Food Reward Friday

This week's winner... the Starbuck's Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino!

Read more »

Friday Foodie Finds #22

Do you like themes? I really like themes for posts. It's fun to have something to center a recipe search around.

I went to high school in New England, I go to college in New England, I've spent summers researching in New England, and I have fond family vacation memories of Canada.

The great Maple!

Thus it is only appropriate that this week's Friday Foodie Finds theme is maple syrup! All of the following recipes feature the woodsy sweetener!

You know, since to me today is the last day of fall (I can't wait to welcome winter tomorrow)! Oh, and today's giveaway is at the bottom of this post. But don't forget to also check out my giveaway page and make sure you've entered all of my current giveaways!

As always, V is for Vegan. On that note:

Amy's Maple Turtle Cake (V)

Yammie's Secretly Healthy Granola

Granola, in general, is healthful - it's packed with nuts, seeds, whole grains, and dried fruits to fuel your day! But depending on your needs, you may want one with higher protein, less added oil, and/or lower sugar than the norm. This one is a great option. It's made with egg whites, no refined sugar, and only 1Tbsp. olive oil (not that oil, sugar, or egg yolks are 'bad' by any means, but some people are overweight and trying to get into the normal range, are diabetic, or have CVD).

James's Maple Walnut Cream Tart

Marly's The Vegan Maple (V)

A savory recipe with sweet undertones? Yes, please - this sounds like a fabulous (albeit complicated) sandwich!

Natasha's Healthy Maple Walnut Apple Crumble

Healthy enough to eat for breakfast (it features oats, bran, flax seeds, and - of course - apples!) but tasty enough to eat for dessert. This would be perfect served with yogurt or ice cream. Or better yet, both!

Martha Stewart's Maple Cupcake

So it seems that bacon is a popular maple cupcake topper. Well, I'm giving away a yummy vegetarian alternative to bacon for you to top your maple (or other) cupcakes with!



Isn't he cute?



Today's 25 Days of Giveaways giveaway is for Crafty Rosy's Edible Christmas Cupcake Fondant Toppers!



Each piece is carefully handmade, they're all 100% edible, and they're vegetarian! No bacon here :)

This giveaway is open to everyone (yay!) and you have until December 14 to enter. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to check my giveaways page to make sure you've entered all of my current giveaways! There's a new one every day during the 25 Days of Giveaways!

Have you ever had a maple sandwich?

What's your favorite way to eat maple syrup?

Do you (or have you ever) live(d) in New England or Canada?

High-fat diets reduce inflammation compared to low fat diets

This study was published in Lipids 2008 Jan;43(1):65-77

 

Study title and authors:

Comparison of low fat and low carbohydrate diets on circulating fatty acid composition and markers of inflammation.

Forsythe CE, Phinney SD, Fernandez ML, Quann EE, Wood RJ, Bibus DM, Kraemer WJ, Feinman RD, Volek JS.
Department of Kinesiology, University of Connecticut, 2095 Hillside Road, Unit 1110, Storrs, CT, 06269-1110, USA.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18046594

Inflammation is an important risk factor in metabolic syndrome, diabetes and heart disease. This study tested the effects of low-fat and high-fat diets on markers of inflammation. This was a 12 week randomised, controlled, dietary intervention trial and included 40 overweight men and women, aged 18-55 years.

The subjects consumed diets of either:
(i) 12% carbohydrate, 59% fat, 28% protein. (High-fat diet).
(ii) 56% carbohydrate, 24% fat, 20% protein. (Low-fat diet).

The study found there was an overall greater anti-inflammatory effect associated with the high-fat diet, as evidenced by greater decreases in inflammatory markers such as: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin 6, interleukin 8, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecules, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1.

The results of the study reveal that a high-fat diet reduces inflammation compared to a low fat diet.

A Super Duper Quick Dessert Recipe

For whenever you're busy, but still want a special dessert, here's a quick go-to recipe of mine that works with most fruits (except citrus).

Three Minute Blueberry Compote

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. olive oil

ICE CREAM!!!

1) Warm the olive oil in a pan over medium heat.

2) Add the blueberries and sugar, stir and cook over medium heat for approximately 3 minutes until blueberries are heated through and release some of their juice.

3) Serve with ice cream (pour some the blueberry sauce over the ice cream).

If you find yourself making this every night, *cough, cough, me,* fun ways to mix it up include sprinkling nuts over it or adding granola for a cobbler-like experience. You really can't go wrong, and it's a great way to impress any last-minute guests!

Tee-hee, suddenly everyone thinks I'm the queen of desserts.

Eating them, perhaps. But making them? I'm obviously only able to keep up the facade because my friends aren't familiar with Choc Chip Uru.

Anyway, this recipe also goes great with Stonyfield Oikos organic nonfat greek frozen yogurt, for a healthy treat! 

I recommend Peach Mango:

It's delightful! You can tell that it's not ice cream, as it's just a tad less creamy and significantly less sweet, but it's so amazingly delicious in its own right! It's thick and more substantial than ice cream, just as greek yogurt is more substantial than regular yogurt, and the guys over at Stonyfield really didn't skimp on the fruit chunks - there's peach and mango galore!

But I almost never eat my ice cream (or ice cream-like dessert, in this case) plain.

Actually, I'm pretty sure I never do.

I usually top my ice cream with granola, cookies, crumbled baked goods, nuts and seeds, dried fruits, nut butter, syrups, etc, but this is just made for pairing with the blueberry compote, since it's so fruity.

NOMNOMNOM.

Jealous? :P

Oops, I almost forgot!

Haha, just kidding. I didn't actually almost forget. How could I?

It's time for today's giveaway in the 25 Days of Giveaways series!

Since my recipe has you covered on how to satisfy your guests's sweet teeth (?), here's how to satisfy their savory!

Fries are a fun finger food for entertaining, and they're snack-ish so they're convenient for non-meal gatherings, but they can be time consuming to make from scratch or unhealthy to buy prepared.

Peas of Mind vegetable fries are a healthy solution! For my long-time readers, you probably remember my raving review of their broccoli fries last Christmas.

They're delicious! And they could be yours (x3!) because this next giveaway is for 3 free Peas of Mind products. 

Also (in case fries aren't your thing) Peas of Mind makes pull-apart rolls out of veggies, puffets out of veggies, and even frozen pizza where the crust is made out of veggies!

This giveaway is open to US readers only and you have until December 13 to enter to win. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to swing by my giveaway page and make sure you've entered all of my current giveaways - there are thirteen giveaways open at the moment!

Do you like guests?

How often do you entertain?

What's your go-to quick dessert recipe?

Women with higher cholesterol levels have significantly higher bone mineral density

This study was published in the Journal of Womens Health 2006 Apr;15(3):261-70

 

Study title and authors:

Lipid profile and bone paradox: higher serum lipids are associated with higher bone mineral density in postmenopausal women.

Brownbill RA, Ilich JZ.

University of Connecticut, School of Allied Health, Storrs, USA.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16620185

The study investigated the relationship between cholesterol levels and bone mineral density. The study included 136 healthy, postmenopausal women.  

The study found that women with cholesterol levels above 240 mg/dL (6.2 mmol/L) had significantly higher bone mineral density than women with cholesterol levels below 240 mg/dL (6.2 mmol/L).

For You Flintstones Fans... (and WIAW #66)

Before we get to the WIAW part of this post, let's talk Flintstones.

I was quite the Flintstones fan when I was younger and I'm super disappointed that they aren't on TV anymore (are they?)!

Since they clearly got into the holiday spirit, too (see above), today's giveaway in the 25 Days of Giveaways is for all of you hard-core Flintstone fans out there.

I'm looking at you, paleo people.

I'm not paleo (I don't get it) but I figure that if you're paleo you'd probably get on great with the Flintstone families - y'all could have Christmas dinner together!

Anyway, even if you're not paleo, this paleo-friendly giveaway looks so yummy that you'll want to get 

in on it anyway.

Today's giveaway is of a box of Primal Momma Grain-Free Almond Flour Granola Bars! 

Whether you're paleo, gluten-free, low-carb, vegan, (insert your diet here), or you just see food and eat it, these untraditional granola bars fit in your diet!

The only one they don't fit into is the SAD diet. They're too healthy for that. 

But they look so yummy that SADers would probably abandon ship to get their hands on these.

I haven't tried these yet (though it looks like I should order some soon - are those chocolate chips in there? And dried berries? And shredded coconut? All baked into an almond flour based bar, with just honey as a sweetener and no refined sugars? Why yes, that's so!) and sadly for me, I can't enter my own giveaway. 

But you guys can!

This giveaway is open to all of my US readers (sorry international folks - but I am running some international giveaways!). You have until December 12 to enter, so spread the love and share this giveaway with your friends & family! Sharing is part of the spirit of the holidays :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Okay, now it's WIAW time.

As always, here's a random assortment of some of the foods I've been enjoying lately! They're not all from one day, nor do they accurately depict what I eat in one day. I'm a college student, so obviously lots of sandwiches are consumed. 

And then there's my ice cream habit :) And all the bars that I love! Anyway, here are some of my food pics.

We'll start with this, since I have some form of yogurt-granola-fruit-nut butter parfait at least once a day, if not more.

What?! They're delicious!

As are microwave cakes. And I love tea!

Sprouted nuts are just amaaaaaaaazing. As is caramel with cacao nibs = new addiction.

Peanut butter cups and roasted kabocha will never get old. I had the other peanut butter cup while taking this photo, because it took forever - the batteries died when I turned on my camera, so I had to change the batteries. So annoying.

Wow, did I just complain about having to change batteries? New levels of laziness have been reached, folks. Please excuse me.

I have a good excuse:

Hundreds and hundreds of pages of reading a night (sadly, not all fun novels, like in the pic above - but a girl has to take a break sometime)!

Best enjoyed with roasted kabocha, milk chocolate, and a Betty Lou's Fruit bar. YUM :)

I also tried a new-to-me dairy brand!

Cabot Cheese is a northeastern farm family coop that's been making hard and soft cheeses, yogurts, whipped cream, and more dairy delights for the past 90 years. I'd been craving cottage cheese lately (does that happen to anyone else? Cottage cheese is one of those foods that I don't eat regularly, but I'll occasionally really, really want some cottage cheese with peanut butter and granola. It's just the perfect late night study snack. So I gave Cabot Vermont-Style Cottage Cheese a try!



 It comes in regular and no fat varieties, but my local store was all out of regular and only had two of these left on the shelf. I'll take that as a good sign that they were almost all sold out?

Or maybe my grocery store just needs to do better stocking. :P

This cottage cheese has nice size curds and a nice creamy white color. Sometimes nonfat cottage cheese can be a little water, but this one was creamy and great - no watery layer at all.

The flavor was also quite good. I tend to prefer my cottage cheese on the saltier side, since I like pairing it with sweet granola. This wasn't a very salty cottage cheese. But the good thing about that (other than it being a solid option for people watching their sodium intake) is that you can always add a little sprinkle of salt.

It's a great base for lots of yummy creations :)

Cottage cheese + peanut butter + cacao nibs + honey + crunchy stuff = match made in heaven.

Did you watch the Flintstones?

Do you prefer the Flintstones or the Jetsons?

What's your favorite kind of book?

Breast feeding is associated with a decreased risk of been overweight in later life

This study was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology 2005 Sep 1;162(5):397-403

 

Study title and authors:

Duration of breastfeeding and risk of overweight: a meta-analysis.

Harder T, Bergmann R, Kallischnigg G, Plagemann A.

Clinic of Obstetrics, Division of Experimental Obstetrics, Charité-University Medicine, Berlin, Germany. thomas.harder@charite.de

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16076830

This paper is an analysis of 17 studies that investigated the connection between breastfeeding and the risk of been overweight in later life.

The study found:
(a) Compared to those who were exclusively formula-fed, those who were breastfed for 1-3 months had a 19% decreased risk of been overweight in later life.
(b) Compared to those who were exclusively formula-fed, those who were breastfed for 4-6 months had a 24% decreased risk of been overweight in later life.
(c) Compared to those who were exclusively formula-fed, those who were breastfed for 7-9 months had a 33% decreased risk of been overweight in later life.
(d) Compared to those who were exclusively formula-fed, those who were breastfed for more than 9 months had a 32% decreased risk of been overweight in later life.

The data from the study reveals that a longer duration of breast feeding (up to nine months) is associated with a decreased risk of been overweight in later life.

Farm Rich Review & Giveaway!

There's good news and bad news. 

First, the bad news: my camera died. I'll have to have that checked out later today. 

Now, the good news: the 25 Days of Giveaways continue and today's giveaway is for 2 free product vouchers from Farm Rich!

FarmRich makes wholesome snacks to help busy moms (and busy students!) out with the nutrition of home-cooked fare and the convenience of frozen food.

They make snacks for everyone, from Mozzarella Sticks, to Jalapeno Peppers, to Stuffed Pretzel Bites, to mini Pizza Slices, to French Toast Sticks and even Turkey Meatballs!

I tried the Breaded Mushrooms, because I've never even heard of those before, much less tried them. Mushrooms are a favorite pizza topping on my mom's homemade pizzas, and they're the magic ingredients in her spaghetti with cheese sauce, but I just don't really ever eat them when I'm on my own.

Who knows why...?

Anyway, the Breaded Mushrooms are made of whole white button mushrooms that are breaded and seasoned. To prep them, all you need to do is pop them in the oven (at 450F) for 11-13, turning them once. No deep fryer necessary!

Well, that's an option...but I liked them just fine out of the oven! They get crispy, even if you just bake them, and the seasoning brings all the flavor you need. It's actually a really great combo of textures and flavors, with the soft (chewy? you know mushroom texture) mushroom inside and the crunchy breading outside.

They're not too salty, not too greasy (though I can't vouch for them if you go the deep frying route), and are trans-fats-free, unlike many other frozen snack products!

FarmRich gets the thumbs up from me.

So here's your chance to win your own Farm Rich products!

Since you have to live where FarmRich snacks are available, the giveaway is open to US readers only. You have until December 11 to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

You can also find coupons (albeit not for free products) on their site here.

High soy consumption associated with an 18% increased risk of diabetes

This study was published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2011 Feb;65(2):279-82

Study title and authors:
Soy consumption is not protective against diabetes in Hawaii: the Multiethnic Cohort.

Morimoto Y, Steinbrecher A, Kolonel LN, Maskarinec G.
Department of Epidemiology, Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, University of Hawaii, 1236 Lauhala Street, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA. morimoto@crch.hawaii.edu

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20924394

The study examined the association of soy intake with the risk of diabetes. The study included 75,344 men and women, aged 45-75 years, who were followed for 14 years.

The study found that those who had the highest soy consumption had a 18% increased risk of diabetes compared to those who consumed the least soy.

Vermont Brownie Company Review and Giveaway!

Today's giveaway in the 25 Days of Giveaways is a 6 brownie sampler pack from Vermont Brownie Company! They come in a cute box, so while they make a lovely treat for you they also make a great gift!
 

I got to review the same treats with my family and we all really enjoyed them - even my dad, who has just started warming to chocolate in the past few years and really isn't much of a sweets guy!

Clockwise from the upper left: Walnut, Peanut Butter, Apple Blondie, Espresso, Signature, Maple Toffee Crunch

I'll start with the Signature Brownie, off of which all of the others (with the exception of the Apple Blondie) are based. It's rich, indulgent, decadent, and delicious. It's not caky or dry at all, it's fudgy, stick-to-your-teeth goodness! I recommend enjoying it warmed for just a few seconds in the microwave and with a glass of frosty milk on the side :)

Next up is our collective favorite: the Espresso Dulce de Leche Brownie. It has a strong coffee flavor, but not overpoweringly so. If you like coffee, you'll love this! And for those of us (ahem, me) who aren't into the bitterness of coffee, the chocolatey brownie base is indulgent enough to sweeten that bitterness away!

Another one that we all really loved was the Maple Toffee Crunch. Who would have thought that maple and chocolate go together well? But they do! We also really liked the toffee crunch topping, because the different textures made this bar really fun to eat!

I'm usually a huge fan of walnut brownies, but this walnut brownie wasn't my favorite of the bunch. Don't get me wrong, it was still delicious. But there just weren't enough walnuts! We divided the brownie up to try it and my dad said he didn't get any walnuts in his piece, at all! The chocolate definitely overpowered the walnut in this brownie and while that's not a bad thing (who doesn't love chocolate) I would have a liked a little more walnut action. What can I say? I'm a walnut-in-every-bite girl!

The Peanut Butter Brownie is in the front left of this picture - the Apple Blondie is the one white one, the Maple Toffee Crunch Brownie is directly behind the Peanut Butter Brownie and the Walnut Brownie is behind it.

The peanut butter brownie had the peanut butter layer inside the brownie instead of on top of it, which I really liked. Flavor-wise, it was a really solid peanut butter brownie and we all enjoyed it. It wasn't, however, as special or unique as the Maple Toffee Crunch or Espresso Dulce de Leche Brownies - but it's a good, simple brownie and chocolate-peanut butter is a golden combination!

For anyone who isn't as chocolate crazy as me and my mom, the Apple Blondie is also a real treat (we enjoyed it, too, but we were so into the fudgy chocolate brownies that this one didn't pop quite as much for us). My dad really liked it and the apple flavor is nice and prominent. It's also not at all dry (all of these tasted super-fresh).

Who wouldn't like to come home to a plate like that?

When natural and preservative-free gourmet brownies taste this fresh, there's no need for any other kind!

And so that you can try these brownies yourself this holiday season (these are a perfect treat to enjoy by a cozy fire with a glass of milk or a mug of hot chocolate, if you really want to push the envelope on chocolatey goodness) here's a giveaway for a 6 brownie sampler pack!

This giveaway is open to readers in the US and Canada, and you have until December 10 to enter. Good luck!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

In patients undergoing treatment for bladder cancer, statins are significantly associated with an increased risk of tumor progression

This study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine 2006 Dec 21;355(25):2705-7

 

Study title and authors:

Use of statins and outcome of BCG treatment for bladder cancer.

Hoffmann P, Roumeguère T, Schulman C, van Velthoven R.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17183004

This study investigated the association between statins and bladder cancer. The study, which lasted for 46 months, analyzed the clinical outcomes of 84 patients who had received the bacille Calmette–Guérin vaccine for the treatment of non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

The study found:
(a) In 53% of the patients who took statins, the tumor became more aggressive, whereas this change occurred in only 18% of the patients who did not take statins.
(b) 42% of the patients in the statin group had to undergo radical cystectomy, (radical cystectomy is the removal of the entire bladder, nearby lymph nodes, part of the urethra, and nearby organs that may contain cancer cells), as compared with only 14% of the patients who did not take statins.

In patients undergoing treatment for bladder cancer, the use of statins was significantly associated with an increased risk of tumor progression and a subsequent need for radical cystectomy.

Obsessive Workouts and Protein Powders: How Concerned Should We Be?

Reactions to the NY Times article and the Pediatrics study on teens and muscle-enhancing behaviors.

I'm bothered by something I read. "Compared with a sedentary lifestyle of video games and TV, an obsession with working out may not quite qualify as a health hazard", as stated in last week's NY Times article. While the article brought to light the silent struggle many boys deal with—or rather, don't deal with—their obsession with weight training, dietary modification and steroid use to achieve the 'perfect' body—it failed big time in educating readers about when to be concerned, and what we can do to prevent this unhealthy trend. But this is not just about boys—the Pediatrics article identified that girls, too, are taking steroids and more frequently protein shakes to increase muscle mass while pushing activity.

Yes, teens, both boys and girls, have become more focused on increasing their muscle mass. "Strong is the new skinny" is a current sentiment; neither being healthy nor slim is good enough. The bar has been raised necessitating increased muscle mass to change one's appearance. And the price they pay is far greater than suggested in the Times' quote above.

Lean and muscular, yes, but nor much of a sex drive!

But how big a deal is it if a teen—or an adult—takes a supplement or pushes their training to change their appearance? The actual study, in my humble opinion, did little to differentiate unhealthy disordered behaviors from more innocuous ones. What's the issue with weight training to increase muscle mass, any way? What's the harm in your taking a protein shake to bulk up your muscle a bit? (Steroid use is another story, and that is well addressed in the Times article.)

If you're like twenty-three year old Nathan, it's quite a big deal. He relied on the gym-endorsed protein powders, "to promote muscle growth". All things high in protein were considered safe—if they were also very low fat. Despite my urging to reduce his exceedingly high protein intake, and to liberalize his intake of fats and carbohydrate, his kidneys began to fail, struggling to filter the extraordinarily large load of protein waste products. His thoughts were all consumed with when he'd be able to get to the gym and when and what he'd be eating next.

But this is not solely a male thing, as the Pediatrics study shows. Girls, though, are more likely to modify their diet, while boys will increase their gym training to 'meet their needs'.

And what if it were high in carbs?

Like Karen, you may be spending more and more time at the gym while restricting your intake, ultimately finding it too stressful to live life with school and work demands, along with your rigid workout regimen.

Certainly, drinking protein supplements is not itself a cause for alarm. But relying on shakes in lieu of real food is. It impacts our ability to socialize, to be flexible in eating situations and to get all that we need nutritionally. A diet devoid of fats and carbohydrate will be deficient in much-needed nutrients, and typically in calories. A sense of deprivation often results, accompanied by obsessive thinking about food and eating and weight.

As for the workouts, where do we draw the line about what is healthy and safe, and what is excessive? If you're in a community of triathaloners, marathon runners or iron men/women, a few hours at the gym will seem inconsequential. 

But is it driven by a preoccupation and distortion that anything short of a few hours will leave you fat or unfit? Many of my patients believe falsely that working out is always a good thing. Nothing can be further from the truth. When intake is inadequate, working out not only won't build muscle mass, it will help break down muscle to convert it to fuel! And when net intake is substantially less than need (either because of very high activity or low intake) metabolic rate slows down, so you burn fewer calories 24/7. Certainly not what you intended!

Surprisingly, there was no mention of the low testosterone levels that result in males, similar to the drop in hormones seen in females with anorexia. Tell this to those boys and it might motivate for change. Sex drive drops, facial hair diminishes and risks to bone density increase as well. For boys in their growing years—which might last until 18 or 19 years—the consequence may be stunted growth. And the opportunity for catch up is lost once the bone growth plates have closed. Most boys and girls do care about their height, but do they realize this may result?

And what messages are we conveying to our kids with their school BMI screenings? Are we faulting them for their high BMI (which will remain high as muscle mass increases and height fails to increase)? Or are we fairly looking at an increasing BMI percentile for that individual as a possible marker for unhealthy behaviors—be it steroid use resulting in rapidly increasing muscle mass or binge eating? Are we presenting being obese as so horrific that even if their behaviors are healthy, we tell them they need to lose weight? Is a drop in BMI in an overweight child healthy if they starved themselves or compulsively exercised to get there? 

Shouldn't we be screening with questions about thoughts and behaviors, not just BMI?

Are we reinforcing their interest in fitness because we perceive it as healthy—no matter what? Do we share the same distorted views about all things protein-rich being "good" while villainizing carbohydrate-rich grains and fat-rich foods, too? Are we contributing to the misinformation they hold fast to? Why don't we recognize that there is sometimes pathological thinking and behaviors that drive extended workouts and dietary changes?

I don't have the answers.  But I do know that we are influenced by cultural standards of beauty, and that these images have become more and more unattainable. Yes, without steroids, you can't possibly bulk up like many of your weight-lifting role models, nor can you be both healthy and low weight as the air-brushed magazine pics would lead you to believe.

Something has to change. And it can start with you. Add your comment. Share this piece. Counter misinformation and acknowledge unhealthy behaviors—even when society fails to.

Consider these older posts for more information on topics covered in this post:

http://dropitandeat.blogspot.com/2010/07/daily-exercise-is-must-or-so-you-think.html

http://dropitandeat.blogspot.com/2012/03/protein-new-black.html

A Sparkling Holiday Gift Idea!

The holidays are upon us and it's time to start thinking about what to give to those we love the most. I don't know about you, but struggle SO hard with this. Does my mom really want another perfume she'll never wear? Does my best friend really need a mani/pedi gift certificate? (she goes for these once a week, it's hardly unique).

Why not gift someone with a game-changer?

Let's be honest: do the women in your life really give to themselves? Do they put themselves first? Do they invest in their happiness and well-being? I can almost bet the answer is no for every single one of you who is reading this.

Why not give them the inspirational boost they need and give them the gift of coaching?

I will work with your lady of choice as her shimmery, glittery partner in crime and help her identify what she wants in her life. I'll help her identify what's not working, and get clear on what she needs to eliminate to get what she wants. I'll help her become the confident, beautiful, dazzling woman she is deep down and help her find the courage and strength to go after every single thing she wants.

Gifts Available:

{The Sparkle Sessions} - one month of private one on one coaching. Includes four 45 minute calls + a ton of other yummy goodies

{A Dose of Sparkle} - one 60 minute coaching call

Or, treat yourself of these lovely sessions! You deserve it. Okay, you more than deserve it.

Sound fabulous? I thought so too! Want to learn some more? Visit Live Create Sparkle to understand more about what I do.

If this all sounds lovely, shoot me an email at Info@LiveCreateSparkle.com for more information and let's design the perfect holiday gift for the woman you love most.

Sparklingly yours,
Cara