Sometimes as adults, we end up stuck in a financial loop. We are successful, and we have kids, so we bought nice things, and nice cars, and nice houses, and we have everything we need and more...but we also have to keep working hard to sustain that lifestyle.

My husband is incredibly successful in his career...but I don't think he loves it. It certainly isn't any dream of his. My job is great, and mostly fun, and I work with amazing people and help my community. I work 20 hours a week, and frankly, its a bit of a dream job...but I don't come close to making enough to support us if he didn't. Like I could pay our mortgage on my own, and that would be about it.

So that means my family is dependent on his success for our comfortable lifestyle, and that means he has a lot of pressure, and can't really even think about following a dream.

So my dream is to change that, while helping others, and being a positive role model to my teenagers and to other moms. But I don't just want to help them be healthy and feel better about themselves, I want to give them an opportunity to share that with others and contribute financially to their family. I want to help a mom that really wants to stay home but finances are pushing her back out into the work force to be able to spend those years at home with their kiddos.

What about you? Do you have the freedom? I'd love to share with you how I'm working towards it.

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The perfect summer salad.

For me, summer eating equals bbq, fresh fruits and veggies, and the entree salad. 

A great entree salad is all about the texture! You want chewy, and crunchy, and citrus, and sweet, and just enough dressing to keep it from being dry. Your dressing should never really need to add flavor to the salad, just to brighten it up, and make it all tie together. 

This healthy ancient grain salad is made with wild rice, farro, and red quinoa, livened up with lots of colorful extras. And you don’t have to be vegan or vegetarian to appreciate the the satisfying chew of the grains and the crunch of the celery and nuts. Dried cranberries and juicy pomegranate seeds guarantee that every bite finishes with an explosion of sweet. 

You might wonder, what ARE ancient grains? Well, they’re super healthy grains, some of which used to grow naturally, some of which fell out of fashion, and some that stopped being grown because refined flour became the most popular baking grain and was more profitable to grow. We are re-learning that they offer an important diversity that we’ve lost in our modern diets.  Many people who are gluten intolerant, are finding that they are able to tolerate the unmodified variants emmer and farro, so these can really open up a less restrictive diet for them. There are a ton of varieties that can be used to add taste and texture to your cooking. 

So, I went a bit crazy with this salad, and threw in everything but the kitchen sink. There are several things I always like to include in an entree salad. Greens other than iceberg, some type of onion for bite, some type of nut or seed for crunch, some grain for a chewy factor, and some contrast, like a sweet or crunchy fruit. 

Ingredients:

 1 cup cooked wild rice 1 cup cooked red quinoa 1 cup cooked farro 

1/4 cup toasted chopped walnuts 1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans 1/4 cup pistachios, rough chopped 

1/4 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup dried apricots,  1/4 cup golden raisins, 1/4 cup fresh pomegranate  

1 bunch thinly sliced scallions scallions and 1/4 large red onion, 

minced several small inner stalks of celery, finely diced, with the green leafy parts 

 1/2 cup olive oil 5 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tsp sweet mustard salt and pepper to taste Instructions 

1. Toss all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl. 2. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and add enough to the salad to moisten everything. Reserve any unused dressing for adding right before serving if needed. 3. Cover and refrigerate until serving. The salad can be made up to a day ahead. Sprinkle with more pomegranate seeds just before serving. If you want more protein or greens add chopped spinach or chicken. 

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Salad in a Jar

Salads are one of the easiest ways for me to stick with my #veggiesmost summer eating strategy. Let's face it, moms, we all know that getting a workout in and getting yourself and everyone else ready in the morning takes every second you have. Instead of throwing a can of soup, or worse, a cup of ramen or a bar into your bag as you run out the door, why not prepare these ahead of time? 

This is super easy, and you can do a ton of variations to get just what you love in there. You just need to understand the building of the salad, and then you can change it up at will. 

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. raw honey (or pure maple syrup)
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil extra virgin
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 4 cups sliced cucumbers
• 4 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 3 cups grilled chicken breast boneless, skinless, sliced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

1. To make dressing, combine vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in a medium bowl; whisk to blend.
2. Add mustard; mix well.
3. Slowly add oil while whisking; mix well. Evenly divide dressing between 4 one-quart Mason jars. Set aside.
4. Evenly layer quinoa, cucumbers, tomatoes, chicken, and cheese on top of dressing in jars. 
5. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Shake before serving. 
6. Variations: add fresh baby spinach, avocado, leftover corn chopped off the cob, sub beans for quinoa, sub tuna for chicken...make it your own, and enjoy! 
7. bonus picture below for picnicking with family or friends. I use a dry erase marker and write everyone's name on the jar. 

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Fall in love with taking care of yourself. Mind. Body. Spirit.

When I was 14, I had control over little in my life. My weight was one thing I could control, and I went to college weighing exactly 102 lbs. I actually lost 2 lbs that year, while everyone else was gaining the freshman 15.

When I look at Zoe and Maya, eating tons, but bodies super healthy, because they eat right and exercise...well, if you have ever been there,you get it. Here is my Maya, totally proud of her own body, not at all self conscious or worried as so many other girls her age are.
Zoe is comfortable in any clothing, but also doesn't feel the need to reveal any more of it that she wants ( p.s., Zoe is not in these pics because she was at a sleepover, and not because she isn't an equal part of all this).

I wish I could explain to you, as an ex bulimic, what it means to give that to them, to have gotten my personal crap dealt with in time for them to not see me standing in a mirror picking myself apart. All it took for me, was for Zoe to tell me that it was not anything in her head, but the things she heard coming out of my mouth about myself that made her start looking for negative things about her own body. I stopped that day.

I don't look in the mirror and see perfect. I know I have plenty still to go, (and the shirt is a joke from a friend, it's our newest all Spanish program), but I think my smile says it all about how I am feeling.

I'm sharing this with you, because I know there are other moms out there, looking miserably in the mirror, wishing they felt better...and your daughter is behind you, watching that, starting to create her own body image impressions. I want to help give you the tools to make those impressions positive.

If you are interested in making some changes, ask us how in the comments. 

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Choose Happiness

I'm just back from an amazing 18 gay vacation, where I just let myself check out from the news, and anger, and frustration, and anything that made me unhappy. You see, part of me, the subconscious Nina, thinks that all must be right in the world for you to be happy. But this last year has been a real journey for me, towards physical, and I guess even better mental health. I took in all the trip had to offer, and just practiced being completely happy. I ran across this post by Sir Richard Burton, and it said everything I wanted to. Please share it on...because we all need to hear this. 

"Dear Stranger,

You don’t know me but I hear you are going through a tough time, and I would like to help you. I want to be open and honest with you, and let you know that happiness isn’t something just afforded to a special few. It can be yours, if you take the time to let it grow.

It’s OK to be stressed, scared and sad, I certainly have been throughout my 66 years. I’ve confronted my biggest fears time and time again. I’ve cheated death on many adventures, seen loved ones pass away, failed in business, minced my words in front of tough audiences, and had my heart broken.

I know I’m fortunate to live an extraordinary life, and that most people would assume my business success, and the wealth that comes with it, have brought me happiness. But they haven’t; in fact it’s the reverse. I am successful, wealthy and connected because I am happy.

So many people get caught up in doing what they think will make them happy but, in my opinion, this is where they fail. Happiness is not about doing, it’s about being. In order to be happy, you need to think consciously about it. Don’t forget the to-do list, but remember to write a to-be list too.

Kids are often asked: ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ The world expects grandiose aspirations: ‘I want to be a writer, a doctor, the prime minister.’ They’re told: go to school, go to college, get a job, get married, and then you’ll be happy. But that’s all about doing, not being – and while doing will bring you moments of joy, it won’t necessarily reward you with lasting happiness.

Stop and breathe. Be healthy. Be around your friends and family. Be there for someone, and let someone be there for you. Be bold. Just be for a minute.

If you allow yourself to be in the moment, and appreciate the moment, happiness will follow. I speak from experience. We’ve built a business empire, joined conversations about the future of our planet, attended many memorable parties and met many unforgettable people. And while these things have brought me great joy, it’s the moments that I stopped just to be, rather than do, that have given me true happiness. Why? Because allowing yourself just to be, puts things into perspective. Try it. Be still. Be present.

For me, it’s watching the flamingos fly across Necker Island at dusk. It’s holding my new grandchild's tiny hands. It’s looking up at the stars and dreaming of seeing them up close one day. It’s listening to my family’s dinner-time debates. It’s the smile on a stranger’s face, the smell of rain, the ripple of a wave, the wind across the sand. It’s the first snow fall of winter, and the last storm of summer. It’s sunrise and sunset.

There’s a reason we’re called human beings and not human doings. As human beings we have the ability to think, move and communicate in a heightened way. We can cooperate, understand, reconcile and love, that’s what sets us apart from most other species.

Don’t waste your human talents by stressing about nominal things, or that which you cannot change. If you take the time simply to be and appreciate the fruits of life, your stresses will begin to dissolve, and you will be happier.

But don’t just seek happiness when you’re down. Happiness shouldn’t be a goal, it should be a habit. Take the focus off doing, and start being every day. Be loving, be grateful, be helpful, and be a spectator to your own thoughts.

Allow yourself to be in the moment, and appreciate the moment. Take the focus off everything you think you need to do, and start being – I promise you, happiness will follow.

Happy regards,

Richard Branson"

This piece was contributed by Richard to help raise money for MIND, a Mental Health Organisation.
https://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/how-be-happy

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