Inside Garden City

You know the feeling- you want something sweet but don’t know what. There’s nothing in the kitchen that appeals to you. You know home baked is always healthier than store bought but you don’t have a ton of time (nor do you want) to follow a long recipe. We’ve got three words: Quick. Easy. Brownies. 

If you’re short on time or if you are not a baker (you know who you are), you can definitely succeed at these brownies and impress someone! I love the simplicity and ease of this recipe: 

1 1/4 cup of Nutella, 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of flour. Mix it all together, pour into a pan and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 mins. Be careful not to overbake. 

And that’s it. So simple. Here’s how mine turned out: 

Not bad for 15 minutes- from start to finish. Click here to see the clip I watched which inspired me to try this recipe. Yes, it really is this easy. Happy baking!


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The awesome and knowledgable personal trainers from Studio Strength on Franklin Ave are back on the blog today! They’re here to give us some fit-spiration {womp, womp} as we enter bathing suit season! With the GC pool now open, the official start of summer is just a few days away….

Hey you! Get away from that scale! That’s right, I said get away from that scale. When trying to lose weight, the scale is not your friend. 

People who are dieting can become fixated on the number on the scale. But it’s important to know that the scale doesn’t give you a clear picture of your fat loss progress. Notice I said FAT loss and not weight loss. When dieting and exercising, your goal is to maintain or build lean muscle mass while reducing body fat. That will give you the lean, sculpted look everyone wants to achieve. It’s about losing body fat, not just losing “weight”.  Therefore, factors other than weight need to be considered. Those factors include: How do your clothes fit?  A looser waistline or a baggy shirt tell you your body is getting smaller. How do you feel? As you lose body fat, you will have more energy. How do you look? As the body fat decreases and you develop lean muscle mass, you will look leaner and tighter.  Are you getting stronger?  Notice how much easier it is to perform every day tasks or to play your favorite sport?  That means you’re gaining strength. Have you done your body measurements?  Body measurements will change and you will lose inches as you lose body fat.

All this being said, there is a time and a place for weighing in. But before you do, there are some things you need to keep in mind. First of all, muscle weighs more than fat.  You might look leaner and your clothes might fit better because you lost body fat and gained lean muscle  mass, but your weight may not have changed. Also, it’s important not to weigh yourself every day. You can expect daily weight fluctuations base on what you eat and drink, your salt intake or eating right before you get on the scale. A weekly weigh in will give you a clearer picture of your progress. So pick a time each week when you will weigh yourself using the same scale, with an empty stomach and under the same conditions. 

Remember, there are several ways to judge your progress while dieting and working out. Pay attention to how you look and feel and don’t be so tied to that number in the scale. It doesn’t give you the whole picture.




This article was written by the owners of Studio Strength, Juan Mayoral and Christine Inguanta.  Studio Strength is located at 960 Franklin Ave., Garden City.  Please visit our website http://www.studiostrength.com, email studiostrength@aol.com or call (516) 385-8188 with any questions, comments or information about our articles, fitness or training studio.  If you enjoy this article, please like us on Facebook and share. You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram.   


Thanks for more helpful tips Studio Strength! Please remember to follow InsideGardenCity.com on Facebook and Instagram.

Now that summer has {almost} arrived, get your smile on with Dr. Dominique Lizzio of Long Island Family Dentistry in Garden City. Below, Dr. Lizzio tells us how to get the smile we want with cosmetic dentistry. Dr Lizzio has just been featured in the May issue of the Long Island Pulse as a 2015 Doctor of Distinction in the category of Cosmetic Dentistry. So you’re hearing from a real pro folks! Congrats to Dr. Lizzio on that great honor. 

Whether you want to improve your smile for a job interview or have a perfect smile on your wedding day, cosmetic dentistry has quickly become one of the most popular ways to improve your appearance. From subtle changes to overall repair, adults are finding themselves at the dentist discussing more than just preventing cavities. Procedures such as Invisalign or porcelain veneers can dramatically change your smile while sometimes providing added benefits of improving oral problems, such as your bite. Less invasive procedures such as tooth whitening or tooth recontouring can be a quick fix that can have you walking around with better looking teeth in about an hour. 

If it’s whiter teeth you want, tooth whitening is a fast and simple way to get rid of years of stain that have embedded onto your tooth surface. Whitening can be done in two ways, either at home or in the dental office. Both treatments, when supervised by a dentist, can whiten and brighten teeth with no adverse effects to tooth enamel. 

If you are bothered by a few teeth that are slightly misaligned or misshapen, bonding or recontouring can be done easily in just one dental visit. In most cases, even spaces between teeth can be closed easily by bonding tooth colored material onto tooth surfaces. This treatment can last for several years.

Although usually requiring more than one visit, porcelain veneers or crowns offer a strong, color stable alternative to improving your smile. This procedure usually requires the dentist to take an impression of your teeth, which is sent to a dental laboratory to have the desired restoration made. These types of restorations are a great and long lasting way to permanently change the shape and color of your teeth, giving you a picture perfect smile. 

Making time to consult with a dentist that has experience in cosmetic dental care is the best way to begin to understand which option is best for improving your smile. With the right treatment you can increase your self confidence and be comfortable knowing that your smile reflects who you truly are.


Dr. Lizzio can be reached at Long Island Family Dental. 901 Stewart Ave, GC. 516-747-2400

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