What's your favorite season? I have to admit that mine is the summer. One reason is, I was born in July and the second, I love the summer produce, the lightweight clothing and the longer days. Don't get me wrong, I like having all the seasons where I live, but once November comes the days get shorter, and it gets darker and colder out.  


I just came back from a spa get away weekend with my cousins in the mountains, and the foliage was really beautiful. All the fall colors of red, yellows, oranges does put me in the mood for autumn and the harvest season. The Woodhouse Spa was a nice facility. We each received a pedicure, massage and facial and it was so nice to be on the receiving end this time. 

Another reason I do like this time of year is Thanksgiving; it's my favorite holiday. I love hosting my family and anyone who will be alone for the holiday. There's no costumes required, no gift giving, just simply enjoying each others' company, the bountiful of food and giving thanks for all that we have. Every year I try and make something new and I found a tasty and festive acorn squash recipe. So I figured I'd share it with you incase you'd like to add it to your Thanksgiving menu.

WILD RICE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH​
Ingredients

• 2 Acorn Squash (makes 4 servings)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 panic breadcrumbs (I use GF)
• 1 tbsp minced flat leaf parsley
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 3 1/2 oz of shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1/2 c thinly sliced leeks (white and light green parts only)
• 2 c chopped kale
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 1/2 c cooked wild rice or black rice (I like to substitute vegetable broth or chicken broth in leu of water in cooking the rice to add more flavor)
• 1/4 c dried currants
• 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (I use coconut aminos)
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on the lined baking sheet and bake until tender, 25-30 min. Leave the oven on at 400.
3. Heat the butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat until the butter is melted. Add the breadcrumbs and increase the heat to medium hight and stir constantly until the breadcrumbs begin to turn golden brown. Stir in garlic salt and parsley. Transfer to a bowl.
4. Wipe skillet clean. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Saute the mushrooms and leeks until tender, 5 - 6 minutes. Stir in kale and garlic and cook until kale wilts. Stir in rice, currants, soy sauce, honey and vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
5. Scoop some of the mixture into the cavity of each acorn squash half and top with breadcrumbs. Bake until heated through 25-30 minutes.                                                                                                                                                            Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!! 

When I was a kid, I used to get a kick out of the story The Princess and the Pea. I actually was the princess in the family on my dad's side, since I was the only girl. When it came time to eat, I was super picky and I definitely did not do well with my vegetables, especially peas. Thank goodness my mom didn't make them often.
But Peas can be a great addition to your diet, and they are becoming more and more popular in the plant based food industry who have discovered that pea protein can be a key ingredient in highly convincing vegan meant and dairy alternatives. I myself who disliked them (not much anymore),  drink Arbonne's vegan protein shakes which are made from pea protein, cranberry and brown rice. They are absolutely delicious and contain 20 grams of vegan protein. Peas are a solid source of protein. While ingredients like pea protein and pea starch provide protein and stability properties for certain products, they don’t provide all the same nutritional benefits as split, frozen, or fresh peas eaten as whole foods. However, pea protein powder does tend to have a better amino acid balance compared to other plant-based protein powders like soy.The bottom line on pea protein: Whole foods are usually best, but if you’re looking for a good source of plant-based protein that has a decent amino acid profile and a light environmental impact, peas seem like a solid place to source it from

There are a few types of peas that you are probably familiar with: Sweet peas, Green or Yellow field peas, Snap Peas and Snow Peas.

There are a ton of different ways you can use them in your cooking as well, besides the boring mushy can of peas used as a side dish. 
I happen to love split pea soup and here's a tasty recipe perfect for the fall.

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Creamy Split Pea Soup

Ingredients
4 cups vegetable broth (unsalted, preferably homemade)
2 cups water
​ 2 cups dried green split peas (rinsed) 1 yellow onion, medium (chopped)
 1 cup carrots (chopped)
 2 organic celery stalks
 2 garlic cloves (minced)
 1 tbsp ground cumin
 ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
 1 tsp dried oregano
 1 tsp dried basil
 ground black pepper (optional, to taste)
 salt (optional, to taste)
 shredded carrots, for garnish (optional)
 fresh basil (chopped), for garnish (optional)

Directions
1. In a large stock pot, combine all ingredients together, from the vegetable broth down to the dried basil, and bring to a boil.
2 Reduce heat, cover and simmer for one hour or until peas are tender, stirring occasionally.

3 Add salt and pepper, if using, to taste.

4 Simmer for ten minutes longer, uncovered.

5 Cool slightly then, in small batches, puree soup in a blender. Return to the pot. Heat for five minutes. Garnish with shredded carrots and basil.


Enjoy!

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I love summer! Not just because I was born in the summer, but I love the warmer weather, the sunshine and wearing light weight clothing. By the way, incase you were wondering, my birthday is July 17th and I accept all kinds of gifts and cards. LOL! 
I also love cooking on the grill, eating al fresco and summer foods. So here are 3 salads that I am serving for a family BBQ we are hosting for the 4th of July. The first one is a JICAMA SALD. Jicama is a starchy root vegetable, from Mexico, similar to a turnip or potato. It tastes slightly sweet, but is low in sugar, which is a healthy carb choice. It is a good source of fiber and it's also rich in inulin, which is a prebiotic fiber. Great source of Vit C and potassium. The second is an all American salad; COLE SLAW, which happens to be one of my husband's favorite. I altered his mom's recipe just a little. And the last one is EETCH, a favorite Armenian recipe that originally is made with bulgher, but because I am gluten intolerant, I substitute quinoa. This salad has so much protein with the quinoa, you can eat it as a meal. 
Enjoy your holiday as well as these salads. Let me know how you like them.
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  JICAMA SALAD                            

• 3-4 ears of corn on the cob
• 2 - 15 oz cans of black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 large jicama shredded
• 1/2 cup of shredded carrots
• 1/3 cup of sliced green onion
• 1/3 cup of parsley or cilantro
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil
• 5 TBLSP of extra virgin olive oil
• juice of 2 fresh limes and grated lime peel
• juice of 1 orange
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 tsp of cumin

1. Grill corn on the cob,  let cool and cut kernels.
2. Place all veggies and herbs in large bowl 
3. Whisk together orange, lime, lemon juice and lime zest with olive oil, cumin, s & p to taste.

               EETCH
     1 Cup of cooked quinoa 
     1 bunch of parsley chopped very fine
     1 bunch of green onion sliced fine
     1 large white onion chopped fine
     1 bell pepper (your choice of color) chopped fine
     2 small cans of tomato sauce
    1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil 
    1 cup fresh lemon juice
    Cayenne pepper and black pepper to taste

1. Cook quinoa in water and let cool
2. Chop all veggies and place in mixing bowl
3. Add quinoa
4. Add tomato sauce
5. Lemon juice, EVOO and spices 

I hope all you mamas had a nice Mother's Day and you got to spend it your way. It had been way too long for me to see some of my family, other than my own mom. I love to entertain and with our new kitchen I couldn't wait to invite family over. Now that some of us are fully vaccinated, I had a good excuse to celebrate Mother's Day and invite some of my aunts and cousins over for brunch. The invite was well received and so was the food. We started with mimosas; I made a few varieties of GF quiches, (is that even a word or is quiche plural?), lemon poppy seed muffins and I made for the first time a Banana Oatmeal Bake which I attached the recipe below. I also had bagels and lox, bacon and fruit. Of course I made way too much food as usual, so we've been eating quiche everyday for breakfast and or lunch.
But let me know if you try the Banana Oatmeal Bake. It's a great breakfast option, or snack or simple dessert.
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 3-4 bananas) 
• 1/3 cup brown sugar 
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon 
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg 
• 2 cups milk (I used oat milk)
• 2 1/2 cups gf old-fashioned rolled oats 
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Mash the bananas well with a fork.
• Add the mashed bananas to a large bowl along with the brown sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk until the ingredients are combined. 
• Add the milk and whisk until combined again.
• Finally, stir in the rolled oats and chopped walnuts.
• Pour the oat mixture into a 9x9-inch casserole dish and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake for 45 minutes, or until it is golden brown on top and around the edges.
• Serve warm or refrigerate and enjoy cold!

NutritionServing: 1serving | Calories: 367.87kcal | Carbohydrates: 54.22g | Protein: 11.4g | Fat: 13.28g | Sodium: 324.97mg | Fiber: 5.7g

I'm learning we all have choices in life. As kids, our parents teach us right from wrong and most of us usually choose the right thing to do. I have been doing a lot of personal growth, including reading and I'm learning we really do make choices to either help us grow or keep us stagnant in our lives. The one choice I've made recently is to get up earlier in the morningA and follow the  (MIRACLE MORNING ROUTINE). I do my daily affirmations, read and write in my gratitude journal; I then go to the gym 5-6 days a week. Do I like working out or getting up early? Hell no, but I feel more energized, I get more accomplished and I know I am doing something good for my mind and body. 
We all have choices on how we spend our time; we all have 1440 minutes in day. I hear so many people say they don't have enough time. But what are they doing to use up their minutes? You can choose to sleep in, binge on Netflix (not that there's anything wrong with that), or scroll FB all day. But then what have you really accomplished and did it get you closer to your goals?

We all have choices with our meals? There are times when I eat really healthy and I feel great. But then I choose to eat things I know doesn't serve my body, and my body yells at me with either belly issues or a migraine. Like this past weekend I made a healthy dinner as we met my step daughter's boyfriend for the first time, who is a vegetarian. But my husband made a delicious berry tart and I bought some Armenian pastries and I ate both. I know you would too!
But this morning I went back to my morning protein shake - I could have had a piece of that tart.  What would you have chosen?

When we think of February we think of the ground hog, Punxsutawney Phil and of course Valentine's Day. We also hear all about taking care of your heart. It's super important to make sure your ticker is tickin' properly. We do that with proper diet  (ask me about our 30 Days to Healthy Living) being physically active, quit smoking, etc. But one thing our doctors sometimes neglect to tell us is to focus on taking care of our mind. What we think about we bring about, which means if we are thinking negative thoughts, negative things will happen. But if we focus on positive things, positive things will happen. We can actually re-wire our brains and thought process by changing the way we think.
There are 3 version to everything that's happening. Here's what I mean...I'm in the kitchen trying to prep my dinner early since I have a busy afternoon. My husband leaves the blender and his cup in the sink after he made his protein shake. 
MY VERSION: I get mad THINKING, he's so lazy, he expects me to always clean up after him, I am not his maid. This is the story that you tell yourself about what happened. (My husband thinks I am his maid, and he's lazy).
HIS VERSION: In the meantime, he had to get on an important call for work and will clean up after he's done.  The other person involved in the situation and the story they tell themselves about what happened. (He will clean up his dishes after his important call; cause his job is more important right now).
Then there is the TRUTH. Just the facts. No story. No explanation. (There are dirty dishes in the skin).
So before getting stressed out, count to 10, take a deep breath and make a choice of how you are going to react. 
Stress on the heart and mind is not healthy and we can all choose to let it go. I also suggest, meditation, deep breathing and adaptogenics like InnerCalm
I hope this helps and if you need more tools and tips I'm here to help. Be safe and stay well!
Best of Health, 
​Donna

So we are 2 weeks into the new year and I want to know, have you given up on your resolutions already? I actually don't make resolutions, I like to just call them goals and lifestyle changes. Actually my word for 2021 is CHANGE. I needed to make some changes on my health; cause like most people being stuck in the house for months and then the holidays I was eating so poorly. Things I know that don't serve my body well, like cheese,  sugar and processed foods were making me feel sluggish, causing migraines and of course weight gain. But I am back on track and haven't cheated. I am determined to not give up. 
I also needed to work on my personal development and stay consistent for my businesses. I am hiring a business coach and I have a few accountability partners to help support me in my Level Up group with Arbonne. Can I tell you how inspiring and motivating accountability partners can be? When you see what progress each of you are making, it just pushes you more to keep going. For those of you who know me, I am not a reader. But guess what, I have read everyday for 2 weeks so far and that is part of my goal to continue to do so. 
So, let me ask you what changes have you made for 2021? I'd love to hear them and maybe we can help each other. Feel free to email me donna.a.walter@gmail.com

Best of Health, 
​Donna

greatSo here are the benefits of exercising for your skin:

1. Reduce wrinkles - A good workout will help our body produce collagen and keep your skin supple. It will also help to maintain healthy levels of cortisol (your stress related hormones). Too much cortisol could lead to acne breakouts or cause the collagen in your skin to break down increasing sagging and wrinkles.
2. Instant Glow - When you get your heart pumping from aerobic exercise, your skin receives a dose of oxygenating blood, allowing it to produce more natural oils which will help your skin look healthy and naturally moisturized.
3. Sweat it out - Since your skin is the largest detox organ, sweating helps to clear the skin and purge your body of toxins that can clog your pores.
4. Muscle Tone - the more muscle tone you have, the healthier your skin will look and feel. Increased muscle tone will lead to firming skin and may also minimize the appearance of cellulite.

Make sure after your workout you wash your face. I love these Dissolve the Day Facials cloths.
They are convenient, great for the gym, biodegradable and are non toxic.
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