When you're sick of iceberg lettuce and greasy pizza...

Sometimes it's difficult to find vegetarian choices in my school cafeteria, which is why I think packing lunch is probably a better option. I'm not a fan of long lunch lines, either. This is how I would plan my week :)

Monday

Microwaveable pasta:
My favorite brands are Healthy Choice, Simply Asia, and of course, Easy Mac. Microwaveable pasta is convenient and doesn't take much time to pack in the morning. Add an apple and bottled water, and you're good to go.

(If you don't have access to a microwave at school, try a peanut butter, honey, and banana sandwich instead of the pasta. Toast the pieces of bread and spread the PB on both sides to prevent it from getting soggy from the honey or bananas.)

Tuesday

Veggie hot dogs:
Yves brand is probably my favorite, but I rarely see it outside of Whole Foods. Cook them before school and wrap them in aluminum foil for later. I use whole grain hot dog buns and add soy sauce, onions, and cilantro to the water I cook the soy dogs in since they lack flavor on their own. Top with your favorite condiments, likely already found in your school cafeteria. Pack chips, soda, and freeze dried fruit to go with your hot dogs.

Wednesday

Hummus:
Pack enough hummus to spread on pita bread, baby carrots, and whichever crunchy vegetables you desire. Try stuffed grape leaves (you can get them canned from the ethnic food section of the grocery store if you don't have a Mediterranean restaurant near you), a banana, peanuts or cashews, and iced tea to complete your meal.

Thursday

Pizza bagels:
This recipe requires shouldn't take longer than a few minutes to prepare. Split a bagel in half and cover each side with cream cheese. Add slices of tomatoes and provolone cheese and bake in a toaster oven or microwave them until the cheese is melted. Vegan cheese substitutes work just as well for people who don't eat dairy. Have some strawberries, blueberries and juice with your pizza bagel.

Friday

Tempeh sub:
Tempeh is made from soybeans, but has a different texture than tofu or soy meats. You can find it in the produce section at Publix, near the other refrigerated vegetarian protein options. If you don't, use soy lunch meat substitutes or just veggies. I usually buy the brands that come marinated and pre-sliced to save time (sesame garlic is my favorite.) Cook according to the directions on the package and add the strips of tempeh to your sub along with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, cheese, bell peppers, and olive oil and vinegar. Pack chips and Vitamin water, too.

The Benefits of Daily Yoga

Lets face it, being fit in the 21 century is tough. With Iphones, we can now watch on the go videos of athletic fanatics enjoying a run, without breaking a sweat. With more vehicles on the road, we will never be threatened to walk the way home. It is not easy to drop everything and break out into a sprint- and you should not have to.

For anyone needing a solid 30 minutes of calming breathing and relaxation, I suggegst Yoga. I know what your thinking,"Yoga is for people that believe in worshping inanimate objects!". This unsumption is FALSE.

Yoga refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India.Believe it or not performing Yoga for 30 minutes a day can be of great help to you. Just a few exercises can actually help you get a better night's sleep. Reserachers say that people who perform yoga fall asleep alot faster than people who do not. I suggest any high school student who needs more sleep to buy a Yoga DVD imediantly.

Yoga is also great for anyone who can not stand for five minutes without getting hurt. With constant practice, your balance will improve ten folds outsdethe Yoga classroom. This is beacuse Yoga has hundreds of exercises that focus on the overall control of the body.

The best part of Yoga is that it can be done everywhere. In addition, it is easy to obtain Yoga videos that will not hurt your wallet. Great sites like yogatoday.com offer yoga lessons to keep for only $10. Better yet, Yotube.com offers thousands of yoga tidbits that can be done throughout the day. It is imporant to stay active, especialy in this day and age. With Yoga, a better lifestyle is just around the corner someting that everyone will enjoy.

Assess Your Situation

Success! You finished your last homework assignment! It's finally time for bed. You look over at your clock to assess the number of hours you'll be sleeping...and it's six in the morning. An all-nighter? AGAIN?

You’ll have to sleep during first period. Your teacher won’t notice. All he/she does is drone on half the class, anyway.

I know that you’re tired, and that some classes can be boring. But I also know that they’re essential to your graduation, and to better prepare you for your future. So how are you going to balance your health and your education? Equally important, how are you going to maintain your happiness level?

What it boils down to is—Oh no! Not this awful phrase!—how you’re managing your time. Deep down in our hearts, we know this truly is the key to make things a lot easier on ourselves.

I’ve spent innumerable days lounging around the house, surfing Facebook, and ultimately complaining about my homework load without doing anything about it. Had I just (please excuse the sexist phrase) taken it like a man, I could have done a page of math, answered biology questions, and completed half of an essay. Instead, I condemned myself to both negativity and inactivity. And that’s just not the way to go.

As an IB (International Baccalaureate) student, I’m all too familiar with the stress that relentlessly pours down on a teen’s shoulders. I’m aware that seemingly 90% of us would rather do something leisurely than scholarly.

The only cure for that, my friends, is to immerse yourself in both. And that means getting the latter done quickly to leave ample time for the first.

It makes more sense to get your homework done in two focused hours than in eight, yes, eight, hours of procrastination that are clouded by guilt of not doing anything productive.

I whole-heartedly believe that it is the first step toward a happier lifestyle, because you’ll eliminate the stress of leaving things until the last possible minute .

So take a magnifying glass and point it inward. Do you do things the day they’re assigned, as soon as you get home? Or do you really start a high-intensity project at nine P.M., desperately trying to bring home an average grade?

More often than not, you’re going to fall under the second category.

I urge you guys to try to procrastinate a little less, because it’s completely beneficial- no bad side effects. Getting your homework done quickly won’t clog up your arteries or cause nausea. It’ll open up your social calendar and your time to relax, which can only lead to a central feeling of peace and ease.

Meditation: Woo Sa

It's no secret that any teenager's life is stressful.
For me, meditation was a method to really control that stress and eliminate it from my life.


My mom gave me a set of meditation tip cards about a year ago. They range from teaching you about breathing exercises, to finding your power animal, to even meeting your other selves. I did try many of the exercises and they turned out to be very interesting to attempt.


I mainly meditated in my room with relaxing music playing and the only light coming from a lone candle on my nightstand. Wherever you meditate is completely up to you. Just find a quiet place that is your own, and where you feel the most comfortable.


I took the time to meditate for about half an hour every other day, and I certaintly got a lot out of it. The time I took for myself I used to think, a lot.
I thought about my pritorites and if they were in the right order. I thought about school and if I was trying hard enough. I even thought about all the things that were stressing me out in my life, and figured out ways to eliminate the unnecessary from my life.


Mediating has really helped me get a better grasp on my life and maintaining a low stress level.
I would really recommend it to everyone. It's really simply and easy to do. There is no set method to meditiate or order of steps.


Just find your place, close your eyes, relax, breathe, and let spontaneous thoughts flow.