Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup pale ale, or other light-colored beer
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk, divided
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 3/4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar, preferably orange
• 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles, (see Note), drained, or 1 1/4 cups drained petite-diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
• 1/4 cup sliced scallions
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

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6 servings, 8 chips each

Ingredients

• 12 6-inch corn tortillas
• Canola oil cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

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You may spend your workdays at a desk, but you don’t need to take it sitting down. Make office exercise — from fitness breaks to walking meetings — part of your routine.

By Mayo Clinic staff

If you’re doing your best to set aside time for physical activity either before work or after work, good for you. But finding time to exercise can be a challenge for anyone who has a busy schedule. Why not work out while you’re at work? Consider 10 creative ways to make office exercise part of your routine.

1. Make the most of your commute

Walk or bike to work. If you ride the bus, get off a few blocks early and walk the rest of the way. If you drive to work, park at the far end of the parking lot.

2. Look for opportunities to stand

You’ll burn more calories standing than sitting. Stand while talking on the phone. Better yet, try a standing desk — or improvise with a high table or counter. Eat lunch standing up. Trade instant messaging and phone calls for walks to other desks or offices.

3. Take fitness breaks

Rather than hanging out in the lounge with coffee or a snack, take a brisk walk or do some gentle stretching. Pull your chin toward your chest until you feel a stretch along the back of your neck, or slowly bring your shoulders up toward your ears.

4. Trade your office chair for a fitness ball

A firmly inflated fitness or stability ball can make a good chair. You’ll improve your balance and tone your core muscles while sitting at your desk. You can even use the fitness ball for wall squats or other exercises during the day.

5. Keep fitness equipment in your work area

Store resistance bands — stretchy cords or tubes that offer weight-like resistance when you pull on them — or small hand weights in a desk drawer or cabinet. Do arm curls between meetings or tasks.

6. Get social

Organize a lunchtime walking group. You might be surrounded by people who are ready to lace up their walking shoes — and hold each other accountable for regular exercise. Enjoy the camaraderie, and offer encouragement to one another when the going gets tough.

7. Conduct meetings on the go

When it’s practical, schedule walking meetings or brainstorming sessions. Do laps inside your building or, if the weather cooperates, take your walking meetings outdoors.

8. Pick up the pace

If your job involves walking, do it faster. Keep your chin up and your shoulders slightly back — and remember to breathe freely while you walk.

9. If you travel for work, plan ahead

If you’re stuck in an airport waiting for a plane, grab your bags and take a brisk walk. Choose a hotel that has fitness facilities — such as treadmills, weight machines or a pool — or bring your equipment with you. Jump-ropes and resistance bands are easy to sneak into a suitcase. Of course, you can do jumping jacks, crunches and other simple exercises without any equipment at all.

10. Try a treadmill desk

If you’re ready to take office exercise to the next level, consider a more focused walk-and-work approach. If you can comfortably position your work surface above a treadmill — with a computer screen on a stand, a keyboard on a table or a specialized treadmill-ready vertical desk — you may be able to walk while you work. In fact, Mayo Clinic researchers estimate that overweight office workers who replace sitting computer time with walking computer time by two to three hours a day could lose 44 to 66 pounds (20 to 30 kilograms) in a year. The pace doesn’t need to be brisk, nor do you need to break a sweat. The faster you walk, however, the more calories you’ll burn.

Want more ideas for office exercise? Schedule a walking meeting to brainstorm ideas with your supervisors or co-workers. Remember, any physical activity counts!

From Epicurious.com

Ingredients:

• 1 lb dried white beans such as Great Northern, cannellini, or navy
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 2 qt water
• 1 (3- by 2-inch) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf (not California)
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 lb smoked sausage such as kielbasa (optional), sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
• 8 carrots, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 lb kale (preferably lacinato), stems and center ribs discarded and leaves coarsely chopped

Directions:

Cover beans with 2 inches of water in a pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand, uncovered, 1 hour. Drain beans in a colander and rinse.

Cook onions in oil in an 8-quart pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add beans, broth, 1 quart water, cheese rind, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and rosemary and simmer, uncovered, until beans are just tender, about 50 minutes.

While soup is simmering, brown sausage (if using) in batches in a heavy skillet over moderate heat, turning, then transfer to paper towels to drain.

Stir carrots into soup and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in kale, sausage, and remaining quart of water and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper.

Cooks’ notes:  Soup is best if made 1 or 2 days ahead. Cool completely, uncovered, then chill, covered. Thin with water if necessary. Lacinato is available at farm stands, specialty produce markets, and natural foods stores. Be aware that it has many aliases: Tuscan kale, black cabbage, cavolo nero, dinosaur kale, and flat black cabbage.

Lemon is an inexpensive, easily available citrus fruit, popular for its culinary and medicinal uses. It is used to prepare a variety of food recipes such as lemon cakes, lemon chicken and beverages such as lemonade and lemon-flavored drinks. It is also used for garnishing. Lemon juice consists of about 5% citric acid that gives a tarty taste to lemon. Lemon is a rich source of vitamin C. It also contains vitamins such as vitamin B, riboflavin and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium as well as proteins and carbohydrates. Lemon is generally consumed in the form of lemon juice or lemon water. Lemon water makes a healthy drink, especially when taken in the morning. To make warm lemon water simply squeeze some fresh lemon into a mug of hot water. Drinking lemon water provides a number of health benefits such as:

1. Good for stomach

Lemon can help relieve many digestion problems when mixed with hot water. These include nausea, heartburn and parasites. Due to the digestive qualities of lemon juice, symptoms of indigestion such as heartburn, bloating and belching are relieved. By drinking lemon juice regularly, the bowels are aided in eliminating waste more efficiently.  The intake of lemon juice can also help constipation.

2. Excellent for Skin Care

Lemon, being a natural antiseptic medicine, can help problems related to skin. Lemon is a vitamin C rich citrus fruit that enhances your beauty by rejuvenating skin from within and thus bringing a glow on your face. Daily consumption of lemon water can make a huge difference in the appearance of your skin. Lemon water if applied on the areas of burns is thought to fade the scars.  Since lemon is a cooling agent, it also reduces the burning sensation on the skin.

3. Soothes Throat Infections

Lemon is an excellent fruit that aids in fighting problems related to throat infections, sore throat and tonsillitis. For a sore throat, mix equal proptions of lemon juice and water and gargle frequently.

4. Good for Weight Loss

One of the major health benefits of drinking lemon water is that it paves the way for losing weight faster. Lemon juice, in combination with water and honey, aids weight loss by improving digestion.  The citric acid it contains stimulates stomach juices and improves digestion. Honey has nutrients and minerals that dissolve fat. Water cleanses the system by helping to flush out toxins.

5. Aids in Preventing High Blood Pressure

Lemon water helps prevent high blood pressure owing to its high potassium content. Eating foods rich in potassium can help protect some people from developing high blood pressure.

Marsala Glazed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

* 1 pound fresh button or cremini mushrooms, cut into thick slices

* Salt

* 4 tablespoons butter

* A scant cup Marsala wine

* Pinch of chopped fresh or dry thyme

1. To dry sauté the mushrooms, heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Put all the mushrooms in the hot pan and stir the mushrooms. Reduce the heat to medium-high. Stir often. You may hear the mushrooms squeak. Just when you think the mushrooms may start burning, they will begin to give up their moisture. Water will seem to seep out of the mushrooms. Stir so the mushrooms are coated with their own sauce, and sprinkle salt over them.
2. Cook until most of the liquid has boiled away, then add the butter to the pan and stir to combine. Add a pinch of thyme. Sauté the mushrooms in the butter on medium high heat until they begin to brown, about 4-6 minutes.
3. Add the Marsala wine to the pan and increase the heat to high. Toss to coat the mushrooms well. Boil this down vigorously until the Marsala is nearly gone. What you will see remaining is the butter in the pan.

Turn off the heat and serve at once.

Serves 4 as a side.

Ever had a friend or family member in the hospital and when you called to check on him, you woke him up or disturbed him as he was being examined by his doctor?  You felt terrible because all you were trying to do was let the patient know you were thinking of him and were available to help in any way.

Because we know that kind words and thoughts can brighten someone’s day when they are in the hospital, Waldo County General Hospital has a new email message service that should help eliminate that problem.

The service is available on the hospital’s website. Go to www.wcgh.org and click on the “Email a Patient” button. Fill out the form including your message and then push the submit button. The message will then be delivered to a hospital inpatient by an Aid volunteer.

The patient email site is checked on Monday through Friday so messages submitted over the weekend may not be delivered until the following Monday. Please keep in mind that we are only able to receive and deliver messages at this point and are not able to provide a response from the patient.

If you prefer, patients may be contacted by telephone by calling the main switchboard at (207) 338-2500. The mailing address for patients is Waldo County General Hospital, attn: name of patients, P.O. Box 287, Belfast, ME 04915.

The hospital reserves the right to refuse to deliver any email that we feel is inappropriate for any reason. If the patient is no longer at the hospital or not on the patient registry, the email will be destroyed.

The Waldo County General Hospital Aid made two donations to the hospital’s annual campaign at the end of the year to put the annual campaign over the top. Geary Tibbetts, left, hospital gift shop manager, presented Mark Biscone, Executive Director of the hospital, with a check for $3,000 from gift shop proceeds. Sally Millhorn, Aid president, presented a check for $3,500 from the Aid’s general treasury, which represented profits from recent fundraising activities such as the Silver Tea and Christmas raffle. Proceeds from the hospital’s annual campaign reached $114,000, surpassing the goal of $110,000.

Excerpt from WeightWatchers.com

Try these tips for small changes that can lead to very big weight-loss results.
Beginning a weight-loss plan doesn’t have to mean drastic changes. You don’t need to live at the gym or subsist on crackers alone to get your eating and exercising on track.

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Residents of Waldo County, who are pursuing further education in a healthcare field, are eligible to apply for scholarships that are awarded by Waldo County General Hospital. All scholarships are awarded on an annual basis.

Both graduating high school seniors and college undergraduates pursing careers in healthcare-related fields, included but not limited to nursing, laboratory or operating room technician, radiology, pharmacy, physical or occupational therapy and medical records coding or transcription, are invited to apply.

Applications are available at the hospital’s administration office and must be completed and returned by Friday, March 4.

For more information about the scholarship program and/or to obtain an application, contact Lauri McLean, Scholarship Coordinator, at 338-9302.