GirlfriendsCafe has announced a fun, new contest in our Photo Gallery.

Upload your best photo to the contest and you could win a GirlfriendsCafe T-Shirt.

The contest will end on April 30th, 2009 and the winner will be determined by a vote of the members of GirlfriendsCafe!

Enter today!

Submitted by:

Linda Allen
GirlfriendsCafe.com
http://www.girlfriendscafe.com

Make wise choices in your daily diet and you will be on the road to looking and feeling younger before you know it. And, as Martha Stewart would say, “That's a good thing.”

Our eating habits affect our quality of life. Eat too many of the wrong types of food and you are opening yourself up to many potential health related problems. On the other hand, by eating the right kinds of food, you are helping yourself lead a healthier and longer life. In fact, eating these "super foods" will help you to look and feel younger too.

The golden rule of healthy foods is to eat raw, buy organic, and avoid processed. Cooking destroys vitamins and nutrients in food, so eating foods raw, when possible, is recommended. Organic foods are generally agreed to be a healthier alternative because they are free from chemicals and other contaminants.

Avoid packaged and commercially prepared foods as much as possible. Stay away from sugar and refined carbohydrates. Dermatologist Dr. Fredric Brandt believes that sugar breaks down elastin and collagen in the skin, causing premature aging. He thinks you can turn back the clock by ten years and improve the texture, tone and radiance of your skin, simply by reducing the amount of sugar that you eat. (Dr. Brandt counts Madonna and Cher among his clients, so he definitely has some believers in his theory.)

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GirlfriendsCafe is conducting a fun photo contest in our Photo Gallery.

Easy to enter - just upload your "Cutest Kid" photo to the gallery today!

The winner will be determined by a vote of the membership of GirlfriendsCafe and the winner will receive a great Messenger Bag with the GirlfriendsCafe logo.

Submitted by:

Linda Allen
GirlfriendsCafe
http://www.girlfriendscafe.com

Since its premier on February 26, 2009, GirlfriendsCafe Member Groups have grown at an astounding rate. To date, over 70 groups have been formed with a diverse selection of topics.

Just a few of our recent groups formations are:

• Piedmont Triad, NC Girlfriends Group
• Dayton, OH Mid-Life Travelers
• Dallas Ft-Worth Gals
• Lady's of Southern Oregon
• NascarFans

Members of GirlfriendsCafe can form groups in three categories:

• Local/Geographic
• Support
• Interests/Hobbies

Be sure to check out this exciting new section of our website on your next visit! Not a member, GirlfriendsCafe is a social network for women throughout the United States and Canada and membership is free - Join Today!

Submitted by:

Linda Allen
Webmaster
http://www.girlfriendscafe.com

Remember how our moms always seemed to have a great meal every night? Even when times were lean, she came through with fabulous meals and snacks to satisfy even the hungriest of kids. By keeping a few of the essential food staples on hand, you too can be awed for your cooking genius.

Throughout the meals we cook, there are some common items that keep popping up. These are your basic staples that no kitchen should be without. As long as you have a few of these things on hand, you can turn it into an interesting meal even when the cupboards look like there is nothing to eat.

You know how kids are. If there is not a box of cereal or a ready-to-eat meal in the freezer then there is nothing good to eat in their mind. Teaching kids how to create breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks from basic food items will keep them from spending all their money on processed foods once they are on their own. Using basic cooking skills encourages a healthier lifestyle. Satisfying meals can be whipped up from pantry staples without resorting to the expensive alternatives found in today’s grocery stores.

Let’s start with the staples we always saw on the kitchen shelves as a kid but didn’t understand why mom always had them. Staples are basic ingredients that are combined to make other things.

Useful Pantry Items

 Flour
 Sugar
 Rice (white or brown depending on taste)
 Soup (creams and various flavors)
 Broth
 Pasta
 Baking soda
 Baking powder
 Nuts and legumes
 Chocolate squares
 Canned vegetables
 Fresh vegetables like onions and potatoes

Most of us probably have some of these in our cupboards right now. For a quick meal on a cold day, many of these items can be used to create homemade vegetable stew. A pan of rice mixed with a cream soup and a can of mixed vegetables turns into a casserole side dish for dinner. Pasta with mixed veggies is also a great combination. The possibilities are endless.

Here are a few more staples no kitchen pantry should be without.

Useful Condiments and Spice Items

 Ketchup
 Mustard
 Salt (plain and seasoned varieties)
 Pepper
 Vanilla extract (and others that you like)
 Soy sauce
 Chili powder
 Powdered seasoning packets
 Relish
 Mayonnaise (regular and light)
 Cinnamon

It is an eclectic group but they can be used to create wonderful dishes. Periodically check your basic staples for expiration dates. Yes, even flour has an expiration date. Replace them as needed so they are always fresh and available in case you need them in a pinch.

All in all, these pantry items don’t cost much. Combine them and you’ve created meals that would cost five times as much when bought ready-made from the store.

By:
Linda Allen
Webmaster of GirlfriendsCafe.com
http://www.girlfriendscafe.com

We have a winner! Lanijnjax of Jacksonville, Florida was the lucky winner in the GirlfriendsCafe February Trivia Contest!

As the winner, she will receive a gorgeous pendant.

Submitted by:

Linda Allen
GirlfriendsCafe.com
http://www.girlfriendscafe.com

GirlfriendsCafe is proud to announce the winner of our February Pet Photo Contest conducted in our popular Member Photo Gallery.

Holland_Gal of Selah, Washington submitted an adorable photo of her very precious puppy!

The winning photo as judged by the votes of the members was:

As the winner Holland_Gal will receive an American Express Gift Card.

Submitted by:

Linda Allen
Webmaster
GirlfriendsCafe - a social network for women in the United States and Canada.

Although Twitter May Sound Like a Bird Sound - It is a Quick Way to Send Messages to Your Friends and Customers Via the Internet!

One of the newest social networking sites is Twitter. It sounds like a movement birds make. In fact it is a quick way to send messages to your favorite people via the Internet. Due to its popularity with people all over the world, many entrepreneurs wonder if Twitter can actually help them grow their business.

In order to answer that question we first need to find out what exactly Twitter is? It is a social networking site which allows people to keep in touch with friends, family, and others. Through a series of short posts, important information is sent to a person’s followers. Those short posts are called “tweets.”

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