December 17, 2018 Here are some great alternatives. Continue Reading… Author Caroline Muggia | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
Year: 2018
Use this sweet potato toast hack for next-level gluten-free appetizers
December 17, 2018 at 10:02AM There’s nothing worse than hitting the appetizer spread at a party only to find that pretty much everything will make you feel like you have to unbutton your jeans as soon as you get into your car. The solve? BYOA. Bring your own app, of course. With this delish sweet potato toast recipe from Anna Brown of Nutrition Squeezed, your dish won’t be shunned as the “healthy” one on the table—everyone will want to dig in. “I wanted a holiday appetizer that looks pretty, tastes delicious, and doesn’t make you feel like you’re overindulging at a holiday party,” Brown says. “Baked brie is one of my all-time favorite holiday appetizers, but it can feel so heavy after just a few bites. So this is my fun and gluten-free take on it.” If you’ve ever tried to make your own sweet potato toast at home, you know it often ends up in #PinterestFail territory. Her hack for whipping up the brie-topped hors d’oeuvre in half the time? Using Sweet PotaTOASTS, which are frozen slices of pre-roasted sweet potatoes. Because if you’ve ever tried to make your own sweet potato toast at home, you know it often ends up in #PinterestFail territory. Sweet PotaTOASTS, which are sisters to CAULIPOWER’s genius cauliflower pizza crusts, are the nutrient-boosted canvas for anything you would normally use toast for. And with no preservatives or additives, they check all the dietary boxes from gluten-free to vegan to paleo. “My grandfather has celiac disease, and many of my family members
You obviously don’t *have* to loan friends money, but here’s what to do when they ask
December 17, 2018 at 09:21AM Figuring out how to say no when that one friend asks to borrow money for the umpteenth time is stressful. But figuring out how to say no during the holidays, when you’re also very much strapped for cash after buying everyone gifts, ratchets the tough feelings up a notch. After all, your heartstrings are fully engaged and pulled tight. How exactly is a caring friend supposed to act when somebody—especially a potentially desperate somebody—asks for a loan? Is there a way to turn them down without putting a strain on your relationship? And is lending money to a friend ever advisable? According to Maggie Baker, PhD, financial therapy specialist and author of Crazy About Money: How Emotions Confuse Our Money Choices and What to Do About It, the holidays can be a particularly fraught time for friends and finances. You’re either feeling generous—or guilty that you don’t feel generous. Because of that, you’re probably more likely to say yes to these asks, even if your own financial situation is a little precarious. But, beware of letting those warm and fuzzy holiday feelings get the best of you. “It’s the season of giving, when people are more relaxed and open—but that doesn’t mean they should be exploited,” Dr. Baker says. If you have even a flicker of doubt about lending money to someone, don’t ignore your instincts. Rather, Dr. Baker says it pays to be a little bit selfish. Because while the denied loan may sting your
Do you *really* need to avoid certain foods while breastfeeding?
December 17, 2018 at 05:51AM For nine interminable months, you swore off booze, sushi and wine and yes, even your beloved brie while pregnant. But apparently you can’t even catch a break on your diet once you’ve given birth. Because according to your mother-in-law, or your nosy coworker, or that forum you stumbled upon during a late-night Google rabbit hole…certain foods can potentially make your baby fussy and even cause them to develop allergies if you eat them while breastfeeding. Here’s a case for ignoring your judgy MIL: There’s almost no scientific evidence to back up these long lists of foods to avoid while breastfeeding. In fact, the CDC’s official stance is that, “Generally, women do not need to limit or avoid certain foods while breastfeeding. Mothers should be encouraged to eat a healthy and diverse diet.” Individual babies may have specific reactions to a particular item or ingredient, but for the most part, there are no foods that negatively affect all babies. Lori Feldman-Winter, MD, MPH, and chairperson of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ breastfeeding division, echoes this sentiment. “Basically, a breastfeeding mom can eat the same foods she did during and before pregnancy,” she says. Yet sadly, a small 2017 study found that most women were unnecessarily restricting their diets while breastfeeding. The most commonly-avoided foods while breastfeeding, according to the study, were caffeine and spicy foods—even though there is limited evidence to support cutting out those foods completely. It’s safe to say that there’s a LOT of confusion
Jillian Michaels swears by this metabolism-boosting workout
December 17, 2018 at 07:27AM Plenty of fitness modalities have come together to create fusions of your very favorite workouts. There’s yogalates, Megaformer-slash-treadmill classes, yoga-slash-barre hybrids, and countless others, created in the name of making your sweat sesh all the more interesting. Fun? Yes. Grueling? Not so much. That is, until Jillian Michaels, whose brand-new book The 6 Keys drops tomorrow, told me about metabolic circuit training, which takes the theory of workout combining to the next level. Essentially, it’s an integration of strength training, circuits, and HIIT, but it’s specifically tailored to rev up your metabolism so that you’re benefitting your entire body in a myriad of ways. “Metabolic circuit training is when you’re combining very high-intensity techniques in order to amp up the results—you’ve got HIIT intervals mixed with weight training, and the idea is really that you’re combining for the most metabolic form of fitness that there is,” says Michaels, who also notes that it’s equally important to do these intervals with very little rest between exercises. Michaels’ new book is all about unlocking your genetic potential, and so she credits metabolic circuit training with not only optimizing the way we train, but subsequently the way we age, as well. “When it comes to exercise, I’m looking at how you’re going to maximize stress adaptation—and that’s with intensity,” she says. “HIIT intervals are great and resistance training will help, but variety is very important. Variety affects how quickly and efficiently your body is adapting to stress, allowing you to better
Make any cozy winter outfit instantly more flattering with this accessory hack
December 17, 2018 at 06:19AM A belt truly is the MVP of fashion accessories. It can accentuate a little middle, add curves to an athletic figure, draw the eyes towards your, ahem, assets, and even work well on swimwear. But there’s one place you might have never thought to utilize the versatile accessory: winterwear. “Sweaters and coats can be so bulky and oversized that your figure gets lost in the added volume and thicker fabric,” explains Argy Koutsothanasis, a stylist whose clients include The Bachelor’s Jojo Fletcher and Becca Tilley. “A belt is a quick and easy way to cinch a thick sweater or puffy coat so that you give your shape some definition.” Not sure how to pull off the look? Koutsothanasis says it’s all about playing with what you’ve already got: “The trick is to select a style that works with your body and proportions. If you have a small waist and curvy hips, you can wear a larger belt to really accentuate your tiny middle. If you have a fuller or straight up-and-down torso, you can pick a thinner belt so as not to add volume to your middle.” Her only rule? Pay attention to where you place the belt—on the natural waist or on top of the hips are the two best positions; anything too high or too low will just look awkward. As for color and pattern, she says go with whatever you’re feeling with the outfit. A simple brown or black belt will do the trick nicely, but she believes
11 romance novels that’ll leave you hot and bothered through the holiday season
December 17, 2018 at 05:30AM At this point in the year, you may well be experiencing Christmas rom-com fatigue—so the prospect of heading home for the holidays to spend time with your family time to play board games and probably watch even more wholesome flicks may leave you wanting…more. Well, you’re in luck: Endless bookshelves (paper and digital) are overflowing with steamy romance novels just waiting for your undivided, yearning attention. So, grab an adaptogenic hot chocolate, curl up the by fire, and lose yourself in one of the following super-hot tomes. Reading should be for pleasure, right? 1. Darker, by E.L. James If you’re panting for more Fifty Shades, fear not: The tantalizing series returns to the Red Room, this time through Christian Grey’s POV. Though his affair with Anastasia Steele has flamed out (sorry, spoiler!), the tormented billionaire still burns for her love—and will stop at nothing to bring her back under his dominance. You’ll bang this out in one sitting. 2. The Idea of You, by Robinne Lee Sit back, and let your fangirl dreams come to life. After meeting backstage at a Las Vegas concert, divorcee Solene, 39, unexpectedly strikes up an intoxicating affair with British boy bander Hayes, 20. Don’t let his age fool you: This Harry Styles wannabe knows just what a woman wants—and needs. Their international trysts certainly satisfy. Even the prying paparazzi enjoy. 3. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, by Balli Kaur Jaswal The title doesn’t lie. London-based Indian immigrant Nikki is teaching
The at-work facial massage that whisks away any sign of jaw tension
December 17, 2018 at 03:30AM As my mom—massage therapist and regular therapist will tell you—I am a tense human being. Whatever anxiety I’ve got going on in my brain usually manifests itself in my body almost immediately, which means my jaw is constantly clenched, and my feet, hands, and shoulders pretty much always have some kind of weird knots or kinks in them. Not to mention, my post-workout muscle soreness seems to stick around for-e-ver. Despite religious foam rolling, I’ve just never quite been able to target those tricky, smaller spots that are really in need of some relief. But recently, I discovered a way to make my body hate me slightly less that doesn’t require me dropping the full contents of my bank account on massages and icy plunge pools: One itty, bitty cork ball from 42 Birds may have—dare I say it—changed my life for the better. Nowadays, when I feel tense, I pluck the cork ball (the size of an extra-ripe cherry) from my hiding place at my desk at work. While I brainstorm ideas and edit stories, I etch it against my jawline and trace the tense-feeling places that need relief, until my jaw tension is no more. I’d heard of using massage balls for muscle release on your glutes and hamstrings before (thanks, Charlee Atkins!), but I had no idea that with a smaller ball, the same principle could be translated to my feet, hands, and, here’s my face. “The smaller ball just works wonders on your face. We hold
How to wash your winter coat—without splashing big bucks at the dry cleaner
December 17, 2018 at 02:00AM Most of us would never dream of going an entire season without washing our go-to jeans or favorite white T-shirts. So why is it that winter outerwear—which gets just as much play as those other wardrobe staples, if not more—is so often left out of the fluff-and-fold fun? Okay, so your coat isn’t directly exposed to your bod in most cases. But even if it doesn’t touch your skin or sweat, it’s actually making contact with lots of far grosser things during the course of a day—car exhaust, polluted precipitation, latte drips, and energy-bar crumbs from your a.m. commute. (Oh, and fun fact: On the east coast of the U.S., at least, air quality is at its worst in the winter months. So that’s a whole lot of gross particulate matter latching on to your wool trench.) Cleaning your winter coat on the reg isn’t just a matter of good hygiene, say Gwen Whiting and Lindsey Boyd, co-founders of eco-friendly fabric care brand The Laundress. It’s also a win for sustainability, helping you get more wear out of your outerwear wardrobe. “Down coats will look deflated and lose their warmth [if not cared for properly],” Boyd says. “Wool coats are also important to wash in order to preserve the natural lanolin of the fibers. Add rain, snow, and slush to the mix, and your coat will begin to look dingy after seasons without a proper wash. Caring for winter coats will increase their longevity for
The 10 Most Addictive Novels & Memoirs of 2018
December 17, 2018 at 01:00AM Whether you’re traveling or you need the perfect book to gift, we have you covered! Continue Reading… Author Liz Moody | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue