What's one to do with all that leftover turkey? You could settle for turkey sandwiches smothered in stuffing and cranberry sauce, or you could make a healthier choice and toss it into a tasty broth for a healthy serving of turkey soup! Got left over celery and carrots? You can toss that stuff in there, too. A filling warm stew, it's the perfect way to wind down the Thanksgiving holiday and take a breather from all that heavy eating.

Come check out the yummy recipe.

Butternut squash and sweet potatoes are two nutritional powerhouses of Fall. Although both are known for their orange hue, these two crowd-pleasers do have their differences. Both are off the charts for vitamin A, but are you curious to see what kind of value they each add to your meals?

Check out the comparison!

Do you shake your salt shaker like a Polaroid picture? If so, it may be time to part ways with your salt shaker. Based on the government's newest guidelines, Americans are consuming more sodium than we should. If you thought a few dashes on your food at every meal was alright, you may be grossly underestimating the additional sodium that is already in your prepared food. Reports say:

Under the guidelines released Monday, about half of the populace should consume 1,500 milligrams of sodium or less each day. That includes children, African-Americans and anyone who is older than 50 or has hypertension, diabetes or chronic kidney disease. Everyone else may consume up to 2,300 milligrams, about a teaspoon.

If you're unsure how to go about cutting back on the sodium, I've got some tips to help you get started.
Ready to see them?

Having trouble losing those five pounds you've been swearing off since the start of the new year? While you may be working tirelessly to rid yourself of that last pesky weight, you may be duping your own body into failure without even knowing it. Come check out these five reasons why you may not be meeting your weight loss goal.

• Your H20 level: Are you drinking enough water? You may not be getting enough to keep your body burning the calories and fat you've been trying to get rid of. Keeping hydrated will help you to keep your metabolism going and the calories burning.
• Don't forget breakfast: While you don't need to load up on flapjacks and sausage, you should eat a healthy breakfast to get your day started. If you get going without any fuel in the tank, your tummy may trick you into snacking on the wrong things or eating an over-sized lunch.
• Empty calorie sips: Check the nutritional data on your coffee or sodas to make sure you're not taking down too many empty calories. An easy fix? Switch to plain old water. See point number one!

Ready to see points four and five? Just read more

When you're invited to a dinner party, you may not expect to be doing the cooking yourself, but that's exactly what I did last weekend. At a recent gathering of friends, I was surprised to see that we actually made our dinner and then sat down to eat it. Organized by a dear friend of mine, Parties That Cook came to his house and set up work stations, gave us recipes, showed us some chef tips, and let us take the lead. After we cooked our dishes, we went to another room and drank cocktails while the professional chefs turned the cooking area into a fabulous dining room complete with candlelit place settings.

While I would have loved to make the delicious dessert, I was actually pleased to be on "team kale," as I picked up a new healthy recipe that I can share with you!

Are you ready to see it?

When you are doctoring up your coffee or tea at the sugar and milk stand, do you know how much of a difference those tall silver canisters can make in your hot drink? Some reach for the skim while others feel free to douse the cup with the heavier cream. And when it comes to choosing milk for cereals or as a beverage, it can make even more of a difference. If you're curious to see how the various types of milk compare, just read more

It may not be the hippest class to attend at the gym, but there are still many reasons why I love myself a good step aerobics class. While I'd like to say it's because I can don a Jane Fonda-esque spandex leotard; it's actually much more than that. The once über-popular workout fad of the '80s and '90s still wins my vote for these following reasons:

• When the instructor turns on the stereo system, there are bound to be powerfully motivating tunes (old and new) to get you through the jumping, lunging, and grapevining.
• Many teachers include some sort of dance (merengue or salsa) into the mix. I love a workout that encourages me to shake my groove thang.
• It's like riding a bicycle. Even if you haven't been to a step class in five years, you'll quickly remember how to do the "L" step or a hamstring curl.
• Since I don't always have time for lengthy workouts, I appreciate that most step classes are under an hour.
• The music may get my mind going, but the exercise certainly gives my body a run for its money. At the end of these classes, you can't tell whether I've taken a shower or desperately need to.

Want to see the rest of my reasons and add your own two cents?

What do Apolo Anton Ohno and Bonnie Blair have in common? Besides being Olympic speed skating heroes, they both know how to work their legs into tip-top shape. While I wouldn't dream of recreating their entire fitness routine, I have taken a page out of the ice skating training manual. New to my cardio workout is the "skater's lunge," as my fitness instructor dubbed it, and it requires nothing but stamina and sneakers — skates are nowhere in sight. Curious to see how to do the heart pumping leg working exercise?

If you're a peanut butter lover, I've got a snack for you. Chock-full of protein, iron, and fiber, these tasty treats are delicious sources of healthy nutrients, but they're also bursting of flavor. Discovered on one of my favorite new websites, 100daysofrealfood.com, this small and powerful snack is made without the help of any processed foods.

Sound enticing? Come check out the simple recipe!

There's a reason (or two!) why people just can't say no to fast food. It's fast. And easy. And sometimes regrettably delicious. But, there's also a reason why we shouldn't be gobbling up Krispy Kremes with coffee and chowing down on Big Macs at lunchtime. It's just not good for the body. What is good for the body are unprocessed, straight from the garden raw foods that can give us nutrients, vitamins, and other essentials to keep our natural fuels running.

In an effort to get back to the basics with healthy eating, Lisa and Jason Leake gave up unprocessed for an entire 100 days. The North Carolina parents of two decided it was time to give up the sugar infused packaged goods for a period of unrefined choices straight out of their backyard. After reading In Defense of Food ($9) by Michael Pollan, the couple changed their ways of eating for good. And lucky for us, Lisa isn't keeping her journey to herself. She's sharing her learnings, recipes, and little secrets with her devoted readers and challenging them along the way in her blog 100daysofrealfood. She realizes going 100 days with "real food" may be too tough for some but asks people to try it for 10 days.

Could, or would you take the pledge to go 10 days without any processed foods. Perhaps you're already doing it?

When it comes to practicing yoga, I believe so much of it boils down to finding the right teacher. If you aren't inspired by your instructor, the desire to keep going weakens. On the flip side, if you adore the guru in front of you, the yearning to continue only grows stronger. For that reason alone, I'd highly recommend Shiva Rea's latest yoga DVD — Shiva Rea: Power Flow Yoga ($14).

While new to the market, it is actually a compilation of Shiva Rea's previously released DVDs, which are awe inspiring on their own. For those who don't feel like buying each of her select DVDs, the Power Flow Yoga DVD offers the best of the best with 13 segments of various types of yoga. If you're in the mood for Vinyasa only, she's got you covered. If Namaskar (variation on sun salutations) has a grip on you for the day, there are three options for that, too. Between the "matrix," as she dubs, it, you can tailor your yoga workout to suit exactly your needs. And, if you don't want to manage that, you can simply set it to one of the three pre-set practices, which range between 50-57 minutes each.

To see which segments I liked the best, just read more

Some like it hot . . . some like it cold. During these brisk snow ridden months, oatmeal is almost irresistible. Unless, however, there's granola on the table. While I like both of the breakfast foods, I'm often partial to the chillier bowl topped with strawberries and bananas. Then again, a steaming porridge complete with pumpkin goodness is pretty hard to turn down. So perhaps knowing the nutritional value of each will help you and yours truly decide which one to turn to more often, especially for the duration of the seemingly long Winter season.

Ready to see the comparison?

Some people have a serious hankering for cottage cheese. I like the white stuff alright, but it's the fixins that really make me crave the lowfat snack. Apples and oats are always a delicious addition, and avocado cups make me happy, but the easiest and perhaps tastiest treat I've found so far comes in the form of a cinnamon stick.

When your sweet tooth attacks, satiate it with a few sprinkles of cinnamon on a small bowl of lowfat or nonfat cottage cheese. The combination of the natural spice and cottage cheese will add just the right amount of kick to your taste buds while providing the benefits of calcium, vitamin D, and keeping your blood sugar levels in check. You'll be surprised you're not lapping up dessert!

Flickr user S. Diddy