Gearing up for the "Take a Chill Pill" Challenge.....

Causes of Stress:
anger
dissapointment
dead-lines
unorganized workspace
unorganized home
too much sleep
not enough sleep
too much exercise
lack of exercise
too much information
poor eating habits
lack of nutrients
alcohol
drugs
unrealistic expectations
no expectations
pain
lack of purpose
lack of sex
no on/off switch
constant tardiness
lack of spiritual practice
extreme, fanatical spiritual practice
blood-sucking, energy draining relationships
no real relationships
over-eating
starvation
financial difficulties
lack of funds
too much money

These are just a few causes of stress in our lives.  Next week's challenge is going to be "Take a Chill Pill". Some of us might have a few of these in our lives, some may have just about all of them.  Some of them can be changed, omitted.....some are more difficult to overcome.  In the midst of our struggles and the things that occupy our minds 24/7 we need to take time to step away from our problems and learn to chill.  Most of us are always running on empty and never take time recharge, refuel, or restore.  Taking time to chill can give us a new outlook on life and perhaps a new way of viewing, healing and hopefully eliminating the stressors in our lives or at least dealing with them in a healthy, more practical way.

Get ready.......we are going to learn some ways to "Take A Chill Pill!"

If you wish to participate in this challenge, click the FACEBOOK icon here on this site or email me at:
metamophosis321@hotmail.com !

And this is my Daily Cyn..........

A Healthier Lasagna

Mmmmmm....Lasagna! Who doesn't love it? This delicious concoction of layers upon layers of wide noodles, melted cheeses, and tomato sauce is the traditional celebratory meal of every Italian house-hold.  Every holiday my mom asks us what we want for dinner and we all beg for her famous lasagna! 

When my son was growing up, lasagna was not just reserved for special occasions.  It was his favorite meal.  Every couple of months I would make a big pan of my healthy version, divide it up and freeze it.  That way, when he said he wanted lasagna, all I needed to do was pop it in the oven. 

Stouffers has a commercial that suggests you can bring the family together if you serve their lasagna.  It is a nice idea but honestly, any meal will gather your loved ones around the table; you just have to plan it. I have tried the Stouffers version and speaking as a true Italian, it is NOT lasagna! It is frozen solid and packed with fat, calories and preservatives.  I would NEVER serve it to my family! They also have a Vegetable Lasagna but don't be fooled into thinking its healthy because of the vegetables.  It is even more fattening and unhealthy than their traditional style.

A few reasons why we usually reserve lasagna for special occasions are because it is time consuming to assemble, takes awhile to bake, and it's loaded with meat and cheese which makes it rich and full of fat and calories.  In honor of National Lasagna day, I thought I would share a few ways to make it a little easier and less of a guilty pleasure. 

Whole grain all the way........
Whole wheat pasta of any kind is always the better alternative.  It might take some getting used to but eventually you and your family will enjoy it and prefer it over the typical white flour kind.  Whole wheat pasta tastes better in my opinion and holds up better with sauces or in casseroles.

No cooking required........
You can completely eliminate one whole step in your lasagna preparation if you use noodles that don't need to be boiled first.  You can find "No Cook" or fresh lasagna noodles in gourmet stores and most Italian specialty stores.  You might need to use a bit more sauce than usual because the dry noodles will soak up some of the liquid as it bakes. Make sure you take that into account or your lasagna will be too dry.

Add some green.........
Tossing some spinach into your lasagna will boost the nutrients.  Steam a pound of fresh spinach in a little water and drain it very, very well  and chop it up. You can also use a small package of frozen chopped spinach. Thaw it, drain well, and add just mix it into your ricotta cheese mixture.  You can even use frozen chopped broccoli, if desired. 

Leave out the meat..........
Whole wheat noodles and cheese makes lasagna a complete protein (meaning....it has as much protein as a piece of steak).  You certainly don't need the meat.  It is just one more time consuming step (you need to brown the chop meat first) and turns your masterpiece into layers of fat upon fat.  If you MUST have the meat, use lean ground turkey.  You can also try a meat alternative like MorningStar Crumbles.  One package is equivalent to one pound of chop meat.  Quickly brown it in a frying pan with a little olive before adding it to the lasagna.  Once it's all cooked and the flavors all meld together, your family won't notice it's not real meat!

Tofu to the Rescue......
Cut back on the fat and calories in all that ricotta cheese by subsitution some it with crumbled tofu.  If you are using one 32oz container of ricotta, use only half of it and make up the difference with the tofu (be sure to drain the tofu well before adding).  Once you crumble it up with a fork, it looks exactly like the ricotta cheese. Tofu is high in protein and takes on the taste of whatever you cook it with. 

You need a little fat.....
Fat free ricotta cheese and mozzarella in your lasagna is a complete disappointment.  Don't try it! I never use fat-free products of any kind.  They are artificial, plastic-like substances that never taste like the real thing and to use them in something you've worked so hard on is an abomination.  Your lasagna will never taste the same or as satisfying.  If you are concerned about fat, mix 1/2 of reduced fat ricotta cheese with the whole fat kind. Do the same with your shredded mozzarella.  It's okay to indulge once in awhile and this is one of those times. You will be more satisfied and eat less if you have it the way you want it.  And.....if you are omitting the chopmeat, you won't feel as guilty having the cheese.

Roll it up...........
This is no less time consuming, but it is a fun and different way to make lasagna. Take cooked whole wheat lasagna noodles (the no-cook type won't work for this), spread a layer of your cheese mixture, top with a little chopped spinach and roll each noodle up lengthwise.  Place them on their sides into a baking pan (spread a thin layer of sauce in the pan first), pour a little more sauce over just bake in the oven.  Bake covered for about 30-45 minutes, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and then put back into the oven uncovered for about 5 more minutes until cheese is melted.  Figure 2-3 rollups per person (4 if your guests are very hungry).  This is an impressive meal to serve to company and less heavy than the traditional slices of layers and layers of pasta, sauce and cheese. 

Get creative! Have fun! You can toss just about anything you want into your lasagna: toasted pine nuts, shredded carrots, sliced mushrooms! Prepare it with all the love you have in your heart and your family will love you for it...........

And this is my Daily Cyn.............

The Ticket Stub........

Always the visually inspired person......here is something that might be insignificant to you, but it means everything to me. While riding the train home one Friday a year ago, I was filled with sadness and incredible loss. The conductor noticed, took a ticket stub, punched a smiley face into it, and handed it back to me.


Take this ticket," he said to me. " Look at it, make your wish or say your prayer and put this in a place where you will see it everyday. Don't stop wishing or praying until what you ask for comes to pass. When it does, pass it on to someone else who needs it."

I did exactly what he said and I still have the little ticket stub on my bulletin board where I can see it daily. I say my prayer and believe that it will come to pass when the time is right.

What is it that you are asking for? Do you know you might not have what you want because are not actually asking for it? Regardless of whether you believe in God or the power of the Universe working all things together on your behalf--put it out there and ASK.  Keep asking and believing until your prayer is answered. 

My faith is not in the little ticket stub, but in the act of asking and believing. This little token was given to me by someone who genuinely cared at that moment and hated to see a girl looking so lost and sad.  I was at the lowest point in my life and I had lost all faith.  In an instant it was restored by an act of kindness.  There is great power in a gesture like that.


And this is my Daily Cyn........

Sugar Blues- (sneaky ways sugar creeps up on you and keeps you addicted)

Sugar is a drug.... a subtle, great tasting drug.  You might not even be aware you are addicted.  You alway want something sweet.  You crave it.  Dinner is not complete without a tasty dessert.  You can't walk past a vending machine with out buying a candy bar during your mid-afternoon break.  When you are good for a whole week you reward yourself with the sweetest, most sinful dessert.  You even get your kids hooked on sugar by promising ice cream or cookies for a few hours of good behavior.  The more sugar you eat, the more sugar you crave.

Sugar is a man-made substance that was not designed by nature and was never meant to be consumed by humans... which is why it makes us so fat! But just like any drug, once you break free from the hold of it's addiction, it loses it’s power over you and you will be able to say “No” to eating sugar.

And if you’re like many of my clients and myself, the thought of eating sugar will actually gross you out. You may not believe from where you are sitting right now that sugar could be gross, but this IS how it happens.

Wouldn't it be great to look at a plate of donuts like you would look at a crack pipe with chemical-glaze on top?

SUGAR IS A DRUG THAT YOU SHOULD NOT  WANT ANYWHERE NEAR YOUR BODY.

Breaking an addiction is hard, but if you have the right TOOLS, it CAN be done. I've seen it happen lots of times and there's no reason that it won't work for you.

Sugar addiction is one of the hardest addictions to break because today sugar is in EVERYTHING. You are probably eating foods with sugar in them and you don't even know it.  And now that sugar is in EVERYTHING, the first step in breaking your addiction to sugar is to become aware of it.

Awareness is the KEY!

Become aware of what foods have sugar in them. Make the habit of reading the ingredients label on all your foods. You're going to be amazed at how much sugar you're actually eating.

Sugar is in your drinks, mayonnaise, ketchup, all your condiments, salad dressings, sauces......

So the first step is becoming aware of where sugar is around you by reading the ingredient labels on everything you eat and always asking, "Does this have sugar in it?"

Sugar is subtle and sneaky with lots of "code names". Here's a list of words that really mean sugar:

- sucrose

- lactose

- glucose

- dextrose

- honey

- sorbitol

- fructose

- maltose

- molasses

- corn syrup

- maple syrup

- corn sweetener

- juice concentrate

- natural sweeteners

If you see any of these in the ingredients, think of them as SUGAR.

Our Metamorphosis Challenge this week is SUGAR BLUES. We are going to to try and avoid sugar for the next 7 days.  That means, no donuts for breakfast, no sugar in your coffee (and no artificial sweetners, either), no sweet stuff after dinner.  The purpose of this challenge is to make you aware of how much sugar you actually do consume on a daily basis and how much better you will feel once you eliminate it. As with any drug, you feel good for a little while, but eventually you will begin to crave more and more until it begins to control you and possibly ruin your life. 

If you are fatigued all the time, wake up feeing exhausted, have trouble falling asleep at night, don't have the energy to accomplish your tasks, you are gaining weight, and you are lacking that spring in your step; sugar COULD be the culprit.

I am not saying you can NEVER have sugar again.  I am not that unrealistic.  The best part of the wedding is the wedding cake, there are birthdays to celebrate, and occasionally you just want to bake brownies.  I just want to cause an awareness of how much sugar you actually consume in a day, to stop the cravings and the vicious cycle, and be the healthiest, most radiant person you can possibly be. 

If you wish to join the Sugar Blues Challenge with us, click on the FACEBOOK badge here on my blog-site and attend the event.  You can also comment here if you wish to participate or email me at:

metamorphosis321@hotmail.com.  Just be sure to put Sugar Blues in the subject line!

And this is my Daily Cyn.......

To Fish or Not to Fish...........

I don't eat cow, deer, pig, or fowl but on occasion I will eat salmon or tuna (not tuna in the can- FRESH tuna!). I agonized over adding fish to my diet after not having it at all for years.  I became very ill a few years ago  and my doctor asked me if I would at least consider eating it a couple of times a month.  I had been burning the candle at both ends for many years and was suffering the effects from running on nothing but pure adrenaline for such a long time.  I needed slow down and heal or else!  I tried for many years to be a die-hard vegan but it just wasn't working with the lifestyle I was leading and the stressful work environment I was in.  I gave it my honest effort but there came a time I just needed to "give in!"  When I am extremely stressed, a nice piece of grilled salmon really does help me feel better. I made the painful decision to occasionally add it to my diet.

I am the only non-meat-eater in my family and circle of friends.  It's tough to exist in that environment.  Most people think I just don't eat red meat so when I go to their home for dinner or a BBQ, they want to feed me chicken.   I don't DO chicken! I always make sure I have a veggie burger wrapped in foil to toss on the BBQ or I try fill up on the vegetables and salad at the dinner table. I am very satisfied with a baked potato and a salad for dinner when everyone else is enjoying roast beef or baked ham. A couple of years ago I was invited to a friend's for dinner.  She assured me that she had warned her family that I was a vegetarian.  Her mom served a beautiful lasagna and as we sat down to dine, I learned that they were all making a great sacrifice on my behalf because the lasagna was prepared with ground turkey rather than the traditional chopmeat filling they usually enjoyed!  I swallowed hard, smiled, and tried to pick out the pieces of meat as inconspicously as I could and cover it all with my napkin. I don't think any one but my girlfriend actually noticed what I was doing.  We still laugh about it to this day!  
 
When I go out to a restaurant I usually order salmon or sushi-grade seared tuna. Tuna steaks are much too thick and the consistency is too "meaty" for me to enjoy or digest. Choosing fish as my entree is often much healthier than the so-called vegetarian options on the menu (usually some kind of pasta dish in a rich creamy sauce). Other times I will order pasta with fresh broccoli, garlic and oil but it is often prepared with chicken broth which I DON'T want! When you are a vegetarian for many years and are not accustomed to animal fat, your body is no longer able to digest it and the side-effects of anything cooked with meat or in beef or chicken broth are disasterous to say the least.  I do suffer a bit when I eat salmon or fresh tuna but not as badly. 
 
A great option for those of you who choose not to eat red meat or want a healthier alternative, is seared grilled tuna.  Always make sure it is sushi-grade fresh tuna. It should be bright red (it is only tossed on the grill for just a minute so you get that delicious grilled taste), sliced very thinly,  and often has a sesame seed crust. There is virtually no fat in this meal and usually served with a spicy wasabi sauce or some kind of soy ginger dressing to dip it in. Ciao Baby! (an italian chain restaurant) and The Outback serves it as an appetizer. I always order it as my entree with a big tossed salad when I go to either of those places.
 
Some people will argue with me that I am not a true vegetarian because once-in-a-blue-moon I will eat fish.  99.9% of the time my diet is a plant-based diet.  If a bean dish or tofu is offered on the menu at a restaurant, I will choose that instead, but honestly, how often is that going to occur?  Most of the time we end up at some kind of steak-house for dinner and it's tough to sit there munching on a dish of steamed brocolli when everyone else is enjoying filet mignon or prime rib. This is when I either opt for the fish (grilled or steamed- no sauce) or order a big salad and a baked potato.  It depends on the mood I am in.  I am done beating myself up emotionally over this or feeling like a "veggie failure". There is no Veggie God in the sky waiting to strike me the next time I eat a piece of fish!  It is what it is and I refuse to be in bondage to anything, including food. 
 
And this is my Daily Cyn...........

Mix it Up

Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.....

The person who coined this phrase probably lived a century ago when times were much different.  Folks rose at the crack of dawn and had farms to tend, livestock to feed, crops to plant and harvest. They ate large breakfasts to provide fuel for the many tasks at hand, stopped for lunch in the late afternoon, and before crawling into bed at sundown, enjoyed a light supper.

Life is different now; as are our eating habits.  Most of us don't even eat breakfast in the morning.  Some of us are so busy at work that we often skip lunch and then make up for it with enormous dinners. Skipping meals and then overindulging later will eventually compromise our health and our waistlines. 

I have been thinking about my own eating habits lately. I eat well, I don't binge, and very rarely indulge in foods that are fattening or unhealthy.  Given the way I do eat, I should be a stick figure but instead I am carrying around extra pounds I don't want. I have especially noticed this over the past year and I am not happy.  Yes, I am in my late forties, don't exercise as often as I should, and I am going through menopause.  These could be contributing factors.  Genetics can also play a part but I have worked very hard my whole life to avoid being obese like the majority of my family. 

I can and should exercise harder and more often but "the change" and aging I can't do anything about. 

My life has changed in the past year.  My jet-setting, wild and crazy lifestyle came to a screeching halt when I fell in love and decided to give my first relationship in ten years an honest effort. My guy and I only see each other on the weekends and occasionally one night during the week.  We tend to eat a lot of pasta when we are together.  I am a vegetarian and he would never be satisfied with the tofu, grains, greens, and salads I eat.  We usually have dinner together late at night and he doesn't want me to prepare two different meals; he wants us to share one.  Some kind of mararoni dish seems to be the only choice that will make him happy. Before I started dating my guy, pasta was something I very rarely ate.

 Now that I am in a relationship, I go straight home after work most evenings rather than going out with friends.  This is a big change for me but I am certainly not sitting around snacking alone all night. I don't even have anything in my house to really snack on. 

So why am I having issues with weight?

 Some friends and I are participating in a Conscious Eating Experiment.  We are learning to be fully aware of what we are eating, when we are eating, and why.  I am giving this an honest effort because I don't want to be carrying this weight around any longer.  It makes me tired, unhappy and self conscious. One of the major things I have noticed, besides my current less than glamorous lifestyle, is that I tend to eat dinner late every night. By the time I get off the train after work, come home, unwind, feed the cat and prepare and cook something to eat, it's 9:00PM.  I am the most energetic in the morning and afternoon.  At night (unless I am out)  I want to chill, work on the computer or watch TV.  So I am eating a big dinner late at night, sitting down, expending very little energy, and falling asleep on a full stomach.  This can't be good!

Combine my big late night dinner with my need for more exercise, the big change in my lifestyle, my age, and the fact that I recently entered menopause.  Sounds like a recipe for weight-gain!

I have decided to mix things up a little.  I usually eat breakfast mid-morning.  It's a healthy breakfast but not a very large one.  If I add more protein to my breakfast it will keep me going until late afternoon.  I can eat my lunch around 2PM and make that meal larger than what I am accustomed to.  My lunch will be more like dinner. When I get home later after work I can have something light like soup, a salad, or some lean protein and fresh steamed vegetables.  Consuming larger meals during the day when I am expending most of my energy will cause me to burn off the majority of what I eat.  I am willing to give it a try. 

Now, if I can just find another spot to put all those clothes draped over my treadmill, I should be thin again in no time............

And this is my Daily Cyn..........

Time

I recently began to read again one of my favorite books by Deepak Chopra called The Book of Secrets....Unlocking the Hidden Dimensions of Your Life.  I have a habit of devouring a book completely and then revisting it again several months or even a few years later.  I always discover something new within the pages, learn new lessons, and the message of the book seems to be exactly what I need to hear at that moment. 


One of the subjects that Deepak touches on in this lovely book is our relationship to time.  He writes that time isn't demanding; although we all act as if the clock rules our existence (or if it doesn't, we still keep a close watch on it).  Time is meant to unfold according to our needs, and wants.  It will start to do that only if we give up the belief that time is in charge.

We are always racing against time.  This causes unwanted stress and we accomplish nothing.  We don't grow and nothing changes.  We are like hamsters running furiously in an exercise wheel.  We are exhausted but we are still in the same place.

In order to move to a new stage of growth, we must resolve to change our relationship to time.  The best use of time is to reconnect with your being; who YOU are.  The misuse of time does the opposite; it takes you away from who you are.  Allow yourself to be in the present moment. To be present is to be fully aware and fully conscious of the time and space you are in.  Nothing else should occupy your mind but what you are doing at that very moment.  In the present moment the river of time is allowed to flow.  To go along for the ride we need to nothing but remain absolutely still. 

Try to adopt a few or just one of the resolves below and see how it changes your reality. 

I will let time unfold for me.
I will keep in mind that there's always enough time.
I will follow my own rhythm.
I will not misuse time by procrastination or delay.
I will not fear what times brings in the future.
I will not regreat what time brought in the past.
I will stop racing against the clock.

And this is my Daily Cyn............