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Daily Shout Out

Alma's Chipotle Corn Salad

'Tis the season to eat corn but I, for one, like to cut mine off the cob because of some unpleasant memories involving corn and having braces at age thirteen. Few frozen foods excite me as much as my own corn, cut off the cob, frozen in an airtight ziploc and later defrosted to make this delectable salad with a kick once all the awesome summer corn is gone. Take the time to shuck and cut some of those kernels off those cobs for later-you'll be glad you did.

Chipotle Corn Salad:

3 cups corn,steamed for 5 minutes, cooled and cut off the cob (about 5 corn cobs)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
4 tomatoes , med. sized, seeded and chopped
1 tsp salt
few grinds pepper
Olive oil to taste, start with one TBS to taste
1/4 tsp ground chipotle pepper
juice of 1/2 lime

For more great recipes from Alma Schneider, visit her at Take Back the Kitchen

Mix all above ingredients together in a big bowl. Delicious as a side dish!

Posted in: Daily Shout Out, Take Back the Kitchen on 08/21/2010

Podcasts are Us...Courtesy of Cinch

We had a lot of fun this weekend with our family and if you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall in my car, now is your chance. Listen in to my conversation with my hilarious husband...

And now if you're laughing uncontrollably, just wait...we've got another LOL interview with Eric Stoller - motivational speaker, frustrated realtor and my big brother.

More cinches to come....

Posted in: Daily Shout Out on 08/10/2010

Summer Recipes with Take Back the Kitchen

It is so hot out there and I am still steering clear of my oven although I am dying to bake! Here is a great stove top recipe that will not turn your house into a sauna. It is a modified Bitman recipe and is extremely simple and delicious. Your kids may even like it because of the sweetness from the dried cranberries. If they don't like it, serve it anyway. They'll eat it when they get hungry enough and then they'll thank you.

Chicken Chickpea and Dried Cranberry Tagine:
2 TBS olive oil
6 pieces chicken-thighs or legs
1 large , chopped onion
1 cup dried cranberries, figs, apricots, etc.
1 TBS cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp grated ginger
1 TBS chopped or pureed garlic
1 14 oz. can chopped tomatoes or 2 cups chopped, fresh tomatoes
2 cups cooked chick peas
1/2 cup uncooked bulgar wheat, brown rice, whole wheat cous cous or other healthy grain
a few TBS chopped parsley or cilantro for garnish at the end

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat up the oil. When it is hot, put in the chicken pieces and brown just for a few minutes on each side.. Some of rthe chicken might stick but don't worry about it. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate. In the same oil with the chicken bits, add the choppped onions and cook until they are translucent, maybe 10 minutes.
Add in the spices, the ginger and garlic and stir for a minute or two.
Add in the chopped tomatoes, cranberries,chick peas and the chicken and enough water to cover the chicken mixture by one inch.

Cook over medium flame for about 10 minutes.

Add the bulgur or whatever grain you are using and cover, cooking for about another 10 minutes. KEEP CHECKING AND STIRRING TO MAKE SURE IT IS NOT STICKING TO THE BOTTOM.

The dish is done when the grain is cooked as well as the chicken.

Serve with chopped parsley or cilantro on top. YUMMMM!!

For more great recipe from Alma Schneider, visit her at Take Back the Kitchen.

Posted in: Daily Shout Out, Take Back the Kitchen on 07/09/2010

Summer Road Trip Winners Announced!

We finally have our winners in the MobiStories.com road trip tips contest! The producers at MobiStories combed through nearly 100 comments and the following entries have come up on top!!!

Grand Prize Winner - iPod Touch:
Wendy Toone comments: "For the sheer fantasy aspect - I wanna party with this family!"
EWalsh40 - on June 27, 2010 1:23 AM
"Use your imagination, in order to encourage your kids to use their own. Especially when they're little. It's not just a trip to the Grand Canyon. You have to go there so that you can yell into the canyon so that the rock king will release all the fairies that he has captured and is keeping in a cave to keep him company.

And is that just a cow standing by a fence? Or is it really one of the Rock Kings minions, waiting to report back to him that you're on your way?

Go to the thrift store and buy old funny clothes and hats, and to the dime store for fake glasses with the nose and mustache and make up a disguise bag so that everyone can travel incognito.

Use the keypad on the iPod touch to send secret messages or make phone calls to the Fairy Queen and let her know that the mission is on schedule.

Have binoculars for scoping out the territory for spys, special foods that make you temporarily invisible and books about fairies so that you'll recognize them if happen to catch a glimpse of any that might be following you, to make sure that you make it safely to your destination.

Before you know it, you'll be there and they might even be disappointed that the trip is over

Runner up - $25 iTunes Gift card
Rick Toone: "For bringing the reality of real-life parenting into play."

Diane Baum on June 26, 2010 6:17 PM
My top tips for traveling with kids....Always figure it is going to take more time than Mapquest says. Add bathroom stops times two- I leave early in the morning at 3:00
AM, so I don't have to deal with traffic and my kids are slepping for a good part of the trip. This is also a great time to introduce new games, especially handheld ones. We also love approriate books on tape and sing along CDs (Sorry, I want to kill Barney or Ernie on the drive back home-after hearing the song 500 times! We pick up lots of little indidvual , easy to eat none messy snacks. This is not the time to worry about keeping a clean car. We also play, yes the license game, find a word starting with a, b, c.. and the kids must learn some new history item about each place we stop.

Runner up - Tom Paxton Autographed copy of "The Marvelous Toy"
Jennifer-dunne on June 15, 2010 6:42 PM
Popular car games include finding words in signs that start with every letter in the alphabet, or for older kids, "Movie matchups": Pick a question, like, "Who would be better at getting out of a traffic jam?" and offer two movie characters. They have to not only choose one, but defend their choice. (Note that the non-driver should act as MC for this.)

Posted in: Daily Shout Out, Events on 07/08/2010

Fave 5 Baseball Movies for Moms

For moms and kids who love everything and anything about baseball, then hop on over to Lifetime Moms where I give you the inside track on the five greatest baseball movies for moms. Don't be surprised if you even shed some tears when you're kicking back with your kids to watch!

Posted in: Daily Shout Out on 06/26/2010

Have U Heard...The Week in Entertainment

A broken engagement, an engagement, a marriage, a baby and of course - the Tony Awards. It's just another week in the world of celebrity.

Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen are taking a break from their relationship to make sure they want to get married while Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green have decided to give their love another chance by getting engaged for the second time. They are not off to a good start with Megan losing her brand new engagement ring in the sand in Hawaii.

After more than eight years together, Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart have tied the knot. The couple were married in Santa Fe, N.M.. This is Ford's third marriage. He and first wife, Mary Marquardt, spent 15 years together, and he and second wife, Melissa Mathison were married for 21 years. This is the first marriage for Flockhart, who adopted son Liam in 2001.

Finally, let's not forget the Tony Awards. The very funny, Sean Hayes, hosted the 64th Annual Tony Awards. The Best Play went to 'Red", Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play went to: Scarlett Johansson, for "A View From the Bridge" and Catherine-Zeta Jones won Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for "A Little Night Music". For the complete list of winners go to www.haveuheard.net.

Posted in: Daily Shout Out, HaveUHeard on 06/22/2010

Are Crunches Making You Fat?

Post-pregnancy secrets for a flatter stomach by guest contributor and fitness expert, Chris Kelly

In my experience as a personal trainer, one of the most common requests from moms new and old are exercises to flatten the stomach back to pre-baby shape. But after several years of sit ups and crunches--which come in addition to the abdominal trauma of the actual birthing process--what I usually find in the quest for a firmer mid-section is a set of conditions which prevent this from ever occurring.

In order to understand what I mean, it is important to examine the subject. The typical Mom I train spends several hours sitting, wears heels on a regular basis and is quite often found anxiously chasing the kids around. Because all of these activities lead to tightness in the muscles which flex the hips forward (hip flexors, quads, etc), the common result is an increased arch in the back which causes the stomach to protrude (or anterior pelvic tilt)--regardless of bodyfat.

During a sit up or crunch, tightness in these muscles causes the lumbar spine to curl the trunk forward--rather than the hip-- due to restricted motion at the hip. Much like bending a credit card will cause it's surface to wear and eventually snap in half, repetitive crunching (or flexion) motions have been shown to be one of the leading causes of back pain.

With this in mind, it is no wonder that studies have shown that a heightened risk of back pain lingers years after pregnancy (It makes me wonder if these women tried crunches to fix the problem?!).

By contrast, the key to a flat stomach post pregnancy is not stronger abs, but rather the ability to consciously and unconsciously contract and control the abdominal muscles to provide support to the body. Much like a weightbelt, contracting the abdominals signals these muscles to tighten around the spine to provide increased support during daily life and exercises such as squatting and bending over.

In this way, the real life function of the core is to stabilize the trunk by preventing excessive movement. In relation to training for a flat stomach, this means that exercises such as planks and side planks which force us to hold the body still are a key ingredient which is often overlooked.

This type of "stability" based training has added benefit of this type of training is the ability to flatten the stomach on command!

But in order to do so, the key ingredient is learning (or re-learning) the ability to consciously tighten and release the stomach. In our work with clients training for a flat stomach, this comes down to a simple three step process:

Step #1: Breath and brace:
For anyone who has taken pilates, one of the major concepts in this form of exercises is learning proper breathing during abdominal exercise. This type of breathing means taking deep, measured through the nose and allowing the belly to fill with air and expand outward without lifting the chest.

By contrast, inhaling through the mouth causes us to lift the chest and shoulders to initiate each breath without proper motion at the diaphragm. In this upper chest breathing pattern, the diaphragm does not move downward causing increased tension in the muscles of the low back--reinforcing the excess arching of the back described above.

Deep breathing sets the tone for the entire core by allowing the diaphragm to move properly. This is why it is important to practice deep breathing along with your training described below. Once this is accomplished, our next challenge is to integrate deep breathing with conscious abdominal contractions.

Described in the accompanying video, engaging the abdominal brace during abdominal exercises ensures the right muscles are moving at the right times. In our system, this bracing exercise is performed as a warm up drill to remind clients to brace during abdominal exercises. Our general progression begins with five 5 second holds and adds 5-10 seconds per week until brace can be maintained for 30 seconds. We will then move on to the next level.

Deep breathing video link

Step #2: Crunchless core training:
According to renowned physical therapist Shirley Sahrmann the primary role of the abdominals is to provide isometric support and limit rotation and extension of the trunk at the lumbar spine. A large percentage of low back problems occur because the abs do not maintain tight control over the waistline.

With that said, my other issue with crunches is that they target primarily the rectus abdominus (or center of the stomach). Because this muscle cannot control rotation, crunches do little to protect the back against pain.

Combine this with daily activities such as hunching forward over a computer and bending over to pick up the kids and we literally spend hours in a crunched position every day! And while the rectus becomes tightened due to excessive use, a major strength imbalance often exists between this muscle and the external oblique's (side abs)

Much like the traditional six pack, the external also act to prevent excessive arching of the back while also preventing rotation. In most cases, this means our strategy with most clients training for a flat stomach is to ditch crunching motion in favor of movements which strengthen the external oblique's (side abdominals).

In the above circuit, we combine an exercise which involves movement of the arms to target the external oblique along with two "stability" exercises to train support of the core. Performed along with the brace as a warm up, this strategy is the ideal solution for systematically developing a flat stomach while strengthening the abs for daily life.

In terms of progression, we generally begin with eight reps of the first exercise and add two per week until reaching 12. We will then move to a harder progression. For the plank and side plank, begin by holding for 20 seconds and add 5-10 seconds per week until reaching 45 seconds. Then increase the difficulty as described in the video.

Core circuit video

Step #3: Taking it to the street:
After performing core training on the floor, the ultimate goal is to transfer your results to standing. This means integrating the bracing technique in to daily activities which
test the ability to remain strong and stable. Combined with our core training, practicing the brace in standing positions is truly the secret to allowing us to maintain a flat stomach
at all times during the day.

Standing Brace video

Program Guidelines:
Perform five reps of 5-10 second holds of the abdominal brace exercise as a warm up before your abdominal circuit
Perform deep breathing while maintaining your brace
Perform eight reps of each exercise listed in the abdominal circuit.
Perform these exercises back to back three times
Add two reps and/or 5-10 seconds per exercise for 3-4 weeks before moving to next progression
Practice the standing bracing drill several times per day in order to build endurance and control in the abs
In order to progress this drill, add 5-10 seconds per week until reaching 45 seconds. Then move on to the next progression
Program warm up:
Floor brace progression
Abdominal Circuit:
Plank w/push up
Plank hold
Side plank hold
Homework:
Standing brace practice progression

Chris Kelly is the creator of Core Complete, a service providing customized online core programs for runners, models, actors and clients of all types seeking a flat and well defined mid-section. For more information about Chris and Core Complete, visit his blog.

Posted in: Daily Shout Out, Guest Post Corner on 06/20/2010

Have U Heard What the Celebrities are Doing This Week??

This week we had the MTV Movie Awards and the CMT Country Music Awards. The highlight of the MTV Movie Awards was Tom Cruise a.k.a. Les Grossman break dancing with Jennifer Lopez. As a result of Cruise's role as Les Grossman, Paramount Pictures will be developing a movie around mega-producer Les Grossman, a character played by Cruise in "Tropic Thunder."

The CMT Music Awards were exciting with Carrie Underwood winning two awards; both Performer of the Year and Female Video of the Year. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift was shut out of the CMT Country Music Awards. Nominated in three categories, she didn't win any of them. To most people, Swift is viewed as a pop musician. Do you view Swift as a pop musician or country musician?

Finally, Salma Hayek was promoting her upcoming movie "Grown Ups" with co-stars Maria Bello and Maya Rudolph when an unwelcome guest crashed the interview. A harmless but rather large snake crawled into the interview area when the ladies reacted in a way that most people might (at least I know I would). Salma a bit more. Check out the video below:

Posted in: Daily Shout Out on 06/11/2010

Celebrity News for Moms from Have U Heard

This week we lost a true "Golden Girl", Rue McClanahan passed away at the age of 76 from a stroke. Rue was the original Samantha (Sex in the City), adding some spice to 'The Golden Girls', the sitcom Rue starred in along with Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty and Betty White. Both Bea and Estelle are also deceased.

Child actor, Gary Coleman, famous for his "whatcha talkin' bout Willis" quote from 'Different Strokes' passed away at the young age of 42. He is said to have fallen and suffered a brain injury causing his death.

In happier news, Have U Heard met and interviewed some great celebrities this week. We made a visit to the set of 'Royal Pains', meeting the stars of the show, Mark Feuerstein (Hank), Paulo Costanzo (Evan), Reshma Shetty (Divya) and Jill Flint (Jill). We also saw the premiere of Season 2 with Henry Winkler appearing this season as Hank and Eddie's father. No spoiler to share but the show has become a huge hit on the USA Network and worth seeing!!

A visit and interview with the judges from The Next Food Network Star, Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson, did provide some insight into the show. Did you know the judges take 6 to 8 hours to evaluate the food and determine the fate of the contestants? For the first season there were more than 10,000 applicants to compete on the show but the entries have since dropped, now that people see how hard it is to actually compete.

Finally, an interview with Carrie Ann Inaba, our favorite judge from Dancing With the Stars, gave some real insight into the more "personal" side of Carrie Ann. Her love of cats has landed her on the Housecat Housecall on Animal Planet. With 5 cats Carrie Ann welcomed a visit to her home. Carrie Ann confided her favorite contestant ever on Dancing With the Stars was Jerry Springer. To find out what about Jerry Springer Carrie Ann loved go to Have U Heard (www.haveuheard.net).

Posted in: Daily Shout Out on 06/05/2010

Celebrity News from Have U Heard

This week is all about television. There were the season finales, season premieres and series that just plain ended.

Three reality shows had the viewers on the edge their seats waiting to see who would be the "winner"- American Idol, Dancing With the Stars and The Biggest Loser. Nicole Scherzinger, from The Pussy Cat Dolls, brought home the Mirror Ball Trophy on Dancing With the Stars.

The winner of The Biggest Loser, Michael Ventrella, lost 264 pounds. Michael made Biggest Loser history being the largest contestant to date and by losing the most weight since the series began.

American Idol was a show stopper this week. Simon Cowell is leaving Idol, prompting a star studded musical event. Musical guests included Alice Cooper, Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald, Janet Jackson and Christina Aguilera to name a few. Of course - let's not forget the finalists of the show, Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze. Crystal was favored to win American Idol since the beginning of the season but dark horse, Lee DeWyze, surprised everyone and won American Idol 2010.

Finally, we say good-bye to Law & Order after a 20 year run. Ghost Whisperer has been cancelled on CBS, possibly being picked up by ABC and both the series Lost and 24 also ended, leaving a void in programming after making a huge impact in television.

For more juicy entertainment news, visit our friends at HaveUHeard!

Posted in: Daily Shout Out, HaveUHeard on 05/28/2010

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