Does Utah have a drug problem?

Utah has led the nation in prescription drug abuse and overdose deaths, and the state’s pain pill problem has caught the attention of the Deputy White House Drug Policy Director who was in Salt Lake City Friday.  Read what he has to say here!
http://fox13now.com/2014/02/28/white-house-official-addresses-utahs-prescription-drug-abuse-problem/

Prescription Take Back Events will happen around the county on April 26th!  More info to come!

Exercising Makes Me Happy!

It really does!  Check out this great article about how exercise makes us happier.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3025957/work-smart/what-happens-to-our-brains-when-we-exercise-and-
how-it-makes-us-happier

In honor of National Nutrition Month, let’s try some new, healthy recipes!
Submit your favorite recipe(s) & we will share them here on the blog.  Expand your recipe collection by trying out your co-workers “Tried and True” recipes this month (and earn 5 quarterly points)!

Then come sample your co-workers favorite healthy recipes at our upcoming TASTE TESTING event!  All registered participants will receive a free copy our of “Tried & True” Recipe Book and will be entered into a raffle to win some fun prizes. Let’s make nutrition fun again!

Submit a recipe and/or register for the Taste Testing Here! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bEFKxKneJYQCxHHqbQHmPVd__qBbQSjTPe5ZUtK8KlA/viewform

Tried & True Taste Testing
March 24th
12:00 pm
1600-1601 HJB

Some More "Tried & True" Recipes!

No-Bake Energy Bites

1 C. old-fashioned oats
2/3 C. toasted coconut flakes
1/2 C. peanut butter
1/2 C. ground flaxseed or wheat germ
1/2 C. chocolate chips (optional)
1/3 C. honey
1 Tbsp. chia seeds (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. (Mine were about 1 inch in diameter.) Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Makes about 20-35 bites.

Substitutions
Feel free to substitute in your favorite nut butter (almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.) for the peanut butter. And you could also add in some wheat germ in place of some or all of the flaxseed. I would caution, though, against substituting agave nectar for the honey, as the honey's thickness helps hold things together.

Some fun substitutions for the chocolate chips (or an addition to them) could include:

• chopped dried fruit (apricots, dates, raisins, etc.)
• dried berries (cranberries, cherries, etc.)
• chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, or sunflower seeds
• other chips (butterscotch, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, M&Ms, etc.)
• other grains (different kinds of oatmeal, rice cereal, etc.)

Thanks Shad for submitting this recipe!

Broccoli, Grape and Pasta Salad

1 C. chopped pecans

1/2 (16 oz.) package bow-tie pasta

1 lb. fresh broccoli

1 C. mayonnaise

1/3 C. sugar

1/3 C. diced red onion

1/3 C. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. salt

2 C. seedless red grapes, halved

8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.

2. Prepare pasta according to package directions.

3. Meanwhile, cut broccoli florets from stems, and separate florets into small pieces using tip of a paring knife. Peel away tough outer layer of stems, and finely chop stems.

4. Whisk together mayonnaise and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add broccoli, hot cooked pasta, and grapes, and stir to coat. Cover and chill 3 hours. Stir bacon and pecans into salad just before serving.

Thanks Diana for submitting this recipe!

Baked Oatmeal to go

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 C. applesauce, unsweetened

1 banana, mashed

6 packets of Sweetleaf Stevia or 1 1/2 tsp. stevia powder or use 1/2 C. honey

5 C. Old Fashioned rolled oats

1/4 C. flax seed meal

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 3/4 C. milk

optional toppings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix eggs, vanilla, applesauce, banana and stevia together in bowl. Add in oats, flax, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and mix well with wet ingredients. Finally pour in milk and combine.

Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray or use cupcake liners. Pour mixture evenly into muffin tin cups. If using topping add them onto the tops of muffins now. If using fresh or frozen fruit, drop it right into the batter. 

Bake 30 minutes until a toothpick in center comes out clean. Cook and enjoy or freeze in gallon freezer bags.

Thanks Mike for submitting this recipe!

Remember that if you're awake...You're Awesome! Have a great day today!

Watch this great video and make today awesome!

March Into Wellness Week 3 Brackets!

click on the bracket to increase the size....

"Tried & True" Recipe Highlights

We have some more "Tried & True" recipes for you to try this weekend!  Thanks to all who have submitted recipe ideas. What a great way to share, try, and get excited about new healthy recipes for National Nutrition Month!

Strawberry Salad
Chopped Salad
Fresh Sliced Strawberries
1 tsp. lite blue cheese dressing
Mix together and enjoy. The strawberries mellow out the blue cheese flavor and create a more creamer flavor in the salad. You can also add chopped almonds.

Thanks Deelen for the salad idea!

**I also love making a strawberry salad with spring mix salad. There are so many ways to dress it up.
Some topping ideas: mango, blueberries, mandarin oranges, crasins, hard boiled egg, shredded mozarella cheese, sliced alvocado, sliced almonds or chopped walnuts, raspberry viniagrette or poppyseed viniagrette. You can also add grilled chicken to make it more filling. Lots of yummy combinations to try. Very quick to throw together and SO good!


Zucchini Banana Oat Bread (or Muffins)
1 1/2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 C. oats
1 C. sugar
2 eggs
1 C. canola oil
2 tsp. vanilla
2 ripe bananas, mashed
3 cups shredded zucchini

Heat oven to 350 and prepare loaf or muffin pans.
In large bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and oats. Stir together.
In a smaller bowl combine sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla and mashed banana.
Pour sugar mixture into flour mixture, and stir by hand.
Add in Zucchini and mix until well incorporated.
Bake for 35-45 minutes or until bread pulls away from sides of plan and an inserted toothpick is removed clean.
notes: I make these as muffins, and they make a great on-the-go breakfast :)

Thanks Maralie for the Muffin Recipe!

Soup Ideas
Click here for an African Soup Recipe and Black Bean Stew Recipe

Thanks Raven for sending these in!

March Into Wellness week 2 brackets!

Quinoa, Black Bean and Corn Tacos

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa 
1 Tbsp olive oil 
1 medium yellow onion, diced 
3 cloves garlic, finely minced 
1 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth 
1 (14.5) oz can diced tomatoes with green chilis, undrained 
1 1/2 tsp chili powder 
1 tsp ground cumin 
1/2 tsp paprika 
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 
1/4 tsp ground coriander 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 
1 1/2 cups frozen corn 
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed 
juice of 1 lime 
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped 

Serve with: 
corn or wheat tortillas 
chopped lettuce 
Monterey Jack, cheddar or cottage cheese 
diced avocados 
diced tomatoes 
hot sauce 

Directions
Heat olive oil in a large non-stick saucepan over medium high heat. Once hot, add onion and saute until golden and tender, about 3 minutes. Add in garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Stir in broth, diced tomatoes, cooked quinoa, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, coriander and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat, cover saucepan with lid and simmer about 20 minutes, until mixture has thickened. 
Stir in corn and black beans and simmer, uncovered 5 - 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in lime juice and cilantro. Serve warm over tortillas with desired toppings. 
(Recipe Source: recipe adapted slightly from a ward cookbook, recipe submitted by Kelli Price)

Thanks to Tonya Christensen for submitting this recipe! Keep submitting your favorite healthy recipes by emailing them to ucwell4life@gmail.com (feel free to include a picture as well) or through this link here. 

It's National Sleep Awareness Week!

What happens when you sleep?

While sleep needs vary with individuals, most healthy adults need between 7 to 9 hours.  During a proper night’s sleep you will have 4-5 sleep cycles. One sleep cycle looks like this:

Non-REM sleep has four stages, each about 5-15 minutes each. The first stage is a transition stage where brain waves slow down, and you can be awakened without difficulty. Next, you enter into a light sleep. Heart rate decreases, body temperature decreases, and your body prepares for deep sleep. Then, in stages three and four you enter into deep sleep. During this time your body is busy repairing and regenerating tissues, building bone and muscle, and strengthening the immune system.

After about 90 minutes of sleep onset, you enter into REM sleep. REM stands for “Rapid Eye Movement” because at this time your eyes move rapidly. This is when you dream. Brain activity is heightened and brainwave activity to similar to wakefulness. However, paralysis occurs as well, so REM sleep is sometimes referred to as paradoxical sleep. 

Learn more at:  http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/sleep-101

There are many benefits to a proper night's sleep!

• better ability to manage stress
• helps cognitive function (memory, learning, judgment, decision-making)
• allows body to repair and regenerate
• boosts immune system 
• more energy and alertness
• combats feelings of depression and fatigue

Did You Know?

• Sleep helps you learn more effectively! Many of us think that we are being more productive working late into the night, but we would actually be more productive if we had a proper night’s sleep. Sleep allows our brain sorts new information into memory banks, solidifying information and skills that you learned during the day. As this video clips says, sleep “clears our hard drive” so to speak, so that we are ready to learn more. Although this video is targeted towards students, it is excellent information for us all to remember!

• Sleep is important for safe driving!  “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has estimated more than 100,000 auto crashes annually are fatigue related.” (sleep foundation)
• Sleep may play a role in weight loss!  Dr. Michael Breus explains, “Exactly how lack of sleep affects our ability to lose weight has a lot to do with our nightly hormones...Ghrelin is the ‘go’ hormone that tells you when to eat, and when you are sleep-deprived, you have more ghrelin. Leptin is the hormone that tells you to stop eating, and when you are sleep deprived, you have less leptin.” (Webmd)

Interesting clip from 60 Minutes: "Science of Sleep" 

10 Tips to a Better Nights Sleep

1. Stick to a consistent sleep schedule.

2. Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual.

3. Avoid naps, especially in the afternoon (keep naps brief, 20 minutes or less)

4. Exercise daily (aim to finish any vigorous exercise 3-4 hours before bedtime)

5. Evaluate your room. Optimal sleeping conditions are free from noise, light (especially be careful with blue lights in your bedroom from computer and TV screens), and have cooler temperatures (60-67 degrees).

6. Avoid heavy meals in evening. Complex carbs and dairy food are good light evening snacks. Try to finish any snack at least an hour before bed.

7. Don’t drink anything within two hours of sleep.

8. Lower the lights. This signals to your brain to produce melatonin.

9.  If you can’t sleep, go into another room and do something relaxing until you feel tired.

10. Have a “winding down” time in the evening.

Tips collected from:
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-tools-tips/healthy-sleep-tips
http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-benefits-10/slideshow-sleep-tips
http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleep_tips.htm

Happy Sleep Awareness Week! 

Remember sleep is an important part of health 

& get a good night's sleep tonight!!