Cherry Blossom Photos @ Peak Bloom
Happy Spring! (or Autumn for my readers down unda’ and thereabouts).
I want to talk to you today about “Peak Bloom” – what is it? And why should you care?
Here are a couple of the pics I recently posted on my Instagram (SimplyCari).
They’re from the Cherry Blossom Festival, on the day designated as “peak bloom”.
I love this huge MLK Memorial. It’s especially stunning when the blossoms are at peak!
Peak Bloom is defined as the point that 70% of the blossoms are open.
Not 90%, not 100%.
Only 70%…and as you can see these trees look exquisite!
Because 70% can be good.
I’m not one to tell you to lower your standards, or your expectations.
And as a Certified High Performance Coach I’d never tell you to stop striving for progress.
But I will remind you of two phrases I have to remind myself of often:
Progress over Perfection
and
Done is better than perfect.
This is where 70% can come in helpful.
Not everything needs to be perfect, or even 90%.
I know, I know it goes against the old saying: “a job worth doing is worth doing right.”
But let’s be real, some jobs really are worth doing at 70%.
Going in at 70% helps you overcome perfectionism, over-thinking, indecision, self doubt, and procrastination.
Because simply being in action brings clarity, which brings creativity, energy, momentum and growth.
Think of something you’ve been putting off for far too long – I’ll wait…got it?
Now give yourself permission to do it 70%. Remembering, done is better than perfect.
That allows you to just get started on it without worrying about the end result.
Peak Bloom for the Cherry Blossoms isn’t 100%, it’s beauty at 70%.
What’s your Peak Bloom?
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can”.
Arthur Ashe
Have a fabulous weekend~
PS: I normally post my fun photos on my Instagram – including a lot of Washington, DC this past year -whee! I’d love it if you follow me there, and I’ll also try to remember to add more fun “sightseeing” pics to my emails, since that’s been requested by many of you!
Drink Up for St. Paddy’s Day! [Green Drink that is]
Top O’the Mornin’ To Ya!
So last week I was sucking down a Green Smoothie (as usual) while on my mastermind Zoom call.
When one of the gals on the call sends me a private chat message that asks:
What’s in your Green Drink?
Since I was trying to be attentive to the class, I just quickly replied: Spinach & Banana
Truth is…some days it’s much more than that, and some days that all I want or need in in it.
But since I often get asked that question…and, since it’s St. Patrick’s Day (oh, I love my Irish ancestors!)
I think a Green Smoothie is the perfect way to Celebrate this holiday…
or any holiday…
or any day at all.
For many years I’ve been drinking a green smoothie every day. Have there been times I got lazy and fell off the wagon for a month or so? Yes, – and those times I just never feel as good, vibrant, or mentally clear. I can definitely feel a difference in my overall well-being from this one powerful daily habit!
Green Smoothies get more greens in your body than you’d normally eat if you were chewing all that food. So all that goodness takes up a lot of room in your gut and provides fiber, nutrients, vitamins, and yes, protein.
Adding in all the right ingredients, green smoothies can help with weight loss, increased energy, mental clarity, better digestion, improved immunity, improved skin, less cravings, and have been found to reduce many common health complaints.
A few years ago, one of my friends thought it was a great idea to start having a daily green smoothie, so she jumped right in. And after a week, she called me saying, “I don’t know how you do this. I’m literally standing over the sink gagging every morning to get these smoothies down.”
After asking her a few questions I knew exactly what the problem was. Too bitter, too thick, too chunky – too much pressure to swig it down and not waste it! Ugh, that’s miserable…drinking a daily smoothie should be joyful!
So here are my 8 helpful tips I shared with her, and maybe something here is helpful for you too:
1. It shouldn’t be chunky! Ugh. Keep blending, a bit longer!
If you have a great blender – Blendtec, VitaMix (I have years of experience with both) you still need to whip it and whip it good (oh man, I just had a flashback of a dance team performance from my college days).
My point is, even with the expensive blenders, you still need to let it blend long enough to get the chunks out.
And you don’t have to have one of those expensive blenders. We just recently got a little Ninja ($69.) and we love it! Oh my gosh, it blends really well and is fast and easy! It’s what I use every day now.
2. Unless you love the taste of bitter greens, don’t use too much of swiss chard, arugula, chicory, kale etc. Yes, those are all super healthy for you, so FOR SURE use some. But I’ve found I won’t make and drink smoothies consistently if I don’t love the taste.
I use a lot of spinach (it’s mildest), then add in a little of other greens – depending on what I have: beet greens, chard, any left over greens – throw them in…just not so much that the bitterness overpowers the taste.
3. Keep your greens in the freezer. That way you’re not wasting money on greens that have gone bad and you end up throwing out. And it’s so easy to grab handfuls of the frozen greens to put in your blender. And no, you can’t use those in a salad, but the frozen greens are handy-dandy to add to soups, pasta dishes, etc.
4. Smoothies are great with plain WATER. Yep, that’s all I ever use for my liquid. I know many people use nut milk or juice but for me that’s not necessary, I don’t want to add extra, unneeded calories by adding those. And…be sure to add enough water so it’s not super thick -ugh that was my friend’s problem, and yes that’s hard to drink down. I like my smoothies on the thinner side, do what you prefer but don’t be afraid to water it down a bit.
AND…speaking of liquid, I usually squeeze 1/2 lemon in mine as well.
5. A little squirt of liquid Stevia can make a big difference, that’s what I use, but if you don’t want to use Stevia, go to tip #6….
6. A great natural sweetener is dates. Ahh, my love for dates knows no bounds! If you like a little sweetness in your green smoothies throw in a date or two (make sure the pit is out!). Deglet dates are firmer than Medjool dates, so if you use deglet just be prepared for some little chewy nuggets at the bottom of your glass – it’s a delightful treat when you get to the end of your smoothie.
Pro tip: I keep some medjool dates in my fridge…if I ever just need “a little something sweet”, one of those is the perfect snack. It’s like eating a little piece of caramel *wink*
7. Frozen fruit adds flavor, variety, nutrition, AND a bonus I’ve found is, those frozen berries, etc. spinning around in the blender, really help to smooth out any remaining chunks of green, so I usually throw a little in. Personally, I’m not one who needs/likes lots of other frozen fruits in my smoothie because I’d rather eat fruits in their whole form during the day, instead of all blended up in my smoothie where I can’t really taste their deliciousness anyway. But yes, I usually do add 1/2-1 cup of frozen fruit. (Except pineapple – it can have a “stringy-ness” that’s weird for me.)
A few ice cubes kicking around in your blender will do the same – help break up the green pieces.
8. It’s ok to make earlier and keep in fridge until you’re ready to drink it. I’ve heard people say you must blend and drink your smoothie as FRESH as possible. Umm…ok, but that makes it tough for anyone who has…you know…a life.
Dean the Dream makes a big blender full every evening, and puts in his glass jars in the fridge to take to work with him the following day. If I know my morning will be busy I also make mine the night before. I personally don’t think they taste as great longer than 36 hours after blending, but if I know I’ll be drinking it within a day, I don’t mind making it ahead.
(And we are both a little picky about exactly how we like our own smoothies…so we each like to make our own separately. And that’s how we’ve stayed married 40+ years, hahaha!)
9. BONUS tip: Anytime you have fruits/veggies that are still good, but not for long, put them in the freezer now and use them in an upcoming smoothie. This is a great way to use up those grapes, bananas, celery, spring mix…anything! Anything that, if not eaten, you’d end up throwing out in another day or two, unless…you save it by putting in a baggie in the freezer. Those items will add variety to your smoothies and make you feel warm and fuzzy because you didn’t waste it that food, you still got good use out of it. You’re welcome!
These are some things that I’ve discovered over the years work for me, but a lot is personal preference -you do you!
I’d love to hear what smoothies tips you’ve discovered and love. Really…let me know! Also, I’ve had a few requests to shoot a video showing how I quickly make my smoothies, so if you want me to do that, reply to this email and let me know.
And really, make sure you eat (or drink) something HEALTHY and GREEN today!
As the Irish saying goes….May the wind always be at your back,
Much Love,
Indecision Steals Time, Don’t be a Squirrel!
Today I’m on day 22 of my 26-day Detox. My body is happy, my head is clear….in fact, my head is buzzing with ideas! Gosh, it’s amazing how much space gets freed up in my noggin’ when I eat super clean, add tons of greens, and skip the salt and sugar for a few weeks!
I especially love that when my body is clean, I find it much easier to make decisions!
“Decisions.
We can think about things,
turn them over in our minds a million times,
play out possible scenarios,
but really when it comes down to it,
you have to go with your heart and move forward.
Maybe things will go well.
Maybe they’ll turn out poorly.
Every decision brings with it
some good, some bad, some lessons, and some luck.
The only thing that’s for sure is that indecision
steals many years from many people who wind up
wishing they’d just had the courage to leap.”
I didn’t write that, it’s a quote from author Doe Zantamata and I wanted to share it with you because I love the truths in it.
Every decision brings good and bad, or like I always say, “Every road has rocks in it.”
Just because you find your road rocky, doesn’t necessarily mean it was the wrong decision, just that rocks are on any road you would have chosen. Every decision has some lessons and some luck.
It’s a New Year, a new start for you. This is the year you get to leap! What is YOUR leap?
What’s that decision you’ve been sitting on, waiting for the right time?
What’s your next best step today toward that leap big or small?
We all know when you fail to make a decision…that IS your decision. To stay put or to stay stuck in the indecision. Like the quote says, “Indecision steals many years from many people.” Don’t let it steal from you.
Get the info, weigh your options, be still and listen, and go forward in faith.
In the words of Nelson Mandela, “May your choices reflect your hopes not your fears.”
Because, when it really comes down to it, you have to go with your heart and move forward.
Much love,
Carolyn
PS – If you want to clear brain fog, lose weight, and be obnoxiously excited about it (like my first paragraph-haha!) Go here to watch a short video about the DETOX I love enough to do twice a year. (I’m very picky what I’ll promote, and yes I’m an affiliate for this program.)
This has never happened to me before…
So this is how it feels, eh?
In all my life I have NEVER been ready for Christmas a full 10 days ahead!
I mean, this is highly unusual…and I love it!
Many of my gifts needed to be mailed, so I had a deadline to get them sent so they’ll arrive in time for Christmas.
You see, because Dean the dream and I moved across the country earlier this year, we are celebrating Christmas by ourselves for the first time ever. Even before we had babies, we were either with his family or my family, never all on our own.
But don’t feel bad for us, we’re really looking forward to it! This has been a year of new adventures, so it’s all good.
We have so many fun activities planned, including late night Christmas Eve Mass at the Washington National Cathedral (we had to enter a lottery to even get tickets and we manifested it!). This will be another new experience for us!
And of course on Christmas day we’re having a family Zoom call (we’ve been having regular family zooms long before Covid). So, with our activities, our family on zoom, etc. we’ll be alone, but not lonely.
I was just in California visiting my son Sinjin, his darling wife Rochelle (for those who knew her leukemia story last year, update: she’s doing well- thank you for the prayers!) and my two adorable granddaughters. Nothing beats a few days of playing with play-doh and slime, and having deep conversations with a 5 year old and a 3 year old.
On the way home from Cali I stopped in Utah for a week to see my two kids there. They’re doing great, we had a fun week, and I enjoyed that southern Utah warm weather!
And get this…on my travels, I even met my other son in the Phoenix airport on Thanksgiving day for just long enough for a hug and a photo. He was flying from SLC to San Diego, and I was flying from DC to Ontario, Calif. We knew we’d be in the airport about the same time and it just so happened our gates were close, that was awesome!
So, I’ve seen all my kids very recently except my “diplo-daughter” in India – that wasn’t on my route this time. But we talk often even with the wacky time zones.
Wow, I hope this email isn’t sounding like an overly long family holiday newsletter, lol. My point is…
It feels SO great to be prepared, to meet a deadline and be ready early!
I hope with the holidays you’re also feeling that way now…or very soon!
Have a wonderful week of shopping, baking, wrapping, giving and whatever else is on your list.
And also remember to add in a little RELAXING!
Much Love,
Carolyn