Balancing Act

A Cup, A Cup, A Cup, A Cup, A Cup

2009-01-02T09:56:00.000-08:00

A Cup, A Cup, A Cup, A Cup, A Cup

While coffee is more popular in the U.S., tea is the second most popular drink in the world, behind water. Tea is enjoyed by much of the world’s population. In fact, over 160 million cups of tea are consumed every year in Britain alone.

A cup of hot tea may do more than relax you. Medical research has shown that consumption of this ancient beverage may help prevent a wide range of ailments including arthritis, cancer, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Health Benefits of Tea Consumption
Research suggests that older female tea drinkers are 60 percent less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than those who do not drink tea. Sipping on a cup of hot tea may be a safeguard against cancer. Studies have linked the consumption of tea to a reduction in risk for both stomach and esophageal cancer. Green tea extracts have also been found to inhibit the growth of cancer cells in the bladder.

Tea also helps regulate high blood pressure. Drinking half a cup of green or black tea per day can reduce a person's risk of high blood pressure by almost 50%. Researchers have also found that people who drink about a cup and a half of tea per day are almost 40% less likely to suffer a heart attack compared to tea abstainers.

Drinking tea has been shown to strengthen the immune system, which is especially important during the cold and flu season. A clinical trial study conducted by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School found that drinking five cups of black tea a day for two to four weeks can boost the body’s immune defense system by four times.[1]

For those suffering from a cold or sore throat, a hot toddy is a welcome treat. Hot toddies can be made with tea in order to take advantage of its medicinal properties.

Hot Tea Toddy

Ingredients
1 tea bag (Recommended: The Republic of Tea Honey Ginseng Green Tea)
2 tablespoons of brandy or Scotch
1 tablespoon honey
Boiling water
1 slice lemon
1 cinnamon stick (optional)

Directions
In a coffee mug, place the tea bag, brandy, and honey. Add enough boiling water to fill the mug. Add the cinnamon and lemon, and steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bag and cinnamon stick.

Although green, oolong and black teas are better known, white, red and chai tea are rapidly gaining popularity.

White Tea
Though green tea has gotten a lot of press for its healthful properties, white tea may be even healthier because it is the least-processed form of tea. White tea has more antioxidants than any other kind of tea, including green tea, and it also has less caffeine than black and green tea.

Red Tea
Red tea has all the benefits of green tea, but is completely caffeine-free so you can enjoy unlimited cups without worrying about staying up all night. Red tea has anti-spasmodic properties that help to relieve digestive problems like nausea, vomiting, heartburn and stomach ulcers.

Chai
Chai, my personal favorite, is an ancient beverage with origins in India, Nepal and Tibet. A traditional chai is a blend of spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns that are brewed with black tea and finished with milk and honey.

In honor of National Hot Tea Month and with 3,000 varieties to choose from, I encourage you to select and enjoy a healthy, relaxing cup of tea!

[1] Kamath AB, Wang L, Das H, Li L, Reinhold VN, Bukowski JF. Antigens in tea-beverage prime human Vgamma 2Vdelta 2 T cells in vitro and in vivo for memory and nonmemory antibacterial cytokine responses. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 May 13;100(10):6009-14. Epub 2003 Apr 28.

Vision Board: Mapping Your Goals -- Winter 2009 Newsletter

2008-12-30T10:58:00.000-08:00

Vision Board: Mapping Your Goals

2009 is almost upon us and many people have already started drafting their New Year resolutions. Whether it’s losing weight or getting a raise or promotion, everyone has goals they want to achieve. Creating a vision or dream board can help identify and clarify your goals. Using a vision board to focus on your goals is a simple technique to help you achieve them.

A vision or dream board is a visual representation or collage of the things that you want to become or do in your life. It is a simple, yet powerful, tool that activates the law of attraction to begin manifesting your dreams into reality. The idea is that when you surround yourself with images of what you want out of life, your life changes to match those images and desires.

The idea of the vision board has been around for decades, but interest in the concept was renewed after talk show host and media mogul Oprah Winfrey acknowledged that she collected pictures and created a vision board showing Illinois Senator Barack Obama winning the Presidential election.

A vision board is typically a large poster board with a collage of images, drawings, and/or writings pasted on it. By selecting pictures and writings that you are passionate about, you will begin to manifest those things into your life. Vision boards make your goals visible and remind you of what you are working towards. They also allow you to choose your purpose in life.

Before you create your vision board, sit quietly and ask yourself what it is you really want. With a clear vision in mind, turn on some soft music and begin creating your vision board.

Creating Your Vision Board:

Supplies Needed:
1. Poster board or foam core board
2. A large assortment of magazines (If you don’t have any, ask your friends, family, dentist or doctor for old copies)
3. Scissors
4. Glue stick or rubber cement

Step 1: Compile your pictures. Go through your stack of magazines and cut out images relevant to your goals. Don’t glue yet. Simply select images, phrases, and headlines that excite you at the mere sight of them.

Step 2: Sort the images. Sort through the pile of images and select the ones that have the deepest emotional impact.

Step 3: Arrange and paste. Paste a radiant picture of yourself in the center of the board. Arrange and glue your images creatively on your board. Feel free to paint or draw on it with markers if you want. Leave room to affix two labels on the bottom of board that read: “Date created: ___________” and “Date Manifested: ___________.”

Step 4: Hang. Hang your completed vision board in a strategic location such as an office or bedroom; somewhere you will see it often. This will keep your goals in front of your eyes.

When creating your vision board, it is important that you not only create it, but actually use it! Don’t just look at the pictures on your vision board, take a minute and really FEEL the images. Think of what it will feel like when the pictures on your vision board actually become part of your life. FEELING is what makes vision boards work.

Vision boards are inexpensive to make, but their potential value to you is immeasurable. With the new year upon us, I encourage you to take the time to figure out what you want in your life and then create a vision board to help turn your dreams into reality.

To quote Mark Victor Hansen, co-founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises, “By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be.”

Recipes featured in new KCTS Channel 9 Cookbook

2008-12-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to announce that four potato-based recipes are featured in the new Channel 9 cookbook, KCTS Cooks Potatoes. KCTS Channel 9 is the PBS-affiliate in Seattle. All proceeds will support public broadcasting. http://www.channel9store.com/prodinfo.asp?number=359010

For more fun and healthy recipes, check out my Yummy to the Tummy Family Table Cookbook. This book contains delicious recipes that are great not only for the amateur cook, but also the person who wants to make a quick, yet tasty, meal. http://www.kimberlyharden.com

The Reason for the Season!

2008-12-10T08:36:00.000-08:00

The Reason for the Season!

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem. Come and behold Him, born the King of angels;

O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Christmas 2008 is upon us and as we send greeting cards and purchase gifts for our family and friends, it is important that we remember the real meaning of the holiday.

The holiday season is full of symbols and icons such as Santa Claus, snowmen, decorated wreaths and brightly lit, garland-laced trees. Most Christmas songs are about winter wonderlands, jingling bells or the fictitious “Jolly Old St. Nick.” Very few Christmas songs, however, acknowledge and pay tribute to the reason for the season—Jesus Christ.

Nowadays, Christmas is equated to gift giving and receiving. Seeing how the wise men are said to have visited Jesus after his birth bearing gifts, gift giving is not a bad thing. Unfortunately, Americans are bombarded with advertisements that largely say people are only happy when they are exchanging presents. I believe the true meaning of Christmas is a celebration of the love we have for Christ and for our family and friends and to offer up thanksgiving in the form of prayer.

With so much chaos in the world (natural disasters, economic woes, etc.), Christmas should be the season of love and goodwill towards all of mankind.

Here are a few things you can do to renew your Christmas spirit:

Express your love
Giving a gift doesn’t necessarily tell someone how much you love and appreciate them. If you love them, tell them! Express your love by telling each family member and friend how blessed you are to have them and how they made a difference in your life. If you have a hard time verbalizing your feelings, write them a “love letter” and drop it in the mail in time for them to receive it before Christmas.

Reflect
Who says you have to wait until January to reflect back on the previous year or even your entire life? Christmas is a great time to look back at the highs and lows of the year and give thanks for EVERYTHING. One of my favorite quotes is from the movie The Color Purple in which Celie says, “I'm poor, black, I might even be ugly, but dear God, I'm here. I'm here.” No matter how difficult life is, be grateful that you’re still here!

Put your money to better use
Rather than spending a fortune, buy inexpensive gifts (inexpensive, not cheap!). Most department stores have an in-store clearance section and an online section as well. JCPenney (www.jcp.com), Macy’s (www.macys.com) and Nordstrom (www.nordstrom.com) all have links to clearance items tucked away in the sales section of their websites. Many stores offer free shipping (either with a discount code or minimum purchase) and Wal-Mart offers an express site to store service which allows you to purchase an item online and have it shipped directly to the store free-of-charge. If you don’t like the bidding wars on eBay, check out Half.com, eBay’s fixed-price subsidiary. You can purchase books, movies, music, and video games, both new and used, at deep discounts. Donate the money you saved on gifts to your favorite charitable organization.

To quote author Gladys Taber, “Christmas is a bridge. We need bridges as the river of time flows past. Today's Christmas should mean creating happy hours for tomorrow and reliving those of yesterday.”

The 3 R's: Review, Regroup, Renew -- Autumn 2008 Newsletter

2008-09-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

The 3 R’s: Review, Regroup, Renew!

It is a privilege to be a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, and employee. These roles, however, should not replace the role of individual. Many of us are pressured to make the most of our time each day. When we do have time to ourselves, we usually fill it with errands—housecleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, banking, etc. Our spouse, kids, parents, siblings, friends, and boss all take a piece of our day, but when was the last time you took time for you?

It’s important for individuals to practice the three R’s: review, regroup and renew! Eking out a few moments just for you is critical in order to maintain energy for the millions of things you do everyday. Stress is cumulative. Without relief, it will build upon itself until you reach the final point of burnout. But you can stop this progression, and even reverse it, by simply taking time out for yourself. Individual “down time” can help you put things in perspective, reduce stress, and prevent burnout. By taking care of yourself, you are better able to take care of others.

You don’t have to schedule a weeklong vacation in order to have some individual “down time”. Let’s face it, family vacation is the antithesis of “down time”.

Here are a few things you can do to rejuvenate and enjoy some “down time”:

Do absolutely NOTHING
One of my favorite songs is “Enjoy the Silence” by Depeche Mode. Kick off your shoes, sit in your favorite chair, relax your muscles and just breathe.

Get a massage or a facial
Get that kink out of your back and shoulders with a massage or relax with a soothing facial at the local spa.

Go on a “self” retreat
If you need to get away, but only have a day, fill the gas tank, grab a map and drive to a cozy little town or hop on the ferry for a day trip to a local island.

Make a date with yourself
Treat yourself to a gourmet meal for one at your favorite upscale restaurant. Chew slowly and savor every bite.

Take an art, dance, singing or music class
While signing your children up for classes, sign yourself up as well. Many programs offer separate classes for children and adults at the same time.

Cruise an art gallery or museum
Soak up the energy and appreciation of your fellow man’s creative genius. Many museums and galleries offer free or discount days every month which will allow you to enjoy “down time” for little or nothing.

Testimonial
My good friend, playwright Sheritha Bowman, has many different roles. As a wife and mother, she’s the cook, chauffeur, doctor, lawyer, teacher, and occasional referee for her three outspoken kids. During her “down time”, Sheritha is busy writing, rehearsing, and directing her stage plays; she’s also working on a novel. As we all do, Sheritha also spends a lot of time worrying. One night after a show, Sheritha discovered that she had misplaced her keys. She searched frantically in every nook and cranny she could think of. Feeling a little defeated, Sheritha walked back to her car, only to find the keys in the ignition! Sheritha said two things crossed her mind: she was grateful that her car hadn’t been stolen and she was reminded of the Scripture, “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” (Matt. 6:27). After this event, Sheritha decided to have a little “down time” and while the kids were at school, she did something wonderful—nothing. She reviewed the things and situations that caused her worry, she regrouped and put things in perspective and this, in turn, allowed her to renew her energy.

After hearing Sheritha’s story, I was reminded of a quote by Swiss philosopher and poet Henri Frederic Amiel, “So as long as a person is capable of self-renewal, they are a living being.”

Journal Writing: Voyage to Self-Knowledge -- Summer 2008 Newsletter

2008-06-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

JOURNAL WRITING: VOYAGE TO SELF-KNOWLEDGE

One of the easiest and most powerful ways to self-knowledge is through journaling. Journaling is the practice of keeping a diary or journal that explores your innermost thoughts and feelings about life events. Journaling is a good problem-solving tool. For many people, problems are easier to see when they are written down.

Journaling also provides clarity and helps track progress. A great time to turn to your journal is when you’re just not clear about what to do. Things tend to become much clearer when you explore them in writing. When you’re frustrated that your life doesn’t seem to be working out as you’d like, go back and read your journal. This will remind you that, although it feels like you’re running in place, you are in fact growing and changing.

To get the most out of your journaling experience, do not focus simply on what happened during the day. Use your journal to look inward at how you are affected by your daily struggles. Your journal will give you a place to express your joy, pain, frustration, and fear. As children’s author Anne Broyles notes, journaling, “...frees us to explore the rooms hidden in our hearts, making meaning of our lives... and (of) how God is at work in all aspects of our lives.”

Journaling is meant to be a gratifying experience and an effective tool for emotional and spiritual growth.

Principles of Effective Journaling

Be spontaneous and refrain from self-judgment. Write quickly and be honest about what you really feel, want, and believe.
Write deeply about what is most important to you and explore the larger context. What you write is not meant to be objective truth. It is simply your way of looking at the moment and working toward understanding it in a larger context.
Don't worry about your grammar or spelling. Your journal is for your eyes only unless you choose to share.
Express your emotions and how you feel physically. Journaling can sometimes bring tears. Let them fall.
Write farewells to people, places, things, and activities that are no longer part of your life. This is part of the healing process.

Journal Starters
1. My biggest struggle right now is...
2. The thing I most fear is...
3. The thing that keeps me from moving on is...
4. I smelled a smell, saw a sight, or heard a song today that reminded me of...
5. Part of the past that keeps haunting me is...

Testimonial
I suffered from an emotional wound that took 15 years to heal. My best friend from elementary school, Shelby, and I did everything together and in high school, we joined the yearbook staff together. We critiqued each other’s work, attended workshops together, and filled in when the other was out. I, and the rest of the yearbook staff, was certain that Shelby and I would be named co-editors for the next year, our senior year. The last week of school is generally torturous because students are eager to start vacation, but it was even more agonizing as I waited to learn who would be named editor for the upcoming year. With bated breath, I waited for the yearbook advisor to announce that Shelby and I would be co-editors. The announcement never came. Instead, without ever making eye contact, the advisor pronounced that Shelby alone would be editor. My emotions were a murky mess. I was hurt, sad, angry, disappointed, and confused. I spoke to the advisor after class and she said my writing skills were lacking. This threw me for a loop considering that I had been a staff writer for two years and had only received compliments. I ended my friendship with Shelby after I learned that she had slandered my reputation to the advisor in order to become editor and I stopped writing. This bad experience haunted me for 15 years. After journaling, I realized that I was angry, not because I wasn’t named editor, but because someone I had trusted had deceived me. Journaling about this hurtful experience helped me to explore and release the emotions involved. Through journaling, I was able to forgive Shelby and my former advisor. By this forgiveness, I was also able to heal myself and restore my passion for writing.

To quote speaker/educator Christina Baldwin, “Journal writing is a voyage to the interior.”

Recipes featured in KCTS Channel 9 Cookbook

2008-03-06T12:04:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to announce that several of my recipes are featured in the new Channel 9 cookbook, KCTS Cooks A to Z. KCTS Channel 9 is the PBS-affiliate in Seattle. All proceeds will support public broadcasting. http://www.channel9store.com/prodinfo.asp?number=359021

For more fun and healthy recipes, check out my Yummy to the Tummy Family Table Cookbook. This book contains delicious recipes that are great not only for the amateur cook, but also the person who wants to make a quick, yet tasty, meal. http://www.kimberlyharden.com

Balancing Act -- Spring 2008 Newsletter

2008-03-05T14:55:00.000-08:00

Balancing Act

Finding a work-life balance is no simple task. Many of us spend more time at work than at home and we sometimes miss out on a rewarding personal life. Individuals tend to experience stress when their work life and personal feel out of balance.

In an article on Forbes.com, Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, said, “The challenge of work-life balance is without question one of the most significant struggles faced by modern man. I’ve surveyed thousands of audiences about their greatest personal and professional challenges. Life balance is always at or near the top.”

Getting your priorities clear is the first and most essential step toward achieving a well-balanced life. It is important to note, however, that:

Work-life balance does not mean an equal balance. Trying to schedule an equal number of hours for each of your various work and personal activities is unrealistic. Life is and should be more fluid than that.

Your work-life balance will vary over time. The right balance for you today will probably be different for you tomorrow. The right balance will differ when you are single opposed to when you are married or have children.

There is no one-size fit all approach to a work-life balance. The best work-life balance is different for each of us because we all have different priorities in life.

Work-life balance is very personal and it is different for everyone. Having a good work-life balance means that your actions and priorities are aligned in a way that is taking care of what is really important to you.

How do you define your own work-life balance?
· What are your values?
· What makes you happy?
· What are the barriers?

To help answer these questions, I recommend that you write your personal credo. “Credo” is a Latin word that means “fundamental beliefs or guiding principle.” What are the most important parts of YOUR life? To examine who you are and who you would like to be, it is helpful to identify the things in your life that you believe are important. The answers to these questions are YOUR guiding principles or personal credo.

Once you identify your guiding principles, describe what sacrifices or compromises you are willing to make in order to have a more well-balanced life. For example, if professional growth is one of your guiding principles, are you willing to pursue an advanced degree? What will you do to improve your work-life balance in the next week, next month, or next six months?

Testimonial
After months of suffering from chronic neck tension, I realized that I was not doing a good job of managing life’s many demands. It was when my employer sent me to a two-day workshop in Dallas that I learned about writing my own personal credo. The assignment was difficult, but I was able to come up with my top three guiding principles. My guiding principles include spending time with family and connecting with old friends, engaging in and supporting creative art programs and supporting my own emotional well-being. Writing my personal credo has helped me focus on the things I valued most in life and give less credence to those things placed on me by others. I gave myself permission to be a wee bit selfish, to schedule time for myself and ask for what I need from my family, friends, and business associates. As renowned opera singer Jessye Norman said, “Problems arise in that one has to find a balance between what people need from you and what you need for yourself.”

I encourage you to write your personal credo and take a step toward achieving a well-balanced life. To quote Paul Boese, “We come into this world head first and go out feet first; in between, it is all a matter of balance.”

What's Your Dream? -- Winter 2008 Newsletter

2008-01-17T16:00:00.000-08:00

WHAT'S YOUR DREAM?

My favorite movie ending is "Welcome to Hollywood! What's your dream?" from Pretty Woman. The best thing, however, is that you don't have to live in Hollywood to dream. Every person should have a dream. The challenge for most of us is turning our dream into a reality or "living the dream."

Your dream is your heart’s desire, something you truly want to do. Your dream may be to work in a certain profession or live in a particular place. Your dream could also be simple things like having time to exercise or work in your garden, spend more time with family or friends or finish reading a novel.

What is your dream? What would you love to do with your life if you had the time and resources? Travel? Write a novel? Complete your degree? By knowing your dream, you have a powerful motivator to make changes in your life. And by living your dream, you are fulfilling your destiny. Before you live your dream, you must first find it.

Brainstorm
Brainstorm your dream by quickly answering the following questions and examining the pattern they reveal.

What would you do with your life if...
You won $1 million?
You had to return to college to get a four-year degree?
You won $1,000 a week for life?
You had six months to live?

These questions should motivate you to look behind what you assume to be your dream. For example, you might assume that your dream is to have lots of money, but what do you want from that money? What do you want to do with your time?

Write it down
Take a walk or go to a quiet place where you can contemplate your dream and then write a detailed dream statement. It takes courage to state your dream, particularly if it is different than your current lifestyle or what you think people expect of you. By writing a dream statement, you are creating a picture and your subconscious mind will work to complete the picture. The more positive your picture, the more positive your results.

Set aside time for your dream
You have to nurture your dream, just as you would nurture a rose garden. Designate a particular time during the week to work on your dream. Long-term goals are best achieved when you break them into shorter ones. When your dream truly reflects your desires, you will get up in the morning like a child at Christmas, you will barely be able to contain your excitement.

Get ready, get ready, get ready!
The best thing about having a dream is that it may come true. But you may be so surprised when you get a chance at your dream that you are not ready to act. Abraham Lincoln said, "If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first hour sharpening the ax." Prepare yourself for opportunities and follow Bishop T.D. Jakes instructions to "get ready, get ready, get ready!"

Testimonial
When I reflected on my being and dreams, I noticed that there were two constants in my life: cooking and writing. I enjoyed these tasks so much that I would actually get up early in the morning to cook and/or write. Combining my two passions, I decided to write a cookbook. I wrote my dream statement and developed a timeline. Every Saturday, I tested recipes, typed them up, and took pictures of the finished product. In May 2007, my dream was realized when Yummy to the Tummy Family Table Cookbook went to press. The book is a success! Had I not taken the necessary steps, I would not have realized my dream of authoring and publishing a cookbook.

I encourage you all to live your dream. To quote Ralph Marsten, "What you are longing for is longing for you."