Go Green Forever

On my last trip to the post office, I picked up two sheets of stamps.  Usually, the girls pick out the Disney-Pixar stamps, but this time they were out :-(. As the friendly postal worker was flipping through the stamp book with us, we came across theses cooler than cool stamps...

US Postal Service released these awesome stamps back in April of 2011 around Earth Day, to show that every person can help the environment. Award-winning animator, filmmaker, and illustrator Eli Noyes worked with Art Director Derry Noyes on his first stamp project, using a colorful, playful style to convey the message that every American can take simple actions to conserve energy and improve the environment. Go Green Forever Stamps give ideas like recycle, walk to the store, use reusable bags, fix a leaky faucet, maintain tire pressure, turn off lights not in use... Yes, the problems effecting our environment are Big, but Little things done by everyone makes a Big impact.  So, stop by your local post office and pick up these great stamps or order them online, and share these cool earth saving tips with all of your friends, family, and bill/payment recipients.  Go Green, always & forever!  Thanks USPS for such cool stamps!

Crab & Zucchini Casserole

Hey friends, I'm back after a mini vacation with a great recipe for you.  Now, it's not the healthiest recipe ever, but it's great if you love crab!  This casserole is very versatile, it can be served as dinner, for brunch, made ahead of time, it can easily be halved (like I did tonight), and it's easy!  This recipe originated from my Mother-in-law, however, I changed things up a little.  The original recipe called for Swiss cheese and imitation crabmeat.  I hope you enjoy this revamped Crab & Zucchini Casserole as much as we did.

Sorry, we dug in before I had a chance to snap a photo... Lol, it's soooo good!

Crab & Zucchini Casserole
Serves 6-8, total time 40-45 min

Ingredients
1/2 c butter, (really no substitute, flavor is key here)
2 medium zucchini, quartered & thinly sliced
1/2 c chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp fresh basil, chopped
1 lb lump crabmeat
1 1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese (use skim-milk cheese)
1 c whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 375.
Melt butter over medium heat in large skillet.
Cook zucchini, onion, garlic in melted butter for about 5 minutes.
Add S/P, crabmeat, cheese, and breadcrumbs, stir.
Remove from heat, toss in tomatoes and basil.
Spoon mixture into a casserole dish, and bake for 30-35 min.

I served it with a field green salad, and an amazing glass of water!!

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 6
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 531.1

• Total Fat: 37.2 g
• Cholesterol: 101.0 mg
• Sodium: 1,066.4 mg
• Total Carbs: 25.6 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.7 g
• Protein: 23.6 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Crab & Zucchini Casserole caloriesby ingredient

Wellness Wednesday

Happy Wednesday Friends!  Ever since my Dr. Oz Cleanse, I have been trying to improve my smoothie making skills.  I used to just make the basics for me and my family, strawberry banana, berry smoothies, mostly all fruit based.  But now, I am getting really creative with adding vegetables to my smoothies.  Spinach is a great option, it doesn't carry much taste or texture to you smoothie, just be sure to add it first.  Cucumber is also a refreshing option.  Start out with a little, and as you get accustomed to adding veggies, add more.  So, my Wellness Wednesday tip for you this week, is to try adding veggies to your smoothies, you'll get more bang for your sip.  Pull your blender out, dust it off, get creative, and enjoy.

Here's a picture and the recipe from today's veggie smoothie...

It's Cool to be Green: 2 big handfuls of spinach, 1 cup of water, 4 baby carrots, 1/3 of a long cucumber, 1tbsp ground flax seed, juice from 1/4 of lime, 1/2 banana, 5 whole strawberries, 5 mango chunks. Blend until desired consistency.

Happy Memorial Day

As many of you are enjoying the three-day Memorial Day weekend, and all the BBQs that come along with it... Please remember to give thanks for those who gave their lives selflessly for the protection of our country and our freedoms.  If you know or see Active, Reserves, or Retired military personnel, honor and appreciate them, most importantly say "thank you"!  Have a Happy, Safe, and Healthy Memorial Day!

Improve Your Stamina

Are you always wondering why you get worn out easily, or you're always out of energy... Maybe it's time to improve your stamina.  Stamina, is basically the ability to keep yourself going, a key component for athletic performance.  Improving stamina can be done through a variety of means, it will also improve your overall wellness and will help you achieve more in your daily life.  

Here are some tips for improving your stamina:

• Modify diet- adding healthier foods to your diet will improve your overall stamina.  As weight gain starts to sneak up on you, your physical performance will suffer.  Adding more fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains will help you maintain a healthy weight.  Avoid refined sugars, fatty-fast food, junk food, and food that is high in sodium.
• Improve flexibility- physical activities can be difficult when muscles are tight.  Tight muscles  require additional energy to get moving, which can lead to faster onset of fatigue.  So, improving your flexibility will improve your overall stamina... Be sure to stretch before & after exercise, try adding yoga to your daily life, to keep muscles limber all the time.
• Stay hydrated- keeping your body hydrated is essential for it to function well, under any circumstance.  The old '8 glasses of water a day' rule, is still a good baseline for hydration.  Try to limit caffeinated drinks, like coffee, tea, and soda, which dehydrated you and can add unneeded sugar to your diet.
• Get Active- for everyone who wants to improve their stamina in everyday life, getting active in any capacity will help.  Walking, swimming, playing golf, playing tennis, playing basketball, biking, or doing exercises at the gym are great ideas (there's an exercise for everyone) to get the heart & lungs pumping, which will improve your stamina.  *for athletes (beginners to elite)- incorporating interval training, sprints, and/or hill repeats to improve your stamina quickly and greatly.
• Stabilize blood sugar- your brain is responsible for everything that goes on in your body, it sends signals constantly.  The brain runs on glucose, but has no way to store it.  When your blood sugar fluctuates too much, it does crazy things to the inside of your body and can affect your stamina.  When blood sugar levels are too high, the excess is stored as fat, which leads to weight gain and can decrease your stamina.  When your blood sugar drops, your brain has no fuel,  which causes fatigue and can affect your stamina.  Eat smaller meals, more frequent to help maintain a stable blood sugar throughout your day.

I hope these tips help to improve your stamina and your ability to get through daily life.  Whether you're an elite athlete or a professional couch potato... Remember a good stamina is an important part of healthy living and wellness.