That we might prosper and be in health , even as our soul prospers!

Artichokes are a mystery to many American dinner tables. They really should not be as they are very nutritious and can be a lot of fun to eat. These interesting veggies are high in fiber, vitamin C, folic acid, and biotin. Artichokes are also a good source of vitamin A, and potassium. Here is an simple example of one way to cook an artichoke.

This vegetable from the thistle family does have thorns just like any other thistle. The thorns are at the tips of the leaves and very easy to remove with a pair of kitchen scissors. You then can cut off the top fourth to third of the small leaves.  There is not much in these leaves to eat so you may as well remove them.

Get a big pot of water boiling and salt well.  If you wish you can also add a large slice of lemon to the water. Once the water is boiling add the artichokes. Somewhere between a half hour and fifty minutes you can check your artichokes to see if a leaf easily pulls off.  If the leaf does come off easily, your choke is done. Remove your artichoke and allow to drain.

You can dip your artichokes in a butter, salt, pepper, and lemon dip. Start by pulling off a leaf.  You will be eating the fleshy part at the very base of the leaf by scraping it on your teeth. Once you have dipped the fleshy part of the leaf, put the leaf about half way into your mouth.  Carefully put your teeth together and pull.  You will scrape the fleshy part and leave the leaf behind.

Once you have eaten all of the fleshy parts of the leaves you will be left with a fuzzy looking “choke”. Now you need to scrape off this fuzz with a spoon or cut it off with a knife. The fuzz is not edible. Under this fuzz is the heart of the artichoke. The heart is good to eat. You may or may not wish to eat the stem.  This is personal choice. I don’t prefer artichoke stems myself.

Want to have a different food for date night?  Artichokes may be the way to go.  You can feed each other leaves for an evening of fun. It is well work the time and effort to eat artichokes because of the nutritional value they have.

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http://www.public-domain-image.com/cache/food-and-drink-public-domain-images-pictures/cocktail-public-domain-images-pictures/shrimp-cocktail-lemons-lettuce-seafood_w725_h544.jpg With Spring comes the desire to eat better and get in shape; use this motivation to eat low-cal dishes.

Shrimp cocktail is a special treat that’s also good for you. It’s one of the easiest, most indulgent yet good for you snacks. Choose between premade or homemade cocktail sauce (both are easy), but whatever you do, choose the low-sugar sauce with lots of horseradish. The spicy sauce will make you feel like you’ve really eaten something worth remembering, and the shrimp is high in protein but low in calories, which will keep you satisfied.

Whip up some zucchini. For this quick and easy dish, you’ll need to finely chop a clove of garlic and a large clump of basil, plus a smal tomato and a small zucchini, which you’ll want to slice into bite-sized pieces. In a skillet (with a bit of olive oil), you’ll saute the garlic, then the tomato, and then zucchini, adding the basil last. Top it with lemon juice from a half of a lemon. This low cal dish is flavorful, filling, and simple.

Go Greek with this sure-fire salad. The infusion of a small amount of very flavorful ingredients makes this salad stand out amongst others. Finely chop half a garlic clove and three kalamata olives. Create a salad dressing with a tablespon of oiive oil, a tablespoon of vinegar, and the minced olives and garlic. Fill your bowl with any low cal veggies you like – tomatoes, greens, celery, peppers, carrots – and drizzle this amazingly good and potent dressing over them. Top it off with freshly ground black pepper and a teensy sprinkling of grated cheese.

Keep yourself thin by collecting low cal recipes that work for you.

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You don’t need a full basement gym to get stronger and tone your muscles. You can really get on your way to shaping up with the right exercises and a little bit of equipment. You only need a resistance cord, dumbbells and an exercise ball to get you on the way.

When it comes to dumbbells you may wish to consider your options. You can get dumbbells that are individual set weights. The only downside is they tend to use up a lot of room. You can also look into adjustable dumbbells. You can get a basic set with different weighted plates, which can be fairly inexpensive. I like the Cap Barbell 40pound set because it has a nice storage case which uses up little room. The other option is dumbbells that are adjustable via mechanical means such as Bowflexs Adjustable Dumbbell.

I also enjoy having resistance bands or cords to use. Dumbbells work great on your arms, but bands can be used for your back and legs as well. You can purchase bands individually or as a set. These take up very little space and are easy to take with on vacation. When you use resistance bands you don’t know the exact weight you are dealing with as you would with a dumbbell. The great tension, the more work your muscles are required.

Another great tip is using your resistance bands or dumbbells while sitting on an exercise ball. You will force your core muscles to work hard to keep you balanced. Your core muscles are vital to your posture and also the health of your back. I consider an exercise ball a must have for any house. If you would like to learn more about exercising with a exercise ball I highly recommend Strength Ball Training as a reference book.

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When you reach the end of a day that has been long and stressful, it is always nice to be able to unwind a little bit, relazing both your mind and your body. There is no “right way” of going about doing this, but of all the different ways people have of relaxing at the end of the day, there are some ways that work better than others. When you get to the end of a long day, one of the best methods for relaxing both your mind and your body is to take a long, hot bath.

You might not think of a bath as being anything spectacular – might in fact think of it as just a way to get clean. But when you soak your body in hot water, it allows your muscles to loosen, which is important after a stressful day. In addition to your body feeling more relaxed, it will also be made healthier, as you will sweat toxins into the water when you rest in a hot bath.

As for helping to relax your mind also, one thing you can do is simply sit in the bath and let the steam do its work as you lounge and think about nothing. But you can ratchet up the mind-related relaxation another notch or two with some aromatherapy experiments. The aromas that will help some people relax might not work for you – and vice versa – so you may need to work through some options until you find the right one for you. When you are choosing different options for aromatherapy, you also have the choice between bath salts and candles; you will certainly be happy with the end result when you find the right one for you, regardless of which way you go! And remember that there is no reason why you cannot mix and match between candles and bath salts, and between different aromas. Try to find several bath salts or candles that work well for you, and experiment with some combinations in order to reach an intense level of relaxation.

Many people – when they get stressed – end up getting more and more stressed, as they try to “press through” until the stress goes away. There are few relaxation methods better than a long, relaxing bath; when you start trying this out yourself, you will find that this is a much better method than simply trying to “press through”!

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When you deal with stress and anxiety in your life, it can not only make your days less enjoyable, but it can also take a toll on your health. Of course, the best way to avoid this problem is to avoid situations that keep you from experiencing stress and anxiety – but this is not always possible! When you find yourself feeling stressed and anxious, however, there is more you can do than simply “wait for it to go away.” If you follow these tips, you can “exercise away” your stress and anxiety when they come to try and take you down.

Actually, the best way to “exercise away” stress and anxiety is to actually exercise, as this will help you release the tension from your body. One problem with this solution is that it can sometimes be difficult to exercise while you are at work during the day – which is the time when you usually need to relieve stress the most. But actually, you can still work out while at work – by simply taking a walk around your building, or by keeping weights under your desk that you can pull out every once in a while to help you unwind.

Breathing exercises are another great way to help relieve the tension that builds up in your body when you are stressed and feeling anxious. Take deep breaths, focusing on your chest rising and falling while you breathe, which will keep you from focusing on the source of your stress. The best thing of all about breathing exercises is that you can do them anywhere, at any time of day.

Stretching is another one of the easiest ways to relieve the stress and tension that sometimes builds up in your body. Stretching is another thing that you can do anywhere – in your home, at work, and even in your car – and in this way you can keep your muscles and the rest of your body loose.

When you are feeling stressed, it can sometimes be difficult to force yourself to take a moment to make sure you are relieving this stress and anxiety. But you will find that you feel much better afterward if you force yourself to do this, and this will help you be ready to tackle the rest of the day.

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Most people know that fruits and vegetables are good for us, however some people believe that a raw food diet is the healthiest option. Incorporating some principles from the raw food diet can help everyone Not all raw food diets are vegetarian but a good number of them are. So if you don’t want to move from your carnivorous ways, you might want to consider some things you can bring over from this diet.

The philosophy behind a raw food diet is that raw foods have the highest nutrient levels and are the least processed food products and therefore the healthiest. There is some truth behind that statement. By reducing processed foods you cut down on extra salts and sugars going into your system. These two things are linked directly to weight gain and heart related issues. Food which have been processed are commonly heated.

Heated food tends to break down vitamins that exist within the food, making them less nutritous. Thiamine, and folic acid are an example of two vitamins that can deteriorate when cooked. These are important vitamins for our bodies neurological systems, blood sugar chemistry, and DNA synthesis. Heating the food also destroys the enzymes naturally present in the food that many argue are very good for you.

Take into consideration that those who eat raw food are also commonly supportive of organic eating. Organic eating reduces your chances of consuming chemicals which may have been sprayed on during production. This can be a healthier option for both you and the environment in general.

By increasing the amount of raw fruits, vegetables, and nuts you eat the direct health benefits can be weight loss, a healthier heart, and lower cholesterol to name just a few. You don’t have to become a vegetarian but adding one raw vegetarian meal a week can be worth it. For those interested in eating this way there are a number of wonderful resources.

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