Friday, December 21, 2018

Healthy Holiday Recipes

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  Strava

For my second article for Tennessee Health & Wellness this Christmas, I got to do one of my favorite things...browse new recipes! There is no other time of year when people host and attend potlucks and family dinners, and sometimes you need something quick and/or new. If you're like me, cooking can be a great way to express yourself and serve others. This was a great stress relief for me during the end of the semester!

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We all know that holidays are the best time of year to gather with family and friends to enjoy each others’ company, and this rarely happens without food. Holiday food tends to be the most delicious, too, right? This can strike fear into some people as they are worried about their health and how indulgent a dish may be. There is no reason that holiday meals can’t be healthy, too. Here are some examples of healthy foods including sides, desserts, and main meats that you can make for the holiday celebrations.
Coffee braised pot roast recipe from Eating Well uses reduced sodium and adds coffee, garlic, thyme, and onion for a boost of flavor.
By using garlic, ginger, curry, and cumin, your turkey can have great flavor and health benefits. A yogurt topping can provide more protein and a creamy option other than gravy. (Eating Well)
Fig and pig quiche is a recipe that will impress your guests. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner, this versatile dish from Run Fast, Eat Slow will help you savor the season while feeling good about what you put on your plate.
Squash in combination with chili gives it an even more winter-comfort-food feel while adding color and vitamins. Adding in “hidden” chia seeds packs a nutritional punch for protein, fiber, omega-3s, and iron. (Food Network)
Mushroom and sweet potato pot pie could serve as a side or a main dish depending on how big you want to make it, where it could serve as a meat-free main dish. (Taste of Home)
 -Monique at Ambitious Kitchen makes this traditionally sweet and buttery sweet potato casserole with few ingredients and as much or more satisfaction. Instead of sugar, butter, and marshmallows, this casserole uses maple syrup, oats, and pecans.
For another root vegetable side, these lemon parmesan carrots go beyond basic while still making the cooking simple. (Cooking Light)
I don’t know how you can have a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal without green beans, so here are two options: A casserole found on Cooking Light uses mushrooms and cauliflower for creaminess and wheat bread crumbs for crunch. For simply seasoned beans, add miso to the sautee pan. (MyRecipes.com)
 Food Network’s winter fruit salad recipe brings in some of the season’s best fruits, adding minimal extras, to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Bobby Flay’s brussels sprouts with pomegranate and hazelnuts make this side a nutrient-packed side that could cover the bases for an entire meal! (Food Network)
Cauliflower tapioca pudding is a recipe from Spartan Race weekly newsletter. The creaminess of this pudding from coconut milk will make you forget that you made it from a vegetable.
Apples are one of the traditional fall fruits, and peaches carry similar baking uses. With only apples, orange juice, nuts, raisins, and spices, you have a simple and healthy dessert. For a slightly sweeter and creamier option, follow this recipe for a peach crisp with a coconut milk caramel drizzle.
USA marathoner Shalane Flanagan shares sweet treats in her famous cookbook Run Fast, Eat Slow that are hearty, yet healthy, because your body needs healthy fats to indulge in. That is the goal of her pecan butter truffles. With only five ingredients, these are simple to make even if you are pressed for time. Fig jam cookies just sound like a holiday pastry. A wheat-based dough encompasses a figgy center for a bite that may remind you of Fig Newtons, but make you remember that the better things in life are homemade.


Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Christmas Song Histories

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  Strava

It's been a long time since I've posted anything, but with school, cross country, and (lack of) time and sleep, I had to keep my priorities straight! Well, as straight as I could manage, still not doing so well in that area. However, I was busy to say the least. There are so many good things I wanted to share along the way, so I will whenever I get a chance.

For December, I squeezed in two articles for Tennessee Health & Wellness. These were not only "jobs," for me, but they were also an enjoyable activity. In the midst of preparing for projects and finals, I was able to do some Christmas celebrating in researching and writing these articles. This first one I'll share is about some of the top Christmas songs, history and fun facts. Short and sweet but interesting nonetheless!

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This time of year, whether you are in your car, watching TV, or in a store, Christmas music is sure to be heard. There are new songs and remakes that come out, but there is no beating the classics. While we may know the lyrics to these songs by heart, it is unlikely that we know the stories behind them. See if you knew the backgrounds of these ten holiday chart-toppers.

Jingle Bells was originally written by JP Morgan’s uncle, who was not a very cheery man himself, as he left his family multiple times and enlisted in the Georgia cavalry. The song was first performed in blackface. It was issued under the name “One Horse Open Sleigh,” and it was not written as a Christmas song, but rather Thanksgiving. Jingles Bells is also the first song broadcast from space on Gemini 6 on December 16, 1965.
Little Drummer Boy is a parallel to the Bible story of Jesus’s birth and an encouragement to people that no matter what they have, their gift to God is enough. Though there was no real drummer boy in the Bible story, it gives perspective of people visiting young Jesus with no gifts worthy of a King. Due to the repetition of “pa rum pum pump um,” it was originally called “Carol of the Drums.”
Oh Christmas Tree, aka O Tannenbaum, is a German carol dating back to the 1500s. “Tannen” is the word for fir, but most trees today are spruce. In translation, the first written lyrics come out roughly as, “Oh pine tree, you’re a noble twig! You greet us in the winter, the dear summer time.” The song is about acknowledging life of the evergreen tree year-round rather than how we now decorate them at Christmas.
Silent Night is another German song coming from a slightly unfortunate event of some actors traveling across the Austrian Alps to reenact the story of Jesus’s birth. The organ of one church they were scheduled at did not have a working organ at the time, so they moved the drama to a home. Following the show, one audience member took a peaceful walk home, remembering the words of a poem he had written a few years before. He decided it would be perfectly fitting for the congregation at the Christmas Eve service, where the organ was not missed as they embraced the beauty of the “silent night.”
Bing Crosby’s version of White Christmas holds claim to the best-selling Christmas song of all time. It already has a sad sound, but it’s first airing was also only weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The composer Irving Berlin (also behind “God Bless America”) was a Russian Immigrant and Jewish, so he did not celebrate Christmas. Possibly the most sad part of the story is that he wrote the song in memory of his three-year-old son who had died on Christmas Day. The song still brings up nostalgia with people today.
Blue Christmas, another color, another sad theme, was a hit no one expected. Elvis and many others in his recording industry, thought it would fail, and he almost refused to do it. Many others have since recorded the song, including (ironically) the Beach Boys, but Elvis’s version leads the way.
Santa Baby was actually written in majority by a man, and he still doesn’t really like the song himself. He did not know how he was going to complete such a task as writing a “sexy” Christmas song for icon of the time, Eartha Kitt. After her recording in 1953, it was banned in several states for being such a scandalous turn from the norm in those days.
Feliz Navidad is only made up of 20 words in English and Spanish, but it is one of the most heartfelt carols sung today. Puerto Rican musician Jose Feliciano decided to include English lyrics because he knew that if it was only Spanish, American stations wouldn’t play it. Feliciano leads his audiences in celebration with his heart for dancing, even though he is blind and can’t see them.
The song most would recognize from “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Christmas Time is Here by the Vince Guaraldi Trio was first sung by the children’s choir of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in 1965. The song originated as part of the Peanuts story, but it was assumed the show would only last once or twice. Little did they know the big impact the song and show would have on future generations. Lee Mendelson, producer of the show and recruiter of Guaraldi, says, “Those children’s voices will likely outlive all of us, meaning something different and something sadly wonderfully the same with every passing year.”
While “Joy to the World” can be found on Christmas-related products left and right, the song was not written about Christmas. Isaac Watts wrote this song about Jesus’s second coming. In comparing the lyrics to scripture, it is obvious to see the differences between the first and second coming. For example, when Jesus was born, the world did not accept Him, but with the song and the story of the second coming, heaven and earth both sing in praise of His return. Beyond the religious realm, it has been sung by many secular artists including Moriah Carrey and is even referenced in “Jeremiah was a Bullfrog” by Hoyt-Axton.

As you deck the halls with these Christmas classics, take a moment to think about what the words mean to you and your life during the holidays.

Monday, July 16, 2018

(Ice cream) Sunday and Babysitting Goodbyes

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  Strava
This was going to be a long day...I got to bed really late after work as usual on Saturday nights aka Sunday mornings, but at least it was before 1 am this time! But I'm dead. All day I could not stay awake; my eyes and head were dropping at everything. Church was really good, but I was struggling. All day I just tried to keep myself occupied to stay awake. I didn't have time to take a nap, but I would've given so much for one...

Pastor Dean's sermon was about how God is the giver of all things new. He forgives our sins, makes the sun rise each new day, changes hearts and lives in ways that we never could imagine. Passages of scripture about "new" have been great encouragement to me when I have struggled in the past and/or am trying to make a change in my life. He can take any bad situation, any sin, any sinner, and make them new. One of my favorite verses on this is Isaiah 43:19, "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." 
Ephesians 4:24 and Colossians 3:10 are about putting of the old self and on the new self that God made to be righteous. 
In the passage Pastor Dean used in Luke 5:36-39 and another I love in 2 Corinthians 5:17, old can't stay with the new. You must let go of what is holding you back and work in the life ahead!
This is a recurring theme in my life, especially lately with the studies I have been in! Personally (and usually with most people whether we admit it or not), I know the old that I need to get rid of. But we can't just get rid, we have to replace. New and good!
in Sunday School, our contemporary worship leader and his wife came as guest speakers. I have always loved them even before I really knew them. Last semester I got to work with Brooks in the media department as an internship in place of one of my classes. There are just some people that have that "something" about them that others admire. That's a gift from God. It is great to hear from people in all walks of life and how they have seen God at work and the advice they can give. Fellowship is one of the most powerful tools that we have!
My little kids are moving this week! I met the Mom and son on a dog walk in the old neighborhood the end of last summer, and I babysat them a time or two a month most of this year! It was really nice since they lived just down the road. I had never babysat before, but I apparently did well because they kept asking me to come back! Almost a year later, we have moved and now they are moving, too. The parents were taking an afternoon to get outside themselves, so I came and occupied the kids! David and Svea have grown up loving to be outdoors, which is something I admire about that family. It is hard to find people "not of this world" anymore. It was always good for me to get out and away from the rest of the world when I was with them, too. Today I took them some little things and some cake, then we went to the park to enjoy the beautiful day! We rode bikes, kind of (we walked a lot for the hills and roots), but David wanted to take his scooter. Svea and I didn't think that was a good idea, but he insisted and learned the hard way. Scooters are not made for trails.

Dad has been working almost nonstop on our dock for a week now. He is almost done, but it is another one of those projects that once he finally gets going, he doesn't stop. Bless his heart, he is such a hard worker, it just drags out. I am usually okay huger-wise eating dinner really late (a bad habit I've gotten into), but I have really felt the affects of this over time now. I eat later, have a really long day, do more stuff later, then get to bed later, and I just can't seem to get back on track. I have to.
**SOS my family needs sleep!

Today's holidays are National Give Something Away Day, National I Love Horses Day, and National Ice Cream Day! I didn't have anything to do with horses except drive past them on the road, but I did give my little babysitting kids a gift, card, and slice of cake! For the ice cream, here are just some pictures of the best ones...and some Breyer's that got me to win some for free from a Twitter contest!



Here we have Cold Stone Creamery (my mix from the beach with strawberry cake batter and triple berry yogurt with strawberry wafers, brownie, coconut), Breyer's, Kirk's (also from the beach, pistachio, coconut almond, blueberry pie, banana pudding), Halo Top (most of the flavors that I have tried are amazing), Bruster's (some of the best creative flavors and a good price!), Clumpies (local to Chattanooga, creative flavors!), Foote's Rest Sweet Shop (the one and only in downtown Frisco, Colorado, homemade daily!), and another not pictured is the Comfy Cow!

Sunday, July 15, 2018

Greenway, Gratitude, Goals

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  Strava

While I don't like to ride then run, sometimes it is really good to go out and do something different to mix up my training, routes, mind, and daily routine. This morning I drove down to Knoxville to meet up with a guy I met through high school racing/coaching, Sho Gray, who is the coach at Johnson University and coached one of my good friends now running at UT, Niamh. 
 
We met at Ijams Nature Center at Mead's Quarry. I have been there once on a school trip, but I've never run there. We went out and back two ways on the greenway. It was great to have someone to talk to and learn from and some new places to go! Sho is a great runner himself, record holder for Tennessee in the 100 miles, and he is going to race Leadville in Colorado next month. We had a fun, but I also learned some things that can really help my life and running. Small things, but those are the things that matter. "If you can't take care of yourself at the foundational level, then you can't get better beyond that." After the main part of our run, we ran/explored some cool stuff around the quarry!

  
When I go places, I want to make the most of it, and I actually ended up having a lot more fun on this trip than I even expected! I had an email from Panera for a free soup for all of the rewards members this week, but I sadly am never near one. However I got lucky with this run trip this week! On my way home, I planned to go by Panera and pick up my soup to take home for later, but along a road on the river, there were several cute/cool shops that caught my eye. Finally at the fourth one, I turned into a parking lot, almost instinctively, like I didn't even really mean to until after I did it. I went in a couple coffee shops and looked in a sporting goods store (but didn't look much because I would be too tempted to buy something), and made my last stop in Honey Bee Coffee! This part of town is definitely a place geared for college students: coffee shops with wifi and places to hang out. This one was on the corner of Jones Street, so it was meant to be for me to go. I didn't have to have something fancy, and even though I love my fresh and local coffee, I decided to get a biscotti! It was pistachio, almond, and cranberry. A young girl was working the counter, and it reminded me a lot of me at Gelato Brothers, so I told her about my job! It's good to connect with people even if you don't know them nor may ever see them again. You can always make a difference in someone's day.

Well, after my busy and fun morning around Knoxville, I had to come home, regroup my belongings, and do some planks and stretch. By this time, it was time for me to take Chloe out to go to the bathroom and get some exercise herself. I have sadly not been able to take naps lately, and with getting to bed later and my training schedule increasing, I need them! But Chloe and I had a good walk. It has been so humid lately, but walking at least gets some air flow. After our walk, I fixed a new lunch that I kind of started last week, and I am very excited about it! It's got all kinds of nutritious things in it, and it tastes like the perfect summer treat!
Frozen fruit (today I used strawberries and mango)
Kefir (my newest purchase, pomegranate from Aldi)
dried coconut
cheetah chomps cereal
oats microwaved first with some egg

Mom got her cast off at her appointment today, so while I sat in the sun on the deck, she got to finally lay on her float in the water! She is so happy to be able to freely move a bit more. Still lots of healing to go, but we have progress!

For today's section of the Focus chapter of Daniel Plan, it was about gratitude and attitude. Being thankful makes a huge difference in how your brain works (proven in scans) and how you perceive situations, and therefore how you act in them. Things happen that we cannot control, but how we react is what really matters. The Bible often connects prayer, thankfulness, and a life of peace in God's will in the same scripture passages (Philippians 4:6-7, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). One of the things that stood out to me most in this section was "I will see the outside based on how I am on the inside." Then I also have to start with myself. How do I see myself? It will be most helpful to begin to see myself as God sees me: I am useful for good and worthy of love, health, and a full life of joy! In my attitude, I have to have the right attitude towards setbacks and failures. With the right view on them, they can be more helpful than if I had gone on without making the mistake. We can't only learn what works, but we have to also know what doesn't work. Again, the reaction matters. Something else that connected deep with me is that we often don't change "when we see the light but when we feel the heat." God knows the best ways to get our attention. Finally, goals and purpose. If you are just living life with no real driving force, you won't be moving forward! (Kind of cool, Sho and I even talked about setting specific goals and steps to reach them this morning.) So for each of the five essential parts of the book, faith, food, fitness, focus, and friends, I wrote out 3 goals.

I wish I had known about this earlier, but I got an email this week about "Free Card Fridays" at Hallmark. They've been doing this since April, so I don't know why I am just now finding out. It goes through August, so every Friday, Gold Crown Rewards Members can get a free card from the Hallmark store! They are doing this to promote giving encouragement to others. ****This is already one of my favorite things! I've made several cards this summer and put another one in the mail today. While I may not be able to go to Hallmark very often, I'll do it if I can, and I will always send my own cards! It's the little things that make a big difference to people.

This is another sad, but funny and true comic. Magazines: they're usually filled with fake, unattainable, crazy stuff. I read them for entertainment unless it's something that is information-focused. People or Vogue? Lol.