The sun is shining and the flowers are starting to bloom. Wishing everyone a lovely Spring!
Take Your Workout to New Temperatures at Bikram Hot Yoga Houston
April 8, 2014 by
Bikram Hot Yoga Houston offers 90 minute, teacher-led sessions in a room that’s heated to 105 degrees. Why so hot? Aficionados claim that the heat loosens muscles and prevents injury. It also promotes detoxification and increases circulation.
Each class takes you through six yoga postures and breathing practices, essentially stretching your muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints, and internal organs and helping to circulate highly oxygenated blood throughout your body. Students of this yoga type report increased strength, balance, flexibility, lung capacity, and vitality.
Every class is open to all experience levels, from beginner to advanced. The studio features air purifiers that use electro-violet light and negative ion generators. Locker rooms and showers are provided. See the studio's website for pricing and class schedules.
Bikram Hot Yoga Houston
1854 Fountain View Drive
Houston, TX 77057
(713) 781-5333
http://bikramyogahouston.com/v09/home.html
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bikram-hot-yoga-houston-houston-3
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Find Sudoku Puzzles Online With These Sites
April 1, 2014 by
Sudoku is a stimulating and addictive pastime that’s great for down time at work, relaxing at home, or even waiting in line at the doctor’s office. If you want to start learning Sudoku or you simply want to find more puzzles, these online Sudoku sites are some of the best.
Gamehouse Sudoku
For everyone from the beginner to the serious Sudoku player, this beautifully designed site offers an endless number of games at your choice of beginner, easy, medium, hard, or expert levels. It features a time clock to help you track how long you’ve been playing, as well as Sudoku tips to help you improve your game. If you start to feel frustrated, you can also check the solution and begin a new game.
Web Sudoku
If you just want the Sudoku game board with none of the extra features, this is the site for you. Web Sudoku offers a clean, black and white board with easy-to-read numbers, as well as games in your choice of easy, medium, hard, or evil (yikes!). This site also offers an offline version for times when you’re away from Wi-Fi.
Unleash Your Inner Picasso (Over a Glass of Wine) at Pinot’s Palette
March 25, 2014 by
Looking for an unusual activity for a few hours of fun? Head to Pinot’s Palette, where wine and paint combine to form a fun socializing experience.
Here’s the deal: you bring the wine and snacks, yourself, and your friends and/or family. Pinot's Palette provides everything else, including glasses and a corkscrew. The crew of local artists gets you set up with everything you need to make your own creation, including aprons, canvases, paint, and guidance. You'll find an assortment of paintings that you can use as models for your project.
At the end of your session, you get to take home your masterpiece to hang on your wall—or not, depending on how it turned out! After all, the object is to have fun, not to become the next Matisse. Classes are also available. Pinot's Palette is open every day.
Pinot's Palette
5539 Richmond Avenue
Houston, TX 77056
(713) 975-7867
http://www.pinotspalette.com/Galleria
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pinots-palette-galleria-houston
Etoile Cuisine et Bar: Refined French Fare Without Pretense
March 18, 2014 by
Located in Houston's Uptown Park, Etoile Cuisine et Bar serves authentic French fare with a seasonal twist. With executive chef/owner Philippe Verpiand—a native of France—at the helm, French cuisine is presented sans pretense.
Regulars note that the rustic, bistro-like ambiance provides the perfect setting in which to savor Etoile's creamy lobster bisque and equally decadent foie gras or escargot. The coq au vin is elegantly presented with creamy potatoes and winter vegetables, while the Cassoulet Toulousain is a hearty dish of pork shoulder, duck confit, and beans topped with parsley bread crumbs. No meal of French fare would be complete without a glass of wine, and you can expect a lengthy list of French reds, whites, and champagne to complement your dish. Conclude your meal with the apple tart served with salted caramel and ice cream.
Etoile Cuisine et Bar serves lunch and dinner every day. The restaurant is open Sundays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch, then 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. for dinner. On Fridays and Saturdays, Etoile Cuisine et Bar serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., then dinner from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Etoile Cuisine et Bar
1101-11 Uptown Park Boulevard
Houston, TX 77056
(832) 668-5808
http://etoilecuisine.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/etoile-cuisine-et-bar-houston
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Food and Entertainment Meet at Dave & Buster’s
March 11, 2014 by
Dave & Buster’s is a sports fan’s paradise, with an abundance of massive TVs and games like free throw basketball, shuffleboard, bowling, and pool. Games aren’t free, but you can buy the Eat & Play Combo tickets for special deals.
A full bar means you can get anything from beer to wine to cocktails. If you just need a snack, you can munch on bar bites like nachos, buffalo wings, pretzel dogs, and potato skins. Heartier appetites will want to throw down on something from the large burger and sandwich menu. Full entrees include barbecue ribs, peppercorn sirloin steak, and macaroni and cheese with grilled chicken breast and applewood smoked bacon.
Dave & Buster's is open seven days a week.
Dave & Buster's
6010 Richmond Avenue
Houston, TX 77057
(713) 952-2233
http://www.daveandbusters.com/default.aspx
http://www.yelp.com/biz/dave-and-busters-houston
New Facebook Sweepstakes! Enter to Win an iPad Mini!
March 7, 2014 by
To enter the Sweepstakes, Like our Facebook Page and then look for the Sweepstakes tab (image shown below) located on our Facebook Page to enter. Sweepstakes ends April 30th, 2014.
For mobile users ONLY, like our Facebook Page, and then click here to enter!
Simple Ways to Eat More Healthfully
March 4, 2014 by
It may seem difficult to change how you eat. But if you'd like to begin eating a more healthful diet, one of the best ways to do it is to start with some small, incremental changes. These tips from the NIH can help simplify the process of making positive changes to your daily diet.
Here's just some of the site's advice:
- Make a grocery list before you shop. It may seem obvious, but planning meals in advance can prevent you from becoming frustrated and reaching for frozen meals.
- Buy a new fruit every time you go to the grocery store. Have you ever tried papaya? If not, it can be a fun way to discover a new favorite fruit!
- When you go out to eat, share entrees! Portion sizes have become increasingly larger in recent years, and sharing helps to cut calories and avoid overeating.
- Change your cooking techniques. Often it’s not the foods you prepare that are unhealthy, but the ways you cook them. Instead of frying chicken, grill or bake it. Instead of using heavy oils, cook with olive or coconut oil instead. Seasoning with herbs and spices instead of heavy sauces also helps to reduce the fat in your meals.
To find more simple tips for eating more healthfully, visit the NIH website.
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The Galleria: People Watching and Window Shopping
February 25, 2014 by
You don’t have to go to New York or Paris to window shop top international designers. Just spend an afternoon at Houston’s Galleria. As one of the largest malls in the country, this mall is filled with high-end stores like Burberry, Cartier, Chanel, Coach, Ermenegildo Zegna, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Tiffany & Co., and more. Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and two Macy’s anchor the mall.
There are plenty of options for those with a more limited wardrobe budget too. Popular favorites like American Eagle, Banana Republic, Express, and J. Crew have stores here. You can shop Apple, and Microsoft, as well as Brookstone, Sony, and LEGO. There are even Porsche Design and Tesla stores. Looking for a Texas-themed gift for an out of state friend? Stop by Gifts of Texas for a unique souvenir.
Many come for the indoor skating rink and to stroll around the seemingly endless complex. Grab a gelato from Café Dolce Gelato and stroll the mall window shopping and people watching. The Galleria is the hottest mall in Houston, and it’s crowded compared to other area malls, so be prepared. For those that don’t want to drive around looking for a parking spot, the paid valet and express parking may be solutions.
The Galleria
5085 Westheimer Road
Houston, TX 77056
(713) 622-0663
http://www.simon.com/mall/the-galleria
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-galleria-houston
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