Good Reads

Summer Edition

I always have a beautiful vision of relaxing in the summer sun with a warm breeze blowing, the birds chirping, and a cool beverage in my one hand with a fascinating book in my other. Whether in my backyard, by the sea, or poolside, a summer read should give the opportunity to sit back and relax for a little while.  I always  find myself becoming busier during the warmer months, so knowing I can have a few moments to take a breather and become immersed into another world seems to good to resist.

Some books on my reading list are as follows:

• These Few Precious Days by Christopher Andrews. This book tells of the final year of John and Jackie Kennedy before the assassination occurred. Being the huge Kennedy fan that I am, this climbed to the top of my list as a must read. Rare, behind-the-scenes moments, detailing their tender and complex love story like never seen before.
• Marilyn Monroe The Finals Years by Keith Badman. Detailing the last two years of her life, while setting the record straight on all of the rumors that continue to surround America's biggest movie star there ever was.
• Cutting Teeth by Julia Fierro. A group of 30 somethings meet at a beach house over a summer weekend. This book was named one of the "30 must reads of 2014" by the Huffington Post. Sounds good to me!
• Gone Girl By Gillian Flynn. I've been wanting to read this for a while after hearing so many good things about it. Especially now that the book is set to hit theaters towards the end of the year, I want to read up on it before actually seeing the movie.
• Insurgent by Veronica Roth. Book number two in the Divergent series, this sequel picks up with Tris who must continue to fight for the ones she loves and deal with the oncoming war ahead. After seeing the movie "Divergent" in theaters, I instantly liked the story and knew this series would become something big similar to The Hunger Games.

Simple Pleasures

Tea Time and Macarons

Mornings have always been one of my favorite times of the day. The fresh new clean feeling, the endless amount of possibilities that could occur, and the grateful sense of knowing I have made it another day. One morning activity I quite adore is to sit back, while after having my breakfast, to take a moment to enjoy a simple pleasure of mine, tea and macaron cookies. Albeit, this is not an everyday occurrence, but that makes it more special when it does. These little darlings became popular in France and soon made their way state side. While I cannot get the little cookie locally, only bigger cities seem to have them in Pennsylvania, I treasure the ones I do have the chance to acquire. Light and airy with either a creme or jelly center, macarons have become a new favorite of mine, not to mention how pretty they look! I also like to get my little sweet treat out of the way in the morning so I have the rest of the day to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to make up for it. Remember, moderation is key.

Simple Pleasures

Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

When it comes to dessert time, that signals all sorts of warning bells in my head. Basically, how bad the sweet treat can be for my body and health. One thing I have learned though, like most things in life, is moderation is key. I always watch the sugar content in all types of foods be it the appetizer, main course, or dessert, due to the toll it takes on the body. Sugar can literally make you look older, yikes! Cutting sweets completely out of the diet would be ideal, but as I have learned in the past, cravings can come on strong and take over, leading to an eventual dessert fest of all sorts. To keep the cravings at bay moderation comes into play. Either make healthy comprises like swapping milk chocolate out for healthy 70% dark chocolate, which is filled with flavanoids and becomes more like fiber at 70%, or treat yourself to one dessert a week so as not to completely limit yourself, but also keeping the sugar at bay. This way, you can have your cake and eat it too, the best of both worlds being had.

Finding that balance can be tricky, but simply takes some planning and good decision making. Instead of bleached flour, buy whole wheat flour, and instead of white rice, try the ever healthy quinoa. I've used whole wheat flour and quinoa in many of my recipes for cooking and baking, and they come out fantastic. Instead of grabbing a bag of chips from the vending machine, try to pack an apple instead or bring some berries and almonds to munch on. Having that one dessert at the end on the week, or whenever you prefer, will not seem so bad after all of the healthy choices being made. Not only that, but it gives you something to look forward to, a nice reward for all of your hard work!