Vegetarian Skinny Cowboy Soup Recipe

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Karen Morse

Here is your Meatless Monday recipe idea for today that is sure to warm you up.

Never heard of Cowboy soup? It is similar to a chili recipe. This recipe in particular, Skinny Cowboy soup, is a low-fat vegetarian chili still guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser. I served it to my dad who had no idea that I had substituted a healthy alternative to ground beef!

This recipe is SUPER EASY for all of you busy ladies! You are using mostly canned ingredients, so you don’t have to worry about chopping lots of vegetables. I recommend using low-sodium or no salt canned ingredients to keep the sodium content in this recipe to a minimum.

Here’s what you need:

Ingredients:

1 can (14.5 oz) low-sodium diced tomatoes

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles

1 can (14.5 oz) organic black beans

1 can (14.5 oz) organic pinto beans

1 small can (8 oz or less) yellow corn

1 package of Yves Meatless Ground Round Original

1 package of low-sodium taco seasoning mix

1 package of low-fat ranch dressing mix

Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Cilantro (for garnish)

Open, rinse, and drain the cans of black beans and pinto beans & put aside.

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat the meatless grounds and mix in the taco seasoning mix.

Add both cans of the diced tomatoes and tomatoes with green chiles. Do not rinse these — you want to include the juice in this recipe. Stir and add in the canned corn.

Simmer together and add the package of dry ranch dressing mix. Allow to simmer for at least 15 – 20 minutes.

Spoon into bowls and add shredding cheese & cilantro to garnish (if desired).

Serve with cornbread or tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Other vegetarian recipes you might like to serve up on Meatless Monday (or any day!):

Butternut Squash & Roasted Garlic Soup

Broccoli & Cheese Quiche

You Can Dance, for Inspiration

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Karen Morse

I started dancing when I was about five years old. First, I was enrolled in ballet class. I still remember the sequined orange costume and frilly tutus we wore that year as “Florida Orange Blossoms” in my dance studio’s recital showcasing routines representing each of the fifty United States.

I eventually added tap and jazz to my repertoire, but I quit dance classes when I became a teenager because I thought I was way too cool and way too busy doing things teenagers do like three-way-calling all of my friends to talk about boys.

Aside from a semester of ballet in college that I thought would be an easy ‘A,” it was close to twenty years before I ever took a dance class again. I was vacationing at a women-only spa in Southern California, and the program offered about a dozen exercise and yoga classes every day. I didn’t think I had enough rhythm to join the cardio dance classes, even though they looked really fun. I couldn’t resist on the last day since I heard that a well-known choreographer from the east coast was coming out to teach the class. That hour was SO MUCH FUN that I stayed for the second dance class and had a ball dancing to tunes from the Grease soundtrack that I’d played about a million times as a kid.

Due to my job and other preoccupations, it was still a couple of years before I made dance (or any kind of exercise) part of my regular routine. I discovered both Zumba and NIA (the acronym for Neuromuscular Integrative Action) dance at approximately the same time. While both dance classes, the two are completely different. In Zumba, you feel like you are in a music video. You move non-stop, but it is so much fun the sweat and breathlessness doesn’t seem to matter. NIA is a completely different experience. While still a cardio workout, NIA emphasizes self-expression, body awareness, and enjoying the movement. After my first NIA class, I remembered how much I used to love to dance. Dance has a way of making us feel lighter in spirit, which is great for type-A’s like me who feel the need to control.

Dancing for exercise isn’t a new concept, (remember those infomercials for Sweatin’ to the Oldies with Richard Simmons?) but the popularity has increased in the past couple of years making it pretty easy to find a variety of classes no matter where you live. In addition to benefits such as a decrease in blood pressure and weight loss dance has also been shown to provide benefits such as improved mood and energy, stress reduction, and increased self-esteem.

A study at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York with close to 500 participants aged 70 and older measured cognitive activities such reading and doing crossword puzzles as well as physical activities like swimming, golf, and dancing to see if doing any of these activities reduced the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Frequent dancing reduced the risk of dementia by a whopping 76% — way more than any other activity that was studied.

There are plenty of dance classes/styles to choose from, so choose something appropriate for your current fitness level. Start with beginner level class at first and move up as your confidence and skill increases.

Want to know how many calories you are burning? Check out this Calorie Burn Calculator for info on calories burned while dancing and tons of other activities.

The most important thing? Have fun!!

Meatless Monday Recipe – Sweet Potatoes with Coconut, Pomegranate, & Lime

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Karen Morse

I love sweet potatoes, and I love cilantro. Since this vegetarian dish had both ingredients, I had to try it. This recipe is courtesy of Whole Living magazine. Here is what you will need to make 4 servings.

Ingredients:

4 sweet potatoes
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1/4 toasted unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 cup pomegranate seeds
Kosher salt
Lime wedges

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange sweet potatoes, pricked with a fork, on rimmed baking sheet and roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Slice tops and mash sweet potatoes with a fork. Divide coconut milk, coconut flakes, cilantro, and pomegranate seeds among sweet potatoes. Season with salt. Garnish with additional sprigs of cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Enjoy!

Have you tried this recipe? Leave me a comment below & let me know what you thought!

Source: wholeliving.com via Karen on Pinterest

Prioritize Relationships That Matter Most

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Karen Morse

Finding true balance in life doesn’t just happen because you want it to.

There’s a lot of work to do and time to be invested. Why should you do it?

Because you deserve to be happy!

In today’s post, I’m sharing information about Relationships that is addressed in more detail in my FREE Mini “Balance Inventory” Wellness Workbook.

In our very busy lives, our Relationships are just one component where we need to have the right balance in order to be happy. Not only do your friends, family, and loved ones deserve time with you, they deserve to spend time with a happy, healthy, peaceful you – with your BEST you.

As our lifestyles and our environments change, this *right* balance will also change. For instance, if you are young and dedicated to growing your career, you may be willing to sacrifice going out with your friends in order to put your best foot forward professionally.

If you have been working hard for years to be better financially prepared to start a family, you will likely re-evaluate your work schedule once you start your family.

It is only natural to move through these stages, but it is important to periodically run through a list of questions to make sure that you actually know what your current priorities are! Believe it or not, some people find themselves SO busy that they run on autopilot and years can pass by in what seems like the blink of an eye.

To make sure you are prioritizing the relationships that matter most to you at all times throughout your life, write down the answers to the following questions.

1) What are the most important relationships in your life?

2) How much quality time are you spending doing what is most important to you?

3) Is there any stress or strain going on with anyone or anything you listed in #1?

4) Are you happy with your job or chosen career path? What would you change?

5) Do work demands overly interfere with your family and personal relationships?

To read more about achieving balance and get more self-assessment questions related to your Body, your Mind, and your Environment, download my FREE Workbook here.

Butternut Squash & Roasted Garlic Soup Recipe

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Karen Morse

Another Meatless Monday recipe idea that is perfect for the cool fall & cold winter nights.

Butternut squash soup is always a crowd pleaser. I add tons of garlic here to really give this soup a kick.

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash

12-15 cloves of garlic (depending on how much you like garlic)

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup water

4 cups of vegetable stock or other preparedstock

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel the skin off of a medium-sized butternut squash. Cut into 2-3 inch pieces and add to a roasting pan. Add garlic, olive oil, and water to roasting pan. Roast for about 50 minutes or until squash is tender.

After roasting, add some of the squash and garlic to a blender or large food processor with the vegetable stock/broth. Transfer to a dutch oven or large pot. Do this in batches until you have pureed all of the vegetables. Add any remaining stock to the dutch over.

Simmer over medium heat for at least 20 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Common Demotivators & Why the Excuses Aren’t Cutting It

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Karen Morse

Do you ever notice how easy it is to talk yourself OUT of doing something healthy? So much easier than talking yourself in to doing something good for your body?

Today's post is all about common demotivators, excuses, and why they are doing us harm.

Last month, I started a motivation board on Pinterest chock full of great quotes and images meant to inspire myself and others to keep working towards our goals.

Have they been helping you? I hope so!

My personal favorite is the girl in the bathing suit with "Are you sure you want that cookie?" splashed across her stomach. I have a serious cookie craving every night after dinner. In fact, I found that picture one night right after I had eaten a cookie – LOL!

I was inspired today to write about demotivators (thanks, Paige!) because, in truth, these are what keep us from achieving our goals of losing weight, getting healthy, going to the gym, etc.

It's Cold Outside and/or Raining. Winter weather is a HUGE demotivator. I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan of the cold OR the rain. The two together … forget about it! Winter weather can have negative effects on our mental state. You've heard of seasonal affective disorder? This is a condition where you have episodes of depression, usually during the winter months. This can result in weight gain, unhappiness, social withdrawal, and other negative effects. So it is even MORE important for us to get out & get moving during the winter months to combat these negative effects. Remember, it is mind over matter. Once you get to the gym and get moving, you'll be warmed up pretty fast – and you'll have that endorphin boost to propel you through the day.

I'm Too Busy. Another common demotivator! Working full time, taking care of the house, kids, grocery shopping, cooking dinner and the great many other items on our plates can be overwhelming! Who has time to work out? You can easily talk yourself out of working out when you think about the errands you have to run. I saw a poster the other day that read:

"There are 1,440 minutes in a day. Use 20 of them to work out."

Hard to argue with that. If you are like me, you have seen the latest episodes of Glee and Grey's Anatomy. If you are willing to stay up until midnight watching TV, then "I'm too busy" is a lame excuse. You will probably save more than 20 minutes a day by skipping the commercials thanks to TiVo. Use them wisely and work out!!

Don't get lazy with food prep either. Pack some healthy snacks to take to work so you don't head to the vending machine or find yourself lingering outside of conference rooms looking for cookies. You can make a couple of days worth of servings of things like brown rice & veggies to keep on hand for the week. Don't feel like chopping veggies? I can't remember the last time I went to the grocery store and didn't see an array of ready-to-eat washed & cut veggies. Just grab a few containers & roast away!

I was good for a month. That's enough until next year. WRONG! Taking care of yourself is more than a once a year gig. If you do nothing else, walking in your neighborhood 3 times a week for 30 minutes will do wondrous things for your body and your mental state. If you found something else that you love (like I did with Zumba & NIA) – keep doing it!

As far as healthy eating goes … did you give up caffeine or sugar or something that you were having way too much of? How did you feel? Wouldn't you like to feel good all year instead of just one month? Remember that!

So next time you begin to talk yourself OUT of exercising or eating right, remember why it is the easy way out. Stick to your new healthy eating patterns & workout routines and by next January, you won't be dieting. You'll be adjusted to a whole new way of life, loving how you look and feel! If you need help, don't be afraid to ask for it. You deserve to be healthy & happy. I'd love to work with you to meet your goals — check out my 90-day Personalized Wellness Plan.

Leave me a comment below and tell me some of your own demotivators !

Vegetarian Quiche with Baby Broccoli and Parmesan

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Karen Morse

In honor of Meatless Monday, I’m sharing a recipe for a vegetarian quiche that I just tried last week. I started with the basic Quiche Lorraine recipe from my handy Joy of Cooking cookbook and then made substitutions to make it both vegetarian & a little bit healthier.

Here is what you will need to make one 9-inch quiche (approximately 6 servings).

Equipment:

small skillet

9-inch pie plate

medium mixing bowl

fork or whisk

aluminum foil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

1 All-Natural Ready-to-Bake pie crust (for a 9-inch pie – I used one from Immaculate Baking Co. that I purchased at Whole Foods)

1 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 egg yolk

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup 1% milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 freshly ground black pepper

pinch of ground nutmeg

1 bunch of baby broccoli (cut into smaller pieces)

3/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese

Let your pre-made pie crust come to room temperature (about 20 minutes) and roll out into a pie plate that can accommodate a 9-inch pie crust. Lightly beat the egg yolk, and then brush the edges of the crust with it.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When hot, saute the garlic for 1-2 minutes. Don’t let it burn. Pour the garlic right into the pie crust.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat together 3 large eggs, add the cream & milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Beat together until mixed.

Add the cut broccoli and parmesan cheese to the pie crust. Pour the egg mixture right on top.

Bake until the filling is browned & set (about 30 minutes). Check to make sure that the outer edges of the crust isn’t burning. You may need to place aluminum foil around the edges if it starts to get overdone.

Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Karen Morse

I’ve been reading a lot online lately about motivation over the past couple of months. During that time I have encountered many cool, interesting, and extremely motivating blogs written by fabulous women of all ages from all over the world.

One thing that has been really disturbing to me is the number of young women out there who have so much self-hate and dissatisfaction with their bodies … many to the point of having an eating disorder such as anorexia, bulimia, orbinge eating.

Most of us have looked in the mirror and not liked what we saw there. To this day, every time I try on clothes, I still see myselfas the overweight 12-year-old girl that I once was. It can be a huge challenge to look in the mirror and not be critical, but I promise you, this is the MOST IMPORTANT relationship that you will ever have.

Facts About Teens and Body Image

The National Institute on Media and the Family has posted these facts:

In a survey of girls 9 and 10 years old, 40% have tried to lose weight, according to an ongoing study funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
In a study on fifth graders, 10 year old girls and boys told researchers they were dissatisfied with their own bodies after watching a music video by Britney Spears or a clip from the TV show “Friends”.
A 1996 study found that the amount of time an adolescent watches soaps, movies and music videos is associated with their degree of body dissatisfaction and desire to be thin.
One study reports that at age thirteen, 53% of American girls are “unhappy with their bodies.” This grows to 78% by the time girls reach seventeen.

The Truth About Self-Love

Most people have a little voice inside that has told them that they are “not good enough” for something. This can ruin our lives and often does ruin our relationships.

What people are really searching for out there is self-love … but they are looking for a job or a relationship to fill that void. No person or possession can fill that void. It is solely up to you.

Practicing Self-Love

It’s time to let go & start practicing. Self-love must be unconditional. You can’t only love yourself when you’ve been a “good girl” – that’s too easy. You have to also love the girl who ate the Oreo ice cream sundae or the girl who hasn’t been to the gym in three months. Like everything else … practice makes perfect. Once you have begun to love yourself in a real way, you begin to see a shift in how you prioritize your life.

“Happiness is looking in the mirror and liking what you see.” – Unknown

People who are self-loving see a whole person when they look in the mirror and not just flaws. Keep this in mind. The next time you look at yourself in the mirror, try being a little less critical of the person looking back at you. Let your new mantra be … “Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful.” Say it every time you look in the mirror. Before long, you may just start liking what you see.