Give Meatless A Try: Learn To Eat More Vegetables

One Step At a Time...

You Can Go Meatless

For All Three Meals

The USDA recommends five to nine servings per day of vegetables and fruits, and that doesn't include French fries. Many people don't grow out of their childhood habit of hating vegetables, but summer is a perfect time to try and make those valuable veggies taste great. Farmers' markets are in full swing and carry the tastiest varieties of produce, so pick some up and start experimenting. Many people don't like vegetables because they buy them at the grocery store, where the long process of harvesting, shipping and then sitting at the store has leached flavor out of them. Try eating the babies - baby carrots (the ones with the greens still attached, not the small version of larger carrots bagged up in the store), artichokes, squashes and turnips are more tender and flavorful than their grown-up counterparts. Fat is fabulous for livening up veggies' flavor -- try a sprinkle of an infused oil, butter or cheese.

And dipping veggies keeps the fat count lower than pouring it on. If you want to include cruciferous veggies - - and all their fabulous health benefits - try blanching. Steam them for 60 seconds, then plunge into a cold-water bath to stop the cooking and prevent bitter flavors they tend to develop. If you tend to eat a lot of sweets, then include sweet vegetables, like sweet potatoes, squash and peas, to indulge your sweet tooth. And if all else fails, fry thin slices of hardy veggies like carrots, zucchini and squash. Even parsnips can be delicious when fried. Shave them thin with a knife or mandolin, dunk them in hot vegetable oil quickly, drain and sprinkle with kosher salt. Find a way to enjoy veggies and reap their health benefits.

Healthy Meatless Recipe:

Cheesy Vegetable Stuffed Eggplant

(Adapted from Chef Meg of SparkPeople)

Ingredients:

• 2 small eggplants *
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
• 1 small zucchini, chopped
• Pinch of black pepper
• 1⁄2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup low-sodium petite diced canned

• tomatoes (or 4 plum [Roma] tomatoes, peeled, deseeded, and 
diced)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 4 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese 


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Prepare a baking pan

with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Trim the stems from the eggplant, and cut

them in half lengthwise. Cut the pulp from the

center of each half, leaving about 1⁄2-inch shell

of flesh.

3. Cube the eggplant pulp into 1⁄2-inch pieces.

Place a large sauté pan over moderate heat,

then add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the

onion, garlic, zucchini, black pepper, and the

cubed eggplant. Cook, stirring until very tender,

about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato sauce,

tomatoes, thyme, and basil; and heat through.

4. Lightly spray the cut edges of the eggplant

with nonstick cooking spray, then spoon one quarter

of the vegetable mixture into each shell.

Top each eggplant with one-fourth of the Monterey

Jack and Parmesan.

5. Place the stuffed eggplants in the prepared

baking pan and bake until the eggplant is hot

and the cheese is bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes.

* Use small eggplants of about 1⁄2 pound

each if you can. The larger the eggplant, the

more bitter it will be. The small, thin Japanese

eggplants would also work well here.

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

Healthy Motivator:
Get Up and Go

10,000 steps a day (roughly 5 miles and 500 calories)—this is what the Surgeon General recommends all healthy adults accomplish on an average day. The good news is that you can generate these steps through regular daily activities in addition to an exercise routine. However, given the current activity level of most Americans, it’s a very lofty goal. The average sedentary individual walks only 1,000 to 3,000 steps a day (www.thewalkingsite.com). Therefore, instead of thinking about 10,000 steps, consider increasing your daily activity level and the number of steps you take.

Those who spend most of the day behind a desk may be able to add extra steps with a little advanced planning. In addition to taking the stairs, parking in the back of the parking lot, and walking to your coworkers’ offices, consider forming a walking group with your colleagues. Not only will this give you an opportunity to get out and exercise, it also will give you the chance to get to know your coworkers in a non-work environment. Another plus is that you can keep each other accountable for the daily walks. There is no excuse when you have others waiting for you. Groups could meet before work, at lunchtime, or right after work and walk different routes around your office.

Getting in 10,000 steps a day will take a bit of work on your part, but by just making the effort to walk more, you will be able to reach that goal in no time.

Have a great week everyone and remember a better tomorrow starts with what you eat today!

Do you have a favorite meatless recipe you would like to share with us? Send it my way!

Wishing you health and wellness from the inside out,

Lisa

LQ WELLNESS

Professional Wellness Coach

973-383-0955

lisaquinnwc@embarqmail.com

Interested in Optimal Wellness? Take a look at products available here!

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @lq_wellness

Like me on Facebook

Follow me on Pinterest

"Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants"

~ Michael Pollan ~

Thursday Wellness: Feeling Stressed?

Always Exhausted? Do You Have Trouble Concentrating or Abnormal Weight Gain?

Stress could lead to serious health complications. Women are stressed more now than ever and this increased stress may be harming their health. Most women hit the ground running early in the morning and don't let up until late at night, trying to balance work, family, and home life.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES?

A survey of women has shown that they tend to experience physical symptoms of stress more than men.i Stress in women is thought to contribute to a number of conditions including Irritable Bowel Syndrome,ii frequent colds,iii insomnia, poor mental performance, and even weight gain.

WHAT CAN You DO?

The first thing to do is recognize the early signs of stress. When you have identified your triggers then you can take action to calm yourself.

The first thing to do is recognize the early signs of stress. When you have identified your triggers then you can take action to calm yourself.

Try the following:

• Recognize the signs: Loss of appetite, increased appetite, headaches, crying, sleeplessness, and oversleeping are all signs that you may be too stressed.
• Relax: Deep breathing, exercise, and meditation are all helpful.
• Control what you can: Focus on what you can get done and then let the rest of it go. You will never be able to accomplish everything you want to.
• Exercise: The stress response is also known as the "fight or flight" response, meaning that when you feel stress, your body is ready for action. Exercising has been shown to help with stress and anxiety.
• Supplementation: there are many nutrients that can help with stress reduction.
  • L-Theanine is an amino acid which is known to help reduce stress. It works on the brain to help people feel relaxed but not drowsy.
  • Ashwagandha is an herb that has been studied to help reduce stress in humans.
  • Beta Sitosterol is a natural plant sterol and that has helped reduce the increase in cortisol in normally seen in stressed athletes.
  • L-Tyrosine is an amino acid used by the body to create the neurotransmitter norepinephrine and has helped to prevent a decline in cognitive function in response to physical stress.

In simple terms here are the top nutrients every woman could use:

• A Multivitamin is a great place to start to support overall well-being and can help fill in the gaps in your diet. A good multivitamin for women will have iron (if you are still menstruating), folic acid if you are planning to get pregnant, and a good mixture of antioxidants.

• Omega 3 Fatty Acids (EPA/DHA) are almost non-existent in our diets. Omega 3s calm inflammation and that is part of the reason why they are so helpful to women. EPA/DHA has been shown in studies to be important for memory, heart, mood, and even for healthy-looking skin. Most doctors recommend around 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams of EPA/ DHA a day.
• B Vitamins: Everyday life (with its stress, toxins) puts great demands on our bodies for extra B vitamins. The B vitamins act as coenzymes and are indispensable for metabolism. It is hard to name a system in the body where B vitamins are not needed. They are part of the immune system, the creation of red blood cells, reproductive system, brain, and energy production.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

These essential nutrients can make a change in your long-term health, but they are also important to help you feel better now. Click here for more information on these nutrients.

One of the hardest things for many women to do is to think of themselves first, but taking care of yourself and reducing your stress is a great way to be present and available to the people around you.

Eating on the run, too many processed and prepared foods, and not enough fresh foods adds up to more calories and less nutrients (exactly the opposite of what women need).

Fatigue and lack of energy is one of the more common complaints a doctor hears from women. If you find that you don't have the energy you used to have, there is a lot you can do right now to get back on track to a more energetic you.

It is no surprise that women are tired; they are busier than ever. Many are juggling work, children, family and endless responsibilities — it is a recipe for fatigue. All of this hustle means that women are not taking care of themselves; not eating right, not getting enough nutrients, nor are they getting enough exercise or sleep.

Our busy lives leave us with low energy, irritability, stress, worn down immune systems, and may even lead more serious conditions like depression.

Not getting the right nutrients can actually increase your risk for many long term diseases, but not having enough nutrients also means that you probably don't feel at your best right now.

Wellness Thursday Tip:

Stress Relieving Tips For the Mind

1. Cultivate gratitude. Things will go wrong throughout our workday, or at least not according to plan. This is inevitable. We can take the sting out of these negative events by focusing on what’s great in our life. Each evening, write down three things you are grateful for. They can be as simple as seeing a gorgeous sunrise or being complimented on your new pair of shoes.

2. Meditate regularly. A consistent mediaiton practice — even if it’s only five minutes a day — may help lower blood pressure , and can help us control the thoughts that can trigger stress. The next time you get stressed because your boss just added another task to your already overflowing to do list, stop and take a breath. Shake out your body, sit back down and meditate for five minutes.

3. Learn to say “no”. Being overbooked, overworked, and overcommitted will lead to stress. We often feel obligated to say “yes” to everything for fear we won’t be liked. But the greatest act of stress relief is exercising your right to say no. You can be polite but firm: Explain to others that you are overcommitted and that you must say no. And yes, you can even tell your boss “no”; just explain that one more project will mean the quality of your work will drop. Negotiate priorities.

Wishing you health and wellness from the inside out,

Lisa

LQ WELLNESS

Professional Wellness Coach

973-383-0955

lisaquinnwc@embarqmail.com

Interested in Optimal Wellness? Take a look at products available here!

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @lq_wellness

Like me on Facebook

Follow me on Pinterest

“Stress is not what happens to us. It's our response TO what happens. And RESPONSE is something we can choose.”

~ Maureen Killoran ~

Meatless Monday: Understanding Food Labels

One Step At a Time...

You Can Go Meatless

For All Three Meals

Labeling - Understanding it all!

What do the food labels such as "organic," "natural," "free-range," and "non-GMO" really mean? Understanding this terminology is essential when you're shopping for healthy foods. Should all food be labeled? Currently in the US Genetically Engineered (GE) or modified Organisms (GMO) or foods are not required to be labeled.



The most important point to remember is that "natural" does not equal organic. "Natural" is an unregulated term that can be applied by anyone, whereas organic certification means that set production standards have been met. These production standards vary from country to country-in the U.S., for example, only the "USDA Organic" label indicates that a food is certified organic. Similar certification labels are also offered on organic products in other parts of the world, including the European Union, Canada, and Australia.



What does "organic" mean?
The term "organic" refers to the way agricultural products are grown and processed. Specific requirements must be met and maintained in order for products to be labeled as "organic". Organic crops must be grown in safe soil, have no modifications, and must remain separate from conventional products. Farmers are not allowed to use synthetic pesticides, bioengineered genes (GMOs), petroleum- based fertilizers, and sewage sludge-based fertilizers.



Keep in mind that even if a producer is certified organic in the U.S., the use of the USDA Organic label is voluntary. At the same time, not everyone goes through the rigorous process of becoming certified, especially smaller farming operations. When shopping at a farmers' market, for example, don't hesitate to ask the vendors how their food was grown.

USDA Certified Organic Food Labels in the U.S.
When you're shopping for organic foods in the U.S., look for the "USDA Organic" seal. Only foods that are 95 to 100 percent organic can use the USDA Organic label.

• 100% Organic - Foods that are completely organic or made with 100% organic ingredients may display the USDA seal.
  
• Organic - Foods that contain at least 95% organic ingredients may display the USDA seal.
  
• Made with organic ingredients - Foods that contain at least 70% organic ingredients will not display the USDA seal but may list
  specific organic ingredients on the front of the package.
  
• Contains organic ingredients - Foods that contain less than 70% organic ingredients will not display the USDA seal but may list specific organic ingredients on the information panel of the package.
  Meat and dairy labels: other terms you need to know
  The organic label is the most regulated term, but when it comes to meat, we often see many other terms used. In order to make informed choices, it is helpful to know what some of these terms mean, although their use can often vary from country to country.
  

• Natural - In the U.S., this label means "minimally processed" and that the meat can't have any artificial colors, artificial flavors, preservatives, or any other artificial ingredients in it. Animals can still be given antibiotics or growth enhancers. For example, this term can be applied to all raw cuts of beef since they aren't processed.
  
• Grass fed - This term means that the animals are fed solely on a diet of grass or hay. These animals have access to the outdoors. Cattle are naturally ruminants that eat grass, so they tend to be healthier and leaner when fed this way. In addition, grass fed beef has been shown to have more of the healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
  
• Free range - Again the term "free range" means slightly different things in different parts of the world. Broadly, it means that the animals weren't confined to a cage and had access to the outdoors. Unfortunately, in the U.S. at least, the animal density can still be very high and the animals may have only short periods outside in an area that's quite small. Therefore, it is difficult to tell exactly what free range means when you see it on meat packaging in the U.S. You can contact the producer directly for clarification.
  
• No hormones added - In the U.S. and some other countries where the use of growth hormones is permitted, this term indicates that animals are raised without the use of any added growth hormones. For beef and dairy products it can be helpful, but by law, poultry and pigs cannot be given hormones, so don't pay extra for chicken or pork products that use this label.
  

Healthy Meatless Recipe:

Quinoa Zucchini Meatballs

( Adapted from Slender Kitchen)

For a quinoa zucchini meatball , this is the culinary equivalent of hitting a home run.Give them a try today for Meatless Monday!

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 tsp. olive oil

1 small chopped onion

3 minced garlic cloves

1 cup finely diced zucchini

1 tsp. oregano

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1 egg

1 egg white

1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

Salt and pepper

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 5-6 minutes until fragrant and softened.
• Add the zucchini, oregano, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes until zucchini softens. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
• Add to a bowl with the quinoa and stir to combine. Add the eggs, whole wheat bread crumbs, and salt/pepper if needed.
• Roll into 16 meatballs, about 1 rounded tablespoon each, and place on the baking sheet.
• Bake for 12 minutes on the first side. Flip over and bake for 10 more minutes.
• Makes 16”meatballs”. Serves 4
• Serve with your favorite green salad.

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

Healthy Weekly Motivator:

Personal Health Record

In addition to establishing a relationship with a primary care physician and scheduling regular checkups, it’s also important to manage your family’s health data. Creating a personal health record (PHR) for each person is a great way to do that.

A PHR usually refers to an electronic record that you can access online and share with your healthcare providers. Often, you can import data directly from your doctor’s office or your insurance company such as lab results and claims.

Many health insurance companies and healthcare providers provide free access to personal health records on their websites. These sites have safeguards to protect your personal information as well as resources such as articles, videos and goal setting tools to help you make healthy lifestyle choices.

Have a great week everyone and remember a better tomorrow starts with what you eat today!

Do you have a favorite meatless recipe you would like to share with us? Send it my way!

Wishing you health and wellness from the inside out,

Lisa

LQ WELLNESS

Professional Wellness Coach

973-383-0955

lisaquinnwc@embarqmail.com

Interested in Optimal Wellness? Take a look at products available here!

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @lq_wellness

Like me on Facebook

Follow me on Pinterest

“Consumer-driven health care... is an attitude.”

~ Karen Cox ~

Thursday Wellness: Stay Hydrated

Smart Hydration for Better Workouts

Did you know the human body is made up of 60% water? Physiologically, fluids assist in the transportation of oxygen and nutrients through the bloodstream, provide lubrication in our joints and cushioning for our organs, and carry heat generated by exercise to the skin where it can be dissipated as sweat to cool the body. An adult loses about 2 liters of fluid per day through sweat, urine, respiration, and bowel movements, and that's why we often make the recommendation to drink eight glasses of water daily for proper hydration.

But as individuals, we all have different metabolic rates, we all live and exercise in different environments, and we all experience unique rates of sweat loss. Failure to replace lost fluids raises the risk of dehydration and increases the chance athletic performance and even health can be compromised. In addition to water, sweat contains electrolytes such as sodium and potassium that need to be replenished to support optimal fluid balance in the body.
Consider these hydration strategies to help get the most out of your workouts:

Prehydration is a relatively new concept, but the goal is to prevent dehydration from occurring by properly hydrating and assuring normal plasma-electrolyte levels prior to exercise. Prehydrating can be accomplished by drinking water or sports drinks, and by consuming foods with a high water content several hours before exercise. Most of us can benefit by drinking two to three cups of fluid in the hours before exercise.

Hydration during exercise helps to prevent dehydration and electrolyte imbalances and to minimize adverse effects on athletic and mental performance. Losing as little as 2% of body weight (or just 3 pounds in a 150-pound person) during exercise has been shown to compromise athletic performance. Drinking cool liquids early and often, and opting for sports drinks that contain electrolytes and energy-sustaining carbohydrates can be beneficial. In hot and humid conditions, you should drink half a cup or more of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes that you exercise.

Rehydration after exercise is important to enhance the recovery process and to make up any remaining fluid or electrolyte deficits. In the hours after exercise, try to rehydrate with 2 cups of fluid (yes, 2 cups!) for every pound of weight lost during your workout. If weighing yourself is not an option, checking your urine color is a simple indicator of hydration status. A pale or clear color is usually a sign of proper hydration, whereas a dark yellow or tea-colored urine is a common indicator of dehydration.

So let's all get out and exercise—and drink up for peak athletic performance!

Next to oxygen, water is the most important nutrient required by the body. The human body can survive without food for about five weeks, but can only survive about five days without water. Total human body weight consists of approximately 65 – 75% water. We must replenish with plentiful amounts of clean water on a daily basis to hydrate and flush out waste and toxins.

We have all heard of people becoming ill from contaminated drinking water. What we may not realize is that our tap water is often more contaminated than we like to think. Numerous toxins, antibiotics, etc. cannot be filtered by city water systems. And then we have to contend with the chlorine and fluoride ( toxic chemicals ) that are used in an attempt to protect us from harmful bacteria and supposedly improve our health. Once again, LQ Wellness highly recommends you educate yourself on this topic.

To keep your water and your families water safe LQ Wellness would recommend the Get Clean Water Pitcher by Shaklee. Get Clean Water is a revolutionary new water pitcher filtration system certified by the Water Quality Association (WQA) to reduce up to 99% of lead 1—as well as dozens of other nasty contaminants that can turn up in your water and may be harmful to your health.

Cleaner, healthier water and a cleaner, healthier planet? We can all drink to that!

This Starter Pack contains all you need to get started on healthier, great-tasting water.Each Get Clean Water filter handles 80 gallons of water, twice as much as Brita and Pur2, and each filter is made from sustainable coconut shell carbon using a zero-emission process. Plus, it's the first pitcher with a refillable carbon-block filter system, so there's less waste going to the landfills.

Click here for more information on Get Clean Water.

Wishing you health and wellness from the inside out,

Lisa

LQ WELLNESS

Professional Wellness Coach

973-383-0955

lisaquinnwc@embarqmail.com

Interested in Optimal Wellness? Take a look at products available here!

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @lq_wellness

Like me on Facebook

Follow me on Pinterest

"Life is not merely to be alive, but to be well."

~Marcus Valerius Martial ~

Meatless Monday:Does Eating Less Meat Give You A Longer Life

One Step At a Time...

You Can Go Meatless

For All Three Meals

What’s the healthiest human diet? With so many trending options — vegetarian, pescotarian, semi-vegetarian, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, vegan, vegan before six — it’s hard to decide what’s best for our bodies. Recently, though, we were given a little insight. , which looked at a range of different diets, decreasing meat consumption means improving health. 

Conducted at Loma Linda University in California and led by Michael J. Orlich, MD, the medical study analyzed over 70,000 Seventh-day Adventists, who practice vegetarianism. The study found that vegetarians demonstrated a reduced risk of diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. With that, vegetarians were determined twelve percent less likely to die from all-cause mortality than were meat-eaters.

Because researchers defined the vegetarian category as having four dietary patterns — including those who eat fish and those who eat meat no more than once a week — the results suggest that there is a growing accessibility to a vegetarian lifestyle, in addition to the increased benefits of having one.

However, according to Robert B. Baron, MD, MS, who responded to the research in the JAMA Internal Medicine, it is important to note the nature of the study and remember that “like all observational studies, this one provides associations, not cause-and-effect evidence.” While the study concluded that vegetarians are less likely to develop certain diseases, it did not determine whether this pattern is caused by their specific diet or their overall lifestyle.

The bottom line is, they’re doing something right, and a few less hamburgers never hurt anyone, anyways.

Many people are turning to a healthier lifestyle and the vegetarian recipes you find on this blog will be a delicious addition to your recipe collection.

If you think that a diet of vegetarian food will be somewhat difficult to incorporate into your lifestyle, LQ Wellness thinks you will be surprised at the variety of easy recipes you will find here.

Vegetarian cuisine is not only healthy, these recipes show you how delicious a vegetarian diet can be.

Give them a try.

Even if you have no desire to convert from a meat eating diet, you'll see that it is easy and tasty to incorporate meat free days into your current diet.Making your meals meat free one day a week can help you feel good about yourself, and you’ll be sure to find some tasty new recipes along the way.

If you are already a vegetarian, I think you will enjoy the variety of new recipes you will find here.

Healthy Meatless Recipe:

Baked Eggplant Marinara

(Adapted from Patricia Conte )

Eggplant is a versatile vegetable that's terrific stuffed, grilled, pureed for a dip or baked. Give this recipe for baked eggplant marinara a try for a fabulous Meatless Monday meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-sized eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch round slices
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup flour
• 2 cups Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs (maybe more if you run low when breading)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups of marinara sauce (a bit more to use when serving)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Red pepper flakes (to season the marinara sauce)

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
• After you slice the eggplant into one-quarter-inch rounds, salt them to drain off some of their liquid (this helps to eliminate any bitterness). Place the slices in a colander over the sink and sprinkle them with salt. Allow them to remain in the colander for about 30 minutes, then pat them dry with paper towels.
• In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together and set aside.
• In another shallow bowl add the flour, salt and pepper and set aside.
• In a third shallow bowl, add the breadcrumbs mixed together with one-quarter cup of the Parmesan cheese, and set aside with the others.
• Spread about one-quarter cup of the marinara sauce across the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, or enough to coat the bottom, and set aside.
• Gather your shallow bowls together in the same area as your baking sheets. First dip the eggplant slices in the flour mixture and cover both sides. Next, dredge them in the egg and milk mixture and allow the excess liquid to drip off, and finally coat them on both sides in the breadcrumb/Parmesan mixture.
• Arrange each of the eggplant slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. You'll need two baking sheets.
• Bake for about 10 minutes, then flip them over for another 10 minutes, until they become golden.
• Remove, set aside and lower your oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add the eggplant slices to your prepared baking dish. To the top of the first layer, add some of the marinara sauce to lightly cover them. Double layer the slices, overlapping, if you have too many slices for a single layer.
• When all the slices are in the baking pan, top them with about three-quarters cup of marinara sauce and sprinkle with one-quarter cup of Parmesan cheese.
• Bake, covered with aluminum foil for about 15 minutes. Remove the pan, top the slices with the mozzarella cheese, and put them back in the oven, uncovered, for another 10-15 minutes, or until the eggplant slices are cooked, and the cheese is bubbly.
• Serve warm with extra sauce.

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

Healthy Weekly Motivator:

Makeover Your Meal Experience

Often, mealtimes are anything but relaxing; the chaos of everyday life leaves hardly any time to enjoy dinner! However, studies show that a relaxing dinner experience is beneficial to everyone, whether you’re eating alone or with your family.

In order to create a positive dining atmosphere, turn off all technology and eat at a table with place settings.

This week, schedule at least one relaxing dinner to enjoy time with your family and/or friends. The dinner doesn’t have to be perfect, either. As long as you’re enjoying the meal, there’s no need to stress about any mistakes that occurred while planning, preparing, or cooking.

Have a great week everyone and remember a better tomorrow starts with what you eat today!

Do you have a favorite meatless recipe you would like to share with us? Send it my way!

Wishing you health and wellness from the inside out,

Lisa

LQ WELLNESS

Professional Wellness Coach

973-383-0955

lisaquinnwc@embarqmail.com

Interested in Optimal Wellness? Take a look at products available here!

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @lq_wellness

Like me on Facebook

Follow me on Pinterest

“The way you think, the way you behave, the way you eat, can influence your life by 30 to 50 years.”

~Deepak Chopra~