Auntie Fee Makes Me Laugh

This woman makes me cry laughing. Happy Friday! Sit back and enjoy the show.

30-Minute, No-Gym Bodyweight Workout

There are times when I do NOT want to drive to the gym and workout. The mere thought of grabbing the keys, getting into my car and driving seems so difficult. Some days, I will make every excuse under the sun not to workout. I am tired. It's raining. I will eat less today. I don't feel like it.

On days like these, I tell myself to do something really easy like 10 jumping jacks or 10 leg lifts. Once I do that, I push myself to go ahead and workout a few minutes at home. This is when I look up at-home workouts online. God bless the internet.

This is one workout I do quite often. It gets the heart pumping and I sweat. A bonus is that Christopher likes to sit and watch me jump up and down. He thinks it's hilarious. Sure, kid. If you're gonna stay somewhat still while I work up a sweat, I ain't complaining.


Get health and fitness tips at Greatist.com.

Attitude

Last weekend, we were at a Honda dealership. I recently purchased a white Honda Pilot with black trim. I've named my car Panda. Oh, yes I did. Panda was getting a roof rack, all-weather mats and running boards with LED lights. She's all pimped out now or as my father-in-law said...she looks like a real car now. Anyways, I was bored in the waiting room thumbing through magazines and walking around in circles. I passed by someone's desk and in plain sight for all to see was this thought-provoking quote about attitude.  The person sitting behind the desk smiled at me, reached for the frame and gave me a copy of the quote. How unexpectedly nice! Apparently, so many people stop to read it, he made several copies of it to pass out to people. How thoughtful! This is his little contribution to make the world a better place. World Peace!

I've read it a few times already. It is a reminder to always keep a good attitude about everything in life, even when I don't want to and even when it's so so so hard to do so. This is a must-share.

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

 - Charles R. Swindoll

Peanut-Sesame Slaw with Soba Noodles

For the past two weeks, CJ and I have been eating healthy. I'm talking about cottage cheese, flaxseeds, ginger tea, salads, veggie patties, fish, chicken, quinoa, walnuts, brazilian nuts...doesn't sound too appetizing, right? I can see you scrunching your face saying "ewww". Get it out of your system. Done? Great. Read on.

CJ is a meats and potatoes type of guy. I know this is a huge transition for him (I love you for riding along with minimal complaints). Healthy eating can be quite tasty with some research and creativity. We are both learning that once your body gets used to eating healthy, your body craves it and your tummy aches when you eat crap food.

Though we're buying a lot of organic foods, we're actually saving money because I'm not buying chips, soda, bacon, hot dogs, and red meat. I've been more focused on veggies, tuna, salmon, brown rice, fruit, and the list goes on. 

A few nights ago, I needed to whip up a quick dinner. Where else would I go, but Pinterest for inspiration and ideas! Gawd, I love Pinterest.

I came across a tasty looking photo and clicked on it and discovered this recipe. If you're not a peanut butter fan, move on and just know you're no longer my friend. i...love...PEANUT...BUTTERRRRR!! I really want to go on and on about it, but really, I should just stop yapping and post the recipe already. Crunch, crunch, chomp, chomp...enjoy!

PEANUT-SESAME SLAW WITH SOBA NOODLES

Recipe cred goes to Cookie+Kate

Ingredients

Slaw

• 4 ounces soba noodles (omit if you want it to be gluten-free, unless it's gluten-free soba...duh)
• 1 small purple or green cabbage, sliced into quarters and core removed
• ½ pound (about 12) Brussels sprouts, optional
• 4 carrots, peeled
• 1 bunch green onions, trimmed and sliced into thin rounds

Peanut-sesame dressing

• ½ cup peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or other soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

Garnish

• Sprinkle of coarsely chopped peanuts
• Handful of cilantro, coarsely torn
• 1 lime, sliced into wedges

Instructions

1. Cook the soba noodles: bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water before returning to pot.
2. Prepare the vegetables: This is easier in a food processor than by hand. If using a food processor, shred the cabbage and sprouts with the slicing disk, then grate the carrots using the grating disk. Or use a chef's knife to chop the cabbage and sprouts into thin strips, then coarsely grate the carrots.
3. Prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until smooth.
4. In a large serving bowl, combine the cooked soba noodles, shredded cabbage and sprouts, grated carrots, and chopped green onions. Pour dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat (you may or may not need all of the dressing). For best flavor, let the slaw marinate for 20 minutes before serving.
5. Serve slaw with a sprinkling of chopped peanuts, torn cilantro and a lime wedge.

Julia's Notes: I didn't use brussel sprouts, green onions or chopped peanuts because I didn't have them on hand.  Tasted just fine, but I bet it'll be tastier with them. The photo above doesn't have soba noodles, but I did add it later...yummo. If you want a lighter fare, omit the soba noodles.

Let's do this! Healthy Lifestyle Makeover.

My dad practices what he preaches. He is the most healthiest person I know. He exercises 5-6 days a week for 2 hours each session. He tries not to eat too much red meat, stays away from white rice and avoids salty foods like the plague. At age 64, the man has a six pack, dresses GQ and looks young! I am a proud daughter.

Needless to say, my father has influenced me heavily when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. I must admit, I haven't exhibited the same amount of discipline as he has. I'll read about some detox program in a magazine or a new fad diet and I'll be super motivated to hit the ground running. The excitement and high will last for maybe a week or two and then...bam! One cheat meal is all it takes for me to go spiraling back to my old ways, albeit healthier than most people.

Recently, I have been reminded that life without health is nothing. My grandfather is 92 years old and tells me this every single time I see him without fail. Money, fame, power...it's all meaningless without health.

Instead of a diet to lose weight, I am embarking on a journey to live healthier - with food, my body and my soul.

This blog is my personal diary to preserve family recipes, test out new recipes, share workouts and anything else that my little heart desires. 

The Power of Being Positive

I've always been an advocate for positive thinking. It's easier to be positive, happy and cheerful than negative, down and apathetic. Why is it that most people in this world love to live in their misery? I'll admit, I've gone through phases where nothing feels more comforting than to wallow in a pool of self-pity, but in hindsight, it was a complete waste of time. It must be the new year, but I am ALL about have a positive attitude and living life with the glass half full. Otherwise, why get out of bed? I've been VERY aware of my thoughts and attitude these days and in turn, I've been acutely aware of attitudes of my family members, friends and people I come across on a daily basis. One thing is for sure: there are FEW people out there who make it a point to wake up each morning and tell themselves today is going to be a great day. So, with that said, I am on a MISSION to turn people around!

I have various reasons for this mission, but the main reason is because I want my friends and family to live happy lives. I genuinely want that more than anything in this world. More than money, fame, and power, I sincerely wish for my loved ones to BE TRULY HAPPY.

Here are some quotes I'd like to share:


Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or
happy and strong. The amount of work is the same. ~Francesca Reigler

If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change
the way you think about it. ~Mary Engelbreit

The only people who find what they are looking for in life are the
fault finders. ~Foster's Law

Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't count on
harvesting Golden Delicious. ~Bill Meyer
To be upset over what you don't have is to waste what you do have.
~Ken S. Keyes, Jr., Handbook to Higher Consciousness

The only disability in life is a bad attitude. ~Scott Hamilton

The best things in life are unexpected - because there were no
expectations. ~Eli Khamarov, Surviving on Planet Reebok

The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can
alter his life by altering his attitudes. ~William James

Could we change our attitude, we should not only see life differently,
but life itself would come to be different. ~Katherine Mansfield

Positive anything is better than negative thinking. ~Elbert Hubbard

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you. ~Maori Proverb

Mirrors and Ips

I was reading WP Magazine today. It comes with the Sunday Washington Post. I like to flip to the last page first. Gene Weingarten's "Below the Beltway" is entertaining and informative. I wanna share two paragraphs from his recent column, "How to do a giggle search", because anything that makes me laugh is worth sharing.

Why is it that the mirror appears to reverse left to right but not up and down?

Because mirrors reflect, they do not invert, as a lens does. Your question mirrors a common ignorance, though. Back when I was the editor of my college paper, a BMOC-type student wanted to attend an anti-administration rally but asked us not to take his photograph there, for fear of being identified and punished. We refused to guarantee that. So, on the theory we would not dare to print profanity in the paper, he wrote the f-word on his forehead, backward, so when the photo was printed it would be readable. Alas, unlike mirrors, photographs do not flop images left to right. We ran the picture and identified him in the newspaper as the idiot who mistakenly printed a dirty word on his forehead backward. The caption correctly spelled out not only his name but the f-word.

What is my ip?

Your ip is the part of your psyche that is not the id, the ego or the superego. It is the part that produces stupid behavior, such as when you hit the button several times to make the elevator arrive faster. Collectively, the ip is responsible for the fact that there is a market for Segways, plug-in room fresheners and those blankets with sleeves.