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From movies to music, LifeBites is no ordinary entertainment show. It’s the kind of format that delves into your psyche, and stimulates your mind with thought provoking topics. With celebrities, personal growth experts and everyday people, LifeBites gets you thinking about your life in a way you never thought possible. So get out of your head and into your soul, tune in and take a bite!

www.healthylife.net (on the world wide web)

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Scheduled Line up

Missed a show? Go to: http://www.healthylife.net/RadioShow/archive.htm and listen in!

July 1st
Theme: The Fifth Agreement: A Practical Guide to Self-Mastery

From the author of The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, A Toltec Wisdom Book – don Miguel Ruiz and his son don Jose Ruiz:

Thursdays 9a-10a PST (call-in show)

July 8th
Theme: EAT – The PLEASURE and the ISSUES around Eating – Featured Recipes

Thursdays 9a-10a PST (call-in show)

July 15th
Theme: PRAY – “An Hour with Guru Singh” Angels Gather Here: Nine Angelic Aspects of Human Life on Planet Earth (Volume 1)

Thursdays 9a-10a PST (call-in show)

July 22
Theme: LOVE
“Relationship Confidant”  Jonathon Aslay, a Dating and Relationship Coach for Women.

Thursdays 9a-10a PST (call-in show)

July 29
Theme: First Loves
Oscar nominated director Rob Reiner joins Nina to discuss his new film “Flipped”

Thursday 9a-10a PST (call-in show)

August 5
Theme: “The Journey Begins with an Ending” – Moving on after a Break Up
Thursday 9a-10a PST (call-in show)

August 13
Theme: “EAT PRAY LOVE” Starring Julia Roberts
Thursday 9a-10a PST (call-in show)

Eat, Pray, Love Scores A Goal!

By Rob Dionne

Elizabeth Gilbert knows what it’s like to spiral out of control and have to rebuild from the ground up.  Eat, Pray, Love takes us on part of her life’s journey through despair, confusion and doubt to enlightenment, clarity and awareness.  Making the decision to pick up the pieces and move forward in a positive direction hoping to find meaning is a true test of faith in ones self.  Elizabeth set a goal.  She wanted to “find herself,” her true self by letting go of the past and opening up to the possibilities of the future.

I’m not saying quit your job, sell everything you own and buy a plane ticket to Italy. I think you’ve probably got your life in a little more control then that.  However, maybe there are those things in your life that seem to be spinning out of control, things that we take for granted, such as our health and well being.  As a personal trainer and life coach, I help my clients realize their potential throughout all aspects of their lives.  Like Gilbert, we do this through GOAL SETTING.

Setting Goals is one of the most important things when it comes to success in life.  Ask anyone with a successful business and they’ll tell you have to have a game plan. If you see a clear picture of your goal, no matter how big or small, nothing can stop you from achieving it.  Why can’t we apply this same concept in our lives?  We all want success whether it be financial, physical, emotional or spiritual.  We’re all striving to get to the next level. If you set your goals you’re on your way. How do you do that?  Here’s just a few goal setting suggestions to get you started:

1.    Full-Marathon Goal – This goal should be the end result. You should have multiple Full-Marathon Goals for different areas of your life, but they should be BIG.  Don’t skimp on your Full-Marathon Goal.  Think about what you like to have in life and multiply that by ten.  That’s your Full-Marathon Goal!

2.    Half-Marathon Goal - These are the goals that will take a while to achieve.  Sometimes a month, sometimes a year.  They should be with the full intention of reaching the Full-Marathon Goal.  With the Full-Marathon Goal in mind the Half-Marathon Goals will be obvious.  They may be tough to get done but don’t let yourself get stuck on the little things.

3.    Sprinting Goals – These are the little things.  Sprinting Goals are your day to day goals.  If you were to add up all your Sprinting and Half-Marathon Goals they would all be pointed in the direction of the Full-Marathon goal.  Going to the bank and the post office or going for a run are Sprinting Goals.

Elizabeth Gilbert knew her Full-Marathon Goal.  She wanted to “find herself.”  Not in a way that was traditional, but in her way.  Through her travels she applied Sprinting Goals, experiencing amazing food and learning to speak Italian, Half-Marathon Goals, traveling from country to country with an open mind, and finally her Full-Marathon Goal, finding who she is in this world and her new purpose in life.  Because of successful goal setting, Elizabeth was able to get through a very difficult time in her life and come out a better person.

Setting goals can be an amazing experience.  It worked for Elizabeth Gilbert and it can work for you!

by Andrea Brandt, Ph.D., M.F.T.

Throughout her journey, Elizabeth Gilbert learned how to accept and LOVE all of her authentic self.  At the beginning of her journey, she was lonely, lost and depressed – so much so that she recalls ending up on the bathroom floor crying night after night. She was denying essential parts of her whole self and, therefore, she didn’t love herself.

LOVE means acceptance of the things within us that we might not want to admit or see as being part of our identity.  In my work as an anger management specialist, I’ve come across many people who believe that by spending time examining their own anger, they then become “someone with anger problems.”  This couldn’t be farther from the truth!  Anger is an essential part of all of us.  If we acknowledge it, we can use it as a thrust to help us get what we want in life.  If we ignore it (or any other part of ourselves) by suppressing it, then we get depressed or worse.  A person cannot form a clear identity if he/she is suppressing a part of himself/herself that is important but perhaps viewed as unsavory by the individual or society as a whole.

One way to examine your anger is allowing it to percolate (rumble inside of you and soak in) rather than immediately trying to discharge it.  There is a lot of information to be found in sitting with your anger.  With the anger present, ask yourself the following questions:

1.    What is the anger about?  Am I being triggered from the past or is it a present issue?
2.    Who am I angry at?
3.    How angry am I?
4.    Would a face-to-face discussion help me feel better?

Anger is a powerful emotion.  It needs to be handled in a responsible way.  Continue percolating with the anger for as long as you need in order to answer the questions above.  You could percolate for 24 hours, walking around and going to work, if you needed to!  If you decide that a confrontation is necessary, but you feel nervous about it- practice!  Decide what you would like to say.  After rehearsing, you may realize that you don’t need a response from the other person after all.  You can detach from a particular desired outcome that you may have envisioned in your mind.  You must be happy simply in confronting the person, as we all know that we can’t control the thoughts and behaviors of another.

By acknowledging and giving voice to our anger, we acknowledge and give voice to an important part of our identity, one that we may have been ignoring for years to our own detriment.  The answers many of us seek about life can often be found in the darker sides of ourselves.  It’s important to remember that anger, like all other emotions, is not evil or bad, but merely human.  It exists in all of us, and it can only be beneficial to examine what it is trying to tell us.

EAT  PRAY  LOVE  Directed by Ryan Murphy – In Theaters August 13th

Liz Gilbert, played by Julia Roberts had everything a modern woman is supposed to dream of having – a husband, a house, a successful career – yet like so many others, she found herself lost, confused, and searching for what she really wanted in life. Newly divorced and at a crossroads, Gilbert steps out of her comfort zone, risking everything to change her life, embarking on a journey around the world that becomes a quest for self-discovery. In her travels, she discovers the true pleasure of nourishment by eating in Italy; the power of prayer in India, and, finally and unexpectedly, the inner peace and balance of true love in Bali. Based upon the bestselling memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Checkout the Trailer of the movie “EAT PRAY LOVE”

Rescuing legions of parents from the torturous children’s music of the past, The Squeegees provide an irresistibly playful musical journey for the entire family. Parents love the positive messages emphasized in their songs, including environmental awareness, animal rescue, and healthy eating, while the duo’s younger fans have a blast singing and dancing along to such tunes as “Apples, Oranges and Peaches”, “Nala the Chihuahua”, “The Elements of the Earth”, “Making Noises”, and “Rules of the Road.” Featuring eco-conscious songs, liberating songs, sweet songs, and mysterious songs all arranged for vocals, acoustic guitar, and a shaker or two, their self-titled, debut EP is available now at www.meetthesqueegees.com or at iTunes. On August 29th, their CD will be available at Target stores, just in time for back to school! All of their music is appropriate for infants, toddlers, and the parents and grandparents who love them.

Samantha Tobey and Pierre De Reeder are the kids-at-heart behind this grass-roots musical venture. As a former “Mommy and Me,” music/movement, and baby sign language teacher, Samantha brings a natural flair and years of experience to her passion for interacting and working with children. Pierre is the bass player for the well known rock band Rilo Kiley and a father himself. There chemistry on stage has brought the SqueeGees experience to a new level. They are joined by Rich “Shaka” Sherwood on the drums. He has been teaching drum lessons to children for years and loves being a SqueeGee.

Listen to some samples of their songs! Feel free to download the full versions of Nala the Chihuahua and The ol’ WWW too, but if you do…make sure you share them with all of your friends!

Apples Oranges and Peaches

Making Noises

Nala the Chihuahua!

The Ol’ WWW

Visit them at their website: www.meetthesqueeges.com

As Elizabeth Gilbert journeyed from Italy to India to Bali seeking peace of mind and body, join the ChakWave ChakTox community journeying through the Chakra system. ChakWave promotes a healthy body, healthy mind, and healthy spirit via organic juice blends of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices. The seven delicious juices correspond with the seven Chakras.

Think of ChakWave as a healthy holiday. Stop mindless rummaging through cupboards, and stop spending oodles of money on prescription drugs. Take back your time and reclaim your willpower.

Cleansing the body to rid oneself of excess waste and disease via resting from foods for a period of time and drinking fruit and vegetable juices plus plenty of water is the goal.

We can look at cleansing our bodies in the same way as we look at maintaining our cars. If we never check, clean, or replace clogged tubes, and continue to drive them, they often break down.

Our machine from its conception was designed to run on pure, unpolluted, unprocessed fuel from Mother Earth. Drinking juices for multiple days differs from fasting, defined as water intake only. Detoxing helps in lightening your body, preventing physical degeneration by eliminating toxic build-up in tissues and organs.

ChakWave’s healthy detox supports you in feeling cleansed and operating at your full potential. Organic, living foods are used to create the enzyme filled raw concoctions. It truly is a physical, mental, and spiritual experience.

7 Chakras, 7 Days of the week…coincidence?  We think not.

To begin your personal journey, visit www.ChakWave.com.

Recipes to Inspire

by Christine Abella Giuliano

After 10 years of marriage, we don’t really go out on “dates” very often.  It’s not that we don’t go to restaurants…if it was up to Craig, we’d eat out every meal.  But, we don’t go out to eat very often.  Takeout is as close to restaurants as we come most days.  Of course, if I throw a big enough hissy fit, we go just so that he can shut me up…but you have to really use those sparingly or they lose their effectiveness.

I am usually okay with his restaurant choices for takeout, but our favorite Italian restaurant’s food just does not taste the same when we eat it at home.  And I am not just saying that because the restaurant serves all you can eat, made from scratch, garlic butter foccacia bread either.  So when the big dinner decision was made that he wanted Italian, and he suggested take-out, he got a really awful scowl thrown his way.  No hissy fit, just the scowl.

I’m no Italian, in fact I’m a Polish girl from Cleveland, but I think I make a pretty mean meat sauce/ragu.  So if Craig wants Italian, I thought I’d make some spaghetti with a meat ragu.

This is one of the best meals to make if you are trying to impress that special someone or if you somehow committed yourself to making dinner for that new guy you just started dating (and you have no idea what possessed you to make that offer, but now you are stuck with it).  The great thing about the ragu is that not only is it easy to make, but you can have it cooking while you’re doing other things, like cleaning up (stuffing all your clothes into your closet and under your bed).  The longer you can cook the ragu, the better it tastes.

Spaghetti and Meat Sauce – Courtesy of www.mymansbelly.com

Serves 4

Ingredients
•    2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
•    4-5 Cloves of Chopped Garlic
•    1 Large White Onion – Chopped
•    2 Tablespoons Dried Basil
•    1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
•    1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
•    1 1/4 Pounds Ground Beef (lean ground beef 85/15)
•    3/4 Pounds Italian Sausage (casings removed and crumbled)
•    1 14.5 oz. Can Diced Tomatoes
•    1 15 oz. Can Tomato Sauce
•    3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
•    1/2 – 3/4 Cup Dry Red Wine
•    Salt and Pepper to Taste
•    Parmigiano – Reggiano

In a large saucepan, over medium high heat, add tomato paste, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce.  Stir to combine and then continue to stir frequently.  In a large pan, heat olive oil to shimmering and add garlic and onions.  Cook garlic and onion mixture until onions are very soft and begin to caramelize (heat should be turned to medium/medium-high).  Add 3/4 of onion and garlic mixture to simmering sauce.  Stir to combine, then stir in wine and basil.  Turn sauce down to simmer.  In pan with the remaining onions and garlic, add crumbled Italian sausage and beef.  Before meat is completely browned, sprinkle the ground cloves and a pinch of salt over the top and stir to combine.  Once meat is browned remove from heat.

At this point, the sauce should be reduced by half.  Pour off any liquid in the meat pan, then add meat to sauce.  Add Worcestershire Sauce. Stir to combine then continue cooking sauce to desired consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce/ragu over cooked pasta or polenta then sprinkle with grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Read more: http://mymansbelly.com/2009/06/28/spaghetti-and-meat-ragu-the-perfect-date-dinner/#ixzz0t3qbBlzV

Stuffed Zucchini Flowers
by Christine Abella Giuliano

12     zucchini flowers
1    egg, at room temperature
1 c    ricotta cheese, drain off any excess water
½ c    grated parmagiana or pecorino romano cheese
2 tbls finely chopped green herb  (basil, oregano, thyme)
1 c    beer
1 c    all purpose flour
salt
vegetable oil for frying

-Gently pull open zucchini flower and reach in and snap off the stamen. You can leave the stem or the little zucchini attached at the end, just wipe with a damp cloth to remove any garden debris.

-In a medium bowl, beat the egg gently, and then mix in the ricotta cheese, parm cheese and the herbs together. Add a dash of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Let sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes so the flavors blend.

-Holding the flower in your left hand with the petals open, stuff with a heaping tablespoon of the mixture. Close petals around the mix and place on a plates. Do all twelve flowers.

-Mix the beer and flour together until you’ve made what resembles pancake batter. You can also substitute onion ring batter mix found in packets in the produce aisle.

-Next, heat the oil until a pinch of flour sizzles when it’s dropped in. Holding the flower by the stem and the tip of the stuffed flower, roll it in the batter until well coated.

-Lower the flower into the oil being careful not to burn your fingers. There should be 4 flowers cooking at a time depending on the size of your pan. Give them room to brown on both sides. I flip them with long handled tongs and let them drain on paper towels set on a warm plate.

-Now salt them with a chunky, crystallized salt.

-At the height of summer, eat them warm with a cool glass of Pinot Grigio… Delizioso.

Note: You can also substitute left over risotto, mashed potatoes or a piece of fontina cheese for the filling…

Mama Rigo’s “Gravy”/ Sauce Recipe (with Meatballs)

Primary Ingredients
Garlic:  2 Cloves (whole)
Olive Oil
Onions:  1 medium (chopped)
Crushed Tomatoes (not puree):  1 lg can (imported if possible)
Tomato Paste: 1 sm can
Parsley (dried & fresh)
Bay Leaves
Salt & Pepper
Hot water (boiling)

Optional Ingredients
Italian sausages:  2 sweet, 2 hot
Pork chops:  1-2
Meatballs
-    Lean ground beef (approx. 1 lb)
-    Bread crumbs (seasoned)
-    Onion:  1 sm (chopped)
-    Egg: 1
-    Grated cheese  ( a mixture of Sado & Romano is preferred, but Parmesan or Reggiano are fine)

Directions:
Cover the bottom of a large pot with olive oil.
Sauté the chopped onions and garlic cloves in the oil until brown.
Add dried basil, parsley and bay leaves.  Add large can of crushed tomatoes and rinse can with hot water (approx. 1/3-1/2 full).  Add fresh basil, fresh parsley and salt & pepper to taste.  Let cook for 15 minutes.  Add can of tomato paste and rinse can with hot water (again, not full).  Let cook (on low) for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.  If using meat, brown pork chop and sausages before adding tomatoes.  Either brown the meatballs separately or add them in after the tomato paste to cook with the sauce.

Directions for Meatballs:
Add approx. 1/2 -1 cup breadcrumbs (seasoned),  egg, chopped onion approx. 2 T grated cheese, salt, pepper and parley (dried & fresh) to lean ground beef.  Roll into small-medium sized meatballs.  Options:  Pan sear the meat in the pan before adding tomatoes or after sauce is cooking.

©Marie Elena Rigo 2002.

I applaud Elizabeth Gilbert’s four month experiment in Italy. Eating her way through Rome, Naples, Sicily – savoring every bite of pizza, gelato, and pasta. Really?? you might ask, a Holistic Nutritional Counselor is saying “Way to Go! Eat all the cheesy pizza you can!” Yes I am, and let me tell you why…

It brings up the question, how do we nourish ourselves? Why do we choose the foods that we choose?

I am one of those people who has always read all kinds of nutrition books – it is not strange to find me leaving a bookstore with ten different books on ten different diets. Every one has a different theory on what is the best breakfast, how to prepare your food, and which diet is the fastest way to an ideal physique. Most of these books address what you should be eating. And this is obviously very important – I think we can all agree that a diet based in whole, nutritious foods is an important factor in feeling and looking your best.

But perhaps an equally important question is: Why you eat the foods you eat?

Food is one of the most intimate relationships we have in our lives, and it is definitely our longest. From the time we are conceived to the time that we die, we require nourishment. Figuring out how to feed ourselves to create a happy and healthy life can be one of the most challenging (and frustrating) tasks we face.

In its simplest form, food is fuel. It is the building blocks for our cells, organs and systems of our body. What we eat literally becomes our blood and then our cells, the tissues of our organs, the energy we use to fuel our lives and eventually even our thoughts and feelings about life. We all know this instinctually – you feel differently if you eat a bowl of broccoli than if you eat a burger and fries.

But even knowing this, it is rare to find a person who is solely using food for fuel. So many things get attached to our relationship with food, we use it fulfill all kinds of emotional needs – pleasure, love, comfort, reward, punishment, shame, distraction, and on and on.

And guess what, everyone does (or has done) this in their life – used food to fulfill an emotional need. Many of us had parents or teachers who told us if we were good, we would get a piece of candy. Or come home from a particularly hard day and drowned our sorrows in a pint of ice cream. The use of food for emotional fulfillment is ingrained in our society and we absorb it from our first experiences with food. It is the fastest way we know of to make ourselves feel better.

And it is not bad – getting pleasure from the food that we eat. Enjoying each morsel of an amazing dinner, where you had just what your body was asking for and you feel happy and satisfied the rest of your evening. Or as Elizabeth details, “nearly crying over the perfection of [the pizza]”.

But that is not how most of us experience our food. Most of us do not have an enjoyable relationship with food – we fluctuate between eating food we think we “should” eat, and bingeing on foods we “shouldn’t” and then beating ourselves up over it the rest of the day/night/week. It becomes a game of willpower and we use it to determine our self worth.

But here’s the thing: no food is inherently bad or good. Broccoli doesn’t come with a halo. And chocolate doesn’t wake up in the morning and declare it’s intention to mess up everyone’s life. You don’t become a bad person simply because you eat a chocolate chip cookie; or become a good person because you had a salad for lunch. Food is just food – it is the way that it is used that is worth exploring.

So this week, I am inviting you on a journey – to discover why you actually eat the foods that you eat.

The first step is to be present with the foods that you are eating.

When you sit down to eat your meal – whether it is at your desk or at your dining room table – take a moment to look at the food that you are about to eat, notice the colors, the smell, the textures. When you take a bite, slow down and become conscious. Be aware of the flavors that burst forth at first and then how the flavor and textures change as your teeth and saliva break the food down. What do you like about it? Or if you find out you don’t like it, ask yourself why. Chew the bite completely (until it is liquid in your mouth) before you swallow it. Breathe as you chew. Allow the chewing to bring you back into your body and the present moment. Do this for at least the first few bites of each meal. Not only will it help your digestion, you will find out some interesting things about the foods that you enjoy and why.

The next step is to find out why you eat the foods that you eat.

For the next week, before you eat your meal (or snack), ask yourself Why did I choose this food to eat? Out of all the foods and meals that you could have chosen, why this one? You may want to jot it down in a modified “food journal” and take a look at the end of the week to see if there are any patterns. Are you choosing foods because they are fast, because you are tired, because you are bored or lonely? Notice how often the food choices have to do with emotional needs rather than actual body cravings.

And now, make some life changes towards addressing what you discover
As amazing as food is, it cannot solve our emotional needs. Not really. So start to address those needs and let food go back to being and enjoyable way to fuel your amazing life.

Start small and make each change easy to accomplish. Once you have accomplished that easy goal, set another small goal. For example, If you discover that you are tired a lot and using food/caffeine for quick energy, then ask yourself: Is it possible to get an extra half an hour of sleep a night? Just get into bed a half an hour earlier than you are now. If that feels too hard, make it 15 minutes earlier. Once that has become routine, try for another small increment and another until you are getting the amount of sleep that is right for you.

Most importantly, go easy on yourself with what you discover. It takes a lot of courage to take a look at how we have been choosing to nourish ourselves, and what that might bring to the surface. Go slow, and be kind.
Awareness is change.

Christy Meyers, CHHC AADP
www.howtochow.com
info@howtochow.com

It’s time to get on a new road, make a shift and begin your journey to a new life! Whether your inner journey takes you to new exotic places, or simply your own backyard, the wonderful thing about a new journey is we get a chance to walk away from the past and start fresh on a new road from the present and into our future.

Sometimes in the beginning of something, we feel uncertain or unclear of what to do. If you find yourself having a lot of challenges starting your new path, ask yourself why you want to take a journey to begin with. This is a wonderful time for contemplation and reflection. Elizabeth Gilbert had a purpose for each step of her journey. You simply can’t say, “I want something different.” Ask yourself some questions like:

“What do you want to let go of and leave behind?”
“What new things do I want to create in my life?”
“What journey will I take to create my better life?”

Asking yourself these types of questions helps to formulate your sense of direction and lead you to your next steps. The key is to “embrace your life lessons with the willingness to learn and grow with an open heart.” Meaning, in order to take a new journey, you have to do the work and shift internally first.

Elizabeth Gilbert says, “Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings.”

She also says, “Stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ought to be.”

This means you have to get strong, develop fortitude and commit to change. This can be another year of empty wishes or an opportunity for a new way, a new questioning, a new discovery, a new exploration. But, in order for that change to happen, you have to take the first step. The choice is right in front of you; the fork in the road is here!

I believe there are no coincidences in life. You are attracted to this topic because there is a stirring inside of you, whether or not you are ready to act on that “inner knowing.” This is the moment when you need to ask yourself: “Will I take the same old road – same day, same bat channel? Or, will I embark on exciting adventure, to challenge myself to have what I really want in life?”

It’s up to you, the road is waiting…and the journey awaits!

Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love took us on her journey to find the life within her she always wished to live buried under the busy-ness and clutter we all experience in our day.

At some point, if we’re lucky, we ask ourselves “Who’s life am I living? Is it mine? How would I know?” The following MP3 audio exercises give you playful and provocative avenues for exploring your inner landscape to find your hidden passions and purpose.

Day 1
Your Life – Your Dream is Real

Day 2
Your Love – Finding a Thing That Is Everywhere

Day 3
Your Passions – Hiding in Plain Sight

Day 4
Your Purpose – Seeps from Your Pores

Day 5
Your Commitment – You Can Live Your Ideal Life – But, You Don’t Have To

I hope you have found these exercises fun and thought provoking. For many other themes and life-affirming exercises, check out Laura’s new book, Hand Me A Wrench, My Life’s Out of Whack: Understanding the Decisions We Make and Discovering the Power to Change. Available on her web site: www.HandMeAWrench.com.