This blog will help you towards healthier lifestyle choices!

I owned a State Approved K-6 for over 20 years and when it closed, I was devastated. However, I decided to make lemonade out of lemons and so I thought: I went to school for 40 years (one class at a time) and I have a PhD, I'll just look for a better job.



And, I did.....look that is, the "finding" part eluded me. I was 60 years old, never got sick and could outwork almost anyone half my age but, as I was looking for a job, it was NOT looking for me!



In the first two years after my school's closure, I applied for over 450 jobs (everything from Starbucks, to Admin Assistant to jewelry sales) and had no luck.



Finally a friend asked why I was counting the jobs and I realized I was focusing on what was NOT happening instead of what might happen so I quit counting, but not applying.



In order to survive, I sold my house and lived off the proceeds while I continued applying. I lived extremely frugally because I knew that the money would not last forever.



Over the years, I have continued to live frugally and apply for jobs. However, there truly is ageism in America today and I have been unsuccessful in getting a "real" job.



What I have been successful at is cobbling together a life by working at my many part time jobs! Currently, I have 2 jobs each day (subbing in the Auburn School District and tutoring at Sylvan Learning Centers). And I do other jobs occasionally such as Real Estate Broker, Author, and Editor.



Because I am a Health Coach, my passion is helping people be healthier.
Over the years, I've learned much about how to be healthy even if I wasn't wealthy so I decided to share my expertise with you! I will bring you tips, recipes, and many ideas on how to choose a healthy lifestyle, even if you are eating out of the local Food Bank and/or don't have much money to pay for gym memberships!

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Ginger, Apple, Banana Smoothie

Ginger is so helpful for the digestion and apples and bananas taste wonderful with it. 3 Cups Flax milk, Almond Milk or Soy Milk 1" ginger root (cut off the outside) 6 bananas 1 apple (diced) Put ingredients into blender in order listed and blend until smooth. If you like it sweeter, you can put in some Stevia, to taste.

Russian Cabbage Soup - Vegan

I was reading a series of books about three women during WWII and one of them was a correspondent in Russia. The book waxed poetical about Russian Cabbage Soup and so I thought it would be fun to make some. I combined about 4 recipes (and removed the animal products) and came up with this. • 8cups Mckay's non-beef stock (or Vegetable Stock) • 1 1⁄2 lbs green cabbage • 4 garlic cloves • 3 medium potatoes • 2 medium onions • 2 medium tomatoes • 1 leek (bottom half only) • 1 large carrot • 3 bay leaves • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns • 1 teaspoon caraway seed • 1 teaspoon dill (per bowl) • 1 teaspoon parsley (per bowl) Directions: 1. Core and shred the green cabbage. 2. Peel and chop the garlic. 3. Peel and chop the potatoes into large chunks. 4. Peel and chop the onions. 5. Wash and chop the tomatoes. 6. Wash and slice the leek into thin circles. 7. Peel and grate the carrot. 8. Chop garlic, onion, leek (cut into thin rounds) and shredded carrot to crock pot. Turn crock pot onto high heat while finishing the slicing and dicing of the other ingredients. 9. Add Mc kay's non-beef stock (vegetable stock or water). 10. Add potatoes, tomatoes, bay leaves, black peppercorns, and caraway seed. 11. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours. 12. Add cabbage and cook for another hour on high or 2 hours on low.

Pasta Sauce with Pineapple Tomatoes and Gluten Free Penne Fat Free

Pineapple Tomatoes make a wonderful sauce for pasta. If you don't have a large crock pot, you can divide the recipe to fit what you do have. 3 Walla Walla Sweet onions, finely diced 4 cloves garlic, finely diced 1 Cup diced green pepper 4 bay leaves 2 tsp oregano (or more if you would like) 2 tsp thyme 8 Tbs chopped fresh parsley 8 Cups pineapple tomatoes, diced medium 4 tsp sea salt 1/2 tsp pepper Put ingredients into a large crock pot in order listed. I usually put the onions and garlic in first, turn the crock pot on high and then cut up the rest of the items. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. This is even better the second time around so I use some for today's meal and freeze the rest.