Taste Life, with Chere Bork

While Gary was on another “bucket list trip” rafting the Salmon River in Idaho, I invited myself over to the Thoma home. I love hanging out with Mizz creative Zoe and curious Zack. Julie is always whipping up a new healthy dish. Every time she cooks for me I just have to have the recipe. This recipe is easy and quick and healthy. Perfect for a hot summer day and lounging by the pool!

4 pita breads
1 cup spicy salsa
Chicken cubes, cooked (can be poached, sautéed or grilled)
1/2 cup Guacamole
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded

Preheat the oven to 425°. Place pitas on baking sheet and bake until crisp – about 5 minutes. Spread guacamole on pita. Top with chicken, salsa and shredded cheese. Lower temperature of the oven to 350° and bake 5 more minutes or until the pita bread has reached desired crispness and cheese is melted. Serve immediately with warm conversation and a fruit salad. Serve whole, or cut into slices.

Mediterranean Diet Pyramid

Julie’s Chicken Pitas are perfect example of the Mediterranean Diet.

The Mediterranean diet refers to the foods and drinks traditionally eaten by people living in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. (Spain, southern France, Italy, Greece, Crete and parts of the Middle East.)

High-quality fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes, unrefined cereals, olive oil, cheese and yogurt are eaten most days, as is fish. The diet only includes rare (monthly) servings of meat and infrequent (weekly) servings of poultry, eggs and sweets. Wine is drunk in moderation.

These healthy eating habits have helped these countries have lower incidence of cancer, heart disease and diabetes, as well as a longer life expectancy.

The traditional Mediterranean diet is part of a whole cultural package, which includes regular physical activity and strong social and family bonds, and shared family meals. Food is more than nourishment, and is looked upon as pleasure making every meal a celebration.

Daily

• Breads, Pasta, Rice, Couscous, Polenta, Bulgur, Other Grains and Potatoes
• Fruits, Vegetables, Beans, Other Legumes and Nuts
• Olive Oil
• Cheese and Yogurt

A few times a week

• Fish, Poultry, Eggs, Sweets

A few times a month

• Red meat

Take the first step tomorrow by eating real food that is not processed.

Linda Beduhn my triathlon coach teaching me how to race walk..heel, toe, heel toe. short strides..much to remember

I never realized how much time training for a triathlon takes. Today I swam and then I biked 12 miles and speed walked (tried) 2 miles with Linda Beduhn (www.beads2treasure.com)  who does lots of duathlons! I learned alot from her.

1  Don’t wear underwear under your bike shorts. Never thought of that!

2 Race walk..short strides  – heel toe heel toe.

3 Find your steady pace for biking. I was doing 12 to 13 miles per hour and she likes to do 15 to 17 miles per hour. I really like about 10 miles per hour so I can see the flowers! Start to feel tired shift. Don’t wait.

4 Don’t take a water bottle with you when you walk. The race will have plenty of water.

5 Try Gatorade. 1 cup Gatorade followed by 1 cup water. 
Ignorance is bliss. This is the second time I biked and the ran right away. Not sure I like moving my body that much!Time will tell! Anything else I should know? Chere

I just returned from a 10 day trip to Milwaukee, savoring time with my cherished family.

We celebrated my Dad’s 81st birthday, Zach’s birthday, and also I attended Hannah’s dance recital. We biked, walked, and by far the number one activity was talking about nothing and everything. I moved away from my family 28 years ago. I feel so loved when I am there that on the car trip back the first hour or so I struggle with tears and thoughts of “Chere why did you move away from your family?” After one of the longest road trips of my life, with a literal standstill on the freeway for one whole hour, I finally made it home. Within minutes of arriving home, my neighbor Julie yelled, “Welcome Home!” I went into my house and kept asking myself, “Is Eden Prairie really my home? Where is my home?”

Within a day of being home, friends started to call and asked me to hang out with them.

For days, I continued to noodle on the question, “Where is my home?” Everyone longs to be connected and loved. In fact, several studies have concluded that at the end of life only two questions are most important to people: Did I give love and did I receive love?

Brilliant Martin Seligman Ph.D., author of Authentic Happiness, studied the lifestyles and personalities of the happiest people. He studied 222 college students and measured happiness rigorously using six different scales. He then focused on the happiest ten percent. The “very happy” people differed from average people and unhappy people in one key way: a rich and fulfilling social life. The very happy people spent the least time alone and the most time socializing. They are also rated highest on good relationships by themselves and also by their friends. Research also suggests that more happiness actually causes more productivity and a higher income. Happier people receive better evaluations and higher pay. Many other studies show that happy people have more close and casual friends, are more likely to be married and are involved in more group activities than unhappy people.

Close relationships can act as medicine. Study after study has shown that relationships and social support are crucial and can even influence cancer and heart disease. It makes sense. We are social human beings so in order to live a whole healthy life we need to be connected to community.

When you intentionally create your best life you automatically get more tuned into the quality of your relationships. Relationships are an investment of your time and energy so you need to invest wisely. Energizing high quality relationships make you feel good about yourself. So, what makes a high quality relationship? Take this test and find out.

Create your community. Plan some time to just hang out with people. Get together to talk, take a walk or a bike ride. Remember hanging out does not always have to involve food. Relationships take time. You cannot move from an acquaintance to friend without spending time together. Make key relationships a higher priority and you will see your life satisfaction and happiness rocket up.

I feel invested in healthy relationships in Minneapolis. Despite living 300 miles away from my family, Minneapolis is my home, where I am surrounded by people whom I love and who love me back. Don’t let a busy “media absorbed day” take away all your time and attention from what really matters. Your challenge: reconsider your choices on how and with whom you invest your time. I would love to hear more about your relationship investments in the comments area below. With a smile, Chere!

Memorial Day is almost here. Summer! Yes! Summer is synonymous with cabins, boating, and eating, eating, and more eating. What if this summer your good intentions to get fit or have a healthy diet really became reality? A healthy diet isn’t about not eating your favorite foods. It all starts with your beliefs and your choices.

Linda, a 90 day life makeover coaching client, hired me to lose twenty pounds and wanted to start playing tennis again. Her short term goals included developing strategies to eat right that worked for her and her family. Her long term goals were to reorganize her house, lose fifty pounds without being on a diet, develop a coaching business and plan regular vacations.

She discovered that she could eat by choice not chance. We created small weekly goals for fitness, nutrition and stress. For example, eating protein for breakfast, eating 2 veggies a day, and going on a walk a day. With these small changes Linda happily lost weight and felt she was in charge of her life EXCEPT for her neighbor’s cupcakes. “My neighbor brought over 6 cupcakes from a fancy cupcake place. The frosting tasted like a stick of butter and it was not worth my calories.” Yes, our environment is stronger than our will. If I had cupcakes with butter cream frosting sitting on my kitchen counter I would eat them all. My genetics are “wired for butter.” I remember my mom telling me about Uncle Jack who liked to eat sticks of butter dipped in sugar. I adore butter! I used to sneak it on my toast under my peanut butter until three year old Danielle would ask “What are you doing over there mom?”

People are not mind readers. No one knows what you think until you tell them. I taught Linda a technique called non violent communication which helps you ask for what you need from others. You state what you are observing in the situation and how you feel. You express your need and then make a request in a gentle, caring and kind way. Remember, the number one tool that can change your life is a question.

Observation Situation: Neighbor brings over gorgeous, mouth watering, high calorie cupcakes and you just lost twenty pounds.

Feeling: Identify your feeling: I am feeling frustrated as I am trying very hard to lose weight and when cupcakes are in the house I will eat them.

Personal Need: Identify your need: I have a need for respect.

Request: What question do you need to ask?

Example: The conversation with the neighbor could go like this.

(Observation Situation) I appreciate you thinking of us and bringing over these cupcakes. I have lost twenty pounds and know if they are in the house I will eat every single one of them.

(Feeling) I feel so frustrated trying to eat healthy with high calorie foods in the house.

(Need) I have a need for respect.

(Request) Will you please stop sending treats over to our house?”

Non violent communication is a way of relating to ourselves and others through an awareness of our feelings and personal needs instead of blaming or judging others. You identify the situation and how you feel then express these feelings based on what you need. Remember the number one tool that can change your life is a question. There’s an old saying, “Ask and it is given.” Won’t it be fantastic to celebrate connections with people this summer and honor your personal needs for health and well being at the same time? You have a choice and it all starts before the food gets to your fork! Happy Summer!

Please click to download a Non – Violent Communication Template and more Non Violent Communication Real Life Examples.

My 24th Mother’s Day – my favorite day of the year

We always celebrate with a brunch. This year we ate at the St. James Hotel in Stillwater, MN.

Chicken Marsala

Danielle loves mushrooms and Brett can’t stand them. I decided to surprise Danielle and cook this chicken mushroom dish before Brett came home for the summer. My surprise? The day I was going to cook this for dinner Danielle said, “By the way mom I won’t be home for dinner!”

This easy quick dish makes great leftovers for your lunch. It also is elegant enough to serve to company and the mushrooms provide anti aging nutrition. Mushrooms are one of the best foods you can eat to give your immunity a boost.

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into quarters

1/4 cup flour

Salt

Pepper

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 pound sliced mushrooms

3/4 cup Marsala wine

Combine flour, salt and pepper in a pie plate. Coat chicken breasts with flour mixture.

Heat olive oil on medium heat in a large skillet. Cook chicken breasts until brown on both sides. Remove and set aside.

To skillet, add wine and mushrooms. Reduce heat and cook for about 10 minutes until sauce is reduced in half. Return chicken to skillet and cook for 2 to 5 more minutes.

Traditional Chicken Marsala is garnished with parsley. Every time I buy parsley it goes to waste, so I garnish entrees with sliced green onions that I always have on hand for our salads. Serve with two vegetables and warm conversation.

If you are looking for a quick low cal, low sodium, cholesterol free way to boost your immunity look no farther than the mushroom. At a mere 20 calories per handful, mushrooms are a treasure waiting to be added to your favorite dish. They provide similar nutrition more commonly found in meat, beans or grains.

Mushrooms

If you are looking for a quick low cal, low sodium, cholesterol free way to boost your immunity look no farther than the mushroom. At a mere 20 calories per handful, mushrooms are a treasure waiting to be added to your favorite dish.  They provide similar nutrition more commonly found in meat, beans or grains.

Cancer

Mushrooms provide a powerhouse of nutrients that may help protect against some cancers. Scientists at City of Hope were some of the first to find a potential link between mushrooms and a decreased likelihood of tumor growth and development in cells and animals. City of Hope researchers now plan to apply this research to human clinical trials to establish whether mushrooms act as aromatase inhibitors in women. It is far too early to conclusively say whether humans will experience decreased tumor growth as a result of eating mushrooms. However, City of Hope and the Mushroom Council one day hope to be able to share credible science-based information that ties mushroom intake with decreased cancer risk, along with other important health benefits.

Vitamin D

No other vegetable or fruit contains Vitamin D. Similar to the way that humans absorb sunlight and convert it to vitamin D, mushrooms contain a plant sterol—ergosterol—that converts to vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. The top three selling mushroom varieties (button, crimini and portabella) have vitamin D ranging from 1 to 97 percent of the Daily Value (400 IU) per raw 84 gram serving^, which means they contain 4% of the Daily Value for Vitamin D.

Immune Booster

Mushrooms are high in antioxidants, selenium, riboflavin and other healthful substances that protect the immune system. Mushrooms contain compounds known as beta glucan, which keep immune cells in a state of vigilance, guarding against disease. In addition, research reveals that mushrooms contain ergothioneine, an antioxidant that contributes to immune health, as well as to the protection of the eyes, skin, liver, kidneys and bone marrow.

Umami

Umami is the fifth basic taste after sweet, salty, bitter and sour. Derived from the Japanese word umai, meaning “delicious,” umami (pronounced oo-MAH-mee) is described as a savory, brothy, rich or meaty taste sensation. It’s a satisfying sense of deep, complete flavor, balancing savory flavors and full-bodied taste with distinctive qualities of aroma and mouthfeel. The more umami present in food, the more flavorful it will be. All mushrooms are a rich source of umami and the darker the mushroom the more umami it contains. Therefore, mushrooms are a perfect way to add great taste to everyday foods. Umami also counterbalances saltiness and allows up to a 50 percent salt reduction without compromising flavor.

Source: www.mushroominfo.com Check it out for more recipes, research and fun facts. This chart explains more about mushroom varieties.