Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1431992
beverages helps us feel full and satisfied and we are less likely to overindulge." 4. Going to a party? "Offer to bring a tasty and healthy dish along. Maybe a char- cuterie board with lots of fruits and vegetables with nuts and some dried fruit, too." 5. If you are going to eat a sweet treat, make it a small portion and "…then take your time, eat it more mindfully," says Toledo. If you really think about the flavors and textures, a little will go a long way and you won't feel deprived. "Also, eating slowly allows your brain to realize you are full." How to balance... continued from page 1 RECIPES This Squash and Kale Soup recipe is from New Leaf. Gizdich, who refers to it as a "healthy take on an easy cold-weath- er meal," likes adding rotisserie chicken to the soup after it's cooked for an extra boost of protein. Find more soup recipes at newleaf.com/soup. Ingredients • 2 tbs New Leaf & Friends extra-virgin olive oil • 1 medium organic onion, diced • 2 cloves organic garlic, minced • 1 tsp curry powder • 1 tsp kosher salt • 1/2 tsp black pepper • 1 13.5 oz can diced tomatoes, with juice • 2 c peeled and diced or- ganic winter squash (such as butternut) • 1 bunch organic kale, stems removed and leaves chopped • 4 c vegetable broth Directions 1. Rinse produce and pat dry. 2. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat until hot. 3. Add onion, garlic, curry powder, salt and pepper and cook, stirring fre- quently, until onion and garlic are soft and starting to caramelize. 4. Add tomatoes, squash, kale, and vegetable broth and cook, covered, until squash is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. 5. Taste soup. Add addi- tional salt and pepper, if desired. Here is a very simple New Leaf recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts. Ingredients • 2 lbs local & organic Brussels sprouts • 3 tbsp New Leaf & Friends olive oil • 1 tsp kosher salt • 1/2 tsp black pepper Directions 1. Preheat oven to 450°F. 2. Rinse, trim and halve Brussels sprouts and toss with oil, salt, and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet. 3. Roast, tossing occa- sionally, until tender and browned, 35–45 minutes. Making a difference in people's lives By Beth Powanda, Powanda Insurance As an independent Insur- ance Agent, I am proud and comforted to know that the work I do makes a difference in people's lives. I feel this way pretty much year-round, but most especially now during Medicare Annual Enrollment when I help confused and over- whelmed seniors who've been inundated with mail- ings, telephone calls and TV ads weed through the daily barrage of healthcare information overload. I'm a field broker—the kind of person whose empathy and skills set me apart from telemarketers and celebrity endorsed TV ads. Sometimes when I tell people the kind of work I do, that I am an insurance agent, I can see their eyes glaze over. Talking about drug tier levels, co-pays, co-insur- ance and deductibles can seem a bit dry, confusing and non-sensical. For instance, I have a grand time explaining how Part A + Part B + Part D = C! Sometimes even I get bogged down by all this stuff. There is SO much to know and stay on top of and every year I have to recertify with all of the carriers I represent and learn all of their new plans. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it. I can only imagine how my clients feel. One told me recently," When I attend Medicare workshops and sales presentations, I don't understand the answers, because I don't understand the questions to begin with." So why do I do what I do? Shortly after I began my career in Medicare sales, I was immediately introduced to several elite industry professionals, many of whom have made a lasting impression on me. When I observed the encounters these agents had with their clients and saw the meaningful life-long impact they had on their lives I knew I had found my calling. It also made me realize that what has the most lasting effect in our industry is the empathetic and skilled human touch. I can't think of another industry where interpersonal skills and empathy are so critical to the consumer. You can't automate that. Many of my clients don't have com- puters or email and some still carry flip phones. You'll never see them at the self-checkout line at Safeway scanning their own groceries. They need someone like me. Over time I have built my business at my client's kitchen tables, in their liv- ing rooms, at the counter at the local iHop, in line at the grocery store, or these days, over Zoom. My clients take me on tours of their homes and show me photos of their grandchildren and great grandchildren, they serve me tea and sandwiches and tell me their stories. They and their children thank me for helping them. The satisfaction of knowing that my work has made such a profound impact on them and that I have made a difference in their lives, makes a difference in mine too. I go to sleep every night proud (and sometimes exhausted) of the work I have done. Now for a Medicare news update. On Novem- ber 12th, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2022 premiums, deductibles, and coin- surance amounts for the Medicare Part A and Part B programs, and the 2022 Medicare Part D income-related monthly adjustment amounts. The standard monthly premium Part B enrollees will be $170.10, an increase of $21.60 from last year. The annual deductible for all Medicare Part B beneficia- ries is $233, an increase of $30. The Medicare Part A inpatient hospital deduct- ible that beneficiaries pay if admitted to the hospital will be $1,556 in 2022. The increases Part B deductible and premium are due to rising prices and utilization across the health care system that drive higher premiums year-over-year alongside anticipated increases in the intensity of care provided. The 2022 Part D income-related monthly adjustment amounts for high income beneficiaries can be found at Medicare. gov. Whether you are new to Medicare or want a review of your current plan, please feel free to reach out to me direct- ly or attend one of my upcoming Medicare 101 Seminars at the Loud- en Nelson Center, 301 Center St. Santa Cruz, on the following dates and times: 11/30 2pm & 12/2 2pm. This is event is for educational purposes and no plan-specific benefits or details will be shared. For accommodation of persons with special needs at meetings, call 831-252-2256 TTY711 Mon-Fri 8am-5pm. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Govern- ment or Federal Medi- care Program. Insurance related solicitation. Beth Powanda Licensed Sales Agent Beth@PowandaInsur- anceAgency.com Lic.# 0B80536 831-252-2256 TTY711 Give Thanks for Dancing Optimize Your Happiness By Peggy Pollard, Santa Cruz Waltz & Swing Trying to feel thankful today? I'll help you with that. First, today, Thanksgiving Day, is our is our one-year Anniversary of our Sen- tinel's Young At Heart" section! To celebrate and warm up your Thanksgiving spirit, here's my free Turkey Trot Dance video lesson I posted one year ago: www.youtu.be/R- 3df05X4AM You're welcome. Next, here's my simple way to help you and any Thanksgiving companions focus on thankfulness. Take a large sheet of pa- per. With a marking pen, draw a bare tree trunk and branches. Write at top: "In 2021 We are Thankful For:" Then take a few sheets of autumn-esque colored pa- per-- red, brown, yellow, orange, green. Cut small spear-shaped leaves about 3" long. Give each person a few leaves to write what they are thankful for on. Scotch tape the leaves onto the tree. Voila! You have a Thanksgiving Tree to decorate your wall and save for your histori- cal records. Now here's what to write on those little leaves: Start BIG. What happened this year in the news, worldwide or local? If the first answers pop- ping into your mind are negative things, which admittedly, there were plenty of this year, then you are especially in need of counting your blessings today. This is exactly why Thanksgiving is my favor- ite holiday of all. We all need it to lift our spirits to a higher level. From the big global scale down to micro-level, we need this day to refocus our hearts and minds away from our endless daily problems, into thankful- ness for all the goodness in our lives. Being thankful helps us walk in the reality of the love that truly surrounds us. And being thankful to- gether really helps. So, I ask people I know what they are thankful for. My husband the doctor instantly volunteers his thanks for the miraculous COVID vaccines appear- ing this year, and for this week's new pill for COVID, the first pill effective against a common cold virus, which COVID is one of. Other common answers: family, friends, work, school, food, world peace – good, sincere answers. Though not creative, they fit the ancient wisdom of King Solomon in Ecclesi- astes chapter 2. Surmising that "everything is mean- ingless," the sage also advised that in life, "there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work." For myself, after another year of national turmoil I'm especially thankful for the hard-working heros of our legal system and free press, lawyers and journalists bringing truth and justice to our troubled land. I'm also thankful for my small part in making the world better, in small ways, from our little corner of it. I'm thankful for my nice dance partners, especially awesome dance assistant Mike. I'm also thankful I am helping others discover dancing joy at our Wednes- day and Sunday dances. Because for dancers, to have strength to dance, whether solo or with partners, gracefully or not, to dance at all is a lot to be thankful for. To dance is also a beautiful way to give thanks. It might even be conta- gious. (and thus TikTok hap- pened) Just try it today. Turn on music, stand up and start to moving to it. Then offer someone your hand and see what hap- pens. If they join in, you have doubled the amount of joy in the room. Then write this down on your paper leaves: "I'm thankful I can dance" Dancing is more powerful together. After my absence of al most two years, I returned this week to my beloved ballet class. Stepping into the studio doorway I was enveloped in a big warm hug by my, normally aloof, teacher Rebecca. "Peggy made it back," she declared to the room full of mask-and-leotard-clad dancers at barres around the walls. The class burst into a round of applause, beaming smiles toward me before refocusing on the lesson. It felt good to be back to- gether with this elite band of dancers. "Most of my dancers have found their way back," Rebecca told me. "Except a few who have not yet returned," she added with a worried look. From this enthusiastic welcome I felt like I'd re-joined a covert military team in a clandestine bat- tleground bunker. Because I did. Together under command of teacher Rebecca, we dancers are waging a battle against enemy disease with our military regimen of plies and pirouettes to strengthen body and soul against the evil germs. I'm thankful for my warm welcome back into this special dance community. I'll write that on my Thanksgiving leaf. I'm also thankful for my own students still finding their way to our dances these past months, thankful I can teach them able to dance. More leaves of thanks. What are yours? What are the most import- ant things this year? Write them down. Post them on your wall. Read them daily. Optimize your happiness. There is no better way to celebrate the goodness you've been given this year than to be thankful, and to dance. Join our Santa Cruz Waltz & Swing dances www. PeggyDance.weebly.com