Where’s my Visine?  It’s 3:15 am Hawaii time.  I just landed in LAX, while waiting for my connecting flight to Phoenix.

Phoenix marks the beginning of some adventurous fun.  Starting off later today where I’ll hook up with my big sisters, and our sweet cousin, Corri and her family for some pre-hiking fun.

Then, next Monday, together with my two big sisters, Carrie and Peggy, we will arrive at the south rim of the Grand Canyon National Park.  Our goal, to hike to from the top of the rim down to Phantom Ranch, where we’ll spend the night, and then ascend back to the Canyon’s rim the next day.

I have hiked our beautiful Grand Canyon of the Pacific, Waimea Canyon on Kauai, but never the Grand Canyon National Park.  After over a year of planning, the three sisters are very excited for it all to begin.

I am feeling ready to blast through the steep trails of our Grand Canyon hike, thanks to Gabby Reece’s butt-kicking classes I’ve been attending on Kauai’s northshore since November.  Thanks Gabby for all those squats and lunges that I moaned and sweated through.  I have no doubt the strength they built in my bootie and legs will pull me up and over the top of the Canyon’s rim.

Stay tuned for the pictorial post of our Grand Canyon hiking adventure next week.

Grand Canyon Hike or Bust, here we come!

Photo courtesy of the Grand Canyon National Park Service

Every morning at 6 am our kitchen comes alive to the sounds of our blender, blending up a batch of fresh green smoothies to start our day.

And I have to say, I am absolutely in love with them.  At first it started as a way to sneak fresh green veggies into my anti-veggie eating boys.  But now they are a part of our everyday lives, making us so much healthier because of them.

Not too long ago, my youngest daughter Jadah, and her friend Jen, founded Simple Green Smoothies.  Their common passions to raise world-changing kids in their young families, and educate others about healthy choices, has made them both rockstars of green smoothies and ambassadors of healthy living.

Once Jadah encouraged me to start making my own green smoothies, I ditched Jamba Juice, because I found by making your own green smoothies, not only do you save money, but also you are in charge with what goes into them, making them tastier, fresher, and even healthier.

Many of our family and friends have been around us enough to know about the Jonah household’s morning green smoothie ritual, and many now subscribe to the same ritual in theirs.  

But if you’ve never tried making green smoothies on your own, here’s a great way to get started. Join Simple Green Smoothies 30-Day Challenge.  Your body and taste buds will be so happy you did.

In the words of Simple Green Smoothies‘ founders…”Peace, Love and Leafy Greens.”

All photos courtesy of simplegreensmoothies.com

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

This week brought in the Chinese New Year 2013.  The Year of the Snake, specifically the water snake.  Which according to predictions is a year of making all things possible.  

But, the predictions also tell to be cautious.  Delusion and deception are common in the year of the water snake.  Make the most of this year, by using your talents wisely and put saving money and being frugal at the top of your priorities during the reign of the water snake.

A personal journey for me into 2013 has been to live healthier and feel stronger.  So along with dining on our traditional Chinese New Year Long Life Noodles (click here for my recipe), I have added another recipe.  This one was found on the Cooking Channel, Ching-He Huang’s healthy and delicious recipe, Lucky Life Stir Fry.

LUCKY LIFE STIR FRY

Recipe Courtesy Ching-He Huang

12 servings to share

Ingredients

• SAUCE:
• 1 cup cold vegetable stock
• 1 to 2 tablespoons oyster sauce or mushroom sauce
• 1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon clear rice vinegar or cider vinegar
• Pinch salt
• Pinch sugar

• STIR-FRY:
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium red Fresno Chile, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 small carrots, cut into a 2-inch julienne
• 1 red pepper, seeded and cut into a julienne
• 1 yellow pepper, seeded and cut into a julienne
• 1 large handful snow peas
• 2 cups thinly shredded red cabbage
• 1 small handful shredded kale
• 3 large fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large ripe beef tomato, sliced into wedges or sliced tinned water chestnuts
• 1 large handful bean sprouts
• 1 scallion, finely sliced on the angle

Directions

Before cooking, make sure that all vegetables are prepped and ready to go.

For the sauce: In a small jug add the stock, oyster sauce, cornstarch, soy sauce, vinegar, salt and sugar. Mix well.

For the stir-fry: Heat a wok over high heat and as the wok starts to smoke, add the oil. Add the ginger, garlic and chilies, and stir for a second. Add the carrots, peppers and snow peas, then stir-fry for a minute. Toss in the cabbage, kale, mushrooms and tomatoes. Stir-fry for 2 minutes more, adding a splash of water to help the vegetables cook.

Pour the sauce over vegetables in the wok and toss just until the sauce begins to thicken and bubble and becomes glossy. Remove from the heat and toss in the bean sprouts and garnish with scallions. Mix well and serve immediately.

(Lucky Life Stir Fry photo and recipe courtesy of the Cooking Channel and Ching-He Huang)

Wishing you luck in this Year of the Snake…

And may your year be filled with happiness, prosperity, and longevity!

2013 is off to a healthy start.  By executing a nice balance of planning, healthy eating, and fitness.

First, planning.  This coming May, my two sisters and I have made plans to embark on our two-day Grand Canyon hike.  Together we have committed to hiking down to the bottom of the canyon one day, and up the to the top of the canyon the next.  Our upcoming trip has given me great motivation to be fit enough to handle the strenuous hike, and enjoy my sister time as well.

(Photo from SimpleGreenSmoothies.com)

Second, Michael, Max and I took on Simple Green Smoothies 30 Day Challenge, which began January 2nd, and now is a part of our everyday lives. (They have a new one starting on April 1st, check it out by clicking here).  All three of us now start every morning with a fresh green smoothie. It gives me amazing energy and is the way I get Sneaky Greens into my picky eating boys too.

(Photo from GabbyandLaird.com)

Lastly, I have been attending Gabby Reece’s circuit workouts three times a week, and try to go on one hike, with plenty of incline, each week.  I absolutely love Gabby’s classes, and find her generous spirit of sharing her love for health and fitness with Kauai’s locals admirable to say the least.  (Check out Gabby and her husband, Laird Hamilton’s fitness and nutrition site by clicking here.)

I’m excited about how strong I feel, and how my confidence is building daily.  It makes me believe that taking on the Grand Canyon with my sisters is going to be a powerful experience, and an incredible accomplishment to have in my “I did it” jar.

Lift your green smoothie each day…

And say cheers to balance and health!

Last fall Max and I visited our Tennessee girls in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where this photo was taken.

This fall, our family photo will have a much different backdrop, as we extend a warm ALOHA to our arriving VIP’s later this week…my mom, my big sister, Carrie, and Ruby.

Following up last month’s The First Book Club post, I have completed and enjoyed the Fifty Shades Trilogy, and topped it off at a fun and tasty book club meetup with several lovely girls (Mahalo nui loa Kasey, for being an amazing first book club hostess!)

My next book club book, Gone Girl is starting out slow, it’s taking a bit of time to pull me in. Because of this, I have found myself wandering in and out of other books.

Unlike Gone Girl, I really did like the Fifty Shades books from the beginning.  I also credit them for inspiring the fun girl tie dancing, that I and two other cousins took part in last weekend, at Aunty Rylla and Uncle Ben’s fabulous gala.

While book wandering, I picked up a book that my big sister Carrie had given me, and read her sweet handwritten inscription, “Christmas 2001  ~  To my wise sister, Susan Joy.  May you continue to grow in wisdom, love, and peace.  ~  Love, Carrie”.

The book, The Four Agreements, is a short and practical guide for living life optimistically, lovingly, and peacefully.  Simple and potentially life altering.

I am considered by most an optimistic person, and I fully agree.  Applying The Four Agreements in my life helps to keep it that way, even amongst any pessimists encountered.  Here are my personal favorite excerpts of each Agreement…

The First Agreement is to Be Impeccable with Your Word.

The word is not just a sound or a written symbol.  The word is a force; it is the power you have to express and communicate, to think, and thereby to create the events in your life.  The word is the most powerful tool you have as a human; it is the tool of magic. 

But like a sword with two edges, your word can create the most beautiful dream, or your word can destroy everything around you.  One edge is the misuse of the word, which crates a living hell.  The other edge is the impeccability of the word, which will only create beauty, love, and heaven on earth.  Depending upon how it is used, the word can set you free, or it can enslave you even more than you know.  All the magic you possess is based on your word.  Your word is pure magic, and misuse of your word is black magic.

The Second Agreement is Don’t Take Anything Personally. 

Nothing other people do is because of you.  It is because of themselves.  All people live in their own dream, in their own mind; they are in a completely different world from the one we live in.  When we take something personally, we make the assumption that they know what is in our world, and we try to impose our world on their world.

When you take things personally, then you feel offended, and your reaction is to defend your beliefs and create conflicts.  You make something big out of something so little, because you have the need to be right and make everybody else wrong.  You also try hard to be right by giving them your own opinions.  In the same way, whatever you feel and do is just a projection of your own personal dream, a reflection of your own agreements.

The Third Agreement is Don’t Make Assumptions.

We have the tendency to make assumptions about everything.  The problem with making assumptions is that we believe they are the truth.  We could swear they are real.  We make assumptions about what others are doing or thinking ~ we take it personally ~ then we blame them and react by sending emotional poison with our word. 

Whenever we make assumptions, we’re asking for problems.  We make an assumption, we misunderstand, we take it personally, and we end up creating a whole big drama for nothing.

We make the assumption that everyone sees life the way we do.  We assume that others think the way we think, feel the way we feel, judge the way we judge, and abuse the way we abuse.  This is the biggest assumption that humans make.

The Fourth Agreement is about the action of the first three:  Always Do You Best. 

Under any circumstance, always do your best, no more and no less.  But keep in mind that your best is never going to be the same from one moment to the next.  Everything is alive and changing all the time, so your best will sometimes be high quality, and other times it will not be as good.  When you wake up refreshed and energized in the morning, your best will be better than when you are tired at night.  Your best will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick.  Regardless of the quality, keep doing your best. 

The first three agreements will only work if you do your best.  Don’t expect that you will always be able to be impeccable with your word.  Your routine habits are too strong and firmly rooted in your mind.  But you can do your best.  Don’t expect that you will never take anything personally; just do your best.  Don’t expect that you will never make another assumption, but you can certainly do your best. 

By doing your best, the habits of misusing your word, taking things personally, and making assumptions will become weaker and less frequent with time.  You don’t need to judge yourself, feel guilty, or punish yourself if you cannot keep these agreements.  If you’re doing your best, you will feel good about yourself even if you still make assumptions, still take things personally, and still are not impeccable with your word.

If you do your best always, over and over again, you will become a master of transformation.  Practice makes the master.  By doing your best you become the master.

If you’d like a copy of the book, you can find it by clicking here:  The Four Agreements:  A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book).  

Mahalo nui loa (thank you from the heart) sister Carrie, for giving me this wonderful book eleven years ago.  Just as your inscription had hoped, it has aided in my personal growth towards wisdom, love and peace.   

Sister, you truly make a magical difference.  Can’t wait to share Kauai with you soon!

After a year of eating and drinking everything I wanted, without much thought.  My fifty-one year old body was telling me it was time for a change.

Okay, here’s what really happened…

Michael snuck a couple pictures of me taking a shower during our recent camping trip, and my bikini-sporting, flabby body that I saw in that picture, scared me.

My daughter, Jadah and her friend, Jen’s website, Family Sponge had just posted their  7-Day Detox Challange.  I stepped up to the plate.

I was surprised that I breezed through the challenge, even while cooking for the boys all week, and not once partaking in their meals with them.

When the challenge was over last Saturday morning, I found a new appreciation for my freshly clean digestive system.

Now I seem to have a true appreciation for what I am putting into my mouth.  Fresh veggies, and lean proteins taste so much better to me now, really.  And fresh fruit has become my dessert of choice.

Now I am on a mission to tone up the flab.  And happy that my flab is a little less since completing the detox challenge.  Almost a week later, I am a solid four pounds lighter, but more importantly, I love my new healthy eating habit.

I find eating healthy super easy, by preparing healthy, satisfying dishes ahead, that keep really great in the fridge.  So when I’m hungry, I always have something satisfying to go for.

Here are my new top two favorite, super easy and healthy recipes, that keep me away from the not-so-healthy fare, and are satisfying staples in my fridge:

Black Bean and Corn Quinoa

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 ½ cup chicken broth or stock
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground Cheyenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup of frozen or canned corn kernels
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

• Soak quinoa in water.
• In the meantime, heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan.
• Stir in onion and garlic, and sauté until lightly golden brown.
• Drain water out of quinoa, then add quinoa, chicken broth, and spices  into the saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat.  Stir in drained black beans, corn, and cilantro.

Enjoy hot, room temperature, or cold.

Shrimp Ceviche

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of raw shrimp *
• 5 fresh limes
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 medium size, ripe tomatoes
• ½ medium size purple onion
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• ½ cup fresh cilantro (approximately ¼ bunch)

*  If you do not eat shellfish, you may substitute any firm white fish for the shrimp.

Directions:

• Clean and shell shrimp, then cut into small bite-size chunks.  Add to a medium bowl.
• Squeeze limes, and then add the lime juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper to shrimp.
• Remove seeds from jalapeno, and chop fine.  Chop tomatoes, onion and cilantro.  Add to bowl, and stir gently until well mixed.
• Refrigerate overnight and enjoy.

Enjoy it alone, with healthy chips or crackers, or over lettuce with a little of the juice for a super easy salad.

So here’s to the next time Michael sneaks a picture of me in my swimwear, may it not scare me…

And may everyone enjoy a healthy and happy summer!

Just as I find myself preparing to explain to my youngest child how babies are made, it seems I may also have to explain to him what hot flashes are, and why mommy is having them right now.

When I was raising my first three children, I was the “young mom”. Now that I am raising my eight-year-old baby, I am now the “old mom”.

That being said, I do not feel like an “old mom”.  But, admittedly, there are a few of Max’s friends’ moms that are the same ages as my first three children, and some have little ones that are my granddaughters’ ages or younger.

I find comfort in knowing that I am not the sole “old mom”. There are many moms out there my age with young children.  Some are even just like me, with grown children, grandchildren and a new batch of young children.

At Max’s sporting and school events, it is not unusual to find myself sitting between moms that are pregnant and fellow hot-flashers.

I feel young, and whatever biology my body is supposed go through, it’s going through it.  In some ways going through it with an eight-year-old son at home, makes it somehow more humorous to deal with.

After the lights go out, Michael and I’s bed now has two distinct sides.  We’ve always slept on our individual sides, but now Michael’s side is under full cover all night, and mine, well, it has multiple personalities throughout the night.  Ever changing from full cover, to just the sheet, to no cover.

Michael sweetly refers to me as his “Little Ember”.  Such a great little nickname for me as I go through this hot flash time of my life.

Hot flashes are mostly caused by the hormonal changes of menopause.  When a diminished level of estrogen directly affects the hypothalamus, the part of the brain responsible for controlling our appetite, sleep cycles, sex hormones, and body temperature.

Somehow (they really don’t know how), the drop in estrogen confuses the hypothalamus, often referred to as the body’s “thermostat” and makes it read “too hot”.

The brain responds to our thermostat read by alerting our heart, blood vessels, and nervous system to “Cool me down!”  The message is delivered instantly, and your heart pumps faster, the blood vessels in your skin dilate to circulate more blood to radiate off the heat, and your sweat glands release sweat to cool you off.

This is the same heat-releasing mechanism that keeps you from overheating in hot weather, or when exercising.

But when a drop in estrogen triggers this process instead, your brain’s confused response can get uncomfortable. Like having a hot flash in the middle of a conversation in an air-conditioned room, or in the middle of a sound sleep.

Eighty-five percent of the women in the United States experience hot flashes of some kind as they approach menopause.  The good news is, as time goes on, the intensity of our hot flashes decreases.

Here are some hot flash survival tips:

• Sip on ice water
• Sleep on cotton sheets
• Dress in layers of cotton clothing
• Take a cool shower or bath before bed
• When a hot flash hits stick your head and/or hands in a freezer
• Lower the thermostat, stay near a fan, or personally fan yourself

Exercise can help hot flashes.  Increasing your level of physical activity can reduce hot flashes and have a positive impact on just about every other symptom attributed to menopause including:

• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Mood swings
• Loss of libido
• Eroded self-image
• Elevated cholesterol levels
• Heart, bone, and muscle health

You may wish to avoid these known hot flash triggers:

• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Diet pills
• Saunas
• Hot tubs
• Hot showers
• Hot weather
• Spicy foods
• Hot foods
• Smoking
• Stress

Trying the following techniques may lessen stress, one of the factors that contribute to hot flashes:

• Listening to soft music
• Relaxation exercises
• Breathing exercises
• Visualization
• Meditation
• Massage
• Yoga

Several hot flashes flushed through my body as I wrote this blog.   As I feel the heat, I find myself thinking this cool thought on hot flashes…

Having the knowledge that hot flashes are yet another passing phase in our ever-changing bodies, and that the experience of them is a reminder of the amazing life we get to live as women, makes the heat just a little cooler.

If you have ever visited the Jonah’s in Hawaii, you know that we ALWAYS have ice cream in our freezer.

For the past two months, there is no longer ice cream in our freezer.  NEVER, did I ever imagine we would be okay with that.  But all three of us are, and a little healthier because of it.

We were not looking to replace ice cream, We LOVE ice cream!  We could have been the poster family for ice cream.

Here’s how the unimaginable happened…

Not too long ago, we were in Hanalei picking up our carne asada taco order from Pat’s Taqueria, when Max asked if he could have an Acai Bowl from another nearby food truck.  Apparently he had one with his friend, Nainoa, there one day after a surfing playdate.  We watched him scarf down his bowl of purple stuff with bananas on top.  Then, whenever we were out, he would ask for an Acai Bowl.

I thought I better know what it was my young son had become so fond of, and here’s what I found…

Acai (pronounced, ah-sigh-ee) is a very special small purple berry from the Amazon (the rainforest, not the website).  A Brazilian palm fruit that is also a powerful little super food.  Brazilians have been eating a dish made purely of the berry’s pulp for centuries.

This little purple berry is packed full of antioxidants, omega-3s and amino acids.  These little guys outrank nearly any other super fruit on the planet; including pomegranates, blueberries and goji berries.

These beautifully hued sweet treats combat free radicals and are known to promote a healthy heart and healthy weight, along with slowing the body’s aging process.

They have become the base for the healthy and deliciously fresh Acai Bowl…no wonder all of us are hooked, and it has now replaced ice cream, as our staple dessert.

For ease of making your own at home, look at your local natural food stores for small frozen packs of pure Acai Berry pulp.

Whipping up your own a tasty and healthy Acai Bowl at home is quick and easy.  Here is how I make our Acai Bowls:

Easy Acai Bowl Recipe

Smoothie Ingredients:

• 1 Frozen pack of pure Acai Berry pulp
• 1 Cup of frozen berries
• 1 Banana
• Pure fruit juice, soymilk, or water.  Just enough to blend, but not so much to make it runny. Start with a very small amount and go from there. *

Topping Ingredients:

• 1 Banana, sliced
• Granola
• Honey
• Fresh berries
• Dried coconut

Blend together smoothie ingredients until thick and smooth and pour into a bowl.  (* Just add more liquid to make a healthy acai smoothie).

Then top it with your favorite topping ingredients for texture.  You can be creative with your toppings.

Max likes just bananas with a drizzle of honey (like in the first pic above).  Michael likes his with just granola.  And me, I like the works, of course.

I must admit, I am feeling a little guilty about replacing our old friend, ice cream.  So I wrote this letter, and I do feel  a little better…

Dear Ice Cream,

Please know that we still love and appreciate you and all of your creamy deliciousness.  We hope that you are not too jealous that Acai Bowls have taken your place for our home treat.  We promise to still visit you from time-to-time. 

With Love and Aloha,

The Jonah’s…Joy, Michael & Max

Of my Buddha collection, this antique stone Buddha is one of my favorites.  I call it our Welcome Buddha.  It is from China’s Jing Sze Temple and is from the 18th century.

Focus brings clarity…

And clarity brings peace of mind.

This lovely written piece shares simple ways to find focus, and me thinks it is a wonderful thing to share with you.

Three Little Habits to Find Focus

*  Did you know struggling to fit into clothes that are too small can actually make you look larger?

As if that was not enough, here’s another reason not to struggle to fit into clothes that are too small…

Might I suggest you do not attempt to recreate the following event…

During a recent bit of shopping therapy, I walked into this sweet little store, selected a few garments, that appeared they might look good, and perhaps fit me.

As usual, I proceeded to try them on.  I pulled one of the garments, a long sundress, over my head, it was not going over my chest.  So, I began struggling with it.  I pulled and tugged, and pulled and tugged, until I popped into it.  Only to find it fit more than uncomfortably tight around my chest…DUH?

Realizing this wasn’t going on the buy side of selections, I tried to reverse the motion to get out of it.  NOPE!

After what seemed like at eternity of frustrating attempts to pull it back over my chest, or down over my hips, it seemed to be stuck in the middle of me.

I was now sweating from struggling to get out of this dress, and laughing at myself trying to get out of this dress.

I laughed, I breathed, I mustered up as much strength as I could, and pulled with all my might, and…nothing.

I was obviously trapped in this dress and was going to have to walk out in this super tight fitting dress, and tell them I love it so much, that I want to wear it home.

Just as I was about to give in to wearing it home, I heard the store announcement that it was closing in five minutes and please make your final selections and bring them to the register.

I thought I’d give it one last try, and YES!  It came over my chest, and popped out the other side of my chest like a popped pimple.  Free at last, free at last, free at last!

Not sure what made it give on that last try?

Maybe I had stretched the fabric?  Maybe I had lost a bit of water weight from all the sweating? Maybe the sweat made a sort of lubricant?

One thing is sure, (with my right hand raised) “I promise to never try to struggle to fit into another piece of clothing as long as I live”.

And to think…

It only took me 51 years to learn that.

*   Photo above from She Knows’ Beauty & Style