What I Can with What I Have Today

TIRED...that explains me today.  Hubby and I had a weekend adventure and needless to say, I did not get home in time to get ample sleep...YIKES...that feeling of fog head meets some sort of workout in between my fabulous Monday clients...I MADE IT HAPPEN.  YES...I brought to my game "what I could with what I have."  Did I do a HIIT workout...Are you kidding me???  OH hell to the big NO WAY.  First, I am a morning workout girl...NOT TODAY.  I needed my Oats, I needed my coffee, I needed a mental miracle...lol.  To top that off...the day is whirling by like the clock on Alice in Wonderland...I mean...SLOW DOWN already!  Getting back to what I can with what I had...30 minute ARC trainer ride listening to my upbeat music and really not trying to beat any records as the time counted down...YES...I focused more than usual on "am I DONE yet???"  Come on now...we all have these days...OK...getting back, I continued with 30 minutes of slow, methodical weight training focusing on back/chest/core and legs...WHEW...again, no rush...just thinking about my muscle as I was going through the motion and ensuring that the contractions were QUALITY!!!  I have this saying...NOTHING GOOD HAPPENS FAST...(in the gym anyway)...lol.  Have to have a sense of humor you know.  OK...here we go, as promised, more time on My Blog and I am off to finish my day but wanted to leave you with some.......

IN YOUR FACE MOTIVATIONS

Believe this!!!

A Healthy Lifestyle takes Action

Faith, Persistence, and Patience

Right or Left?

ONE OF MY FAVORITES

Personal Share:  Congratulations to my Fabulous Stepson, Jacob for graduating High school and soon to be leaving for Air Force Boot camp...Love You Honey!!!

Congrats Jacob, Love You...Proud Parents! 

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  Let me know if you LIKE this entry, I look forward to reading your comments, and I am always in the mood for a Protein Shake;)

Have a Fabulous Week!

 

Stay Healthy ~ Darla

It has to be GOOD ENOUGH

I AM GOOD ENOUGH!

In this world of extreme perfection and nothing being good enough, I say it has to be good enough…I will go farther than that and say IT IS GOOD ENOUGH…I mean really…YUCK…otherwise I would be such a miserable person always searching for something to fill some void I think I am missing.  You know what…I AM good enough.  I can recall a time in my life where I did struggle with the whole “not good enough” thing, always trying to please someone and giving so much consideration into what others thought of me…OMG…what a horrible way to be and so anxiety producing…just thinking back about it…I now laugh and am so thankful for being older, wiser, and so much better.  I guess it had to be a part of my journey of learning and maturing into the healthy woman I am today. 

Perfection and pleasing are tossed to the side, and just being the BEST version of ME each day is my goal.  I am not saying that I do not enjoy pleasing people with my cooking or something fabulous like that…I am talking about the warped thinking of “why did they not approve of this or that about me, or not like how I did something”…there is truly a difference.  Why did I even care???  WOW…talk about unhealthy thinking of the past.  What the heck does this have to do with maintaining my now 48 year young physique…I SAY EVERYTHING. 

It is my state of positive thinking and ACCEPTANCE of Darla, with all my imperfections and physical limitations that motivate me each day.  It is that “feel good” feeling that completely coats my spirit and provides an “AH HA” moment each day for me…I mean it can make me feel like a kid, not take things so serious, and free me to be ME…IT IS ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!!!  It is that whole not sweating the small stuff in life anymore and letting go of things I can’t control… YAHOOO …. YES…this is healthy, I feel healthy, I love how I take care of ME and I accept that about ME,  and it feels better than good.   I will go farther than good and say that it feels pretty darn GREAT! 

Starting the Weekend with this In Your Face Motivation!

Personal Goal:  OK everyone…I want to blog more and I am praying for more time to do this.  My goal is to MOTIVATE through my writing at least one time per week.  I have been utilizing my Stay Healthy Facebook because of its’ quick and easy download of this or that in seconds and I still plan to maintain that as long as FB does not continue to try and regulate business pages.  My passion and “want” is to channel the same feel of what I like to call “In Your Face” MOTIVATION posters here, along with helpful links, recipes, and exercise ideas.  I like that the Blog is individual and very personal…this is more down to earth and ME to MOTIVATE you.  So, even if I write a brief paragraph about my thoughts for the day or week, I am on board for that…how about you?

Check out my Stay Healthy Feature on pg 36 of  the June issue of Natural Muscle Magazine!

Stay Healthy Quinoa Chicken with Fresh Basil

Looking for an In Your Face MOTIVATION to move IDEA…I LOVE HIIT Workouts!

(My modifications...negative pullups for the pushups to protect my neck)

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  Let me know if you LIKE this entry, I look forward to reading your comments, and I am always in the mood for a Protein Shake;)

Have a Fabulous Weekend!

Stay Healthy!

Darla   

 

Summer (In) Sanity: How to Keep Busy this Summer and A Family Activity Calendar

It's 4 whole days in to summer break and already the kids are bored out of their skulls. By 9:00 a.m. we've already had breakfast, gotten dressed, gone to the park or for a 'nature walk', been swimming and made a craft.   Now what do we do for the remaining 12 hours of the day?!!   Cue me to exit the house and go to work where I find dealing with demanding and pretentious spine surgeons and taking care of sick patients a relaxing getaway. Normal thing for a mom to feel on occasion, right?

In fact, when my husband came home from work tonight and asked if I would mind running to the store to grab a couple of things if he did the dishes and put the kids to bed in exchange I was out the door so fast I don't think he knew what happened.

If that doesn't sound depressing enough I found myself joking with some friends who were complaining about jury duty about how nice of a break it could be if they just looked at it with the right attitude, one of a mom of 4 for instance. I mean really, sitting around all day long reading a good book, how often do I get that sort of deal?

Don't get me wrong, I loooooveee my children, the little darlings, the lambs. But it is constant commotion around this joint even when everyone is behaving and by the end of a normal day of feeding, clothing, playing and basically just keeping 4 mischievous children alive and unscathed I'm  exhausted  by ALL means of the word.


So, this summer I am taking matters into my own creative little hands. It gets pretty damn hot here in Phoenix, so hot that when it is below 110F in July, we celebrate with glee and talk about the weather with each other like it's a new phenomenon. And when it actually rains in July, well, we run around half naked outside laughing out loud like crazy people. So being cooped up inside with 4 cranky, hot kids means you need a plan.


Plan A:
Stay inside all day and watch t.v. and eat ice cream.

Plan B:
Swim all morning. Watch t.v. Swim in the evening. Watch t.v.

Plan C:
Keep the kids busy and active while saving my sanity.




First, make a list of places in your neighborhood that might have things to do for kids or as a family.

• Library: Get signed up for the summer reading program to win cool prizes and discover new books. Libraries also have many free summer games and activities like Lego Building contest and visitors from the local Zoo and Puppet Theatres.
• Schools: Check your local schools for summer programs like Karate, art classes and sports programs.
• City Parks and Rec.  Besides an assortment of activities your city may have a rec center, free evening movies and concerts in the park and classes to attend.
• Many Churches offer activities for kids whether you belong to the church or not
• YMCA
• Google "free things to do with kids insert name of your city  I found a FREE 3 week long clinic at the Ice Arena near our home offered by the Phoenix Coyotes
• Visit "MeetUp.com" or a similar organization for tons of meet up groups in your area
• Splash Pads are wonderful fun and usually free. There are several in my neighborhood, ask around or Google where they are in your area.
• If there aren't any Splash Pads in your area, sprinklers, water toys and squirt guns make for a fun and cool afternoon.
• Museums. I have lived here in Phoenix my entire life and didn't know there was a Science and Aircraft museum in Peoria, just a few miles away from our house! In fact, many museums offer discounts and fun summer camps/packages. Also, many libraries have FREE passes to local museums!

Many resorts offer discounts during the summer and have amazing swimming pools

photo source: Arizona Foothills

Next, create a calendar of your activities so your summer is stress free fun!

I created this simple calendar at  Keep and Share.

(note this is just an example of our summer activities)

When all else fails, MAKE HOME MADE ICE CREAM!!!

What are you doing this summer???

Beyond Broccoli: The Artichoke

I have been dragging my feet on starting a new series about all of the amazing and delicious varieties of vegetables available across the globe and am finally doing so. I started this blog to try my best to share simple and healthy meals and snacks with all of you and thought it would be worth focusing on all types of produce so that maybe you can discover a new favorite of your own. I suppose the idea stemmed from being quizzically asked over and over again by grocery store cashiers what the name of the vegetable was that I was buying and what on Earth I did with it. 

We all get in the habit of cooking what we know, what we find familiar and the easiest to prepare. Especially when the days are long and our lives are hectic. We all know that vegetables are essential to a healthy diet but most people don't get a wide variety of produce simply because they don't know what to do with the stuff.  I am guilty myself of grabbing a bunch of broccoli and some carrots at the store when I am short on time because quite simply, they are easy to prepare and my kids will eat them.

I am a serious veggie lover from way back and will buy up sacks of vegetables simply because they are in season and more importantly because they look pretty, interesting and because I love to try new things. That's how I discovered I loved Bok Choy. I never had the vegetable in my child hood so it was unfamiliar to me but one day, many many moons ago I warily picked a bright and crisp looking bunch of Bok Choy up at the grocery and it has since been my very favorite vegetable.

Artichokes are another one of my favorite veggies and I thought I'd start out the "Beyond Broccoli"  series with these gems. I was introduced to them many years ago and only had them steamed and then dipped in a cayenne-mayonnaise concoction or in melted garlic butter for a long time. I have since discovered that are freaking  amazing roasted or grilled and that there are healthier options for condiments and toppings to go with them. One of the very first recipes I posted here on Simply Healthy Family was for   'Lemon Artichoke Chicken over Brown Rice'    I tell you that it was one of my first posts as a disclaimer because while the recipe is wonderful, the picture and post..... not so much.     Live and learn.    I recommend you give this recipe a go.

Le Artichoke

isn't she beautiful?

source

Artichokes are available all year on the West Coast, but they peak from March to May and again in October. Originating in the Mediterranean, an overwhelming majority of artichokes grown in the United States are from California. The plants are actually the buds of thistles, which are in the sunflower family.

Here are some artichoke recipes worth trying.

Grilled Artichokes with Garlic and Cheese

recipe source

Italian Stuffed Artichoke

recipe source

Healthy Artichoke Marsala

recipe source

In the future, I will be posting my own recipes but I hope you visit these lovely sites for now and most especially, Give A New Veggie A Try!






Have you tried a new vegetable recently 
or prepared an old favorite a new way?

Please do share!

I Have Discovered the Fountain of Youth

Happy to Be Almost 50!!!!!!

  I will be 48 this month and I will let you know that I have indeed discovered the Fountain of Youth…YEP!!!  For some time now, I have been enjoying the benefits of this mighty fountain and I must say that it has helped maintain my now 48 year young self.  Am I sitting around drinking secret shakes, popping youth pills, or strapping some contraption that shakes the literal crap out of me to keep me young…OH hell to the big NO WAY…I mean are you kidding me?  In fact, I cringe every time I see ads that promise this type of thing…and the gimmicks that are   invented…OH MY! 

I am also NOT going to be one of those people who hide my age because of hearing this…”OH…you look so good…FOR YOUR AGE”…I just smile as I sometimes whip out my ID when I purchase a bottle of red wine for a special occasion.  I look at life this way…it is an absolute honor to live each day, to celebrate every moment…and I have earned every smile line that adorns this face…so I will proudly announce that I am almost 50!!!!!!  Whoo hoo…YEP…there, I said it.  Now, getting back to my fountain of youth…I would have to say that it starts with my attitude about life.  I am indeed a kid at heart, do not sweat the small stuff, Give my worries to God, and laugh as much as I can…my hubby makes sure of that…he is quite the jokester.

My Fun Healthy Self

Ready for the next ingredients to my Fountain of Youth…a LIFESTYLE of health that consists of regular exercise, eating healthy foods, lots of water, rest and fun.  YES…it is that simple.  The fact is that the Fountain of Youth does not exist, but taking care of ME through a healthy lifestyle is definitely a close second, and I am good with that. There is nothing in a bottle or on a surgery table that will provide the youthfulness that living healthy does. Each day we get older…that is a fact and there is no alternative…in spite of all the gimmicks and surgeries…right?  What I choose to do is live each day taking the BEST care of me physically, emotionally and spiritually…and that is what keeps me young.  I will probably be dancing my literal pants off when I am 80 and still jumping in a few water puddles…lol.  You see, It is all in how I think about life, and just because I am almost 50 does not mean I am going to put my backside on the couch, dress in frumpy clothes, and think life is half over….NO WAY!  Each day, life is just beginning in my book, with all kinds of possibilities and undiscovered adventures.  I want this body to be in the best shape for whatever adventure comes my way and that will take dipping into my Fountain of Youth every day.

FREEway to My Fountain of Youth

Were you expecting something else from me?  An ooh-la–la magic Darla potion that I will start marketing and available on shelves tomorrow…well, maybe in a way…because my magic is no secret and the best part…FREE.  YES…my Fountain of Youth comes in the form of moving my body…FREE, sleeping…FREE, and of course, I buy my food so that is some cost to the fountain…but remember  I look for the deals…so I will say DISCOUNTED.  Now that I think further about it, I will share that the Fountain of Youth does come at the cost of my SWEAT…but that is still FREE…meaning my sweat.  I should also say that it comes at the cost of physical work, the cost of commitment, the cost of dedication, the cost of planning, and the cost of cooking…but the cost is still FREE…do you get what I am trying to say.  Taking care of ME and gifting myself this Fountain of Youth is a choice I make freely and happily…because I am almost 50 feeling 20 something on most days….and that my friends is PRICELESS!  

Proud of YOU Eli

I dedicate this blog to my fabulous son Eli as he graduates this month with his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a concentration in community mental health, Minor in Bible and Theology, and Addiction studies certification. This Mom is very proud!!!  I Love You Son

Happy Mother's Day Mama!!!

Happy Mother’s Day to My Mom…thanks for blessing me with your example of the importance of cooking/baking and gifting me with the passion that I now have to create the recipes that I so enjoy to share with family, friends, and online. 

I Love you Mom…My Friend

Motivation of the Day:  The Fountain of Youth Exists Freely Within Each of Us

Just Added to the In My Kitchen Stay Healthy Recipes: Stay Healthy Carrot Cake

Stay Healthy Carrot Cake

My Workout of the Day:

ARC Trainer: Strength level 6 for 20 minutes (Interval)

30 minutes HIIT Training

My Nutrition of the Day:

Coffee (2 cups…oops)

1.      Stay Healthy Date Oatmeal Cookies (2)

2.      Post Workout Shake (The Works)

3.      Corn tortilla filled with no salt black beans, shredded cabbage, and N/F Greek Yogurt

4.      Grilled Salmon & Peppers

5.      Stay Healthy Sweet Potato Brownie

IF YOU ENJOYED MY BLOG, LIKE IT, LEAVE A COMMENT, AND IF INSPIRED TO SUPPORT STAY HEALTHY FITNESS WITH A SHAKE DONATION…I THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

STAY HEALTHY!

Darla;)