Ring in the New Year

New Year's Eve is here! Whether your going all out tonight, hosting friends and family or just relaxing in your favorite sweats, make sure to ring in 2011 with positive thoughts and a happy and healthy outlook for the new year.

We thank each and every one of our customers, blog readers, and Ex-cessories fans for your support. To a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2011!

2011 Hangover Beware

New Year's Eve celebrations often bring unwanted hangovers on Jan 1. If you go all out, you are going to pay the price and that is that. But, if you are a typical party goer there a few things you can do to prevent a hangover from happening - or... at least make it less painful.

Don't drink or drink less - Instead of 4 drinks have 1 or 2. Drink slowly! This will give your body enough time to break down the alcohol.

Drink water and lots of it - Alcohol dehydrates the body, so start your night with water and try to match every drink you have with a glass of water.

Don't drink on an empty stomach - Having food in your stomach helps dilute the concentration of alcohol.

Be choosy with what you drink - Stay away from sugary speciality drinks and try to drink clear liquors over dark ones. The darker the drink the more of the toxic substance congeners, which help contribute to hangovers.

Have fun NYE, but be safe and be smart. No one wants to start 2o11 off with a hangover!

Ring in the New Year with Healthy Cocktails

Going out New Year's Eve often leads to over indulge a little in the drink department.

As long as you are safe and not driving, drinking a little more than usual is okay. But, make sure to stay away from the sugar filled heavy calorie drinks. Your stomach and head will thank you the next day!

Try these:

* Lillet Champagne Cocktail

-Ingredients
2 ounces Lillet Blanc
3 ice cubes
2 ounces chilled Champagne or sparkling wine
twist of orange peel for garnish
-Directions
In a chilled Champagne glass combine Lillet with ice, add the chilled Champagne, and garnish the drink with a twist of orange peel.

Any Skinnygirl drink is great! Try the mojito or margarita. Click here to check out all of the Skinnygirl drink recipes.

Enjoy your NYE night responsibly!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you and yours! Enjoy your celebrations with family and friends.

Love,

The Ex-cessories Gals

Seasonal Stress?

Let's face it. The holidays can be stressful. Family gatherings and cooking demands can add pressure that hits some harder than others.

Try to avoid seasonal stress with Health Magazine's coping recommendations.

If you tend to overbook... Get ready to say no to some things. Prioritize and schedule time to do holiday activities that you enjoy instead of those you feel that you just have to do.

If you have family friction... Manage your expectations and be sure to make time for yourself.

You cut back on sleep to get everything done... Cutting back on sleep has many negative impacts. Make sleep a priority!

For additional information on how to deal with holiday stress visit health.com.

Remember, it is the holiday season. A time to relax, enjoy and celebrate. Don't sweat the small stuff and remember to smile and laugh. Happy holidays!

Bake for Santa

Do you bake for Santa? If so, do you treat him to homemade cookies or store bought treats?

Baking for Santa is great to do as a family, plus the leftovers are all yours!

We took a compilation of some of our favorite cookies from MarthaStewart as our Santa cookie recommendations - see below.

Peanut Butter Toffee Cookie - Who doesn't love peanut butter and toffee! Click here for the recipe.

Soft and Chewy Chocolate-Chip Cookie - Chocolate Chip is the loved by all classic! Click here for the recipe.

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies - This is our favorite! Click here for the recipe.

Chewy Cherry-Oatmeal Cookies - Because Santa needs something on the healthy side too. Click here for the recipe.

Share your special cookie recipes with us in the "comments" section below. We would love to learn more about what you bake for Santa.

Healthy Hot Toddy

The cold weather and holiday cheer makes us crave hot drinks filled with winter spices and a nice fire.

Instead of reaching for heavy boozy eggnog, hot buttered rum, or spiked hot chocolate, make yourself a hot toddy. This is a classic cold-weather warmer with all of the same seasonal spices of eggnog and pumpkin pie, but with way fewer calories. It has even been known to knock out a cold or two.

Healthy Hot Toddy

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces of brandy, scotch, or bourbon
7 ounces hot water
3/4 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 star anise, cinnamon stick, or 3-5 cloves
1-2 thin slices of lemon for garnish

Directions
In a heatproof glass, stir together bourbon, hot water, honey, lemon juice, and spices.
Garnish with lemon slices.

Enjoy and stay warm!

David Yurman Bracelet

What woman wouldn't love to receive a David Yurman bracelet for Christmas?

You may be thinking that you don't want to break the bank with David Yurman prices. No need to worry, Ex-cessories.com has got you covered!

Check out our David Yurman 5mm Cable Bracelet for $499 by clicking here (pictured above). This item retails for $1,150!

So hurry to Ex-cessories.com and get your holiday deals today!

Edible Holiday Gifts

A great gift for friends and co-workers are homemade treats with a personalized touch.

We recommend Martha Stewart's Foolproof Holiday Fudge. This easy chocolate fudge calls for cream, butter, and marshmallows melted together to form a smooth base, and then semisweet or white chocolate chips stirred in. The fudge can be cut into shapes using cookie cutters, or simply sliced into squares. Top with toasted nuts or crushed peppermint candies and you have the perfect edible holiday gift!

Click here for the detailed recipe.

When completed, package the fudge using your creativity and you will have a personalized homemade edible holiday gift!

For packaging ideas, click here.

Monday Morning Wake Up Tune

We love Florence and the Machine's "Dog Days Are Over", but we have to admit that our new favorite version is Glee's cover. This was one of our favorite Glee performances.

Watch the video below and give your Monday morning a kick start!

Happy Hanukkah!

The miracle of oil is celebrated each day of Hanukkah by cooking a variety of foods in cooking oil, including latkes (grated potato cakes) and sufganiyot (donuts). While certain oils are a healthy addition to a balanced diet, we all know that oil is high in fat.

You can still enjoy the customary Hanukkah foods without the heavy emphasis on unhealthy oils. We recommend baking your latkes rather than frying them, adding homemade low-sugar apple sauce, and/or making your latkes with sweet potatoes.

For some healthy latke recipes, check out the links below.

Eatingwell's Golden Tumeric Latkes with Applesauce

Broccoli Latke's from CBS

Eatingwell's Crispy Potato Latkes

Let us know what your favorite Hanukkah recipes are below.