Welcome

Welcome to Self Soul Space! This blog is designed to bring you healthy lifestyle tips. A true healthy lifestyle, embodies a healthy mind, body, spirit, and environment. Thanks for stopping by to check out my way of living.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Breaking News...

Breaking News...

We are expanding!

No, not Self Soul Space... but the Thayer Family is expanding.
We will welcome our 3rd bundle of Joy into the world in early March 2014.  Some of you may have already known, or picked up on my hints throughout some of my posts.  But here it is, official news... Yes, we are growing from a family of 4 to 5!  We are all very excited, especially Jordan and Mia!!  What does this mean for Self Soul Space... nothing really.  Outside of this post, I won't talk or share much about my pregnancy.  This is still a healthy living blog written for everyone!  If you are curious, how have the past 5 months been? Quite interesting, actually.  I was nauseous the entire first trimester, morning, noon, and night!  I was also exhausted, mid-day naps became a must.  However, it was hard to keep our secret a secret, especially from Jordan and Mia... but somehow we managed to wait until the end of the first trimester.  Due to my previous obstetric history, I was taken off of high impact exercising, which was the biggest let down for me, NO RUNNING!  However, when I look at the bright side, I'll take 9 months of not running, for such a wonderful blessing!  Other than that, there have been no major issues.  And here's a bonus, I am still able to teach my BodyFlow class, yay!  Also, I can still cross train and travel for work.  I count my lucky stars, everyday, for this healthy pregnancy!  Where am I now... At the end of my fifth month, feeling good, feeling fetal movement, face full of pimples, with a healthy-healthy appetite, but I'm loving every second of it... Do we know the sex of the baby? I'm sure you are wondering....

Boy or Girl??  What do you think?? 
 
Will the ladies reign supreme, or will the gents start to balance the kingdom?
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This just in....

Baby Thayer is a...................................................




Girl! 

Do we have a name picked out?  No, not yet, but we are open for suggestions... feel free to comment below with your ideas!

Now, back to your scheduled programming!!

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Wellness Wednesday

Are you having a Well Wednesday so far?  I hope so!  This Wellness Wednesday tip is to drink a cup of juice for your wellness... But not just any juice!  Juice can provide additional nutrients and vitamins to the body.  That being said, it should never replace your daily water intake, it is in addition to your daily water intake.  You're probably wondering, 'well what type of juice is good for my wellness'?  Fruit, vegetable, or fruit and veggie combined are the best. Fresh squeezed juice from a juicer or a juice bar are absolute best.  But if looking for bottled juice in the store... read the label. 

Things to look for...
Not from concentrate
No artificial sweetener, or added sugar (high fructose corn syrup and splenda included)
No artificial coloring, or chemical ingredients
Organic is preferred
Minimal ingredients, only fruits and/or veggies
Added calcium is ok orange juice
Stay away from Huggie juices, Hawaiian Punch, Kool-Aid, etc...

Now, keep in mind, juice contains calories, and can be considered empty calories if you choose the wrong juice.  So, if you're minding your caloric intake, be sure to keep track of these too.  Also, juice has natural sugars, and can sit on the teeth, consider cleaning your teeth after drinking juice, as you would after eating, to help prevent cavities.  Choosing juice with made from whole fruits and veggies, is the best way to get the most for each sip.  If you can, try juicing your own juice, be it as simple as orange or apple, or as complicated as spinach, apple, cucumber or beet, carrot, apple... then you can control your ingredients.  Happy Sipping for you Wellness!!

p.s.  since it is fall, visit a local orchard for some fresh apple cider, yum!!

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Fasta Pasta Primavera

Mondays are always a busy day for us!  The kids of course have school, then they have swim lessons at our local YMCA right after school.  Then it's a mad dash for home, take a quick bath, do homework, make & eat a meatless dinner, and before you know it, it's 7pm: story and bedtime!  Usually, I don't recommend, or use Campbell's cream of anything, because of the amazing amount of non-whole food ingredients.  However, that being said, I'm a realist, who is also a busy mom! So, I do keep a can of cream of mushroom in my pantry for emergency occasions.  Here's a quick Meatless Monday dish, I prepared last week, with Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup, it's called Fasta Pasta Primavera!  Why fast-a? Because it only took 17 minutes from start to finish, and the kids liked running around saying Fasta Pasta!

Fasta Pasta Primavera
Serves 4, total time 17min

Ingredients
1 10oz can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup (I used Healthy choice one)
1/2 c of skim milk
2 tbs grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for topping
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 16oz bag Frozen California blend vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)
1 c frozen broccoli (optional, we love broccoli, so I added extra)
1/2 of a 1 lb box of cooked pasta (I used bow tie)
     - water & salt to cook pasta
Salt & pepper to taste
Fresh chopped parsley to top

Directions
Boil salted water for pasta, and cook according to package.
In a 3qt sauce pan, heat soup, milk, cheese, garlic powder, and frozen veggies over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for about 10 min until veggies are tender.
Drain pasta, then dump into veggie/soup mixture, toss.  Add salt & pepper if needed.
Plate, and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.  Enjoy!


P.S.  You can easily turn this into a Meat-filled dish, by adding cooked chicken or shrimp to it (that's was the husband's recommendation)

Monday, October 14, 2013

New Snack: Gold Emblem Baked Rice Crisps

My Family loves snacks, healthy ones and unhealthy ones.  As an allergy household, our snack selection can be limited at times.  Many times, I am asked what snacks do I eat, and what on earth do I feed my kids?  Well, with that in mind, CVS Pharmacy and Gold Emblem asked me to taste test, and review their new Baked Rice Crisps.  
The Rice crisps are gluten free, minimal ingredients, low in sodium, and zero trans fat.  30 chips equal a serving size (yum), with only 120-140 calories, 3g of fat, 1-2g of protein.  So, the kids, hubs, and I sat down to try the Sea Salt Baked Rice Crisps, and the Barbeque Baked Rice Crisps.  The kids loved the geometric shapes of the crisps, especially Mia, because their learning about diamonds, circles, hexagons, etc in school.  They both said "Ooo, Fun, shapes!"  



The Sea Salt flavor was Jordan's and my favorite flavor.  They are crispy, and are great by themselves or with a dip. After trying them by themselves, I tried them in hummus and in my yogurt herb dip, extra yummy.  Baked rice crisps are a great substitute for potato chips, because of the salty-crunchy flavor.  Jordan said "these are crunchy, I like 'em." My husband said "they're not bad", translation: he'll eat them again, and he did.




The Barbeque flavor was my husband's and Mia's favorite flavor.  They had a more flavor, but not too much, that the Barbeque overpowered the snack.  Which makes them a yummy snack for kids.  Mia ate the crisps, then licked her fingers to get more of the Barbeque flavor!  My husband said "now, these don't taste healthy, yum!"  He was also pleasantly surprised when I showed him how many crisps you can eat for a serving vs. how many potato chips are in a serving size.



Here's a basic comparison, 
Gold Emblem's Sea Salt Baked Rice Crisps
Serving size, about 30 crisps
140 calories
3g of fat
110mg sodium 
2g protein

Lay's Classic Potato Chips
Serving size, about 15 chips
160 calories
10g of fat
170mg sodium
2g protein

So, if you're looking for a healthier-crunchy-allergy friendly snack, try Gold Emblem's Baked Rice Crisps.  You won't be sorry! The Baked Rice Crisps can be found in a 3.5oz bag at your local CVS pharmacy, and the average price is $2.49 a bag.  They are Self Soul Space and Thayer family recommended!  Happy snacking!


Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Wellness Wednesday

It's Wednesday already, this week is flying by.  For your wellness Wednesday tip this week, I want you to focus on the health of your brain, and your memory.  No matter how old or young you are, it's always a good idea to stimulate the brain (and not just with social media or tv).  I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone; read more or different material than you are used to, try your hand at puzzles (crosswords, or sudoku), learn a new language, learn a new craft, learn to play a musical instrument, or play memory games (not candy crush).  Stimulating your mind, keeping it active and healthy will help fight off dementia and Alzheimer's.  You'll be surprised how even your daily memory will improve.  Keep in mind, that an active brain also needs rest, so try implementing a little meditation in there too.  Improving your brain health is essential in order to have a well Self, Soul, and Space! Have a well Wednesday friends!

Here are some of my favorite brain activities...
Lumosity.com
Sudoku
Word finds
Reading (fiction, non-fiction, research/study material)
Trivia games (trivial pursuit, & battle of the sexes)
Word games (taboo, catch phrase)


Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Recycled Rainbow Crayons

Do you have kids (yours, step, grands, nieces/nephews) in your house?  Have you ever noticed how many crayons they have?  And broken ones at that... Some how, restaurant crayons come home with us, and we already have a million Crayola sets already.  So one day this summer, I had Jordan and Mia search the house for all of the broken, unwrapped, old, worn-down, and miscellaneous crayons.  We were going to recycle them, and make a craft!  I originally found this craft idea on Pinterest in the winter, but decided to tuck it away until we were in our Rainbow week of summer learning.  During that week, we visited the Crayola factory, and learned how to make crayons, so this was a perfect way to recycle old crayons.

Here's how we made our Recycled Rainbow Crayons...

Kids: Collect all old, broken, worn-down crayons.
Adult: Preheat oven to 230 degrees
Kids: Take off any extra wrappers.
Adult: On an old cutting board, Chop the crayons into small (1/2 inch or smaller) pieces with a sharp knife.
Kids: Throw all of the pieces in a bowl to mix them up.
Kids: Using a mini-muffin pan, fill each well with a variety of colors. (A silicon muffin bakeware would work too- then you can skip # )
Adult: Put pans in the oven, bake for 15 minutes.
Adult: Pull pans out, crayons will be melted. Let cool on counter top, until solid.

Kids: Once solid, pop into the freezer for 5-10 minutes. This allows the wax to separate from the pans like ice cubes. Flip pans over, tap, and VOIlÀ.. Rainbow Crayons!

Kids & Adult: Now, color & have fun!!