‘Galentine’s Day’ Ideas

It’s come to my attention that the single girls in the world (and girls that just love to celebrate) have created their own holiday that just so happens to fall on February 14th- Galentines Day. And I’m going to give you a few ideas on how to celebrate!

I think the key to making ‘Galentines Day’ successful is to do (almost) everything you would do with your Valentine and do it with your gal pals. You have a few choices here. Enjoy champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. Watch a chick flick. Go to the local market and get some roses. Or you can put on your little black dress with some stilettos and go out dancing with your girl friends! Did I mention both activities require singing and dancing to Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’?

 

For option number 1, here’s what you need: 

• Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate.
• Strawberries
• Comfy sweats or pjs
• Enough tacky girl movies to last until everyone passes out (think all the old Mary-Kate and Ashley movies)
• Bubbly
• A bouquet of pink roses for the centerpiece of your coffee table

For option number 2, you’ll need:

• A little black dress
• Red lipstick
• Ironic ‘Love’ necklace
• Something that sparkles
• Gel heel inserts so you can dance without much pain in your feet
• A Taylor Swift attitude
• A pact with your girls that there won’t be any guys that break up the night (unless he’s really, really cute!)

However you choose to spend the day, remember that being single doesn’t mean you’re alone and sometimes it can be the most exciting time in your life.

 

Beyonce’s 22 Day Diet Plan

It’s February and I broke my “clean eating” resolution about 3 weeks ago. It got boring and expensive. For your daily dose of inspiration though, Beyonce has announced a 22 day diet plan that she and her trainer have put together that will get you on the right track!

This plan is completely vegan and essentially cleans out your insides of all the gunk you put in it on a daily basis. Sounds great right? Meals delivered to your door and everything is completely measured out for you. There’s nothing better than knowing you’re getting enough kale in your diet. All good things come at a price though, and in this case, a high one. Each meal costs between $9-16. 

Here’s my hangup with it- too expensive. I get why Beyonce is promoting this diet; it’s healthy and with her star power she can make a few (million) dollars off of it. However, truth be told, if we all had the money she does to spend on our diets, we would be eating just as healthily as she is. Well, most of us would. I would love to be able to make my favorite salad of toasted walnuts and pecans, chopped grapes, goat cheese, strawberries, spinach, and balsamic vinegar everyday. My budget doesn’t allow me to eat like this though. Most of America’s population can’t either.

This country is interesting because the poorest people tend to be the most overweight because they only have access to pre-packaged, high calorie food, which is cheaper. Due to our nation’s large geography, most of our fresh food is loaded on trucks 700 (or more) miles away and delivered to our stores. Economically speaking, in order for the farmers and stores to make a profit, they have to price the goods at a rate that will cover growing and shipping expenses, plus pay the people that are part of the process. The strawberries at my grocery store come from a totally different region of the United States and the price is reflected in that. I’m not angry at the farmers, the stores, or anyone else; it’s simply part of life. Unfortunately, I can’t afford to enjoy this luxury too often.

3 Ways to Eat Healthier

So what can we do to improve our diets? I really wish I could give you a simple answer to this, but there really isn’t one. I do have a few suggestions though.

1. Plant a small garden- Pick out a few of your favorite fruits and veggies and plant them in the ground. For you city people, choose plants that don’t require deep soil so that you can plant them in window boxes and clay pots on your deck or in your window. You may not be growing enough veggies to feed your family for an entire season, but every bit helps.
2. Go vegan one or two days a week- Like I just said, every bit helps. Reducing your intake of animal-based food to only five days a week can help cleanse your digestive system and it won’t ruin your budget.
3. Juice it- I love a smoothie on days when I’m just too busy to eat a normal meal. These days can be for a juice cleanse. Try it weekly on your busiest days. There are tons of great recipes for healthy smoothies with fruits and veggies mixed in. My suggestion would be to buy the frozen fruit packages for cheap and spend the extra on buying the green goodness that goes in smoothie.

I think the key to a good diet is not about depriving yourself of everything (whether healthy, good stuff or chocolatey deliciousness), but enjoying it in moderation. If you’re a recent college graduate like me with lots of debt and no job offers, this rule is what we live and die by.

P.S. For any of my Jordanian readers, my thoughts and prayers are with your country in the wake of the horrific death of your pilot.