Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup served year-round for lunch and dinner. Miso paste is available in red, white, and mixed flavors, each of which gives a very distinct flavor to any soup. Researchers at Japan’s National Cancer Centre have stated that “eating three or more bowls of the the Japanese delicacy Miso soup every day could cut women’s risk of developing breast cancer.” Although pure miso paste is high in sodium, it is also a great source of fiber, protein, and minerals. Try different flavors of miso to find your favorite!

More Chic Recipes:

Three Friends and One Potato Casserole Recipe

Thursday Soup: Tomato Basil

Out and About in Tulsa: Rock ‘n Rib Festival

Robyn Youkilis, AADP, Health Coach and founder of Your Healthiest You and co-founder of {Healthy} Cooking Camp. At Your Healthiest You, Robyn offers boutique style one-on-one coaching, runs a seasonal “members only” cooking club, and co-launched a cutting edge online cooking show, {Healthy} Cooking Camp.

In the blogosphere mixing patterns is “the new black.” Everyone is doing it right??

But surprisingly this trend has barely made an appearance in any of my outfits…probably due to the fact that I can’t, for the life of me, find a pair of printed pants that I like. But now that the warm(er) weather has FINALLY arrived ((I hope I didn’t just jinx it by writing that)) you can be sure that you’ll see me wearing this trend more often.

Are you hoping on the “Pattern Mixing” bandwagon or are you sticking to one print at a time?

Gingham & Floral Outfit:
A.B.S. by Allen Schwartz Cat Eye Sunglasses, mark. Rose Earrings from the In The Mix Trio, Spike the Punch Addison Necklace, Forever 21 Gingham Shirt, Zara Floral Dress, Forever 21 Rhinestone Ring, Jessica Simpson Fuchsia Pumps

Camo & Polka Dot Outfit:
Target Sunglasses, Forever 21 Mixed Necklace, Target Men’s Camo Shirt, ASOS Polka Dot Skater Dress, mark. Borrowed from the Boys Watch, BaubleBar Pave Wrap Bracelet, Keds Sneakers

Inspired by one of my outfits? Tweet me a photo!

More Chic Style:

Spring Favorites: Skirts

Spring Favorites: Shoes

Spring Favorites: Tops

 Jackie Giardina is a Regional Mentor for the Fashion & Beauty Company, mark. & the blogger behind Living After Midnite, a Life, Style & Beauty blog founded in 2010. She is an East Coast girl who loves all things beauty & will forever be growing her ridiculously large jewelry & shoe collection.

Follow me on Twitter @jackiegiardina * Check out my blog Living After Midnite

We Oklahomans are strong!

Donate, Cry, Pray, Then Read

Written by Nicole Hill, www.nicolehill.com.

Do you know what it takes to be an Oklahoman? You probably don’t because to be an Oklahoman is to be nuts, balls-to-the-wall crazy, off-the-charts insane. You have to be.

In Oklahoma, when you pop out of your mama, the doctors give you the once over. They check your eyes, because they know you’re going to have to stare down EF4 tornadoes and not flinch. They check the gravel in your guts, because true grit’s making a living from hard, dry land — molding a life from red clay. And they check your heart, because to be an Oklahoman is to be the smack-dab center of the Heartland.

Then you grow up in Oklahoma with your “Yes, ma’ams” and “No, sirs” and “Ranch, pleases,” and you learn how to drive in a place where you reserve one hand for waving to the neighbors you know and the neighbors you don’t know just quite yet. Your sentences are peppered with words like “hook echo,” “vortex,” “Pushmataha,” “biscuitsngravy” and “might could.”

You go to school and you learn the history of your state, from the Trail of Tears to the land run to the Dust Bowl to the Tulsa Race Riot to April 19, 1995 to May 3, 1999. You understand that you come from misfits and mistakes and pain. A lot of pain. You realize you come from underdog stock. You listen to a lot of Woody Guthrie, and you really get what it means.

At some point, life punches you in the gut for the first time. You watch the hand of God come down, and an entire town disappears off the map.

You fall to your knees and you cry and you spit and you cuss the day and night. And then you get up.

You don’t waste your time asking the heavens why. There’s work to be done.

You see someone else shaking their fists at the sky, so you reach your hand down. And then they get up.

That’s what being an Oklahoman is. Being so goddamned resilient and perseverant that ain’t nothing or nobody can keep you down. I’ve been a lot of places, lived in a few of them, and met many great people. Without minimizing anyone else, Oklahomans are a different breed. When you’re a little guy used to getting kicked, you not only learn to pop back up but you become the first one to reach out to others.

Oklahoma isn’t a place. It’s something in your blood. It’s something that you do. It’s the shirt off your back and a tear in your eye and the giddyup in your soul.

As we watched the wreckage from this latest prizefight with nature, several people asked me if I had people there — in Moore, in Shawnee. The answer is unequivocally yes. Every ever-loving, bless-your-heart mumbler in that grand land is My People. And God help us, My People don’t give up and don’t give in.

I love you, Oklahoma, and I thank my lucky stars that I’m one of yours. And if you don’t start installing storm shelters in every public building, I’m fixin’ to raise some hell.

People can donate by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. These donations help provide food, shelter and emotional support to those affected by disasters.

Beth Anderson, CEO of Chic Galleria Publications, LLC, is a member of STYLE COALITION, an elite group of beauty and fashion publishers for HEARST DIGITAL GROUP. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest.

The skater dress has becoming very trendy this spring.

I really like to play dress up  looks with this skater dress.  For the look of today I am wearing a combination of large stainless steel beads and matching bracelet and blooming on my heals for a more formal dressed-up  look. If I was to dress-down a bit, I would  wear it with a light coral/orange cardigan over some comfortable ballet flats.

How would you wear it?

 Dress: Jessica Simpson (Similar in Pink @Macys)    Shoes:  Audrey Brooke @DSW   Jewelery: (Similar @Macys)

More Chic Style:

Style: Feminine & Floral

Get The Look: Betty Draper

Traveling Tuesday

My name is Alexandra but everyone calls me Leka. I am Brazilian and have been residing in the US for over 18 years. I will be finishing my degree in the next few months in Sciences of Management from Boston University.  With no formal education in the fashion industry, aside from my obsession in the field, I am the creator of the Feminine Universe blog and Leka’s closet. I’d like to share the how about of making fashion versatile. I am a believer that Fashion is about making it work for you, and what it is kept inside the closet can still be good fashion for many seasons to come.

Dress: By Carven; Map of Paris Day Dress, $650

Shoes: By J. Crew; Glitter T-Strap Ballet Flats, $218

Jewelry: By Shashi; Lulu Ring, $35

Necklace: Les Nereides Gem Charm Necklace, $79.80

Bracelet: By Jules Smith; Boyfriend Bangle, $65

More Chic Style:

Spring Favorites: Shoes

Day for Stripes

Spring Favorites: Skirts

Alex Niblett is an intern at Chic Galleria and is currently studying journalism & international studies at the University of Oklahoma. She loves to write, design, travel, and be outdoors.