• Never wash your hair two days in a row.
• Always wear SPF 30 sunscreen, come rain or shine, winter or summer.
• Wash your face every night before bed . . . even when drunk . . . even when tired.
• French manicures are not an option.

• Everybody looks better with a hint of bronzer or self-tanner.
• Avoid frowning—just like your mom said, your face will stick that way.
• Don’t smoke—it causes wrinkles, sallow, uneven skin, and yellow teeth. (Oh, yeah, and that whole cancer thing, too.)
• Introduce acids into your daily routine—glycolic, salicylic, retinoic, whatever. Your skin will thank you.
• Antioxidants are your best friend. Eat them, drink them, wear them, love them.
• Smile. When you carry yourself beautiful, you are beautiful.

The simple, savory sweetness of a creamy avocado mixed with Stevia and balsamic vinegar is the ultimate, easy gourmet concoction. Add more avocado to this salad if you’d like it heartier. The more you mix it up, the creamier it gets. In this salad, the avocado is the fat ingredient, so no oil is required.

MAKES 2 TO 4 SERVINGS

• 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 pound mesclun or baby romaine lettuce
• 1 ripe avocado, chopped
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 to 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 to 4 packets Stevia
• 1 tablespoon diced fresh garlic
• Sea salt and fresh pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons diced sweet onion (optional)

Toss all of the ingredients together in a large salad bowl and serve.

Raw, avocado-based
This soup is so light and fresh that you may enjoy as much as you like.

MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS

• 4 to 5 fresh, fragrant tomatoes (I recommend Holland or Roma), quartered
• 1⁄4 cup cilantro
• 1 avocado, pitted and scooped out
• 1 packet Stevia
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar (the sweet substance derived from the cactus plant)
• Sea salt and fresh pepper to taste
• 1⁄2 cup apple, chopped (see note)
• 1⁄2 cup fresh corn off the cob (see note)

In a mixing bowl, blend all of the ingredients, except the apple and the corn, until creamy. In a separate bowl, mix the chopped apple and corn kernels together, then divide the corn-apple mixture between two serving bowls. Ladle the soup over the mixture in each bowl and serve.

Note: You may enjoy this soup with or without the corn-apple mixture.