Marilu Henner's Blog, page 152

The family that eats together…

The importance of family dinner is often overlooked. Researchers have proven that sitting around the table and sharing a meal has long-term value for our families and even our society.

Teens from households where family dinner is common are more apt to be well-adjusted and more motivated in school (Columbia University, 2007). They also relate better to their peers, and are less likely to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or try marijuana.

Kids aged 9-14 who typically eat dinner with their families consume more fruits and vegetables, drink less soda, and eat less fried food (Harvard Medical School Obesity Prevention Program).

Regular mealtimes with parents and children increases each child's sense of belonging and stability, and boosts the family's feeling of group connection (American Academy of Pediatrics).

That doesn't even cover the fact that kids learn practical things too, like table manners and how to participate in adult conversations.

 

More classes are coming soon!

Every month at Marilu.com we have online classes – an opportunity for you to learn more about healthy living from Marilu and her hand-picked coaching staff. We just finished the awesome Viva La Vegan class, and now we're looking forward to Coach Robbie's class in August.

Classes are included with your membership! Not a member? Sign up now!

Here's what you can look forward to for the rest of the year!

HEALING PRACTICES * August 15-26 2011

Coach Robbie, an anthropologist, shares healing practices from around the world. Join today!

BACK TO BOOTY SCHOOL—EUROPEAN SEMESTER * September 2011

We're going "on location" (virtually) with Coach Evi to explore healthy living in Europe. Recipes, lifestyle and cooking tips from several different European countries…it's our own version of a semester abroad!

GRATITUDE * October 2011

As we prepare for the holidays, we get into a mindset of gratitude and abundance with Coach Robbie.

GLUTEN-FREE LIFE * October 2011

Coach Jill helps us understand the gluten-free life. If you have family or friends who are GF (for any reason), join us for recipes, cooking tips, and lifestyle tips.

HOT FOR THE HOLIDAYS * November-December 2011

This class is your all-around holiday preparation and organization class with Coach Jan.

Become a member now and get all these classes!

 

What are you getting over?

We're here because we want a better life, a longer life, a healthier life – a life of adventure and excitement and living our dreams. The better we feel in our bodies, the less disease and illness impacts our daily lives, the more we're going to enjoy life.

But most of us are going to have to get over some things to get there.

What's holding you back from living your dream?

What can you do about it?

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

If one of the things you have to get over is the idea that fitness is too much effort, or too much time, or too much money… well, get up and move. March in place, or dance, or do some squats or jumping jacks.

//www.marilu.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/03 - Gonna Get Over You.mp3

 

Featured recipe from Marilu's table * Fresh corn salad

Fresh sweet corn is at its best in July! Pick up some corn at your local farmer's market or roadside stand. You may be able to buy it shucked; either way, remove the husks and silk from the ears.

To cut the corn kernels from the cob, you can use a special cutter… or you can put a small cereal bowl upside down in a large bowl and stand the cob upright on the bottom of the small bowl. Use a paring knife to cut down the cob, and the kernels will fall into the large bowl. It's still a bit of work, but it reduces the cleanup of scattered corn kernels.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Fresh Corn Salad

from Marilu Henner's Healthy Holidays: Total Health Entertaining All Year Round

Blue * Serves 10

5 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

8 cups fresh organic corn kernels (10-12 ears)

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

3 organic scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 cup julienned organic sweet basil

Heat 3 Tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn, salt, and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes, or until just cooked and no longer starchy. Remove from the heat. Stir in the red onion, scallions, cider and balsamic vinegars, and the remaining olive oil. Allow the salad to cool; stir in the basil before serving. Serve cold or at room temperature.

 

Spirit Sunday * Everyone is connected

When news of world events is too awful, when our problems seem too much to bear, when we feel like we're drowning in troubles, it's time to reach out.

We're all in this life together. Let's help get each other through the rough times, with love and encouragement and presence.

 

Time for some ketchup and relish!

Weekends often get the ketchup and relish treatment in our house.

Saturdays seem to get filled with tasks, as we ketchup (catch up) on the things that we've lost track of this past week. Are the bills paid? Mail sorted/filed/recycled? Laundry done and put away? General clutter under control? Dishes clean and put away? Garden weeded and watered? Lawn mowed? Bathroom cleaned? Car filled with gas (ugh!), cleaned out, and washed?

Then on Sundays, we add a layer of relish. We relish our family with hugs and time together. Relish our home by enjoying the work we've put into it. Relish our friends with an impromptu party. Relish our free time and 'me' time with a little relaxation.

Sometimes it feels like we exhaust ourselves on Saturday, do absolutely nothing on Sunday so we can "recover", and then we're back at work on Monday. (Dare we say this method just doesn't cut the mustard anymore?) This weekend we're going to put the ketchup and relish in balance. We're going to make sure there's lots of relish on Saturday, and a bit of ketchup on Sunday. It's going to be a great weekend!

 

 

Fitness Friday * Create your own tour

In honor of today being the last mountain stage in this year's Tour de France (and the 100th anniversary of the Tour being in the Alps), why not get on your bicycle today? Create your own "Tour" and identify trails that you can make into different stages. Over the course of the next couple of months, you can see your region from the seat of a bicycle!

The links below have different kinds of trails listed for all of North America. Check here for information about some major European trails.

Mountain biking * thousands of jeep and forest roads, singletrack and double-track trails, gravel rail-trails, technical hillclimbs and steep descents, easy cruisers and epic rides– something for mountain bike riders of all abilities and experience levels

Rails-to-Trails * former railway lines that have been converted to multi-use trails for public access and enjoyment. The nationwide rails-to-trails effort has yielded great trails and paths around the country for walking and running, road and mountain biking, in-line skating, and horseback riding for equestrians

Road biking * everything from easy road biking routes and rambles to moderately strenuous cruises and extended epic century bike rides – on thousands of back roads, country roads, cycling routes, and paved rail-trails

 

Featured recipe from Marilu's table * Chopped salad with tarragon

Bastille Day was a week ago, but the Tour de France is still going on, so we have a French-style recipe today.

To make this salad into a main dish meal, double the salad dressing recipe, and marinate 2-3 ahi tuna steaks in half the salad dressing for about 20 minutes. Discard the dressing used as marinade. Sear the ahi tuna over high heat (or grill over a high flame) on both sides, about 2 minutes a side. Slice the tuna into thin strips. Make larger salad portions and divide the tuna among the salads. Garnish with the chopped tarragon on top of the tuna. Makes 3-4 servings.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Chopped Salad with Tarragon

Purple * Serves 8 (side dish)

2 organic red onions, diced

4 medium organic tomatoes, diced

1 organic cucumber, halved lengthwise and diced

1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives

1 small head organic red-leaf lettuce leaves, stacked and sliced into 1/4-inch strips, then halved crosswise

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tablespoons tarragon vinegar

3 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard

1 Tablespoon organic or fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1/3 cup olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chopped fresh organic tarragon

In a large bowl, combine the onions, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and lettuce and toss with your hands until everything is evenly distributed.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, vinegar, mustard, and lemon juice. Whisk in the oil in a s stream until well blended. Season to taste with black pepper.

To serve, gather a handful of salad and gently drop it onto a salad plate, forming a pyramid. Sprinkle with the dressing and top with the fresh tarragon.

 

What's your reward?

No, we're not talking about bribery.

A bribe is really something you get when you do something to make someone else happy.

A reward is something you get when you do something that makes you happy.

As a parent, you've probably bribed your kids into good behavior – or seen it at the grocery store. "If you're good, I'll let you pick out a candy bar at the checkout." (Why not offer an apple after they're paid for? But that's a different issue.)

As an adult, you can reward yourself for doing your exercise every day, for drinking enough water, for eating 5 servings of vegetables each day, for dropping a dress size. Choose a reward that will motivate you to do your best. Here are some we love:

Jewelry * The good stuff. Maybe a charm bracelet with a charm for every reasonable increment (10 pounds, or a dress size, or every half-marathon, or something like that).

Stars * On the calendar, yes. For every day of exercise, give yourself a gold star. It's motivating to see them add up through the month.

Tickets * Choose a play or concert or movie premiere you want to see, but maybe can't quite justify. Reward yourself by enjoying the event. If you miss your goal, give them away. (No, we're not kidding.)

Sporting goods * If you want some new equipment, put it out there as a reward. This could be a new or new-to-you bicycle, treadmill, kayak, golf clubs, tennis racquet, or … whatever you want.

Membership or Lessons * If you've been working out at home, a gym membership might be the perfect reward. Dance lessons or a fitness class or a cooking class (healthy cooking!) are other options. Or maybe you want to learn about meditation or flower essences or making soap. Maybe you want to learn a foreign language or how to play an instrument. If it's interesting to you, learn it as a reward.

Travel * Whether it's a weekend in a downtown hotel or a week in your dream destination, reward yourself with a trip to get away from it all.

Spa * From a manicure to a massage to a full day of treatments, a spa is a delicious reward for a busy person.

 

We're having a heat wave

Holy cow, it's been hot this summer!

When it's hot, be sure to increase your water intake, and eat plenty of wet foods. If you don't feel like cooking, you still need to be eating. There are plenty of good hot-weather meal choices, from cool soups to wraps to grilled foods (use that outdoor grill) to main-dish salads.

You can still exercise, but you may want to do it in the comfort of your air-conditioned home or gym. You may want to break up your exercise sessions into several 10-minute sessions, so you don't get overheated. Be aware of heat index warnings, and don't work out outside unless you're conditioned for the weather. Remember that heat + humidity = thunderstorms, and be prepared for severe weather if you're going to be outside.

Now get up and dance!

//www.marilu.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/02 Heat Wave.mp3