2008 – Vibrant Life

31 DEC

The Sort Story

Being an environmentalist is as easy as paying attention. It’s the thoughtful approach to life that most of us are already honing. The trick is to find what works for you, making small changes you can stick with. I know, I know, it sounds like a diet plan to save the world. In a way it probably is—sans tights.

Recycling was my first big step. In Denver, the switch to piling plastics, glass, and paper products into the appropriate green bins took very little of my time. Then last July, my husband George and I moved to rural Kansas, where the recycling program is entirely DIY. I now make a weekly trip to the drop off center, where I spend at least 30 minutes sorting the recyclables into more than 15 specific categories. Sigh.

But it’s easier to buy local here, where farmers make up 60% of the population in our county. So I trade some of the extra time I used to spend foraging for produce on my recycling commitment. This is a small change for me with a big impact.
Read more about The Sort Story …

01 NOV

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 12.3-oz. pkg. Mori-Nu tofu
1 med. onion
1 t. seasoned salt (optional)
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 T. Bragg Liquid Aminos or lite soy sauce
1 c. pecan meal
1 1/2 c. whole-wheat crackers or bread crumbs
garnish parsley (fresh)

Sweet & Sour Sauce

1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. apricot 100 percent fruit jam
1/2 t. seasoned salt
1/4 t. cumin
dash salt
1 lemon (juice from)
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01 NOV

Rhythm of Life

Life on this earth seems to be calibrated in some mysterious way to the number seven. We as humans operate under the cadence of a seven-day week—a cycle of human activity that doesn’t even follow the cosmic timing of the stars, the sun, or the moon.

The number seven even governs the music world. Most people think there are eight notes in an octave, just as there are eight sides to an octagon. But no, an octave has only seven. Count them: do, re, me, fa, so, la, ti—and then we start over again with do. That eighth note, the octave, begins a new cycle of seven. There are as many notes in the scale as there are days in a week.
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01 SEP

Buckwheat & Flax Pancakes

Ingredients:

3/4 c. whole-wheat flour
1/2 c. buckwheat flour
2 t. aluminum-free baking powder
2 T. Pure Florida Crystals sugar
1 T. flaxseed
1/2 t. salt
3/4 t. cinnamon
1 t. pure vanilla
2 T. canola oil
1 1/4 c. soy milk

01 SEP

Clean Inside Out

The Americas

Deep in the heart of the Amazon rain forest, medicine is an herbal-based art in which healing is interconnected with spiritual beliefs. It’s rooted in the dark shadows of shamanic customs in which the healing traditions are orally passed from shaman to apprentice. The herbs chosen are tailored to the individual person and their condition.
Read more about Clean Inside Out …

01 SEP

Eucalyptus

One eucalyptus tree—the Mountain Ash—is among the tallest in the world, towering almost 300 feet above the forest floor.
Eucalyptus belongs to the myrtle family; the same clan that includes guava, all-spice, cloves, and Melaleuca. The eucalyptus flowers are dressed in white, cream, pink, or red; and their nectar produces a high-quality honey. This nectar is a popular food for many native Australian birds, bats, and possums.
The cone-shaped, woody fruits, known as gum nuts, are commonly used in floral decorations, and the leaves often find a welcome place in potpourris and linen sachets.
Read more about Eucalyptus …

01 JUL

Apple Oat Waffles

Ingredients:

1 c. whole-wheat flour
1/2 c. quick rolled oats
1/4 c. cornmeal
1 t. Rumford Baking Powder
1/4 t. sea salt (if desired)
1 c. apple (fresh, grated)
1/2 c. soy milk
1 t. vanilla
1 T. pure coconut oil
2 T. pure maple syrup
garnish strawberries (fresh)

Heart Protecting Herbs

The list is long and impressive: garlic, turmeric, psyllium, flaxseed, artichoke leaf extract, and lemon grass—all have demonstrated, in well-controlled studies, the ability to lower blood lipid levels in patients with elevated cholesterol. But one herb stands above the rest when it comes to guarding the health of the heart.

Glorious Garlic

Garlic demonstrates a greater potency than any of its close relatives; including leeks, onions, shallots, and chives. Harvested garlic cloves can be used fresh, dried, or powdered. The cut cloves have a pungent odor and strong flavor due to the presence of alliin (a sulfoxide that is a natural constituent of fresh garlic) which breaks down to a host of active sulfur compounds.
Read more about Heart Protecting Herbs …

21 MAY

My Final Thought

So, this is It . . . my last week writing to you. It’s very hard for me to believe this time has come, and yet here it is. A whole year has gone by and in that year so much has changed. I think back to new health advances and technologies, the state of our country, and even the changes in my own life, and I’m overwhelmed. Life truly is a beautiful and precious thing.

A couple of weeks ago I have to admit I was feeling rather sorry for myself. It had just been one of those days where I wanted to pull my hair out! The kids tested my every last nerve, and I couldn’t keep on top of my blood sugars––let alone anything else. In fact, when I went to work that evening my co-worker (who also happens to be a very good friend) asked me if something was the matter. And of course I just unloaded! I think in one sentence I described it all. I said: “I’m emotionally and physically exhausted. All I really want to do is throw this insulin pump across the room and eat a meal without meticulously questioning every morsel of food that enters my mouth.” She replied “Well, honey, that’s not an option; so what else can you do?” I laughed out loud and thanked her for the reality check.

A Day At The Gym

Week after week I write to you about health. And although I try to mix it up a little bit, I always find myself coming back to exercising. That’s probably because this is where my own personal success lies in my quest toward better health.

So, this week instead of reading an article about exercise, I thought you might like to join me at the gym for a workout. You’re invited to come with me on one of my personal training sessions. Check out some of the exercises I’m doing, and incorporate them into your own workout. Or if you’re not currently in an exercise program, hopefully this will inspire you to start.