Healthful Holidays

Trying to eat healthy during the holidays can be tricky.  With each festive gathering typically coupled with unhealthy treats, party participation can be problematic for those trying to eat healthfully.  Here are 10 sensible tips to eat a bit healthier during the holidays.

1. Slim down peanut butter--purchase natural peanut butter spread and pour out the oil accumulated on top.
2. Fill up on fiber rich and calorie poor popcorn--sans butter and salt.
3. Kick up your heels--dancing is a great and fun way to burn calories.
4. Switch up your workout--tweaking your workout just a bit ups your caloric blast.
5. No nighttime eating.
6. Eat chewy and crunchy foods like carrots, apples, celery, and whole grains.
7. Cook and consume simple whole some foods--reduce highly processed foods from your menu. 
8. Reduce alcohol intake--alcohol causes bloating and is high in calories.
9. Try upside down--butter and season the bottom of foods.  For example, butter the bottom of toast.  This way the flavor hits your tongue right away, and you taste more of it. 
10. Eat slowly--this gives your body a chance to communicate to you that it is satiated. 
For more tips and information, please read this article. 





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Happy Thanksgiving

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Shopping for Germs

The approaching Holidays bring gift-giving opportunities--thus triggering trips to the mall.  As the number of shoppers increases, the germ count multiplies.  The germiest locations at the mall are hard to avoid, but with added awareness you can minimize your exposure to harmful germs.

8 germiest mall locations:
1. Restroom sinks--remember to wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds
2. Food court tables
3. Escalator hand rails--"...we have found food, E. coli, urine, mucus, feces, and blood on escalator handrails"
4. ATM keypad 
5. Toy stores

6. Fitting rooms--while trying on clothes keep full coverage underwear on

7. Gadget stores--A study published last year in the Journal of Applied Microbiology found that viruses easily transfer between glass surfaces (think iPad or smartphone faces) and fingertips
8. Make-up samples

Your best defense is thorough hand washing.  For more information and ways to prevent infection, please review this article. 

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Grocery Store Savvy

Here come the Holidays--and here comes the budget squeeze!  We all feel the pinch during the Holidays as is seems as the number of expenses swells--from an increase in house utility costs, to long present wish lists there are more demands on our cash reserves. 

Please review this article that will help you save a bit of money at the grocery store.







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Waste of Taste

As evidenced by previous posts, I dislike waste.  Wastefulness is costly, destructive, anti-productive--and preventable (usually).  One area that sees ample amounts of waste is the kitchen.  The good news is wasting food can easily be prevented.

Girl Friday Agency offers you some sensible tips to trim back wasteful behaviors:
-Plan your grocery shopping around foods that are nearing their expiration date, and create a menu with those foods before they ruin. 
-Portion off useable amounts of food, and freeze the rest for later.
-Keep and eye on your refrigerator contents--often a yummy dish is accidentally pushed to the back and forgotten.  By being aware of what is stored in your fridge, you can consume foods before they spoil.

For more food wasting prevention, read this article.  








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Expressing Gratitude for our Veterans

We give thanks to those brave men and woman who have served and are serving our Nation.  Hoping they feel our gratitude and admiration.  

Here are some ways to celebrate Veterans Day:

-Send a thank you note to our troops here. 

-Adopt a soldier and send a letter once a week, and a care package once per month to a deployed soldier.

-Visit a Veterans Hospital--bonus points for volunteering!

-Support veterans transitioning into civilian life.

-Get involved!  Check out Return the Favor.org.

"It is the love of country that has lighted and that keeps glowing the holy fire of patriotism"  ~J. Horace McFarland

Awesomeness Awareness

Discovered a perky and simple blog today called 1000 Awesome Things.  This blog finds merry little tidbits in ordinary days, and highlights their awesomeness!  So clever and pleasant!  Encouraged me to be more aware and grateful for the occasions of bliss in my life.


Please check out this superb blog:

1000awesomethings.com

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Clutter Buster

A favorite motto of mine is, "A place for everything.  And everything in its place".  Clutter and disorganization in your home hampers your productivity, decreases your comfort, and infringes on your freedom.

One trait to adopt when trying to minimize household clutter is bestowing sentimental value sparingly.  Meaning: every craft project produced by the children is not priceless art, every book is not a rare edition to be displayed on the bookshelf, and every gift received is not a cherished and much needed accessory to the household.  By limiting the number of items you form emotional attachments to, you enable yourself to discard, recycle, and give to charity the items that are not necessities in your home.






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Girl Friday Agency's Forecast: Bright!

November is shaping up to be a splendid month for Girl Friday Agency.  We have assembled a talented marketing team, have a television commercial in production, and are nearly ready to launch our remodeled website.  Plus, we continue to enjoy our accomplished employees and esteemed clients.

All is well and wonderful for Girl Friday Agency, and we express our gratitude to all those who make our success possible.  We are energized and thrilled for forthcoming Girl Friday Agency activity.





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Passe Pumpkin?

Whilst driving past a pumpkin patch today (the day after Halloween), I noticed heaps of unpurchased pumpkins.  I felt a bit sad for the pumpkins, and thought surely there is a use for all these pumpkins other than simply sitting on our porches in the form of a Jack-o-Lanterns for a few hours.

Happily, a bit of research revealed these gorgeous gourds are exceptionally useful.  Not only are pumpkins one of the most popular fruit crops produced in the United States, their uses include beauty products, sweet and savory foods, and crafts.

Dandy Do-It-Yourself pumpkin uses:
Pumpkin Biscuits
Carved Pumpkin Air freshener
Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Pumpkin Body Butter
Baked Stuffed Pumpkin

For more perfect pumpkin uses, please review this article. 



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