There was a time when the only people who worked out or went to the gym were professional athletes or crazy.
That time is over. Taking care of your body became trendy and now it’s normal. And it’s always been the right thing to do.
Put your workout into your daily calendar. Schedule it in your planner. Make taking care of your body a daily priority. If you can only get 20-30 minutes on some days, that’s fine. If you can fit in 60 minutes, that’s a real investment in your future health and happiness.
You’re not crazy to exercise. Now stand up, click the green arrow, and get moving!
Kid-friendly food sometimes needs a kid-friendly name. This is one way to give your kids vegetables in foods they love. Did you know that most kids react to vegetables the way their parents do? Or, the way one of their parents does? If the adults in the house express a positive attitude about veggies, and veggies are always present at mealtime and snack time, then kids won’t freak out about them. They’re just – normal.
If you want more color, use half zucchini and half summer (yellow) squash.
Make all the pancakes and freeze any you don’t eat right away. Separate them with waxed paper or parchment paper squares, and put them in a freezer-weight zipper bag. Freeze flat.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Rainbow Pancakes Blue * Serves 6
egg replacer for 1 egg (Ener-G Egg Replacer recommended)
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3/4 cup soy milk (or other milk sub)
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup grated carrot
olive oil
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg replacer and water according to directions. Whisk in flours and baking powder. Then whisk in milk, and stir in vegetables. Let stand 20 minutes.
Pour a small amount of olive oil (about the size of a quarter) in a large skillet. Wipe the oil around with a paper towel, so the pan is evenly coated. Set the paper towel aside to use again. Heat the pan over medium heat. Pour batter from a measuring cup or small pitcher onto pan to make pancakes of desired size. When bubbles form and pop on top and the pancakes get dry around the edges, turn over with spatula. Continue cooking until just golden on both sides. Wipe out the pan with the oiled paper towel before pouring in batter for the next pancakes.
Serve with pure maple syrup, unsweetened soy yogurt, or cinnamon applesauce.
Marilu is now in rehearsal to reprise her role in The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife.
Caroline Aaron plays the role of Marjorie Taub, and Marilu plays her mysterious old friend Lee. According to La Mirada, “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife concerns the wife of a philanthropic allergist, who is engulfed in a life crisis of Medea like proportions. Her children are grown, her beloved therapist died recently and her mother grates on her nerves. She tries to lose herself in a world of art galleries, foreign films and avant-garde theatre, but finds she is barely able to rouse herself from her sofa. Marjorie’s spirits suddenly soar when Lee Green, a fascinating and somewhat mysterious friend from her childhood, appears on her doorstep.”
My friend Caroline and I have been dying to work together since we played sisters in Social Security on Broadway in 1987. We are so excited to be doing this show … AND carpooling to La Mirada each day because Caroline doesn’t drive freeways!
Practice receiving the day * As you step out of bed in the morning, place your upturned hands on your lap. Inhale deeply to receive the gift of a new day. Resolve to make a new start: forgive an old grievance; attend to a broken relationship; connect with a person or situation you have neglected or rejected.
I can’t believe it’s been nine years since 9-11. We started a class titled “Fall Into Your Own” on the 12th, and, at first, we were going to cancel the class but decided against canceling once we realized how much we all wanted to be together that week. Some of us are still here. None of us will ever forget.
My own life has changed so much since then. Rob and I were still living in the same house, just having filed for divorce. There was no Michael in my life. No sense of whom I’d be with or when he’d show up. Marilu.com was only two years old, and we had only been doing classes for eighteen months at that point. So much has happened in nine years.
~ Marilu, WWMD class
One of the lessons of 9-11 is to live your life to the full every single day. Tell the people you love that you love them. Spend more time and energy with people than with things. Offer a kind word and a smile to strangers. Step out of your comfort zone to help others. Focus on the positive – love, joy, peace – and help change the world.
Have you changed the way you live?
Are there more changes you want to make?
Challenge yourself – and your family – this weekend. Try a new food as a family activity. Part of the activity is the conversation. Teachers report that students are quick to have opinions, but not always able to support them with reasons. You can practice discussion skills as well as manners while you try something new.
Stop at your local Farmer’s Market.
Find something you haven’t tried before – a new fruit, vegetable, grain, legume, herb or spice. Some kind of food (but not prepared food – no cookies!).
Ask the farmer how they prepare it or use it in their cooking.
Check your cookbooks for other ideas.
Try it! Make sure everyone has at least a taste.
Talk about the new food. Do you like the color? Texture? Flavor? Would you like to prepare it differently? What would you like to serve it with? Would it be fun at breakfast? (No “yuck” or “ewww” answers allowed!) Encourage discussion and supported opinions.
I was lucky enough to see the Black Eyed Peas sing this song live last year on July 16, 2009 when I went to see So You Think You Can Dance. This song makes me (and everyone else) want to move! And that’s what you should be thinking about this weekend: moving your butt instead of sitting on your ass!
~ Marilu, today’s WWMD class
Hey, it’s one of our favorite “get-up-and-move” songs, too! There’s an energy in this music that makes us willing to dust the house and weed the garden (and that’s saying a lot).
Find the songs that get you moving, and use them to help you get motivated. Whether you’re walking or running, hiking or dancing, cleaning or playing, there’s music to help your brain tell your body to kick it up a notch.
How many different ways can you be active this weekend?
If you could give your patients one piece of advice on how to stay healthy, what would it be?
Care enough about yourself to make important lifestyle changes. Take the time every day to become more physically, mentally and emotionally fit; and be proud of your success! Stop smoking, eat well, embrace exercise and activity, love and be loved.
Muffins make a great grab-and-go breakfast or snack at any time of day – especially if you make them yourself and know what’s in them. So many bakery muffins are greasy and bland.
Muffins freeze well. Cool completely, then put in a single layer in a freezer-weight zipper bag. Remove all the excess air when sealing. Freeze flat. Remove muffins as needed.
Mixing up muffins doesn’t take much time at all. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and whisk them to combine. Mix the wet ingredients in another bowl. Combine and stir just until moistened (See? This is one place where too much time is a bad thing!), fill muffin cups and bake 20-22 minutes. Seriously – those are the basic directions for every muffin you’ll ever see. Do some baking. You’ll love the results.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Cranberry Bran Muffins Green * Makes 12 muffins
1-1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup oat bran
1 cup soy or rice milk (or other milk sub)
1/3 cup honey or agave
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup molasses
2 eggs or equivalent egg replacer
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375F. Line muffin cups with muffin papers (we like If You Care brand).
In a large bowl, combine milk, honey, oil, molasses and eggs (or egg replacer). Stir in dried cranberries and bran. Let stand 10 minutes, so the fruit and bran can absorb some liquid.
Meanwhile, mix flour, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add to wet ingredients and stir just until moistened. Don’t overmix or muffins will be tough. Batter will be somewhat lumpy.
Spoon batter into muffin cups (about 2/3 full). Bake for about 20 minutes until lightly browned, and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
This song always gets me going when I’m speed walking or working out.
I chose this song today for obvious reasons. Not only do I love Sting and want him to be a part of every day, but I also think the words can be interpreted many different ways. I would even go so far as to think about that “same old smile that you’ve been thinking of all day” as the person who started following my Total Health Makeover® years ago, has lost something in the meantime and wants to recapture that great old feeling of passion.
This is a song to re-kickstart your life! A Brand New Day, but in a Brand New Way!
