Easy Prep Breakfast – #TuesdayTip

You’ve heard it said time and time again that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Eating a healthy breakfast helps kick-start your metabolism, but if you’re like me, getting up super early to rush to work, making breakfast can be tough and eating out usually does not involve healthy items. What’s a girl to do? Thanks to my daughter for her suggestions on meal prep in order to eat healthy. That has me sharing with you today two easy prep breakfast items that are truly healthy and tasty as well! Plus you can mix them up to add whatever fruit you happen to love. I usually eat mine with strawberries and/or blueberries which are both excellent sources of vitamins and fiber.

Overnight Oats

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened Almond Milk (or substitute other nut milk, soy milk or milk of your choice)
1 cup rolled oats (Not steel cut as these are too tough)
1 tbsp honey (or sweetener of your choice, like agave syrup or raw sugar)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a container and let sit for at least 6 hours, but preferable overnight. In the morning top with fruit of your choice, nuts, cinnamon, or any topping of your choice. You can also mix this up by adding some yogurt to the oats or cocoa powder, peanut butter, you name it. You can also toss some chia seeds in there as well for extra protein. It’s very versatile!

Chia Seed Pudding

Your first question may be “What are chia seeds?” Chia seeds are what some are calling a “superfood.” They are a plant seed packed with fiber, anti-oxidants, protein and more. For more info, please see https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/truth-about-chia#1. Besides using them in this pudding, you can also add them to salads, etc. for some extra nutrition.

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened Almond Milk (or substitute other nut milk, soy milk or milk of your choice)
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Mix liquid ingredients and then add chia seeds and mix. Place in a container and refrigerate, preferably overnight. The seeds tend to clump on the bottom of the container so shake after an hour or so. Like the rolled oats, you can mix in a number of other ingredients or change out part of the almond milk with coconut milk, etc. It’s all up to your own personal preferences. If you don’t like the feel of the seeds (kind of like poppy seeds), then zap everything in a blender before allowing to set overnight.

Original Chia Seed Image by Milada Vigerova from Pixabay

Overnight Oats Image by Depositphotos

April 8, 2019July 14, 2023

#MotivationMonday – A Great Start!

Happy to say that I’ve watched the scale go down every day since last Monday. In total I’ve lost 4.4 since I first posted last week and that’s awesome considering I was hoping to have lost 5 pounds by the end of April. That puts me ahead a little, but as those of us who have struggled know, there will come a time when you reach a plateau. That’s when you’ll need the most willpower to not give up.

For now, here are some of the things I’ve done that may inspire you to make some changes for a healthier you!

2. I’m drinking more water and less diet soda. I’d cut back anyway before, but now I’m cutting back even more by making seltzer with my awesome Sodastream and drinking that instead. A few fresh fruit slices, like lemon, orange, or strawberry and it’s even better.

3. I’ve up the intensity on my morning walk by adding music to get me moving faster. I’ve also upped it with my elliptical workout by increasing the speed for a minute at five minute intervals. I’ve reached 80% of my max heart rate at those levels (128). Don’t know how to figure out your max? Subtract your age from 220. That’s generally your max heart rate. Safe limit is 60-90% of that max rate. Of course, always check with your doctor first before any kind of exercise.

4. I’m eating more fruits and vegetables.

5. I’ve started journaling what I eat again. It’s not all that hard with the Fitbit app on my phone. FYI – I love my Fitbit and the community. We always challenge each other to meet our step counts. You can find me at https://www.fitbit.com/user/3GZT48. Caveat – I own Fitbit stock just to keep it all on the up and up.

That’s about all! Will keep you post on further progress next week.

April 5, 2019

#FridayNight – It’s time for the florist!

It’s almost Friday night and tonight we’re off to the florist to pick out the flowers for the wedding! So exciting! I can’t wait to see what my daughter wants (besides Lily of the Valley which are impossible to get at times). I think she’s looking for a Jane Austen kind of feel so let’s hope it all goes well. In the meantime, some of my fav flowers for you!

April 4, 2019

#ThrowbackThursday – You gotta believe!

It’s that time of year when a young woman’s mind turns to BASEBALL! We are all big baseball fans in our family, including our soon-to-be son-in-law (still find it hard to say that, but in a happy way!). In any case, lucky for us he’s not a Yankees fan because we are diehard Mets fans. It takes character to be a Mets fan and so we celebrate the little things, like this brush with the trophy for the 1969 World Series win! And now it’s time to “Play ball!”

April 3, 2019

#WednesdayWisdom – My Love of Upcycling

Those of you who follow me on Facebook have seen some of my renovation projects, like my park bench makeover, hall tree, or small table. I love being able to salvage things that still have lots of life left to them for a variety of reasons. One of them is because doing so reminds me of my grandfather. He could fix ANYTHING, but on top of that, he came from a time where even the smallest things, like a nail, were precious. I remember him having a collection of nails and screws in the garage in little baby jars because in his day you didn’t throw out useful things.

Now that we’re moving, I find myself doing the same thing as I organize my little section of the garage so that I have a place to work. I’ve got jars filled with screws, nails, and bolts for assorted projects. I’ve got a list of things I want to do and am excited about tackling them.

Another reason I love upcycling is that I get to see a project take shape in a way that is much more immediate than writing. That provides a lot of satisfaction. So does saving money on not having to get new things, but making old things seem new!

Finally, I feel like keeping something useful from ending up in a landfill is my little way of helping the environment.

How much do I love upcycling? Well, the heroine of a new book I’m working on is going to be a furniture flipper! That’s how much! LOL!

April 2, 2019

#TeaserTuesday – The Takeover Effect by Nisha Sharma #TheTakeoverEffect

Today I’m sharing a new release from my buddy Nisha Sharma! Nisha’s THE TAKEOVER EFFECT is out today and if you love powerful women and alpha heroes who fall instantly in love, then you should check out this novel! Here’s a little teaser for you:

Mina will do whatever it takes to recover control of her motherâ€™s law firm, even if it means agreeing to an arranged marriage. Her newest case assignment is to assist Bharat in the midst of a potential takeover. It could be the key to finally achieving her goal while preventing her marriage to a man she doesnâ€™t loveâ€”as long as her explosive attraction to Hem doesnâ€™t get in the way.

As Mina and Hem work to save Bharat, they not only uncover secrets that could threaten the existence of the company, but they also learn that in a winner-takes-all game, love always comes out on top.

To find out more about THE TAKEOVER EFFECT or to purchase it, please visit:

To find our more about Nisha (and congrats on the RITA nomination for MY SO CALLED BOLLYWOOD LIFE), please visit http://www.Nisha-Sharma.com.

April 1, 2019July 14, 2023

#MotivationMonday – Time to Get Healthier

For those of you who have been visiting over the many years, you know I’ve had an up and down battle with my weight. Sigh. It’s disheartening at times, but with my daughter’s wedding in a few months and a desire to get healthier in order to stay healthier, I am once again committing to changing my lifestyle. I hope you’ll help me out by sharing your stories and by following as each Monday I share my success and/or my troubles with that week’s goal. My overall goal is to lose 35 pounds by November 1, the big day when my baby gets married. My weekly goal is to lose one pound by eating healthier and being active. Here is a picture of me today as well as a photo of some cute workout clothes my sister got me for my birthday! Can’t wait to exercise in them! Thanks, sis!