A while back, John (my husband) and I were in a party store. He held up some printed napkins and said, “I need to get these for you!” The napkins had “Stop Me Before I Volunteer Again!” printed on them. Yes, I am a pro at over-committing myself. Need something done? I’m on it! Need someone to do something? I’m there! However, my desire to help others often leads me to neglect my own self-care.

I’ve begun incorporating some lifestyle coaching into my nutrition practice using a Lifestyle Quiz with many of my new clients. I took the quiz, too, because I do not ask my clients to do something I would not do myself. One item that many people, including myself, sore high on is being a “People Pleaser.” A People Pleaser is someone who has a “strong sense of responsibility and commitment to their family, work and volunteer causes.” All of this makes it easy for a People Pleaser to put everyone and everything else in front of taking care of themselves. A People Pleaser finds the things that he/she likes to do last on the To Do list. Hum. . .this sounds familiar. . . .

Being a People Pleaser is not always a good thing if it leads to a lack of mental and physical self-care. If we do not take care of ourselves, no one else will do it for us. Yes, I know how difficult it is to fit everything into a day without adding one more thing to do. However, do you feel resentful that you do not have time to take care of yourself? Read a book for 15 minutes? Take a hot bath without someone needing something? Getting enough sleep?

As with many things, the first step in changing the situation is to admit there is a problem. If you see yourself in any of these descriptions, maybe you are a People Pleaser. There is nothing wrong with being a People Pleaser – as long as you do not neglect your own needs. Once you admit that you need more time to take care of yourself, start planning how you can make that happen. For example, you need more sleep but just can’t seem to get into bed before midnight because of all the preparation needed for the next morning. How about seeing if some of those things can be taken care of on the weekend? Or, asking others to help – kids can often put together their own lunches for example. Can’t settle down mentally until midnight when you just collapse into bed? Turn off the screens – TV, computer, etc. and read or stretch. Getting away from screens for 2 hours before bed can help you calm down and sleep better. Turn on some relaxing music and read a book. These are just a few ideas. They may not work for you – but that does not mean there is not a solution. Spend a few minutes – even in your car – thinking about how you can take care of YOU and what you need to make it happen. It is OK to ask for help – friends and family can babysit or petsit for example. I’m learning that I don’t have to do everything for myself and asking for help from others actually strengthens my relationships.

One other thing for my fellow People Pleasers – learn to say “No,” and that is is OK to say “No.” If someone asks you to do something you don’t want to do, or you get that queasy feeling in your stomach, it is OK to say “No.” Saying “No” is a type of self-care in my book. That little, two letter word has helped reduce my stress level and increased my happiness. If I could bottle “No” I’d make a fortune! But, since I can’t I’m giving you an unlimited prescription of “No” to use. Feel free to say “No” when someone asks you something that you really do not want to do. You do not have to be abrupt or rude, but you can say, “I’d really love to help you with that, but I’m already over-committed right now.” That is a “no” without saying “no.” That is what John meant I should do more of when he showed me those napkins.

I just got back Tuesday night from the American Dietetic Association annual conference in Denver. This is one conference where you can, literally, eat your way through the expo floor. I’ll admit that I did have lunch at the expo twice. The expo floor is HUGE! And, there are always new and exciting products to be found. Here are a couple of my favorites.

T-Fal ActiFry
I had the pleasure of meeting Ellie Krieger Saturday night, and she began raving about this product. I wish it didn’t have “fry” in the name because it really is not a fryer. It is kind of like a crockpot but it has a paddle in it that stirs the food. Now, I know I said it wasn’t a fryer, but you can make yummy french fries in it. And, for two pounds of potatoes, you only need ONE TABLESPOON of oil. You can also make stir-frys, dips and lots of other dishes in it with minimal use of oils. The other thing that makes me excited about this product is that you can put the food in it, set it and go! Come back in a little while and you have dinner! T-Fal was just announcing the product at the conference. They are launching it at Macy’s soon. It should retail for $299.

Fruit Crisps
Another product I saw last year and liked, and saw again this year are Fruit Crisps by Brothers-All-Natural. It is 100% all natural freeze dried fruit. That’s it. Seriously. For the Asian pear, the ingredients read: 100% Freeze Dried Asian Pear. No additives. No flavorings. Just the fruit. I tried the pear and Fuji apple. YUM! Now, these are not super filling, but you can use them to tame that sweet tooth or to use as a snack for the kids. I bet they would be good for camping and back-packing, too.They should be available at Whole Foods, Costco, Walmart, and lots of other places. Or, you can order the crisps off their web site.

As I go back through my notes, I’ll post other products. If you try any of these, let me know.

The Halloween candy is appearing everywhere you look!  YIKES!  I find it hard to stay out of the candy jars and bags, so I’ve learned not to even have it in the house.  Or, if it is in the house, the bags stay closed until Halloween night and the kids come knocking.

But, what do you do after all the ghosts and goblins are gone and you are left with a bucket-full of Halloween candy?  Eat it?  Probably not the best option.  Take it to work for others to eat?  An option, but again not a great one.  How about donating it?  There is a charity called Boatsie’s Boxes that collects and sends items to the troops.  Some of the items listed on their Items Needed page include snacks (healthy or otherwise), cookies, crackers, gummy candy, chocolate – any kind, pringles, munch & crunch, polar ice gum, tootsie pops, cashews and all nuts, chocolate buddy bars (chocolate can be sent October through April).  If you have not purchased your Halloween candy yet, keep these items in mind.  Either way, what is left over can be sent to Boatsie’s Boxes an on to the troops!  Here is a link to the shipping information.  Another option is to call your local homeless shelter and see if they will take candy donations.  You could even arrange for everyone (or a group) in your office to bring in their leftover candy and make a group donation.

What a great way to help out those serving our country or who are less fortunate, and make use of that extra candy.  See, Halloween candy can do some good!

I have to thank my fellow RD’s on the Nutrition Entrepreneurs listserv for posting about Boatsie’s Boxes.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Sometimes at the end of a long day, there’s nothing like calling your favorite pizza delivery place and having dinner show up at the door hot and ready to eat.  However, there is another option that is easy, doesn’t take much time, is fun, and puts you in control.  Make your own pizza!

Pizza starts with the dough, and making pizza dough is a snap.  I’ll make a single or double batch, divide it into portions and freeze each portion.  When I’m ready to make pizza, I’ll pull one from the freezer and put it on the counter to thaw.  It is ready to go in under 30 minutes.  And, if you have little ones, they can help make the dough!  Nothing like getting the kids involved in the kitchen.  Chef Kathleen has a great recipe from her Cooking Thin cookbook that I love.  I’ve included it below.

Another reason to make your own is that everyone can make their pizza the way they want – thick crust, thin crust, and add any ingredients.  All it takes is some tomato sauce with some herbs and spices mixed in, or some pesto, and what ever toppings you have around.  If you like pepperoni, try some turkey pepperoni for a savings of about 75 calories and about 8 grams of fat per serving.  You can put just about anything on your pizza – veggies, ham, even pineapple.  Your imagination is the only limit when making pizza.  Again, you can involve the kids by letting them pick the toppings for their own pizza.

And, did you know you can grill pizza?  Grilling gives the crust a smoky flavor and makes it extra crispy.  To grill a pizza, roll out the dough and put it on the grill until one side is set.  Flip it over and add the toppings.  It is done with the other side (the side now facing the flames) is set and crispy.

The pizza alternatives are endless and pizza is easy peasy!  Now, here’s Chef Kathleen’s Easy Pizza Dough recipe.

Yield: Two 12-inch thick-crusted pizzas or four 10-inch thin-crusted pizzas; 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 3 ½ cups unbleached flour
• 2 packages active dry yeast1 tsp coarse-grained salt
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 ½ cups lukewarm water
• ½ tsp olive oil
• Cornmeal for dusting pizza peel or cookie sheet

Preparation

1. Place flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a mixer fitted with a dough hook.  While mixer is running, gradually add water; knead on low speed until dough is firm and smooth, about 10 minutes.  Turn mixer off.  Pour oil down the side of bowl.  Turn mixer on low once more for 15 seconds to coat inside of bowl and all surfaces of dough with the oil.
2. Alternative using food processor fitted with metal blade: Place flour, yeast, salt and sugar in bowl of a food processor and pulse to blend.  Pour water through feed tube with machine running.  Process until dough forms a ball.  Place in oiled bowl.
3. Alternative by hand: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, yeast, salt and sugar.  Stir in water until dough begins to form.  Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth, about 10 minutes.  Place in oiled bowl.
4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap.  Let dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
5. Preheat oven to highest setting (500o or 550o F).  If using a pizza stone, place stone in oven on bottom rack and heat oven 1 hour.
6. Punch dough down and cut in half or fourths.  On a generously floured work surface, place one piece of dough.
7. By hand, stretch dough into a circle.  For think pizza, roll dough into a large circle with a floured rolling pin until very thin.  Don’t worry if your circle isn’t perfect, and if you get a hole, just pinch edges back together.  To prevent dough from sticking to counter, turn dough over; add flour to dough, counter and rolling pin as needed.
8. Sprinkle a pizza peel or rimless cookie sheet generously with cornmeal.  Transfer dough to pizza peel or cookie sheet.  Add toppings.  Slide dough onto pizza stone or place cookie sheet with pizza on bottom rack.
9. Bake 10 – 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove pizza from oven, using pizza peel if you used a pizza stone and serve immediately.

Nutrition Information for ¼ of the recipe: Calories 445; Carbohydrates 89 g, Protein 16 g, Fat 2 g

Note:

Dough can be placed in freezer bag, or wrapped tightly in saran wrap and frozen.  When ready to use, place on counter to thaw.