By JANET FONTANA

Interesting Napping Facts

I discovered this great napping Inforgraphic on Pinterest that I really think you’ll enjoy! To zoom in, click on the image below:

By JANET FONTANA

5 Tips for Making Home Cooking Easy, Nutritious, Delicious & Fun

Are you like me and often feel as though your life can’t get any busier? I bet there’s been countless times after working a full day or schlepping your kids around town to their various activities that you felt just too tired to cook dinner. So instead of slaving away in the kitchen, you go the easy route and order Chinese food or a pizza. (At this moment, all you really care about is satisfying hungry mouths). If this sounds familiar, please trust me when I tell you that I’ve been there one too many times myself!

However, while ordering takeout or going through the McDonald’s drive-through might seem like the best option on days when you are most exhausted, it’s important to stop and think about what you’re actually getting from it. Most takeout food is laden with calories. In fact, studies show that the obesity epidemic is largely fueled by the growing trend of eating out and bringing takeout food home. Some studies also reveal that the average fast food meal contains approximately 1000 calories and restaurant fare averages about 18% more calories than the stated value on the menu.

It’s probably obvious that the best way to know what you and your family are eating is to make your own meals at home. Here are a few tips to make cooking at home more convenient, budget-conscious, nutritious, and fun:

Tip #1 Plan ahead

Preparing meals in advanced can help make your week way less stressful. At the beginning of the week, ask your family or roommates if there’s anything specific they’re craving. Welcoming suggestions not only gives you more cooking ideas, but also gives people in your household something to look forward to. I suggest keeping a calendar so you can better track what meals are coming up and what meals you already prepared. A calendar is also a great indicator of when you purchased ingredients so you can anticipate when they will spoil. Staying organized with meal preparation will make your life easier. I promise!

Tip #2 Purchase all your staple items on less busy days

Try going to the grocery store on the weekend for the staple items you need. No one enjoys food shopping at 5pm on a weekday because most likely it will be a mad house! Therefore, go to the store during a time when you’re least stressed and tired. This way you won’t feel rushed, you can take your time going through the list you prepared, and you can make sure you are placing the freshest ingredients into your cart. Also remember that you don’t need to break the bank in order to eat healthy. For money saving tips on how to cut food costs without compromising nutrition, please download our nursing CE webinar “Healthy Eating for Less.”

Tip #3 Think simple, nutritious & delicious

Not every meal you make needs to look and taste like it was made from a 5-star restaurant. There are MANY wonderful recipes you can cook that are quick, nutritious, and yummy. Remember, the more ingredients you put into a meal, the more time you will need to prep beforehand and clean-up afterwards. Also, consider healthy alternatives. For example, use olive oil or sunflower oil instead of butter. Not only will you cut  fat calories, but many studies reveal that these oils have significant health properties. In addition, it’s important to understand that nutritious food can also be quite tasty. Here are a few easy, healthy, and delicious recipes I’ve collected throughout the years:

Jacques Pépin’s Butter Bean Recipe

Hummus and Avocado Toasts with Roasted Tomatoes

Chicken Tortilla Pie

Gnocchi with Tomatoes, Pancetta & Wilted Watercress

Tip #4 Make an event out of cooking

If the last thing you want to do is chop, boil, sauté, fry, or bake, get your household involved to help. Delegate a task for everyone in your house, and whoever does not help during the cooking process automatically is assigned dish duty! Making an event out of cooking is not only fun, it’s also a great way for families or friends to hang out and share what happened during their day.

Tip #5 Make a larger quantity and freeze it for a rainy day

If you know that things will soon pile up at work or at home, prepare ahead by making two or three meals at one time. There are many meals you can make that freeze quite well. Foods like sauces, meatballs, soups, and lasagna can last weeks, if not months in the freezer. Just don’t forget that when you see freezer burn, it’s probably time to throw it out!

To Sum Up

The next time you are having one of those crazy days with little or no time to cook, you will be so happy that you planned your menu and have the ingredients stocked to make a quick, nutritious meal. Or perhaps, you will pull out some homemade soup from your freezer and put together a quick salad for a delicious, healthy meal. Home-cooked meals really can be easy and good for you too! Bon Appétit!

By JANET FONTANA

The Comfort Food Booby Trap

(Courtesy of Ebruli via Flickr)

In a recent study in Spain, researchers found that increased trans-fat intake significantly increases your chances of developing depression.  They tracked 12,000 adults over 6 years. While none of the subjects had depression at the start of the study, over 650 did by the end. The participants who got 0.6% of their total calories from trans fats had a 42% greater chance of developing depression. This is particularly bad news for those of us in America. As a society, we average 2.5% of our total calories from trans fats. Yikes!

Hunger is quite complicated, and caused by a variety of biological, psychological, and sociological triggers. Many of the triggers that lead us to crave food high in trans fats, are psychological, and do not come from a true, physical hunger. So that hankering for cake that you get after a stressful shift, is actually counterproductive.

They also found that participants who ate diets rich in monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats, like the ones found in olive oil were less likely to develop depression.

So, do yourself a favor. Choose foods that keep you both satisfied and happy. For great tips on how you can create meals that make you happy check out our nursing CE webinar ”Creating Meals for Lasting Satisfaction and Energy.”

By JANET FONTANA

Promoting Positive Change Through Vision Boards

When I went to my first holistic nurses meeting a few months ago, I knew I had found a group of women I wanted to spend more time with. Kelly Sheehan, a nurse who works at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, started the group last year to bring together nurses who want to learn more about various healing modalities and share experiences with one another.

Each month about 10 – 15 amazing nurses meet at Westwoods, a holistic and spiritual education center in Massachusetts. Some months we have a planned speaker and other months we use the time to share how we are bringing holistic practices into our work and our own life.

At this month’s meeting, we harnessed the power of our mind to promote positive change in our life by creating “vision boards.” Some of us focused on healthy behaviors while others set intentions around relationships, professional growth and spirituality. Everyone loved the experience!

Here are some photos of our night together and an instruction sheet on how you can create your own vision board:

Kelly Sheehan, RN started the Nurses at Westwoods group last year to bring together nurses interested in holistic care to learn, share experiences and collaborate with one another.

“Live Happily Now!” What a great quote! A vision of good health and happiness.

Everyone had a great time as we focused on our goals and let our creativity flow.

Now it’s time to take our vision boards home and put them in a place where we will see them often.

Interested in creating your own vision board? If so, feel free to download our Vision Board Guide!