I hope everyone has been enjoying the beautiful weather we’ve had lately! The longer days and warmer weather has been a great motivator for me to get back outside. Lately, that’s included long walks with some of my friends. While I was out walking with my friend Megan the other day, we came upon a set of stairs behind an apartment complex... [More]

This weekend, I’ve offered to host an afternoon barbeque at my house. I know, it’s a bit early to start the barbeque season. In fact, I’ve got my fingers crossed that my trusty grill will fire up after this long winter. But I’m a sucker for parties and I certainly miss spending time out on the deck, enjoying good food and friends! As always, I want to offer some healthy options for the day, so I’m planning on buying apples, strawberries and bananas... [More]

As I was grocery shopping the other day I was surprised at how expensive some of the produce is getting. One of my favorite fruits – blueberries – cost nearly $4.00. On top of that, the peppers I like to munch on (and dip in salsa and hummus) had gone up in price. Because I value my health, I really try to take good care of myself and part of that is feeding my body with nutritious foods. At the same time, I realize that I can’t afford to spend a whole paycheck at the grocery store... [More]

Chocolate lovers, rejoice! Not all chocolate is bad for you – have you heard this before? Dark chocolate, specifically, has been shown in numerous research studies to help lower risk of heart disease because of the high levels of antioxidants called flavanols. Dove Dark Chocolate, specifically, has higher levels of flavanols than other dark chocolates. Scientists at Mars, Incorporated developed a process called Cocoapro® that helps retain more of the flavanols in cocoa than in other dark chocolates or even red wine!.. [More]

Beef . . . it’s what’s for dinner! There are few who aren’t familiar with this popular slogan, as the average American consumes 67 lbs of beef annually. We use it for spaghetti, tacos, hot-dishes (or casseroles, for those of you living outside of the Midwest), good old hamburgers, you name it! However, if caution is not taken during preparation and handling, there may be risks associated with consuming ground beef... [More]

I recently had a reader ask me about ear candling. Have you heard about this practice? If not, here’s a little background. Ear candling involves lighting a candle near your ear with the intention of warming up your earwax. By doing so, the thought is that it will make the wax softer and easier to remove. Sounds interesting, but does it work? And, more importantly, is it safe?.. [More]

As a conscious consumer I like to be aware of what foods are best for me. This means that when I’m at the grocery store, I am always seeking out foods with the best health benefits. Ultimately, this is all part of my goal to a healthy diet. Recently, with this goal in mind, I’ve decided to incorporate organic foods into my meals... [More]

This past year, like a lot of people I know, I really got into watching the Winter Olympics. Some nights I found myself cheering for athletes competing in sports I’ve never even heard of before! Take, for example, the sport of skeleton. Competitors in skeleton lay face-first down on a luge sled and hurtle down a bobsled track at speeds up to 80 miles per hour. The true challenge in the sport is that this little sled has no steering mechanisms; athletes steer through their body movements alone... [More]

My sister is a houseplant fanatic. Sometimes, just to tease her, I like to sing “Welcome to the Jungle” when I go over to visit. (She thinks it’s funny, don’t let her fool you!) While her house may not actually qualify as a jungle, it doesn’t take long to notice out that she’s a bona fide indoor green thumb. One time, I made the mistake about asking about one of the ivy plants she had sitting in her windowsill... [More]