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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On the Shelves: Hot New Supermarket Products!
Seen on shelves: These products are so new, we haven't even tried them yet. Have you? Report back, and so will we.
Posted 8/28/2008 11:00:00 PM By: : 121 comments 14,193 views
Sweet Treats: Personal Peach-Blueberry Cobblers
My fridge is full of the last blueberries of the season, and an overflowing basket of white peaches is ripening on the counter. It's about 8 p.m. on a Sunday, and my boyfriend and I have just cleaned up from dinner and are just settling down to read. About 30 minutes later, I am restless. I glance longingly at the peaches. I've eaten three since yesterday, leaning over the sink to catch the juice that runs down my chin. The sweet, succulent flesh pulls clean off the pit and the downy skin is soft against my tongue. Sigh. I'm craving cobbler, but I don't want to expend the energy (or the calories). Then remember I have whole wheat fillo dough in the freezer. Maybe…
Posted 8/24/2008 9:28:15 PM By: : 50 comments 21,525 views
Celebrity Diet Lowdown: Britney Nixes Fruit
Britney Spears is looking good.
Not only has her hair grown back, but she has slimmed down, too. (I don't think Britney was overweight, but you have to admit she did look pretty unhealthy during her series of personal crises over the last couple of years.)
Posted 8/23/2008 10:00:00 AM By: : 95 comments 16,265 views
The dailySpark Wants to Hear from You!
Welcome to the dailySpark, your healthy lifestyle blog. I'm Stepfanie Romine, the blog's editor and one of its contributors. Brought to you by SparkPeople.com, the other dailySpark experts and I are very excited to offer you fresh doses of fitness, nutrition and health news each day! Our bloggers and their areas of expertise are diverse, but you'll notice a common thread: you! This is your healthy lifestyle blog, so we want to hear from you. In comments or emails, we want to know what you think. What do you like so far? What do you want more of? Recipes, tips, Q and A's—you name it, we'll do it. To get the ball rolling, just leave a comment on this post with your suggestions!
Posted 8/19/2008 10:30:16 AM By: : 168 comments 12,192 views
Calorie Savers: 4 Ways to Stretch the Beef
Love meat? Read on to learn how to keep the flavor, cut the fat, all while stretching a buck!
Posted 8/18/2008 12:22:35 PM By: : 79 comments 22,781 views
We Ate It: Special K Bliss Bars
Sometimes you just need chocolate.
A little sweet pick-me-up to get you to 5 o'clock, a dark, rich treat to make you forget all the work that's piling up around you, an indulgence to go with your morning coffee.
But who wants to waste hundreds of calories on a sweet? Not me.
Posted 8/17/2008 2:00:00 PM By: : 78 comments 18,104 views
So You Think You Hate Veggies? Green Beans
My boyfriend, Fred, and I joined a food co-op this summer to supplement our weekly farmers market trips (and cut food costs). Every two weeks, we pay $20 and a bag of mostly organic, local when possible produce is delivered to our door (by our friend Chad, who runs it). Most of the produce is stuff we love: fresh raspberries, spinach, apples, tomatoes. Other times we get one of the few vegetables Fred dislikes. (Me, I've never met a veg I didn't like.) This time it was beans: green and yellow wax.
Posted 8/17/2008 11:28:07 AM By: : 60 comments 18,689 views
Want to Eat Less Meat? Here's How.
Long ago, meat lost its starring role in my diet. Like many aspects of my life, my diet was profoundly influenced by the year I spent teaching English in South Korea.
There, meat could be found in almost every dish, but it wasn't a dominating ingredient. A sprinkling of pork flavored spicy kimchi stew, dried fish added depth to broths, and a lone clam sank to the bottom of the tofu soup I ate almost every day for lunch.
Posted 8/15/2008 10:45:41 AM By: : 57 comments 16,117 views
What's for Dinner?
I love food. And I love to cook. No matter how exhausted I am, no matter how sick, how stressed, how busy, I cook dinner 95% of the time. I'm much more likely to skip a workout than skip making a nutritious meal. (That's not exactly a great habit, but hey, nobody's perfect!)
I'm starting a new blog entry series: What's for dinner?
Posted 8/11/2008 11:19:59 AM By: : 15 comments 7,057 views
Inspiring Stories: Ditching the Training Wheels, at 26
Riding a bike is a rite of passage. When you're still a little tyke, Mom and Dad surprise you with a shiny new two-wheeler for your birthday, plus a helmet (and maybe knee/elbow pads if you're as clumsy as I am).
You're so excited! It's just what you wanted! Now you can ride with all the other kids in your neighborhood instead of watching them longingly from your tricycle.
With training wheels, biking is easy. You're not afraid to fall, so you ride faster and faster. You take pride in your accomplishment, but you know that some day those training wheels will come off and it'll be just you and your balance versus gravity.
Riding on two wheels is scary and exciting at first. You're afraid you'll fall--and sometimes you do. But you get up, brush the gravel from your knees and the tears from your eyes and you persevere until you get it.
That's how the story usually goes. However, my bike-riding story lasted almost 22 years, with two decades of defeat and denial.
Posted 8/10/2008 11:08:28 AM By: : 88 comments 23,693 views
Broiled Salmon with Tamari-Orange Marinade
From "The Healthiest Meals on Earth" by Dr. Jonny Bowden.
"Full of omega-3s for your heart, mood, and skin"
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds (680 g) wild Alaskan salmon fillet, cut into 4 equal portions, or four 6-ounce (186-g) salmon steaks
1/3 cup (80 ml) high-quality dry white wine, such as Chardonnay, or medium sweet wine, such as Riesling
2 tablespoons (30 ml) low-sodium tamari*
1/3 cup (80 ml) orange juice (fresh squeezed is best; about 1 large juicy orange)
3 tablespoons (24 g) peeled and finely grated ginger
1/4 cup (25 g) finely chopped green onions
1 teaspoon raw honey
1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Prep Time: 10 minutes, then marinate for 4 to 6 hours
Cook Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Rinse the salmon gently in water and pat to dry.
In a small bowl, combine the wine, tamari, orange juice, ginger, scallions, and honey and whisk to combine well.
Place the salmon in a shallow glass baking pan, skin side down if fillet, and pour the marinade evenly on top.
Cover the baking pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours or overnight, tipping the dish occasionally to recoat the salmon.
Remove the baking pan from the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, Preheat the broiler,
Lift the salmon out of the baking pan and remove any ginger or scallions to prevent burning,
Rub the oil on the skin/bottom side the salmon and place it on the broiling pan, oiled side down.
Broil the salmon under high heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until salmon flakes easily with a fork and the flesh inside is firm and light pink. The top should lightly brown and caramelize. (If the salmon browns within the first 5 minutes, move the broiling pan down 1 rack in your oven.)
Yield: 4 servings
* Tamari is a high-quality, wheat-free soy sauce. It has a rich, deep flavor that's worth the extra dollar or two. (I always find coupons for the San-J brand in the Mambo Sprouts booklets.)
Related: If you liked this, you may also like our Honey Glazed Salmon recipe.
Posted 7/25/2008 1:00:00 PM By: : 5 comments 5,915 views
The SparkPeople Name the Cookbook Contest Rules
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.
ELIGIBILITY:
The SparkPeople Name the Cookbook Contest for individuals (the “Contest”) is open only to permanent legal U.S. residents physically residing in the fifty (50) United States of America and the District of Columbia.
This contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.
HOW TO ENTER:
Post your title ideas in the comments section of the dailySpark blog post about the contest.
NOTE:
Only titles selected by SparkPeople to be in the top 10 at the end of the Contest Period will be considered for the prizes.
Posted 1/5/2008 10:24:53 AM By: : 93 comments 7,146 views
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