Tea of choice

I have an obsession with tea. I prefer tea over coffee anytime. It's refreshing, full of antioxidants, and always how I start my day. Usually my day includes 2 or 3 cups of green or white tea and ends with a cup or two of herbal tea.

My current obsession is The Republic of Tea. Its a little expensive but you get 50 tea bags. So in the end it's actually very reasonable.

Some of my favorite herbal tea's include Celestial seasonings. I love the variety pack because you can sample several different ones.

I've also been enjoying Tazo's Organic apple red, it tastes like caramel apple!!!!!

On Sunday morning's I love getting fancy and using my tea pot for some loose leaf tea's. Teavana is definitely my favorite.

Why Women Must Exercise for Mental Health

By Claudia Reardon, M.D.





Exercise has mental health benefits for men and women of all ages.  However, there are unique factors to consider in thinking about the mental health benefits of exercise for women in particular.  Compared to men, women have a two-fold increased prevalence of major depression throughout their reproductive life cycle.  Exercise can be a very useful treatment for depression in women at any of a number of different times in their lives:   

• During pregnancy and breastfeeding:  Depression is highly prevalent in women of childbearing age.  Medications are often necessary to treat moderate to severe depression.  However, many women wish to avoid treatment with medications during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.  At least one study has shown that women who exercised regularly reported less depression in the first and second trimesters compared with women who did not exercise.  The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has recommended 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days.

• During the postpartum period:  Exercise can also help to treat and prevent postpartum depression.  One study has shown that postpartum women who exercised three times per week had less depression than postpartum women who did not exercise. 

• During the premenstrual period:  Exercise can be useful to treat physical and emotional premenstrual symptoms.  It is less clear if exercise by itself can treat the most severe of premenstrual syndromes (called “premenstrual dysphoric disorder”), but it is still a first-line treatment strategy that most physicians would recommend. 

• During menopause:  Several studies have shown that aerobic exercise can improve both depression and insomnia occurring during menopause.  Additionally, lower intensity exercise such as yoga has been shown to improve psychological well-being in menopausal women.

Importantly, women may experience barriers to exercise.  Here are some examples of these barriers, and strategies to help address them:

• Childcare issues:  Women are often responsible for childcare, which makes it difficult for them to find opportunities to exercise.  Gyms that offer childcare services can be helpful.  Also, partners can share the workload. 

• Intimidation:  Some women may feel uncomfortable working out in the coed environment of a gym.  Consider taking women-only exercise classes, or walking or doing other exercise with women exercise buddies.

• Self-consciousness about appearance:  If a woman is already uncomfortable about her appearance, then she might worry that she’s drawing even more attention to her body by exercising, especially if wearing skimpy sports clothes.  One strategy is to try walking, which can be done almost anywhere and in almost any type of clothing.

• Guilt:  Women, especially those who are family caretakers, sometimes describe feeling guilty about taking time for themselves to exercise.  Remember, it is not a selfish thing to exercise.  You are taking time to improve your physical and emotional health, which will allow you to more effectively be there for others.  Besides, you deserve to experience the benefits of exercise!   

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The world's best hot cereal

I've been wanting to share the most delicious hot cereal combination that I stumbled upon.

In the mix:

1/4 cup Bob's spice n nice hot cereal

2 TB. Bob's muesli

water and splash almond milk

2 TB. unsweetened applesauce

dash cinnamon and sea salt

mix together and cook on low stirring often.

It creates the most creamy texture combination. And the stirred in unsweetened applesauce brings a nice natural sweetness to the whole thing.

Topped simply with Tj's almond flax nut butter and Bob's super finely shredded unsweetened coconut.

I may have eaten this combo for breakfast everyday for the last week. It is so addicting between the texture and the natural sweetness. I just can't get enough.

Diner dinner

Sometimes a throw together meal can turn out to be a fabulous one.

I hadn't made turkey meatloaf in a very long time. I took a cue from an old recipe in Cooking light and kinda made up this recipe as I went.

I mixed together 1/2 pound ground dark turkey and a 1/2 pound white ground turkey. Along with 1/4 cup oats, 1/2 of a grated zucchini (ring out any moisture from the grated zucchini), 3 TB. BBQ sauce, 3 TB. Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Mixed together and baked in a non stick loaf pan. Make sure you top the meatloaf with ketchup, a classic meatloaf topping. Covered with foil and baked at 350 degree's for about 45 min.

Served with sweet potatoes, my favorite. You could also serve it with some classic mashed potatoes or even roasted potatoes.

A little ball of heaven

Healthy no bake dough balls, and oh so yummy.

Crunchy peanut butter dough balls to be exact.

In a bowl mix:

1 cup nut butter of choice (I used Tj's all natural crunchy salted peanut butter)

1/2 cup non fat powdered milk

1/4 cup raw local honey

3 TB. raisins

3 TB. dark chocolate chips

Mix together, roll into balls and let sit on some parchment paper for 1 hour to let the balls firm up. I like my dough balls straight from the fridge, the texture is just like a peanut butter cup.

You can also take these to the next level and finish them by rolling am in coconut, drizzling with melted chocolate, or going all out and dipping the whole thing in melted chocolate, my personal favorite.

Big bowl of veggies

My idea of a perfect meal always includes a big salad.

What I love about salads is that they are super filling and nutritious. My salads are always packed with delicious flavors, like this one.

My favorite lettuce choice is mixed greens or romaine lettuce. And choked full of veggies like carrots, mushrooms, thinly sliced red onion, asparagus, celery, bell peppers, and broccoli.

Finished with the perfect cheese such as Parmesan, grated Swiss, cheddar, or feta. And topped off with some seasonings and the perfect dressing.

It's a scramble

I absolutely love eggs. They are packed with protein and are a quick and easy meal anytime.

This scramble had a Mediterranean twist to it. In the scramble is some egg whites along with half a yoke for some flavor. Combined with turkey breakfast sausage. Once the eggs and sausage were cooked I added some sun dried tomato, chopped spinach, and feta. I saved the spinach for the end so that it wouldn't get soggy.

Enjoyed with a seasonal treat, a blood orange. If you've never had one before you should definitely try one.

A delicious meal for breakfast or a quick and easy dinner.

Talking to Kids about the Earthquake in Japan

By Adair Parr, M.D.

Our hearts and condolences go out to the people of Japan and the families involved in the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan last week. 

Everyone has seen the live images, captured on cell phones and video cameras, coming from Japan.  They are vivid, dramatic, compelling, and scary.  We have all watched the coverage on television and online as more and more photos and videos circulate showing the massive tsunami wave rolling over the sea wall, shaking houses and buildings, fires, explosions,  and the massive destruction afterwards.  The subsequent explosions of the nuclear reactor and news of a nuclear reactor meltdown near Sendei, Japan are also extremely disturbing. 

Our 24 hour news cycle enhances the impact of these images which can be traumatizing for viewers of all ages.  Media has a particularly powerful influence on children and adolescents, and the pictures it shows shapes a child’s perception of the world.  Young children watching images of disaster believe that the event is happening in real time, and they’re in danger.  At such times, helping children feel safe and protected in their own home and community is important.  Parents should keep in mind the following tips when viewing photos and videos during and after disasters:

• Be vigilant!  Not all sources of media provide warnings about upcoming traumatic images.


• Viewing traumatic images may be re-traumatizing.


• Limit children’s exposure to media coverage of the event.


• Co-view media coverage of the trauma and discuss content with children and adolescents.


• Encourage children to draw, write, play music, and exercise in ways to express their feelings about the traumatic events.


• Maintain structure and family routines. 

HealthyMinds.org has more information on how to talk to your children about disasters.

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A classic

Who doesn't love cheesy and crispy chicken parmesan, it's a classic. But it's not the healthiest. I believe that almost everything can be made into a healthier version of it's original self. I've created a baked version that is equally delicious.

Let's begin!!!

Start with two chicken breasts sliced horizontally through the middle, making 4 thin slices of chicken breast. In a bowl combine Parmesan, Italian seasoning, basil, garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper. Coat each chicken breast on both sides with the cheese mix and lay in a baking dish coated with non stick spray.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min.

Topped with marinara sauce and served with a side of whole wheat elbow pasta. A delicious and healthy classic Italian dinner.

Creamy soup

I have a serious love for soup. It's comforting, filling, and my soup is always packing a big nutritional bang. What I love about this soup is how quick it is to throw together. And also how warm and comforting this bowl of soup is.

In a big pot combine:

1 TB. olive oil

1 diced onion and shallot

1 package frozen broccoli

1 package frozen hash browns

1 quart organic non fat milk

spices: Italian seasoning, garlic, red chili flakes, sea salt, pepper, and basil

2 diced Tj's sun dried tomato chicken sausage

1/4 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese

*Bring to a slow boil and reduce heat to medium. Simmer on low-medium for 30 min.

This is a great soup to freeze and save for a mid week last minute dinner. I would also suggest serving this with a nice crusty soup type bread. A perfect soup for dipping.

Date night

What's the best thing about weekends, it's date nights. And what's the best thing to do on a date night, when you want to just stay home and relax. Cook together and make pizza makes for a nice evening if I do say so myself . So that's what my Saturday night plans were.

Me and my date made homemade pizza. It was delicious and easy to make.

I was in charge of making the dough while my date was chopping away on the veggies. I used a recipe from Jenna. The dough was simple to make and came out soft and delicious, you can find the recipe HERE. Topped off with homemade pizza sauce (a can of tomato sauce, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and garlic). The veggies included red bell pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, and red onion, along with some local mozzarella cheese.

This was the best pizza ever and a great meal for two on a rainy night. Great when you just want to stay in and watch a movie.

Apple cinnamon mini stack

An apple a day keeps the doctor way, and makes for a tasty breakfast.

For me apples are sometimes that forgotten fruit that can be enjoyed many ways for breakfast. Such as mixed in creamy oatmeal, on top of waffles, mixed with yogurt, or made into a topping for pancakes.

This little mini stack includes layers of mini Kodiak pancakes with sauteed apples. The apples were peeled, diced, and mixed with cinnamon, pure maple syrup, and a dash of water for some moisture.

Layered and stacked up with a drizzle of almond butter and a sprinkle of Yogi walnut spice granola.

This will help change up my usual morning banana slump and help me make it to the summer growing season.

How Much Sleep Do Kids Need?

By Gariane Gunter, M.D.

Children these days are busier than ever!  I often hear from parents that it is such a rush to fit everything in and still get the kids to bed on time.  I struggle with the same dilemma at my house.  As a mom, I understand how difficult early bedtimes can be, however, as a psychiatrist, I know why an adequate sleep schedule is so significant for our child's physical and emotional health.   

The American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Your Child's Sleep provides some helpful guidelines regarding just how much sleep children need at different stages in their development. Keep in mind that these numbers reflect total sleep hours in a 24-hour period. So if your child still naps, you'll need to take that into account when you add up his typical sleep hours.

Birth-6 Months, children need 16-20 hours

6-12 Months, children need 14-15 hours

Ages 1-3, children need 10-13 hours

Ages 3-10, children need 10-12 hours

Ages 11-12, children need 9-12 hours

Teenagers need 10-12 hours of sleep per night

Kids need a lot of sleep, huh?!  Children and teens who are sleep deprived may show some difficult behaviors.  They may display frequent irritability, overreact emotionally, have difficulty concentrating, forget things easily, wake often during the night, and may even display hyperactive behaviors.

Teaching kids how to keep a nighttime routine that gets them to bed early will help your children be at their best.  Sweet Dreams!

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New direction

I feel like a computer nerd lately. Spending hours trying to figure out what is the issue with my computer. Why are things so challenging sometimes. But some good things have come out of this down time. I have spent some time thinking about some things and making a few decisions.

I have decided that as my life goes in a new direction I'm also ready for my blog to go in a new direction. I have decided to focus more on testing and creating healthy recipes and sharing those recipes with everyone. So what this new direction means is that I will not be posting twice a day or even everyday. And I will not be focusing on a day in the life of me.

Instead I will be posting about every other day. And when I do I will be sharing a delicious and healthy recipe. Whether it's breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, or dessert inspired. And don't you worry, I will still be whipping up a lot of recipes using oats.

Test test, hello

Well it sounds like I don't need a new computer. Just some up grades, more memory for my computer, and a different way of organizing my pictures and publishing my posts. Please hang with me. I'm getting things worked out and you know I will be back better then ever very soon.