A RealAge.com tip worth reading!
Muscle Helps Zap Stress Effects
Stress can ratchet up your blood pressure, but a fit physique might cancel out the effects.
It’s true: Being a well-muscled machine helps your blood pressure return to normal faster following a stressful event.
Fat and Your Stress Response
The more body fat you pack, the more trouble your body […]

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Sweet and Spicy Peanut Dip

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Sauté the garlic and red pepper in the olive oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and pour the […]

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Cool Caprese Salad (Tomato and Mozzarella Salad)

1 large vine-ripened tomato, cut into 6 thin slices
6 thin slices fresh mozzarella (part skim)
6 leaves fresh basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Arrange the tomato slices on a large platter and top with the fresh mozzarella slices. Top each mozzarella slice with one fresh basil leaf, […]

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Savory Olive Tapenade

1 teaspoon capers
3/4 cup pitted green olives
3/4 cup pitted black olives
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
pepper, to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the olives are finely chopped. Serve with baked whole-wheat pita chips or thinly sliced toasted […]

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Spicy Almonds

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups dry-roasted unsalted almonds
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, then add the almonds and stir to combine. Add the Worcestershire, sugar, chili powder, and salt and stir until the almonds are evenly […]

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Kick-start your lifelong healthy-eating habits with these tips:
* Focus on your waist, not your weight.
* Eat three main meals, plus snacks, so you’re never hungry.
* Don’t buy anything with more than 4 grams of saturated fat or 4 grams of any sugar (especially high-fructose corn syrup) per serving.
* Strive for a rainbow of colors in […]

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Here is the soup Nahla Gholam made for us last night. VERY HEALTHY and yummy!
Au Pistou Soupe
Ingredients:
3 quarts water
1 cup EACH diced carrots, diced potatoes, diced leeks
1 cup diced green beans
2 jars cannellini (white beans)
1/4 small pasta (tiny little squares or something like it…not orzo)
Pinch saffron
black pepper
1 Tblsp sea salt
Pistou:
3 garlic cloves
2 Tblsp tomato […]

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This is the potato dish Nahla made with Coq au Vin. These are fabulous!
Pommes Vapeur
Ingredients:
2 pounds finger links potatoes
1 tsp sea salt
3 Tblsp fresh parsley
3 Tblsp butter
Directions:
Peel each potato with a sharp knife from end to end trying to give them the same shape. Boil water in a double boiler. Set potatoes […]

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Ok guys, if you make anything with chicken, you HAVE to make this! At Gretchen’s Kitchen last night, Chef Nahla Gholam from Bellingham’s Mediterranean Specialties restaurant was demonstrating French Cuisine. She made a very healthy soup called Au Pistou Soupe (see other recipe), Coq au Vin, and a strawberry puff pastry dessert […]

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I like asparagus just about any way you care to serve them, but if you add some toasted hazelnuts and the bright citrus note of lemon, I’ll like them even more.  Another great nut choice is slivered almonds…toasted.  :o)
Asparagus with Hazelnuts
1 lb (450 g) asparagus, trimmed
2 Tbs (30 ml) butter
1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped hazelnuts
The […]

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