Troops & Countdown

 

Hey all!

Time for an update.  I had a lovely Easter weekend with friends and family.  While visiting, I had the opportunity to greet incoming troops at Pease Airforce Base in Portsmouth, NH.  Pease Airforce Base is basically a rest stop for the troops.  The troops stop here for about an hour before they continue their flight to their home destination.  Because it is just a rest stop, there are no family members or friends of the troops present.  However, there are the Pease Greeters.

The Pease Greeters are a huge volunteer group of retired veterans and community members who gather to give the returning soldiers a big welcome.  It was an absolutely moving experience to witness over 300 volunteers gather to provide these soldiers with lots of clapping and hand shakes, stuffed animals to bring home to their children, food, phone calls to home, and a ceremony in recognition of their service.   The men and women I greeted were returning from 1+ years of service in Afghanistan.  They were so grateful for their wonderful welcome back to the states, but we were even more grateful for their dedication to protecting their country.

Check out http://peasegreeters.org/

 

 Beyond that wonderful experience... things in my life are starting to happen very fast!

• I am having my Miss USA Send-Off Party this Friday as a fundraiser for Vermont Respite House.  I hope you are coming! 
• My last official day of classes is May 4th.
• Going to NYC May 5th & 6th for some runway coaching for Miss USA
• Final Exams are May 12th & 13th
• Senior Week begins May 15th
• University of Vermont College of Nursing Pinning Ceremony is May 21st
• University of Vermont Graduation is May 22nd
• NYC May 24th-27th for Miss USA Media Events
• VEGAS June 3rd-21st for Miss USA 2011 Competition! WHOOHOOOO!

 Bring it on!

Food. Yum!

If you know me, you know that I am passionate about eating healthy.  Filling our body with nutritional foods gives us a natural energy and radiance that nothing else can.

  (not that kind of natural energy)

It is easy to weigh ourselves down with heavy, processed foods.  The chemicals, fat, and sugars in these foods contributes not only to weight gain, but also to depleted energy levels.  Our body has to work extra hard to digest these foods.  We become exhausted from this digestive work and turn to coffee and candy bars for an energy pick-up.  The short boost of energy provided by coffee and sugars is a very temporary band-aid for a solvable problem.

Before I went to college, I ate whatever I wanted... from burgers to cookie dough!  After moving to Vermont (go figure) for nursing school, I became much more health conscious.  I went from a "typical" American diet to a very health-centered diet.  I lost weight, felt energized, and no longer needed a pick-me-up coffee or soda.

Some important things I have learned about eating for energy and health:

• SNACKING is important between meals to keep up energy levels! Just make sure it is a good snack.
• Pack your meals if you are going to class/work.  Fail to plan, plan to fail! 

• Don't step on the scale toooo much... if your pants are looser, that is a good indicator of your weight as well.
  
• Try to limit your time spent in the middle aisles of the grocery store... fresh produce is on the outer aisles!

• Watch out for food that comes in a box, wrapper, or vending machine.  Can you pronounce the ingredients?  If not... warning sign! Don't eat too many chemicals.  It confuses your body.
• Include fruit and/or vegetables in every meal

• Meat should not be the focus of your plate.  A portion of meat should be no larger than the palm of your hand... wow! 
• Drink mostly water, and a lot of it!

• Juice is not a sufficient substitute for your daily dose of fruit... no fiber, and lots of sugar. Make sure you bite into a piece of fruit every day too.
• Allow yourself to indulge occasionally.  Nobody is perfect!
• Practice portion control.  Stop eating when you are full (sometimes it just tastes so good!)
• Whole grains! A good goal is to make half your grains whole.
  
• Soy products can be your friend.  

Some of you may be wondering... what do I eat?!?!

I'll share with you my favorite staple foods.  I like to mix it up with, but I usually eat these in the course of a day:

• Eggs!!! If cholesterol is a problem, cut out one/all of the yolks.  Omelettes, hard boiled, sunny side, over easy, scrambled... throw in some veggies, feta, or (my favorite) pesto!  Even apples and cheddar are good with eggs.  If you can, try to get them local and/or free range.  We want to support animal rights here.

• SWEET POTATOES! These are amazing if you cook them until they are very squishy. 
  
• Almonds and raisins: what a great combo!  A serving of protein, healthy fats, and fruit!

• Apples & Bananas
• Carrots & Hummus (my favorite: Sabra Hummus, roasted pine nut)

• Stonyfield Farms Yogurt! Plain or french vanilla, low fat. 
• Fish. Tilapia, salmon, and shrimp... yum.
• Spinach!!!! Sprouts! Lots of it.
  
• Avocado: healthy fat and delicious!
• PEANUT BUTTER! My favorite dessert. Mix with honey or yogurt (or both!) but make sure you get real peanut butter... Skippy doesn't count!  Ingredients should be peanuts and salt. That's it!

• Protein Shakes: I drink quite a few of these because I work out a lot and don't eat meat.  Spirutein is a great meal replacing shake, and Muscle Milk/Whey Protein are great workout drinks.
• Spirutein (cappuccino flavor!) with Silk Soy Milk in the morning
• Chocolate Muscle Milk Lite during the day (they discontinued the mocha one?!)
• Vanilla Whey Protein mixed in with my yogurt

Those are my staple foods.  If I need a sweet treat, I will do the peanut butter & honey or some dark chocolate almonds... you can't over-indulge in those because they are so rich!!!

 

I will leave you with a favorite recipe of mine... healthy apple almost pie!

Ingredients:

• Apple
• Cinnamon & Ginger
• Walnuts & Raisins
• Vanilla Yogurt
  
• Quinoa (optional)
  

-Take an apple (or a few) and slice it up.  Sprinkle on the cinnamon and ginger.  Sprinkle on walnuts and raisins. Throw it in the oven on a cookie sheet.  Let cook at 350 until raisins are puffy, walnuts are crispy, and apples are squishy. (15 minutes or so)

-Meanwhile, cook QUINOA if you want to use it.  Quinoa is a healthy grain that is full of protein and fiber. Yum!
-Remove the apple mixture from the oven and mix it up with some quinoa and yogurt. YUMMY!

 When I make this, I cook up a bunch of apple mixture and quinoa and keep it in the fridge.  It can be reheated and is a great breakfast, lunch, or dessert!


That's all for now... enjoy and eat up!

PS I highly recommend the movie Food Inc. 

~Lauren

Stethoscopes & Crowns

 

Those of you who know me know that I am a nurse.  Being a nurse has absolutely shaped me into the person I am today.  I really, truly love being a nurse.

Something I have learned in my time as a nurse is this: Nurses are SPECIAL.

 

Another thing: the qualities I have learned in nursing would make me a GREAT Miss USA!  How so?

• Nurses have great communication skills.  We have to establish trusting, caring relationships with multiple patients and their families each day.  We know how to speak AND listen.
• Nurses have awesome interpersonal skills.  With patients, families, doctors, social workers, pharmacists, other nurses, nursing assistants, etc... we coordinate with them all!!
• Nurses are trustworthy.  We are trusted with patient's lives each day.  What more sacred thing could somebody be trusted with?
• Nurses can handle stress.  The stress of caring for a bunch of patients at the same time and having to be in a million places at once is very common.  The stress of being the calm, caring nurse while people go through traumatic and sad times.  The stress of wanting to give and help everybody but not being able to.  We know how to handle the worst kind of stress.
• Nurses are excellent at time-management.  We have huge, crazy, never-ending to-do lists and would not accomplish anything without excellent organizational skills!
• Nurses work long days and long nights.  Ive worked my fair share of 12-hour day and overnight shifts, and even a few 16 hour shifts.  On my feet the whole time, busy busy busy and with a SMILE on my face!  
• Nurses care.  We put our patients first and have great compassion.
•  
• Nurses are flexible enough to deal effectively with all of the unexpected twists and turns that their days take.  
• Nurses are fun!!!!  We work long hours, often over-time, and spend a great majority of our time at work.  Our jobs become a huge part of our life and who we are.  We laugh a lot and have a good time with our patients and co-workers.  They need the laughter as much as we do!
• Nurses have great physical endurance.  Working long hours on our feet and lifting heavy people takes a great deal of strength and stamina.
• Nurses have a great deal of respect for human life and their own lives.  We are grateful and appreciative of every little thing, because we have seen people go through very hard things.  

These all sound like qualities that Miss USA needs to have... great communication and interpersonal skills are a huge part of the Miss USA job.  She needs to be trustworthy enough to show respect for herself, the Miss Universe Organization, and her country.  She needs to be flexible, handle stress, manage time well, and have the physical endurance to remain positive through long days and long nights.  Caring and compassion is important for her to relate with the people she meets, and laughter is something to share with everybody.  She needs to have fun being Miss USA!  Most importantly, gratitude and appreciation for the opportunity of being Miss USA is important to keep her grounded.

Green

Being from Vermont is a pretty great thing.  We are surrounded by environmentally conscious, earth-friendly people who have good intentions.  Some of us Vermonters even go out of our way to protect the environment.  People across the country are becoming increasingly interested in being eco-friendly.


Despite our intentions and ideas, we live in a country that does not always take care of our environment.  We are all busy, and we may not realize the enormous implications that our lifestyle will have on the future generations.  This is the only Earth we have, and we need to take care of it! 
So here is a little environmental education 101 from green Vermont!

What is sustainability? 
“Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” [United Nations, 1987]

“They must be economically feasible, socially just (and acceptable), and environmentally sound.” [Elkington, 1998]

“For a renewable resource: the sustainable rate of use can be no greater than the rate of use.” [UVM Professor]

“In our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.” [The Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy]

What is not sustainable?

-Landfills, waste, trash
-Uncontrolled increases in CO2 waste in our atmosphere
-Uncontrolled use of natural gas and oil:
    -Natural Gas: 60 years until we run out
    -Oil: 40 years
    -Coal: 100 years

The point? We need a renewable energy source!  The sun, for example, could be converted to solar energy.  Wind could be used as an energy source.  There are a lot of options here.

How can we help?

#1:  Realize that there is no “away”.  You can’t throw something away, because “away” doesn’t exist.  Away is a landfill!

Because there is no “away”, recycling is IMPORTANT!  By diverting “waste” from landfills, we...
-Save space in landfills
-Save money used to run landfills
-Promote sustainability in product production
-Provide cheaper recycled materials for companies to make products with
-Create less of a need to take from our environmental resources
-Compost!  30% of landfill is organic waste. 

#2: Conserve energy and be efficient with your energy usage!

Ways to conserve:
-Walk, bike, and use public transportation when possible
-Make smart sustainable food choices
-Support products made from recycled goods
-Use energy efficient appliances
-Be smart about our electricity usage!  Turn off your lights, let your computer sleep, and be smart about heating/cooling.

#3: Support local food production!  What is better than eating a farm fresh fruit, vegetable, or meat that was produced in your own state?  Not only does the food taste better, but the environment reaps benefits as well.

Why? 
-Closer production of food means less travel distance (less energy use!) and less money spent on travel...  Instead of eating apples from South America, eat apples from the orchard in your home state.
-Food animals are raised on really disgusting “factory farms”.  Why eat a mass-produced cow from filthy conditions when you can eat a cow who grew up in somebody’s backyard?
-Meat from afar is treated with ammonia and other chemicals that act as cleansing agents and preservatives... fast food burgers DO NOT mold, even if left out for a year!  That can’t be good for you.

#4: Support local businesses and support truly green businesses.

Why?
-Truly green businesses will replenish what they use from the Earth and show concern for the environment in their actions
-Decreases the need for mass-produced goods, thus promoting environmental sustainability
-Decreased travel distance & costs
-Keep money in your local economy!
-Provide jobs in your area

#5: Use Less Oil.
Our country is addicted to oil!  It is in our cars and planes, but also in plastic.  And we have a LOT of plastic.  It would be very wise to minimize our petroleum usage because we do not have an unending supply!
How?
-Carpool, public transportation, bikes, walking
-Energy efficient vehicles
-Buy less plastic!
-Support sustainable, local food systems and business.
-Recycle!

The Earth needs to be cared for.  Animals go extinct every day.  We dump so many toxins into our world that we kill not only local ecosystems, but humans as well (cancer).  Chemicals are not supposed to be part of our diet, yet they seep into our food systems. 

I challenge you to simplify your life.  Think green, invest in green, and promote green.  Walk to work, grow a small garden, turn of your lights.  Be sustainable so our grandchildren can enjoy a beautiful world!

PS Watch Wall-E

Making a PAWsitive Difference!

Today was a beautiful day.


I was crowned Miss Vermont USA in November.  Shortly after this, my little sidekick Mildred passed away after 14 wonderful years together.  She was truly my dog, and I was devastated.  Anybody who has lost a pet knows how tough it can be when their furry friend isn't there to greet me at the door anymore at the end of the day.

 

  Mildred & I did everything together... she went to work with me at the NH hospice and horse farms, she slept in my bed, rode in my car everywhere, and even got smuggled into college.  She was my little baby.  She actually has a facebook page also: Mildred Carter.  She was a little celebrity because of her unique looks & personality.  She even stayed in the Sheraton with my family when I won Miss Vermont USA, cheering me on in her own special way... here is the picture from later that night:

I finally decided a few weeks ago that I was ready for a new furry friend.  After some research, I discovered...

• About 63% of households in the U.S. have pets... 75 million dogs and 85 million cats!
• Most pets come from family or friends.  About 15-20% of dogs are purchased from breeders, 10-20% of dogs adopted from shelters/rescues, and 2-10 percent are purchased from pet shops
• 5-7 million dogs & cats enter animal shelters nationwide every year, and about 3-4 million are euthanized (60% of dogs & 70% of cats!!!!!)

Given these sobering statistics, I was determined to save a dog who really needed a home.  I contacted several local rescues and was absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of dogs that needed homes!  Most of these dogs came from shelters down south with high euthanization rates... the rescues take in these dogs and give them another chance.  I thought it was going to be so hard to pick just one... but then I read the description for this dog:

Good Karma Rescue said that this little lady was a gentle, sweet, snuggly stray from Georgia who was rescued with just 11 hours left before her euthanization time.  I fell in love with her before I even met her!  We coordinated our "blind date" with her foster mom for today, and if all went well I was to take her home.  I was a bit nervous... adopting a dog is a huge decision!  Lucky for me, she was everything that Good Karma Rescue had said.  What a sweet little dog!  Very mellow, but she enjoys a good run... just like me!

 

She is a princess already!!!

She is probably about 4 years old, but who really knows.  I can only imagine what the poor little pup has been through... being a stray is no fun.  Maybe she had a family before that.  But then she ended up in a cage in a shelter, until Good Karma Rescue took her to a foster home in Vermont... but she doesn't have to worry anymore.  She's with me now!  And she is sleeping at the foot of my bed as I write this blog.  We went for a long walk and had some good snuggles today... I am just thrilled.  She LOVES my bed and has excellent manners.  I cannot imagine how she could possibly be unwanted.  She is just a sweetheart!

Here are some links to rescues and adoption sites that you should DEFINITELY look at next time you are looking for a furry new family member!

• Good Karma Rescue
• All Breeds Rescue VT
• Petfinder
• Adopt A Pet