Getting Back on Track

I don't know about you, but when the dog days of summer arrive, the last thing I want to do is stand in front of a hot oven in my kitchen and cook dinner. I prefer to spend the few hours prior to dinner playing outside with my son or swimming at the neighborhood pool. Cooking for an hour no longer becomes a priority. So now that it's about nine billion degrees in Kansas, I have been having trouble preparing healthy meals for myself and the fam. I find myself craving ice cream (um, not so vegan or healthy, huh) and wanting an ice cold adult beverage more than usual. So what's a girl to do???

Step One: Don't be so hard on myself for caving in to my cravings.

Step Two: Do the best I can after submitting to said cravings.

Step Three: Escape to the mountains of upstate NY for some R&R, fresh air, and a healthy food environment.

We may not all have my exact version of Step Three, but we can all rebound after eating, eh-hem, crap by finding a way to remind ourselves why we are eating healthy. For me, spending time in the beautiful Catskill Mountains with my family (and my step mother, who has been pioneering a healthy diet for over 30 years) out in a totally natural and beautiful environment has helped to remind me how good I feel when I eat a healthy diet. I also spent time this past week with my mom in New Jersey and I am reminded how fortunate I am to have had my mother's example of eating sensibly from a young age. I feel refreshed and renewed and ready to tackle the summer cravings upon returning to Kansas tomorrow. Thank you NY!