So you’d love to have family meals, but you don’t know where you’d get the time?
Be fast and easy * Make dishes that have a short list of ingredients and a quick cooking time.
Keep it simple, sister! * Simple side dishes, like a tossed salad and steamed or grilled vegetables take little time and can be made while the main dish is cooking.
Be supplied * Keep your kitchen well-stocked with staples, and buy produce regularly. Prepare double quantities of cooked grains, soups, and one-dish meals and freeze the extra portions for busy days.
Now you’re cooking * Use quick cooking methods, like steaming, grilling, broiling, and sauteing. Use a slow-cooker for foods that take longer to cook. Look for meals that “recycle” the planned leftovers into another meal.
Be the prep cook * Do some of the preparation ahead of time. Chop some veggies or mix up the dry and wet ingredients separately for corn bread or muffins in the morning or the night before.
Be the boss * Invite family members to help. Setting the table is pretty obvious, as is pouring the water. Young children can tear lettuce for a salad or put pre-cut raw veggies in a bowl for the table. Older children can stir a soup or sauce, wash and cut veggies, make a vinaigrette, or mix up a quick bread. Teens can cook (yes, they can, and it’s good for them to learn life skills!).
And we’re not even including quitting smoking or using sunscreen daily. Check out nine more ways you can fight aging.
Not enough sleep * If you’re up watching late night television, you’re probably not getting the 7-8 hours of sleep you need each night to help fight high blood pressure, diabetes, weight gain, and looking and feeling old.
Too many sweets * Sugar not only adds pounds, it also makes your skin dull and wrinkled. Here’s the biology: There’s a natural process known as glycation, in which the sugar in your bloodstream attaches to proteins to form harmful new molecules called advanced glycation end products (AGEs, for short). The more sugar you eat, the more AGEs you develop; these damage surrounding proteins like collagen and elastin, which keep skin firm and elastic. Once damaged, springy and resilient collagen and elastin become dry and brittle, leading to wrinkles and sagging. These aging effects start at about age 35 and increase rapidly after that (British Journal of Dermatology), so limit your sugar intake.
Stress! * Stress increases the concentration of the hormones cortisol and norepinephrine in the bloodstream, kicking up blood pressure and suppressing immunity. Over time, stress that doesn’t go away can delay healing, harden your arteries, and possibly shrink areas of your brain involved in learning, memory, and mood. Try deep breathing or meditation to relax consciously.
Sporadic exercise * It’s not just for losing weight. Research shows that vigorous exercisers have longer telomeres—cellular biomarkers that shorten as we age—compared with healthy adults who rarely work out. Being active consistently can help fight brain fog, reduce inflammation, and prevent type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions that crop up over time. Get moving for at least 20-25 minutes a day.
Big sound * Hearing loss usually develops gradually, but the more you play that iPod at full volume, the more quickly you’ll need a hearing aid. Keep the volume as low as possible, and use noise-cancelling headphones so you’re not using the volume to fight ambient noise. Use earplugs when you’re around other loud noises, like the lawn mower.
Setting friendships aside * Satisfying friendships predict longevity better than even close family ties, and they can protect against obesity, depression, and heart disease, among other health problems. Your friends keep you young—simple as that. Make time for friendships.
Skipping fruits and veggies * You’ve likely heard that antioxidant-packed fruits and veggies can help you stay young. These powerful compounds fight free radicals that would otherwise wreak havoc on your body and skin, damaging cells that can lead to cancer and make you look older. Antioxidants remain active for only a few hours and need to be continually replenished, so it’s a daily deal – even better at every meal.
Cutting the fat * Don’t cut out the fat; choose the smart fats. Stopping the artery-clogging saturated and trans fats is a heart-healthy move, and keeping the unsaturated fats, like those found in fish, nuts, and olive oil, is wise. Omega-3 fatty acids are the ultimate anti-aging fat, essential for protecting your brain, heart, bones, joints, skin, and more. Monounsaturated fats can lower bad LDL cholesterol, raise cardio-protective HDL cholesterol, and decrease your risk of atherosclerosis.
Not enough sex * It’s not just fun, sex is great for your health. People with active sex lives have stronger immune systems, less pain, a lower cancer risk, healthier hearts, and less stress. The best news: It can even make you look younger—up to 12 years, a study shows. So rekindle the romance between you and your partner.
Jicama is one of those odd-looking vegetables that you may pass over at the grocery store or farmer’s market if you don’t know what to do with it. Jicama looks a bit like an oversized and rounder potato. In fact, it tastes kind of like a raw potato, if it had been crossed with an apple.
Always wash and peel jicama – it’s usually easier with a vegetable peeler. As with any round vegetable, it’s easier to slice if you start by cutting it in half (we like a pole-to-pole cut for this), then putting it cut-side down on a cutting board, and then cut the slices. Having that cut side down keeps the vegetable from rolling, and significantly reduces your chance of a knife slip.
This side dish really is easy to prepare. We can’t wait to try it as the slaw on a fish taco.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Jicama Easy Purple * Serves 6
1 large jicama
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 limes
dash of red pepper (cayenne), optional
Wash the jicama and peel it with a vegetable peeler. Cut it in half, then place the cut side down, and slice each half into 3/8-inch slices. Cut the slices into 3/8-inch sticks and place them in a bowl.
Chop the cilantro leaves and add to the jicama. Squeeze the juice of one or two limes over the jicama and cilantro and toss everything together. If desired, sprinkle with ground red pepper (cayenne).
Let it set for 15 minutes or more so the jicama absorbs the flavors. Enjoy!
If you’re running out of ideas for ways to enjoy the summer, try some of these. Make a “bucket list” for the next six weeks and see what you can accomplish. And don’t forget your sunscreen.
Go to a water park.
Watch a movie under the stars.
Explore a cave.
Visit a brewery.
Learn to sail.
Take a hot-air balloon ride.
Tour a winery.
Take a dinner cruise on a riverboat.
Play bocce.
Have supper at a farm.
Tube down a river.
Attend a polo match.
Sleep in a train.
Catch a water-ski show.
Learn to golf.
Explore the Milky Way.
Rent a boat.
Go geo-caching.
Go fishing.
Have a mini-golf-a-thon.
Enter a triathlon.
Learn to water-ski.
Visit a sculpture garden.
Take a road trip to a weekend festival.
Learn to wake-board.
Attend a concert in a park.
Explore a scenic waterway.
Watch a baseball game.
Take a river rafting trip.
Go to a flea market.
Hit the beach.
Visit an art fair.
Watch a regatta.
Camp in the backyard.
The importance of family dinner is often overlooked. Researchers have proven that sitting around the table and sharing a meal has long-term value for our families and even our society.
Teens from households where family dinner is common are more apt to be well-adjusted and more motivated in school (Columbia University, 2007). They also relate better to their peers, and are less likely to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or try marijuana.
Kids aged 9-14 who typically eat dinner with their families consume more fruits and vegetables, drink less soda, and eat less fried food (Harvard Medical School Obesity Prevention Program).
Regular mealtimes with parents and children increases each child’s sense of belonging and stability, and boosts the family’s feeling of group connection (American Academy of Pediatrics).
That doesn’t even cover the fact that kids learn practical things too, like table manners and how to participate in adult conversations.
Every month at Marilu.com we have online classes – an opportunity for you to learn more about healthy living from Marilu and her hand-picked coaching staff. We just finished the awesome Viva La Vegan class, and now we’re looking forward to Coach Robbie’s class in August.
Classes are included with your membership! Not a member? Sign up now!
Here’s what you can look forward to for the rest of the year!
HEALING PRACTICES * August 15-26 2011
Coach Robbie, an anthropologist, shares healing practices from around the world. Join today!
BACK TO BOOTY SCHOOL—EUROPEAN SEMESTER * September 2011
We’re going “on location” (virtually) with Coach Evi to explore healthy living in Europe. Recipes, lifestyle and cooking tips from several different European countries…it’s our own version of a semester abroad!
GRATITUDE * October 2011
As we prepare for the holidays, we get into a mindset of gratitude and abundance with Coach Robbie.
GLUTEN-FREE LIFE * October 2011
Coach Jill helps us understand the gluten-free life. If you have family or friends who are GF (for any reason), join us for recipes, cooking tips, and lifestyle tips.
HOT FOR THE HOLIDAYS * November-December 2011
This class is your all-around holiday preparation and organization class with Coach Jan.
We’re here because we want a better life, a longer life, a healthier life – a life of adventure and excitement and living our dreams. The better we feel in our bodies, the less disease and illness impacts our daily lives, the more we’re going to enjoy life.
But most of us are going to have to get over some things to get there.
What’s holding you back from living your dream?
What can you do about it?
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If one of the things you have to get over is the idea that fitness is too much effort, or too much time, or too much money… well, get up and move. March in place, or dance, or do some squats or jumping jacks.
Fresh sweet corn is at its best in July! Pick up some corn at your local farmer’s market or roadside stand. You may be able to buy it shucked; either way, remove the husks and silk from the ears.
To cut the corn kernels from the cob, you can use a special cutter… or you can put a small cereal bowl upside down in a large bowl and stand the cob upright on the bottom of the small bowl. Use a paring knife to cut down the cob, and the kernels will fall into the large bowl. It’s still a bit of work, but it reduces the cleanup of scattered corn kernels.
5 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
8 cups fresh organic corn kernels (10-12 ears)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 organic scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup julienned organic sweet basil
Heat 3 Tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn, salt, and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes, or until just cooked and no longer starchy. Remove from the heat. Stir in the red onion, scallions, cider and balsamic vinegars, and the remaining olive oil. Allow the salad to cool; stir in the basil before serving. Serve cold or at room temperature.
