**Announcement** FREE 90 Day Plastic Reduction Challenge starts 1.5.20. Subscribe to the blog below to join. Click here for more details.
Day 1: Braised chicken and parsnips, Mustardy kale salad with roasted sweet potatoes
Day 2: Succotash chowder
Day 3: Homemade pizza, Tossed salad
Day 4: Mozzarella stuffed turkey meatloaf, Shaved beet salad
Day 5: Carrot soup (from frozen supply), Corn muffins (from frozen supply)
Day 6: Hot dogs topped with sauerkraut (hold the bun), Kohlrabi sticks, Fruit smoothie
Day 7: Baked cod, Asian slaw with ginger-peanut dressing
Notes: Both the braised chicken and the meatloaf have short hands-on prep time, but longer cooking times, so plan accordingly. If you aren’t familiar with parsnips, they look like white carrots in the picture above. The flavor and texture is similar to a carrot, but with a little more nuttiness. Definitely worth trying!
My 10 year old son got in on the meal planning action this week. He has been studying different cultures from around the world and as follow-up work, he made a dish for his classmates from ingredients that were eaten by some indigenous people of the time period he was looking at. That would be the succotash chowder and it was a hit with the students! Now he wants to make it at home. If you don’t have Lima beans, you can substitute frozen edamame which you can also add to the Asian slaw this week.
I’m using some soup from my freezer to save on time this week, but the carrot soup is actually super easy to make within 30 minutes and you should double it and freeze half for a later date. Add a touch of honey if you like.
GLP Tip of the Week: Take 5 minutes every day and breathe. This time of year can be very chaotic and stressful. Gift shopping, meal planning, school events, concerts, holiday parties. Your to-do list goes on and on. The problem is you may not recognize how much this stress is building up and affecting you. The end result is usually anxiety and depression. If you live a constant state of fight or flight, your cortisol levels skyrocket and will manifest in other physical ailments such as irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, migraines, chronic fatigue, increased blood pressure, and even frequent colds and illness.
Every year I go through similar feelings. I burn myself out during December and then once the holidays are over I feel depressed and inevitably end up sick and laying on the couch. To help myself through this I would reach for sugary foods or alcohol. But, I’ve started to realize that by taking just a few minutes everyday to ground myself and bring everything back to the present helps me get through the stress without feeling depressed or invoking a pattern of nasty behaviors. Short meditation also allows me to accept what is, live in the present, focus on what really matters, and move on so that the stress doesn’t have lasting effects.
Here is a quick exercise you can do every day. Put a reminder on your calendar or phone and hold yourself accountable to do it no matter what. Just 5 minutes!
- Find a comfortable spot, sitting in a chair with your feet flat on the floor or sit cross-legged on the floor
- Close your eyes and say to yourself “Come what may”
- Begin by breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.
- Become aware of your breath and the rise and fall of your chest or abdomen.
- Notice how tense your jaw is. Relax the back of your tongue and let it fall to the bottom of your mouth.
- Now unfurl your brow and relax your eyes and forehead.
- Notice the feeling of your feet/sacrum on the floor, grounding you
- Continue to focus on your breath
- Thoughts will rise to your mind. Acknowledge them, then let them go like a balloon floating away.
- Recite out loud or to yourself: “May there be well-being for all, May there be peace for all. May there be wholeness for all, May there be happiness for all.”
- Take one last deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth and open your eyes.
