“If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character… Would you slow down? Or speed up?”
– Chuck Palahniuk
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper cut up
- 1/2 red bell pepper cut up
- 1/2 cup baby carrots sliced
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 2 garlic cloves minced
Stir Fry Sauce
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 2 tbsp cold water
- 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Stacy’s Suggestions and Preparation
- For the recipe, click here.
- To make the stir fry sauce: whisk together in a medium bowl the corn starch and water. Add remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. I only used 1 tbsp of honey instead of 1/4 cup.
- Add one tbsp of olive oil to a large skillet or wok and heat over medium heat.
- I used chicken but you could use shrimp, pork, or beef or a combination! Add chicken to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from skillet.
- Reduce heat and add the rest of the oil olive.
- Add broccoli, peppers, carrots and cook. I used broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, and onions. Stir occasionally.
- Add ginger and garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add chicken back to the skillet and stir.
- Whisk stir fry sauce and pour over the chicken and veggies.
- Bring to boil for about 1 minute.
- Serve with rice or chow mein. I used cauliflower rice.
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
– Albert Einstein
“It isn’t where you came from. It’s where you’re going that counts.”
– Ella Fitzgerald
Equipment Needed
- none (may use a dumbbell if you want to add weight)
Weekly Wednesday Workout
In this leg day Tabata style workout, you will perform each movement for 45 seconds and rest for 15. You will repeat each movement four times before moving onto the next one. This workout will take you 16 minutes.
45 seconds on, 15 seconds rest of:
- curtsy lunge
- squat lift
- skater
- reverse lunges
How to Do the Moves
For video click here. Remember there are always modifications. Let me know if you need help or suggestions. You can always add weight to make the movements more challenging. Don’t forget to warm-up. Make this workout work for you!
“Be faithful to that which exists within yourself.”
– André Gide
I can’t express to you how amazing my friends are. Family is one thing, and I am blessed with a small, close immediate family and a huge, wonderful extended family. But my friends’ network is beyond words. They always say quality over quantity, but I believe that somehow I got both. I have friends that I have had since birth (literally our moms were in the same hospital room), since elementary school, since high school, since college, since California, since Virginia, since Thailand, since back to Pennsylvania when I started caring for Gram, and now since Florida. It seems that the older I get and different life circumstances occur, it seems the more wonderful people I meet.
From elementary school, I have a core group of friends. Although our paths took different turns, we managed to stay in touch. It didn’t matter if we saw each other every month or once a year, we would get together and it was as if no time had passed. We support each other through beautiful weddings and some heartbreaks. Some of us had children and some were lucky enough to inherit stepchildren. Some of us stayed in the small town where we grew up and others decided to leave. But these women and men have been there for me through good and bad times. And I can’t say enough about their support of gram and me over the past five years. I also have a boxful of notes from some of them from fifth grade forward. I can’t wait for us to get together to read through some of these over some wine one of these days.
Then I was off to college. There I met another group of fantastic ladies. We were from all different states and even though we are now spread all over the globe, and we don’t keep in touch as often as we should, we have a bond that remains. When we do get together or do a Zoom call, it brings my heart so much joy to see their beautiful faces and talk about their children and careers. Again, some decided to have children, some didn’t, some have been married, some have suffered the loss of a husband, some have been divorced and some have long-time partners. Although the differences in paths mean some loss of communication and closeness, we continue to cheer each other on from afar. And when we can meet up, it’s like we go back to those days sitting outside our apartment in college having coffee talk about the night before.
I have another group of friends that I met in Virginia through my education career and by participating in social sports. Richmond has some great adult league social sports you can play such as kickball, football, and wiffleball. We had so much fun playing these sports especially when we won a few championships! Although we don’t stay in touch as often as we should, these folks are always willing to help each other out. Receiving a text out of the blue from one of these special people always makes my heart happy. We may not talk or see each other often, but they all pass through my mind and my heart more often than they probably know.
When I went to Thailand, I met two very special ladies in Richmond before we left. We bonded right away because of our sense of adventure and the fear of the unknown. Once we got to Thailand, we met 30 more people who all had similar interests in traveling and teaching children. I am Facebook friends with many of these people, and recently I reconnected with one wonderful woman who can bring a smile to anyone’s face with her cuteness.
When I moved back to my hometown to provide care and companionship to Gram, I was excited to see my hometown girlfriends and their families. Whenever I would go to our small town sporting events, it was like a high school reunion. It was so much fun! We all had many things going on, but we got together as often as we could. Then I joined CrossFit Meadville and made another group of fantastic friends. I love that there are so many badass women in this gym. Most of these women are married, but in the beginning, they took me on as the odd wheel, and I loved it. When I introduced them to Jeff, they embraced him just as well. This crew enjoys Sunday Fun Days and brewery tours. They also love coming to Florida in the winter to visit. And we love spending our summers in Pennsylvania near them.
Once Gram and I started spending winters in Florida, we met more married couples that Jeff has been friends with for years. Friends he has met through his work or through his sons’ school or sporting events. I love these couples, and although I am still working on developing woman relationships in this area, I enjoy hanging out with them and going to dinner.
Another group of friends I adore is our ski club friends. Jeff started taking me skiing in 2018, and I met some very amazing people while skiing. Most of these friends are in the airline industry which is very intriguing to me. These friends come to ski weeks from all over the United States, and now I have friends to visit all over the country. It is amazing to me to keep meeting such generous and fun-loving people. It truly makes me so happy and makes me believe in the good of this world.
Lastly, I have a group of friends that I have met because of my grandparents. Many of my grandfather’s past basketball players send cards, messages, letters and through these, I have tried to keep the relationship going with Gram. Every time we meet up with someone from the old college, she has the biggest smile on her face. She always knows where they live and usually what they are doing. It amazes me. My husband and I love hearing the stories about my grandpa and how much he meant to them as a coach as well as the life lessons they learned through him. We miss him so much, and I love that he had such an impact on these gentlemen and their families.
This post is for you, my friends. You all know who you are and please know that I love and cherish each one of you. You made my transitions in each area of my life bearable and enjoyable. I am so blessed to be able to count on so many of you for anything, and I hope you feel the same about us. It makes my heart so warm to know that you are all out there. And it makes my heart happy to know how much you love and care about sweet Gram.
“Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.”
– John Barrymore
“Make each day your masterpiece.”
– John Wooden
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups quick oats
- 1/4 cup nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup vegan butter or coconut oil
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- pinch of salt
Stacy’s Suggestions and Preparation
- In a large bowl, combine oats, nut butter, vanilla, and salt.
- In a small saucepan, combine butter, sugar, and water.
- As soon as the edges start bubbling all the way around the pan, set the timer for 2:30 (2 minutes 30 seconds).
- Let boil until the timer goes off.
- When the timer goes off, remove and pour the mixture over the oats in the bowl.
- Stir well.
- Scoop unto wax paper/parchment paper and let cool.
- If you want regular no-bake cookies, use this recipe. When I make these I use 1/3 cup peanut/almond butter. I put the butter, milk, cocoa, and sugar into a saucepan and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Then add vanilla and nut butter. Lastly, add the 3 cups of oats. Stir well to combine. Scoop onto wax paper onto the counter.
- Enjoy!