Keep it Simple, Sweetheart
Good health isn’t only about what kind of food we put in our bodies. You can be nourishing your body with lots of healthy food, but if other areas of your life are out of whack, you’re not going to be as healthy as you could be.
Simplify Your Life
How many times have you made this resolution: this year I’m going to get healthy? Oftentimes, a close second is: I’m going to get organized! Getting “organized” is a pretty tall order—and it may not really be want you want. You may simply want to simplify your life. Sure, you can go through the process to organize all your stuff…or you can streamline and simplify your life. Less is more, as they say, and the less stuff you have the more easily you’ll be able to manage it.
Healthy Solution
People tell me all the time that I’m organized. It’s true; I do have somewhat of a natural penchant for organization. I can file and color-code and alphabetize with the best of ’em. But my true goal is just to make things simple. Here’s my favorite personal anecdote about learning to keep it simple… When making my bed, I would always make certain the tag on the comforter always ended up in the bottom right corner of the bed. Same with the throw pillows—tags neatly on the backside and in the bottom right corner. True, this accounted for mere seconds of my day, but it was still something I thought about and spent energy on. I don’t know what came over me one day, but I had a mad desire to just not worry about those ridiculous tags—and so I cut them off. It may be a little silly, but frankly, it is a much more joyful experience making the bed these days. The moral of the story? Before you take on the huge project of organizing your life, start by finding one or two easy ways just to make things simple.
Make Every Day Earth Day
I hope everyone enjoyed a happy Earth Day! What a great way to honor Mother Earth and all she provides. Let’s keep up the green momentum! Just like taking one small step toward keeping chemicals and toxins out of your body, make another small step to keep them out of hers. Like the saying goes, “if Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” A healthier planet means a healthier you.
Being Healthy goes Beyond Eating Healthy
Cleaning your home with conventional cleaning products affects your health, too. Read the labels. You wouldn’t want to eat that stuff, so why would you want to breathe it in? After a very unpleasant incident a number of years ago—involving bathroom cleaner and a poorly ventilated bathroom—I immediately made the switch to all-natural alternatives.
Keep your eyes open and read labels. There are a lot of companies climbing on the Green Bandwagon with their “green” cleaning products, but not all of them are as environmentally-friendly as they would have you believe. Besides, why spend money on those products when there are much cheaper, less harmful alternatives?
Healthy Solutions
You can clean your house with things you probably already have on hand anyway. My favorites are white vinegar, baking soda and lemon. White vinegar, in particular, is a great cleaner that can be used on glass, countertops, appliances, mirrors and more. I recommend in investing in a couple of good spray bottles. That way you can save money buying large bottles of vinegar and you can simply refill your spray bottles as needed. Worried about your house coming out smelling like a salad? Don’t be—as the vinegar evaporates, so does the smell.
For more tips on green cleaning, sign up for my newsletter at www.humbleneighborhood.com. I’ll be dedicating the May issue to cleaning without chemicals.
A Healthy Life is a Lush Life
You’ve heard the lament—or maybe you’ve even uttered it yourself, “Why is everything that’s good so bad for you?” So often when we talk about eating a healthy diet, we’re thinking about all the things we can’t have…we feel restricted, denied, deprived. In this way, we set ourselves up and make things harder than they have to be by introducing the Lure of the Forbidden Food.
Try this Nourishing Tip
Who says you have to start your journey toward good health by denying yourself anything? When you think of a beautiful garden, don’t you envision lush, healthy fruits, vegetables and flowers flourishing and abundant? You don’t think, “Huh, that must be some kind of restrictive regimen they’re on.” Of course not. They’re lush and beautiful because they’re being nourished—not denied. So here’s a healthy idea—put a positive spin on your approach to your own good health. Don’t start by giving up your favorite foods (thereby creating a mad, rebellious desire for them); begin by adding something you like that’s good for you.
Make Being Healthy Fun
Achieving good health and pursuing a healthy diet can be fun (that’s right—fun!) and an opportunity to be creative and explore healthy new foods. Who knows…you might just stumble across a few new favorites. Here’s one of mine that I love to have for any meal. It’s especially great for breakfast…or dessert!
Maia’s Favorite Fruity Salad
Ingredients
2 Anjou pears
1 C blueberries
1 stalk of celery
1/4 to 1/2 C walnuts
1/2 C organic vanilla yogurt
a smidge of nutmeg
1 C blueberries
1 stalk of celery
1/4 to 1/2 C walnuts
1/2 C organic vanilla yogurt
a smidge of nutmeg
Instructions:
Wash, peel and cube the pears. Combine all ingredients in a bowl (wash the fruit and celery) and mix together thoroughly. Add that smidge of nutmeg. Chill and serve.
The Road to Healthy Eating Begins with a Single Step
Making a change to healthy eating habits can feel like a daunting task. What can you eat? What can’t you eat? Where do you begin? Relax—good health doesn’t have to be complicated
Pick a Healthy Habit
Starting small is the best way to create bigger, lasting changes toward being healthy. Drinking water, for example, is a great first step on your road to good health. Get into the healthy habit of drinking water when you get up in the morning. Experiment to see how water works best for you. Do you find you like your water cool or a room temperature? Personally, my healthy habit is to float a ring of lemon in hot water to start my day.
Listen to Your Body
Listening to your body and learning to interpret the signals is an important part of being healthy. Try this. The next time you’re feeling hungry, have a glass of water instead; your body may be giving you a signal for water, not food.
Learn to discern between nourishment and habit. As you begin to nourish your body with a healthy diet, cravings for the unhealthy will start to decrease. Be prepared to move beyond your old habits—it might sneak up on you. Shortly after I began taking hot water with lemon first thing every morning, I found I was re-heating my coffee several times through out the morning, then still pouring out nearly full mugs of cold coffee. I finally realized that in adding that water to my morning routine, I had naturally and effortlessly diminished my desire for coffee.
Remember…
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. ~Lao Tzu
Beyond the Salad: Make Leafy Greens Part of Your Healthy Diet
Not long ago someone asked me what I thought would be a good first step toward a healthy diet. I suggested adding more leafy greens, and right away, she said, “Oh, I can’t eat that much rabbit food.” I laughed, but I get it. Knowing you need to make a change and being ready to do it are not the same thing. After some consideration, here’s what I have to say about that—it’s time to expand your healthy eating horizons. There is more to a healthy diet than the aforementioned “rabbit food” and there is more to leafy greens than tossed salads and steamed side dishes.
Start Your Day Green and Healthy…
If you’re like a lot of folks, you probably start thinking about getting in your recommended daily servings of vegetables somewhere between trying to decide what’s for supper and wondering if that lone piece of iceberg lettuce on your lunchtime sandwich counts. Why wait until the middle or the end of the day? Invite leafy greens to a healthy breakfast! Oven-roasted kale is great with any meal and breakfast is no exception. For a healthy start to your day, add a hearty helping as a side to a poached egg. Or add fresh baby spinach (or left-over oven-roasted asparagus!) to a quick easy omelet. Being conscious of eating healthy early in your day has a positive effect on your healthy eating habits later on.
Eating Healthy Doesn’t Mean Eating Boring…
So you’ve started eating healthy and those salads and steamed broccoli are healthy diet staples. But it’s easy to get stuck in a rut—and consequently, bored—so now go out and try something new. C’mon! Be brave! Take an old favorite and prepare it a new way. Stop steaming and start oven-roasting. Be braver still! Pick a green vegetable you’ve never tried, find a recipe and go for it! Adventure is part of a healthy diet, too. And be sure to write and let me know how it all turned out. I love to about new food discoveries! New favorites are always a pleasure and even disaster stories can result in laughter and camaraderie, which are also essential for good overall health.
Super Fluffy Breakfast Omelet
Ingredients:
Oil for cooking;
2 egg whites, 1 egg yolk;
½ small onion, diced;
½ c (or so) fresh baby spinach;
Fresh parmesan cheese;
Salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (trust me—I know what I’m doing).
Drizzle a little olive oil in a medium skillet. Heat on high for one minute, then turn down to medium to low heat.
Lightly beat egg yolk together with salt and pepper. Beat egg whites until fluffy. Fold in the egg yolk and add to skillet. Cook just long enough to set. Add diced onions, baby spinach and freshly grated or thinly sliced parmesan cheese. Place in oven and bake until the eggs are fluffy. Remove from oven. Using a spatula, fold in half before serving.
Spring into Good Health! Simple Recipe for Healthy Eating
Changing with the Seasons
Remember this winter when steaming, hearty soup sounded so-o-o good? It seemed to warm you up inside and out. At the time, that was a great plan for a healthy diet. Now that crocuses and daffodils have begun cropping up, spring is here and it’s time to change our eating habits. As the weather changes, our nutritional needs change, too. Those hearty soups that were so great during colder temperatures can now make way for fresher, lighter fare to keep you on the road to good health.
It’s Springtime, So How do I Eat Healthy?
The easiest way to figure out what to eat is this: eat what Mother Nature provides as she provides it. Need a hint? Take a look out your window and what do you see? A tender green shoot here, a sprout there… You get the idea: sprouts are a great addition to a seasonal, healthy diet. Sprouts (alfalfa, radish, broccoli, etc.) contain phytochemicals which help to ward off disease and they’re rich in antioxidants—not to mention sprouts make a tasty addition to nice, fresh salads.
Green beans and asparagus are also available this time of year, and of course a variety of dark leafy greens like kale, dandelion greens, spinach, Swiss chard and mustard greens, which have cleansing properties, and can add delicious variety to a healthy diet.
As part of the natural process, in springtime our bodies retain water which can lead to the production of excess mucus. As always, nature provides—in this case with harvests of bitter roots (onion, garlic burdock root) which have mucus-breaking properties. Eating a healthy diet in harmony with nature can alleviate the symptoms many of us associate with the changing of the seasons.
Nature Knows Best: Why is Seasonal Eating Healthy?
Spring cleaning isn’t just for attics, closets and under heavy furniture—we require spring cleaning, too, in order to maintain optimum good health. During the spring, when our bodies re-hydrate, the excess fluids flush out toxins which in turn can be processed by the liver. By eating bitter roots and greens, we help our livers stay healthy and strong during this seasonal cleansing.
Make a few simple, seasonal changes and you can begin to effortlessly make good health a part of your lifestyle.
Simple Healthy Asparagus Recipe
Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus
pine nuts, a small handful
olive oil (organic first cold-pressed extra virgin is best)
sea salt to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Clean asparagus, trimming the tough ends. Place in an ovenproof baking dish and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Toss to coat (do this with your clean hands—it’s great for your skin). Place in oven for eight minutes. Add pine nuts and oven-roast another three to four minutes.
