One of the most common New Year resolutions is losing weight, especially since December involves so many family dinners, celebrations and parties. I'm not a fan of diets because I believe that changing habits permanently is the best way to lose weight and keep it off (not an easy task). However, there's a new trend in diets that I'd like to write about: the Dukan Diet.

Hello, everyone!

After a very long hiatus, The Good Meal is back on business (Hooray!). I've been MIA for two months now, but I'm finally back and starting to get settled in my new home.

I can't believe I began this blog one year ago today, not knowing exactly what I was doing or if I would succeed. One year later, I'm happy to say that the journey has been amazing and I'd do it all over again. At first, I thought I'd bake a cake or something to celebrate this blog's birthday, but I remembered I'm a terrible baker and didn't feel like experimenting. Instead of a cake, this post will feature an account of what has happened during this year.

Timing couldn't be worse when my lower back decided it was sick and tired of my bad posture. For the past week and a half I've suffered a severe case of low back pain, which wouldn't allow me to sit for more than 15 minutes. After an unhealthy dose of pain killers and some physical therapy, I'm now able to sit for at least 30 minutes at a time.

Hello friends,

As you probably know, writing is one of the most important things in my life. This summer, I'll dedicate six weeks to writing by joining a write-a-thon, hosted by the Clarion Foundation. This Foundation is a wonderful organization that provides funding for the highly respected Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer's Workshop at UCSD, which I hope to attend next year.

Arepas are a corn dish made in Venezuela, Colombia and a few other Caribbean countries. In Venezuela, arepas are eaten for breakfast or dinner, served with a wide array of fillings. Arepas are soft, salty and eaten while they're hot (cold arepas taste terribly). They are very filling, with relative low calories, low glycemic index and no gluten. Venezuelans eat arepas almost everyday (me included) and they're deeply ingrained in our culture.

Well, this break took a bit longer than I expected, but I was really trying to figure out what to do with this blog. I've been researching about what makes a blog successful and there's a consensus: the website must provide UNIQUE and VALUABLE content for the readers. Piece of cake, right? Not for me.

I'm sorry I've been MIA again, but I'm in the middle of a mental vacation. You see, it wasn't planned, but life has kept me busy and I just needed some time to put my act together. I'll explain a bit.