Happiness is a Journey...

I have a refrigerator magnet given to me by my mother that says "Happiness is a journey, not a destination." And it couldn't be more true.

Life gives everyone lemons, some more than others, and I am a firm believer that happiness isn't something we just wake up with every morning. It takes effort, and is something we must consciously strive for.

Negativity is all around us. Aside from whatever stress or misgivings we each have going on in our daily lives with work, school, family, friends, relationships, health, we are bombarded with scenes and images of crime, hatred, inhumanity, injustice, and violence on our television sets, our computers and our mobile devices. We are treated unfairly at work, we get into an argument with a loved one, we fail a test at school, we are hit with a health crisis, we get our heart broken. The negativity seems to carry a larger impact on our minutes, days and lives than the positive. And yet, we cannot crawl into a dark hole and hide. We must digest and process and overcome all of this on a daily basis, and muster a smile. We must find a way to block out the negative in order to present ourselves as fabulous, well-functioning, contributing human beings, and engage in meaningful relationships, and share love with those around us.

It is our daily journey to spread happiness and love and light in a place that is peppered with sadness and hatred and darkness. It is our daily task to find the pockets of beauty that exist. Beauty is there. There is more of it than we can see. Behind the bad test score, is a mother who will help pick you up no matter how many times you fall down. Following the violence, is a community that comes together to rebuild and spread love. After the failed relationship, is an opportunity to make connections with people you might not have met otherwise.

I challenge each of you to look for the beauty in your days. Or better yet, create the beauty. Smile at a stranger. Lend a hand to someone in need. Mail a card to someone you haven't spoken to in awhile. Play with a child the way you played when you were a child.

Remember, happiness is a journey, not a destination. We must make the effort for ourselves, and for others.

Sharing some happiness from my life:

Love.

Kindness.

Adventure.

S'mores!

Wine = Happiness, right?

Friendship and silliness.

Wonder. Amazement. Snow.

Sand and salt water.

Wide open roads.

Feet in the sand. Warm sun on the skin.

Sun. Boards. Beautiful day.

Flowers.

Fresh mountain air.

Nature.

When life hands you lemons...

*Now You Grow

Quinoa for Breakfast?

Quinoa Oatmeal Bake

Ingredients:
3/4 cup quinoa
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1-2 bananas, sliced
1 handful of organic blueberries or strawberries (add more for sweetness)2 cups of almond milk (vanilla)
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
2 healthy shakes of cinnamon
1 shake of salt or sea salt
a drizzle of organic amber agave nectar
coconut oil

Rinse the quinoa in a strainer, under water until the water runs clear.

1. In one bowl, mix together the quinoa, oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
   
2. In a second bowl, lightly beat the egg and incorporate the almond milk and vanilla.
3. Grease your casserole with coconut oil (yum!)
4. Cut the bananas into thin slices and cover the bottom of the casserole. Sprinkle some blueberries or strawberries across the bottom as well.
5. Spread the mixture in the first bowl (quinoa, oats, etc.) evenly across the casserole.
   
6. Pour the mixture in the second bowl (egg, almond milk, vanilla) on top.
7. Sprinkle some additional banana slices and berries across the top, and drizzle with organic amber agave nectar
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 - 50 minutes, until mixture is slightly browned.
   

 

Get Outdoors: Snowshoe for a Cause!

I have to admit, I despise gyms. I am not a fan of exercising indoors. I do not enjoy running on a treadmill to nowhere. I prefer to be outside amongst the trees and the birds and the sunshine. Warmth on my skin and fresh air in my lungs.

But.....it's winter. It's cold. In fact, Salt Lake temperatures have been downright frigid this year, and I won't even get into the air quality, or lack of it. 

And so this snowy, blizzardy Saturday, after spending weeks indoors, I decided to snowshoe. And not just any course, but a 5k for the Tubbs Romp to Stomp, a fundraiser for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. And yes, I said blizzardy...severe winter weather warning and all, the race must go on!

Sideways snow and 50 mph gusts, pre-race Zumba and pink-colored accents - and it could not have been more fun!

I encourage everyone to GET OUTDOORS no matter the season. And if you can dress silly and raise awareness for a great cause, even better!

A Little Bit of Growth

Okay, I have officially been gone forever! You probably thought I'd gone and forgotten about this little blog, but I haven't! I simply was under construction. Me, personally, not the blog. A few months ago, I made the decision to leave the corporate world behind. I traveled a bit, tried all kinds of new things, started building a consulting practice, and have grown bits and pieces in the process. That's what life is all about, right?

If we're not growing, we're staying the same.

 

Me, growing.



Speaking of growing, I read a great story today about a woman named Cecelia Gatungo, who currently lives in Atlanta, GA, but grew up in Kenya. She lived off the land as a child, and wanted the same for the children in her neighborhood. What began as a small garden in her yard, now amounts to a 2,000 sq. ft. farm in the middle of the bustling city. She's partnered with others: churches and schools that have donated land; the University of Georgia which provided advice on garden pests; other urban growers; and even a nonprofit which allows kids to work on the farm. You can read her story here: Growing Wild in the City 

 

I had my own experience with gardening this summer, and believe that not only is it an experience in personal growth, but it truly brings people together. Working off the land is difficult to describe. There are seeds, dirt and bugs, and there's sunshine and water. Then there are smiles and laughter, and family and friends, and new friends, and caring and sharing, and community. There's learning and growing. There's cultivating and nurturing, and some obstacles along the way. And there's the moment you bite into a tomato or a strawberry you've cared for, and watched grow. Magic.

 

If you haven't tried it, you must. Start as big or as small as you'd like. Build a garden in your yard. If you live in the city, try urban gardening (as long as you have a small balcony, you can grow in pots). If you have no outdoor space, invest in a plot in a community garden. Just grow.

 

Cecelia Gatungo has found a way to grow, not just herself, but her whole community. I'm growing one day at a time. Join me?

Ingredient Labels

When you're in the grocery store on your weekly run, what's the first thing you look at on a product package? I mean, don't get me wrong, I spend most of my time lately shopping the perimeter of the store, where packages are in less abundance (and non-existent in the produce department!); but when I stumble upon a package, my eyes head straight for... the ingredient list. 

The ingredient list?! Yes. Why the ingredient list, you ask? Well, it's simple. My thing is eating whole food. Clean food. Food that comes from the Earth. That grows in your garden. Not food that's processed in a factory. I say that with a bit of guilt because sometimes, I "fall off the wagon." Hey, we all do, we're human. And the purpose of my blog is to help those who are new to whole foods, new to being conscious of what they're putting into their bodies. Conscious of what they're purchasing at their local grocery store.

That's why the example I'm about to share (for the newbies, and let's face it, all of us!) is that of a packaged food. Chips! Even on my whole food regimen, I snack on occasion. There are still a few 'packaged' items I'll pick up in the store, and munch in small quantities. One of my favorite brands of chips is: Food Should Taste Good. Ingredient label is clean, their Original chips only have three ingredients! This is what you should look for when purchasing a packaged product. I like to look for products with less than ten ingredients; ingredients that are whole, and that I can identify. 

I was at the community pool with my family this weekend. They brought along a few bags of chips, and I was hungry! I scrutinized each label, before deciding whether or not I would indulge. Granted, they all had more calories, fat and sodium than I care to mention, I settled upon the second bag of chips. You'll see why:

The first bag contains:
a) Far too many ingredients.
b) The most glaringly obvious being monosodium glutamate (aka MSG) which I had a little run-in with previously, and therefore avoid like the plague.
c) Ingredients that I can't identify, aka food additives (e.g. disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate).
d) Artifical color (e.g. yellow 6, yellow 5 and red 40). Red 40 is the most used food dye in the U.S., and has been linked to behavioral problems in children, and compounds in red 40 have been linked to cancer.

The second bag contains:
a) Three ingredients: sweet potatoes, sunflower oil and sea salt. I don't know about you, but I can identify each of those.
b) All ingredients that I can pronounce and that come from the Earth (although sunflower oil undergoes a process from sunflower to oil).

Yes...calories, fat, carbohydrates, sodium and sugar are all important to monitor, depending what type of diet or healthy eating plan you're following. It's different for everyone. However, if you know you're starting with whole food, you're one step ahead.

If you're going to purchase packaged food at the grocery store, stick with what you know. Back to the basics, in a packaged way. ;)

Now you know, now you grow.

Time To Go Organic

As the terms 'organic' and 'natural,' and the associated behaviors become more and more mainstream, perhaps you've considered taking the plunge. Or maybe just dipping your toes in. But where do you start? What do you buy? And what exactly does 'organic' mean? 

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulates and provides guidelines for companies producing 'organic' goods to follow. I put 'organic' in quotes because the term has become so widely used, it's lost its true meaning. However, the USDA helps ensure the products you purchase fall within certain standards.

Look for this seal, when you're
purchasing organic products.

The good news is if you're ready to go organic, it's relatively easy to begin. If you're interested in taking charge of your health, and being conscious of what you're putting in your body, the first step is incorporating more fruit and vegetables into your diet.  However, we keep hearing how our country's produce supply is treated with multiple chemicals, including pesticides (what you spray on insects to kill them), fertilizer and even kerosene (an incendiary agent used to start a fire). Some produce is exposed to more chemicals than others, so if you're looking to go organic, where do you begin?  

My purchases from a recent grocery shopping trip. Organic strawberries,
blueberries, spinach, sweet potatoes and kale. Bananas, lemons, limes and brussel sprouts are not organic.

If you're on a budget (and who's not?) or this is your first time going organic, here's a tip: any fruit or vegetable where you'll be eating the skin or the outside, you should buy ORGANIC. Makes sense, right? Apples are one of the first that come to mind, and one of the most notorious for chemical/pesticide exposure. You pick up an apple at the supermarket, quickly run it under some water, and take a big, juicy bite. This is what you may be exposing yourself to: (top 50 pesticides used on California apples in 2009).  Yikes!

So, apples are an obvious fruit to purchase organic, and they come in just as many varieties organic as they do non. What else? Berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries) - super antioxidants, super fruit to buy organic. Peaches, plums, nectarines, and grapes. On the veggie side, celery, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, spinach and lettuce.

Start there. If you love your decision to go organic, if you think the strawberries are that much more juicy and flavor-packed, then move beyond this recommendation.  Here's a fabulous list from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) that lists the "Dirty Dozen" (fruits and vegetables containing the most pesticides) and the "Clean 15" (those that test with fewer pesticide residue).

Dirty Dozen:
1) Apples
2) Celery
3) Strawberries
4) Peaches
5) Spinach
6) Nectarines - imported
7) Grapes - imported
8) Sweet bell peppers
9) Potatoes
10) Blueberries - domestic
11) Lettuce
12) Kale/collard greens

Clean 15:1) Onions
2) Sweet corn
3) Pineapples
4) Avocado
5) Asparagus
6) Sweet peas
7) Mangoes
8) Eggplant
9) Cantaloupe - domestic
10) Kiwi
11) Cabbage
12) Watermelon
13) Sweet potatoes
14) Grapefruit
15) Mushrooms

Drop a comment below if you've recently decided to go organic, and tell me how you've made the change.

*Now you know, now you grow*

Where do you run?

What do you do to stay in shape?

I enjoy hiking, jogging, riding bikes - and snowshoeing and skiing in the winter. Sometimes I hit up a gym or an indoor fitness class, but I prefer to exercise outside; nothing like fresh air and warm sunshine to fill your lungs and clear your mind. I'm lucky I live in Utah where there are endless trails, mountains, meadows, and a variety of terrain to cover. It helps keep things fresh and fun.

One of my favorite 'clear your head' runs is the path that weaves its way around McPolin Farm in Park City. Wide open space, and a beautiful, monumental white barn (formerly a dairy farm) in a lush green, rural setting.

Jogging passed McPolin Farm

Down in the valley, I enjoy jogging around Sugarhouse Park. With a duck pond, a tiny waterfall and lush green grass, you forget there's a sprawling city all around you. What are your favorite places to exercise outdoors?

Dreaming under a shady tree, after a jog around Sugarhouse Park.