Broccoli: The Perfect Food

My mother-in-law, whose chosen career field was nursing, likes to refer to broccoli as the perfect food. And why not? It is said to reduce the risk of cancer, stabilize blood pressure, and reduce cholesterol. You can read more about the health benefits (and some possible risks) of the consumption of broccoli here.

Of course, the healthiest and most beneficial way to eat most fruits and vegetables (tomatoes may be an exception) is fresh, but below is a fast, easy, and delicious way to prepare broccoli (you can also add cauliflower if you like). In addition to broccoli, this recipe calls for the use of olive oil, a food high in "good fats." You can learn a little more about the good fats in olive oil here.

To be honest, this recipe isn't hard and fast with set measurements. I stole it from my sister-in-law and I just kind of make it. It always turns out well, somehow. I assume you will have the same kind of luck! This recipe has never missed, and I have served it at meals as important as Christmas dinner in the past.

Ingredients
three heads/bunches of broccoli, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
salt to taste
pepper to taste
olive oil as needed

Process
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees if baking (you can opt to broil instead).
2. Place washed, chopped broccoli in large mixing bowl.
3. Pour in olive oil and toss to coat.
4. Sprinkle in salt and pepper and toss to coat.
5. When broccoli is adequately coated with olive oil, salt, and pepper, spread evenly on ungreased baking sheet.
6. Bake or broil until some of the broccoli is slightly browned. In my experience, it generally cooks faster when broiled. You will want to keep a close watch on it either way. Once it passes the slightly browned phase, it burns very quickly.

Fast Fitness Tip:
Plan to fly for your summer travel? Don't waste time sitting at your gate before your flight leaves or during any possible layovers. Instead, walk the terminal. If you walk fast enough and tote your carry-ons along with you, you will torch tons of calories before your flight, or in between flights! 

The Slow Cooker Makes Food...Fast: Easy Chicken Teriyaki

Today, I got up just after 7:00 a.m. (oh, glorious summer break when I don't have to rise at 4:50 Monday through Friday!). It is currently just after 9:00 p.m. In the past 14 hours, I have:

taken my dogs for four walks
run a little over three miles
completed a couple sets of three different ab exercises
vacuumed the first floor of my house
cleaned all my Mary Kay brushes
expanded a 13-page paper for my Master's degree to 26 pages
tackled some research for my thesis
purchased a wedding anniversary gift for my husband
read a section of the Bible lesson
laid out in the sun
clipped coupons
and...
still managed to prepare and enjoy a mostly-homemade dinner. In this case, it was chicken teriyaki with chicken-flavored rice and fresh salad.

So, how did I do it? I am by no means super-woman; it was just that this delicious meal, which pleased even my picky eater of a husband, was super-easy and super-fast. The prep time was something like eight minutes. The recipe is below. Happy cooking!

Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenders
6 ounces pineapple juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon minced garlic (I used the kind out of a jar)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups hot cooked rice (I used Uncle Ben's chicken-flavored rice in the 90-second pouch)
*Note: the original recipe also calls for 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon molasses, and 24 cherry tomatoes. I omitted these three ingredients in my preparing of the recipe.

Process
Combine all ingredients except rice in slow cooker. Cover; cook on LOW 2 hours or until chicken is tender. Serve chicken and sauce over rice. Makes four servings. Serve with fresh salad prepared as you like. 

Let's Talk Lotion

Summer is here and with the warmer weather, many of us are probably finding ourselves in shorts, skirts, and sun dresses that show a little more skin than our typical winter wardrobe. Naturally, we want that skin to be soft, smooth, and even-toned when we present it to the world. Below are a few fabulous finds to help with this goal.


Cooling Effect

You know the feeling. It's so hot outside, and all you want to do is take a cold shower. How many times, though, have you taken that cold shower only to get out, dry off, blow dry your hair...and feel hot all over again (especially if you worked out prior to your shower)?

Mary Kay Mint Bliss Energizing Lotion for Legs and Feet is so helpful in this circumstance! I love this lotion. It has a light, minty scent and leaves my legs and feet feeling soft and smooth, without a greasy or oily feeling.

But the most amazing thing about this lotion is how my skin absolutely tingles after I apply it. Sometimes, I literally get goosebumps, the lotion cools my skin so thoroughly. In fact, I never apply this lotion of I'm cold, because I know I will only feel chillier.

Mary Kay Mint Bliss Energizing Lotion for Legs and Feet is a great way not only to moisturize, but also to cool off on hot summer days.

Self Tanner

It's been about two years since I used a self-tanner lotion, but when I did, I usually preferred Jergens. I found that when I used this self-tanner, I got lots of compliments about my tan. It looked natural and even.

I should warn you, though, that this self-tanning lotion will come off on your clothes and towels, so be careful. Don't dry off with white or light colored towels...unless you want to give them a tan, too.


Intense Moisture

If you have extremely dry skin, you can use plain old olive oil in place of lotion. Simply rub the olive oil into the dry skin. Of course, your skin will feel oily and slippery for a bit afterward, but it will also have benefited from some pretty concentrated moisture.

Another trick you can try--and I have not yet experimented with this--is an olive oil/salt exfoliant. You can make this at home by simply mixing olive oil with salt. The idea is that the salt will exfoliate your skin while the olive oil helps to restore moisture to your skin and helps your skin retain that moisture. I would imagine this could be a good method for dry, cracked elbows; ashy knees; and dry, cracked hands. I have even read on some sites that you can use an olive oil/salt exfoliant on your face


Tips:
1. Don't Rush. Instead of quickly swiping lotion across your skin, take a minute or two to rub it into your legs, especially into muscular areas like the inner thighs and calves. Doing so can help stimulate blood flow, improving your circulation.
2. It's All in the Timing. The two best times to apply lotion are before bed and/or after you shower. I don't know the science behind it, but your skin's ability to retain the moisture provided by the lotion is at its highest during these two times. Part of it is likely due to the fact that after a warm or hot shower, your pores are opened up.

Bikini Line Blues

Although Friday is the official start of summer (and, if I'm not mistaken, the longest day of the year in terms of hours of sunlight), it's been bathing suit season for quite a while now, and many of us have no doubt begun the seasonal struggle with our bikini line. Below are a few tips for keeping the area a bit smoother (and more comfortable) by reducing irritation, such as nicks and those lovely red shaving bumps.

The Multipurpose Hair Dryer
I have no idea where I first read this, and I can't find anything on-line to support it now, but several years ago somewhere, I read or heard that the warm, dry air of your hair dryer--set to its lowest setting and not held too closely to your skin--can help reduce irritation on the bikini line post-shave. Obviously, if you hold the hair dryer too close, or have the heat setting too high, this practice can backfire quickly. My recommendation is to leave the hair dryer running on its lowest setting on the counter, pointed in your general direction, for just a few minutes as you comb your hair/apply lotion/brush your teeth/do your make up, etc.

Don't Go Against the Grain
Instead of shaving against the grain of your hair (pulling the blade upward), shave with the grain to reduce irritation. Shaving against the grain tugs at the hair follicle and can result in irritation. Now, shaving with the grain of your hair does not result in as close a shave as does shaving against it; however, you can achieve a closer shave by shaving perpendicular to (across/side-to-side) the grain after you have shaved with the grain. 

A Surprise Use for Deodorant
I have never, ever tried this and don't plan to, so I can't vouch for its efficacy or lack thereof, but I have heard from many girls that applying deodorant to their bikini line right after they shave significantly reduces the appearance of shaving bumps. If you're braver than I am, you can try it. I'll just stick with my tried-and-true techniques.

Squeaky Clean
To remove any dead skin or dirt that might cause irritation as you shave, wash your bikini line with a mild soap or body wash before you shave the area. Some sites also recommend going so far as exfoliating pre-shave. 

Natural Look for Date Night

One of my favorite parts of my husband's and my monthly date night tradition is actually having a reason to get pretty. So often, my husband and I see each other late in the evening, after we are both already in our pajamas, and I have already removed my makeup (if I wore it at all that day; this week, I wore it twice, counting tonight) and pulled my hair back in a simple ponytail or bun for the night. It's nice to feel like, at least once a month, he gets to see me look, you know, pretty.

Tonight was our June date night. We took the hot rod (a.k.a "The Machine") to Legend Brewery downtown, drove it around The Bottom a bit, and then came home for some time around the fire pit. It was a great evening out, and below you can see how I prepared, and maybe try some of it yourself.

Hair
1. Wash and dry hair the evening before.
2. Pull up during shower to minimize getting hair wet.
3. Use the lowest setting on your hair dryer to blow dry any incidental moisture from your shower.
4. Brush and apply dry shampoo as necessary.
5. Part on one side.Choose one side (probably the side with the most hair), and twist a small portion of this hair as desired, clipping back with two bobby pins.
6. Put remaining hair in loose side ponytail, on the same side as the twisted strands.

Adding the simple twist of a few strands provides a little flair for  the loose ponytail, as shown above and below.

Makeup
1. Wash face and apply moisturizer and sunscreen as you usually would.
Eyes
1. Apply Mary Kay honey spice mineral eye color to entire lid, from lash line to brow bone.
2. Apply Mary Kay  hazelnut mineral eye color to lid only.
3. Using a brush applicator to avoid applying too darkly, apply Mary Kay cinnabar mineral eye color to crease of eyelid, all the way to outer edge of brow bone.
4. Blend with brush applicator and/or ring finger.
5. Apply Mary Kay pencil eyeliner in deep brown to top and bottom lids, close to the lash line.
6. Apply Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara in black to top and bottom lashes.

Above: Before makeup application. Below: After makeup application.

 

Above: Before makeup application. Below: After makeup application.

Face
1. Apply Mary Kay mineral cheek color in cherry to cheeks.
Lips
1. Apply Mary Kay nourishine plus lip gloss in au naturel to lips.

Above: Before makeup application. Below: After makeup application.

In the above photos of  hair, eye makeup, and the entire face, no editing was done aside from cropping and zooming. No colors have been changed; the lighting has not been changed; the levels have not been changed; the contrast has not been changed; nothing has been air brushed or otherwise altered. The images are as true to life as possible, to demonstrate a look you can achieve yourself.

And, after roughly 30 minutes, a time which includes hair, makeup, dressing, and, in this case, photography, we were out the door for date night!

On our way home from date night in The Machine

Healthful Honey

With so much hub-bub lately about avoiding high fructose corn syrup, high-calorie sugar, and artificial sweeteners, I'm surprised more attention isn't being paid to the many benefits of using honey as a sweetener. This post will touch on just a few of them.

Lose the Fat, Not the Flavor

1. Lots of people swear by butter on their bread, rolls, and biscuits. Atop the butter, they then pile on the jelly, jam, or honey. Try just using the honey. Just the honey. No sugar is added to the honey (though it is likely added to the jelly or jam), and it will sweeten up your bread, biscuit, or roll just as well as on its own as it will with the unnecessary application of butter.

2. For lower sugar content, try eating a peanut butter and honey sandwich instead of the traditional PB&J. For some added potassium, add banana slices to your PB&H.

Soothing and Sweet

1. Substituting honey as the sweetener in your hot tea not only reduces the amount of calories you will consume by cutting back on sugar consumption, but can also help to soothe an irritated throat. The honey "coats" your throat, so to speak, and can thus also help reduce coughing and soreness.  From personal experience, I can tell you that hot tea with honey helps ease my sore throats much better than does hot tea with sugar. It does taste different, but the taste is just as good if not better.

Allergy Season? I don't think so!

1. Two words: Local honey. I am not an allergy sufferer, so I cannot vouch for this first-hand, and there is no conclusive scientific research I can find to support this concept, but I do know several people who swear by local honey. Think of local honey like a flu shot. The logic is similar. To avoid the flu, people actually deliberately inject themselves with the flu virus. So, to help assuage allergies that derive from local pollen, people actually deliberate ingest honey derived from these sources. Most people recommend one to two tablespoons a day for results.

Meal Idea

Below is a recipe that includes a whole heck of a lot of honey, and is fast and easy. It comes from a calendar of CrockPot recipes (you know how I love my slow cooker!). I recently made it for my sister, parents, and husband, and even though I grossly overcooked it, there was very little left over at the end of the meal. It did not come out as sweet as I imagined it would, but it was tasty nonetheless.

Chicken in Honey Sauce

6 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 pounds)
salt and black pepper, to taste
2 cups honey
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (I substituted minced garlic from a jar to save time; I hate peeling and mincing garlic...)
sesame seeds (optional)

1. Place chicken in slow cooker; season with salt and pepper.
2. Combine honey, soy sauce, ketchup, oil, and garlic in medium bowl. Pour over chicken. Cover; cook on low 6 to 8 hours or on high 3 to 4 hours.
3. Garnish with sesame seeds before serving. Serve extra sauce on side, if desired.

I served this chicken with Uncle Ben's 90-second rice (the kind in the pouch), which was quick and delicious, and baked (or broiled, your choice) broccoli--one of the fastest, most delicious ways to prepare broccoli, which will appear in a future post.

Beauty Sleep

For as energetic as I am, I really love to sleep. One of my favorite parts of the day is going to bed at night. And, even though I am definitely a morning person, one of my least favorite parts of  the day is getting out of bed in the early morning. I blame my 4:50 a.m. wake-up calls for this, but truth is, I would rather get up at 4:50 and have time to ease into my day than get up at 5:30 and rush around like a crazy nut. Below, I share some pointers for winding down at night, and gearing up in the morning. 

Getting to Sleep

1.Dried Cherries
First of all, these delicious dried morsels are an excellent, chewy treat. I eat them on my cereal every single morning. They are also delicious on salads, or just by themselves. The sleep benefit they provide is also a nice perk. Cherries are a natural source of melatonin, which helps you sleep. Most packages of dried cherries boast this information on their labels, but there is also a lot of independent research that backs this concept up. So--dig in! Dried cherries are fat free, taste great, are packed with antioxidants, and can help regulate your sleep cycle.

2. Warm Milk
Urban legend, along with more reliable sources like Web Md and The New York Times, all tout the ability of warm milk to sooth us into sleep.  This effect, however, is not due to tryptophan, as many believe. In fact, it appears as though no one really knows exactly why warm milk is so soothing. Either way, you will be getting a little more calcium and protein before bedtime.

3. Count Your Blessings
Whether you are particularly religious or not, thinking about the good in your day is much more soothing than dwelling on the bad. As famous author Ralph Waldo Emerson once advised,

 "Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day." 

So, as you lay your head down on your pillow tonight, try not to think of your mistakes, your worries, your problems. Instead, run through your mind all the good you experienced today. Some days, this may be harder than others, but every day it is possible. Tonight when I lay down, these are thoughts I will take with me to sleep:
*I had a lovely run in the sunshine this afternoon
*I am beginning to notice I have the first hints of a tan
*The weather was gorgeous today
*Dinner was easy to make and delicious to eat
*I am already ahead on my homework for my next graduate class
*It is almost the weekend
...and so on.


4. Rise and Shine
Seems like weird advice for going to bed at night, right? But it's not. Getting outside during the early morning hours when the sun is just rising can actually help improve your ability to fall asleep at night, largely because sunlight helps regulate our biological clocks. Check out an article on Discovery Fit and Health to learn more about the science behind this.

When I first learned about this phenomenon, I started taking my dogs for short, ten-minute walks every morning before I left for work. Now, the dogs and I get up early enough to make time for 30- to 40-minute walks every morning.

Henry David Thoreau, a friend of Emerson, who is quoted above, once said,

"An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day."

One of my favorite parts of the day is my morning walk with my dogs--even though, during the work week, we have to take it before 6:00 in the morning. Those 30 to 40 minutes of time with my dogs, fresh air, sunlight (unless it's winter, in which case, it's usually moonlight) and physical activity set the tone for the entire day. It's time I can use to mentally prepare myself for the goals I want to accomplish that day. It's a quiet, peaceful way to begin any day.

Waking Up

1. Refresh 
The first thing I do in the morning, whether I plan to shower that morning or wait until that night, is wash my face. The reason is simple: it makes me feel more awake and refreshed. The water and the cleansing are invigorating. I have washed a bit of the sleepiness away.

2.Break the Fast
This is such an obvious tip, but I felt like I had to include it because. Obvious though it is, it is also very important. People who eat breakfast tend to weigh less than those who don't--probably because they give their metabolism a jump-start first thing in the morning, and it keeps working from there. In addition, many breakfast foods are fairly light and healthy. Think whole grain cereal with dried or fresh fruit, whole wheat toast with peanut butter and a banana, Greek yogurt, etc.

3. Orange Juice
Even if you opt to skip breakfast, drinking a glass of orange juice can prove a healthy and more natural kick-start to your day than coffee. I don't really know the science behind this, but my own experience, several health magazines, and a ton of info on the web back it up. Plus, unlike coffee, orange juice is packed with Vitamin C and doesn't require a hefty addition of sugar or cream to make it taste good.

4.Count Your Blessings (Yes, Again)
I won't lie to you. I really hate getting up at 4:50 during the work week, especially during the winter when the sun hasn't even begun to consider rising and it's really cold outside, but really warm in my bed. I have found, though, that a powerful motivator, however, can be taking just one minute to think of things to which I am looking forward to that day. Before you force yourself out of your comfortable bed (where you have probably just found the perfect sleeping position and now you have to get up), list a few good things about the day ahead. Tomorrow, my mental morning list will probably look something like this:
*It's almost Friday
*I have really good cheese dip in my lunch
*I'm wearing a comfortable sun dress
*We're eating leftovers for dinner, so that's one less thing to do
*I'm going to try a new hairstyle and maybe some new makeup
*I get to talk to my sister on the phone for our weekly catch-up chat tonight
See? These are simple, small things--but each of them will make me a little more willing to get up and take on the day. After all, I have to get out of bed before I can do any of those things (well, I suppose Friday would arrive regardless--but the other things require me to be out of bed).

Fast Fitness Tip: If you are a morning exerciser, there are bound to be days when you are faced with this dilemma: Do I get up and work out, or stay in my cozy, comfy bed that much longer? A good rule of thumb is this: If you have gotten at least six hours of sleep, go on and get yourself up for your morning exercise routine. If you have gotten less than six hours of sleep, you will probably benefit more from skipping your workout and getting the extra hour or two of shuteye. 

EA Sports Active 2: A Wear-You-Out Workout on the Wii

One of the most classic excuses for not working out seems to be a lack of time. I get it. I totally get it. But I'm not buying it. This post will discuss the time-saving benefits of one of my favorite fitness video games, EA Sports Active 2 for the Wii.

First, let me say that, at least in my experience, this isn't your typical workout video game. It's hard. I first tried EA Sports Active 2 when I was in training for a half-marathon, and I found the game harder than my long runs. Seriously. I am still sore for a day (or three) after every EA Sports Active 2 session I complete.

(Okay, that said, you can choose whether you want your session to be easy, moderate, or hard--and I always choose hard. My point is, though, that this game is effective, and you will feel the effects as soon as the warm-up ends and the workout begins (at least if you choose "hard;" I'm not sure what the "easy" option is like)).

Now, for fitting it into your busy schedule:

1. The game gives you two options for your workout.

Option One: You can sort of design your own workout by choosing a duration (up to 30 minutes), a focus (lower body, upper body, core, or full body), and an intensity (easy, moderate, or hard). In this way, you can design a workout that fits into exactly the amount of time you have. I think the shortest option is 15 minutes.

One time-conscious option for working out using EA Sports Active 2 is to design your own workout. Doing so allows you to choose a duration of 15-20 minutes, 20-25 minutes, or 25-30 minutes; to choose a focus (full body, core, upper body, lower body, etc.); and to choose an intensity (easy, moderate, or hard).

Option Two: You can choose from a list of preset workouts. To the right of each workout, you can find an estimated length of time, and thus choose one you know you have time for. Keep in mind, the time estimated includes the exercise time only, and does not take into account the time it will take to load each exercise. Typically, I find my workouts take about 10 to 15 minutes longer than the estimate time.

The second time-conscious option is to complete a preset workout. The estimated time for completion is listed on the right, but generally, the workout will last 10 to 15 minutes longer due to load time for the exercises.

*Tip: After you choose a workout, a list of the exercises to be completed will come up. Before you even begin your workout, you can delete exercises you do not want to do, or exercises that may be scheduled for two or three sets in the workout (reducing, for example, any repeated exercise to only one set), and thus shorten the workout time if necessary.

2. Another nice feature of the EA Sports Active 2 game is that during your workout, you can constantly view your heart rate, the exercise time elapsed, and the number of calories burned, as shown below.

Throughout you workout, you can view calories burned (upper left corner), heart rate (below calories burned), and time elapsed (upper right corner). If you are not sure how to properly complete an exercise, you can click "Show Me How" in the lower left corner to view a short tutorial video on the exercise.

3. At the end of your workout, an easy-to-read summary screen pops up--so you can see exactly what you did with your time. It shows your overall exercise time, your average heart rate, and the total number of calories burned. Following that screen, you can view a graph of your heart rate as it ran throughout your workout.

After your workout is complete, a summary screen shows you exactly how you used your time.

4. You don't have to squeeze in drive-time to the gym, since you can complete the workout at home.

Fast Fitness Tip: If you're craving chocolate, try a glass of low-fat chocolate milk. Not only will it help satisfy your chocolate craving, but the protein in the milk will also help keep you feeling full. In addition, chocolate milk is a great post-workout recovery drink (I've read in a few publications that it can provide the same benefits--and then some--as Gatorade and Powerade).