Wellness Juice

You walk to the drink area at the restaurant/ cafeteria/ mall with your empty cup in hand. You pause for about a quarter-second to think about choosing a healthful drink selection--so that you don't feel bad later--and then beeline to the Coca-Cola button on the drink machine. Or, perhaps you gravitate to the (sweetened) iced tea, add some more sugar, and then mix it with some lemonade for an Arnold Palmer. This is a common scenario,  showing how we all try to be balanced when we eat and drink, trying to find that guilt-free, enjoyable combination of yummy and healthy.
 So I have good news for you! It is ridiculously easy (and by ridiculously I mean much easier than you think) to find ways to have flavorful, good-for-you, not-ridiculously-sweetened drinks during lunch or snack-time. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the answer to beating our unhealthy beverage selection is monumental and will radically alter your lifestyle forever (do you doubt it?). The answer is...
...
...
JUICE!
There, I said it. Juice. The yummy stuff that we drank as kids in little boxes with bendy straws; the grape juice we'd sometimes drink with our friends and pretend was wine on family holidays; the real version of the stuff that comes out of the Sunny-D bottle.... I'm offering these little vignettes about juice because I assume that for most of you, it's been a while since you've had a glass (or box!) of juice. Juice is the health super-hero of the year because it's naturally tasty, naturally (somewhat) sweet, (usually) naturally made, and full of vitamins. Plus, while we all love the breakfast time OJ, there are other kinds of juices with various health benefits just sitting out there waiting for us to discover them. And while you've probably read a little blurb or two on Yahoo! or perhaps Self magazine, I personally can attest to the fact that the stuff I read on Yahoo! doesn't really stay with me very long (except for the terrible picture of a Grandmother who'd been sprayed with pepper spray.... yes, unfortunately I shall remember that for a very long time :(  ). So, here I'll give you a juice-by-juice run-down on all the yum factors, health benefits, and what to get.

Grapefruit Juice
Yum Factor: High
Health Benefits: Vitamin C, Citric Acid, important oils our bodies need
Helps With: Colds, Insomnia, Fighting Breast Cancer (eat the pithy white layer of the grapefruit that is between the peel and the fruit to get bioflavonoids which help protect against cancer. 
What to Get: Grapefruits (Costco or the grocery store), any kind of grapefruit juice with a rational amount of sugar


Cranberry Juice
Yum Factor: Rather High
Health Benefits: Natural Anti-biotic, High in anti-oxidants, helps with indigestion, Vitamin A, C, and E and important minerals, helps cleanse your body, protects eyesight, protects skin
What to Get: Oceanspray (although it's super-sweetened), lightly sweetened juices, or even the cranberries at Thanksgiving!


Pomegranate Juice
Yum Factor: Rather High
Health Benefits: naturally helps to cleanse the body, keeps your arteries in good health, anti-oxidants, Vitamins B and C, helps with cholesterol, morning sickness, anti-aging
What to Get: a pomegranate from the grocery store (plus, it's a mitzvah to eat a pomegranate!), POM juice


Apple Juice
Yum Factor: High
Health Benefits: Vitamin A and C, Fiber, drink un-oxidized apple juice so that you don't stiffen up after exercising (so useful!), Teeth Health (apples actually help clean your teeth if you bite them--so don't worry about the sugar content!), prevents lung cancer
What to Get: whichever kind is ripest and freshest--or pick one from a garden tree!, MOTTS apple sauce, Whole Foods apple juice (it's delicious), or any other kind as well! and, I suppose, apple pie....




On a different note, I have one last piece of advice for you in terms of shopping for these fruits and juices. Do not buy Lakewood Pure Cranberry cranberry juice. About twenty minutes ago, my mother and I opened it. It's awful--literally undrinkable without adding about a pound of sugar-- and while it's 100% cranberry juice, this just brings back how important it is for us to be realistic about our healthy drink choices; if it's painful, disgusting, sour, and ridiculously astringent to the taste, don't drink it (Yes, that terrible juice was all of those things).  It's okay to purchase a brand that uses additional sweetening--just balance it out and try to find a good juice that doesn't need to much extra sugar. 
For more interesting info on healthy juices and fruits, visit http://www.juicing-for-health.com/index.html . And, no, you don't have to buy a juicer--they just have good data that's easy to read. 
Happy juicing!

Daffodils on a Midwinter Afternoon

The other day I came home to a delightful surprise: my mother had put a bouquet of daffodils out in the kitchen!
Daffodils are one of our favorite flowers, no matter the season or the year. There is something about their wonderful, joyous, and cheery presence that makes them seem happy. Of course, they're ephemeral and last about four days on average--but even so, as I look at them right now, they're still the brightest, happiest, freshest part of our winter kitchen. 
As it is the 26th, January has hit its peak and we're now in the later half of midwinter: congratulations! The perky colors and full flowers of spring are on their way! And there's no harm in inviting springtime into our kitchens a few months early, is there? So grab a glass, a pair of garden clippers, and a handful of happy, cheery blooms at the grocery store and make a simple, refreshing arrangement before February comes. 
I promise you that their presence in the room where your family most likely eats, works, talks, and spends quite a lot of time will brighten and lighten up immediately. 
Our daffodils are on day 3, and still looking stunning. Something about winter's cold beauty makes the flowers look warmer and yellower still... And even if Colorado's weather system decides to cover up the grass for another month with a blanket of snow, we'll still have a crisp, wonderful flowers inside to make us smile. 

A virtual daffodil bouquet for you! :)

Off Season= Tebow Time!

            They say that athletics teach you valuable skills about life. We’ve all heard the analogy of life being like a soccer or football game, and those of us who play sports have disconcertingly found it to be true.

            But perhaps most importantly, athletics give us valuable opportunities, and I had one today.

            When I showed up for conditioning this afternoon after school, I went about doing leg warm-ups and exercises as usual. Fifteen minutes into my workout, however, I simply couldn’t keep my eyes away from the pair of extremely built and very professional-looking athletes working with a trainer next to me. The man on the left looked like—but he couldn’t be….

            But it was.

            It was Tim Tebow. Four feet away from me doing ladder drills and monster walks not unlike the ones I do for tennis was the man who has, through charisma and infamy alike, charmed his way to a top tier of football fame. Naturally, I became ridiculously excited and felt the rapidly growing need to gawk.

You see, at the place where I do conditioning, it is not unusual to see professional athletes training together and preparing for competition; I’ve trained next to Broncos, UFC fighters, and pro swimmers and the best part about it is that it does not feel awkward until you look at the jersey or photograph signed on the wall and realize that the person sweating next to you has millions of results come up on Google every two seconds that someone types in their name. (Aside from this Awkwardness and AWE,) it is fascinating to work next to these amazing athletes and see them in person—“in the sweat”, as they say J.

So between sets and water breaks I peeked at Tim Tebow and his friend out of the corner of my eye, in my best attempt to not miss anything without being flagrantly rude and clingy.

I learned three things about Tebow today. First, he’s a really nice guy. We’ve all heard his praise, and compliments about his character pervade many analyses and commentaries (he’s a good team leader, he inspires everyone else, he’s a good guy…). He’s also a very decent person. I do not know him personally, but today he was polite, kind, supportive, and funny—which is quite impressive, considering I was only within earshot for an hour and that the dialogue was exchanged between agility and strength drills. He was supportive of his friend, polite to me, a complete stranger, and quite personable. I can see why the Broncos hired him; I’d hire him! So kudos to you, Tebow!

Second, he’s much cuter in person. I do feel slightly strange writing this now that I’ve spoken with him face to face and seen him in person, but I must tell it to you, because it is true! This is not to say that he’s a disaster on screen (he most certainly is not), but it holds true that nothing can match up to the real thing. He’s got a good smile, a good build (don’t we all know it?), and a good aura, if I can say that without sounding like a palm reader. Main point to this: he looks good, and has a good feeling about him, too. (let's face it: anyone who can pull off Bronco's orange well is a hero. Period.)

And third: he’s friendly! I don’t know what I expected (actually I do—I didn’t expect anything, much less to meet him), but Tebow’s quite amicable and comfortable. He even started a conversation with me (yes, I’m not ashamed to admit that I couldn’t believe it), asking how my workout was!

What I’m trying to show here is what I realized today after my workout with Tebow. I’d only thought of him as the quarterback who tebows more often than he throws. However, I now realize that that is only one way to look at it. This man’s a good person, really! He deserves a bit more than the acerbic remarks about throwing and fourth quarters (I’ll admit I’ve even offered some of these—but I’ll try not to anymore!), and more than the craze that wavers on fanaticism from some especially religious sports fans. We need to realize that this guy really does have it going for him; he’s got the attitude, the looks, and the character to be a great leader and a great person at the same time—and I had the opportunity to realize this a few hours ago.

And while I could go sappy and explain how I’ve now experienced a life change, I won’t.

But I will say that I’ve just become a Tebow fan.  So congrats, Tebow! I’ve never had a favorite football player before, but now you’re it. Didn’t I pick a good one? 

Cup of Love

I realize that it has been a mild winter so far. And while last week people enjoyed the 60 degree weather enough to wear short skirts, flip-flops, and even tank tops (ridiculous), the weather forecast predicts this week to drop back down into the 30's and 40's. Like a real winter.
But don't lament! In fact, there are definite perks that come with chilly weather that we haven't been able to appreciate this year. First: Vail and other ski resorts might actually get enough snow to keep more than half of their runs open (yay skiers). Second: you can finally take out the adorable scarves, mittens, and beanie hats that help make winter, well, fuzzy. Third: everyone can move out of that uncomfortable gray area in terms of coats (ie: it's warm enough to not wear the giant parka but too cold to go jacket-less. Solution: wear a sweat jacket. Result? BURR!). Fourth: it's time for winter beverages!
Everyone has their favorite frost-time fix--so here are some of mine!
APPLE CIDER

Is this not the best picture of apple cider ever?

Apple cider is a wonderful winter drink because it traverses the gap between winter and fall quite nicely, and also because the distinct smell of it has a consistent ability to make us feel warm, cozy, and festive!
In my house, we heat natural apple juice mixed with a bit of water (if the juice is too sweet) until a few minutes before it boils, and soak it in mulling spices as it heats. Then, remove the mulling spices and ladle the cider into cups for all to share! As you can see in this picture, some people also prefer to season the cider with extra cinnamon, clove, and anise. Be creative and find your perfect winter-time apple cider recipe!
HOT CHOCOLATE

I absolutely love hot chocolate. In fact, I love it to the extent that I doubt that I could be objective about it, even if I tried (and, mind you, I am trying--I'm just warning you in advance). However, my love of hot chocolate (which seems to be genetic, considering how we all love it in my family...) has had excellent benefits; this winter, I've been quite pleased with the hot chocolate selections, we've discovered the best hot chocolates, and, courtesy of my mother, we've established a few helpful ways to make hot chocolate a healthful, delicious treat!

These are pictures of my four favorite kinds of hot chocolate. To the far left is a type of hot chocolate that we discovered in San Sebastian, Spain at a coffee shop. The brand is called Barrenetxe (a Basque name, if you are curious) and the rest of the title reads "Chocolate para Hacer". The hot chocolate from this powder was absolutely delicious, and if you are looking for a very rich, thick hot chocolate, definitely put this one on your list! If you're interested in this hot cocoa and if you're not daunted by a website that is entirely in Spanish, then visit the website http://www.barrenetxe.es/ for a fun test.

The second hot chocolate is slightly more well known (Who'd have thought?). I like to mix the Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder with the Ghirardelli sweetened powder, and I recommend it if you are looking to control the amount of sugar going into your cocoa. This "recipe" is delicious and you can tailor it to your taste! The best part? When you're making cocoa for more than one person, and each person, let's say, has different preferences, this is the perfect solution to satisfy everyone, regardless of how bittersweet or sugary anyone likes it.

Finally, to the far right, is Silly Cow Farms Hot Chocolate. We got this at Whole Foods, and in all honesty I'm pretty sure that the cute packaging was a major incentive to buy it. The best surprise? This hot chocolate holds true to the rule: good packaging generally leads to good products. This cocoa is also best mixed with unsweetened cocoa because it's a bit sweet, but it's definitely delicious! It even has a little milk cap on top :) .

So here, in short, is your survival kit for winter afternoons, evenings, mornings, social gatherings, lazy-times, and for those cold snowy days when you want nothing more than to curl up with a blanket and a nice warm cup of something yummy.

2 glass mugs (minimum number)

a package of mulling spices

one jug of unsweetened apple juice

skim milk

1-2 types of your favorite hot chocolate powders

a ladle

marshmallows

friends and family

a blanket!

Wishing you a warm, delicious, and cozy winter!

Snoopy!

Pumpkin Deluxe

We tend to associate pumpkins with Halloween, messy carving utensils, jack-o-lanterns, and pumpkin patches. However, there is a special pumpkin product that goes more along the lines of the magical pumpkin carriage from a popular fairytale.
The company MyChelle Dermaceuticals (isn't the name cute? "MyChelle" instead of Michelle, perhaps?) has an excellent pumpkin face and neck cream. When my aunt first lent me her pot of the Pumpkin Renew Face Cream, I was surprised for three reasons:
1. A beauty product with pumpkin in it actually exists
2. It feels wonderful to put it on
3. It is green (as in, the color is green)
So, going off the whole "green" aspect of this pumpkin product, one could say that this product is a dream-come-true--the happy ending of two fairy-tales: aka the Wicked Witch of the West meets Cinderella with a magical, enchanting, and beautifying face cream.

I like this cream because it hydrates and comforts my skin without making it super oily. Like any teenager, I have the occasional phobia of lotions that could potentially make skin more oily or even clog my pores. However, if you are have anywhere from very dry to slightly oily skin, you'll be fine using this product. Simply be smart about where you put it. For example, I know that my face is most oily near my nose, so therefore I just apply this cream to every other part of my face to avoid what I know could become a problem. And the results have been great! My skin feels good, looks good, and (thanks to the pumpkin scent) even smells good after I put this on--by the way, this pumpkin scent does not smell bad, it smells pretty unique and refreshing!
 If you're interested in this product, you can learn more from the website  www.mychelle.com . They have way more than just lotions; the site's full of age and "skin-problem"-specific products and info, and (most importantly, of course) the products have great packaging. So, the next time you hear the word "pumpkin" and shudder, gag, or start freaking out about having to work off all of those Halloween calories again, take a deep breath, take another deep breath, and take a look at the link to MyChelle Dermaceuticals to try a pumpkin product yourself!

New Year, New Pants?

They always say that each New Year is full of surprises. This year has proven to be no exception!
However, it is important to note: this post is more about the USPS than the new year.
This fall, I learned that a girl I'd met at a tennis camp this summer had also gone to another camp where each state's delegation was given its own sweats outfit and pins to trade with the other state's sports teams  during the camp. However, we shared a problem: neither of us particularly cared for the exact design of our sweats. Naturally, we were lamenting the fashion choices of the designers on facebook and the epiphany hit us: a trade!
It was the perfect thing to trade; neither of us liked our sweats, neither of us wanted our sweats, and both of us wanted the other's! So it was arranged and we invented a facebook contract (not official, btw). We signed it: her "Uncle Sam Gone Wild" Philly sweats for my vintage (2009) Colorado sweats outfit. Perfection.
However, our greatest obstacle wasn't the many miles between our homes nor an unwillingness to part with the nostalgic outfits. It was the postal service.
It took three months!
Three months, four exchanges of addresses, many trips to USPS, a lot of address writing, a lot of note-writing, a lot of excited facebook chatting, and weeks of waiting. Worth it? Most likely yes! The end result? She has my pants. And shirt. But the postal service lost my delivery! GR
If anything, I've learned persistence from our goal. And even though her red, white, and blue striped pants are probably in some other confused girl named Jordan's bedroom (while she no doubt is wondering who her secret admirer is), my friend has my sweats! Not to be cliche, but I'm sure that our camp would be so proud to hear that our little camp community is still in touch (although we technically didn't even meet at that camp...) from across the country!
My friend got her New Year's surprise just in time for our holidays. Hopefully, USPS will hurry up with mine and I can wear the red, white, and blue striped pants before the fourth of July--you know, just to get in the festive spirit. :)
And although I'm complaining--no, I'm not a complainer, I'm just complaining, mind you-- it is incredibly exciting how we always manage to meet random (ha!) people from far away who have done so many of the same exact things as we have. And just think--you'd never know if you didn't ask!
P.S. It's true, I might just have to call those pants the traveling pants II. :P

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Welcome, 2012! We have in front of us 365 days, 52 weeks, and four seasons until the next year. It is an endless time of possibility, opportunity, and discovery that is at our very fingertips, and the promise of a happy new year is enough to encourage anyone to enjoy it!

As a child, I always had a hard time writing my new years resolutions; something about sitting down with a pencil and a blank sheet of paper made it dry and not very meaningful. But my mother always reminds me to take a moment and think about the year—the one that’s gone, and the one that is to come. Take a moment, I advise you, to think of what you have learned that you want, what you’ve learned that you love, and how you think that knowing these things can make you happier and make your year more important. Even though I haven’t always written New Year’s resolutions, I have always thought about them, but this year I have decided to actually write them out and try my hardest to follow them! If you would like to—for a new year is always a new chance—I encourage you to try to do the same.

After all, there is something ridiculously exciting about finally doing something that you’ve wanted to do for months—or even years.

A friend of mine from tennis and I talked about getting pedicures together for over 11 months. An unfortunate side effect of tennis, you see, is that while it keeps your body in shape, your feet aren’t so lucky. Therefore, we’d decided to get pedicures in order to spare everyone the duty of looking at our marvelous “tennis feet”. We’d tried and tried to schedule them—at least three times—and we finally did it! Yesterday, to be exact. Of course, we then realized that we’d finally done something that we’d wanted to do for about a year—and on the last day of that year, too! With fewer than nine hours to spare, we achieved our goal, and saved our feet!

While not all of our goals can be so easily accomplished, our pedicures yesterday serve as a good reminder: we can always find time to do the things we really want to do. There’s no reason to discredit your goals—whether if it’s to paint your nails, get into a certain college, or even try out a new recipe in the kitchen and not blow up the oven. Therefore, in this New Year, TRY things! Have fun! Help someone, or some cause, or something—and do it because you want to, not because you should.  Place no limits! Even phrasing things in a different way can make any task seem less daunting (for example: don’t say “don’t be late”. Instead, say “be early”; by giving ourselves a positive reference, we are less stressed out and happier).

And most of all, never, ever forget. Do not forgot that this is a completely New Year, and it is replete with chances, choices, fun, friends, family, risks, and all the wonderful parts of life. The bad things could happen, too—they always can. But if you focus on the good parts—the things you want to do and can do—we always have something wonderful just waiting to happen.

So here is your mission, should you choose to accept it:

It’s 2012. Make it good. Make it real. Make it fun!