Interested in What the Design Trends of 2016 Are? Find Out Here!

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Jeremy Leake

With every passing year there are more trends. Home design trends aren’t any different. If you’re looking for the trends of 2016 then you’ve come to the right place. We hope this article helps you design or redesign your home into your dream home!

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From the article:

The modern home is always evolving. And to get an idea of what it???s evolving to, look no further than what???s happening within its walls today. With that in mind, we delved into our New This Week series, sifting through Houzz discussions and data to find out what materials, strategies and concepts will be coming to more homes in 2016.

Outdoor fabric used indoors. Outdoor fabrics are becoming increasingly hard to distinguish from traditional indoor fabrics, and many Houzzers are bringing them inside, where their durability makes them perfect for high-traffic dining room and living room furniture.

Colored stainless steel appliances. Black stainless steel is making a buzz on Houzz. In a poll, nearly two-thirds of Houzzers say they would consider the dark alternative to shiny silver metal. Not into the darkness? Head to the light with Whirlpool???s Sunset Bronze finish.

Deep kitchen drawers. Houzz data shows that ease of storage is the top kitchen priority during a remodel. And while deep drawers have been creeping up to replace lower kitchen cabinets for a while now, they???re only getting better ??? and more affordable. Dividers and inserts let you organize any shape or size of dish, pan or utensil under the sun, and there are even clever options for deep corner drawers, and drawers under range tops and kitchen sinks.

Workhorse islands. Kitchen islands provide additional workspace, but they???ve taken on so much more than that. With deep storage, prep sinks, room for seating and more, workhorse islands are becoming the central feature in modern kitchens.

Mixing modern materials in the kitchen. Looking for something a little more lively than white cabinets and granite countertops in your kitchen? Consider mixing several modern materials, finishes and colors. Here, butcher block countertops get broken up with soapstone near the stove and Carrara marble on a nearby baking station. These mix with olive-green cabinets and stainless steel appliances for an eclectic, sophisticated look.

Farmhouse entryways. Stripping away the need for fancy flourishes or decor for decor???s sake, farmhouse style gets at the root of function. That???s why the style makes sense for mudrooms, where simplicity in storage and durability in materials are paramount.

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Interested in universal design? Checkout this article about universal design that could be of interest to you.
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Read the entire article here: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/58454857/list/25-design-trends-coming-to-homes-near-you-in-2016

Like the Idea of All Natural Cleaners? Clean With Vinegar!

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Jeremy Leake

Most cleaning products on the market work but they aren’t very safe for people or pets. In order to help you out we found this article all on how to clean your home with vinegar. We hope it helps!

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From the article:

It’s cheap, it’s natural, and it’s tough on bacteria, mildew, and dirt. Read on for some smart vinegar cleaning tips for every room in your home.

Kitchen
Refrigerator: Definitely skip the toxic chemicals where you store your food. Instead, wipe up spills with a 50-50 vinegar-water mix. You can even keep a bottle of the mixture stored in your fridge!

Drain: Pour vinegar onto a scrub brush small enough to get inside the disposal. Sprinkle the brush with baking soda, then scrub to remove odors and built-up crud, says Mary Findley of GoClean.com, a former pro cleaner and author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Cleaning.
Cutting boards: Spray with straight vinegar, then rinse to clean.

Microwave: Place 1/2-cup vinegar and 1/2-cup water in a glass bowl. Microwave 2-3 minutes, or until it boils. Wipe buildup away with ease!

Stained plastic containers: Coat in vinegar. Let sit. Wash as usual, says Leslie Reichert, aka The Cleaning Coach.

Bathroom
Toilet: Pour a cup of vinegar in the toilet. Let sit overnight. (For tough jobs, empty the toilet water first.) The next morning, sprinkle with baking soda or borax; scrub, then flush.
General bathroom cleaning: Use straight or diluted vinegar to clean, especially around the toilet, where it can curb urine staining and odor.

Tub or sink drain: Pour 1/2-cup around closed drain and let sit several hours. Scrub to remove buildup. Drain, then rinse.

Shower: Findley’s shower deep-clean regimen: Bring vinegar to a boil, then use it to wipe down the shower door and walls. Keep them damp by wiping them down every 5 to 8 minutes for 30 minutes. Then, dampen a nonscratch sponge in vinegar, sprinkle with baking soda, and scrub. Rinse. Bye-bye germs, mold, water spots, and soap scum!

Showerhead: Pour some vinegar into a plastic bag, and secure it to your showerhead with a twist-tie. Make sure there’s enough vinegar so the bottom part of the showerhead is submerged. Leave the bag on overnight. Remove the next morning just before showering.

Laundry
As a fabric softener: Use vinegar instead of fabric softeners in laundry, Findley says. “It softens clothes and removes the static at a fraction of the cost of fabric softeners,” she says. “Just add a cup to the final wash or rinse water.”

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Looking for more all natural cleaners? Checkout this article about all natural cleaners that could be of interest to you.
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Read the entire article here: http://www.bhg.com/homekeeping/house-cleaning/tips/cleaning-with-vinegar/

Have Too Much Clutter? Learn How to Better Store it Here!

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Jeremy Leake

Clutter is everywhere. It seems to accumulate out of nowhere. In order to help you store it better we found this article with 13 different storage ideas. We hope they help!

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From the article:

Don???t worry. I???m not going to tell you to throw out your stuff or give it away. And I???m not going to give you advice on how to part with it. Instead, I???m going to give you design tips on how to get it out of sight, quickly and easily. The trick to living without clutter is to make it super easy for you and your family to clean up fast. Follow these tips, and you???ll be amazed at how quickly your home can go from chaotic to calm in no time.

Bathroom. The same rules apply for the bathroom as for the kitchen. Keep your counters clear of stuff. Use a vanity with drawers. Don???t even consider a pedestal sink or a vanity with doors if you tend to be a hoarder. Get the most convenient, easy-to-use storage with drawers. (The drawers can even be organized.)

And don???t stop at vanity storage. Maximize your storage by using your mirror as a medicine cabinet as well. If you don???t like the feel of a bulky medicine cabinet at your sink, recess it into the wall. This can often create even deeper storage.

Bay window. As a designer, I???m always struggling with how to best deal with a bay window when I???m laying out a space. I love this idea of squaring off the wall and using that space as trunk-style storage.

Note: It???s really important that your window storage has locking hardware to keep the lid open. It makes it much easier to clean up faster.

Basement. This is another area that doesn???t always need closed storage, especially if it???s a space dedicated to storage. Stock up on budget racks and store everything you don???t want to part with but don???t actually use. If you apply the Pareto principle, you probably use only 20 percent of your stuff. So that means you can store the other 80 percent.

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Looking for more clutter and organization tips? Checkout this article about organization tips that could be of interest to you.
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Read the entire article here: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/54104714/list/13-storage-solutions-to-banish-the-clutter

Interested in What Features Homeowners Want Now? Find Out Here!

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Jeremy Leake

Every few years it seems to change what homeowners are looking for. In order to help you out we found this article. We hope it helps you plan your remodels and builds!

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From the article:

You’ve heard the real estate adage “location, location, location” as the golden rule of a home’s desirability. But today, homebuyers are thinking “features, features, features” — ones that add “convenience, livability and energy efficiency” to a home, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Home Builders.

Inspired by HGTV real estate shows and by images of gorgeous home designs on Pinterest, buyers — especially younger buyers who want a home to be turnkey, not needing upgrades or repairs — look for the following top features, and may put higher bids on homes that have them:

??? An open floor plan.
Buyers love to see wide-open spaces, with the kitchen open to the dining room and great room, as opposed to each room being blocked off by walls. An open floor plan fits with their dreams of entertaining, as guests can be in different spaces, yet all in the same area together. Guests are not out of view, sequestered in different, closed-in rooms.

??? Large kitchens with lots of counter space and granite counters.
With families cooking together more, and again with entertaining high on the homebuyer’s lifestyle wishes, a roomy kitchen with plenty of space for the preparation of meals and the display of buffet-style platters is a must. Granite counters, especially on a kitchen island with its own sink, offer beauty as well as easy maintenance, as do tile floors, another wish list feature.

??? Updated kitchen and bathrooms.
Buyers prefer updated kitchens with modern appliances and designer hardware and faucets. Since buyers plan to put most of their budget on the down payment for a home, they prefer to see that they won’t have to then spend a fortune on bathroom and kitchen remodels, which are among the priciest home projects. Kitchens are gathering spaces, a hallmark of the owner’s style and affluence, and bathrooms are now considered the home’s peaceful oasis, so they may have glass-wall showers, steam rooms, multi-jet showers and claw-foot baths as well as chandeliers and fireplaces.

??? High ceilings.
The National Association of Home Builders says that the desirability of high ceilings is important, perhaps a deal-breaker, with first-floor ceilings at least 9-feet high to begin with, with 20-foot ceilings in great rooms impress homebuyers who love the lofty, open look.

??? A home office.
Buyers who work from home full time and those who have office spaces but spend time working from home as well want a sizable, well-decorated, modern home office. Not a corner of the dining room with a laptop. They desire a large room, connectivity, great lighting and a view, in addition to plenty of storage space. The experts at Bankrate say that female homebuyers are especially interested in home offices, although both genders list this feature as among their preferences.

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Looking for more trends? Checkout this article about home remodeling trends that could be of interest to you.
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Read the entire article here: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20140830/entlife/140839998/

Looking to Be Super Productive? Adopt These 7 Habits!

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Jeremy Leake

A new year means another opportunity to change habits about yourself that you don’t like. If you’re looking for ways to be more productive then you’ve come to the right place. We hope it helps you start off the new year with a bang!

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From the article:

There are some people who wake up at 5 a.m. without hitting snooze, meticulously write to-do lists, and keep their work area so clean you could eat off of it (not that they would ever have a sad desk lunch).

So how do they do it? Are they able to multitask at the speed of light? Can they leap over huge piles of paperwork in a single bound? Turns out, you don’t need any superpowers to be super-efficient. Below, productivity experts let you in on some of the habits that keep them on task.

They don’t check email as often as you do.
Do you keep your email up and running all day long? It could be draining your productivity. “Most super-productive people only check their email 2 or 3 times a day,” says Jennings. When you’re always hearing new message alerts you’ll never get anything done because there’s always something else to tend to. But if you can’t bear to turn off your email, at least enlist the help of filters. “We have this idea that everything that hits our inbox is urgent,” says Alexandra Samuel, Ph.D., author of Work Smarter with Social Media. But that’s far from the case. Filters — like sending anything with the word “unsubscribe” directly to the trash — can seriously up your efficiency.

They don’t forget about themselves.
You can’t be firing on all cylinders if your health is out of whack. “Your best resources are your body and your mind,” says Maura Thomas, author and founder of productivity website RegainYourTime.com. Getting enough sleep and exercise is the key to clear thinking, more creativity, and increased energy — which, in turn, make you more productive, she explains. And if by some fluke one of these super-productive people didn’t get quite enough sleep the night before, they’re not opposed to a midday nap. “Really, the most productive thing you can do is close your eyes for 10 minutes — even if you don’t actually sleep, that rest period is just as good,” says Thomas.

They like to sweeten the pot.
A little bribery can go a long way. If you have, say, an expense report that you’ve been dreading, allow yourself a little indulgence when it’s finally done, suggests Thomas. Time limits also have the same effect. “Set a timer and say ‘I’ll do this for 10 minutes,'” she suggests. Chances are, once you dive in you’ll keep going. “Getting started and getting over that hump is always the hardest part.”

They make technology work for them.
Technology can be both a blessing (calendar apps!) and a burden (Facebook!) during the workday. For example, Samuel has turned her phone into a personal assistant of sorts by setting reminders for everything that she has to do. It’s all about anticipating procrastination and then limiting any wiggle room you might have to keep you from getting a task done, says Pychyl, who lives by his color-coordinated email calendar. “Every category (work, personal, family) is a different color,” he explains. This way, he can see at a glance when he’s giving too much (or too little) time to one specific area of his life, and can prioritize accordingly.

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Looking for organization ideas for your life? Checkout this article about organize your life that could be of interest to you.
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Read the entire article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/prevention/7-habits-of-super-productive-people_b_8637820.html

Looking to Declutter and Organize Your Entire Home? Start Here!

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Jeremy Leake

If your home is like most homes there is just too much stuff and too little organization. In order to help you out we found this guide on ways to declutter and add some organization to your life. We hope it helps!

From the article:

Take advantage of the new year and give your home a fresh start. We???ve compiled some of the best cleaning and organizing guides from Houzz, room by room, to help you start off the year with a clean slate.

Kitchen. Whether your refrigerator needs a good scrubbing, your drawers need to be reorganized or your pantry needs a complete overhaul, we’ve got you covered. Get your kitchen spick-and-span and ready for family dinners and parties all through the new year.

Organize Your Kitchen Drawers
Clean Out the Pantry
Spring Clean Your Kitchen
24 Hot Ideas for Stashing Spices

Bathroom. Even for those lucky enough to have a massive master bathroom, it can be hard to pinpoint what needs organizing in this part of the house. Usually the mess hides ??? under the sink, in the medicine cabinet or in the towel bin. Keep those tucked-away spaces tidy too with these bathroom organizing guides.

Organize the Bathroom for Well-Earned Bliss
Bathroom Storage: Where to Keep the Towels
8 Easy Tips for an Organized Bathroom

Living room. The living room often combines several spaces ??? a media area, a playspace and a dining room, to name a few. Get the craziness of your living room under control by determining your plan of attack: Choose one corner or part of your living room to tackle per week. These ideabooks can help you get started.

Organize the Media Cabinet
Lose It: CDs, DVDs, Cassettes and VHS Tapes
How to Hide Your TV Cables
How to Style Your Bookcase

Laundry room. Keep your laundry room from becoming a chaotic clothes-filled free-for-all, and aim for a pleasant space to clean clothes instead. Simple works better for this room ??? and you can get a surprisingly soothing laundry room of your own with these guides.

Make a Clean Break With Laundry Chaos
6 Ways to Care for Your Washing Machine
How to Give Your Laundry a Boost

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Looking for more ideas to organize your home? Checkout this article about home organization ideas that could be of interest to you.
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Read the entire article here: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/6006100/list/your-total-home-organizing-and-decluttering-guide

Remodeling? Avoid These Common Mistakes!

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Jeremy Leake

When remodeling there are so many things to think about and the last thing you want to do is make a mistake. In order to help you avoid mistakes we found this article with common mistakes people make when remodeling. We hope it helps you avoid these mistakes!

From the article:

With so many potential remodeling pitfalls, it’s wise to learn from the mistakes of projects past. Knowing what not to do when you take on a remodel will help you make the most of your time and money, and ensure that your project doesn’t end up on the trash heap. To make it easier for you, we’ve compiled a list of the seven most common???and costliest???remodeling mistakes.

Rushing into your project.
“Develop a good plan, price it, then work it,” says Klaus Herring, associate and project manager for Paul Davis Restoration in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “If you think through your project and you know what you’re looking to do, that’s half the battle.

“When we go into a project, for example, we make a site visit first to get a feel for what our client wants. Then we develop a design and plan that is revised sometimes three or four times. By the end of the revision process, we have a project that is well put together, addresses perceivable eventualities, and will accommodate the unforeseen events that are inevitable in a remodel.”

Choosing the first contractor you interview.
Take your time. Get several bids. Check each potential contractor’s references, and check with your local Better Business Bureau to see if the contractor has ever been reported as being unethical. Make sure insurance coverage is in place: Every contractor should have business liability insurance, and every subcontractor working for that contractor should be covered under workers’ compensation insurance. Make sure that if the contractor is subcontracting work, those companies are insured. A contractor may carry insurance, but the company that’s actually doing the work might not.

Find a contractor who fits your personality and is open to communication. Look for one who will sit down with you, lay out his or her plan of attack, write it into a contract, show you the breakdown of labor and materials (or the flat rate), then have you sign the contract before the work starts.

Creating an unrealistic budget.
By “unrealistic,” we mean a budget that doesn’t allow for wiggle room. Generally speaking, you should calculate your budget, then increase it by 20 percent. That should be your budget. The 20 percent cushion will provide some peace of mind when the demolition of your kitchen walls reveals rot in your load-bearing studs, or when it becomes clear that an entire wall needs rewiring.

Being overly frugal.
“Don’t get swallowed up by the penny-pinching mind-set,” says homeowner and do-it-yourself remodeler Philip Bovenkamp of Bellingham, Washington. “Take vinyl flooring: It’s cheaper than ceramic tile, but it isn’t that much cheaper. And if you choose tile, the finished product will really set your house apart from the typical spec house in suburbia. That being said, don’t be foolish when thinking about tackling a challenging project. If something is beyond your skill level, don’t try to save money by doing it yourself; hire a professional.”

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Looking for lighting suggestions for your remodel? Checkout this article about remodel lighting suggestions that could be of interest to you.
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Read the entire article here: http://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/advice/expert-advice/common-remodeling-mistakes/

Looking to Remodel Your Kitchen? Follow These Steps!

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Jeremy Leake

Remodeling your kitchen is a large expense. The last thing you want to do is waste money. In order to help you out we found this article with specific steps on how to remodel your kitchen. We hope it helps!

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If you need Lafayette dryer vent cleaning services, then Dryer Vents Plus is your #1 choice! Call Jeremy Leake today at 225-612-7752 to schedule your 100% Free, No Obligation Quote!
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From the article:

You’ve decided to remodel your kitchen. Now what? Not knowing where to start, many homeowners fall into two camps. Some start by looking at appliances. Others start by collecting inspiring kitchen photos. Some decide they need more room. Others simply want to upgrade their current kitchen. Homeowners may find themselves in this exploration stage for a year or longer before they start interviewing kitchen designers or general contractors.

Once you’ve pondered long enough and you’re ready to green-light a kitchen remodeling project, then what? We’ll start with the first 9 steps and we’ll get into the nitty-gritty details under specific steps as we move through the complete workbook.

Step 1: Think about what you need
This step is all about how you use your kitchen, and finding the layout and features that fit your household???s lifestyle. Get ideas from every resource possible, including Houzz guides and photos, kitchen showrooms, books and magazines.

Think about your priorities: how many people will be cooking and gathering here, and how they???ll need to move around in it. Do you need an addition? Or can you work with your existing kitchen footprint?

If you haven???t already, start saving photos of kitchens with features that suit your style. Your collection can be organized and beautiful like a scrapbook or it can be filled with random, unorganized images. I actually prefer the latter, because I like to randomly stuff images into my folders and ideabooks and go back to them later on for edits.

Step 2: Research and plan
Ready to green-light that project and take the plunge? The best place to start is by formulating what’s commonly referred to as a scope of work and figuring out your preliminary budget.

Both of these may be subject to change, so don’t feel like you have only once chance at this. Budget and scope are intertwined and often change many times during the design process as you become more educated and able to reconcile what you want and what you can afford. As a homeowner, you’re not expected to walk into this knowing what everything should cost. Remember, this is an educational process.

Step 3: Find the professionals you will need
Even if you’re going the DIY route, unless you’re building your own kitchen cabinets and doing your own electrical and plumbing, you’re going to have to work with a professional at some point. It may be as brief as leaning on your salesperson to help you in selecting and ordering your appliances or cabinets, but it’s something to plan on either way.

Some people start by visiting big-box stores or cabinet showrooms where they can see everything. Many homeowners get referrals from friends or colleagues and start by hiring an architect or designer. Still others might work on their own with a builder or contractor. Pros are available to help you with everything from contracts and permits to space planning, budgets, choosing finishes and fixtures, shopping, ordering products, helping you set up a temporary kitchen, and managing your project from start to finish.

Step 4: Schematic design
This phase includes sketches, space planning, preliminary floor plans and elevations showing the layout and cabinet sizes. I try to keep my clients focused more on layout and space planning, even though the temptation is to talk about what the kitchen will look like. But I find that getting caught up in the look too early can distract from the space planning phase.

Plus, you need a plan in order to figure out what materials will go where, and how many square feet you will need, and ultimately how much this will cost. I like to begin the contractor interview process early and give them a preliminary drawing packet and scope of work so we can get some ballpark construction numbers. At the same time you can be sending out drawings for estimates on some top choices of finishes and fixtures.

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Looking for information on how to hire a good contractor? Checkout this article about how to hire a good contractor that could be of interest to you.
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Read the entire article here: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/1198907/list/homeowners-workbook-how-to-remodel-your-kitchen

Love Lights at Christmastime? Take a Look at These!

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Jeremy Leake

Lights are one of the most beautiful sights of Christmas and just because it’s after Christmas doesn’t mean that the beauty can’t continue to the end of the year. We hope you enjoy these lights on a tree house!

From the article:

???When I was 14 years old, I wrote myself a letter, which I still have,??? says Jeri Wakefield. ???It reads, ???No matter what happens in my life, I pray that I can be the best grandmother possible. I want my grandchildren to have happy memories of their childhood.??????

Jeri and her husband, Steve Wakefield, are now the proud grandparents of Lincoln and Sullivan Scott. Nine years ago the couple built a tree house for their grandsons. What began as a backyard construction project quickly bloomed into a whimsical, multigenerational creation.

The couple celebrates Christmas by decorating the tree house top to bottom in lights; the display is an annual tradition that coincides with their well-attended holiday open house. Tree house architect and family friend James Curvan returns every year to install the lights, a process in which he takes great pride. ???My favorite thing is watching the kids play and experience the tree house at this festive time of year,??? says Curvan. During this year???s Christmas party, the Wakefield grandchildren and scores of other giddy youngsters will ascend the tree house and make some unforgettable holiday memories.

The Houzz team met with Steve, Jeri and James just after they lit up the tree house for the holidays this year.

Tree House at a Glance
Owners: Steve and Jeri Wakefield
Location: Dallas, Texas
Architect: James Curvan
Size: 100 square feet; 2 exterior decks, 2 sleeping lofts and a crow???s nest

Installing the 56 strands of lights is a two-day process for Curvan. That???s a total of 5,600 individual white lights on the house. Curvan also put up miniature green lights to accent specific points of interest, such as the chimney top, peaked window and slide. Holly-shaped forms lined with green and red lights are attached to railing corners and other accent points to add interest.

Curvan says, ???I had to be careful to incorporate various outlet sources, so as not to overload the breaker system.??? He ran extension cords from the nearby guesthouse using four separate 15-amp breakers.

Every corner of the front-facing gable and window is lined with lights to define the architecture. Curvan built the tree house over a nine-year period with help from the Wakefields??? son, Jeremy. A U.S. Marine, Jeremy helped Curvan work on the project between multiple tours in Iraq.

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Looking to supercharge you health this holiday season? Checkout this article about healthy holiday season that could be of interest to you.
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Read the entire article here: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/20845319/list/a-magical-tree-house-lights-up-for-christmas

Looking to Supercharge Your Health This Holiday Season? Try These Tips!

Posted on December 24, 2015 by Jeremy Leake

The holidays are an extremely busy time. Time to gather with family and friends and also a time of eating and drinking. If you’re looking for ways to supercharge your health this holiday season then you’ve come to the right place. We hope it helps!

From the article:

To help you avoid gaining weight this season and reduce “food-related” stress, below I offer strategies that I’ve successfully used with clients in my talks and nutrition counseling practice. I invite you to try incorporating them into your daily routine.

Plan your day.
Part of the reason we overeat is that we do not pay much attention to what we are going to eat. We forget to eat, wait till we are famished and then overeat, or just grab whatever we can find when on the run. I suggest trying to map out your day in the morning and thinking about some of the healthy food choices you can make. For example, if you are going to a dinner party, plan for a healthy snack an hour or two before you go so that you are not starved when you arrive. If you are going out to lunch or dinner, view the menu in advance so you can get an idea of what you may want to order.

Eat healthy most of the time.
This is not a time to begin a diet. Or to ban your favorite foods. My suggestion for this holiday season is to pick a few foods that you absolutely love and legalize them, that is, allow yourself to include them, sans the guilt. The key is not eating them all at once. Plan for one treat a day and this way you will have something to look forward to.

Downsize your portions.
What I love about practicing portion control is that you can still eat what you love, just less of it, which will help you trim calories. You also do not have to say no entirely. For example, if your family is going to your favorite steakhouse, instead of not joining them, allow yourself to sharing a steak and order an extra portion of vegetables. Instead of saying to yourself “I need to cut out all alcohol,” allow yourself to include an occasional glass of wine with dinner. I offer additional portion-control tips here and here.

Swap and substitute.
I am a big fan of swapping out unhealthy foods for healthier ones. As a nutritionist, instead of telling clients not to eat this or that, providing them with healthy options helps to empower them to make smarter choices. Healthy substitutions allow you to give something up while including something else so that you do not feel deprived. Swap out refined grains for whole grains instead of cutting out grains entirely. For example, choose quinoa over white rice, if possible. You can also incorporate smart substitutions at home. Try using Greek yogurt or applesauce to cut some of the butter in your favorite recipe.

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Looking to promote healthy habits in your family? Checkout this article about healthy family habits that could be of interest to you.
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Read the entire article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-lisa-young/10-tips-to-supercharge-your-health-this-holiday-season_b_8829222.html