BoomerLiving

Enjoy these tasty pumpkin pancakes without guilt. Made with almond meal and packed with protein from eggs, these pancakes are sure to satisfy without shortchanging your results.

This bread makes is a great gift to give neighbors and friends. This bread is good for breakfast lightly toasted, or as a dessert with Ice Cream. Our wonderful friend Vivian gave me this recipe! Thank you Vivian for such a great gift!

December is upon us and it is, without a doubt, one of the busiest times of the year. People are traveling, shopping, entertaining, and making plans for the upcoming holidays.

There are rumors flying that manufacturing may be returning to America. According to an article in the October 10, 2011 issue of Time, Made (Again) in the U.S.A., not only are wages in China rising rapidly, but prices for both ocean containers and marine fuel have spiked so much recently that the vaunted cost advantage of doing business in China may be diminishing.

How do you keep your perspective during the holidays? A woman asked me that question on a telephone consultation. She recently divorced. Tears will still fall and disappointments of how she thought her life would be.

The Holidays can be extremely stressful for even the most `together' people. There are demands of family, work, friends and finances. People often feel that they get caught up in the perceived obligations often losing sight of the true meaning of the season. Stress and depression are very common at this time of year with coping mechanisms such as alcohol and food indulgence only serving to exacerbate the problem.

I have found that many caregivers are confused by HIPAA. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is an important federal law that protects the privacy of citizens. It defines who has legal access to their confidential medical information. Basically, it attempts to keep both professional and non-professional individuals from gaining access to your elder's medical information, or discriminating against him/her if they're legally privy to the medical records.

December is the one month each year that almost everyone I know gains a few pounds. Holiday cookies are on everyone's desk and at all the water coolers; neighbors send gifts of fruit cakes, snack mix and other delectable delights; and oh, the holiday parties! Family traditions abound during this time of year, like my favorite - my daughter-in-law and I have a cookie baking party each year, and then we share what each of us bakes. It's so much work that we hardly taste any of the little treasures when we're done, but we really enjoy the camaraderie and the glass of wine while we're baking! All of these traditions in one month means extra fat and calories are consumed.