Tag Archives: Healthy Lifestyle

44 Ways To Put a Spring in Your Step!

spring in your step

Pick a few of these this week! Get outside your usual routine! Hugging a tree doesn’t take long. Feel silly doing it? You did it as a kid, I’m sure! Seriously, there is some fun and inspirational activities on this list! Which appeal to you? Watching the Snow Melt IS an Activity…. if you are really watching the snow melt, and are present in the moment! I challenge you to print this list, and check off items as you do them this Spring!
Have a fantastic day!
Sandra Shields, Certified Health Coach

Grain Free Chocolate Graham Crackers

Looking for a chocolate graham cracker that is grain free and starch free? I have tested and developed this recipe for you, and after several attempts, I do believe it is perfect! 🙂

They can be used however you like, but my favorite is sandwich style! Look here for my Chocolate Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream Sandwiches! They will wow you! The flavor is amazing! What a lovely ending to a warm Summer’s day!

Grain Free Chocolate Graham Crackers

Grain Free Chocolate Graham Crackers

Preheat your oven to 325º degrees.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups of Superfine Almond Flour

1/4 Cup Raw Cacao Powder

4 Teaspoons of Gelatin like (Thrive Market Brand)

1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/4 Cup of Coconut Oil, melted

1/4 Cup Good Honey

1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract

Directions: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir vigorously with a fork until completely blended and a ball of dough has formed.

Place the dough onto a large cookie sheet sized piece of parchment paper. Flatten slightly.

Grain Free Graham Cracker Dough Ready to Roll

Place a second piece of parchment on top of the dough, and roll out evenly to almost fill the parchment, or the size of your cookie sheet. The dough should be about a half inch thick.

With a pizza cutter, make squares as shown below. Pierce the grahams with a fork’s tines.

Ready to Bake Grain Free Chocolate Graham Crackers

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool completely. Using a large kitchen knife, cut apart the graham crackers at the scored marks.

Enjoy!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Blueberry Spoon Fruit (Date Sweetened)

Making Spoon fruit is a delicious way to use Summer’s fruit bounty! It is a technique that purees and reduces the fruit on the stove top, without added thickeners or refined sugar, to a jammy consistency.

For this luscious Blueberry Spoon Fruit, I used dates and a bit of fresh lemon juice, along with wild blueberries.

I use this spoon fruit in my Chocolate Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream Sandwiches.

Simple is often the best!

Blueberry Spoon Fruit

Blueberry Spoon Fruit

Ingredients:

1 Cup Blueberries

1/4 Cup of Pitted Dates (Roughly Chopped)

2 Tablespoons of Fresh Lemon Juice

Directions: In a small saucepan, bring the berry mixture to a boil, and simmer for ten minutes on low, stirring occasionally. Add mixture to a blender (I used a small Ninja) and puree.

Making Blueberry Spoon Fruit

Yield: approximately 3/4 cup

Date Sweetened Blueberry Spoon Fruit

Eat Your Nutrients!

Are You Living in Abundance?

abundance photo

Happy Friday! Are you living in abundance? Do you feel your life is balanced, and you are accomplishing your goals and living your purpose? It is good to evaluate areas of your life and check in now and then with yourself to see if your circle of life is on track. A circle of life includes many different facets such as Joy, Spirituality, Creativity, Finances, Career, Education, Health, Physical Activity, Home Cooking, Home Environment, Relationships and Social Life. This is something a Health Coach helps you explore as part of your coaching program. Here is a quick Abundance quiz! I wish you a life of Abundance! Have a fantastic weekend!

Take An Abundance Quiz Here

How To Make a Good Morning Gorgeous Smoothie Bowl Video Demonstration by Me

Hi everyone! I am sharing with you today this quick three minute video where I demonstrate how to make a Good Morning Gorgeous Smoothie Bowl. You can find the full recipe here.

Good Morning Gorgeous Smoothie Bowl!

Enjoy your day!

Sandra

Stress and Anxiety Reducing Color Therapy (Coloring Isn’t Just for Kids)

Coloring for Adults to reduce stress or anxiety and increase a sense of well being? That’s what this book I found at a local book store recently claims. Currently, Color Therapy books are outselling cookbooks in France. See this article in the Huffington Post. The beautiful hardcover and intricate pictures piqued my interest. Stress reduction is one of the areas I work on with my clients. Coloring therapy books are currently outselling cookbooks in France. With stress on the rise, it is becoming more and more difficult to unwind, focus and decompress. I picked up a copy and couldn’t wait to get started and give it a try!

Stress Reducing Color Therapy (Coloring Isn’t Just for Kids)

Doodling is allowed, you can choose your own medium (pencils, gels, pens), there are no rules. This book is broken down into color categories, blues, oranges, purples, reds, greens……. each color evoking different feelings and memories for the individual using the book.

Color Therapy Book for Adults to Relieve Stress

What I found:

I have been using this book for a month now, and my concentration has increased, and I feel calm, peaceful and focused after a coloring session. Right now I am working on a two page spread of Koi Fish. I have taken it to the beach in the evening. Feelings of wellbeing washed over me like the sound of waves in the background as I let my artistic inclinations run free. Sitting outdoors with my husband chatting casually with each other, I picked up the hardcover, sturdy book, and actually found I heard more of what was said in the conversation and my mind did not wander (aren’t we all guilty of this sometimes?). I have also been using it when I need to unwind or am in go, go, go mode, and it has helped my mind slow down and think more clearly.

Color Therapy for Adults

In conclusion, I love this trend! I am going to include it in the free giveaways I give my clients.

If you would like to try color therapy, you can find this popular new trend at a local bookstore or online. Here is the book I have been using, but there are plenty to choose from!

Sandra Shields, Certified Health Coach

sandrashieldshealthcoach.com

Farm Market Haul (Are You Going to Eat All That!?)

Farm Market Bounty

Yep, we will eat it all! It is rare that we throw anything out.

The farm market, when it is at the peak of Summer, makes me feel like a little kid in a candy shop! There is much more bounty to come, however the lettuces, snap peas, strawberries, kale and spinach are at their peak. I am in Northern Michigan for the month of July and will be back home in Maryland next month.

This is what I brought home recently to last us four days. This doesn’t include the starchy vegetables that we eat as well, just what looked good at the Farmer’s Market. Our style of eating is to fill 2/3 of our plate with vegetables, including a serving or two of starchy vegetables and lots of non-starchy vegetables. We almost always have a leafy green salad on the table.

The salad greens will be used in green smoothies and salads. I like to quickly cook spinach with pine nuts and garlic olive oil. I used the snap peas in a Cashew Chicken recipe from Russ Crandall’s new cookbook, Paleo Takeout…..so delicious…..I recommend the book!

Paleo Takeout Cashew Chicken

What is your favorite vegetables? Are you trying new ones as well as your favorites? What do you like to go to the farm market to buy? I like to stroll through and find the produce that looks the freshest and most nutrient dense. It is exciting to find something new also, like the baby curly bibb lettues on the bottom right. They were so tender and pretty.

Farm Market Haul (Are You Going To Eat All of That!?)

The Farm Market here is twice a week on Saturday and Wednesday mornings. What is your Farm Market like, and what are you eating this Summer?

Eat Your Nutrients!

Kale Kiwi Green Smoothie (Kale Made Me Do It!)

Nutrition Stripped T-Shirt worn by Sandra Shields, HealthCoach sameatshernurients.com

Green Smoothies are nutrition powerhouses and a great way to ensure you are getting lots of very important nutrients, fiber, phytonutrients, calcium, and cancer preventative greens, vegetables and fruit in large varieties. They help your hair and nails grow faster….this is due to the nutrient absorption. Blending a smoothie is like predigesting your food, so your digestive system doesn’t have to work as hard to access the benefits. The energy they give you (which isn’t a sugar boost energy you get from too many carbohydrates) is sustainable for hours. They are a great addition to your diet, and you can reap many benefits from them. Drinking green smoothies makes it easy to get in your daily servings of vegetables. I know a lot of people do not eat enough vegetables, and this is an easy way to ensure you do!

If you have never had a green smoothie, you may have to start out a little sweeter when you begin. After your taste buds adjust, and you start feeling like you can conquer anything because you feel so fantastic, you will learn to love the green taste along with the fruit flavor and know you are feeding your body something oh so good for it! I actually love the taste of green smoothies without a lot of fruit now. When this happens, you get to join the seasoned green smoothie club. 🙂

I like to rotate the greens I use in my smoothies to get as much variety as possible. Different greens taste better with certain fruit and vegetables. Experiment and see what works well for you.

Kale Kiwi Green Smoothie

There are a few things to consider before you start drinking green smoothies regularly. If you are susceptible to kidney stones, you will want to avoid too many high oxalate foods if your doctor has put you on a low-oxalate diet. These would be foods such as spinach, kale, nuts and kiwi. Here is a list of low oxalate choices for your smoothies.

Choose lower sugar fruit, such as berries if you are monitoring your blood sugar levels, and consult with your doctor if you are on any medication like blood thinners or thyroid medication before drinking daily green smoothies to rule out any food you should avoid adding. Food is medicine.

The smoothie recipe I am sharing with you today uses kale. It is on the sweeter side of a green smoothie due to the addition of kiwi (Excellent source of Vitamin C), Watermelon (lycopene which has sun protective properties and is hydrating) and banana. The raw cocao contains antioxidants and is a source of energy, and chamomile is a mild diuretic (helps reduce water retention).

Kale has a stronger flavor than colorful lettuces and spinach which are mild and good starter choices. Kale is an excellent source of calcium, iron, beta-carotene and vitamin K.

Try a green smoothie challenge…….30 days, one a day, preferably in the morning to start your day, but anytime is okay.

Then let me know how it has made a difference in your life! If you already are drinking green smoothies, I would love to hear your story!

Kale Kiwi Smoothie

Kale Kiwi Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 Kiwi, peeled

1 Cup Cubed Watermelon

2 Cups Kale Leaves, Stems Stripped

½ Ripe Banana

1 Teaspoon Raw Cacao Powder

1 ½ Cups Chamomile Tea Chilled

1 Cup Ice Cubes

1 Tablespoon Tahini or Sunbutter

Blend in a high speed blender until smooth. Drink slowly making chewing motions to help the digestion begin in your mouth.

Enjoy how good it feels to know you have just given your body a loving dose of nutrition!

Have a beautiful day!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Are You Getting In Your Workout? Try This!

Get Fit, Feel Fabulous!

It’s Monday again! How was your weekend? Are you getting in daily exercise? It can be hard to fit it into our hectic schedules, but I promise you if you do you will have more energy and get more accomplished throughout your day, because you will be stronger, healthier and more fit. Yes! The best way to make sure you have time for regular fitness is to make it part of your daily routine. Make it a practice!
I have found that getting in my fitness workout in the morning works best for me. It makes me energized and ready to conquer whatever comes my way, and it never gets shoved to the side because other things come up during the day. You know what I mean!
This ten minute fat burning circuit is a great way to begin your day.

Ten Minute Fat Blasting Circuit

It is just ten minutes. So get out of bed ten minutes earlier and try it this week first thing in the morning. Drink a glass of water first. Another great way to start the day is hydrating with water. Add a squeeze of lemon in it for a digestive boost and some vitamin C.
Enjoy your day!
Sandra Shields, Certified Health Coach

Are You Making Your Past Health Choices Your Destiny?

There is a quote from Nutritional Biochemist, Author & Speaker Dr. Libby Weaver, “Are we living too short and dying too long?”

Your genes and past health choices do not have to be your destiny. You can make a decision that you are going to get healthier, have more energy, and take better care of yourself starting today.

The human body is fascinating and amazing. It wants to repair itself! That is why the food you eat is so important. Does your body have to spend time figuring out what it is you are fueling it with (junk and processed food), or are you giving it real food fuel to let it spend it’s time using the nutrients to repair areas that need attention? Isn’t it a miracle that your body is like a very complex computer? It knows when to breath. Your heart beats and pumps blood through your system without you telling it to. If you are cut or injured it works immediately on beginning the process of repair. The top layer of our skin regenerates once a month. Every three months our blood supply is completely replaced.

Where are you on your health journey? What steps can you take today?

Wishing you a long, healthy life!

Sandra Shields, Certified Health Coach
Visit sandrashieldshealthcoach.com for more information about working with me.