One of the 10 Steps of Marilu’s Total Health Makeover® is GUSTO. Living with gusto means maintaining a positive attitude, high energy, and zest for life. It’s about being confident in who you are, and sharing that with the world.
Marilu’s favorite example of living with gusto is “working the coat.” It comes from a visit with a friend, who showed Marilu a new coat she planned to wear on a date with a new guy. The friend modeled the coat in a lackluster way, which was not going to impress the guy at all. So Marilu showed her how to work the coat – making both the coat and the person wearing it look great.
We wanted to share this video we saw recently – Shirley Bassey knows how to work the coat – or dress, in this case – while singing this song. In this case, it’s very sexy (with a side of fun), but it doesn’t have to be - it’s really about the confidence of knowing who you are and what you’re capable of, and enjoying every minute of life.
While they aren’t foolproof, there are warning signs for breast cancer. Get familiar with them, so you know when to call your doctor for an extra visit – and don’t forget to schedule your annual physical and mammogram. Early diagnosis is key to treatment and recovery for all cancers.
The National Cancer Institute suggests looking out for the following signs:
A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area
A change in the size or shape of the breast
Nipple discharge or tenderness
An inverted nipple
Ridges or pitting on the breast (resembling an orange peel)
A change in the look or feel of the breast, areola or nipple (such as temperature, swelling, redness or a scaly feel)
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable stock
10 ounces fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Steam the diced sweet potatoes over simmering water for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine garbanzo beans, tomatoes, water and stock. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add spinach, cover, and cook just until wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir in sweet potatoes, cilantro, green onions, curry powder, cumin and cinnamon. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Serve over brown rice.
What refreshes you?
What allows you to let go of the tension and relax?
What helps you start over with renewed energy and excitement?
What gives you a boost?
Here’s a bluesy answer to those questions. If going down to the river doesn’t do it for you, then do whatever it is that refreshes your spirit.
Most of us are here at Marilu.com because we’re trying to lose weight or maintain weight in a healthy way. We tend to be focused on ourselves and our own struggles with the abundance of food we have available to us, and the difficult choices that abundance presents.
Most of the people in the world don’t have enough to eat. They can’t imagine our struggles with abundance.
Today – or this week – take some action to help those who don’t have enough food.
Contribute something to your local food shelf (bonus points for calling ahead to see what they need right now).
Send a check to one of the organizations that feeds the hungry around the world. Don’t know any organizations? Check out Bread for the World and Heifer International.
Volunteer in a soup kitchen.
Sign a petition that supports ending hunger as a United Nations priority.
Remind your friends and neighbors that they can help, too.
Instead of buying your child another video game for a holiday or birthday gift, how about a basketball, soccer ball, tennis racket, baseball, jump rope, inline skates, skateboard, or any sporting equipment that may spark some interest in physical activity.
Pick something you’d be interested in, too – so you can have fun together! (Also works for grandchildren, nieces & nephews, and – surprise – partners!)
Don’t just talk the talk about fitness. Make sure you walk the walk (or skate the skate, or run the run, or play the play). Your actions speak louder than words. Especially when your words are about action.
Sometimes we forget to tell the people we love how much we love them, and how much we appreciate their love in return. Give your loved ones a hug today – or if you can’t touch them, give them a call.
There’s nothing more important.
Then? Get moving.
Take care of yourself so you can take care of the ones you love. Encourage them to join you.
This is Sheri’s sister’s recipe for homemade chewy granola bars. They’re loaded with every good thing, they’re filling, and you know exactly what’s in them (no chemicals! no high fructose corn syrup!). They’re perfect for our family theme this week!
The recipe is very flexible. You can make it gluten-free with GF flour blends (we like Bob’s Red Mill) instead of the flour and wheat germ. You can make it vegan by subbing the eggs with egg replacer (we like EnerG) or a flax slurry, and using maple syrup or agave syrup. You can choose other nut/seed butters. You choose the add-ins – check the suggestions at the end of the recipe for some tried-and-true combinations.
After cutting the bars, wrap them individually, either in snack size zipper bags or in plastic wrap. Then put all of the individual packages in a large zipper bag, and store them in the freezer. They thaw quickly.
The bars travel well to school or work, and are great on car trips.
2/3 cup pure maple syrup (or honey or agave)
1 cup natural cane sugar
1/2 cup dairy-free margarine, softened (such as Earth Balance)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce, pumpkin, or mashed bananas
1 cup of natural peanut butter (or other nut or seed butter)
4 eggs (or egg replacer)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 cups rolled oats
1 cup wheat germ
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2-1/2 cups total of any of the options listed below
Add in options:
Coconut
Nuts
Chocolate chips
Dried fruit (raisins, golden raisins, dried cranberries, chopped dried cherries, chopped dried apricots, etc.)
Preheat oven to 375F. Line an 11×17 jellyroll pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together syrup, sugar, margarine, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla. In a medium bowl, mix together cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, oats, and flour.
Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stirring until just moistened.
Fold in the additional ingredients that you have selected from the optional list. Do not over mix.
Spread mixture evenly in pan. Bake on center rack for about 20 minutes. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes on wire rack before slicing.
Makes 24 large breakfast bars. These bars can be frozen. Cut them up and put them in snack size zip-lock baggies. Place those in 3 large zip-locks to freeze. Remove as needed. They thaw quickly and this keeps them fresh.
Good combination – dairy-free chocolate chips, dried cranberries and pecans. Do this with applesauce or banana.
Good with pumpkin – dairy-free chocolate chips, coconut, pecans or walnuts.
It’s okay to leave out the peanut butter, especially if you’re using the pumpkin.
Think about what you’re giving to trick-or-treaters when they come to your door on Halloween. If you believe in your healthy lifestyle, you’ll want to share it with the children in your neighborhood. Without giving them toothbrushes (unless you’re a dentist; then it’s kind of expected).
No candy doesn’t mean no fun. Our neighbor kids love coming to our door (we’ve developed a bit of a reputation) to see what cool stuff they’ll get this year. Leftovers from one year are recycled to the next year (we just bag them up and stick them in the box with the decorations), so there’s no waste, and no tempting candy for us to deal with, either.
Check the local dollar store for inexpensive toys. Party favors often come in packs of 8 for $1; sometimes you can do even better. Discount stores often have sales on inexpensive toys and party favors, and sometimes have a special dollar section.
Purchase items that come in larger quantities, and break them down into individual gifts – balloons, crayons, colored pencils, etc.
Look for toys that work for a variety of ages, or buy several different kinds of toys, and pay attention when you’re handing them out.
Shop online at places like Oriental Trading to get a whole bag of stuff for a reasonable price. (Note: do it now.)
Toys our neighbor kids love * plastic sunglasses, bubbles, rubber bats (the rodent kind), those truly obnoxious slide whistles, and temporary tattoos. In our experience, even the teens prefer toys to coins.
