13 things to do when you are bored and are traveling to your next summer destination
Wondering what to do when you stuck in the car, on a train, on an airplane, in a car, or anywhere you are made to sit and wait? Then this post is for you. If you are doing any travel this summer, see these 13 things to do while you sit and wait to get to your next destination.
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
About a year ago, I started reading about why we should practice gratitude. So, I started a gratitude vase in my bedroom. I set out colorful markers, a stack of small papers, and an empty glass vase on a shelf. Each night, I spent 5 minutes (well, it was more like 3 minutes at first) writing down three things for which I was grateful. Soon, the vase was full of colorful slips of paper, and I had to add an extra vase to hold all the gratitude. Continue reading Ten reasons to practice gratitude→
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
Can you believe it? This week marks one year of blogging. It’s been quite a journey–and by writing to you, I have learned so much about celebrating creative productivity, healthy living, and purposeful growth. Continue reading Lessons Learned from a Year of Blogging→
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
This Saturday (around lunchtime), I desperately needed a fridge cleanup. We had veggies in the refrigerator that I knew would not last the entire week, and we also had bits of leftovers from dinners this last week. For example, my spouse and I had grilled up some chicken and eggplant earlier in the week, but there simply wasn’t much left for us to split.
I thought—you know what? I’ll throw some Mediterranean veggies in with these two base ingredients. The resulting salad not only ended up being delicious, but these leftovers transformed into two pretty satisfying salads for a Saturday lunch.
Here’s what I did. I looked through the fridge. We had a little bit of salad mix, a cucumber, tomatoes, leftover grilled chicken (like a ¾ of a breast), and some grilled eggplant. I also found some Kalamata olives, almond slivers, basil, raisins, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar in my pantry. These ingredients make a really nice, mayo-free chicken salad!
A quick note: this became a “chicken” salad, but really the stars of the salad were the veggies. Their flavors really brought out the Mediterranean feel of the dish. You don’t need that much meat to enjoy lunch—a little can go a long way if you add flavorful veggies.
First, I took the sliced almonds and started slowly roasting them in my toaster oven at 250 degrees.
While the almonds were toasting, I chopped up the veggies and chicken into bite-sized pieces. This made the salad more interesting and fun when each bite has a little bit of a different flavor. Once the veggies were chopped, I turned off the toaster oven (my almonds were a light golden brown).
Then, I whisked together my simple dressing ingredients: olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
I moved all of the chopped ingredients in a mixing bowl and gently mixed with a big wooden spoon. Then, I added the dressing to the mixture. I topped it with those crunchy, toasted almond slivers and chopped basil.
Then, I put the little bit of salad greens I had left in the fridge to the bottom of a salad bowl. I topped the greens with the veggies (tossed in dressing) and added this mixture to it to some salad mix. Here’s what it ended up looking like:
Cleanup (also very important on a busy Saturday) was minimal. I just sprayed the area with a homemade green cleaner, and loaded the rest of the dishes in the dishwasher. And, I got a two-fer out of this salad—it helped me clean out the fridge without having to throw food away!
Here’s the final recipe:
Ingredients:
For the salad: ¼ cup Kalamata olives
½ cup grilled eggplant, chopped into ½ inch chunks
1 cup chopped chicken
1 medium cucumber, sliced into quarters
¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted at 250 degrees for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown
1 tablespoon basil, chopped
¼ cup raisins
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
For the dressing: ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
Directions:
Mix all salad ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar and olive oil together. Add the dressing to the medium mixing bowl.
In a salad bowl, add greens. Top greens with the chicken salad mixture and enjoy!
Have you ever made the best of a fridge cleanup? Let me know by commenting below! And, try this salad and let me know what you think!
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
Healthy snacks can keep your creativity and productivity going throughout the day. For those of you with kids to feed (and those of you with an inner kid to feed), this post is choc-full of yummy, packable snack ideas for back-to-school season. Check out these 15 ideas, organized by craving.
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
Getting Outside for Healthy Living, Purposeful Growth, and Creative Productivity
A couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to hear a talk from Cheryl Charles, CEO of the child and nature network. She spoke about the importance of getting children outside. Cheryl’s co-founder of the Children and Nature Network, Richard Louv, states in his book Last Child in the Woods that children who are outside tend to behave better, be in better physical health, and exhibit more mental resiliency than their peers who spend more time indoors. I think this is true for adults as well.
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
Four years ago, a good friend of mine proposed that we read The Artist’s Way at Work. She thought that the book might help with our productivity. So, we dedicated four weeks to reading the book and undertaking the practices it recommended. Let me tell you, this book has changed my creativity, my productivity, and my outlook! And, one practice introduced in the book has become my key to unlocking creative productivity.
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
As we kick off American Heart Month this week, I want to introduce a topic that not only addresses physical heart health, but also celebrates the healthy feeling that comes from having heart. And, this particular subject is a personal challenge of mine.
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
Of the top 10 resolutions from 2014, 8 of them required (at least, in part) balancing time between work and personal life. This is a tough ask, but is important as we fulfill our resolutions for the new year. So, how do we go about doing this?
When I think of the word balance, I picture a tightrope walker hundreds of feet in the air, intently focused on adjusting every move to maintain balance.
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
With Hannukkah beginning this evening, and Christmas less than two weeks away, you might have some last minute gifting to do. As you choose gifts, why not promote healthy living, creative productivity, and purposeful growth?
The postings on this site are my own (unless otherwise stated) and don't necessarily represent any other organization's positions, strategies or opinions. Thanks!
Celebrating creative productivity, healthy living, and purposeful growth
at 250 degrees.
that children who are outside tend to behave better, be in better physical health, and exhibit more mental resiliency than their peers who spend more time indoors. I think this is true for adults as well.
. She thought that the book might help with our productivity. So, we dedicated four weeks to reading the book and undertaking the practices it recommended. Let me tell you, this book has changed my creativity, my productivity, and my outlook! And, one practice introduced in the book has become my key to unlocking creative productivity. 
