Today on Real Nutrition Q & A, I talked about how to make food a celebration!

How is it that people believe good-tasting food must be bad, and good-for-you food must taste bad?

This stems from personal experience.  If you’re eating high-fat, high-sugar, and overly processed foods, your palate will adjust to these tastes.  When this happens, fresh, natural foods seem less palatable.  When you start experimenting with REAL food – rather than the trans-fat, sugar-free convenience foods – you will learn to appreciate (and adore, quite frankly) the essence of maple syrup, the richness of real cocoa, and the creaminess of non-dairy tofu.

Imagine making a fabulously decadent dessert, with all natural ingredients, and serving it to your friends and family.  Wouldn’t it feel good knowing you were serving them something healthy?  What if you then received raving reviews, and everyone wanted the recipe?  Even better!

Be the superstar and follow this super simple recipe for Decadent Chocolate Mousse.  Then share it with your loved ones ~ they will thank you!

Ingredients:

2 containers of silken tofu (10 1/2 oz. each)

1/4 cup real maple syrup

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon coffee flavoring (Frontier brand)

1 tablespoon vanilla flavoring (Frontier brand)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 packet of stevia powdered sweetener (optional)

This is so easy!  Just put everything except the stevia into a food processor and blend until super creamy.  You can then taste the mousse to see if it’s sweet enough for your taste buds.  If not, add the stevia for extra sweetener.  Pour the mousse into a bowl and refrigerate. Serve chilled and top with 3 raspberries and a sprig of mint.  Or feel free to top with the fruit of your choice, including sliced banana, a few blackberries, or sliced strawberries.  You can also substitute the coffee flavoring with orange or mint flavorings for a Tootsie-Roll mousse or Chocolate-Mint version.

More optional toppings:

Shredded coconut

Sliced almonds

Crumbled graham crackers

Crumbled gluten-free ginger-cookies (I like the Pamela’s brand)

Shaved dark chocolate

Crystalized ginger

You can serve this mousse as dessert, an afternoon snack, or a lunch-box treat. Heck, I even have one family who eats it for breakfast – much better than those sugary cereals with all the dyes!

Remember, food is fun…enjoy!

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February is the time we start to feel that we want Spring soon, but we are still in the midst of winter!   Add a “pop” of color to your look.   In clothing, and makeup you will see the new color of the season:

Corals:   The new corals for the season are softer not your bright oranges! They are soft salmon, pinky and very wearable.  Try a soft coral blush with a little shimmer and add a coral scarf or chunky necklace. Top your whole look off with a pinky coral lip gloss.

Coral is going to be the “HOT” color to carry you into spring and give you that mid winter Pick-me-Up!!!

My name is Mary and I am Real Mom TVs makeup artist who works with Annie and several other moms. I am a mom of 2 young adults… Trust me, they still make you loose sleep no matter how old they are.

I know that I am always looking for quick ways to look more rested.  Here are a few tips on looking brighter in the dull days of winter!

1. Make sure you are using a good hydrating eye cream both day and night. This will help with the darkness and lining that will make you look more tired.

2. Get a good under eye concealer.  A corrector is a good idea if you have very dark circles, you can  also use a highlighter.  They  are not as much coverage and great to carry with you to touch up.  Some products  have skin care benefits such as vitamin C and lightening ingredients.  A Corrector is a pink or peach based color to correct the darkness. The Concealer is skin toned that should be a shade lighter  than your foundation to brighten the eye are.

Make sure you  cover the dark inner corners of the eye area and press the product into the skin with your ring finger so it does not settle into the lines. Set with a sheer layer of powder.

3.   Use a “pop” of color on the Cheeks in a bright clear pink or coral tone to brighten the skin. This will make you look fresh,  and pretty. Use bronzer to correct the tone on the outer areas of the face then add the blush to the apples of the cheeks.

you will look as if you are well rested and just jogged around the block!!

4.  Most important  H2O  and lots of it!!!  Drink water for your skin. Your skin is made up of up to 60 % water.

Several of my new viewers have written to me asking for information, tips and suggestions for what to buy for their Nursery to be prepared.  This is a great list to follow.

ACTION TIPS FOR THE WEEK:

1. Make a list
   Make a list of all the people you would like to improve your relationships with. Take ownership and responsibility for what you bring to the relationship. Instead of the “blame game”, try approaching the situation with an open mind resulting in a solution as the end result.
2. Stop and listen
   Next time you get upset with someone, be prepared to stop and really listen to what they have to say. Before jumping the gun and overreacting, take a deep breath and prepare how you want to approach the situation. Envision the end result in a positive manner with both parties being able to express everything without blame. This week practice the art of really listening. Take time to stop and really hear what the other person has to say.
3. Remember how it feels
   Can you remember how it feels when you’ve been genuinely heard and understood? It is difficult to get upset when you feel understood, when there is less blame and more understanding of each others point of view. Keep this in focus this week!!

Leslie Gail
Personal Life Coach, Author of Life Simplified

Well I know I feel like that all the time! A couple of things have helped me organize my children’s lives so that I don’t feel as overwhelmed with all their activities. First, go to office depot and buy their big erase board monthly calendar! It is truly awesome. Put it in a area that the whole family can see. This way everyone can see what is going on for the day and the week ahead. When you have things written down on a board and not just on your blackberry it provides with a good sense of what you have to prepare for. Your husband can also see how hectic it is to run a family! Also, find a wall that is waiting for some organization either in your study, kitchen and or mudroom. Go to Michaels, or Hobby Lobby and find the 12×12 or larger cork board squares. You can decide how big you want your “space” to be and then start putting this cork squares up! They come in different colors and look really nice when they are up. This will allow you to have a large space for all the papers that you need on a regular basis. For example: Pizza days for the year, School weekly news letter, soccer schedule for the season. The list can go on and on!

Have fun with this tip, and remember….A organized home is a happy home!

Real Mom Organizer Extroidinaire,
Allison Foster

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Well I know I feel like that all the time! A couple of things have helped me organize my children’s lives so that I don’t feel as overwhelmed with all their activities. First, go to office depot and buy their big erase board monthly calendar! It is truly awesome. Put it in a area that the whole family can see. This way everyone can see what is going on for the day and the week ahead. When you have things written down on a board and not just on your blackberry it provides with a good sense of what you have to prepare for. Your husband can also see how hectic it is to run a family! Also, find a wall that is waiting for some organization either in your study, kitchen and or mudroom. Go to Michaels, or Hobby Lobby and find the 12×12 or larger cork board squares. You can decide how big you want your “space” to be and then start putting this cork squares up! They come in different colors and look really nice when they are up. This will allow you to have a large space for all the papers that you need on a regular basis. For example: Pizza days for the year, School weekly news letter, soccer schedule for the season. The list can go on and on!

Have fun with this tip, and remember….A organized home is a happy home!

Real Mom Organizer Extroidinaire,
Allison Foster