It is the first meal we eat when we get up in the morning. After a long night of sleep, we can’t do without it if we want to get our bodies going. No, I’m not talking about coffee. I’m referring to breakfast. Here are some ideas for breakfast that don’t require a drive-thru window.

1. Have a piece of casserole. It takes time to cook eggs and bacon for breakfast. No one wants to ruin their clothes with the mess it can create. On Sunday night, get breakfast done early. Put together a casserole using your favorite ingredients. Fewer eggs are needed in a casserole than when frying or scrambling them for breakfast each morning. Depending on the size of your family, the casserole may last two to three mornings.

2. Yogurt. Yogurt is a healthy and economical breakfast choice. When you are eating on the run, grab a container of yogurt and some dried or fresh fruit. Cutting up fruit on top of the yogurt adds carbohydrates to fuel you for the morning in addition to the calcium and protein in the yogurt itself.

3. Breakfast shake. This is even quicker and can be ingested while driving without taking your eyes off the road or both hands off the wheel. Put together some frozen fruit favorites, ice cubes, frozen yogurt, and unsweetened juice in a blender. Pour into Styrofoam cups to keep it cold. Everyone can grab a cup on the way out the door. The nutritional effect is about the same as yogurt, but without the spoon.

4. Pigs in a blanket. This is the homemade version. Whip up a batch of pancakes and freeze them in short stacks of three. A package or two of frozen link sausage is needed to create this quick and economical meal idea. Thaw out a stack of pancakes. Heat up three sausages in the microwave. Wrap a pancake around each sausage. Voila! You’ve got an instant pig in a blanket. Eat it as you watch the last of your favorite morning show or as you walk to the bus stop. It can be eaten in the car without too much fuss or mess. For a sweeter taste and less mess, add a little maple syrup or honey to the batter when making the pancakes.

5. Breakfast sandwiches. In the evening, while you are getting things ready for the next day, grill up a few breakfast sandwiches. Choose whatever you like: turkey slices, ham slices, cheese, tomato, bacon, etc. When the sandwich cools, cut it into bite size pieces and put it in a container. In the morning, just grab a container; pop it into the microwave for fifteen or twenty seconds and breakfast is served.

These breakfast ideas are time saving and money-saving too. They make use of items you buy normally and also whatever you have around the house to create delicious fare for a morning rush.  No more excuses for skipping breakfast or swinging into the fast food restaurant every morning.

Mary Olson Kelly, breast cancer survivor and founder of The Breast Wishes Institute, acknowledges that many people tend to want to give unsolicited advice to loved ones who have been diagnosed with Breast Cancer.  An approach like this may not be therapeutic for you, or your loved one. Olson recommends taking the approach of being as supportive as possible.

Being supportive means many different things.  It can mean being available to listen to your loved one and discussing some of the choices they have made about their treatment, or choice of doctors.  It can mean being willing to be mostly a good listener, and not undermining your loved ones choices about treatment, diet, or any other issues related to their diagnosis and treatment. It can also mean offering help when needed with daily chores like cleaning, cooking, and errands.

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By Christine Steendahl

Once you get in the swing of things and find healthy foods that you truly enjoy sticking to a healthy eating plan isn’t very hard…provided you do it right and don’t fall in one of the few traps that seem to get most people to give up on their healthy eating efforts.

The key to healthy eating is to find ways to insure you are eating foods that are good for you until it becomes a habit or a new way of life for you. One great way to do this is to let family and friends know about your plans and ask them to check in with you every once in a while. Positive encouragement from loved ones and knowing that they will hold you accountable is a great way to motivate yourself to keep going and stick to your plan.

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If you are looking for an easy way to achieve a healthy life for you and your family, one of the most effective ways is to eat in. Here are some useful tricks.

With our busy lifestyles, preparing your own meals is often exchanged with quick meals at fast food or casual dining dining establishments. Not only are these choices usually more cost prohibited than eating in, but also less healthy. You can dramatically improve the health benefits by staying in to eat.

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“Bold, black coffee with more than just your morning jolt”

The Healthy Coffee…

A little information about Ganocafe Classic:

To those who think that all coffees are equal, Gano Excel brings you a drink that will do more than prove you wrong.

Ganocafe Classic is a result of unequaled research and development that takes the nutritive aspects of coffee and fuses it with one of the most perfect power foods, Ganoderma Lucidum.  One serving of this traditional beverage will surely serve you both energy and nutrition to get you through the most challenging day.

A rich blend of nutrition and pleasant aroma come together with a taste you will fall in love with.  A genuine black coffee made from our famous Brazilian coffee bean and Ganoderma extract.

I love coffee! Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE coffee, if I had to go one day without coffee I wouldn’t know what to do. However I can do without the energy crashes once the “jolt” wears off and I can do without the jitters I have when I drink too much.

I posted one day about looking for product reviews and I was so excited when Tally Green contacted me about doing a product review on GanoCafe Classic.  Now I have tried GanoCafe before a couple years ago but I had forgotten how good it tasted.

I love dark coffees, the darker the better. GanoCafe is the best and it is nutritious as well what a great combination!

Since I love coffee I especially love the flavored creams you can get from International Coffees I tried my favorite creamer in the GanoCafe Classic and was amazed at the wonderful taste! The creamer tasted better with the GanoCafe coffee.

I did a little research on the ingredient Ganoderma Lucidum-which is found in all Gano Excel Products. Here is what I found:

For thousands of years, Ganoderma Lucidum, a kind of medicinal fungi, has been highly regarded by the Chinese as the “Miraculous King of Herbs.”

Ganoderma is said to be able to improve the body’s healing ability, maintain a healthy body and promote longevity. Ganoderma has been shrouded with mysterious veils for more than 1,000 years.

OK so why so mysterious right? Does this work?

Well remember that time that I said I had tried GanoClassic before, I had the opportunity to be able to use it everyday and I did notice a difference. I had more energy and felt less fatigue when I drank it at least once a day. It was a great way to reduce my regular coffee intake yet still satisfy that feeling of needing the taste of coffee.

See I am not addicted to the caffeine, honestly I am not, I just love the taste of coffee!  Any type of coffee!

I read too that Ganoderma can help strengthen your organs for waste elimination and detoxification as well as increase your brain power…lol who couldn’t use a little more brain power.

Ganoderma also helps strengthen the body’s immune system.

While I cannot say for sure these things all happen with just a few samples of the GanoCafe Classic, I know that just with the taste alone those benefits are worth using this more than a couple times.

Tally also sent me their tea as a sample.  It’s called Gano SOD Tea.  While I love tea I can honestly say I prefer coffee but I do try to supplement those coffee breaks with tea.

I have a whole cupboard filled with different teas so I am very familiar with the many tastes and types of teas.

I did like the taste of the Gano SOD Tea especially with a little bit of honey and lemon.  The difference with the Red Reishi compared to other teas is this tea is better for your body then most teas you see on the grocery store shelves.

This tea has the Ganoderma Lucidum and Rooibo both have anti-oxidants that strenthen the immune system and support the body in fighting off harmful elements. Rooibos in particular is also said to be an effective relief against symtoms of insominia, nervous tension (boy do I have this right now lol), and allergies.

SIDE NOTE:  Gano SOD Tea - Rooibos Tea is also called SOD Tea

Gano Tea SOD (Super Oxide Dismutase) is a beverage formulated from Rooibos Tea Asphalathus Linealis (scientific name) from South Africa and Ganoderma Lucidum extract. Rooibos Tea is also called SOD Tea, contains the effective substance SOD, a powerful anti-oxidant that eliminates free radicals. Pleasant aroma, distinct taste with added healthy benefits, you’ll like it!

I give both the coffee and the tea 5 Stars!

It is nice to know I can still have my coffee and tea and be doing something wonderful for my health!

For more information check out Tally’s site at http://www.healthywomencafe.biz/Gano_Healthy_Coffee.html

Instead of giving up your favorite morning beverage, try replacing one serving each day with something that tastes good and is good for you!

In fact if you would like to help feed my obsession with GanoCafe Classic and you would like to show your support of Heal Yourself Magazine, click on the “Buy Me A Cup of Coffee” link below…

At a time in our lives where everything seems to be changing it is good to know that a book that was written many years ago still can have a profound impact on our lives.

Louise Hay’s book “You Can Heal Your Life” is one of those books. I purchased the gift edition back in November of last year but didn’t actually open the book till the end of December. I know now that it was the perfect time for me to read “You Can Heal Your Life”.

Over the past year I have been wondering what God had in store for my life, what my purpose in life was and feeling like I was running around in circles.

I started to read “You Can Heal Your Life” during the two weeks that I took off at the end of the year. On January 3, 2009 I was hospitalized for Bell’s Palsy. After being released from the hospital I came home and immediately opened up the book again and looked to see what Louise Hay had to say about Bell’s Palsy.

Bell’s Palsy-Extreme control over anger. Unwillingness to express feelings.

For a couple of years I have struggled with exactly that!  I didn’t want to show anger or express my feelings of despair or my feelings of feeling totally out of control.  I wanted to yell at anyone and everyone who had hurt me or had in some way made me feel out of control, even so much as blame God and myself for what I was going through.  But I could not do it, I could not blame others or let go of those feelings of anger…I wanted to but I just couldn’t express them for the fear of feeling even more out of control.

After reading “You Can Heal Your Life” and working through my anger with affirmations that Louise suggested such as:

“It is safe for me to express my feelings. I forgive myself.”

I was able to express those angry feelings, I yelled, I screamed and then I release those feelings and let go.

Amazingly this past week, my Bell’s Palsy went away!  I am now able to smile again without having my face droop.  It is amazing how what we feel inside and out affects our health.

While I knew this to an extent, this time I understood throughly what I had to learn from this situation!

I have always said I was a stubborn person, if you have been a long time listener of  Heal Yourself  Talk Radio you may have heard me say “It doesn’t take 3 times for me to be hit on the head, nope it takes a 4th time before I wake up…” The Bell’s Palsy was the 4th time I have been hit on the head

Now everyday I open up “You Can Heal Your Life” or “The Present Moment-365 Daily affirmations” or “Everyday Positive Thinking” to remind me of things to say to myself that are positive.

I just open the books and I believe where they open up I was meant to read that day.

So if you are struggling with staying positive in this day and age or are wondering why you are suffering from an illness and are looking for help I strongly recommend any book written by Louise Hay or for that manner any book from a Hay House author.

To learn more about “You Can Heal Your Life” Click on the book cover below:

“If you are willing to do the mental work, almost anything can be healed”-Louise Hay

Part of being a Radio show host allows me to read books that I may never have known about. I had the honor and priviledge to read “Simply a Woman of Faith” this past week before interviewing Pat Hastings on Heal Yourself Talk Radio for our Boston MA show.

I have been struggling with my faith for a while now and having read Pat Hasting’s book and interviewing her on Heal Yourself Talk Radio came for me at the perfect time and the perfect place in my life. I needed to hear my own message from God and had been searching for months for the right answer, that answer came in the form of “Simply a Woman of Faith” and in Pat Hastings!

It is very important to me that those I interview especially coaches and authors live what they talk about and Pat Hastings does just that. She is truly a Woman of Faith. Pat Hastings  is a woman who lives what she writes and teaches.

Simply a Woman of Faith by Pat Hastings

“Simply a Woman of Faith” is filled with stories of inspiration, stories of listening to her inner voice, which was God speaking to her, and following what God told her.

For instance Pat writes about all the wonderful items she was able to find at garage sales right when she needed those items (for instance her husband was out of work and had a job interview coming up he needed a size 12D wing tip shoes but they couldn’t afford a new pair, so for a couple week everytime she went to a garage sale she would pray that God would help her find them. She went to one sale and was searching through piles of shoes and couldn’t find them, the man who was running the garage sale approached her and asked her what she was looking for. Pat told him she needed a size 12 D wing tip shoe for her husband. He went into his house and found the exact pair she was looking for!)

In “Simply A Woman of Faith” Pat talks about how she helped save someone’s life just by listening to God’s voice and he told her to go talk to a complete stranger. This woman was sitting on a beach, all alone and when Pat went up to her and told her “Hi, My name is Pat Hastings and God told me to tell you that he loves you…” she found out that the woman was depressed and thinking about ending her life.  This woman had gone through a divorce, just lost her job and felt that there was nothing left in this world for her.  Pat was able to sit and talk to this woman and share with her that God still loves her and that life will get better.  This woman later went on to go into another loving relationship, and find a new career as a school teacher.

I could go on and on about Simply A Woman of Faith but I won’t because words from me just cannot explain the pure feeling of joy and hope that I felt while reading her book. It is better that you go and read the book for yourself.

Simply a Woman of Faith

You can listen to Pat Hastings interview on Heal Yourself Talk Radio by visiting the link below

http://www.healyourselftalk.com/simply-a-woman-of-faith

Where the Dogs Are
by Betty Jo Tucker

Hotel for Dogs Movie Review

Canine charmers fill the screen in Hotel for Dogs, but the heartwarming relationship between a brother and sister gives this movie fantasy its greatest appeal. Emma Roberts and Jake T. Austin steal the show as siblings placed with foster parents more interested in themselves than in the welfare of their charges. These two young actors deliver endearing performances and make us care deeply about the characters they play.

Andi (Roberts) and Bruce (Austin) try their best to hide their dog Friday from the Scudders, the latest foster couple they’ve been assigned to live with. It’s not easy, for Friday even sneaks bacon right off the counter behind Mrs. Scudder’s (Lisa Kudrow) back. Thankfully, the mutt is quick – but Andi and Bruce fear it won’t be long before Friday will be discovered. They have to find a good home for their beloved pet. Friday himself, however, discovers an old hotel where a couple of other dogs have been hanging out. The place turns into a godsend for canines, especially after the inventive Bruce designs areas and contraptions any dog would love. Unfortunately, even with help from three other youngsters (Johnny Simmons, Kyla Pratt and Troy Gentile), Andi and Bruce may not be able to save the 30 animals who come to reside in their doggie hotel. But, oh how we want them to succeed!

Roberts (Nancy Drew) and Austin (The Perfect Game) excel at showing their characters’ strong feelings and support for each other here. Sixteen-year-old Andi looks out for 11-year-old Bruce and vice-versa. And they don’t want to be separated. It’s refreshing not to be bombarded with the hostility between brother and sister we’ve been exposed to in many other movies and television shows. Andi and Bruce emege as excellent role models for kids: they help each other out while rescuing dogs and creating a loving family they so desperately want.

Dogs of many breeds, shapes and sizes appear in this entertaining comedy – and even the scruffiest ones look adorable. Not surprisingly, they perform impeccably. Called upon for such stunts as sitting quietly at a dinner table, fetching objects tossed by a strange invention, running frantically through the streets, howling and barking on cue, and so forth, these canny canines bring excitement and humor to their scenes.

Among the human supporting cast, Don Cheadle (Crash) and Kevin Dillon (Poseidon) stand out as a caring Social Services worker and an uncaring foster father, respectively. Cheadle exudes warmth in every sequence with the lead youngsters, whereas Dillon comes across as a first-class jerk – exactly what his funny role requires.

Directed with a generally spirited pace by Thor Freudenthal (Motel) from a clever screenplay adaptation of Lois Duncan’s book by Jeff Lowell (Over Her Dead Body), Robert Schooley (Sky High) and Mark McCorkle (Sky High also), Hotel for Dogs earns a “Best in Show” family award from me.

(Released by Paramount Pictures and rated “PG” for brief mild thematic elements, language and some crude humor.)

For more information about this film, please go to the Internet Movie Database or Rotten Tomatoes website.

Betty Jo Tucker is a member of the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and the San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS). She  teaches an online class, “The Reel Deal: Writing about Movies” for the LSS School of Writing and has published three movie-related books including CONFESSIONS OF A MOVIE ADDICT, an amusing memoir about her life at the movies. Betty Jo serves as the editor/lead film critic for ReelTalk Movie Reviews and hosts a weekly radio show, “Movie Addict Headquarters,” for BlogTalkRadio. She also writes monthly film commentary for the Colorado Senior Beacon.  For more information, please go to www.BettyJoTucker.com ..

I remember well the day I was told I was a diabetic. I thought my world had come to an end. I loved food! Would I no longer be able to eat wonderful, melt in your mouth food?

Well after the shock wore off, and I did a lot of research and learning, I found that, yes, I can still have wonderful food. Everything in moderation. And, I do mean in moderation. Cutting back my portion sizes was one of the first things I had to learn.

Below is a wonderful Cornish Hen recipe that my husband and I enjoy. Before diabetes, I would have eaten an entire Cornish Hen by myself. But look - this recipe serves four people. Remember I said, everything in moderation.

Grilled Honey Mustard Cornish Hens
(makes 4 servings)

1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 large shallot, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine or low sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons honey
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 Cornish game hens, about 1 pound each, halved lengthwise

Whisk together the mustard, shallot, garlic, wine or chicken broth, honey, and pepper. Brush over both sides of the hens, place in a large plastic bag, pour in remaining marinade and refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours.

Light your grill. Grill 4 inches from the source of heat for 30 minutes, turning frequently, until juices run clear when hen is pricked with a tip of a sharp knife.

Per serving (skin removed before eating): 166 calories, 26 g protein, 5 g total fat, 3 carbohydrates, 0 dietary fiber, 117 mg cholesterol, 259 mg sodium
Diabetic exchanges: 4 lean protein

Betty Lynch, author of Back to the Table with My Country Kitchen, and owner of My Country Kitchen, Easy Answers to Bring Your Family Together.  You may visit her website at http://www.mycountrykitchen.com

Don’t Mess with Walt
by Betty Jo Tucker

Gran Tourino Movie with Clint Eastwood

When Clint Eastwood makes a film about bigotry, he hits hard. Gran Torino pulls no punches in terms of language, prejudiced attitudes and violence. Fortunately, director Eastwood tempers all this with humor. And actor Eastwood delivers a stunning performance as an angry old man who slowly begins to question his negative ideas about other ethnic groups, especially his Hmong neighbors.

Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) finds little joy in life — other than owning a 1972 Gran Torino. His wife of many years has just died; he’s practically estranged from his adult sons; and the cultural make-up of his neighborhood has changed too much in ways he doesn’t like at all. Walt sits on his front porch with his faithful old dog, mows his little patch of lawn, gripes about everything, and peppers his conversations with more derogatory racial comments than Archie Bunker at his worst.

Because of a set of circumstances involving gang harassment of a teenage boy from the house next door, Walt ends up reluctantly taking 16-year-old Thao (Bee Vang) under his wing. While supervising the lad as he does odd jobs around the house, Walt can’t help becoming interested in Thao and his family. In fact, it’s quite amusing to watch the almost father/son-like relationship that develops between these very different individuals. Thao’s sister Sue (portrayed by the amazing Ahney Her), who won’t give up on Walt, plays an important part in helping her elderly neighbor change his opinion about her family. Unfortunately, those gang members won’t give up either. Their violent actions continue, so Walt must decide how to handle this situation.

My colleague Diana Saenger calls Walt Kowalski “Dirty Harry on Geritol”– which seems like an excellent description of Eastwood’s character in this intense drama. Exuding the same kind of “take no prisoners” demeanor, Walt also knows something about gunplay. He’s a Korean war veteran, owns an M-1 rifle and plenty of ammunition. I definitely would not mess with him or his property.

Why do we care so much about Walt? He’s not a lovable guy, for sure. Would we be interested in what happens to him if anyone other than Eastwood played this character? I’ve been thinking about these two questions ever since seeing Gran Torino. My conclusion? We care deeply for Walt because Eastwood pulls out all the stops to give us an honest portrait of a basically good man who’s the victim of his age and time. He’s set in his ways, but not immune to human emotion nor to wanting justice and caring about others, regardless of cultural differences — despite the offensive language he constantly utters.

With Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood made my day. It’s a memorable film, one belonging on the list with his  other impressive offerings such as The Unforgiven, Mystic River, Changeling, Play Misty for Me, Bronco Billy (I’m not kidding!) and Letters from Iwo Jima.

(Released by Warner Bros. and rated “R” for language throughout, and some violence.)

For more information about Gran Torino, please go to the Internet Movie Data Base or Rotten Tomatoes website.

Betty Jo Tucker is a member of the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and the San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS). She  teaches an online class, “The Reel Deal: Writing about Movies” for the LSS School of Writing and has published three movie-related books including CONFESSIONS OF A MOVIE ADDICT, an amusing memoir about her life at the movies. Betty Jo serves as the editor/lead film critic for ReelTalk Movie Reviews and hosts a weekly radio show, “Movie Addict Headquarters,” for BlogTalkRadio. She also writes monthly film commentary for the Colorado Senior Beacon.  For more information, please go to www.BettyJoTucker.com ..