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Gourmet mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving

Michele Borboa, MS — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:21:00 -0800

For many hungry holiday guests, Thanksgiving wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a generous helping of belly-filling mashed potatoes. Instead of the usual butter and milk rendition, surprise them with an extra-rich and delicious Thanksgiving side dish. Here are three gourmet mashed potato recipes for your holiday menus.

Scrumptious Thanksgiving sweet potato recipes

Michele Borboa, MS — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:58:00 -0800

Sweet potatoes are just as versatile and far more flavorful and beautiful than white-flesh potatoes to serve on Thanksgiving or for any holiday feast. You can certainly serve them baked plain, but we suggest dazzling your hungry guests with one of these scrumptiously prepared Thanksgiving sweet potato recipes.

Italian Thanksgiving menu and recipes

Michele Borboa, MS — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:56:00 -0800

Instead of the usual roasted turkey, stuffing and mashed potato Thanksgiving meal, give your Turkey Day feast an Italian theme with classic Italian flavors. We've got tasty Italian alternatives for your Thanksgiving side dish, dessert and drink recipes. We've even got a sweet potato recipe from Chef Fabio Viviani and a delectable dessert from Ron Suhanosky, author of The Italian Table.

The best Mexican Thanksgiving menu and recipes

Michele Borboa, MS — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 07:21:00 -0800

Giving your Thanksgiving menu ethnic flair can turn the same old Turkey Day meal into an exciting feast that tantalizes the taste buds, inspires creative leftovers and stirs anticipation for an ethnic twist on the next holiday’s menu. These Mexican-inspired Thanksgiving recipes will spice up your holiday table with new renditions and alternative dishes in place of Turkey Day classics.

Healthy Thanksgiving dessert recipes

Michele Borboa, MS — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 07:22:00 -0800

What’s a holiday without an impressive selection of sweet-tooth satisfying desserts? The word anticlimactic comes to mind. Even if you’re watching your waistline despite the heaving Thanksgiving buffet of calories, it doesn’t mean you’ve got to forgo the holiday dessert. Simply serve one of these healthy Thanksgiving desserts at your feast – even your diet-defiant guests will enjoy them.

Tips for keeping a workout schedule

Michele Borboa, MS — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:32:00 -0800

You’ve done the right thing by scheduling your weekly workouts for the next six months, but putting exercise on your calendar is the easy part. The real challenge is actually following your workout schedule. To help keep you on track, here are six tips for sticking to your fitness plan.

Quick cardio workouts in your neighborhood

Michele Borboa, MS — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:14:00 -0800

If you need a change from your usual gym-centric exercise every week, revive your fitness enthusiasm by exercising close to home. You can get some of the most effective -- and fun -- cardio workouts right in your own neighborhood.

Setting up a workout schedule

Michele Borboa, MS — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:13:00 -0800

Some women can’t wait to bound out of bed to workout, while other women find excuse after excuse to forgo a daily sweat. Regardless of which fitness enthusiasm category you fall into, setting up a workout schedule will motivate you to keep to your exercise plan. When you have your workouts scheduled, you’re more likely to do them -- and less likely to overdo them, if you’re a fitness fanatic. Here’s how to set up a workout schedule that is right for you.

Delicious leftover turkey recipes

Michele Borboa, MS — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:28:00 -0800

Did you overestimate your holiday turkey intake and now have leftovers you simply can’t ignore nor want to go to waste? Then tie on that apron and make these delicious leftover turkey recipes. Don’t worry if you’re turkeyed out – these mouthwatering recipes taste nothing like the holiday feast.

Healthy Thanksgiving side dishes

Michele Borboa, MS — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:33:00 -0800

Thanksgiving may be synonymous with heaping plates of food, but you can lighten up your holiday feast by serving gorgeous side dishes showcasing bright colored fall vegetables and high fiber whole grains. Partnered up with skinless turkey breast, these healthy Thanksgiving side dishes will give you a scrumptiously balanced holiday meal.

Vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes

Michele Borboa, MS — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 07:20:00 -0800

Thanksgiving is all about the festive feasting – whether you’re a meat-eater or not. Don’t let the vegetarians feel out of place at your turkey-centric table. Simply serve scrumptious side dishes that will please the meatless crowd while giving the carnivores even more rave-worthy fare to go with the roasted bird. Here are three vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes to put on your holiday menu.

Go Veg: World Vegan Day

Michele Borboa, MS — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:09:00 -0700

With the holiday battle of the bulge fast approaching, switching to a vegan diet now may just save you that feastful glut of calories and the resulting extra grueling hours at the gym. There’s no better day than today – World Vegan Day – to start cutting down on calories, saturated fat, and cruelty to animals. We turned to The Vegan Society, an educational charity that promotes the vegan lifestyle, to find out why we should consider a vegan diet and lifestyle – because being a vegan goes beyond just following an animal-free diet.

Domestic violence: How one woman survived the abuse

Michele Borboa, MS — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:27:00 -0700

When you hear about women being abused by their boyfriends or husbands, how often do you ask “Why in the world do these women stay with these guys?” It’s logical for a woman to leave an abusive relationship, but abuse isn’t logical. We talked with abuse survivor Tami Keele, author of GET OUT! Save Your Life, to shed light on the reasons women don’t leave their abusers and how, despite the physical and emotional damage that results from abuse, women can heal from the scars and even come out victorious once they break free.

Bake like a Cake Boss

Michele Borboa, MS — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 14:05:00 -0700

Isn't it amazing how professional bakers can make the most awe-inspiring works of art with butter, sugar and some coloring? Though few of us will be master cake decorators, we can still have fun in the kitchen when the occasions for beautiful, creative cakes arise. Whether you need cake baking inspiration or you can't get enough in the way of cooking reality shows, here's our exclusive interview with Chef Dana Herbert, winner of TLC's Cake Boss: The Next Great Baker.

Breast Cancer Hour: Fight breast cancer with these foods

Michele Borboa, MS — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:10:00 -0700

Your diet plays a crucial role in your health and is especially important in warding off chronic diseases, such as breast cancer. Though there are no miracle foods that cure breast cancer, we talked with oncologist Mitchell Gaynor, M.D., founder and president of Gaynor Integrative Oncology and clinical assistant professor of medicine at Weill Medical College, to find out if there are specific foods women should be eating to prevent the disease. Dr. Gaynor, who was a recent guest on The Martha Stewart Show, suggests filling up on the following five breast cancer fighting foods.

Healthy recipes for athletes

Michele Borboa, MS — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 05:57:00 -0700

As an athlete, you may be well-versed in the specific power foods that boost your training, performance and recovery, but do you have a handle on how to prepare those foods so you look forward to sitting down to your meals? We turned to marathoner Meg Galvin, world master chef and healthy cooking expert at SparkPeople.com, to share a few of her all-time favorite athlete recipes. Here are three healthy recipes featured in her new book The SparkPeople Cookbook: Love Your Food, Lose the Weight.

Wallie exercises: A fun kid-friendly workout

Michele Borboa, MS — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 01:33:00 -0700

Are your kids getting the daily 60 minutes or more of physical activity recommended for their health and well-being? Fitness expert and author Steve Ettinger, CSCS, wants to make sure they are. With his passion for fitness and his expertise in health, fitness, coaching and youth athletics, Ettinger wrote the hit children’s fitness book Wallie Exercises, which puts the importance of exercise in terms our kiddos will understand. We asked Ettinger for tips and a fun workout to help keep our kids fit.

Starbucks to offer a juicier menu?

Michele Borboa, MS — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:40:00 -0700

We are stoked -- and thirsty! Though rumors haven't been completely confirmed, word has it that Starbucks will be adding cold-pressed juices to its drink menu.

Chia: Health benefits and recipes

Michele Borboa, MS — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:23:00 -0700

As a kid, I grew up raising chia pets and munching on the sprouts, more for the fun of it than understanding that chia is a super food. Now that I'm all grown up, those nutrient-dense chia seeds are a staple in my kitchen. Here's why you should be eating chia and a few chia recipes to put on your family's weekly menu.

Cookbooks for busy families

Michele Borboa, MS — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:20:00 -0700

Even though it seems like you have the least amount of time during the fall and winter months, with back to school and the holidays, the reality is that every season is busy for most of us. Eating out is expensive and can take even longer than sitting down to a home cooked meal, yet beyond your favorite go-to recipes, you're running short on family dinner ideas. Fret not! Here are a few of our favorite cookbooks that were written with the busy family in mind. They'll put those too oft-forgotten time-saving kitchen appliances to work.