What the...

Ever wonder how safe it is to wear jeans more than once w/o washing them? Or why only some farts reak? Or why you get turned on when you're breast feeding? (yeah...I had no idea)"Health Magazine" Medical Editor Dr. Roshini Raj is answering these & other awkward questions in her new book, "What the Yuck?"

To avoid the embarrassment of asking these questions out loud get your copy HERE.

M.I.A.'s new vid

M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.

Check out M.I.A.'s new video. Directed by Romain-Gavras, it's provocative & disturbing the best way. It makes all the other videos focused on "Beamer, Benz or Bentley" seem downright ridiculous!

Starbucks Calorie Counting

Ok, we're all guilty of it. You drive/walk by a Starbucks (or some other java joint)and before you know it you're ordering some venti-double-shot-non-fat-no-whip-frap concoction. But do you ever stop to think how this impromptu pick-me-up impacts not only your budget but your waistline? Find out how much cardio you're going to have to do in order to work off that frothy treat.
CLICK HERE to see how that grande latte adds up in your daily calorie intake.

Yummy Recipes for Holiday Leftovers & Ideas for What to do w/ all those Candy Canes

Now that the holiday feasts are over many of you probably have a fridge full of leftovers. If you're like me you can only eat turkey & dressing for so long. Here are a few ways to turn yesterday's meal into a new delicious dish:

Leftover Turkey becomes Turkey Mornay
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Ingredients:

* 1 (16-ounce) jar four cheese Alfredo sauce
* 1 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
* 2-3 cups sliced cooked turkey or chicken
* 5 English muffins, split with fork and toasted
* 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 Tbsp. torn fresh basil leaves or 1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves
* 1/2 cup chopped grape tomatoes

Preparation:
Place Alfredo sauce in medium saucepan. Stir in Gruyere or Swiss cheese. Cook over low heat until cheese melts, stirring frequently. Then add the turkey or chicken slices and spoon sauce over them; heat gently until sauce begins to bubble, stirring frequently.

Preheat broiler. Place the English muffins on a broiler pan and spoon the turkey slices and cheese sauce over each. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Broil 4-6" from heat source until the sauce bubbles and brown spots appear.

In small bowl combine chopped tomatoes and basil. Spoon this mixture over the hot sandwiches and serve immediately. Serves 6-8


Leftover Cranberry sauce becomes Cranberry Meatballs
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

* 48 frozen cooked meatballs
* 1/2 cup cranberry sauce
* 1/4 cup orange juice
* 2 Tbsp. sugar
* 1 Tbsp. finely minced ginger root
* 1/8 tsp. white pepper

Preparation:
Bake the meatballs according to package directions until well heated. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine cranberry sauce, orange juice, brown sugar, gingerroot, and pepper. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes until bubbly. Add meatballs to sauce and stir. Serve with toothpicks. Serves 8-10

Use all of your leftovers to make a pie
Ingredients:

* Anything leftovers you'd like to add (turkey, potatoes, veggies, etc.)

Other ingredients:

* Puff pastry (Frozen or make your own if preferred)
* Chicken gravy (made from granules is fine)
* 1 Egg beaten

Preparation:

Cut up your leftovers into bite-sized pieces and mix together. Make up some chicken gravy and add to the mix to make a sufficiently moist mix. Find a suitable pie dish or casserole dish and transfer your leftover mix into it. Roll out the pastry and place it on the top of the dish after brushing the rim with the egg mixture, sealing well. Make 3 slits in the middle of the pastry to allow the steam to disperse whilst cooking and brush the top with the egg mix. Cook in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until the pastry is cooked and golden brown.

If you wish you can freeze the pie before cooking to save it for a later date but make sure you use a suitable pie dish that you can freeze and defrost before cooking.



Now what to do about all those candy canes! Try the following recipes:

Triple Chocolate Candy Cane Kisses

4 3-oz. chocolate bars, 2 semisweet, 1 milk & 1 white chocolate
1/2 c Crushed candy canes

Melt the 3 kinds of chocolate in 3 separate bowls. Stir half of the crushed candy into the semisweet chocolate. Reserve a bit for sprinkling; stir the remainder into the milk and white chocolates. Drop teaspoons of the semisweet onto a parchment-lined tray. Top with 1 dollop each of the milk and white chocolates. Sprinkle with crushed candy. Let harden.
Compliments of Just Chocolate Recipes

Or create your own rich coffee mix...
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:

* 1 cup powdered non dairy creamer
* 1-1/3 cups sugar
* 1 cup instant coffee granules
* 1/2 cup cocoa powder
* 2 candy canes

Preparation:
Place all ingredients in bowl of blender or food processor. Process until well blended and particles are fine. Store in tightly covered container in a cool dry place. To use, dissolve 1-2 Tbsp. of mix in 1 cup boiling water or to taste.

More ideas for candy canes:

# Use candy canes as stirring sticks for hot beverages.
# Add crushed candy canes to vanilla frosting and make cookie sandwiches with purchased cookies or graham crackers.
# Add crushed candy canes to Rice Krispy treats.
# Melt some purchased white almond bark and add crushed candy cane pieces. Pour onto waxed paper and chill for instant Candy Cane Bark.
# Sprinkle crushed candy canes on top of iced cupakes or on top of ice cream sundaes.
# Layer ice cream and hot fudge sauce with crushed candy canes and top with whipped cream for a peppermint twist treat.

5 Signs that You're Trying to Keep Up w/ the Hiltons (aka Living Beyond Your Means)

If we've learned anything from this economic crisis it's that a good majority of us have been overspending & not saving how we should. Research shows that in 2006 the U.S. savings average hit negative digits, which hadn't happened since the Great Depression! We all need a reality check. Yes urbanistas, it's true that we love fabulosity, but if we send ourselves to the poor house trying to achieve it then what's the point. Please take heed to the following signs of living beyond your means. If you fall prey to any of the following red flags consider this your friendly wake-up call:

Sign No. 1 - Your Credit Score is Below 600

Solutions:
* Pay down debt
* Satisfy any outstanding judgments
* Apply for and use fewer credit cards

Sign No. 2 - You are Saving Less Than 5%

Solution: Save 10% of each paycheck

Sign No. 3 - Your Credit Card Balances are Rising

Solution: Urban Heiress Commandment #3 --- USE CASH ONLY! If you never charge it then you'll never have a credit card bill for it. And if you don't have the cash to buy it then guess what...you can't afford. Pretty simple, right? But we all fall short of grace regarding this one (myself included).

Sign No. 4 - More Than 28% of Income Goes to Your House

Solution: MOVE!!! It might seem unfathomable at first BUT you'll thank yourself when you can sleep peacefully w/o worrying if your rent/mortgage check is going to bounce all over town.

Sign No. 5 - Your Bills are Spiraling Out of Control

Solution: Step #2 in the "Urban Addict Recovery Program" --- Trim the Fat! Eliminate ANYTHING that is not absolutely essential for you to live...e.g. Contrary to popular belief, cable TV is NOT a necessity for life! Read a book...it'll last you longer ;-)

I don't want you to end up like this guy:



SOURCE

U.H. May Book Club

Add this book to your May reading list for tips on how to "get a grip on your finances w/o dying of boredom." For more info on the book CLICK HERE. To order the book visit AMAZON.

Another Reason to Hate Carbs

According to famed dermatologist Dr. Nicholas Perricone, eating foods heavy in sugar and/or carbs can cause you to have a "doughy" appearance & who wants to look like the Marshmallow Man. So if you want your skin to look taut & chiseled then put down the bread & pastries.

SOURCE

Just Another Reason Why You Should NEVER Eat Fast Food!

Nutty Buddy

So sometimes you feel like a nut, but you really should all the time! Research shows that nuts have lots of goodness that keeps on giving. Did you know that eating 1 cup (approx 5 handfuls) of nuts each day can benefit you in the following ways:

*Reduce your risk of heart disease.

*Prevent weight gain & promote weight loss! (happy, happy...joy, joy!)

*Reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes.

And if you're still not impressed keep in mind that nuts are high in protein but have no cholesterol & are very low in sodium as long as they are unsalted.

Sprinkle some nuts into your daily diet in the following foods:

* Salads
* Yogurt
* Cereal
* Pasta
* Cooked vegetables
* Muffins and pancakes (toss a handful or two into your batter)

For more what nuts are best for your nutritional needs CLICK HERE. Now GO NUTS!!!

Reading List: Steve Harvey is Teaching Us How to Think Like a Man!

Funnyman & national radio show host, Steve Harvey's new book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man is quickly becoming the single ladies bible. I have learned a lot from listening to the frank advice Steve gives female listeners who call his radio show with questions about love & relationships. And I'm very happy that he has penned this book which offers women an intimate look at how men think when it comes to relationships. Let's face it many of us are clueless regardless of your current status - single, married or divorced. Who better to get advice from than a man? I've always wondered why women are so quick to listen to each others' warped advice instead of going straight to the source - a man! Harvey even appeared on OPRAH yesterday to offer advice. The following are 5 questions Harvey said women should always start asking a man as soon as you meet him:

1.What are your short-term goals?
Steve says this is a question you need to ask on the first date. "That's important. You want to know what a guy's working on," he says. "You listen very intently. You use your investigative skills. You be smart."

2. What are your long-term goals?
Every man needs to have a plan, Steve says. "They have to be different from the short-term goals," he says. "If they're not different, you have a guy that's not really planning."

Once you're armed with this information, Steve says you can decide whether you want to attach yourself to his plan and take the relationship to the next level.

3. What are your views on relationships?
Family, friends, God…find out if these bonds are strong. Steve says a man's relationship with his mother is the most critical. "If it's nonexistent, that's a red flag. If that bond has been tainted or broken, please know he has no problem tainting or breaking yours," he says. "If you can't love your mother, please know he is incapable of loving you."

If you're spiritual—and he's not—Steve says you probably won't be able to change him. "Your cookie is not that good to make him go to church. He's had cookie before," he says. "He still ain't with the church."

4. What do you think about me?
Steve says women should listen carefully to how a man answers this question. It may reveal a lot about the impression you're making.

"He'll gladly tell you this. 'I think that you're great. I think you would make a great mother. I think you would be a terrific homemaker. I think you're very independent. I think you're very worthy,'" Steve says. "He's going to tell you all of this stuff."

5. What do you feel about me?
Once you have the answer to the fourth question, immediately ask the last one on Steve's list. In most cases, how a man feels about you will be very different from what he thinks of you.

"A man that has been thinking about you seriously has an answer for that," Steve says. "[He might say:] 'How do I feel about you? I feel like when I'm not with you, I ain't going to make it. I feel like you're the one for me. I feel like finally I've met somebody who I can share my hopes and dreams with.' … You may even find these words: 'You know what? I'm in love with you.' Which is what you're all looking for."
Source

Sounds pretty logical but are you asking these questions? Too many times my girlfriends are driving themselves & ME crazy b/c they aren't sure how this man they've been "dating" for a year or more feels about them. They don't hold back while talking to me, but in front of this man they have marbles in their mouth. Ladies, for the sake of all the BFFs out there & your own please learn how to communicate directly with your boo. Because even though we pretend that we don't mind listening to you go on & on about Mr. Wrong we really DO!

I recommend that you get this book for yourself & all the important urbanistas in your life. It retails for only $13.19 on Amazon! To buy the book CLICK HERE. If you're like me & too nice to tell your girlfriend that the man she is dating is a L-O-S-E-R, this will be the perfect gift to give her a gentle nudge & help get the message across AND it will save you some daytime/rollover minutes. To read an excerpt of Harvey's book CLICK HERE.

Food for Thought

Greetings from the west coast urbanistas! This is the last week of my vacay before I return to work & I'm savoring every moment. So forgive me for not posting as much as I normally do b/c I'm busy running the streets of L.A. I will post details about my trip & how I incorporated the sacred Urban Addiction Commandments next week. Anywho, while working out in the hotel gym I caught an episode of "The City" which for some reason I'm into although I've never been able to get into its predecessor "The Hills." On this particular episode famed designer, Diane von Furstenberg shared the following quote with Whitney Port:

"Absence is to love what the wind is to fire."

Just thought I'd share this with you as we each confront various challenges in our personal relationships. Def food for thought especially if you're in a long distance situation.



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