Our idea of "dream big".

Lately our son has been telling us that he wants to move to a small town so that he can be free to ride his bike around outside and see more nature.  Perhaps this is just a natural consequence of my husband and I dragging him out of town on rural day trips every weekend.  Spending a week at Camp Waskowitz made a huge impact on him as the natural beauty and peacefulness touched a place deep in his spirit.

This recession had an impact on us as it did many others, and it seemed to tax our psychic energy for quite a while. As time went on and things got better we realized that it has been a long time since we set goals as a family that we could get excited about.

Inexplicably we are drawn to natural beauty and quiet, open spaces.  While I love the city, in the end, as they say, "Green Acres is the place to be".  In short, our goal is to, in less than 5 years, be in a place where we can have a view something like the picture above.  I had almost forgotten how setting a goal really gets you organized, energized and motivated to get everything set in motion.  Here's to turning dreams into goals and bringing them to fruition.

From CMR: Get Into Shape With These Metabolism Boosters

The great Dr. Oz has written an interesting article about metabolism-boosting foods that we can add to our diet right now to burn fat and boost metabolism.

Dr. Oz says to add 3 cups of matcha tea to your diet every day, as it contains metabolism-boosting Polyphenol EGCG and matcha is the best way to get it. (Thank you Dr. Oz!)

He also suggests papaya for protein absorption and Go Chu Jang sauce (a Korean red pepper paste) to heat up the body and burn more energy.  I love that stuff.  Just don't put it in your matcha :).  We love to dip romaine lettuce in it, or add a teaspoon or so to chicken soup.

He ends the article with suggesting an apple cider vinegar/grapefruit juice concoction 15 minutes prior to every meal 3 times a day.  Plus a dandelion green salad.  Am I crazy enough to try his plan out this summer?  I might be.  Dandelion greens are free, and I like free.  The apple cider vinegar? We've been doing that for a couple weeks now but I have a hard enough time doing that once a day.  I have to put a pinch of dashi soup broth in mine so that it just tastes like I'm drinking a bottle of Ponzu.

I think that switching to Matcha 3 times a day sounds much more appealing and doable.

Read the article here. 

Keep it simple with Matcha

Since the beginning of the year I've embarked on a mission of healthy eating and exercise. (Mind you, as I say this I am sitting at my desk eating a Pepperidge Farm Milano cookie...hey, I can't be perfect all the time!).

Along the way I've been introduced to different health shakes and beverages that are believed to make you healthier, slimmer and stronger.  I don't find that hard to believe.  But unfortunately, for me anyway, these specialty concoctions tend to cost a lot of money that I either don't have or would rather allocate to other things.  Every time I am tempted to shell out money for something like this I tell myself, "Wait - I have Matcha!".

Matcha is the all-natural, go-to tea that provides in itself a wonderful boost of nutrients.   What you see is what you get - one ingredient that you can add to a multitude of foods to make them even healthier. A little of it goes a long way, so you can put away the giant scoop and get out the teaspoon instead.  The flavor is earthy and delicious; it's no wonder that green tea is one of the most popular flavors in Asia.  It is also believed to be a weight loss booster.

So after a workout, you can add a little matcha to a banana-almond milkshake; you can even throw in a bit of protein powder to feed your muscles.  Or add some matcha to some fresh squeezed orange juice or soy milk for a quick energy shot.  My most recent favorite?  Matcha Oatmeal.  The color is divine and the flavor lends well to blueberries and some natural sweetener.

If you're on a path to wellness, find a place for matcha in your life. You will love its versatility.