Self care...

I seem to have many friends and family struggling with finding a balance in their life.  I thought of the analogy of on an airplane you are instructed to put the mask on yourself first and then help those around you.  Often we come to this conclusion "exactly, you can't help those around you if you're passed out!" but I think there is more to it.  If you take care of yourself first you will be physically and mentally capable of doing a better job.  I can easily get caught up in taking care of others and my needs are slowly moved lower and lower on my list.  As time goes in it really drains me and I start making mistakes, becoming irritable and overwhelmed.  Think of it as not putting the mask on yourself first and you are still able to get the mask on your family member but because you're getting in less air it takes 5 min to get it on them rather than the 30 sec it could have taken if you had put the mask on yourself first.  You're still getting the job done but there's more chaos and it's not necessary.

"But I don't have time!" I hear this response often and my response is "REALLY?  You don't have time to give yourself a fraction of the care you are giving out to others?"  As a parent, there is no better way to teach a skill to our children than to show them by our actions.  If our children see us running ourselves into the ground, I worry that they will do the same.  It really doesn't take long either.  I'm not saying that I am selfish and put all my needs above everyone else!  But there is a line and some of my own self care must be above that line.

This can be a 5 min bubble bath, quick walk around the block, reading a good book, calling and talking to a friend, manicure, fun hobby you enjoy and so many other options.  Taking just 5 min a day to make sure you are in tune with your own needs and making sure you are being taken care of can greatly improve your capability of being a better YOU.  My family deserves the best care, therefore I deserve the best care.  It is the only way that I can give them what they deserve.

I hope this inspires you to daily "put the mask on yourself first".

I also had to share that we are upon flu and cold season.  I myself have already had two sick children and this can be an easy time for us to wear ourselves out and get sick.  I wanted to share what I've found that keeps me from getting sick and help my family get better faster too!  On Saturday Richlyn, my 4 year old, woke up vomiting.  Promise I won't get graphic.  He wasn't able to keep down water so we tried Herbal Aloe, which he couldn't keep down either.  I had him sip on Herbalife's Hydrate (electrolyte drink) and he was able to keep it down!!!  He then was able to eat toast and a quesadilla by dinner time!  After dinner he was begging to get off the couch and run around.  Then on Sunday Richlyn was totally fine but by the end of the day Matthew, my 6 year old, was feeling run down.  He didn't want his favorite dinner, pizza!  He laid down on the couch and had Hydrate.  After 10 min he was sitting up and more energetic.  He woke up Monday morning completely fine!  I decided to read the label to find out what's in this stuff!!!  It has 200% DV Vitamin C as well as electrolytes to hydrate. So over the weekend I took care of two sick children and did NOT get sick.  My secret was one Herbalife meal replacement shake a day, 1 Best Defense in the morning and 1 Hydrate.  The amount of nutrients and vitamins in it give your body the ability to work properly.

So stay hydrated and take care of yourself.

Healthy Shepherds Pie with Lentils Recipe

Since I'm in love with comfort foods, I've been playing with a Shepherds Pie recipe while trying to get in as much fiber and protein as possible and still keep all the flavor!  I've created an amazing recipe and after multiple requests, I'm posting it here. :)  I encourage you all to experiment and try new things with your food!

Shepherds Pie with Lentils

Prep time 30 min, Cook time 45 min
Pre heat Oven to 375

1.25 pounds 99% Fat Free Ground Turkey
1 cup Lentils dry
1 Zuchinni / squash
2 large carrots
1 medium to large White Onion
1 can cut Green Beans
1 basket sliced mushrooms
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp dried thyme
2 cloves garlic
1tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
2 cups Cauliflower raw
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 tbsp Butter or more to taste
4 red skin potatoes
1/2 cup Low Fat Milk less or more as needed

1. Peel potatoes and chop cauliflower into same size pieces, add to large pot of water and boil until tender. Drain, put cauliflower into blender with small amount of milk and blend until smooth.  Add more milk as needed until smooth, not runny.  Add cauliflower mash to potatoes and mash with milk and butter to taste.


2. In a medium pot add 2 cups water to 1 cup lentils and 1/2 cube chicken boullion.  Stir, bring to a low boil and simmer low until almost tender.  You don't want to fully cook them. (10 min).  Drain and save juice.  Add 2 tablespoons of flour slowly to some lentil juice to create a gravy.  You'll need 2 tablespoons of gravy, save for later.
    
3. Chop onion, shred carrots add to large skillet with olive oil.  Saute until soft.  Chop parsley and garlic. Stir in ground turkey, parsley and garlic.  Chop zuchinni and mushrooms.  Once turkey is almost browned and broken up, add zucchini and mushrooms.  Cook for 5 min.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Add in gravy mixture.


4.  Put meat mixture into 9x13 dish, sprinkle cheese over meat.  Drain green beans and add to top.  Spread "mashed potato" mixture over all.  Cut up butter into small cubes and place randomly over top. 


5. Bake 375 for 30 min or until potatoes have browned slightly.  If you are preparing this for another day, skip this step.  Let mixture cool, cover and put in fridge.  On the day you're eating, remove dish from fridge and let it sit on counter for 10 min to take the chill off.  Put in oven to heat through and brown top.  If needed you can put under broiler for 5 min to brown slightly.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1/7 dish

Amount per Serving

Calories 239

Calories from Fat 56.7

Total Fat 6.3g

       Saturated Fat 3.11g

Cholesterol 16.43mg

Sodium 472.36mg

Total Carbohydrate 21.03g

       Dietary Fiber 8.71g

       Sugars 5.48g

BBQ Chicken Pulled Pork Pitas

6 - 8 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
20 oz BBQ Sauce
1 Onion
1 Clove of Garlic

Add into Crock Pot-
-Chicken Breast cut into 2-3 strips
-Onion well chopped
-Garlic well chopped/minced
16 oz BBQ Sauce

Stir and turn crockpot onto LOW for 6-8 hours depending on your crockpot.  Once cooked drain fat and extra water if any.  Shred chicken with two forks and add remaining BBQ sauce to taste.  Serve in Pitas or Bread of choice.  ENJOY :)

Five Things you Should know About Water

 

Getting in enough water is always a challenge at first.  Take it one day at a time and gradually increase your water intake.  Don't enjoy the taste of water alone??  Herbalife has great healthy solutions:

Lift Off

Herbal Tea Concentrate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five Things You Should Know About Water

The human body is nearly 70% water – so it’s no surprise that we need to stay well-hydrated in order to stay healthy. We need water to transport nutrients to cells, and to get rid of waste products. Water also works to control body temperature and to provide lubrication to joints, organs and tissues. And most of the chemical reactions in the body take place in water, too. Water is also the most natural drink on earth – humans, after all, drank water long before they drank tea, or beer or wine. So even though drinking a glass of water shouldn’t require a second thought, I run into people all the time who have questions and misunderstandings about the world’s oldest beverage.
So here are five things you should know about water:
• Most people need between 8 and 12 cups of fluid a day (about 2-3 liters). Needs vary, of course, depending on your age, your gender and how active you are. But in general, for every 50 pounds of body weight, you need about a quart of water every day (or about a liter for every 25 kg of body weight). For most people, that falls within the often-cited suggestion that we take in at least 8 glasses a day.
• The temperature of your water doesn’t really matter. In terms of hydration, it doesn’t matter if liquids are warm, cool or cold. They’ll all hydrate you equally, although temperature will affect the rate at which you consume them. Some people think that ice cold water will help you lose weight – the idea being that you’ll burn calories bringing the fluid to body temperature. In theory you could, but the amount of calories you’d use up is so tiny, it’s nearly insignificant – and, you’d also have the ‘brain freeze’ to deal with.
• Fruits and veggies can provide 20% or more of your water needs. Watery foods can go a long way towards meeting your fluid needs. If your meals include plenty of fruits and vegetables, and you drink fluids with meals, you’re probably meeting your water needs. There’s nearly 3 cups of water in a meal that includes a salad, some broccoli, brown rice and watermelon for dessert. On the other hand, too many people eat a ‘dry’ diet that’s heavy on processed foods – a meal of a cheeseburger and a bag of chips contains less than a half a cup of fluid.
• Drinking water with meals won’t interfere with digestion. Some people like to drink with meals, others don’t. Drinking fluids with meals is fine – water won’t dilute digestive juices or impair your digestion in any way. It doesn’t really matter when you take in water, as long as you get what you need over the course of the day.
• Bottled water isn’t necessarily cleaner or safer than tap water. The decision to drink tap or bottled water is a personal one. In the U.S., tap water standards are set by the Environmental Protection Agency; water is regularly tested, and consumers receive annual reports on water quality. Bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, and has to meet the same safety standards as tap water, but doesn’t undergo the same testing and reporting as community tap water. It has been reported that about 25% of bottled water is simply bottled tap water – which may or may not have had additional treatment before bottling. Your local water treatment facility should be able to provide you with water quality information, which can help you decide between bottled and tap.
Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife.