Class starts Monday, August 15!

Coach Robbie, who has studied around the world as an anthropologist, is sharing her knowledge in HEALING PRACTICES. This 10-day class will introduce you to five different healing traditions. Robbie will focus on each tradition’s dietary guidelines and habits of self-care that support good health.

Classes are included with your membership! Members will receive an email on Monday with links to class.

Not a member? Sign up now!

Source: Term Life Insurance

Because we want you to be able to read this… here’s what it says. (more…)

HEALING PRACTICES
with Coach Robbie

10 weekdays (Monday-Friday, Monday-Friday)
August 15-26, 2011

Coach Robbie will introduce five different traditions from around the globe — Ayurvedic traditions, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Japanese Macrobiotics, Native American practices, and Celtic traditions. Throughout the 10 days there will be cross references to common threads found in the various schools of practice. The idea is to focus on dietary guidelines and habits of self-care that support good health.

Members will receive an email next Monday with links to the class.
Not a member? Sign up now!

Toss a slice of citrus fruit in your glass – try lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit. It adds just a little zing. Or try other fruit – like strawberries or blackberries or melon. Or go crazy and use cucumber (it’s better than you think!). Or try herbs like mint or basil in your water.

Aim for drinking half your weight in ounces of water each day (up to a maximum of 100 oz/day). So if you weigh 150 lbs, that’s 75 oz of water. If you weigh 200 lbs, that’s 100 oz of water. If you weigh 120 lbs, that’s 60 oz of water. And remember – it’s HOT out there; you need to drink water!

Photo by Martin Walls

This main dish is very quick and light – perfect for a hot summer evening. It could be served raw (without doing the sauté), or you could make your favorite marinara sauce and top the zucchini ribbons with a little of that.

If you don’t have a shallot, you could use one clove of garlic, or you could use part of a leek or part of an onion. Check the end of the recipe for other options.

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Zucchini Ribbon Pasta
Purple * Serves 6

2 medium-large zucchini
1 shallot, minced
Olive oil
salt
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
herbs to taste (such as chopped fresh basil)
diced tomato (optional)

Using a vegetable peeler, cut zucchini lengthwise into thin strips just until the seeds are visible, keep turning the squash. This will make beautiful wide zucchini “pasta” ribbons.

Toss the zucchini ribbons in olive oil and put a little oil in a saute pan. Saute the zucchini for a minute or so and add the shallot. When almost al dente, toss in the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.

Options – sprinkle with a bit of vegan parmesan or pine nuts. Or top with diced sun-dried tomatoes. Or chopped kalamata olives. Or add some diced bell pepper with the shallot. Or make carrot ribbons from a full-size (not a baby) carrot and add those with the shallot (they’re thinner, so they cook faster than the zucchini).

It is good to have an end to journey toward;
but it is the journey that matters in the end.

~ Ursula K. Le Guin

We enjoyed this report from the Television Critics Association press tour last Wednesday:

Next up was Unforgettable, in which Poppy Montgomery plays a detective who can remember every detail of every day of her life (except for the day her sister was murdered). This is an actual, though rare medical condition–one shared by actress Marilu Henner​ (minus the murdered sister), who has served as a consultant on the show. (Producers noted that Henner used her memory to correct an mistaken fact about a date in one of their scripts.) They didn’t cast Henner on the show, though, but they now say they’re planning to create a role for her. Suggestion: make her Montgomery’s arch-nemesis… a murderer who remembers everything!

~ James Poniewozik, TV critic for TIME (source)

CNN reported more details of that date that was wrong in the script:

In “Unforgettable,” a New York detective also has super autobiographical memory. The show’s producer said Henner was sent a screener of the pilot and just minutes into it she called one of the producers to let him know that she hadn’t finished watching it yet but had already noticed that a date was wrong right off the bat.

~ CNN Entertainment

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’re excited to announce the next class is HEALING PRACTICES with Coach Robbie, who has studied around the world as an anthropologist. This 10-day class starts on Monday, August 15, and will introduce you to five different healing traditions. Robbie will focus on each tradition’s dietary guidelines and habits of self-care that support good health.

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!

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.

Foul weather – in this case, horribly hot and humid weather (alternating with thunderstorms) is no excuse for not working out. It’s just weather. It’s not a “not sure whether I want to” excuse.

Use the weather to help you mix up your routine. Walk on a treadmill, take a spin on a stationary bike, jog on a mini-trampoline, jump rope, or drive to your local mall for an indoor power-walk! The most important thing is to find an indoor option – or two or three – that you enjoy.

When the weather clears and the season changes, you want to emerge fit and fabulous, not flabby! Keep it up no matter the weather. Become your best!

This is a sensational salad! Reduced balsamic is easy to do and tastes like nothing you have experienced.

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Grilled Ratatouille Salad
Originally printed in Vegetarian Times, May/June 2007
Purple * Serves 6

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 medium eggplant, slice lengthwise into 1/2-inch wedges
3 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut into quarters
3 medium zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise
1 medium sweet onion sliced into 1/2-inch rings
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup basil, chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts

Put the vinegar into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low and cook 12-15 minutes until vinegar becomes syrup like and reduces to 1/4 cup. Set aside.

Place eggplant, peppers, zucchini, and onion in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature or refrigerate overnight. Pour off any liquid.

Heat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Spritz veggies with olive oil and grill 2-3 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Cool slightly and chop into 1” pieces. Toss with parsley, basil, pine nuts and balsamic syrup. Serve warm or chilled.