http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/expert-advice-beginners-running-tips?cm_mmc=AD_Newsletter-_-1233506-_-03182013-_-101GreatestRunningTips-Grid2

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http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/abs-exercises?cm_mmc=AD_Newsletter-_-1377374-_-07292013-_-10AbsExercisesBetterThanCrunches_Block2

Rosemary Sweet Potato Wedges

Ingredients

Serves:  Prep:  10min |Cook: 20min |Total: 30min
              

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (or 2 teaspoons dried)
• 3 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the rosemary.

2.

Cut the sweet potatoes lengthwise into 1 1/2-inch-thick wedges and place in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with the butter mixture. Toss gently.

3.

Arrange the wedges on a large baking sheet in one flat layer so they don't touch. Bake in the upper part of the oven, turning once, until softened and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Season again with salt and pepper, and carefully remove from the sheet (the wedges are relatively fragile after cooking). Serve hot

.

Heat oil in large saucepan. Add onion and cook until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add stock plus 2 cups water, then add sweet potato, carrot, and ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

2.

Strain out vegetables and put them in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth, adding a bit of broth if needed. (If you're using a standard blender, allow the mixture to cool first; hot liquid may cause the blender to squirt out contents. Depending on the size of your blender, you may have to do this in batches.)

3.

Pour vegetable puree back into the saucepan and stir until well blended and smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a dollop of yogurt on top, if desired.

Gingered Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup

Ingredients

Serves:  Prep:  15min |Cook: 30min |Total: 45min
              

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 C low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 5 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 tbsp jarred ginger, chopped
• Plain nonfat Greek-style yogurt (optional)

Directions

1.

Heat oil in large saucepan. Add onion and cook until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add stock plus 2 cups water, then add sweet potato, carrot, and ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

2.

Strain out vegetables and put them in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth, adding a bit of broth if needed. (If you're using a standard blender, allow the mixture to cool first; hot liquid may cause the blender to squirt out contents. Depending on the size of your blender, you may have to do this in batches.)

3.

Pour vegetable puree back into the saucepan and stir until well blended and smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a dollop of yogurt on top, if desired.

Nutritional Facts per serving

CALORIES

126.6 CAL

FAT

4.5 G

SATURATED FAT

1 G

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Roast sweet potatoes and red bell peppers together for a delicious mingling of flavors and then place over a bed of spinach or arugula and sprinkle with white balsamic vinegar. Serve this as side dish or add goat cheese and grilled chicken for a satisfying lunch.

healthy smoothies

Banana Ginger Smoothie

Soothe digestion, heartburn, nausea, and other stomach trouble with the fresh ginger in this natural remedy drink.

SERVINGS: 2

1 banana, sliced
¾ c (6 oz) vanilla yogurt
1 Tbsp honey
½ tsp freshly grated ginger

COMBINE the banana, yogurt, honey, and ginger. Blend until smooth.

NUTRITION (per serving) 157 cals, 1 g fat, 0.8 g sat fat, 57 mg sodium, 34 g carbs, 28 g sugars, 1.5 g fiber, 5 g protein

*********

Banana Ginger Smoothie

Soothe digestion, heartburn, nausea, and other stomach trouble with the fresh ginger in this natural remedy drink.

SERVINGS: 2

1 banana, sliced
¾ c (6 oz) vanilla yogurt
1 Tbsp honey
½ tsp freshly grated ginger

COMBINE the banana, yogurt, honey, and ginger. Blend until smooth.

NUTRITION (per serving) 157 cals, 1 g fat, 0.8 g sat fat, 57 mg sodium, 34 g carbs, 28 g sugars, 1.5 g fiber, 5 g protein

*****************

Green Tea, Blueberry, and Banana

Antioxidant-rich green tea makes this smoothie a nutritional powerhouse.

SERVINGS: 1

3 Tbsp water
1 green tea bag
2 tsp honey
1½ c frozen blueberries
½ med banana
¾ c calcium fortified light vanilla soy milk

1. MICROWAVE water on high until steaming hot in a small bowl. Add tea bag and allow to brew 3 minutes. Remove tea bag. Stir honey into tea until it dissolves.
2. COMBINE berries, banana, and milk in a blender with ice crushing ability.
3. ADD tea to blender. Blend ingredients on ice crush or highest setting until smooth. (Some blenders may require additional water to process the mixture.) Pour smoothie into tall glass and serve

NUTRITION (per serving) 269 cals, 2.5 g fat, 0.2 g sat fat, 52 mg sodium, 63 g carbs, 38.5 g sugars, 8 g fiber, 3.5 g protein

***************

Very Berry Breakfast

Start your day off with a bang with this fruit-packed smoothie.

SERVINGS: 2

1 c frozen unsweetened raspberries
¾ c chilled unsweetened almond or rice milk
¼ c frozen pitted unsweetened cherries or raspberries
1½ Tbsp honey
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 tsp ground flaxseed
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

COMBINE all ingredients in blender, adding lemon juice to taste. Puree until smooth. Pour into 2 chilled glasses.

NUTRITION (per serving) 112 cals, 1.5 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 56 mg sodium, 25.5 g carbs, 20 g sugars, 3 g fiber, 1 g protein

*************

World's Best Smoothie

Slurp down this smoothie at breakfast, and you'll feel satisfied until lunchtime. 

SERVINGS: 1

1 c plain nonfat yogurt
1 banana
½ c orange juice
6 frozen strawberries

COMBINE the yogurt, banana, juice, and strawberries for 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides and blend for an additional 15 seconds.

NUTRITION (per serving) 300 cal, 14 g pro, 63 g carb, 5 g fiber, 45 g sugars, 0.5 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 180 mg sodium

**********

Banana-Blueberry-Soy Smoothie

Succulent, summer-ripe blueberries burst with flavor in this delicious drink. Skip the sugar or artificial sweetener for a healthier pick; the fruit makes it naturally sweet.

SERVINGS: 2

1¼ c light soy milk
½ c frozen loose-pack blueberries
½ frozen banana, sliced
2 tsp sugar or 2 packets artificial sweetener
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

COMBINE 1 cup of the milk, the blueberries, banana, sugar or sweetener, and vanilla extract. Blend for 20 to 30 seconds, or until smooth. Add up to ¼ cup more milk if a thinner smoothie is desired.

NUTRITION (per serving) 125 cals, 1.5 g fat, 0.1 g sat fat, 60 mg sodium, 25 g carbs, 11 g sugars, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein

**************

Just Peachy

Fat-free vanilla ice cream makes this dish sinful and slimming. Skip the spoonful of sugar for a healthier pick.

SERVINGS: 2

1 c 1% milk
2 Tbsp low-fat vanilla yogurt
½ c frozen peaches
½ c strawberries
⅛ tsp powdered ginger
2 tsp whey protein powder
3 ice cubes

1. BLEND together any liquid ingredients (milk, yogurt, juice, etc.) and protein powder; this will help break down the grainy powder and make sure it's evenly distributed.
2. ADD mushy ingredients, like precooked oatmeal and fruit, then add ice at the end. For a thicker shake, you can toss in more ice cubes; you'll add volume without the calories.

NUTRITION (per serving) 150 cals, 2 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 73 mg sodium, 26.5 g carbs, 245 g sugars, 2 g fiber, 9 g protein

******************

Let it go.

(The grudge, the expectation, the hope, the burden, the desire, the bias, the perspective, the whatever it is that’s keeping you stuck.)

kay nielsen

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/08/27/kay-nielsen-east-of-the-sun-and-west-of-the-moon/

Amazon 100: How many have you read?

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis CarrollThe Color of Water by James McBrideOf Human Bondage by W. Somerset MaughamThe Diary of Anne Frank by Anne FrankAngela's Ashes: A Memoir by Frank McCourtThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki MurakamiSlaughterhouse-Five by Kurt VonnegutUnbroken by Laura HillenbrandMan's Search for Meaning by Viktor FranklThe Sun Also Rises by Ernest HemingwayOn the Road by Jack KerouacThe Liars' Club: A Memoir by Mary KarrThe Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. CaroAlice Munro: Selected Stories by Alice MunroCharlotte's Web by E. B. WhiteCatch-22 by Joseph HellerLife After Life by Kate AtkinsonThe Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence WrightThe Right Stuff by Tom WolfeTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeThe Book Thief by Markus ZusakJimmy Corrigan: Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris WareThe Year of Magical Thinking by Joan DidionThe Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsA Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning: The Short-Lived Edition by Lemony SnicketInvisible Man by Ralph EllisonThe Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric CarleThe Age of Innocence by Edith WhartonBeloved by Toni MorrisonValley of the Dolls by Jacqueline SusannA Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'EngleThe Things They Carried by Tim O'BrienAre You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy BlumeThe Shining by Stephen King1984 by George OrwellA Brief History of Time by Stephen HawkingDiary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 1 by Jeff KinneyGone Girl by Gillian FlynnPersepolis by Marjane SatrapiWhere the Wild Things Are by Maurice SendakBel Canto by Ann PatchettThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca SklootThe Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex HaleyFahrenheit 451 by Ray BradburyThe Stranger by Albert CamusA Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave EggersAll the President's Men by Bob Woodward and Carl BernsteinThe Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot DiazThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldPride and Prejudice by Jane AustenThe Devil in the White City by Erik LarsenDaring Greatly by Brene BrownThe Fault in Our Stars by John GreenA Long Way Gone by Ishmael BeahMiddlesex by Jeffrey EugenidesThe Road by Cormac McCarthyThings Fall Apart by Chinua AchebeCutting For Stone by Abraham VergheseCharlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald DahlThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerKitchen Confidential by Anthony BourdainIn Cold Blood by Truman CapoteSilent Spring by Rachel CarsonOut of Africa by Isak DinesenBorn to Run by Christopher McDougallThe Corrections by Jonathan FranzenThe Poisonwood Bible by Barbara KingsolverGoodnight Moon by Margaret Wise BrownThe Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. TolkienThe House at Pooh Corner by A. A. MilneGuns, Germs and Steel by Jared M. DiamondPortnoy's Complaint by Philip RothMe Talk Pretty One Day by David SedarisThe Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick RiordanThe Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael ChabonDune by Frank HerbertHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. RowlingThe Handmaid's Tale by Margaret AtwoodThe Phantom Tollbooth by Norton JusterThe Long Goodbye by Raymond ChandlerThe Giver by Lois LowryFear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. ThompsonLove Medicine by Louise ErdrichThe Wind in the Willows by Kenneth GrahameThe Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-ExupéryMoneyball by Michael LewisLove in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia MarquezWhere the Sidewalk Ends by Shel SilversteinBreath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge DanticatThe Golden Compass: His Dark Materials by Philip PullmanInterpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa LahiriMidnight's Children by Salman RushdieThe Secret History by Donna TarttLittle House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls WilderTeam of Rivals by Doris Kearns GoodwinThe World According to Garp by John IrvingGreat Expectations by Charles DickensThe Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat by Oliver SacksThe Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael PollanLolita by Vladimir Nabokov

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1

A bit sweet, a bit savory, this juicy salad is 100 percent quenching on a warm night. Try it out at your next summer BBQ bash or cookout.

In a salad bowl, combine 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes, 2 cups seeded cucumber half-moons, 2 cups watermelon balls, and 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion. Toss with 2 teaspoons thick, aged balsamic vinegar. Let stand 5 minutes, then sprinkle with leaves from 1 sprig tarragon and cracked black pepper to taste.

Makes 4 Servings

Per serving: 50 cal, 0 g fat, 12 g carbs, 5 mg sodium, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein

photo: Zach Desart

kale quinoa patties recipe

prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 10-12 minutes
makes approx. 10 patties

---

what you’ll need

• 2 ½ c cooked quinoa, cooled
• 4 c kale, cleaned, deveined, chopped small
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ yellow onion, diced small
• ½ c chives, chopped
• ½ c Parmesan, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ c bread crumbs (use gluten free breadcrumbs to make this dish gluten free)
• 2 tbsp olive oil plus more for frying

let’s do it

• combine quinoa, eggs, Parmesan, chives and salt in medium mixing bowl
• heat 2 tbsp olive oil in skillet on medium heat
• sweat onions and garlic, approximately 3 minutes
• add kale to skillet
• cook until kale is bright green and soft
• add kale mixture to quinoa
• add breadcrumbs and stir to combine ingredients
• place clean skillet on medium heat
• add enough oil to coat bottom of pan
• form patties using ½ c of quinoa mixture
• place patties in skillet being careful not to splash hot oil
• do not overcrowd the pan
• fry until golden brown on each side, approximately 5 minutes per side
• remove patties, drain on paper towel, and serve