Marilu Henner's Blog, page 164

Spirit Sunday * Amazing grace

 

Serena Ryder recorded this stripped back arrangement of Amazing Grace for a fan whose mother passed away recently. It was a selfless act of sharing her talent.

Whatever your talents, whatever your gifts, always be open to sharing them. It's your very special way to share the divine spark, love and light, grace, joy with the world.

 

To all the moms

Happy Mother's Day!

Tomorrow is Mother's Day in the US, and whether you're a mom, a grandmother, an aunt, a sister, a daughter, a niece… you're probably mothering someone.

Thank you for the nurturing, and the caregiving, and the feeding and clothing, and the carpooling, and the endless cooking and laundry that you do.

Thank you for the hours you've spent listening, the heartaches you've shared, the band-aids you've applied, and the tears you've cried.

Thank you for the joys you've shared, the hugs you've given, the encouragement you've offered, and the celebrations you've organized.

Thank you for all the advice, and for the times you were brave enough to share it – and brave enough to keep it to yourself.

Thank you for being there for all the special people in your life.

The world is a better place for your mothering.

 

Fitness Friday * Nothing says paradise like a hula

You know you want to.

As part of our BOOTY CAMP class (you can still join the class and see great results!), we're spending three weeks in paradise – and that means (virtual) Hawaii, the home of our BOOTY CAMP coaches.

And nothing says paradise like a hula. We can't all hit the beach with a grass skirt and a coconut bra – but hey, if you can, go for it! – but we can all get moving with a hula hoop.

Your local discount store has hula hoops for a pretty low price, or you can make your own. Then it's just a matter of moving your hips. How long can you keep it up?

 

Get your Latin beat on

Latin music is great for dancing, and Latin dancing is hot!

What are you waiting for?

Take a Latin ballroom dance class with your partner. Think of how much fun the practicing will be at home.

Join a Zumba class and whittle your waistline while you dance to world beats.

Or just play the song below, and get up and move your hips. Yes, your hips. Sway them, circle them, shake them, work them!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Live a little bit of your own vida loca.

//www.marilu.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/01 Hanuman.mp3

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Amazon.com Widgets

 

Featured recipe from Marilu's table * SPArty gazpacho

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

This soup is great for warmer weather, and it's easy to put together, especially with a Vitamix (our directions included below).

We like to add a peeled cucumber and a couple of tomatoes to the mix of veggies, too. And we've been known to serve the soup with a small wedge of lime or lemon – if we have it.

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SPArty Gazpacho

Purple * Serves 4

2 yellow, or Vidalia, onions

2 green peppers, seeded and chopped fine

2 red, orange or yellow peppers, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1-1/2 cups tomato juice

pinch of cayenne pepper

3 Tablespoons chopped dill

3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

4 small slices avocado for garnish

Chop all vegetables, put in large bowl or tureen. Whisk oil, vinegar, and tomato juice together, adding cayenne, dill and cilantro. Pour over vegetables, mix gently. Chill 3 hours or more, covered. Serve plain or with small slice of avocado on top.

To make in a Vitamix *

Keep the produce in the fridge until you're ready to make the soup. Don't chop it fine, just remove seeds or peels (as appropriate) and cut it in big chunks. Put the ingredients in the blender container in this order – tomato juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, onions, peppers, cayenne, dill, cilantro. Put the switch on variable 1. Turn on, and increase the speed to 4. Blend about 30-45 seconds, so it's still a little chunky. No need to chill unless you want the flavors to blend a little. Serve.

 

Start your day with success

Make your bed, do your morning dishes, straighten up your bathroom, etc.

Just choose one thing and get it done in the morning. Doing your best at this first task will set you up with the right attitude for the rest of the day.

 

Hey sweetie

Sugar has been blamed for conditions such as hyperactivity, diabetes, hypoglycemia, bad moods, yeast infections, obesity, and tooth decay. Sugar depletes your body of all the B vitamins. It leaches calcium from your hair, blood, bones, and teeth. It interferes with the absorption of calcium, protein, and other minerals in your body and retards the growth of valuable intestinal bacteria.

~ Marilu Henner, Healthy Life Kitchen

 

Food for thought

YOU DESERVE TO BE HEALTHY.

 

What are you doing today to make that happen?

 

Sugar by any other name…

It goes by a lot of names, but it's all still sugar. If these ingredients are on the label, think twice before you buy (some of these are worse than others, but in the end they're all sugar, and should be avoided as much as possible).

Brown sugar

Corn sweetener

Corn syrup

Corn syrup solids

Dextrose

Fructose

Fruit juice concentrate

Glucose

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)

Honey

Invert sugar

Lactose

Maltose

Malt

Malt syrup

Maple sugar

Maple syrup

Molasses

Raw sugar

Sucrose (table sugar, white sugar)

Sweetened carob powder

Turbinado

 

Meatless Monday recipe from Marilu's table * Quinoa and black bean salad

This grain-and-bean salad is an excellent main dish (especially when served over a bowl of salad greens), and is perfect for buffets, potlucks, and picnics. It's a great brown-bag meal, too.

Chipotle peppers are sold in small cans in the Mexican/Latin foods aisle of your grocery store. They're quite spicy, so start with one, and if you prefer mild flavors, use only 1/2 Tablespoon adobo sauce. Freeze the rest for later use. If you like your food spicier, add a bit more of the adobo sauce (a teaspoon or so).

Allow the flavors of the salad to develop a bit before serving.

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Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

from Vegetarian Times, July 2001

Blue * Serves 8

2 cups quinoa, rinsed really well under running water

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

1 chipotle pepper in adobe sauce (comes in a small can), plus 1 Tablespoon of the adobo sauce

2 marinated sun-dried tomatoes

1 Tablespoon minced garlic (about 4 cloves)

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup olive oil

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

In medium saucepan, combine quinoa, 4 cups water and pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, cover (or halfway cover) and simmer until most water has been absorbed, 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and let cool.

In small skillet, toast sunflower seeds over medium-high heat until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In food processor or Vitamix, combine chipotle pepper with 1 Tablespoon adobe sauce, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, cinnamon and salt and process until smooth. With machine running, slowly add oil through fee tube and process until blended. (Freeze remaining chipotle peppers in adobe sauce for other recipes.)

In large bowl, combine beans and quinoa, sunflower seeds and cilantro. Add dressing and toss to mix.