When something terrible happens in the world, we all seem to remember – with almost no effort – that we are all brothers and sisters. We are alike in so many more ways than we could ever be different. And we are all connected – interdependent – in this global economy.
Take a moment today to think about how connected you are to Haiti. Play the “Six Degrees of Separation” game, and figure out how closely connected you are.
I am connected to Haiti. Long ago, I was on a cruise ship that docked in Haiti for a full day. I spent money in the market, I hired two guides to help me ride a donkey to a historic site, and I got a really bad sunburn. It is a beautiful country, with friendly, happy people.
I am connected to Haiti today. With a group of internet friends, I support a school in rural Haiti. The school not only teaches the children, it provides a community building, community leaders (teachers), and two meals a day for the children.
~ Sheri, member
When you find your connections, take some action to help. Donating money has never been easier (seriously – text HAITI to 90999, and a $10 donation to the Red Cross will show up on your cell phone bill – kudos to whoever arranged that because it’s brilliant), and the best disaster relief is provided by the big names you already know, as well as the groups that already work in Haiti.
Honor the connection by saying a prayer for, or sending good thoughts or positive energy to, the people of Haiti, and the people who are there to help.
We are all connected. We are all brothers and sisters.
Have you ever been in a phase in your life where you know you’re just making excuses all the time and it’s become so regular that you stop realizing they’re excuses? Maybe it’s time for a “Cool Change.”
This person knows what he needs to feel his best. He knows he needs time to focus on himself, to connect with really special things. He’s ready to let go of the excuse of a busy life so he can focus on what’s important.
Are you ready to stop making excuses – or to start recognizing the excuses you’ve been making?
What do you need to feel your best?
Are you willing to make a cool change to make it happen?
Marilu shared her wisdom about changing to a healthier way of eating.
Everyone is at a different stage of their health journey. And it’s all about progress, not perfection! The great thing about health is that it’s very forgiving. You don’t have to worry about whether or not you’re “cheating.”
There’s no such thing as making a mistake, because each day you’re experimenting. And you’re collecting data. But you’re not just in a laboratory… you’re in the laboratory of your life!
After living like this for 30 years, I can honestly say there is nothing better for you than a plant-based diet. When you start changing your life, slowly but surely, to eat this way, you will notice remarkable changes. It may take a little time to figure out what works for you, but sooner rather than later, you will realize… nothing tastes as good as healthy feels!
~ Marilu Henner
This is the basic philosophy of Marilu’s Total Health Makeover® program. It’s a journey to health, and we don’t always make the best choices every day. Overall, though, we do better with practice (community support helps, too), and we enjoy some remarkable changes in the way we look and feel.
Welcome to all the PCRM Vegan Kickstart members who visited for the chat – come back any time!
No matter how small your living space is, you need an area solely for exercise.
Your exercise space doesn’t need to be large. It can be the space you need for a yoga mat next to, or at the end of, your bed. It can be the space in front of your television, where you have a few square yards to follow a fitness video. It can be in front of your couch, because your hand weights are stored nicely under your couch.
A sudden urge to exercise will be long gone by the time you clear enough space in which to break a sweat. So keep a little floor space clear! Keep your equipment ready to go!
The problem is that clutter is very crafty and eventually infiltrates everywhere, especially your personal gym space. There are millions of Stairmasters and treadmills out there buried under piles of clothing and old books. Put your clothes away, and find a shelf for your books.
Take pride, put things aside, and never let clutter inside.
This spicy main dish will warm you up on a cold winter night. The flavors are a little bold for young children, but you can leave out some of the spicier ingredients to make it family friendly.
The recipe uses some pantry ingredients, so it can be put together fairly quickly as well (there’s still chopping, though!).
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Santa Fe Polenta Green * Serves 4
1 package of polenta
1/2 cup sesame oil
2-3 dried red chili peppers, crushed
1/2 red onion, diced
1 shallot, minced
1 cup cilantro, finely chopped and some left leafy
1 roasted red pepper, diced
1 roasted green chili, diced
5-6 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon of green chili powder
1 teaspoon of red chili powder
1/4 cup of good red wine
1/2 bag (approximately 8 ounces) frozen corn, rinsed with very hot water a few times
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
Slice the polenta and brush with olive oil. Grill or cook on a griddle for about 1 minute on each side. Place in a 300F oven, covered with foil, to keep warm.
In a large sauce pan, heat the sesame oil over medium high heat. Add the dried chili peppers. When the oil is just about sizzling, add the onion and shallot and cook until soft.
Lower the heat and add chopped cilantro, red pepper, green chili, and tomatoes, stirring gently for about a minute. Add chili powders (both red and green) and red wine, and let simmer two more minutes.
Add the corn, cook for an additional minute, then add the beans, cook for 2 more minutes.
Assembly: Take 2 pieces of polenta and place in a shallow bowl. Top with sauce and garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!
You just got into a knockdown-dragout fight with your mom. Or the phone company. Or your kid.
Your partner just implied that, yes, your butt does look big in those pants.
Your girlfriend is now dating your boyfriend. Making him your ex-boyfriend.
You are sick of all the clothes in your closet. Especially since most of them don’t fit anymore.
You did not get the promotion. Or the raise. Or recognition for a job well done.
There are a million things that can turn us into emotional eaters. Any time we experience a negative feeling and head directly to the refrigerator, the vending machine, or the nearest convenience store or fast-food drive-through, we become emotional eaters. We look for comfort in something smooth, fattening, creamy, salty, sweet, or crunchy. Right?
We all know that unhealthy overeating leads to weight gain. It also brings on a downward spiral of negative self-talk, anxiety, and even self-loathing.
How do we break that cycle? The first and most important step is to realize that life is not always easy, fun, fair, or good. There will never be a totally stress-free time in anyone’s life. Once we can live with that, it’s easier to stop responding to the hard, not-fun, unfair, and bad days with food.
Identify what makes you feel pressured, sad, angry, or anxious – just make a note of it in your calendar (online or paper), journal (online or paper), or planner (electronic or paper). After a couple of weeks, you’ll have a pretty good idea of your triggers.
Then you can break the cycle with other, less self-destructive behaviors (like writing about your feelings, or treating yourself to a movie that helps you cry it out). Face your issues; be conscious of them. It’s so much better than eating them.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in adults. About 600,000 new strokes are reported in the U.S. each year. The good news is that treatments are available that can greatly reduce the damage caused by a stroke. However, you need to recognize the symptoms of a stroke and get to a hospital quickly. Getting treatment within 60 minutes can prevent disability.
What is a stroke? * When blood flow to the brain is interrupted, brain cells in the immediate area begin to die because they stop getting the oxygen and nutrients they need to function. A stroke can be caused by a blood clot blocking blood flow, or a rupture of the blood vessel, causing bleeding.
Symptoms to look for *
Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg (especially on one side of the body)
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden severe headache with no known cause
What YOU can do *Call 911 if you are with someone who has any of those symptoms.
While there are some “quick tests” you can use to determine whether there’s been a stroke, those have not been endorsed by the American Stroke Association. But – because they fit the symptoms, go ahead and use them. Be able to report what you saw to emergency responders.
Ask the person to smile.
Ask the person to raise both arms.
Ask the person to speak a simple sentence.
Ask the person to stick out their tongue (it should be straight, not crooked).
Again – look for trouble walking, speaking, and/or seeing; headache; numbness; or dizziness. And do not hesitate to call 911.
Did you know that the average consumer eats about 140-150 pounds of additives every year? Yuck! That’s like an entire human body full of chemicals!
These preservatives are put in our foods for the benefit of the seller not for us, the consumer. These foods could sit on the shelf for years! Some preservatives keep produce from spoiling (ever!).
Some additives give certain foods more color, some give it a different flavor.
These chemicals and additives have side effects, making us lethargic, sleepy or wired, headachy, and can even cause cancers and other life-threatening diseases.
We should all be reading those labels so that we know what to avoid. If you can’t pronounce an ingredient or if it sounds like something you used in Chemistry 101, you probably shouldn’t be eating it!
ASSIGNMENT – Read the ingredient labels on all the food you eat or buy this week. Do you understand what the ingredients are? Or does it sound like chem lab?
This delicious vegan lasagne will please your whole family. It’s a very flexible recipe – if you don’t have the vegetables listed, think about what you do have. Carrots or broccoli could be replaced by shredded or finely diced zucchini or summer squash. You could add fresh diced tomato if you have that (cut horizontally (on the “equator”) and squeeze out the seeds to reduce the amount of liquid.
If you’re new to tofu, this is a good recipe to try. Use water-packed tofu from the refrigerated section for this recipe. Drain it in a colander and squeeze it in your (clean!) hands. It’s okay if it crumbles.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Mommaluv’s Vegan Lasagna Green * Serves 8
2 jars of pasta sauce (try Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Tomato)
1/2 pound of baby spinach
1/2 pound carrots, sliced
1 stalk broccoli, chopped, optional
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup sliced mushrooms, optional
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 pound herbed tofu, drained and squeezed (or add some herbs to plain tofu, i.e. oregano, basil, & salt)
8 ounce container of ‘better than cream cheese’ (try Tofutti)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
12 lasagna noodles (whole wheat or rice pasta)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
Steam carrots [& broccoli] and set aside. Saute parsley and garlic [& mushrooms] in a little olive oil for 1 minute. Add carrots [& broccoli] and broth, simmer 5 minutes. Add tofu, cream cheese, and lemon juice. Stir well. Cook over medium heat until melty. Stir in nutmeg and yeast. Remove from heat.
Put 3 noodles in bottom of 11 x 7 pan, then half of the tofu mixture, then 3 more noodles, than half of the spinach and half of the sauce. Repeat these layering steps again. Bake in a 375F oven covered for 15 minutes and uncovered for 25 minutes. Let it sit for about 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
