This avacado dip recipe is a great one to experiment with and to take along to potluck parties!

Avocado Dip 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
2 teaspoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon salsa
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and mashed
 1 slice of fresh lemon 

Directions:
To keep the avocado from turning brown, squeeze the juice from the lemon slice onto the mashed avocado and mix together. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, onion, salsa, and avocado. Mix to blend the ingredients evenly. Serve with baked tortilla chips or sliced vegetables. 

Nutritional Information for ¼ Cup Serving: 65 calories, 5g total fat, 2 g fiber, 2g protein. 

Serving Suggestions: This versatile avacado dip is great with veggies, pita bread triangles, baked tortilla chips, on a taco salad, or as a topping on low fat chicken quesadillas.Similar Posts:

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When Monday rolls around, do you immediately begin wishing it was Friday so you can have a couple days “off”? If so, then you’re wishing most of your life away. Before you know it, six months will pass and you will only have lived two out of every seven days! 

The antidote for wishing your life away is to live in each moment of every day – good or bad. If you find yourself drifting to weekend wishing, stop yourself and shift your energy back to the present. Soon, you’ll be living every day instead of just going through the motions of life.Similar Posts:

• Depression Self-Help: A 3-Day Plan for Breaking the Sad Cycle
• Bernie Siegel, MD on Having a Near-Life Experience
• Count Your Blessings Instead of Your Gray Hairs

Years ago I had the honor of interviewing Bernie Siegel, MD when he was in Seattle for an event. The topic was How to Have a Near-Life Experience. Here’s a inspirational excerpt from my interview:

“When I was four years old, I had a near-death experience. I was out of my body and almost died choking. And the comment I make is that if [it’s] just chemistry, then why don’t we all become drug addicts after that experience? You’d think that if it was just chemistry, you’d try to repeat that experience with something. But instead, we become very spiritual human beings, not addicted to anything except maybe life. 

If you have an alcohol or drug addict, you know when they begin to really enjoy life?  When they join AA or find something more meaningful than the addiction. And to me, the term for that became a near-life experience.”

- Excerpted from an interview with Bernie Siegel, MD

No matter what is going on in your life, you always have the choice to focus on something less troublesome and more meaningful. What’s more meaningful to you today?  

Similar Posts:

• Are You Wishing Your Life Away?
• Count Your Blessings Instead of Your Gray Hairs
• Living Better: Focus on Longevity

Have you ever said to yourself, a friend, or a loved one, “My life is great. I have nothing to complain about, but I just feel so sad!” Everyone experiences feelings of depression, anxiety, and sadness once in a while. Although most people can pinpoint the cause of their blues, such as experiencing hard times, needing more money, receiving bad news, living with rainy weather, or even having hormonal changes, some people feel sad or depressed without really knowing why.

Awhile back, I had lunch with a friend and when I started listening to the negative stories I was telling her about the current state of my life, I had an epiphany: I was stuck in a sad cycle that was creating a steady stream of negative thoughts in my mind!

When feeling sad leads to day after day of feeling blue, it’s time to take self-help action before greater anxiety or full-blown depression sets in. Here is a depression self-help plan for breaking your sad cycle in just three days.

Day 1

One Day 1, decide that, instead of being sad, you are going to be wealthy! In a small notebook, write down a list of the many ways that wealth touches your life.  Here are some examples to get you started:

• The money in your bank account
• Your beautiful family
• Your lovely home
• Your generous friends

Throughout the day, every time a negative thought creeps into your mind, stop what you are doing and read through your wealthy list. By the end of Day 1, your veil of sadness should begin to lift.

Day 2

On Day 2, decide that, instead of being sad, you are going to be wealthy and grateful! In your  notebook, write down a list of the many things that you’re  grateful for.

Just like Day 1, every time a negative thought creeps into your mind, stop what you’re was doing and read through your wealthy and grateful lists. By the end of Day 2, you might begin to realize that you’re no longer wallowing in sadness. In fact, you might even feel a bit hopeful about your future again.

Day 3

On Day 3, decide that, instead of letting sadness creep back into your life, you will focus on sharing joy with everyone you come in contact with. In addition to reviewing your wealthy and grateful lists, look for ways to spread joy to others. Here are some possibilities:

• Wave to the neighbor getting her morning paper and to the kids waiting at the bus stop by your house
• Hold the door for an elderly woman at the post office or the bank
• Smile randomly at strangers (they will probably smile back!)
• Give your co-worker a sincere compliment
• Answer the phone with, “Good morning!” instead of simply, “Hello.”
• When standing in line for coffee, prepay for the person behind you

By the end of Day 3, there’s a good chance that you will feel lighter in your body, as if the weight of the world was no longer sitting on top of your shoulders. You might instinctively eat a bit healthier because the craving for comfort food has subsided.

Choosing a positive apsect of your life to focus on and looking for new ways to uplift others is a fantastic depression self-help technique. Sure, the bills keep coming in and the housework still needs to be done, but worrying about them only makes you feel sad. Wouldn’t you rather feel wealthy, blessed, abundant, and grateful?

Depression and anxiety are serious illnesses that should be treated by your doctor. But if you’re feeling blue, try my 3-Day plan for breaking the sad cycle – before depression sets in!

Need some fast and easy inspiration? Check out these inspirational “shorts”.Similar Posts:

• Are You Wishing Your Life Away?
• Bernie Siegel, MD on Having a Near-Life Experience
• Count Your Blessings Instead of Your Gray Hairs

Even though more and more women are adopting a healthy lifestyle, there are still many individuals who have not changed the habits that can become major concerns later in life.  Here are a few common factors that can sabotage your longevity: 

• Smoking
• Obesity
• Lack of exercise
• Poor stress management
• Lack of quality sleep

A recent study found that, out of 150,000+ individuals surveyed, only 3% actually maintain a healthy lifestyle. We live in a fast-paced society. Multi-tasking is the norm, and we tend to turn a blind eye to the messages our bodies are sending us. Lack of proper nutrition and exercise makes us more vulnerable to injury and disease – especially as we age.

The start of a new year is the perfect time to focus on longevity, and begin making small, incremental changes that will contribute to a long and healthy life!Similar Posts:

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