Are you getting ready for the holidays? I hope you remember to do some things to take the stress off of yourself for the holidays. Take the time to exercise, relax, spend time with your family. Make sure you continue to eat right and take good care of yourself.

It’s really important that you don’t let yourself go over the holidays and find yourself fatter and more broke than before. Don’t overspend or overeat. You will have a more enjoyable time before, during and after if you don’t get way off track for the month, so with December approaching, be dilligent in staying on a healthy path. You’ll be happier and feel better in the long run.

My son is in a tournament all week-end and it is really great! He’s very talented and it is so fun to watch now that he’s at the age where he can really play! My ex asked me today if I thought the other mothers actually liked taking their kids to all these ball games and I said that I really think they do love it. He said that he felt his mom always thought it was a chore to take him to games and he thinks it’s neat that I as well as the other mothers actually really love it! The parents really devote a lot of time and effort to their kids and the sports and I think it’s great.

One of the moms today came up and told me that it meant a lot to her son because I complimented him. She said that after yesterday’s game, he came up to her all happy and said, “Kyrie’s mom told me I played really well today”. She said that it meant so much to him that I had said that. I thought it was great that it had made such a difference for him.

Enjoy your kids sports and activities. It makes them feel great that you have fun going and cheering them on. Let the other kids on the team know that they did good things as well.

Music, candles, incense and aromatherapy are great mood enhancers and great de-stressors. These are a healthy way to decrease your stress and increase your quality of life. Music is inspiring and uplifting. Listen to music anytime you need a boost. Music increases your hopefulness and creativity. Music makes you feel good. Like exercise, it causes you to release endorphins which are the “feel good” hormone. It helps you forget about your problems at least temporarily.Candles and incense can be used to create a calming mood. You can use candle colors to further facilitate certain moods. Red increases vitality and energy, orange works as an antidepressant to make you feel happy and cheerful, yellow is uplifting, green promotes stability, turquoise eases tension and soothes, blue is for lowering stress and relaxing violet helps with concentration promotes love and self-confidence and magenta raises your self respect and dignity. Magenta is a confidence builder.Essential oils can be used for many things besides just relaxation and stress reduction. Essential oils are a healthy, reasonably priced, simple way to de-stress.  You can use them in a variety of different ways. They can be put into a spray or a diffuser for use in the air and you can also put them onto your body. Most essential oils put on your body need to be mixed in with oil, lotion or water, a few, however, can be used straight out of the bottle on you. The best oils to use for relaxation are:  Nutmeg, Marjoram, Lavender, Sandalwood, Clary-Sage, Geranium, Lemon, Chamomile, Rose and Vetiver.  Since this is just a short quick synopsis to give you some stress reducing ideas, I will deal primarily with Lavender as it is the most important and versatile oils. You can use Lavender oil to make a great room freshener/sanitizer. Take a small spray bottle, put a small amount of rubbing alcohol in the bottom (slightly less than ¼ of the bottle), fill with distilled water leaving just enough room for about 10 drops of Lavender oil, and shake. Use it in the house as an air freshener. There’s no need to buy those unhealthy air sprays at the store ever again!For headaches, you can rub some Lavender oil on straight on your temples and at the base of your skull. If your skin isn’t sensitive you can add a few drops of peppermint oil as well. Peppermint oil is very strong straight on your skin. I use it and I think it’s fine but each person would have to decide for himself if peppermint oil is tolerable.You can put a few drops of Lavender oil on your pillow to help you sleep if you have insomnia. You can also put it in a diffuser in your room to help induce a great night’s sleep. Baths are very relaxing in and of themselves, if you add essential oils ( a great relaxing combo for the bath is:  8 drops of Geranium, 8 drops of Patchouli, 8 drops of Sage and 8 drops of Lavender) and colored candles, you really have a terrific way to lessen the tension of the day.This is only a drop in the bucket. It’s a very slight introduction on the use of essential oils. They are worth exploring much further to enhance many aspects of your life.

My mom is Hungarian. Europeans are very meat oriented. I have adapted several of her meat, fat laden recipes to healthier vegetarian versions. Two really great recipes I adapted were her recipes for “Paprikash Chicken” and “Beef Stroganoff”. 

Paprikash Chicken1 pkg. Morningstar Farms “Chicken”2 packets of vegetarian chicken gravy (Hain is one option)1 can cream of mushroom soupSour cream, 4-8 ozPaprikaOlive oilFresh or canned mushrooms, optional 

Put a very small amount of olive oil in a fry pay and cook the vegetarian chicken until slightly crispy. Blend up the gravy and add to the pan with the chicken. Then add the can of mushroom soup. Stir in some paprika. After it’s all warmed through and through, turn off and add the 4-8 oz of sour cream (I only use about 4 oz. because I think it’s enough). You can cook up some additional mushrooms (I prefer fresh over canned) to add on top before serving if you’d like. 

“Beef Stroganoff”1 onion, yellow, white or redVegetarian ground beef or beef stripsVegetarian “beef” gravy- 2 packets or 1 can vegetable brothMushroom soup, opt8 oz. dry wide egg noodles or any kind of noodleSour creamSpices to taste:  salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika 

Cook the noodles as directed on package. Brown the onions until tender and simmer with the meat. Boca and Morningstar Farms both have a fantastic vegetarian ground beef and Morningstar Farms has wonderful vegetarian beef strips. Both brands can be found in most major grocery store chains. Actually, for variety, you can use vegetarian meatballs as the “meat” in this recipe as well. Add the cooked noodles to the meat and onions. Then add mushroom soup if you want. After it’s all simmered together, add sour cream and spices to taste. You can also cook up some mushrooms to add or serve on top.

The holidays are upon us once again and more than likely we are all going to gain some weight during this time. Why? We mindlessly eat way more than we should over the holidays and pay for it for months, years to come. This holiday season, make a pact, make the effort to not overeat and gain weight. You can partake in some goodies but in very strict moderation. I heard a quote once from Anthony Robbins that has really stuck with me, he said,”Nothing tastes as good as thin feels”. I think of that quote often when I want to overindulge in the wrong foods. Keep that quote in mind this holiday season or perhaps you could even type or write it out and make it visible in places in your house that you will be reminded of it often.

The obesity in America has really gotten out of hand and it is actually at crisis levels. We NEED to take this problem seriously and make some real changes in our lives. Don’t wait until you are diagnosed with cancer to decide to wake up and change some dietary and lifestyle habits.

You can enjoy the holidays without all the weight gain and sluggishness of previous years, put the past behind you and start anew. Don’t wait until the New Year to make some empty resolutions you won’t keep but rather, show some restraint, find some new ways to appreciate and enjoy. Have a happy, healthy, THIN, joyous holiday season and you will have nothing to feel guilty about and resolve to change come January 1st.

How is it that we gorge ourselves on food and call it Thanksgiving? How is that giving thanks? How is that showing gratitude for all of our wonderful blessings? Wouldn’t it be more fitting to fast on Thanksgiving? Fast to show appreciation for all the freedom, food and great choices we have in the United States. Instead, we eat murdered animals, eat piles of all kinds of food until we can’t move and feel ill. Why do people look forward to that? They also do the same thing over and over again year after year. I don’t find that appealing in anyway.

I think it would be so much better to fast or at least eat minimally on Thanksgiving Day. Share the day with friends and family, but not have the fellowship with them be based around food. If you don’t have anyone to spend the day with, maybe you could spend the day meditating, journaling about gratitude, listening to uplifting music and self improvement CD’s. Pamper yourself, spend the day nourishing your body and soul with things other than food. Imagine how wonderful you would feel at the end of the day? Your friends and family will be miserable and you will be well-rested and thoroughly energized! You could also take a walk or hike to feel appreciation for your life and health.

I would encourage people to rethink the way Thanksgiving and Christmas are celebrated completely focused on food. Think about why you do that and if you want to continue to do that year after year. I fail to see why people would look forward to making themselves sick. Does it give you that much satisfaction? How could you spend Thanksgiving to add meaning back into the spirit of what it’s really about? Make new choice, new traditions and feel much better after it’s over. You will feel renewed and energized going back to work and your co-workers will feel like they need some time off in order to recuperate from the holidays.

Wow–Christmas starts way too early these days… I love Christmas music but I think it is a little ridiculous to start playing Christmas music and putting decorations out long before Thanksgiving.. By the time Christmas rolls around, everyone is sick of hearing about it.

 I just don’t understand that …why is it that way? I think for now, we should focus on Thanksgiving and after Thanksgiving, focus on Christmas. The holidays have become way too commercial for me.  I love the spirit of this holiday time but we have really lost the spirit and meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas. How can we get back to the real meanings of the holidays?

Talk to your pets, teach them the rules, show them respect, they deserve it and will respond positively.  My animals have always been fantastic and I attribute it to the love, involvement, attention, respect and love that I show them. The animals understand and want to please you. They show you oodles of love. They want to know what you want from them, they’re pleasers. They love you unconditionally, but do not abuse the unconditional love. Animals have needs that go far beyond the basics of food, water and shelter. Under the law if you’re providing just those basics, maybe the law says you’re doing what’s right but you’re not. Animals respond wildly to the attention and love I’m talking about. Try it for yourself and see…

Here are some suggestions for including your pets as a part of the family:

1) Talk to them–you would be amazed by what they understand

2) When you’ve been gone, greet them excitedly–animals have no concept of time and if you are gone five min or five hours, they can’t tell the difference.

3) Let them know the rules. They want to know what the rules are. You don’t do them any service by not disciplining them.

4) I highly recommend kennel training dogs so that they have a safe, comfortable place to be when you are gone. I have had dogs that were kennel trained and dogs who weren’t and I have to say that I would never have a dog that wasn’t kennel trained again. They like the safety of the kennel and even if they are house trained, if you are gone for many hours or they don’t feel well, then having them confined to a kennel really saves your sanity.

The world is very demanding especially for women and even more so for single moms. It’s very difficult to juggle all your responsibilities and take care of yourself in the process. It is important to take care of and nurture yourself. I’ve put together information on 10 ways to nurture yourself so that you can be a healthy, happy woman. 

Two of the main things are eating breakfast and eating right. So many women skip eating in the morning because they don’t have time. In my opinion, you need to plan better and make the time no matter what. It will help your energy level all day and help you to not overeat later in the day. In the morning, eating “breakfast” is breaking the fasting you have been doing all night so it is critical that you replenish your body with some nourishment to keep up your stamina and vitality throughout the day. 

Healthy habits need to take priority in your life because without your health, you have nothing else. If you don’t voluntarily make time for your health now, you will be forced to make time for sickness later. It’s your choice. Once you get used to healthy habits, your quality of life will skyrocket and implementing healthy habits is actually becomes fun! 

Ten great ways to nurture yourself are:  1) Eat vegetarian at least three times per week—more is better so if you want to do it 100%, that is even better but do it at a minimum of three dinners per week, 2) Exercise 30 minutes per day—get a pedometer and then just walk, park further away, take the stairs, walk while blow drying your hair and brushing your teeth, 3) Meditate 20 minutes per day—find 20 minutes in everyday for quiet time completely without interruptions to go within and get inner guidance on what you need to do to reach your full potential, 4) Hydrate yourself—drink plenty of water, this doesn’t mean pop, tea, coffee or lemonade but actual water. Green tea actually counts but the iced tea you get is black tea and that doesn’t count as water. 5) Increase your intake of fruits and veggies by adding spinach and cooked chopped broccoli to everything, keep frozen fruit on hand to add to cereal and smoothies, add dried cranberries and raisins to cereal and oatmeal, 6) Spend 30-60 minutes per day doing something you love—you should make time each day to do something enjoyable, it could be playing in the park with your kids, watching a movie or reading an uplifting book, no one knows how much time they have so spend your time doing things you love, 7) Take a bath once per week—baths are very nurturing and pampering, get some nice bath stuff (special soaps, scrubs , body wash and so on) and treat yourself to a relaxing, exhilarating bath once a week at a time when you aren’t in a hurry to get somewhere, Cultivate Your Friendships and Support System—make time for friends and family and develop those connections and then when you need someone to talk to or help you , you will have a bunch of people to turn to , 9) Music, Incense, candles and aromatherapy—these four items can be used throughout the day in a myriad of ways and they will uplift your soul and nourish your spirit and 10) Pets—pets are very healing and a great way to unwind and de-stress, pets are great companions if they are part of the family,. Pets are forgiving, kind and loving while the humans you encounter, might not always be

You want to cut down on meat consumption but don’t know how. All your life, you have been conditioned to have meat as the center of your meals so how do you go about finding some delicious vegetarian food to cook? 

I will give you some tips and recipes to get you started and maybe it will get you thinking about other nifty ways to add vegetarian food to your diet. 

First of all, the absolutely easiest thing to do in the beginning is to make the food you are used to and substitute soy based alternatives for the traditional meat currently in your recipes. For example, in spaghetti use fake ground beef; Morningstar Farms and Boca put out a great alternative that can be purchased in a regular grocery store. You can also use the fake ground beef in your tacos, beef stroganoff, pizza, lasagna or anything else you put hamburger in. 

There are a plethora of fake hamburgers to substitute for regular hamburgers. Boca and Morningstar Farms both put out a fantastic variety of them but there are many other brands too. If you don’t like one kind, try another. You are bound to find at least one that you find acceptable, even good. 

If you want to venture out a little more, you can make some great recipes with tofu, Morningstar farms “chicken” and Morningstar Farms “beef strips”.  

My mom is Hungarian. Europeans are very meat oriented. I have adapted several of her meat, fat laden recipes to healthier vegetarian versions. One really great recipe I adapted was her recipe for “Paprikash Chicken”. 

Paprikash Chicken1 pkg. Morningstar Farms “Chicken:2 packets of vegetarian chicken gravy1 can cream of mushroom soupsour cream, 4-8 ozpaprikaolive oilfresh or canned mushrooms, optional 

Put a very small amount of olive oil in a fry pay and cook the vegetarian chicken until slightly crispy. Blend up the gravy and add to the pan with the chicken. Then add the can of mushroom soup. Stir in some paprika. After it’s all warmed through and through, add the 4-8 oz of sour cream (I only use about 4 oz. because I think it’s enough). You can cook up some additional mushrooms (I prefer fresh over canned) to add on top before serving if you’d like.