Here are my middle of the alphabet thoughts about wellness. What wellness-inspired thoughts do you have about these letters?
J for Jupiter and Saturn- Wasn’t their “great conjunction” on Monday, December 21 awe-inspiring? Psalm 19, v. 1 says “ The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” I plan to keep my eyes open for other awe-inspiring moments in the days ahead.
K for Kindness-I recently got a thank-you note from someone who attended a class I taught. The email she sent might have taken 3 or 4 minutes to write, but I’m still smiling a week later. Her words have inspired me to look for ways I can practice kindness.
L for Lunch-As I work at home more, it’s easy for me to work through lunch resulting in a big mid-afternoon appetite. When I’m overly hungry, I don’t make healthy choices. A best practice is to eat 3 meals a day, spaced about 4 to 5 hours apart.
M for Manageability-When I focus on 1 thing at a time and avoid multitasking, I reduce my stress level and get more done anyway.
N for “No” as a complete sentence! “Can you help me with a grant application?” “Are you able to attend this week’s virtual reception?” “Will you sign up for this study?” These are requests in my email right now. I like to help others but I have limits. I am practicing saying, “That is not going to work for me right now.” I’m not perfect at it, but it feels good to take care of myself this way.
O for Outdoors- A walk in the woods, a socially- distanced picnic (wrap up against the cold!), star-gazing; these are terrific ways to spend some time enjoying the outdoors. When we are outside, the amount of stimuli coming at us slows down and we can more easily relax.
Here’s an easy-to-prepare picnic idea.
Sunshine Roll-Ups
½ cup finely chopped celery
¼ cup minced onion
1 ½ tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
½ teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 cup chopped, cooked chicken
⅔ cup mandarin orange segments (canned, drained & rinsed or fresh)
2 medium (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas
4 medium lettuce leaves or any salad greens
In medium bowl, mix celery, onion, mayonnaise, soy sauce, garlic powder and pepper. Gently mix in chicken and orange segments. Place 2 lettuce leaves on each tortilla, moving them to fit inside the tortilla. Place ½ the chicken mixture in the middle of the lettuce. Roll tortillas into a wrap and cut in half. Repeat with other tortilla, lettuce and rest of chicken mixture.
Nutrition Facts: Makes 4 servings, each serving is ½ of a tortilla. Each serving provides 180 calories, 7 grams fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 230 mg sodium, 14 grams carbohydrate and 14 grams protein.
Recipe from foodhero.org.
