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mercredi 13 mai 2020

This Is the Best (and Easiest!) Way to Grill Asparagus

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Anna Monette Roberts

Before I learned this method, my grilled asparagus always ended up stringy, charred, and shriveled. I had all but given up hope that it could ever taste good, unless wrapped in bacon. However, while at a dinner party, I learned a new way of cooking it that is foolproof.

Buy thick, hearty stalks of asparagus. These are less likely to fall through grill grates. Prep the asparagus by snapping off the woody ends and then peeling the stalk skin.
Lightly coat the asparagus in a neutral-tasting, high-heat oil, using your hands to evenly coat each stalk.
In a medium-high grill, place the asparagus stalks perpendicular to the grill grates. Close the top and allow the asparagus to cook/steam for approximately 30 seconds. Open the grill top, use tongs to flip toss the asparagus around, close the top, and cook for another 30 seconds.
Remove from the grill and salt and pepper to taste.

That's it! You can try leaving the asparagus on longer, if you prefer grill marks, but you will find this quick method cooks the asparagus through while maintaining a slight crunch. Enjoy!

- Additional reporting by Lauren Harano

You'll Never Buy Ground Beef Again Once You Learn This Burger Hack

By bolhaw 00:35 living No comments

Leave it to America's Test Kitchen to come up with the best burger-making technique. It begins with freshly ground meat. I've never attempted to grind my own meat before, as I don't have a meat grinder, but this recipe doesn't require one! All you need is a food processor. Cubes of meat and butter are frozen before being pulsed in a processor until "rice-like." It amazed me how easy and mess-free this method really is. Since the meat is frozen, it doesn't turn gummy and stick to the sides of the processor. I hesitated seasoning the burgers with so much salt, but ATK's measurements are foolproof.

My dad and I threw these burgers on the grill for five minutes and they cooked through. If you're more of a medium-rare kind of fan, I would even suggest cooking them three to four minutes. "You can always throw a burger back on the grill," my dad wisely advised.

The flavor of this burger is unbeatable. The butter keeps the meat moist while charring the exterior, and salt and pepper is really all you need to draw out the flavor of the beef. We dressed ours up the classic way, with ketchup, pickles, tomato, and lettuce on a sesame bun, but the topping combos are unlimited. I definitely plan on making this my go-to burger recipe!

- Additional reporting by Lauren Harano

Tender, Juicy Grilled Burgers

From Master of the Grill by America’s Test Kitchen

Notes

Why this recipe works: Patties made of preground chuck are easy, but we were after a charred crust, rich beefy taste, and juicy interior that are hard to get from supermarket ground beef. This is because the way ground beef is handled during processing draws out sticky proteins that create a dense texture in the burger. To avoid this, we ground our own meat and switched from chuck to sirloin steak tips, which contain less connective tissue and just the right amount of fat. We froze the meat to make grinding easier and added butter for flavor and richness. We also froze the patties after forming them to ensure that by the time they’d thawed at their centers, they had developed a perfect outer crust. We cooked the burgers over a superhot fire for great char and flavor.

This recipe requires freezing the meat twice, for a total of 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, before grilling. When stirring the salt and pepper into the ground meat and shaping the patties, take care not to overwork the meat or the burgers will become dense. Sirloin steak tips are also sold as flap meat. Serve the burgers with your favorite toppings or one of our grilled-vegetable toppings. If making a grilled-vegetable topping, start preparing the topping while the patties are in the freezer and grill the vegetables before you grill the burgers. Finish the topping while the burgers rest. You can also toast the buns on the grill while the burgers rest.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak tips, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Kosher salt and pepper
1 (13x9-inch) disposable aluminum pan (if using charcoal)
4 hamburger buns

Directions

Place beef chunks and butter on large plate in single layer. Freeze until meat is very firm and starting to harden around edges but still pliable, about 35 minutes.
Place one-quarter of meat and one-quarter of butter cubes in food processor and pulse until finely ground into pieces size of rice grains (about 1/32 inch), 15 to 20 pulses, stopping and redistributing meat around bowl as necessary to ensure beef is evenly ground. Transfer meat to rimmed baking sheet. Repeat grinding in three batches with remaining meat and butter. Spread mixture over sheet and inspect carefully, discarding any long strands of gristle or large chunks of hard meat, fat, or butter.
Sprinkle 3/4 teaspoon salt and one teaspoon pepper and over meat and gently toss with fork to combine. Divide meat into four portions. Working with one portion at a time, lightly toss from hand to hand to form ball, then gently flatten into 3/4-inch-thick patty. Press center of patties down with your fingertips to create 1/4-inch-deep depression. Transfer patties to platter and freeze for 30 to 45 minutes.
For a charcoal grill: Using skewer, poke 12 holes in bottom of disposable pan. Open bottom vent completely and place disposable pan in center of grill. Light large chimney starter two-thirds filled with charcoal briquettes (four quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour into disposable pan. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about five minutes.
For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
Clean and oil cooking grate. Season one side of patties liberally with salt and pepper. Using spatula, flip patties and season other side. Place burgers on grill (directly over coals if using charcoal) and cook, without pressing on them, until browned and meat easily releases from grill, four to seven minutes. Flip burgers and continue to grill until browned on second side and meat registers 125 degrees (for medium-rare) or 130 degrees (for medium), four to seven minutes longer.
Transfer burgers to plate and let rest for five minutes. Serve on buns.

Information

Category: Main Dishes, Beef
Cuisine: North American
Yield: 4 burgers

This Is the Best (and Easiest!) Way to Grill Asparagus

By bolhaw 00:35 living No comments

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Anna Monette Roberts

Buy thick, hearty stalks of asparagus. These are less likely to fall through grill grates. Prep the asparagus by snapping off the woody ends and then peeling the stalk skin.
Lightly coat the asparagus in a neutral-tasting, high-heat oil, using your hands to evenly coat each stalk.
In a medium-high grill, place the asparagus stalks perpendicular to the grill grates. Close the top and allow the asparagus to cook/steam for approximately 30 seconds. Open the grill top, use tongs to flip toss the asparagus around, close the top, and cook for another 30 seconds.
Remove from the grill and salt and pepper to taste.

That's it! You can try leaving the asparagus on longer, if you prefer grill marks, but you will find this quick method cooks the asparagus through while maintaining a slight crunch. Enjoy!

- Additional reporting by Lauren Harano

Barack and Michelle Obama Crash a Zoom Meeting to Drop Some Words of Wisdom

By bolhaw 00:18 Moms No comments

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A post shared by Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) on May 12, 2020 at 4:01pm PDT

Barack and Michlle Obama continue to be pillars of hope and inspiration. On Tuesday, the former president and first lady crashed a town hall meeting in Chicago via Zoom to share a special message with young people amid the coronavirus pandemic. "Young people have an especially important role to play - we need them at the table to truly move this country forward," Michelle captioned the clip on Instagram. "That's why I loved seeing these students from Chicago use their voices to move us forward."

Barack expressed similar sentiments, saying that now more than ever it's important for us to think about civics. "We need young people like you to understand the power and the role that you have and play in continuing to move this country ahead not for us, but for you," Michelle added. If you're in need of a pick-me-up, watch Barack and Michelle's inspiring message above.

13 Pictures and GIFs of Michael Jordan in Space Jam, Just For Nostalgia's Sake

By bolhaw 00:18 Moms No comments

Michael Jordan is a living icon of the 1990s, and there's nothing more '90s about his legacy than his appearance in Space Jam. The iconic comedy cast Jordan and some of his fellow basketball stars opposite pro actors like Bill Murray and, most famously, the animated cast of Looney Tunes characters. The plot - which revolves around a basketball game to determine the fate of the cartoon characters - isn't nearly as famous as the concept itself, and the movie was, predictably, a box office success but not such a success with critics. According to Deadline, a sequel is planned for 2021 and is set to star LeBron James. Before the new movie comes out, revisit some of Jordan's iconic moments from the original in the gallery ahead!

These Are the 8 Mistakes You're Making During Home Workouts, According to a Trainer

By bolhaw 00:18 Moms No comments

Exercise physiologist and personal trainer Amanda Bisk, who is also a former Australian pole vaulter, is all for working out at home to stay in shape. But she knows that you may be at greater risk of getting injured - depending on what workout you're doing, you might not have access to proper tips on form and safety. It also might be easier to fall out of a routine if you're not being held accountable the same way you could be at a gym.

According to Bisk, there are a list of mistakes that people tend to make while exercising in their homes. She delves into further detail in the above video, but these mistakes include the following: going through the motions, not knowing the focus of your workout, having a lack of variety, getting distracted, choosing the wrong training space, not doing full reps of each move, not doing enough back exercises, and failing to stick to a routine.

For each of these mistakes, Bisk offers advice for how to avoid them. For instance, in order to make sure you're completing full reps and, by doing so, not just going through the motions, Bisk wants you to tap into more motivation by doing exercises for time. You can also do follow-along workouts that will explain how to do each move correctly and provide a focus for your sweat session. She notes that you should make sure the videos and plans you're following are taught by fully-qualified professionals. Here's more information on that.

It's also important, Bisk says, to know if the workout you're doing is for "strength, fitness, or skill." If you're working strength, you'll want to do slower, more controlled movement so you can add weight. "You want more rest when you're doing a strength workout because you want to make sure you have maximal muscle contraction when you do your reps," Bisk explains. For a workout focused on fitness, or cardio, you'll want to move more quickly, she notes. If you're working on skill, you'll want to move with control as you perfect exercises.

As for other tips, Bisk says we need to make sure we're balancing moves such as push-ups, planks, and burpees that work the chest with back exercises that she demonstrates in the video (they all require you to get onto your belly like you're about to do a Superman pose). Watch Bisk talk about her advice in the explainer above, and read up on how to safely work out at home here.

This Woman Created a Meditation Platform For Black Women to Help Them Relax and Destress

By bolhaw 00:18 Moms No comments

It's no secret that health and wellness has an inclusivity problem. But instead of hoping for things to change while feeling uncomfortable and unwelcome in spaces marketed toward white women, Black women are creating platforms as a result - communities where they can feel safe and comfortable as they focus on their physical and mental health, like Black Girls Breathing.

"Black Girls Breathing makes space for Black women to actively take care of their mental health through meditational breathwork," Jasmine Marie, breathworker, mindfulness expert, and founder of Adulting With Ease and Black Girls Breathing, told POPSUGAR. Marie explained that breathwork is on the rise in major wellness hubs like New York City and Los Angeles, and although it's gaining in popularity, "Within that community, there are even less people of color getting trained, and so that equals to less people who are not only teaching but focused and dedicated on our community."

Marie experienced rejection while presenting yoga studios with the concept of a meditation practice catering to the needs of Black women, leading her to taking matters into her own hands. "There are certain levels of stress and stress causes that we specifically deal with within our community that we don't always see addressed within the wellness solutions, so that's my intention with Black Girls Breathing - to be that space for Black women." Marie explained that she didn't want to assimilate or appeal to white wellness in order to have a practice, so instead, she began to host meet-ups and touring throughout major US cities including Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta.

Along with the desire to create a platform dedicated to Black women, Marie also wanted to expose Black women to the benefits of breathwork and the positive effects it can have on the body like releasing stagnant energy and trauma in the body. Additionally, she said, "I wanted to create a space where the work was also accessible because things like this are expensive - individual sessions can go from $150 to $300."

To ease the financial burden, Marie launched Finding Calm, a bimonthly, sliding scale, virtual breathwork series as an extension to Black Girls Breathing. "I make known that there are options from $5 to $25 and anyone in the world can join. And even if you don't have it, you can shoot us a message and be able to join in," she said. These sessions are great for those who cannot attend a session in-person, for those who are living with a disability, and for those who aren't comfortable being amongst other people but still want to participate in the series.

"The act of taking care of ourselves is very radical and new for a lot of us."

Marie believes this platform is more relevant than ever. "Societally and generationally, it's not been engrained in us to take care of ourselves. We've always been in survival mode," she said. "And speaking particularly to the Black American experience, those descendants of slaves went through Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement - we've always been in survival mode, so the act of taking care of ourselves is very radical and new for a lot of us."

It may be new but it's absolutely necessary. "My number one goal is that yes, breathwork is a great tool, but if I can get you to trust your body more and develop a relationship with your body where you listen through this tool, even better," Marie said. In her opinion, becoming more in tune with your body will translate to all aspects of life whether you're focusing on your breath or in the boardroom. Through Black Girls Breathing, Marie wants to help Black women mend the disconnect they may feel when listening to their bodies and strengthen the relationship between the mind, body, and breath. And by doing so, "I will feel like I've reached my goal."

Cali y El Dandee Throw it Back With Nostalgic Album and Single “Locura” With Sebastián Yatra

By bolhaw 00:54 Latina No comments

It's been a big week for Cali y El Dandee. The Colombian duo released their new album, Colegio and a new single, "Locura," with Sebastián Yatra. Their song "Borracho de Amor" with Reik ranked in the top 10 Latin Pop Airplay, and their singles "Voy Por Ti" and "Tequila Sunrise" became RIAA Gold certified.

Colegio is an album that integrates reggaetón with romantic pop melodies, a sound that Cali y El Dandee initiated when they broke into the music scene. "With Colegio, we want people to listen to it the same way they listened to music when they were in school," Dandee told POPSUGAR.

"Our aim was to evoke all the feelings and all the firsts you have in school: your first love, your first kiss, the first time you listened to reggaetón - which was something that happened to us when we were in school - the first time you learned the lyrics to a song, the first time you wrote a song, and we wanted to put all of this nostalgia into new music that made people feel like it was a throwback," he added.

He also acknowledged that a lot of their followers are still in school, so he wants them to go through these experiences with this album. "These are songs that are very authentic and explore real feelings of the human being. Raw feelings. The feelings that stay with you forever once you experience them," Dandee said.

Meanwhile, Cali added that while they had been working on this project before social distancing was enforced, this situation gave them the time to focus and bring to life a lot of ideas and expectations they had with this album, as well as collaborations with long-time friends such as Reik in "Borracho de Amor," Piso 21 in "Voy Por Ti," and Rauw Alejandro in "Tequila Sunrise," all of which are included in Colegio, and surprise collabs with Mike Bahía, Lalo Ebratt, and Sebastián Yatra, the latter with whom they just released their new single, "Locura."

If this song seems familiar, it's because it incorporates the chorus tracks of "La Locura Automática" by La Secta, one of Cali y el Dandee's favorite songs from their school years. They took the sample and "revived" it with a modern beat and a current music video that showcases the dynamic of a relationship during the quarantine, where our protagonists recreate the day-to-day that many of us are living and receive help from Cali y El Dandee and Sebastián Yatra through their music.

"We wanted to show that we're all living a life that's very different from the one that we were used to," Cali said. "We've had to learn to enjoy the small things, we've had to become more creative to have fun, we've had to face ourselves, and hopefully learned to be better than what we were. In this video we see two people who love each other and can't be physically together, but that doesn't matter, and hopefully the outcome will leave us feeling hopeful that this is going to end and we'll come out being better versions of ourselves."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cali Y El Dandee (@calidandee) on May 8, 2020 at 7:07pm PDT

While the video was shot about three weeks before its release from everyone's homes - including the actors and the singers - the song had been a work in progress for a while. Once Cali y El Dandee had the concept for Colegio, they couldn't help but to get "La Locura Automática" out of their heads, since it was a high school favorite of theirs.

They took the chorus sample, played with it for a while in the studio, and realized Yatra was the perfect fit for the song. They called him up and the rest is history. "We started the song before quarantine," Dandee said, "but ended it during."

With over five million views on YouTube since its release four days ago, the song and music video showcase the realness of today's world with an extra dose of love and hope.

Tina Fey Learned How to Do Her Makeup Virtually For an Event, and I Wish I Had the Patience

By bolhaw 00:48 Moms No comments

Lots of people have used this time at home over the last two months trying to master a new skill. For some, that meant learning how to cut and style their hair. For Tina Fey, that means learning how to do her own makeup. The SNL alum's makeup artist Gita Bass recently shared an Instagram photo of Fey at home surrounded by a mountain of beauty products before she attempted to learn how to apply makeup virtually now that she doesn't have access to her team of stylists.

"Dropped off a little beauty care package to Tina over the weekend to prepare her for our virtual makeup session today," Bass captioned the photo. "Everything is clean and sanitized, of course. Stay tuned for the after pic." Bass apparently taught the comedian how to apply all of the products via a video call that I, personally, would've love to watch. The session likely happened in preparation for the virtual telethon called "Rise Up New York!" that Fey hosted on May 11, the same day that Bass shared the photo.

Read ahead to see how her look for the night turned out.

How Surfing World Champ Carissa Moore Stays Motivated When All Bets Are Off

By bolhaw 00:44 Fitness No comments

It was already going to be an unusual year for surfer Carissa Moore. After winning the 2019 World Surf League title, the four-time world champion made an unexpected decision: withdrawing from the 2020 season to focus her energy solely on the Tokyo Olympics, where surfing was to make its debut. The break was to follow a grueling season. The world title race had come down to the last competition of the year, a three-way, all-American battle that would also decide which surfers would represent Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics. Moore took the title and the first berth; then-17-year-old Caroline Marks took the second. (Moore's dramatic, season-long journey to the title was captured in Riss, a RedBull TV docu-film released May 11.)

All of which meant that when the coronavirus outbreak accelerated into a pandemic, shutting down sports and postponing the Olympics, Moore was in a different position than many athletes. "I hadn't really started training at all," she said. In March, when the Olympics postponement was announced, she was still in relaxation mode. "I was looking at April as [the month] where the intensity would pick up."

And unlike athletes in many other sports, Moore's spot on the Olympic team is secure and will transfer over to 2021. "I feel very fortunate as a surfer, because for our team, everything got solidified fairly early," Moore told POPSUGAR. "I feel for the other sports, where people were in tip-top shape, getting ready to go into their trials."

Moore's unique situation means that her training schedule hasn't actually changed much since the shutdown. "In the mornings, I usually get up early and find some surf somewhere," she said. (Surfing is still allowed at beaches in Honolulu, where Moore lives.) In the middle of the day, she'll "get creative": reading, working in the garden, or scrapbooking. She'll train in the afternoon, doing home workouts, running, or hiking in the valley where she lives. "I'm very fortunate that I'm still allowed to do most of what I do normally," Moore said.

She's also been giving back, taking part in the World Surf League's #StayLocal campaign to support small businesses through the pandemic. The league asked athletes to make a donation to one of their favorite local businesses, promising to match up the amount up to $2,000. Around the same time, Moore said she was approached by a local representative and asked to hand out school lunches at a local elementary school, which had closed down during the pandemic.

"That got me thinking, how cool would it be if I got to kill two birds with one stone?" Moore said. Choosing Banan, a banana-based fruit soft serve shop, as her local business, Moore purchased 200 cups and brought them to Palolo Elementary School to give away with lunches.

It was a good way to practice something that Moore's been working on lately: staying present and focusing on daily goals, as simple as finishing the laundry or cleaning her house, to stay on track. "This is the first time in my whole life I've had to just slow down," she said. "The most challenging thing is finding ways to stay busy and motivated, physically and mentally." While she misses the constant on-the-road lifestyle of a pro surfer, she said she's working on finding space and peace in this moment.

"What's been helping me is finding three things to be grateful for every morning. Starting my day with a grateful heart," she said. "Just embracing the stillness. I'm trying to be as grateful as possible."

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A post shared by World Surf League (@wsl) on Apr 9, 2020 at 7:01am PDT

No Matter What Your Morning Looks Like Now, Listen to This Pump-Up Playlist First Thing

By bolhaw 00:44 Fitness No comments

A good playlist is exactly what I need to fuel my morning commute into the office. Since the novel coronavirus pandemic has caused me (and much of the world) to shift into work-from-home mode, I haven't been commuting and, therefore, I haven't been listening to music in the morning. But I've been thinking: that doesn't mean we can't have the same motivational mornings of movement while abiding by the rules of social distancing.

So, here's the challenge. Even if you're not an a.m. workout person, I urge you to put on the following playlist and walk around indoors or outside before you start your workday. If you're not working during this time or if you are going into your place of work, I challenge you to do the same - take a morning walk or get some stretching in while listening to upbeat hits that will leave you feeling inspired. We all could use a little uplift during this time, so why not start the day in a good head space?

Ahead is my full morning pump-up Spotify playlist as well as a compilation of the songs on YouTube. You'll find fun throwbacks like "Perfect Day," an iconic track from Legally Blonde, and Boys Like Girls's "The Great Escape," which was my teenage anthem. Then, there are recent hits from Doja Cat and Sam Smith. What are you waiting for? We'll be moving right there with you!

Note: I personally will be using this as a workout playlist too, but if you're looking for a list of songs to fuel your sweat sessions that isn't what's provided ahead, check out this other pump-up playlist we've compiled for you. You might also want to take a listen to this work-from-home playlist to motivate you through the rest of your day.

Grab 2 Sliders and Get Total-Body Toned With These 11 Do-Anywhere Moves

By bolhaw 00:44 Fitness No comments

I live in a small, thin-walled, thin-floored apartment, which means that when I'm working out at home, explosive jumping movements aren't the best idea. I've been struggling with any kind of dynamic moves, to be honest - anything more impactful than squat pulses or Russian twists seems to make my whole apartment shake.

Sliders, also known as disc gliders, are a good solution. Your foot, hand, or whatever's on the slider stays in contact with the floor the whole time, so you can move around freely without worrying about noise or impact. Not only that, but the addition of sliders makes many basic moves a LOT harder. I feel a ton of extra engagement in my core, and notice that I have to take moves a lot slower as I focus on dragging the slider around, which increases the burn in my working muscles. And the best part might be that, to do an exercise with sliders, you don't even need sliders. Two small towels on any hard surface will work just fine, or two paper plates on carpet. (If you do want the real deal, try this pair of sliders from Amazon.)

Check out our favorite slider exercises ahead, plus a bonus workout video to get you moving and sweating with the new moves!

I Started Adding Self-Care Items to My To-Do List, and It Changed My Life

By bolhaw 00:44 Fitness No comments

I used to put a million things on my to-do list. As you can guess, most of the tasks on the list never got done because it was simply unrealistic. I'd wake up at the same time as my toddler, give him a bowl of fruit, and whip out my laptop so I could get to work. By 1 p.m., I was lackadaisical and disappointed at my lack of productivity.

That is until I realized I was doing my to-do list all wrong. Why? Because self-care was never anywhere on the list. When weighing which tasks took priority for the day, giving myself a scented bubble bath just didn't seem as important as meeting a stringent work deadline. Until I had an epiphany and realized self-care should take priority over every other task. I won't pretend this is a groundbreaking conclusion I came to on my own. Multiple self-care focused therapy sessions and a book titled High-Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard helped me change my life.

I break my list into four sections: self-care, work, family, and personal development.

So, what does my to-do-list look like now? Instead of one long blurb of endless tasks, I take a unique approach. I break my list into four sections: self-care, work, family, and personal development. I also limit the number of tasks I can include in each section to two. This way, I'm setting realistic expectations, giving myself ample time to complete each task, and eliminating unnecessary pressure. It also helps me curb feelings of underachievement and guilt that creep in when I set unrealistic goals and don't meet them.

By including self-care on my list, I'm forced to consider my own needs. What will give me the physical energy I need to get through the day? How can I boost my focus and resilience? How can I raise my emotional frequency? What will give me the patience I need to balance parenting and working simultaneously? Ultimately, this approach forced me to explore what self-care means to me and what I'm doing when I feel at my best. I concluded healthy meals, physical activity, scented candles, and doing nothing for an hour a day were some of the best forms of self-care for me. That said, I don't advise blindly copying self-care ideas from other people. Remember your needs aren't the same as everyone else's, so it will take some reflection to find what works for you.

Over time, I've built a self-care routine that I stick to during the week. On the weekends, I'm spontaneous as I have more free time and flexibility. From Monday to Friday, my self-care tasks include:

Meditation
Reading
Journaling
Hair care
Rest
Exercise
Affirmations

This holistic approach to self-care ensures I get a mental, physical, and emotional boost before I start my day. It also means I'm setting the tone of my day and not leaving it to circumstance.

You might wonder if it's possible to do all of this with so many tasks to get through each day. Well, I once thought the same thing. But when I realized days devoid of self-care were less productive, unfulfilling, and stressful, I made time for it. Also, completing this list doesn't take me more than an hour. I do a 30-minute workout and then dedicate the other 30 minutes to reading a few pages of a book, meditating, journaling, and setting my intentions for the day. In terms of rest, I take a break during the late afternoon when I need it most.

Because I'm human, I leave room for imperfection and also allow flexibility. Sometimes I might do shorter workouts or journaling doesn't get done - and that's OK, too. On those days, I do what I can, but I avoid skipping the entire list. That's all any of us can do.

Herbed Feta Biscuits, Because Cheese Makes Everything Better

By bolhaw 00:44 Latina No comments

A word to the wise: if your boyfriend's mom makes you dinner, eat up, tasty or not. Luckily, I have no need to fake smiles through gummy pasta and dried-out pound cake; one of the best cooks I know just happens to have brought up my boyfriend.

She introduced to me these herb-flecked feta biscuits, which I had no problem scarfing down (I may have eaten two, despite their large size). These biscuits have enough verve and spunk to be great on their own, but I'd imagine that they'd also make for a decadent breakfast sandwich, split in half and layered with fried egg, bacon, and a slice of gooey mild cheese like fontina.

- additional reporting by Haley Lyndes