Back in Action!

Sooooo.... remember how in March I was all "I'm going to be proactive about keeping up my website and blog." and then I didn't. It's funny, really, because while my Spring quarter was relatively light with only 10 hours of classes, I did far less work on my health coaching stuff in those three months than I did in the following Summer quarter while I was taking 25+ hours of classes and writing a book! I have discovered about myself that I like to be busy and productive. =) And yes, you heard that right, by the way... A BOOK! Can you believe it? I'm so excited!! As blog readers and followers, you guys and the friends you share with will be privy to all kinds of freebies and excerpts well before I publish it so that I can get your feedback... Yippeeeee for you, huh? So if you're not already following the blog, do it. Like, now!

PLUS, I'd love for this blog to begin to be a place where we can get involved in discussions about all types of health-related stuff... daily supplements, meal planning, motivation (the normal stuff) and even some controversial health topics like health insurance or medicating children. I'm pumped to teach you what I know and hear what you have to say! So stay tuned! I promise not to stay away for another 9 months...LOL!

OH, and as the scientist in me is always collecting data to improve what I'm doing, take 5 minutes to do this survey if you haven't yet http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D7XW89T. Thanks!!

Health tip: Be forgiving. Of course we all know to forgive others, but I'm actually talking about forgiving yourself here.
Step one: Start by admitting to yourself where you've been slacking. (for me it's been blogging... obviously! and perhaps a housekeeping a bit...hehehe)
Step two: Make a promise to yourself to do what you need to do!
Step three:  Share what you're up to with other people. Their support well help you to be accountable for doing what you need to do.

New News

First things first.... Would LOVE if you could take a 7-question survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PRGY7C9. No personal information required, but there are some gifts at the end!

Now, you might be thinking any news is good news from these guys! Admittedly, it has been FAR too long since our last post and boy, do you have some catching up to do! Here's the short version of what's new:

As of May 23, 2012 the Balanced Family Wellness office will celebrate its one year anniversary. Things started off with a boom and haven't slowed down since! Dr. Jennifer is working with lots of new practice members and we cannot say enough about our wonderful partnership with Quantum.
In November 2011, Sammy "Bright Eyes" (that's me) decided to apply into the doctorate program at Life University to follow her passion and was accepted with enthusiasm. My first quarter of foundations classes just ended with A's in all subjects. Woo hoo! Because of the time constraints and commuting to Marietta, I've been seeing fewer patients in the office and focusing my nutrition coaching to mostly online and via phone. Davey, my 3.5 year old son, and I are moving to Marietta in a week and really excited about continuing to work while in school.
Dr. Jen and I have continued to live and work well together enjoying cooking and watching the early seasons of Desperate Housewives on Netflix. That and an occasional glass of vino being our major vices these days. We are both very much committed to living a healthy balanced life and to continue to help people in our communities who are struggling with less than optimal health.

My next quarter of school is a little lighter than the first one and I'm not commuting 100 miles/day, so I have made a commitment to be more proactive about keeping the blog and websites up to date and packed full of more information and recipes than ever! What do you want to hear about? Please... take the survey! http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PRGY7C9

New logo idea... Whaddya think?

Quantum Leaping into a New Office

Man, this holiday weekend couldn't come fast enough!... and I'm sitting here writing a blog for work. Ha! Anyway, Mark, aka "the hubs", says that I'm not allowed to call it work if it's fun. I've been having a lot of fun lately actually. So much so that I haven't been on here to blog in a few weeks, which means we have A LOT to catch up on! Here's what you've missed:

Dr. Jenn and I decided on a temporary location at Quantum Alternative Health (802-A Lower Fayetteville Rd. Newnan 30263) and spent a couple of weeks painting, prepping, and primping our new room until we felt that it adequately represented our style: fun and funky.

 Woo hoo! Come and visit us soon!!

As for golf, Jenn and I continue to play, although I don't know that either of us are improving very much. ;-) We have played two league games with the Business Women's Golf League so far. We meet the 2nd and 4th Thursday at the SummerGrove golf course and get to play with some really fantastic ladies! We were rained out this past Thursday when the big storm came through- not a good time to be standing outside with a golf club, ya know?!

I've been trying some great new recipes lately- can't wait to share some with you! I really encourage you to come see the new office. While it is a temporary location, we are so excited to finally be serving patients and we're blessed to be so busy already. Hope to see you soon!

Health tip: If you haven't come in for your chiropractic and nutrition evaluation yet, what are you waiting for?! We are here to help you feel your best every. single. day. Call us for specials or to help you check on your insurance support! (404) 936-8546

You put WHAT in the brownies?!?

Don't worry folks, it was just a little green. NO, NO, NO... not that green! Get your head out of the 60's. I'm talking veggies! I know, it's not fun, but it's WAY good for you. We decided to appreciate the teachers at Poplar Road Elementary and were invited to be a part of Teacher Appreciation Week. We were very excited, but wanted to bring some special treats of our own to show that eating healthy and sneaking vegetables into your foods can taste good too. And we love and appreciate you guys, so we are sharing the recipes with you as well!

Just to fill everyone in with the progress of the office location... well, honestly there's not much of an update unfortunately because we've been in a bit of a holding pattern for the last week or so as we continue to formulate our business plan and get our financials in order. There are a couple of locations that we really like, but we're taking our time and making sure that it will all be a perfect fit for our wellness center concept. BY THE WAY... if you haven't put your two cents in, please take this super-easy, ultra-important survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JPRFB7Q.

REMEMBER: Use fresh, organic, and locally grown/farmed ingredients so that you're not ingesting yucky pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals!

Sam's Zucchini Brownies:

3 eggs (I use Frisco Farms)

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 tsp vanilla

12oz. dark chocolate

1 stick butter

3/4 cup gluten-free baking mix

1/3 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp baking soda

1 cup grated zucchini

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix together eggs, sugars, and vanilla. Melt the butter and chocolate in a medium-sized sauce pan. and add to egg and sugar mixture once melted. In a separate bowl, combine next 4 dry ingredients. Mix this into wet ingredients along with grated zucchini, alternating until well-combined. Pour batter into an oiled 9x13 pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with crumbs.

Granola Bars:

8 oz peanut or almond butter

2 Tbsp molasses

1 cup honey

2.5 cups crushed cereal flake (Cascadian Farms Raisin Bran)

1/2 cup almonds, chopped

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup toasted soy nuts

1/4 cup toasted wheat germ

1/2 cup steel cut oats

1/4 cup ground or whole flax seeds

Mix first 3 ingredients well and blend in with the dry ingredients. Place in a 9x13 oiled glass dish. Place a piece of saran wrap over the granola and press firmly until even. Leaving saran wrap over the dish, place in the refrigerator until it is set. Cut into bite-size bars and individually wrap, if desired.

Health Tip: Appreciate the small things, even if it's just a little veggie hidden in your brownies! The small things, when accumulated, make a big difference. So, do something small for yourself or someone you care about today!

Oh... and yes that is a glass of wine in the background. Every good cook needs a little good wine to go with it!

Holy Choices, Batman

FIRST THINGS FIRST! If you haven't done the survey... please help us by taking it at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JPRFB7Q. We love and appreciate you!

So far this week, we have been working on the business plan, visiting potential spaces to lease, networking, getting quotes on equipment and materials (with Bob Midtlyng from Kitchenomics), and doing A LOT of brainstorming. As of last week, we had narrowed down our location search and were taking our angel investors to see the property that we had chosen. How exciting! ...except... well... It can get quite balmy in Georgia, which you wouldn't think would be an issue in April, however, it was JUST warm enough for... the smell. 

Jenn: "What is that?!"
Sam: "Did you step in poop?"
Jenn: "Did you poop your pants?"
Sam: "Just a little bit." (uproarious laughter ensued)

Turns out, the grease trap from a nearby Chinese restaurant was the culprit. According to other tenants it gets REALLY bad when temps get to 90 and above...which is like 7 months of the year! Which meant that it was back to the drawing board. Over lunch at The Redneck Gourmet in downtown Newnan (which spawned the title of this blog and the theme for this week... I mean seriously? How are you supposed to choose?!) we decided to keep looking and explore more options. So, here we are on Thursday and we're sending a proposal for intent to lease a space. We are also meeting with Mrs. Kristi Westlake of Westlake Design Studio (www.westlakedesignstudio.com/) to start working on how to go green while filling the space and work within our budget. Exciting things happening! Unfortunately, I think the issue of having too many choices has only just begun.

Health tip: Take a deep breath, but not by a Chinese restaurant. Bwahahaha. Seriously though, this week's tip is really about flexibility and learning to roll with the punches.  Even when you think you have it all figured out and all of your ducks are in a row be willing to make the necessary changes when needed and just keep going forward!  Every step you take does not have to be a BIG step... it just has to be a step in the right direction.

Strawberry Shortcake

It's amazing how quickly a plan progresses in just a few days. We went from having nowhere to start, to spending 9 hours with a realtor (the AMAZING Jackie Campbell www.bestgeorgiahomesearch.com) visiting potential office space, choosing a location, and beginning to put together a business plan. I couldn't be more excited to start this journey and I feel like every day were are continuing to take steps in the right direction.

It seems like every single conversation I have, God guides me to new ideas, business concepts, and wonderful people who are excited to become potential new practice members. Just tonight, Sam and I were at the Business Women's Golf League (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Business-Womens-Golf-League/354245416086) networking and meeting the leading business women and entrepreneurs in Coweta and Fayette Counties. The list of occupations ranged from CEOs and VPs to Girl Scout Leaders and Stay-at-Home moms. It truly is an amazing and diverse group of women and each one has something that we can learn from. Even though my golf swing is not the best and we're nowhere close to par on the golf course (see, I do know a LITTLE golf lingo... a birdie is good, right?) being around successful and confident women is inspiring to say the least. AND... we totally learned Lana Jo Mobley's trick for taking care of hiccups! (no pictures as promised)

I find myself watching more golf on t.v. and I can't wait to get back on the golf course with my lady friends again very soon!

Health tip: Remember in life (and in swinging the golf club) take time to relax, focus, visualize, and know where you want to be. If you're visualizing where you want your ball to be in the next 5 seconds slow your swing down by saying s-t-r-a-w-b-e-r-r-y shortcake (golf tip from Carole Alagna). If you're visualizing where you want your life to be 5 years down the road, have some strawberries minus the shortcake and take the time to dream big and just enjoy the moment.

...and so it began

Here we are! Two gals out on the town on a Friday night- having fun, living life, feeling.... well, a little heartbroken that night, actually. On this particular evening, a cloud of doom and gloom followed us everywhere we went. Dr. Jenn's career and relationship hung in the balance and I was there for support. Dr. Jenn was let go from her job that Monday and I left my position at the same office the following day.

But, this is not a sad story! Out of strife always comes growth and this experience will prove it! Scared, nervous, excited, and a little nuts, we decided that we would brave the world of women in business alone. Well, not alone exactly. After all we had each other, our friends, and our families that were ready and willing to stand behind us 100% along the way. This is where our story begins...

Health tip: Count your blessings and count to 10. Take a few deep breaths and know that everything will work out just fine!

~Samantha Brooks
www.BrightEyesNutrition.com