You don’t need a gym in order to exercise. Even three 10 minute walks three days a week can lower your blood pressure, shrink abdominal fat, and raise HDL cholesterol levels. Exercise keeps your brain healthy and is a great remedy for stress. There are many ways to painlessly fit exercise into your daily life. If you are a pet owner, walk your dog daily. Avoid drive-throughs, park your car and walk into the building( park at the far end of the lot and walk quickly for even greater benefits). Use the stairs instead of the elevator or try to spend half of your lunch time taking a walk. Instead of emailing, walk to colleagues’ desks to talk to them.

Housework is calorie-burning exercise as well. Listen to music to make it more enjoyable. TV watcher? Get up to change the channel, instead of using the remote. Walk in place during commercials, instead of getting a snack. Phone addict? Stand or pace while you talk. Walk around the mall several times while shopping.

Have fun and involve your whole family. Swim, ride bikes, jump rope, or play basketball with your children. Schedule family outings such as berry picking, mini-golf, bowling, or hiking in state parks (pick a trail with hills for maximum results). Don’t just lie in the sun at the beach, take a walk at the water’s edge. Climb rocks with the kids and look for shells.

Change your attitude. Exercise can be fun and a real opportunity to enjoy yourself.

Lately I’ve been re-evaluating my eating habits and focusing on making better choices especially around the office where I spend most of my day. On a weekly basis there is always donuts and pastries it’s hard to resist them when that’s all that’s available to you at the time. It made me start thinking about the effects of eating such foods on a regular basis, not only do you start to gain weight but you also become sluggish and less productive. Food is fuel for our bodies and when you fuel yourself with the right foods it creates a domino effect of positive outcomes. I did some light research on focus foods, online studies suggest we eat leafy greens, fruit, whole grain, nuts & seeds, pop corn and berries for better mental focus each food is suggested to improve your attentiveness. To keep my metabolism going I eat every 2 hours totaling 6 small meals a day. Summer is slowly on its way and that is all the more reason to be cautious with our food choices.

May is National Grilling Month! Now there is nothing better than steaks, or hamburgers and dogs on the grill. But sometimes you can get a little tired of meat on the grill. What’s so good about grilling is that you can cook far more than just meat – veggies and fish taste great over an open flame too! The easiest way to do this is on kebabs – use a good meaty fish and they hold up wonderfully.
Here are some quick as a flash ideas for great kebab grilling!
• Use rosemary stalks as skewers – it adds great flavor and looks very impressive! And remember – always soak your skewers first.
• Marinate! And get creative – Italian dressing will always do the trick, but just check out his yogurt marinade from Jamie Oliver http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/the-best-marinated-fish-kebabs
• Try some different fish – Cod, halibut and haddock are always good, but so is swordfish and monkfish!
• Go with the whole from the sea idea. Fish, and scallops and shrimp all taste great grilled. Look at what Emeril made! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/teriyaki-glazed-seafood-kebabs-recipe/index.html

So be adventurous and have fun breaking out of the meat on the grill rut!

Healthy Teeth = Happy Pets

Oral Disease

Oral disease is the most common health problem for pets. By the age of three, approximately 80% of dogs and 75% of cats have developed periodontal disease. Left untreated, the infection can lead to tooth decay or tooth loss and can even spread through the blood stream and cause kidney, liver, lung and heart problems.

Oral disease is easily treatable, and can be prevented by following a program of regular veterinary oral exams and a home dental care routine.

Preventing Oral Disease

By preventing oral disease, you can help your pet live a healthier, happier life. Do not feed your pet table scraps – this can increase the formation of plaque and tartar. Dry, crunchy pet food can help clean plaque from the teeth.
Causes of Oral Disease

Oral disease begins when plague – a soft film containing bacteria – forms on the pet’s teeth. If not removed, the plaque will harden into tartar. Tartar builds up below the gum line, causing inflammation of the gum tissue (gingivitis) and the lining of the tooth socket (periodontitis). Without treatment, your pet’s teeth can loosen or fall out, and the bacteria can spread to other parts of the body and cause serious health problems.

Common Signs of Oral Disease
• Yellow-brown tartar near the gum line
• Red, swollen or bleeding gums
• Persistent bad breath
• Abnormal drooling
• Pawing at the mouth
• Sneezing and nasal discharge
• Loose or missing teeth
• Difficult eating and loss of appetite
• Behavior change

Your pet is never too old to start a dental care routine. It is an important step in maintaining health. The older your pet gets, the more likely it is to develop oral disease. Ask your veterinarian to help you get started.

I love when spring turns into summer because then cookout season begins! If you are like me, have no time and like quick easy recipes that your friends and family will enjoy then you will love my pasta salad. It’s super easy to make and I always get lots of compliments about it!

Ingredients:
1 Box of rotini pasta (you can do 2 boxes if you have lots of mouths to feed)
1 Bottle of zesty italien dressing (I use more than 1 bottle if I cook more than 1 box of pasta)
1 Container of cherry tomatoes
3 Cans of sliced black olives
1 Container of crumbled feta (you can also substitute with shredded cheddar cheese)
1 Bag of sliced pepperoni slices

Directions:
Cook the box or boxes of pasta according to the directions on the box. While the pasta is cooking I slice up the cherry tomatoes into halves or even quarters if you prefer smaller tomato pieces. I also place a stack of pepperoni slices together and cut them into quarters. I don’t use the whole bag of pepperoni slices so this way it looks like there are more without using a lot. Once the pasta is done and drained I let it cool for a few minutes and then start using the zesty italien dressing (about half the bottle). Then I just put all the ingredients in with the pasta (you will need a good size bowl once all the ingredients are together) I mix everything together and then use the rest of the dressing. If I’ve made more than 1 box of pasta I usually will do a taste test to see if I need more than 1 bottle of dressing. If you prepare the pasta salad ahead of time make sure to put it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I and my friends and family do!

Memorial Day weekend is usually considered the kick-off to the summer. If you are heading out to any Memorial Day celebrations this weekend, please remember there are usually local parades to attend as well.

Memorial Day parades are a nice way to pay remembrance and to honor those who gave their all for our nation’s service.

Here in Portland, Maine, the city’s Memorial Day Parade will be held on Monday, May 27, 2013 at 10:30 am. The parade will start at Longfellow Square and head down Congress Street to Monument Square; where ceremonies will take place.

Check out more events for this Memorial Day weekend at http://www.portlandmaine.com/events/

Admittedly, the words “microwave” and “cake” don’t look right next to each other. But let’s face it: apartment living can sometimes mean settling for slightly less than a gourmet kitchen and we’ve got to work with the resources we have – even if we’re cooking/baking and our resource is a microwave. So if you’re craving something sweet and feel like you’re out of options, think again! Give this little microwave recipe from <a href=”http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/bake-cake-60-seconds-yes-read-180300939.html”>Yahoo! Shine</a> a try and you just might be pleasantly surprised.

<strong>Ingredients:</strong>
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

<strong>Directions:</strong>
1. In a small bowl, mix all dry ingredients — flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, salt.
2. Stir in egg, milk, and vegetable oil.
3. Pour batter into a single coffee mug, or two ramekins. Make sure they are microwaveable.
4. Microwave on high for one minute and 30 seconds in a (lightly-greased) mug, or 45 seconds in a ramekin.
5. If the batter isn’t fully-cooked, microwave an additional 15 seconds on high, repeating if necessary, until fully cooked. Remember that microwaved foods continue to “cook” for an additional minute afterwards. Try not to overcook!
6. Serve while still warm! Enjoy!

Ingredients
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup skim milk
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large banana, diced
• 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• cooking spray
Directions
1. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set bowl aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the skim milk, melted butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, being careful not to over mix the batter. Gently fold in the banana, chocolate chips, and nuts.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.
Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 195 | Total Fat: 10.2g | Cholesterol: 58mg

Early next month, I will be braving my first theme park with a two-year old. Fortunately, or unfortunately, my husband’s whole family will be there to help me with this feat of parenting! And as you can tell by the title of this post, I just thank god it’s not the very LARGE, magically CROWDED kingdom of Disney – that will come when my daughter is a little bit older. Instead, we are trekking to Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA. After scouring the website, it actually looks like my daugher will absolutely love the trip, which is well worth the experience. There are dry rides, water parks, parades and live shows with her favorite characters – Elmo, Abby, Big Bird, Zoe and Cookie Monster. However, it’s smaller and less well known than Disney World, so I can only imagine that lines and prices won’t be too ridiculous (knock on wood). Furthermore, it’s only a 6 hour drive, versus the 2 days or heinous plane ride it takes to get to Orlando. Sesame Place is only 30 minutes from Philly, so I’ll get to check “get an authentic cheese steak” off of my bucket list. And, most excitingly for me, the park is only 2 hours from my family in Maryland. I hope I’m not counting my chicks before they hatch, but I’m actually looking forward to this mini vacation! <img src=”{filedir_2}24de581170e5481eb6c165bae378d556_sp11_paradenight3_t5d8056v2.jpg” alt=”” height=”345″ width=”460″  />

May is a month filled with food and fun. It is National Barbecue Month, Hamburger Month, Salad and Salsa Month. Celebrate with your favorites during Restaurant Week in New Hampshire (May 17-24). Lunches and dinners at a wide variety of restaurants in the state are offered at prices ranging from $10-$35. It’s a great time to try something new!

Looking for something to do? Have you visited the Nashua Public Library? Library cards are free for anyone who lives or works in the city. Besides books, music, and DVDs, the library offers passes to many museums: the Museum of Science, Museum of Fine Arts and New England Aquarium in Boston. Passes are available for the Currier Gallery of Art in Manchester, the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord and many others. Call the library at 603-589-4600 for more information.

Memorial Day will soon be here (the unofficial start of summer). This holiday honors Americans who gave their lives for their country in any war while serving the United States. Please take a minute to remember these brave men and women.