the nook at jensan

Here are five delicious summer cocktail and beverage recipes that are great for entertaining or simply to enjoy after a long day of work.  The stacked beverage server from Horchow is also the perfect container for dispensing your refreshments of choice.

Bobby Flay’s Coconut Ice Tea
 

Rye and Pomegranate Punch from Bon Appetit
 

Pineapple Sangria from Night Club & Bar
 

Stacked Optic Glass Beverage Server from Horchow

Some things have a way of crawling under your skin. But before you let them make your blood boil, try these six pieces of advice that will help you keep your cool.

A few weeks ago I saw Sherri Shepherd from The View, on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.  Sherri was on to promote her book, Plan D: How to Lose Weight and Beat Diabetes (Even If You Don't Have It).  Sherri recalled that when she was young, she would hear family members talking about someone having Sugar, but not paying too much attention to what Sugar was.  Even when someone showed up with a missing leg, it didn’t register.  The same with me.  As a child in Barbados, the term Sugar was often used.  No one used the word diabetes.  I now know the correct name for Sugar and as it was when I was a child, I also have friends and family members who are living with the disease. 

On a trip to the supermarket about three years ago, I discovered some canned goods sold by an African American-owned company.  I had read a few articles in the business press about the success of this company.  I was happy that they were able to get their products on the shelves of this particular supermarket chain.  So I went ahead and purchased a can of one of their products.  However, when I opened the can at home and tasted its contents, I immediately spat them out!  The salt was overwhelming.  It seemed like at least a ½ lb of salt was added to the can.  This particular company sells a lot of product to the black community.

I attended a Health Fair given by my former employer a few years ago and was shocked to discover that each can of soda contains 10 tablespoons of sugar!  My then employer provided free sodas and I used to drink at least 2-3 cans of Coke or Pepsi per day.  A lot of my co-workers drank even more.  Today, I seldom drink soda.

Related articles

• 5 Big Causes of Diabetes in Children (epicahealth.com)
• Live A Better Life With These Diabetes Tips (early-symptoms-diabetes-type-2.back-pain-and-treatment.com)

Photo creidt: 123RF

I overslept on Friday morning and subsequently did not wake up until 10:00 am.  Because the rush hour ended around the time I woke up, by the time I got ready and took the train into the city, I would not have made it to work until after 12:00 noon so I decided to take the day off.  Every morning I wake up at 6:30 to get ready for my day job but Friday was different for a couple of reasons.

First, I forgot to set the alarm which never happens but that is not what was strange about the day.  What was strange is that even though I set the alarm every night, I never need it to wake up.  Every morning my body clock wakes me up at around 6:30 and I lie in bed until the alarm goes off at 6:45.  On Thursday night for the first time in ages, I forgot to set the alarm and my body clock did not work.  I slept until 10:00 am.

Jennifer is constantly telling me that I need to get more sleep.  My daytime job in publishing is high pressured.  We are continuously busy and there is seldom any downtime.  Then when I get home, I am up late into the night dealing with JenSan business.  I've felt tired in the past but not overly so until recently.  Now I think that it is time to take Jennifer's advice and get more sleep at night as the lack of sleep is finally catching up with me.

I did some research on sleep deprivation and discovered many side effects—including the expected ones like irritability and forgetfulness.  However, I also found several more that are of deeper concern like weight gain (something that has happened to me this year) an increased risk of strokes among others, in an article on the Huffington Post.

Even without the typical risk factors, like being overweight or having a family history, short sleep can up your risk for stroke, according to 2012 research. Adults who regularly slept fewer than six hours a night had four times the risk of stroke symptoms, HuffPost reported.

For the full list of scary health related risks caused by sleep deprivation, read the article on the Huffington Post.

Related articles

• 10 Simple Strategies to Wake Up Early (lifehack.org)
• Sleep Deprived Individuals Tend to Load Up on Calories, Study (medindia.net)

Related articles

• Flea Market Finder: Finding the Hidden Gems (frugal.answers.com)
• Flea Markets: Bringing home treasures (not fleas) (nostalgicbits.wordpress.com)

Are you a compulsive shopper and have you ever wondered why you can't seem to stop buying things?  Well, according to and article in the Huffington Post, researchers may have the answer.

Ginger Orange Cheesecake from BHG Savory Cheesecake Appetizer from Pham Fatale No Bake Raspberry-Lemon Cheesecake from My Baking Addiction

One of the favorite pastimes of New Yorkers is to meet for Sunday brunch to catch up with friends and have a mimosa or two.  The brunch menu would be missing something if it did not include a traditional strata dish.  I recently discovered this scrumptious  Ham-Asparagus and Cheese Strata

in-my-mouth:

Poached Salmon with Salsa Verde 

HOW IS IT NOT LUNCH TIME YET?