Start of summer

I've been trying to enjoy the nice summer day's that we've had here and there. It's been nice to get in some additional running, biking , and gardening.

Today was the first day of the farmers market where it hasn't been pouring down rain. So I biked on over to pickup some strawberries. The market was packed! I guess the whole neighborhood was excited that it was sunny out. I also found some local organic cherries. I can't wait to enjoy all these delicious berries for breakfast tomorrow.

I also picked, by yours truly some raspberries today, also organic and delicious. They really need another week or two to hit there peak but they were still tasty.

Happy father's day

Every dad needs a plate of cookie's for Father's Day. Nothing say's I love you like doing a little baking.

Especially when they are blondies! I did take a little help from a box mix, I'm not gonna lie. So I don't have a recipe to share with everyone. But they were organic and I did add my own special twist using applesauce for some of the butter and also added some giant milk chocolate chips to the mix.

You can't have blondies without some chocolate chips in it. I was shocked that the mix didn't have them included. So I took it upon myself to add some in. And boy was it a good idea, yum.

Thank you to my dad who always fixes my car, house, and life. He's definitely clocked in some time on all three in the last year. Thank you for everything you do and I know you will continue to do. Oh and your current list of home repairs is still waiting for you. :)

Love your daughter.

Summer salad

If your hosting a summer dinner, attending a BBQ, or heading to a picnic this is a great salad to serve.

I've been growing my own lettuce and boy is it growing fast. I harvested some and chopped it up for the base of this summer salad. The greens were a mix of spinach, romaine, mixed greens, and red leaf lettuce. Topped with sliced strawberries and some lemon thyme. The thyme is from my herb garden and one of my favorite herbs. The hint of lemon is delicious.

Topped with some balsamic vinaigrette, given it a toss, and served up.

There's so many summer variations to this recipe:

* feta

* fresh grated white cheddar

* sliced almonds

* pistachio's (something unexpected)

* raspberries instead of strawberries, or maybe both!!

* sliced peaches or nectarine

* other herbs such as dill or basil

Since it's summertime just make sure it's fresh, local, and in season fruit for that special over the top flavor.

Seeing Stars is a Serious Deal - Sports-Related Concussions

By Claudia L. Reardon, M.D.

Concussions in athletes have received increased media attention recently.  More and more evidence shows that there can be serious short- and long-term consequences of concussions if athletes return to physical activity too soon.  A concussion is a brain injury and must be treated very seriously. 

How do you know if someone has sustained a concussion?  Signs and symptoms of a concussion after an athlete hits his/her head include:

• Headache


• Nausea/vomiting


• Dizziness


• Vision changes


• Sensitivity to light and sound


• Feeling confused or groggy


• Concentration difficulties


• Inability to remember events before or after the hit


• Mood, behavior, or personality changes

Importantly, most athletes with concussions won’t experience all of these signs and symptoms.  Some of them might not appear for hours or even days.  If you, a coach, a game official, or medical provider suspect a concussion, take the following steps:

• Remove the athlete from the game/practice immediately.


• Seek medical attention.


• Do not return to physical activity until cleared by a physician.  Returning to activity too soon can cause long-term physical and psychiatric problems and even death.


• When returning to play, do so gradually, under the guidance of your health care provider.

Sports participation has many positive physical and mental health benefits for children and adults alike.  In the spirit of competition, athletes and coaches often want to do everything they can to win.  However, if a concussion is suspected, it is not worth it to risk long-term brain damage to stay in the game to help the team.   

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Way to a man's heart

They say the way to a man's heart is with food. Well I hope so cause I'm taking that one all the way. I made dinner the other night for my date.

For an appetizer I made some fresh homemade guacamole. I've never made guacamole before but I figured it would be simple enough. But out of desperation and since I was already stressing about making the perfect dinner. I decided to take a little help from my favorite friend, Trader Joe's. I picked up a kit that included avocados, lime, tomato, shallot, garlic, and jalapeno.

This was soooo easy to make. You literally dice 2 ripe avocados, 1 tomato, 1 jalapeno, 1 shallot and 1 garlic (it came with 2 shallots and 2 garlic cloves, but I thought that was a little much), with 1 lime and then you add your own salt and pepper.

Once assembled in a bowl you just mash and serve with Trader Joe's organic corn tortilla chips. I would declare these chips the BEST ones.

Well the guacamole was a hit and my date declared it the BEST guacamole he has EVER had. Coming from this foodie guy that was the VERY BEST compliment I could have ever received on my cooking. He does enjoy food which makes me want to keep on cooking.

Like the cookies I have in the works for this weekend. He's fixing my bike so it's the least I can do. Well that and I know he has a major weakness for cookies. So I'm going to use it to score some major points! Foods always the way to a man's heart, remember that!

What does Archbishop Desmond Tutu say about Mental Illness Stigma?

Watch exclusive interviews with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and actress Lorraine Bracco who attended this year's APA Annual Meeting in May.  Also included, video posts from HealthyMinds.org bloggers Dr. Claudia Reardon, Dr. Gariane Gunter, and Dr. Molly McVoy.  Have a mental health issue on your mind? Our Healthy Minds bloggers will anwser right here! Let us know what you want to know

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Towards A Healthier View of Happiness: Human Fulfillment

By Roberto A. Blanco, M.D. 

I believe that mistaking what one would call pleasure or joy with happiness is causing people a lot of unnecessary pain.  In popular culture and the media, “happiness” is the feeling when you open a brand new bottle of soda, when you have a party with your friends, or when you get a new car.  Consumer culture has subtle but noticeable effects on people’s beliefs to the point where most people buy into these images or ideals consciously or unconsciously to some extent.  

But, this is not the meaning of happiness for which we should be striving.  This is because pleasure, while it may be fun, is superficial and impossible to sustain.  Even for people who live a “charmed life," it is impossible to find pleasure or joy in all events in life.  In fact, unless there is some larger or longer-lasting definition of happiness such as human satisfaction that fills our lives, it is likely that we won’t be able to find joy in anything.  Events that should provide joy will lose their effect eventually without some deeper meaning.

This may be why many people become depressed.  A lot of us put pressure on ourselves to be “happy” all of the time.  Because we confuse pleasure for happiness at times, the fact that we are not “happy” all of the time can lead to more dissatisfaction with life or lack of fulfillment.  If happiness equates with pleasure or joy, how can we be happy and happy with ourselves when we are going through difficult but worthwhile transitions?  What about during periods of grief? 

It is often very difficult to sustain superficial happiness especially when the inevitable thoughts of ‘why am I feeling bad?’ or ‘why am I not happy?’ creep into the mind.  These thoughts often cause people to feel guilt and then as if they are failures.  To be joyful and smiling all of the time is just an unrealistic goal and we should not feel bad about ourselves if we happen to be in a difficult stage of life.  We need to keep in mind that it is all part of a larger plan or goal of development, human fulfillment or self-actualization.

The search for a good definition of happiness is not a new idea and certainly not one that I thought of.  Over 300 years before Christ and in his book entitled NicomacheanEthics, Aristotle proposed his definition of happiness to the ancient Greek people and laid out his arguments for the meaning of happiness.  He argued that having true happiness is the best and final aim for human activity.  Aristotle called true happiness “eudaimonia” which was a type of long-lasting happiness more consistent with human fulfillment or satisfaction.  Aristotle also believed that happiness should be human fulfillment and not confused with joy or pleasure when he wrote:



For one swallow does not make a spring, nor does one sunny day;

similarly, one day or a short time does not make a man blessed and happy.

I agree that human fulfillment is a loftier goal than joy because when someone is having a difficult time or fallen on hard times, they can still be working towards human fulfillment. During these formative or growing experiences, we can still feel as we are fulfilled or fulfilling our own self-actualization even if we aren’t joyous.  When we take into consideration human fulfillment, we no longer need to feel guilty or as failures during difficult times, transitional periods, or episodes of grief.  We begin to see life from the wide angle of human fulfillment rather than from the small picture of pleasure.

Kahlil Gibran, the famous Christian mystic poet from the early 20th century, also believed in eudomainia.  When Almustafa, the all-knowing visitor in the poem The Prophet, answers a woman’s question on pain, he exemplifies this belief in the beauty of human fulfillment and long-lasting satisfaction despite these painful episodes:

And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy;

And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.

And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.

As people living in a society where mental illness is so common, we must seek to understand happiness and human fulfillment.  In the hopes of making happiness something more meaningful and sustainable, what we should be striving for is an eternal, longer-lasting form of happiness which is known as human fulfillment or as the Greeks called it eudaimonia.  This is because human fulfillment rather than joy or pleasure allows for the different stages of our lives and growth without having to feel guilt or as if something is wrong.  If we make human fulfillment the goal, we will live happier and more satisfying lives.  Now the obvious question becomes, how do we achieve it?

1.  Aristotle (1999).  Nicomachean Ethics. (Martin Ostwald Trans.)  Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.

2. Gibran, Kahlil (1964).  The Prophet .  New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

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Full agenda

Dating sure seems to take up a lot of my time. But it's so much fun!!!!

Indoor bouldering was so much fun last weekend. It was also really hard, but I actually did really well. I was just sore for a few days after. This weekend's plan's include some biking, hiking, and a trip to the zoo.

My meals have been kinda thrown together lately. Although random and not so pretty they have met all my nutritional needs.

But I did make a quick and easy Mexican casserole with cornbread on top the other night.

The base is vegetarian refried beans, salsa, and black beans. Topped with Bob's red mill cornbread mix and some reduced fat cheddar cheese. Served up with some lettuce for a veggie and some Greek yogurt for a good source of added protein.

I also made some granola bars for a good go to snack or easy breakfast.

Mix together:

1 cup spelt flour (my new favorite flour for baking)

1.5 cups oats

3 TB. sliced almonds

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

dash salt and cinnamon

In a separate bowl mix together:

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup almond milk (our milk of choice)

1/4 cup applesauce

2 TB. coconut oil

Mix together dry and wet ingredients. Bake in a non stick pan at 350 degrees for 15 min.