Splurges that are worth it, serious stress busters and a tasty recovery drink.
Not-So Cheap Eats Everyone is cutting costs these days, but for those of us who cook at home a lot (which saves money and is good for your waistline, too!), it's sometimes hard to spring for pricey ingredients like nuts and high-quality olive oil. Or at least it is for me. If I see truffles as an ingredient in a recipe, my expensive-grocery-bill dinger goes off in my head, and I'll automatically skip it for something with canned beans (always cheap). But, my dinger may need to be silenced.
An article by Weight Watchers states a pretty convincing claim that not skimping on high-quality and healthy ingredients like chocolate and cheese can be worth the extra moolah (and won't wreck your healthy eating). Yummy!
Mind Over Matter We all know how terrible stress is for us, and unfortunately, most of us have more of it in our lives these days. (I don't know one person who doesn't need a serious trip to the Caribbean complete with frozen drinks.) But, it turns out little things, like focusing on one task at hand (read: no more multitasking), can make a HUGE difference in keeping stress levels in check. In fact, in a recent study, people who were more mindful of what they were doing and practiced yoga poses, breathing methods, stretches or meditation reported being less stressed at work.
The good news is that being mindful doesn't have to take lots of training or time. Just a few focused deep breaths right now can help. Go ahead; take a sec for yourself.
Drink Up Looking to refuel after a workout but aren't sure what to eat or drink (and don't like the expensive re-hydration drinks down the nutrition aisle)? Your answer may be here, and it involves two very normal items: milk and chocolate. Yep, researchers have found that drinking low-fat chocolate milk after intense exercise can help muscles recover better than more traditional high-carb commercial drinks. The study was done with a small number of soccer players, and the research was funded by the Got Milk? campaign, so it may not be proof that chocolate milk rocks, but we do know one thing: Chocolate milk sure is tasty.
Not-So Cheap Eats
Worth the extra dollar.
Mind Over Matter
Pay attention now...
Drink Up
Wonder if light chocolate soymilk counts...
—Jenn
Photos grabbed fromshansby,Brian HillegasandHouse of Simson Flickr.