The next time you cook pasta, add a handful of baby spinach for every serving. Just drop it into the pasta water about 2 minutes before the pasta is done cooking. Drain the pasta and spinach into a colander, and top with your favorite sauce. It’s easy to add GREEN (and all its nutrients) to your meals.
This is another family-friendly and simple meatless meal. Pair Peanut Butter Spirals with a nice green salad and you are set! Here’s a tip for thawing the peas – ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 12 ounces uncooked whole-wheat spiral pasta (or brown rice pasta, or other whole grain pasta) Prepare the pasta according to the package directions; drain. Meanwhile, combine all the remaining ingredients except the peas in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. Add the peas and sauce, stirring to combine. Serve warm.
Copyright © 2010 Hennergy, Inc. All rights reserved.
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. ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ 1 pound dried black beans, rinsed and sorted 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.
Copyright © 2010 Hennergy, Inc. All rights reserved.
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…
Last week we worked on cleaning up our sock drawer and undie drawer. Today it’s time to tackle another article of clothing – t-shirts. We all have a bazillion t-shirts. Or we could, if we kept them all. And while they definitely have their place in today’s wardrobes, there can be a few too many if we’re not careful. Start by putting every t-shirt you own on your bed. They’re going to come from all over – from your dresser and from your closet, from your workout clothes and your work-around-the-house clothes, from your career wardrobe and your nightlife wardrobe. And men have undershirts, too. When they’re all on your bed, you can see which category they belong in, and how many you need in each group. It’s good to have a couple of nice white stretchy T’s to wear under a suit or with something a little dressier – but do you need seven? It’s good to have a couple of shirts you can paint in, or do yardwork in, but do you need to keep all 25 shirts that are too worn for anything else? It’s good for men to have plenty of undershirts – but do you need to keep the grayed out ratty ones? Probably not. Pare them down.
There’s going to be a lot more room in your dresser and closet. Won’t that feel great? (Hey, if you’re excited about this – do it with your other shirts, too!)
Not that liking football is only for men (we’d never suggest that) but the food that goes with football? is not always good, or original, or remotely good-for-you – all those little wieners and sludgy-cheese dips and the ever-present chips and salsa that men seem to stick with … we can do better! Join the fun and fabulous coach SusanMikYUM for a special 5-day Super Bowl class, starting Monday, February 6. Susan is an amazing cook and hostess, and has a whole stack of recipes to share. This food is definitely man-friendly, with snack foods filling enough to be a buffet-style dinner, and a bunch of variations on old-favorites. PLUS – you’ll also get a second 10-day class later in February! Coaches Heather and Kecia will tackle self-sabotage and emotional eating. Keep up your inTENtions for 2010 and learn to take control of your life! Join Marilu.com today and get both classes in February!
As you move through your living space, always keep an eye on what needs to be thrown out, put away, or taken to another part of the house. Pick it up and deal with it when you see it. Keep this up, and your home will start to declutter itself.
We have friends who make New Year’s Eve THE big family holiday. They invite everyone from both sides of the extended family to spend 24 hours together bringing in the new year. With all the boyfriends and girlfriends, and the one friend that each teen is allowed to invite, they have 65-70 people gathered for the party. Most people bring sleeping bags, pj’s, and a toothbrush. Each family brings a meal or snacks and some beverages. They rent a bunch of family-friendly movies and video games, gather all the cards and board games, plan a few crafts and some games. They set up tournaments – Guitar Hero, Wii sports, bridge, Hearts, checkers, Scrabble – you name it. There’s always one television with movies and one with video games. The young kids have a quiet(ish) place to sleep – everyone else throws down a sleeping bag as they get tired. New Year’s hats, horns, sparklers, fireworks, etc. are all ready to go for the big moment at midnight. Parties like this are good for all ages – there’s plenty to do and there is no drinking & driving (or even being on the road). Our friends have been hosting this party for over 20 years, and no one ever misses it – it’s just too much fun.
In the next few days, plan a big family outing – one that involves a lot of movement. Promote it as a big event, invite the whole extended family, and make it an annual holiday tradition. Try…
Skiing Sledding Hockey Swimming Basketball Roller skating Tennis Note * Indoors or outdoors is your choice. Just make sure it’s something active.
Charge your video and regular digital camera (or phone, if that’s how you take video), or put fresh batteries in today. Make the cameras available to your family and guests – teenagers are great at this, and you may want to assign them camera duty during certain parts of the holidays. Record stories, comments, quips, songs, special moments, and traditions. Have a few juicy or quirky questions to spark thoughts and stir up spicy conversations. Start some new traditions you can record – couples under the mistletoe, babies in Santa hats, children singing carols. Have a family member put together still photos and video with favorite holiday music (sung by family members if you have it). Then send out copies to everyone in the video.
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