Hubby On YouTube

I cannot even watch this without giggling like a little school girl. He is just so cute.

He did this video for BNI (Business Networking Intl.) last year sometime just to let people know a little more about our business.   Anyway...since, it's on YouTube, I thought I could share it here.  ;) 

Skip the Non-Stick

A friend passed along this link to me this morning. It's from the Enviromental Working Group about the dangers of cooking with non-stick cookware.

It's not news to her.  It's not news to me.  It may not be news to you.  But it might and that's why I'm posting it.  Cooking on non-stick cookware is not as safe as we are led to believe.  Many countries have actually banned the use of non-stick cookware.  Banned - as in no use, deemed as dangerous to the public, not good. 

I haven't cooked with non-stick for 15 years.   Even when we travel to a vacation house, I take my cookware. Yes, if you don't already know, we sell a line of premium stainless steel cookware.  I'm not writing this post to sell you anything but rather as a public service announcement of sorts.   I know eating off of non-stick can't be avoided in restaurants and well, neither can a lot of things.   So, that's something I have to just live with and make eating out a treat, not the norm.

How do I cook eggs?  With a smooth stainless steel frying pan and a little butter.  The best part is that the eggs taste amazing.    I taste the eggs, the butter and anything I put in them - not whatever else comes from the actual pan. 

 Isn't stainless steel harder to clean?  Yes, a little harder, but I usually put some water in the pan right after I cook something that sticks and it easily slides out by the time the pan cools and I am ready to clean it.  I'm willing to spend a little more time cleaning to forsake eating chemicals from my cookware. 

My personal choice for cookware is the highest grade of stainless steel I could find.   I personally feel like it is worth the expense for a lifetime of healthier cooking for my family.    But that's just me.

Please please please know that  I am, by no means, judging what you cook with - just passing along some  information that I find worth passing along.

Judge for yourself.
Why You Should Skip the Non-Stick
Safer Cookware to choose From
What is PFOA? - the stuff on non-stick cookware

Apple Breakfast Bars

A friend passed this recipe along to me a while back.   I pulled it out because I needed something quick and easy to eat on the mornings I have to run out of the house early.   I thought my kids would love it - they didn't.   My kids don't like dried fruit very much and these have dates in them.   Hubby loved it, though and they are the perfect answer for what I needed. 

So, I'm sharing it with you.  Maybe your kids will love them!  And, look Ma, no oil, sugar or butter in these!

Apple Breakfast Bars

• 1 1/2 cup quick rolled oats (you can use regular rolled oats but the texture will be different - see note below)
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 2/3 cup dates, chopped
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup orange juice or fresh juice from an orange
• 1 1/2 cups raw apples, shredded

Combine all ingredients.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Press mixture into an 8x8 baking dish. I did rub a little butter on the pan so they would not stick.  Bake at 375F degrees until lightly browned., about 25 minutes.   Regular oats might take a little longer to cook.   Loosen with spatula and cut into bars while still warm.  They are tasty warm but I enjoyed them the next day, cooled, also.

Shredding apples on my Saladmaster machine. 

All Mixed up

 

Pressed into the 8x8 baking dish

Done!

I promise they taste better than they look.  Hubby and I ate them in 2 days.



A word about oats:  What is the difference between Quick, Rolled, Steel cut?
Very simply -   The way they are cut.
So, beginning with steel cut you are getting a less processed  oat.  From what I've read, that doesn't necessarily mean the quick are still not a healthy option.  They are still oats - just cut more finely.  Rolled and quick oats are quickly steamed during processing so that they cook faster.

With each type of oats the consistency is different.    We eat the regular rolled oats around here.  I use the quick to bake with as it seems to create a less-chewy consistency that my kids will eat.  We never eat the instant packaged oatmeal - they are loaded with sugar and salt.   I used to make a homemade "instant oatmeal" but my kids prefer the regular oats.   

The nutritional content as far as calories, fiber and protein are exactly the same in all of them which leads me to think that the vitamins are probably close to the same even though the rolled and quick go through a little more processing.  

It's probably a Good, Better, Best situation.  Good being quick, better being regular rolled, best being steel-cut as they are likely the most nutrient-dense.    All in all, though - I think it's up to you and if you have any of the three in your family's diet you are doing great.   Again, this is only my opinion and my experience.   You can Google steel cut vs. rolled. vs.quick oats and find a plethora of opinions on the matter.

Submitted to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam  

My Rollercoaster Ride with Being Healthy

There was once a time in my life where I could honestly say that I had not eaten fast food of any kind for about 3 years.  No chicken nuggets, no french fries, no cheeseburgers that came from a restaurant with a drive-thru.

I was a serious "health nut" as they say.
Organic - check.
No processed foods - check.
Triple Osmosis filtered water - check.
I even had a filter in my shower to remove whatever yuckiness could go into my body through the city water.   I used the stone crystal for deodorant, herbal wrap detoxes, all natural colon cleanses, I was completely dairy free for awhile, I can skim the labels of food to find yucky additives in seconds flat - the list goes on, y'all.   

I hadn't tasted a Big hamburger, that begins with an M and ends with a C, in about 5 years.  Maybe more.

Then I got pregnant with my first child.

The cravings I had were unbelievable.  I used it as a license to eat whatever I wanted. 

Here I was in a 12 week natural childbirth class with a nutrition plan that was perfectly laid out to feed me and my baby into optimal health.   Yes, I had my first child without one single drug - I told you, I was a nut.   Anyway, I was not only eating everything on that plan which was A LOT of good whole foods, but I was suddenly eating every piece of junk food I could get my hands on.   

Hubby loves to tell the story of when I was about 7 months pregnant and  he walked into the office where we worked together -  the office where we distribute a line of products designed to help people eat healthier - to find me eating a Big hamburger, that begins with an M and ends with a C, large fry and large coke.

He asked me,"Is that what I think it is?" 
"Yes, it is." 
"Can I have a bite?" 
"Don't even think about it."

And so began a new love affair with fast food.   I feel it only fair to tell you that I gained...get ready for it...80 pounds during my first pregnancy.  80. Pounds.  It took me over a year to lose that weight.

Losing it, of course, included not eating any more fast food.   I also ended up with Ulcerative Colitis.  I don't know what to attribute this to other than my eating habits taking a nose dive during the pregnancy. 

Now fast forward to having two kids and being a busy mom.    Let's face it, getting fast food is often just easier.  The kids are hungry and time is short.   Over the last few years, I have fed myself and my kids fast food more than I would like to think.

So here I am the last couple years, cooking pretty healthy at home but often running through a drive-thru with my kids. I even allowed some processed foods to come into my home because they BEG me at the store.  I feel like I've been sending them a mixed message. 

So, the time has come for a change...again.   For one, it's really not within my new budget to spend money on food that is anything but nutritionally sound.   Secondly, my health and my family's health is just that important.

Am I completely finished feeding my kids fast food?  Well, no.  I'd like to be but they still ask for it and sometimes it just is the easier option.  I would say that rarely is more like it.   And we try to make better choices about what kind of fast food we eat.   It is not all created equal. 

What I learned from this is that eating healthy is a habit.  It starts with one good choice and leads to another good choice.  And another and so on until eating healthy is just part of who you are.

The same goes for eating unhealthy.  It starts with one bad choice (I was pregnant for crying out loud - who can blame a pregnant woman?!?) and leads to another bad choice.  And another and so on until eating unhealthy is just part of who you are.

The crazy thing is that eating unhealthy is a lot easier of a habit to get into than eating healthy.  The sugar in processed foods is like a drug to our body.  I once had a holistic nutritionist tell me that she felt sugar was a worse addiction than heroin.   Since I have never been a heroin user, I just can't fairly say.    But if she is right then it would go to prove why it is so hard to get off of processed and fast foods.  We become addicted to them.   And like any addiction, it damages our body.  Luckily, we have amazing cells that can rebuild themselves quickly just by eating healthy again.  Whew!


So, yeah - I'm on the wagon again.  Going back to some of my better habits and trying to eat healthier.  Picking up some tips from websites and bloggers and reading up on some current health issues.  Back to the basics, ya know?  Since I've been down this road before, I really feel like I can recognize a fad or a trend in health.  And letmetellyou - there are many. 

I have one final word of advice about nutrition that I've gathered in my rollercoaster ride of healthy/not so healthy eating.  Moderation is absolutely the key.   Changing your eating habits overnight will most likely set you up for failure.  But eventually, what you think you could never live without will not even taste good to you anymore.  So, take it slowly and savor the new choices you are making.

Okay, that is all.  Now where is that chocolate...dark in it's purest form, of course.  ;)

*I must put this disclaimer on here that I am not a doctor or a nutritionist and you should always follow your own doctor's orders or make educated decisions about your own health.  Anything stated here are simply my own experiences and opinions.

Convenience Factor - What I Learned This Week

Our family has decided to make an effort to be better stewards of our money and be on a little tighter budget. To say that we are being affected by the recession would be an understatement. I'm not going to go into that too much because my husband would not be a happy camper with me telling cyberspace our financial state and all. Let's just say, we really have needed to re-think the way we live our life. It's not necessarily been such a bad thing, though.

We decided that we waste a lot of money on things that provide us convenience. While they do free up some time for us, we also find that they don't add much benefit to our life. One question I asked myself a lot is, "What are my kids learning by the fact that we pay someone else to do so much for us?"

We've done a lot of cutting back in small areas but just this last week we've done the following:

First, we let our lawn service go.
Now, before you go and laugh at how much this is not a sacrifice (you are probably right), let me tell you that for Hubby - it really is. He has about 1 full day off a week and we spend most of that day at church. So, he really doesn't have much time to do yardwork. I could not use our old mower because I could never get it started (I know, I know), so eventually we just hired someone to do it. The opportunity cost at the time just made sense. We've had the same lawn service for a pretty low cost for almost 10 years. I hated to cancel it because we love the guy so much. But we did - it just makes sense now. So, Hubby went to Sears and got himself a fancy push mower that was a floor model and one I can work if I need to. Which I'm hoping I don't.

That hubby of mine can certainly work a deal. He got a the mower for more than 50% off. I think he actually is enjoying mowing the lawn which I did not think I would ever see.

Second, we let our housecleaning service go.
Yes, I cried.

Again, you might be saying, "no big sacrifice, Janel." Yeah, well you are right. Many women clean their own homes, so why can't I? Now I do have to say that I have only had a cleaning service because she is part of a barter program in which we belong. I have not paid her cash in 2 years. But again, we decided we need to save the bartering dollars for more important things like vet bills and the dentist. Yes, we barter those things - it's a beautiful thing.

Third, we decided to eat out for dinner only once a week. We sell an amazing line of premium cookware for crying out loud. Why are we going to out dinner so much? Weight gain, stomach issues all spending money all say we shouldn't be eating out so much - enough said. So, I've been cooking every night this week. I actually baked, too! I enjoy cooking so much and really find that the more of a habit I make it, the more I can easily throw a meal together faster than going out to eat. Also, I feel so much better about what I'm feeding my kids because I have control over what goes into the food.

Last but not least, I am looking for part-time income now that both of my kids are in school. So, I started looking for a job outside the home only to realize a couple things:

1. I have not been in the actual workforce for almost 10 years and people are not so much interested in me compared to the other thousand people that are out of work that actually do have skills they need.

2. I am on my computer a lot. And there are ways to generate income by being on my computer. One thing I like to do is encourage and promote other people. There are actually ways that I can generate income by doing just that in the online world. I've had some amazing opportunities this week in this area and I am very excited.

Needless to say, the first week without the many conveniences has been busy.
Busy but good.
It feels good to make an effort to take care of our own stuff and also save money.

In my mind, it's a positive way the recession has affected us. It's made us more aware of what we really don't need and what we can do ourselves.

How about you? What positive affect has the recession had on you, if any?

For more lessons learned this week you can head over to Musings of a Housewife. She's been talking a lot about eating more whole foods and less processed. Good stuff over there.

Souper Saturday - Chicken Vegetable Soup with Lime and Cilantro

One of my favorites - great for a slimmer start to the New Year!

Chicken Vegetable Soup with Lime and
Cilantro... and some other things, too.

2 lbs of skinless boneless chicken breast, cut up into 1 inch cubes

8 cups chicken broth (I use low salt, low fat)

3 cups of russet potatoes cut into cubes or shredded or small in size

1 1/2 cups of carrots, peeled, cut into rounds or small in size

1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1 - 15 oz. can of Golden hominy
drained and chopped

6 green onions - chopped

1/3 cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped

5 T fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Salt to taste ( I used sea salt)

Optional - Green Tabasco to taste
and warm corn tortillas. Shredded Cheddar Jack cheese.

Preheat large pot on medium heat

Sprinkle chicken with salt and saute it in the pot with the coriander, cayenne pepper, carrots and potatoes until chicken is turning opaque and brown a bit. I do ADD A BIT of OLIVE OIL here.

Add broth, turn heat up to medium high and bring to boil.

Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until chicken and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes.

Add hominy, green onions, cilantro, and lime juice and simmer for about 5 minutes just to blend the flavors

Add salt, tabasco and cheese to your liking.

Serve with Warm Corn tortillas

Enjoy!

Souper Saturday - Low-fat Chicken Enchilada Soup

I have posted this twice before, but it is sooo good and it was before I started Souper Saturday.
Here is an easy recipe that is a hit with my kids as long as I use the milder ingredients and serve with cheese and tortilla chips.

Low-Fat chicken Enchilada Soup

2 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
2 large ribs of celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
8 oz of frozen corn - half of a bag
1 can of green chilies
1 carton of low sodium chicken broth
2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of Italian flavored diced tomatoes
1 can of mild Rotel tomatoes, drained (skip if you want even less spicy)
3/4 cup mild red enchilada sauce
3 oz. light cream cheese (reserve until the end)
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
pinch of red pepper ( I leave this out )
salt and pepper to taste

optional additions: cheddar cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, hot sauce

I chop up the chicken while it is uncooked and saute it with the celery and onions in a 4 to 7 quart stockpot. You may want to spray the bottom of the pan with a cooking spray.

If your chicken is already cooked, just saute the celery and onions together and then add the chicken with the rest of the ingredients. I do reserve the cream cheese until the end and add it before serving.

Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Extras: Serve with corn tortillas or tortilla chips. Add jack or cheddar cheese when finished. Sprinkle with hot sauce for an extra kick. Top with sour cream. See photos below...

chips and cheddar and jack cheese

topped with sour cream - yummy!

Souper Saturday - Texas Stew

Okay, so I did promise to introduce my new buttons this week. Here's one of them!

So cute, huh? Thanks Jo-Lynne!
Be sure to grab it for your post and link back to me.

The reason for this button?

I love making soup. It is such a great meal in the Fall and Winter and my family loves it!

My plan is to share some of my favorite recipes with you and hope you will play along and share some of yours with me.

If you have a favorite recipe that is not soup, please share that, too!

Today, I am re-posting one that is a family fave. I hope you will enjoy it, too.

And don't forget to play along! Because I am not sure what I will do if nobody links up! Here is how you do that...

Just grab the button for your post, post your recipe, sign up with Mr. Linky there at the bottom of the post, link back to my blog and leave me a comment if you have a chance.

I will try to do this at least one Saturday a month - maybe every other.

So, here it is - the easiest stew you might ever make!

Texas Stew (From Easy Weeknight Favorites - Southern Living)

8 servings

2 lbs beef cut into 1 inch pieces
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can of Mexican style stewed tomatoes - undrained
( I use regular stewed tomatoes so it is not so spicy)
1 can condensed beef broth - undiluted
1 (8 oz.) jar of mild to medium salsa picante sauce
1 (10 oz.) package of frozen corn
2 carrots, scraped and sliced
1 medium onion - chopped
2 garlic cloves - minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 t. salt
*******************
1/3 Cup of water
1/4 Cup of all-purpose flour

Saute meat until it browns. Then combine the next 10 ingredients in a 4-5 quart pot or crock pot. Cover and cook on high until starts to boil - reduce to low for up to 10 hours (note to Saladmaster customers: Saute your meat, add next 10 ingredients, Cover, heat to medium until the vapo-valve clicks. Reduce to low for about 2-4 hours. You will save yourself lots of time, but you can also leave it cooking all day.)

Combine water and flour - bring soup back to a boil and stir into soup until thickened. Serve.

Baked Potato Soup

For more awesome crock pot and soup recipes hop on over to BooMama's Souptacular Crockpotalooza!

Okay, here's mine! **Originally posted in March 2008, so much better on a cold Fall Day!***

Potato Soup is such a comfort food for me. My mom used to make it all the time when I was growing up. She makes it from memory, though and does not have a recipe for me to post.

So, I made this one from my Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook and it is yummy! I dare say, almost as good as moms. My family LOVES this soup.

Here is the recipe: See more photos below!

"Baked" Potato Soup

• 6 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. (about 3 3/4 pounds)
• large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 3 (14 oz.) cans of chicken broth with roasted garlic (I used plain and added fresh garlic)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 cup whipping cream or half-and-half
• 1 cup (4 oz.) sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 3 T. chopped fresh chives
• 1 (8 oz.) container sour cream (optional)
• 4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled or use bacon bits
• Shredded Cheddar cheese

Combine first 6 ingredients in a 5-quart slow cooker.

Cover and cook on HIGH 4 hours or on Low 8 hours or until potato is tender.

Mash mixture until potatoes are coarsely chopped and soup is slightly thickened: stir in cream, cheese, and chives.

Top with sour cream, if desired, and sprinkle with bacon and cheddar cheese before serving. Makes 12 cups.

*************************************************************

I also adapted this recipe for my Saladmaster customers

First of all, the recipe says to peel the potatoes and cut them into 1/2 inch cubes.

Can you say time consuming? And also there are tons of vitamins in the peeling. So, I scrubbed the potatoes and got any yucky parts or eyes off. I just cut them up on my food processor and rinsed them before cooking.

Then, I used my Saladmaster Food processor to cut them up.

Here is less than a minute later. That is 6 large russet potatoes cut on the #3 cone.
Now an onion. - 10 seconds later on the #2 cone. If you quarter the onion longways and hold meat side down on the cone, you should just be left with the peeling in your hand.

3 minutes later the first 6 ingredients are in the slow cooker and ready to go.

The recipe says to cook it in a traditional slow cooker for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

In my Saladmaster it took me 2 hours: medium - click - low.

(If you want to use your regular 4 or 7 quart roaster on top of the stove, you can do that. You do not need a slow cooker to make this recipe in your Saladmaster)

And if I was not ready to take it off at the end of those 2 hours, then I could have just left it there on low until I was ready. It. is. a. beautiful. thing.

After it was finished, I added the half-and-half, the scallions and the shredded cheddar cheese.

My family loved it! I added bacon bits, sour cream and more cheddar cheese.

Nice crusty bread and a salad...dinner! (You know, you just can't take a picture that makes potato soup actually look good, but it was! I promise.)

Happy Cooking,

Winner of Giveaway!

Finally. The Givaway Winner!



I am able to work with my computer.



I have re-booted this thing about 10 times today.



Hubby has worked on it off and on. Installed a new Ad-Aware program.



Good grief - it's almost enough to make me want to quit computers all together.



Or buy a Mac.



That sounds much better.



Anyway, thanks for being patient. And thank you all so much for your wonderful comments and taking a gander at the Saladmaster website. The features are amazing and it has been a real honor to sell such a quality product for the last 13 years.



Here are the official results from Random.org

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random
numbers:157


Timestamp: 2008-08-03 03:27:23 UTC

That is 157...drum roll please Angel from Angel's Blog! It looks like Angel is a homeschooling mom and wife of a soldier. I am happy happy happy to send her something new for her kitchen. She has a lovely blog - go check it out!

Her favorite features were the dripless pouring edges and the stainless steel. She has had her eye on Saladmaster for some time now, so this is a great start for her.

Thanks Angel and Congratulations!


Many of you expressed a real interest in finding out more about these products. I don't blame you - they really do rock the kitchen.

If you are in North Carolina click here to contact our office or email me at norose@dandeliondayz.com

We will cook you dinner one night and show you more about it.
A night out of the kitchen! Woo Hoo!

If you are not in my area please go to the Saladmaster website and find an authorized dealer near you. They will come to cook for you, too!

Bloggy Giveaway - Stainless Steel Kitchenware

***Giveaway is closed now. :) I WILL post the winner by the end of the day. My computer is acting up and so was my blog. Thank you everyone for entering and visiting my blog!



Well, I can't actually believe that Hubby is letting me do this, but I asked him to let me give away a piece of Saladmaster for the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival and he agreed!

Woo Hoo - lucky you!

Now before you get too excited and think that it is one of the Titanium Electric Skillets which is an absolute necessity in my kitchen, let me assure you that while he loves me lots - he's not just givin' those away.



So, other than my actual cookware, I thought of two other products that we sell and I love and can't do without in my kitchen.



They are the Saladmaster Double-Walled Bowl and the Saladmaster Cookie Sheet.

You get to pick one of them for this Summer Bloggy Giveaway time!

They are each valued at around $100 each

The bowl is just what it says: double-walled and stainless steel. It keeps cool things cool and hot things hot longer.

I adore this bowl for making salads. I make my salad, put it in the fridge to chill and when it sits on my table it stays cold. Plus, it is really shiny and looks pretty.



The second is the cookie sheet which is also stainless steel. I make the best cookies on this and they don't stick one bit. No grease or Pam. No Teflon. The finish is matte and it is a nice heavy weight. It doesn't feel flimsy and cheap like most cookie sheets and it absolutely will never rust.



Stuff I have to say. :)

We are Authorized Dealers of Saladmaster Products. We sell locally only. If you would like to learn more about Saladmaster products, I can refer you to a dealer in your area or you can check out the Saladmaster website to find a dealer near you. It is in your best interest to buy Saladmaster from an authorized dealer only.

• USA only
• I will pick a random winner at midnight August 1 and post the winner on August 2.
• Okay, so all you have to do is go to the Saladmaster Features/Benefits Page and look around. Then come right back and leave me a comment telling me which feature sounds the most appealing to you.
  
  
  Oh, and for more awesome giveaways you have to go by and check out the HUNDREDS of other awesome prizes! Go now! Right here at Bloggy Giveaways.
  
  
  

Simple Sugar Cookies

These are pictures of my kids at about the same age - 3 or 4.

One of our favorite activities is to bake cookies together. Especially, sugar cookies where they can sprinkle colored sugar all over them. And the counters. And the floors. And themselves. And me.

Here is a very simple recipe. I have tried many recipes, but my family seems to like this one the best and it is the easiest!

Enjoy!

Simple Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened

1 1/4 cups of confectioner's (powdered) sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cream of tarter

1/8 tsp. salt

sugar sprinkles, frosting, cookie cutters all optional!

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tarter and salt. Gradually, add to the creamed mixture.

Shape into two 5-inch rolls; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Unwrap, cut into 1/4 -inch slices. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Decorate with sprinkles if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Or roll them out and cut them with cookie cutter.
Makes about 21-24 cookies.

This recipe was obtained from Allrecipes.com . I love this site because the recipes are all submitted by real people around the country. Tried and true family recipes. What more could you ask for?

WFMW - The Tale of Two Chickens

Check out more great ideas at Works For Me Wednesday.

I baked a chicken tonight.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

That's not really the big deal. Reeaally? Yeah, really.

Here's the Works for me Wednesday part!

I learned this little tip a couple years ago from a mentor. Mentor being defined as someone who has grown kids and has a couple tricks up her sleeves.

Instead of just baking the one chicken you planned for dinner...get your notepad ready...Bake 2 chickens. Real simple and helps you to simplify later in the week.

Eat one chicken that night with your favorite sides and strip the other chicken of it's meat for a casserole, chicken salad and soups the rest of the week. Genius really. Not my idea, of course.
****************************************************************************
Saladmaster Customers: Get your 7 quart out. Put 2 chickens instead of 1 in it. Salt and Pepper it. Maybe some Poultry seasoning or your favorite spice. Add some celery, garlic, apples or onions. Or all of that would be good, too.

Turn it to Medium. When it clicks, turn it to low for about 3-5 hours or 15 minutes per pound.

Shades of Chocolate

My husband has been on a sugar free diet for about 2 weeks. He lost 5 pounds. Yay, hubby!

Remember that 90 day Health and Wealth Challenge? I guess he feels like he should be a setting a good example of the diet. By the way, have you had to live with someone who is withdrawing from sugar? Fun times.

It is such a good thing I don't hang around the office much. Since, in 2 days, I have almost consumed this entire bag of lusciousness, I don't think I would be a good poster child for laying off the sugar.

This really is my favorite time of the year. Everywhere I go I see shades of red, pink and brown. Dark chocolaty brown. Milk chocolaty brown. All favorite colors of mine. Today a friend told me a story of a little girl that says that she thinks that when we get to heaven we will probably get to choose what color we want to be. That is so sweet, isn't it? Anyway, I want to be red, pink and milk chocolaty brown.

Just like a box of Valentine's Day chocolates.

This is my 100th post! Celebrate with me by leaving comment. It would really make me feel happy. Kind of like I just ate one of these yummy chocolate kisses.

***Updated***

Apparently, this is not my 100th post, but actually only my 92nd. Weird. Blogger has listed that this is my 100th post, but when I count them up in my sidebar I only have 92. It doesn't take much to confuse the heck out of me, but I am confused. Anyone out there that can enlighten me?

90 Day Health and Wealth Challenge

I have to give a little shameless plug for our business here. My husband works so hard and has for the last 15 years building it up. So, I really want to brag on it a little!

Especially for the new year we are working with a personal trainer and nutritionist to help our customers get healthier! We have new recipes and several cooking schools to show them how to cook healthier in their Saladmaster. It is a very exciting challenge to get a jumpstart on the new year. Read all about it HERE.

We are very lucky to have some talented and motivated people working hard on this project and we also thank them. It has been a true blessing to have them working with us. You know who you are!

And there is also a way folks can make some extra income, win trips and earn more Saladmaster if they want. Read more about that HERE.

I have Live Right in my sidebar which is the name of our business. We are authorized dealers of Saladmaster cookware which is by far the finest cookware you can buy. Plus, it helps you cook healthier, save precious vitamins and minerals in your food and save money on your grocery bill! So, read more about it if you get a chance.

There are Saladmaster dealers all over the world so if you think you would like to learn more about it and don't live locally, click on the main Saladmaster Inc. site and find an AUTHORIZED dealer near you. If you live locally, please click on the Live Right website to schedule your night out of the kitchen! If you are already a customer - THANK YOU and please sign up to attend a cooking class and check out the new recipes.

Okay, that's my plug. Thanks for reading!