June 9th, 2010 
My Health Thanks! Well my hairs natural state is lots and lots of highlights all over, there some golden and some white but i want bright bright blonde hair!
Im also using tigi dumb blonde shampoo and the
tigi moisturizing conditioner/dumb blonde conditioner.
(to cancel out brazziness)
and i want some ways to lighten it more!
so it you have any thing you have used it would be great=)
March 21st, 2010 My Health
According to the media, millions of Americans are overweight. There are many diet plans aimed at helping people lose weight, but they all focus on an important fact–to lose weight, a person needs to decrease calories consumed. Staying on a diet plan can be a struggle, but the end result is worth the struggle. There are many ways to stay motivated while dieting, including not depriving yourself of your favorite treats. Cupcakes are a sweet indulgence that can be enjoyed while sticking to a healthy diet. Try these five tips for healthier cupcakes that will fit within your diet guidelines.
To enjoy cupcakes on a diet, try substituting healthier ingredients to cut calories and increase nutrients. For instance, use applesauce instead of oil, sugar substitute instead of regular sugar, and whole wheat flour instead of white flour. These changes will give your cupcakes a nutrient boost while cutting calories. If you are hesitant of these changes, try starting out by only substituting half of an ingredient until you get used to the flavor change.
Think outside of the traditional cupcake flavors when creating healthy cupcakes. Try angel food cupcakes instead of chocolate. You can even flavor these cupcakes with cocoa to create a chocolate cupcake with a fraction of the calories a traditional chocolate cupcake would have. Other healthy flavor options include carrot cake, banana, zucchini, or raspberry. These flavors are delicious and allow you to indulge your sweet tooth while staying within your allotted calories.
If you just want a traditional cupcake, try miniature cupcakes. These can provide you with the taste and texture of cupcakes, but with fewer calories due to the small size. Miniature cupcakes can be packed in lunches, providing portion control while allowing you to have your sweet treat.
Frosting is a major source of calories on cupcakes. An easy way to lighten up cupcakes is to eliminate frosting. For vanilla or angel food cupcakes, try sprinkling the top of the cupcake with a dusting of cocoa powder. This will add a hint of chocolate without adding many calories. Another healthy frosting alternative is a homemade cream cheese frosting. By creating this frosting from scratch you are able to use reduced-fat cream cheese, thereby reducing calories. This cream cheese frosting can be flavored with canned pineapple tidbits, crushed strawberries, or whichever fruit that you prefer.
The last tip for creating healthier cupcakes is adding nutrients. While mixing cupcake batter, try folding in shredded zucchini or mashed bananas. This creates moist cupcakes with added vitamins. Adding a few tablespoons of flaxseed or protein powder will not noticeably change the flavor of cupcakes, but will increase the nutrients. Adding healthy nutrients to cupcakes will not decrease the calorie count, but will make your cupcakes a healthier alternative for a sweet treat.
Eating healthy foods does not have to mean depriving yourself. It is easy to make changes to a recipe in order to have the recipe fit your dieting needs. Cupcakes are a fun way to celebrate special occasions and can be a part of a healthy diet, if they are modified to your dietary needs and eaten in moderation.
December 13th, 2009 My Health With an influx of the latest about health and nutrition, we are challenged to find ways to maintain the meals we serve “light” without sacrificing flavor. With a myriad of advice from nutrition experts, it is no wonder confusion and frustration sets in. Is it low-carb, low fat, or low-calorie that is the perfect solution? With food allergies and the shapes and sizes of bodies as diverse as the selections of squash, one regiment may be more useful for one person than the other. However, for the person free of any limitations, moderation of all kinds is probably the solution we are all looking for. This definitely is a judgment that needs to be individual and / or familial. Whichever you choose, nutrition, taste and character are THE most important elements in your home cooking.
Do not be bamboozled by the notion that by incorporating chemically altered ingredients is more healthful than a controlled amount of fat, sugar, calories and carbohydrates. More of those artificial ingredients are needed to attain the great flavor of “real” food.
By limiting the intake of challenging foods, selecting only those that are the highest of quality, substituting the culprits with more suitable selections and incorporating lower fat cooking techniques, families can place themselves for a “lighter” lifestyle.
Limit
* The use of butter, overprocessed oils, fried foods, sugar, artificial sweeteners, white flour and dairy produce.
Select
* Proteins lower in fat content such as skinless poultry breasts and lean cuts of beef, lamb, veal and pork.
* Fresh fruits and vegetables low in sugar content.
* Leafy greens.
* Whole grains, nuts and seeds.
* The best quality hard cheeses such as Parmigiano, Reggiano, Asiago and Romano. Their strong flavor requires less use of the ingredient.
* Extra-virgin olive oil because it contains the highest amount of oleic acid, the good monosaturated fat, and maintains a balance of the omegas.
* Nonstick pots and pans that allow cooking with a minimum of fat. This will also relieve the load of the cleanup!
Substitute
* Bacon and sausages composed of fatty pork with the lean turkey variety.
* Sour cream with low fat yogurt.
* Cream cheese with skim ricotta cheese.
* Cream used in soups and salad dressings with buttermilk, kefir or low fat milk.
* White flour with whole grain flour.
Techniques
* Sweat or sauté vegetables in stock, water, juice and wine.
* Poach, steam, sweat, poach, broil, roast or barbecue meats, poultry, fish and vegetables.
* Spray extra-virgin olive oil to evenly and lightly coat pans prone to sticking.
* Cook vegetables “al dente” for more nutrition, flavor and satisfaction from chewing.
* Add hard cheeses and fresh herbs just before serving to maintain their fresh flavors and lively colors.
By keeping vigilance on the standard as well as the amount of food consumed, you and your family can “lighten” up. Use this ” Squash Spaghetti ” recipe as inspriation to help you continue your objective.
Roasted Spaghetti Squash:
1 spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
* Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds with a sharp – edged spoon and season with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
* Place flesh-side up on a baking sheet with rims, cover the squash with foil and bake in a 450 – degree oven for 40 – 50 minutes, or until fork-tender.
* Allow to cool, then scrape the squash out of the hard shell with a dinner fork to obtain the spaghetti – like texture.
* Adjust salt and pepper.
Tomato Sauce:
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 cups yellow onion, chopped
1½ cups chopped carrots
2 28 – oz cans Italian Roma tomatoes in juice
¼ cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons double – strength tomato paste
Salt and pepper
½ cup basil chiffonade
* Beat the onions and the carrots in the food processor.
* Heat the olive oil and sauté the onions, garlic and carrots on high heat until golden brown.
* Crush the tomatoes with your hands and add to the mixture.
* Add the red wine and salt.
* Simmer for 20 – 30 minutes or until reduced by 1/3.
* Add the tomato paste and cook for another 5 minute, stirring frequently.
* Add the basil leaves and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. For a smoother consistency, pulse the sauce in the food processor.
To Serve:
1 to 1½ cups spaghetti squash
1 – 2 oz Parmesan, Asiago or Romano cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon Italian flat – leaf parsley, minced
* Arrange spaghetti squash in a warmed soup plate or pasta bowl.
* Ladle desired amount of sauce over the squash.
* Shred cheese over the top of the sauce.
* Scatter with minced parsley.
* Serves 4.
Cooking has always been a part of Nancy Harvey?s soul. Although childhood culinary masterpieces were virtually nothing more that a pile of dirty dishes, the satisfaction of having created ?something? and reveling in the accolades motivated her adventures in the kitchen. Through entertaining, cooking for the family and 27 years of catering, event coordination and consulting, this self-taught chef has found bliss in the kitchen and wants to inspire and empower home cooks to do the same. Visit her online at her Savvy Celebrations website.
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