Teaching Kids to Eat Green

I absolutely LOVE this idea! This is a pilot program in NYC where students spend time in a garden planting their own plants. I know kids in our area get the opportunity in school to do the same thing. They reap and sow - and feel the intense pleasure of both. But not only do these kids get to harvest what they grow, they're also given lessons on how to prepare the food, too! They get to taste test and experiment.

Care to guess whether they enjoy vegetables more now?

How about adults trying this, too?! If you don't have access to your own garden, you can either plant in pots, or rent a plot of ground from a farmer or a food coop. You just might surprise yourself with how much more you eat of this food group than before!

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Break Your Weight-Loss Goals Into Manageable Chunks

I watched my teenager stuff her mouth so full of food, I was afraid she'd choke! Her cheeks were so packed that she could hardly chew! While it was funny, and we had a good laugh at her expense, it reminded me of goals. For this blog, we're talking weight loss and fitness goals. But goals are goals, regardless the subject area!

You see, a goal can seem huge, overwhelming, daunting and nearly impossible. We can psyche ourselves out and feel as if what we want to achieve is impossible. We might begin to wonder if we've bitten off more than we can chew. Yes, I think my analogy is becoming clear...

I'm currently a mother of many children, working a full-time job and taking two MBA classes this fall. There have been days, as I'm highlighting a textbook while working out on my elliptical machine at 11:00 p.m. at night, that I've wondered whether I've bitten off more than I can chew ... in over my head ... that MBA classes are the straw that broke the camel's back.

That's when I sit down and map out each little step I need to take to reach my final goal.

A large goal usually isn't met overnight with one event. It takes a series of events, repeated over and over and over, to finally attain your dream. For my classes, when I'm overwhelmed that I have 300 pages of text to read, one test, and a 25 page paper due in two weeks - I map out what I need to cover each day in order to finish in two weeks.

It's no different with your weight-loss goals! So you want to lose say, 50 pounds. Okay, does that sound like a huge amount? Overwhelming? Does your heart start palpitating when you think about how much that is? Take a deep breath. It's DOABLE! Yes, it is! But it won't happen overnight by eating healthy for only one day! I WISH!

No, it's going to take breaking that goal up into daily chunks that are manageable! For example: "I will walk for 30 minutes each day this week and eat three vegetable servings a day." Boom. You did it...you made a game plan for today that will get you closer to your goal! Instead of looking at 50 pounds, you've broken it down into something that will help you lose maybe 1 1/2 pounds this week.

Don't let the big picture scare you. While you have to plan for it, breathe and zero in on today. Then tomorrow. Then the next. Each day adds up until your goal is finally met.

You can do it!

Michelle Obama's Arms - Video

Whether you like President Obama or not, it appears universal that women love Michelle Obama's arms!

Msnbc.com posted a video featuring just HOW the first lady does it. But to me, even more important than HOW she tones her arms, is the attention given to her fitness philosophy! She's a stickler for commitment to exercise and touts individual responsibility when it comes to one's own health. She's a proponent of the idea that each and every day is filled with health and nutrition choices that have a cumulative effect on one's own life and our national health.

Her physique is evidence of her fitness ideology! No more proof required ... she doesn't just talk the talk about health, she obviously walks the walk.

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Orchard Granola Crisp - YUMMY Fall Recipe!

Okay, I couldn't resist sharing this with you - a perfect fall recipe from the latest edition of Clean Eating magazine.

I LOVE fall. The smell of cool wind and changing leaves, the feel of crisp air, sweatshirts, bonfires...and apple picking! By now, you know my family and I head to the apple orchards this time of year. Mmmmm. Nothing like biting into a freshly picked Honey Crispin apple - it's so delicious - it tastes as sweet and satisfying as a dessert!

Any apple for that matter is worth picking. You just can't go wrong! And if you're as fortunate as we are here in upstate New York, your orchard might just also have pear trees to go along with this recipe.

If you're adventuresome and love recipes chockful of fabulous ingredients, here you go! ENJOY!

ORCHARD GRANOLA CRISP
By Joanne Lusted
Serves 8

Hands-on time: 30 minutes Total time: 1 hours, 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
FILLING
• 2 Granny Smith apples (or your favorite variety),
quartered, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 Anjou pears (or your favorite variety), quartered,
cored and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup unsweetened dried cherries, coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup or raw organic honey
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp arrowroot powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch nutmeg, freshly ground

BASIL YOGURT CRÈME
• 1 cup low-fat plain organic yogurt,
strained overnight in cheesecloth
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Prepare filling: Combine all filling ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Pour mixture into a 2-quart oven-safe
nonstick baking pan (about 8.5 x 11 x 2), ensuring the mixture is evenly distributed. Set aside.
3. In another large mixing bowl prepare topping: Combine oats, almonds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Add agave nectar, oil, cinnamon,
nutmeg and salt to bowl and stir well to completely coat oats and nuts with seasoning.
4. Spread topping mixture evenly over filling mixture in baking pan. Cover with aluminum foil and place onto a baking sheet to catch any liquid
that boils over during baking. Place pan into oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until mixture bubbles at edges and fruit is tender when pierced
with a knife. Remove aluminum foil and place pan back into oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until granola topping is crisp and golden brown.
Remove from oven and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes at room temperature.
5. While crisp is baking, mix strained yogurt and basil together in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until needed. To serve, slice crisp into 8
portions and serve immediately with a dollop of Basil Yogurt Crème.

NUTRIENTS per 1-cup crisp and 1-oz yogurt topping:
CALORIES: 280
TOTAL FAT: 11 g
SAT. FAT: 1.5 g
CARBS: 41 g
FIBER: 6 g
SUGARS: 23 g
PROTEIN: 7 g
SODIUM: 55 mg
CHOLESTEROL: 0 mg

GRANOLA TOPPING
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup whole raw almonds, lightly crushed
• 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup or raw organic honey
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch nutmeg, freshly ground
• Pinch sea salt