This is a recipe from one of my dearest and nearest friends, L. Fusco. For more than four years, L. has been on a heroic journey to remove processed sugar from her life. She has recognized that while other people can eat one or two or three Swedish fish and be happy, she has to eat one or two or three pounds of Swedish fish to be happy. Since meeting the love of her life, Sherri, who also happens to be an amazing vegan cook, L. has embarked on an organic, gluten-free, processed sugar-free, vegan lifestyle and has never felt better. I am happy for her because she has learned the secret to food: eat what you know your body needs.  Some people can handle processed sugars and some people can’t, even in small amounts.  Some people need meat and potatoes and some people need tofu and brussel sprouts. To each is own is my food motto. While I dearly love sugar, I don’t love the inevitable crash afterwards. If you are like me and looking to lower your sugar intake, but still want something yummy in the morning to get you going, try these delicious homemade breakfast bars full of nutty protein and yummy dried fruit. They are easy to make and compared to the breakfast bars in the store, a cost-saver too! L. and Sherri’s Homemade Breakfast Bars of Love 1 lb dates, preferably fresh – must pit before processing 1/2 lb mix of nuts – peanut, walnuts, almonds – all salted, preferably 2 tbsp unsweetened peanut butter (just peanuts and salt) optional: unsweetened dried fruit or fruit leather pieces Process nuts until powdery. Process 1/4 lb of dates at a time until it forms a ball of goop. Scoop out goop and repeat until you have 4 balls of...

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Passover & Easter weekend. My Husband and I celebrated a very important milestone in our relationship this week. Anniversary? Promotion? New House? No, this week, we reached half a million points for our travel club.  My husband and I have had the opportunity to go to some pretty amazing places with equally amazing perks because of our travel club, and we often get asked by our friends and colleagues how we do it.  We’ve travelled to Bora Bora and stayed for free in amazing suites for 14 days, had free champagne breakfasts in San Francisco, lived the life in a “complimentary upgrade” suite in Las Vegas. In this 3-part blog series, I will tell you how we have “maximized our earnings” in our membership. While I am focusing on the travel aspect of rewards, all of these principles can be applied to any rewards program really, be it gas, groceries, The Loft by Ann Taylor, whatever floats your spending boat. 1.Do your research: First, you need to find out which platform suits your needs best. Do you fly often, especially for work, or do you tend to drive to your destination and stay in hotels more often? Does your airline go everywhere you need it to, or has miles partners that do? Is the hotel chain you frequent accessible in most places and suits your travel needs? Are blackout dates a concern? Do you need a program flexible to YOUR needs, or are you able to be flexible with your travel? Many airlines and hotel chains have blackout dates, or points expire within a certain time frame. Some have different “levels” of membership where the more you travel, the more points and perks you...

As defined by Urban Dictionary: Steampunk is a subgenre of speculative fiction, usually set in an anachronistic Victorian or quasi-Victorian alternate history setting. It could be described by the slogan “What the past would look like if the future had happened sooner.” It includes fiction with science fiction, fantasy or horror themes. Starting with niche cosplay and con-goer groups decked out in bustles, corsets, monocles, and top hats, the Steampunk lifestyle has been slowly filtering into our daily lives. Today, you can’t walk into a coffee shop or target without seeing a hipster with an overly ornate mustache. Anthropologie’s current clothing line is pretty much the perfect mixture of hipster, earth goddess, 50’s housewife and steampunk mistress. When it comes to fashions for the home, it’s in vogue to buy items that are carefully, and artistically hand crafted, worn in, and just a little bit funky. While many proclaimed Steampunkers are very into the DIY movement, I’ve found many a website to help you spend your hard earned cash on beautiful bespoke pieces…and in my next blog, you can see how I DIYed one of these projects step-by-step. Now, I’m not suggesting your turn your house into this place: But, adding a dash of Victorian sophistication can add a lot more interest to your lovely abode. William Morris, the father of the Art and Crafts Movement, quoted, ““If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” To start, here are some clever instances where people have made modern day pieces look so much more beautiful. I believe that with enough creativity and thought, one can turn the most ugly of objects into...