Happy Heart Week - Part IV: Shop the Market...

...the Farmers' Market, that is!

One of the best things you can do for your heart is eat well, and consuming lots of fiber from things like whole grains, fresh fruits & vegetables is a great way to keep it healthy! My personal favorite place to get the freshest fruits & veggies possible is at our local Farmers' Market in Ballard. They're open year-round, and it's fun to challenge ourselves to cook with foods that are fresh locally (as tempting as a perfect orange or bunch of grapes may seem during our long PNW winters!:).

There are more and more farmers' markets opening all around the country, so get on Google and find one near you - and enjoy the benefits that a stroll through the market and some home-cooked veggies will have on your heart! :)

Photos: Jeff & Sally Honeycutt/Sea Studio

Bon Appetit!

xo,

Sal

Happy Heart Week - Part II: You And Your Heart

Yipeeeeeee!!! I am so excited to share a link to something wonderful, but first things first: It's still Happy Heart Week at Live Love Chic (in honor of my dad, as I mentioned yesterday:) and I wanted to talk about music. And how it calms us, and helps to reduce stress - which, undoubtedly, is of supreme importance in caring for our bodies and, especially, our hearts!

Music choice depends on your mood and what you're trying to accomplish, but put on any of your faves and feel your stress dissolve!! One of my personal favorites?? Jack Johnson. So, it's perfectly fitting that they've released his new single, "You And Your Heart" (!!) today! Impeccable timing, and I think it's meant to be. :) I'm loving his new, unkempt hair, too...

Que guapo, no?!

The hubby and I are looking forward to the album release this summer & for the concert at the Gorge!! :)

Happy Listening!

Happy Heart Week - Part I: Jaques Torres Chocolates

Hello!! I have some really amazing news to share today - my dad had a successful heart transplant operation on Friday! He is doing great and recovering in the hospital at the moment... and I'm declaring this week Happy Heart Week on Live Love Chic in his honor! :) I'll be featuring some of my favorite things that are good for the heart all week, starting with some mouth-watering chocolate!

So, by now we've all heard about the wonders that high-quality dark chocolate can do for our bodies... it's all those antioxidants it boasts that do the trick, and I, for one, will accept any reason to consume a bit of chocolate!! ;) When my husband and I lived in NYC, we discovered Jacques Torres Chocolate - a little haven right outside our neighborhood in the West Village.

We'd stop by for the Wicked Hot Chocolate (just like it sounds - rich, creamy hot chocolate with a kick of spice!!) and a couple of truffles or the Best Chocolate Chunk Cookie in the World (that's my own personal name for it!) and then walk around Tribeca or back up through the Village to work off all the extra calories.

Photos: Jacques Torres

If you're in New York and you haven't visited one of his shops yet - DO!! And if not, you can always order some lovely chocolate to eat or drink at home. :)

To healthy hearts!!

xo,

Sal