August 2008

Nothing beats fresh fruit for a healthy dessert. This is one of my favorite healthy endings to a simple summer meal…colorful fruit salad.

Most kids love fruit anyway, so enlist them to help choose a rainbow combination of their favorite fruits.  The more variety, the better the presentation and nutrition. And to make this dessert extra kid-friendly be sure the presentation rocks!

What could be simpler? Choose at least three or more fresh fruits to combine. Mix together bite-sized pieces of strawberries, watermelon, blueberries, cantaloupe, kiwi, pineapple and mango and mix together. No dressing necessary; the natural fruit juices combine for just the right amount of light syrup.

Serve the fruit salad from a large platter or glass bowl and ladle into sherbet cups. Make it fancy by adding a small dollop of low-fat whipped cream.

Pretty and delicious!

Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler still rocks. He recently took part in the first Boston Rock Ride For Africa by jumping onto his custom-made Red Wing motorcycle for a 15 mile charity ride along the waterfront in Boston. The ride raised money for two charities focused on stamping out poverty in Africa — FORGE and Opportunity International.

Tyler, 60, helped bring attention to the two day Boston for Africa event, which hoped to raise awareness of the problems in Africa which really affect the whole world. The event also included a gala at the Hard Rock Cafe — no word on whether Tyler attended that, but I’m sure they had plenty of Aerosmith memorabilia on hand.

The Boston for Africa website explains its purpose, saying, “While the United States has seen relative peace and prosperity on our soil for over 100 years, many African people have been born into a cycle of war and poverty that the rest of the world has an opportunity to end.” The organization believes, “With the simplest of opportunities, small-scale change is growing from the bottom up and the African continent is realizing positive change.”

Photo courtesy of exposay.com

A girl only turns 16 once, and if that girl is Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana), that birthday party is going to be a major celebration. Miley will celebrate the milestone 5,000 of her friends, family, and fans at Disneyland on October 5, and she’s making sure she’s not the only one getting a present — she’s giving back to one of her favorite charities, Youth Service America.

Anyone wanting to party with the teen sensation will pay a bit more than a regular Disneyland ticket for the pleasure — tickets are going for $232 a piece to ensure the charity benefits. Miley said, “The best part of the party is we’re going to recognize some really cool kids from Youth Service America who are giving back to their community. That’s so awesome because I think it’s really important for kids like us to volunteer.”

Only (only?) 5,000 tickets are available for the bash, and if you’re interested, you might want to get yours now. Learn more about the party and get your tickets here (warning — automatic music will play).

Photo courtesy of mileycyrusheaven.com

Brad Pitt and George Clooney are hosting a dinner tonight (squee!) to benefit their charity, Not On Our Watch. Unfortunately for me, but luckily for Italy, the dinner will take place in Venice because the pair is currently there for the Venice Film Festival promoting their latest film, Burn After Reading.

This is not the first time the famous friends have thrown a dinner to raise funds for the Darfur relief organization. Last year, in Cannes, Brad and George were joined by Ocean’s 11 (and 12, and 13) pals Matt Damon and Don Cheadle in throwing a party with which they raised $9.2 million!

There hasn’t been any mention of what the cost to enter today’s party will be, but the price to enter last year’s Cannes yacht party was $25,000 a head. I don’t imagine today’s tickets would be much less, but really, wouldn’t dinner with Brad and George be worth it? And it is going toward a good cause … I wonder if I can get there in time.

Photo courtesy of movies.yahoo.com

America Ferrera took some time out from being Ugly Betty to join some famous friends in being hot — Hot in Hollywood, that is. Ferrera, along with Katherine Heigl, Jaime Pressly, Ana Ortiz, Jason Biggs, and Neil Patrick Harris helped to raise nearly $300,000 at the third Hot in Hollywood gala, which benefited the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Just three years after its inception, Hot in Hollywood is fast becoming one of the major celebrity charity events in L.A. This year’s event, at The Avalon in Hollywood, had live musical performances, DJs, and an auction. As always, the money raised (including the $8,000 Heigl plunked down for a Jamaica trip) will benefit charities dedicated to the prevention, education, testing, and treatment of HIV/AIDS — this year, it will go to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and the Real Medicine Foundation.

Ferrera had a ball playing host this year, saying, “It is such a great space to make a fool out of myself! It was professional chaos!” The past two events were hosted by Pressly, who was honored this year with an award for her dedication toward HIV/AIDS awareness. She shared her reason for being so involved — she had an uncle who tragically died from the disease.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

My mother made homemade sauce every Saturday, and my sister and I would wake up to mouth-watering smells coming from the kitchen. I loved brunch on these Saturdays…homemade meatballs with plenty of sauce and Romano cheese, served in a bowl for dunking fresh Italian bread!

This is a quick, low-fat version of an Italian classic. My mother’s sauce took hours to prepare, but this hearty ragu won’t cost you all day in the kitchen. Make the sauce from scratch using homegrown or canned organic tomatoes, or use a high quality jar sauce (like Classico Organic Pasta Sauce with Tomato, Herbs and Spices) and add the meats to simmer. Flavors will meld in less than an hour!

Italian Sauce with Meatballs and Sausage

1 lb. Italian sausage (regular or turkey)

Meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef, 93% lean
¼ cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated Romano cheese
1 tsp. dried sweet basil
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 egg, slightly beaten

Sauce (omit if using purchased):
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) organic diced tomatoes, or 2 to 3 lbs. fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
1 can (6 oz.) organic tomato paste
1 cup water (more or less)
1 tsp. dried sweet basil or Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper; spray lightly with cooking spray. Place the ground beef in a large mixing bowl, add the next 5 ingredients and mix well. Moisten hands, then loosely form meatballs using ¼ cup of the meat mixture for each meatball. Place the meatballs onto the parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for about 25 minutes (a light drizzle or spray of olive oil before baking will enhance browning). Oven-fry the sausage at the same time, making sure to prick the casing before placing on the rack of a shallow broiler pan.

While the meats cook, start the sauce. Cook the tomatoes until soft enough to break up, then add the remaining ingredients. Simmer covered, and when the meats are done, add them to the sauce. Simmer the sauce and meats together for an hour (less if using prepared sauce).

Serve with pasta, plenty of grated Romano cheese…and crusty Italian bread!

Buon appetito!

Like many moms, Nicole Richie had a baby shower while she was pregnant. Unlike most moms, even most Hollywood moms, Nicole gave her gifts (and all funds raised) away to needy moms through the Los Angeles Free Clinic on behalf of the Richie-Madden Children’s Foundation. And while that was pretty spectacular, Nicole and Joel had more up their benevolent sleeves.

The couple has set up a program through the Richie-Madden Foundation where needy families (registered through social services agencies) can sign up for items they need on the Foundation’s website. Then, donors can come in and select what they’d like to contribute.

Nicole explained that it’s hard to fathom how many basic necessities some of us take for granted, when other new moms have trouble obtaining a clean blanket for their newborns. As far as the products available on the website, they are Richie-Madden certified: “We are only working with companies and products that Joel and I would use. We’re checking out every product for safety — and all products are BPA-free.”

Nicole’s more tattooed half has noticed a big change in the way he sees other children since the birth of his daughter, Harlow, and said, “… to think that 26,000 children die every single day from simple things that we could prevent, just blows my mind.”

The registry should be available sometime this fall in L.A. and New York, with an expansion planned later.

Photo courtesy of harpersbazaar.com

This is the kind of story that restores one’s faith in humanity, not to mention Hollywood. Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell all stepped in to complete Heath Ledger’s role in his final film, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, and not only did they honor the late actor by giving great performances, but they also gave their paychecks to Heath’s two-year-old daughter, Matilda.

You might have heard that Heath had not updated his will since the birth of his daughter, and when he died, everything went to his father. And while Heath’s father has assured everyone that he will be sure to provide for Matilda, other members of the Ledger family have their doubts about his ability to manage finances.

It’s not like Matilda would be hurting for cash — her mom and Heath’s ex, Michelle Williams, is getting plenty of movie work. However, the idea that three A-list actors would check their egos at the door and provide for the little girl of a man they all respected gets me a little misty-eyed.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

The Who played their first U.S. concert in Detroit, and have held that part of the country close to their hearts ever since. Singer Roger Daltrey said, “Pete Townshend and I are very aware of the problems people are having in Michigan and fell we should give something back for all the support we have had over the last 40 years.”

Give something back is putting it mildly — the classic rockers will be donating all proceeds from their October 21 concert in Michigan’s The Palace of Auburn Hills to benefit Detroit charities Gleaners Community Food Bank and Focus: Hope.

Charity is nothing new for The Who. Back in 1976, they founded a charity called Double O to help with drug and alcohol damage, domestic violence, sexual abuse, music education, emergency relief for international disasters, and young people’s prison reform. More recently, they’ve been highly involved in raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT), a charity that works to build specialist cancer units.

Daltrey explained that, “Seventy percent of young people with cancer still don’t have access to a TCT Unit… These units are a right, not a privilege. We all know that without teenagers, without their energy and their passion for music, we wouldn’t have rock and roll as we know it. It is out duty to fight for this group and give them a voice within the National Health Service.”

Who knew these aging rockers were so altruistic?

Photo courtesy of curiosidademusical.com

Natalie Imbruglia and a number of other stars have come out to support Fashion Targets Breast Cancer, a new campaign from the UK’s leading breast cancer charity, Breakthrough Breast Cancer. The campaign shows Natalie, along with Twiggy, Anna Friel, and Alan Carr wearing the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer tees, with a message saying, “Whatever your reason, wear one.”

Each of the celebs shared their reasons, with some being as straightforward as, “Mum,” while others, were a bit cheekier in their answers, like Natalie, who said she wore the shirt because, “I have a thing for pastel colours.”

The singer got serious, though, saying, “As a woman, I feel it is important to support this wonderful campaign. I was shocked when I saw the latest figures — 1 in 9 women are diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lifetime… The Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign makes so much sense. All you have to do, like me, is buy a t-shirt and wear it with pride.”

Breakthrough Breast Cancer has already raise £8.5 million to support breast cancer research as well as provide education and assistance, and you can help that number grow. Whatever your reason, you can buy one here and be proud that your newest purchase is making a difference.

Photo courtesy of targetbreastcancer.org

Don’t let a bumper crop leave you bored with homegrown veggies…

Expand your repertoire of recipes so every dish will be new and different. This is a savory version of green beans that is big on fresh taste. This recipe is simple, but be careful not to cook too long…overcooked green beans will be mushy and bland.

Green Beans with Shallots and Tomatoes is also a “recipe duet”…one recipe makes either a warm side dish or a cold green bean salad…

Green Beans with Shallots and Tomatoes

1 lb. green beans, about 2 cups
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 ripe but firm tomato, about ½ cup seeded and diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (optional for warm version)
Capers for garnish

Sauté the shallots in olive oil until translucent. Add the green beans and sauté until bright green in color and just tender. Add diced tomatoes and cook just 1 or 2 minutes more, until the beans are cooked but still crunchy. Serve warm as side dish.

For a cold green bean salad, steam the green beans until cooked but crisp. Rinse in cold water and set aside. Heat the olive oil and sauté the shallots; add the diced tomatoes off the heat and mix to blend the flavors. Chill. When ready to serve, arrange the beans on a platter with the tomato-shallot topping and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Makes 4 servings.

Enjoy!

Late last year, Hayden Panettiere (the petite blond cheerleader from Heroes) was issued an arrest warrant in Japan after joining with an animal rights group and actively protesting the “brutal and unnecessary slaughter” of marine mammals. The actress risked her life defending these dolphins, and, in the process, has drawn a lot of attention to her cause.

Hayden has stayed in touch with Japanese officials, and very recently was given full permission by Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura to return anytime she wanted. Hayden said, “I think they did it (issue an arrest warrant) to pretty much scare us from coming back. I went and had a meeting with the Foreign Minister and he said I was welcome anytime. Very kind man. Very welcoming, and he said I was his most welcome guest, so there’s a shocker.”

Think for just a second about that — Hayden Panettiere, who isn’t even 20 years old, not only joined other activists in protesting something she believes in, but she took the initiative to meet with the Japanese Foreign Minister to try to make it right. I can’t wait to see what this girl has up her sleeve in the next few years!

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Occasionally, large groups of celebrities will get together to support a cause, but very rarely will three television networks join together as well. Don’t get me wrong — it’s happened before, for Hurricane Katrina support, but it’s not a common event, by any means. And that makes the Stand Up To Cancer telethon that much more special.

On September 5, CBS, NBC, and ABC will air a celebrity-jammed telethon for one hour, commercial-free, during which actors, singers, athletes, and other famous personalities will take part in musical performances and appeals to get people to dig deep and make a donation to fight cancer.

Celebrities taking part are (deep breath) Meryl Streep, Forrest Whitaker, Jennifer Aniston, Charlize Theron, Lance Armstrong, Hilary Swank, America Ferrera, Salma Hayek, Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johansson, Masi Oka and Danica Patrick. News anchors Brian Williams, Katie Couric, and Charles Gibson will join them, as will Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts and former Senator John Edwards’ wife, Elizabeth. Robin and Elizabeth have battled breast cancer.

It’s sure to be an entertaining, yet emotional night of television. Make sure you’ve got a comfy seat on the couch at 8 p.m. on September 5 — you can call the celebrity phone bank, make a donation, and make a difference by standing up to cancer.

Photo courtesy of jenaniston.net

Jewel knows what it’s like to be in a vulnerable position — when she was 18, she was homeless for a year because she refused to sleep with her boss and found herself without money, a job, or a place to live. Having lived in that condition, Jewel has strong feelings about ending the cycle of domestic violence, which is why she helped the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation (MKACF) kick off it’s second annual A Kiss For Country campaign to benefit a Nashville domestic violence shelter.

A Kiss For Country brings in country music stars to kiss a piece of paper and sign it so it can be auctioned off to raise money, which goes toward stopping the domestic violence cycle. Jewel became familiar with the campaign last year at the Country Music Awards. She was impressed with the way it was run and the importance of the cause, and the MKACF is thrilled to have the singer on board as its spokesperson this year.

The MKACF has been very successful in raising funds for domestic violence shelters — it has contributed over $11.5 million already. If you’re interested in helping, click here to see which stars are doling out kisses for a cause.

Photo courtesy of jeweljk.com

Angelina Jolie might have her hands full with her newborn twins (and the other four children she and Brad Pitt) have, but that’s not stopping her from making plans to save the world. The actress told Hello magazine that she plans to travel with Zahara, her oldest daughter, to her native country of Ethiopia to discuss building a TB/AIDS clinic there for the Jolie-Pitt Foundation.

It doesn’t stop there — the plan is for Zahara to take over that clinic when she’s old enough. Hey, at least she’ll have job security, right? I joke, I joke — it’s really beautiful to see Brad and Angie not just helping their own children, but also taking a major interest in the countries from which they come.

For example, it’s not just Ethiopia that will be getting a visit from the Jolie-Pitt clan. The family plans to take a trip to Cambodia, where oldest son Maddox was born. Angelina said, “The next trip for our foundation will most likely be to Asia to follow up on the situation in Burma and our work in Cambodia. The boys have been asking to go so we will take them when Knox and Viv are a little bit older.”

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

If you planted green beans this year then by now you might be overwhelmed with little green beans on big green vines. And even though it’s fun to go out to the backyard to pick vegetables for dinner…ever feel like you’re the only one eating them?

Try to enlist the kids in at least the picking and washing of the veggie crop…and if they are too picky to even taste them, well take heart, we know all about picky kids!

Many kids just haven’t acquired the taste yet for complex, savory flavors. So when in doubt, keep it simple. The fresh taste of steamed green beans, even plain, is hard to beat. Try to be creative with the presentation; for example, serve chilled green beans standing upright in a short glass, like French fries just waiting to be dipped into Ranch dressing (instead of catsup). Finger foods are fun!

These are not your ordinary supermarket green beans, so pick them skinny and tender, only about ¼ inch in diameter. Steam for about 4 minutes, and remove from the heat quickly. Serve a kid-friendly version plain, or with just a dot of margarine or butter. Kids of all ages may enjoy them at room temperature or even cold the next day.

Nobody has to know that green beans are loaded with vitamins and minerals, even anti-oxidants. They are also low in calories for those of us who care about such things, only 43 calories per cup.

My grown-up version is savory, so stay tuned for Green Beans with Shallots and Tomato…

Former President Bill Clinton and singer Annie Lennox were in Mexio this week for the XVII International AIDS Conference. The conference aims to allow a variety of parties of discuss and present new scientific research and ideas on facing the challenges of a global response to AIDS. This year’s theme was Universal Action Now, stressing the urgency of the situation.

President Clinton expressed the importance of working together to solve the problem, saying, “We know there is so much yet to be done: to expand prevention, treatment and care, to strengthen undeveloped health systems.”

Annie, who acted as an ambassador for Oxfam at the conference, had a slightly different focus — she brought attention to the plight of HIV positive mothers. She told conference attendees, “I feel it is a right of women to be able to give birth safely, and when a woman is HIV positive the baby can obviously have the virus transmitted before being born. I think this is a fundamental human right for every woman to have access to treatment and health care, so this is something I’m actually addressing and talking about while we are here.”

Photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org

Pamela Anderson might be best known for her cartoonishly curvaceous body and big blond hair, but she’s also gained a lot of recognition in recent years for her commitment to animals and the environment. No longer content to just raise awareness in this country, Pammy is now set to build a green hotel in Dubai.

After a recent visit to the United Arab Emirates for the Make a Wish Foundation, the bombshell was convinced by the royal family that she needed to become a hotelier there. She’s very excited about the idea of building an eco-friendly hotel there, saying, “It’s built with no fossil fuel at all … in Abu Dhabi — where they have all that oil.”

Pamela’s trip to the UAE took place at the behest of His Highness Sheikha Sheikha Bint Saif Al Nayan, who is using international celebrities to bring attention to the Make a Wish Foundation there, which he hopes will bring in support from the local community. Pamela participated in the fundraiser gala and auctioned off a dinner with herself.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, isn’t done raising money for charity. Late last year she auctioned off a book she had written and illustrated, and it was purchased by Amazon.com for nearly $4 million. Still, she wanted to do more, and this December, she will.

The book that was auctioned off was The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a book to which J.K. refers in the final book of the Harry Potter series. There were originally seven, and aside from the one that was auctioned, she gave six as gifts. With the blessing of those who received that book as a gift, as well as Amazon.com and the support of Bloomsbury, Scholastic, and Amazon, that book will be made available to the public December 4.

J.K. doesn’t plan to make any money off the release of this book — she has signed over her royalties to the charity she and Emma Nicholson co-founded called the Children’s High Level Group. The charity works “at a political and practical level to ensure that UN minimum standards for the care of children are implemented across the whole of Europe and beyond.”

The Tales of Beedle the Bard will have more than just a few storied J.K. jotted down. The author said, “The new edition will include the Tales themselves, translated from the original runes by Hermione Granger, and with illustrations by me, but also notes by Professor Albus Dumbledore, which appear by generous permission of the Hogwarts Headmasters’ Archive.”

Photo courtesy of theage.com.au

Be honest — when you think of David Spade, you picture him playing a snotty assistant-type character, or the immature, self-serving buddy, right? I used to, but I have a whole new perception of the actor now — he donated $10,000 to the animal shelter in his hometown of Lakeside, Arizona, to keep it in the business of saving innocent lives.

David’s mom still lives in the town, and apparently the shelter was falling apart and was going to be forced to shut down. The generous donation more than covered the cost of the necessary repairs. The facility focuses on rescuing animals abandoned in the woods and mountains surrounding it — some people assume that if they leave an animal in the wild, it will automatically be able to fend for itself, and that’s not at all the truth. It shelters and tries to find homes for approximately 3500 animals each year.

It should be noted that David made his donation under the radar — he didn’t have any photographers follow him, and he didn’t hold a press conference. He did it out of the goodness of his heart, and he should feel great knowing that this donation is saving the lives of thousands of animals.

Photo courtesy of celebritywonder.com

MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a nasty germ even under the best of circumstances. It is also a “superbug”, a term that refers to a number of bacteria that have developed resistance to many standard antibiotics.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that a few simple precautions can keep most of us clear of staph infections, even MRSA. Staph is actually relatively harmless to normal, healthy skin. But a cut, scrape, bug bite, or even dry, cracked skin can let bacteria penetrate to start an infection.

Waterless hand cleansers can be very effective at killing bacteria, but most are so drying to hands that it’s not practical to use them frequently throughout the day. Noodle and Boo’s Instant Hand Sanitizer is different. I use it several times a day and I cannot believe how smooth and moisturized this product leaves my hands. But does it really kill germs? Yes, 99.99% of them, even MRSA.

Here are some simple steps to help protect you and your family from serious skin infections:

• Practice good skin care and wash hands frequently. Use Noodle and Boo’s Instant Hand Sanitizer whenever soap and water are not readily available.

• Don’t share towels and personal items (like razors). Bring your own clippers to the salon for manicures and pedicures.

• Keep wounds covered until they are healed to protect the open skin from bacteria, and also to prevent the spread of any infection.

• Have your doctor check any open wound or sore that is getting worse or not healing promptly.

Remember, your best defense against any type of skin infection is normal, healthy skin…by Noodle and Boo.

Read more by Dr. Pat in Healthy Lifestyles…