Recharged by Starting Right
picture from occn.com
What do you do in the morning that gets you going? Do you feel refreshed when you wake up? Are you able to get your day started pretty quickly? Or are you tired? Does it take you awhile to get out of bed or for your eyes to open? How many times do you really hit snooze??
Whether you are a morning person, or a night person, you had to have figured something out by now that has become your “routine”. There is usually something that can get us pumped up and ready for the day. There is probably something about our routine that you can change to maximize our time or maximize our energy in the morning. It is just about making that routine, or finding out what works. What’s your one thing? Is it coffee? Music? Reading? Exercise? Have you found that one thing that gives you energy so you can maximize your day?
Science says your willpower and energy is strongest in the morning, so you need to give it your best go and put your best food and best attitude forward right when you start your day. Start loving the morning. At least love something you do in the morning. Try to wake up the same time every day so you can stick to your routine. And enjoy it. Give the day your best shot by starting it off right. Here are some ideas you can add or change to your routine.
- Wake up a little bit earlier to get things done
- Read
- Devotions
- Pray
- Listen to Music
- Exercise (sleep in your exercise clothes if needed)
- Stretch
- Sing
- Dress for Success
- Have your clothes picked out beforehand
- Don’t check social media
- Have a plan for breakfast, or have it already prepared
- ALWAYS EAT
“Shotbox” a MUST HAVE Creative Invention
The girls and I had an opportunity to go to a “Bloggers Convention” last February and one of the most innovative and creative items we saw at the conference was the SHOTBOX. We were intrigued by the design and impressed with the amazing features and most importantly we knew this would be something that would improve our blogging experience significantly.
What is a SHOTBOX, you may be asking?
“Shotbox is a table top light studio. A fully contained, tabletop, collapsible, portable, lightweight photo light studio. Perfect for objects, photos and documents. The SHOTBOX is a Collapsible Tabletop Studio that uses high powered LEDs to create a perfectly lit “micro-studio” environment to get great images with any camera, including smart devices.” This is a fantastic invention that will allow bloggers like us, the Growing Weisser girls, to improve the quality of the photographs that we post on our blog without investing in a costly supplies to make a home light studio. The Shotbox is compact, collapsible and stores easily when not being used. Here is a picture of the Shotbox and some examples of the beautiful pictures that can be taken with an iPhone or DSLR camera with the Shotbox. The Shotbox company has a Kickstart campaign going on right now so if you are interested in supporting this amazing invention and want to give the design team a big boost of confidence as they get their new product manufactured and ready for market (expecting the first shipment in October) go to their kickstart campaign page by clicking this link:shotbox. They have 31 days to go in their kickstart campaign and so far have $31,134 pledged with a goal of $50,00. So join the movement and support this amazing company. Click here to check out their kickstart …
Baklava-a Traditional Mediterranean Sweet Treat
Baklava has always been a food full of memories for me. Growing up in a family that loved to cook foods from different cultures, in addition to marrying into an Armenian family , I have had a passion for Mediterranean food for years. My fondest memory of Baklava is from my college years when some girl friends and I spent our spring break in Greece. We loved every minute of our time in Greece and although it was the Europe on $5 a day era….we found ourselves a bit short on money the last three days of our trip. Knowing we needed to save enough money for our ferry boat ride back to Italy where we were living and studying, we decided the best use of the remainder of our money would be to skip conventional restaurant meals and survive for our last three days in Greece on Baklava. What a GREAT decision that was. This weekend we had our reunion with the folks we had the privilege of traveling with through Turkey and Greece a few months ago. I decided to bring Baklava for us to all enjoy since it had been one of our group’s favorite treats on our trip. Years ago, my husband’s Nana taught me how to make her Armenian version of Baklava and I have tried various other recipes over the years, but I decided to go back to our roots make my favorite Baklava Recipe…….and I will share it here with you……
Ingredients
1 (16 oz) package Phyllo dough, thawed according to package instructions
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 pound (4 cups) walnuts finely chopped (for a more authentic Turkish version, use pistachios)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ cup sugar
1 cup honey
3 Tablespoons lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
¾ cup water…
RECHARGED by Time Out
Ok, Ok before you start thinking, “What is this post about? Time outs?” Don’t worry. I’m talking time out–out of the house/Moms Night Out/Girls Night Out/Boys Night out.
Nights out are a way to connect with others. To talk and share ups and downs from the week. A chance to listen to someone who needs to be heard. An opportunity to make memories – and yes, blast those fun, happy pictures all over your social media.
No matter what your station in life, a night out is a time to recharge!!
Here’s a few ideas to get recharged by a night out.
(As always, check Groupon, Living Social, and more for coupons and discounts on fun events/fitness classes and more in your area).
Indoor rock climbing – My local climbing gym has a once a week ladies night for $5!
Trampoline park – jump jump jump to recharge and laugh a lot.
A new fitness class – most fitness classes are free your first time and sweating with friends is a great way to recharge.
Try a new restaurant – Ask your friends for a recommendation and try something you wouldn’t normally off the menu.
Go bowling – bowling is a fun way to have an activity that still allows you to talk and visit.
Drive around at night and find a place to sit and look at the stars – I know sometimes I get so caught up in life I forget to look at the beauty all around me.
Get pampered at a salon – I went to a moms night out last night at a salon for snacks, drinks, and blowouts. We even got a makeup lesson. It was so fun and a really relaxing way to talk and spend time with old and new friends.…
Read MoreRecharged by Keeping Track of your Life with a Planner
Planning, scheduling, arranging, coordinating, and remembering… It is our life. It is in our nature. It is what we do. One thing we all usually struggle with is… TIME MANAGEMENT. How can we fit it all in? How can we fill up our busy schedule even more?
With everything going digital, the art of keeping a written planner is becoming a lost art. But I find it still very useful. I love to write things down. I love to take notes. I love to keep track of my days. Yes ICal and Google Calendar are very helpful to keep track of big dates, trips, and events and share them with other people. But when it comes to the details, I keep a pen and notebook in hand.
Some tips for Organizing your Planner:
- APPEARANCE: Pick out a planner with a cover you like, if the cover is plain, add some pictures, stickers, or decorations
- LOCATION: Keep the planner out where you can see it each morning, where you eat breakfast or have your morning quiet time
- PREPARED: keep a pen or pencil handy
- COLOR CODED: use different colors for different categories, types of events, or different kids activities if you have multiple kids
- SPECIAL DATES: Write birthdays/anniversaries on the month section and the day section
- LEFT SIDE: Write down the schedule and times of appts on the left
- RIGHT SIDE: Write a list of to do’s on the right for your daily to do list
- DAILY TO DO LIST: If it isn’t finished on the specific day, add it to the next days to do list
- EXTRA LISTS: Put big grocery lists or party details on a separate notes page or a post it note you can stick on the page
- ADD LATER: If something wasn’t planned and comes
Nutritious Nachos-RECHARGED with summer veggies
When our girls were young, nachos were a favorite go-to meal along with quesadillas. These NUTRITIOUS and DELICIOUS nachos are covered with vegetable goodness, made on home baked tortilla chips and are an easy complete summer meal. Whip up a batch the next time you have a group over or just enjoy on a Sunday afternoon while watching a ballgame. If you have the time to grill your corn and let it cool a bit before you make this recipe it has a wonderful added bbq flavor but fresh cut off the cob works as well.
Ingredients
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
1 red onion chopped (1 cup)
3 cloves garlic minced
2 cups chopped zucchini
1 red pepper chopped
1-2 cups fresh corn (you can bbq first for added roasted flavor)
1 jalepeno pepper thinly sliced
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1½ teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoon sea salt
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
½ pound ground turkey (optional if you want vegetarian version)
8-10 corn tortillas
½ cup grated Mexican cheese blend (cheddar and Monterey jack or colby jack)
½ cup queso fresco crumbled
1 avocado diced
1-2 tomatoes chopped
⅓ cup cilantro chopped
1 lime cut into wedges
Brown ground turkey seasoned with 1 teaspoon each cumin, chili powder and salt in skillet until completely cooked. Set aside
Saute onion and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add zucchini, corn, red pepper, jalepeno, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon chili powder and 1 teaspoon salt and cook 5 more minutes. Add black bean and stir until heated through. Turn off heat and let cool.
Cut corn tortillas into quarters and spread out in a 15×10 inch jelly roll pan that has been coated with olive oil spray. Spray tops of tortillas with olive oil …
RECHARGE By Doing Something New
I am a creature of habit and routine. I could easily eat the same foods and do the same things every day and not really think about it. I like structure.
Sometimes that’s a good thing. It’s how I get out of the house every day. It’s why (I think) my kids are good at bedtime. Routine. Structure.
But here’s the bad thing: when you always do the same things you miss out on adventure, excitement, and the challenge that comes with getting out of your routine and out of your comfort zone.
Who will you meet? How will you grow? Who can you become?
Each new experience is a change to answer those questions. Yes, we will fail, but we will also learn!
So, go out and do something new. Your life is waiting for you.
…
What Recharges YOU?
One of my favorite things about summer is having time to read! I love books and I love setting aside time each day to read. It is not as though I don’t read during the other seasons but there is something very special to me about summer reading…it might be the opportunity to read for pure pleasure or maybe it’s the memories that come to mind as I sit for an hour in the afternoon sun and read a novel. I love to listen to audio books, podcasts and learn about the lives of interesting people. We just spent hours in the car last week listening to a dramatic presentation of the life of C.S. Lewis during the war, then we listened to the unabridged audiobooks of Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters. My mind was challenged to think outside the box and was filled with mind boggling questions. I am RECHARGED by having my mind opened up to new ways of thinking and discovering concepts about life and eternity. C. S. Lewis was a brilliant thinker, philosopher and a strong enthusiast for the cause of Christ. He was creative and innovative and every book I have ever read that he authored has shaped my life in a positive way.
Right now I am reading a book called Gripped by the Greatness of God by James MacDonald.
This week I read and reread a passage in the bible from Isaiah 55:1-13 that the author used to impress upon his readers that a good way to insure finishing strong in one’s life is to look for and follow people who are passionately acknowledging the greatness of God. Those people find a complete satisfaction in following God and they believe in the absolute truth of the bible that produces confidence, teaches …
Happy Amazon Prime Day!
Have you heard about AMAZON PRIME DAY?
It’s “Christmas in July” with more deals than Black Friday!!
Don’t have an Amazon Prime account? Don’t worry! You can sign up here or try a 30 day trial!
Here are a few of our Weisser Wisdom recommendations 🙂
The deals only last today, so you better get shopping!
1. FitBit Charge HR – Available in Black and Plum
Purchase TODAY and receive a $25 Amazon gift card!
2. Save an additional 25% on Graco, Britax, and MORE baby brands! Discount applied in cart.
Grace Pack ‘n Play On the Go Travel Placard
3. Bikes and Scooters
Razor Lil’ Kick Scooter – Available in Blue or Pink
Frozen Bike $64.99 from the original price of $99.99
4. Lawn Games
Some of our favorites are Spikeball 
A few others: KanJam, Washer Toss, Flimsee Frisbee Game
Elsa & Anna
6. PACK-iT — You know how much we love those from our Wellness Wisdom Campaign! There are so many different sizes and shapes! Here are just a few…
Happy Shopping!
The Weisser Women…
Read MoreMoshu Chicken
When I was growing up, my mom loved to have theme dinners. One of our favorite international themed dinners was Chinese food and we LOVED it when she made Moshu Chicken. I continued the tradition of theme dinners with our girls and they have enjoyed learning how to cook foods from all different cultures as well. Here is a healthy rendition of Moshu chicken and tonight we recharged the classic recipe by using firm tofu in place of the chicken and whole wheat low carb tortillas for the wrap.
Ingredients
2 cups shredded Chinese napa cabbage
1 cup gated carrots
6 green onions sliced thin ( I used red onion)
1 cup bean sprouts
1 can bamboo shoots sliced thin
1 zucchini sliced in thin matchsticks
1 can water chestnuts sliced in thin matchsticks
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
3 Tablespoons sesame oil
1 Tablespoon sugar or honey
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tablespoons oil
2 cloves garlic
6 eggs beaten
1 package rice pancakes (enroll wrappers) or flour tortillas
1 jar Hoisin sauce
Slice chicken into thin strips. Stir fry chicken in 2 Tablespoons oil with 2 cloves garlic crushed until chicken pieces are cooked through. Remove chicken from wok or pan and put into medium sized bowl. Add 2 Tablespoons Hoisin sauce to the chicken and stir and set aside. Stir fry vegetables in sesame oil, soy, and sugar until crisp tender. Add the chicken and stir together. Scramble the 6 eggs and cook until soft. Add to the chicken and vegetable mixture. To serve, warm the egg pancakes or tortillas and place one spoonful of Hoisin sauce down the center. Spoon a generous portion of the chicken, vegetable, egg mixture down the center, sprinkle with some sliced green onion and roll up like a burrito. when our …
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