New Year’s Eve – a sparkly dress, a glittering party, a bubbly drink, and if you’re lucky, a kiss that lingers past midnight. What better way to send off 2009 (good riddance!) and ring in the next decade?

Yet, anyone who’s experienced a New Year’s Eve knows the expectations are higher than for almost any other night of the year – and the pressures, dangers, and stresses are doubled as well.

Whether it’s how to tell your boyfriend that you’d like to remain a virgin into 2010, or that tonight’s the night to try something new, it’s important to have a plan for how you want your night to go. No matter if you’re standing in Times Square watching the ball drop, dancing your way into 2010, or hosting your own bash, here are some tips for a safe, sexy New Year’s night:

Make your resolutions. Decide before you head out for the night how far you’re willing to go with your partner. Is the midnight kiss enough or are you ready to head back to someone’s house for more? It’s easier to stick to decisions you’ve made before alcohol and the spirit of the night carries you away. Don’t be afraid to make your intentions known before the evening gets underway – your partner will respect you more for being firm in your choices.

Stock up on a Plan A and Plan B. The hours before the party are for making sure you look hot in your outfit, not for running around town looking for rubbers. Go to the drugstore the day before to get condoms, lube and anything else you’ll want to spice up the evening. While you’re there, stop at the pharmacy counter and pick up Plan B One Step, the new one-pill emergency contraception that can be taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sex. You always plan to have safe sex, but even the best- made plans can go awry – Plan B One Step is just one pill, you can get it from the pharmacist without a prescription if you’re 17 or older, and the sooner you take it, the more effective it is.

So this is what FourSquare is for! Map out your party route ahead of time and decide early where you’ll be waking up in 2010. If you plan to hop from bash to bash, make sure you leave each location with the same crew you arrived with. Never leave a friend (or even a friend and her date) alone at a party. Keep in touch by text to see when people are ready to move on – and be careful about posting your movements on Facebook and to your Twitter feed. What may seem like a fun running timeline could read like a road map to a stalker.

Have some Spirit Sense. If you’re going to drink, don’t be stupid – make sure you have a designated driver or chip in for a group cab. The same rules you use at a frat party apply tenfold on New Year’s Eve: don’t accept a drink from anyone you don’t know and never leave it unattended. If a friend starts showing symptoms that go beyond buzzed – nausea, dizziness, hallucinations, loss of consciousness – seek medical attention immediately and tell the EMS you suspect she may have ingested a date rape drug.

Think about tomorrow. If you do plan to drink, be nice to yourself beforehand. Have a good dinner and make sure to drink one glass of water for every alcoholic beverage you consume. If you think there’s a chance of a New Year’s Day hangover, put some Gatorade in your fridge (it’s all about the electrolytes – most of the pain of a hangover is from the dehydration)—and put some aspirin next to your bed before you head out for the night.

It is that time of year again when the gorilla pull of cravings for sweet holiday foods can prove overwhelming. When individuals who have made solid commitments to eat a nutritious whole foods diet come face to face with a barrage of cookies, cakes, chocolates and candies in the office, at home, and in the classroom; the stress can give some people no choice but to cave into the temptation.

Now, that can also be a great excuse for the classic, Oh, what the hell, moment and dive head first into the candy dish. I do realize that confronting holiday temptations may be more than mere mortals can endure; and yet we create the environment that puts us right into that place we have no business being. Your heart says no, no, while your brain says Oh why not have just a little and then I will never eat chocolate, cookies, cake, candy, again. It’s those little white lies we tell ourselves that start the whole snowball rolling down hill. Perhaps if you step out of the box and change your perspective you may be able to modify your behavior enough to get you through the holidays without to much damage to your waistline.

1. Emotional Eating: “I am really struggling with food, I’m back to my old eating habits and as a result my weight is up and my energy and self-esteem are down. I know I need to just do it, but I’m really resisting.”

Take a moment, seriously now, stop, sit down in a quiet place and ask yourself why you are resisting? Are you angry with someone? Bored with your life? Frazzled beyond the normal? Is food just placating something deeper that needs to be addressed? Answer the questions of why first and then begin to consider some alternatives to over eating. Such as dealing with the unpleasant situation, becoming more active in your life, reducing the stress and making time for yourself. Most importantly get back into the kitchen and create some healthy body balancing meals.

2. Sugar Blues: “I just got word that I am pre-diabetic and I know it is from eating sugar and refined carbohydrates. How do I get my blood sugar back to normal?”

America, 2010, tied up with a candy cane bow and weighing in with 125 pounds of refined sugar under each belt. Sugar makes food taste good, and makes you feel good by raising your brain chemicals, serotonin and beta-endorphins to a dramatic high. Problem is what goes up, must come crashing down producing unstable blood sugar levels with a nasty mood in the bargain. Best to raise your blood sugar gradually by using healthier forms of sweeteners in moderation. It’s not necessary to go cold turkey and cut out sugar altogether, unless a medical condition demands you do so; instead incorporate sweeteners such as organic maple syrup, unrefined honey, rice syrup, agave syrup, stevia and xylitol into your holiday desserts. Then bring these with you to work and/or social occasions to share with others. “Be the change you want to see in the world” may have been Gandhi speaking about peaceful resolution to conflict, but I have always understood it to mean everything that I do in my life, including the food I share with others during the holidays.

3. Work Stress: “I need to really get back on track with my eating habits. Work continues to be insane and three weeks ago we had another lay off and 14 people lost their jobs.The two absolute devils for me are decaf coffee and sweets.”

Here’s another instance when taking a moment to sit and observe your fear and anxiety can reveal some profound insights and solutions. You might begin by asking yourself what is the worst that can happen? If the worse thing is that you lose your job, can you see it as an opportunity disguised as loss? Visualize the kind of life you could create for yourself if you were not working insane hours under a constant threat of being laid off. Once you see that you can survive the worst your imagination has to offer your nervous system can find some respite and you can stop pushing down your fears with food.

4. Pleasure-Pain: “I was sick, in pain, going through chemotherapy, and the doctor told me not to worry about what I ate, so I just let go of all my discipline and now, 30 pounds later, I feel worse than ever.”

Let’s face it, food is instant pleasure. Our brain chemistry responds to this pleasure chemically, emotionally and physically within seconds of placing that morsel into your mouth. In fact, the research on chocolate alone has it increasing endorphins in the brain that mimic feelings of being in love, or put another way, mimics the way we feel following sexual orgasm. How’s that for pleasure?

The good news is that we need pleasure in our over stressed lives, the bad news is we suffer when the pleasure is removed. The cycle of desire and loss is a classic teaching in some religions. The Buddhist defines “suffering” not just as a physical pain of the body, but also the discontent our minds are afflicted with most of our waking day. The immediate pleasure of food becomes a habitual exercise in confronting our discontent. Rather than give in let the thought of eating pass you by. A thought lasts a mere 1/25 of a second and it is only when we grab on to that fleeting thought and follow it all the way to our chocolate stash do we allow our cravings to control us.

Meditation is a powerful tool we can use to attain freedom from the habits of our minds. However, the liberation does not happen overnight. It is a matter of practice, effort, awareness and staying present to our actions that will bring about results. The greatest battles we face in life are always with ourselves and our relationship to food is a constant reminder of how we can live with integrity in the world. When I am confronted with foods I find difficult to resist I tell myself that I am free to eat that piece of chocolate, or second helping or whatever it is that calls me so strongly, but I choose not to do so right now. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, or even an hour later, but by then the thought has passed and my mind is engaged elsewhere.

Source: Care2.com
Who loves us more than Santa? Who do we love more in return? Yet Santa is not just a jolly old guy in a red outfit. He is a true Yogi — someone who embodies love, generosity and great wisdom. The figure of Santa is a remarkable example of such qualities, which we may all want to emulate:

1. He makes us do good and feel good. Now that’s a big one, as many of us can get caught up during this time and act selfishly or crabby.

2. He gives, endlessly, to everyone, without discrimination, all over the world, all at pretty much the same time. This indicates a truly generous heart, one that takes great joy in giving, without needing to receive.

3. Yet he does not give blindly. Rather he judges what is the most appropriate gift for each. This shows great discernment, as giving needs wisdom in order to be of most benefit.

4. He encourages rituals and invokes magic in every child’s life: letter writing, stocking filling, decorations, parades, milk and cookies. Ritual is an essential part of honoring that which is greater than us, and magic is the beauty of the unknown.

5. He listens to our pleas and requests and reads our letters. He takes the time to hear us and pays attention, which most of us could do a lot more of.

6. He has great psychic powers: he flies in the sky with reindeer, descends chimneys without getting covered in soot, goes by many names and forms, and is extraordinarily elusive. Has anyone actually ever seen him?

7. He knows where we live. In other words, he is inside every one of us.

8. Most importantly, he lifts our spirits at the darkest time, bringing us laughter and joy, which is undoubtedly the greatest gift of all.

Through giving to others, a la Santa, we get away from selfishness and neediness, and in the process see our own self-centeredness in greater perspective. It connects us to the basic goodness within us, a quality of kindness that is easy to lose touch with. Giving–whether a smile, our time, a listening ear, food or material gifts–is profoundly joyful, both to the one who is receiving and the one who is giving. The essence of this is an open heart, a free mind, and a blissful spirit.

If you haven’t any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble. -Bob Hope

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. -Winston Churchill

True generosity is giving without any thought of getting or receiving; it is unconditional, unattached, free to land wherever it will. Through giving and sharing in this way, we soon find that we do not lose anything; we do not have any less. Rather, we gain so much.

At a booksigning in California, Ed was chatting with a man who was training to be a Zen priest. Shortly afterwards, we left to get something to eat at a Chinese restaurant across the street. As we were eating, the man Ed had been talking to came in, nodded to us, then walked to the back of the restaurant. A while later he came back. As he passed our table he stopped and simply said, “Your dinner is paid for.” Then he left. We were stunned by such a kind and generous act, and the warm memory of it has stayed with us.

Has the spirit of Santa Claus made an appearance in your life lately? Do you have any great Santa stories?

By Becky Striepe, Green Options

There are lots of ecofriendly gift wrap options out there if you’re feeling the traditional, paper wrapping thing. If you want to branch out a bit, though, you might try wrapping some gifts this year using the traditional Japanese method furoshiki. Here’s how!

Rather than paper that gets tossed after a single use, furoshiki involves wrapping gifts in beautiful cloth that can be used over and over again! The Japanese Ministry of the Environment has a great visual guide showing how to wrap all sorts of gift items.

For a little more detail on the various methods, check out this great video demonstration:

Pretty awesome, right? You can really use any pretty piece of fabric as long as it’s big enough. Want to be even more eco-friendly this gift-giving season? Try making your own gifts rather than buying them from the store.

By Michelle Schoffro Cook

While many people steer clear of whole grains, they’d do well to give them a second look. The average person eats refined grain products like white flour and white rice and avoids whole grains like the plague. Meanwhile low-carb dieters swear off whole grains in favor of high protein options like meat and poultry under the false belief that all grains are evil to the dieter (whole grains actually help stabilize blood sugar-critical to the success of any weight loss regime). And many other people simply avoid whole grains because they don’t know what to do with them or how to prepare them.There are many delicious and highly nutritious whole grains to choose from, so adding whole grains to your diet needn’t be daunting. While there are many options, here are seven whole grains to get you started: barley, brown rice, kamut (pronounced “ka-moot”), quinoa (pronounced “keen-wah”), spelt, oats, and wild rice.

Barley
Used as far back as the Stone Age for currency, food, and medicine, barley is a great addition to a healthy diet. Because barley contains plentiful amounts of both soluble and insoluble fiber, it helps aid bowel regularity. It contains 96 calories, 22 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of fiber per half-cup of cooked barley. Unrefined barley contains abundant amounts of potassium. It also has lots of magnesium, manganese, vitamin E, B-complex vitamins, zinc, copper, iron, calcium, protein, sulfur, and phosphorus. This versatile ingredient can be added to soups, stews, cereal, salads, pilaf, or ground into flour for baked goods or desserts.

Brown Rice
Brown rice is more nutritious and a much better option than white rice. Unlike white rice it offers you vitamin E (important for healthy immunity, skin, and many essential functions in your body) and is high in fiber. White rice is stripped of its fiber and most nutrients too. In its whole brown rice form, it contains high amounts of the minerals manganese, magnesium, and selenium. It also contains tryptophan, which helps with sleep. Brown rice can easily replace white rice in almost any recipe: soups, stews, and pilafs. It is an excellent choice for those who are gluten-sensitive or celiac.

Kamut and Spelt
Kamut and spelt are ancient grains that are part of the wheat family. Sometimes people with wheat allergies can tolerate kamut or spelt. Both of these tasty grains have higher nutritional value than whole wheat. Both kamut and spelt are high in protein. Spelt is packed with the minerals manganese, magnesium, and copper, and also contains high amounts of the mood-regulating and energy-boosting B-vitamins niacin, thiamine, and riboflavin. Choose kamut or spelt bread or pasta to replace white options.

Oats
Oats are good for your body in many ways. They help stabilize blood sugar and lower cholesterol, and are high in protein and fiber. Oats are available in many forms including instant, steel-cut, rolled, bran, groats, flakes, and flour. The best options are the less refined ones like steel-cut, rolled, flakes, and bran. Oat flour is an excellent substitute for wheat flour in baking recipes. A good source of minerals like manganese, selenium, magnesium, and the sleep aid tryptophan, in many studies oats also assist with lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease.

Quinoa
Quinoa, a staple of the ancient Incas who revered it as sacred, is not a true grain, rather an herb. Unlike most grains quinoa is a complete protein and is high in iron, magnesium, B-vitamins, and fiber. In studies, quinoa is a proven aid for migraine sufferers and, like most whole grains, lessens the risk for heart disease. It also contains the building blocks for superoxide dismutase-an important antioxidant that helps protect the energy centers of your cells from free radical damage.

Wild Rice
Not a true grain, wild rice is actually a type of aquatic grass seed native to the United States and Canada. It tends to be a bit pricier than other grains, but its high content of protein and delicious nutty flavor make wild rice worth every penny. It’s an excellent choice for people with celiac disease or those who have gluten or wheat sensitivities. Wild rice also has a lower caloric content than many grains at 83 calories per half cup of cooked rice. And it is high in fiber. Add wild rice to soups, stews, salads, and pilaf. It’s important to note that wild rice is black. There are many blends of white and wild rice, which primarily consist of refined white rice. Be sure to use only real wild rice, not the blends.

Despite the common myth that all grains are taboo, junk food addicts, carb watchers, and whole grain novices can easily embrace these nutritious foods. Once you start adding them to your diet you’ll find that whole grains can help with weight-balancing efforts, keep you feeling full, and add taste and variety to your meals.

COOKING GUIDE FOR WHOLE GRAINS
The following water amounts and cooking time are based on 1 cup of grain. As for all whole grains, add water and grain in a pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to low heat to simmer for the amount of cooking time specified.

Barley (pearled) 3 cups water, 15 minutes cooking time
Brown rice 2 cups water, 35 to 40 minutes cooking time
Oats (quick cooking) 2 to 3 cups water, 12 to 20 minutes cooking time
Oats (rolled) 2 to 3 cups water, 40 to 50 minutes cooking time
Quinoa 2 cups water, 15 minutes cooking time
Wild rice 3 cups water, 50 to 60 minutes cooking time
Kamut and spelt can be cooked as whole grains but are most commonly used as whole grain flour in breads and other baked goods.

Whether you're organizing an extended-family gathering or a big bash for your place of work, holiday party planning is tough work. However, there's no reason you should be stressing this holiday season. Personal Chef To Go is your holiday season survival headquarters where we make hectic holidays a thing of the past with our simple three step plan:

Step One

Order a delicious and nutritious meal plan often this holiday season. You save 10-15 hours per week with our ready to heat and serve entrées and best of all our meals will help you to look and feel your best

  Step Two

Give a gift card of our delicious and nutritious meals this holiday season. The unique and thoughtful gift of heart-warming meals will come in handy when those New Year’s resolutions are made to eat healthier foods and lose those extra holiday pounds.

Step Three

Throw a party and celebrate with our affordable and delicious Party Platters available in theRichmond, VA area only! 

With over 30 platter options- from Cheese and Fruit to Seafood, to gourmet cocktail sandwiches, salad and oven-ready and dessert platters, you're sure to find options to please everyone! We even have Vegetarian platters!

You pick the menu, or let our chef’s create a mouth watering holiday hors d’ oeuvres offering that your guests will love. We’ll even include all utensils and serving pieces so all you have to do is send out the invitations and delivery to your home or office is free of charge*.

A sample menu for an average holiday party for at least 20 people might look something like this:

Assorted Imported Cheeses  $3.50 per piece

Three to five selections of aged hard, semi-soft, blue veined and ripe soft cow's and goat's milk cheeses. Served with imported crackers and fruit garnish

Fresh Fruit Platter  $2.25 per piece

Freshly cut in season fruit is artistically displayed, a perfect accompaniment to any of our cheese platters.

Classic Shrimp Cocktail  $3.75 per piece

Fresh Jumbo Shrimp served with our house-made spicy cocktail sauce.

Country Ham Biscuits  $2.75 per piece

Smithfield country ham is sliced thinly and served with fresh soft rolls and mustard accompaniment.

Lebanese-Style Mezze platter with Hummus, Tapenade and Mediterranean-style tapas. Served with pita chips.

Award-Winning Pulled Pork BBQ Mini Sandwiches  $2.75  

Succulent pork shoulder is cooked low and slow with our special spice rub until it falls off the bone.

Assorted mini desserts  $2.50
An assortment of our freshly made selections

To see more platter options, please visit our Holiday Party Platter page on  our website or call us at 804-440-1900 for suggestions on creating a perfect paring for your holiday party or special occasion!

*With $350 minimum

Source: Dumb Little Man

There are two scents that remind me being a sick kid: brandy and Vickschest. I always felt instantly better (and slightly tipsy).