Plant Something Positive and Just Wait and See What Happens

I've been missing the 'zen of gardening' for many years.  Every weekend, I help a friend at his Harley Davidson dealership in the Catskills...basically, I'm the social liason.  This past weekend, I decided to do something social for the dealership - I planted an herb garden in back of an old shed they own just across the road.  The area is rocky and surrounded by overgrown bushes and brush, but, in my eyes (as a seasoned gardener from way back in the day), this spot has lots of sun, lots of drainage and is unmolested by human traffic.  This was the perfect spot for the official dealership community herb garden!
My cousin donated several plants from her own garden up in Columbia County for this project.   Chocolate mint, peppermint, spearmint, pergamon and another lovely ______cherry plant (oops, I forgot!) were in the lineup.  Next stop was Home Depot for a pair of cotton gardening gloves, a short handled shovel (size matters when you're a small person digging) and a great spade.  It took about 2 hours to dig out a rectangular space, pull indigenous roots, weed and discard a boatload of rocks, but viola!  The herbs were planted and one of the owners of the dealership donated metal brackets to create a border.  The next day, it was off to the local farmers' market where the Cornell Agricultural School liason took an interest in what I was doing and pointed me in the direction to where I could purchase basil, thyme, rosemary and parsley.  At the end of the day, O'Toole's Harley Davidson of Wurtsboro, NY had its very own herbal garden.  Everyone at the store was curious and excited to see me going back and forth with a shovel and spade (aside from the 'burying the dead body jokes') and buckets of water and even more excited to know that this garden is for everyone to share.  In a few weeks, we will all be able to cut our own mint, parsley and other herbs for various uses. 

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Plant something positive today.  Whether it's a pot of herbs for your office to share, or a positive idea that can impact others or just a positive attitude for the day....like a garden, the good vibes will spread and like a little community garden, you'll put a smile on other people's faces.  At the end of the day, you'll feel really good!  I got to dig in the soil, create a garden and got some great exercise.  I've got big plans for an expanded garden for next year, but for the meanwhile, I'm going to enjoy some fresh mint tea today!

5 Simple Rules of Eating Well

1. Eat every 2-3 hours.  Small snacks.  Think 'grazing'.  Grazing on small snacks allows your body to burn more calories throughout the day.
2. Include lean (lowfat) protein in each meal and snack.  This applies to vegetarians as well. 
3. Include vegetables in each meal or snack.  If you just can't stand to eat them, then "Go Fro Greens" in your shakes, smoothies or mixed with water will suffice.
4. Save carb-heavy meals for after exercise.  Rice, potatoes, pasta are better processes within a 3 hour window post-exercise.
5. Include a good balance of healthy fat in your diet.  You need fat (fuel) to burn fat!!  But, GOOD FATS are key here.  Lean protein contains saturated fat  Mixed nuts, olives, and olive oil have monosaturated fats.
Flax seed oil and fish oil, contain polyunsaturated fats.
Here's Your Healthy TIp of the Day:  Variety is the Spice of Life!  Eat well, eat colorfully and if you're confused, contact me and I'll enroll you into my Wellness Program where you'll learn how easy it is to get fit and STAY FIT!

Warm Weather is Here...Eat Light and Feel Great!

The warm weather has arrived and it's time to adjust our eating patterns and change up the food varieties.  Heavy meat dishes and winter vegetables should be out of your mindset and it's time to think about the beautiful colors of fresh fruits and vegetables this summer.  Don't know what to eat????  Think color palettes!
-Shrimp with mango slices, frissee, and beefsteak tomatoes - drizzled with balsamic vinegar (or fresh lemon) and olive oil.  Enhance with a sprig of mint.
-Brown rice with fresh lemon drizzled over it, served with 2 eggs over easy and steamed brocoli on the side with fresh sweet cherry tomatoes...oh yum yum!
-Freshly shucked peas, tossed in lemon scented fettucini with smoked trout, oyster mushrooms, rosemary infused seasalt and a bit of fresh light creme.  Side green salad.
-Roasted red peppers, feta cheese and tossed mixed green salad with a nice piece of grilled river trout drenched in lemon and garlic.
Get the Picture??
Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Make your food look pretty on the plate.  Use colors and paint a beautiful picture with food.  Your palette is full of blues, greens, reds, yellows, oranges...it's only up to your imagination to stop you from having low cal, low fat, low sugar fabulous food this summer.  Our summers are short here in NY, so get with the program and get to the store and get those great paintings going on your plate today!
Bon Appetit!