Rowena Recommends

Happy Dietitian’s Day!

March 20, 2019

Every year, did you know that March is Nutrition Month? It’s the 3rd week of nutrition month. This year’s nutrition month’s theme is “Unlock the Potential of Food.

As a Registered Dietitian (RD) and Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE), I am happy to wish all fellow RDs a Happy Dietitian’s Day! 🙂

It’s the 10th year of dedicating a day to the profession but it’s also my 10th year of being in the dietetic profession.

Why Did I Become a Registered Dietitian?

From meeting and getting to know other Registered Dietitians, I believe my answer for why I became an RD is very similar.

When I was younger, I believed that I wanted to be a pediatrician or a veterinarian. I quickly realized babies and/or toddlers aren’t exactly the easiest to communicate with; therefore, I decided to pursue other dreams. When I realized that veterinarians had to take care of all kinds of animals (i.e. snakes included), I decided to pursue other dreams as well.

I have always known that I wanted to be in a profession where I can make a positive impact on a person’s life. My parents believed my personality was well suited to be a pharmacist and encouraged me to pursue pharmacy. My younger sister had different thoughts.

Seeing as my mom has always been very health conscious, nutrition has always been a big part of dinner time discussions in my household. Not only is my mom interested in nutrition but my whole extended family on my mother’s side is always messaging each other and asking each other’s opinion on a certain product. My mom was shopping at Ambrosia when it really was a tiny little health food store in Thornhill. It’s been truly amazing to see the growth in Ambrosia. My mom still remembers the days when she would be able to walk in and know everyone in Ambrosia; Ambrosia’s staff also would know the store inside and out and would be very helpful. As Ambrosia has gained success, Ambrosia has tried to preserve it’s small store culture; however, my mom still thinks back to the good old days when truly, it was a tiny neighbourhood store.

Having grown up in a health conscious household, I have always thought healthy food is delicious. My sister is 2 years younger than me; when she was looking at university programs, she stumbled across the Food and Nutrition program at Western. My sister encouraged me to pursue this program as she thought the program and the profession is very suitable for my personality. “What better way to spend the day than to chat with individuals about food?” – Regina (my sister)

Here I stand today as a Registered Dietitian and a Certified Diabetes Educator. It’s true. I do spend everyday talking to individuals about their food choices and how he/she can make modifications to their eating habits and/or lifestyle habits to better set themselves up for goal success. I really do enjoy how practical my profession is. I know the scientific words and what not but I do not need to converse with individuals with big words on a daily basis.

Some individuals have commented how I am more opened minded than the typical Registered Dietitian. What life experiences has helped shape who I am? Read on and you’ll find out.

You can imagine how shocked we were as a family (both immediate and extended) to find out that my mother had been diagnosed with colon cancer when I was in grade 9 (in 1999). Not only is my mom very health conscious but she is active (she likes to go to aerobic class and loves to dance). She conquered colon cancer without the help of chemotherapy. Through this battle with colon cancer, my mom sought alternative therapies be it nutrition supplements (evidence based supplements), traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, cupping and consulted a naturopath who is also an MD. He would take a drop of her blood and analyze what her body needed to heal. Keep in mind, this was 20 years ago!!!!!

After conquering colon cancer, our family was shaken once again as my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2012. Again, she’s been able to battle and conquer lung cancer without the help of chemotherapy. She’s always been a believer of combining Eastern and Western medicine together.

Why Am I Sharing All This? It all goes back to answering the question of what life experiences has shaped my philosophy as a Registered Dietitian. Some individuals can do everything right; however, they still get diagnosed with a disease (i.e. diabetes, cancer, cholesterol, etc). I know firsthand how this is possible. During counselling sessions, when individuals beat themselves up over not doing enough of x, y and z, I can empathize with him/her; however, it’s always about being proactive and how he/she can prevent the condition from worsening and/or how to live a healthy lifestyle despite having a certain condition. I have understood from a young age that “one size does not fit all” in terms of nutrition recommendations. You must respect the client and the client’s philosophy while helping them to achieve his/her goals. Because of my own life experiences and what I have been able to see, I am very open in collaborating with all different health care professionals. I do truly believe that each profession has their area of expertise.

In school, all nutrition students learn the theoretical knowledge; however, in practice, I personally always make it a goal to translate the recommendation into practical terms. Everyone has heard that he/she needs to eat more fibre or limit salt intake; however, it really is the expertise of a Registered Dietitian where we can translate these recommendations into practical terms (i.e. what are some simple, healthy and delicious recipes that meet those recommendations? what are some food products that can help boost fibre intake? what are low sodium products? etc.). I have never been shy to stand behind products I believe in. I believe clients look to Registered Dietitians for specific product recommendations (i.e. what should they buy)? Products I recommend are always products I truly believe in and I would use/eat regularly.

Food For Thought: As a Registered Dietitian, I make sure that individuals do not feel like I am the food police. I make sure individuals do not feel judged. I want individuals to have a healthy relationship with food. Many individuals believe he/she is eating healthy; however, have a chat with a Registered Dietitian. You may be pleasantly surprised by the tips you are able to pick up! 🙂 Are you ready to have a chat with a Registered Dietitian?
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!! Have You Had Your Daily Serving of Greens Yet?

March 17, 2019

Gone are the days where this annual date meant gatherings with friends to wear green and drink green coloured beverages. Currently, St. Patrick’s Day is just another day in the month of March for me.

Since St. Patrick’s Day goes hand in hand with the colour green, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to remind everyone to have, at minimum, a serving of dark green leafy vegetables everyday. Having a serving dark green leafy vegetables is not hard (i.e. 1 c raw dark green leafy vegetable or 1/2 c cooked dark green leafy vegetables) throughout the day; however, it would be more a challenging goal to recommend having a serving of dark green leafy vegetables at every meal.

When I ask individuals what his/her favourite dark green vegetable is, many individuals automatically reply broccoli and/or spinach. Many individuals still have yet to discover swiss chard, rapini, collard greens, dandelion greens, gai lan, watercress and snow pea shoots. Did you notice how I did not mention kale? I know many individuals may not like the taste of kale; however, have you given baby kale a try? Just like baby spinach, baby kale is much easier to chew and has a milder taste. Don’t rule out kale just yet!!! How can anyone forget brussel sprouts? Roasted brussels are SO SO good! If you haven’t had roasted brussel sprouts, you are missing out!!!!

Good skin is a reflection of what you put on your skin but also what you put inside your body; therefore, bumping up your dark green vegetable intake is only going to improve your skin health as dark green vegetables are a great source of vitamins, minerals and fibre (all things needed to build healthy & glowing skin). Notice how I did not point out any specific dark green vegetable as being a superfood? I didn’t point any one specifically out because all the dark green vegetables should be part of your diet regularly. Don’t discriminate against any! 😉

Food For Thought: What is your favourite dark green leafy vegetable? How do you best enjoy your dark green vegetables? Are you getting enough per day? Could you do better?
Do You Remember to Take Your Vitamin D Everyday?

March 13, 2019
I hope everyone transitioned smoothly after we all had to spring forward an hour (i.e. lose an hour of sleep). The trade off is worth it though because one more hour of sunshine means more opportunity to get some Vitamin D.

Let’s face it though; we live in Canada. Unfortunately, our winters are long; our opportunity to get enough Vitamin D everyday naturally is low.

Many individuals are aware of the recommendation to take 1000 IU of Vitamin D per day; however, did you know you can take up to 2000 IU of Vitamin D per day during the winter time?

To ensure you get optimal Vitamin D exposure, it would be recommended to expose your skin to the sun for 30 minutes without any sunscreen between the hours of 11 AM- 3 PM. Afterwards, apply sunscreen. It is particularly important for individuals who have darker shades of skin because these individuals aren’t able to synthesize Vitamin D as well.

If you are wary about starting any supplementation and/or don’t feel it is necessary to increase your Vitamin D dosage, check your blood levels for Vitamin D. This is typically a test not covered by OHIP; the cost is $30 (I know because I do this regularly).

If you are low (e.g. I am very low in Vitamin D as I only have 18 ng/mL), you may need more than 2000 IU of Vitamin D/day to help boost your levels. I currently do take 5000 IU/day to make sure I can get my levels back up to the normal range. I am not opposed to being the sun but between work and life, I don’t find I get enough time in the sun.

As the weather gets better, I look forward to running outside again but now that we have Millie (the dog), I do foresee more time outside; therefore, I’m hoping to get more Vitamin D naturally in this coming year.

Why is Vitamin D important?
1. Helps to build strong bones and teeth
2. Helps with immune system
3. Helps with mood
4. Helps with cardiovascular health
5. May help protect against certain types of cancer
Not a fan of pills? Don’t worry. I’m not a huge fan of them either. This is why I take my trusty D drops.

This is the brand I take regularly; however, I’ve tried many other brands but I have a preference for this one.

Food For Thought: Do you remember to take your Vitamin D every day? How much Vitamin D do you take per day? Do you need to take a blood test to find out if you need to take more Vitamin D? Which form of Vitamin D do you like to take- pill form or liquid form?

Keep me posted!!!!
Running Out Of Weekly Meal Ideas?

March 6, 2019
As a Registered Dietitian, a big part of my role is to help individuals with meal planning. Many individuals want meal plans; however, meal plans often result in providing simple, easy recipes which are easy to make in which the client can realistically incorporate into his/her current lifestyle. An individualized meal plan requires alot of time and effort to create; if followed, the client’s goal can be achieved. What is the problem? These individualized meal plans (with specific caloric intake with specific carbohydrate, protein and fat requirements) only work if you have a certain type of lifestyle (i.e. rigid with no room for flexibility). Most individuals I see enjoy social engagements and could not stick to a meal plan long term.

Many individuals who come to see me enjoy cooking; however, they need new inspirations from time to time. Have you tried a meal prep service? I recently had the opportunity to try HelloFresh. Here is what my 2 cents:

From friends, I have always heard that the portions are sufficient in the sense that there will always be leftovers for your meal the next day. I am currently a household of 2 individuals with a puppy but knowing my husband, I know that I probably would have to order the 4 person meal service in order to have enough food. My husband is a workout fanatic and he is naturally blessed with a fast metabolism; by looking at him, you would know that he has a huge appetite but he eats more than the average mid-30s individual. 😉

Signing up through the HelloFresh website was easy. I chose the 3 meals a week option. Out of the 5 options, I picked to have pork tacos, almond encrusted chicken and a pan seared steak.

The box arrived on time on Monday. There is alot of packaging so your goods inside are very well protected. The meat was sitting on a big ice pack; therefore, it stayed fresh. Each recipe was further separated into a brown paper bag. The recipes were included in a booklet.

All the recipes were delicious. We tried the pork tacos first followed by the pan seared steak and finished off with the almond encrusted chicken.

What Did I Like About HelloFresh?
1. For busy families, using a mealprep service will save you time and headache as each recipe does really have all ingredients preportioned for you.
2. Every one of us has experienced a crazy weekend where there was no time to shop so if you know that you are going to have one of those crazy weekends, you may want to place an order with a company of HelloFresh. It’ll save you from ordering pizza and/or a night of Chinese takeout! 😉
3. For a person who is comfortable in the kitchen, the prep time stated by the recipe is generally accurate (i.e. they are relatively simple and straightforward); however, if you aren’t as comfortable with knife skills and/or navigating around the kitchen, the recipe may take you longer than what is stated on the recipe card.
4. Because the recipe booklets are visually appealing, you can always keep it for future reference. The recipes pre-determined by HelloFresh could teach you little tips and tricks. For example, my husband never though to use mayonnaise to bind the crushed almonds to the chicken. He always uses egg as a binder; however, he finds that using mayonnaise is easier to work with as it’s less “drippy” and the end product is tastier. These meals could become part of your favourite go to meals to make. 😉 As part of Canada’s New Food Guide, the “All Foods Can Fit” philosophy is being emphasized. Some individuals would say that eggs as a binder is healthier (yes, it is); however, if we don’t always have almond encrusted chicken and we want a little bit more flavour, using a little mayo won’t hurt you.
5. Protein portions are sufficient. I found that I had a good amount of protein leftover so that I could pack for meals the next day. HelloFresh certainly did not skimp out. 🙂
What Did I Not Like About HelloFresh?
1. I would have liked to see more vegetables. For the pork tacos, to make a piquo de gallo, there were only 2 little roma tomatoes. Between 4 individuals, we were supposed to split 1 little avocado. Between 4 individuals, a small bag of spring mix was expected to be sufficient. As always, I try to remind individuals the “Space on a Plate” method where half the plate should be vegetables, 1/4 of the plate should be carbohydrate and 1/4 of the plate should be protein. Protein and carbohydrates are not an issue but I would have liked to see more vegetables for the pork taco recipe.
2. With the pan seared steak and the almond encrusted chicken, the accompanying vegetable was green beans for both meals. Although I love French green beans, with a service like HelloFresh, I would have expected more variety. It would have been nice to see broccoli or cauliflower with one of these meals instead of having green beans with both.
Food For Thought: Overall, there are more pros than cons when it comes to using a meal prep service for myself so I would definitely consider ordering again from HelloFresh when needed. What are your thoughts on meal prep services? Have you tried HelloFresh? Have you tried other companies? What is your feedback? Let me know.
Do I need to avoid dairy to clear my skin?

March 3, 2019

On a daily basis, as a Registered Dietitian, clients will often tell me that he/she does not consume dairy products as dairy products are bad their health.

Dairy products are a good source of protein, calcium, magnesium, Vitamin D, B-vitamins, phosphorous and potassium. I find myself often recommending Greek yogurt as a great way to get protein intake for those who do not have alot of meat consumption. I also find because Greek yogurt is so rich in protein, it is a great snack suggestion for those who are looking for something fast, easy, nutritious and portable. For the right client, I also do suggest Skyr yogurt from time to time. To meet daily calcium needs, I generally encourage individuals to have at least 2 to 3 glasses of milk per day (if they are open to having dairy products). Most individuals are shocked to hear you need to have at least 2-3 glasses of milk but you must also remember that there are components in our diet (i.e. fibre and oxalate) which block calcium absorption; therefore, there are very few instances where 100% of the calcium is absorbed into our bodies.

As you can see, I personally have nothing against dairy products and do include dairy products as part of my repertoire of recommendations. On the other hand, I do respect individuals who choose to only consume milk alternatives due to personal preference (i.e. they do not like the taste of milk), lifestyle choices (i.e. vegan lifestyle, allergies to milk protein, sensitivity to lactose) or they are very calorie conscious (i.e. unsweetened almond milk only contains 25 kcals per cup). Whether you consume dairy products or milk alternatives, the volume of consumption is similar. You would need to have 2-3 glasses of milk alternatives per day to help meet your daily calcium needs. As a friendly reminder, soy milk is the only milk alternative which contains the same amount of protein content as milk. The other milk alternatives (i.e. oat milk, almond milk, cashew milk, hemp milk, rice milk) all are quite protein deficient.

When it comes to skin health, unfortunately, there seems to be a correlation between dairy consumption and acne and/or accelerated aging. Cows naturally possess hormones within their bodies; when individuals consume these products, the hormones may cause acne and/or accelerated aging.

If you are questioning if you have a sensitivity to dairy products (i.e. breakouts occur more often when dairy is consumed), you may want to eliminate dairy products from your diet for 120 days (~ 4 months). Why 120 day (~4 months)? This is the lifespan of a skin cell. 🙂 If your skin clears up, dairy may be a factor and/or dairy may be something you may want to consider cutting out of your diet; however, if your skin does not improve, you may want to look at other dietary factors which may be affecting your skin health (i.e. are you consuming alot of refined sugars?).

Food For Thought: Removing dairy from your diet is a personal choice. You must keep in mind that dairy consumption is not the only factor in maintaining good skin health. A diet rich in fibre and antioxidants can definitely help with skin health. Genetics is also a factor. 😉 If you believe you are sensitive to dairy products (i.e. you break out more when you consume dairy products), be diligent and cut dairy products (i.e. milk, yogurt, cheese) for ~4 months. See if your skin health has improved. If your skin has not improved, you may need to start evaluating other parts of your diet (i.e. how much refined sugar are you consuming daily?).
Quit Your Cravings

February 27, 2019

Are you struggling with finding a way to stop mindless eating? Do you find yourself reaching for certain food items for no good reason? Do you find you crave something sweet at the end of each meal? Do you require an afternoon pick me upper?

Have you noticed Tigernuts in the grocery store? If you are willing to try this item, I am sure you are able to decrease and/or stop your frequency of mindless eating. Why? Have you heard of the saying “Chew each bite of food 30-50 times”? With a tigernut, I am sure you are going to use your muscles in your jaw very well. Perhaps you will not be able to chew 30 times; however, it’s going to take a while before you can swallow a tiger nut. With the amount of chewing required to eat a tigernut, my hope is that you will tune into your body and listen to what your body is telling you. Are you actually hungry or are you satisfied?

What is a Tigernut?

Although you may think that a tigernut is part of the nuts/seeds family, a tigernut is actually part of the tuber family. Tigernuts is a great source of fibre (1/4 c will contain ~10 grams of fibre). As a friendly reminder, the average female will require 25 grams of fibre/day whereas the average male will require 38 grams of fibre per day.

What type of fibre can tigernuts specifically give you? It’s resistant fibre also known as prebiotic fibre. As we are still getting through winter, we all want to build strong immune systems. I am sure you have heard of probiotic bacteria. In order for the probiotic bacteria which help to better our immune systems to function better, probiotic bacteria need prebiotic fibre to function better. Prebiotic fibre can be found in foods such as asparagus, banana, onions, garlic and leeks as well as whole grains. You could use these other fibre rich vegetables and/or fruits to help cut down on your craving; however, none of the listed above fruits or vegetables have the power of tigernuts in terms of forcing you to chew. These little balls are extra chewy! 🙂

As a member of the tuber family (i.e. same family as sweet potatoes), this is a food safe for anyone with nut allergies. If you are willing to try tigernuts, you will find that it will take some time to chew through these little wrinkly balls BUT through the chewing process, you will find a hint of sweetness to these little tubers. Be sure to have a glass of water beside you because after chewing through 5 or 6 tigernuts, you are surely going to want some water.

Food For Thought: How badly do you want to stop mindless eating? From a scale of 1-10, how motivated are you? If you gave yourself a score of 1, this would mean you are not very motivated to make this change; however, if you gave yourself 10, go pick up a bag of tigernuts the next time you are at the retailer. This item is at a higher price point; however, given the amount of tigernuts you will be able to stomach each time, this little bag will last you a good amount of time. Spring into action! What are you waiting for? Start the change now!
If All Else Fails…

February 24, 2019

If you have tried the Helping Hands Cream from Lush and/or other products to help get rid of dry cracked skin but it does not work, you can always count on Vaseline.

You have all heard the saying “What is good for a baby is good for you too”. If you want to cut down on clutter in your bathroom, why don’t you stick to Vaseline as your lip balm and/or heavy duty moisturizer? The nice thing about Vaseline is that this product only has one ingredient (petroleum jelly).

Food For Thought: Do you have a jar of Vaseline lying around? Are you hoping to declutter your bathroom? You can cut down on products by utilizing Vaseline more often for various purposes. It’s affordable and reliable. Let’s get back to basics. Keep The Routine Simple.
Crunchy Little Lentils

February 20, 2019

Hope you all had a wonderful Family Day/ President’s Day weekend. I hope that after the weekend, you are recharged and ready to take on the short work week.

Did you have a jam packed weekend of fun? Didn’t have time to properly stock the fridge? Need something to tie you over while you do run and get some groceries? Have you tried these crunchy little lentils?

I’m a huge fan of lentils so I got really excited when I saw this little snack option on the shelf. As an individual who is always on the go, I am always up for trying protein rich & fibre rich snacks. Look no further because roasted lentils is your answer.

Food For Thought: In 1/4 c (4 Tbsp), it’s a 100 calorie portion. For what you are eating (i.e. lentils), 1/4 c portion is a very reasonable You will be getting 5 grams of fibre which is amazing because this snack would be considered a high source of fibre. I am always worried about premade snacks being too salty; however, for 1/4 c portion, there is only 170 mg of sodium.

The next time you are hungry, reach for a bag of crunchy little lentils. 🙂 Yum yum!!
Happy Family Day!!!!

February 17, 2019

As a huge Breakfast Television fan, I was really happy to see a segment recently done to emphasize the fact that a factor in a building a strong immune system is having a healthy social life aka having regular human interaction and/or having a good dose of human connection on a regular basis in combination with a healthy relationship with social media. If someone is solely relying on social media, life can be lonely. Social life doesn’t just mean making efforts with your friends (which is important); however, think of your hobbies and/or interests. Based on your hobbies and/or interests, you can seek out many communities in which you will feeling a sense of belonging. As a society, we need to try harder to help each other in good times and/or bad times; figure out where you can serve a purpose so that you can make difference in someone else’s life. 🙂

What perfect timing to talk about the importance of ditching screen time for some real human connection and/or bonding sessions over this Family Day long weekend. So many of us spend too much time on some form of social media having interactions through “likes” and/or “direct messages”; however, there is nothing in this world that can beat real human interaction. When individuals are present and are engaged in conversation, it is perfection as verbal and non verbal cues are registered. The full conversation is enjoyed! 😉 I don’t know about you but it certainly feels so good after a hangout session with family and/or friends.

If I were to describe myself, I would definitely say I am not a homebody and love to be out and about with others. I like my alone time; however, I would much rather spend some time with others. Since moving into our current neighbourhood, I have felt a sense of community; however, being a fairly new furparent of a mini golden doodle (Millie), I have to say socializing with neighbours is a whole new level now. Similarly to the running community, I find the community of dog parents are very cohesive.

As Millie is only 10 weeks (She will be 11 weeks in a day), she has forced us to change our lifestyle in the sense that my husband and I need to be at home regularly so that she is not left alone for too long and that she can do her “business”. I am happy and proud to say that it in less than two weeks, Millie has been potty trained. It’s been so wonderful to host friends who are excited to meet her. Our home has not seen this much excitement in a while! 🙂 Although my husband’s family had dogs growing up, I would not describe my in-laws or my parents as pet individuals; however, since Millie has come home with us, Millie has been a hot commodity. Both sets of parents can’t seem to get enough of this sweet little girl. Not only do the parents get excited to have Millie over but it is a new bonding experience with my nieces and nephews.

Trying to enjoy and savour every moment with Millie as she is quickly growing up. She is learning new things every day! 🙂 It’s so hard to capture everything on camera.

Food For Thought: Is there a friend and/or family member where you’ve thought about meeting up for a while? Reach out to him/her and ask to hang out in person. You won’t regret it! You’re only human! You can definitely get a glimpse of someone’s life through social media; however, remember that social media is how an individual chooses the angle in which to portray his/her life. Social media can hide what is really going on in someone’s life. With a real human connection, social media can be a bonus but without human connection, life can be quite lonely with social media alone.

Get unplugged! May this weekend be filled with lots of gatherings with family and friends.
Chocolate Addiction

February 13, 2019
We all know what hallmark holiday is coming up. Whether you are a fan of Valentine’s Day or against it, we may be able to agree on one thing. Chocolates are good anytime! 😉

Some of us may be going out for a delicious meal with our partners; however, there will be some individuals who choose to make a special meal at home.

If you’re up for a healthier spin on dessert, why not give this recipe a try. You will whip this up in no time. The end result is pure bliss.

Decadent Chocolate Avocado Pudding (2 servings)

Ingredients:

1 avocado (ripened)

2 Tbsp Maple Syrup

1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 c unsweetened vanilla flavoured almond milk

1 Tbsp chia seeds

2 Tbsp- 1/4 c frozen berries (strawberries and/or raspberries) –> The amount will depend on how fruit you’d like your chocolate pudding to be

Mint Leaves

Directions:
1. In a mini food processor, mix all ingredients together. If you decide not to add the frozen berries, you are also able to mash all ingredients together with a fork given that you have a very ripe avocado. 😉
2. Portion into 2 ramekins. Put plastic wrap over each ramekin. Pop in fridge for 30 minutes to slightly cool the pudding down. If you’d like more of a gelato consistency, feel free to pop the ramekins into your freezer for 2-3 hours.
Enjoy!!!! 🙂

Food For Thought: If you are an avocado lover, here is a great way to hide a healthy ingredient inside a decadent indulgence. Make this and your partner may not even realize that he/she is not eating real chocolate pudding! 🙂

recent posts

about

Food For Thought: What is your favourite dark green leafy vegetable? How do you best enjoy your dark green vegetables? Are you getting enough per day? Could you do better?

Food For Thought: Do you remember to take your Vitamin D every day? How much Vitamin D do you take per day? Do you need to take a blood test to find out if you need to take more Vitamin D? Which form of Vitamin D do you like to take- pill form or liquid form?

Keep me posted!!!!

Food For Thought: Do you have a jar of Vaseline lying around? Are you hoping to declutter your bathroom? You can cut down on products by utilizing Vaseline more often for various purposes. It’s affordable and reliable. Let’s get back to basics. Keep The Routine Simple.

The next time you are hungry, reach for a bag of crunchy little lentils. 🙂 Yum yum!!

Get unplugged! May this weekend be filled with lots of gatherings with family and friends.

Food For Thought: If you are an avocado lover, here is a great way to hide a healthy ingredient inside a decadent indulgence. Make this and your partner may not even realize that he/she is not eating real chocolate pudding! 🙂