How to Throw an Anti-Valentines Day Party

Valentines day is quickly approaching and my trip to the mall today was a red and pink reminder of such. It seems that retailers will use any excuse to have a sale and make you think that your valentines day will not be the same without their heart shaped throw pillow or frisky cat kit equipped with cat ears and heart-shaped nipple tassels. But is everyone as excited for it as much as the lady purchasing the kit in line in front of me at the underwear store? No. Actually, some people are dreading the day, while others pretend to be oblivious to the "love is in the air" mentality surrounding them. And as every day passes getting closer to V-day, it becomes harder and harder to stomach. So how can you anti-participate, but still celebrate? With an anti-Valentines day party of course! Below are some steps to make your party a great one.

1. Tell guests that it is mandatory for them to NOT wear red or pink.
2. At no point during the evening may a guest say the V-word. Other words to avoid can include the L-word and sweetheart.
3. No one shall bring anything to the party that could represent valentines day such as chocolates, roses or cinnamon hearts.
4. At no point during the night shall any guest speak of an ex or any one they have been romantically linked to in the past or present (punishment of such should be determined beforehand).

Now that you are on the right track with these few how-to's, here are a few don't-do's.

1. Don't make pigs in a blanket appetizers, put two wieners in each and as you present them to your guests yell "caught you red handed you cheating pig!" while becoming teary-eyed.
2. When your best friend shows up with her new floral clutch yell at her "what are you trying to do? ruin my night?!" in front of everyone.
3. As your making a toast at the end of the night, don't sob and tell your guests "here's to another lonely year with out any one to kiss me good night" or anything remotely close to such.

So, now that you have all your tips to a great night, get out there and don't let those pink teddy bears and red heart shaped cards get you down. Use it as an excuse to get together with your friends and drink, and any excuse for that is fine by me.

Sweet Berry Smoothie Recipe

Everyone has heard of the newest health sensation "shakeology" which encourages you to cleanse your body with blended smoothies to replace entire meals. As a health nut myself, I try to include smoothies almost daily into my diet, but only as a snack and not to replace a meal. A few people I know are die-hard smoothie and shake lovers and blend up veggies, fruit and anything else that is in their kitchen that they can throw into the blender. Personally, I like to stick to traditional fruit smoothies and they are delicious! I prefer to use frozen fruit because it chills the drink while giving it a icy texture without watering it down with ice cubes.

Here is a recipe for the Sweet Berry Smoothie.

1 banana

1/2 cup of mixed frozen berries including strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries

1/4 cup of vanilla yogurt

1 tbsp of honey

1/4 cup of skim milk

Blend all the ingredients in the blender until smooth and add the milk slowly until you get your desired thickness. I purchase the frozen mixed berries in a bag from the grocery store and you can substitute them with berries of your preference. Using raspberries and blackberries in smoothies cause pectin that some people do not enjoy, but I found that after awhile I became more accustomed to the pulp-like texture.

What ingredients do you like in your smoothies?