Strawberry Spinach Salad With Homemade Dressing

    I wanted to share with you a healthy recipe that is not only quick and easy to make, but it tastes great as well.  You can make it as a side dish or if you eat it for lunch you can drink a healthy 16 oz green smoothie along with it and be getting a good serving of fruits and vegetables.  Your taste buds and your body will love this dish!

Ingredients:

Salad
3 Large Strawberries sliced
Bowl of Large Leaf Spinach or Baby Spinach
Blanched or Slivered Almonds
Red Onion chopped finely (amount to personal taste)

Dressing
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup White Vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tablespoons Sesame Seeds
1 Tablespoon of Poppy Seeds
Tip: If you like a sweeter dressing, you can add a teaspoon of honey or dark agave nectar

Mix the dressing well with a whisk or fork.  Pour over your salad and mix well.  It is a tasty salad and also very good for your body.  If you eat this 2 hours before working out the spinach will provide nitrates to your body which will make your exercise seem easier. I have actually tried this myself and maybe it was the power of suggestion but my workout did feel easier.  You can read post about it here: Tip of the Week From Self Magazine.

                                                                    Picture courtesy of Pinterest.



I'm linking up with How To Mommy for the Tasty Thursday Recipe Swap Blog Hop.  You can click the button below to enter the hop too.  Hope to see you on there, it's a great place to get some wonderful recipes!

  Here is an offer for a free sample of Lipton Green Tea with Superfruit.  Click the link below for a chance to get your free sample.  See the instructions below for details.

Free Sample of Lipton Green Tea

Free sample: Get a free sample of Lipton® Green Tea with Superfruit.

How to get it: To request yours, "Like" Lipton® on Facebook. Next, click "Click here to register for your free sample of Lipton Green Tea with Superfruit taste" under the Green Tea tab. Then just fill out a short form.

* Request your free sample of Lipton® Green Tea with Superfruit now while supplies last!

Join the Get Wired Wednesday Blog Hop

    If you want to join the Get Wired Wednesday Blog Hop click the button below to sign up!  It's a fun way to have your blog seen by others and a good chance to see others out there too.  Hope to see you on the Get Wired Wednesday Blog Hop.

HLNB Healthy Living Challenge - Day 3

January 3rd  Day 3:  Yesterday I worked on exercises while listening to music (of course you all know my favorite group by now!) with the following stats:



Biceps Curls with 3 lbs 12 reps 5 sets
Triceps Press 3 lbs 12 reps 5 sets


Inner Thigh Kicks 12 reps 3 sets
Outer Thigh Kicks 12 reps 3 sets
Reverse Leg Kicks 12 reps 3 sets


                                                                                 Biceps Curls

                                                                          Reverse Leg Kicks

    I ate some pico de gallo, some strawberry applesauce and drank 24 oz of green smoothie. I also had some vegetables in our homemade pasta sauce. With the smoothie I had about 11 servings of fruit and vegetables.  The smoothies are a great source of nutrients.




                                     John and Simon Duran Duran concert pics from All You Need Is Now Tour.

                                      Duran Duran singing Notorious in concert 2011.

                                                                 Pictures courtesy of Pinterest.




      I earned 1 point for the exercises and 1 point for reaching the 7 servings of fruit and vegetables in the HBBC challenge.


  

     See my contact information on the tabs above if you want to send me an email with any questions or suggestions.  With my "Healthy Living Challenge" I'm logging my daily activities of how I keep moving.  I'm not offering any medical advice or making any guarantees.  This is meant for fun and if you want to follow along I hope it will be fun for you too.

Winter 2012 Get Active! Magazine

    Here is the latest issue of Get Active! Magazine.  This issue has some great articles. One is about how red grapes may help boost metabolism.  There is also another article from a Las Vegas trainer Kelly Decolati that might help you with your personal routines. Another article called Best Seat in the House is a good one if you are looking to tone your glutes. To view the magazine click on the cover page below.


                                                     

                                                               Winter 2012 Get Active! Magazine

HLNB Healthy Living Challenge - Day 2

January 2nd  Day 2:  Yesterday I rode my stationary bike while watching "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" with the following stats:


Time on the bike: 60 minutes and 48 seconds
Distance: 12.04 miles
Speed:  between 11.5 - 12.5 mph
Total Calories burned: 297.10
Total Fat Calories burned:  92.80


                                                                   Stationary Bike

                                                                    Green Smoothie

    I ate some pico de gallo, some strawberry applesauce and drank 32 oz of green smoothie.  If you drink the full quart of green smoothies you get 15 servings of fruits and vegetables.  I used the recipe from the post I wrote yesterday. My husband who refuses to eat greens is now drinking the smoothies with me so that's a good thing for him too!

                                           Poor Giggy didn't get to go to Hawaii with the gang.

                                Kim kept missing the plane to Hawaii which frustrates her sister Kyle.

                                           A toast for Mauricio's Birthday on the way to Hawaii.

                                                                 Pictures courtesy of Pinterest.

      I earned 4 points for the stationary bike and 1 point for reaching the 7 servings of fruit and vegetables in the HBBC challenge.


  


     See my contact information on the tabs above if you want to send me an email with any questions or suggestions.  With my "Healthy Living Challenge" I'm logging my daily activities of how I keep moving.  I'm not offering any medical advice or making any guarantees.  This is meant for fun and if you want to follow along I hope it will be fun for you too.

HLNB Healthy Living Challenge - Day 1

January 1st  Day 1:  Yesterday I ate a salad and drank 1/2 quart of my green smoothie, from the Green Smoothie Girl blog.  If you drink the 16 oz. you are getting 7 1/2 servings of your fruit and vegetables. I also drank 100% juices with my meals.

I wrote about the green smoothies last March and attached a video of how to  make them.  You can view it here  (Happy St. Patrick's Day)  to get the recipe if you want to try and get your full vegetable servings in each day. It is an easy way to get your servings in and it really tastes good.   Even though I didn't begin the Healthy Living Challenge until January 2nd, I did walk one mile on January 1st and ate my 7 servings of fruits and vegetables for those who are also a part of the HBBC challenge.  I earned 2 points on Saturday for the walk and 7 servings. In the Healthy Living Challenge, I'm not only tracking the exercises but I'm really going to try to step up the healthy eating.  I hope you will enjoy doing both as well if you are going to participate in the Healthy Living 30 Day Challenge!

      I earned 1 point for getting the 7 servings of fruit and vegetables in the HBBC challenge on January 2nd.


  


     See my contact information on the tabs above if you want to send me an email with any questions or suggestions.  With my "Healthy Living Challenge" I'm logging my daily activities of how I keep moving.  I'm not offering any medical advice or making any guarantees.  This is meant for fun and if you want to follow along I hope it will be fun for you too.

Post From The Kind Life Forum - Naturally Fresh Deodorant

    Below is an interesting post from The Kind Life Forum (you many know this one as Alicia Silverstone's Blog)  if you haven't checked it out yet, be sure to look at it sometime.  She also believes in natural alternatives and cruelty free products.  I am adding this post because I believe it is important to be informed so you can make good decisions for yourself and your family.  When I first started this blog, natural deodorants was one of the topics I was very passionate about and wanted to write about.  If you look at many of the deodorants on our market today, they do contain warnings and if this is a product we use daily why would we want to be putting something on our bodies that requires warning labels?  You can also read my earlier post Natural Deodorants   for my own research on the topic and my own experiences.  I've sent for my sample of this newest natural deodorant Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal and I hope you will be able to get a sample too.  When you "like" the Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal Facebook page, you are also automatically entered into the contest to win a deodorant for a year.  Here is the post from The Kind Life. 

kind your beauty routine in 2012 with naturally fresh deodorant

Posted by The Kind Life on Jan 2, 2012

With the start of the New Year, it’s an ideal time to move toward a healthier lifestyle for you and your family. Unfortunately, our well-intentioned resolutions often don’t make it past February. Set yourself up for success by identifying small habits that will get you closer to your goal.

Protecting your pits with natural deodorant is an easy way you can go green & healthy in 2012. Regular antiperspirants prevent your body’s normal sweating function by blocking glands with aluminum molecules so small they can enter the blood stream. Though highly debated, it has been suggested that this might put you more at risk for breast cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Why be at risk when you could be kind to your body? 
 
The secret is out. Smelling good shouldn’t come with warning labels. That’s why Alicia named Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal Roll-on her favorite natural deodorant back in March 2010. Even doctors recommend it! Check out this video from Dr. Melanie K. Bone, a breast cancer survivor and gynecological surgeon, on why going natural in your underarms is great.

Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal’s roll-on is conveniently available at Walmart for only $3.99 and offers non-stop freshness while allowing skin to breathe. Natural mineral salts provide a non-staining, non-greasy layer of protection that kills odor-causing bacteria, so you can stay dry and still smell terrific. The added soothing chamomile helps to calm skin from frequent shaving irritation.

Don’t take our word for it! Try a free sample for yourself!

Simply comment below on why you’d like to be kind to your underarms, Like our Facebook page and submit a free sample request (first one hundred fans; one sample per household). By submitting a request, you will automatically be entered to win DEODORANT FOR A YEAR! On our Facebook page, you’ll also find great deals, giveaways, and articles on maintaining an organic lifestyle.

And as always, beauty should not be cruel. Because we directly manufacture on the same site of our South Florida corporate headquarters, we can guarantee no animals have ever been tested with our products. Our products are certified by both PETA and Leaping Bunny as cruelty-free.

Here’s to being kind and smelling great in the New Year!

Today’s post is proudly sponsored by

Happy New Year - 2012

                Hope you have had a wonderful New Year's Eve and many good wishes in the New Year!

                                                                       Image courtesy of Pinterest.

Tip of the Week - Give Yourself a Pro Blowout

                                                                       Picture courtesy of Pinterest.



    This week I'm attaching another video from Self Magazine with the one minute makeover on how to give yourself a pro blowout. There are some good tips to help keep your hair sleek and shiny when blow drying your own hair.  Hope you enjoy this week's one minute makeover. 


Note:  You can turn off or mute my blog music on the right hand side before viewing the video.