I have been struggling about what to write or post here and on Facebook and Instagram.  My usual quotes and food and exercise tips just seemed to be too small, too insignificant, too unimportant compared to what's going on in the world right now.  So I have stayed under the radar, contemplating and wondering for the last month and a half.  

But here's the thing:  We are not going back to "normal."  Even when we all begin to come out of our homes and get together and convene in larger groups, it isn't going to be the way it was.  We will have a "new normal," and I am not sure exactly when that's going to happen.  So I have decided that I am going to do what brings me joy in this moment, and that is to spread the good word of health, wellness, self-love, and self-acceptance.  

I declare this day as the day I start again.  Even though I am still at home, I come back out into the light and  onto the interwebs to pick up where I left off.  

I encourage you to do the same thing.  Get back in touch with the things that bring you joy.  In fact, right now, take a few minutes and make a list of at least 10 things that bring you joy.  Put it on your fridge or your bathroom mirror, and try to do one small thing from the list each day.  Even though you may feel kind of guilty doing something joyful during this crazy time of sadness and uncertainty, remind yourself that there is room in our hearts and in our lives to hold space for sadness and joy.  It's all part of life, and it's okay to open ourselves up to feel it all.  

Here is an example of things that are on my joy list:

extra time reading
sitting on the back deck listening to music
Facetiming my favorite people
taking walks
taking a nap
listening to an Audiobook or podcast
doing something creative
writing a note to someone 
texting or Snapchatting favorite people
tiny home improvement projects (like really tiny-- like organizing a drawer)

Here is a great article if you are interested in learning more about all the "feels."

Cheers to a little joy, and a new normal. ❤

I love a good bowl!  The possibilities are endless.  I especially love them these days, when I am basically just trying to use whatever we have on hand.  All you need is a grain, a protein, a bit of healthy fat and vegetables and you are good to go.

We had this bowl last night. 

Grain: Brown rice on the bottom.  (Sometimes I will sub out riced cauliflower for me, depending on my mood.) 

Protein: Ground venison.  (fresh from Bruce's co-worker.  This is fairly new for us, but we are embracing the fact that it is fresh, lean, and grass-fed.) You could use grass-fed beef or even chicken.  If animal protein is not your thing, you can certainly omit it and stick with the beans for protein.

Veg: Sauteed orange peppers and onion.  Also added some tomato.

Fat: Avocado and sour cream.  (Full fat sour cream-- check ingredients.)

Other: Beans, lime

Seasonings:  Fresh cilantro, jalepeno powder, dried cumin and coriander.  I also used taco seasoning when I cooked the meat.

So good!  I challenge you to look at what you have on hand right now and make yourself a bowl!

Move your body!  In the video on the left, I show you a quick warm up.  Don't skip it! 

In the video on the right, I show you 4 basic exercises: a squat, a push-up, tricep dips, and jumping jacks.  I give you tips for good form, and I explain how to make the exercises easier or more challenging.  The idea is that you can string them together to make a short, effective full body workout.

First of all, grab a tabata timer like this one.   Play around with it until you understand how to set it.  You can set the exercise interval time, the rest interval, the number of sets, the recovery interval, and the number of cycles.  In the video, I suggest setting the time for:
30 seconds, with a 10 second break in between sets 
8 sets with a a 20 second recovery after each set
4 cycles  

Sounds a bit confusing, but it's really not once you take a look at the video.  You do each of the 4 exercises two times, which makes 8 sets, and that makes a cycle.  If you go through 4 cycles, it will take about 20 minutes.  You can break up the cycles throughout your day, or you can work up a nice little sweat if you do them all in a row.  It's up to you!

Watch your form, listen to your body, and mooooove! 😉
Cool down video to come!

I have been a lot more mindful of the food that I am consuming lately. Bruce is doing the grocery shopping when we are out of the basics, and I don't want him to have to go any more than absolutely necessary.  This means using what we have on hand and making lots of substitutions. 

This past Saturday we didn't really have anything for lunch.  Bruce remembered that he had hot dogs in the freezer, but that wasn't going to work for me.  😉  I remembered the "fake tuna salad" that I made a while back and decided that would be easy and quick.  I have several cans of chickpeas in the pantry, and I happened to have everything else that I would usually put in tuna fish, so that's what I made.  

Here is all you have to do:

1. Roughly mash the chickpeas with the back of a fork or potato masher. Mashing the chickpeas helps hold the salad together, once the binder is added and ingredients are all mixed it will be nice thick mixture.
2. Next, mix in celery, onion, garlic pepper, pickles, and whatever else you usually use for your tuna salad. Add your choice of mayo or hummus to help bind everything together.  I like this mayo because it doesn't have any industrial oils.  (Yes, it is a more expensive, but I stock up when it goes on sale.  We don't really use it very often, so it lasts a long time.)  

This is delicious on top of some greens or on a sandwich.  
How are you getting creative in the kitchen this week?