Fighting Holiday Calories

It is inevitable…you will eat more during these next couple of days.  Cookies, snacks and other delicious holiday foods will grace both your countertop and your workplace.  The first big step is accepting the fact that you will not be able to resist those delicious foods.  The second step is to do all you can to stay active, even though it is bitterly cold outside.  How can you do that?  Try and walk around more, even at work.  Instead of ordering food your lunch, take a quick trip to grab it.  Walk around your workplace every couple of hours while stretching your legs and body.  Not only will this be good for your health, but it will help you stay focused at work.  Lastly, eat healthy when you can.  For your three main meals of the day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) try and stay away from saturated fats and grease as you will get plenty of those throughout the day.  Salad, grilled chicken and pasta are always good choices.

Have a great holiday!

At Ryan, vehicles may be our profession, but people are our passion.

A Yogurt a Day Keeps You Healthy, We Say

Yogurt is a fun food, much like Jello, as it is hard to classify it as either a solid or liquid.  Even though yogurt is made by fermenting milk with bacteria, this fascinating food is quite good for you.  Some of the health benefits from eating yogurt include:

·        Lower Cholesterol- Eating yogurt that contains Lactobacillus acidophilus and a combination of Enterococcus faecium and Streptococcus thermophilus seems to lower cholesterol for people with borderline to moderate high cholesterol levels.  Granted these are some pretty big words, so check with your physician before jumping in.

·        Help Lactose Intolerance- Consuming yogurt can help those who have trouble absorbing lactose.

·        Fire-Up Your Immune System- Pretty simple, yogurt=helps you fight various allergies and viral infections.

·        Soothe Sunburn- Sunburn can hurt, especially when you do not have anything to soothe the pain.  Rub some yogurt on the burnt area and let it sit for about 20 minutes.  Wash off with warm water when completed.

There are many more uses on the following page where the information was found.  Always check with a doctor before experimenting with these uses.

At Ryan, vehicles may be our profession, but people are our passion.

Baseball Talk

 

Let’s talk baseball for a minute.  The Los Angeles Angels may be the best team in baseball.  Not only did they just sign Josh Hamilton, they also inked Joe Blanton, Sean Burnett and Ryan Madson.  That’s not all!  We cannot forget about Rookie of the Year and Silver Slugger winner Mike Trout, Mark Trumbo, or that guy named Albert Pujols.  The Angels will be unstoppable if they can remain healthy.  Try and imagine stepping on the mound to pitch against this new lineup; talk about a nightmare.  The truth is that the Angels are turning into a Yankee type organization…they buy what they want.  ESPN projected their starting lineup as the following:

1.) Mike Trout                     OF

2.) Erick Aybar                    SS

3.) Albert Pujols                  1B

4.) Josh Hamilton               OF

5.) Kendrys Morales          DH

6.) Mark Trumbo               OF

7.) Howie Kendrick                        2B

8.) Alberto Callaspo           3B      

9.) Chris Iannetta               C

 

So the one weak spot may be their catcher who still managed to hit .240 in limited playing time last year.

 

Heads up MLB, there is a new sheriff in town and his name is Los Angeles Angels.

 

This information was gathered from a host of sites.

 

At Ryan, vehicles may be our profession, but people are our passion.

Snowman Treats

This holiday season, you need to make sure you have the best treats on the block!  We are here to help.  These snowman treats are not only fun to eat, they are fun to make.

Ingredients:

• 9 pieces candy corn
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 34 round butter-flavored crackers
• 12 ounces white candy coating, coarsely chopped
• 34 miniature chocolate chips
• 34 milk chocolate M&M's
• Licorice pieces or assorted colors of decorating gel

Directions:

1. Remove yellow ends from candy corn. Cut each candy in half lengthwise; set aside.
2. Spread peanut butter over half of the crackers; top with remaining crackers to make sandwiches.
3. In a microwave, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Dip sandwiches in chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper.
4. Immediately position chocolate chips for eyes and mouths and add a reserved candy corn half for nose. For earmuffs, place an M&M on either side of face, connected with a piece of licorice or a strip of decorating gel. Let stand for 30 minutes or until set.

Yield: 17 servings.

Enjoy!

This recipe was found on the following site.

At Ryan, vehicles may be our profession, but people are our passion.

Fun Holiday Activities for the Family

Let’s get real for a minute, caroling with the family or sitting around a warm fire sharing holiday stories is not a child’s dream day.  That is not to say that those activities aren’t fun, but those traditions are becoming quite rare.  What else can you do?  How about ice skating?  Sure, it is quite difficult for some, but watching mom and dad fall all over the ice may be the funniest thing the kids will see all year.  Sledding is the same way.  Zipping down a hill will bring smiles to anyone’s face, and if you happen to wipe out, all the better!  After a few fun activities it could be a nice change of pace to volunteer your time serving food, wrapping gifts, running errands or collecting charity funds.  These actions will have a positive effect on the entire family as children, and adults, can really learn what the holiday season is all about.  Lastly, when shopping for gifts, break up into smaller groups and shop for each other.  Use your group to think of creative and affordable ideas for gifts that reflect how important that person is to you.  Stay warm out there!

At Ryan, vehicles may be our profession, but people are our passion.

Saving Money during the Holidays

The holiday season is one of the best times of the year as family, friends and delicious food fill our lives and stomachs.  Saving money on the other hand, is another story.  Gifts, travel and those great times often come with a heavy price tag so we thought we would share some ways to save a little cash during the spending season.  For starters, if you can eat home, do so.  Buying meals at the mall or on the go, while easy and convenient, can add up.  If anything, eat right before you go out so you don’t have to buy a meal during your shopping spree.  Shop online when possible.  Believe it or not, there are many gifts that are cheaper online.  You can also use the internet to compare gift prices before you drive around to five different stores.  Speaking of driving, take a few extra minutes and plan your trip.  The miles and gas can add up if you have to double back for different stores.  Lastly, always drive and shop safe!

At Ryan, vehicles may be our profession, but people are our passion.      

Smoke Free North Dakota

Yesterday was the first day of smoke free North Dakota.  Under the new North Dakota law, all public establishments must be smoke free.  Like many new laws, this ban came with some controversy as business owners, specifically bar owners, were concerned that the ban may negatively affect their business.  It is a worthy argument as a large group of clientele chooses to smoke while in their favorite bar, but I honestly believe that this new law should be viewed as a positive.  We all know that smoking is inherently bad for you and when someone who does, or does not smoke, is in the smoky atmosphere they are inhaling massive amounts of second-hand smoke.  There was a recent story on KUMV news that featured a local doctor who explained that during an 8 hour shift in a smoking establishment, an employee can inhale 2 ½ packs worth of second-hand smoke!  Wow, talk about a bad job.  Smoking is your choice, no doubt about it, but the general public should not be forced to inhale smoke when in a public atmosphere.  I honestly do not think people are going to stop going to their favorite bar or restaurant because of the smoking ban.  If anything, some business owners may see an increase in sales due to new customers who previously did not want to enter the once smoky establishment.

At Ryan, vehicles may be our profession, but people are our passion.  

2013 Motor Trend Truck of the Year

The votes are in and it is official, the 2013 Ram 1500 is Motor Trend’s 2013 Truck of the Year.  As more and more of these fine vehicles begin to roll into our dealership, we are very grateful for the opportunity to sell them to our customers.  The 2013 Ram truck won in unanimous fashion after the proper testing had concluded.  The variable valve timing, air suspension, revised cooling system and pulse width modification were just a few of the features that stood out in the 2013 Ram.  Motor Trend notes that these technologies, along with others, allow Ram to hold best-in-class fuel efficiency in the V-6 and V-8 models.  Stunning both salesmen and customers alike is the new air suspension system which allows the truck to be raised up 2 inches and lowered by .6 inches depending on terrain.  The smooth driving was also noticed immediately, as Motor Trend said “The 2013 Ram 1500 SLT is essentially like driving a Chrysler 300 with a bed.”  That is hard to beat.  Not to mention that the 2013 Ram won in all of the 0-60mph testing.  Lastly the new Pentastar 3.6-liter V6 engine that was introduced showed a staggering 43% more horsepower than the previous model.  We are all very glad, and proud, to have the 2013 Ram models grace our lot.

This information was gathered from the following site.

At Ryan Motors, vehicles may be our profession, but people are our passion.

Coconuts are a very interesting fruit as their rock-hard shell can often make them a hassle to break into or enjoy.  We are here to tell you that the work may be worth it because coconut oil can be used for a variety of things beyond.  The juice from this unique fruit can be used for:

·        Skin Care- Coconut oil can be used a moisturizer for your skin.  The oil can also help with conditions such as psoriasis, dermatitis and eczema.  Next time try this oil instead of expensive lotion.

·        Stress Relief- Crazy and hectic day?  Relax by rubbing coconut oil on your head in a circular and massaging motion.  The oil will help to reduce your stress level.

·        Digestion- Consuming coconut oil occasionally can help your body better absorb and digest vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

·        Fitness/Weight Control- Jumpstart your metabolism with this versatile oil.  It can also increase thyroid function and overall energy.  Sounds good to us!

·        Healing Properties- When applied to cuts, bruises and other skin injuries the oil will form a thin layer over the wound and help it from getting infected.

·        Conditioner- Stop buying expensive hair conditioners and stick with coconut oil.  It does a great job for about a quarter of the price.

This information was gathered from the following site.

At Ryan, vehicles may be our profession, but people are our passion.

Quarterback Conundrum

 

What is going on with the quarterbacks this year in the NFL?  Alex Smith, Mark Sanchez, Michael Vick and Matt Cassel have all lost their jobs as starters and Ben Rothlisberger, Jay Cutler, RG III and Andrew Luck have all been injured at some point.  One thing is for certain, this is not the year of the quarterback.  Those are not the only quarterback problems either, as Christian Ponder, a fan favorite around these parts, has played like a high schooler.  The league has cracked down on head to head contact penalties and has even suspended players for hits on defenseless quarterbacks, but there are still plenty of big names that continue to struggle every week.  What is the reason?  Pressure?  Misfortune?  It is hard to tell, but watching atrocious passing has become stressful for fans.  We have yet to see a team really bounce back from a poor start.  In Ponder’s case, he needs to start focusing a little more.  Throwing for around 100 yards a game is unacceptable.  Not to mention, he can’t seem to throw a pass more than 30 yards.  Hopefully the final weeks of the NFL feature some stellar passing and minimal injuries. 

Is this the year of the backup?

At Ryan, vehicles may be our profession, but people are our passion.