Stepfanie Romine is a writer, recipe developer, published author and certified yoga teacher who has lived--and cooked--on three continents. She currently calls Asheville, North Carolina home. 
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Today is Eat a Cranberry Day!
Today is Eat a Cranberry Day! Don't wait for Thanksgiving to gobble up these tart, tasty berries.
As Tanya wrote recently, you don't need to cranberries are more than just a holiday tradition. Packed with antioxidants and proven (in their purest form) to boost bladder health, these berries are good any time of year.
Posted 11/23/2008 11:00:00 AM By: : 188 comments 16,964 views
Trim Thanksgiving: Sweet Potatoes
This is the first in a series of blog posts about how to slim down your Thanksgiving side dishes and treats. For more information about healthier Thanksgiving cooking, read this article.
The poor yam and sweet potato. These brightly colored and antioxidant-rich vegetables are naturally sweet, but their flavors are masked by loads of brown sugar and marshmallows on Thanksgiving.
Typical candied yams or sweet potatoes:
Serving size=3/4 cup (about the size of a baseball)
240 calories 7 g fat
Posted 11/22/2008 12:00:00 PM By: : 114 comments 21,848 views
Quick Tip: Eat Slowly When You're in a Group
Last night, I attended a benefit at one of our city's finest Italian restaurants. I found myself faced with two hurdles: 1. An overflowing Italian bread basket, complete with a half-dozen versions of mini focaccia, breadsticks, fresh-made bread and ciabatta. 2. Courses that were smaller than expected.
My initial urge, as I'm sure many people's would be, was to gorge on the bread and gobble down each course in a few bites.
Posted 11/20/2008 6:20:09 PM By: : 77 comments 9,693 views
Should We Stop Traffic so People Can Get Their Fast-Food Fix?
I rarely venture out of the office during the day. After yesterday, I am thankful for that! Midmorning, I ventured out to the big suburban shopping area north of our office to pick up the remaining prizes for the dailySpark Holiday Giveaway. (What are the prizes, you ask? They're a secret! Check back each Monday until the end of 2008 to enter to win those prizes!)
I was so pleased with myself for hitting both the mall and Target without a traffic jam, long line or even a hunt for a parking place. Then I headed back to the office just before noon.
About a block from the highway, traffic thickened and slowed to a crawl. Confused, I looked ahead and noticed two sheriff's deputies directing traffic.
"A fender-bender," I thought. "What bum luck for those people, but that explains the slowdown."
Not quite. As we inched forward, I noticed the deputies were standing in front of the Burger King driveway, and just next door, another pair of deputies were in the Wendy's driveway. They were directing traffic so that people could get in and out of the fast-food restaurant drive-throughs!
Posted 11/20/2008 11:15:27 AM By: : 193 comments 12,944 views
Healthy Recipe: 200-Calorie Homemade Mac and Cheese!
Nicole found this recipe on another blog, YumSugar, and I immediately wanted to try it. I made it for our SparkPeople pre-Thanksgiving potluck. (It was a hit!) Butternut squash is puréed with milk and vegetable broth and mixed with three kinds of cheese to create a rich, decadent, and slightly healthier dish. This might just find a place on my Thanksgiving menu!
Posted 11/18/2008 4:00:00 PM By: : 79 comments 32,084 views
Angelina Slims Down with Video Games
How is mother of six Angelina Jolie shedding what little bit of baby weight she gained with her twins?
By playing video games with her children.
Posted 11/15/2008 2:32:36 PM By: : 143 comments 13,806 views
The Magical Cooking Technique That Will Get You to Eat Your Veggies
Recently, I asked you which healthy food you'd like to learn to eat. The responses were diverse and plentiful.
Aside from liver, vegetables were the most common response: from tomatoes to celery, eggplant to green peppers.
While I have blog posts planned for specific vegetables, I wanted to share with you a magic trick I learned a few years ago.
You think you hate vegetables? This foolproof and rather quick cooking technique will have you gobbling up those loathed vegetables and begging for seconds.
So what's the secret?
Posted 11/11/2008 4:00:00 PM By: : 369 comments 144,897 views
Easy Recipe: California Roll in a Bowl
Ever get stuck in a dinner rut? I sure do! Recently, while digging around in the 100-page homemade recipe file I keep on my computer, (I like to cook. Can you tell?) I found a salad I created about four years ago.
Delicious and easy, it combines all of my favorite sushi ingredients in one bowl! And, because it's based on a California roll, it uses fully cooked seafood. This is a great way to introduce friends and family to the taste of sushi. Add slivered sushi ginger, bits of nori (seaweed), and sesame seeds to make it even more authentic.
Posted 11/10/2008 2:00:00 PM By: : 90 comments 24,321 views
Take the Quiz: Will You Live to 100?
Wonder how long you'll live? Think you're in for a long life? While we can't know for sure, your genes, lifestyle choices, diet and exercise habits and even your relationships can be foretelling.
Posted 11/9/2008 1:00:00 PM By: : 79 comments 13,615 views
Even Kate Winslet Battles Her Self-Esteem
Even gorgeous, Oscar-nominated actresses like Kate Winslet battle with their self esteem.
Winslet, 33, has been quite vocal about her rejection of Hollywood's unattainable body image standards for women, and last year she won a libel case against an Italian gossip magazine that claimed she had seen a diet doctor.
Still, she says she feels like a "fat kid."
Posted 11/8/2008 2:00:11 PM By: : 96 comments 13,793 views
Before You Bite: A Closer Look at Snack Packs as Twinkies Join the 100 Calorie Brigade
From rice cakes to cupcakes, crackers to chips, and everything in between, 100 calorie packs are the hottest trend on the snack shelves.
So what's the latest product to come in a 100 calorie pack?
The Twinkie.
Yes, your favorite sponge cake with creamy filling now comes in 100 calorie form.
Posted 11/7/2008 1:20:38 PM By: : 210 comments 14,976 views
Quick Tips: Home Remedies That Save the Day
Last week I was feeling under the weather and determined I was suffering from allergies. Well, that allergy attack morphed into a behemoth of a head cold, which then bestowed upon me a wicked sinus infection and clogged ears.
Around the same time I blogged about colds vs. allergies, I was writing an article for our sister site, BabyFit.com, about natural home remedies. Kismet, it was.
Posted 11/6/2008 7:08:16 AM By: : 86 comments 30,059 views
What Is Quinoa, and How Do I Eat It?
The dailySpark reader AHHGEE recently asked about quinoa.
Quinoa is turning up everywhere these days. This little grain, while still relatively unknown in North America, has been around since ancient Inca times, when warriors reportedly mixed quinoa with fat and rolled it into "war balls" that sustained them during lengthy battles. It comes from the Andean region of South America.
What is it?
Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah or kee-no-uh) is called the mother of all grains and for good reason. It was second in nutritional importance to the Incas; only the potato was more highly revered and respected. It's small, slightly larger than couscous, and when it's cooked it looks like a small spiral. It can range in color from cream to beige or red.
Posted 11/4/2008 6:00:00 AM By: : 159 comments 129,587 views
What Do You Do with All That Halloween Candy?
The kids (and you) have had about three days to overdose on the trick-or-treat candy.
Short of just pitching the surplus, what do you do with the sweets?
Posted 11/3/2008 12:00:00 PM By: : 242 comments 12,497 views
Spotted on Supermarket Shelves!
New product alert! The dailySpark is always on the prowl for new and tasty foods, and we've rounded a few that piqued our interest.
Have you tried any of these products? We haven't just yet, but we probably will soon. (For additional pricing and nutrition information, click on links to product websites!)
Posted 11/2/2008 3:00:00 PM By: : 106 comments 6,573 views
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