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Getting ready for a new year is all about organization and priorities! Preparation is everything and you still have a few days left in 2015 to prepare for 2016! We’ve compiled a list of 15 things to do before the ball drops. Like de-cluttering your home or strategically writing down your goals for the new year ahead.

Click continue and check out the 15 tips that will help you prepare:

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1. Get organized and clean out your closets, throw away or give away anything that you no longer want.

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2. If you haven’t been doing so already during 2015, spend the rest of the year writing down your goals.

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3. If time will allow, use the last weekend in the month to get away. Whether it’s to a family member’s house a town away, or a close friend up the block, take a mini trip and reflect

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4. Leave no book unread! Remember the list of books you promised you’d finish in a year? If you haven’t tackled the entire list, at least finish the one you started.

5. Get organized at work, don’t bring any of 2015’s work into 2016.

6. Don’t be afraid to get a head start on your 2016 goals.

7. Get in the gym now, do not wait until next year to decide whether you’re going to take your exercise regimen seriously. Start now.

8. Get to your last minute appointments.

One of the hardest things to do in the new year is to stick to the resolutions and goals you set for yourself the year before. It’s quite natural to slip up. It’s not that we intend to slip up, it’s just that at times, life can take over and our goals can seem much further away than we planned. In fact, it’s much easier to slip up on a goal that wasn’t realistically set in the first place. When drafting your year’s ambitions, it is important to remember to set one that makes sense and fits your lifestyle. To avoid disappointment and slip ups, here are a few other things to keep in mind when attempting to stick to your new year’s resolutions:

The Next Step: 15 Tips on Sticking to Your Resolutions

Remember, black eyed peas on New Year’s Day brings good luck for the entire year! Also known as Hoppin’ John, this is the New Year’s dish across most of the South, as well as vast pots of collard greens, goose-fat red beans, seafood gumbo, and corn bread, of course. Hoppin’ John is the perfect dish for a lazy, gracious open house. It tastes good with either bourbon or Champagne.

Eat your way to a happy, prosperous new year and get a jump on your healthy eating goals with this light take on a New Year’s tradition. Traditionally, you’d add a ham hocks, but for a healthier twist this recipe includes a smoked turkey leg if you’d still like that hearty flavor the salty meat provides. Soak the beans tonight and do the hard work in a slow cooker tomorrow. Happy New Year!

Ingredients

1 smoked turkey leg (optional)
1 pound dried black-eyed peas
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf
5 cups boiling water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation
1. Soak beans in enough cold water to cover them by 2 inches for 6 hours or overnight. (Alternatively, use the quick-soak method: Place beans in a large pot with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour.)

2. Drain the beans and place them in a slow cooker. Add turkey leg, onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Pour in boiling water. Cook, covered, on high until beans are tender, 2 to 3 1/2 hours. Add salt, cover, and cook for 15 minutes more.

Happy New Year!! Well, 2012 is finally here and that means that your favorite celebs will be giving us yet more things to talk about. But let’s give them another week to before ratchet season starts, shall we?  Here are a couple of gems you may have missed, including an engagement that just happened last night, during the last week of 2011!

Read the rest of this entry »

About This Episode

The New Year is here, and you know what that means–getting your health and sanity back on track! In this episode, our featured guest is Latham Thomas of Tender Shoots Wellness, and she will share her thoughts on staying healthy, while also giving you some great yoga tips!

About Latham Thomas

Born and raised in California, Latham is a graduate of both Columbia University, where she earned a degree in Visual arts and Environmental science, as well as the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She is a certified holistic health counselor, who mixes her passions of plant physiology, botany, holistic nutrition, fitness, yoga, and green cuisine into a lifestyle program that supports the various needs of her clients. Specializing in maternal and child wellness, Latham served as Program coordinator for the Healthy Moms-Healthy Babies project for the B-Healthy organization. She is the co-founder of Panela Productions, a company that educates parents and children about food, through cooking classes, and events. Latham has developed partnerships with Vogue Magazine, Destination Maternity, Jurlique, and Euphoria Spa to produce events for expectant and new moms.

About Karyn Parsons

Karyn Parsons is best known as the character “Hilary Banks” on the long-running television show, “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” Today she is a wife and mother of two. Parsons is also the Founder and President of the Sweet Blackberry foundation after being inspired by the true tale of a determined slave and the remarkable lengths he travelled to find his freedom.  While growing up, Parsons’ mother, a librarian in the Black Resource Center of a library in South Central Los Angeles, would share stories of African-American accomplishment with her daughter.  A mother and activist, Karyn created Sweet Blackberry to use the power of stories to inspire youth. Follow her on Twitter @Karyn_Parsons.

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