IT Band Release Using Foam Roller

Quad Release With Foam Roller

Hamstring Release Using Foam Roller

Glute-Piriformis Release Using Foam Roller

16 Hands has celebrated the creative spirit since 1975 with items by more than 500 local and nationally known artists and craftspeople working in jewelry, wearable, lighting, furniture, home & garden accents, as well as a wide variety of gifts and an Artrageious greeting card section that is not to be missed.

Open 7 days a week at 216 South Main Street in Ann Arbor.

http://www.16handsgallery.com

Post a comment about the importance of supporting local business in our community and your name will be entered into a drawing to win a gift certificate.

Willow Wellness Studio is a fully equipped studio offering Gyrotonic, Gyrokinesis, and Pilates instruction as well as massage. A visit to Willow is a vacation from the constant demands of daily life. We offer private, semi-private, and small group training with an emphasis on personalized attention to help you get the most out of your workout. We believe that education is a key component in a healthy lifestyle. We strive not only to teach exercises but also to teach our clients about their bodies through the exercises so that they will be empowered in all of their health and wellness endeavors. Special emphasis is placed on how to use the principles of the movement in daily living. Our clients find that they take this awareness out of the studio with them, allowing them to make more informed decisions about their bodies and lives. We work with people of all ages and fitness levels from therapeutic movement and injury recovery through professional athletes.  We also have instructors trained in prenatal and postpartum fitness.

Each person has a unique set of needs and desires and we will work with you to design a workout plan that fits your goals and lifestyle. Our instructors have received the highest level of training and constantly pursue continuing education in order to address as many different needs as possible.

Willow features high quality equipment including two Gyrotonic towers for private lessons or duets as well as Balanced Body Pilates equipment. We offer Pilates reformer duets as well as private training on the reformer and cadillac. We keep our Pilates and Gyrokinesis group classes small (generally no larger than 5 people) to allow for a maximum of personal attention. Our Pilates group classes also feature a variety of small equipment including foam rollers, arc barrels, large stability balls, resistance bands, weighted balls, resistance rings, and small balls so that your workout will never be dull!

Willow also offers massage in order to provide our clients with another avenue for wellness.  Willow massage therapists have completed the highest levels of training and specialize in therapeutic techniques to help keep you in action.

A few more reasons to choose Willow:

• Parking validation
• Make your lesson time your own — at Willow you will never share your lesson space with another lesson
• Complimentary tea from the Tea Haus <http://teahaus-annarbor.com/>  and complimentary light snacks for before or after your session
• Borrow DVDs from our wellness library

We are located on the third floor at 202 East Washington in downtown Ann Arbor. Elevators offer easy access to the space. Natural light pours in through the windows creating a serene space for re-energizing your body and relaxing your mind. Willow was created with the goal of providing a superior client experience — come let us take care of you!”

Win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to Willow Wellness. Post a comment and your name will be added to this week’s drawing.

Nestled in amongst their vineyards in eastern Jackson county, Sandhill Crane Vineyards produces award-winning wines from their own grapes, apples, and pears, along with other Michigan fruits, honey, and maple syrup.

Family owned and operated, this young winery uses only the finest local produce for their handcrafted wines. Winemaker and family member Holly Balansag, makes use of her winemaking and organization skills along with an exceptional palate to produce a wide range of clean, rich, complex wines. Made lovingly in small batches, the tasting list includes well-balanced acidic white wines, rich reds, flavorful fruit wines, and delicious sweet-tart dessert wines. All wines are made on the premises.

Take home a bottle of Sanhill Crane Vineyards wine today and celebrate local winemaking at its best!

For hours of operations please visit: http://sandhillcranevineyards.com/

The mission of Think Local First is to support and cultivate locally owned, independent businesses in Washtenaw County, Michigan, which are committed to making our community a healthier and more vibrant place to live. Think Local First provides resource sharing, strategic development and community-building opportunities for locally owned independent businesses.

We work in the following program areas:

Support of Locally Owned Independent Business: We support the growth and development of local living economy businesses by creating opportunities for business leaders to network and share best practices of sustainable local business.

Community Education: We encourage local and sustainable purchasing by county residents and businesses and educate the community about local living economies through our resource guide, website, newsletter, events, and through public speaking engagements.

Click here to visit the Think Local First website.

In an effort to support and highlight local independently owned businesses, Probility Physical Therapy will be hosting weekly contests through the end of June.  Each week Probility will be highlighting several local businesses that are members of “Think Local First” on their Blog and Facebook page. In addition to the article, Probility will be purchasing gift certificates to be given away in a weekly drawing.

How do you win? Community members listen to local 107.1 FM for the Probility Physical Therapy radio ad. When they hear it, they should note the time and post a comment on the Probility Facebook Page or blog including the time the ad was heard. The ad runs three times per day, everyday through June 30, 2010. Participants may enter each time they hear the ad.  At the end of the week, all submissions will be entered into a drawing and the winners will be randomly selected.

We hope that you will join them in this fun way to bring more awareness to our great local community and it’s independently owned businesses

If you cannot imagine how mere cornmeal can be turned into a tasty meal,then undoubtedly you have never eaten polenta prepared in an Italian kitchen. Once considered peasant food, polenta is now appearing in even the most elegant restaurants. Earlier in this century, polenta was a staple food eaten out of necessity, sometimes two or three times a day. Some families would dump a big mound of polenta onto a board, and everyone would sit around sharing it. It would be flavored with broth, a little sauce, vegetables or sausages. Polenta is still a staple in many homes in northern Italy today, particularly in the regions of Veneto, Piedmont, and Tuscany, although generally considered “home cooking” and not served for company.

Polenta has had a reputation for lengthy and extremely laborious cooking that originates in its Italian roots. Throughout history polenta was cooked over a wood fire in a central hearth or on a wood stove in a traditional curved bottom copper pot with a long handle called a paiolo. Copper was preferred as it conducts heat evenly, and the curved bottom of the pot exposed a greater portion of the cornmeal to the heat which insured there was no corners for the polenta to get stuck in and allowed for even cooking. The long handle of the pot kept the cook a comfortable distance from both the fire as well as the sputtering cornmeal. Constant stirring with a long-handled paddle, stick, or spoon was necessary to keep the polenta from burning. Today, there are very few of us that still cook over a wood fire, and our heavy bottomed cookware and modern stoves that have burners we can maintain at a constant low heat, allow us to let the polenta simmer away on its own with just occasional stirring to prevent lumps.

Polenta can be creamy, served soft with a scoop of sauce, or firm served as a side dish to grilled or roasted meats, or stirred into soups and stews to thicken and add flavor. Whatever way you choose to eat polenta, the basic principles of preparation remain the same. Although you now can buy instant polenta that can be prepared in under 5 minutes, or even precooked polenta ready to be sliced and fried or grilled, I find the effort it takes to prepare polenta the old fashioned way to be the best.

Basic Polenta Recipe

6 Cups Cold Water

1 Tablespoon Salt

1 Cup Cornmeal

3 Tablespoons Butter

2 Ounces Grated Parmesan Cheese

Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the salt and reduce the heat to medium low. As soon as the water begins to simmer, start pouring in the cornmeal in a thin stream, very slowly while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent lumps. Once all the cornmeal has been added, keep the water at a simmer, and stir frequently. It should take between 25-30 minutes to fully cook the polenta. Once cooked, the polenta should pull away from the sides of the pot easily. Just before it has completely cooked, stir in the butter and the cheese. Once your polenta is finished cooking, you can serve it the following ways:

Soft Polenta: Use polenta directly out of the pot, topped with sauce or vegetables as desired.

Firm Polenta: Once completely cooked, pour onto a wooden board or a greased baking sheet about 2 inches thick and allow to set. Cut into squares and serve as desired.

Grilled Polenta: Cut firm polenta into squares, brush with oil and grill lightly on both sides.

Fried Polenta: Cut the firm polenta into slices and fry in a few inches of hot oil until golden brown and crispy.

Now that you have the basics of polenta mastered, why not try a few recipes? One of my family favorites is soft polenta served with a tasty tomato sauce as shown in the photo below. Sprinkle on some freshly grated parmesan, and you have a hearty meal. You might try cooking polenta with greens as in the popular recipe Polenta Verde Calabrese. Add grilled sausages for a very tasty, filling meal. You can even use polenta in place of pasta in a lasagne-like dish, layered with sauce and cheese in Polenta Pasticciata. If you prefer a simpler polenta preparation, what could be better than grilled polenta and vegetables?

Old Calabrian Proverb: “If you want your polenta to taste good, only add the flour when the water is singing!”

Recipe compliments of Italian Food Forever

Valentine’s Day is a time to show that special someone in your life how much you care, and what expresses that more than a well planned, elegant dinner for two? It is suggested that if you are setting the mood for love, that you should keep the meal light, the portions small, and surround yourself with scented flowers and candlelight. I have created two complete menus for Valentine’s Day, one for those who prefer seafood, and another for those who would rather have meat. You can of course mix the courses, and have a little of each. This menu utilizes many foods said to have aphrodiasic powers. So…….. set the mood, plan your dinner and tell the one you love, “Ti voglio bene”.

Seafood Menu

Meat Lovers Menu

Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 2010

Chi Mangia Bene, Mangia Italiano (Those Who Eat Well, Eat Italian)

Please visit: http://www.italianfoodforever.com/