As I sit here on the last day before the close of 2014, I think of all the resolutions we make for ourselves right before the start of a new year. Lose weight, stop smoking, be more organized, make more money, start exercising, spend more time with the family, travel more, complain less, eat healthier…the list goes on and on.

Every year resolutions are made and eventually broken. Sometimes you hear someone say “I don’t make resolutions because resolutions are never kept” or you read somewhere not to make a resolution, but to set a goal – short term or long term. The truth is that whether you are making them or not making them or calling them a different name, the beginning of a new year makes you think about what you could do differently or what really worked for you this year. Deep down inside the start of a new year always, even subtly, gives the promise of a new beginning…in some way or other.

I, personally, love fresh starts. I love resolutions. I love goals. Why? because whether I succeed or fail at any specific resolution or goal, I am always seeking a better future.

As I reflect, I decided to propose to you one particular goal for 2015:

Don’t only focus on the year…focus on each and every day…and focus on this very moment in time. 

View every day in 2015 as a fresh start to fulfill your goals. Every day we have on this Earth is a gift. And as long as we are alive we have a choice. We have a choice to eat better, exercise, laugh more, love more, complain less, say no to our vices or addictions, be more grateful, focus on the good, let things go, help others in need. There is always a choice. We also have the choice to write the first chapter in that book we’ve been wanting to write, or work on that business idea we’ve had for years.

And even if today was a bad day; even if we made poor choices today, or are paying consequences for bad choices we made yesterday, we have the choice to make a new beginning. We don’t ever have to wait to make that choice.  So it doesn’t matter if tomorrow is January 1st or any other day in the year.

Is there something you can do this minute to make your life better? Maybe its calling someone you love that you haven’t spoken to in a while, or sitting down with your kids to do a puzzle. Maybe its going the extra mile for your client, or choosing a healthy lunch option (even if breakfast was a disaster). Maybe you don’t have a gym but you can take a walk around the neighborhood, or choose not to curse at the driver who just cut you off. Maybe all you need to do right now is turn off the tv or social media and write a list of the things you want for your life. Don’t wait until tomorrow to make a commitment to yourself.

I propose you take a deep breath and make a choice this minute. Every minute counts, every day counts, and every year counts.

May health, happiness and prosperity be present in your life this 2015.

I hope you all had a wonderful and mindful Thanksgiving. Now its back to work and time to cleanse from all that apple and pecan pies!!!!

I have to confess that my saving grace in this life are smoothies. I love knowing that the first thing my family gets in their system in the mornings is a good dose of fruits and/or veggies. I don’t make it every single day, mainly so we get a sense of variety, but I do make them almost every day. On Thanksgiving morning, I made a delicious Beet Smoothie. I do realize BEETS are a hit or miss. Some people love them, and some think they taste like dirt. To be completely honest, my kids do not enjoy eating them as a side. I’ve tried roasting them, raw, marinated with oil and vinegar., marinated in an orange/ginger sauce… but no matter what I do, I usually get a strong “I don’t like beets!” I can’t get my toddler to eat one and my older boys will eat a couple just so they get their dessert, but they don’t enjoy them.

But smoothies are a different story. Even though my kids, at first glance, complain that they don’t want beets in their smoothie, once they try it they always like it. Even my little one (my picky one) chugged 3 cups of this stuff!!! Yes I said 3!!!

Smoothies have several benefits (other than their nutritional value)

1. Peace of mind. After my child has 3 cups of a nutritious smoothie like this one, it takes the edge off for the rest of the day. I know my toddler is likely not to have dinner (the most difficult meal). I know he is likely to get some form of junk at school. And I know I’m not with him at lunch time, so I don’t know how he will do with the lunch I prepare him. But even if the rest of the day is a total disaster, I know he has been nourished.

2. Food does not go to waste. We buy highly perishable foods…and most of these foods are expensive. It is really sad when you have to throw it away because you didn’t make it within its shelf life. Smoothies allows you to use a lot of vegetables and fruits at once, especially when you see that the greens are starting to wilt or the fruit is too ripe. You can approach your kitchen more from a clean up crew perspective than anything else. Scour your fridge for any veggies/fruits that are just about to go bad (and that go well in a smoothie of course) and use those that day. If you are clueless as to a recipe for any particular item, just google it. For example, google beet smoothie and tons of recipes will show up). There are even apps for that. Tip: look through a few recipes to find one that has several ingredients you have in your fridge. You don’t have to follow the recipe exactly, it is just a guide so you know what fruits and veggies work best together. But if something calls for oranges and you only have apples…it is not the end of the world, you can use what you have.

3. Its quick and easy. All you really need for a good smoothie is a good blender. One of the best investments I have ever made is the Blendtec. Seriously. The consistency you get with a high power blender is just plain and simply worth it. Its nice that you don’t have to overthink a smoothie recipe in the morning. You grab what you’re going to use, give it a good rinse, chop what needs to be chopped (with a high power blender you only need a rough chop at best), throw it in there, and press a button. Voila!!!

4. You can boost it up. Catching a cold? Throw some vitamin C and D in the smoothie (I open up the vitamin c tablets and pour the powder in the smoothie…with vitamin D I have drops so I add some drops). Don’t like swallowing multivitamins (toss it in the smoothie). You can also add superfood, seeds, coconut oil, protein powder…your options are unlimited. A lot of these additions don’t change the texture or taste of the smoothie but really boost up the nutritional value. This does take some experimenting however. Chia seeds (for example) WILL change the texture of the smoothie… this is something you may or may not like. But this is a journey…its okay to get one thats not so great once in a while. You’ll learn and next time it’ll be better.

Here is my Beet Smoothie recipe.

• 2 Beets (raw)
• 8 ounces of orange juice (I squeezed a bunch of tangerines and put the juice from that)
• 1 long stalk of celery
• 1 apple
• 1 cup of spinach
• water

Have a fantastic week!!!!