I am horrible when it comes to eating, and my metabolism is probably waiting until I’m thirty to get its revenge in the form of cellulite and love handles. I skip meals all the time, and have been known to go days without food.

No, I don’t have an eating disorder. I have a working disorder—I’m a total workaholic.

When I do eat, it needs to be healthy and somewhat portable. I’ve considered trying Atkins or Southbeach protein bars, Power Bars, or even Slim Fast Shakes as a snack I can pound in the car on my way to work. But, honestly, I can’t justify consuming 400 calories in the form of a little bitty rice bar that is not going to quiet my growling stomach, or 13 grams of fat in a similarly unsatisfying wannabe-milkshake concoction.

Instead, I live off of caffeine.

One morning, before work, I stopped at my favorite coffee shop to grab a skim milk, sugar-free vanilla latte, and saw a display of Vegan Energy Bars at the counter. I’m not vegan, but was hungry and I thought that those little heart-shaped bars might be crazy enough to work! I mean, the vegans are picky about what they put into their bodies and without meat or dairy, they still need nutrients, right?

I purchased a package of chocolate chip flavored (if it has chocolate it can’t be that bad), heart-shaped, soy-filled cakes of pure delight that day, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Read More »

Recently, some friends of mine have diagnosed themselves as lactose intolerant. One realized that milk in her coffee could result in hours of pain, the other was a lapsed vegan and spent an evening in the fetal position after reintroducing dairy to her routine. We went for frozen yogurt on a perfect May Saturday, and after her first bite of her tiny cup of Tasti D, she sighed. “It’s sooo good, but it’s going to hurt so much later. Can’t believe I forgot my Lactaid.”

As I took another bite of my own frozen yogurt, I couldn’t help but feel guilty for suggesting ice cream. She had only mentioned it in passing once, and I had completely forgotten about her allergy. Read More »

After several months of going through 1-2 large containers of yogurt per week at $3.69 each, I decided there had to be a better way to get good yogurt without forking over my life savings for it.

And there is: make your own.

Yogurt is one of those foods that you never really think about making—you just buy it automatically, like milk or cheese. Once you get the hang of making it, though, it’s very easy (and CHEAPER!) to make it ahead of time for yourself whenever you want it.

This site, though a little too scientific for me (“inoculated milk” and “sterilized jars”? ummm…), gives great photographs for a step-by-step introduction to the process. It makes a TON of yogurt, though, so here are simpler instructions for about 4 cup’s worth.

First, here’s what you need: a half-gallon of milk and 2-4 tablespoons of yogurt with live, active cultures in it (most yogurts have these cultures naturally). Read More »

Since the Internet has taken over our lives, we’ve been given a little gift called The Blog.

A blog is the new school term for “Dear Diary”, and who would have ever guessed that diary entries could be so entertaining — entertaining enough for people to make a career out of exposing their inner most thoughts, desires, confessions, and judgements.

Well, publishers caught onto the idea quickly and said, “hey, this sh*t could actually sell.” Reading words that most people think will remain anonymous makes the reading fresh. Sincere. Real.

Because of the over-saturation of “reality TV”, (’true life stores’ manipulated entirely by producers and crafted into audience friendly material), people were yearning for something genuine that made all of their daily dramas and horrific embarrassments, dating stories, and “disorders” seem normal.

Bloggers started to say f*ck the fake stuff, and began to write about their orgasms, financial troubles, divorces, narcissism, every little detail down to the nitty gritty. And guess what happened? Audiences clamored for MORE. Read More »