Throw out the white potatoes and use Sweet ones instead…

Feel Good Potato Skins

Ingredients:

• 4 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup low fat buttermilk or yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
• 4-5 slices bacon, chopped
• 1/2 cup extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• 3 scallions, sliced on the bias

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 450?F.
2. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and rub them with EVOO, salt and pepper. Bake until tender, about 35-40 minutes.
3. Halve the potatoes and scoop out about a third of the flesh of each into a medium size mixing bowl. Add the buttermilk or yogurt to the sweet potato flesh. Season with salt and paprika, then mash.
4. Fill the potato skins with the mashed potatoes and arrange the skins on a baking sheet. Place back into the oven for about 15 minutes, until the edges are slightly golden brown.
5. Meanwhile, cook up the bacon in a skillet until golden brown. Reserve on a paper towel-lined plate.
6. Remove the potato skins from the oven and sprinkle with the bacon, cheese and scallions. Serve two halves per person with a salad alongside.

Serves 4
Another idea: top the skins with a dollop of sour cream.

The popular nightlife venue will be having drink and hors d’oeuvres specials tonight just for Coventry Park and Thornton Park residents.

When you’re there, enjoy the drinks & food, great Jacksonville atmosphere, and even ride the bull!

The deals are only good if you bring your pass – have you gotten yours yet?

The Intracoastal Waterway stretches a total of 3,000 miles, from Virginia, all the way down the coast of Florida. Jacksonville’s section of Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway is one of the more interesting parts of the body of water, filled with marshes and wide rivers.

The entire waterway is filled with history, dating back to 1919 when the United States Congress approved the creation of the waterway. Experience a new adventure on an old, but timeless, natural wonder that is Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway.

When will you start your adventure? Experience Florida as nature meant you to on Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway.

Alright, it’s really nothing to be scared of, but you should avoid it! A phantom load is when your appliances drain the energy while plugged in but not in use. Do you have a lot of phantoms in your apartment?

A way to avoid wasting energy, and saving on your your power bill is by using power strips throughout your apartment. When you’re not using things such as your TV, DVD player, or computer you can simply flip the switch and stop wasting energy.

What are the little things you do around your apartment to be a little greener?

A recent study has found that many foods we often eat together are actually even better for us in a pairing. Scientists are calling this “food synergy,” and it might be the explanation as to why we desire to have certain foods together. Here are some common food pairings that both help the good stuff enter your system while keeping more of the bad out:

• Spinach & Beets: Dark, leafy greens are a great partner for vegetables high in Vitamin C because the vitamin helps improve the absorption or iron in the small intestine. Tomatoes and bell peppers are also a great source for Vitamin C.

• Tomatoes & Olive Oil: The red fruit contains an antioxidant called lycopene that reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. Olive oil contains mono-saturated fats that help boost absorption of the fat-soluble antioxidant, so these two make for a great pair.

• Beef & Carrots: Carrots have a lot of Vitamin A, and this vitamin is most effective in the body when bound with a protein.

Do you eat these winning combinations? You’ll do your health a favor!

• Going from Night Owl to Early Bird: this is definitely one that has stuck with me. Having friends still in school has been a terrible influence on my sleep schedule. Just because they have the flexibility in their schedule to allow staying out until all hours of the night does not mean that I should follow suit. Sticking to a specific bedtime all week will help me get enough sleep to function throughout the day.
• Reading in bed: This has become somewhat of a late-night ritual for me. My bed is the comfiest seat in my apartment, so it makes sense that I’d want to curl up and enjoy a great book there. What’s bad about this is that it provides a lot of stimulation to the brain, actually keeping me from feeling sleepy. I think the subject matter is an issue as well. I’ve been reading a lot of essays from David Sedaris, and because they are so funny it actually wakes me up more than encourage sleep to come. I’ll have to start reserving my late-night reads for the couch – the bed must be strictly for sleeping!
• Trying to force sleep to come: When the clock eventually rolls around to 11PM or Midnight I start to worry about how many hours I’m losing, so I get ready and go to sleep. This is pretty much useless because my mind is still racing with thoughts of work, issues with my personal life, even how much sleep I’m losing. I’ve been trying to improve this by drinking warm milk (something I used to do as a kid), or doing a mundane activity like paying my bills or sorting my recycling. It may sound silly, but activities such as these require very little brain stimulation, so they don’t necessarily keep me from sleep; instead, they keep me occupied until my body has decided that it’s ready to go to bed & I’ve managed to accomplish something I’d been meaning to work on anyways.

I think the key to adjusting any habit is practice – that is how it becomes a habit in the first place. What advice do you have for those nights when sleep doesn’t come easily?

Watch: CBS

FYI:

Jaguars and JTA Announce Stadium Shuttle Service from Orange Park

The Jaguars and Jacksonville Transportation Authority have teamed up to announce the addition of an Orange Park lot to JTA’s Stadium Shuttle Service for the Jaguars 2010 regular season games.

As with other SSS locations, fans will park their vehicles at the Orange Park lot, located on Park Avenue behind the Wachovia Bank branch, and be transported to EverBank Field via climate-controlled shuttles.

The Orange Park game day shuttle service operates two hours prior to kickoff and one hour after the game. Single-game passes for the Orange Park lot are $12, and season passes, which include preseason games, are $96, a savings of 20 percent. Passes can be purchased in advance by phone at (904) 630-3100, online at www.jtafla.com and by mail or in person at the JTA Administration Building, 100 N. Myrtle St., Jacksonville, FL 32204.  Season passes will also be available for sale on-site at the Orange Park lot during preseason games. During the regular season, only single-game passes will be available.

JTA’s Stadium Shuttle Service also includes two downtown locations—the Convention Center Parking lot and Kings Avenue Parking Garage—and three other suburban lots—Little League (Wingate) Park in Jacksonville Beach, San Jose Boulevard at Marbon Road in Mandarin and Philips Highway at  J. Turner Butler Boulevard on the Southside. Single-game passes are $7 for downtown locations and $12 for suburban lots. Season passes are $56 for downtown locations and $96 for suburban lots. Shuttles are not available from the Mandarin or Beaches lots for preseason games.

SSS passes do not include entry to Jaguars games. Coolers are not permitted on board the shuttles. All JTA shuttles are wheelchair accessible; however, individuals with disabilities are encouraged to use the Convention Center shuttle where JTA Connexion vans are available.

For more information on JTA’s Stadium Shuttle Services, call (904) 630-3100 or visit www.jtafla.com.

This is what I call a case of the burned out blues. Something I used to get a kick out of I have now started to view as a chore. I know I love what I do, so I’ve decided to snap out of it & get my excitement back!

In order to get back to my old-self, I’ve decided to try a few things. Here are some of my ideas:

• Get a hobby: I need something to do besides work! Leaving at 5 just to get home & keep working is a HUGE part of the reason I’m feeling this way, so I’m going to force myself to try something new. Maybe bowling?
• Get a fitness plan: Working out will get me in shape & boost my energy levels! Getting my heart rate up will help me power through the work days, even when the work seems endless.
• Ask for help: This will be tough for me. I tend to view asking for help as showing weakness, but I know deep down this isn’t the case. Asking for help will only increase my productivity, meaning I may occasionally leave work at work!

These are just some of my ideas, but I think it’s  good start. What do you do to avoid burning out?

Jaguars vs. Browns at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium

Watch: CBS

FYI:

Many believe that this is a team that only tries hard under two scenarios – if they are facing a division rival or if they are a huge underdog. The 2010-11 season brings a fairly balanced schedule, with the Jags facing some easier non-divisional opponents such as Denver, Buffalo, Kansas City, Cleveland, and Oakland, while also having to face the likes of the Chargers, Eagles, Cowboys, and Giants in some not-so-easy matches outside the division. Order Jacksonville Jaguars tickets now and make your way to Jacksonville Municipal Stadium to see just which team shows up and how far they will get this coming season.