Discover Your Bliss

Table manners, simplified

Have you ever sat down at a restaurant or party and didn't know which glass was yours or which plate to use for bread? 

Thankfully, I found a cool way to remember what is yours and what isn't. 

1.  make the okay sign with both hands (touch the tip of each thumb to the tip of your forefinger).  Your left hand will look like a "b" and your right hand will look like a "d," which helps to create the acronym BMW:  bread, meal, water/wine.

2.  the bread plate will be on your left side.

3.  the wine/water will be on your right.

Here's how I think about it - fancy meal, fancy car - BMW.  Does that help? 

What's your life place setting?  How do you know what's yours and what's not in your life? 

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

Rule of thumb for serving wine

The following comes from Rules of Thumb:  A Life Manual -- Brilliant Guestimates, Shortcuts, and a Few Shots in the Dark by Tom Parker:

Keep white wine in your fridge and take it out 30 minutes before serving.  Keep red wine out of the fridge and put it in 15 minutes before serving.

How do you know what's right for you in your life?  How do you measure your "just right" levels? 

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

Insider information on "free range"

I have been an avid buyer of "cage free" and "free range" eggs.  I want to do my part to support farmers that adhere to these practices.

I came across some insider information (not really, it's public info., yet didn't feel like it was as well-known) on the whole "free range" label. 

 

"Free range" doesn't necessarily mean that the chickens were raise on the open range.  According to the USDA, earning the "free range" label means the chickens have outdoor access - which could be grass or a paved yard.

It is possible that these birds could have also been debeaked to prevent pecking at other birds.  Yikes!

What to do?  Here's a better label:  pasture-raised or Certified Humane Raised and Handled - which means that the birds have shelter and can engage in their natural behavior (like foraging for food). 

Here's the kicker - the pasture-raised and Certified Humane Raised and Handled chickens will have less fat (than a factory-raised chicken) and produce eggs high in vitamin A and omega 3s. 

I know that I will be more diligent about what labels I look for in my eggs and ask my local grocery store if they could carry the more humane labeled eggs.  Every little bit counts. 

What's some insider information that might make a difference in how you make decisions?  What information do you need and what information do you already have to move forward? 

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

Healthy tools for a healthy lifestyle

If you're looking for a few tools to support you in creating a healthier lifestyle, then look no further.

Weight View helps you to achieve your weight loss goals through hands-on visualization. 

One of their more cutting edge tools is the visualization piece.  You send them a photo and they will give you an image of what you will look like when you lose the weight.  If you've ever heard of - if I can see, I can be it - then this is the tool for you.  It literally lets you see your goal so you can have a better chance of achieving it. 

The Calorie Counter allows you to search the calorie content of thousands of foods.  What's cool about this site is it allows you to search both simple and brand name foods.

The Daily Plate has several cool tools including a food diary and fitness log. 

You never know where you will find support for your healthy lifestyle and the internet can play a huge part in matching a person with the best tool for support. 

What are your most important support tools?  What would it look like to have support for your healthy lifestyle?

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries.  

Rules of thumb for cooking rice

The following comes from Rules of Thumb:  A Life Manual -- Brilliant Guestimates, Shortcuts, and a Few Shots in the Dark by Tom Parker:

To measure water for cooking rice, rest the tip of your index finger on top of the rice and add enough water to reach the first visible joint.  This works for any size pot. 

What's your "rule of thumb" when cooking for yourself?  How do you know what will support your overall health?

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

Food for Thought: America's Top 20 Worst Foods

You might be thinking, What's so blissful about America's Top 20 Worst Foods? 

Simple answer:  knowledge

By having the knowledge of what's not good for you, you can have the freedom to choose something that is healthier and more in alignment with your health values. 

To read the list of America's Top 20 Worst Foods, click here. 

I also found a similar list that overlaps some yet also give some insight into 20 foods to skip when eating in a restaurant.  Click here to view the second list.

How does having more knowledge about your choices support you?  What will you do with this knowledge? 

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

Tex-Mex Stuffed Acorn Squash

Okay, so I'm on a cooking roll - trying new recipes made up of some of my favorite foods - winter squash. 

Here's another one that I love:

Tex-Mex Stuffed Acorn Squash

time:  1 hours 5 minutes
servings:  4

2 med acorn squash (about 1 1/4 lb each), halved and seeded
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 c canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c pine nuts, toasted
1 lg tomato (6 oz), coarsely chopped
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tsp ground cumin
2 oz reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 1/2 c)

1. preheat oven to 425F.  Coat rimmed baking sheet with olive oil spray.
2. Brush cut sides and cavity of squash with oil.  Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.  Place cut-side down on prepared baking sheet.  Bake 30 to 40 minutes until tender (don't pierce with fork).  Turn cut-side up.
3. Mix beans, pine nuts, tomato, scallions, cumin, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl.  Spoon heaping 1/2 cup of bean mixture into each squash half, pressing down gently to get all filling in.  sprinkle evenly with cheese.
4. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden brown.

324 cal, 12 g pro, 38 g carb, 8 g fiber, 17.5 g fat, 3 g sat fat, 10 mg chol, 363 mg sodium

What I did differently:

• didn't use the cheese (I'm doing my best to leave out all dairy from my diet)
• didn't include the scallions; instead I chopped up half of a sweet onion and put it on the tray with the squash for 5 minutes to caramelize, then added it to the bean mixture
• used grape tomatoes instead of one large tomato
• cut up an avocado to add as an extra topping

Yummy bliss!

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

Cooking Again - Green Spinach Soup

Yes, I'm on a cooking (in this case a non-cooking) roll and I want to share another recipe with you that I enjoyed.  It's for a raw (cold) soup). 

Green Spinach Soup

3 small avocados (or one extra large)
2 red bell peppers
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 small lemons (without seeds)
2 cups pure water
1 small jalapeno pepper
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt (optional)

Put all ingredients in a Vita-Mix blender and blend well using the tamper.  Once the ingredients are well blended, pour the soup into a large bowl.  Add thinly sliced napa cabbage or red cabbage and dulse leaves or flakes. 

serves 6

Here's what I did differently:

• didn't have the jalapeno, so I didn't put it in (yet I love them and will next time)
• I don't have a Vita-Mix blender, so I don't know if they do something special, so I didn't put in the whole lemons, I just squeezed them into the blender
• only ended up using 2 1/2 cups of water
• didn't have the cabbage and forgot to use the dulse leaves, yet I will when I eat my leftovers

What a blissful, yummy soup.  Enjoy!

What can eating something new do for you?  How does trying something new color your day? 

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries.

Roasted Butternut and Spinach Salad - Yummy Bliss

I found this recipe in Prevention Magazine (my mom reads them and sends them onto me and then I give them to my magazine lady).  It looked yummy and I was inspired to make it last night. 

Here's the original recipe:

Roasted Butternut and Spinach Salad

45 minutes plus cooling time
4 servings

3/4 lb precut butternut squash cubes (3/4") or 1/2 a medium butternut squash peeled, seeded & cubed (2 cups)
1 large red bell pepper cut into 3/4" pieces
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
2 tsp honey
1/4 sm red onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
4 c loosely packed baby spinach (4 oz)
1 sm Gala or Golden Delicious apple, cored and thinly sliced
1 c thinly sliced radicchio
1/2 c unsalted sunflower seed kernels

1. Preheat oven to 425F.  Coat rimmed baking sheet with olive oil spray.
2. Toss squash and bell pepper with 2 teaspoons of the oil, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the black pepper in medium bowl.  Arrange in single layer on prepared baking sheet.  Roast 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until tender and lightly browned.  Let cool 10 minutes. 
3. Whisk lemon juice, honey and remaining oil, salt and pepper in a large salad bowl while squash roasts.  Stir in onion.  Add spinach, apple, radicchio, sunflower seeds and squash mixture and toss to combine.

Nutritional info per serving:  238 cal, 5 g protein, 25 g carb, 7 g fiber, 15 g fat, 2 g sat fat, 0 mg chol, 338 mg sodium.

Here's what I did differently:

• used a honey crisp apple instead - they don't brown as easily, taste great and are super crispy
• didn't bother measuring the pepper or olive oil - I love pepper so I added more
• didn't have the radicchio
• only used a little honey (I'll leave it out next time)

What a tasty dish - and bliss-inducing no doubt. 

How do you find bliss in your meals?  What would be one thing you could do to sprinkle a bit more bliss into your meals? 

I'd love to hear you comments and discoveries. 

Another Yummy Raw Green Smoothie

When I posted my first green smoothie recipe find, I had no idea how many of you would respond.  Thanks!

I have another one for you - sent in by a FODYB (Friend of Discover Your Bliss).  A big thanks to Patti for sharing!

Blended Smoothie (okay so we will need to come up with a cool name if we have many more)

2 cups of spinach
1 pear
1 T. Flaxseed
1 Banana
Agave to taste
Water - enough to cover the ingredients in the blender

Blend in a blender and you're all set.

Here's what I did differently: 

• I used one 6 oz bag of fresh organic spinach (washed, cleaned and de-stemmed)
• I forgot to put in the agave - tasted amazing as is

What a fantastic smoothie - raw & delicious.  This might even taste excellent cold. 

Unlike the watercress smoothie (which usually lasts me several portions) - this drink can be consumed in one or two servings.

How does looking at something from a different angle support you?  How can you change up something in your day to raise your energy? 

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries!