When I was making my bed recently, I noticed how the morning sunlight was streaming through the windows onto my bed. It fell in lines of light and shadow, coming through the bed frame and the window. The beauty caught my eye — It seemed to be begging to be photographed. So, I quickly whipped up breakfast and took a few shots.

I don’t often have breakfast in bed (though I love it) and I don’t often have a bagel and lox for breakfast (though I love that too). But there was leftover lox and bagels in the kitchen and I had to use them. It would be wrong not to.

It’s a special treat to have breakfast in bed — especially if it’s accompanied by a good book and some fluffy pillows behind you. Simple acts like this can lift our spirits and kick off our days with a spot of joy. That’s a good thing. If you haven’t had your breakfast in bed lately, perhaps it’s time. It’s totally worth it for the mind-body balance thing.

Are you a breakfast in bed fan?

Eat. Live. Be. Reboot

When I decided to give up all dieting recently, I didn’t really know how it would work. Would I be frustrated? Would it be easy? Would I stick to it? One week later, and I have a few first impressions to share:

• After a lifetime of dieting, it’s hard not to do a mental count of calories, points or whatever.
• It’s freeing not to do that count.
• Being absolutely ok to eat as many fruits and veggies as I want is amazing. I had a bowl of roasted Brussels sprouts for lunch yesterday. They were divine.
• Since I am not stressing about food, I have more brain room to think about exercise.
• I am working on fitting in exercise wherever I can — including going to the second floor bathroom at work just for the exercise.
• It’s easy to fall in love with a diet that relies heavily on fruits, veggies and whole grains.
• Taking it one day at a time works.

I really haven’t weighed myself yet and I probably won’t for awhile. But my belly feels way less bloated and I am enjoying eating thoroughly. Both are important. So far, this new road to healthfulness is working for me.

Be sure to check out Joanne‘s, Patsy‘s and Cate‘s blogs for more Eat. Live. Be. Reboot discussions.

The post Breakfast in Bed (Eat. Live. Be. Reboot) appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

Books are a true joy of mine. I love the ones that make me curl up with a blanket, a big glass of water and a plate of veggies and dip for a long dive into a different world. That’s why I have been happy to review a few books through BlogHer lately.

The Underside of Joy by Seré Prince Halversonis the newest BlogHer Book Club book selection. It’s a fictional story about a family living in a California town called Elbow. Joe, the dad, runs the family grocery in town and the family lives in his grandparent’s home — the one they built — where they have chickens and an amazing garden. Their life is happy and joyful and seemingly perfect. Their mommy is Ella. Though she’s actually their stepmom, she loves them as fully and deeply as if they were her own kids. But in fast motion everything changes. Joe is suddenly killed by an act of nature, leaving Ella and the kids reeling. Meanwhile Ella discovers that the family business  is in deep trouble just as the children’s birth mother returns and wants to reestablish herself as their mama.

Did you get all that? It’s a complicated and messy story — much like real life. And just when it seems that everything is okay, twists and turns and unexpected discoveries keep things changing.

When I first started reading this book, I couldn’t get into the first pages. They just seemed like a jumble of words on a page that didn’t come together into a story for me. So I took a long break from reading it and then returned to it. When I started again — from page 1 — I fell madly in love with the family and their struggles. I found myself as conflicted as Ella as she faced myriad challenges, disappointments and glimpses of hope.

Though my first impressions of this book were less than favorable, I think it was me — not the book. This is a story that requires you to be ready and willing to soak in the words and visualize the story. It’s a story that needs you to be a devoted and attentive reader. And it’s one that draws you to read slowly and deliberately over a few days.

Be sure to check out the discussions about The Underside of Joy on the BlogHer Book Club page.

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Eat. Live. Be. Reboot

Eleven. That’s how old I was the first time I dieted. I wasn’t overweight or in need of shedding a lot of pounds — I just wanted to try it. It seemed so grown up — something that my mom and grandmother did but I couldn’t until they finally said ok. My diet, the infamous cabbage soup one, lasted about two days. That was all I needed. I loved the diet (fruits! veggies! veggie soup!) and the results too.

I can’t begin to count how many diets I have been on since then. As I got older and had something to lose, I did the low-cal thing, the low-fat thing, the low-carb thing and the drink-a-ton-of-water thing. All worked at the time, until I stopped and the weight returned. It was frustrating. And just a month ago, I got ready to do the Weight Watchers thing again but I had such a hard time starting that I just hadn’t gotten beyond a day or two.

Then I read Why Women Need Fat and everything changed. The ideas in the book struck a cord with me. No, they did more than that — they made me rethink my eating and dieting habits altogether. I’ve long wondered why it seemed so much easier for my family in the early 20th century to stay lean and trim — and looking at how diets and weights changed together totally opened my eyes. I’m ready for that huge lifestyle realignment.

So, it’s official: I’m done with dieting. I am done with counting calories or points or anything else. I am done with nonfat milk. I am done with worrying about butter and olive oil and cheese. Instead, I am going to eat and cook like my great-grandparents did. I’m going to go crazy on fruits and veggies. I’m going to keep enjoying my whole grains and bake when we want a sweet something. I’m going to butter my bread and love it without feeling a tinge of guilt.

Some things won’t change. I don’t eat a lot of red meat because of my asthma. I’ll be sticking with what works. But I will eat more Omega-3s — that means more salmon, flax and other goodies. I’m excited to see where this leads — these lean, natural eating habits. I know I won’t suddenly be thin again, but I am hoping that in the coming months, these changes will mean a leaner, lighter, more energetic me.

I’m excited.

Be sure to check in with Cate, Joanne and Patsy — the ELB girls — to see what they are up to this week. And if you want to join our Eat. Live. Be. group, leave a message on the ELB Facebook page.

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More from Sarah W. Caron of Sarah’s Cucina Bella

• Slow Cooker Meatball Soup on Tablespoon
• Slow Cooker Brisket Tacos on Betty Crocker

Disclosure: I am being compensated for review on The Underside of Joy by BlogHer. All opinions expressed are my own.

The post Book Review: The Underside of Joy (With a Side of Eat. Live. Be.) appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

Christmas this weekend was magical. Our family had such a wonderful day filled with presents, family, play and good food. Just as it should be. One of my favorite moments was finding my kids huddled in the second floor hallway of my parents house, playing with their new toys. It was just so adorable — they were intent on the toys, enjoying them so much, and had found the perfect spot where my mom’s very sweet but mischievous dog couldn’t get to them.

I hope your holidays were magical too.

It’s Wednesday, and that means that it’s time for Eat. Live. Be. Reboot. This week’s theme is TV, which ended up being a pretty challenging one for me. I don’t watch a ton of television — and very little of what I watch really relates to Eat. Live. Be. Reboot. That said, sometimes inspiration is less about being in-your-face health and more about being a subtle nudge. This one is totally a subtle nudge.

Over the past month or two, I have become totally addicted to a show called House Hunters. Basically, it follows people who are buying houses as they tour three homes, choose one and make it home. House Hunters International takes the whole thing to a new level showing people looking for a house in other countries. If you follow me on Pinterest, you’ve probably guessed that I have great aspirations of having an amazing beach-side home one day. It’s one of my biggest personal goals beyond being healthier and losing weight

But beyond that, this show actually has inspired me in a really unexpected way. So many of the people featured on both shows are really active folks — ones who make outdoor living a priority and who really live big. I love that. I want to be like that. And heck, I live in New England — I should live like that. There are tremendous opportunities for being more outdoorsy here — downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, sledding, ice skating, hiking — and that’s just in the winter. Making a commitment to do outdoor activities this winter just once a week would make such a huge difference in my life — and my kids’ lives.

So guess what? I’m going to do it. We spend far too much time inside. And it’s time to change that.

What’s your favorite outdoor activity in the winter? Share! I need some more ideas.

Be sure to check in on the Eat. Live. Be. Reboot Facebook page. Also, pop in on Cate, Patsy and Joanne to see what they found inspiring and motivational this week.

The post Eat. Live. Be. Reboot: Outdoor Living appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

It hasn’t yet. The whole eating better, exercising more thing? It’s coming. But it’s slow. And it’s punctuated by Chess Bars, Cocoa Peppermint Thumbprints and the like.

But this week’s topic is about print inspiration. I’m going to take a bit of liberty with that and talk about a super inspiring Forbes.com piece a friend sent me that actually has to do with writing — not food or health (though I think these things are all interrelated).

How To Leave An Unsatisfying Job And Pursue Your Dream Career by Cathy Scott is about how Scott went from being a secretary to becoming a journalist with kid credits under her belt. For Scott it came down to being fearless and doggedly pursuing her dreams. She built the necessary foundation and then went after her dreams, carving out her perfect career.

That’s such an important message. And it’s not just about jobs — this message directly relates to all goals, including my health- and weight-related ones. If you want something, you have to go after it. You have to pursue it because it matters to you. As Nike so succinctly put it: Just do it.

It’s definitely time for me to just do it too.

Be sure to pop in on Cate, Patsy and Joanne‘s blogs to read about their ELB pursuits too.

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When Will saw me starting to steam broccoli for this dish, he couldn’t help but let out a little cheer. It’s his very favorite vegetable — and has been since he was a toddler. Even though he’s loved it for much of his six years, I am always caught off guard by his excitement. When I was a child broccoli wasn’t high on my list. Unless it was drowned in cheese sauce, of course, but that kind of defeats the purpose. No?

But even though his enthusiasm for broccoli surprises me, I try really hard never to let my preferences color Will’s or Paige’s. I never ever want them to not try something — or worse, to dislike something — because I’m not as excited by it. I’d much rather they make their own decisions about foods — and they do.

These days though, I do like broccoli too. But I especially like it when it’s tossed with a delicious sauce like in this Baked Ginger Sesame Chicken and Broccoli. It’s a sweet-salty-savory dish with Asian inspiration. The marinated chicken soaks in all the flavors of the marinade, and then the steamed broccoli is enhanced by a quick toss with some reserved marinade, which really ties it all together.

This dish starts with an easy homemade ginger sesame sauce/marinate. You whisk the four simple ingredients together and reserve a little. Then the rest is used to marinate the chicken. You can grate your own ginger for this, or use some of this frozen crushed ginger. Either works great.

Marinate the chicken in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Longer is better though. Then you bake it — it takes about 14 minutes in the oven, total.

Then you serve it over rice with the broccoli. It’s easy — and fairly fast to make. We like it as a simple school night dinner, but it works any night.

Time to switch gears … I just don’t have a good transition for this one. Let’s just pretend I do. Please?

On to Eat. Live. Be. … Earlier this week, I sent Cate a quick message asking her what this week’s theme was for Eat. Live. Be. Reboot. I was so relieved when she said online. I knew just what I would be talking about.

See, when Eat. Live. Be. was in full swing earlier this year, I gave myself a big boost by joining Weight Watchers Online. It was just what I needed right when I needed it — the accountability, the structure, the reality-view of what I was eating. But then summer came and tracking became a nuisance. Toward the end of summer, I canceled my subscription. Throughout that whole time, I kept my weight off — despite not tracking.

It’s amazing how quickly you can get off track though. For me, it started with my asthma acting up. I wasn’t exercising. I ate more. And then, I had to take a very necessary medication to fix my asthma problem — that causes two serious side effects in me: a huge, unstoppable appetite and sleeplessness. Then the holidays came and before I knew it, I had drifted far from my healthy habits.

When I made the commitment to reboot my efforts though, I knew I needed that kick in the pants to really get moving and back on track fast. Guess where I turned? Weight Watchers Online again. I like that the program is flexible enough to accommodate my unusual lifestyle — which includes testing at least a half-dozen recipes each week — but structured enough to create a boundary for me when it comes to eating. I really need boundaries. I have high hopes.

Be sure to check in on the Eat. Live. Be. For a Better 2011 Facebook page to see what all the ELB’ers are up to this week, and where they are finding inspiration and motivation online.

Baked Ginger Sesame Chicken and Broccoli
serves 4, plus leftovers

1 1/2 lb raw chicken breast tender pieces
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp grated ginger
4 cups broccoli florets
sesame seeds (optional)
white rice, cooked

Rinse the chicken under cool water and then place in a large bowl to marinate.

Whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil and ginger. Reserve 2 tablespoons of marinade and then pour the remainder over the chicken. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes to marinate.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet, discarding any used marinade. Bake for 7 minutes then flip and cook for another 7 minutes, or until cooked through.

Meanwhile, steam the broccoli until tender (about 10 minutes). Once it’s cooked, remove to a medium mixing bowl and toss to coat with the reserved sauce/marinade.

Serve the chicken and broccoli over rice.

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Going forward, I’ll be doing monthly updates on my progress on the first Monday of each month. I’ve lost about 10 lbs since the project started, but none since I last updated.

I’m not really bothered about that though. It’s summertime, and we’re having a great time. So, not losing weight? It’s okay right now.

I don’t have a graceful transition for here, so just pretend I do as I launch into this review. Please?

Recently, I was contacted about trying the new Weight Watchers Fresh Meals & Deli Salads. They’re available in the deli counter in stores like Stop & Shop. Being that I am on Weight Watchers, and always looking for something easy (and predictable) to work into my meals — particularly the ones in my office — I agreed.

There are 19 varieties of Weight Watchers Fresh Meals & Deli Salads available, including six deli salads. They sent me a nice selection of the varieties to try out (and kept me fed at lunch in the office for weeks!).

My favorite varieties were the Three Cheese Ravioli and the Chili Con Carne, both of which really hit the spot when I made them. I suspect that the lasagna and turkey meals might be perfect during the winter months too.

One thing I did notice across the board was that the entrees are lightly seasoned, so be sure to have your salt handy to season them to your preference. If you don’t already have salt and pepper shakers in your desk drawer, you should have one. You never know when you might need it. But I digress.

The biggest question though is would I buy them for myself? The answer is yes. These meals are simple, easy and fast to heat up in the office — way better than resorting to fast food.

The post Review: Weight Watchers Fresh Meals and Deli Salads (and a Brief ELB Update) appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

Note: This will be the last weekly Eat. Live. Be. post. Beginning next week, we will update once a month on our progress. But don’t worry! I will still be here blogging about food 4-5 days a week.

It doesn’t matter how much you like to cook or how much you enjoy feeding people. Sometimes, you just don’t want to make dinner. We’ve all been there, haven’t we?

Inevitably she advises me to cooking something. And almost always, that something is carbonara. Carbonara is one of the world’s easiest rich pasta dish to make. It’s pasta tossed with bacon, cheese and egg yolks and it’s so delicious. And overall, it takes about 20 minutes total to make. Including boiling the water.

Doesn’t get much easier.

Ironically, I made carbonara tonight since I didn’t feel like cooking. And while the dish was really pretty, I didn’t photograph it since I thought I had done a traditional carbonara years ago for SCB. Unfortunately, I haven’t. Sometime soon though, since everyone should know how to make it.

What do you make when you don’t want to make anything?

Be sure to check out the other ELB bloggers for their progress too.

• Cate O’Malley from Sweetnicks
• Joanne from Eats Well with Others
• Chris Arpante – Melecotte
• Patsy – Family, Friends and Food
• Claire – Cooking is Medicine
• Rivki Locker – Healthy Eating for Ordinary People
• Sarah Rogers – Sarah’s Sweet Creations
• Kate – Paved with Good Intentions

The post Easy Dinners (Eat. Live. Be. For a Better 2011) appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

At the end of last year, when I realized I was at my highest weight in years, I had a wake-up call that led to this 29-week blogging project. It’s a blessing that it happened and I am so much happier to be lighter now.

One of my biggest wake-up calls was a few years ago when a report came out linking high-fat diets with worsened asthma. At the time, my diet was extremely high in fat. But that jolted me into a lower fat diet, and I haven’t looked back. My asthma responded amazingly to the changes, and now I rarely have to use medication at all. Another blessing.

Now I am facing another wake-up call. But I am not sure where it’s leading me.

Since Eat. Live. Be. For a Better 2011 started in January, it’s led me to think and write a lot about aspect of healthy living that I hadn’t before. I’ve shared goals, successes and even my own failings. And overall, I have stayed the course, dropping weight like I intended. And I’ve become more brutally honest with myself too … another big benefit.

But that wake-up call that I’m facing? It’s about ELB. I’ve noticed over the past few weeks that instead of looking forward to posting, I have been more ambivalent. Maybe it’s the topics (which, in full disclosure, I’ve selected many of), but I’ve lost my groove. I don’t know if I will get it back. And frankly, I have seen so many of my compatriots fall away from the project that I just don’t know if it should go on anymore.

As it stands, there is only one more topic in the ELB queue. After that, I don’t know — next week could be the last ELB. Unless some topicsagically appear in the queue, this could be the end.

At the same time, I will be sad if it is the end. I was silently hoping that it would go for the whole year strong.

What do you think? Has ELB run its course?

Be sure to check out the other ELB bloggers for their progress too.

• Cate O’Malley from Sweetnicks
• Joanne from Eats Well with Others
• Chris Arpante – Melecotte
• Patsy – Family, Friends and Food
• Claire – Cooking is Medicine
• Rivki Locker – Healthy Eating for Ordinary People
• Sarah Rogers – Sarah’s Sweet Creations
• Kate – Paved with Good Intentions

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First, a little about me and compliments. I wish I could say that I fall among those that accept compliments graciously, saying just the right thing. But compliments have always made me uncomfortable. Like I’m in the spotlight for that second and I just can’t wait to escape because it’s improper or something. It’s taken a lot of practice to accept compliments with a simple thank you, kindly. But I can now.

My greatest compliment recently was at a party recently when a woman who I’ve known for years and years remarked on my incredible weight loss since she last saw me 10 months ago. It was validating. Exciting, Amazing.

I haven’t lost that much — 10 lbs since the start of ELB and 15 lbs since last year — but it’s something. A big something. And something that is being noticed. I couldn’t stop smiling.

What’s the greatest compliment you’ve received lately?

The post Eat. Live. Be. For a Better 2011: Compliments appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

For my birthday, I relaxed. I sat on a sun porch and read several chapters. I took the kids to the beach and built drip castles and played in the water. And I took everyone out for lunch.

It wasn’t a healthy lunch. It could have been, but I indulged. Fortunately, this post isn’t about indulging — it’s about being healthy even when you are eating out. And normally, I try to do just that.

For instance, when Cate and I were in Seattle, we often split dishes. It allowed us to sample more without overdoing our portions. But even on a non-food lovers trip, it’s totally possible to eat out and still be your healthy self. Swear.

6 Tips for Eating Out Healthy

1. Preview the Menu – It’s way easier to assess the food a restaurant offers from the comfort of your home, when you are objective and not swayed by the natural temptations of seeing delicious dishes being served. Figure out the best options, and check nutritional information. Also, if there are any less than healthy ones that catch your eye, check out their nutritionals too.
2. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Small Changes – Generally, I believe in ordering off the menu (otherwise, why go there?), but it’s okay to ask for small changes — like hold the mayo or switching in steamed veggies for the fries. Don’t forget the please and thank you.
3. Get Dressing on the Side – Look, chances are that the restaurant isn’t using measuring spoons to ensure that your creamy blue cheese dressing is a perfect tablespoon or two. And letting them dress the salad with as much dressing as they like can make that tasty salad into a health-nightmare. Instead, ask for dressing on the side so that you can control how much is used.
4. Avoid Fried Anything – I am a sucker for fried clams, fried oysters, sweet potato fries and the like. But when you want to eat out and stay healthy, these are the worst choices. Avoid them.
5. Split It – Just because a restaurant serves you a giant plate with an enormous, towering pile of food, it doesn’t mean that it’s one portion. More like two or three in most cases. Consider splitting an entree with someone else or just have half of it packed up to take home. Either way, you just don’t want to overeat.
6. Skip or Split the Dessert – Those creamy, dense slices of cheesecake and rich, molten chocolate cakes look amazing. But they are big-time diet-busters. In fact, one slice of cheesecake can be twice as many calories as you should eat in a whole day. So, saying no can really be the best option. But if you really, really can’t live without it, try to split it with 2-3 other people.

How do you stay healthy while eating out?

Be sure to check out the other ELB bloggers too.

• Cate O’Malley from Sweetnicks
• Joanne from Eats Well with Others
• Chris Arpante – Melecotte
• Patsy – Family, Friends and Food
• Claire – Cooking is Medicine
• Rivki Locker – Healthy Eating for Ordinary People
• Sarah Rogers – Sarah’s Sweet Creations
• Kate – Paved with Good Intentions

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