Get Fit: Finding Balance
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Get Fit: Finding Balance

Alan talks with Counselor Julie Booksh about self-regulation and balancing your emotions without suppression, avoiding the pitfalls of overcontrol and shame.

Celebrate Valentine's Day with wholesome, healthy meals courtesy of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
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Celebrate Valentine's Day with wholesome, healthy meals courtesy of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Valentine’s Day Dinner Recipes for Dummies Gary Chapman's book, “The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts,” suggests five different styles of expressing love. These styles include words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service and physical touch. Everyone communicates and receives love differently, and according to YouGovAmerica, quality time is the love language preferred by most people. If quality time resonates with you, you probably enjoy creating special moments together and value uninterrupted and focused conversations with your loved one. Many people express love for their family and friends by making food for them, and cooking is also a great way to spend quality time together. It can be an intimate activity that involves teamwork and communication. Plus, the result is a delicious meal to enjoy together at the same time. Putting together a three-course meal for a special someone can feel overwhelming. The good news is it doesn’t have to be complicated. Check out this easy three-course line-up with health-forward dishes that have make-ahead component: First Course: Bruschetta with Garlic Baguette Slices Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 12 minutes Difficulty: Easy Serves: 2 While bruschetta involves simple ingredients and a few simple steps, this appetizer is full of flavor. The bruschetta topping is prepared a traditional Italian way, leaning on the simplicity of the herbs and tomatoes to deliver mouthwatering bites. This first course features tomatoes as the star ingredient, which are loaded with fiber, great for gut and heart health, and contain lycopene, a heart-protective antioxidant. Ingredients · 1 French baguette, sliced · Spray olive oil, or olive oil drizzle · 1 tsp. garlic powder · 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered · 2 tsp. dried oregano · Coarse salt and pepper to taste · 1 Tbsp. olive oil · 3 Tbsp. fresh basil leaves, torn or cut in a chiffonade Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. Place baguette slices on baking sheet and spray with oil. Top with spray oil, then garlic powder. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. 3. While the bread is baking, prepare the tomato mixture. In a bowl, add cherry tomatoes and mix with salt. To allow some moisture be released from the tomatoes, let sit about 5 minutes. 4. Rub oregano between your hands and add to the bowl, then drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste, mix together and top with torn fresh basil leaves. 5. Top each toasted baguette slice with the tomato mixture and serve immediately. Second Course Air Fried Breaded Chicken Parmesan Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Difficulty: Easy Serves: 2 Chicken parmesan is an Italian-American staple and an ultimate comfort food. If you’re looking for a lighter option to the deep-fried dish, this air fried version skips the heavy fat and crisps up similar to the real deal. Simply bread the chicken, add to

Good Cakes and Bakes whips up red velvet marble pound cake
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Good Cakes and Bakes whips up red velvet marble pound cake

Red Velvet Marble Pound cake Equipment 1 12 cup bundt pan 1 Stand mixer Ingredients For the Cake: • 341 g unsalted Butter room temp, • 227 g cream cheese room temp, • 600 g granulated sugar • 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil • 6 large eggs room temperature • 375 g cake flour • 1 teaspoon salt • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract For the Swirl: • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder • 1 tablespoon red food coloring/beet powder • 1 tablespoon hot water For the Icing: • 113 g cream cheese room temperature • 240 g powdered sugar • 4 tablespoons milk • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Instructions For the Cake: • Start by preheating your oven to 325°F then liberally spray a 12-cup Bundt® pan with non-stick baking spray. • In your mixer bowl, add butter and cream cheese and beat for two minutes on high speed. Next, slowly add in sugar and oil then continue beating on high speed for an additional five minutes until it’s a very pale yellow and fluffy. • Next, add eggs, one at a time, combining well after each addition and scraping down the sides as needed. • Turn your mixer down to its lowest speed, and slowly add flour into batter in two increments then add salt. Be careful not to overbeat. • Lastly, add in vanilla extract, scrape down sides and mix until just combined and turn off mixer. • Pour 1/2 of cake batter into a separate bowl and set aside. Whisk in cocoa powder, red food coloring and hot water until completely well mixed. • Alternate dollops of vanilla and red velvet cake batter into Bundt® pan using a skewer to swirl batter. • Bake for 1 hour and 15 -20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. • Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert cake on serving plate for at least an hour or until the cake is cool to the touch. For the Cream Cheese Icing: • Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract until smooth then pour over top of cooled cake and serve. Notes • Alternating the Batters. Use two different utensils to keep the colors from bleeding into each other. This will ensure a more distinct and striking marbled pattern. • Create Swirls. Use a skewer or toothpick to carefully create swirls. Begin with big swirls and then go back in to make smaller adjustments after looking at the big picture. Remember that whatever pattern you create with your batter before it goes in the oven is basically what it will look like when it comes out of the oven. • A Perfectly Tender Cake. To make sure your cake cooks with a light and tender texture it's important to measure your ingredients properly and to avoid over-mixing the batter. Scoop your flour into the measuring cup with a spoon and level it off and make sure to mix the flour into the batter using low speed. • Room Temperature Ingredients. Your ingredients will mix together more easily with creamier results when you start with room temperature butter, cream cheese, eggs, and milk. • Cool the Cake In the Pan. Just for a short time to prevent the cake from breaking when you flip it. As the cake cools down it will continue to cook a bit and will be less delicate when you give it a slight cool in the pan before inverting it onto the serving plate.