April  2007

Hot Health News 

Only one in seven Americans exercises enough and eats enough fruits and vegetables, and men are worse than women, federal health officials said in April.  "These results underscore the need to promote diets high in fruits and vegetables and regular physical activity among all populations in the United States and among racial and ethnic minority communities in particular," U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers said in a report.  So we all seem to be in the same boat.  We know what to do, we want to do it, but we don’t do it.  At least we’re not alone in our inability to do the very basics to reduce our risk of developing a wide variety of diseases.  I still believe the best way to reach our health goals is through small but consistent changes.  It’s not always about giving up foods, but about adding healthy choices.

Fitness

Study after study continually show how exercise can ease our diseases, improve our outlook and decrease the numbers on our scale.  We have found that family time can be a great way to increase all of our fitness levels.  We love to engage in a wide variety of physical activity as part of our family recreation.  Our children are too small to take long bicycle rides or long hikes, but they are not too young to be engaged throughout the day in fun, short sprints.  We find ways to make extra movement fun such as racing to the mailbox, playing a game of tag, unloading groceries in relay race style and walking further into the store because we found a shady parking spot at the far end of the parking lot.  All activity throughout the day adds up to fun, fitness and vibrant living.

Spiritual

Have you ever had a day when you feel a little lost?  Don’t seem to know which way to go with an important decision looming in front of you?  Well, that was me today.  Luckily a good friend sent me a devotion which I really needed.  It redirected my thinking, pointed me back to the Word of God, and most importantly refocused my view of God.  I just love the way God has positioned us to be His messengers here on earth to encourage, love and pray for one another.

 
Relationships

Family gatherings, especially around the holidays, are such fun.  It gives us all a chance to remember where we come from and where we still want to go.  Being connected as part of a larger family gives us a sense of belonging and history.  For some of us, it gives us a desire to move on and for some of us it gives us a desire to move back.  The older my children get, the more important I see their need to know that they belong to something bigger than themselves.  Belonging to the family of God is the most important family my children belong to and the most important family I want to train them up to be part of.  We have found and been blessed with tremendous family members – some of them blood relatives, but most of them are not.  We have found that our closest family members are those which we share common beliefs in the sovereignty of God and His Word.  We have also learned to truly appreciate all of our relationships within our family.  God has a unique purpose for every family member, great or small and we love being able to watch His hand move and direct.

Food

I had an exciting time today in my kitchen.  On the fly, I created a new recipe which was incredibly easy and everyone enjoyed.  Okay, so perhaps I didn’t create as much as modify one to make it easier, faster and include another vegetable.  I took my good old standard lasagna recipe and added an extra layer of peeled and sliced eggplant.  I also decided that I was really tired of precooking the noodles, so I put them in uncooked and added a little extra sauce.  We enjoyed our dinner tonight and I had enough left over to freeze for another day.  The key to great, totally vegetarian lasagna is in the
Ricotta Style Tofu.  We love the results so much we use it in lasagnas, calzones, stuffed shells and even eat it as a dip.

Ricotta "Cheese"

Ingredients

• 1 pkg firm or extra firm tofu
• 2 T honey
• Juice of one lemon
• 1/8 tspn salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tspn dried basil

Directions

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree.