Superfood Salad: Beauty from the Inside, Out

I'm feeling rather impressed with my culinary prowess tonight. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I kind of came up with this combination on a whim, and it was pretty successful, so I figure I'd share it with you. To access the recipe of the chicken (and pseudo-dressing) used in this salad, view the post entitled The Slow Cooker Makes Food...Fast: Easy Chicken Teriyaki from June 26.

Made with various fruits and vegetables--and goat cheese, yum!--the Superfood Salad (created by yours truly only a few hours ago) is jam-packed with many essential nutrients, and tastes great, too! One of the other benefits of this salad is that it's tasty without salad dressing. Instead of using dressing, substitute the sauce from the chicken teriyaki.

Before I list the ingredients, I should tell you that I provide no amounts or ratios or anything because you can do all of this to your taste. For example, I like less greens and extra blueberries, goat cheese, and dried cranberries, but you may want to use a larger spinach bed and a few less berries. It's all in what you like. :-)

Listed below each ingredient, you can find information about the health/beauty benefit it provides.

Superfood Salad

baby spinach
According to the August 2013 issue of Runner's World, spinach is 92% water, and so can help keep you hydrated. Two cups of the uncooked leafy green also pack a powerful punch of your daily requirement for iron (10%). Spinach is also on WebMD's list of "superfoods everyone needs." You can learn even more about the many benefits of spinach at "The World's Healthiest Foods."

sliced radishes
Radishes are a very low-calorie root vegetable. According to livestrong.com, they can contribute to eye health, reduce the risk of developing certain cancers and asthma, and may provide nutrients that help reduce inflammation/

grape tomatoes
Grape tomatoes are full of Vitamin C and Lycopene, a Vitamin-A compound that can help reduce the risk of prostate cancer (see http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/nutritional-three-ounces-grape-tomatoes-1368.html).

blueberries
Most people know that the best time to consume any fruit or vegetable is when it is in season. Blueberries are in season June through August, so we are in the thick of blueberry season. Even though they offer only 84 calories per cup, these tiny berries contain tons of antioxidants that "may improve cholesterol, boost cardiovascular health, and build strong bones" (check out page 44 in the August 2013 issues of Runner's World).

dried cranberries
It's no secret that cranberries are good for urinary tract health. They are also a good source of Vitamin C. A 2010 study also revealed that cranberries can help prevent stomach ulcers and other diseases. Visit http://www.livestrong.com/article/385375-dried-cranberries-nutrition/ to learn more. Plus, they are a low-calories way to add a little sweet to your salad!

dried cherries
Like dried cranberries, dried cherries add a little sweetness to your salad without adding a whole lot of sugar, and, provided you use the unsweetened variety, all the sugar they do add is naturally occurring. In addition, as mentioned in the June 5 post, Beauty Sleep, dried cherries can help promote regular sleep patterns. To read more about this benefit, visit http://www.livestrong.com/article/385870-dried-cherries-nutrition/. Dried cherries also contain Vitamin A and potassium.

crumbled goat cheese
One of the benefits of goat cheese is that it contains less lactose than milk made with cow's cheese, thus making it a more viable option for those who are lactose intolerant. Goat cheese also contains less calories than does most cheese made with cow's milk. While goat cheese does contain less protein than, say, regular cheddar cheese, it contains more vitamins and minerals. Visit http://www.livestrong.com/article/402645-what-are-the-health-benefits-of-eating-goat-cheese/ to learn more.

cooked rice
According to "Organic Facts," rice can help keep you regular, provide immediate energy, and help regulate or stabilize blood pressure.

Chicken Teriyaki as posted on June26
This recipe, which you can find in the June 26 post called The Slow Cooker Makes Food...Fast: Easy Chicken Teriyaki, calls for pineapple juice, garlic, ginger, and chicken, among a few other health-promoting ingredients. Garlic, for example, is said to be anti-viral and anti-microbial, and can thus help support a healthy immune system. It is also good for heart health. Ginger is a known anti-inflammatory. It can also reduce nausea, and appears on the list of "The World's Healthiest Foods," as is garlic.

Aside from all the health benefits listed above, another bonus of this salad is that you can forgo the salad dressing, thus saving on fat content and calories. Instead of dressing, simply use the sauce from the teriyaki chicken. You can also drizzle the sauce over your cooked rice garnish, too.

Dig in! The Superfood Salad is delicious, nutritious, and satisfying!

Fast Fitness Tip: Did you know the colors red and yellow can stimulate hunger, while the color blue can suppress appetite? (Consider Wendy's red sign and the yellow arches of McDonald's paired with the red. Coincidence...?) Consider this fact when you choose the color of your kitchen walls, as well as of your dishes. (Yes, I know my plate above is yellow...I was hungry, anyway...)

Travel Tips for Busy Chicks

Well, the sweet, sultry days of summer are upon us. Elastic daylight, humming cicadas, lemonade stands on the corners of neighborhood streets. And, oh the summer travel! In the last two and a half weeks, I have already managed to make it to Pennsylvania, Florida, and the Northern Neck of Virginia. Before I head back to work at the end of August, I will re-visit Pennsylvania and Florida (and maybe the Northern Neck, if I'm lucky), and add Michigan and North Carolina to my summer travelogue.

Although summer vacations can be very relaxing and recuperative, the actual traveling can sometimes be a little hectic. Here are a few tips to make it that much easier on yourself--and your wallet.

If you're flying... 

The view from my window as my flight prepared to land in Jacksonville on my most recent flight to Florida this June.

1. Put a Sock in it!
It's summer, so you'll likely be wearing open-toed shoes. If you are, stash a pair of socks in your purse or carry-on. These socks serve two purposes. First, when you get to security and have to remove your sandals or flip-flops, you can slip on your socks to avoid going barefoot and protect your feet from what I imagine is probably a pretty dirty airport floor. Second, if your feet get cold on the plane, you can put your socks on again to help keep warm.

2. Take a walk.
The following appeared as a Fast Fitness Tip in an earlier post, but is worth repeating. If you have a layover or are simply waiting for your flight to board, walk the terminal. You're going to spend however many hours sitting on the plane; use your time in the airport to stretch your legs and get a little exercise.

3. Travel light.
We all know you can't carry full-sized liquid anything onto an airplane anymore (unless you pay extra for a checked bag and pack your liquids into that). My advice: Purchase a Mary Kay Time Wise trial set. It comes with the four products you see pictured below, including a 3-in-1 cleanser, a moisturizer, a sunscreen (SPF 35), and a Vitamin-E packed night solution. The containers easily fit into your little, clear, plastic, security-required baggy and are very light. This four-piece set is only $44 plus sales tax. Checking a bag for a one-way flight costs $25 on most airlines. If you're flying round trip, you can plan to spend $50. That's a one-time (and I am sure you will travel more than one time) savings of about $6. The more you travel, the more money your Time Wise trial set will save you.

A Mary Kay Time Wise Trial Set includes the four products shown above. Purchasing this set for even just one round-trip flight can save you roughly $6 in checked bag fees!

4. Drink it up.
This is a really good money-saving tip I'm actually really proud of. And if you're a family member or a close personal friend, give me a call and I'll share it with you. ;-)

5. Don't procrastinate.
Most if not all airlines now offer you the option of checking in and printing your boarding passes ahead of time on-line--even if you do have to check bags. If you are not checking bags, checking in and printing your boarding passes from home means you can simply arrive at the airport and go straight to security. Imagine the time (and stress) that can save you if there is a line at check-in. 

6. Personalize your luggage.
If you have to check bags, check crazy-looking luggage--think bright pink, funky patterns, bright red, neon green, purple camouflage (yuck, I know--but you'll be able to find it fast), etc. If you don't own any psychedelic luggage, spice up your muted, sophisticated, earth-toned, everyday-looking luggage with some kind of identifier, such as a bright yellow ribbon tied to the handle or a large, brightly colored luggage tag. Doing so makes identifying your luggage at the carousel much easier, as you can differentiate it from other passengers' suitcases and bags more quickly.

7. Safety first
I used to be absolutely terrified to fly. Seriously. In eighth grade, I almost gave up a trip to Disney World because going meant I had to get on an airplane. Even though I still get a little edgy, I'm not nearly as nervous as I used to be. Back in my days of terror, I once read that the safest place seat on an airplane was over the wing (note where my most recent flying photograph was taken--see above). More recently (as in, today), however, I have read that the safest seats are the seats closest to the back of the airplane. Here are a couple sources you can check out for yourself:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sara-keagle/sfo-crash-safest-seats-on-plane_b_3562234.html
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/aviation/safety/4219452 
Running a quick Google search on the topic brings up a ton of information through which you can sort.

If you're driving...

When I was a kid, my parents took my siblings and me on some pretty epic road trips. We drove across the entire state of Wyoming to camp in Yellowstone. We drove from Wyoming to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon. We drove from Pennsylvania to Georgia to attend the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. We drove from Michigan to Massachusetts to visit family in Boston. When I was in college, we drove 13 hours from Virginia to Michigan and back at least once a year. More recently, we regularly make the 10-hour drive from Richmond to Jacksonville. And, for the five years we lived in Wyoming, we drove from Wyoming to Michigan at least once every year. That trip was a two- to three-day drive. Full days. Ten to 12 hours a day in the car.

To save time, my mom had a rule: Every time we stopped, everyone had to use the bathroom, whether he or she thought the need existed or not. In the case that someone did have to use the bathroom and we were not stopping (or there was no place to stop, as often happens in Wyoming or Nebraska or anywhere out in the middle of nowhere), my parents kept a small portable camping toilet in the car. We were all free to use that as the need arose.

Now, I feel pretty safe in assuming none of you want to get quite that hardcore, but here are some tips for summer (or really any season) road trips.

 1. Bring a lunch.
Packing  car-friendly, finger-food lunch can save not only money, but also calories. You're much more likely to pack healthy foods before you leave (and before you're hungry) than you are to order healthy foods at a fast food chain on the side of I-95. Think carrot sticks, grapes, blueberries, grape tomatoes, crackers, cheese cubes, string cheese--anything that does not require a utensil. Not only will you save calories, but you will also save time not stopping to get off the highway for food, and money not buying it.

2. Pack a cooler.
I always get thirsty on car rides. If you're in for the long haul, pack a small cooler full of your favorite drinks so you won't have to stop and buy a drink at a gas station or out of a vending machine every time you get thirsty. This will save both time and money.

3. Cool it.
There are a few ways to make using your A/C more economical. First, use the "recycle air" button. Your car can much more easily cool air that is already somewhat cooled than it can cool the 95-degree air coming in from outside. Second, if you are stuck in traffic, at a traffic light, or at a toll booth, leave your fan running with the "recycle air" button on, but turn your A/C off.  For at least a few minutes, the recycled air will remain relatively cool, but you won't be killing your gas mileage by running your A/C while your engine idles. Third, leave your A/C off while you accelerate after a stop, turning it on only once you have reached your desired speed. Asking your car to accelerate and run the A/C at the same time uses a lot more energy--and a lot more gas.

4.  Everybody's doing it.
If one person needs to stop to use the bathroom, everyone should get out and use the bathroom. This is a good rule of thumb. Follow it.

Fast Fitness Tip:
It can be hard to maintain your regular workout regimen when you're traveling. A good rule of thumb is to try to squeeze in at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, for the number of days a week you normally exercise. For example, if you normally exercise for two hours five days a week, try to exercise for 30 minutes five days a week during your travels. If you're a runner, try to incorporate at least 10 minutes of running. According to an article I recently read in Runners World Magazine, the muscles you use for running can start to lose their running fitness after three days without running, but as little as 10 minutes of running can help maintain these muscles and your fitness level.


 

Housekeeping's Hard: Clean Enough When You Don't Have Time Enough

In an ideal world, I would be able to devote an hour or two each week to cleaning my house. However, with summer travel plans aplenty and my Master's thesis monopolizing most of my time, the ability to devote much time at all to keeping my house up to some standard of cleanliness isn't exactly realistic right now. The good news is, even when you're super-busy, you can keep your house clean...enough.

Yesterday, for example, my husband and I returned from a four-day trip to the river. The house hadn't been given much attention prior to our leaving, and when we got home yesterday afternoon, unpacking, working on my thesis, and grocery shopping (so we could, you know, eat) took priority to folding and putting away laundry, washing the kitchen rugs, and cleaning the kitchen floor.

Miraculously, this morning after I got ready for church, I had 15 spare minutes. What did I do with them?

The founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, writes that "Success in life depends upon persistent effort, upon the improvement of moments more than upon any other one thing" (italics added by me). So, I improved upon those precious 15 minutes God gave me. I quickly folded and put away a load of laundry and found I still had about eight minutes. I tossed the kitchen rugs into the washing machine and did a cursory sweeping of the kitchen floor. Now, is my house immaculate? Well, no, not exactly. But it's a little cleaner than it was--and sometimes, that's clean enough.

Here are a few tips for keeping your house clean enough when you don't have time enough:

1) Don't make your bed.
This used to be a huge point of stress for me. I felt like I just could not leave my house if my bed were not neatly made. Then, a few years ago, I read an article in Good Housekeeping Magazine that informed me I should actually fold back all my blankets and air my sheets out every morning before making my bed. Something about drying it out and decreasing bacteria, etc. Now, I fold back the sheets, and don't make the bed at all. I let it air out all. day. long. It saves me a few minutes every single morning.

2)  Clean Sheet Sunday
Now, I'm not a total slacker. The bed does get made once a week, every Sunday, when I change the sheets. In addition to not making your bed, I also recommend changing your sheets on a regular basis--once a week was recommended on a healthy housekeeping show I saw a few years ago, and I've stuck with it. We call it "Clean Sheet Sunday."

3) Get some air.
I have a particularly hard time getting housework done when the weather is nice, simply because I want to be outside. If you feel the urge to get outside, but have to get some chores done, try hanging your laundry out to dry on a drying rack or a clothes line. Not only will doing so get you out in the sunshine and fresh air, it will also help you save energy by not using your dryer, and save on money by not using a dryer sheet.

4) Mouthwash and the Mirror
While you swish your mouthwash around for those recommended 30-60 seconds, simultaneously spray your bathroom mirror with window cleaner and wipe it down.

5) Dirty Dishes
Immediately after washing dishes (or rinsing them and putting them in the dishwasher), pull out the Soft Scrub and give your sink and faucet a good wipe down. It will only add about a minute or two to your dish duty, and it will make your kitchen that much cleaner.

6) Clean Sweep
Keep a broom and dustpan near the door. On your way out (or in) give the entryway a quick sweep.

7) Squeaky Clean Shower
Before you hop in the shower, spray it down with your disinfectant or mildew spray of choice. Then, once you're in the shower, use a sponge or rag to wipe down the walls, door, and floor--perhaps while you give your conditioner time to set in your hair.

8) Drive By
Keep Clorox Wipes or paper towels and window cleaner in your car. If you are stuck in gridlock traffic or waiting in a parking lot or at a bus stop, you can use the time to wipe down the insides of your car (steering wheel, gear shifter, door handles, etc.). This not only disinfectants, but also cuts back on dust. 

Perfect 10

A few years ago during a particularly dry winter, I began having trouble with static in my hair. It would Drive. Me. CRAZY. No matter how much I conditioned or how little I blow-dried, it seemed like I was always walking around with an electric charge buzzing around my head and neck.

I solicited advice from friends, and got some interesting responses. "Try rubbing a dryer sheet on your hair" (tried it). "Try applying a little lotion to your hair" (didn't try it).

A few days after my failed dryer sheet attempt, I found myself in the hair products isle of my local grocery store, desperately searching for a solution to my static problem. What I found was this:

It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In treatment Plus Keratin is an excellent product for reducing static and increasing softness and manageability, in addition to acting as a post-shower detangler.

You might be asking yourself why, in the middle of summer, I am advocating a product I found need of in the middle of winter. The answer is simple: Ever since I found this product, I have used it year-round for a variety of reasons. In addition to completely ridding me of my static problem, this product is an excellent post-shower detangler. My long, thick, fine hair--which tangles incredibly easily--is quick and easy to comb after I spray on this product. (Plus, it smells good!)

It's a 10 claims to perform ten functions for your hair. I can personally vouch for claim 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

In addition, It's a 10 is cruelty-free, as indicated by the symbol on the back of the package, in the lower right (shown below).

As evidenced by the symbol on the far right, It's a 10 is a cruelty-free product.