Slap Chop promises that “you’re gonna be in a great mood all day because you’re gonna be slapping your troubles away.”

It’s true. It made me happy. I loved it!

The Slap Chop’s rotating blades easily dispatch potatoes, nuts, cookies and tuna. Unlike other similar tools, the Slap Chop opens butterfly-style for easy cleaning.

You can mince vegetables, onions and garlic with the skin still attached. I agree with Slap Chop’s philosophy: “We’re gonna make America skinny again, one slap at a time.”

First Lady Michelle Obama officially kicked off a national campaign to combat childhood obesity on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 in Washington D.C. Dubbed “Let’s Move,” the project also received a presidential nod of support, to be backed up with as much as $1 billion a year in federal funds for 10 years. Earlier in the day, in the Oval Office, President Obama signed a formal memorandum establishing for the first time a national task force on childhood obesity — one that draws from the departments of the Interior, Health and Human Services, Agriculture and Education and is charged with turning the first lady’s ambitious list of proposals into action. The initiative concentrates on improved school lunches, increased physical activity, and more available nutritional education. Michelle spoke about the four key components of the nation-wide program (www.letsmove.gov):

1. Improve the information and the tools that parents need to make the changes that are desired in their families.

2. Improve the quality of foods in the schools.

3. Improve access and affordability of healthy foods, and

4. Increase physical education for our kids.

“This isn’t about trying to turn the clock back to when we were kids or preparing five-course meals from scratch every night. No one has time for that,” the first lady said in her remarks. “And it’s not about being 100 percent perfect, 100 percent of the time. Lord knows I’m not. There’s a place for cookies and ice cream, burgers and fries — that’s part of the fun of childhood.”

The dangers and statistics related to childhood obesity speak to the importance of Michelle’s concerns. She has noted that a whopping one in three children in the U.S. is overweight or obese. In her interview on Larry King Live, the First Lady noted that “we’re already seeing high cholesterol in young kids, high blood pressure, asthma that is preventable, and type 2 diabetes which is the most troubling.”
The core of the program is “about the quality of life of our kids … it’s about fitness and its about overall nutrition … We need to change how we eat,” states Michelle Obama.

And the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports will be revamped so that it no longer focuses on how many sit-ups and push-ups a child can do — or how long they can hang, batlike, from a high bar. Instead of focusing on athleticism or stupid human tricks, it will address health and well-being.

The first lady has decided to take up that fight and to make it her signature issue while in the White House. One in three children in this country is either overweight or obese, Obama said Tuesday. If that trend continues, this generation of children will not live as long as their parents. Obama has said she would like her fight against obesity to be her legacy as first lady. But it will be impossible to measure success — at least by her standards — until long after she’s left the White House. Because her goal, she said, is to see that “children who are born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight.”

Originally posted on February 14, 2009

The pressure is on. It’s the big “V” day. Not vagina day, though it might as well be called that because it’s all about the women. It is perhaps the most dangerous day for any man in a relationship: Yes, it’s Valentine’s day, the day when a woman wants her man to shed his rough edges and turn into a modern Casanova.

I‘ve put my request in writing to my love monkey: “Honey, the best present you can give me is to leave me alone with a box of cake mix, the internet and a pound of chicken fried rice. Please don’t bother me about what I’d like to do, or where I’d like to go. But you are already so brilliant in the way you sense my desires that I didn’t even have to request that. Have a great day snow-boarding with your friends, and let’s go out tomorrow, the day after vagina day. We will have an amazing dinner (like we always do), it will be half the price and twice the fun (like it always is).” I picture him smiling at my note with that colgate smile and it makes me feel warm and fuzzy. There are few things that can make an ice princess like me feel warm and fuzzy.

I don’t know why this stupid holiday full of expectations pisses me off so much. I mean chocolate? C’mon, my fridge is loaded. Flowers? They wilt and die, not a symbol of the love I want. Lingerie? It’s too big, it’s too small, it’s made to look good on Heidi Klum, and, let’s face the facts–I’m no Heidi Klum…I’m better.

It troubles my nerves that this one day out of the year bears so much significance, when in fact, these expectations that we have of our partners should be recognized in everyday practice. Partnership, love, respect, fun, intimacy and affection. Everyday should be valentines day.

Let me share some of my favorite facts about vagina day:

And to those of you who expect so much on Valentine’s day, I’d be curious to know: what does it really mean for you?

A guy rings his boss and says “I can’t come to work today.” The boss asks why and the guy says “it’s my eyes.” “What’s wrong with your eyes?” asks the boss. “I just can’t see myself coming to work, so I’m going fishing instead…”

A plethora of recent studies continue to emphasize the usefulness of fish oil containing omega-3 fatty acids in addressing issues of brain health, cognition and mood disorders.

Use of omega-3 fatty acids were shown to decrease the risk of developing psychotic disorders including schizophrenia in those patients that demonstrated sub threshold psychotic states, according to one study.

Another study demonstrated that use of EPA, a major component of fish oil, improved memory and reduced the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. As we age, the production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine declines. EPA was shown to slow the reduction of acetylcholine release and its synthesis.

Also, in a small study, omega-3 fatty acid use yielded positive results in 8 of 9 children with autism.

I {heart} you Mac n’ Cheese. Thank you for making my life complete.

***The Ingredients***

Mac n’ Cheese

4 cups Dried Macaroni
¼ cups (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
¼ cups All-purpose Flour
2-½ cups Whole Milk
2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard, More If Desired
1 whole Egg Beaten
1 pound Cheese, Grated
½ teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
½ teaspoons Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme

Directions

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.

In a small bowl, beat egg.

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.

Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.

Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.

Add in cheese and stir to melt. Add salt and pepper.

Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.

Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

As if.

As if you were sitting around asking just that question.

Boosting the metabolism is the holy grail of weight watchers everywhere, but how fast your body burns calories depends on several factors. Some people inherit a speedy metabolism. Not me, and my existent mini-muffin top is proof. Men tend to burn more calories than women, even while resting. And for most people, metabolism slows steadily after age 40. Although you can’t control your age, gender, or genetics, there are other ways to get a boost. Let me help you rev it up.

1. Build some muscle. Our bodies constantly burn calories, even when we’re doing nothing. This resting metabolic rate is much higher in people with more muscle. Every pound of muscle uses about 6 calories a day just to sustain itself, while each pound of fat burns only 2 calories daily. That small difference can add up over time. In addition, after a bout of resistance training, muscles are activated all over your body, increasing your average daily metabolic rate.

2. Kick your workout up a notch. Aerobic exercise may not build big muscles, but it can rev up your metabolism in the hours after a workout. The key is to push yourself. High-intensity exercise delivers a bigger, longer increase in resting metabolic rate than low- or moderate workouts. To get the benefits, try a more intense class at the gym or include short bursts of jogging during your regular walk.

3. Drink more water. The body needs water to process calories. If you are even mildly dehydrated, your metabolism may slow down. In one study, adults who drank eight or more glasses of water a day burned more calories than those who drank four. To stay hydrated, drink a glass of water or other unsweetened beverage before every meal and snack. In addition, try munching on fresh fruits and vegetables, which are full of fluid, rather than pretzels or chips.

4. Eat more often. Eating more really can help you lose weight — eating more often, that is. When you eat large meals with many hours in between, you train your metabolism to slow down. Having a small meal or snack every 3 to 4 hours keeps your metabolism cranking, so you burn more calories over the course of a day. Several studies have also shown that people who snack regularly eat less at meal time.

5. Eat more protein. The body burns up to twice as many calories digesting protein as it uses for fat or carbohydrates. Although you want to eat a balanced diet, replacing some carbs with lean, protein-rich foods can jump-start the metabolism at mealtime. Healthy sources of protein include lean beef and pork, fish, white meat chicken, tofu, nuts, beans, eggs, and low-fat dairy products.

Wikipedia: mi·mo·sa - noun
A Mimosa is a cocktail-like drink composed of three parts champagne or other sparkling wine and two parts thoroughly chilled orange juice. It is traditionally served in a tall champagne flute with a morning brunch or to guests at weddings.

Just Eat Smart: mi·mo·sa - noun
A bubbly, refreshing beverage to be had when one is hung over and cannot bare the stench of tequila.

Simple and delightful.

***The Ingredients***

Mimosa

1/2 oz triple sec
1 1/2 oz fresh orange juice
3 1/2 oz chilled Champagne
Orange slice for garnish

1. Photographing my cats. Yes, I know — weird.

2. Flannel. Wear with clear heels and you will suddenly feel much sexier. Just don’t tell anyone.

3. Don’t diet. Ever. I hate “no”. I get rebellious, and I really don’t like challenging myself to stay away from Buttercup Bakery. I think the cookies must get lonely, begging for a belly to love them. The best part? Learning to love the badass exercise session the day after—a different kind of high that burns off the frosting and keeps me and my body in check. Plus, cupcakes makes me much nicer and easier for others to love me.

4. Getting up today, feeling achy, too tired to move. By evening, total running euphoria, muscles nice and pliable, thanks to exercise.

5. More Running. I covet being a gazelle, so running for speed and beating previous times/miles is important to my training. I continue to challenge myself by perfecting my stride, but my darn lower back can keep up. I still practice…being sweaty makes me feel good.

6. Walking around NYC with the confidence in your stride knowing that you strong enough to resist a push or pull.

What are your 6 things?

Let’s get right to it: Do not eat the Baconator.

Now, I know that you’re probably thinking exactly what I did: what could be so wrong with two fatty hamburger patties, two cheese slices, cheese sauce, mayonnaise, and 6 (count ‘em 6) slices of bacon?

The answer is nothing, nothing at all, providing you spread that out over 4 meals and 3 days, but I don’t think that’s what Wendy’s had in mind. Oooh, why just stop there when you can have the combo meal? Even if you skip the biggie fries and get a diet coke and this is the stats on your lunch:

1250 calories
71g total fat
175mg cholesterol
88g carbs

It’s making me feel fat just to sit and write about this, on the upside I have plenty of motivation to go workout tonight.

The bottom line is that it actually looks tempting, but until you are prepared to run about 20 miles to break even from the caloric intake, just get the junior cheeseburger and get on your way.

You might be wondering why I am working on this long weekend. Let me tell you, bloggers work all the time, weekends and holidays.

What you didn’t stop to think about is that bloggers can work from anywhere: a cafe, the beach, from home in their dirty, three day old PJ’s.

You never know.

***The Ingredients***

Oreo Pie

1 Oreo pie crust
Oreo cookies
80z Fat-free cream cheese, softened
6 packets Splenda.
1 tsp Vanilla
2 cups whipped cream

Directions

In a small bowl, smash up 12 of the Oreo cookies… Set aside.

In a medium bowl using a hand mixer, combine the cream cheese and splenda
Beat until light and fluffy. (Do not overbeat, it will get too watery)

Add in the whipped cream and the smashed up Oreo cookies. Use a rubber spatula and combine gently until well blended and the cookies are distributed throughout.

Spoon into the Oreo pie crust and refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm.

Optional garnish…Cut 4 Oreo cookies in half and place the halves, cut side down, around a dollop of whipped cream placed in the center and dusted with Oreo cookie crumbs

Note: the 2 cups of whipped cream is not the same as whipping cream. For this recipe the cream should be whipped. Use either freshly whipped cream or Reddi-Whip or Cool Whip or similar… But the cream is to be whipped, not liquid.