The Actors Fund will throw its 15th annual Tony party at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles next Sunday, June 12.

Marilu will host the 3:30 PM event that will honor veteran actor Hal Holbrook. Holbrook played Marilu’s father on Evening Shade (and was married to Dixie Carter). Sean Penn is presenting the award, and will be sitting at Marilu’s table, so it promises to be quite the event!

The evening promises raffle prizes, theatre experiences and Broadway memorabilia. Phone (323) 933-9266 ext. 458 for tickets.

We hope we don’t have to say “don’t try this at home … at least not until you’ve mastered all the basics.”

Mostly we love the idea that “fit” can mean all kinds of things, and you need to find out what YOU love to do to stay fit, and then DO IT.

We think “Meatless Monday” is probably supposed to be about main dishes, but it’s D-Day and we want dessert. Not a junk-y dessert – something that tastes good, is refreshing for these hothothot summer days, and is still packed with nutrition. Something the kids will love. Something delicious.

Make this dessert just a few hours before serving – so it’s still fresh.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Frozen Banana Dessert
Adapted from Dr. Andrew Weil
Yellow * Serves 6

4 very ripe bananas*
2 Tablespoons pure unsweetened cocoa powder**
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons real maple syrup

Peel the bananas, cut them in chunks, and place in a blender or food processor. Add the other ingredients.
Blend till very smooth. Pour into individual custard cups or small bowls and freeze until just frozen.

* We like starting with cold bananas, so we keep them in the fridge when they ripen. The peel gets brown in the fridge, but it doesn’t affect the banana itself. Using frozen bananas makes it too difficult to blend process without added liquid (or this really awesome attachment for a VitaMix). So – cold bananas from the fridge are our favorite way to make this.

** Or try a handful of fresh strawberries for a different flavor.

Take a class with Marilu for the next 10 weekdays.

Who? YOU.
Members, check your inbox for today’s email.
Not a member? Join now, and get to class with Marilu!

Where? HERE.
Marilu.com offers online classes every month in our private members area. Classes take place on message boards and in our private chat room, often with PDF materials for you to download.

When? NOW.
June’s class starts today.
What are you waiting for? Get started in Making Memories with Marilu!

Discover new things about your past
Dream an exciting future
Document your life
Demand your best from yourself
Dare to excel

We’re kicking off this class on D-Day – the perfect day to Dig in and Do it.

Spend ten days digging into your past and getting it done in your future. Each day, Marilu will have a topic for you to explore and questions for you to answer.

Marilu is known for her superior autobiographical memory. This class offers you the opportunity to improve your memory, to learn from your memories, and to create memories as you move into the future.

Members are automatically enrolled in class – just look for your class email on Monday!

Not a member? Join now so you’ll be all ready for class on Monday.

Photo by Kelsey Berens

There are two ways to live:

You can live as if nothing is a miracle;
You can live as if everything is a miracle.

~ Albert Einstein

Try an “extreme” sport! How about skateboarding? Or those little trick bikes? Maybe leave the street luge to the professionals, though.

Get your teens – or the neighborhood teens – to help you learn some of these trickier sports. Wear appropriate safety equipment – helmets, knee pads, wrist guards, etc.

If you enjoy it and want a bigger challenge, visit a skatepark! Let the kids teach you a thing or two.

So here’s the new MyPlate from the USDA (graphic shown below with PCRM’s Power Plate for comparison). It comes with some written guidelines, most of which are linked through the navigation on the left side of their screen. While the basics are easy to see in the graphic, the details take a little more time to suss out.

Here are the views of some experts *

The protein portion of the USDA’s MyPlate is unnecessary, because beans, whole grains, and vegetables are loaded with it. And it is a shame that MyPlate reserves a special place for dairy products, which are packed with fat and cholesterol and may increase the risk of health problems ranging from asthma to some types of cancer. There are many more healthful sources of calcium.

~ Dr. Neal Barnard, Blog

While nutrition researcher Walter Willett, chair of the nutrition department at Harvard School of Public Health, said the new plate is a “step in the right direction” with “reasonable proportions,” it doesn’t provide enough information to really guide Americans. “They need simple information but not so simple that most important information is lost.”

He said he’d like to see some mention of dietary fats — which ones to choose like olive oil — and which to avoid like the trans fats in margarine and deep fried foods. And he thinks that protein choices shouldn’t all be listed equally since nuts, fish, and skinless chicken breast are more healthful overall than red meat, even cuts that are lean.

The emphasis on a dairy serving at every meal, he added, is also “misguided” since the latest research indicates that increasing our calcium intake won’t do much to prevent bone fractures later in life.

~ Boston Globe, New food plate icon: will it change how you eat?

Here at Marilu.com, we prefer PCRM’s Power Plate. The obvious reason is that it leaves out dairy, which Marilu has said is meant to “turn a 50-pound calf into a 300-pound cow in 6 months.” Calcium is more readily available from plant sources, without the added fat and cholesterol (not to mention the other ugly things that come from factory-farmed cows). We also like the emphasis on a plant-based diet, which can provide plenty of protein, although people who choose to eat some lean animal protein could adapt the Power Plate for that.

We do think that MyPlate is a vast improvement over the pyramid, and if we need baby steps to eat healthier, then MyPlate is at least a couple of baby steps in the right direction.

The government is replacing its food guide pyramid with a simpler everyday symbol: a plate. And many nutritionists are applauding the change….

Robert Post, deputy director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, says the symbol will be part of a healthy-eating initiative that will convey seven key messages from the dietary guidelines, including: enjoy food but eat less; make half your plate fruits and vegetables; drink water instead of sugary drinks; and switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.

~ USA Today

The pyramid, which has always been confusing for consumers, was introduced in 1992 and revised in 2005. The plate seems to be bringing us back – at least in its simplicity – to the Basic Four (and if you remember that, you also may have seen The Beatles live on The Ed Sullivan show – it’s been awhile).

We’re looking forward to seeing the big reveal.
And how it compares to PCRM’s Power Plate.