Chick Lit Plus by Samantha March

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Healthy Recipe: Chelsea Handler’s Favorite Turkey Meat Loaf
Chick Lit Plus

Healthy Recipe: Chelsea Handler’s Favorite Turkey Meat Loaf

Chelsea Handler is one of my favorite late night comedians, and the way she talks about her food and drinks would make one think she doesn’t care how many calories she consumes in a day. But actually, Chelsea is very conscious of her diet, thanks in large part to her nutritionist and her brother, Roy, who is a professional chef. The comedienne shared one of her favorite recipes with Shape magazine, turkey meat loaf. Keep reading for the full recipe:

Serves: 16
Prep Time: 30
Cook Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Ingredients:
• Cooking spray
• 1 7″ loaf (about 4 1/2 ounces) stale crusty bread
• 2 cups lowfat milk
• 5 pounds ground turkey breast
• 3 cloves sliced garlic
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup plus 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard, divided
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and preheat oven to 400° F. Tear bread into small chunks and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the milk and make sure bread is immersed. Let sit 30 minutes, mixing the bread and milk every 10 minutes, until the bread is thoroughly moistened. Add all of the ingredients except 1/4 cup mustard and 1/2 cup ketchup. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
Form into 2 equal size cylindrical loaves and put on a prepared baking sheet. Mix the remaining mustard and ketchup and spread evenly over the loaves. Bake for an hour or until juices run clear. (The loaves should be firm to the touch.) Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

April 6, 2010
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Beauty Review: Biore Steam Activated Cleanser
Chick Lit Plus

Beauty Review: Biore Steam Activated Cleanser

As promised, I bought the new cleanser from Biore- the Steam Activated Cleanser. This minty smelling cleanser has steam activated beads that works with the steam from the shower to wash away makeup, oil, and dirt that is in your pores. I waited until after I had shampooed my hair and my shower was nice and steamy before I lathered it up and let it settle on my face for a few minutes. After washing it off, my face felt refreshed and cool, but I didn’t want to get too excited right away. I kept using it daily in the shower, and I can say after 1 week, my skin feels a lot better and is improving in appearance. I am glad to report this isn’t a skin care product that makes your face a lot worse before it gets any better! (I just hate that.) I would definitely recommend this cleanser, and the price is reasonable as well, right around $8 at local drugstores.

April 6, 2010
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Second Time Around by Beth Kendrick
Chick Lit Review

Second Time Around by Beth Kendrick

Ten years after graduating from Leighton College in New York, five friends hold a reunion, where they reminisce on old times. All former English majors, the women wonder what would have become of their lives if they had chosen a different major and profession. A professor, a bartender, a copyright, and an administrative assistant all get that second chance when the fifth member of the group passes away, leaving her four friends $1,000,000 to reinvent themselves.
Now, a novelist, an event planner, a pastry chef, and a bed and breakfast owner are finding the answers to their “what if” questions. They are finally following their dreams and desires, and are doing it together back in the town of their college. Finding their true callings amidst career struggles and love battles, the four friends grow closer to one another while honoring their friend’s spirit and life along the way.
Second Time Around by Beth Kendrick is a heart-felt story on the value of friendship and finding a way to follow your heart. Each woman’s story was interesting and colorful, and the way each character could tie in with one another was excellent. A unique subplot involving the deceased friend kept the mystery up throughout the novel, and the ending will make all readers satisfied.

April 3, 2010
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The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen
Chick Lit Review

The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen

Lindsey Rose is a true workaholic. With virtually no friends besides a co-worker, she spends the nights sleeping in her office and is constantly trying to get further in her promising career as a top New York advertising executive. When she is passed over for a promotion and then fired after getting caught in a compromising position with another employee, Lindsey has no choice but to pack up her belongings and head back home to Maryland to live with her parents.
Lindsey is the complete opposite from her twin sister, Alex. While Lindsey is the smart one with mediocre looks, Alex is gorgeous, flirty, and completely selfish. With her upcoming nuptials to a wildly rich and successful man, Alex’s life dominates in greatness over Lindsey’s. Lindsey clutches furiously to hold on to her friendship with Bradley, who crushed on her all throughout high school, but she finds out Bradley has moved on- to the complete unexpected. Lindsey throws herself into a new friendship and a new job- as a matchmaker for singles. When a devastating medical diagnosis hit the family, Lindsey is forced to take a closer look at her and her twin’s lives and the stereotypes they have been leading- and finds an unexpected twist that makes her re-evaluate the way she has been living her life.
The Opposite of Me, the debut novel from Sarah Pekkanen is a heartwarming tale that brought me to tears at the end. It did seem slightly slow-paced at times, but I thought each plot twist was unpredictable. When I was positive I knew what was coming next, the opposite happened, making me enjoy this book even more. I will definitely look forward to Pekkanen’s next novel, and I am hoping maybe there will be a spin-off that follows Alex’s journey.

April 2, 2010
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Drop Dead Beautiful by Jackie Collins
Chick Lit Review

Drop Dead Beautiful by Jackie Collins

Lucky Santangelo is back again for another round of Hollywood romance and deceit in this Jackie Collin’s tale. Lucky, who stems from a mafia family but has managed to turn herself into one of the hottest Hollywood players, is busy planning a birthday party for her 95 year old father, Gino. She is also in the midst of opening a megaresort in the city of sin, Las Vegas, but is unaware that a long-time family enemy, Anthony Bonar is seeking revenge on the Santangelo clan.
There is many subplots involved, like usual with Collins, and they bring along a hefty portion of suspense, sex, and drama. Lucky’s 16 year old daughter, Max, sneaks away from home to meet the Prince Charming she met on the internet- who turns out to be a crazed ex-actor that is holding a grudge against Lucky since she passed him over for a part in one of her past films. Anthony Bonar, a violent drug dealer, is unaware that his wife is having an affair with the Mexican gardener. Other slightly less exciting plots deal with Lucky’s best friend, an aging Hollywood actress, and her much younger boyfriend trying to maintain a relationship amidst the paparazzi and rag magazines, and Lucky’s business partner and his growing affection for Lucky, despite having a live in girlfriend.
Drop Dead Beautiful from Jackie Collins covers the Hollywood scene with open eyes and no holding back. The sex scenes are raunchy, the violence is gruesome, and each plot will hook readers more and more. This was one of my favorite Jackie Collins reads, and a definite recommendation for chick lit fans.

April 1, 2010
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Interview with Katie Fforde
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Katie Fforde

1. What I like most about the stories I write is exploring other lives and professions. It’s a way of having all the jobs I can’t have now. I can also give myself skills I don’t have, like being able to turn a tatty cardigan into a stylish shrug with just a few bugle beads. (That’s in my next book, A Perfect Proposal, that has a lovely preppy American lawyer hero.)

2. I keep thinking I’ll run out of ideas and then I’ll hear a snatch of conversation, or someone will tell me something about themselves that make my antenna twitch. People who know me recognize ‘the look’ which means the wheels are turning and another idea for a book is being formed.

3. I think readers will enjoy Wedding Season because it’s about weddings, which most of us enjoy. It also has lovely dresses, women trying new things and discovering things about each other, and especially women having a lot of fun. Also, there are some cute men, too!

4. I can’t start a book until I’ve decided exactly where the story starts. I can have the characters, the theme, the setting, but until I know exactly that pivotal moment in their lives that sets the story going.

5. How do I get over writers’ block? I take the day off, go shopping, or go for a walk, or read someone else’s book. Basically, if I give my conscious mind a rest the subconscious will sort out the problem. Time off between books is good, but not always possible.

6. My early married life was spent on the water for two reasons. My new husband was an officer in the Merchant Navy and I went to sea with him just after we were married. (I was very seasick!). And later, we set up a business on the canals on Britain. We had a pair of boats and ran them as a hotel. I did all the cooking. Very hard work!

7. My bad habit (well one of them) is playing Spider Patience on my computer. I always start the day with a game and quite often play for a while before I start work. Sometimes I am thinking about what to write (which is good) but sometimes I’m just listening to the radio, which is bad! Although I might easily get an idea from a radio program.

8. My free time is spent doing flamenco dancing, singing in a choir, playing with my grandchild, shopping – the usual stuff really.

9. My best advice for aspiring writers is to read a lot and write. Don’t worry if you don’t get your first, fifth or tenth novel published, if you keep going you’ll make it. Also read ‘how to write’ books as they may make the process a bit quicker.

10. I love traveling and so far haven’t been to Australia. However before I can do that, I’m hoping to visit the Hudson Valley in Upstate New York as two of my books have been turned into German TV films, and they have set them there. If they do a third, I want to go and appear as an extra, for my Alfred Hitchock moment.

April 1, 2010
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Workout Clothes to Flatter Your Shape
Updates

Workout Clothes to Flatter Your Shape

One thing that really helps motivate me to workout is the clothes I’m wearing. It might sound silly, but if I just have on a ratty pair of sweats and old t-shirt, I really don’t feel like going to the gym. But once I put on my nice fitting yoga pants and Under Armour workout tank, I feel motivated to get in there and get working. Fitness Magazine released an article about finding the right workout clothes for your body shape, and the suggestions included are fabulous. They have tips for pear shapes, apple, rectangle, and hourglass figures. Check out the article here to find your best fitness clothes!

April 1, 2010
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Dirty Girls on Top by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
Chick Lit Review

Dirty Girls on Top by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

Six caliente chicas are back again in the follow-up novel from The Dirty Girls Social Club by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez. This time, the friends are together for a reunion at a posh New Mexico resort, and the secrets each girl is keeping from one another makes this an engaging plot. Usnavys, a plus-sized married mother and sex blogger, is having an affair because she finds her husband too boring. Lauren, a successful journalist, is struggling with bulimia and a boyfriend who unbeknownst to her is also dabbling in something on the side. Rebecca, a magazine publisher, is coping with the fact that infertility may cause her to never have a child with her husband. Sara, host of her own TV show, is dealing with her abusive ex-husband that has re-entered her life. Elizabeth is struggling to make things work with her partner and their newly adopted son, all while her feelings are growing for fellow friend Lauren. And Cuicatl, the wild rock star, is struggling to stay on top of the charts and find a man to finally settle down with. Each woman’s personal story gives the reader something new, whether that be love, betrayal, fear, or despair.
Dirty Girls on Top by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez is a fast-paced tale giving readers an inside look on these different woman and the adversities they are facing. I found at times following six different story lines was a challenge, but the captivating tales were enough to keep me pushing through. I found towards the end I wasn’t able put the novel down, as a near tragedy hits the group and forces life decisions to be made. Dirty Girls will make readers think, tap into an emotional side, but still gives off a fabulous and funky chick lit vibe.

March 31, 2010
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How to Get Essential Nutrients
Chick Lit Plus

How to Get Essential Nutrients

Do you wonder about how to get all the essential nutrients from your food? I know I do, and I often just turn to vitamins as my easy way out instead of investigating healthy food choices. Shape.com posted an article titled, ‘The Nutrients You Need,’ and lists 8 essential nutrients, and better-where to find them. Check out some of my favorites below, and head to Shape.com for the complete list!

Eat This: Walnuts & Almonds. Walnuts especially are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which can help stave off depression, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease. Shape recommends toasting the walnuts to help get more flavor, and toss in your salads or on top of yogurt.
Eat This: Kiwi. This fruit has been found to be the densest, which means they are high in vitamins and minerals. And research has shown that adults who ate two kiwifruits a day for a month lowered their triglycerides, which can lower the chance of heart disease.
Drink This: White Tea. White tea has been found to be even more powerful than healthy green tea, helping prevent cancer. Shape recommends buying loose white tea leaves such as Yinzhen Silver Needle White Tea ($30 for 4 ounces; inpursuit oftea.com).

March 31, 2010
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