There’s nothing quite like the sweet surrender of sipping on a cup of hot chocolate. It’s the answer to any winter problem, right? A cup of hot chocolate is not only cozy and sweet, but it’s the culinary equivalent of “you know what? you deserve a treat.” Hot chocolate is the kind of treat that […]
This is the year you will wrangle your smoking habits. Yes, you. Like so many monumental improvements in your life, it all starts with a desire to make a change. Be honest; you’ve muttered the words “I can quit anytime I want to.” Well anytime, is now. First you have to acknowledge that you have […]
Everyone needs to know how to sleep better for the simple reason that we all have sleep problems from time to time. Stress, illness and young kids all conspire to keep us awake when we should be getting restful, restoring sleep. Exactly how much sleep we need varies from person to person depending on age, […]
If you’re like most of us around here, you’ve been working hard for years in an attempt to lose the last ten (okay, thirty) pounds. Whether you’re carrying excess weight from pregnancy or stress eating matters not, what’s important is that we’re pretty much all on a mission to lose a little (or a lot) […]
Every culture uses rice in its cuisine. From Chinese Fried to Cuban Black Beans and Rice, so many cultures seem to have their own rice recipe ideas. Rice does more than stretch a meal to feed extra mouths; whole grain rice provides needed nutrients and fiber to our diet. Rice grains have multiple layers. ‘Brown’ […]
Getting baby to sleep at—and through—the night is one of the biggest challenges new parents face. Everyone and their mother (and your mother) has advice, plans or the perfect routine for a foolproof bedtime ritual. It’s easy to forget that every parent and every baby is different so there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. One thing that […]
Bow down to the wisdom of the Aztec and Mayan tribes who were smart enough to cultivate chocolate and turn it into a beverage. The Spanish conquistadores took chocolate back to Europe along with the gold and silver found in the New World. Within a hundred years the rest of the world was addicted to […]
Don’t head to your nearest airport and expect to catch a commercial flight to Cuba just yet. While President Obama’s order to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba finally lifted the curtain of tourist possibilities to the island, plenty of restrictions for U.S. citizens still exist. According to a New York Times article, President Obama’s order will […]
We dare you to feel and experience this very moment. Disconnect and go inside yourself. Mindfulness exercises such as these are basically the moment-to-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, and surroundings and this revolutionary new practice is helping our stressed out culture find peace. UCLA Health medical research has shown that practicing mindfulness can lower […]