Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Baked Eggs in Bread Bowls
noblepig.com/2010/01/17/baked-eggs-in-bread-bowls.aspx
Baked Eggs in Bread Bowls
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This was our breakfast Sunday morning. Aren't they cute? They were very, very good. It's the whole egg and the toast combo all together in one nice package.
These are so easy to make and wouldn't they be splendid on a brunch buffet table? The best part, you can easily make two, ten, a hundred, whatever your needs are at the moment.
I think there are a lot of variations you could do nicely with this recipe, such as, swap out the Parmesan cheese with grated Gruyere or crumbled blue cheese to give a different taste. Use feta and substitute oregano for the other herbs for a Greek flavor.
I used sourdough but I think this would also be nice with onion or brioche rolls as long as they are sturdy.
Any way you put these together, they will be great.
Slice off top of each dinner roll and gently remove some bread until there is a hole large enough to accommodate an egg.
Arrange rolls on a baking sheet. Reserve tops. Crack an egg into each roll.
Top each egg with some herbs and a bit of cream. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake in a 350 degree oven until eggs are set and bread is toasted 20 to 25 minutes. After eggs have cooked for 20 minutes, place bread tops on baking sheet and bake until golden brown. Let sit 5 minutes.
Place tops on rolls and serve warm.
Eat with a knife and fork.
Baked Eggs in Bread Bowls
Adapted from All You
Amounts for this recipe are not set and are dependant on how many you are making.
Crusty dinner rolls, as many as you choose
Eggs, large, one for each roll
Mixed herbs, chopped, such as, parsley, chives and tarragon, about a teaspoon for each roll
Heavy cream, 1 teaspoon for each roll
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated, as much as you want to sprinkle on each roll
Slice off top of each dinner roll and gently remove some bread until there is a hole large enough to accommodate an egg. Arrange rolls on a baking sheet. Reserve tops. Crack an egg into each roll. Top each egg with some herbs and a bit of cream. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake in a 350 degree oven until eggs are set and bread is toasted 20 to 25 minutes. After eggs have cooked for 20 minutes, place bread tops on baking sheet and bake until golden brown. Let sit 5 minutes.
Place tops on rolls and serve warm.
Save Stale Bread with Panzanella
www.pbs.org/food/fresh-tastes/panzanella/
Save Stale Bread with Panzanella
I love a good crusty loaf of bread, but unless I’m having friends over, I can rarely finish an entire loaf before it’s hard enough to cause injury.
At this point, most people would throw the bread away, but my Japanese upbringing always leaves me with a nagging feeling of my mother saying “mottainai”, or “what a waste!”. In Italy, people take a similar approach to food, where nothing is wasted and stale bread is often turned into breadcrumbs.
Panzanella is another great use of stale bread. It’s one of my favorite summertime salads, highlighting the sweetness of sun-ripened vegetables, while harnessing the stomach filling volume of bread.
But panzanella isn’t simply a clever use of old bread and seasonal vegetables. The salt in the dressing draws out juices from the veggies and the crusty bread soaks it up resulting in a magical mouthful of tender juicy bread with a crunchy olive oil and garlic flavored center. Put simply, this salad is as delicious as it is practical.
At this point, most people would throw the bread away, but my Japanese upbringing always leaves me with a nagging feeling of my mother saying “mottainai”, or “what a waste!”. In Italy, people take a similar approach to food, where nothing is wasted and stale bread is often turned into breadcrumbs.
Panzanella is another great use of stale bread. It’s one of my favorite summertime salads, highlighting the sweetness of sun-ripened vegetables, while harnessing the stomach filling volume of bread.
But panzanella isn’t simply a clever use of old bread and seasonal vegetables. The salt in the dressing draws out juices from the veggies and the crusty bread soaks it up resulting in a magical mouthful of tender juicy bread with a crunchy olive oil and garlic flavored center. Put simply, this salad is as delicious as it is practical.
Recipe: Panzanella
Ingredients
- 10 ounces very ripe tomatoes chopped (include any juices)
- 1 Japanese cucumber or 2 Lebanese cucumbers, chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced onion or shallot
- ¼ cup olives or capers, chopped
- 5 ounces stale crusty bread, torn into small pieces (about 3 cups)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 10 leaves basil, hand-torn
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (halve if using table salt)
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic. Stir a few times and when the oil is fragrant, add the bread. Toss to evenly coat the bread with oil, then fry over medium low heat until the bread is crunchy and has taken on some color. Salt and pepper to taste, then set aside to cool.
- Put the tomatoes, cucumber, onion and olives in a large mixing bowl. In a separate small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the vinegar, mustard and salt, then whisk to combine. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and stir until some juice has come out of the vegetables.
- Add the bread to the vegetables and toss to combine. Let the salad sit for at least one hour to allow the flavors to absorb into the bread, stirring a few times to make sure the bread gets evenly soaked. Add the basil, stir to combine, then serve.
Number of servings (yield): 1
Monday, July 25, 2011
Super Food
www.womansday.com/Articles/Health/Diet-Nutrition/Eat-Healthy-America-52-Superfoods.html
Join WD's initiative to help make healthy eating a lasting part of your everyday
By Karen Ansel, RD Posted December 04, 2008 from Woman's Day; January 1, 2009
Photo: © Iain Bagwell
That’s why Woman’s Day is launching a yearlong series, Eat Healthy America. Our goal is to make healthy eating a no-brainer. In every issue, you’ll find easy ideas and advice that’ll help you make smart choices, plan balanced (and great-tasting) meals, get a grip on portions, and more. We’ll also prompt you to take small, doable steps that will help you eat better for good.
Start here: Clean out your kitchen, tossing as many unhealthy items as you can. Single-ingredient foods— apples, chicken, cooking oil, etc.—are keepers. Packaged foods with long lists of hard-to-pronounce ingredients go out, especially if they contain more than 7% of calories from saturated fat or more than 10% of calories from sugar. Now, turn the page and find out what you’ve made room for!
52 Superfoods
Fill up on these nutrient packed foods, which can help you fight disease. Feel more energetic and even lose weight.
1. Eggs Each egg has 6 grams of protein but just 72 calories. No wonder researchers at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, found that eating eggs for breakfast (as part of a low-cal diet) helps you slim down.
2. Tomato sauce It’s loaded with lycopene, which makes your skin look younger and keeps your heart healthy. In fact, a Harvard study found that women with the most lycopene in their blood reduced their risk of a heart attack by 34%.
3. Dried plums(prunes) They’re packed with polyphenols, plant chemicals that have been shown to boost bone density by stimulating your bone-building cells.
4. Walnuts Just 14 walnut halves provide more than twice your daily dose of alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fat that’s been shown to improve memory and coordination.
5. Brussels sprouts They have more glucosinolates (compounds that combat cancer and detoxify our bodies) than any other vegetable. For a side dish that will make you wonder why you’ve been avoiding them, slice each one into quarters, then sauté in olive oil with chopped sweet Vidalia onions.
6. Acai juice A glass or two of this anthocyanin-rich berry juice can dramatically boost the amount of antioxidants in your blood, say Texas A&M University researchers.
7. Apples They contain quercetin, an antioxidant that may reduce your risk of lung cancer.
8. Bok choy This calcium-rich veggie can protect your bones and may even ward off PMS symptoms.
9. Steel-cut oats Because they’re less processed than traditional oats, they’re digested more slowly—keeping you full all morning long.
10. Salmon You’ll get all the heart-smart omega-3s you need in a day from just 3 oz.
11. Avocados Their healthy fat keeps you satisfied and helps you absorb other nutrients. For a new u twist, brush a halved avocado (pit removed) with olive oil and grill 1 minute. Serve with red onion, sliced grapefruit and balsamic vinegar.
12. Spinach A half-cup provides more than five times your daily dose of vitamin K, which helps blood clot and builds strong bones.
13. Canned pumpkin It’s filled with natural cancer fighters alpha- and beta-carotene.
14. Cauliflower White foods can be good for you! This one is packed with cancer-fighting glucosinolates.
15. Scallops A 3-oz serving has 14 grams of protein but just 75 calories.
16. Collard greens They’re exploding with nutrients like vitamin A, zeaxanthin and lutein, which keep your eyes healthy.
17. Olives They deliver the same heart-healthy monounsaturated fat you get in olive oil, but for just 7 calories per jumbo olive!
18. Brown rice It’s a top source of magnesium, a mineral your body uses for more than 300 chemical reactions (such as building bones and converting food to energy).
19. Oysters These keep your immune system strong. A 3-oz serving (about 6 oysters) dishes up a quarter of your daily iron, plus nearly twice the zinc and all the selenium you need in a day.
20. Edamame One cup has a whopping 22 grams of plant protein, as well as lots of fiber, folate and cholesterol-lowering phytosterols.
21. Strawberries They’re loaded with ellagitannins, phytochemicals that may halt the growth of cervical and colon cancers.
22. Lentils A great source of meat-free protein, a half-cup of cooked lentils also gives you nearly half your daily folate, a B vitamin that protects a woman’s unborn baby from neural tube defects.
23. Bran flakes Their whole grains keep your heart in tip-top shape by reducing inflammation and melting away belly fat.
24. Kiwi Italian researchers found that it reduces asthma-related wheezing, thanks to its high vitamin C content (one kiwi has 110% of your daily requirement).
25. Black beans They’re loaded with protein, fiber, and flavonoids—antioxidants that help your arteries stay relaxed and pliable.
26. Sunflower seeds A quarter-cup delivers half your day’s vitamin E, which keeps your heart healthy and fights infection.
27. Sardines 3 oz provide more than 100% of your daily vitamin D. Sardines are also a top source of omega-3 fats. Try adding mashed canned sardines to marinara sauce and serving over whole-wheat pasta.
28. Asparagus A half-cup supplies 50% of your daily bone-building vitamin K and a third of your day’s folate, it’s a natural diuretic so it banishes bloating, too.
29. Bananas They’re loaded with several kinds of good-for-you fiber, including resistant starch (which helps you slim down).
30. Broccoli sprouts They have 10 times more of the cancer-preventing compound glucoraphanin than regular broccoli.
31. Fat-free milk With a third of the calcium and half the vitamin D you need in a day, plus 8 grams u of muscle-building protein, it’s the ultimate energy drink.
32. Baked potatoes Each one packs a megadose of blood-pressure–lowering potassium—even more than a banana.
33. Sweet potatoes Half of a large baked sweet potato delivers more than 450% of your daily dose of vitamin A, which protects your vision and your immune system.
34. Flaxseed Not only is flaxseed loaded with plant omega-3s, it also has more lignans (compounds that may prevent endometrial and ovarian cancer) than any other food. Store ground flaxseed in your refrigerator and sprinkle on yogurt, cold cereal or oatmeal.
35. Greek yogurt It has twice the protein of regular yogurt.
36. Dried tart cherries Researchers at Michigan State University found their potent anthocyanins help control blood sugar, reduce insulin and lower cholesterol.
37. Wheat germ A quarter-cup gives you more than 40% of your daily vitamin E and immune-boosting selenium.
38. Whole-wheat english muffins You get 4 ½ grams of fiber for only 134 calories.
39. Tea Both green and black tea prevent hardening of the arteries, according to researchers at the University of Scranton.
40. Peanut butter This smart spread has arginine, an amino acid that helps keep blood vessels healthy.
41. Blackberries The king of the berry family boasts more antioxidants than strawberries, cranberries or blueberries.
42. Mustard greens These “greens” (actually a cruciferous veggie) are a top source of vitamin K. For a tasty pesto, chop them in a food processor with garlic, walnuts, Parmesan and olive oil.
43. Grapes They’re a leading source of resveratrol, the plant chemical responsible for the heart-healthy benefits of red wine.
44. Soy milk A good source of vegetable protein, calcium-enriched soy milk has as much calcium and vitamin D as cow’s milk.
45. Brazil nuts They have more selenium than any other food. One nut delivers your entire day’s worth!
46. Canola oil A Tbsp of this heart-healthy oil has all the alpha-linolenic acid you need in a day, plus two different forms of vitamin E.
47. Blueberries They improve memory by protecting your brain from inflammation and boosting communication between brain cells.
48. Oranges One orange supplies more than 100% of the vitamin C you need in a day. It’s also a good source of calcium and folate.
49. Watercress With just 4 calories per cup, this cruciferous veggie delivers a hefty dose of vitamin K, zeaxanthin, lutein, beta-carotene and cancer-fighting phytochemicals.
50. Turkey breast It has 20 grams of satisfying protein but just 90 calories per 3-oz serving.
51. Barley A top source of beta-glucan, a fiber that lowers cholesterol and helps control blood sugar.
52. Shiitake mushrooms One serving (about ¼ lb) provides as much vitamin D as you’d get from a glass of milk.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Creamy Avocado Shells + the Clockless Oven
Someday, if you’re lucky and I feel like sacrificing our dignity, I will show you a picture of our lovely oven. Chris originally thought we should name this blog “The Timeless Kitchen” because the oven has no clock. That’s right, read ‘em and weep, literally. At some point the LYK oven’s clock shorted and started beeping uncontrollably, as our smoke alarm also tends to do. Naturally, the previous tenants thought it best to simply rip out the clock. We now have a gaping black hole of death with cut wires popping out of it, instead of an oven clock. Cute, I know.
For our first few months living in the LYK we had to guess what the numbers on the temperature dial were since they had all conveniently worn off. We used white nail polish to write on the dial what we thought the numbers might have been. Fail. We recently discovered by use of an oven thermometer that we had been 50 degrees off.
Please try not to be jealous of our super upscale kitchen. Greed is not a becoming trait.
Now that you’ve had a peek inside the real LYK I’ll tell you about this recipe we made from Angela at Oh She Glows. It was sooo lip smackin’ tasty and I had not one ounce of guilt eating it. The creamyness comes, not from cream or cheese, but avocado! It looks like pesto but tastes like heaven.
In fact, it was so heavenly that I forced myself to swallow whole al dente pasta shells just to get some creamy, zesty, herby carbs in me — still can’t chew due to the wisdom teething. After about 5 painful attempts I resorted to pulsing it up in the food processor a bit.
Sorry if the thought of that grossed you out…it really wasn’t that bad. Promise.
Creamy Avocado Shells
From Oh She Glows
makes 4 servings
Ingredients
2 medium avocados
1 lemon juiced + lemon zest
3 garlic cloves to taste
1/2 cup Fresh Basil
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 servings of pasta shells
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Add your pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions.
Make sauce by blending the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil together in a food processor. Then add avocado, basil salt and pepper and process until creamy.
Pour sauce onto pasta and toss. Garnish with lemon zest and pepper.
Little Yellow Note: If you want to save the leftovers, add extra lemon juice to prevent the avocado from browning.
www.fromthelittleyellowkitchen.com
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Green Smoothie
Glowing Green
One of my absolute favorite things is a Green Smoothie. It’s a fast, easy, and delicious way to get a big dose of vitamins and minerals, plus it tastes FANTASTIC!!
Don’t let the color’s fool you!! It is sweet and filling – even the kids love it!! They love to name it the “Monster Smoothie” or “Shreck Smoothie” or some other fun name but believe me, kids go crazy for it!! And it’s a great way to sneak in some powerful green nutrition into their diet.
It’s super fast to make and a great breakfast or snack option, especially for people on the go and those looking to lose weight. It takes about 1 min to make, literally!!This recipe is super simple. All you need is a blender and the following ingredients:
- 1-2 bananas
- 1/2 cup frozen peaches
- 1/2 cup frozen mango
- a couple handfuls of spinach
- water
- ice (if desired)
I’ve have clients who have literally changed their lives just by adding Green Smoothies into their routine. Great for weight loss, digestive health, supporting the immune system, and as a healthy and filling snack. After a couple of weeks you’ll have that ‘Glow’ – glowing skin, hair, nails, even eyes get brighter! Who doesn’t want that?!
Try any combo you like, all you need is a base of bananas, fruit of your choice and a couple handfuls of your favorite green (I like spinach as it has a really mild flavor that blends well).
Go ahead, try it, I know you want to!! It may just change your life!!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
DIY String Chandeliers
www.ruffledblog.com/diy-string-wedding-chandelier/
Jessica of Wednesday Inc shows us how to make those gorgeous twine chandeliers from the inspiration shoot she shared with us this morning. Using balloons, glue and twine, you can also make these lanterns for your wedding – and then bring it home and use it as your very own mid century lampshade.
What you will need are: balloons, glue, yarn, tray for glue, corn starch 1/2 cup of Corn starch, 1/4 cup of Warm water, clear fast drying spray paint, hanging lamp cord or fishing line (depending on your desired final product), and a lighting kit if you’re looking for a fully functional lantern. Jessica recommends using a sharpie to mark on the inflated balloon how much room you need to leave for the lighting cord. She also recommends coating the balloon with vaseline prior to wrapping the yarn coated with glue so it doesn’t stick on the balloon once it’s dry. You can see all the details on Jessica’s blog.
Are you getting excited to try to do this at home as much I am?
Instructions:
1. Inflate the balloon to a medium size so the shape is a little rounder.
2. If you’re looking to make a lampshade out of the string chandelier, use a sharpie to mark around the knot on the balloon.
3. Before you start working, we recommend using a tarp.Mix corn starch, glue and warm water together until it has a smooth texture.
5. Smear the vaseline all over your balloon until it is completely coated so th twine wet with glue won’t stick on the balloon after dry.
6. You can start a little assembly line with friends by one of you feeding the yarn through the glue mix and giving to another person to wrap it around the balloon.
7. Start wrapping the balloon vertically, slowly changing to wrapping. For a seamless look, tuck the ends of the twine under one of the wrapped strings.
8. Wait 24 hours until the balloon has completely dried before popping the balloon.
9. Spray the string chandeliers with clear fast drying spray paint et voila!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
What does love mean?
What Does Love Mean? See How 4-8 Year-Old Kids Describe Love
1. When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love. Rebecca- age 8
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2. “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.”
Billy – age 4
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3. “Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.”
Karl – age 5
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4. “Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.”
Chrissy – age 6
5. “Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.”————————————————————————
2. “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.”
Billy – age 4
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3. “Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.”
Karl – age 5
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4. “Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.”
Chrissy – age 6
Terri – age 4
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6. “Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.”
Danny – age 7
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7. “Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss”
Emily – age 8
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8. “Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.”
Bobby – age 7 (Wow!)
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9. “If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,”
Nikka – age 6
(we need a few million more Nikka’s on this planet)
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10. “Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.”
Noelle – age 7
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11. “Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they
know each other so well.”
Tommy – age 6
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12. “During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.”
Cindy – age 8
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13. “My mommy loves me more than anybody . You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.”
Clare – age 6
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14. “Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.”
Elaine-age 5
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15. “Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.”
Chris – age 7
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16. “Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.”
Mary Ann – age 4
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17. “I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.”
Lauren – age 4
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18. “When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.” (what an image)
Karen – age 7
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19. “Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t think it’s gross.”
Mark – age 6
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20. “You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.”
Jessica – age 8
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21. And the final one — Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge.
The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, “Nothing, I just helped him cry”
60 Small Ways to Improve Your Life in the Next 100 Days
May 30 by Marelisa | 98 Comments and 1006 Reactions | Lifestyle | Tags: improve your life, life improvement, small ways to improve your life, work/life-balance
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to make drastic changes in order to notice an improvement in the quality of your life. At the same time, you don’t need to wait a long time in order to see the measurable results that come from taking positive action. All you have to do is take small steps, and take them consistently, for a period of 100 days.Below you’ll find 60 small ways to improve all areas of your life in the next 100 days.
Home
1. Create a “100 Days to Conquer Clutter Calendar” by penciling in one group of items you plan to declutter every day, for the next 100 days. Here’s an example:- Day 1: Declutter Magazines
- Day 2: Declutter DVD’s
- Day 3: Declutter books
- Day 4: Declutter kitchen appliances
- If you take it out, put it back.
- If you open it, close it.
- If you throw it down, pick it up.
- If you take it off, hang it up.
- A burnt light bulb that needs to be changed.
- A button that’s missing on your favorite shirt.
- The fact that every time you open your top kitchen cabinet all of the plastic food containers fall out.
Happiness
4. Follow the advice proffered by positive psychologists and write down 5 to 10 things that you’re grateful for, every day.5. Make a list of 20 small things that you enjoy doing, and make sure that you do at least one of these things every day for the next 100 days. Your list can include things such as the following:
- Eating your lunch outside.
- Calling your best friend to chat.
- Taking the time to sit down and read a novel by your favorite author for a few minutes.
- How many times do you beat yourself up during the day?
- Do you have feelings of inadequacy?
- Are you constantly thinking critical thoughts of others?
- How many positive thoughts do you have during the day?
7. For the next 100 days, have a good laugh at least once a day: get one of those calendars that has a different joke for every day of the year, or stop by a web site that features your favorite cartoons.
Learning/Personal Development
8. Choose a book that requires effort and concentration and read a little of it every day, so that you read it from cover to cover in 100 days.9. Make it a point to learn at least one new thing each day: the name of a flower that grows in your garden, the capital of a far-off country, or the name of a piece of classical music you hear playing in your favorite clothing boutique as you shop. If it’s time for bed and you can’t identify anything you’ve learned that day, take out your dictionary and learn a new word.
10. Stop complaining for the next 100 days. A couple of years back, Will Bowen gave a purple rubber bracelet to each person in his congregation to remind them to stop complaining. “Negative talk produces negative thoughts; negative thoughts produce negative results”, says Bowen. For the next 100 days, whenever you catch yourself complaining about anything, stop yourself.
11. Set your alarm a minute earlier every day for the next 100 days. Then make sure that you get out of bed as soon as your alarm rings, open the windows to let in some sunlight, and do some light stretching. In 100 days you’ll be waking up an hour and forty minutes earlier than you’re waking up now.
12. For the next 100 days, keep Morning Pages, which is a tool suggested by Julia Cameron. Morning Pages are simply three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning.
13. For the next 100 days make it a point to feed your mind with the thoughts, words, and images that are most consistent with who you want to be, what you want to have, and what you want to achieve.
Finances
14. Create a spending plan (also known as a budget). Track every cent that you spend for the next 100 days to make sure that you’re sticking to your spending plan.15. Scour the internet for frugality tips, choose ten of the tips that you find, and apply them for the next 100 days. Here are some possibilities:
- Go to the grocery store with cash and a calculator instead of using your debit card.
- Take inventory before going to the grocery store to avoid buying repeat items.
- Scale back the cable.
- Ask yourself if you really need a landline telephone.
- Consolidate errands into one trip to save on gas.
16. For the next 100 days, pay for everything with paper money and keep any change that you receive. Then, put all of your change in a jar and see how much money you can accumulate in 100 days.
17. Don’t buy anything that you don’t absolutely need for 100 days. Use any money you save by doing this to do one of the following:
- Pay down your debt, if you have any.
- Put it toward your six month emergency fund.
- Start setting aside money to invest.
Time Management
19. For the next 100 days, take a notebook with you everywhere in order to keep your mind decluttered. Record everything, so that it’s safely stored in one place—out of your head—where you can decide what to do with it later. Include things such as the following:- Ideas for writing assignments.
- Appointment dates.
- To Do list items
- Transportation
- Housework
- Leisure
- Income-Generating Activities
21. Identify one low-priority activity which you can stop doing for the next 100 days, and devote that time to a high priority task instead.
22. Identify five ways in which you regularly waste time, and limit the time that you’re going to spend on these activities each day, for the next 100 days. Here are three examples:
- Watch no more than half-an-hour of television a day.
- Spend no more than half-an-hour each day on social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Stumbleupon.
- Spend no more than twenty minutes a day playing video games.
24. For the next 100 days, plan your day the night before.
25. For the next 100 days, do the most important thing on your To-Do list first, before you do anything else.
26. For the next 14 weeks, conduct a review of each week. During your weekly review, answer the following:
- What did you accomplish?
- What went wrong?
- What went right?
28. Make a list of all of the commitments and social obligations that you have in the next 100 days. Then, take out a red pen and cross out anything that does not truly bring you joy or help move you along the path to achieving your main life goals.
29. For the next 100 days, every time that you switch to a new activity throughout the day stop and ask yourself, “Is this the best use of my time at this moment?”
Health
30. Losing a pound of fat requires burning 3500 calories. If you reduce your caloric intake by 175 calories a day for the next 100 days, you’ll have lost 5 pounds in the next 100 days.31. For the next 100 days, eat five servings of vegetables every day.
32. For the next 100 days, eat three servings of fruit of every day.
33. Choose one food that constantly sabotages your efforts to eat healthier—whether it’s the decadent cheesecake from the bakery around the corner, deep-dish pizza, or your favorite potato chips—and go cold turkey for the next 100 days.
34. For the next 100 days, eat from a smaller plate to help control portion size.
35. For the next 100 days, buy 100% natural juices instead of the kind with added sugar and preservatives.
36. For the next 100 days, instead of carbonated drinks, drink water.
37. Create a list of 10 healthy, easy to fix breakfast meals.
38. Create a list of 20 healthy, easy to fix meals which can be eaten for lunch or dinner.
39. Create a list of 10 healthy, easy to fix snacks.
40. Use your lists of healthy breakfast meals, lunches, dinners, and snacks in order to plan out your meals for the week ahead of time. Do this for the next 14 weeks.
41. For the next 100 days, keep a food log. This will help you to identify where you’re deviating from your planned menu, and where you’re consuming extra calories.
42. For the next 100 days, get at least twenty minutes of daily exercise.
43. Wear a pedometer and walk 10,000 steps, every day, for the next 100 days. Every step you take during the day counts toward the 10,000 steps:
- When you walk to your car.
- When you walk from your desk to the bathroom.
- When you walk over to talk to a co-worker, and so on.
- Your weight.
- Your percentage of body fat.
- Your waist circumference.
46. For the next 100 days, make it a daily ritual to mediate, breath, or visualize every day in order to calm your mind.
Your Relationship
47. For the next 100 days, actively look for something positive in your partner every day, and write it down.48. Create a scrapbook of all the things you and your partner do together during the next 100 days. At the end of the 100 days, give your partner the list you created of positive things you observed about them each day, as well as the scrapbook you created.
49. Identify 3 actions that you’re going to take each day, for the next 100 days, in order to strengthen your relationship. These can include the following:
- Say “I love you” and “Have a good day” to your significant other every morning.
- Hug your significant other as soon as you see each other after work.
- Go for a twenty minute walk together every day after dinner; hold hands.
Social
50. Connect with someone new every day for the next 100 days, whether it’s by greeting a neighbor you’ve never spoken to before, following someone new on Twitter, leaving a comment on a blog you’ve never commented on before, and so on.51. For the next 100 days, make it a point to associate with people you admire, respect and want to be like.
52. For the next 100 days, when someone does or says something that upsets you, take a minute to think over your response instead of answering right away.
53. For the next 100 days, don’t even think of passing judgment until you’ve heard both sides of the story.
54. For the next 100 days do one kind deed for someone every day, however small, even if it’s just sending a silent blessing their way.
55. For the next 100 days, make it a point to give praise and approval to those who deserve it.
56. For the next 100 days, practice active listening. When someone is talking to you, remain focused on what they’re saying, instead of rehearsing in your head what you’re going to say next. Paraphrase what you think you heard them say to make sure that you haven’t misinterpreted them, and encourage them to elaborate on any points you’re still not clear about.
57. Practice empathy for the next 100 days. If you disagree with someone, try to see the world from their perspective; put yourself in their shoes. Be curious about the other person, about their beliefs and their life experience, and about the thinking process that they followed to reach their conclusions.
58. For the next 100 days, stay in your own life and don’t compare yourself to anyone else.
59. For the next 100 days, place the best possible interpretation on the actions of others.
60. For the next 100 days, keep reminding yourself that everyone is doing the best that they can.
(Sunday Morning Still Life is courtesy of Pen Waggener).
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