3 tips for a healthy and yummy breakfast!

During the stress management courses, I always mention the importance of having a strong buffer. If you take good care of yourself, you’re less prone to stress. One way to do this, is to eat well. If you subscribed to ‘Defeat your stress in 10 days’ you might remember tip 3: “Eat well and keep the stress down”. (If you haven’t it’s not too late: you can do it here.)
Often people say: I don’t have the time to have a healthy breakfast.
Excuse me, I disagree and… to prove that to you, I’ll give you 3 recipes I use myself. And they can all be prepared in less than 4 minutes!

1. Granola, yoghurt and fruit

Granola

Nothing smells and tastes like home made granola… It’s very easy to make. My recipe takes 5 minutes to mix and 15 minutes in the oven. That’s it. And the fact that your house smells lovely afterwards is a total bonus!

What do you see on the picture?
– 4 table spoons of granola
– 1 portion of yoghurt (I take soy yoghurt but you can take whatever you want)
– Fruit (in this case I took fresh raspberries but it can equally be a banana , an apple, a pear, …)

So how long does that take to prepare? 1 to 2 minutes, depending on if you need to cut up some fruit or not…

There are many recipes on the Internet to make your own granola. You can find the one I use here. I like it that there are no rules, you make your own variation depending on what you like: you always have a choice! One remark: I only bake it for 15 min. at 175°C

Other sources: Deliciously EllaUit Pauline’s keuken

2. Green smoothies

greensmoothie

I’ve been drinking green juice for years. Green smoothies are not called this way because of their colour, but because they consist of fruit and leafy greens (spinach, salad, …). When I tell this to people, they look at me in disgust… Spinach? In a smoothie?
Yes, and actually, spinach is an excellent choice: if you add this to a banana, some strawberries etc… I promise you, you won’t taste the spinach AT ALL! This is not the case for all leafy greens so… for ‘beginners’ certain recipes are better than others…
And it ticks all the boxes:
– It’s quick: it usually takes me 2 minutes to make and 1 minute to clean the blender (also interesting…)
– healthy (you might even reach your 5 portions of fruits and vegetables in one go…) and… by adding some vegetables to your fruit, you decrease the sugar intake.
– And it’s yummy!

My usual combo?

– Spinach or lamb’s lettuce (both rather neutral)
– Half a cucumber
– Some celery (if you like it, you do taste it a bit)
– A banana (sometimes frozen – ideal solution when you have too many bananas that are getting too ripe… They also make the smoothie nice and creamy)
– A pear
– Some (frozen) raspberries
– (if necessary some water)

This is a ‘common’ one but it might depend on the season or what’s in the fridge…

You can also add lots of different ingredients and ‘superfoods’: chia seeds, nut butters, protein powders, whatever you like…

For inspiration I can recommend the following sites:
Kris Carr: She has a digital recipe book with green juices and smoothies but there are also free recepties on the site
Simple Green Smoothies: a couple of times a year they have a free challenge and they send you 31 recipes…
Deliciously Ella
Julie’s lifestyle (both in English and Dutch!)

3. Oatmeal

Oatmeal

Another favourite of mine. It’s quick (my version takes 3,5 minutes), it’s healthy (reduces risk of colon cancer, good for decreasing cholesterol, risk of high blood pressure and risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease) and it’s yummy because of the frozen raspberries I add…
But my main reason for eating it is it keeps me full for a long time (which is very important when you have breakfast at 6.30 am).

My ingredients?

– 1 cup of oats
– 2 cups of unsweetened almond milk (or soy milk. Of course you can also use ‘normal’ milk.)
– frozen raspberries

How do I make it?

I put the oats and the milk in the microwave oven for 2 minutes 15 seconds. (I know some people will object to the microwave but… I want it to be quick… I’m sorry. You do what you feel is right for you). And after I’ve added the frozen raspberries, it goes in for another 1 minute 15 seconds…
That’s it! When I use the unsweetened milk, I add some stevia. When I use the ‘normal’ versions, I don’t.

I have to admit that I like it a bit less when it’s 30°C outside but let’s face it: that doesn’t happen very often…
In that case you can choose ‘overnight oats’: google it and you’ll find a lot of recipes: you put the oats with some milk or yoghurt in the fridge so they soak overnight and in the morning you add whatever you want… You can even take it to the office and have breakfast there…

I know this post is a bit longer than usual but… you have 3 recipes in return. Have fun experimenting and feel free to share other combinations or ideas in the comments below!

Enjoy!

If you liked the above, you can sign up for more Tips & Tricks here. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Make sure to recharge YOUR batteries too!

 

 

rechargebatteries

July has started, it’s been very hot in Belgium: the holidays are in the air!
For many people this is the time to recharge their batteries…
And while we all know very well how to recharge our phones, tablets and computers… do we really know how to recharge our own batteries?

For many people it is sleeping more. And while taking enough rest is definitely extremely useful, I believe there is more that we can do. Let me give you some tips!

1) What did you like to do as a child?

Children naturally do what they like to do… When I was I child I liked to go for long walks. Every day (especially during the holidays, not necessary on school days…) I went for a 5 km walk. I always took the same route: the first km there were houses but then there was just nature for another 3,5 km and towards the end I was in the village again. I loved it! Enjoying the green, being alone with my thoughts… When my friend wanted to come, she was ‘tolerated’ but I didn’t really need the company…

Another thing I loved was reading… I lived in a small village and the library was only open on Saturday and Sunday. Sometimes I went on Saturday to borrow 3 books, which I finished the same day to go back on Sunday for 3 new ones. During the week I had to read slower… to make it until the next Saturday… Well, every year I still take some days off to go somewhere on my own, usually near the seaside, and my days are mostly filled with walking and reading…

2) Are you taking enough time for yourself?

We often are busy in our other roles: parent, partner, employee, friend… And when the 24 hours of the day have been distributed, we notice there is not a lot left for the most important person: me! Does that sound selfish to you? I am not saying you should ONLY think of yourself… However, you should ALSO take care of yourself… Think of the metaphor of the oxygen mask in the plane: why would they ask parents to put on their own mask before taking care of their children? Well, if you are not taking care of yourself, you can’t be there for the others… In that sense, you have to come first… So… let’s make ‘self care’ important in July and August. I know it’s easier when you are on holidays (Is it really? Or are you, even when you are away, still trying to please everybody else first?) but even when you are working during the summer, try and insert a little bit of ‘self care’ every day. Maybe it is reading 1 page in a book you like, have bit of time for yourself after lunch or in the evening, have a foot bath… Because you are worth it!

I will be sharing my ‘self care’ on the Facebook page and Instagram! If you need a bit of accountability, why don’t you join me?

3) And finally: do it mindfully!

Recharge your batteries not because you have to but because you want to and… don’t do anything else while you do it… I know it’s tempting… We are so used to multitasking… While you are having that foot bath: don’t plan your whole week ahead… Enjoy the foot bath, notice how it makes you feel… When you are eating something special: enjoy it, notice the texture, the smell, …

Personally I will especially pay attention to mindful eating this summer… Too often I eat to quickly…

Let’s recharge those batteries, ok?

Hope to see many photos on self care on the Facebook page and/or Instragram. Make sure to use the hashtag ‘self care’ and to tag me!

Enjoy the holidays,

Nancy

If you liked the above, you can sign up for more Tips & Tricks here. Looking forward to hearing from you!

4 easy steps to give negative feedback

D for Description of factsE for

At least once every week (usually more often) people tell me how difficult they find it to give ‘negative feedback’. Sometimes it’s a manager who says he finds it difficult to tell a staff member he’s not happy with something he does or doesn’t do. But it can equally be a friend or family member who is frustrated with somebody’s behaviour and hasn’t said anything so far. Let’s face it: it’s not easy to give negative feedback.

A while ago I already wrote a post about the beliefs that may keep you from giving negative feedback. You can check it out here. But today I would like to share the technique I use in my assertiveness training.

Before I go on, I want to insist that there are techniques and … there’s attitude. And, to me attitude comes first! What do I mean by that? My synonym for assertiveness is confident and constructive communication. The confident part refers to the fact you have to be convinced you are ‘ok’ (You are not better or worse that anybody else, you are ok the way you are!). But… the other one is also ‘ok’! He or she is not the ‘bad’ one. And you want the conversation to be constructive: you aim for a win-win solution. It’s not at all you stating your case and not listening to the other one’s point of view. If this is what you do, you’re not being assertive but… aggressive…

Suppose you come from an ok-ok position and you want to go for win-win, the DESC can be the technique that’s going to help you to formulate your message in the best possible way.

D stands for DESCRIPTION OF THE FACTS: 
Often we don’t do that. We generalise (you always do this, you never do that) and this is the best way to make the other person react defensively. You may have noticed this in the past. So say something like: I’ve noticed you… (and refer to specific behaviour).

E stands for EXPRESS EMOTIONS:
Usually, when somebody does something we don’t like, it has an effect on us. It makes us feel a certain way. Express that! (When you do…)… I feel … (emotion). Often we use ‘you-messages’ (you are so and so) instead of ‘I-messages’ and this will again come across aggressively. Careful: expressing your emotions is not the same as being emotional…

S stands for SOLUTIONS: 
Come up with some solutions, preferably more than one. AND, very important, also listen to suggestions from the other person. After all, we wanted it to be win-win, right? A common mistake here is to ‘impose your solution’. How win-win is that?

And finally, C stands for CONCLUDE: 
This is basically the wrap-up: you repeat what has been decided to avoid that there could be misinterpretations.

Don’t turn it into a monologue; be open to listen to the view of the other. You’re entitled to your view and he is entitled to his. And make sure you are calm and prepared, that’s going to make everything so much easier!

Good luck!

Let me know how it works in the comments below!

If you liked the above, you can sign up for more Tips & Tricks here. Looking forward to hearing from you!
if you want to improve your assertive communication, you can sign up for my online course ‘The right thing, at the right time, in the right way!’ #YAHAC