Keeping Myself In the "Joyful" Mind Frame

I am not an expert in mental health, but I see how important it is to also keep our minds healthy. This is what wellness is about! It's a combination of mind, body, and soul. I feel something is going on with me mentally because I am no longer excited about my projects.

So I looked hard at what is causing all the anxiety and procrastination this weekend. Everything I looked at led to one conclusion: I forgot to be "joyful" for all that I have. I am being reminded that today, I am still breathing and I still have a chance to live. Today, I still have a fellowship/job that puts a roof over my head, and I have a strong support network to help me face every bump I come across. My resolution for this week and the future is to remind myself to keep the joy and gratefulness close to heart.

Quick Lunch/Dinner Party Idea

I love to invite friends over for lunch or dinner. However, I tend to make a big deal out of the event and end up feeling exhausted by the time I sit down because I cook up a storm prior to and during the lunch/dinner party and end up missing the opportunity to catch up with my friends. This time around I decided to keep things simple and came up with the following menu, based on the idea of making your own burrito/taco: Making Pita Pockets.

Stuff Your Own Pita Selections:
1. Chicken, shredded cooked chicken breast
2. Hummus, guacamole or salsa
3. Spring Mix or Spinach
4. Whole Wheat Pita Bread (Cut in 1/2)

Serve with a side of celery and carrot sticks and sparkling water with lemon slices.

I am looking forward to a stress free Saturday afternoon.

Quinoa Flour Experiment

After an exciting holiday weekend, I am ready to get back into my routine. Today, I decided to add more nutrients into my supercharged muffins without all the "additives". I decided to experiment with quinoa flour. Quinoa is a type of grain that has been found to contain a balance of all nine essential amino acids, calcium, phosphorous, and iron. This is why quinoa is such a great alternative for those on a Gluten-Free diet.

After doing some research, it seems that you can substitute 1 cup of Quinoa flour for 1 cup of All-purpose flour. In addition, I decreased the amount of Smart Balance to 1-1/4 Tbsp because quinoa flour has a higher fat content.

The result...all of the muffins still turned out moist and YUMMY! In fact, it felt less dense than the whole wheat muffin. The only down side was that the muffins did not rise as much as those made with whole wheat flour. The cooking time was 1 minute shorter too.

Overall, I had a great time changing this recipe, and will find other recipes to share with you as well.

Tasty Treats for Labor Day

Fire up the grill, Labor Day is here! Like most families, we love to use the holidays to get together and enjoy great food and company. Burgers, fries, cole slaw, pie and ice cream are staples at our Labor Day gatherings. This year we decided to jazz up our menu and incorporate more fruit and vegetables. Check out our menu below, followed by the recipes. Give them a try, be safe, stay hydrated, and HAVE FUN!

POP Menu for Labor Day…
Lean beef/turkey burger with vegetable mixture
Baked sweet potato fries
Zesty vegetable kebab
Frozen 100% fruit juice pop
Fresh fruit

Recipes:

Turkey/Chicken Burger

Ingredients:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil/canola oil
½ cup White Onion, finely diced
½ cup Red Bell Pepper, finely diced
1.25 lbs Extra lean ground turkey or beef
1 cup corn flakes, crumbled
2/3 cup Carrot, finely grated
1 tbsp Your favorite BBQ sauce or Bragg
2 tsp Garlic powder
2 tsp Onion powder
2 tsp Mrs. Dash herb seasoning/Italian seasoning
Salt and Black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat a skillet with the olive oil/canola oil and a little bit of water
2. Saute the onion, then add garlic, onion powder, red bell pepper as well as carrot
3. Cook the vegetables until tender
4. In a separate mixing bowl mix the ground turkey, BBQ sauce/Bragg, and the Mrs. Dash herb seasoning.
5. Add in the vegetable mixture and mix well into the turkey mixture
6. Form 6 patties and chill for at least 1 hour
7. When ready, heat the skillet with 2 tsp of canola oil and water and cook the patties for about 4-5 minutes on each side or until cooked
8. Enjoy the burger on whole-wheat buns with lots of vegetables (such as the spring mix salad) along with tomatoes, and slices of avocado. (Low carb option: Wrap burger in lettuce)

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:
1 large Sweet potato/Yam, peeled and cut into long strips or wedges
2 tsp Olive oil
½ tsp Mrs. Dash herb seasoning
1/4 tsp Black pepper or Cayenne pepper
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degree
2. In a large mixing bowl mix sweet potato with olive oil, Mrs. Dash, and black pepper
3. Line a flat baking pan with foil and spray/brush a thin layer of canola oil
4. Spread sweet potato strips on baking pan
5. Bake for about 10 minutes and turn over; bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown
Allow to cool and enjoy!

Zesty Vegetable Kebabs

Material: Wood/Metal Skewers

Ingredients:

4 yellow squash, cut into 1-1/2 inch thick pieces

3 zucchini, cut into 1-1/2 inch thick pieces

3 red bell peppers, cut into large pieces

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp honey/Agave

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, honey/agave, Dijon mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper

2. Place all cut vegetables into the bowl and coat vegetables

3. Prior to grilling, use the skewers to thread an assortment of the vegetables

4. Place the vegetable kebab onto the grill

5. Grill for about 5 minutes or until desired color and texture have been reached

Makes about 16 Kebabs