Easy Bachelor Friendly Meals #Recipes

My son, Caleb ( Boy #1)  is a smart, handsome, eligible bachelor (no, I am not trying to fix him up, however, if there are any nice girls out there around age 24...) Anyhow, Caleb was spending far too much eating out and while he may not worry about his budget, I do worry about his heart plugging up from all the Chinese take out.

I sent him the Really Real Housewives recipe for pico de gallo, which he found was as easy and delicious as the post claims. He only had one complaint: that he wasn't a housewife and thought we should make a blog for young, cool bachelors who prefer to cook with speed dial more than kitchen utensils.

So, here are some easy fixings for lazy days or lazy young bachelors.

Brunch: 
Eggs are now diet friendly. I've always been an egg fan. Fried, scrambled, hard boiled...any way you cook them, they're a cheap, tasty source of vitamins and protein.

To make the plate more interesting...add zesty potatoes.

These ones were made with Tator Tots (or their generic version, the Tator Puff) To make a healthier version, dice whole potatoes, cleaned with skins on.

Tator Tot version: Sprinkle tots with cayenne pepper and garlic salt and bake as directed.
Potato version: Dice a potato and put it in a bowl. Add a tsp. of canola oil (or olive oil), a tsp each of garlic salt and cayenne pepper. Mix and bake in oven until crispy.

Lunch or Dinner:

Easy Fajitas. 

 Using the pico de gallo  idea. I added a packet of dry taco seasoning to strips of beef like a rub. I allowed the mix to absorb into the meat, then added the peppers and onion.

I prepped the mix on aluminum foil, so I could make the foil into a cooking pouch by crimping the edges. (I always place the aluminum pouch on a cookie sheet, because it often leaks juice.)

The result? A fajita mix you could eat over rice or wrap in a tortilla. We wrapped these in low-carb tortillas and made enough to have plenty left over for lunches and snacks.

Snack Time:

And lastly, a quick, healthy snack. When my boys were little, they loved "ants on a log". They still enjoy this sweet, crunchy snack. 

Add peanut butter and raisins to a stalk of celery. It's that easy!

Clean and store the celery in a bowl lined with a 

napkin or paper towel to keep them fresher longer. 

Easy Chocolate Treat #snacks #diets

Years ago, I was trying to diet (it's a perpetual goal of mine). My cousin's wedding was coming and I was in the wedding party, so I was committed to losing some weight. So committed, I even swore off chocolate. I totally emptied my house of the stuff. My only supply was a box full of these chalky-tasting chocolate diet drinks that were supposed to abolish cravings.

I did pretty well for a few days. Then one Saturday afternoon, I wanted a Snicker bar. Like seriously. I wanted one bad enough I was tempted to swap weekend pajama wear for real clothes and drive to the store.

But I resisted. I ate a banana. Still wanted the Snicker bar. Drank a choco-chalky diet drink. Still wanted that Snicker bar. Ate another banana. Then a yogurt cup.

Still, I wanted that damned Snicker bar. I was about to mix up yet another choco-chalky drink and my skinny niece, who was spending the day with me, said, "Would you just get a Snicker bar? It's what, 280 calories? So far, you've consumed about 400 calories trying NOT to eat what you're really wanting. Go get the Snicker bar before you gain 10 pounds resisting it."

It was an educational moment. She was right. For me, there is nothing to be gained by trying to stay on a stringent diet. That only leads to binge eating and depression.

I've since learned the smarter way to approach healthy eating is to allow for cravings. And here's a great quick and easy crunchy, chocolatey treat:

Put a few chocolate chips (I prefer dark chocolate; it's health food) on a pretzel, microwave for a minute, top with another pretzel. Delicious.

Sassy Health Tips

Hi-ya. So here I am again. Still a bit saggy... although personally, I prefer to think of it as more of a relaxed fit... and hopefully, still sassy and savvy enough to provide you with some worthwhile wellness tips. Some of these may be old-hat to you, some may be new, and some may even be a bit counter-intuitive, but I'm going to try not to be such a smart ass today. This stuff's as real as the mildew growing under my boobs. Okay, so I totally made that part up. (Just a few squirts of X-14 keeps the mildew problem down nicely.) Okay, another lie. Sorry. But trust me, these tips are on the up-and-up. (Unlike my boobs...)

• Want to  amp up a twenty-minute nap so it does a better job kicking fatigue in the keister? Have a cup of coffee first. Really. Downing approximately 200 mg of caffeine immediately before catching a few zees is all you need to turn your mini- nap into a super nap. That's because of something called adenosine, which is a natural byproduct of being awake and active. The higher its level, the more fatigued we feel. Makes sense, right? Well, a nap clears that stuff out of our system, and caffeine is an adenosine-blocker, so just as you're waking up from that nap, the caffeine is kicking in, and... ta-DA!... it effectively amplifies the benefits of that nap. 
• Are you one of those people who is so conscientious about brushing your pearly whites immediately after every meal that you carry a toothbrush in your purse? Hold on. You might want to rethink that, because you may not be doing something quite as good as you think you are. Especially if your meal includes something acidic... like citrus fruit, tomatoes, sports drinks, or sodas. Acid temporarily softens tooth enamel, so brushing too soon, when your teeth are at their most vulnerable, can actually cause damage to your teeth. Bottom line? If you want to still have your choppers when you're as old as I am, best to wait 30-60 minutes before pulling out your toothbrush.
• Those snack products marketed in 100-calorie packages seem to be a great idea, right? I mean, they control our portion size, and essentially save us from ourselves. (Assuming we have enough willpower to only eat one of them, that is.) The thing is, that small portion of carbs may spike your blood sugar a tad initially, but then you're too soon hungry again... for more carbs. It'd be better in the long run to pass on the carb snacks altogether, and reach for proteins. Something like peanut butter or cheese and apple slices. More calories per serving, yeah, but you'll feel full faster, and stay full longer. That means you won't be tempted to stuff your face with something else, and will end up eating fewer calories overall. 
• Are you hooked on energy drinks? If you drink them, you probably are. One of those hopped-up beverages has five times more caffeine than a comparable amount of coffee, so no wonder it leaves you feeling nervous, jittery, and irritable, and makes your heart race. In addition to that mega-dose of caffeine, it also contains aurine, a central nervous system stimulant, and upwards of fifty grams of sugar. (That's a whopping thirteen teaspoons!) Yeah, that'll provide a rapid spike in blood sugar, all right, but it'll also lead to an inevitable hard crash, which will leave you fuzzy-headed, groggy, and... in need of another energy drink. 
• It may sound counter-intuitive, but when you're dragging, exercise can re-energize you. Just thirty minutes of moderate exercise is enough to lessen your fatigue, improve your mood, and get those juices flowing again. Unfortunately, blog-hopping, jumping to conclusions, flying off the handle, carrying things too far, dodging responsibility, pushing your luck, and doing diddly squats don't count as exercises.
• Would you believe there's no evidence that antibacterial soap is any more effective than regular soap? In fact, long-term usage of anti-bacterial products can actually be detrimental to your health. Some of the ingredients in them, particularly something called tricolsan, can lead to hormonal changes in users, and to bacteria with a  higher resistance to antibiotics. Getting the optimal amount of effectiveness from a regular bar of soap requires a certain amount of lather time. A simple trick: To reach that optimal time while washing your hands, sing Happy Birthday in your head... twice.  Well, I suppose you could belt it out loud, but it might get you some strange looks if you do it in a public restroom. Not that (ahem) I know anything about that from personal experience, of course... 
• Smelling a green apple can help ease the severity of migraine headaches. Certain scents naturally help us relax and reduce tension, and studies have shown the green apple scent to be particularly effective. A chilled cut lime is also reported to reduce headache pain, both by smelling it, and by rubbing it on the forehead or temples. For a select few, squeezing it into a margarita may also be beneficial.
• Honey is a powerful antibacterial. Just a little dab will do ya before applying a bandage. If you suffer from hay fever, a teaspoon of honey a day is also reputed to reduce those miserable symptoms. Sweet, huh?
• Cut yourself in the kitchen? (In a minor way, that is; I'm not talking about a to-the-bone debacle.) Rinse the area with cold water, (Use soap if you were handling raw meat.) sprinkle on some black pepper, and  then apply pressure until the bleeding stops. Who'd a thunk it? Good old black pepper has analgesic, antibacterial, and antiseptic properties. How 'bout that? (Doesn't sting, either!)
• Looks like I need to increase my intake of spearmint tea. Just two cups of it a day are supposed to help with hormonal problems, like acne or excess hair. It accomplishes this by reducing the level of male hormones in the body. (I'm reeeeeally getting tired of having to shave my darned face!)
• Having trouble regulating your blood sugar level? Drink slime water! I don't mean you have to sneak out in the middle of a moonless night and skim muck off the top of a dirty ditch, or anything. Nope, you can make your own slime water. I do. Every evening, I wash three pieces of okra, slice off the ends, cut the larger pods in half, and cover all of the pieces with about half a cup of water. (You could use more, but the more you make, the more somebody has to drink.) Refrigerate overnight and in the morning, remove the okra, and drink the slimy water. My husband is the one who saw the tip online, and after investigating it on multiple medical websites, I ascertained that it could help, and most important, it couldn't hurt, so we decided to give it a try. Guess what? At least, for my husband, it has made a difference. Okra water doesn't negate the need for regular diabetes medications, but it has kept his numbers on a nice even keel. (If you try this, drink it all down at once. Then the slime isn't even noticeable.) (So he says...)

Th-th-th-that's all, folks, Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

Best wishes from Susan, long-time housewife, and visiting SOB (Sassy Old Broad)

One of the best things about being an old broad is... grandchildren. Susan and Smarticus have thirteen of them, ranging from three to eighteen, but since they can't all fit on her lap at one time, here's three of the younger ones who do fit. Most Fridays, Susan blogs at I Think;Therefore, I Yam Y'all are cordially invited to come visit her. No telling what the topic might be on any given week. Her body may not be flexible anymore, but her interests still are.

Spice Up Your Camping Menu

I don't know about you, but I have certain favorites when it comes to food and some are meant for specific occasions - such as camping! Other times though, I want to bring something new and different to keep the menu exciting and tummy's happy. One of the new things I brought on our camping trip (that I don't usually think of for camping) was 7 Layer Bean Dip! Yummy!

Now it will be obvious that I'm not super-mom because I bought this from the store instead of making it from scratch. My sanity was at stake! But we do have one of the best recipes for this - which is why I rarely ever buy it. It's so much better homemade! And hopefully there are a couple tips (secrets) with this recipe that you haven't tried yet. If you haven't - you'll love it, I promise!

7 Layer Bean Dip

• 1 can refried beans (mix a little salsa in with this for better texture & flavor!)
• 16 oz sour cream 
• 1 packet of taco seasoning (combine taco seasoning and sour cream & mix well.)
• Guacamole (homemade or otherwise)
• Colby Jack Cheese
• Chopped tomatoes
• Sliced Olives
• Chopped Green Onions

Layer in a 9 x 13 pan in the order listed (starting with refried beans). Chill and serve with your favorite tortilla chips. Easy peasy!!!

This was a great snack to bring out and let everyone munch on. I didn't have to worry about the kids eating candy or junk food and I think everyone enjoyed it even more. We make this for Superbowl parties and BBQ's as well and it's always a hit. Now I know it's marvelous on camping trips as well!

What is your favorite food on camping trips?

Leigh Covington is the mother of three active children and a full time student at Grand Canyon University, finishing her Bachelors in Secondary Education emphasis in English. Fueled by Coca-Cola, she spends the majority of her time watching soccer games or gymnastics lessons, while sneaking in a sweet treat to satisfy her chocolate addiction. She also teaches the youth at church and loves spending time reading a good book whenever she can find a free minute.

Road trips - Don't forget the food

If you're going to eat, you're going to want a drink, right little mouse? And that means you'll have to stop, probably before you want to... so factor that time into your itinerary. Here's my advice for food on a road trip:

• Sometimes snacks are good diversions on a road trip in themselves.
• A small, soft-sided cooler comes in handy for drinks, the healthy refridgerated snacks, and those unexpected delays
• Snacks will tide kids (or you) over until you're ready to stop in twenty more miles at the better exit
• When picking/packing snacks - individual servings are best and I use ziplock bags to make individual servings
• Raid the pantry & fridge - the stuff is going to go bad while you're gone anyway, so bring it! This is also a great time for CREATIVE TRAIL MIX
  
• Take the last bowls of cereal from the boxes the kids think are empty and won't finish
• Use the remnants of crackers, popcorn, pretzels, chips, cookies, even granola bars - just break them up, use what you have!
• That's the beauty of Trail Mix - it doesn't really have to go together because none of the pieces lose their flavor so picky eaters can pick out what they like!
• And if you want to make above healthier, throw in some granola, raisins, or nuts
• Bringing healthy snacks is super smart - they have limited options in the car (and hotel) - if they're hungry, they'll eventually eat the healthy stuff!
• Pack drinks w/lids - nuff said
• Don't give kids easy access to snacks and drinks or you'll be stopping every thirty minutes. Take heart - they're bladders do get bigger as they grow and so do their appetites, but so does the ability to suppress it - trips have become quite easy with teens. (one thing in their favor!)

Well, I hope this helps on your next road trip!

What do you recommend for road trip snacks?

Healthy summer snacking

I’m gonna list again today. My best friend since middle school is a multi-degreed nutritionist, and I use her brain alllll the time. So. Here are my little tips and tricks to eating healthy when kids are home for the summer and want snacks and cookies every few minutes:

1. I’m a sucker for a good trail mix, so I bought these cute TINY bowls from Target, measure out about ⅓ cup trail mix, and I’m not allowed to eat more than that during the day. (Target’s MONSTER Trail Mix is not trail mix. It is candy. Treat as such)
2. When (IF) I make breakfast, I cut up zucchini, carrot, and apple slices, put them in containers, and leave them on the outer edge of the shelf for easy access. And no, if I want them dipped in ranch, I do not feel guilty about this (I only say this because I have friends who have sworn off ranch, even jalapeno ranch, and this makes no sense to me).
3. When I make sandwiches, I’ll slice them all into fourths, put them on a plate for kiddos to come get their share, and I only take two. Eventually, the kids will eat the rest. I also do this with quesadillas, making sure that one of them is low on the cheese and high on the beans for me.
4. Drink water before you eat ANYTHING. Most of the time when we think we’re hungry, we’re thirsty. Try that first. If we’re actually hungry, all that water in our stomach helps us feel fuller for longer. (This is part of Bob Harper’s Skinny Rules, which is what finally helped me shed the pounds from kiddo #2)
   
5. SKINNY POP. This stuff is awesome. Two cups of Skinny Pop Popcorn, and a glass of water, and I’m totally set.
6. Sometimes water is boring. Here are some suggestions: Bai (watch out for caffeine!), Sparkling water (with or without flavoring), Nuun energy tablets that are designed to be dropped in water - I’ve gotten to where a half tablet is enough (some have caffeine, some don’t). If you need a huge jolt, but don’t want to jump in and drink soda, I highly recommend hi*ball - natural caffeine. The grapefruit is the best of the calorie free, and the apple cranberry is the best with calories.
7. DON’T EAT THINGS THAT ARE NOT FOOD. Look at your labels and start googling some of that crap. Scary what’s allowed in our crackers and chips. Smaller ingredient lists are almost always better for you.
8. When I do outings with my kids, I make them take their own food and water in their own pack. That way I’m not sorting through their yummy stuff to get to my carrots.
9. No matter how hard you work out, you can eat more calories than you realized. I pick one day a week and type up every single thing I eat (because it’s SUMMER and I don’t want to be typing in allll my food every day). It gives me a good measure of where I’m at, and it’s not overwhelming and super time-consuming. It’s like my check-in to see if I’m about right for caloric intake, or if I’ve fallen off the wagon.
10. I’m a huge lover of tortilla/taco soup - Get some chicken or veggie broth and then toss in some corn, black beans, white beans, pinto beans, whatever chilis or onions you like, maybe some peas, and salsa for flavor. I’ll freeze that up and have these super easy meals. For those of you who live in places too hot for summertime soup - I do the same thing with salads. I’ll cut up a bunch of salad stuff, so I’m not eating the same one every day. I love Thug Kitchen’s take on salads - PLANT NACHOS!! I can totally get behind that.
11. And FINALLY… I know people who go totally without chocolate (or whatever their favorite treat is). STOP THAT. Buy the quality stuff, and when you’re dying for a sweet fix? Break off a piece. Even the most extreme diets can handle a bite or two of your favorite thing. Don’t get yourself in a position where you’re so deprived you binge. Not good for your mental or physical health.

Hopefully this is helpful… I’m far from perfect, but all these little things help me keep eating healthy so I can keep up with my ever-growing kiddos! Happy Summer Adventures Everyone!! And PLEASE PLEASE share your tips in the comments!!

Jolene Perry writes books for teens and lives in Alaska with her family, dog, cat, and tortoise.

I Tweet   I Facebook   I have an author Site   I Tumblr like a gymnast

Fruitalicious Dried Snacks

Happy Wednesday, peeps! If you were hanging out with me Monday, you might have picked up on the fact that I’m kind of a fiend for saving cash. I’m a DIY-er driven by an obsession with not paying for anything I might be able to do on my own. Or possibly trade pizza and a 6-pack for.

So sticking with that theme – let’s talk about fruit! Dried fruit, that is...

C'mon, don't act like you haven't seen this in your crisper.

In my 2-person household, we have the bad habit of buying fruit and then forgetting about it in the mysterious depths of the crisper drawer until it sprouts a carpet and/or terrible smell. Out of sight, out of mind, you know. We WANT to eat healthy, but in our busy lives snacks that come pre-packaged and non-sticky tend to be the first thing we grab. Anyone who's ever tried to eat a plum on the drive to work knows exactly what I mean. And has a sticky steering wheel.

After we threw away another package of spoiled apple slices, my wonderfully brilliant husband decided that we should try our hand at drying it and making fruit snacks and trail mixes. If you buy trail mix or dried fruit for your family, you know how pricey it can be in the store for the natural products, and the cheaper ones end up being mostly sugar and preservatives.

So yes, what I’m saying is this is totally a win-win.

Being the thorough engineer that he is, he did the research on what kind of dehydrator would be the best for us and we settled on this one for us based on the size, ratings, temperature settings and price. There are so many options out there and you can spend anywhere from $20 - $200 on a dehydrator, but even some of the higher end ones had terrible reviews. 

Lesson: Unless you like throwing money away for fun, do the research!

After lots of trial and error and some rather interesting experiments, we discovered that our favorites are thinly sliced dried pineapple chips, cantaloupe/honeydew, cinnamon apple slices and watermelon chips.

That’s right... Dried WATERmelon. Counter-intuitive, isn’t it? But O....M....G.... Dried watermelon ultimately tastes like watermelon candy and has a taffy-like texture that will become your favorite sweet snack. And getting healthy snacks in the house that your family WANTS to eat (and quite possibly fights over) is its own reward!

Left to right: Dried Watermelon, zucchini chips, fig slices, sliced/seasoned tomatoes,
honeydew, trail mix, and cinnamon apple slices. One giant pile of YUM.

The snackalicious possibilities are endless with a dehydrator and there are resources a-plenty on the web to give you great ideas to try. Here’s a few to get you started:

Fruit leather guide: These are basically homemade fruit roll-ups with any fruits you choose. It’s the perfect solution for those overripe fruits you don’t want to just throw away. Not to mention delish!

Kale Chips: My favorite is garlic and cashew

36 Foolproof Recipes: This’ll get you started, and then some!

Now that your mouth is watering and your pocketbook is ready for a refill, go salvage your fruit drawer!

Going Old School

School lunches are the beginning of the end of nutrition for our kids. Once they start eating at school, we have less control of what they eat. The government tries to help with required side dishes and limiting calories and whatever else they're trying to do, thinking they're helping. But kids will eat what they want to eat. Healthy choices start at home.

These old sayings and quotes are honest to goodness truths...

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

You are what you eat.

If you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it.

True healthcare reform starts in your kitchen, not in Washington (source)

Eat to live, not live to eat. - Socrates (source)

Garbage in garbage out. - George Fuechsel (source)

The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not. - Mark Twain  (from brainy quotes)

In general, mankind, since the improvement of cookery, eats twice as much as nature requires. - Ben Franklin  (from brainy quotes)

The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition. - Thomas Edison (source)

Today, more than 95% of all chronic disease is caused by food choice, toxic food ingredients, nutritional deficiencies and lack of physical exercise. - Mike Adams (source)

To get our kids to eat better in life, we must do it ourselves at home first with as much natural foods as possible and keep the artificial, processed foods to a minimum. I'm totally guilty of taking advantage of time-saving pre-packaged goodies to pack lunches with. But I try to balance those with more healthy options.

So here are my tips for packing healthy lunches:

• nature has plenty of pre-packaged, serving-size foods, take advantage of them!
• and for the bigger or harder to manage fruits and veg, pre-cut and prepackage them yourself - this is also great for grabbing a quick snack!
• try to keep a ratio of at least 4 out of 5 healthy choices
• the main dish - pbj or pbb(anana) sandwiches on white wheat bread are my boys' staples
• at least one fresh fruit or veg - my bigger boys need more food, so they get two or three
• a healthy side - nuts, granola bars, pretzels, whole grain crackers
• a low-cal drink - they make low-cal juice pouches, and sometimes water is what they choose - everyone should drink more water!
• a sweet - this is my clinker, but as long as you have all the rest and you don't go overboard, everyone deserves a little dessert, and there are healthy choices here too.

Bon appetit!