10 Simple Food Substitutions to Get Bikini Ready

Author of Substitute Yourself Skinny: Cut the Calories, Keep the Flavor with Hundreds of Simple Substitutions!

Bikini season is just around the corner! There's still time to get in top bikini shape and what tastier way than with these easy, simple, and delicious substitutions. Great tasting food doesn't have to be bland, boring, and flavorless. As the Bikini Chef, my food philosophy is fresh, fresh, fresh. Fresh citrus, fresh herbs, fresh natural ingredients that wake up your taste buds, are pleasing to your palette, and give you the satisfying flavors your body craves. In fact, most people love the lower calorie, lower fat substitutions once they've tried them and have gotten past their fear of trying what they perceive will be tasteless food.

The best part to these substitutions, besides achieving your bikini goal, is that they are simple substitutions you can make every day. Easy, affordable, and flavorful, these simple tips will help you stay in bikini shape all year long.

10 Simple Food Substitutions To Get Bikini Ready

1. Using ½ wheat flour and ½ plain flour will make your scones more bikini but adding fresh wild raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries will also liven up the flavor, wake up the color, and give a fresh, flavorful twist to an otherwise boring biscuit.

2. Cream sauces and creamy soups get most of their creaminess from fat and calorie laden heavy whipping cream. Use ½ nonfat milk and ½ nonfat sour cream instead for the same creamy texture without the unwanted creamy fat that will sabotage your bikini body.

3. Eggs vs egg whites. Some people go the extreme and swear off eggs forever using only egg whites. However, using only egg whites can get expensive and eggs are necessary as a binding agent for many recipes. For breakfast, use 2 egg whites for every one egg for a leaner, lighter breakfast and when baking or making dishes such as burgers, use ½ whole eggs and ½ egg whites to keep the texture but save on calories, fat, and cholesterol. As a side note, the majority of protein in eggs comes from the egg whites, not the yolk, making them a deliciously healthy option all around.

4. Cut back on the beef. If you crave a hamburger, make your own lighter, leaner version by using ½ lean ground beef and ½ lean ground turkey. You'll find you sacrifice nothing on flavor or texture but save yourself plenty on fat and calories. Enjoy these leaner burgers as smaller sliders for lunch, dinner, or for tasty bites at summer pool parties.

5. Nonfat vanilla yogurt is a delicious substitution for mayonnaise. Use as a healthy substitution in chicken salad, tuna salad, and dipping sauces such as aioli. It is very flavorful and naturally creamy so you don't need to use a lot of it.

6. Cut the cheese. Skip the cheese altogether but if you must have cheese, go for lower fat versions such as reduced fat cream cheese, reduced fat Monterey jack, reduced fat feta. If you must have your full fat versions, opt for freshly grated parmesan or parmiggiano reggiano and cut back on the amount you use. Fresh, good quality cheese such as this has great flavor so a little goes a long way.

7. Add a little citrus. The rind, or zest, of lemons, oranges, and limes is edible and adds a refreshing flavor to steamed or grilled vegetables, sauces, meat dishes, practically everything. Cut back on salt which causes bloating and add a little fine grate citrus zest for tons of flavor with no fat or calories.

8. Most people love crispy bacon but it adds loads of fat and calories that are often an afterthought for many dishes. If you must have crisp bacon crumbles on your salads or even for breakfast, use leaner turkey bacon instead. It has great flavor and crisps nicely like traditional full fat bacon. Or, better yet, skip the bacon all together. If you are having a luscious salad, add fresh, crisp asparagus tips or diced fresh zucchini. For breakfast, substitute crispy no-sugar added bran cereal or fresh berries. Pass on the bacon, it's just not worth it.

9. Watch out for sugary pasta sauces and dipping sauces. Sugar has empty calories that add up quickly. Instead, use freshly diced tomatoes with a little freshly chopped basil leaves or cilantro leaves. Add a hint of lemon zest, drizzle of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil (½ tablespoon each) and finish with a small pinch of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Toss with pasta such as penne or fettuccini or serve with baked wonton crisps.

10. Wonton wrappers are perfect as crispy crackers instead of crostini and tortilla chips. Buy the squares and cut into triangles. Brush lightly with olive oil and bake in a 225º oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until crisp and golden. Top with salsa, serve with chicken salad or other dips as you would crostini and chips. As a bonus, they are inexpensive and unused wonton wrappers keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

© 2010 Chef Susan Irby, author of Substitute Yourself Skinny: Cut the Calories, Keep the Flavor with Hundreds of Simple Substitutions!

Author Bio
Chef Susan Irby has worked with multiple Master Chefs including George McNeill, Todd English, and Ming Tsai. Known as the Bikini Chef, specializing in "figure-flattering flavors," Chef Susan is host of The Bikini Lifestyle with Susan Irby The Bikini Chef on KFWB News Talk 980 in Los Angeles and author of The $7 a Meal Quick & Easy Cookbook, The $7 a Meal Healthy Cookbook, and Cooking with Susan. She has cooked for several celebrities including Patrick Swayze, David Spade, Kate Sagal, and Bill Handel, and appeared on The Patti Gribow Show and KLAC Los Angeles and numerous other media outlets. She lives in Orange County, CA.
For more information, please visit www.susanirby.com.
Become a fan of the Bikini Chef on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.
See Mandie's Review of the Substitute yourself Skinny HERE

Date Night - How Do Tina Fey and Steve Carell Become Love Heroes?

In Date Night, the romantic comedy/action-adventure film, a self-proclaimed boring couple from New Jersey gain incentive to revive romance after their closest friends decide to split because they've become "excellent roommates" who "know each other too well."

The protagonists Phil and Claire Foster, played by Steve Carell and Tina Fey, also come to realize there are no surprises in their ho-hum marriage, in spite of their efforts to keep things fresh with a weekly date night.

Sadly, there's nothing fresh about Fosters date nights. They go to the same restaurant, eat the same meals and invent stale stories about the romantic status of couples at surrounding tables.

There's nothing refreshing about the Fosters' daily routines, waking before dawn to launch two young children into their school day and being exhausted by their day jobs, Claire as a broker hawking bargain basement mansions and Phil as a tax lawyer advising a sexy young couple to open an IRA with their tax refunds instead of blowing it on a vacation to make love on the beach.

Phil wisely senses that a reckless romance might be the antidote to their fading sex life and lackluster routines. So he shakes things up on their weekly date night by suggesting an impromptu dinner in Manhattan.

The Fosters dress up and drive an hour to reach the hot new restaurant where there's no chance of getting a table without making reservations a month in advance. When Phil hears that the Tripplehorns are a no-show for dinner, he happily hoists their identity to get their table.

The Fosters eagerly shed their old skin and savor one night of feeling new, where they don't talk about their kids or their deadlines for the coming week. As a dating and relationship coach, I often advise couples to try this at home--as a way to revive romance and spark surprises that boost excitement and fun. Fortunately for real-life couples, this scenario rarely produces risky plot twists that propel the comedic action-adventure film toward its romantic climax.

In Date Night, the Fosters are mistaken for the Tripplehorns--blackmailers who stole a flash-drive with incriminating info on the sleazy District Attorney--a powerful mobster (beefy Ray Liotta) assigns two corrupt cops to get back the flash drive and keep the D.A. under his thumb.

How does Date Night differ from the typical action-adventure film?

We identify with this average couple, endearingly portrayed by Tina and Steve; and we care what happens to them and their family life.

Claire Foster is a once successful real estate broker who recruits a sexy former NY client and renowned security expert (shirtless Mark Wahlberg) to help them clear up this mix up. Can they elude the corrupt cops and find the real Tripplehorns? Can they return the flash drive and go back to their cozy life in New Jersey?

The audience was rowdy with laughter while rooting for these unlikely action heroes to fulfill their mission and rescue their relationship as a bonus. Every couple could take the pulse of your relationship when you ask yourselves some key questions found in the film's climax:

"Would you do it again? You, me, the kids, all of it? Would you choose us again?"

If you can answer a whole-hearted YES, then you're already doing what it takes to spark a lasting fire of love with your partner.

What if your hum-drum relationship needs a romantic rescue like the Fosters in the film?

Consider some rescue techniques that might've helped the Fosters and then decide what might help you:

Will you--

* Wait till your relationship is on the brink of a break up before you shake things up with romantic surprises? 
* Show an interest in your partner's activities as a way to show support and deepen intimacy? 
* Compliment your partner for dressing up or making you feel special? 
* Give each other freedom to break old habits and build new talents? 
* Do a little role playing and make love outside or in new positions to keep things fresh? 
* Pose as an erotic dancer and devise a pole-dancing routine to rev up romance? 
* Maintain a sense of mystery in your bathroom rituals, to protect your partner from unattractive gas or slobbering mouth guards? 
* Find new ways to light up for each other, especially when duties and deadlines deplete your energy? 
* Work together as a team to resolve solve life's toughest challenges? 
* Help your partner plan a weekly date night where you're free to try something new and no one depends on you for anything but romantic fun?

Romantic fun and frequent laughter is what you'll experience while you watch Tina Fey and Steve Carell free their inner love hero--who's waiting to be uncovered inside each of us. Bravo to 20th Century Fox for inspiring couples to see your mate with new loving eyes during your own Date Nights.

And you'll get smart love tips in hundreds of my articles, radio shows and novel with songs, TRIBE OF BLONDES, available at http://tribeofblondes.com

Not a hair color, it's a resilient optimistic spirit that unites us, helps us overcome challenges and create happy relationships.

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Katy Perry Pro-active Contest and Giveaway!

Enter a chance to Katy Perry's autographed bike
when you join http://www.facebook.com/Proactiv




Proactive is also allowing Taking Time for Mommy to giveaway a Pro-active 3 Step System!!Mandatory Entry - Either 'Like' Proactive on Facebook or watch the video above and tell me something about it.
Extra Entry - Follow Taking Time for Mommy on Twitter HERE & tweet about it (can tweet once a day)
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Giveaway will end on June13th at 11:59pm. The winners will be chosen by random.org and emailed. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to U.S. residents 18+ only.  Disclosure - the products awarded are courtesy of Pro-active, no other compensation has been given

It's that time again - Bathing Suit Season

It's that time again. The time when some of us cringe because of the thought of wearing a bathing suit in public. I'm one of those but it's much easier when you find a suit that 'suits' your figure. I've always been a bikini kind of gal but now that I'm older I add the skirts or wear a monokini. (Although I LOVE LOVE the swimsuit above and I look great in red :)
I admit it can be hard finding a good bathing suit. I suggest shopping specialty shops to find a wide variety because Wal-mart just isn't going to do it. The bathing suits are also poorly made you'll be lucky if they last a season (At least as much as I wear a bathing suit!). We have tons of specialty shops around here in Florida.No bathing suit shop around you? Gosh, you've gotta love online shopping becuase you can find a variety of great quality swimsuits.
Where are the best Designer Swimwear Online? Well one that will price match of course. Remember I am still frugal and ALWAYS looking for the best deal. I don't mind spending a little money on a suit because I get great use out of it and need something quality that won't fall apart BUT I want the best deal possible.I found The Orchid Boutique, for swimsuits for women. If you find a swimwear item on sale discounted lower at another online store, send them the link and they will match the price. They even have a clearance section!

Baby Steps Part 4: Making it Part of Life

The other day I was grocery shopping, which isn’t unusual; no matter how much I plan, I end up at Publix or Super Target at least twice a week. But on this day, I was struck by a change in my shopping pattern. I looked down at my basket, and realized that I had almost no prepared foods in there. There were plenty of ingredients—very basic foods. I realized that I didn’t need to go down as many aisles in the grocery store, either. I stuck to the perimeter and the baking row (for flour, baking soda, etc.).

We’ve noticed a few other changes, too. When we might be tempted to go out to eat at a restaurant or bring in take out food, one of us usually finds an alternative at home instead. That’s both a money saver and good for us! And when we do go out, we’re much choosier, insisting on fresh, basic foods instead of fried fare.

Even recreational activities have been affected. We pack lunches for our Disney outings and other field trips. And when we spent a few days at the beach recently, we packed a cooler and several grocery bags of “good” food. We had fruit salsa, fresh mozzarella with tomatoes and other delicious snacks, which we kept in the hotel room. When anyone was hungry, there was food at the ready, good for us and at no additional expense!

Don’t get me wrong; we fall off the wagon occasionally, and when it happens, we try not to get too upset. We just get back on track as quickly as possible. And it’s always interesting to hear the kids talk about what eating “bad” food does to them, or how it makes them feel—there are headaches, stomach issues and sometimes just a general feeling of yukkiness. (That’s a medical term in our family!)

I mentioned shopping above. If you’ve been reading my articles all along, you’ll know that last summer we embarked on a couponing adventure. I have come to the conclusion that it is almost impossible—or at least impossible for ME—to coupon and to prepare healthy, whole foods on the regular basis. I still clip and organize my coupons, but I’ve found that very few are for products I feel comfortable buying. I still try to use coupons for cleaning products and other consumables, and I keep my eye open for healthy and safe ingredient specials. Coupon Queeny, whose site I have used frequently, has begun sharing info on coupons that can be used in stores like Whole Foods. So I think there is hope out there. . .

Has changing our way of eating helped my family? I would have to say yes. I love that my kids are aware of things like high fructose corn syrup, genetically modified foods and the like. I like how good I feel after eating a meal of non-processed foods. I’m in a good routine with my kefir, and I am slowly getting the hang of the kombucha, too. Like anything else worth doing, it takes time and requires planning, but so far, I’d call this experiment a resounding success.



Tawdra Kandle is stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of four children who range in age from 9 years to 21 years. She and her husband of over 22 years live in central Florida, where he is in seminary. Tawdra spends most of her precious free time writing and reading, and she loves to travel. She is also a resident writer for Taking Time for Mommy. View more of her Articles HERE. You can also follow Tawdra on twitter and her blog, Publishing Quest 

Boudreaux's butt paste FREE Sample!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boudreaux's Butt Paste. All opinions are 100% mine

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How to Help Your Child Conquer Shyness

I completely understand the effects of shyness on people in general and children specifically. I was very shy as a child and my timidity lasted well into my adulthood. I remember as a child wanting to participate in various activities, but did not because of fear. Although timidity is quite common place, it is imperative that it is kept in check, in order to ensure it is not hindering your child's social development. As a timid child, I often wish someone would recognize the issue and help me. Here are some tips to aid in assisting your Child in Conquering Shyness.

1. Compliment them: Reinforce the Positive

Most kids are shy as a result of negative thinking. They are thinking they are not good enough. They feel as everyone will laugh if they make a mistake. It is necessary to reinforce their positive attributes. Give them compliments as much as possible and be sincere.

2. Teach them: Communication is Key

Let them know it is okay to say "hello" to others. To ask "How are you doing?" Give practical advice such as showing sincerity and listening attentively. Even allow them to see you communicate with someone you do not know well. Let them know it is okay to inquire of other's interests.

3. Help them: Locate their interests

It is important to find out a timid child's interests. In some cases, some may need assistance in discovering their interests. Look for various activities in school and the community. Encourage your child to be a participant in them.

4. Notice them

Shy children have a tendency to endure unmet needs. Everyone wants to feel as if they are special, loved and that they belong. Set aside time each day to talk with your child. Discuss the day's events and their reactions/feelings toward them. It is extremely important that you make them feel valid and loved.

Timidity is very prevalent in our society. However, it is necessary to overcome in order to live a fulfilling life. It is even better if the issue of timidity is conquered at a young age.

Monique Willis invites parents to help their timid children become bold and active. Read "How to Help Your Child Overcome Shyness" and a wealth of other resources to aid in your child's social and academic development at http://www.tutorfi.com.
 Source

Guest post from Author R.C. Ryan

I had five children in nine years. When my husband and I married young, we both wanted a big family. Once the babies started coming, we had to grow up quickly. I learned, after the birth of my first baby, that I'd had no idea how much work I would do until I quit work to stay home and raise a family.

Let's talk multi-tasking. Mothers are experts at doing laundry, folding towels while listening to a child's faltering words as he learns to read, watching the clock while dinner cooks and helping a cranky child figure out homework in those first semesters of algebra; drive a son to basketball practice, drop off another at Scouting, and a third child at dance class, while trying to figure out the decorations for a five-year old's birthday party the following weekend.

When I started writing, I began with an hour a day. That was all the time I could afford in my crazy schedule. When I finally sold my first book and had a contract for another, I started setting my alarm for 4:00 am, so that I could have two hours of uninterrupted work before starting my 'real day'. That gradually grew to another 2 hours at night after helping the kids with their homework, cleaning up the kitchen, packing lunches for the next school day, and tucking them all into bed.

My kids are grown now, and my days are somewhat easier. I can work in my home office 9 to 5, and still have energy left over to be a wife. But I'm thankful for the lessons I was forced to learn by being an overworked mother of five. These were grand life-lessons that will stay with me forever. We women rock. We rule. And we're the queens of organization.

R. C. Ryan

Visit her Blog Tour & 5 Book Giveaway on Mommy Reads too Much

A Hidden Cause of Obesity

By Judith J. Wurtman, PhD,
Co-Author of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs -- Nature's Own Appetite Suppressant -- to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight Gain
I know it does no good to shout at a TV screen but I do it anyway. Watching advertisements for upcoming specials on "obesity in America" or "best diet tips" or "the best way to fight weight gain" provokes my on-going one-sided argument.

When I see doctors such as Dr. Oz or Dr. Gupta talk about weight-loss interventions and offer their support to individuals on their long journey to weight loss, I keep hoping they will at least occasionally focus on those individuals who gained weight from their medications. They never do. That is a real problem. For the 25% of the population whose use of antidepressants is causing them to gain weight, the doctors' wise and supportive words are irrelevant. Even the Queen of Weight-Loss Discussions, Oprah, has not addressed this serious issue and the silence from other media such as women's magazines is overwhelming. Yet it has been years since the SSRI's have been identified with weight gain and at least 40 years since drugs like lithium and the early group of antidepressants were known to be associated with obesity.

Discussions about antidepressants and weight gain are all over the Internet, from scholarly articles listing the many drugs that cause weight gain to blogs by those who are experiencing obesity from their use. Typical is one I came across on the website All Experts asking about the use of an amphetamine-like drug, phentermine, for weight loss. The female writer said she took phentermine and lost weight but stopped the drug because she needed to go on an antidepressant. She took Lexapro and gained 35 pounds, stopped that, started Prozac and gained another l0 pounds. Her desperation at gaining so much weight caused her to quit the antidepressants to go back on the amphetamine-like drug. She said her family is begging her to go back on her antidepressants and she wants to know if she can take phentermine along with her serotonin reuptake blocker, Prozac. According to the pharmacist-expert, she can't. The FDA prohibits combining an amphetamine-like drug such as phentermine with an SSRI because it might lead to serious illness or even death. The writer is clearly upset by the answer and it is possible she will still take the phentermine because losing weight is more critical than a possible lethal side effect. Her problem, which is so typical of many on similar drugs, is greeted by silence from media experts on obesity.

What is equally upsetting about our national discussions on obesity is the finger pointing at someone who is 100 or more pounds heavier than he or she should because of treatment with mood stabilizers or atypical antipsychotics. We see someone morbidly obese and immediately assume that the individual is obese because of bad food choices, eating too much and lack of exercise. We don't understand that the individual may have been thin before going on the medication, and may have always eaten healthily and exercised. Unless we are on similar medications ourselves, we would not know how it feels to have an antidepressant or mood stabilizer take away our control over eating and leave us so tired we cannot bring ourselves to exercise. Medication-generated weight gain is almost never acknowledged in the seemingly endless national discussions about the obesity epidemic, in the monthly magazine diets or the seasonal focus on weight-loss by television's medical experts.

The lack of attention paid to this problem in the media has led some, like the overweight blogger, to seek out solutions such as taking drugs that are potentially dangerous. Others may despair at following the diet advice given on television and in magazines because much of it doesn't work for people on antidepressants. And some, of course, will give up their medications because the emotional pain of being obese is worse than the emotional pain of depression.

Yet the solution to losing weight while on antidepressants is easy and simple. It simply requires knowing that brain serotonin does more than regulate mood. It also regulates appetite.

When enough serotonin is made, eating stops. Drugs such as the SSRI's may promote the activity of mood-enhancing serotonin but for reasons we do not understand the same drugs may prevent the activity of the class of serotonin that enhances satiety. Giving more drugs to shut off the appetite is not possible because there are no drugs right now that are safe and effective.

Decades ago, MIT researchers showed that consuming carbohydrates without protein triggers the production of serotonin. When this happens food intake slows down or stops. The solution to losing weight on antidepressants is to eat snacks or meals based on non-fruit carbohydrate like pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, cereal, and cornmeal. These foods, by eliciting normal insulin secretion, increase the amount of tryptophan in the brain. Tryptophan is an amino acid that goes into the production of serotonin. Once made, serotonin increases satiety and turns off the urge to eat anymore. We utilized this approach in a hospital-based weight-loss center whose patients had gained weight on antidepressants, mood stabilizers and atypical antipsychotic medication. (This is described in our book, The Serotonin Power Diet.) Unlike phentermine or other drugs that may cause serious side effects, the only side effect from using carbohydrate as an appetite suppressant is weight loss.

© 2010 Judith J. Wurtman, PhD, co-author of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs -- Nature's Own Appetite Suppressant -- to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight Gain
Author Bio
Judith J. Wurtman, PhD, co-author of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs -- Nature's Own Appetite Suppressant -- to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight Gain, has discovered the connection between carbohydrate craving, serotonin, and emotional well-being in her MIT clinical studies. She received her PhD from George Washington University, is the founder of a Harvard University hospital weight-loss facility and counsels private weight management clients. She has written five books, including The Serotonin Solution, and more than 40 peer-reviewed articles for professional publications. She lives in Miami Beach, Florida.

For more information, please visit www.SerotoninPowerDiet.com.

Remove Pesticides from Fruits and Vegetables

To remove pesticides, bacteria, and dirt form the surface of smooth skinned vegetables and fruits, mix one part lemon juice or white or distilled vinegar to three parts tap water. Apply with a spray bottle and let sit for one minute. Rinse with cool water and dry completely before storing.
Learn more tips like this from 101 Things I learned in Culinary School
3 Book Giveaway on Mommy Reads too Much.

“My Mini Moment” contest, what's yours?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dove Ice Cream. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I saw this contest I instantly thought This is what Taking Time for Mommy is all about. How moms need to take and cherish those little moments, our little moments, every chance we get! How do you take yours? I celebrate with a good book, chocolate, a glass of wine, playing in my garden... How about you?
DOVE® Ice Cream Miniatures has launched the “My Mini Moment” contest. DOVE® Ice Cream is asking women to share their favorite mini moment of escape and one lucky winner could win one of 3 sensational mini-grand prizes: a mini-getaway to Napa Valley, Spa services for a year or a mini-home makeover. Women need to submit a photo and short essay at DoveIceCream.com/myminimoment by June 7, 2010 (include attached photo of contest microsite)
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“Me-time” is important to the Dove consumers, so DOVE® Ice Cream Miniatures conducted a survey of over 400 mothers and an astonishing 70 percent of these ultimate multi-taskers are taking time for themselves each day. I for one, think that's how we keep our sanity! The "My Mini Moment" contest celebrates these cherished moments.
Everyone has their own idea of what their favorite min-escape would be. That’s why DOVE® Ice Cream Miniatures has given you three luxuriously indulgent choices. (I'd be happy with any of these choices!!) 

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Tips For Giving Meds to Kids

Sometimes a child needs to be administered some medicine, but often kids are unwilling to take it. The following is a list of tips for giving meds to kids:

Tip one: Don't tell them it is candy. If you do, you run the risk of your child overdosing on the medication, or wanting it when they are not feeling ill. Lying to your child is not a good idea, so make sure that you give them medication under no false pretenses. It is best to let them know that they are sick, and that it will help them to feel better.

Tip two: Make it easy to get in. One of the problems with medication is that it can be difficult for the child to take; a child is not easily able to swallow a pill. So, choosing chewable tablets, or liquid medication can really help. For infants younger than six months, a syringe or calibrated eyedropper does well. For older, choose a method that will work for them.

Tip three: Choose medicine that appeals to them. If your child does not like cherry flavoring, don't try and give them cherry medication. Most medicines come in a variety of flavors, from bubblegum to grape, and more.

Tip four: Give your child some control and choices. Most children do not like to be forced to do anything, especially not when it is something like taking medicine. If you give them a bit of a choice, there is a much better chance that they will take their medication. For example, you can say, "When do you want to take it? Now? Or, after lunch?" You can say things like, "Which color of medicine would you like?" This will give them a small choice to make, and help them feel more in control, and thus more willing to comply with what you want.

Tip five: Show them how to take medicine by example. Often a child fears taking medicine because it is unknown to them, so a better option is to let them see you taking medicine. You can simply take a multi-vitamin, or calcium chew; it does not have to be actual prescription or medicine, it just has to be something that your child can see you take so that they feel comfortable taking their medication as well.

When giving a child medicine it is important to make sure that they eat it, but to also follow the dosing and instructions. Make sure they take it with food if they need to. Make sure you do not open pills and mix it with food unless it says you can. Never try and trick your child into taking medication or they will think that it is something they don't want to do and that is why you have to trick them. Help them understand it, and make it as tasty and appealing as possible.

Beverly Frank is mom to two young kids and a writer. Visit http://www.surfnetparents.com for more parenting advice and ideas.
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Chocolate, Depression and PMS

By Judith J. Wurtman, PhD,
Co-author of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs -- Nature's Own Appetite Suppressant -- to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight Gain
A research team from San Diego reported recently that people who are depressed eat more chocolate than non-depressed individuals. Although this news might surprise men, any woman who has experienced premenstrual syndrome takes this for granted. PMS and chocolate cravings go together like peanut butter and jelly or fireworks and the 4th of July. An editor of a woman's magazine told me years ago that she always knew when she was premenstrual because she was unable to walk by a gourmet chocolate shop next to her office without going in and buying a large chocolate bar. "The crankiness, fatigue, confusion and depression come later on," she told me. "The craving for chocolate is always there first. I remember once longing for a chocolate ice cream while sitting through a formal three-course dinner and after-dinner speaker. The food served at the meal did not tempt me at all but as soon as I could leave, I headed for the nearest ice cream shop. Sure enough, I was premenstrual."

The association between chocolate craving and premenstrual syndrome has been known for decades and theories promoted to explain this relationship tended toward the fanciful or bizarre: hysterical personality, malfunction of the reproductive organs or water on the brain. Moreover, because doctors noted that the women eating the chocolate were bad-tempered, depressed or confused, they concluded that the chocolate was making them that way. As recently as 10 to 15 years ago, chocolate-craving premenstrual women were told that eating chocolate, and indeed any sweet food, would make their moods worse and to eat only fruits, vegetables and lean protein. This advice can still be found in some women's health and fitness magazines. Not only is it wrong but any premenstrual women who follows it will gnash her teeth over being denied her chocolate.

There is a good reason why women with PMS go out in a blizzard to get chocolate or eat a dinner of melted chocolate on a chocolate brownie sitting on chocolate ice cream. The chocolate was making them feel better, not worse.

The improvement in mood is due to chocolate's substantial sugar content and, to a small extent, the caffeine-like ingredient is also contains. Because chocolate has a creamy texture, we are unaware of how much sugar it contains. But anybody who has accidentally mistaken baking chocolate for the eating kind knows the difference; baking chocolate is incredibly bitter. Sugar is a simple carbohydrate and when sugar of any carbohydrate, except that found in fruit, is eaten without protein, the body responds by making new serotonin in the brain. To be sure the flavor and mouth-feel of chocolate starts the eater on the road to a good mood. But the immediate sensations on the taste buds quickly disappear, whereas the relief from irritation, agitation and fatigue may last for a couple of hours.

Several years ago at the MIT clinical research center, we carried out some extremely complicated studies with premenstrual women to show scientifically that eating a brownie or even a bowl of starchy carbohydrate like cornflakes relieves that mood and eating disturbances of PMS. To begin with, we found that normal weight women may increase their calorie intake by more than 1100 calories a day when they are premenstrual compared to when they are in the first half of their menstrual cycle. And to no one's surprise, these calories came from sweet and starchy snacks and starchy meal food, and not from chicken, fish or cottage cheese. We also found the anger, confusion, depression, anxiety and cravings of PMS became more tolerable after women consumed a beverage containing a mixture of carbohydrates. When they drank a beverage containing protein, there was no improvement in how they felt. They did not know what they were drinking and the two beverages tasted exactly the same.

For reasons we still don't understand, hormonal changes associated with the menstrual cycle affect serotonin activity. This also may be true for women who are pre-menopausal. When our premenstrual volunteers ate carbohydrates, their brain cells made more serotonin and this chemical messenger brought the women back to feeling normal. An extra bonus was that they lost their intense cravings for carbohydrate so those who were trying to lose weight felt their appetite was under control.

Just to be sure that serotonin was the main actor in all this, we also carried out more studies with one of the antidepressant drugs that activated serotonin. We found that a short bout of treatment with the drug improved the moods of women who had severe PMS and this actually led to drug companies using some antidepressants for the extreme form of this disorder.

Obviously someone on a diet, or even not on a diet, cannot live on a meal plan consisting of chocolate Cheerios for breakfast, a chocolate bar between two slices of bread for dinner (they do eat this in Switzerland) and a bowl of hot fudge sauce for dinner when she has PMS.

But as long as portion control is monitored, fat is decreased as much as possible (for example, fat-free fudge sauce) and a vitamin pill is taken, no real nutritional harm will come from a once-a-month indulgence in this wonderful mood food. However, all carbohydrates except fructose (fruit sugar) will produce the same beneficial effect on premenstrual mood. If you find that your mood is bearable in the early part of the day but intolerable by afternoon eat your protein, vegetables and dairy products for breakfast and lunch and switch to carbohydrates from 3 pm on. This way your nutritional and emotional needs will be met. Rather than dreading PMS, think about chocolate and look forward to it.

© 2010 Judith J. Wurtman, PhD, co-author of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs -- Nature's Own Appetite Suppressant -- to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight Gain
Author Bio
Judith J. Wurtman, PhD, co-author of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs -- Nature's Own Appetite Suppressant -- to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight Gain, has discovered the connection between carbohydrate craving, serotonin, and emotional well-being in her MIT clinical studies. She received her PhD from George Washington University, is the founder of a Harvard University hospital weight-loss facility and counsels private weight management clients. She has written five books, including The Serotonin Solution, and more than 40 peer-reviewed articles for professional publications. She lives in Miami Beach, Florida.

For more information, please visit www.SerotoninPowerDiet.com.

Vote for our Writer Tawdra!

Vote for our very own Tawdra Kandle in this Fabulous over Forty Contest from More Magazine!Here!

Guest Post from Author Robin Wells

It’s only fitting that my book, Still the One, is coming out in May, because May is Mother’s Day Month. The book is about Katie Charmaine, a small-town hairdresser who wants, more than anything, to be a mother. She’d given up a baby for adoption as a teenager, and although she was sure she’d made the right decision for the child, her heart had always felt the loss. As the book opens, it’s two years since her husband died in Iraq. She thinks that along with the love her life, she’s lost her chance at motherhood.

Imagine her shock when her first love, Zack Ferguson, shows up in town. Zack left town abruptly after sharing a single night of passion with Katie when they were both teenagers. Zack is not alone; he’s accompanied by Gracie, the daughter Katie last saw in the delivery room seventeen years ago. Gracie’s adoptive parents have died in a car crash. She’s got a smart mouth, a bad attitude---and a baby on the way.

I usually write romantic comedy, and although there are lots of humorous moments in this book, this novel touches on some deep issues. The romance between Zack and Katie deals with teen pregnancy, grief, loneliness and loss, and the secondary romance between Katie’s mother-in-law and father-in-law deals with divorce, infidelity, alcoholism and aging.

It’s not a dark book by any means, but it explores the complexity of relationships -- and there’s no relationship more complex than that of mothers and daughters! I wanted to write about how there are two sides to every story, and how everyone’s perceptions are colored by their own personal histories. I also wanted to write about the need to forgive not only others but ourselves, about the redeeming power of love, and about the importance of finding humor in even the worst situations.

I hope you’ll pick up a copy and read it for yourself--then I hope you’ll my website, robinwells.com, and share you thoughts about it. If you belong to a book club, you’ll find some discussion questions on my website.

Happy Mother’s Day, and happy reading!  Read Mandie's Review on Mommy Reads too Much 

Kombucha Tea

Is it just me, or does it sound as though I’m swearing in a foreign tongue when I say that word? Kombucha!

When I first heard someone mention kombucha months ago, I had no idea what they were talking about. Then a few friends brought along their kombucha tea to a meeting, and I tried some. It wasn’t bad. It was different, but it wasn’t bad.

More recently, as I poured over Sally Fallon’s excellent book Nourishing Traditions, I read more about this beverage. It is in fact tea-based. Kombucha tea is a fermented beverage that first was consumed in east Asia before it was introduced to Germany in the early part of the twentieth century.

The benefits associated with kombucha all come from anecdotal experience. People who love the tea claim that it boosts immunity, aids digestion and prevents both hair loss and grayness. For me, it was the digestion aid and probiotics that caught my attention. Now that I’d mastered the whole kefir routine, how hard could it be to brew some tea, right?

HA! I soon learned. I casually mentioned to whole foods guru Lee that I might want to give kombucha a try, and she quickly offered to allow me to “mother sit” her kombucha mushroom while she was in Europe. Sounded okay, although I wasn’t quite certain what “mother sitting” would involve.

A few days before her departure, Lee arrived at my house with a cooler and her arms full of stuff. She handed me a box of tea, a box of organic sugar and a large glass canister. Within the cooler was a glass bowl that contained the mother.

I don’t know that I could do justice to the description of a kombucha mother mushroom, or SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) as it is called more accurately, so I’ve included a picture here. Suffice it to say that I was a bit taken aback. While it’s called a mushroom, it’s actually a gelatinous mass of bacteria and yeast. Fun!

Lee gave me my instructions, and there I was, ready to brew and mother sit. A few days later, I began the process.

First, it’s extremely important to keep everything associated with the tea and brewing as sterile as possible. We’re dealing with bacteria here, and you don’t want the wrong bacteria crashing your kombucha party. The first thing I did was boil water, about a gallon of it. I used the black tea bags to brew the tea, and I added a cup of organic sugar to the pot. Once it had cooled, I poured just under a gallon of the sweet tea into the glass canister. I removed the kombucha mother from the fridge and carefully slid her into the top of the tea-filled canister.

Now it was all up to her. I covered the canister loosely with a cotton dishtowel and hid it in a dark corner of my kitchen counter.
Four days later, with no small amount of trepidation, I uncovered the canister. I gingerly slid the mother, still floating serenely on the surface of the tea, back into her small glass bowl along with about half cup of the tea.

I poured about a ½ cup of fruit juice—I used cranberry—into six quart jars. Then I ladled the tea—now kombucha—into each jar, leaving a small amount of breathing room on the top. I put lids on the jars and moved them to the same hiding place the mother had just vacated. Two days later, the jars were ready to move to the fridge for chilling.

Now was the crucial moment—tasting. I was pretty nervous; after all, it kind of looked as though this stuff had gone bad. There was a film on top of the jar I opened. Bravely I skimmed it off, poured the kombucha into a cup. . .and took a sip.

Hmmm. It wasn’t bad. In fact, it was good. Really good. Encouraged, I called my oldest daughter over and had her take a sip. To her credit, she didn’t hesitate, and with a surprised expression, she agreed that it was good.

“But just don’t sniff it first,” she advised everyone else. “Just drink it.”

The real test was my husband. He is very particular about what he drinks, but he drank a little and told me he liked it. I could tell he was pretty surprised, too!

So the kombucha brewing was a success. Well. . .mostly. When Lee came home, she separated a layer from the SCOBY so that I could have my own “mother”. (Yes, the mother has babies, and you can share and pass on your babies. True story.) My second batch was also good. I’m drinking at least one glass of the kombucha a day. My oldest daughter has had a little now and then. The rest of the kids are steering clear for the moment, and my husband, while he enjoyed it, isn’t exactly seeking it out in place of his Arnold Palmers.

And here are the disclaimers. Kombucha brewing isn’t that complicated really, but it does take a time commitment. We had company come into town and it put a crimp in my kombucha schedule. And it should be understood that some medical professionals doubt the validity of the health claims surrounding the tea and have advised caution, as over use might lead to some difficulties (check out the NY Times article at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/fashion/25Tea.html ). It’s important to be scrupulous about cleanliness when brewing your own.

I would rate the kombucha experiment as a partial success. I’m enjoying it, and I don’t mind the little bit of work that goes into making it, but in my family, it hasn’t caught on the way kefir has.

Give it time though. Give it time.

(For more information on kombucha and how to start your own, the best website is:
http://www.foodrenegade.com/how-to-brew-kombucha-double-fermentation-method/ )

Tawdra Kandle is stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of four children who range in age from 9 years to almost 21 years. She and her husband of over 22 years live in central Florida, where he is in seminary. Tawdra spends most of her precious free time writing and reading, and she loves to travel. She is also a resident writer for Taking Time for Mommy. View more of her Articles HERE. You can also follow Tawdra on twitter and her blog, Publishing Quest

How to Achieve a Heaven on Earth on Mother's Day

By John E. Wade II,
Editor of How to Achieve Heaven on Earth: 101 insightful essays from the world's greatest thinkers, leaders and writers

A perfect gift for Mother's Day could be the exciting, optimistic and ambitious book, How to Achieve a Heaven on Earth. It contains essays of hope and promise, something that mothers embody as they introduce new life into our world.

Women today, especially in the United States, are accomplishing more and more in field after field of human endeavor. They can be the leaders in recognizing the ambitious and awesome possibilities in such a gift.

I believe ten elements will be included in a heaven on earth: peace, security, freedom, democracies, prosperity, spiritual harmony, racial harmony, ecological harmony and health as well as moral purpose and meaning. Each of these categories in the book is supported by essays as well as one more category, Individual Paths to Heaven on Earth. Women will be an integral part of this hopeful process with a book that outlines the goals, obstacles, means and faith to attain that ultimate destiny.

Contributors to the book include Presidents Obama and Bush, Vice President Al Gore, Tony Blair and a host of notables and ordinary people who have extraordinary things to say.

Let me give you some specifics from two of the 101 essays from the world's greatest thinkers, leaders and writers that will show you how mothers will be thrilled to read and devour this book.

A heart-rending essay is "Many Mothers" by Maida Rogerson, a wonderful person whom I have met who wrote about a Santa Fe charity. It starts with this: "Imagine. You've just had your first baby. Your husband is in a new job and doesn't have a lot of time for you. You've moved away from your extended family. Suddenly, there you are, you and your beautiful baby, home, alone. Your baby starts to cry, and you're dead tired and all you want to do is cry yourself, and you have no one to turn to."

That's where Many Mothers comes in with " . . . volunteers of grandmothers, aunts, businesswomen and often other mothers." . . . "Knowing that bonding and attachment in infancy are necessary to create healthy adults," the charity acts by nurturing the mother. The chores are broad -- cleaning and other mundane tasks may be part of the volunteer's normal duties. The joy of helping mothers goes in all directions just as you would expect in a heaven on earth.

In "Women Who Never Give Up," Sharon L. Davie visits a women's cooperative in Kenya. She explains that such groups " . . . come together with serious purpose . . . and number in the tens of thousands, with millions of individual women involved." This is not a new phenomenon, but has existed throughout Kenya's history in one form or another.

In their society " . . . most women cannot inherit or buy land, so they bought their house as a collective." Gradually they bought " . . . a cow -- which led to shared milk, calves, then chickens and eggs, and finally a mill to grind their maize and millet."

When asked if men could have such a cooperative, "The whole group [women in the cooperative] laughed uproariously. They thought that was a ridiculous idea. 'They would drink up all the money!' they said."

Asked about violence, " . . . they told of the woman in the next village who was being brutally beaten by her husband, over and over. She ran away -- not something that women do, they said. Men can beat women and they must stay." Eventually, the group helped the woman and even assisted her in building a house.

Women will no doubt assume greater and greater roles throughout the world as their unique talents go beyond the survival stage such as some in Kenya, on the striving stage which is being demonstrated day by day, to the thriving stage, which will be part of the path toward a heaven on earth.

Happy Mother's Day

Copyright © 2010 John E. Wade II, editor of How to Achieve Heaven on Earth: 101 insightful essays from the world's greatest thinkers, leaders and writers

Author Bio
John E. Wade II, editor of How to Achieve Heaven on Earth: 101 insightful essays from the world's greatest thinkers, leaders and writers, is an author, investor, philanthropist, and founder of the nonprofit organization Soldiers of Love. An active member of his church and civic organizations in his area, Wade holds an M.A. from the University of Georgia and has worked in a range of fields. His extensive travels, including visits to China, India, Egypt, Israel, Syria, Jordan, and Brazil, inspired him to collect the essays in this work. Wade lives in New Orleans, Louisiana.
For more information, please visit www.HeavenOnEarth.org.

Gourmet Roasted Tomato Chili Chicken Wrap

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hormel Foods. All opinions are 100% mine.


 Hormel has been around forever! In the 30s, characters Jiggs and Maggie from “Bringing Up Father” were used in Dinty Moore® advertisements. Later, a lumber jack character was introduced, proclaiming “First name’s Dinty, last name’s Moore,” who placed his signature thumbprint on every can. Utilizing celebrities proved to be a popular route in promoting Hormel® chili. Ray Milland, star of “Copper Canyon,” appeared in print ads. In the 80s, pro football player Fran Tarkenton was tapped to promote Hormel® chili.
 From the classic Hormel® chili con carne to new, premium Hormel® Chili Master™ varieties such as white chicken chili and roasted tomato, and from Dinty Moore® cans to new Dinty Moore® HeartyMeals™ varieties such as chicken pot pie and noodles and beef, the brands continue to expand their product offerings while remaining family favorites in cabinets across the country.
Dinty Moore(R) and Hormel(R) chili celebrate their 75th Anniversary. Check out these cool commercials!I love Vintage! The brand has changed so much over the years.What's your favorite Hormel Dinty Moore Ad? I love the Dinty Moore BeefStew Comic Ads.

 Here is a recipe I created using the new Hormel Roasted Tomato Chili Master.
Gourmet Roasted Tomato Chili Chicken Wrap
What you need-Sliced ChickenSauteed MushroomsMozzarella CheeseHormel's New Roasted Tomato Chili MasterSpinach - Sauteed with Garlic or Raw Whole Wheat or Spinach Wrap
Take the Roasted Tomato Sauce and Spoon it onto your wrap layer remaining ingredients and pop into oven, toaster, or grill.As long as it's melted it's all Good!EnjoyThis is my favorite way to eat Hormel Chili, what's yours?Check out recipes http://www.hormelrecipes.com

hormel

My $60 Electric Bill

I opened my electric bill the other day and it was $60. It has even gotten as low as $47. Sometimes I get calls from companies who want to show me how to save money on my electric bill but when I tell them what I pay they laugh and tell me they couldn't help me.
How is my electric bill so low? Well, it's a combination of things.
My home is on the smaller side so naturally, that helps BUT to counter that, it is older and the homes now are a lot more efficient. So if you are in a newer home, you can save more. I live in Florida. The Winters are usually mild so we don't use the heat or a/c.This winter however was a lot colder and we used the heat. Our bill was around $120, we only used the heat at night and just put more clothes on. We also use thermal curtains to keep the heat in. During the Spring and Fall I keep the windows open. Sure I have to dusk a lot more but the breeze feels so nice.Summer, well I am in Florida so that a/c comes on when I'm not at the beach.
During the day we don't use lights. We open our curtains for natural light.In the evening we don't use many lights. When we are finished in a room, the light goes off.After the children go to bed we use our light on a dimmer or pendant lights while watching t.v.
I wash everything in cold. They even make special detergents for that. You are suppose to save $10 a load by washing in cold. Sounds good for me!
During the summer I hang my clothes outside. I wait until they are almost dry then bring them back in and toss them in the dryer with a fabric sheet for a little bit. They don't get that nasty tought feel clothes usually getbeing hung out on the line.
I LOVE to cook but we don't bake too much, only occassionally.We grill a lot outside too so that helps with our electric bill. 
I don't use a microwave and when my coffee (decaf for me :) or hot water is finished brewingI transfer it to a large thermas to keep it hot and turn the coffee maker off. The coffee maker staying on keeping your coffee warm is just wasting energy and do that day after day it really adds up.
These are just simple things you can do. You can even take it further and get an energy efficient water heater or put a timer on yours. I do neither although I should.  Hope I helped and hope you see your bill coming down soon.