I recently had dinner with a friend who asked me if I could teach her how to cook. She and her husband eat out every night because neither one of them knows how to cook, and it’s really taking its toll on their budget. “I need to know how to cook cheap, healthy food, and it has to be easy.” I think it’s great that she has specific goals in mind, and I’m really excited to help her achieve them.

One of the first things to consider when you are learning how to cook is making a meal plan. A healthy meal has three components: protein, starch (aka “carbs”), and fruits/vegetables. If you think of your dinner plate as a map, half of your plate should consist of fruits/vegetables, and the other half is equally divided between protein and starch.

I know that many of us are avoiding carbs like the plague, but complex carbohydrates really are the cornerstone of a healthy diet. The key to carbs in picking whole grains. For instance, brown rice is healthy than white rice. Sweet potatoe

Full Article…

It’s the New Year, and many of us are making resolutions for 2010. My 2010 goals are very similar to last year, but I’ve added some new goals, too:

• Track all my expenses
• Spend $350 a month or less on food
• Put $200 a month in savings
• Try one new recipe each week
• Write every day
• Read every day
• Meet my goal weight of 165
• Practice daily spirituality

The goal of putting more money into savings is going to be a challenge, but it’s a challenge that I am excited to meet.  It will mean slashing our entertainment expenses and keeping our utility costs in check, but I would much rather see our money going into savings than into the coffers of the electric company.

The first book that I am reading for the new year is Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol. The book has a lot of information in it about the belief that your thoughts can literally effect the outcome of events. Although the book is fictional, it has a basis in reality. A few ye

Full Article…