Power Force Apparel's Ladies long sleeve tees and other items have a new inventive detail- BLACK LACE! Who would have thought this edgy touch would look so incredible! Don't you just love it!
Showing posts with label #selfmagazine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #selfmagazine. Show all posts
Friday, April 27, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Caramel Filled Apple Cups!
Caramel Filled Apple Cups!
Cut the top of your apple off and set aside. Scoop out the body of the apple with a melon baller and fill with melted caramel or dipping sauce of your choice. (Make sure to melt your dipping sauce in a bowl and NOT the actual apple)
Friday, March 16, 2012
Best Hummus EVER!
The Best Hummus You Will Ever Eat
1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
2 or 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp ground cumin ( I have never had this on hand and have thus never used it...but it tastes great without so its ok if you don't use it either)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp hot sauce
1 1/2 cups of canned chick peas, drained and rinsed
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree. Place in bowl, sprinkle with paprika, and serve with pita wedges and chopped veggies.
Healthy Mac N Cheese
Broccoli & White Cheddar Mac & Cheese
Buy blocks of cheese and grate it yourself. It makes a world of difference! The pre-shredded stuff just doesn’t melt as smoothly. Plus, the more calories you burn shredding cheese, the more mac & cheese you can eat.
Ingredients
3 cups frozen baby broccoli florets
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/3 cups milk
4 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
2 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
salt to taste
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/3 cups milk
4 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
2 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
salt to taste
Directions
Microwave broccoli florets in a large, microwave safe bowl according to package instructions until tender (usually 4-5 minutes). Drain off any water and set aside.
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add elbow macaroni. Boil according to directions until al dente. Drain.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk to form a paste (roux). Cook 1-2 minutes to eliminate raw flour taste. Slowly pour in milk, whisking briskly to remove lumps. Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking constantly, until milk mixture thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in shredded cheese. Add salt to taste.
Add drained macaroni back to pot. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni, add broccoli, and stir to combine.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Deconstructed Sushi salad with a peppy wasabi vinaigrette! Clean Eating.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup short-grain brown rice
- 1 tbsp wasabi paste
- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 2/3 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp raw honey
- 1 English cucumber, diced into 1/4-inch chunks
- 4 nori sheets, quartered and cut into 1/4-inch strips
- 1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
- 8 oz crab meat pieces (claw or jumbo lump)
- 1 avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
- 4 cups baby spinach
INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a medium saucepot, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Stir in rice, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for an additional 10 minutes. Spread rice on a baking sheet to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk wasabi, soy sauce, vinegar and honey. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix rice, cucumber, nori and carrot. Drizzle with wasabi-honey mixture and stir to combine. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in crab.
- Divide spinach evenly among serving bowls or plates and top each with rice-crab mixture and avocado.
Nutrients per serving (1 cup spinach, 1 1/2 heaping cups rice-crab mixture, 1/4 avocado): Calories: 360, Total Fat: 10 g, Sat. Fat: 1.5 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g, Omega-3s: 350 mg, Omega-6s: 930 mg, Carbs: 54 g, Fiber: 9 g, Sugars: 4 g, Protein: 18 g, Sodium: 490 mg, Cholesterol: 55 mg
Monday, March 5, 2012
Beauty Breakthrough or Bust?
Breakthrough or Bust? 5 Beauty Innovations Tested
At-Home Gel Manicures
The claim: Inspired by popular salon gel manis, brands are launching at-home versions that offer the quick-drying durability -- up to two weeks of wear -- of their pro counterparts. Some involve several steps, including hardening the gel with an LED lamp (either included in a kit or sold separately), while others are polishes made with resins that harness sunlight, or any artificial light, to set the lacquer, explains Jin Soon Choi, owner of the Jin Soon Natural Hand and Foot Spas in New York City.The expert's take: Your success depends on your application abilities. "If you're skilled, then these products will absolutely yield results that are comparable to salon versions," Choi says. The entire process, including drying time, should take no more than 15 to 20 minutes.
Our picks: SensatioNail Invincible Gel Polish Starter Kit ($50, including LED light; Walmart stores) stood out as "relatively quick -- about 15 minutes total" and left our tester with "polish just as shiny as when I put it on" after four days of wear, through several showers and dishwashing sessions. For those who prefer a one-step treatment, Revlon ColorStay Longwear Nail Enamel ($8, drugstores) "required only one coat and dried unbelievably fast," a volunteer said. "It held up better than most regular salon manis," another reported.
Mascara and Hair Smoothers
Lash-Boosting MascarasThe claim: These fringe enhancers contain peptides and conditioners that "stimulate the cells responsible for lash growth," according to one of the companies that makes them. Lashes are supposed to look thicker, longer, darker and more voluminous after about two weeks of daily use.
The expert's take: "These mascaras hydrate, so the length of your lashes may improve slightly," says Debra B. Luftman, M.D., a dermatologist in Calabasas, California. "But they don't affect the hair growth cycle, so it's doubtful you'll see an increase in the quantity."
Our pick: Of the dozen that we tested, Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Mascara ($10, drugstores) was the only product to produce results. "It enhanced my natural lashes," our volunteer said. "Any growth is subtle, but there's definitely a difference in density and length."
Hair-Smoothing Treatments
The claim: Based on the technology used for salon keratin treatments, the at-home versions "often rely on polymers and amino acids to lock hair into place with heat from your flatiron or blow-dryer," says Ni'Kita Wilson, a cosmetic chemist in Englewood, New Jersey. These DIY kits aim to reduce curl, keeping hair frizz-free for anywhere from seven to 30 shampoos, depending on the product, your hair texture and how often you shampoo. They're usually applied like conditioner and left on hair for about 30 minutes.
The expert's take: "Salon treatments tend to last longer because of the techniques and products used," Wilson says. "But they can cost hundreds of dollars. At-home keratin kits are safe and effective alternatives." They're most beneficial for loosening curls and reducing frizz rather than straightening hair.
Our picks: For short-term smoothing (lasting roughly 10 washes), try Organix Ever Straight Brazilian Keratin Therapy 14-Day Express Treatment ($8, Walmart stores), which our tester said was "really easy to use and significantly decreased frizz yet left my curls intact, which I wanted." The Ojon Super Sleek Hair Straightening Treatment ($39, Ulta stores) lasts up to 30 washes and left hair "much easier to blow-dry; it took about half the time it normally does," a reviewer reported.
Lip Gloss and Hair Growth Inhibitors
Long-Wear Lip GlossesThe claim: While lipsticks and stains have lasting power, glosses, liquid by nature, have always been more fleeting. Companies are countering that by launching long-wearing formulas that they profess will stay put for six, eight, 10, or even 24 hours thanks to waxes and polymers that help them adhere to lips.
The expert's take: "You can reasonably expect these glosses to last up to twice as long as traditional ones," says Joette Balsamo, a makeup artist at the Marie Robinson Salon in New York City. Sheer formulas are moist but stickier than regular gloss, while those that are more opaque -- usually two-step tubes that include a color coat followed by a glossy coat -- may feel very dry until the topcoat is applied, she says.
Our picks: Of the single-step formulas tested, Clinique Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 ($14, department stores) ranked number one: "It didn't feel too sticky, and it stayed on for five hours -- even through a facial and a workout!" a user marveled. MAC Cosmetics Pro Longwear Lipcolour ($22, maccosmetics.com) was the sole two-phase version that earned a spot in the reviewer's bag because of its enduring shine and moisturizing properties.
Hair-Growth-Inhibiting Products
The claim: This crop of creams, gels, lotions and deodorants, which contain various botanical extracts (like bayberry and pumpkin seed), conditioning agents (such as sunflower seed oil) and exfoliants (including salicylic acid and urea), promises to make hair growth less visible so you don't have to shave or wax as often.
The expert's take: These products work by breaking down hair proteins and thinning hair fibers, according to Francesca Fusco, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City. Results can span from "simply making the hairs softer to actually slowing their growth," she says. "But hair growth isn't stopped, and any results will last only as long as you use the product." The treatments work best on thin-skinned areas like the underarms and bikini zone, and it takes anywhere from two to six weeks to see results.
Our picks: For underarms, Dove Visibly Smooth Anti-Perspirant/Deodorant ($5, drugstores) left a user's hair less noticeable and softer after two weeks of daily use. On the rest of the body, try Decléor Post Wax Double Action Gel Anti-Hair Regrowth and Hydrating ($27, decleorusa.com), which made a tester's skin feel supersmooth and "slowed hair growth so that I could shave half as often."
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Healthiest Snack Foods on the Planet
The 50 Best Snack Foods in America
50. Best Fiber Bar: Fiber One Chewy Bars Oats & Peanut Butter
With about a third of your day’s recommended fiber intake, this is the ideal snack for those days when your produce and whole grain intake are below par.
49. Best All-Natural Bar: Lärabar Pecan Pie
It’s a lot of sugar, but every gram of it comes from natural dates, and other than that, there are only two ingredients in this bar: pecans and almonds. It’s like trail mix compressed into a neat, easy-to-carry package.
48. Best Protein Bar: Atkins Advantage Peanut Butter Granola Bar
This bar has more protein than two Fresco Crunchy Tacos from Taco Bell, plus a fifth of your day’s fiber. That’s enough to stop hunger in
its tracks.
47. Best Healthy-Fat Bar: Kind Plus Almond Cashew + Omega-3
Almonds and cashews bring in a major haul of monounsaturated fats, and the flaxseed rounds it out with omega-3s. That’s a lot of nutrition for such a tiny package.
46. Best Fruit-Filled Bar: Kashi Ripe Strawberry Cereal Bars
The fruity interior provides a fresh burst of sweetness, and the whole-grain exterior counters it with a nutty flavor that reminds you you’re still eating real food.
45. Best Chocolate Bar: Lärabar Chocolate Chip Brownie
This bar has only six ingredients, and every one of them is something you likely have or have had in your own kitchen. That makes it a rarity among the heavily processed foods populating the shelves of the supermarket.
44. Best Vegetable Juice: V8 100% Vegetable Juice, Low Sodium
Each cup counts as two servings of vegetables, making this a wise beverage to drink in the wake of a produce-less lunch. Hey, gotta squeeze in those veggies however you can.
43. Best Fruit Smoothie: Bolthouse Farms Berry Boost
With no added sugar, this is one of the lowest-calorie bottles in the cooler. Thank the mix of blackberries, boysenberries, blueberries, and raspberries for their help in contributing big flavor, a boatload of antioxidants, and 5 days’ worth of vitamin C.
42. Best Protein Shake: EAS AdvantEdge Carb Control Ready-to-Drink French Vanilla
This is a near-perfect load of post-workout protein. Maximize your gym time by tossing one of these in your gym bag and guzzling it on your way out the door.
41. Best Chili: Kettle Cuisine Three Bean Chili
No food is better than chili for bringing together fiber and protein in such a flavor-loaded package. This one earns our love by combining three different beans with four different peppers.
40. Best Legume-Based Soup: Health Valley Organic Split Pea & Carrots Soup (40% Less Sodium)
This can’s ingredient statement reads like a vegan shopping list: split peas, carrots, potatoes, and lentils, all of which are organic. Even if you eat both servings in the can, you still fall within the caloric range of a healthy snack.
Click here for all of today's nutrition, health, and fitness news!
39. Best Overall Soup: Campbell’s Select Harvest Light Italian-Style Vegetable Soup
This is as light as soup gets. You can slurp the whole veggie-loaded can for 100 calories and not worry about serving-size overload.
38. Best Chicken Soup: Campbell’s Select Harvest Healthy Request Mexican Style Chicken Tortilla Soup
This Mexican-Style Chicken Tortilla Soup has a bigger flavor kick—and about 45 percent less sodium—than the more common varieties of chicken noodle.
37. Best Frozen Snack: Cedarlane Garden Vegetable Enchiladas
Each enchilada has a quarter of your day’s vitamin A and 20 percent of your daily calcium. The package comes with two servings, so eat one as a snack or add a side salad and eat both as lunch.
36. Best Meat-Substitute Snack: Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik’n Strips
With faux-chicken there’s no need to pull out a frying pan. Just zap them in the microwave and serve with ketchup or barbecue sauce for a protein-loaded snack you can eat
at your desk.
35. Best Pizza Snack: Lean Pockets Whole Grain Supreme Pizza
These inverted pizzas deliver commendable hits of protein, fiber, and calcium. Plus they have more than a hundred fewer calories than similar flavors of Hot Pockets.
Click here for all of today's nutrition, health, and fitness news!
34. Best Frozen Finger Food: Alexia Mushroom Bites
Lightly breaded and cooked in olive oil, Alexia’s mushrooms are loaded with both healthy fats and B vitamins, the latter of which converts carbohydrates into energy to keep your metabolism humming along smoothly.
33. Best Sweetened Cereal: Kashi Whole Wheat Biscuits, Cinnamon Harvest
Aside from the touch of cane juice, the only ingredients are whole wheat and cinnamon. The wheat delivers protein and fiber, and the cinnamon helps counteract the cane juice’s impact on blood sugar.
32. Best Granola: Kashi GoLean Crisp! Toasted Berry Crumble
Big-flavor add-ins like cranberries and blueberries allow Kashi to keep the fat and sugar levels below those of other granolas on the market. Pour some over a cup of Greek yogurt for a sweet and hearty snack.
31. Best Oatmeal: Quaker Weight Control Instant Oatmeal, Maple & Brown Sugar
Don’t confine oatmeal to the breakfast table. A bowl of instant oats makes a perfect snack. Each packet has only 1 gram of sugar, an impressive 4 grams of fiber, and thanks to the whey protein powder, a healthy array of amino acids.
30. Best Snack Bread: Pepperidge Farm Swirl 100% Whole-Wheat Cinnamon with Raisins
Cinnamon toast is usually little more than sugar and starch, a decadent duo with love-handle repercussions. Go with the whole wheat variety and you can snack without the guilt, even if you opt for a second slice.
Click here for all of today's nutrition, health, and fitness news!
29. Best Whole Wheat Cracker: Triscuit Original
To make crackers, you need only two ingredients: wheat and oil. That, plus a dash of salt, is all Nabisco uses in the Triscuit formula. You won’t find a better, more robust cracker anywhere.
28. Best Flavored Cracker: Wheat Thins Fiber Selects 5-Grain Crackers
The mix of whole wheat, rolled oats, barley, and flaxseed lends these crackers a massive hit of fiber, and the touch of refined flour prevents them from tasting like chaff.
27. Best Potato Chips: Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips
Part chip, part cracker, and all good. These nibbles provide 20 percent of your daily dose of vitamin A, and they’re gluten-free.
26. Best Vegetable Chips: Terra Exotic Harvest Vegetable Chips
This fun mix of carrots, blue potatoes, and kabocha squash boasts 40 percent less fat than potato chips and enough fiber to take the edge off your hunger. (Plus they look pretty on the chip ’n’ dip platter.)
25. Best Pretzels: Newman’s Own Organics Spelt Pretzels
Spelt is a grain related to wheat but with more fiber and protein, and the fact that it’s organic is just a bonus. Pair these with a hunk of cheddar to rope even more protein into your snack break.
24. Best Popcorn: Orville Redenbacher’s Smart Pop! Gourmet Popping Corn (94% Fat-Free) Mini Bags
The mini bags serve a dual function: They keep you from overeating and they do away with the need for a popcorn bowl. Keep a few bags tucked into your desk at work, and a fiber-rich snack will never be far from reach.
23. Best Vegetable Dippers: Earthbound Farm Organic Mini Peeled Carrots with Ranch Dip
These baby carrots come with just enough ranch to kick up the flavor without burdening you with a nutritionally nullifying load of fat, and each serving has 130 percent of your day’s recommended vitamin A.
22. Best Plain Yogurt: Fage Total 2% Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt has more than double the protein of standard American-style yogurt. Make it a simple parfait by adding fruit, nuts, seeds, or granola.
21. Best Cottage Cheese: Fiber One Lowfat Cottage Cheese with Fiber
Cottage cheese is famous for its abundant supply of complete protein, but the 5 grams of fiber come from the addition of a natural plant compound called inulin. Top your curds with canned or fresh fruit for an ultra-sweet snack (or dessert!).
Click here for all of today's nutrition, health, and fitness news!
20. Best Cheese: Horizon Organic Mozzarella String Cheese
Each stick has a fifth of your day’s calcium intake, and Horizon keeps the fat down by using part-skim milk. The creaminess of the cheese pairs particularly well with an apple, and the duo just so happens to make one perfect snack-size portion.
19. Best Spreadable Cheese: The Laughing Cow Light Mozzarella, Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil
Keep one of these cheese wheels in the office fridge to fight on-the-job hunger. Spread a couple wedges over whole wheat crackers and you hit both major benchmarks of satiety: protein and fiber.
18. Best Chocolate Milk: Organic Valley Lowfat Chocolate Milk
Chocolate milk is the perfect drinkable snack before you head in for a workout. The sugar fuels your muscles for maximum power, and the protein helps rebuild them afterward.
17. Best Portable Egg: Eggology Cage Free Hardboiled Eggs
These are natural eggs, cooked, peeled, and ready to eat. Make a complete snack by spreading hummus on whole wheat toast and slicing the hard-boiled egg over
the top.
16. Best Flavored Yogurt: Chobani Nonfat Blueberry Greek Yogurt
Often what yogurt processors call “fruit” is actually artificially colored high-fructose corn syrup with just a touch of actual plant matter. Chobani’s delivers real blueberry, and sugar plays a mere supporting role.
15. Best Peanut Butter: Smucker’s Natural Chunky Peanut Butter
You’ll find no added oils, sweeteners, or fillers in this jar—just peanuts and salt. Stay within the snack-size calorie range by eating one tablespoon with crackers or two tablespoons with baby carrots or celery.
Click here for all of today's nutrition, health, and fitness news!
14. Best Alternative Nut Butter: MaraNatha Creamy & Roasted Almond Butter
Almond butter has more heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids than peanut butter, and it’s just as convenient. Try smearing some over apple slices for a tasty blend of sweet and savory.
13. Best Sweet Spread: Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams
Peanut Butter & Co. makes this delectable spread with peanut butter, cocoa, and vanilla, basically providing all the indulgence of Nutella without Nutella’s glut of added sugar. Pair a scoop with a banana for an incredibly tasty and surprisingly healthy snack.
12. Best Hummus: Sabra Sun Dried Tomato Hummus
If you don’t already keep hummus stocked in your fridge, add it to your shopping list right now. The creamy puree of chickpeas and sesame seeds carries a balanced mix of protein, fiber, and healthy fat, and it pairs well with just about anything you can dip.
11. Best Guacamole: Wholly Guacamole
With so many faux-guacamoles at the supermarket, it’s important to find one good brand and stick to it. So let us introduce you to Wholly, the supermarket’s most reliable purveyor of authentic, avocado-based guac. Oils, starches, and artificial colors are nowhere to be found in this package.
10. Best Fruit Snack: Peeled Snacks Much-Ado-About Mango
Think of Peeled Snacks’ Much-Ado-About-Mango like a Fruit Roll-Up for adults. It contains no added sugars or artificial ingredients, just organic mango. That’s how each bag ends up with nearly a third of your day’s vitamin A.
Men's Health on Twitter.
9. Best Chocolate-Covered Fruit: Sunsweet Chocolate PlumSweets
Per serving Sunsweet’s plums have half as much sugar as Raisinets, and because they’re coated in dark (instead of milk) chocolate, they boast a greater antioxidant boon.
8. Best Shell-On Nuts: Everybody’s Nuts! Chili & Lime Pistachios
We’re not sure how they got the flavor inside the shell, but we do know it’s totally addictive. Good thing the shells prevent you from wolfing them down too quickly.
7. Best Seeds: Eden Organic Pumpkin Seeds
Not only are they loaded with protein and fiber, but pumpkin seeds are also one of the world’s best sources of magnesium, a mineral that helps strengthen bones and improve blood circulation.
6. Best Nut Mix: Planters NUTrition Heart Healthy Mix
Inside this can is an awesome blend of heart-protecting peanuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts, and walnuts. Consider it a great base for homemade trail mix.
5. Best Packaged Trail Mix: Eden Organic Wild Berry Mix-Nuts, Seeds & Berries
No time to blend your own mix? Fine, this one carries an antioxidant powerhouse of raisins, cranberries, wild blueberries, almonds, and seeds. That makes it simultaneously chewy, crunchy, and sweet.
4. Best Seasoned Nuts: Sahale Snacks Southwest Cashews
Sahale hit upon an insanely flavorful recipe with these cashews. They’re slow roasted with cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, paprika,
and two varieties of chili powder. Yeah, they’re good.
3. Best Chocolate-Covered Nuts: Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds, Dark Chocolate
This snack tastes like candy but has all the nutritional kick of an almond. Plus, since each serving has only 1 gram of sugar, you’ll incur no candy-splurging penalties.
2. Best Jerky: Jack Link’s Premium Cuts Original Beef Jerky
No snack on the planet offers such a reliable dose of protein in a more convenient package. Consider this your best option on days when you’re too busy to be bothered with snack-time complications.
1. Best Tuna Snack: Bumble Bee Sensations Sundried Tomato & Basil Tuna Medley
This little dish pads your belly with more protein than a Burger King Whopper, but it does so with fewer than a third as many calories. Eat it straight out of the container or dump it over some greens for a simple tuna salad.
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