On a lovely mid-April Saturday, I went to one of the best places in this part of North Carolina for a beautiful spring walk: Sarah P. Duke Gardens. Located on the campus of Duke University in Durham, this gorgeous facility boasts 55 acres, and five miles of walking paths on a varied terrain. The Gardens are comprised of four sections: Historic Gardens, Doris Duke Center and Gardens, H.L. Continue Reading
10 easy ways to get started with Spring exercise
Spring is finally here! Everything seems to awaken and refresh in the spring. And it’s the perfect time to think about spring cleaning for our bodies, too. It’s time to get outside, stretch your legs and start to exercise again. For 10 easy tips to help you spring into fitness, see my story on the Blue Cross NC blog! [Sponsored] Continue Reading
VIDEO: How to pick strawberries, plus three scrumptious strawberry recipes
Strawberry season is finally here! I love going to pick strawberries at a u-pick farm here in central North Carolina, McAdams Farm. Last weekend I went there to get the first of this year's crop. Fortunately, they'd survived the recent freeze. The berries were so plentiful, I didn't have go more than 5 or 6 feet down the row to fill up my basket. And they are sweet and delicious! If you Continue Reading
25 reasons to get up and walk
Last week, I was invited to give a presentation to the ladies' group at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Durham, N.C. One of the things I spoke about was the benefits of walking as exercise. I'm a big advocate of walking -- it's what launched my healthy living transformation, helped me lose 60 pounds, and brought me to where I am today! In this first in a series of posts I'll be doing on walking Continue Reading
Learning about locally grown food (and cute baby animals!) on the Piedmont Farm Tour
Last Saturday and Sunday, my husband and I had the pleasure of doing the 21st Annual Piedmont Farm Tour, sponsored by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) and local co-op Weaver Street Market. This was our first time taking the tour, although it's something we'd been wanting to do for a while. I'm so glad we did. We had a wonderful time, and learned a lot! Local farmers open their Continue Reading
How to make your own Reese’s Eggs
Here's a delicious treat that makes a welcome addition to any Easter basket -- chocolate peanut butter eggs! We love them with dark chocolate, but they are yummy with milk chocolate as well. These eggs are super easy to make. You'll never want to buy artificially-flavored Easter candy again! Ingredients: 3 cups powdered sugar 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter 1/4 cup butter, melted Continue Reading