Sunday, March 29, 2015

Pineapple-Black Bean Guacamole Recipe

Ingredients

2 medium avocados, halved, seeded, and peeled
1/4 cup bottled green salsa (salsa verde)
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple or canned crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and minced*
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
Fresh cilantro (optional)
Tortilla chips (optional)

Directions

In a large bowl mash avocados. Stir in salsa and sour cream until combined. Stir in pineapple, beans, jalapeno, onion, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, salt, and cumin. Cover and chill for 2 hours or until ready to serve. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese. If desired, sprinkle with cilantro and serve with tortilla chips.

Tip

*Tip:
Because chile peppers contain volatile oils that can burn skin and eyes, avoid direct contact with them as much as possible. When working with chile peppers, wear plastic or rubber gloves. If your bare hands touch the peppers, wash hands and nails well with soap and warm water.

nutrition information

Per Serving: cal. (kcal) 42, Fat, total (g) 3, chol. (mg) 2, sat. fat (g) 1, carb. (g) 4, Monosaturated fat (g) 2, Polyunsaturated fat (g) 0, Trans fatty acid (g) 0, fiber (g) 1, sugar (g) 1, pro. (g) 1, vit. A (IU) 48.59, vit. C (mg) 4.72, Thiamin (mg) 0.02, Riboflavin (mg) 0.04, Niacin (mg) 0.4, Pyridoxine (Vit. B6) (mg) 0.06, Folate (µg) 16.13, Cobalamin (Vit. B12) (µg) 0, sodium (mg) 88, Potassium (mg) 113, calcium (mg) 20.19, iron (mg) 0.18, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Very Green Lentil Soup Recipe

Lentils seem to go with just about anything, and here they play well with a collection of greens and some cumin and coriander to add a gentle spicy note to this soup recipe. The result is a hearty winter soup with layers of flavor. Both French green lentils (available in natural-foods stores and specialty markets) and more commonly available brown lentils are delicious in this soup. The French green lentils hold their shape better when cooked, while brown lentils will start to break down a bit. Recipe by Anna Thomas for EatingWell.

Makes: 8 servings, about 1 2/3 cups each
Active Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
2 large yellow onions, chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
2 tablespoons plus 4 cups water, divided
1 cup French green (Le Puy) or brown lentils
8 large green chard leaves
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, scrubbed
12 cups gently packed spinach (about 10 ounces), any tough stems trimmed
4 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
5 cups vegetable broth, store-bought or homemade
2 cups chopped broccoli
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground (see Tip)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1/2 jalapeño pepper, minced
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
Crumbled feta cheese for garnish

Preparation

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add 2 tablespoons water and cover. Cook, stirring frequently until the pan cools down, and then occasionally, always covering the pan again, until the onions are greatly reduced and have a deep caramel color, 25 to 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, rinse lentils and pick out any small stones; combine the lentils with the remaining 4 cups water in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Trim the white ribs out of the chard; chop the greens and slice the ribs (keep in separate piles). Cut potato into 1/2 -inch dice. Chop spinach; set aside.
When the lentils have cooked for 20 minutes, stir in the chard ribs, potato, scallions, broth and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt; return to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
Stir in the chard leaves, broccoli, cumin and coriander. When the onions are caramelized, stir a little of the simmering liquid into them; add them to the soup. Return to a simmer, cover and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in the reserved spinach, cilantro, mint, jalapeño and pepper; return to a simmer, cover and cook until the spinach is tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes more. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice and/or pepper, if desired. Garnish each bowl of soup with a drizzle of olive oil and crumbled feta cheese.

Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Tip: Toast cumin seeds in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly. Grind to a fine powder in a spice mill, blender or clean coffee grinder.

Nutrition

Per serving: 191 calories; 5 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 30 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 10 g protein; 9 g fiber; 735 mg sodium; 793 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (113% daily value), Folate (52% dv), Vitamin C (47% dv), Iron (30% dv), Magnesium & Potassium (23% dv).
Carbohydrate Servings: 1 1/2
Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 lean meat, 1 fat

Moroccan Lentil Soup Recipe

Like most soups, this healthy Moroccan lentil soup recipe gets better with time, so make it a day ahead if you can—or try our easy slow cooker/crock pot recipe variation.

Makes: 12 servings, about 1 1/4 cups each
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped carrots
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
6 cups vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
3 cups chopped cauliflower (about 1/2 medium)
1 3/4 cups lentils
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups chopped fresh spinach or one 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation

Heat oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat; add onions and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and pepper; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add broth, water, cauliflower, lentils, tomatoes and tomato paste; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender but not mushy, 45 to 55 minutes. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, 5 minutes.
Just before serving, stir in cilantro and lemon juice.

Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 2 and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 6 months; stir in cilantro and lemon juice just before serving.

Nutrition

Per serving: 152 calories; 1 g fat (0 g sat, 1 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 28 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 9 g protein; 9 g fiber; 618 mg sodium; 681 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (96% daily value), Folate (47% dv), Vitamin C (42% dv), Iron (23% dv), Potassium (20% dv)
Carbohydrate Servings: 1 1/2
Exchanges: 1 starch, 2 vegetable, 1/2 lean meat

Healthy Lentil Recipes

Warm Lentil Salad with Sausage & Apple

5 Surprising Causes of Memory Loss

By Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay News
Reviewed by Farrokh Sohrabi, MD
You can't find your keys or you forget an appointment. For many people in middle age or older, simple acts of forgetfulness like these are scary because they raise the specter of Alzheimer's disease.

But Alzheimer’s is not the only health issue that can lead to forgetfulness, which is often treatable if you know the cause, according to the National Institute on Aging. Memory loss can happen at any age and for a number of reasons.

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“Patients might experience memory loss and describe their symptoms similarly, but a doctor can tease apart what parts of the brain are affected,” says Seth Gale, MD, a neurologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
He points out things like polypharmacy (taking several medications), significant depression, and poor sleep that can lead to memory complaints. “When you drill down and find out what is actually happening with brain function, you can reassure someone. They have the capacity to learn and store information but because of their overloaded mental resources, they are having trouble,” says Dr. Gale.

Talk with your doctor about concerns you may have about your memory, so the condition responsible for your symptoms can be addressed. Discussing your symptoms and taking various tests, possibly including an MRI, may help your doctor determine what is affecting your memory, Gale says. In some cases, one or more of the following issues could play a role.

1. Sleep Apnea

This common but treatable sleep disorder causes breathing to stop briefly and frequently throughout the night. It is linked to memory loss and dementia, according to Constantine Lyketsos, MD, director of the Memory and Alzheimer's Treatment Center at Johns Hopkins Medicine and professor and chair of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Bayview. You might have sleep apnea if you wake up with a headache and have daytime fatigue — or if your partner complains of loud snoring.
When not treated, sleep apnea affects spatial navigational memory, found a study published in The Journal of Neuroscience. This type of memory includes being able to remember directions or where you put things like your keys. The research suggests that deep sleep, also known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, plays an important role in memory.
One explanation is that for people with sleep apnea, oxygen delivery to the brain is interrupted several hundred times during the night, explains Dr. Lyketsos. “The brain is stressed, so people wake up,” he says. The injury sleep apnea causes can show up as a variety of memory loss symptoms, he adds.

2. Silent Stroke
Obvious changes in the ability to think and move normally can come from strokes that block major brain blood vessels, Gale says. Mild memory problems can also develop gradually after silent strokes that affect smaller blood vessels. These changes in brain function, which can range from mild to severe, are called vascular cognitive impairment.

The brain is especially vulnerable to blocked or reduced blood flow depriving it of oxygen and essential nutrients. People with memory loss are at greater risk for stroke. And forgetfulness may be an early warning sign of stroke, found a study published in the journal Stroke.

3. Medications
Memory loss could be a sign that your medication needs to be adjusted. Several types of drugs can affect memory, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including:
- sleeping pills
- antihistamines
- anti-anxiety medications
- antidepressants
- certain painkillers
- cholesterol-lowering medication
- diabetes medication
The FDA also cautions that cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins could slightly increase the risk for reversible cognitive side effects. These include memory loss and confusion.
A commonly prescribed type 2 diabetes drug, metformin, has also been associated with memory problems. A study published in Diabetes Care found that people with diabetes who took the drug had worse cognitive performance than those who did not take it.

4. Nutritional Deficiency

A lack of sufficient B12, one of the B vitamins essential for normal nerve function, can lead to confusion and even dementia. Each day, you should get about 2.4 micrograms of B12 in your diet from natural sources like dairy products, meat, and fish, or from foods fortified with vitamin B12 — like fortified cereals.
Try our free online tool to plan healthy meals that will give you the vitamins you need.
RELATED: How to Navigate the Heart-Mind Connection

5. Stress, Anxiety, and Depression
Significant stress or anxiety can lead to problems with attention and memory, cautions Lyketsos. This is particularly common among people who may be juggling home and work responsibilities and are not sleeping well. Usually, easing stress can improve memory, Lyketsos says.
Untreated chronic stress can lead to depression, which could also affect brain function, according to research published in the Journal of Pharmacy & BioAllied Sciences. A mood disorder may improve with medication and counseling, notes the National Institute on Aging.

Less Common Causes of Memory Loss
Other conditions that can lead to problems with memory include:
- Infection: Memory loss may be attributed to severe infection around the brain, including neurosyphilis, Gale says.
- Head injury: Symptoms of a mild brain injury may include confusion and trouble with memory and concentration, according to the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
- Tumors: Memory and the ability to process information may be affected by brain tumors, the American Brain Tumor Association says. In addition, treatments for a tumor can affect your memory, including brain surgery, chemo, or radiation therapy.
- Alcoholism, Substance Abuse: Both alcoholism and drug abuse can affect memory, says Lyketsos. A study published in Neurology found that men who drank heavily showed signs of mental decline one to six years earlier than light drinkers.

Healthy Living 8 Reasons You Have No Energy By Brianna Steinhilber

Wondering why you need a nap? Take a look at your routine.

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t hit snooze or experience the midafternoon slump every once in a while, but if you constantly feel like you’re dragging it may be time to take a closer look at your routine. If you don’t have a related health condition and are getting enough shuteye each night, you may be to blame for the constant fatigue. Here are 8 energy-zapping habits that you can change today.

1. You’re eating too much sugar. While the candy jar is an obvious culprit, refined carbohydrates like white bread and rice, chips, and cereal are a major source of sugar, too. This type of simple sugar is digested quickly by the body, leading to a dip in blood sugar levels that leaves you feeling fatigued. Be sure to replace refined carbs with whole grain varieties for a lasting energy boost.

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2. You aren’t exercising enough. It may seem counterintuitive that exerting energy will actually increase it, but adding a workout to your daily routine will give you a short-term energy boost. Plus, regular exercise improves sleep quality, which will ultimately leave you feeling more well rested.

3. You’re skipping breakfast. "Skipping breakfast can definitely contribute to low energy in the morning," says Johannah Sakimura, MS and Everyday Health blogger. "It's important to give your body good fuel to start the day after an extended period of fasting." Without this fuel, your body is running on empty – leaving you famished by lunchtime and more likely to make unhealthy choices that will cause that midafternoon dip in blood sugar. "Try to combine healthy carbohydrates, like fruit, veggies, and whole grains, with a protein source, such as eggs, nuts, or dairy. The carbs give you an initial boost, and the protein helps sustain you until your next meal," says Sakimura.

4. You’re sitting too much. Not only is sitting for prolonged periods of time harmful to your health (just one hour of sitting affects your heart!), but it’s a major energy zapper as well. Standing up and moving for even a few minutes helps get your blood circulating through your body and increases the oxygen in your blood, ultimately sending more oxygen to your brain which increases alertness. If you work a desk job, try this move more plan to keep your blood pumping.

5. You’re drinking too much caffeine. Whether it’s a can of soda or constant refills of your coffee mug, many of the beverages we reach for when we feel tired are packed with caffeine – a stimulant that will give you a quick jolt, but can also leave you crashing soon after if you ingest too much. Plus, if you’re drinking caffeinated beverages into the afternoon, they may start to have an effect on your sleep quality. If you’re a coffee drinker, switch to water late-morning and replace soda with seltzer for a bubbly afternoon pick-me-up without the crash.

6. You’re dehydrated. We all know the importance of drinking enough water – and even mild dehydration can have adverse effects on your energy level, mood, and concentration. Aim for at least one glass of water per hour while sitting at your desk, and be sure to fill your bottle up even more if you’re doing strenuous activity or are outdoors in high temperatures.

7. You have poor posture. A study found that slouched walking decreased energy levels while exacerbating symptoms of depression. The good news: Simply altering body posture to a more upright position instantly boosted mood and energy, while enabling participants to more easily come up with positive thoughts. So sit up straight! Set reminders on your phone or calendar throughout the day to remind yourself to check in with your posture and straighten up.

8. You’re not snacking smart. If you’re running to the vending machine for a quick afternoon snack, your selection – most likely high in simple carbs and sugar – will take your energy levels in the wrong direction. Instead choose a snack that has a combo of protein and complex carbs for an energy boost that will last throughout the afternoon. Think trail mix, veggies and hummus, or peanut butter on whole wheat toast.

How to draw people from a photograph lesson

If you've always wanted to learn to draw people from a
photograph ... then you must see the page at ...

http://drawing-made-easy.com/portfolio-items/photorealistic-portraits/
You'll be blown away at some of the things you'll be able to do
once you've learnt with our course.
It's called Photorealistic Portraits and you can see some of
the images you'll learn at ..
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Warm Regards

Chris Elmore
Drawing Made Easy

Mistakes on Resumes by Craig Coppola - The Fantastic Life

I am always amazed to find typos (including my own over the years) or outright lies on resumes. Just a few months ago, I had to terminate an interview with a prospective associate when it became clear the person had lied on his resume. Mistakes like these can and have cost people great opportunities. Years ago, I was fortunate to get invited to participate in the FBI Citizens Academy. We learned that something like 50% of FBI applicants have some mis-truth on their resumes.

The below article is about a well-covered topic but it is so distinct that I found it to be refreshingly insightful. After personally reviewing over 20,000 resumes, the Senior VP of People Operations at Google provides new tips on how to correct the biggest mistakes made on resumes and how to get your resume to stand out from the stack.

My top three are:
1—no typos
2—watch out for the length
3—no lies!

See highlights below for more tips, or the read the full article if you are updating your resume. This is also a great reminder that we should all take this time to update our own resumes…I am.

Rule #3 from my book The Fantastic Life: Build Your Resumes Every Year
Your resume is a great place to showcase your achievements, skills and education. Try to constantly be improving your resume, in every area of your life, and make sure to watch out for formatting and mistakes!

The Biggest Mistakes I See on Resumes, and How to Correct Them
By: Laszlo Bock, SVP,
People Operations at Google

September 17, 2014

Photo: Smit/Shutterstock

I've sent out hundreds of resumes over my career, applying for just about every kind of job. I've personally reviewed more than 20,000 resumes. And at Google we sometimes get more than 50,000 resumes in a single week.

I have seen A LOT of resumes.

Some are brilliant, most are just ok, many are disasters. The toughest part is that for 15 years, I've continued to see the same mistakes made again and again by candidates, any one of which can eliminate them from consideration for a job. What's most depressing is that I can tell from the resumes that many of these are good, even great, people. But in a fiercely competitive labor market, hiring managers don't need to compromise on quality. All it takes is one small mistake and a manager will reject an otherwise interesting candidate.

I know this is well-worn ground on LinkedIn, but I'm starting here because -- I promise you -- more than half of you have at least one of these mistakes on your resume. And I'd much rather see folks win jobs than get passed over.

In the interest of helping more candidates make it past that first resume screen, here are the five biggest mistakes I see on resumes.

Mistake 1: Typos. This one seems obvious, but it happens again and again. A 2013 CareerBuilder survey found that 58% of resumes have typos.

In fact, people who tweak their resumes the most carefully can be especially vulnerable to this kind of error, because they often result from going back again and again to fine tune their resumes just one last time. And in doing so, a subject and verb suddenly don't match up, or a period is left in the wrong place, or a set of dates gets knocked out of alignment. I see this in MBA resumes all the time. Typos are deadly because employers interpret them as a lack of detail-orientation, as a failure to care about quality. The fix?

Read your resume from bottom to top: reversing the normal order helps you focus on each line in isolation. Or have someone else proofread closely for you.

Mistake 2: Length. A good rule of thumb is one page of resume for every ten years of work experience. Hard to fit it all in, right? But a three or four or ten page resume simply won't get read closely. As Blaise Pascal wrote, "I would have written you a shorter letter, but I did not have the time." A crisp, focused resume demonstrates an ability to synthesize, prioritize, and convey the most important information about you. Think about it this way: the *sole* purpose of a resume is to get you an interview. That's it. It's not to convince a hiring manager to say "yes" to you (that's what the interview is for) or to tell your life's story (that's what a patient spouse is for). Your resume is a tool that gets you to that first interview. Once you're in the room, the resume doesn't matter much. So cut back your resume. It's too long.

Mistake 3: Formatting. Unless you're applying for a job such as a designer or artist, your focus should be on making your resume clean and legible. At least ten point font. At least half-inch margins. White paper, black ink. Consistent spacing between lines, columns aligned, your name and contact information on every page. If you can, look at it in both Google Docs and Word, and then attach it to an email and open it as a preview. Formatting can get garbled when moving across platforms. Saving it as a PDF is a good way to go.

Mistake 4: Confidential information. I once received a resume from an applicant working at a top-three consulting firm. This firm had a strict confidentiality policy: client names were never to be shared. On the resume, the candidate wrote: "Consulted to a major software company in Redmond, Washington." Rejected! There's an inherent conflict between your employer's needs (keep business secrets confidential) and your needs (show how awesome I am so I can get a better job). So candidates often find ways to honor the letter of their confidentiality agreements but not the spirit. It's a mistake. While this candidate didn't mention Microsoft specifically, any reviewer knew that's what he meant. In a very rough audit, we found that at least 5-10% of resumes reveal confidential information. Which tells me, as an employer, that I should never hire those candidates ... unless I want my own trade secrets emailed to my competitors.

The New York Times test is helpful here: if you wouldn't want to see it on the home page of the NYT with your name attached (or if your boss wouldn't!), don't put it on your resume.

Mistake 5: Lies. This breaks my heart. Putting a lie on your resume is never, ever, ever, worth it. Everyone, up to and including CEOs, gets fired for this. (Google "CEO fired for lying on resume" and see.) People lie about their degrees (three credits shy of a college degree is not a degree), GPAs (I've seen hundreds of people "accidentally" round their GPAs up, but never have I seen one accidentally rounded down -- never), and where they went to school (sorry, but employers don't view a degree granted online for "life experience" as the same as UCLA or Seton Hall). People lie about how long they were at companies, how big their teams were, and their sales results, always goofing in their favor.

There are three big problems with lying: (1) You can easily get busted. The Internet, reference checks, and people who worked at your company in the past can all reveal your fraud. (2) Lies follow you forever. Fib on your resume and 15 years later get a big promotion and are discovered? Fired. And try explaining that in your next interview. (3) Our Moms taught us better. Seriously.

So this is how to mess up your resume. Don't do it! Hiring managers are looking for the best people they can find, but the majority of us all but guarantee that we'll get rejected.

The good news is that -- precisely because most resumes have these kinds of mistakes -- avoiding them makes you stand out.

In a future post, I'll expand beyond what not to do, and cover the things you *should* be doing to make your resume stand out from the stack.

How To Make A Vision Board That Works!

Baked Chicken with Tarragon & Dijon Mustard Recipe

Makes: 8 servings
Serving Size: 1 leg quarter
Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Nutrition Profile

Diabetes appropriate | Low calorie | Low carbohydrate | Low sodium |
View Our Nutrition Guidelines »

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
8 bone-in chicken leg quarters (4 1/2-5 pounds), skin removed
2/3 cup coarse dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Creamy Tarragon Chicken Salad

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Mash butter with mustard, tarragon and pepper in a bowl until combined. Place chicken in a roasting pan (or large baking dish) and brush the tops and sides with the mustard mixture. Toss breadcrumbs and oil in a bowl. Press the breadcrumbs onto the chicken.
Roast the chicken until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part without touching bone registers 165°F, 35 to 45 minutes. Serve immediately, drizzled with the cooking juices, if desired.

Nutrition

Per serving: 310 calories; 16 g fat (6 g sat, 6 g mono); 195 mg cholesterol; 6 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 0 g total sugars; 33 g protein; 0 g fiber; 416 mg sodium; 413 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Zinc (20% daily value)
Carbohydrate Servings: 1/2
Exchanges: 4 1/2 lean meat, 1 fat

Grilled Chicken Salad with Freekeh, Preserved Lemon & Dried Cherries

Dried cherries add color and sweet and tart flavor, while mint and parsley give this healthy grain salad recipe fresh notes. If fresh sweet cherries are available, you could add those instead. Serve this chicken salad recipe with tzatziki sauce and mixed greens on the side.

Makes: 4 servings
Serving Size: 1 piece chicken & 3/4 cup salad
Active Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/4 pounds; see Tip), trimmed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Salad

1/2 cup dried tart cherries
3/4 cup freekeh (see Tips)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped preserved lemon rind (see Tips), or more to taste
1/2 cup torn fresh mint leaves, divided
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided

Preparation

To marinate chicken: If you are using chicken breasts, cut them in half crosswise or, if they’re particularly thick, cut them in half horizontally. Mix 1/4 cup each oil and lemon juice, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a dish (or gallon-size sealable plastic bag). Add the chicken and turn the pieces to coat. Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. About 30 minutes before you’re ready to cook, remove the chicken from the refrigerator.
To prepare salad: Put cherries in a small saucepan and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let stand until plump, about 30 minutes. Drain.
Put freekeh in a medium saucepan, cover with 2 inches water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until just tender, about 25 minutes. Drain.
Whisk oil, lemon juice, vinegar, honey, cinnamon, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the freekeh, the cherries, preserved lemon and all but 1 tablespoon each of the herbs; stir until combined.
To prepare chicken: Heat a ridged grill pan over medium-high heat until it is very hot or preheat a grill to medium-high.
Remove the chicken from the marinade. For a grill pan: Cook for 2 minutes on each side, then reduce heat to medium and cook, turning once or twice more, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, 4 to 6 minutes more. For a grill: Grill for 5 to 7 minutes per side. Serve the chicken on top of the salad, garnished with the remaining 1 tablespoon each mint and parsley.

Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: Marinate chicken (Step 1) for up to 4 hours.

Tips: It’s tricky to find individual chicken breasts small enough for one portion. Removing the thin strip of meat from the underside of a 5-ounce breast—the chicken tender—removes about 1 ounce of meat and yields a perfect 4-ounce portion. Wrap and freeze the tenders and when you have gathered enough, use them in a stir-fry or for oven-baked chicken fingers. If you can only find large chicken breasts, you’ll need just 1 breast for 2 servings—remove the tender and cut it in half crosswise before cooking.
Freekeh is wheat that’s been harvested when it’s still young, roasted and then cracked into a grain that looks similar to bulgur. Relatively new to the U.S., the chewy whole grain has a mild nutty flavor and is higher in fiber, protein and minerals than grains that are harvested once fully mature. Look for it in well-stocked supermarkets and natural-foods stores.
Preserved lemons—lemons that have been soaked in a salt-lemon mixture for at least 30 days—add a distinctive salty-sour flavor common in North African salads, soups and stews. Look for them in specialty food stores.

Nutrition

Per serving: 539 calories; 24 g fat (4 g sat, 16 g mono); 78 mg cholesterol; 44 g carbohydrates; 3 g added sugars; 13 g total sugars; 35 g protein; 8 g fiber; 335 mg sodium; 342 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (27% daily value), Vitamin C (25% dv), Iron (24% dv), Magnesium (17% dv)
Carbohydrate Servings: 2 1/2
Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1 fruit, 4 lean meat, 4 fat

Recipes from the March/April 2015 Issue of EatingWell

See the Recipes »

Get the latest healthy recipes from EatingWell's March/April 2015 issue.

Set a healthy spring table with EatingWell's best recipes from the March/April 2015 issue. Get inspired by chef Michael Solomonov's naturally healthy street foods, discover new ideas for chicken and herbs and find fresh recipes for the first shoots of asparagus. You'll also find easy recipes using Thai curry paste, sweet and savory rhubarb recipes, DIY nut butters and more. Plus, get tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen on how to make gorgeous low-calorie scones. Download a FREE Shopping List for a Week of Quick Dinners from One Bag of Groceries! Begin »

How to draw a realistic eye lesson

We've uploaded a cool sample lesson on How To Draw An Eye from
a photo.

Check it out now at ...
http://drawing-made-easy.com/sample-video/photorealistic-lesson/
... this lesson was taken from our Photorealistic Portraits
course.
Enjoy : )

Chris Elmore

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Words Are Powerful



Words are Powerful Words are powerful. When spoken with intention they can lift you up or crush your spirit. The problem is that many of us speak without thinking, especially in the heat of the moment, and unfortunately words that cannot be unsaid can last a lifetime. Click Here To Read The Full Story...		March 10th, 2015







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Friday, March 20, 2015

Spiced Eggplant-Lentil Salad with Mango Recipe

Makes: 4 servings, about 2 cups each
Active Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

4 tablespoons peanut oil or olive oil, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder, divided
2 medium eggplants (3/4 pound each), trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup lemon or lime juice, plus more if desired
1/4 cup prepared salsa
1/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
1 1/2 cups cooked lentils (see Tip) or one 15-ounce can, rinsed
2 bunches scallions, coarsely chopped (reserve 2 tablespoons for garnish)
4 cups torn romaine lettuce
2 large ripe mangoes, peeled and diced (see Tip)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped roasted peanuts or cashews
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Preheat oven to 500°F.
Combine 1 tablespoon oil with 2 teaspoons each chili powder and curry powder in a large bowl. Add eggplant and toss well. Spread the eggplant on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring once halfway through, until tender, about 15 minutes.
Thoroughly combine the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon each chili powder and curry powder, 1/3 cup lemon (or lime) juice, salsa, honey, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the roasted eggplant, lentils and scallions; gently toss to combine. Taste and season with more pepper and/or lemon (or lime) juice, if desired.
Serve the salad on a bed of romaine, topped with mango, nuts, cilantro and the reserved 2 tablespoons scallions.

Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 3, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Kitchen Tip: To cook lentils, combine 1/2 cup red or brown lentils in a medium saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat so the lentils boil gently, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 12 to 18 minutes (red lentils cook more quickly than brown). Makes 1 1/2 cups.
To peel and dice a mango, slice both ends off the mango, revealing the long, slender seed inside. Set the fruit upright on a work surface and remove the skin with a sharp knife. With the seed perpendicular to you, slice the fruit from both sides of the seed, yielding two large pieces. Turn the seed parallel to you and slice the two smaller pieces of fruit from each side. Dice into desired size.

Nutrition

Per serving: 485 calories; 20 g fat (3 g sat, 9 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 75 g carbohydrates; 17 g added sugars; 13 g protein; 16 g fiber; 275 mg sodium; 1051 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (119% daily value), Vitamin C (102% dv), Folate (70% dv), Potassium (30% dv), Iron (28% dv), Magnesium (24% dv)
Carbohydrate Servings: 4
Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 fruit, 2 vegetable, 1 plant-based protein, 4 fat

Mental Cleanse Call Recordings - Chapter 11

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Insight of the Day 3/3/2015 - Horace Mann - 1796-1859, Education Reformer and Politician

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

How to Lose 20 Pounds By Madeline Vann, MPH | Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

How to Lose 20 Pounds

By Madeline Vann, MPH | Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

A focused strategy will help you reach your weight-loss goal. Counting calories and getting active will help.

Lose 20 Pounds: Why Counting Calories Matters

“Having a realistic weight goal makes good sense,” says dietitian Jenna Anding, PhD, RD, of the department of nutrition and food science in the Texas A&M System at College Station. “Eliminating 500 calories a day can help promote a one-pound-per-week weight loss. Increasing physical activity can also help promote weight loss.”

In order for counting calories to work, you will have to do a little math (it’s okay to cheat and use a calculator). If you want to lose 1 pound a week (it is safe to lose up to 2 pounds a week or 1 percent of your body weight, if you weigh more than 200 pounds), that means you need to cut out or burn through exercise about 500 calories a day. But remember not to eat less than 1,200 calories daily, so that your body doesn’t retreat into starvation mode. A reduction of at least 500 calories a day means you could lose a pound every week or 20 pounds in about five months.
Related: 13 Portion Control Secrets

Lose 20 Pounds: Successful Strategies

Here are four diet truths to help you achieve your goals:

Cutting out sweet drinks is non-negotiable. Sweet tea, soda, and flavored and sweetened milks, waters, and coffees all have to go. Drink plain water, low-fat milk, and sugar-free drinks instead. A study of 810 adults between 25 and 79 years old showed that after 18 months, those who cut out sweet drinks had greater weight loss than those who cut down on food calories. One possible reason: While your body lets you know when it is full of food, there is no way for your body to tell you when you’ve maxed out on liquid calories.
Physical activity helps counting calories. Being physically active burns calories while it improves your overall health. Aim for 30 minutes a day most days of the week. A brisk 30- to 45-minute walk burns 100 to 200 calories. If you can burn 200 calories through exercise, you only have to cut out 300 calories in food or drink to reach your daily calorie-cutting goal.
Strategically eating less drops weight. A study of 811 overweight people who participated in four popular diets found that whether diets were low-fat, high-protein, or a combination didn’t matter — weight-loss success depends on cutting out calories. In fact, you can continue to eat filling portions if you simply replace high-calorie foods with low-calorie foods that contain a lot of water, such as fruits and vegetables. A study of 97 obese women who ate either a low-fat diet or a low-fat diet with additional fruits and vegetables found that those who emphasized fruits and veggies lost up to five pounds more.
Journaling leads to success. Counting calories is easier if you write down (or type in) what you eat, including serving sizes and details such as condiments you may have added. “Research has shown that exercise and journaling really make a difference in long-term weight management,” says Gail Curtis, assistant professor at Wake Forest University Health Sciences in Winston-Salem, N.C. A detailed journal will help you identify your successes and pinpoint where you can cut additional calories or replace high-calorie foods with low-calorie ones.

With dedicated work you can apply these truths to lose 20 pounds in 20 weeks or less. So get moving!

Zesty Ginger-Tomato Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

2 1/2- 3 pounds skinless chicken drumsticks and/or thighs
2 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro or parsley
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups hot cooked quinoa or brown rice

Directions

Place chicken in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. Drain one can of the tomatoes. In a medium bowl, combine drained and undrained tomatoes, the tapioca, ginger, the 1 tablespoon cilantro, the garlic, crushed red pepper, and salt. Pour over chicken in slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 3-1/2 hours.

Skim off fat. Serve in shallow bowls. Serve with hot cooked quinoa. If desired, sprinkle with additional cilantro. Makes 6 servings.

nutrition information

Per Serving: cal. (kcal) 302, Fat, total (g) 6, chol. (mg) 81, sat. fat (g) 1, carb. (g) 35, fiber (g) 4, pro. (g) 28, sodium (mg) 549, Vegetables () 1, Starch () 2, Very Lean Meat () 3, Fat () 1, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet