Chia Seed Pudding #fitnessFriday #foodieFriday

Today’s post both helps you get fit and hopefully has you trying a new food. Chia seeds are one of the hot new super foods! They are packed with fiber, protein, anit-oxidants, omega 3 fatty acids and iron. For more on the benefits of chia seeds, you can visit http://bit.ly/2IRcyVd.

Today’s recipes are for chia seed puddings, but I also sprinkle dry chia seeds on salad for some added texture and taste. I make my chia seed pudding with unsweetened vanilla almond milk and I don’t add sugar or honey because I usually mix it up with fruit and sometimes a little yogurt. The recipes below show you just how versatile you can be with this superfood! Chia seed pudding will last for about 5 days in the fridge so one batch is enough to last you for an entire week of breakfasts or desserts.

Recipes

    Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding: http://bit.ly/2vgF54M
    Giada’s Chia Seed Pudding: http://bit.ly/2vg7jwC
    5 Variations for you: http://bit.ly/2v8pq7C
    Creamsicle Chia Seed Pudding: bit.ly/caridad_creamsiclechia
    Low Carb Recipe: bit.ly/caridad_lowcarbchia

Chia Seed Pudding Recipes

#TeaserTuesday ONE SUMMER NIGHT excerpt

Today I’m sharing an excerpt from ONE SUMMER NIGHT. In this scene, Maggie and Owen have just shared a dinner with all their friends and after some teasing, have gone down to the beachfront for some time alone. But what will they do with that time alone? Time to find out.

If you cannot see the preview below, please click here for the ONE SUMMER NIGHT excerpt.

ONE SUMMER NIGHT is specially priced at 99 cents! You can purchase ONE SUMMER NIGHT at the following retailers:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2krMwfE
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2kYLWZV
B&N: http://bit.ly/2kNuo0p
iBooks: http://apple.co/2qsqdwx
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2fuEphL

What Happens in Summer Contemporary Romance#2 in the At the Shore Series, WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER can be Pre-Ordered here:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2y6hi4h
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2y92UIQ
B&N: http://bit.ly/2BJNcov
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2hKg3BW
iBooks: http://apple.co/2hKgP1J
Kobo: Coming Soon!

Liam Hemsworth #ManCandyMonday #AttheShore Surfer Billionaire

If I had to cast someone to play Owen Pierce, the surfer dude turned tech billionaire from WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER, one name comes to mind: Liam Hemsworth. For starters, he’s a surfer and he’s got the look and those eyes. Love the eyes. Of course the rest of him isn’t bad at all either.

Liam_Hemsworth
By Kurt Kulac [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

What Happens in Summer Contemporary Romance#2 in the At the Shore Series, WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER can be Pre-Ordered here:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2y6hi4h
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2y92UIQ
B&N: http://bit.ly/2BJNcov
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2hKg3BW
iBooks: http://apple.co/2hKgP1J
Kobo: Coming Soon!

If you haven’t had a chance to read #1 yet, great news! We’ve got special pricing on ONE SUMMER NIGHT and if you’d like, read the first three chapters for free at Radish!

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2krMwfE
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2kYLWZV
B&N: http://bit.ly/2kNuo0p
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2ik8EfG
iBooks: http://apple.co/2qsqdwx
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2fuEphL
Radish: Read three chapters for free – http://bit.ly/2AERQFk

#WellnessWednesday – Weight Loss Tricks That Have Worked for Me!

As some of you know, I’ve been on a roller coaster of losing and gaining weight for quite some time. I cut out carbs, work out and BAM I drop pounds until I hit some unseen barrier that throws me off the rails and has me gaining again. I was talking to a friend about it and was surprised to hear her say that she’d lost nearly 100 pounds over a few years. In truth, I had never really thought of her as that overweight and I guess because the weight came off gradually, I didn’t notice a drastic change, although I had noticed she seemed slimmer.

It occurred to me that instead of my BAM approach to getting healthier, I had to adopt a more subtle plan. One which I could maintain as a new lifestyle. The first thing I did was stop logging every food I ate. There was no way this was sustainable and what I really had to learn was to be more mindful of my eating. That meant understanding what was a reasonable portion and eating slower so that my brain could catch up to my mouth (something that goes for more than just eating! LOL!) Adding lots of good vegetables to my plate also helped create a feeling of fullness. When I did this I found that I was eating less and eating to satisfy hunger and not just because there was food on my plate.

I also cut our artificial sweeteners and instead started using raw sugar. I also didn’t use as much sugar. If I have a sugar craving, I try to eat fruit instead, but still allow myself the occasional piece of chocolate or other sweet.

I also didn’t totally eliminate carbs as that turned out to be a major fail. Instead I’ve learned to choose more complex carbs and have embraced new grains such as barley and farro instead of my beloved rice. If I have rice, I have brown with some quinoa thrown in!

While I believe that weight loss/gain is 75-80-% diet, I’ve made sure to work out to keep myself strong. I do cardio at least 2 to 3 times a week and strength training the other two days. On the weekends I strive to do long strolls on the boardwalk in lieu of the elliptical. Exercise helps to boost your metabolism which in turn helps burn calories. Muscle also uses more energy than fat, so it too burns more calories. A win-win.

So far, that’s all working for me, more slowly than before, but hopefully in a way that will help me not only lose it, but not gain it back!

I hope these tips help you in your quest for a healthier life!

#TeaserTuesday – What Happens in Summer and Special Pricing One Summer Night

OMG, I am so counting down to the release of What Happens in Summer, #2 in the At the Shore Contemporary Romance Series. This sexy contemporary romance is now available for pre-order and will release in early June. I absolutely love this sensual and emotional story of a laid back surfer dude billionaire and the uptight uber responsible NYC lawyer who captured his heart during a long ago summer fling. I hope you will enjoy this story as well and today I’m giving you a little teaser and excerpt from the book!

Teaser

She knows the kind of man he is;
The kind who breaks hearts.
But a hot summer at the Jersey Shore
Might be just what they need to light up their lives…

As the only daughter of a single mom, Connie Reyes swore she would never put herself or her child in a similar position. But when she runs into oh so tempting Jonathan Pierce at a wedding, she knows she must stay away. She’ll fall for him―hard. And he’s not the type to stick around.

Ever since he left town after their teen-aged fling, Jonathan hasn’t been able to forget about Connie. He can’t wait for the wedding―to show her the man he’s become. And when the night finally comes, their mutual desire will lead to unexpected consequences neither of them were prepared for…

Excerpt

Prologue
Sea Kiss, New Jersey

Playing it safe was far worse than taking a risk on what you wanted.
Jonathan Pierce knew just what he wanted.

He grabbed hold of the gnarly branch of the decades-old wisteria vine that climbed the side of the Sinclair mansion and boosted himself up.
He’d made the journey so many times this past summer, he could do it blindfolded.

He scrambled up the vine, finding the familiar foot and handholds until he vaulted up and over the second floor railing, and landed silently as a cat burglar on the balcony. It ran the length of the immense oceanfront mansion, with elegant French doors offering views of the sea.

The first darkened doorway was Maggie Sinclair’s room. He rushed past it quietly; Maggie belonged to his older brother, Owen. Not that Owen had acted on it yet, but Jonathan had known for years that the two were meant to be together, family feud be damned.

The next doorway was usually Maggie’s dad’s, but the old man had stopped coming down to the Shore as often as he once had, so it was a good bet that room was unoccupied.

Reaching the third room, he saw the curtains wafting in the summer breeze and the dim light from behind the partially closed French doors.

He smiled and his heart raced with pleasure.

Connie was waiting for him. Ever-responsible, ever-loyal Connie had broken her own rules to fall in love with him. Or at least he thought it was love. It definitely was on his part. With barely a week left before the girls all went back to school, he intended to let her know just how he felt.

He slipped carefully through the open doors and shut them behind him. He’d gone no more than a step when she launched herself at him, laughing and kissing him as she said, “What took you so long?”

“I missed you, too,” he said, knowing it was more about the separation to come in a week and not about the long hours since last night.

He bent his head and kissed her, his touch tender and caring, and she answered in kind, her lips soft and coaxing.

Although Maggie had been bringing her friends to the Jersey Shore every summer since they’d met freshman year in college, he’d never really paid much attention at first. He’d had his share of girls from his high school class fawning over him.

But when Maggie and her friends had come back the next year, he had finally, gratefully, noticed what a real woman should be. Like Connie: all luscious curves; also proud, smart, and independent,

As impatient as he might be to make love to her tonight, he wanted her to know how much this meant to him. How this wasn’t only a summer romance for him.

He leaned over her, his gaze locked on her face. He wanted to say the words—Lord, how he wanted to—but they stuck in his throat and so he let every kiss and touch tell her what he couldn’t voice.

You Can Order Here:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2y6hi4h
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2y92UIQ
B&N: http://bit.ly/2BJNcov
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2hKg3BW
iBooks: http://apple.co/2hKgP1J
Kobo: Coming Soon!

Special Pricing on #1 – One Summer Night

Don’t forget that we’ve got special pricing going on for #1 in the series, One Summer Night, which was a Publishers Weekly Top 10 Fall Romance and featured in the NY Times. You can pick up #1 here and also read the first three chapters for free at Radish!

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2krMwfE
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2kYLWZV
B&N: http://bit.ly/2kNuo0p
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2ik8EfG
iBooks: http://apple.co/2qsqdwx
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2fuEphL
Radish: Read three chapters for free – http://bit.ly/2AERQFk

#ManCandyMonday – Milo Ventimiglia

Milo has been a favorite in our family since he was on Gilmore Girls and then in Heroes. Milo also played Rocky’s son in Rocky #6 – Rocky Balboa – and can now be seen in This is Us. Believe it our not, I’ve never watched This is Us and probably should given all the buzz, but right now my TV viewing time is limited. Thanks to Kristin Dos Santos for this photo of Milo at a 2008 Heroes event.

Milo Ventimiglia