Yes cabbage, I remember as kid my grandmother, affectionately referred to as Granny use to make red cabbage slaw and braised red cabbage all the time. It took me a while to reconnect with this veggie, but now that I have I love it. Here is a twist on a her recipe.

Braised Cabbage

• 1/2 head green cabbage
• 1/2 head red cabbage
• 2 T mustard (Dijon or Grey Poupon)
• 1/2 c chicken broth
• 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 t nutmeg

Simmer in a pot for 40 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

I know what you are thinking you should only eat cabbage on St. Patrick’s day or only if you are Irish, but cabbage has a lot of health benefits.

1. helps fight ulcers
2. promotes women’s health by helping to metabolize estrogen
3. protection against Alzheimer’s

If you’ve done something interesting with cabbage, let me know below!

Why is it so much easier to believe the bad vs the good’ Why don’t we ever look in the mirror and say, what nice eyes I have or wow my skin is so smooth. Instead we look at ourselves and see all the flaws and talk badly to ourselves worse than anyone would ever say to us. Hopefully, no one talks to you the way you talk to yourself. (more…)

When does your spring training kick into gear’ Is it when the last of the snow melts. Daylight sayings’ Or is temperature driven. Although I train year round, I am a wimp when it comes to the cold. I know I did train for a half marathon in the heart of winter. Umm… yes, I LEARNED my lesson. For me I start to get the spring training bug around the time of the Boston Marathon, or when I can comfortably go outside in a t shirt and shorts. Again, I’m a wimp so I’m not one of these people who do that when its 50 degrees outside. I know here in New England we get anxious because if you wait 5 minutes, you may miss your weather window. And we are all very wary of not having a summer like we did in 2009 so you want to make sure you take advantage of every great weather day. Before you go out all gun ho guns blazing here are some tips to help ease you back into the swing of spring. (more…)

Oatmeal Parfait

• 1/3 c cooked oatmeal
• 1/2 c Greek yogurt or cottage cheese
• 1/2 t honey or agave nectar
• 1/8 t pumpkin pie spice

in a separate bowl, mix 1/2 c berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries or a mixture)

Layer into a glass and serve. YUM YUM. This could also be a snack.

For my egg lovers give this a try

Scrambled Eggs

• 4 egg whites and 1 whole egg
• 1/4 c salsa (your choice)
• 1/4 c black beans

Scramble in a pan coated with Pam, no one likes to clean up the egg mess.

Do you have any other great breakfast ideas, share them below.

I spent 6 weeks in a class that started with a visualization. After the visualization we were all asked to speak about what the visualization meant to us. Well, I found out that I SUCK at visualization. Each time we did it for 6 weeks, NOTHING! People would come back on the line after the visualization and say that their visualization was better than Cats, they laughed, they cried, etc. But if you give me a good quote, it can hit me like a peppermint patty. After each visualization exercise I would look at a this quote on my wall.
“What will I learn from this to make me better'” — Mary Anne Radmacher
Now when you hear that, you can’t help but to visualize! Below are my top quotes that I have posted in my office. (more…)

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. That was this weeks challenge.  How’s it been going good. I take public transportation and often times we get packed in there like sardines. I carry a rather large gym bag and get looks for it. I usually roll my eyes when someone give me a look when they get hit with my bag, but instead I just smiled and said excuse me. Did that kill me no, did combust on the spot no. My takeaway — if you want to be a miserable shrew that your prerogative, I am not going to sink to your level. I will just kill you with kindness. As my husband always says you’ll catch my flies with honey than with vinegar.

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It’s tax day. I know just sent check to Uncle Sam. So let’s move onto something more cheery. Many of my clients struggle with the idea of “snacking” most people think “snacking” is a bad thing. Trust me its not. If you are working out you will need the extra fuel! To help you out here are 15 healthy snack ideas. The idea is to take any of these 2 ideas and combine them and wallah  you have a healthy snack.  Depending upon the length of your work day. You should be aiming to have anywhere between 2-3 snacks/day. If you don’t you are derailing your weight loss goals. (more…)

These 5 letters that crept into my brain this week. I am roughly 7 weeks away from my next fitness competition and DOUBT crept into my mind. Can I do this’ Should I do this’ What the hell’ Is this my life’ Imagine this all going through my head within 30 seconds. Here’s a little background. I have been competing since 2005. I started competing after I lost 30 pounds because I needed a goal. I lost the weight, but now what. What was my next fitness endeavor. My trainer at the time was a former bodybuilder and suggested I give fitness competitions a try.

Now I’m not a glamour girl by any stretch of the imagination and walking in a bikini with clear heels didn’t seem like my cup of tea, but in April 2005 I took the stage at the Fitness America, show in New Haven, CT and I’ve been competing ever since. I typically compete in 4-5 shows/year like a machine. I wind up every January and wind down each June and the process begins again. Except this time!  (more…)

This is the excuse monster starts to pop up for most people,
well I’m _____________or my husband/SO/parents_____________ or I don’t have _____.

Here is the secret to weight loss, come closer are you ready.  It’s called HARD WORK!

It it came in a bottle, everybody would have a great body. — Cher

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I hear that so many times’ You are so healthy and fit what exactly do you eat’ Well I eat a VARIETY of foods, lean protein, fruits, veggies and good fats (other than nuts).
I decided that each Sunday I’d sit down and give you a few ideas.

I start each week where I head my local grocery store and shop for the week. From there I head home and start cooking. Right now I’m trying a new veggie each week, I have grown BORED with your traditional veggies, so I have been OBSESSED with Brussel Sprouts. Yes, brussel sprouts.

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This week I challenged myself to come up with 3 things that make me happy every day. I was speaking with one of my clients about this and the one thing that kept bubbling up to the top was me time.  I asked her how much ME time to does she have. She said this is it! There 168 hours in 1 week and she only give herself 2 hours with me. I’m flattered, but SERIOUSLY!! That is so SAD! (more…)

Last night before we go to bed, my husband asked was I depressed because I’ve been writing about getting happy and he was worried. I was like no, I just saw this segment on Dr. Oz and wanted to see if I could do the challenge because I thought it was interesting.

Depressed… Hmm don’t know if I ever really get depressed. Wikipedia defines depression as feelings of sadness, helplessness, or hopelessness. Yes I do feel sad, and helpless at times, but those are times that also fire me up. Those times make me take a look inside and say HEY!!! YOU GOT KNOCKED ON YOUR ASS NOW WHAT!! Please note, I do believe depression is a serious issue and if you are feeling depressed you should seek professional help.

Thank you Philip for asking, but I’m not depressed, and after these past few days I realize that  I’m not a Debbie Downer either. (more…)