What did I love most? Simply put, the simplicity of the food and its preparation. Clean eating is all about taking fresh, whole foods, adding minimal ingredients, and creating something healthy and delicious.  And my gosh, that food was awesome.

I loved that I had a plan that was easy to follow.  Meal planning and creating a vision makes all the difference in the finished product.  By getting clear early on about what I was making, there were no last minute emergencies.

I loved that nothing was elaborate. I made fresh, healthy and delicious cranberry sauce in 15 minutes. I loved that my healthy dessert, spiced pumpkin mousse, took all of about 15 minutes to make as well (and man is it tasty, yum!). 

It felt easy, it felt doable and there wasn’t even a hint of feeling overwhelmed by all the tasks.  In fact, I was in a clean eating cooking groove, thoroughly enjoying the process of being in the kitchen and feeling inspired by listening to my favorite music (Pat Metheny).

I will say that part of the reason that it felt doable is that I happily followed the advice of Clean Eating Magazine in planning the meal out in advance.  I read through the suggestions of making things 1, 2 or even 3 days in advance.  Frankly, the days in advance thing didn’t happen, despite my best intentions, given some other priorities, but I did shop early (for me that was Sunday, a vast improvement over the day before Thanksgiving).  I started cooking on Wednesday afternoon, but after a solid 3 hours under my belt, I declared myself in excellent shape — cranberry sauce and pumpkin mousse made, sweet potatoes prepared and ready for roasting the next day and the green beans prepared through the first step — blanching.  We roasted our locally grown turkey in our rotisserie which made that part of the meal super easy.

I seriously don’t remember preparing a Thanksgiving dinner that seemed so fun and full of joy.  Part of it was definitely the anticipation of having friends and family join us and partake in the bounty of healthy food.  The fact that Bruce and I were debuting our new dining room table that has a much larger capacity added to the fun too — I loved creating a beautiful and seasonal centerpiece that created a lovely ambiance (see above).

You know what else? I was so organized that I even had a timetable of what needed to get done on Thursday which made for a relaxing day. No rushing around, just happily getting busy in the kitchen with some simple tasks.  We even had time for a visit with our friend Marjorie (pictured here), in the hospital before everyone started to arrive.

Clean, healthy Thanksgiving meal + family and close friends + tranquil and relaxed atmosphere =a day of joy and numerous reasons to be thankful.

What about you? How was your Thanksgiving? What clean eating dishes did you prepare? What was the highlight for you?

In my book, kids get turned on to sugar much too soon and next thing you know they’re craving it and asking for more. And I’ll be the first to tell you that that was SO  me growing up. I LOVED sugar.  And when Halloween rolled around, I was in 7th heaven.  Remember those days?

The thing is, sugar is so highly concentrated and in kids, it magnifies the effect.  So a little bit goes a long way to giving them that off the wall energy.

Today, however, we have the benefit of a bevy of natural sweeteners that are much gentler on your body.  They don’t have that same sugar spike, they don’t raise blood sugar in the same way yet they can be just as satisfying.  They are a key part of clean eating — using foods that are minimally processed.

When I bake, I almost always use agave nectar, a natural sweetener that comes from the agave plant. It’s very sweet so you only need a little but it tastes great.  I also like to add it to my oatmeal or tea if I need a little touch of sweetness.  Several months ago, I wrote a post about one of my favorite cookie recipes that’s so delicious — oatmeal almond cookies sweetened with agave.  These make for a clean and healthy treat that also feature whole grain flour, even better.

Recently, I found a recipe in Clean Eating Magazine for no-bake chocolate chip cookies. As soon as I read it, I knew I’d love them. They not only have agave nectar but also cacao — raw chocolate. Although cacao, by itself, is bitter, when combined with the agave, it’s a taste treat (and it’s got all kinds of nutrients in it’s raw form)!  I took the liberty of adapting the recipe just a touch by adding in some unsweetened, shredded coconut.  All I can say is that they’re a little taste of heaven.  You must give them a try!

Clean Eating Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup raisins
½ cup pitted dates
2 cups whole oats
1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
4 tbsp. agave or honey
2 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch of salt, to taste
½ cup cacao nibs

Directions:

1. Place raisins and dates in food processor and chop into small pieces.
2. Add oats, agave or honey, cinnamon and salt. Process to mix well.
3. Empty into a mixing bowl and add cacao nibs. Mix well.
4. Use a tablespoon measure to portion cookies.  Enjoy immediately or chill before serving for firmer texture.

What’s your favorite clean and healthy sweet treat and what do your kids love? What do you do to lessen their dependence on sugar?

If you like this idea, you’ll have to join me on Tuesday, September 15 for my “Kids Love Healthy Food Too!” teleclass where we’ll be discussing more ideas like this to keep your kids feeling their best in simple, natural ways.  You can learn more by clicking on this link: http://budurl.com/md6k

It used to be when I was single I had a lot more time to get together with my girlfriends to connect, laugh, and support each other.  I swear it was like I had time on my hands. But these days, between running a growing business, working with clients, spending time with my husband and our families, and all the other stuff of life, I don’t have nearly as much time as I’d like for the girls. In fact, my lack of sufficient time to connect was weighing on mind so I decided to do something about it and jump into action.

So one thing I’ve started is a monthly happy hour to encourage as many of my friends to get together as possible. We hold it the first Friday of the month at different locations. Whoever is free and can come shows up and stays as long as she can. It’s unstructured and in the moment and I’m convinced whoever shows up is meant to be there that month.

Sometimes we check out healthy places, sometimes it’s whatever strikes our fancy, mostly it’s about being in the moment and connecting on that heart to heart level that infuses me with optimism and gratitude.  For me, keeping my friendships strong is all part of the puzzle of staying healthy and strong. It feeds me in a different way than spending time with my husband or family, yet has a critical role.

And you know what else? Staying connected with our friends keeps us heart healthy. Studies show that when we have at least four close friends — we’re much more likely to have a healthy heart, live longer, be less vulnerable to depression and have a more optimistic outlook on life.

What do you do to actively stay connected to the friends that are most important to you? In what simple ways can you start getting more connected if you’re missing those bonds? How can those connections support your overall health?

And to be honest with you, it’s not about quantity of friends – this is all about quantity.

These days I find it difficult to get together with all the friends in my life that I care about.  We’re all so busy between work, family, children and taking care of the everyday tasks in life.  But that doesn’t stop me from connecting with my closest friends, even if for only a few minutes by phone. Just yesterday I phoned by oldest and dearest friend Alyson, just for a moments, in the middle of the day, to quickly connect.

Take a look at this week’s video about why friends are so important and a little celebration with my close friends I recently attended.

What about you, how do you stay connected to your friends and how does it support better health?

Given how busy we are all these days, it’s no wonder that it can be a challenge to stay connected. And it only gets harder as we age and family and friends move away or die. Which is why forming those connections now makes all the difference later on. I can’t imagine life without my good friends Jannae, Michelle and Scherri and we’re all about being there for each other.

This is exactly what my colleague Kari Henley of Gather Central, and I talked about on Monday night on my monthly heart health teleclass. We had a great call, shared a bevy of ideas and got people thinking about simple ways to get and stay connected to stay heart healthy. Want to know more? You can hear the whole call and start integrating our ideas by clicking here: http://tinyurl.com/5no6oy.

Why are my friends so great? We talk, we laugh, we shop, we eat (far too many desserts to even mention!) and we simply connect and are there for each other  through thick and thin  — parents dying, jobs lost, romantic heartbreak and wedding bliss (that’s the three of them at my wedding in June). Having close friends, in fact, is the key to women sustaining optimal heart health.

I know you probably know that heart disease is the number one killer of women, yet it’s highly preventable. In fact, research shows that when women have at least four close friends, they dramatically decrease the chances of dying from heart disease. And I’ll point out that it doesn’t have to be about connecting with your friends all the time. Think social networking, email and phone as simple options to get or stay connected. In the end, it’s really about the authenticity of our friendships, not the volume.

What about you, do you have at least four close friends? How do they help you stay heart healthy? The girls and I are already talking about how one day we just might all get a house together if our spouses aren’t around – you know, a modern, hip version of the Golden Girls.  It sure sounds like a great idea to me and knowing how much fun we have together, how could it not help us stay heart healthy?

Want to know more about the latest research on women and the power of connecting to help prevent heart disease? Join me for a fr*e*e teleclass, “Building Community: A Key to Optimal Heart Health” on Monday, November 10 from 8-9pm ET.

Register and join us for this awesome call designed to help you get connected and protect you heart! http://tinyurl.com/6edu3r

It’s pretty ironic though because growing up I was definitely on the shy side. Not with my family and friends of course, but in school I just hated public speaking. I still have some not so pleasant memories of more than one public speaking melt down.

But that was then, and now speaking to large groups or small, on radio or TV, is like second nature and I love it.

So I was ecstatic to be a guest on Metro Chick Radio during my recent trip to Detroit. I spent an hour with my ultra-cool colleagues midlife coach Karen Batchelor (in the middle) and branding expert and talk show host Jill Jordan.  We were talking about how to overcome the overwhelm we often feel in our lives as women and find more balance.  These days it seems like most of us are racing around at a breakneck pace and just getting the basic things of life done can seem overwhelming. Our conversation was about simple things we can do to calm down, get more centered and take a break from too much anxiety.

And not only did we talk about overwhelm, but how to figure out those midlife years when there’s all kind of changes going on (not the least of which is our body starting to shift in unexpected and often unsettling ways!). Karen is a midlife expert — she’s a pro at coaching women as they navigate the joys and challenges of midlife (menopause, aging parents, career changes, just to name a few) and we had a great time talking about how midlife can be downright extraordinary if we let it.

Bottom line — it was just pure fun, lots of laughs and great ideas. Take a listen to what we had to say and enjoy.

When I was little I was wild about Fruit Loops. I loved all the colors and of course, I couldn’t get enough of the sweet, sugary taste. There was nothing better than mom coming home with a big box of them from the grocery store that my brother and I would fight over.

That was in the 70’s, way before we really talked about how much sugar there is in cereals marketed to kids. We’ve known for years that a whole range of these cereals really aren’t good for them, but the marketing arm of large consumer companies is long and powerful, convincing many families with kids that there sugar-laden cereals are the way to go.

But did you hear about the Consumer Reports study that came out this week about just how bad the top selling kids cereals are? It’s probably not a surprise to hear they’re full of sugar, but the extend to which many of them are unhealthy is alarming.

Take a listen to this week’s audio tip and you can learn the facts about these cereals and hear some simple tips to feed your kids a healthier breakfast.

What about you? Do you have a penchant for sweet cereals yourself? And what do you do to feed your kids a healthier breakfast? Check out the recipe below for a healthy and delicious breakfast. This is one of my favorites that I make regularly.

Whole Oatmeal
Oat groats are a whole grain found in health food stores. With a bit of soaking you can turn them into a delicious and filling breakfast cereal that will keep you going for hours.  The beauty is that it doesn’t require any cooking, just soaking the oats and creating the cereal! You can break up the preparation into 2 simple steps. I make enough to last for several meals. This recipe is from “Raw Foods Made Easy.”

Step 1: Soak the Oat Groats

1 ½ cups whole oat groats

Place the oat groats in a small bowl and cover with water. Soak for 8-10 hours at room temperature.  Drain in a colander and rinse well. Return the oat groats to the bowl, cover with water and soak for another 8-10 hours.  Drain and rinse again. Allow oat groats to sit for 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate. The oats will keep for three days in the refrigerator.

Step 2: Make the Oatmeal

Ingredients:
2 cups soaked oat groats
½ apple, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp. pure maple syrup or agave nectar
2 tbsp. water
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
¼ tsp. salt

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides as needed. Serve at room temperature and add milk if desired. Simply delicious!

The day was so great because I spent time with the two most important people in my life – my mom and my husband Bruce. We were celebrating my mom’s 76th birthday and we whisked her away to one of her (and my) all time favorite places in the world – Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, NY for brunch and a day enjoying the grounds.

We started going to Mohonk back in the 70s, long before it became so trendy and upscale. It’s a family resort that was started by the Smiley brothers and is a beautiful oasis in the Catskill mountains. Back then, my family used to rent a cottage for a week and we’ve revel in all the activities that Mohonk has to offer – paddle boating, fishing, minature golf and miles and miles of hiking trails, many leading to Sky Top, the lookout over Mohonk that gives you beautiful and awe-inspiring views.

On Sunday, after eating ourselves silly (yes, that’s right even I can sometimes overdue it!) and enjoying every last bite, we walked the grounds. We visited the beautiful flower gardens where I swore I’d get married someday and we hiked around the lake. And of course, we enjoyed afternoon tea and cookies.

One of the reasons the day was so special, in addition to being a perfect fall day, was that Mom and I got to reminisce and reconnect with the past.  There’s something about revisiting a cherished place that holds special memories that’s just priceless, and Mohonk is just that.  But what I loved best was seeing the look of pure joy on her face as we sat on the terrace, watching the water in one of Mohonk’s many rocking chairs, simply taking it all in.

As you can imagine, Mom had a great time and couldn’t thank us enough. But in the end, we got the greatest gift, the joy of creating a special day for her that was so memorable and all about reconnecting with the past.

How do you reconnect to your past and what makes it memorable?

Check out this week’s audio tip where I talk about the benefits of social networking (Facebook, My Space, etc.) as a means to get and stay connected to others for both friendship and support. I’ve been dabbling with social networking and I really like the concept, although of course, even that takes time. I think it’s an interesting way to get connected.  Does it take the place of hanging out at a good friend’s house for an afternoon? Not exactly, but it’s still pretty cool.

What do you think? Is social networking for you? Can you see the possibility of developing friends and getting connected in this way? Share your thought here.

PS Let’s get connected on Facebook. Simply do a search on my name and you can easily connect to me.