A Modern Entrepreneur who loves variety and a good challenge
As most of you know I live in Cincinnati where the weather started to become cooler. Although, there are still some “Grilling” days ahead. Say good bye to summer in style and grill up some burgers. Here’s Epicurious’ best burger recipes. I think I’m going for the Bison Burgers. http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/bestof/toprecipes/bestburgerrecipes?intcid=epi_hptile2 What about you?
Most of you know my kids have been sick, along with the rest of the kids on our street and what seems to be about 15% of the school.
I read on nrp that not only do we need to be careful with the actual flu this year, but if our kids get sick again right on the heal of getting over their original cold/flu. Their defenses are already lowered so they can get worse. (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113700568&ft=1&f=1128)
So, I’m thinking I need to make sure I give my family good nutritious food that can help boost their immune system and nurse them back to health. I turned to my friend Rita Heikenfeld from www.abouteating.com for some advice and tips on foods that help boost our immune system:
· Cook with lots of garlic and onions: Onions have quercetin which may help prevent viruses from multiplying.
· Zinc is huge for immunity – which is in seafood, eggs, mushrooms, nuts, whole grains, and some seeds (Think of granola with whole grains, seeds, nuts, etc. – which is a great snack or breakfast.
· Yogurt with the probiotics is for the digestive/immune system.
· Vitamin A strengthens the body’s defenses. You can find Vitamin A in fresh veggies such as spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, the cruciferous veggies, etc.
· Apples are good since they help prevent germs from spreading and help fight off free radicals.
· Don't forget about vitamin C which our bodies can't store - citrus fruits are huge sources and awesome for the immune system.
· Rita also suggests drinking lemon water first thing in the morning (to break the fast) and is now adding lemon in her green tea since is helps the body utilize the good stuff in green tea better.
· Lemon also helps absorb iron which the kids need.
So, I picked up some fish for us tonight and served that with roasted red onions & tomatoes with brown rice & quinoa for dinner tonight. Dinner was delicious! I seasoned the tilapia with salt, pepper and chili powder and grilled it on the grill pan. For me (because nobody else likes Salmon but me), I season the Salmon with Salt, Pepper and covered it with fresh chopped up parsley. Added a little bit of soy sauce, seared it on both sides and then reduced the temperature and covered to cook through.
What’s on your dinner table?
Good luck fighting the cold/flu/virus this season! Hopefully this advice will help you and your family boost its immunity so you can all stay healthy and happy.
Peace,
Betty
Finally reading my October issue of Cooking Light magazine this Saturday morning and ran across an interesting article “10 Little secrets of Portion Control”. The tips they offer to eat healthier and control your portions are similar to what I’ve been talking about during my Eating Healthy Lunch n Learns (some tips listed below). What was really interesting is Cornell University food psychologist, Brian Wansink PhD’s, findings of how we think about portions. He says “The cards are stacked against most Americans. Our bodies think we’re still hunter-gathers threatened by imminent famine at the end of every season.” He also states; “….we’re bombarded by subtle and not-so-subtle cues that trigger instructive as opposed to conscious eating behavior.”
Other interesting findings in the article are:
· We pour 19% more juice into a glass that is short & wide versus a tall and thin glass because because the eye is a poor judge of volume in relation to height and width.
· Subjects who ate while watching television consumed nearly 30% more food
So I wonder, how do we change these behaviors – how do we re-program our brains? I believe we need to continue to reminder ourselves (by writing & reading this article), and by putting key practices in place to help us keep our portions under control. So next time you are starving and want to super-size your meal, refer back to this article:
Here are some suggestions recommended in the article and some recommended by yours truly:
· Use smaller plates: 8” - 10” plate
· Before eating, divide the plate in half, fill the largest half with fruits or vegetables, Leaving the rest for equal parts protein and starch
· At a restaurant that provides bread as soon as you sit down, ask the waiter to remove the bread from the table
· Also at a restaurant, reserve half of your meal to take home for lunch the next day. If you set it aside first, you’ll only eat what’s on your plate.
· Avoid eating while watching TV or working on the computer
· SLOW DOWN – if you eat slowly you’ll notice when your full (something yours truly struggles with all the time!)
· Use tall thin glasses instead of short wide ones – some drinks are only empty calories
To read the entire article, pick up the latest issue of Cooking Light Magazine (10/2009). You can also learn more about Dr. Wansink book at http://mindlesseating.org/index.htm or follow him on twitter - http://twitter.com/mindlesseating.
Happy Eating my friends,
Peace,
Betty
"Retirement Revolution" focuses on the stories of seniors who are planning for their futures in the wake of the financial collapse of 2008. The broadcast also highlights living with Alzheimer's disease, featuring interviews with Alzheimer's Association staff members Bill Thies, Beth Kallmyer and two former Early Stage Advisors, Mimi Steffen and Gary Shelton.
Find out what time your local PBS station is broadcasting "Retirement Revolution."
Or watch a clip of the segment online. Just click where it says "Living with Alzheimer's."
On a personal note….
Please get involved and educate yourself! I wish I knew more about Alzheimers before my father was diagnosed. By then it was too late and my family and I suffered through multiple “deaths of who he was” until his last breath over 2 years ago. He was only 76 – and before getting sick, he was full of life and had tons of energy. I miss him.
If we would have known and understood the signs perhaps we would have made different decision and led dad on another path. We can’t change the past, but we can learn from it and pray we can make better decisions in the future. It start with education.
Join me in watching this show and learning more.
With love,
Betty
Reach over 6,000 people from all over the Cincinnati area!
Support the Mason High School Marching Band by advertising in their program for the annual fundraiser!
Huge Crowds from 9 am - Midnight ! Attended by over 6,000 people from all over Mason and surrounding communities.
· $ 20 for 1/8 page (business card size)
· $ 40 for 1/4 page
· $ 60 for 1/2 page
· $ 100 for full page
This is an effective and easy way to reach consumers, especially if you’re in the music industry!
The event is October 24th at Mason High School.
Just email your business card or artwork, along with the requested ad size to Gina Kopera. Deadline is October 1st.
By the way, your contribution is tax deductable.
I am treasuring the time my mom and I are spending together during her visit with us in Cincinnati. Not only is she a HUGE help to me around the house and with the kids, I cherish the times we have to talk and reminisce over the past.
Yesterday we talked about how much we miss my grandmother, who’s been gone almost 14 years – but seems like just yesterday. We also remembered our battle with my dad’s mind, and how much it pains us that Alzheimer’s took his last years.
In reflecting on our conversation I realize we tend to question ourselves all the time; could have, would have, should have! We need to understand that we did the best we could with the information and knowledge we had at the time. I do believe we should learn from our experiences…. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:
- when our memory starts to give way, we need to seek help immediately from professionals (several if necessary).
- when our loved ones makes irrationals decisions, we need to be strong enough to help them (even though it causes some friction)!
- take hold of the quiet times where you can discuss and learn from your parents’ and grandparents’ history (I love hearing the stories of my mother growing up in Cuba!)
- take lots of pictures & video
- document special family recipes; make them often
- listen more than you speak
- tell your family members you love them each and every time you see them
- teach your children the importance of family bonding
- reduce the noise surrounding our lives and create our own family memories
What are yours? Comment here and let me know.
Peace,
Betty
Make it the way they want... and they will come.
I was speaking with a friend today and she was saying how difficult it is for her to come home after a busy day and get dinner on the table. She seemed a little annoyed that I knew what we were having for dinner tonight and the fact that it was going to be done in about 30 minutes after I got home.
Getting dinner on the table isn’t rocket science, nor do you need to be a gourmet chef. It just comes back to project management 101 – you need to set a plan. The best meal plans are ones that are planned together with the entire family. This will minimize the dinner time complaints. And, believe me, I know about dinner time complaints, I have one of the pickiest eaters around (yes, Michael, I’m talking about you!)
I developed this easy meal plan system out of the need to quickly plan my meals on the go, and for it to include the shopping list on the same page. Having the meal plan and the shopping list on the same page is very convenient. You can quickly change your meal plan on the if at the store you find a special deal on a particular item, or find that the store is out of an important item you need.
Give my FREE meal plan system a try! Sit down with your family for about 10 minute’s and get your next 5 days planned. Sign up to obtain the PDF here: http://www.gourmetbetty.com/mealplan_system.htm
Remember to print the worksheet on one paper using both sides of the sheet!
Would love to hear your thoughts – comment and let me know what you think of the system and worksheet.
Peace,
Betty
I'm a Modern Entrepreneur who's the Online Social Strategist and Affiliate Director for REV Media Marketing, LLC. We are a team of Crowdbursting professionals!
I'm also a content provider, cooking instructor & Foodie - grab my quick and easy recipes and advise from GourmetBetty.com.
I also market Six Sigma training and consulting for ISSSC -- not because I need to, but because I believe in the process! There's more to Six Sigma and Project Managment than manufacturing and IT!
Most importantly, I am a mother to a 14 and 10 year old boys and happily married to the love of my life for the past 16 years!
