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Knock Knock. Who’s There? The Amazing Benefits of Laughter

July 17, 2012 by

Laughing feels good. We all love a hearty belly-laugh, a cute giggle, or a jovial chuckle. But did you know that laughter not only feels great in the moment, but it also offers long-term benefits to your health?! The reason that laughter offers such profound health benefits is that it allows the pituitary gland to release pain-suppressing opiates.

So, what exactly can laughter do for you? It can…

  • Decrease blood pressure
  • Improve vascular blood flow
  • Oxygenate the blood
  • Give the diaphragm, abdominals, facial, leg, and back muscles a workout
  • Improve respiratory function
  • Reduce stress hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline
  • Improve the response of tumor- and disease-suppressing cells
  • Prevent respiratory infections
  • Reduce the occurrence of colds
  • Improve memory and increase learning
  • Help with alertness and creativity

If you’re looking for a super simple (and enjoyable) way to boost your overall wellness – start laughing! Turn to your friends, family, favorite joke book, comedian, or funny movie to help you crack a smile, if need be.

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How To Stay Connected with Family & Friends

July 10, 2012 by

If you’re feeling a little out-of-touch with your family and friends, it’s never too late to reconnect. To rekindle a connection or build your social life, try using the following techniques that will foster communication and connectedness.

Skype, Facebook, and FaceTime
You don't have to be extremely tech savvy to start using Skype, Facebook, or FaceTime. These simple apps work across platforms (FaceTime's Apple-centric) to make it possible to stay in touch using something that seemed miraculous just a few decades ago: video calls!

Monthly Dinners
With everybody's lives being so hectic nowadays, it can be tough to enjoy an ad hoc get together. Planning a regular monthly dinner — a potluck, a dinner party, or a trip to a restaurant — is a great way to ensure that you'll have time to catch up.

Paper Letters
They're a bit outmoded now that text messaging and email are in vogue. But there's something very special about receiving a paper letter, whether handwritten or typed. Like the holiday letters that still live on, letters sent throughout the year can offer important updates on what's happening in your lives, and can be cherished as objects in ways email never can.

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The Best Snacks for Any Age

June 26, 2012 by

One of the most difficult things about eating right is not going overboard with snacking. It’s relatively easy to watch your calories at planned mealtimes, but when it comes to snacking, it’s easy to overdo it. Below are five ideas for healthy, delicious snacks.

1.     Olives – A great way to get your fix of salty snacks is by noshing on a few olives. These delicious bite-sized morsels are low in calories and sodium compared to chips and other snacks, and also boast a fair amount of antioxidants and other helpful nutrients.

2.     String Cheese – Another good way to satisfy a craving for something savory is to enjoy a string cheese. Although cheese does have a little more fat, it also packs excellent protein and calcium. Plus, it's good for helping you feel full between meals.

3.     Fruit – Fruit is one of the all-best healthy snacks you can eat to satisfy a sweet tooth. Pick fruits with lots of fiber (like apples or pears) to keep you feeling satisfied until your next meal.

4.     Nuts – Nuts make an awesome snack for a number of reasons — they pack sweet, salty, and fatty flavors, and when eaten in moderation, they’re good for your health, too. Most nuts hold a bounty of protein and healthy, essential fats. The trick is to avoid fatty nuts like cashews and Brazil nuts – walnuts and almonds are the best.

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Score Great Eats on the Beach at Duke’s Huntington Beach

June 19, 2012 by

Welcome to Surf City, where the waves crash right at your feet. Named after Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, the father of international surfing, Duke’s Huntington Beach is the first outpost of this classic beach bistro outside of Hawaii. Delivering high-quality seafood composed in a number of innovative ways, regulars praise the delicious shrimp and Ahi tuna, as well as the fantastic wine list. Duke’s is famous for the Hula Pie, a confection of macadamia nut ice cream coated in a chocolate cookie crust and topped with fudge and whipped cream. The ambience is great, and with the restaurant poised right on the beach it’s not uncommon for surfing legends of the area to drop in for a bite. Service is excellent and the Sunday brunch is a local favorite. The one criticism can be that the prices are high for the size of the portions, but the quality trumps those reservations.

Duke’s Huntington Beach
317 Pacific Coast Highway
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
(714) 374-6446
www.dukeshuntington.com

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Catal Restaurant & Uva Bar: A Fine Pairing

June 12, 2012 by

Eating options inside Disneyland are significantly more varied than your standard amusement park food, and gourmands with more particular palates have been flocking to Catal Restaurant & Uva Bar for years. Chef Joachim Spital helms this world-class Mediterranean restaurant located within the park, and his dishes are raved about by Disney regulars and foodies alike. Roasted duck breast with fresh corn polenta is lush, decadent and perfectly balanced, and the paella—which comes in a cunning single-serving size—is cooked to perfection. For dessert, Catal makes a spectacular panna cotta that will satisfy any sweet tooth. A children’s menu is also available with the usual classics to keep the little ones busy. The attached Uva Bar is a great place to unwind, with a well-curated cellar offering 40 bottles by the glass. If you’ve had enough Disney magic and need a grown-up break, this is the best place in the park to do it.

Catal Restaurant & Uva Bar
1580 South Disneyland Dr. # 106
Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 774-4442
www.patinagroup.com

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Simple Ways to Improve Your Writing

May 22, 2012 by

If you wish you could express yourself better on the page, don’t fret. There are a few very simple tips that you can use to make yourself a clearer, more vibrant writer. Let’s get right to them.

The easiest thing you can do to improve your writing is simply to write more often. Even if you don’t show your work to anyone, the process of writing will help you get more in tune with your thoughts. As you write, you’ll turn phrases that work and phrases that don’t.

Along with that suggestion, also make it a goal to read more. Reading a wide variety of both fiction and nonfiction will improve your vocabulary and help you learn how professional writers structure sentences and paragraphs.

One way to combine the last two tips is by taking a passage of existing writing and rewriting it in your own voice. Study the piece, pick out the essential information and then try to present it to a new reader. This can help you understand why writers make the choices they do.

Although English grammar can be a very difficult subject to master, understanding a few simple rules can make your writing clearer and more pleasurable. There are a number of excellent grammar resources online, including the excellent Guide to Grammar and Writing at http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/.

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Mr. Stox: A Tradition for a Classic American Dining Experience

May 16, 2012 by

If all you want is a hearty American meal served in a luxurious atmosphere at a reasonable price,  Anaheim’s Mr. Stox is the restaurant of your dreams. Family owned and operated since 1977 and located conveniently near Disneyland and the Convention Center, this upscale eatery has long been a destination for locals. Regulars praise the incredibly well-cooked prime rib, which is seared to perfection and expertly juicy. The rest of the menu is just as promising, with a delicious lobster bisque perfectly capturing decadent chunks of shellfish meat in an amazing, creamy soup. Other dishes that have captured the attention of many a diner are astounding onion rings cooked in buttermilk and Parmesan cheese, the incredible crabcakes, and the oso bucco. This place definitely attracts an older crowd, so don’t go if you’re looking for a pick-up spot. However, Mr. Stox is a great choice for a low-key birthday or business meeting with a client you’re trying to impress.

Mr. Stox
1105 East Katella Avenue
Anaheim, CA 92805
(714) 634-2994
www.mrstox.com

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The Benefits of Omega-3s

May 8, 2012 by

Omega-3s are essential fatty acids found in foods such as olive oil, flaxseed oil, salmon, sardines, and walnuts, and we all need them in order for our bodies to function properly. One of their most crucial benefits is that these fatty acids have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body, and a lot of diseases, such as heart disease and arthritis are linked to the inflammatory issues.

The Mayo Clinic touts some of the health benefits of Omega-3s, benefits such as:

  • reducing the risk of heart attack
  • reducing heart arhythmia
  • reducing risk of stroke
  • lowering blood pressure
  • lowering triglycerides

Visit the Mayo Clinic's website to learn more about Omega-3s.

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Orange Hill Restaurant: It’s Good At The Top

April 17, 2012 by

Gorgeous views of lush Orange County and Catalina Island greet you at this fine dining restaurant that offers some of the best dinners in Orange County. Decorated with soothing koi ponds and ornamental waterfalls, Orange Hill manages to match the atmosphere with quality food. A robust wine list, presented by a truly expert sommelier, greets you at the table, and the staff is exceptionally courteous and friendly. The steaks are uniformly perfectly cooked, and the filet mignon is excellent. Some regulars caution that the seafood is not the best, but others swear by it. On Saturdays and Sundays, Orange Hill hosts an extremely popular buffet brunch, with a massive variety of food available including Eggs Benedict, made-to-order omelets and a gigantic carving station with hams and roast beef. Prices, naturally, are a little high, but the ambience (and especially the view) is definitely worth the cost.

Orange Hill Restaurant
6410 East Chapman Avenue
Orange, CA 92869
(714) 997-2910
www.theorangehillrestaurant.com

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Seasons 52: A Tasteful Wine Bar With Calorie-Conscious Cuisine

April 3, 2012 by

An upscale American grill and wine bar, Seasons 52 offers incredibly delicious, yet healthy food that will surprise and delight guests. Boasting that every menu item is less that 475 calories, Seasons 52 manages to provide above-average sized portions that are extremely tasty. The Flatbreads are a must-try, similar to a very thin crust pizza and a great way to start your meal. The rainbow trout and pork tenderloin make delicious (and nutritious!) entrees, as well as one of the entreé salads full of the freshest seasonal vegetables. Seasons 52 has even dreamed up the perfect, health-conscious way to finish your meal: try one of the "mini indulgence," shot glass-sized portions of favorites like Old Fashioned Carrot Cake, Rocky Road, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse. Four seasonal menus, with some updates weekly, rotate throughout the year, each drawing upon locally grown, in-season produce. Seasons 52 also offers 100 wines, 60 by the glass, to encourage wine tasting and exploration, including a selection of organic varietals. With a dark wood and high-ceiling interior complete with fireplaces for cold winter nights, Seasons 52 is a relaxing place to kick back and enjoy wine and healthfully delcious food.

Seasons 52
South Coast Plaza
3333 Bristol Avenue
Suite #2802
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 437-5252
www.seasons52.com

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