The Power of Steel

I must admit I had high expectations when I purchased an industrial-sized package of steel cut oats at Costco. I was going to have a healthy breakfast every morning that was going to energize me and get me through the day. Well . . . I can't even tell you how long the package stayed in the cupboard before I actually got around to opening it. (hint: a loooong time!) But now that I have I'm a FAN!! I LOVE this stuff. It isn't mushy like oatmeal and tastes absolutely delish. Here is how I prepare it:

1 cup of steel cut oats
3 cups water

In the evening, bring to boil on the stove. As soon as it boils, take it off the burner and put a lid on it. Leave it there overnight and when you get up in the morning, just dish some up and put it in the microwave for about a minute, until hot.

Now for the fun part: What to put on top . . . you can sweeten it with sugar, brown sugar, honey, yogurt, maple syrup, agave then add fruit, fresh or dried, nuts, cinnamon . . . anything you can think to make it yummy.

Super simple and absolutely doable . . . and on the road to healthier eating.

Black Bean Burgers

*I did test this out during the Olympics and am now finally getting around to posting it.  Any of you who have tried out their recipe for the Olympic Challenge can still post it and get the points for it.  But you gotta act now!

I am on a quest to find the ultimate black bean/veggie pattie.  I've tried a few lately and I'd say that this is my favorite so far.

I think they key is to not expect a traditional "hamburger" taste.  If you can thusly adjust your burger mentality, veggie and/or bean burgers are a yummy, healthy way to get a protein/vegetable-packed meatless meal.  And the girls really liked them!

Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients:

• 3 medium carrots, grated
• Half a medium onion, finely chopped (I grated mine since I was already grating the carrots)
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup kale
• 1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (I used ground unfrosted mini wheats - those with wheat/gluten issues maybe could try crushing rice chex???)
• 1 tsp salt

ONE: Spray a skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the cumin, chili, garlic, and onion powder and continue to cook until the veggies are soft. Remove from heat and set aside in a large bowl.

TWO: Place drained beans, kale, and cilantro in a food processor and pulse several times until beans are mostly mashed but a few chunks still remain.

THREE: Add the beans, mustard, bread crumbs, and salt to the bowl of veggies and stir to combine. Scoop out scant 1/3 cup portions and form into patties.

FOUR: Heat the skillet you cooked the veggies in over medium heat and spray generously with cooking spray. Place the patties in the skillet a few at a time and cook 4 minutes a side until lightly browned and heated through.

TO FREEZE: Before cooking, form the patties and place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Place in the freezer for about 20 minutes to flash freeze the outsides and then place them all together in a freezer bag. Defrost overnight and cook according to the directions above.

After cooking, follow the same directions as above and reheat in the microwave.

NUTRITION INFO:


Per Serving (1 burger) - 124 Calories (7 Calories from Fat), 1g Total Fat, 0mg Cholesterol, 463mg Sodium, 22g Carbohydrates, 6g Dietary Fiber, 4g Sugar, 6g Protein, 75% DV Vitamin A, 13% DV Vitamin C, 5% DV Calcium, 36% DV Iron

Sharon's Note:  Adjust spices to taste.  I, personally, cut the cumin and chili powder in half.  I also used my George Foreman grill which worked nicely.

Training To Be The Next Gabby Douglas

Okay, so Gabby would laugh hysterically at our balance challenge and the fact that I was having a hard time even demonstrating the exercises on the video!  But while none of us will be flipping and twisting on a 4-inch balance beam like our Olympic gold medalist, I think we'll all benefit greatly by adding a little balancing work to help balance us out!



Sorry for the wait!  Click the link below to watch my impressive balance performance (hahaha!).

As a reminder:  The challenge is to do any or all of these exercises 2-3x/week.  Do on each side about 10x each.  Any of them can be made more difficult by closing your eyes.  Highly recommended:  Stand close to a counter or chair for safety!

http://youtu.be/sourb7KCJTg

I hope the other challenges are keeping you busy!  I will send out a survey monkey at the end of the Olympic games to see how everyone did!

The Real Olympic Challenge!

Olympic Creed:

The most important thing in the Olympics Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle.  The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.

I think this is applies perfectly to our own Olympic Challenge:  I know many of you don't even bother with the bonus challenges because you think, "why bother; I haven't done many/any up to this point, and any points I get won't help me win."  But, the important thing is to just take part!  Fight with us to overcome Lazy!

You MUST see this video, by the way, it gives me goose bumps every time!  Click on the link below to watch.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/HBu14q1dNP0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Olympic Challenge:

Complete all 5 challenges during the duration of the 2012 Olympic Games (July 27 - August 12).

Point Value:

Gold Medal:  Completed all 5 challenges:  10
Silver Medal:  Completed 4 challenges:  8
Bronze Medal:  Completed 3 challenges:  6
Honorable Mention:  Completed 2 challenges:  3
Way-To-Go Mention:  Completed 1 challenge:  2

Physical Health Challenge:  Do any (or all) of the balance exercises in the video 2 x/week.  Do 10 repetitions on each side.  Note:  you can make any of them WAY more challenging by closing your eyes.  Also, I highly recommend standing close to a counter or chair so you don't fall over!

(Please note:  The video will be coming demonstrating the above exercises.  Keith has not had a moment to spare to help me with this and I can't do it without him!  Pathetic, I know.  So work on the other challenges for now!)

Nutritional Health Challenge:  Try out a new healthy recipe and share the results on the blog (good or bad!).  Use one that's already been shared on the blog or search for one of your own.  I know this is a goal for many of you but I've enjoyed it so much, I want ALL of us to do it.

Spiritual Health:  Add a little more gratitude to your attitude.  Pay particular attention to the gratitude portion of your prayers.  Use this thought to help you:  What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?

Mental Health:  Limit the amount of time your TV is on to 2 hours every day.  Not how much you watch it, but how much time it's actually ON.  The only exception is if you are watching the Olympics.  No joke.  This might be a tough one for many of us, but this is an excellent anti-aging practice for our brains.  (Read this link if you need convincing: http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongrelationships/tp/Turn_Off_TV.htm)  Use your free and quiet time to exercise your brain (these might help: http://www.brainmetrix.com) and/or work on any of these Olympic challenges!

Emotional Health:  Compliment at least one person each day.  Mix it up:  family, friends, strangers.  Try to do it verbally and in person, but I'll even count texting, emailing and phone calls.

Please note:  you don't have to do these challenges perfectly!  In the spirit of the Olymic Creed, just take part!  You will earn your points if you honestly attempt to incorporate these challenges during the next 3 or so weeks.

"Faster, Higher, Stronger" - in all aspects of our lives!

Faster, Higher, Stronger

Okay, mi familia, I have not been a strong presence in our Golden Sneaker Challenge lately.  Sorry.  But, let's move on to bigger and better things.  Like our Olympics bonus challenge!!!

I am not going to issue the actual challenge just yet.  But, I want to get you motivated and prepared to jump into it!  Even if you have not been participating up to this point, this is a good one to start with - everyone can do it and it has plenty of variety.

This challenge is based on the five Olympic rings.  You will have 5 different challenges to work on during the 2 weeks of the 2012 Summer Olympics which run from Friday, July 27 to Sunday, August 12.

The 5 challenges cover these areas:  Physical health, nutrition, spiritual health, mental health and emotional health. 

I repeat, EVERYONE CAN DO THESE, I promise.  I will issue the actual challenge within days (I know you've heard that before!) so you can hit the ground running after watching the Opening Ceremonies on July 27!

Let's DO THIS, everyone!

Overcome Lazy!!!

This reperesents my dream Olympics!

No, wait... this one does.  Really!

A Little Fun With Stanley

Ah, it was so great to see Stanley again and catch up with him.  I'm sending him on ASAP, but in the few days we've had him here, he was itching to get out and do something (he really hates sitting around) so we took him up to Mt. Charleston to do some hiking with us.

It was significantly cooler up there and it was wonderful to escape the Las Vegas heat for the afternoon.

This hike was in Fletcher Canyon and as we got further in, we had to scramble over some very slippery rocks (which we dubbed "silk rocks" because Zoey asked why the rocks had silk on them).

We even found a natural rock slide which the girls and Stanley enjoyed several times.  They made Stanley go first just to make sure it was safe.

So, watch your mail:  Stanley is ready for his next active adventure!

Hello, My Name Is Sharon...

I've been so out of touch this last month that I feel I need to introduce myself!  Between school ending, family visitors, a vacation, a near search-and-rescue mission (the van Keith was driving to scout camp broke down in Death Valley - emphasis on Death) and... (dum, dum, dum) a few kidney stones, it's been one crazy month!  Looking back, it hasn't been the laziest month, thankfully, but it was just haphazard and chaotic with plenty of good AND bad stuff thrown in.

What I mostly regret is not getting a monthly challenge out, nor any check-in surveys to see what's going on with everyone!  The bright spot, of course, was seeing how Fit Stanley was kept busy with the Taylor/Hinckley clan!  Thanks for keeping him moving, you guys, and sending him back safely.  Ooooo, who'll get him next???  Watch your mail!

Also, watch the blog because the JULY CHALLENGE is coming within days, perhaps even hours.... but most likely days.  It will be Olympically-related, of course!  I can't wait to watch the games and be inspired by some seriously un-lazy folks.

We survived June!  Let's tackle July!