Positive Changes for a Healthier Life

I thought it was a good time to post some updates about my health.

Last summer I mentioned that my blood sugar was too high, and I was dieting to lose weight and bring down my A1C.

What happened?

BEFORE: CHUNKY CHEEKS

AFTER: 30+ POUND WEIGHT LOSS

Well, here's what happened. The doctor put the fear of God in me, and I went gangbusters with a low-carb diet.

It's eight months later, and I'm still losing weight (albeit at a slower pace). I also brought down my A1C. Yipppeeeeee!

How'd I do it?

First of all, here is my truth: exercise has NOTHING to do with my weight loss.

I walked when I was chunky. I walk now. I walk every day for about an hour. It's good for my heart. It's good for my mental health. 

However, it doesn't have anything to do with my weight loss. That's the truth.

My weight loss is all about THE FOOD.

Here are my TOP FIVE TIPS FOR LOSING WEIGHT:

1. The Snack Shelf

It's really important to have low-calorie, healthy snacks ready to go. When you get home from work and you're starved and there are cookies on the counter (kids gotta eat, too!), it's way too easy to grab that cookie.

You gotta make it easy to grab a mini carrot!

Every Sunday is "prep day" for me. I hard boil about 6-8 eggs and put them in a bowl in the fridge. I chop up carrots, celery, cucumbers, red/yellow/orange pepper, radishes, and add cherry tomatoes to a bin in the fridge for quick snacks. I have cheese sticks and low-carb yogurts on the shelf, too. I also prep fruit and have a "fruit bowl" in the fridge. On the counter, I have a variety of nuts, like walnuts, almonds, pistachios, etc.

I have a favorite blue cheese dressing I use as a dip. I also recommend hummus, ricotta cheese, and baba ganoush.

Set yourself up for success! When you have low-calorie snacks ready to go, it's a life-saver. You can also use these pre-cut veggies on a salad anytime. Make your life easier with a little weekend prep work.

Homemade hummus and dippers

2. Put Food Away: Out of Sight, Out of Mind.

I realized I was doing a lot of "mindless" eating. If there was a bag of open chips on the counter, I would grab a handful when I walked by. Same with plates of cookies, snack foods, anything there for the taking.

My kids still need to eat, and they love chips, cookies, and other snacks.

I move ALL THE FOODS into the pantry, which is in another room off the kitchen. Everything is wrapped up and put away to prevent mindless noshing.

If you don't have a separate room, use a drawer. Or even wrap things up in tin foil to make it harder to access. 

The only thing I have in the kitchen for constant access is my water cup. I fill it up all day long. That's a good habit!

Add citrus slices to iced water for a bit of flavor.

3. Eat Early and Light.

Are you hungry at 5 pm? Eat dinner. Don't wait. The longer you wait, the more likely you are to overeat.

I realized I was eating TWO dinners each night. The first one was mindless snacking which added up to a lot of extra calories. And then I would eat with my family. TWO DINNERS! 

Now, I eat when I'm hungry, which is around 5 pm. I make a big salad of greens, toss on some protein and cheese and nuts and homemade salad dressing.

I'll still join my husband for dinner later, but I don't eat a second meal. Maybe an orange and some water. Or just tea.

Sometimes you need to make the right choice for yourself, and that might mean eating alone at 5 pm. It's okay!

Homemade Caesar salad. Don't forget the anchovies!

4. Cut Your Food in Half, Cut the Recipe in Half.

When I realized I needed to watch my carb intake every day, I made a point to read the labels on all my food.

That was shocking!

I was probably eating 3 times the recommended serving size, which adds up to way too many calories and carbs.

Instead of eating a whole sandwich (bread = 40 carbs), how about half a sandwich? 20 carbs. That works.

Stuff the 1/2 sandwich with tons of veggies, and add a small fruit salad for dessert.

Cut your serving in half, cut your calories in half. Lose weight. Fill up on salad, veggies, super low-calorie, high-fiber food. YOU CAN DO IT!

I also stopped making full recipes. Full recipes mean you have way too much food--too much for individual servings, and too many leftovers which can lead to overeating.

Make a single serving. Make 1/2 or 1/3 or 1/4 of the recipe.

Do whatever you need to in order to control portion size. That's key for weight loss.

Home-grown cuke, tomato, and edible flower salad.

5. Grow Your Own Food.

There is nothing better than getting up in the morning, heading out to your garden, and picking fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, cukes, and arugula greens for breakfast. Drizzle on some olive oil, and you're ready for the day.

I highly encourage folks to start their own kitchen garden. If you don't have space, use pots. Growing fresh herbs, veggies, and fruits is a fabulous way to invest in good health.

Grow your own raspberries!

These are my top tips for losing weight. This is not an easy process. December was tough...so many cookies and sweets. I weigh myself daily and check my blood sugar daily. These things hold me accountable and keep me on track.

How are all of you doing with health goals? Any good suggestions? Let's chat!

Wishing all of you good vibes with your health in 2020,

Nina/Penny

Hard to Kill: NO, not James Bond, Tough Indoor Plants!

You'd think since I have degrees in plant taxonomy, horticultural science, biology, and floral design, that I would have an extremely green thumb with my indoor plant collection.

You'd be wrong.

I'm embarrassed to admit that my indoor plants have a greater than 50% chance of death. 

I like to call my plant collection "Darwinian" in nature. No prissy, high maintenance plants survive here. They need to be tough and able to thrive in less than perfect conditions (erratic watering schedule, iffy light situation, fertilizer--what's that?, temperature extremes, dachshund interference, etc).

This also applies to my outdoor garden, where plants must deal with enormous weeds, hungry bunnies, and at times, overly zealous lawn guys with weed wackers.

I thought it would be nice to give a shout-out to the big winners at my house: the plants with a truly Darwinian nature. 

The survivors!

Survivors! Yee haw!

Before we get to the survivors, let's talk about the failures.

Ferns.

I love ferns.

Ferns, however, do NOT love my house. I've tried Boston fern, button fern, maidenhair fern, bird's-nest fern, Blue Star fern, Rabbit's Foot fern, and more.

They always croak.

Their need for high humidity and fairly constant moisture makes them vulnerable at my house. I have a tendency to bring my plants to the brink of death, and then revive them in an exciting manner! (My husband has another way to describe this process).

After another sad end to my latest fern attempt, I made the decision to ONLY BUY SUPER TOUGH PLANTS.

These are the ones that are crushing it at my house...

1. PHILODENDRON SELLOUM

I adore this plant. It has a great color, hardy foliage, a cool leaf shape, and you can basically ignore the crap out of it and it doesn't mind at all.

Every once in a while, I plop it into the sink, water it until it drains, give it a nice misting, and then ignore it again.

Grade: A+

2. HAWORTHIA FASCIATA "CONCOLOR" or Zebra Cactus

My daughter started a succulent collection in our office, and this is one of the best. It has a rich dark green color with a funky white dotted surface, nice spiky foliage, and I swear, it would survive the zombie apocalypse and look fabulous. As with most succulents, if you forget to water it for a few days, weeks, months...don't worry about it. IT WON'T DIE!

Grade: A


3. ALWORTHIA "Black Gem"

Another wonderful succulent that is actually a cross between an Aloe and Haworthia. It creates lots of offsets ("baby Alworthia plants") which can be repotted if you are so inclined to create an Alworthia dynasty. This does well with bright light, and again, will survive dry conditions. I have a "mini" version of this in a tiny pot--and thus it dries out very quickly after watering. God bless this sweet little plant...she doesn't care. Will go for months without water and still looks fantastic!

Grade: A

4. PACHIRA AQUATICA, Guiana Chestnut, or Money Tree

This plant is incredible. No matter what kind of light, how infrequent you water it, how much you ignore it...it grows like a weed and looks amazing!

Right now I have it squeezed on top of a kitchen counter where it gets low light and it seems happy as a clam. I water and mist it maybe once a week? It's also in a teeny tiny pot, and I do think I will repot it soon although if it grows anymore, I will probably have to move it to the floor. Love this one!

Grade: A++


5. NORFOLK ISLAND PINE TREE (Araucaria heterophylla)

This adorable indoor evergreen is a popular item during the Christmas season, but honestly, it's a great indoor plant all year long. It has the potential to grow quite big, so if you're interested in that, you can repot it. I water/mist weekly. The foliage is a bit prickly, so beware. I recommend adorning it with fairy lights and ornaments in December. *wink*

Grade: A 

TOTALLY UNEXPECTED BONUS PLANT:

Most of the time, poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are "disposable" throw-away plants. After the holidays, they usually end up in the compost pile. They seem pretty wimpy, right?

Well...

Shockingly, my adorable poinsettia planter is still going strong! I'm impressed. Will keep this going as long as possible. I also think the white ones are less "Christmas-y" looking and are perfect for year-round decor. 

My indoor plants are definitely helping me get through the long and painful New England winter. However, I am still dreaming about SPRING and my outdoor garden!

I had a weak moment at the farmer's market recently, and bought all of these seed packets...

Almost time to plant! Not really.

Only a few more months to go, right? Sob.

Do any of you have recommendations for super tough, hard-to-kill indoor plants? Let's chat!

Dreaming of spring,

Penny/Nina

HAPPY SUMMER VACATION!

YEE HAW! 

SUMMER VACATION IS FINALLY HERE!

Here are 10 awesome things coming up this summer...

1. Family trip to Lake Champlain

 

 We haven't been back to the Basin Harbor Club for years, since the kids were little. 

I love this place. It has a charming, old-fashioned vibe that is both relaxing and rejuvenating. 

And I get to see the kingfishers in the morning. Can't wait!

✵

2. Writer's retreat with the Junior Mints to Woodstock, VT!

My second trip to Vermont for the summer!
The gals and I will be diligently working on our latest novel antiquing, noshing, exploring, and generally having an excellent time.
Oh yeah, we'll probably work, too.

✵

3. I'M GOING TO SEE LOUISE PENNY 
AT THE NORWICH BOOKSTORE!  
AHHHHHHH!

 

I have been patiently waiting for the day when Louise Penny would tour New England.

And THE DAY IS FINALLY HERE!

She will be reading and signing books at the adorable Norwich Bookstore in July.

 And I think I was the first one to get tickets. Hee hee!

This is how I feel about that...

 

So, this will be my THIRD trip to Vermont for the summer. I am not complaining!

✵

4. Family reunion in Jamestown, Rhode Island

My hubby grew up in Rhode Island, and we try to get back here every summer.

My favorite things to do? Cliff Walk, Sachuest Point, and getting a Del's lemonade by the beach.

It has chunks of lemon peel in it. YUM!

 ✵

5. Finish THE LUMBERJACK AND MIMI SPARKLES

 

I finally figured out what story to finish over the summer. 

LUMBERJACK POWER ACTIVATE!

✵

6. Kids are going to movie-making camp, art camp, overnight camp, and community service camp.

✵

7. I'm doing the "get hot while it's hot" challenge with Sue.
Check out her blog and her inspirational story about losing weight and getting healthy!

✵

8. Newport Kite Festival

The Kite Festival at Breton Point State Park in Newport, RI is a blast.

This park is right next to the ocean--gorgeous! 

And the sky is filled with kites of every shape, color and style.

✵

9. Summer Cocktails!

 

My new favorite summer drink is the MOSCOW MULE.

I'll have more about this tasty cocktail later in the week.

✵

10. Gardening in New England

Pumpkins are growing. I have squash, peppers, raspberries, tomatoes, fresh dill cropping up.

I've been using my fresh oregano and lemon balm every day.

I LOVE SUMMER!

What is everyone doing this summer? Anything fun? Let me know!

Penny

Stuff We've Been Doing

1. Shopping for plants.

2. Shopping for seeds.

 

3. Planting stuff.

4. Sowing seeds in veggie garden. 

(Hubby put up fence to keep out bunnies!)

 

5. Hubby went fishing in New Brunswick.

 6. Reading some books.

WINNERLAND--intense story of survival, just started...LOVE it!

A CONVENIENT ARRANGEMENT--Loved The Italian Wife, The Spanish Groom was not my fav.

BUSHWHACKED--cute novella set in Alaska with beardy hermit hero!

7. Listening to some music. From Pitch Perfect.

Happy Spring,

Penny

First Peony Of Spring!

I was worried all my peony buds would shrivel up and die on the bush (this has happened in the past when we get too much rain).....but happy days! The peony shrubs survived, and all the buds are bursting into bloom! Yay!

Hope yinz all have a merry weekend....I will be hanging out with these dudes tonight!

Hang Tough!
Penelope

I Love Window Boxes!

My favorite part of spring gardening is planting my window boxes. They are container gardens which really add a lot of curb appeal to your house. I like mixing it up....mixing annuals, perennials, herbs, even veggies! My approach to planting....

• If all the flowers died, would your window boxes still look great? They should! Start with a cool mix of "foliage" plants, such as Sweet Potato Vine (Ipomoea--it comes in different colors like lime green and dark purple) ivy, herbs (I have 4 different kinds of mint, including chocolate mint and pineapple mint, thyme is also great, lemon verbena, etc), Licorice Plant (Helichrysum)--which is a wonderful silvery color. Mix up different colors and textures. Then you're ready for the flowers!

• I like mini Dahlias, Calibrachoa, and Violas (pansies and Johnny Jump-Ups). They last all summer, just be sure to dead-head the spent blooms.

• Don't skimp on the white! White flowers make all the other colors pop.

• Mix growth habits....some plants should be tall, some trailing. It looks lovely mixed together.

• Add in "useful" plants. Pop a mini cherry tomato plant into the box--it adds color, texture, and you'll be munching on yummy cherry tomatoes in August. Do you like to cook? Add lemon balm, golden thyme, oregano, rosemary, mint. You can pinch off pieces of herbs to use when you cook, and the plants will grow back. Most herbs are perennials, and will come back the next year. 

• One of the reasons I love Violas is that they are edible. Try adding Nasturtiums, Violas, Calendula...and other edible flowers to the boxes. I sprinkle the edible flowers on top of fruit salads.

Here are orange Dahlias, purple and white Calibrachoa, lime green Sweet Potato Vine, Helichrysum, and 2 types of yellow Violas.

The Sweet Potato Vine gets huge! It's an awesome plant....gets full and lush and trails over the side of the boxes.

This one has chocolate mint growing in the back. Yum!

I love mixing bold colors together, and adding white for pop. Jewel tones look really nice...orange, purple, magenta. Gorgeous!

Any other cool tips for window boxes or container gardens? Let me know!

Happy Gardening,
Penelope

Weenie Carrots

Introducing....weenie carrots! Hee hee hee....

This is what happens when you don't thin your seeds properly, and forget you planted carrots under the pumpkin patch. Surprisingly, they are tasty and sweet.

Martha Stewart would heartily disapprove of my crazy, disorganized garden. But hey, I am still harvesting cherry tomatoes (which I didn't plant, they sprouted up from last years' seeds), basil, pumpkins, nasturtiums, mint, etc. My cute little watermelons are coming along nicely, too.

I have no reading update because I have been editing (Sweet Magik) and writing a new quickie story about Sven Klaus (Prologue to Sweet Adventure). I am trying to think of a title....the only thing that popped into my head was Sweet Hell (as in...Sweet Hell! These Klaus boys won't leave me alone!).

Happy Wednesday,

Penelope