If you need a fresh start, this is a good week for it.
The Chinese New Year started on Sunday – it’s the year of the tiger. While the traditional association is for people born during this year, there are a few Tiger characteristics that you may want to adopt.
Brave, courageous * try something new; be fearless; take risks
Hunter * pursue your goals; don’t let anything stand in the way of success
Competitive * challenge yourself
Leader * take control of your life
President’s Day was on Monday – celebrating both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Both of these men managed to overcome a lot of failures before they were successful. Don’t let the past stand in the way of your future!
Lent starts today – six weeks of spiritual preparation for Easter. Take stock of where you are, and where you want to be. If you need to make changes, do it now – don’t put it off.
“Give up” something you enjoy * some Christians give up something they enjoy for Lent (chocolate, soda, wine, etc) as an act of sacrifice.
Add a daily habit * some Christians add a spiritual habit (prayer, spiritual reading, etc).
Is there a habit you need to drop or add to your life? This could be a good time to do that – it doesn’t have to be connected to religion. Give up sugar for 6 weeks, or exercise for 30 minutes a day for 6 weeks.
Oh, and there’s a budget bonus for people who eat fish – it’s probably on sale for the next 6 weeks because of Lent. If you buy fish to keep in the freezer, ask them to wrap it appropriately at the store – in the portions you want, in plastic and then in freezer paper.
Go for a new beginning this week – a fresh start. Your inTENtions are still within reach, if you’re willing to make a commitment to them.
This is a simple meal for busy days. Mix everything in the crockpot in the morning, and just cook the rice and make a salad. Dinner is ready without a lot of trouble.
The beans freeze well after cooking.
Serve with brown rice and a big green salad.
Or mash the finished beans a little and serve in whole-grain tortillas, as burritos. Serve with green salad, chopped tomatoes, and sliced avocado.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Black Beans and Rice Blue * Serves 8
1 pound dried black beans, rinsed and sorted
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained (try Muir Glen fire-roasted diced tomatoes)
5 cups water
2 Tablespoons olive oil
5 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeno pepper (optional)
Mix all ingredients together in a crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 6 to 8 hours or until beans are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
Serve over brown rice, and with a big crisp green salad.
So many songs about love – so which one to pick? Not the same one we used last year… that would be cheating.
Here’s one that gets us up and dancing. It’s fun, it appeals to all ages (seriously, if young people think it’s old music, it’s at least classic Motown, and they can always do that bouncy head-banging thing they’re so fond of), and it’s not too lovey-dovey. Whatever your relationship status, it’s good advice.
Ready to dance? This one will put you in a good mood. Enjoy!
If you or someone you love has heart disease, this is the book to read. Dr Esselstyn has been able to reverse heart disease (in general terms, that’s when an artery is blocked by plaque) in his patients by changing their diet.
The Western diet of animal foods, lots of fat, and lots of processed food contributes to – or maybe even causes – heart disease. To reverse heart disease, Dr. Esselstyn recommends a plant-based (vegan) diet that is very low in fat.
If you already follow the 10 steps of Marilu’s Total Health Makeover®, this program will not seem so extreme. If you’re new to THM® then this may seem restrictive at first. But it has plenty of variety (hello, look at all the vegetables and grains out there!). And it’s certainly easy enough if it’s going to save your life, or keep you from living on medication in fear of a heart attack, or keep you from quadruple bypass surgery. (hmmm, maybe we should suggest this program to Bill Clinton?)
The book is in two main parts. The first part describes heart disease for the average reader. It’s a thorough discussion with big words, but they come with explanations and diagrams, so we were able to follow it and learn something. Dr Esselstyn provides a lot of patient case studies, so we see that the dietary change has helped people with a variety of contributing factors in their heart disease.
The second part of the book contains lots of recipes from Ann Esselstyn, Dr Esselstyn’s wife (he admits the kitchen is her domain). The recipes look great, and even if you’re not interested in the total program, you can use the book for these recipes.
Here’s a summary of Dr Esselstyn’s rules for eating to prevent and reverse heart disease. There’s nothing here that contradicts THM®, and so we fully support this program if your health calls for a stricter interpretation of healthy eating.
Do not eat meat.
Do not eat chicken; not even white meat.
Do not eat fish.
DO not eat any dairy products. That means no skim milk, no nonfat yogurt, no sherbet, and no cheese at all.
Do not eat eggs. That includes egg whites and even egg substitutes that contain egg whites.
Do not use any oil at all. Not even extra virgin olive oil or canola oil.
Use only whole-grain products. That means no white flour products. Be sure the list of ingredients uses a phrase like “whole wheat” or “whole grain.” Avoid semolina and wheat flour, which are actually white. Use brown rice.
Do not drink fruit juice. (It is fine to eat fruit, or to use small amounts of fruit juice in recipes or to flavor beverages.)
Do not eat any nuts (although if you have no heart disease, you can occasionally eat walnuts).
Do not eat avocados. That includes guacamole.
Do not eat coconut.
Eat soy products cautiously. Many are highly processed and high in fat. Use “light” tofu. Avoid soy cheese, which almost always contains oil and casein (dairy).
Read The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell with Thomas M. Campbell II (BenBella Books).
This year Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year fall on the same day. So why not serve an excellent Chinese meal to your special valentine? Then let out your inner tiger (it’s the start of the year of the tiger, after all) – you won’t be weighed down by a heavy meal.
Both of these recipes are easy to make and don’t require too much advance preparation.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Gingered Snow Pea Stir-fry Blue * Serves 2
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 12.3 ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained and cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
1 cup vegetable broth
1-1/2 Tablespoons arrowroot
1 cup sliced organic carrots (about 2 carrots)
1 teaspoon peeled and minced ginger
1/2 pound organic snow peas, ends trimmed
soba noodles or brown rice noodles, prepared according to package directions
Heat the oil in a wok or large non-stick skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add the tofu and garlic and stir-fry 7 minutes, or until the garlic barely starts to brown. Add 1 Tablespoon of the soy sauce; stir-fry 2 minutes, or until the tofu is browned. Remove from the pan; set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, vegetable broth, and arrowroot. Stir until smooth and set aside.
Add the carrots and ginger to the pan and stir-fry 5 minutes. Add the broth mixture and snow peas and stir-fry 2 more minutes. Return the tofu mixture to the pan. Cook until heated through, stirring gently. Serve over prepared noodles.
Braised Baby Bok Choy Blue * Serves 2
1 cup vegetable broth
3 Tablespoons soy margarine (try Earth Balance)
3/4 pound organic baby bok choy, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
pepper to taste
Bring the broth and soy margarine to a simmer in a large, deep, heavy skillet. Arrange the bok choy evenly in the skillet and simmer, covered, until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bok choy with tongs to a serving dish, cover and keep warm. Boil the broth until reduced to about 1/4 cup, then stir in the sesame oil and pepper to taste. Pour the broth over the bok choy and serve.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, we have a very important exercise and calorie chart. The first two entries are for reference. Although they’re good activities for Valentine’s Day, too – just not as thematic.
Activity * Calories Burned/Hour
Aerobic class * 422
Running * 363
Dancing * 320
Dirty dancing * 640
Sex * 258
Great sex * 516
Proposing * 302
Seeing an old boy/girlfriend while looking good * 192
Seeing an old boy/girlfriend while looking bad * 292
Waiting for a first date * 182
Waiting for a blind date * 232
Stolen kisses in a broom closet * 202
Stolen kisses in a broom closet while your date is knocking on the door * 404
Fighting with your soon-to-be ex * 346
Makeup sex * 516
Studies have shown that almost no one with a total cholesterol of 150 mg/dl or lower gets heart disease.
How do you get that number so low?
Surprisingly, drugs are not the best answer. You just have to eat a low-fat, plant-based diet. It’s a bit more extreme than Marilu’s Total Health Makeover® but that’s what some people need. Others will be able to get those results following THM®.
Be sure to get your cholesterol checked at your next physical (you have that scheduled, right?). Ask for the lab results to be mailed to you. Check out the LDL, HDL, and triglyceride numbers. And look at that total number – are you under 150? It’s worth your life to get it there.
***DATE CHANGE IN WEEK 1***
Week 1 * Tuesday, February 16 through Saturday, February 20 * Emotional Eating
Week 2 * Monday, February 22 through Friday, February 26 * Self-Sabotage
Still a 10-day class! Still focused on learning to stop these negative thought patterns, drop the behaviors, and roll with all that life brings with gusto!
Sign up now for this all-new, exclusive class at Marilu.com!
We’re glad to see Michele Obama joining the fight for children’s health. Check out Let’s Move, Mrs. Obama’s initiative for healthier eating and more moving for families and children. Some of the information does not align with Marilu’s Total Health Makeover® – that dairy lobby has a strong foothold in all the government recommendations. So read critically, as always.
One idea we like – become an activist for getting kids to move more. That’s your own children and all the children in your community. (It does take a village.)
Children 8-18 spend 7.5 hours a day (on average) as passive recipients of entertainment. That includes televsion, music, video games, cell phones, and movies. We need to work harder at giving our kids safe, supervised places to play, and then we need to make sure they use them.
Questions to ask yourself…
Is your child’s after-school/childcare program activity-based? Or do the kids watch videos?
Does your child’s school have recess? Physical education classes more than 30 minutes a week?
Does your community have children’s sports programs? Is financial assistance available so every child can participate?
Does the community have safe parks and playgrounds?
Are there safe walking and biking routes to all schools? Are kids encouraged to walk or bike to school?
Is your family time focused on the screen, or do you make the effort to get up and move as a family?
