I found a very cool application that would be great for "Date Night" with you partner! This application is free for your iPhone, or Blackberry. The app is called "GOOD FOOD NEAR YOU"
How it works: The GPS function will pinpoint your location, and you'll get a list of the 20 healthiest meals at nearby restaurants.
It's worth checking out... and it's FREE!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Cut back by a few dashes
Did you know?
92,000 numbers of lives can be saved each year if everyone curbed their salt intake by 1/2 teaspoon per day! By cutting back on a few dashes of salt, you can lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and heart attack. You should stay below 2,300mg of sodium (which equals about 1 teaspoon of salt a day!)
92,000 numbers of lives can be saved each year if everyone curbed their salt intake by 1/2 teaspoon per day! By cutting back on a few dashes of salt, you can lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and heart attack. You should stay below 2,300mg of sodium (which equals about 1 teaspoon of salt a day!)
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Weekly Dinner Menu
Here's the dinner menu for this week. Don't forget to shop in your cupboards before you head out to the store. Check coupons.com and local ads for great coupon savings!
Monday:
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients:
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
2.In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
3.In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
4.Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
5.Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Tuesday: Mickey Chicken Nuggets(from Costco), mac & cheese, and a veggie
Wednesday:
Crock Pot Meatloaf
Ingredients
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons dry onion soup mix
1 teaspoon steak seasoning
3 tablespoons ketchup
Directions:
1.In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, eggs, 3 tablespoons ketchup, onion soup mix and steak seasoning using your hands. Pat lightly into the bottom of a slow cooker. Spread remaining ketchup over the top. Cover, and cook for 6 hours.
Thursday:
Crock Pot Taco Soup
Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)
Directions:
1.Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
2.Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Shred the chicken and stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.
Friday:
Marinated top sirloin steaks with baked potato, and salad
Saturday:
Homemade French Bread Pizza
Ingredients
French bread loaf x 2
1 jar pizza sauce
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (mix together)
any pizza fixing's you desire
Directions:
Cut french bread in half length wise. Then spread a generous amount of pizza sauce on the loaf halves. Put 1 1/2 cups of your cheese mixture on your pizza halves. Layer your pizza toppings. Bake at 350 degrees C, until cheese is a light golden brown. Cool and enjoy!!
Monday:
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients:
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
2.In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
3.In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
4.Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
5.Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Tuesday: Mickey Chicken Nuggets(from Costco), mac & cheese, and a veggie
Wednesday:
Crock Pot Meatloaf
Ingredients
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons dry onion soup mix
1 teaspoon steak seasoning
3 tablespoons ketchup
Directions:
1.In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, eggs, 3 tablespoons ketchup, onion soup mix and steak seasoning using your hands. Pat lightly into the bottom of a slow cooker. Spread remaining ketchup over the top. Cover, and cook for 6 hours.
Thursday:
Crock Pot Taco Soup
Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)
Directions:
1.Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
2.Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Shred the chicken and stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.
Friday:
Marinated top sirloin steaks with baked potato, and salad
Saturday:
Homemade French Bread Pizza
Ingredients
French bread loaf x 2
1 jar pizza sauce
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (mix together)
any pizza fixing's you desire
Directions:
Cut french bread in half length wise. Then spread a generous amount of pizza sauce on the loaf halves. Put 1 1/2 cups of your cheese mixture on your pizza halves. Layer your pizza toppings. Bake at 350 degrees C, until cheese is a light golden brown. Cool and enjoy!!
Quote of the Week
"A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things, and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path."
~ Agatha Christie
~ Agatha Christie
Saturday, April 3, 2010
FUN Easter craft to do with your kids
My kids really enjoyed making these paper cup Easter treat holders. They are fun and easy to do!
You'll Need:
yellow or white paper cups
construction paper; pink, white or orange
2 wiggle eyes per cup
white or pink pom-pom - for bunny
white or pink pipe cleaners for bunny whiskers
craft feathers for chick
scissors, glue, stapler
How to make the Chick:
From the construction paper, cut an orange triangle for the beak
and a heart for the feet. Staple a few feathers to the back edge of the cup.
You'll want them sticking out from the top of the cup. Now glue the beak and the eyes to the front of the cup. Glue the base of the cup to the heart so that the edges stick out in front to create feet.
How to make the Bunny:
From constuction paper, cut two white ovals, two smaller pink ovals and a heart from either color. Glue the pink onto the white and set them aside to dry.
Use a pipe cleaner for the whiskers. Glue the whiskers on the cup, and then the nose on top of the whiskers, and then add the eyes. Glue or staple the ears to the back edge of the cup. Glue the base of the cup to the heart so that the edges stick
out in front to create feet.
Fill your new Easter friends with grass and fill with treats! SO MUCH FUN!!
You'll Need:
yellow or white paper cups
construction paper; pink, white or orange
2 wiggle eyes per cup
white or pink pom-pom - for bunny
white or pink pipe cleaners for bunny whiskers
craft feathers for chick
scissors, glue, stapler
How to make the Chick:
From the construction paper, cut an orange triangle for the beak
and a heart for the feet. Staple a few feathers to the back edge of the cup.
You'll want them sticking out from the top of the cup. Now glue the beak and the eyes to the front of the cup. Glue the base of the cup to the heart so that the edges stick out in front to create feet.
How to make the Bunny:
From constuction paper, cut two white ovals, two smaller pink ovals and a heart from either color. Glue the pink onto the white and set them aside to dry.
Use a pipe cleaner for the whiskers. Glue the whiskers on the cup, and then the nose on top of the whiskers, and then add the eyes. Glue or staple the ears to the back edge of the cup. Glue the base of the cup to the heart so that the edges stick
out in front to create feet.
Fill your new Easter friends with grass and fill with treats! SO MUCH FUN!!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Eat this and you will spend less
Have you ever spent more at the grocery store than you planned? It has happened to the best and most disciplined mom's. I spend time every week on a detailed grocery list, but there are many times that I come home with extra items. Stores strategically place impulse items at the end of the isles, so that we will be more likely to purchase them. Many times we are on the run as working mom's, and go to the store hungry. That is when I tend to buy the impulse items!
A recent University of Utah study suggests you may want to eat tryptophan rich foods two to three hours before your next trip to the grocery store. "We found that a combination of tryptophan rich foods (like nuts, meat, and dairy) and carbs can increase your levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that may make you less prone to make impulse buys," says researcher Himansha Mishra, Ph.D. So eat a turkey sandwich, or pack a few nuts in your purse the next time you shop!
A recent University of Utah study suggests you may want to eat tryptophan rich foods two to three hours before your next trip to the grocery store. "We found that a combination of tryptophan rich foods (like nuts, meat, and dairy) and carbs can increase your levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that may make you less prone to make impulse buys," says researcher Himansha Mishra, Ph.D. So eat a turkey sandwich, or pack a few nuts in your purse the next time you shop!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Common places where GERMS LURK!
I recently read and article in Real Simple magazine and I wanted to share the data that was written with all my MOMS out there! These numbers represent colony forming units (CFUs) per square inch. A CFU is a measurement of a microbial organism. The surfaces tested in this study contained everyday bacteria; most of which are not harmful to healthy people, and have no traces of serious germs, like E. coli.
Store shopping cart: 2
Restaurant restroom door handle: 4
Children’s library book: 7
Stuffed toy in a doctor’s office: 8
School desk surface: 12
School computer mouse: 23
Store floor: 33
Public park swing: 59
Restaurant tray: 204
School musical instrument: 262
Video game controller in an arcade: 551
Public park sandbox: 7,440
Classroom faucet handle: 32,000
Cafeteria water fountain spigot: 62,000
Just another reason to keep hand sanitizer handy at all times!
(Research was performed by NSF International Swab Testing, with thanks to Greta Houlahan and Robin Bechanko; article courtesy of Real Simple Magazine)
Store shopping cart: 2
Restaurant restroom door handle: 4
Children’s library book: 7
Stuffed toy in a doctor’s office: 8
School desk surface: 12
School computer mouse: 23
Store floor: 33
Public park swing: 59
Restaurant tray: 204
School musical instrument: 262
Video game controller in an arcade: 551
Public park sandbox: 7,440
Classroom faucet handle: 32,000
Cafeteria water fountain spigot: 62,000
Just another reason to keep hand sanitizer handy at all times!
(Research was performed by NSF International Swab Testing, with thanks to Greta Houlahan and Robin Bechanko; article courtesy of Real Simple Magazine)
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