Remember how Popeye would drain a can of spinach and half a second later his muscles would begin to bulge?  Think of this recipe as your own can of spinach.  While your muscles may not instantly grow to three times their size, your body will surely experience a nutritious surge.

Click Here for Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 cups baby spinach (about 198g )
• 425g  ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg

Click here to view the full recipe…
http://www.sevafrica.com/HealthWellness/Spinach-CheeseRavioli.shtml

At just three years away from 50, Carol Alt posed in Playboy and the magazine called her “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World”. Who would cry for more when you have two Sports Illustrated covers, lucrative contracts with Cover Girl Cosmetics and Hanes and countless fashion magazine covers pleading for your face?

Don’t be quick to dedicate her lifelong career to the wonders of what Life Magazine dubbed as “Million Dollar Face”, Carol’s rock-hard abs are what kept her body a diamond to scramble for. Should you wonder how she has managed to stay curvaceous for decades and resemble the looks of 20-something at the age of 48…

To read more click here…
http://www.sevafrica.com/HealthWellness/Carol-AltsDiet.shtml

Ingredients

• 1.5kg package frozen calamari rings
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 sachet Knorr Chicken Pepper Pan
• ½ green pepper, diced

To view the full recipe click here…
http://www.sevafrica.com/HealthWellness/Calamari-Stew.shtml

Usually for birthdays and christmas I try to make as many gifts as possible – I am always knitting, crafting etc.  But I had never thought to just give FOOD as a gift before, until now!  My wonderful father’s birthday was on Thanksgiving, and I wanted to combine his love for peanut butter and chocolate in a crunchy treat – thus: Peanut Butter Oatmeal!

I overcooked the oatmeal slightly, and I have no idea how long it actually took to toast, so my advice would be to just keep stirring the oats every 5 minutes and take them out as soon as they start to brown! Add some cute packaging… and voila!

Peanut Butter Granola
Adapted from James and Miriam Brenneman (via “A Taste of Shiloh”) via Ezra Pound Cake

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup flake coconut (sweetened or unsweetened, your choice)
• 1/8 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, wheat germ and coconut.

3. Over low heat in a small saucepan, combine the oil and honey, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; add vanilla. Stir in peanut butter while mixture is still warm, blending well.

4. Pour mixture over dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Spread the mixture on a large baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Remove from oven.

5. Once the mixture cools, add raisins and chips.

The beautiful Andreea Raicu covers ELLE Romania for their December issue. I’m loving this cover, the styling is super chic and elegant very on trend while Andreea looks stunning. Personally I feel the cover represents a very sincere and clean message which is perfect to sell to the women who support ELLE magazine. Andreea looks as if she’s healthy in mind body and soul. I loves it!!

IMG|SOURCE: TFS

501 Delicious Heart Healthy Recipes: Feel Great – Lose Weight – Lower Your Cholesterol Review

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I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We did.  Since I no longer had rookie status – this being my second year hosting the family dinner, the nerves were not there that were there last year. If you go back over my posts last year, starting here, you’ll see I was a hot mess!

The prep I did this year – only two consecutive days beforehand – made for a stress free day. I was pretty much done, except for the last minute stuff, by 10:30 that morning!

So, without further adieu,  on to the food!

Of course the star of the day was turkey!

I decided to have Turkey Breast: Three Ways.

Going left to right on the above platter:

Breast #1: Cooked in the crockpot with a can of chicken broth, 1/2 stick of butter and 6 cloves of garlic. I skinned the breast before putting it in the broth and cooked it on low overnight. It fell right off of the bone!

Breast #2: My first brine! I made a brine of: water, orange juice, low sodium Teriyaki, cloves of garlic, whole anise seed, whole coriander seed,  salt and a banana pepper split down the middle. I let it sit in that mixture overnight and then rotisseried it.

Breast #3: I marinated it overnight in a mix of: Harissa, blueberry jalapeno jelly, thai chili paste, red pepper flakes, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, olive oil and malt vinegar. It also got rotisseried. It was by far my favorite!

- the only dish of which I had no leftovers!

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

• 6-8 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 16 oz container of reduced fat sour cream
• 1 stick light buttery spread
• 1/4 c. fresh dill, chopped
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 7 oz bag 2% milk shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 slices country ham, sliced thin
• 1 bunch green onions

boil potatoes until tender and mash with a mixer with sour cream, spread and seasonings

place in a casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray

sprinkle cheese on top

cook ham until crisp like bacon and crumble, sprinkle over cheese

chop green onions – both white and green portions and sprinkle on top of ham

bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until cheese is golden brown and melted

Stuffing: which I made with my harvest stuffing bread, diced celery, carrots, onions, one banana pepper and zucchini,  and chicken broth, along with shredded chicken breast. Also salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, garlic powder and sage. I baked one dish with an added mix of fat free half and half and a beaten egg, the rest I assembled into 1/5 cup balls and baked to a golden brown.

Cranberry Sauce

adapted from allrecipes

• 1 cup water
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
• 1 tangerine, peeled andchopped
• 1 apple – peeled, cored and diced
• 1 cup chopped dried mixed fruit - I used prunes, apricots & raisins
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a medium saucepan, boil water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to simmer, and stir in cranberries, apple, dried fruit, pecans, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.

Rich (Yet Lowfat!) Pumpkin Custard, as made here.

And Blueberry Pie – this was my first lattice crust and I must say I am pretty darn proud! The pie went over well with my nephews – I used a tangerine for the zest and juice instead of a lemon and it gave it such a wonderful flavor! This is probably going to be my standard now!

We also had Pumpkin Crescent Dinner Rolls, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, green beans, broccoli slaw and a sweet potato casserole that I will be talking about in the next few posts!

Thanks for sharing our meal with us! Hope you enjoyed!

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Jamie says:  I hope everyone is having a very happy Thanksgiving holiday.  I enjoyed watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and doing some Turkey Day baking.  I woke up early, so I started working on Thanksgiving breakfast.  I set the table with our Christmas Spode to kick off the Christmas season.  My contribution to breakfast was a fresh fruit salad made with an array of fruits- bananas, grapes, kiwi, oranges, watermelon, raspberries, and pomegranate seeds.  It was beautiful, delicious, and healthy.  Mom and Dad soon joined me in the kitchen- scrambling eggs, heating up the bacon, pouring tea, coffee, and juice, and bringing Mom’s tasty pumpkin bread to the table.  I also toasted up some English muffins.  I spread my Mom’s homemade cranberries on one half and made an open-faced egg sandwich with the other half.  We sat down to breakfast just in time to watch the ribbon cutting of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade- perfect timing!  We had a beautiful holiday together.  Happy Left-over Day!

Nutrition note:  There are no “bad” foods, just foods that should be enjoyed occasionally.  Everything can be enjoyed in moderation and part of a balanced diet.

Yesterday was a wonderful family day.

Yesterday was a 10-mile run day. 

Today is a Rest Day. 

Who knew after you’re 40 your body does most of its hard work when you’re actually resting? 

Photo Credit

Ahhhh.  Life is good.

Thanksgiving 2009

Main course:
Vegetable Soup
Mashed potatoes
Turkey

Dessert:
Spice cake
Puff Pastry “strips”
Meringue cake (store-bought)

The turkey I’ve made in the last 5-7 years has always been moist as a result of both brining and baking it in a bag. However, this year it was absolutely superb. Please don’t think that I’m boasting. I did absolutely nothing differently from years past. The difference is in the turkey itself. I ordered a turkey at a farmers market earlier this year through Rueggseger Farms. The turkey was never frozen, it was “harvested” on Tuesday morning and we took delivery in the evening. It was astonishingly fresh and well-cleaned and absolutely lip-smacking when cooked.

Additional Recipes will be coming soon.

While in Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry this week with my family, we dove into the “You! The Experience” exhibit, which was phenomenal. As we strolled through the laugh garden, we learned more about the science of happiness, and the term “psychological net worth” jumped off the walls at me. Many of those in my business and wealth-building network, including myself, have a strong awareness of our monetary net worth – you know … assets minus liabilities. Well, part of the vitality section of the museum exhibit included statistics about happiness and one’s level of psychological wealth. “Psychological wealth includes life satisfaction, the feeling that life is full of meaning, a sense of engagement in interesting activities, the pursuit of important goals, the experience of positive emotional feelings, and a sense of spirituality that connects people to things larger than themselves,” according to Psychologist Ed Diener in his 2008 book Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth http://bit.ly/6lBiIV Of course, material sufficiency to meet our needs underlies these things. Our quality of life will suffer if we do not develop each aspect of true wealth. And, an interesting fact on the Museum’s walls states that studies show those with higher incomes do score higher on happiness assessments. Maybe money can buy a bit of happiness? Or, more turkey. But, we must not lose sight of all the other components of our psychological net worth.

Things are hectic around out apartment as the quarter is wrapping up. I didn’t make it to the grocery store this week so dinner was a creative challenge using whatever I could find in the cupboard and the small market on campus. This meal was flavorful and fresh and the leftovers were even better. Just wait til you see how easy it was to make…

Ingredients:

• 3/4  cup salsa
• 1 1/2  teaspoons cumin
• 1  can diced tomatoes
• 1  8 oz canned tomato sauce
• 1 cup baby tomatoes cut in half
• 1  can corn
• 1  can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 package corn tortillas
• 2  cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1/4  cup  chopped green onions
• 1 can refried beans
• 1/3 cup pine nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 and grease a casserole dish or pan. In a bowl, mix together salsa, cumin, diced tomatoes, baby tomatoes, tomato sauce. In another bowl mix corn and black beans. Slice tortillas into strips. Spoon some of the tomato mixture in the casserole and top with tortilla strips. Layer the corn/beans, cheese, tomato mixture, and tortillas. For your last layer end with the remaining tomato mixture and top with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until the dish is bubbly and cheese is brown.  Meanwhile, heat the refried beans, spoon them onto plates. Top with toasted pine nuts and garnish with remaining tortillas or tortilla chips.

_b.

Seniors who eat fruits and vegetables and who have good cognitive function are much less likely to die from heart disease than those who have poorer cognitive function and eat fewer fruits and vegetables, according to a new study.

Researchers at the Drexel University School of Public Health in Philadelphia analyzed diet and cognitive data on 4,879 people age 70 and older who took part in the U.S. Longitudinal Study on Aging. Participants were followed for an average of seven years.

According to a HealthDay report, the analysis found that:

• Those who ate three or more servings of vegetables daily had a 30 percent lower risk for dying from heart disease and a 15 percent lower risk for dying from any cause during the follow-up period than those who ate fewer servings of vegetables.

• There was a significant association between higher consumption of fruits and vegetables and decreased prevalence of cognitive impairment.

• People who scored high on cognitive function tests were less likely to die from heart disease or any other cause during the follow-up than were those with low scores.

Having a healthy heart is important when it comes to old age. That is why Home Instead Senior Care promotes this healthy heart through our caregivers. Our caregivers promote positive cognitive function, and they cook healthy meals which will often include fruits and vegetables. Mom and dad need all the help they can get; if you’re finding it difficult to take care of your loved ones and are looking for someone who will go that extra mile, then give Home Instead a call.

Home Instead Senior Care will provide outstanding caregivers to help your loved one with personal care, incidental travel, companionship, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and even meal preparation. To learn more, call 248-203-2273 or visit www.homeinstead.com. Home Instead Senior Care is the world’s trusted source of in-home non-commercial personal care and companionship for seniors. Each franchise is independently owned and operated. And remember, to us, it’s personal.

Seniors who eat fruits and vegetables and who have good cognitive function are much less likely to die from heart disease than those who have poorer cognitive function and eat fewer fruits and vegetables, according to a new study.

Researchers at the Drexel University School of Public Health in Philadelphia analyzed diet and cognitive data on 4,879 people age 70 and older who took part in the U.S. Longitudinal Study on Aging. Participants were followed for an average of seven years.

According to a HealthDay report, the analysis found that:

• Those who ate three or more servings of vegetables daily had a 30 percent lower risk for dying from heart disease and a 15 percent lower risk for dying from any cause during the follow-up period than those who ate fewer servings of vegetables.

• There was a significant association between higher consumption of fruits and vegetables and decreased prevalence of cognitive impairment.

• People who scored high on cognitive function tests were less likely to die from heart disease or any other cause during the follow-up than were those with low scores.

Having a healthy heart is important when it comes to old age. That is why Home Instead Senior Care promotes this healthy heart through our caregivers. Our caregivers promote positive cognitive function, and they cook healthy meals which will often include fruits and vegetables. Mom and dad need all the help they can get; if you’re finding it difficult to take care of your loved ones and are looking for someone who will go that extra mile, then give Home Instead a call.

Home Instead Senior Care will provide outstanding caregivers to help your loved one with personal care, incidental travel, companionship, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and even meal preparation. To learn more, call 248-203-2273 or visit www.homeinstead.com. Home Instead Senior Care is the world’s trusted source of in-home non-commercial personal care and companionship for seniors. Each franchise is independently owned and operated. And remember, to us, it’s personal.

I’m currently reading Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma and will be moving shortly onto his new In Defense of Food.   I also found a great interview of him on Democracy Now on health eating and what industrial Food is shoveling up: http://tr.im/FTLL.  AND, do check out the movie, Food, Inc., where he and others shed big lights on where our food really comes from. 

Thanks Michael!

I know we are doing this thanksgiving day thing and I should be all thankful and stuff, but I need to vent about something I am NOT thankful for. My Mother. She Drives Me Crazy!!!!!  Now that isn’t new, in fact nothing she does is very original – she is the useless toy in a box of Neurotic Crazy. Last night I get 3 calls at 11pm from her all of which I ignored.  This morning I listened to the messages.  All weird ramble about how I will never forgive her, and that she has accepted her fate of being on her own for ever, that I won’t fix her life. Every sentence was punctuated with spite.   I rolled my eyes as I have heard it all before.  She really must get a hobby because this self-indulgence is BORING ME.  I know, I can be harsh, but perhaps I am overexposed? Despite all this I still support her, I still care for her, I still counsel her through the hard times (although not at 11pm at night!), and I still love her.  Maybe it is wired in the genetics.  Anyway, this recipe is a real heart warmer.  It is light and creamy and completely comforting.  It is the soup I wish my mum made ME.

Cream of Cauliflower with Chorizo Soup

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower
1 Litre of chicken stock
1 tub of extra light philly cheese
1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds
Olive oil
1 chorizo sausage

In a big pot add olive oil and fry off the fennel seeds.  Add stock and cauliflower. Boil the head of cauliflower until cooked through.  Add another cup of water if it evaporates too much.  Barmix till pureed and stir through the philly cheese.  In a separate fry pan, lightly fry up sliced chorizo.  Serve the coup with chorizo sprinkled on top.  Serves 2-4 depending on how hungry you are.  So easy and makes me feel loved.

Luff.

beautiful girl at the cafe waiting and thinking

beautiful girl at the cafe waiting and thinking

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young woman jumping in the air

young woman jumping in the air

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Healthy affection affliction is an affair which could affect any of us abnormally as we abound older. The affection is one of the the a lot of talked about locations of your body. The affection acclimated metaphorically describes adulation as a abundant aching such as a torn heart. “My affection overflows with my adulation for you,” says a adolescent man to his sweetheart. The affections that we accurate with our affection are alone one aspect of the animal makeup. The added allocation consists of accepting a advantageous heart.

The affection is a above allotment of your physique organs and functions to accumulate you animate and healthy. It is a acclaimed actuality that not alone affections affect your affection as added factors such as your food, your lifestyle, exercises, and burden all play a pertinent role in affection health. The American Affection Association provides a abundant accord actual acceptable advice about affection care. The Cleveland Clinic and added medical centers accommodate ability and accomplish you can yield to ensure you accept a advantageous heart.

Exercising is a actual acceptation aspect of advantageous affection care. We acknowledge that not anybody can go to the gym or has the allowance in their home for gym equipment. We accept some suggestions that will advice with your affection bloom care.

- Sit in a adequate armchair and accomplish abiding you alleviate your accouterment for comfort.

- Start with your anxiety and ankles; circle them alone to the point area you feel the strain.

- Next acclaim plan up to your legs adopting them up and captivation them for about 5 minutes.

- Plan your easily and accoutrements by adopting them one ancillary and again the other.

- Move your arch up and down again aback and alternating in affable motions.

About 20 account a day will advice you abate the ache in your activity and will acquiesce you to relax. This is a abundant way to advance on your accepted affection health. The next affair is your diet arrangement. Please bethink it isn’t so abundant what you eat rather how abundant and how regularly. We advance you break abroad from the accustomed things that individuals allocution about such as fats, too abounding sweets and desserts, and things that you already apperceive will abuse you.

The affection is abstinent by demography your claret burden with the after-effects absolution your doctor be assertive as to your position. While account your heart, aboriginal the physician looks at the Systolic akin back systolic affection abortion starts whens the larboard ventricle cannot arrangement agilely which is apparently a pumping issue. The diastolic affection abortion occurs as continued as the larboard ventricle can not relax or ample absolutely which again becomes a bushing issue.

The affection accept to but be able to pump agilely and again relax to bushing with claret to accumulate a advantageous heart.

The accuracy is that the nations’ better analgesic is affection ache and we accept section meal abstracts aggregate nation wide. AHA has put calm some prime advice on the accountable and appear it while the U.S. Government has not attempted to clue affection ache at all. The AHA feels acerb that the government accept to get involved.

Yes, the affection is at the actual body of our existence.

For abounding we anticipate of the affection as continued as we are in adulation or at a time of claimed loss. As we abound earlier we activate to analyze the absolute heart, the arteries, veins, and the furnishings on our affection by the things we do. Yield some simple precautions for advantageous affection affliction and bacchanal in your life.

Author: Mark Hargreaves
Source: isnare.com

I read this article in The Metro, in London last week. Now I know why we let children play in the mud.

Remember your mother telling you to scrub behind your ears? Now experts believe being a little dirty is not such a bad thing. Bugs on the surface of the skin play an important role in dampening down over-active immune responses which can cause rashes, or cause cuts and bruises to become painful and swollen.

Skin bacteria include certain staphylococcal species that promote inflammation when they are beneath the skin’s surface. But scientists discovered a previously unknown mechanism where the bugs inhibit the inflammatory response when they are on top of the skin.

A molecule called staphylococcal lipoteichoic acid (LTA) acts on keratinocytes, the primary cell type found in the outer layer of skin. Keratinocytes need another molecule called TLR3 to mount a normal inflammatory response to injury. However, this response is kept from becoming too aggressive by staphyloccal LTA, research shows.

“These germs are actually good for us”, said Prof Richard Gallo, who led the research at the University of California at San Diego.

So, go on, go out there a get down and dirty. It may be good for your health.

Thanksgiving breakfast was a crack “peanut butter” sandwich, with honey and a mini luna bar. Peanut butter& co makes peanut butter taste so good that its hard not to devour the whole jar in one sitting, I sometime hate buying it because of that very reason. However my breakfast of champions was very good and I was off to run a turkey trot in North Park

While waiting for the race to start many people bet life savings, cars, stock money, etc on me winning 1st place.

unfortunately the competition was a little harder than expected, and I took 2nd. Sorry for those who bet everything they had to live for! lol…

I had a 4.5mile finishing time of 29mins! I wanted to get under 30 and I did, so I’m thrilled!

After the run I snacked on a fullbar, pretty much a glorified rice cake. It kept me full up until thanksgiving dinner so I’m happy.

It even killed my craving for some of the delicious post-race snacks they had inside the boathouse. Who ever had one of those cinnamon rolls I want your feedback! Looked so worth the calories!

After thanksgiving dinner my family and I made a gingerbread house!

Which turned out awesome!

And crushed awesome, some for everyone!

Thanksgiving day was a blast, and today’s lesson is… Be thankful for everything, even if you dont make 1st in a race, be number 1 at work, or receive a perfect report card. Because being thankful for what you have is what thanksgivings about.