Eat Laugh Talk

“The ideal cookbook to remind us that togetherness is the only perfection needed when it comes to dinnertime.” —Carla Hall, TV chef and author of Carla Hall’s Soul Food Research has shown what parents have known for a long time: sharing a fun family meal is good for the spirit, brain, and health of all family members. Recent studies link regular family meals with higher grade-point averages, resilience, and self-esteem. Additionally, family meals are linked to lower rates of substance abuse, teen pregnancy, eating disorders, and depression. Eat, Laugh, Talk: The Family Dinner Playbook gives you the tools to have fun family dinners with great food and great conversation. The book includes conversation starters as well as quick and easy recipes to bring your family closer. You will find tips for bringing your family to the table such as setting dinnertime goals, overcoming obstacles, managing conflicting schedules, and how to engage everyone in the conversation. Eat, Laugh, Talk also includes real stories from families who have successfully become a part of The Family Dinner Project’s growing movement. Let’s do dinner! “There’s no doubt family dinner has proven social, emotional, and nutritional benefits for kids, but many parents grapple with a lot of obstacles (and guilt!) in trying to make it happen. Armed with these doable strategies, kid-friendly recipes, and dinner table games, families will feel empowered to gather around the table together more often to share meals—and make memories.” —Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RD, author of The 101 Healthiest Foods For Kids and founder of Real Mom Nutrition

Public speaking can be terrifying. For David Nihill, the idea of standing in front of an audience was scarier than cliff jumping into a thorny pit of spiders and mothers-in-law. Without a parachute or advanced weaponry. Something had to change. In what doesn't sound like the best plan ever, David decided to overcome his fears by pretending to be an accomplished comedian called "Irish Dave" for one full year, crashing as many comedy clubs, festivals, and shows as possible. One part of the plan was at least logical: he was already Irish and already called Dave. In one year, David went from being deathly afraid of public speaking to hosting a business conference, regularly performing stand-up comedy and winning storytelling competitions in front of packed houses. And he did it by learning from some of the best public speakers in the world: stand-up comedians. Do You Talk Funny?: 7 Comedy Habits to Become a Better (and Funnier) Public Speaker shows how the key principles of stand-up comedy can be applied to your speaking engagements and presentations to make you funnier, more interesting, and better looking. (Or at least two of the three.) Whether you are preparing for a business presentation, giving a wedding toast, defending your thesis, raising money from investors, or simply want to take on something you're afraid of, this book will take you from sweaty to stage-ready. You'll learn how to: - Craft a story and content that your audience will want to listen to - Find the funniest parts of your material and how to get to them faster - Deal with stage fright - Master the two most important parts of your performance: timing and delivery Ten percent of the author's proceeds from this book will go to Arash Bayatmakou via Help Hope Live until he is fully back on his feet and thereafter to one of the many facing the same challenges after suffering a severe spinal cord injury.

Has your family dinner table become a landing spot for junk mail, homework, and bills? Is scheduled dinnertime in your home 6:00 for mom, 7:00 or later for dad, and . . . are the kids even home tonight or do they have another activity to get to? Because with sports, activities, long hours, and commutes, family dinners seem to have gone the way of the dinosaur . . . And it’s time to bring them back--before it’s too late!Studies have tied shared family meals to increased resiliency and self-esteem in children, higher academic achievement, a healthier relationship to food, and even reduced risk of substance abuse and eating disorders. Written by a Harvard Medical School professor and mother, Home for Dinner makes a passionate and informed plea to put mealtime back at the center of family life and supplies compelling evidence and realistic tips for getting even the busiest of families back to the table.Parents looking to make family dinnertime more than just a fantasy will find inside this invaluable, life-saving resource highly relatable stories, new research, recipes, and friendly advice to help them:• Whip up quick, healthy, and tasty dinners• Get kids to lend a hand (without any grief!)• Adapt meals to the needs of everyone--from toddlers to teens• Inspire picky eaters to explore new foods• Keep dinnertime conversation stimulating• Reduce tension at the table• And moreBoth parents and kids need a family mealtime environment that allows them to unwind and reconnect from the pressures of school and work. More than just offering them nutrition and energy for another intense day of jet-setting about, the incalculable family therapy provided for all will far surpass the small sacrifices it took to gather around the table for a short time.

Build mindfulness habits for a life of presence, awareness, and resilience Mindfulness is a powerful tool for staying calm, centered, and steady—but sometimes, thoughts may wander off on their own. Better Daily Mindfulness Habits helps practitioners of any level train themselves to clear the mind and stay on track. Its simple practices are designed to stick, orienting attention to the present even during the busiest days. Discover how to effectively establish new habits, step by step, with the power of small everyday changes. In as little as a few minutes at a time, it can become easier to practice self-compassion and connect with others mindfully. Build healthy habits—Focus on one constructive habit at a time, like being present in relationships, managing stress, or handling technology mindfully. Break unhelpful habits—Learn how to drop habits that may not be constructive, like multitasking, perfectionism, distracted listening, or harboring negativity. Chart progress—Stay on the right track with daily mindfulness practices by using the mini habit trackers in each chapter. Create habits that promote clarity and compassion with this standout in mindfulness books.

A fussy eater decides to sample the carrots after her brother convinces her that they are really orange twiglets from Jupiter.

Belinda Jeffery's instinctive cooking style responds to the seasons. With this in mind she has divided her latest cookbook into recipes to suit the time of year, and our corresponding willingness to spend time in front of a hot stove! During the long, hot days of summer, light meals are the order of the day, such as peach, bacon and bocconcini salad or tea-smoked salmon with wasabi butter. In the cooler months, when we are more inclined to spend a cosy afternoon in the kitchen, try slow-cooked Turkish lamb with prunes, saffron and cinnamon or Boston baked beans with blackstrap molasses and smoked pancetta. And for those in-between days, be tempted by pork and water chestnut burgers with sesame bok choy or warm lentil salad with beetroot, fennel and goat's cheese. Just about everyone can squeeze in a little something sweet at the end of a meal, no matter how hearty it has been, and you will find Belinda's chocolate crackle and caramel semifreddo and butterscotch pears with almond praline hard to resist. No matter what the season, Belinda offers all the culinary inspiration you will need to see the year through in this wonderful new collection.

By using his unique blend of humor and tell-it-like-it-is honesty, he helps couples get along and have fun doing it.