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Showing posts from September, 2013

Slow Cooker Lentil Soup

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My son and I were home alone on Sunday and had one of those super lazy days where we stayed in pajamas all day long and didn't leave the house.  What a nice treat complete with hard rainfall, cozy covers, and movies on t.v.  Around 11:00 a.m. I got up and threw together a simple slow cooker lentil soup and enjoyed the yummy aroma emanating from the crockpot throughout the afternoon.  It's really nice to know that dinner's cooking and you don't have to worry about it later- gives you more time in your day and something to look forward to that night.   INGREDIENTS (from America's Test Kitchen) 2 medium onions , minced 4 medium garlic cloves  2 TBS Extra-virgin olive oil (for serving, optional) 1TBS tomato paste  1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, soaked, rinsed and minced 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves , or 1 teaspoon dried Salt and pepper to taste 4 cups vegetable broth 4 cups chicken broth 4 slices of bacon  3 carrots, chopped into 1/2 inch chunks  12 ounces po

How to handle a dog attack

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For most people, dog attacks are not very common. But they happen occasionally, and the experience can be traumatic. Incidentally, they are also a good reason why I am not a big fan of barefoot walking or running. Broken glass pieces and nails can be a problem if you are barefoot; so can dog attacks. The photo below, from Dreamstime.com, shows a charging dog. It reminds me of an incident many years ago where a dog attacked my two oldest sons, who were very young at the time. They were unsuspectingly playing at a park in Southern New Jersey, when I saw a dog running in their direction across the park. Part of what I will say in this post is based on experiences like that. I should also say that I grew up around dogs. My grandfather had a farm that was managed by my uncle, and dogs were critically important in managing the farm. One problem we had was that domesticated pigs would often become feral, or would mate with wild boars, in some cases leading to a particularly vicious breed

Faith

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via

Baked Fish in Parchment Paper // Fish en Papillote

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Fish isn't necessarily one of my go-to meals, but I eat it because it's good for me and is a change from my typical diet.  One of the easiest ways I know to bake fish is in parchment paper.  En Papillote    (pah-pee-YOHT)  means to steam small portions of food in a wrapper. Most recipes I've seen for  Fish en Papillote  combine onion, zucchini, carrot and garlic.  You chop the veggies, season with olive oil and salt and pepper, and arrange them on top of your fish with sliced lemon slices and sprigs of thyme or other aromatics.   Place all the ingredients on the parchment paper and fold the paper tightly to create a seal for the food to steam while cooking.  Put the package on a baking sheet and cook at 375 until the fish is cooked through about 12 minutes. Then cut open the packets and serve directly on the paper or remove onto a plate with a spatula. I recently used this method to cook salmon, but instead of the veggies above, added asparagus.  Because I didn't chop

ASICS Running Shoe

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I'm surprised I've had this blog so long and haven't talked athletic shoes with you!  My all-time favorite running/workout shoe is ASICS .  I've been wearing them for years because they are so well constructed, fit my foot perfectly, no weird arch, and plenty of cushion.   I'm crazy for this new design series (GT) in bright pink and orange.  My current shoe is the  ASICS Women's GT-1000 in silver, purple, and aqua.  I found mine at Academy, but they also sell them on Amazon.  At about $100 ($62.60 on Amazon with free shipping), I consider this type of shoe an investment because if my shoes are uncomfortable, don't fit well or wear out too easily, it affects my workout negatively.  I do run in these shoes, but I'm not training for any marathons (although I think you could with these shoes).  What athletic shoe do you love? * * * * *  You can  FOLLOW  Honey We're Healthy or CONNECT on  Pinterest ,  Facebook , and  Twitter . * * * * * 

Faith

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This blog began as a spin-off from my home decor/organization blog, Honey We're Home .  I wanted a place to write about health and fitness, and share with people how a busy, working mom attempts to live a healthy lifestyle.  But, there are more aspects than just clean eating and exercise that are critical to living really well .  It's a combination of relationships (with girlfriends, kids, parents, coworkers, and significant others), career, financial freedom, creativity, play, hobbies, and finding joy, being authentic.  We are physical, emotional, sexual, and spiritual creatures.  For me, a major component of life includes my faith in God and my relationship with Him .  I went to church very infrequently as a kid, (we went typically at Easter and/or Christmas) but my parents always instilled in me the knowledge that there is a big God who knows me intimately and loves me very much.   It's pretty difficult to manage to have all areas of your life gelling at once.  Your car

Spin Class

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Are y'all doing spin class?  I haven't done it in a really long time and miss it!  I've been doing most of my cardio on the stairmaster lately and was thinking of other cardio I could do for variety and spinning came to mind.  The only bad thing about spinning is that you usually have to be a member of a gym to take a class or go to a studio.  I'm going to find a class at my gym soon.   via I've found that the best classes are the ones with an instructor whose style you like the best and who plays the best music.  If you've never taken a spin class, just arrive a few minutes early and talk to the instructor.  They will help you adjust the bike to your height and explain how to dial up or down the intensity.  You can go at your own pace though and work as hard as you feel comfortable.  Spinning is such an awesome workout and not just for your legs.  Some teachers have the participants do push-up motions on the handlebars, etc.  Unless you sneak out of the class

You Can Do This

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Most days I'm a very loving and kind person.  Sometimes I need tough love.  When I saw this quote on Pinterest it really resonated with me. via No sweet words of encouragement.  No gentle reminders to take care of yourself.  Just straight-up truth.   I needed that.  Maybe you do too.  * * * * * You can follow Honey We're Healthy on FACEBOOK & PINTEREST . * * * * *

Waist-to-weight ratios in pictures: The John Stone transformation

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John Stone is a bodybuilder and founder of a bodybuilding and fitness web site ( ). There he has provided pictures and stats of his remarkable transformation, which were used to prepare the montage below. John’s height is reported as 5' 11.5". Below the photos are the months in which they were taken, the waist circumferences in inches, the weights in lbs, and the waist-to-weight ratios (WWRs). Abhi was kind enough to provide a more detailed plot of John Stone’s WWRs ( ). Assuming that minimizing one’s WWR is healthy, an idea whose rationale was explained here before ( ), we could say that John was at his most unhealthy in the photo on the left. The second photo from the left shows a slightly more healthy state, at a reported 8 percent body fat (his lowest). The two photos on the right represent states in which John’s WWR is at its lowest, namely 0.1544. That is, in these two photos John minimized his WWR; at a reported 14 and 13.8 percent body fat, respectively. When w

Small Steps Everyday

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via  A House in the Hills All those little, difficult, kickyourass steps are worth it.  Over time, they add up to a lot of distance.  And only you can take your steps so YOU OWN THEM.  No one can take your steps away.  Be proud of them.  I'm proud of you.  Today I am thankful for every woman who has written to me and trusted me with her story, her struggle and who has taken the time to encourage me too.  I think we need each other.  I had a beautiful breakfast with my two close girlfriends this weekend and it was long overdue.  We used to do breakfast regularly at "our place" but now I can't remember the last time we were all together in the morning.  So, I'm thankful for those two women who give me strength and who appreciate me, flaws and all.  I always say there's nothing better in the world than a little baby, but girlfriends are pretty high up there too.  I hope you have a great week!  Take a small step today.  

Caprese Salad

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Sometimes, like last night, all I wanted to eat was a big fresh bowl of caprese salad.  Tomatoes, mozzaralla, basil and olive oil.  Can it get any simpler or more beautiful? I buy cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls in liquid, and fresh basil for the best tasting salad. Slice the tomatoes in half with a serrated knife. Then the cheese.  Try not to eat it all before it gets into the bowl. Tear up some fresh basil and toss it all together.  Add a sprinkle of olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar.  Enjoy! Also, I created a Honey We're Healthy PINTEREST board.  Go HERE to follow!

Essential Daily Vitamins for Women

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I think we all know it's important to take vitamins, but we don't always do it.  At least I didn't.  Part of the reason is because it feels like there is so much information on vitamins, I don't know what to take or where to start.  So, the easy thing to do is simply take a multivitamin and be done with it- if you remember to take it.   I've been researching what Dr. Oz recommends because I trust his information and can understand what he's saying.  Here's what I found he suggests and what I'm currently taking.   A Multivitamin Dr. Oz says that we only need 100% of the daily value of the 12 essential vitamins and minerals, with iron for pre-menopausal women.   When purchasing your vitamins, check for bottles labeled 100% daily allowance on label.  Multivitamins fulfill your nutritional needs for the day.  Multivitamins contain: Vitamin A – critical for healthy vision and skin Vitamin B – a metabolism booster Vitamin C – keeps your immune system strong, e