Author: manton

Healthy Body, Healthy Comadres, Healthy Family

The Wellness Wheel: La Rueda del Bienestar

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I love the word for wellness in Spanish – It means to be well.

The De Las Mías tool I want to introduce you to is called the Wellness Wheel in English – La rueda del bienestar in Spanish.

What does Wellness/Bienestar mean? 

At its center, wellness means living a healthy, balanced life.  It includes being physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually well.

In the physical realm, it means eating healthy foods, drinking plenty of water, getting exercise and treating your body with respect.

In the mental realm, it means keeping your mind engaged, reading, learning new things, and being a good problem solver.

In the emotional realm, it means giving and receiving social support, paying attention to how you feel, sharing your feelings in a healthy way, and having and showing empathy for others.

In the spiritual realm, it means paying attention to your inner self, meditating, praying, relaxing and/or believing in something greater than yourself.

At De Las Mías, when we talk about a healthy lifestyle, we are talking about wellness in the whole sense of the word.

Wellness means you are in active pursuit of a healthier, more balanced life. We believe that you can live a life of wellness even when you have a chronic condition like diabetes, cancer or heart disease.  The idea of pursuing wellness also goes along with self-care.

The Rueda del bienestar is one tool to help you check in with yourself and look at your life from this lens.  It is another tool to help you on your quest for a healthier life.

Here is how to use La Rueda del Bienestar –  

Draw the Wellness Wheel on a piece of paper.  Label each area of the wheel, like in the illustration.  Once you have your Rueda in front of you, place a little dot in the wheel of where you think you are in each aspect. Use a scale from 1-10. One is in the center, which means you have to pay more attention to this aspect, and ten is that you are very satisfied with your lifestyle in this aspect of wellness.

This is your own private wellness wheel, and if you feel ready, share it with your comadre or someone who cares about you. It is just another tool to help you take stock of where you are now and where you want to be.

After you do this part of the exercise, ask yourself:

  1. Where are my strong points?  What aspects of my Wellness Wheel do I feel really good about?
  2. What aspects of my Wellness Wheel need improvement?
  3. Choose one small step that you can take to improve one aspect of your Wellness Wheel.

You can use the SMART tool to help you go into action. bit.ly/DLMsmartGoals

Remember the power of the Comadre, i.e., social support! Share your plan of action with your Comadre, Sister or Friend!

Healthy Comadres, Latina Community

De Las Mías – Técnicas Poderosas: Una receta para el éxito

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Metas S.M.A.R.T.

¿Quieres ser más saludable, más poderosa y recibir más apoyo de tus amigas, comadres y familia? Nosotras también queremos eso para ti. ¡Estamos aquí para ayudarte!

Un viejo dicho dice, “Del dicho al hecho es largo trecho.”  – Una cosa es decirlo y otra es hacerlo.

Estamos aquí para darte técnicas para tu “trecho”.

Otro viejo dicho, este de nuestros antecedentes chinos, es “El maestro aparece cuando el estudiante está listo”.  Si estás lista, aquí estamos.

En De Las Mías hablamos mucho sobre cómo hacer cambios positivos que te lleven al camino del bienestar.  He aquí un método, o sea, una técnica que te ayudará a lograr tus metas.

Se llama SMART  Goals en inglés – Metas inteligentes –

Metas SMART – Por sus siglas en inglés significa – Specific, Mesurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely – En español lo presentamos como:

Singular (Específico), Medible, Alcanzable, Realista, Temporizado

En De Las Mías creemos que, para poder efectuar cambios positivos en nuestras vidas, primero tenemos que estar listas. Así que toma unos momentitos y házte estas preguntas:

  • ¿Has estado pensando en hacer un cambio en tu vida?
  • ¿Has estado pensando en comer más frutas y verduras?
  • ¿Has estado pensando en salir a caminar todos los días?

Si has estado pensando en hacer cambios saludables, lo más probable es que estás lista para pasar del pensar al hacer.  Pero, para que tengas éxito en hacer un cambio, necesitas un plan.  No es suficiente decir que lo vas a hacer. Tienes que llevarte al siguiente paso importante.

Para esto te presentamos la técnica S.M.A.R.T.:

Aprender a establecer metas es un ejercicio poderoso.  Aquí te presentamos una técnica que se ha probado eficaz y que puede encaminarte hacia una vida más poderosa en muchas áreas de tu vida. ¡Ponla en práctica! Compártelo con tus amigas o comadre.  Avísanos si te podemos ayudar.

¿Qué significa SMART? Aquí te explicamos lo que significan estas siglas, en español

Singular (y Específico) Esto significa que le das detalles a tu meta.  Por ejemplo, no sólo dices “Voy a ser más activa”.  Dices, “Hoy, voy a empezar a caminar por 30 minutos y lo haré  3 veces por semana”.

Medible – ¿Cómo sabrás que cumpliste tu meta?  Podría ser tan sencillo como escribirlo en una nota post-it y pegarla al refri.

Si utilizas la App de De Las Mías, llévate tu móvil contigo y la App lleva cuenta de tu caminata.  Algunas usan Fitbits u otro tipo de “wearable”. Ahora puedes sincronizar tu wearable  con la App.

Alcanzable – Esto significa que es posible cumplir con tu meta. Si te duelen los pies cuando caminas, no es alcanzable caminar por 30 minutos.  Pero, lo podrías intentar por 10 minutos a la vez.  También podrías bailar, pasearte en tu bici, o nadar.  Lo importante es establecer una meta que realmente puedas lograr.

Si tu meta es realístico y alcanzable vas a tener más éxito. Recuerda que paso a paso se llega a lejos.

Relevante: ¿Tiene sentido tu meta? ¿De verdad, crees que es importante?  ¿Pregúntate – en quién te convertirás cuando cumplas con esta meta?

Temporizado – Establece cuando vas a caminar, cuántas veces a la semana lo vas a hacer y por qué tanto tiempo. Al principio, pon tu esfuerzo en una semana a la vez, en lugar de un año.  Entre más semanas logres, más te vas a ir acostumbrando.  Esto quiere decir que estás formando hábitos.

Este es un ejemplo de un meta SMART.

A partir de mañana, voy a caminar por 20 minutos durante mi hora de comer.   Voy a caminar 3 veces esta semana.  Al final de la semana, me reportaré conmigo misma y con mi comadre y veré si necesito cambiar mi meta para la próxima semana o mantener esto hasta que me sienta satisfecha.

Esta técnica – SMART – funciona mejor si la compartes con alguien.  Comprometerte con alguien es una manera poderosa de hacer cambios saludable porque te haces más responsable por tu meta.  ¡Aquí es donde entran tus amigas y comadres!  Comparte tus metas SMART con alguien que te estime y que quiera que tengas éxito.

¡Buena suerte!

Healthy Comadres, Latina Community

Las Madrinas & Your Inner Madrina

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Respectful, Role Model, Mentor, Loving Friend, Confidante, Amorosa, Responsible, Sabia, Second Mother, Supportive, Atenta, Loves-You-No-Matter- What, Good Listener, Patient, Cariñosa, Loving.

These are some of the words that the women in our groups in Albuquerque came up with when I said, “Tell me what you think of when I say, Madrina.”

Most Latinas Get a Madrina Shortly after Birth

Your first Madrina was likely the woman that stood next to your mom at your baptism. She vowed that if something happened to your mother, she would take care of you. Your madrina can also be the woman that sponsored your confirmation, first communion, quinceañera, and/or was your Maid of Honor at your wedding.  

The concept of Madrina (and Padrino) comes from our Spanish Catholic roots and it goes way back to the early middle ages. However, even those of us who don’t practice Catholicism anymore, keep our Madrinas and Comadres. That’s because they make our lives richer and offer us love, wisdom, guidance and much needed support.

Do you have a Madrina? I hope you do! I have an 85 year old Madrina thriving in New York City, but I had several Madrinas growing up. I wrote a whole book about it.  It’s called, what else but, Las Madrinas: Life Among My Mothers (Tres Chicas Press).  

So, I hope you are lucky enough to have a Madrina in your life, but if you don’t, how do you get one? I want to have a conversation about this because it is a tradition that we as Latinas need to keep alive. How do we do that? How do we keep this relationship alive for our daughters and granddaughters?  

Your Inner Madrina

Another idea that I want to explore with you is the concept of the Inner Madrina. We hear and read a lot about Inner Wisdom these days. Trusting yourself. Intuition. Higher Power. There are many words to describe this act of reaching inside yourself for wisdom. But what about fostering a relationship with your Inner Madrina?  

Natalie Goldberg, a well-known writer and writing guide from Taos, New Mexico, writes about the “Sweetheart,” that can help you write. As writers, we have very active and sometimes mean inner critics that tell us that our writing sucks. And Goldberg has conjured up an inner sweetheart that will counter the inner critic. When the inner critic tells the writer that she’s dumb and a bad writer, the sweetheart says, “Keep going, you’re doing fine.” That inner sweetheart, from my point of view, is an Inner Madrina.  

Robin Scritchfield, author of Body Kindness talks about having an “Inner Caregiver” that you could develop inside yourself to give you guidance and to show yourself kindness. My aha moment as I was reading her wonderful book came when I realized that she too was talking about an Inner Madrina.  

Call her your Fairy Godmother, Your Guide, Your Sweetheart, Inner Caregiver or Blessed Mother, but you too can have an Inner Madrina!

At De Las Mías, we affirm our culture and our power as Latinas. We uphold these relationships that still thrive in our familias and comunidades. We hold up our community of hermanas, comadres and madrinas to help us live healthier, more supported lives. We have several experts on our team to serve you and we refer to them respectfully as Madrinas. Madrina Malena is our expert nutritionist; Madrina Lori is the test kitchen chef, Madrina Yoli has given us great guidance on how to be more physically active.

But what about an Inner Madrina? And wouldn’t it be fabulous to conjure one up for yourself?

So, in this new year, we want to invite you to explore the concept of the Inner Madrina with us. Look back to the words that our comadres in Albuquerque used to describe Madrina and ponder a while on those qualities: Wise, Respectful, Role Model, Mentor, Loving Friend, Confidante, that Sabia, Second Mother, Amorosa, Supportive, Atenta, Loves You No Matter What, Good Listener, Patient, Cariñosa.

If you had an Inner Madrina, what would she be like? What quality would she represent?

Here are some questions to get you started, but don’t stop there:

  • What’s your Inner Madrina’s name?  
  • How would she help you counter the negative messages you give yourself? 
  • What words would she use to comfort you?
  • How would she guide you take better care of yourself?
  • How would she greet you in the morning?
  • What kind words might she say to you right before you go to sleep?

Send me your Inner Madrina Story! It doesn’t have to be long or fancy; just a personal telling of your experience. Use the prompts I provided or make up your own. The first 10 Cuenteras who send me your Inner Madrina Story will get a complimentary copy of my memoir, Las Madrinas: Life Among My Mothers.

Email Ana at ana@delasmias.com

 

Healthy Mexican Food

Lazy Sari Pozole

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Pozole or Posole?

I say Pozole, you say Posole. What is a girl to do? Call it whatever you want, but don’t call me late for dinner.

The word pozole comes from Nahuatl which is the language of the Aztecs and the Toltecs. It is still widely spoken in Central and Southern Mexico, so to honor that lineage, I prefer to call it pozole.

Quick and Easy Pozole Hack

Are you looking for a quick way to feed your family a healthy and delicious meal that will make them proud of their roots, and their panzas happy? This easy-to-make recipe is for you! Add the fresh garnish of shredded cabbage or lettuce, sliced radishes, cilantro and green onion and make it a balanced meal. Chop up a few cubes of avocado to make it even more nutritious. Get your protein, whole grains, veggies and good fat ¡AQUI! All in one amazing bowl!

Pozole is the classic celebratory dish for the holidays. It smells of Christmas Eve and a piñon fire, of walking down a lane lit up by luminarias or farolitos. But don’t wait for Christmas to make this tasty dish. Add it to your go-to meals and whip it up faster than you can say Betty Crocker!

Change it Up!

There are several ways to make pozole and this one is for the Super Mujer on-the-go. Some pozole connoisseurs would take issue with us using canned hominy, and I get it. If you have the time, buy the nixtamal (that is the Nahuatl word for hominy), dry or frozen, and soak it or cook it for a longer period of time…This adds time to the process but well worth it. Nixtamal is much tastier when you use the dried or frozen variety. But if you’re busy, and we know you are, the canned  hominy “se defiende.” It holds up! And once it’s cooked up with the chicken and the chiles, and you inhale the aroma, it will take you home. Try it and let us know how it goes!

For a New Mexican twist on the Lazy Sari Pozole, replace the poblano and Anaheim with ½ cup of good quality New Mexican red chile powder. Bueno has a great powdered chile! You can pick it up at any store in New Mexico, but there are other sources of red chile that you can find in other parts of the southwest and Califas.

We could write a book on pozole, Comadre, but try this one on a chilly evening with your familia and kick-off a lovely holiday season!

¡Buen Provecho!

Healthy Body, Healthy Comadres

¡Cuídate, Mujer! Self-Care and the Modern Latina

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How many times do you say “¡Cuídate, Mujer!” to your amigas and comadres?

How many times do you hear them say it to you? I hear it a lot. My comadre, Liz, almost always ends our phone calls with, “¡Cuídate, Mujer!”

The Age of Self-Care

Everyone is talking about Self-Care right now. And that’s a good thing, Comadres. 

How are you doing when it comes to self-care? Latinas are famosas for putting everyone else first. We put ourselves last. Siempre estamos cuidando a somebody else. 

At De Las Mías, we are all about inspiring you to take good care of you.

In the days of our mothers and grandmothers, when you heard some Chismosa say “ La Fulana se cuida muy bien,” it meant she had her hair and nails done. “Se cuida bien,” meant she took care of her looks and wore a girdle. Maybe she went out and bought herself new shoes or an outfit. 

For us, self-care means much more than a mani-pedi. It means genuinely taking care of your mind, body, and soul.

Physical Activity & Taking Care of Your Body

What I’m talking about today, though, is for you to think about self-care in the context of taking care of your body.

Right now, take a moment and ask yourself, “How do I take care of my body?”

Make a list. 

Does moving your body get on that list?

If you are like most Latinas, even if you know that moving that cuerpazo of yours is key to self-care, you probably don’t do it. No tienes tiempo, ni ganas. But because we want you healthy and poderosa, we want you to stop and think about taking care of your body as a vitally important part of being a healthy Super Mujer!

Here are some research-based facts to consider:

  • The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults ages 18 to 64 get 150 minutes of moderate activity per week. That’s about 30 minutes a day for 5 days.
  • Only 23% of all American adults meet these guidelines.
  • By some estimates, only 9% of Latinas meet these guidelines.
  • Almost half of Latinas in the U.S. report never engaging in any leisure time physical activity.

Here’s the good news: Research shows that Latinas who know others who exercise are much more likely to exercise themselves. ¡Así que dale gas, Mujer! And start hanging out with those ladies who go for walks, or Zumba, or to the gym, or dance in front of the mirror when no one is watching!

Move for 30 Minutes a Day

If you are using our Healthy Lifestyle Checklist, you will see that “Move for 30 minutes” is right there on the list for you to check off every day. 

Move for 30 minutes a day. It is one of the healthiest habits you can practice. And it doesn’t have to be hard. Here are some simple ideas:

  • Break it up in 10-minute chunks. My comadre Mary with diabetes goes for 10 minutes after each meal. This helps lower her blood sugar and makes her feel great.
  • Go for two 15-minute walks, like I do with my dog. One in the morning, one in the afternoon. Remember, it doesn’t have to be all at once.
  • Call your comadre and go for a walk n’ talk! Come on, you know you want to. Walking and talking with your comadre is good for the body and the soul!
  • Find a physical activity that gives you joy and do it for 30 minutes every day!
  • Anímate and go to Zumba! Dancing to Latin tunes is so much fun! I haven’t made it the full hour yet, but so what? I feel great when I go and the music is great! 
  • Get a bike! Go for a bike ride. It’s the closest thing to flying!
  • Take a yoga class. It doesn’t have to be from a fancy studio. Check out the local YMCA or rec center. There are lots of on-line resources for yoga too. Try one!
  • Dance to the music in your own living room. Dance with your kids! 
  • Clean the house! Do it for 15 minutes at a time. Mopping is good exercise and so is vacuuming.
  • If you sit in front of a compu all day, get up every hour and walk for 5 minutes.
  • Take the steps instead of the elevator. Park your car further away from the store so you can add a few steps.

The Benefits of Physical Activity

Research proves that the benefits of physical activity are great:

  •       Prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke (the three leading health-related causes of death)
  •       Help manage your weight
  •       Make your muscles stronger
  •       Improves your mood
  •       Promote strong bones, muscles, and joints
  •       Condition heart and lungs
  •       Build overall strength and endurance
  •       Improve sleep
  •       Lower your chances of depression
  •       Get more energy
  •       Build your self-esteem
  •       Relieve your stress
  •       Increase your chances of living longer

Sources:  Centers for Disease Control, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Healthy Body, Healthy Family, Healthy Mexican Food

Healthy Habits & Self-Monitoring: A Powerful Tool for Change

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Create healthy habits with our Healthy Lifestyle Checklist

Whether you’re trying to get to a healthier weight or just eat healthier, one of the most powerful tools you can use is self-monitoring. Self-monitoring is simply paying attention to what you’re doing and keeping track of it. You can use self-monitoring to improve your eating habits, track your physical activity, become more aware of your moods – you can even track how you’re spending your money. Self-monitoring gives you power.

At De Las Mías we like to say, ¡Saber es poder! Knowledge is power.

If you are trying to make healthy changes, self-monitoring puts you in the driver’s seat. 

The De Las Mías app offers you two great self-monitoring tools:

  •       The Healthy Habits Checklist
  •       Activity Tracker

The Healthy Habits Checklist

Find this quick and easy-to-use tool on the De Las Mías app! It’s there to remind you of the healthy habits you need to lead a healthier life. Use it daily to keep up with your healthy lifestyle goals. The checklist will help you stay on track: Eat more veggies! Drink more water! Call your comadre! Cut down on sugar! When you use the checklist you build healthy habits.

Do it for 3 days straight. See what happens. Then do it for 5. Then do it again until it sticks. 

The Healthy Habits Checklist is a great self-monitoring tool. The healthy habits on the checklist are proven to improve your health. Get into the habit of using the checklist every day. And then one day, ¡Boinas! You are in the habit of being healthy.

Start doing it today. ¡Te va encantar! ¡You’re gonna love it!

The checklist includes all the important healthy habit goals you need to lead a healthier life, but there are 3 we would like you to start with:

  1.     Eat more vegetables
  2.     Eat more fruit
  3.     Get more exercise

First, let’s talk about healthy habits and how to eat more fruits and veggies. Next, we’ll talk about how to build a healthy habit of moving your body every day.

Let’s Get Started with the Veggie Habit!  

The very first 2 healthy habits we want you to build is to eat your fruits and veggies. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), only one in 10 adults in the U.S. get the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. Eating your daily fruits and veggies can help reduce the risk of many chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.

To jump start your healthy habit of eating more fruits and veggies, our certified nutritionist, la mera Malena Perdomo, came up with daily menus you can try from our recipes. If you choose your meals from the many delicious De Las Mías recipes, you’ll be well on your way to building healthy habits and becoming a Healthy Habit Super Mujer!    

At De Las Mías, we are taking a page from the latest research that shows that you don’t have to count every calorie to get to a healthier weight. You can get to a healthier weight by building healthy habits over time. This is a more balanced way of living and one that you can keep up over your whole life. We’re not losing 30 pounds by Christmas here, Comadre. We’re working on a healthy lifestyle you can keep up ¡Por Vida! (And no, you don’t have to give up tamales.)

So Malena, our nutritionist, works with hundreds of women all over the country in her own practice as well as helping De Las Mías. She tells us, “Many of the women I work with want a simple approach to eating healthier. I help them by giving them a menu to follow for the week.”

Tres Días of De Las Mías: Three-Day Meal Plan

So her is a 3-day De Las Mías  plan that she prepared for you. All of these recipes can be found on the De Las Mías app or website.  We call it, Tres Días of De Las Mías! 

Here’s how it works:

  1. Review the recipes , check your pantry for ingredients you may already have, and go shopping for the rest.
  2. Try the plan for 3 days and start checking off those healthy habits.
  3. Let us know how it goes.

Remember this: De Las Mías is evidence-based! That means that all our Mexican, Southwestern and New Mexican recipes align with the highest standards set by the USDA as heart healthy and good for you! Our recipes are developed by our Test Kitchen Chef, Lori, in Saguarita, Arizona and then Malena analyzes them in her kitchen in Denver, Colorado. Our recetas are tried, tested and approved by Latinas just like you! 

¡Buen Provecho! 

Day 1 – Tres Días of De Las Mías

Watermelon spinach salad

Breakfast: Spinach Scramble with Queso fresco (140cals)  – Check off 1 serving of veggies!

Lunch: Watermelon and Almond Salad (130cals) and Enfrijoladas de Pollo* (400cals) – Check off 1 serving of fruit and 1 serving of veggies!

Dinner: Tuna Tacos (330 cals) and Nopalitos Salsa (1cup 40cals) – Check off 1 serving of veggies!

Snack: Add one fruit, like an apple, orange or banana – Check off 1 more serving of fruit!

¡Eso! You just checked your 3 veggies and 2 fruits for the day! (All this for under 1200 calories – not that you’re counting!)

Day 2 – Tres Días of De Las Mías

Spicy cauliflower

Breakfast: Brunch Quesadilla (250cals)

Lunch:  Turkey Taco Salad* (320 cals) – Check off 2 servings of veggies!

Dinner:  Spicy Cauliflower (60cals), Roasted chicken* (190 cals), and Lori’s Quinoa Jalapeño Salad* (220cals) – Check off 2 serving of veggies!

Snack: Add a cup of chopped fruit like melon, pineapple, and strawberries . Have an orange, apple or banana. – Check off 2 servings of fruit! (Note: Fruit is better with – ¡limón y chilito!)

¡Eso! You just checked 4 servings of veggies and 2 fruits for the day! (Total calories for the day: 1,040. Pero lo más importante is you are building your healthy habits!)

Day 3 – Tres Días of De Las Mías

Mexican oatmeal with strawberries

Breakfast: Old Fashioned Mexican Oatmeal* (90cals) and Mango Banana Smoothie* (180 cals) – Check off 1 serving of fruit!

Lunch: Shrimp and Veggie Taquitos (230cals) with Pico de Gallo Salsa (1/2 recipe: 55cals) – Check off 2 servings of veggies!

Dinner: Poblano Chicken Soup (140 cals)  Arroz Verde* (150 cals) – Check off 2 servings of veggies!

Snack: Add your two fruits and check them off! 

¡Eso! You just checked 4 servings of veggies and 3 fruits for the day! (Total calories for the day: 845.

*Recipes only available on the De Las Mías app. Download it today! Available on Google Play and App Store. 

Note: For these three days, we are just counting veggies and fruits, but notice you are eating whole grains and lean protein too! ¡Eso! You are well on your way to becoming a Healthy Habits Super Mujer!

And we kept the calorie count low on purpose to encourage you to add some healthy snacks, such as your 2 frutas al día, a handful of almonds with a crispy apple, some hummus and veggies, a quick licuado or gazpacho in the afternoon slump.

Healthy Habits Recap

So just to recap: Here you have 3 full days of healthy eating that honors your culture and your buena salud! Get into the habit of eating your 3 veggies and 2 fruits a day and get into the habit of using the Healthy Habit Checklist. And soon you will be a Healthy Habit Super Star! 

This is the way you create a habit:

  1.     Find something you like, for example, our delicious ways to eat more fruits and veggies.
  2.     Do it. Do it again. And repeat until it sticks.
  3.     Use the Healthy Habit Checklist to see how you’re doing and to nudge you to keep doing it! (Self-monitor!)
  4.     Enjoy those ¡Esos! And share them!
  5.     When you get through to the other side of Tres Días of De Las Mías, get yourself a reward! Flowers! A romp through Instagram or Pinterest! A new nail polish. You get the picture.
  6.     Encourage your amigas, comadres, hermanas and even your vatos to join you in your healthy habit quest!

See our 9 Steps Healthy Eating Plan for more ideas on how to embark on a healthier life.

¡Unidas for a Healthy Life!

 

 

 

Healthy Mexican Food

New Mexico Green Chile Stew

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New Mexican Green Chile Stew is Queen! La Reina de los Estofados! You might be picking up on a little bias on my part. And that is due to the fact that New Mexico is my home. Furthermore, while I am admitting my biases, I will tell you that there’s no better green chile than New Mexico Hatch Green Chile. Punto.

If you are lucky enough to live in New Mexico, you know what I’m talking about when I tell you that it’s GREEN CHILE SEASON!  And the air is full of green chile aroma. There’s something about a crisp autumn day when the sun is shining but the air is cool, and you’re walking down the street and you smell green chile roasting. If you haven’t experienced this, it’s worth you going out and buying some fresh green chile, hopefully from New Mexico, and firing up the backyard grill. Your neighbors will thank you for enriching their senses and you’ll have the start of the best stew in your healthy recipe box.

So here is our very good and easy-to-follow recipe for New Mexican Green Chile Stew! The hardest part of this recipe is roasting the chiles, and if you have never done that before, it might take a few tries. But let me tell you, it’s worth it. Just give it a try and wear gloves. Another thing, if you are a little lazy, or in a hurry, you can give yourself permission to get frozen Hatch Green Chile from your grocer. And Trader Joe’s has Hatch Green Chile sometimes in the frozen section. Safeway has it in Portland, and any good grocer worth her salt has it in New Mexico and Arizona! And I don’t know about the rest of Texas, but I have found green chile in El Paso! So all this to say, that you are a busy woman, and who am I to judge? If you want to take a short cut, ¡Andale!  Go ahead and buy it in a jar or a can. (Ni Modo!) You can also use Anaheim, and we won’t hold it against you, although then you’re really making Anaheim Green Chile Stew. It’s still good. No worries! Use more! Now, if you are a real New Mexican, you might take offense with us using tomatoes. But I first learned how to make New Mexico Green Chile Stew from the Pink Adobe Cookbook, and Rosalea used tomatoes so I gave myself permission to do that. Finally, this stew is great on a cold evening, and shared with the people you love. It will please the panza and soothe the soul.

¡Qué viva Nuevo México!

Healthy Mexican Food

How to Make a Simple Sofrito

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The Simple Sofrito

The Simple Sofrito is a powerful flavor ambassador.  One of the very first things that my mother taught me about cooking is to always start with a sofrito.  She said that my food would always be delicious if I started whatever I was doing with this magic concoction.  It seems like every Latino family has their own version of sofrito. My sister always adds a little fresh garlic, carrots and celery. My Ecuadoran consuegra calls it “Refrito,” and hers includes garlic, onion and achiote.  In Spain, the sofrito involves garlic and red pepper.

A Universal Practice

In our family, it meant chopping up some green chile, tomate y cebolla and frying it up in a small amount of oil.  So try this simple saute of green chile, onion and tomato next time you are cooking up some taco meat, scrambled eggs, or whatever you’re hungry for. Just start with the sofrito and then when the pepper is soft but not wilted, add your meat, eggs, or frijoles de la olla. We always make the point that Latinos and Latinas are not a monolithic group.  We are not all the same, but we have some strong things in common.  In the kitchen we find that almost all Spanish, Mexican and Latin American cooks use some kind of sofrito. Therefore, you can call the Sofrito, a universal practice across Latino cultures!

The De Las Mías sofrito is very simple and packs a good punch with ancho chile.  Find the recipe in the De Las Mías Recipe collection. Use it as a base for soup or whatever other guisado you embark on. The short cut is simple though, just chop up some chile, tomate y cebolla and fry it up in a small amount of oil. Sure, go ahead and add some minced garlic. ¡Y ya!

Nothing Fancy, Just Sabroso

I’m a very simple cook but people always love my food.  I don’t have a lot of fancy cooking stuff and most of my pots look like they made it out of a war zone, but I always start with a sofrito, and I think that’s why I cook sabroso.

One of my favorite on-the-go meals is to stop by the market and get one of those chickens that are already roasted.  I remove the skin and chop it up for taquitos. I always start with the simple sofrito I learned from my mom. The chicken just tastes better and you can forget that you bought it in a plastic container and that it’s slammed in sodium. (Poquito de todo, remember?)

I heat up my corn tortillas with a tiniest amount of butter on the comal.  Add the chopped chicken that I sauteed with my sofrito. Top it off with shredded cabbage, cilantro, green onion and a squeeze of lime.  And you’ve got dinner!

Try it and let me know how it goes.  Nothing fancy! Just good and healthy. And it’ll take you home.

Healthy Body, Healthy Comadres, Healthy Family, Latina Community

How to Manage Stress to Prevent Emotional Distress

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How is stress affecting your life? Chances are, if you’re reading this blog, you’re concerned about how stress is affecting your life. Long term stress is not good for us, nor for our families and loved ones.  

We recently posted a blog on Cortisol and Toxic Stress and how this hormone, now called the stress hormone, can affect your weight and even your relationship with food. (Cravings, anyone?)

So although we started our conversation about stress, I want to go back  to it, to continue to shine some light on it. In this article, we take  take a deeper dive into how stress can turn into distress, and how we might challenge ourselves to “cambiar el chip,” and take better care of ourselves.

What is Stress? A simple definition of stress is that it is our body’s reaction to change. All of us have stress; it is a universal human condition. But what about when stress turns into distress? And what about when being in distress is your new normal?  Do you feel irritable and tense a lot of the time? Do you have trouble sleeping at night or do you feel like you sleep too much? Do you feel like you are in a constant state of “nervous?” Does this sound like you? You might be experiencing what psychologists call “emotional distress.”   

In their excellent book on change, Changing for Good, A Revolutionary Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forward, Prochaska and his colleagues, Drs. Norcross and DiClemente, talk about emotional distress as the “fever of mental health,” and when I read it being described in that manner, it made perfect sense to me.  

I remember my tías talking about their friends or relatives who were going through hard times…“Pobre, Gloria, she has suffered so much.” They would worry that Tía Gloria could get sick from suffering so much. Often, you would hear them say things like, “Le puede hacer daño al corazón.” (Fear that her suffering could harm her heart.)  And those of us in the younger generation would roll our eyes, at what we perceived to be an Old Mexican Wives’ Tales. But now research is telling us exactly what our elders told us, and that is that long-term stress, AKA suffering, can make us physically and/or mentally sick.

Latinas are used to aguantar, putting up with unpleasant life events just to keep on keeping on. We are experts at putting a positive spin on things. Often, we are the rock of the family and rocks are strong and sometimes indestructible. But as resilient as we are, it is important to open our eyes and take a good look at what is really going on so we can manage our stress and prevent it from becoming distress. Call it long term stress, toxic stress, distress or sufrimeiento. Whatever you call it, this kind of emotional turmoil can lead to more serious problems such as anxiety and depression.  

We come from a culture that denies a lot of things when things go wrong. We pretend that everything is okay when it’s not. Nos hacemos de la vista gorda. (Vista gorda doesn’t mean your vision is fat. It’s a colorful expression that means to “to turn a blind eye.”)

We go into denial. And sometimes, Comadres, we need a little garden variety denial to get us through the day. But today, I just want to nudge you a little bit to get you to pay attention to your stress levels.

When stress turns into distress, it’s bound to wear you out and wear you down. When this happens, we cope in the best ways we can, but it’s not always pretty, nor healthy.  

I don’t know about you, but when I get stressed to my limit, I want cake. (Preferably chocolate cake. There is a great bakery in Santa Fe – The Chocolate Maven – and when I get stressed, my car knows the way. When I’m in Portland, I ride my bike to the bakery and that always feels more righteous.) And look, who can deny that once-in-a-while, cuando ya no aguantas, indulging in a piece of cake, ain’t going to kill you.  

But the important point here is that cake is a mean mother. She can turn on you if you don’t watch it. One minute she’s telling you, “There, there,” and the next, she’s telling you “You’re a bad girl and deserve to be punished.”

Eating cake to manage distress is not “sustainable.” Over time, eating cake, or taking a few extra shots of tequila, mezcal or even a few more of those femmy margaritas, to cope with stress, is going to make you feel worse.

I tell you this because I know.

So, in keeping with the topic of self-acceptance, I want to gently remind you that the first step in managing your stress in a healthy way is to accept what it is. Shine a little light on it and accept it without judgement. Accept that sometimes when you are in distress, you may do things that are just plain unhealthy. Take your next step from a place of self-acceptance, without judgement and move on.

“Paso por paso,” is one of our favorite dichos at De Las Mías, and it works very well with managing your stress.

So, in the spirit of shining a gentle light on distress, see if you can’t come to terms with what is really going on. We want you awake and aware so you can take better care.

Moving forward, recognize the tell-tale signs of stress from the National Institute of Mental Health:

  • Trouble sleeping
  • Drinking more alcohol
  • Overeating
  • Feeling moody or cranky
  • Having low energy
  • Feeling down in the dumps

 

Use these tell-tale signs of stress to take extra care of yourself. Here are 9 things that mental health experts recommend for taking better care of yourself in times of stress:

  1. Get regular exercise. A simple 30-minute walk will do wonders. It can lift your spirits and often change your mood.  
  2. Eat well. When you are in a state of emotional distress, the last thing you need is a crazy diet. Nurture your body with good healthy food and cut back on sugars and junk food. (Start using our Healthy Lifestyle Checklist available on our App!)
  3. Have fun. This seems obvious, but you would be surprised how many of us just stop having fun when we’re stressed out. Make a list of all the things you do for fun and do as much as you can to cheer yourself up.
  4. Practice deep relaxation and/or meditation. Be mindful of the tension you hold in your body and letigo.
  5. Protect yourself from people who criticize you or put you down. It’s okay to avoid mean people. You know who they are.
  6. Don’t believe everything you think. When we’re beyond stressed, distress can impair your thinking. Distress es muy mentiroso…it can make you think things that are just not true. Be especially aware of self-put downs or mean things you tell yourself. Don’t believe it.
  7. Drink water. As you drink it, become aware that you are doing a loving thing for yourself.
  8. Ask for support. Reach out to your friends, comadres and sisters and share your feelings.
  9. Reward yourself when you do any of these 9 things. And then reward yourself for rewarding yourself. ¡Eso!

 

 

Sometimes, long-term stress turns into emotional distress.

Signs of Emotional Distress

When long-term stress turns into emotional distress, we need to watch for signs of depression.  

Recognize the signs of depression: If you have 2-3 of these signs over a period of 2 weeks or more, it’s time to get some help.  Talk to your doctor, clergy or mental health counselor if you experience 2-3 of these signs for more than two weeks.

  • Feeling sad
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Sleeping too much
  • Feeling like nothing is fun or enjoyable
  • Feeling low energy
  • Not feeling hungry
  • Overeating
  • Trouble concentrating
  • Feeling hopeless
  • Feeling like life is not worth living

Emotional stress can sometimes turn into anxiety.  

Recognize the signs of anxiety. Here are some signs of anxiety that you can watch for.  Talk to your doctor, clergy or mental health counselor if you experience 2-3 of these signs for more than two weeks.

  • Constant or on-going worrying
  • Feeling like you can’t relax
  • Feeling irritable, moody, jumpy, or nerviosa
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Fears: like fear of the dark, fear of being alone, fear of crowds
  • Heart symptoms like fast heartbeat, chest pains, tightness of chest

If you ever feel like you want to hurt yourself or have suicidal thoughts, please call this number: Call 1-800-273-8255. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Available 24 hours every day.

Spanish: 1-888-628-9454

 

 

Sources:

Prochaska, Norcross, and DiClemente. Changing for Good, A Revolutionary Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forward.  Quill – HarperCollins. 2002.

The National Institute of Mental Health: http://www.nimh.nih.gov. 5 Things You Should Know About Stress. Retrieved 2/10/2019.

Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R., & Williams, J. (2001). The PHQ-9 validity of a brief depression severity measure. J GEN INTERN MED, 16, 606-613.

Maier, et. al. The Hamilton Anxiety Scale: reliability, validity and sensitivity to change in anxiety and depressive disorders. Journal of Affective Disorders. Volume 14, Issue 1, January–February 1988, Pages 61-68

 

Healthy Body, Healthy Family

Jugo Verde: Mexican Green Juice

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My sister and I recently went to the City of Oaxaca, and it is always affirming for me to go to Mexico, but Oaxaca is just pure magic. Everything is so beautiful there — the textiles, the architecture, the pride of place, the colors, and of course, the food. We ate magnificently well there, from the 4 star Casa Oaxaca to the unpretentious La Florecita at El Mercado de la Merced. (Have you had squash blossom quesadillas? Amazing!)

We took a fabulous cooking class from La Maestra Reyna Mendoza in Teotitlan Del Valle. We learned how to make Mole Rojo in a beautiful outdoor kitchen. We grinded the chiles and spices on a metate! And then we got to eat everything!  

Everything we did was fantastic — one of the best vacations I have ever taken.  Being with my sister is such a joyful experience! I feel so blessed to be able play and work with her. It’s so much fun to eat with her because she can tell you what’s in the food while you’re eating it, just by taste. Let us not forget that she is La Madrina en La Cocina! She has developed and tested each and every one of our recipes! With the help of the fabulous Malena Perdomo, a certified nutritionist and diabetes educator, we bring you the healthiest food that our test kitchens have to offer.  

This edición is about making small but important healthy changes. We’re with you on your journey to a healthier life. We all know that eating more veggies and fruit are the cornerstone of healthy eating. We are constantly adding more delicious ways to add more plant-based foods to our day.

At De Las Mías, we recommend 3 cups of veggies and 2 fruits every day but the new USDA Dietary Guidelines are recommending that we go above and beyond.  There is no harm in eating more vegetables!

But how do we do that? One way to add more healthy fruits and veggies to your day is to add them to breakfast. Add a bell pepper and some spinach to your huevos, and some berries to your avena! OR….Have yourself a Jugo Verde!

 

 

On our last day in Oaxaca, as we were walking down Hidalgo Street, I was snagged by a beautiful display of bicicletas, in all colors, adorned with handmade wooden baskets at the lovely hotel, Casa de la Sierra Azul. We walked into the courtyard and heard the angels sing! We couldn’t resist the inviting patio restaurant and promptly sat down to peruse the menu and order breakfast.

The Jugo Verde caught my eye and I ordered it. It was the most refreshing and delicious juice I had ever tasted. Lori and I were trying to figure out what it had in it. It was psychedelic green! Not the green goop that you sometimes get from Odwalla in the States, but the most beautiful, vibrant green I’ve ever seen!

We knew it had spinach in it, and I could taste the pineapple but we couldn’t figure out the rest. We asked the waiter and he said it had fresh nopales and yerba santa.  

We struck up a conversation with the waiter and we told him about De Las Mías. He went on to tell us all about the magical properties of Jugo Verde, a time-honored Mexican tradition that promises to bring you good health, happiness, and beautiful skin.  

We vowed to get back to the states, do some additional research and start testing out some Jugos Verdes of our own.

We haven’t tried Jugo Verde with nopales, yet, and yerba santa is not that easy to find in Portland or Santa Fe, but here are 3 Jugos Verdes that I have been indulging in and I feel better already!

Starting off my day with a refreshing Jugo Verde just feels right! It sets the intention for your day, como dicen las del New Age. To feel more grounded I follow it with a strong cup of coffee and avocado toast. Add a handful of almonds for protein, ¡y párale de contar! You’re set!

Jugo Verde is a great way to include veggies and fruits with breakfast. These jugos are simple, don’t require any special equipment except a run-of-the-mill blender, and are packed with at least 2 servings of veggies and one serving of fruit! And that is just to get you going in the morning!  

I also find that Jugo Verde is very energizing for the mid-afternoon slump when all I want to do is plop down to watch depressing news! So slam down some Jugo Verde, put on your tenis, and take your dog for a walk instead! SOOO much better for you than more screen time!

Try these Mexican green juices!

 

 

La Diosa Verde.

This one is my favorite. I feel righteous and strong after this one!

  • A handful of fresh spinach
  • 4 2-inch chunks of fresh pineapple
  • ½ a peeled cucumber
  • ½ a peeled apple
  • 1 cup of water
  • One or two squeezes of fresh lime
  • 1 teaspoon jalapeño juice
  • Ice cubes if you like ice in your jugo

Blend it on high until it turns into juice.  (Optional: Since I like sweet, I even add a ½ teaspoon of Stevia, but that’s just me.)

 

Amor al Kiwi.

If you like kiwi, you will love this Jugo Verde.

  • One peeled and ripe kiwi
  • A handful of spinach
  • 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger
  • 1 stalk of celery
  • 1 cup of water
  • Ice cubes if you like ice in your jugo

Blend it until it turns into juice. (You can sprinkle Tajín on top for added punch!)

 

Sana Sana, Jugo de Manzana.

I choose a super sweet apple for this one.  Have you tried Opal Apples? They are so sweet and delicious. Pink Lady is another sweetheart.

  • 1 cored and peeled apple
  • 2 stalks of celery
  • 1 cup of water
  • A handful of spinach
  • Ice cubes if you like ice in your jugo.

¡Andale!  

 

A few notes on making Jugos Verdes in the blender: Basically, you can blend anything you like in your blender, so go nuts. You’ll need veggies, fruits and water for jugos. More on licuados and smoothies here. I sometimes add a bit of unsweetened juice, although water is really best. I also add a dash of salt, pepper, lime juice, lemon juice, jalapeño juice, or Tajín. You could even blend up a serrano in there if you dare! Just do what tastes good to you and makes you feel like the Righteous Green Goddess that you are!

I have recommended this little book to you before and I will do it here again: The Blender Girl by Tess Masters. I like her non-pretentious approach to eating more vegan meals and we could all stand to eat less meat and more veggies, fruits and plants of all kinds. Your body and Mother Earth will thank you.

Try these and let me know what you think! Keep it simple and delicious! Do you have a favorite Jugo Verde? Share your favorite with us and we’ll choose a few to feature on our Instagram feed!