Sitting down for dinner is a moment to pause in a busy day. There is all kinds of research that correlates eating a family dinner with personal health and your child’s development and success. Families that eat together, stay together.

This is the first post in a series related to family dinners.

Done for you meal planning – Meal Plan Services

You get that dinner is important. You’ve probably heard this. And you probably, at some level, agree. But lots of things in your life are important.

Most nights, you want to get a healthy dinner on the table, but it’s hectic, you didn’t get to the store, or you don’t know what to make.

Using a meal plan service can take some of the work off your plate. It’s a great way to begin to try new foods and to get organized. It can save you time and money, because everything is laid out for you. You don’t need to waste brainpower coming up with meals and you aren’t running to the store every day to pick up something quick.

You may find it a complete match for you and your lifestyle. There are many services available, try one and see if it helps you eat a healthier dinner with less stress.

Let the goal of dinner be nourishing yourself, not doing it all yourself. Using a meal plan service can be a big relief.

Sample Meal Plans with Grocery Lists

I’ve chosen 3 services I like. I’ve used others that I think are great, too. I’ll be posting some on the Mompreneur Wellness Community on Facebook all week, and if you have one to share I’d love to know about it.

I chose the following four sites because I liked their organization, simplicity of instruction and variety.

I’ve included a few points about each site. Visit the site and download their free sample menu and grocery lists. Pick one and try it out this week. Then pop back here or onto Facebook and let me know if you gave it a try.

Sample services:

1)    6 o’clock scramble – healthy, seasonal family dinner meal planning

This site is professional, established and family centered. It’s fully customizable and has tons of extra features. This site has a lot to offer in variety, organization and flare.

2)    The Nourished Kitchen – whole, real foods

This site offers more then menus and is focused on real foods and traditional meal preparations. It includes some details that may not be up your alley, but if you are interested in whole, real foods and like to cook, Jenny at the Nourished Kitchen is an amazing resource. And her recipes are fabulous.

3)   No Plan Meal Plan – healthy simple menus

Alissa is a new mom and a health coach. Her recipes are nutritious and offer a wide variety of nutritional value and taste. The feature I love is her “on-track planner’ which tells you what you can prep ahead in one shot on the weekend, creating ease during the week. She also gives you a calendar with plan ahead steps.

4)   Eating Well – healthy, build your own menus

The website for Eating Well Magazine. Their rolodex of recipes is fantastic. Users post tons of reviews. And you can build your own menu. It’s more labor intensive, but offers lots of variety and flexibility.

Now it’s your turn. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic.

Is there a menu service you have used? Do you use a menu plan?

Post in the comments below.

Is getting healthy on your New Year’s resolution list? Do you have a goal to lose weight, eat more salad or exercise more?

Most people do. The New Year inspires a sense of possibility and new beginnings. That sense of wiping the slate clean and starting fresh can be an effective motivation tool.

Making a resolution doesn’t create change though. Sustained action does. You may have experienced this for yourself. After a while, the motivation fades away. The sense of possibility and a fresh start is replaced by the distraction of old habits and a busy life.

We lose the mojo to continue.

A resolution isn’t meant to last. Use your resolution for what it is – a kick start, the fire under your pants that gets you running, it can be the proverbial carrot on a stick that leads you down a new path.

By February, most New Year’s resolutions have fallen to the wayside. Yours may, too.

That’s ok. Wellness is a journey, not a destination. Make a resolution to recharge your journey in 2012.

Then consider these five points to keep your momentum going:

Read the rest of the article by clicking here.

Cheers! I’ve got three free ebooks for you. Each one is full of health and nutrition inspiration, recipes or tips. Just click on the links below to download your copies.

Once downloaded you can read the material on your computer, tablet or by printing it out.

1. Integrative Nutrition – Written by the founder of The Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN), Joshua Rosenthal. This is a comprehensive book that covers the main principles taught at the school. The hardcover version of Integrative Nutrition retails for $25, so be sure to grab your free digital copy by clicking on the banner at the end of this post!  I attended IIN, and it changed my life. If you want to know more about the school, contact me. I occasionally have scholarships or discounts to offer.

2. The Winter E-book  - produced by Purely Elizabeth. This book is a compilation of recipes and winter health tips from a handful of Health Coaches (myself included) and is available here. Elizabeth, the founder of Purely Elizabeth, which makes the best granola, is also a graduate of IIN. Get your copy here.

3. 10 Simple Upgrades to the Foods You Already Eat – available by placing your email in the box just below the header of this page. If you are already a subscriber, check your inbox for the latest copy of the Upgrade – there will be a direct link to the ebook for you to download.

I hope you enjoy and are inspired to upgrade your health with these free gifts.

This is a mini-standing ovation to kale (can you hear the cat calls, and applause?).

Kale rocks. It’s a superfood. That’s all you really need to know.

It’s a mid-winter life changer. It will revitalize the life blood in ‘ya.

Promise.

A star in green smoothies, sauteed, steamed and in soups, Kale also can be eaten raw.

Yes, it’s true, with a little love, tough Kale loosens right up. And becomes delectable. Try it and see.

Try this easy recipe:

Take a great big bunch of Kale. It doesn’t matter which kind. Get what ever looks freshest, or try a combo of purple and green kale.

Take the Kale off the stems. I leave the smaller ends of the leaves with the stem. Chop it all up, rip it to shreds. Kids love this part.

Pour some olive oil over it, enough to coat, squeeze in some lemon, and sprinkle with salt.

Now show it some love. Massage it. Get right in there with your hands. Make sure each and every piece feels the love.

Add in any other greens, or veggies and maybe even some nuts. I like thinly sliced red cabbage, chopped bok choy or argula and walnuts. Add an herb or spice of your choice. Mix it all together. Add a bit more lemon or oil and some pepper.

 Eat. Enjoy. Glow.

Share your Kale love in the comments below:

Does your kitchen have a revolving door that’s always in motion? Cabinets, fridge and pantry the main attractions in the house?

Do your kids, and you, snack and munch when ever you feel like it? Do dishes and glasses appear on the counter and in the sink all day long?

This weeks Upgrade is going to rock your home, and your families wellness – for the better.

Close the Kitchen.

In between meals, and after the dinner dishes are done, wipe down the counters and turn out the lights.

An open door policy in the kitchen leads to mindless eating, constant snacking, filling up before meals, over eating, and tons of work cleaning up and answering questions.

Eat meals. Have snack time. And then wait for the next meal.

 When mindless eating pushes on the revolving door – remind it that “It’s closed, sweetie. Don’t worry, dinner will be soon.”

And if you want to feed the hunger, at least pull up a chair and sit down.

Create and serve a crudités – a fancy word for a plate of raw sliced veggies with a dip.

The kids can munch while asking you what’s for dinner – they are getting their veggies and it rarely “spoils” their appetite.

Pre-slice the vegetables ahead of time, purchase organic baby carrots, or take a minute to slice up some favorites. Arrange them on a plate.

Heck, pull out one of those lovely serving dishes you got for your wedding – you know, the cute one with the little bowl in the middle for dip.

I usual use carrots, cucumbers, red peppers, and maybe some celery or broccoli. Toss a few walnuts or almonds around the sides. Store the uneaten slices for snacks, or to add to lunches or a salad on another day.

Any vegetable that makes it into the digestive track is an Upgrade. So is a snack that lets you get dinner done in peace!

I’d love to hear which raw veggies  your kids will eat. Please post any comments below. And if you have any suggestions for a healthy dip please share!

How Old Does a Girl Have to Be to End Poverty, Hunger and Economic Strife?

Would you believe 12?

I  showed a video to my two young girls called Beatrice’s Goat. The video, and book of the same name, chronicles the story of how a young girl, about their age, receives a gift of a goat. Through this gift, and lots of hard work, young Beatrice is able to afford a uniform and go to school – at age 10.

She walks miles to school, after she has hauled water for the goat and her family, milked the goat and walked down the road to wait for someone to come and buy the milk. With great determination, the money from her goat provides for her family, and a uniform for school, effectively ending her role in extreme poverty.*

This post is part of The Girl Effect Blogger Campaign. The Girl Effect is an organization raising money and awareness to educate, care for and pull girls from poverty in developing nations. Research has identified (real, sound research)  that keeping a 12-year-old girl in school can change the world.

Skeptical? Watch this short Video on The Girl Effect. Watch it right now, it’s short.

After learning about Beatrice, and other girls like her, my girls were shocked. “What kind of gift is that?” one said. The other,  “I don’t think that’s a gift if you have to work that hard. Beatrice works to hard for a 10 year old”.

My first thought to their reaction, was something along the lines of  shame or shock. How could I have raised such entitled children? How could my children not see the beauty in the gift of a goat to a child living in extreme poverty.

And then I realized that they were right. That from their innocent, child perspective a girl having to work that hard is not a gift. A 10-year-old girl deserves to be a girl, to be a child. Why would my girls understand that the gift was actually going to pull Beatrice out of a life of early adulthood, hunger and lack of opportunity.

Feeling guilty for what you have doesn’t make the life of another  better. I want my children to have gratitude, to be kind, to have compassion. And right now, at the age of  9 and 11, I want them to be children. I truly want that for all children. Don’t you?

GirlEffect.org is working to do the same thing, allowing girls to remain girls, until they grow up.  Girls aren’t women in training- they are girls, right now in the present moment. What a gift a child is. When that child is married off or sold to provide food for the family, what gift is lost?

There are many issues that keep young girls, and women, from having a voice in their own future. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t have a dream. Like the dream of this young girl from Ethiopia.

Poverty, war, hunger, HIV – it’s hard to imagine that the solution is wrapped up in the dreams of a 12 year old girl, walking for hours, carrying water for her family on her back.

Let’s create a world where a girl has the opportunity to become literate, educated and healthy.  A girl that chooses her path in life. A life where she can choose when, and if,  she will marry and have children. A girl that may one day become a mother who will not have to send her 12 year old daughter into the world to fend for herself.

Support The Girl Effect. Donate today. Raise awareness. Like them, tweet them, re-post them. Support The Girl Effect and change the world.

If you want to write your own post or read other posts from The Girl Effect Blogger Campaign, visit http://taramohr.com/girleffectposts/

The total population of girls ages 10 to 24 – already the largest in history – is expected to peak in the next decade.

The girl effect can change history. Donate today.

** Beatrice’s goat came from Heifer International, another excellent aid organization. What happened to Beatrice? Read this story from CBS News.

This post is part of the Mompreneur Wellness Profile Series. Each profile features a Q & A with a real, authentic woman sharing her successes and struggles with incorporating wellness into a busy life.

This series highlights that wellness is part of our life journey and contributes to our success as a mom and entrepreneur. I want to get away from the images and beliefs that wellness is about perfection.

I believe that wellness is a journey that evolves and adjusts, depending on what our priorities are. The journey can be easy, at other times an exciting adventure, and at times we may be armchair travelers! Read on….

Bari Tessler Linden, Financial Therapist,
Coach & Mommypreneur

http://baritessler.com/
http://www.facebook.com/baritessler

I spent a decade as a body-centered therapist and earned a master’s degree in psychology before founding the Conscious Bookkeeping method and organization in 2001.

The business started as a one-woman operation and then grew into a cross-functional Alliance Team that included a half dozen other accounting, psychology, coaching, and investment professionals. We’ve had the honor of supporting thousands of students through our 3 Doorway Method: Financial Therapy, Values-Based Bookkeeping, and Life Vision Planning.

In 2008, when I had my son, Noah, I successfully evolved back into a one-woman rockin’ show as a mommypreneur. I updated my business model in order to honor the importance of spending lots of time with my husband and son. In 2011, I launched the Home Study Program. This program is based on a decade of teaching the Conscious Bookkeeping method via live workshops, telecourses and private sessions. It is a deep and supportive dive into the realms of money, body, mind, and spirit. I truly cherish the opportunity to be your guide~

Married? Number and age of children?

Married to Forest Linden – together for 10 years!
Our son is Noah Linden, age 2.5 years old.

Where do you live?

The wonderful town, Boulder, CO

What role does nutrition and food play in your life?

I love food! And, I grew up on a typical American diet and had daily stomach-aches. In my early 20’s, while living in Israel for a year, I learned about a macro-biotic lifestyle. And, the combination of some somatic therapy + eating whole foods eliminated my stomach-aches. Over the years since, I have experimented with vegetarian and Paleolithic eating and find that I do better with a diet of organic meats (fish, chicken, grass fed beef & lamb), some grains, vegetables, fruits, goat cheese and of course dark chocolate.

Tell me about one strategy/action you have for self care.

Hiking! The combination of exercise, nature + creative thinking time is very supportive and nourishing for me.

Tell me a strategy or tip you have for feeding your family healthy foods.

I am working on this one! We eat healthy but I know there is always room for improvement. Recently, I joined a local class to help me learn more about nutrient rich foods. I have already started steeping my own nettles and drinking a few ounces of the tea a day to get all of that wonderful chlorophyll.

My husband is not so excited that I smell of weeds-nettles.  But he has certainly noticed that I am cooking more and loving my new meals like: a big pot of lentil spinach soup, quinoa + broccoli + salmon and grass fed burgers with kale + sweet potatoes. And, I add part of our meal to Noah’s meal of rice noodle mac-n-cheese (for example) and encourage him to eat it all. And, we talk with him about the good energy & strength food brings him and how it helps him ride his bike better

Do you have a favorite wellness resource, philosophy or food that inspires you?

Dark chocolate  is the food that inspires me. And, just a healthy lifestyle with balanced eating & exercise compared to a rigid diet. Also, the nettles is really inspiring me!

Do you exercise regular? If so, what do you do?

YES, exercise brings me sanity, peace of mind & healthy digestion. I have been exercising consistently for years. What changes over time is the level of exercise and how hard I push myself. Since I had my son, Noah, I seem to be more in maintenance mode more than a ‘training’ mode.  Currently I do weight training 2x week at the gym and then hike 3 – 4x per week. I used to a lot of African dance and some yoga and I am trying to figure out how to add both of those back into my life.

What have you struggled with, in terms of wellness, as you have been building a business and raising a family?

Sleep! I am still co-sleeping with Noah, which we both love, but not getting full nights of sleep
Not having the energy to exercise in a really strong way
Not as much alone time via baths, books, massage – and I adore all of that.

How do you feel your health and wellness contributes to your business? Your creativity? Your family?

It is simply so important & essential to me to be doing at least a medium level of self-care while I parent, run a business + maintain a healthy marriage and friendships.  It is a challenging balance with a 2 year old but it is a daily conversation with myself. And, I can feel that just my increasing my attention in this area by taking the local nutrition class, I am moving into a higher level of self care and it is quickly increasing my energy, creativity & inspiration in my business, in the kitchen, in my exercise + other good areas!

Any special promos or particulars regarding your business you’d like me to add?

I am offering a big Free TeleClass: Tools For Financial Transformation on April 19, 2011.
A 90 minute teleclass on the most in depth overview of the Conscious Bookkeeping method.

See more details and sign up here: (For the live class or the recording)
http://baritessler.com/free-talk-on-conscious-bookkeeping