HEALTHY PASTA SALAD

This is a perfect spring or summer lunch or dinner!


Pasta Salad With Shrimp or Scallops, Feta, Arugula and Cherry Tomatoes

Makes 6 servings.
( I use scallops as that is my preference)

 8 oz whole wheat fusilli
4 tbsp olive oil
1 lb of raw shrimp or "dry" scallops*
1/2 cup frozen, shelled edamame, thawed
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes halved
3 scallions chopped
1 cup arugula chopped
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled (I really like the goat cheese)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
freshly ground pepper
the zest and juice of one lime.

Cook pasta according to package directions, but omit salt. Drain reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tbsp oil and cook shrimp or scallops til done. Add liquid as necessary to keep from sticking to pan.
Place all ingredients in a large serving bowl with the rest of the oil and lime zest and juice. Toss gently.
Add extra pasta water if more liquid is desired.
May be served warm or cold!

*dry scallops have not been soaked in a chemical that plumps them up to add weight, better for you and tastier.

NON-PHARMACEUTICAL WAYS TO LOWER YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE (PART 0NE)

                                   DO YOU KNOW YOUR NUMBERS?

The vast majority of U.S. adults consume too much salt and too little potassium. 

This is particularly critical to the increasing number of individuals with high blood pressure. These individuals fighting HBP have many non-pharmaceutical ways of controlling their pressure, including weight loss, exercise, stress management, as well as decreasing dietary sodium. 

Research shows that a diet with adequate potassium can lower blood pressure. 

Potassium causes the kidneys to excrete excess sodium from the body, thereby lowering blood pressure. A healthy American should consume 4,700 milligrams of potassium daily. Most do not. We are more likely in the 2,500-3,000 milligram range. So the hunt is on to add the nutritious foods that are potassium rich.

The list is large with veggies, fruits and beans at the top.

Check this list out as you make up your daily meal plan.

Potassium rich foods

As a Holistic Health Coach I love helping clients find the delicious whole foods that will bring them a healthy balance, and avoid the chronic diseases that are so common today.

If you would like to learn more about how I can help you, sign up for a free consultation www.heidi-colella.com. 

Also you can like my face book page for inspiring facts and recipes. http://www.facebook.com/HeidiColellaHealthCoach

I would love to hear how you add some of these foods to your life, So leave a comment!

Get free tips for the healthy life you were meant to live!

HEIDI'S HEART HEALTHY & SLIMMING MINESTRONE SOUP

EASY BEANS AND GREENS!


Beans, or legumes, including peas and lentils, are an excellent source of plant-based protein. Beans are found in most traditional cultures as a staple food, offering grounding and strengthening properties that enhance endurance. They offer a highly usable, highly absorbable source of calcium for the body. A very inexpensive source of high nutrition, beans can be rich, delicious and satisfying,

Lack of sexual energy is often due to overtaxed adrenal glands and kidneys. Beans are known for strengthening these organs (ever noticed the shape of a bean?) and can help restore vital energy as well as sexual energy.

Beans have a reputation for causing digestive distress, but this is usually because they have been undercooked or improperly prepared. To help reduce gas-forming properties, soak beans overnight prior to cooking, increase cooking time, add spices like bay leaf, oregano or cumin, or add kombu (a sea vegetable) when cooking.

Soul Food

Think for a moment of a food from your past, one that makes you feel great after you eat it for no specific reason. Maybe it is macaroni and cheese, slow-simmered tomato sauce, ice cream cones or potato pancakes. Eating comfort foods (every now and then) can be incredibly healing, even though your rational brain might not consider it highly nutritious.

Food has the power to impact us on a level deeper than just our physical well-being. What we eat can reconnect us to precious memories, like childhood playtimes, first dates, holidays, our grandmother’s cooking or our country of ancestry. Our bodies remember foods from the past on an emotional and cellular level. Eating this food connects us to our roots and has nurturing effects that go far beyond the food’s biochemical make-up.

Acknowledging what different foods mean to us is an important part of cultivating a good relationship with food. It ’s important to notice that we each have a relationship with food—and that this relationship is often far from loving. Many of us restrict food, attempting to control our weight. We often abuse food, substituting it for emotional well-being. Others ignore food, swallowing it whole before we’ve even tasted it.

What would your life be like if you treated food and your body as you would treat your beloved – with gentleness, playfulness, communication, honesty, respect and love? The next time you eat your soul food, do so with awareness and without guilt, and enjoy all the healing and nourishment it brings you.

BREATHING YOUR WAY TO THE HEALTHIEST YEAR EVER!

Simple breathing exercises can help you towards your goal of your healthiest year yet!

Paying attention to your breathe is a great way to stay centered, calm, and energized. The key is to breathe fully, deeply and slowly.
When  you feel stressed during the day stop and breathe deeply, you will be able to compose yourself, and allow for a pause, like a mini meditation. The ability to calm yourself will help in the control of the release of cortisol the stress hormone. As we know cortisol impedes our ability to lose weight and increases inflammation.

A simple breathing exercise that calms the nervous system and the mind is timed breathing. Your exhale should be a few counts longer than your inhale. This allows the nerves in your diaphragm to send a message to your brain to relax, there by dropping your heart rate and lowering your blood pressure. This puts your body in a state of calm.
Practice this often so this breathing becomes second nature and available when you need it.
This type of breathing is also very beneficial in promoting sleep and returning to sleep if you awake in the middle of the night.

Breathe in through your nose  for 2-4 counts, hold for 1 count, slowly breathe out through your nose for 4-8 counts, finish by holding your breath out for 1 count. Find the combination of in and out breaths that is most comfortable for you.

As a holistic health coach, I enjoy helping my clients find ways to deal with the stresses in their life, in simple ways that fit their lifestyle.
Contact me through my website www.heidi-colella.com for a free consultation on how I can help you in making this the healthiest year yet!

MAKING THIS YOUR HEALTHIEST YEAR YET

Are you ready to commit to have your healthiest year yet?
How does that look for you?
For me it means fitting in some exercise, yoga daily, and working on my focus and mental clarity.

I find the best way to do this some days is to fit these in at 10 minute pauses between my other commitments during the day, or when my attention and energy are waning. For example a 10 minute exercise routine, or yoga sequence can be done while, waiting for the coffee to perk, feeding the dogs or cooking rice for dinner. Just set a timer and go for it!
The other daily routine that significantly improves my focus and helps me stay on task is my 10 minute meditation.

Three -ten minute sessions is all it takes. The feeling of accomplishment as well as the health rewards far out weigh the time spent. Give it a try and let me know how you feel!

As a holistic health coach I regularly help clients identify what will make positive changes in their lives, and work with them to set goals to achieve them.
If you are interested in a free consultation to see if we can work together contact me at
www.heidi-colella.com

Link for: 10 minute exercise routine http://www.chacha.com/gallery/4719/what-are-some-easy-10-minute-workouts
Link for: 10 minute yoga sequence http://www.fitsugar.com/10-Minute-Yoga-Flow-Series-22758284   Also Tara Styles website has many short yoga routines http://tarastiles.com/
Link for 10 minute meditations that I love http://www.getsomeheadspace.com/  this site also has a free app for i phones and i pads for meditation anywhere!