You can receive Featurettes by e-mail daily, weekly or monthly by request. We can e-mail by your choice of topic or all stories as you may prefer. To make it even more convenient for editors to use our stories, NAPS has added an RSS syndication feed to our Web site. Simply hit the RSS button on our site for automated updates on available content. Please contact us to arrange to receive Featurettes in the format that works best for you at (800) 222-5551 or e-mail your request to us at printmedia@napsnet.com. We can provide Featurettes on CD-ROM or you can download it online at www.napsnet.com. Gary Lipton Media Relations Manager Phone: 1-(800)-222-5551 Fax: 1-(800)-990-4329 Web site: www. napsnet .com e-mail: printmedia@napsnet.com #2558 North American Precis Syndicate, Inc., 350 Fifth Avenue, 65th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10118-0110 Take Comfort: Favorite Foods, Guilt Reduced (NAPSA)—It’s ironic. The weather turns cold; thoughts turn to traditional comfort foods such as macaroni and cheese, meat loaf and chewy, gooey chocolate chip cookies warm from the oven. Then next thing we know, we’re making New Year’s resolutions to eat more healthily. But there’s good news: “We don’t have to deny ourselves the foods to which we have emotional attachments,” said Ginny Bean, founder of Ginny’s catalog and www.Ginnys.com. “We just need to be open-minded about new comfort foods and healthier alternatives to old ones.” Bean offers the following tips for enjoying comfort food without consuming all those extra calories and fat: • Pump up the nutritional value of favorite comfort foods by adding vegetables or beans. • For sweet comfort foods, add more fruit, decrease the sugar (or use half sugar substitute), reduce the fat ingredient down a third or so, and switch half the flour to whole wheat when you can. • Understand what makes a comfort food. Creamy foods are comfort foods, so look for something like yogurt or milk. Warm foods are also comforting, so warm up some oatmeal or drink a cup of tea. Antioxidants can be comforting, so have some strawberries or a small amount of chocolate-covered raisins. • Seek healthier alternatives to classic comfort foods. Possible Shades Of Savings Something To Smile About You can pump up the nutritional value of favorite comfort foods by adding vegetables and beans. substitutions include sorbet for ice cream; air-popped popcorn for potato chips; baked sweet potato fries for French fries; or soba noodles for spaghetti. • Use healthy cooking methods. As a rule, rapid cooking techniques retain foods’ nutrients better than slower methods. Countertop convection ovens cook up to 30 percent faster than regular ovens, allowing you to bake, broil, roast, steam and even lowfat air fry—all without added fats or oil. Even your cookware can make a difference. Siliconerimmed lids for pots and pans capture foods’ natural juices for healthier, tastier meals. When roasting, it’s best to use a pan with a rack or a self-basting cooker, so fat can drip away from the meat. For more healthy cooking tips and products, call (800) 487-9024 to request a catalog or visit www.Ginnys.com. (NAPSA)—Whether your dream vacation involves relaxing at the pool and spa or leaping from airplanes and cruising on motorcycles, you might want to follow the advice of some wellseasoned travelers. Kyle Post and Stacey Doornbos, now known as “smile ambassadors,” made news when they produced hundreds of tweets, Facebook updates and pictures as they experienced the diversity of more than 120 Orlando, Florida attractions in 67 days. Two childhood friends known as the “smile ambassadors” are applying their own “pinch me” moment experiences to helping families plan their vacations. Now, people can visit the Web site 67daysofsmiles.com to check out an online guidebook with images, video and commentary posted by the smile ambassadors. The site—which breaks down the posts and information by attractions, accommodations, dining/nightlife, shopping, unexpected Orlando and special events—can be a fun tool for people planning a trip to Orlando. For more information, visit 67daysofsmiles.com or call (800) 551-0181. (NAPSA)—Redecorating is taking on a whole new meaning now that homeowners are learning that, in doing so, they may be able to decrease their taxes while also saving energy and lowering utility bills. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, consumers may qualify for up to $1,500 in federal tax credits when purchasing certain energy-efficient products. More good news for the style conscious: For the first time, highly insulating window shades have been qualified for the tax credit. Called Duette Architella honeycomb shades, they are the first and only window shades without add-on insulation systems to qualify for this credit. “Uncovered windows can literally be energy holes. Up to half the money you spend heating and cooling your home can be lost through them,” said Wendell Colson, senior vice president of research and development for Hunter Douglas. “ We s p e c i f i c a l l y d e s i g n e d these award-winning shades— our most energy-efficient product and the fastest-growing innovation in its category—to address this problem. They take the air-trapping cellular structure of our original honeycomb shade and make it even more energy efficient by placing a cell within a cell. They can more than double the energy efficiency of a window.” The exclusive patented cellwithin-a-cell design forms more Shades of savings: Attractive insulating window shades can help you save money, energy and tax dollars. air pockets than traditional cellular shades. This means that the shades can reduce the heat escaping and entering a home through the windows by up to 50 percent. Based on calculations verified by the Rocky Mountain Institute, Duette Architella shades, when properly installed, can save up to $60 per average-sized window annually in energy costs as well as approximately 10 percent of an average household’s carbon footprint. Of course, estimates will vary by region. With its 180 color and design choices, Duette Architella shades offer an extensive design palette for home interiors. Also available, a variety of lifting systems designed with child safety in mind. For more information, call (800) 274-2985 or go online to www.hunterdouglas.com/taxcredit. It’s also a good idea to consult a tax adviser on eligibility.
