when you consider I was fourteen years aged a little over a week. I like the variety and the cute images. There is a Run program where you chase a cat. It makes me giggle:) I also don't have the coordination but love the stimulated cycling. But the program that really motivates me is called FREE STEP. The program is designed for you to watch a tv show while it coaches you to complete a step routine. Granted it is one inch off the ground but at least it is movement. It feels good to have hope and to have enthusiasm to get home to play, excuse me I mean work out:) It's late and I still have much to share about this but it will just have to wait. I hope your HealthFULL Journey includes enthusiasm, surprises, and a little wackiness. 'Til we meet again. . . .

Coal-Robbie? What?

Or should I say kohlrabi! That is the new produce of the week. I had planned to prepare this produce last week after hearing several ways to prepare this vegetable. If you see this vegetable you would say to yourself, this must be a root vegetable. It looks that very easily it would burrow into the ground. Also if you translated kohlrabi from its German roots it would be even harder to sway you. "Kohl" means cabbage and "rabi" means turnip. Sounds like a root to me. Except here is the catch, it grows above ground, which takes it out of the root vegetable category (parsnips, turnips, potatoes, rutabagas, ect.). However after tasting the green leafs you could easily guess that it belongs to the Brassica oleracea family with broccoli. The tastes are very similar.

The vegetable could be art. I'm serious! They are very intriguing to view. First it has these huge crinkly, ruffled, and thick leaves sprouting on the top. The leaves are a gorgeous deep green and are edible raw and I would imagine lend themselves easily to cooking because of their thickness. When added to a salad they add great color, nutrients, and a heartier, more filling texture. Then at the stem of these gorgeous leaves are the most interesting object. I read on several sites it looks like a pale green or deep purple (called red - think the color of RED cabbage) sputnik. I would have described the shape as an upside down budding rose. This intriguing shape is how it is named after a turnip as it too resembles a spinning top. I mentioned the two colors as we bought both to try and compare side to side. I would say the difference in flavor is as noticeable as the difference between a red apple and green apple. Some will notice instantly and others might notice. The red kohlrabi had a sweeter taste. When peeled they are hard to distinguish (again think apples). The kohlrabi can be eaten raw and would add a little crunch to a salad nicely, but we chose to saute them as matchsticks. Great, mild flavor. Once you cut away the leaves please don't discard. What a waste! Even if you don't want to eat the leaves (but why, they truly are so tasty!) We used them as a base of our salads with dinner last night (Baked eggplant parmesan, YUM-MY! Totally worth eating close to midnight - long story about my mis-time management skills!) And my husband even turned to be and said that the kohlrabi greens added a lot of flavor to the salads. I couldn't agree more. And if you don't have a great greens recipe I highly encourage that you use them for floral decoration. They truly are that pretty.

So once the leaves are cut away. It is time to attack the turnip, rose, sputnik-like veggie. I probably did this wrong as most directions said cut away the woody bottom and then peel away from that cut. I had difficulty peeling and ended up using a knife to discard the thin colored peel. Once you get to the flesh inside it cuts so easily into matchsticks. Tiny matchsticks. We threw a little olive oil into the pan (just a thin layer to cover the bottom), sweat some onions and a little bit of garlic. One recipe included ginger but we didn't have any fresh on hand. After your onions cook down throw in the match sticks. It doesn't take long at all, no more than a couple of minutes. We then took advice from another recipe and added a little chili powder, lemon juice, pepper, and salt. Don't leave out the lemon juice. It pulls out the gentle sweet flavor from the kohlrabi. Delicious side, kohlrabi matchsticks!

I will say looking at this vegetable it can be intimidating. But so mild and tasty. Hopefully, you come across some fun challenges worth trying. Remember (as I say to myself) you don't have to like everything you try, but don't deny yourself anything out of unfounded fears. May your HealthFULL journey take you places you could never imagine. 'Til we meet again. . .

Turn it Up with Turnips!

Are you a fan of mashed potatoes? I am a Midwestern girl at heart, so I proudly will tell you I grew up as a fan of potatoes, especially mashed. There is such a comfort of warm filling food that requires little to no chewing. (How lazy does that sound? :) As I got older I started to add tasty (but not that healthy) additions to the mashed potatoes: garlic and onions (not really unhealthy until you add, "scary music") extra butter, tons of cheese, possibly sour cream, and even a bacon crumble perhaps. This was a bowl of gluttonous comfort. And if I am truly laying the cards on the table I am going to say french fries or mashed potatoes made up 75% - 80% of my vegetable intake for several years. But I am proud to say no longer do they play a significant role in my veggie intake. Though there are days they truly are that little bowl of yummy comfort. So was it the flavor of mashed potatoes I enjoy? Not really, if I am willing to add pretty much anything to up its flavor. Its that texture and warmth that radiate from the bowl. Well it is time to take the flavor and nutritional value and Turn It Up. Or should I say time to add the heavyweight cruciferous root vegetable, the almighty powerhouse, TURNIP. Can we say yum? What keeps you from trying new foods, especially fruits or vegetables? My number one reason that selecting new produce can be frightening is what can I do with it? And how do I select "the right one"; or more accurately "the ripe one". Plus, as children we were exposed to certain vegetables and fruits that seemed very unpleasant. Because as kids are taste buds are extremely over-sensitive and undeveloped at the same time. There was probably a fruit or veggie as a kid that you tried and spit out immediately. I challenge you to revisit that offender and prepare it yourself. First, as the adult you get to choose how to prepare them. You can choose what ingredients to blend and what type of heat to use or choose no heat at all. Second, no one is going to force you to clean your plate if the produce selection is still not your favorite. I think you are going to find some neat surprises. I sure have!!! My top three tips I have learned when approaching new produce include: the produce should feel heavier than it looks, the colors present should be vibrant and not faded, and though the produce doesn't have to be blemish free and polished avoid produce with overly dark spots, deep gouges, and/or spongy spots. Happy shopping! Now, back to the tasty nutritional powerhouse known as the Turnip. Aren't they pretty? Turnips can either come with the greens attached (which sound wonderful and super easy to prepare) or tops removed. I chose Turnips medium size that already had their green leafy tops removed. They have a roundish shape again comparable to an apple. The colors are usually half white with shades of purple, reddish pink, or green. And I loved this next line from www.alive.com "If you choose yellow, chances are you’re holding a rutabaga–a cousin to the turnip." I think this made me laugh because a) I love the word rutabaga, it just sounds funny. And b) I really took some time debating if I wanted to prepare the rutabaga or the turnip. Kind of a worthless debate as I started to look through recipes and saw for the most part rutabagas and turnips are easily interchangeable and are close in flavor profiles. Again, back to the turnip. My choice was medium sized, no top, and with a beautiful purple tint to the skin. This vegetable can be prepared so many different ways and its flavor profile allows it to blend well with most ingredients. Turnips are root vegetables so any way that you like to eat potatoes or sweet potatoes you can use the same method for the turnip. Turnips have a peppery note that finishes slightly sweet. If you choose smaller turnips most articles state they are even sweeter. As I mentioned I was a big fan of mashed potatoes. We first peeled the beautiful skin and then cubed them. They are a hearty root and after they were peeled they reminded me of a young coconut; milky white skin with a distinct shape (like an upside down house). Then the turnips were cubed for quicker cooking time. We put them in a pot with a couple of cubed potatoes. We boiled them with water barely covering the vegetables. You don't want to over boil as turnips have a good amount of water already in them. Mash 'em up and add what ingredients you choose. We used a little butter and sour cream to create a creamier texture and added a couple of spices to draw out the turnip's peppery notes. The turnip mash reminded me a lot of a cauliflower flavor profile. Where that spice flavor lasts a millisecond and then finishes off sweet. It was a very tasty and comforting dish. Turnips are a nutrition powerhouse. The following nutritional information is from the website www.nutritiondata.com "It (Turnip) is also a good source of Riboflavin, Magnesium, Potassium and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Folate, Calcium, Iron and Manganese." Great site that also shows you graphs like the glycemic load (turnips have a low glycemic count) and Amino Acid score (turnips qualify as a complete protein). On your HealthFULL Journey may you also have a chance to revisit childhood favorites and conquer childhood fears. 'Til we meet again. . .

Dear Me,

Dear Me, I am sorry to say it is time for some tough love. This letter has been a work in progress. But then much of your life seems to head in that direction. What I am going to tell you will not be news, it is not meant to hurt, but this is meant to motivate and help. You're struggling. You and I both know it. You've whined, you've reflected, and now it it time to do the work. You want this journey, but you're terrified. Take a moment to really hear that. Yes, you can do this, but it means changing everything. Doesn't that sentence sound loaded? Too much to do. Too much to change. Too much to imagine. But now, here is the good news. That's the prize! That's where all the efforts and attempts and hopes are aimed. That everything is going to change. That you deserve to feel more energetic. That you stop feeling extremely self conscious (of yourself and those around you). That both the critical and fearful voices calm themselves. The journey is certainly not easy, but it was never promised that it would be. I know when we were in the full swing of things working hard, feeling great, and then nothing. After a long period of time without any weight change the journey became super frustrating. But think back to when we were putting in the effort, the time, and the heart? Weren't you feeling better? More confident? More energetic? And just. . . happier? The numbers on a scale are not the only measure and you know that. But after a couple of months there should have been a change. That created a whallop slam against the motivation. However, let's be honest, there could have been a little more tweaks in the system on both the meals and the exercise. No one is expecting you to be flawless, except maybe yourself. Were you doing good? Absolutely! Were you doing great? Sometimes. Was their room for improvement? Yeah, and that was all the scale was saying. A few more tweaks in a couple of different areas were needed. Again, this is a journey not a sprint. No overall transformation has to take place overnight, nor should. Tweaks, changes, those can happen in a second. String them together, taking only one moment at a time, and the overall will G-R-A-D-U-A-L-L-Y change. Now, it is time to refocus. Some bad habits quickly recaptured their place in your routine. They can be quickly ousted. It may be harder to recommit. You've stumbled, and once we come across a roadblock it is easy to get discouraged. And that's something that weighs especially hard on your heart. You may easily find triumphant energy, but the other side is that discouragement can quickly snatch that victory away. We gotta work on that! Enjoy the good moments, learn from the rough, and never succumb to the ugly. So what big changes can we work towards in baby steps. First, let's accomplish the LIST. The ever-present always adding List of Undone. That list grows continually. I know good-byes and closed doors are not your thing. But on your list is over twenty-five things that are up in the air, to worry, to weigh on your shoulders and heart, to suck up time, at a second's notice. Now this isn't your daily to-do list. This is the list that you carry every day, through every year, going on decades now. And let's discuss this fondness for lists briefly, lists are great to get organized but they don't count as actually doing. Remember that! So, let's take the List of Undone and Finish it. Each item falls into three categories: Finish, Forgive, or Forget. Let's look at some examples. Finish: Get the Christmas Cards Out, PRONTO! Forget: this one is going to hurt, brace yourself, forget your dream to return to Covenant Players. I know that you want to honor that commitment, but life has changed and picking up to travel isn't going to become a viable option soon. Think of different ways to honor them. Forgive: Apologize to the world about the wedding thank yous. Tell the World "I messed up! I wanted to send out the world's most perfect thank you from the heart that was to be charming, impressive and showing creativity but overlooked it was an opportunity to just humbly say thank you for celebrating one of life's biggest blessings. So often I have thought how to send them out in a cute manner even as late as our six year wedding anniversary. I originally addressed the envelopes before the wedding so that I could be timely and efficient and found them two weeks ago when I lamented that life just kept throwing the craziest ironies our way. I feel like the world's biggest schmuck and all I can say is Thank you and I am so sorry I didn't make it more personal in a timelier manner. " I truly believe by just competing the List of Undone a lot of weight (pun and literal) will begin to finally release its hold on your life. It is time to clear out the clutter and the chaos. And Fully Understand Life by Living. I think the other two steps in the HealthFULL Journey include going back to the original objectives and to just do them. No procrastinating, no lamenting, no complaining, no half-way attempts, do the best you can and move forward. Not everyday is going to be perfect. But every day you are going to try your best and that's it. No worrying or fretting about more or the route of perfection. And Third and lastly, Enjoy the FULL approach. Count your blessings and truly embrace the last two-thirds of this "planned" Journey. You can do it. Find your rhythm, figure out what results you want, and then Embrace it. This is gonna sound schmeepy but I am proud of you. and I think you know, I love you too. So, to sum up this long-worded but needed letter. I want you to complete the List of Undone, to review your goals and planned actions for this HealthFULL Journey, and then to Embrace the idea of Fulling Understanding Life by Living. I'm glad we found the time to talk. Now, get to work! :) <3 Always, Me who is also You :)

10 am version vs 5 pm version

10 vs 5? What does that mean? I made a comment to my husband several weeks back and it weighed upon my thoughts as something to explore. I innocently said one evening, "I wish you could meet the ten o'clock Suzy." And he replied (as only a husband can) "Why? Is she nice?" And I lovingly looked up my husband and snapped "Yes, she certainly is!" We both laughed and then the thought lingered. The ten o'clock Suzy is amazing and the five o'clock she's kind of a lazy whiner. Am I alone? Or do you too have perkier, kinder, wittier, and all around better alter -ego version? There is something about the ten o'clock version of me who is ready to conquer the world. And I don't want to put down the five o'clock version of myself, but she is closer to being conquered BY the world than completing any conquests of her own. At ten I have got energy and plans. Lots and lots of plans, oodles I dare say. By five, I just want to sit down in front of the TV and rip up all the lists I have jotted. Because the five o'clock version has no intention of stepping off the couch; let alone out of the house. At ten I can't imagine resting until all ten lists are completed and two more are started. I am so excited to get going, I beginning fidgeting in my seat. Because at ten, I am full of positive energy and the can-do spirit. My lists begin to fill quickly and schedules dance around in my head. I believe the ten o'clock version of myself could be Santa's Personal Assistant. Organized, friendly, excited to get to work, that's me! But hours begin to pile as the perkiness begins to subside. By the time I hit traffic to head home five o'clock Suzy has quietly and moodily slipped into my car. She is cranky, exhausted, and can barely read the schedule of daily needs. At ten I just know I am going to hit the gym, try out a new recipe, go grocery shopping, update the blog, contact friends and family, and still be super pleasant to greet my husband and pets. At five I know I am going....home. And TRY to put on a happy face and try not to grumble to much about the day, traffic, and the dirty house. Because thou who complaineth, cleaneth! There is obvious reasons why at ten life seems a little better, a little brighter, and just all around a little bit perfect. Mostly, there is time to dawdle and take the scenic route while trying to accomplish the daily tasks. By five, time has dwindled and the pressure to get everything done NOW is compounded. At ten, there are few burdens traveling throughout the mantra of lists. It is easy to plan for the gym when there is no headache, no problem to run errands straight away from work forgetting half the objects are sitting on the cupboard ready to go, and still pick up groceries. Because at ten I am not hungry, after work I for some reason am famished as if I have traveled the desert for a week's time. Finally, I would say the lure of no crowds makes breezing through the lists fantastically easy. In the imaginary world everyone else is still at work while I breeze in and out of lines, traffic, and stores. The five o'clock Suzy has no such luck. This version gets sandwiched between the most annoying people in the world, the other five o'clock versions of everyone else who have ten places to be, right now!!! So in this exploration vision I have learned my ten o'clock energetic self has to one day meet the cranky run-down five o'clock version. If for no other reason my hubby deserves to meet the "nicer" version. May your HealthFULL journey be FULL of wisdom, insight, and laughter. Remember to Fully Understand Life by Living whether it be as your ten o'clock version or your five o'clock version! 'Til we meet again. . .

Pity Party for One, Please!

Can you see it? I am waving my white flag. It has been kind of a rough week. Yes it was Christmas and to this day is my favorite holiday. So I do wish everyone a belated Merry Christmas. It is a joyous holiday regardless of my personal circumstances. I do warn you the following rant is going to come off as whining. But this is a pity party and I do intend for it to be a good one. Where shall I start? Well this is my HealthFULL Journey so let me update you about my health. This week I suffered from the Seasonal Flu according to a doctor's best opinion. I believe it might have been the flu nicely topped off by a cold. But I am not the doctor just the patient. I suffered four full days of fever sprints. One would break and then another would quickly replace it. I have had no energy. I am on the sixth day and still find it completely draining to walk room to room. I have blown my nose through TWO kleenex boxes and am soon to start my third. I have been achy and chilled. It was actually the chills that drove me away from work Monday. I tried to keep warm by wearing my jacket at work and the sleeves drove me crazy. Every time the cool lining touched my hot skin I wanted to cry as if I was being burned. But ask me where I went after work on Monday? Did I go home? Oh no, I headed to my parents to nap for the afternoon. Because our house was being worked on by a plumber. A fantastic plumber, a kind plumber, but he was doing extensive work on our house. What work you may ask out of curiosity? Well, remember the hole in our bathroom. Our slight hole with a slight mention. Well that hole was joined by a new friend, another hole that was much bigger on the outside of our house. Our plumber was more determined than I to discover the leak. He proceeded to remove the siding from our house, pry into the board, and then drilled out our concrete slab to get a peek at our pipes. Well concrete when drilled turns into a fine dust, a powder that travels through the outside hole into the inside hole and covers our bathroom, our connected master bedroom and our living room with a gray sheet of dust. Yay! We spent that evening last Thursday (the evening before the predicted snowstorm) dusting and vacuuming and completing four loads of laundry so we could sleep in a semblance of home. I do blame myself as I asked and hoped for a clean house for Christmas. Be careful of what you ask for!!! So our plumber returned Monday to complete the outside work which he did. It looked wonderful. But Monday afternoon I could not handle drilling noise and drafty holes while I rested and recuperated. I returned home to a completed outside wall and then climbed into bed. I believe it was Tuesday I discovered that showers/baths provided a needed way to combat the chills. We were choosing not to use our master bath as we were resting the pipes to make sure that everything had a chance to set after recent construction and needs a good cleaning from the initial gray powder storm. It was then Midnight of Wednesday that I gained the strength of the Hulk and managed to break our one working shower's only handle. You might think "Oh no" and I say, "Oh yes even in my sickly state I can have the impossible happen." I was pretty devastated. So after a morning conference with my husband who pointed out that I broke our only working bath and reminded me our plumber was en route to visit his family for the holidays about six states away. He figured out how to make a temporary fix and stole the master bath's shower handle. We then headed to the Urgent Care. Because I am going to admit now. We don't get sick often and still haven't really found our family physician. So my wonderful husband had called several (I think five or six) doctor offices to try to make an appointment and their was no luck. So to the Urgent Care we went. We then waited ....and waited....and waited some more. I believe we spent over two and half hours waiting through the appointment and lab results. Mind you this is the day before Christmas Eve. We aren't completely done shopping, no presents wrapped, Christmas letters waiting to be sent, library books overdue, and Christmas decorations are not up. We had plans, numerous discussions, and here we were in the final hours of prep sick as can be. I with my flu and my husband with a cold well on the way. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh! Corey finished our shopping with detailed instructions and late Christmas Eve together we wrapped. Every couple presents we passed back and forth the anti bacterial foam. I was stubborn and with hubby's help put up our tree Christmas Eve. Now granted it comes in three parts and is pre-lit; but I was still as impressed as if we, ourselves, displayed the Rockefeller Center Tree. We did enjoy Christmas Day with the family though I was under Dr's orders " No hugs, no kisses, no sharing spoons, avoid contact with the kids, and no holding the baby(my youngest niece)". I am a hugger. But I got through the holiday following the orders to a T. I had big plans for today even being down for the count all week I figured this weekend I would get the Christmas Cards done and out. No such luck. This flu is not an easy bird to kick. But it was a big lesson this week. I haven't been grateful for the Health I do have and that Health really does matter. Without our Health everything else stands still. It is our Health that mostly dictates our abilities. So though I am way off the HealthFULL Journey I do look eagerly upon my return. May your HealthFULL Journey deserve appreciation and that illness stays far away from you and those you hold dear. 'Til we meet again. . .

The ART of CHOKE

Can we just say D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s?!?!? Because the veggie of the week was a goodie. I will confess I have been a fan of artichokes in the past, but those artichokes have been hidden in a dip, with a salad, or on a pizza. This means the hard work had been done for me and just leaving me the tangy flavor. The artichoke as been quite the enigma to me. I had heard stories that you couldn't eat the leaves, that there are pricklies to avoid, and that the delicious heart of the artichoke is well hidden. Let me tell you these stories are completely true. I am also going to say yes it can be quite the production to get the veggie prepared. But it is WELL WORTH the wait!!! Have you seen an artichoke? They are quite intriguing. Some really could be used as artwork as they look like a fun sculpture. Maybe that's why artichokes start with "art" :) The sizes range from a ping pong ball to a huge softball or perhaps a big grapefruit. Our artichokes were a little bigger than a baseball. Then imagine a deep forest green color and the shape of pinecone. The artichoke is just leaf layered upon leaf. Then most leaves appear to hold a tiny solitary needle at the very point of the leaf. This is because the artichoke is actually an overgrown thistle. Yikes right? No need to worry. The prickly can be intimidating, but we can easily win this battle. Big universal tips when picking out produce. You can read these tips in most literature, web information, or just acquired knowledge. Choose heavy produce items. If you pick up a squash, an eggplant, or an artichoke and you think wow this weighs a lot more than it looked , put that produce in your cart. That weight tends to be flavor. If the produce gives you the opposite reaction, "Wow that is as light as a feather." Put the vegetable or fruit down and walk away. The light factor can be the produce did not develop or that dried up. Either way, not tasty. Also look for appearance. Do the colors look inviting, stand out, draw attention? That means the nutrients are alive and well. That food is going to have flavor. If there is a darkness, a haze, or a fuzzy coat (Kiwis are from the tropics they deserve their fuzzy coat :), that produce is not worth your time because they are past their prime. Now preparing these delights does take some effort, but there will be fun in the consuming I promise!!! You can cook artichokes in a variety of ways. But it is highly suggested as they are such a hearty thistle to either steam or boil before applying the "final flavor". You can even microwave them. Boiling you lose nutrients which means you are also cooking out some of the flavor. Steaming allows you to hold in your flavor and maintain the health benefits. We ate barbequed artichokes. Mmmmmm goood! I pulled out our fun little steamer basket. Which honestly I don't remember using before. But will be pulled out more often now that I have figured out the contraption. After I uncurled the peaces I placed water to boil in the pan and covered it with the steaming basket. Now the directions on the steaming basket remind users do not lose the water. Maintain the level of boiling water. I remember specifically asking my hubby who would not pay attention and would let the pot run dry. And he so nicely reminded me that the basket will cover the pot so it is easy to forget and not pay complete attention to the water level. Pish posh I am becoming quite the cook who can create smoke haze. Ummm yeah I'm the novice that they write those simple reminders specifically for. Yup because I scorched the bottom of our very nice pan. I scrubbed and scrubbed the layer of char. It is soaking as we speak. So yes steaming is easy, especially with the fun little basket. BUT DON'T FORGET TO MAINTAIN WATER LEVEL!!! Just speaking from experience. The steaming can take 25 to 50 minutes from what I read. The fork will tell you. If you can pierce it easily you have completed stage one. Before you steam you should rinse your artichokes and cut off the top third. I strongly recommend if you don't already have one, purchase a big, strong, and heavy knife. A rinky dink paring knife will be your nemesis against this hearty plant. Remember you have layers upon layers of leaves to cut through or more accurately, saw through. This exposes your "heart". Some articles also suggest that you trim up your leaves and cut off that prickly tip. It's just a suggestion, but does not affect the flavor or the edible facor or your choke. I'm kind of wimp so I didn't want to take chances with eating a thorny thistle. The trimming is kind of fun. You are making the produce attractive, easier to enjoy, and the activity has a soothing rhythm to it. I also chose to cut off the stems that left me an even base to steam the artichokes. Www.oceanmist.com recommends of only trimming the stem as it can be quite flavorful and that you can steam either base down or base up. After the artichokes are steamed, any cooking method is correct. I found an easy marinade that gave the tangy a rich brightness. But you could even enjoy the artichokes once steamed. Dips are encouraged. After letting the artichoke pick up the marinade's flavors I pulled out our trusty grill pan. Love this piece of our cooking arsenal. We've only owned the pan for maybe four months and have used it on a weekly basis. I placed the yummy leaves in the grill pan until it reached a mild char on both sides (six minutes each side for mine). Then it was placed on our dinner plates and the festivities could begin. As you take a bite there is a manly, dainty way to attack the leaves. The leaves are both what you eat and yet remain inedible. Take a leaf and scrape it with your teeth. The masculinity of eating with your bear hands is quite thrilling. And yet, by closing your teeth and dragging the leaf through. It feels dainty to eat without the munching and the crunching. The artichoke blended the flavors really well together and picks up great taste through it's leaves. The tanginess factor seems to blend fairly easily towards spicy or sweet. Definitely a favorite. Please experiment and experience all that you can on your HealthFULL Journey. Fear compounds too easily. So, make choices, discover your options, and fully embrace what at first appears challenging. 'Til we meeet again. . .