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Jen A. Miller Consulting

Category: At Home

  • Squash It!

    Squash It!

    A Recipe for Every Seasonal Squash

    fall squash

    There is a lot to love about fall but one of my absolute favorite things is the comfort food that it brings. Fall is truly a season that everyone in food embraces. Restaurants roll out special fall menus, farmers’ markets bins overflow with in-season vegetables, and Trader Joe’s stocks a bounty of seasonal favorites.
    When you think of Fall foods your mind probably jumps straight to pumpkin, the perennial favorite of the squash family. Roasted, carved, or seeded, these plump puppies are simply delicious.  Though these gourdes are great they are only one of the many seasonal squashes that can and should be enjoyed this time of year. There are over 60 others that can be savored!
    All of the fall squashes offer amazing health benefits. They are low in fat and calories, high in fiber, and full of vitamins (A, B6 and  C) and minerals (potassium, manganese, and folate just to name a few). More than that they contain antioxidants that are linked to fighting off cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Butternut, acorn, and spaghetti are a few I recommend rotating into your diet to reap these amazing benefits.
    Convinced to give them a try but left wondering what to do after you get them in your cart? Look no further! I’ve rounded up my personal favorite recipes for each type of squash. These are great for single girls in the kitchen because the ingredients are simple, the steps are easy, and the results are healthy and delicious… the best combo!  On top of all that I’ve found that these meals make enough food for a week, so they’re a great way to eat well without spending too much time in the kitchen.

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  • Single Girl Reveals | Why I Love Living Alone

    One reader tackles Jen’s question: Should I live alone?
    living alone
    PHOTO: Stephanie Rausser

    I don’t need to tell readers of The Single Diaries about the merits of living ensemble. The promise of spontaneous dance parties, someone to turn off the curling/flat/clothes iron when you forget, a shoulder to cry on after a bad day, a partner-in-crime when you want to take down a bottle of Shiraz and watch bad (ok, really bad) reality TV. All that and more make the decision of living with friends, family or fellas an alluring and easy choice.

    And yet, even with all those in the plus column, I’m sure a few of you have thought, even briefly, about what it would be like to live alone. After a couple experiences, how long before you start yearning to live without an all-night Real Housewives marathon when you have to get up early in the morning? Crusty spaghetti sauce all over the stove after a roommate’s attempt to “make it like Giada does”? Waking up to a strange person in your kitchen, drinking out of your favorite coffee mug? A ghost finishing the last of the hummus… again?

    For me, the realization that I was ready to graduate from living with my roommate (and best friend!) came pretty quickly. A large part of it was that she was working from home, so when I got back to our apartment, she was (understandably) craving real interaction and ready to play. After spending all day in a corporate office, I was not. Couple that with my compulsive cleaning ethos and her lackadaisical it’s-just-going-to-get-dirty-again-so-why-bother approach, and soon my passive aggressive attempts to not be bothered by the living situation were becoming detrimental to our friendship. So, as much fun as it was for us to live together, I was ready for my own space—to be the queen of my own castle. And two years later, it’s one of my favorite things about this time in my life.
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  • Single Girl’s Night In

    Catherine shares her picks for a movie night at home this weekend.

    movie night
    PHOTO: Catherine Abalos

    September has been a crazy month, and as much fun as I’ve had traveling, catching up with friends, and executing events (basically my day job), I am looking forward to a full 48 hours of R&R. I am foregoing my original plan for a staycation, because I’m eyeing a new pair of Rag & Bone boots as a present to myself for fall. Instead, I’m planning to cozy up in my apartment, get a couple extra hours of shut-eye, read a book (has anyone read The Bone Season?), and catch-up on Netflix. While Scandal is currently streaming on my account, I’m going to do something I haven’t all year: watch a full-length movie. With a glass of wine and a giant bowl of popcorn in hand, I look forward to revisiting one of my classics.
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  • Should I Live Alone?

    Should I Live Alone?

    The Pros and Cons of Going Solo

    Photo courtesy of Christina Marie Riley @ Flickr
    Photo courtesy of Christina Marie Riley @ Flickr
    The end of September marks the end of my last few weeks in my apartment. I currently live with three other girls, all single, all blonde, all from Michigan. As life would have it, we are all simultaneously reaching turning points in our lives that are splitting us on different paths. Realizing this was happening, we understood that it was time for us to say goodbye to our apartment and our life together as roommates.
    With the month ahead of me I am tasked with figuring out what my next living situation will be. To this point I have never lived alone, having bounced from my parents’ house to a college dorm, from a sorority house, to post-grad roommates. I’ve started to wonder, is it time to get a place of my own? Am I ready to face an empty apartment that won’t be filled with effortless social interaction?

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  • How to Host an End-of-Summer Celebration

    How to Host an End-of-Summer Celebration

    Create your Guest List and Get out the Invitations

    Have you noticed that when you don’t stop and remind yourself to plan for the holidays they slip right past you? We’re so busy these days that we too often miss the opportunity to take advantage of an extra day off. I’m guilty of this and have let far too many three-days-weekends go to waste because I didn’t take the time to plan for ahead.

    Here is your reminder that Labor Day is coming up on Monday, and it’s a fine time to have some fun with your closest gal pals. If you haven’t already made your plans for this weekend, we have a fun idea for you. We want to make sure you revel in all that this holiday is about—taking some time off to honor all of the hard work you put in throughout the year.

    Read on for tips on how to host your own easy breezy Labor Day bash.

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