Author Archives: Dixie Elliott

About Dixie Elliott

I'm your supporter, encourager and challenger in your quest to be healthy and well. Let's climb the mountain of health and well being together, one little step at a time. Every little step makes a difference!

Smoothie bowl recipe, almost ice cream!

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It’s the time of year when I want a sweet cold treat.  I found one that’s healthy too! How cool is that?

Smoothies always sound so delicious but I really don’t like to drink my calories.

I prefer the hand to mouth experience of eating.

So I went on a search for a smoothie recipe that I could have in a bowl and eat with my spoon.

 Someone else was thinking the same thing and I found lots of recipes for a smoothie bowl.

I adapted a couple and came up with my own based on the fruit I had available.

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Banana and Pineapple Smoothie Bowl

Ingredients

1 medium frozen banana

1 cup frozen pineapple chunks

1/2 cup of milk or milk alternative

Garnishes

4 sliced strawberries

2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut

2 tablespoons sliced almonds

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I think I have found another use for those bananas that get over ripe before I use them.  Now I will freeze them for a smoothie bowl instead of banana muffins.

Cut the banana into slices and add the pineapple to a food processor. I have a mini processor and it works really well for this smaller recipe.

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Add milk or milk alternative.

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Then pulse until frozen fruit begins to break down.  Stop occassionally and stir to rearrage large chunks.

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Continue to pulse until all the fruit has broken down and the smoothie has the consistency of ice cream!

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Then place the smoothie in a bowl.   I was excited to see that the smoothie filled a regular cereal bowl!

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I could hardly believe that a banana, some pineapple and only a half a cup of milk could fill this bowl with such creamy goodness.  The banana really helps the texture be similar to ice cream.

Then I added some garnishes:  strawberries, flaked coconut and slivered almonds to add more nutrition.  The garnishes also make the smoothie bowl look really appealing.

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I like to eat my smoothie bowl right away.  In fact I ate this one as I wrote up this blog post!  It was filling, nutritious and delicious.  It tasted too good to be healthy!

Here’s a link to check out: smoothie bowl recipes. You may be more adventurous than me and  try a green smoothie bowl.  If you try one let me know how it turned out!

TODAY’S little STEP:  Try a smoothie bowl recipe.  It satisfies the sweet treat craving and gives your body healthy nutrients!

Remember every little step makes a difference!

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My 7 best tips for energy and restoration!

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Is your life crazy busy? I love spring. It’s my favorite time of year. The snow is finally gone.

The weather is beautiful and I feel so energized. But spring is also a really busy time of year.

Church programs are winding down with special evenings. There are graduations, weddings, and anniversaries to celebrate. For our American friends there are Open Houses to plan and attend for High School graduates.

 

With all the fun activities we can have a tendency to keep running on empty.

How do we get recharged and refocused?

When my life is crazy I have learned that there are some

important things I need to do to cope.

 

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When I looked back over this last year I realized that I feel this way every May and June.

So I decided if I feel this way you might too.

This is a repost from last year. It was too good not to share again.

Here are the tips I’ve learned to stay energized!

1. Get enough sleep. When life is busy it’s easy to stay up late and get more done.

But then I start running on steam and even fun things seem like a chore.

I need to slow down in the evening and get to bed before 11!

If I’m short on sleep I want to eat.

It’s like my body says, “O.K. if you aren’t going to give me enough sleep then give me more food!”

We’ll have a blog post about that sometime in the future.

2. Eat good healthy food.

 As much as my emotions shout for junk food, especially chocolate, I know I need fruit, vegetables and protein.

3. Walk outside. Sometimes my walk is more like a stomp!

It clears my brain and helps me deal with stress.  The beauty of God’s creation touches my spirit.

4. Stay away from caffeine. I’m tempted to stop at Starbucks for a hot tall dark roast coffee to give me the energy to tackle my to-do list, but not anymore.

The caffeine makes me jittery and then I don’t sleep well that night. I’ve switched to sweetened decaffeinated tea.

5. Quiet. No radio, no TV, no background noise. It’s amazing how much silence can refresh me.

6. A good chat with a girlfriend! There’s nothing like a phone chat with a good friend to vent my worries and frustrations.

She doesn’t try to fix it like a man does. She listens, encourages and challenges me when my thinking is way off the mark.

7. SPEND TIME WITH GOD! It’s the most important thing I can do! He resets my priorities.

When I spend time praying, reading the Bible and good devotional books, I remember that God is on His throne.

I can rest because He is in control, not me!

 

TODAY’S little STEP: When life feels crazy take one or all of these 7 little steps to be energized and restored!  But remember it’s not about doing every little step perfectly!  It’s about imperfect progress!

If you have found this helpful please share it with your friends!

 

 

 

 

My life and yours reflected in blogging history.

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Is your life crazy busy?  Do you wonder were the days have gone?  That’s how I feel as I look back over this last year of blogging.  As I review my blog statistics I learn about my life and yours too.

Here’s what I learned.

I can see how some major events of my life have been captured and recorded as part of this blog.  Click on the links to go back and read these stories.

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When life knock you down. Can God be trusted?

 
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My 6 day mission trip with no trip!

 

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Reflections from a brand new empty nester!

 

 

I can also see that some topics were very interesting to you.

 

 

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How to make nutrient rich choices everyday!

 

 

 

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8 Smart strategies for food on the go!

 

 

 

How To Get More Instagram Followers iPhone Layout-2

2 Little words you should never say!

 

 

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Healthy snack bar recipe!

 

Pure water is theworld's firstand foremostmedicine!

15 TIPS AND TRICKS FOR WATER HATERS

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MY PRAYER NOTEBOOK, BEST TREASURE EVER!

 

 

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Best benefits of 10 minutes of walking

 

TODAY’S little STEP:  Take a few minutes and read a favorite post!  Share one with a friend too!

Thanks for the birthday gifts!

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Little steps to health is three years old this month!

We just have to stop and celebrate together!

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Sorry, there is no cake and ice cream.

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But there have been gifts that I want to be thankful for!

First, I want to thank you for the gift of your time.

Thanks for opening this email or clicking on the link to my blog.

I know time is one of your most valuable commodities.

I appreciate you spending some of it with me.

Thank you for the gift of your feedback. I love hearing that something I wrote really encouraged you.

Thank you for the gift of sharing my posts with your friends.

That really helps my blog get more readers.

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Thank you for the gift of your prayers for my family and I.

I have shared some of our life struggles and your prayers were felt.

Thank you to fellow bloggers for the gift of shared links to my blog.

I want to thank my husband Don for the gift of supportive editing. His attention to detail is very appreciated.

Thanks to my best friend Gwen for the gift of accountability. She helps me set and keep deadlines.

I need to thank our Great God for the gift of encouragement that He has given to me to share.

He provides the direction for this blog and the words of wisdom.

Looking back I can now say that I am thankful for the gift of learning and stretching during the last three years.

The discipline of planning and writing every week has been just plain hard work.

But just as I am always telling you, little steps do make a difference! I keep learning about technology one little step at a time!

I am thankful for the gift of technology, which allows these words to reach across continents and touch your lives.

I am old enough to have watched the changes in technology and I realize that we live in a remarkable world.

Thanks again for the gift of your support for this blog.

It is my hope and prayer that you will always leave encouraged.  Because little steps do make a difference.

Every journey starts with one little step.

TODAY’S little STEP: Know that you are appreciated. Thank you for the wonderful gifts you have given to me!

Keep taking little steps to health. Every little step makes a difference!

 

 

5 benefits of eating your veggies!

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This super food is low in calories, high in nutrients, vitamins, minerals and fiber.

It comes individually packaged and can be eaten raw or cooked.

It’s Doctor approved and recommended.

What’s your guess? Fruit?

Nope, it’s vegetables!

Eating more vegetables is one of the simplest changes we can make to improve our overall health.

We all heard it while we moved the slimy cold brussels sprouts around and around on our plates. “Eat your veggies. They’re good for you”!

Some of us grew up hating veggies because they were chosen for us and poorly prepared. In my case boiled until they were mushy.

The choices available to us are incredible!

We aren’t limited to frozen corn or brussels sprouts anymore!

The produce section of the grocery store is a feast for the eyes!

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Such a variety of color and texture!

This week’s little step is to eat one more serving of veggies.

If I’m writing to a veggie hater I am confident you can find at least one veggie that you like.

Add a half-cup of raw or cooked veggies to your daily food intake.

If you already love veggies add a half-cup to your daily food intake anyway.

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photo credit Greg Westfall

In case you need to be reminded again that they are good for you.

Here are some of the amazing benefits.

Eating more vegetables can lower our risk of developing arthritis, heart disease, stroke, dementia and cancer.

Vegetables fill our stomachs with nutrient rich, low calorie fuel!

We also feel fuller for longer because of the high fiber content.

When we replace higher calorie foods with vegetables, we win. Especially when we step into our clothes and they fit loosly.

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A plate of raw veggies can help satisfy the hand to mouth, crunch and munch craving.

Those are good reasons to eat our veggies!

Personally, I like to eat most of mine raw and crunchy at lunchtime. No more boiled and mushy veggies for me!

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Today’s little step: Add a one half-cup serving of vegetables to your daily food intake. Choose ones that appeal to you.

Every journey begins with one little step.

 

 

 

 

Yesterday’s failure does not define today!

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Does your inner critic lie to you? “It’s been a busy stressful day. You deserve a reward.  There’s some cake left. Go ahead. Enjoy a nice big piece!”

Then after you’ve had the cake she taunts you. “Do you know how many calories were in that? What happened to your plan to eat healthy? You are such a loser. You’re just doomed to be fat forever!”.

 

Your inner critic is a nasty

There is always hope!

Each morning when we open our eyes we get a fresh start! Keep taking little steps to health because they do make a difference.

Yesterday’s failures do not define today!

Anne of Green Gables is one of my favorite books. Anne is forever making embarrassing mistakes.

One time she put liniment instead of vanilla into her cake and then served it to company!

After many tears her spirit of optimism shines through and she says, “Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”

I love that line because it reminds us that each morning we get a fresh start.

Yesterday’s failures do not define today!

Read that line again.

Now believe it!

Every day is a fresh start.

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photo credit-Wil Stewart

I am also reminded of God’s love and kindness. “But this I call to mind; therefore I have hope. The Lord’s royal kindness never ceases; His compassions never end. They are new every morning; your faithfulness is abundant.” Lamentations 3:21-24 New English Translation.

God’s compassion is as sure as the sunrise!

TODAY’S little STEP: When you wake up each morning – start fresh. It’s a new day!  Yesterday’s failures do not define today!  Take little steps to health.

Every little step makes a difference!

 

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A slow learners guide to accessing God’s power!

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Discipline, willpower, consistency … whatever we call it, it’s hard work.  It takes a lot of power.

Most of us tackle this health journey in our own power. I think that is why we have so many setbacks. We don’t truly access the power available to us as daughters of the King.

Accessing God’s power is the most important change most of us need to make on our health journey.

Accessing God’s power will impact every area of our lives!

But how do we do that?

I’m learning. I don’t have it all figured out. But I will happily share what I am finding out about accessing God’s power. I’m a slow learner it seems.  It takes me a long time to learn an important truth.

I’m learning that when I have a problem I need to focus on God.

My usual tactic is to go into problem solving mode. I analyze my problem from all kinds of angles. I lose joy, sleep, time and peace because I get laser focused on what I need to do.

I think I need to study more.  I should pray more. I should read my Bible more. I should serve others more.  I should control my thoughts better.  I think I need to go on a new diet.  I should exercise more.  I should just be more disciplined.

Did you notice all the I’s in that paragraph?  When I focus on the problem it’s about me!  All the power is supposed to come from me. But there are some days when the discipline and the power are all gone!  I don’t have the power.

I’m learning that when I have a problem I need to focus on God.

My God is sitting on His throne in Heaven. He is aware of everything! But God is more than just aware of everything – He is in control of everything! I can rest because He’s big enough to handle my problem.

Then I think of all that God has created. He formed the Universe. He devised all the laws of science that keep our world in existence. He created the marvelous human body with amazing attention to detail. The creator of everything has the power over everything.

This next thought amazes and humbles me. The God of the Universe desires a relationship with me! That’s amazing! He is my Heavenly Father. He loves me. He wants to know what is going on in my life. So I cry out to Him and tell Him my problems, my hurts, my struggles and worries.

I think about the God of the Bible – the one TRUE GOD! The God who performed amazing miracles with astonishing power! I think of some of my favorite stories. When people cried out to God and His power was evident.  When God shut the mouths of the lions so Daniel was not eaten. When God sent down fire to burn up an offering, stones and water. When God sent a fish to swallow Jonah. When God provided food everyday for the Israelites as they wandered for 40 years in the desert.

God is always the same. He never changes. The God who performed those amazing, astonishing miracles is the very same God who loves me! That same power is available to me when I cry out to Him.

I’m learning to believe – God’s power is available. It’s not about what I need to do. Instead it’s about God’s power. Letting Him be in control.

His power is available when I focus my thoughts on Him! When I find my thoughts going down a worry pathway I stop and focus on God. I say a healthy self-talk statement, which is also a prayer. “God, You are on Your throne. You are in control. I know You are the God of infinite power. Thank you for how You are at work. I rest in You”. Some days, I say this statement again and again as I so easily slip back into problem solving mode.

I’m learning that God’s power is available through His words.

These are some of my favorite Bible verses. Verses that talk about God’s power and His strength.

I love you O LORD, my strength

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and His mighty power”. Ephesians 6:10

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”. Romans 15:13

Today’s little step: When problems arise, don’t go into problem solving mode. Instead focus on God and all that He is! Access His power by focusing on Him!

Now you know how this slow learner has made progress.  I’d love to hear from you.  How are you accessing God’s power?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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