Copy
If this email was forwarded to you, and you would like to receive our Newsletter every month or two, then sign up to become a member of Jan & Martins e-community - Join Now!
View this email in your browser
In this issue: WestJet Christmas Video, Martin's Award Winning Chili, Planning Ahead, Seasonal Affective Disorder, USANA U-Wellness Tour Video, Dr. Oz, Timothy Bradley, RESET Program,  KLM Video

Happy Holidays from our home to yours!

If you'd like a "feel-good story from Christmas-past," you might enjoy watching or sharing this West Jet Christmas Video. It's a five minute video that chokes me up each time I re-watch it and if you're tight on time, we understand and you can just keep going through our holiday newsletter.
WestJet Christmas Miracle: Spirit of Giving
"You can turn your life into paradise, but the only way you can do it is to make the inside of you paradise. There is no other way.
You are the cause; your life is the effect."
-Rhonda Byrne
Since we've already shared tips on mastering dairy-free and gluten free turkey stuffing, we thought we'd mix our menu up a little with this surprise...

Martin's Award Winning United Nations Chili

 
Here is our Award-winning U.N. Chili Recipe from this year’s Chili cook-off!!
There are ingredients from Russia, India, Italy, Canada, USA, Mexico and the Caribbean, so we think we can truly claim the UN Status! The true test of its popularity was the fact it was the first pot emptied in a competition with 21 different recipes. Okay, here we go:
 
Ingredients:
 
Base:
 
2 TBLS              Extra Virgin Olive Oil - ITALY
1 Large              Walla Walla or Sweet Onion
1 Medium         Green Pepper
1 Medium         Red Pepper
2 Cloves            Russian Garlic
¼ cup               Chili Powder
1 TBLS              Ground Cumin
1 4oz can          Tomato Paste
1 28oz can        Diced Tomatoes
1 15oz can         Black Beans, rinsed
1 15oz can         Kidney Beans, rinsed
1 15oz can         Pinto Beans, rinsed
1 cup                  Dark Chocolate Chips
 
Meat:
 
1 lb                     Organic Ground Turkey
½ lb                  Sweet Italian Sausage or Chorizo Sausage – ITALY
1 cup                 Jack Daniels
2 cups               Maple Syrup – CANADA
1 cup                 Agave
  
Bam aka (Chipotle Sauce):
 
1 TBLS             Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ cup              Sundried Tomatoes
½ cup              Walla Walla Onions – USA
¼ cup              Celery
¼ cup              Carrot
2 cloves            Russian Garlic - RUSSIA
1 cup                 Beef Stock
1 Lime              Zest and Juice
1 tsp                  Salt
1                        Chipotle Chile in Adobo Sauce Plus 1 tsp sauce from can - MEXICO
1 cup                Mayonnaise
1 cup                Coconut Cream – THAILAND
 
Part 1 the Bam Sauce:
 
Heat 1 TBLS EVOO over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Add Roasted Red Pepper, Onion, Celery, Carrot, Russian Garlic and sauté about 10-15 minutes until onions are translucent. Add 1 cup of Beef Stock, 1tsp salt, Lime Zest & juice, and Chipotle Chili plus 1tsp of Chipotle Chili sauce. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Transfer ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth. Add in Mayonnaise and Coconut Cream and puree once again to blend all ingredients. Place in refrigerator overnight. Before adding the Bam Sauce to the Chili, test the flavour profile and season with salt, pepper and/or maple syrup as required.
 
Part 2 the Meat:
 
Mix together ½ cup Jack Daniels and ½ cup Maple Syrup. In a large bowl combine the Ground Turkey and Italian Sausage together, mixing well. Place the meat mixture into a large Ziploc bag and pour the Jack Daniels mixture into the bag. Tightly seal, removing all air and place in fridge overnight. Massage every 3 hours or so to evenly distribute the marinade through the meat.
 
Part 3 the Base:
 
In a large Dutch oven, add 2 TBLS EVOO over medium heat. Once hot, add the Onions, Green and Red Peppers sauté until Onions are clear, about 5-10 minutes. Add in the 2 Cloves of Russian Garlic and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Next add in the Meat Mixture and marinade from Part 2, cooking until well browned even a little charred, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in Chili Powder, Cumin, and sauté for about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the Tomato Paste for about 2-3 minutes to toast the mixture. Add in the Diced Tomatoes including the juice, Pinto Beans, Kidney Beans, Black Beans and Bam Sauce. Simmer on medium-low heat for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, cover and let sit overnight. Check flavour profiles in the morning and add in additional maple syrup, chili powder, salt, and pepper to finalize. (This is where we get out Mad Scientist Hats on!!). Re-heat for about 1-2 hours over low-medium heat before taking to Chili Cook-off.
 
Serve with chopped green onions and sharp cheddar.
 


 

Planning Ahead

With the fast-paced, high pressure lifestyles of today, more and more people have limited time to do their personal gift shopping. For some people, the challenge is coming up with ideas in addition to finding the perfect gift. Perhaps free time isn't an issue, but can you stand the bother of hunting down parking spaces and contending with busy crowds at the mall?
 
Whether you exchange presents during the holidays or love to show your appreciation with a thank you gift or offer a hostess gift when you arrive to a dinner party, let us do your shopping and wrapping for you. All it takes is a quick email, text or phone call to discuss your budget and tell us a little something about the person we're shopping for. 
 
Holiday Shopping made easy, here are some ideas to inspire you:
 

Sense Beautiful Science: Intensive Hand Therapy
For your babysitter, house sitter or pet sitter..."Because we know we're in good hands with you."

USANA set of Essentials (Mega antioxidant & Multimineral(
For your loved one who is "Essential" to you!

USANA Health Pack: AM and PM Blister Packs

Convenient daily supplement packs containing  all the nutrients you need for a busy lifestyle - Essentials, Active Calcium and Anti-Oxidant booster!
Sensé Hair & Body Pack 
Show that you value someBODY. Nutrition from the outside in!
No chemical preservatives: Sense products are
paraben-free!
5 Day Reset Kit - Jumpstart Your New You!
 
(Jumpstart kit includes: Nutrimeal Shake Meal Replacements, Protein Bars & Nutritional Supplements)
This is the beginning of our 28 Day Lifestyle Reset Program
 

Gift certificate with Martin or Jan
Putting lessons, a custom putter, fitness program or nutrition coaching...you name it, we'll create it for your loved one or maybe for you too!
 
I was introduced to Dr Christiane Northrup through her first book Women's Bodies Women's Wisdom and our shared roles as personal believers in the products manufactured by USANA  Health Sciences as well as Sanoviv Medical Institute - a holistic hospital we have both been to several times.  When she became a best-selling author, PBS and Oprah Winfrey show regular, her focus on menopause and graceful aging became something I truly appreciate and admire. Her mother, daughter and grand-daughter are all examples of the health benefits from USANA and I hope you'll enjoy the following words of wisdom she shared recently on a topic many people don't like to address, Seasonal Affective Disorder.

"Happiness is our natural state. We are all meant to feel joy abundantly in our lives. Joy makes us younger, smarter, more intuitive and healthier. Of course with the darker days of winter upon us, many of you may experience less joy or even the “winter blues” known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD is where people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms.) The good news is, there are many ways you can combat SAD and experience all of the joy you are meant to experience all year round.

Your body needs a minimum of about 30 minutes of sunlight a day. (Two hours is ideal.) However, after 48 hours, all of the nutrients and energy you received from the sun are depleted. Depending on where you live, you may go through long, cloudy periods during the winter where you don’t get direct sunlight every day. This can make you want to sleep more. And there is a good reason for this. For one thing, circadian rhythms, those that govern the sleep and wake cycle, are different in winter than in summer. In addition, our bodies make more melatonin in the winter. Melatonin is a natural substance created by your brain when it’s dark. It aids with sleep. Of course, too much melatonin can leave you feeling sluggish and mentally foggy.
 
For millennia, our ancestors honored the natural rest cycle that winter brought. This meant sleeping more in the winter. (Even the earth rested—very little grows in winter, although the trees send nourishment to their roots, so the cycle can begin again in spring.) We, however, have become accustomed to living a 24/7 lifestyle. Much of our world is lit up when our bodies intuitively know we should be sleeping. And most of those lights we encounter today are still incandescent and florescent. Over exposure to these types of lights can cause symptoms that, in addition to lack of sunlight, contribute to SAD, such as eye fatigue, hyperactivity, and stress. Incandescent lights in particular put out a yellow-orange frequency. If your body becomes overdosed or sensitive to this frequency, you crave carbohydrates and more sleep. Some women may even experience changes in their menstrual cycle. Many people become irritable and depressed. Finally, you may experience a weakened immune system and notice that you catch more colds or even the Flu.
 
How To Beat The Winter Blues With Full Spectrum Light
 
As daylight gets shorter, it’s not uncommon to experience fatigue, lethargy, weight gain, carbohydrate cravings, premenstral moodiness, irritability, excessive sadness, and even changes in your libido. Luckily there are some easy things you can do to alleviate seasonal symptoms:
The best thing to do when you have long cloudy periods when the sun doesn’t come through is to use full spectrum light bulbs. A full spectrum light is the closest thing we have to real sunlight. “Full spectrum” means they contain all the colors, including the blues, greens, and purples that florescent and incandescent bulbs don’t have. Using a full spectrum light for about six hours a day is equivalent to 30 minutes of sunlight.
An easy way to add more full spectrum light to your environment is by replacing your light bulbs with full spectrum light bulbs.
 
Another highly effective way to combat seasonal blues is with a light box. A light box gives off full-spectrum light and extends the number of daylight hours you get. Light boxes are great for rainy days, too. Although they sort of look like a tanning apparatus, the idea is to enjoy the ambient light from five to ten feet away in your peripheral vision. Staring into a light box can cause eyestrain and headaches, and should be avoided.
 
6 More Ways To Fight Off SAD
 
In addition to using full spectrum light, you can keep the seasonal changes from impacting you negatively by following these simple suggestions:
 
  • Take a pharmaceutical grade multi-vitamin/mineral every day. It’s essential to health!
  • Supplement with vitamin D. This is critical in winter months. Vitamin D levels drop in the winter because the body makes it after being exposed to sunlight. The vitamin D research is so compelling when it comes to the connection between depression and vitamin D deficiency. (Vitamin D deficiency is also linked to certain cancers, like breast and colon; a weakened immune system; poor bone health; and much more.) Make sure to get 2,000- 5,000 IUs per day in the winter, especially if you tend to be vitamin D deficient (less than 32 ng/ml.). Some people require more to get their levels into the optimal range with is 40-80ng/ml.
  • Get enough essential fatty acids. These are found in coldwater fish (like salmon— avoid farmed salmon.), nuts, seeds (like flaxseed), and many plants. Aim for 500–2,000 IUs of fish oil or flaxseed oil per day, or some combination of the two.
  • Eliminate refined foods. Cut out sugar, flour, and other processed and white foods from your diet. Eating processed carbs increases serotonin, which you might find in short supply if you’re not getting enough natural light. Be aware that while this may give you an initial pick-me-up, the drop afterwards just isn’t worth it. Plus these foods deplete vital vitamins and minerals that help the body handle stress and build immunity. Eating a baked or roasted potato between 4Pm and bedtime is actually a very effective way to raise serotonin.
  • Practice stress reduction or energy medicine. Women who practice meditation or other methods of deep relaxation are able to alleviate many of their PMS and seasonal blues symptoms. Relaxation of all kinds decreases the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine levels in the blood and helps to balance your biochemistry.
  • Get at least twenty minutes of aerobic-type activity three times a week. Brisk walking during sunlight hours — especially without sunglasses so your eyes absorb the light — can boost endorphins. It’s estimated that half of all depression cases can be helped through exercise alone. Adopt as many of my suggestions as you feel comfortable with. Not only will they chase away the winter blues, they’ll help you stay healthy at the cellular level, too."
(Ask Martin or Jan about our research and recommendations on the products and services they can offer to you.)

When to Seek Help:
Being a 24/7 culture is not always a good thing. Listen to you body’s wisdom. We all need to “go into darkness” at times to rejuvenate and to take stock of our lives. This is particularly true after we’ve created something significant in the outer world. However, if your symptoms are excessive, don’t ignore them. Seek the help of a professional if they are severe. Depression hurts you, but it also hurts your family, your relationships, and can even jeopardize your career. Reach out to your family physician or a counsellor - getting help or antidepressants is not a sign of weakness, it's a self-care courageous move that can help to get your emotions, thoughts or body chemistry back into homeostasis.



 

USANA Health Sciences National U-Wellness Tour
 Kelowna Speaker Jan Mills

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue5r_F5LDSw
Jan Mills USANA U-Wellness Tour Kelowna
Dr. Oz is a practicing cardiac surgeon, proud grandfather and active athlete.
In this short video clip, he shares why the Dr Oz Show has selected USANA Health Sciences as a Trusted Partner
 

5 Time World Champion boxer Timothy Bradley has defeated twelve world champions over his career. Martin Mills heard him speak at the USANA International Convention in August 2015. Bradley was also recently featured on the Dr Oz show where he shared about the various USANA products he uses. RESET weight management products such as Nutrimeal-free shakes as well as the Protein bars help him train for and maintain his weight class before each professional match.

If it's good enough for more than 700 elite and professional athletes, it's good enough for us!
RESET PROGRAM with USANA Health Sciences.
(Plan ahead for your New Year and New You)
 
Albert Einstein said "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind
is the faithful servant - are you honoring the gift or the servant?
Wishing you and your family a Happy Holiday! If the holidays involve a plane trip be sure to take everything with you (including your husband or wife). Just in case you forget something, you may enjoy this video that shows what KLM does with items that get left behind :)

We hope you enjoyed Volume 7 of our Newsletter - Happy Holidays!

Please send us a note with any questions, feedback or suggestions is appreciated by email to this address: jan@janmills.net
Copyright © 2015 Jan and Martin Mills, All rights reserved.



unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences