1. Kneel on the floor with your elbows and forearms flat on the floor. Keep your elbows directly below your shoulders, and your knees directly below your hips.
2. Straighten your right leg behind you, toes rested on the floor. Keep your back flat, your abs tight, and your hips square. Keeping your right leg straight, use your buttocks to lift the entire leg up. Slowly lower it back to the floor and repeat twice. Do not arch your back. The movement should be slow and controlled — powered by the squeeze in your bun area — not momentum.
3. Repeat for two sets of eight to 12 repetitions per leg. Rest for 15 seconds between sets. Once you get this thigh-and-tush-tightener down, you can add ankle weights to increase the challenge!

It’s easy to make the bars vegan with egg replacer, and you can substitute dried cranberries for the chocolate chips if you’d rather skip the chocolate. The maple sugar is expensive, but worth it. Look for it in bulk bins and just buy what you need.

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Oatmeal Coconut Squares with Chocolate Chips
Yellow * Makes 16 squares

5 Tablespoons soy margarine, melted and cooled, plus more for the pan (try Earth Balance margarine)
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup maple sugar
1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (try Tropical Source)
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large organic egg (or equivalent egg replacer, try EnerG)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9-inch square metal baking pan with a 12×14-inch piece of aluminum foil, letting the excess hang over the sides. Grease the foil in the pan with margarine.

In a large bowl, toss together the oats, flour, maple sugar, chips, coconut, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat the melted margarine, egg (or reconstituted egg replacer) and vanilla with a fork. Stir into the oat mixture until combined. Spoon the batter into the baking pan, patting evenly.

Bake in the middle of the oven until set, about 25 minutes. Remove from the pan by lifting the ends of the foil. Cool on a rack, then cut into squares.

What will you be doing?

• Taking a short vacation! Three-day weekends are the perfect opportunity to vacation in your home town (see what draws in the tourists!), or go a short distance to another tourist area. Quick getaways can be refreshing, since there’s not too much packing or traveling required. Don’t forget your sunscreen and water bottles!
• Doing home improvements! For some reason, Labor Day is a huge home improvement weekend. If you have projects to complete (or start), check local stores for sale prices on materials. You can easily repaint a room or two, or replace the fixture on your kitchen sink on a long weekend.
• Digging the garden! Get started on next year’s garden by digging it up now. It’s a great time of year to do the soil preparation and to plant bulbs, shrubs and trees. While you’re outside, clean up the rest of the yard, too.
• Catching up on life! This is the “yay, I have another day!” catch-up program. It’s doing the laundry, buying the groceries, running errands, making some extra meals for the freezer, and paying the bills. If this is your plan, try to limit it to one of the three days – then plan something fun and different for one of the other days. It’s good to have a break.
• Catching up on reading! Get in your comfy chair and read the magazines that have accumulated over the summer – then toss them into the recycling bin. Or read a library book that you’ve put off because you’ve been too busy.
• Seeing a state or national park! Take a full day and pack a picnic lunch and the sunscreen. Fill up the water bottles, grab some blankets for the grass, and a backpack to carry it in. Then enjoy the hiking trails and the picnic area for a whole day. Don’t forget to stop by the visitor center to learn more about the location.
• Dealing with the hurricanes! Okay, this doesn’t affect everyone, but if you’re in a hurricane zone this week, you may be doing emergency preparation or clean up over the weekend. Take care.

Select an assortment of flowers, or purchase a couple of the inexpensive bouquets at your local florist or supermarket.

Take your time arranging the flowers just the way you like in a vase. Mix and match them, put them in several vases of different sizes. Then choose a special location where you’ll see the flowers – the kitchen windowsill, perhaps? – or spread them throughout your home.

Enjoy!

Photo by Piotr Bizior

It’s the last day of August, so get out there and celebrate the “almost-end” of summer. Enjoy the day, enjoy your ability to move, and enjoy your opportunity to move.

//www.marilu.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/01 You Run Away.mp3

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The first option is to get to know a farmer who has chickens for their eggs. Go to your local farmer’s market, and find someone (or more than one) selling eggs. Talk to them. Ask about their chickens – how they’re raised, what they’re fed, how often they go outside. Ask to visit the farm – this might be impractical for you, but chances are good that a farmer who is proud of her farm will be happy to show it off to you – plus it’s a great field trip for your family, if you’re city-dwellers. You’ll not only gain confidence in your very own food supplier, you’ll have a new friend.

If you want to avoid eggs altogether, check out this post on vegan substitutes for eggs.

Even if you continue to eat eggs from your new farmer friend, you may want to reduce the number of eggs you eat. Learn and use some subs, even if you still eat some eggs.

If you’re cutting back on nightshades (potatoes, peppers, eggplant) replace the pepper with thick strips of grilled zucchini or portabella mushroom (we like both of those best when marinated for 30 minutes or so in a simple vinaigrette, then grilled).

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Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich
Purple * Serves 1

2 slices flourless, whole-grain bread, lightly toasted (we like Food for Life’s Ezekial 4:9 bread)
Nayonnaise or Vegenaise
Dijon mustard
thin cucumber slices
alfalfa sprouts
red pepper

Spread thin layer of Nayonaise on one piece of toast and Dijon mustard on the other.
Arrange cucumber slices on one piece, top with roasted red pepper slices (see below) and sprouts. Top with
other toast slice. Press down on the sandwich a little with your hand, and cut in half.

To roast red pepper:

If you have a gas stove, skewer the red pepper with a metal skewer. Place washed red pepper directly on medium flame. Char pepper on all sides, using the skewer to turn the pepper. Remove from the flame and put in a paper bag. Allow to sit for 15-20 minutes while the skins “sweat off”. Peel the loose skins from the pepper, remove seeds and ribs. Slice into strips.

Or, you can also roast in the oven or on a grill. Preheat oven to 400F, place pepper on a baking sheet, turning frequently until skin blisters on all sides. Place in paper bag as above.

If you’ve ever been faced with a choice in your eating, exercise or lifestyle habits, and wondered What Would Marilu Do?, this is your chance to find out.

Marilu will be sharing the details of her life: her health and beauty routines, her food and exercise choices, the responsibilities of her career and her personal and family activities.

Do you think you could benefit by spending a few weeks following Marilu throughout her day? Be sure to be with us on September 8th for a look inside Marilu’s daily life…and an incredible opportunity to make positive changes in yours! This will be a no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners, kickass class. You’ll be challenged to amp up your commitment to healthy living in every area of your life. Are you up for it?

Members are automatically enrolled in online classes.
Not a member? Join now! Be part of this ALL NEW, EXCLUSIVE class with Marilu!

Practice gratitude * All we have has been given to us from the world, from God. We are the thanks-givers. Before this day is over, give thanks to the people within your reach, especially the one(s) you find difficult to thank. We can never thank enough.

Photo by Charlotte Na

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