1 out of 5 starts
This is caffeine free, with rooibos, and a boatload of spices.
In fact, this one is so spicy, one teabag makes a gallon! Not even turning it into chai and adding sugar can really get rid of the overwheming pepper and cardamom. Seriously, I would use it as a cooking base for lentils, dhal, or a rice dish like pillau rice, but as a tea it even blows my head off, and I love spices.
Month: January 2008
Orange Splash Smoothie
Orange Splash Smoothie
Two Servings
• 1 6-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 cup non-fat milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 10 ice cubes
Combine the first five ingredients in a blender; process at high speed. Add ice cubes, a few at a time, blending until smooth.
Nutritional Facts Per Serving:
Calories 190
Total Fat 0 grams
Saturated Fat 0 grams
Cholesterol 2 milligrams
Sodium 62 milligrams
Total Carbohydrate 45 grams
Dietary Fiber 0 grams
Sugars 44 grams
Protein 4 grams
Book Review: Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella
5.0 out of 5 stars Very funny, ROTFL funny
I am not normally a fan of romantic comedy but this had the perfect touch. You meet the man of your dreams on a plane, and he turns out to be your new boss when you are back at work on Monday morning.
Only instead of telling a pack of lies to impress the total stranger, she blurts out the whole truth about everything and everyone in her life.
There are the white lies we tell, and things we don’t say at all, to avoid hurting the people we care about, and then there are huge whoppers. Emma falls into the first category. Jack is so secretive she can’t get him to talk at all.
When he finally does, he tells all about her, because he loves her. But with the most shocking results.
The dramatic tension and romantic tension in the book is far better than any of her Shopaholic books. And I find Emma much more charming. The cast of characters who all get their comeuppance in one way or the other are priceless. One thing is for sure, you will never look at lawyers or little white lies the same way again, let alone thong underwear!
I loved Jack-he actually had personality compare with Luke in her other books. Fast paced and extremely funny! Enjoy!
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5 Kitchen Staples to Help Stretch Your Food Budget Part 2
Continued from Part 1
Pasta. There are many different pasta choices and all have great uses. Manicotti can be stuffed with tomato sauce and cheeses. Macaroni can be used to make a creamy salad and also is great combined with cheese or spaghetti sauce. It can be used for noodle pudding as well for dessert. Spiral pasta is used in many different pasta salads. Spaghetti can be used in a casserole topped with cheese or in the traditional way with tomato sauce and meat. It can also be used as noodles in chinese dishes.
Spices. There are other ways to season food besides salt and pepper. In fact, many spices taste better than salt, and are better for you if you are worried about high blood pressure and stroke or heart disease. Even diehard salt-a-holics won’t miss the salt in foods if other seasonings are used. Cayenne pepper, chili powder, oregano, and garlic powder are all useful tools in your flavor arsenal to give foods a fresh new taste.
Nutmeg, cinnamon, and the secret pumpkin pie spice mace can be used in many desserts. Spices are also a great way of helping you lose weight—a tasty meal is more satisfying than a bland and dull one.
Beans. Beans can top your salad (edamame), make an awesome dip (black beans), and go well with grilled foods (baked beans). They are terrific in chili, using kidney beans, pink beans, pintos, whatever you like. White kidney beans are terrifically versatile, hot, or cold in salad. They provide a good source of protein with very little fat. Beans are good in soups, stews, and over rice for a simple yet filling meal.
Garbanzo beans, also known as chick peas, are great as a dip, or in soup with pasta, or in Indian food, as are kidney beans. They are brilliant in Mediterranean food, as are white kidney beans and pink beans.
Best of all, beans are not only healthy, but they can be very cheap. You can buy them dried, in very large quantities, very inexpensively. Just make sure you follow the package instructions on how to cook them before they go into your recipes. If you are pressed for time, the canned kind are excellent these days.
Do you have these staples in your kitchen? You can probably think of several more that will enhance your pantry and save money. Start with these and grow your own list of basic kitchen staples that are versatile and economical, to get the most out of your grocery budget.
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5 Kitchen Staples to Help Stretch Your Food Budget Part 1
Ever wonder how our forefathers and foremothers always seemed to have food on the table even in lean times?
When we are go to the grocery store every week and get hit up to the tune of hundreds of dollars, we long to know their secret.
Actually, it isn’t a secret at all. It was merely good planning and preparation on their part, and an attitude of letting nothing go to waste.
Once we adopt this mind set, and focus on the essentials of good nutriion, we too will see our grocery dollar stretch further and our meal times more stress free.
The items that we have on hand are what determine what we can cook, and how far our food will go.
Filling your cabinets or pantry with a few useful staples can be the difference between a trip to the grocery store each and every week for a huge load of shopping, versus once or twice a month apart from a quick trip for fresh milk, bread, and meat.
Stocking up just a few choice items is all you need to create wonderful meals.
Flour. Flour is a starter item for many recipes. You can add it to some water and make gravy in the pan for many meat dishes. Flour is used to make bread (biscuits, rolls, loaves) and to coat chicken. It can also be used to coat a round or square cake pan to prevent the cake from sticking. Of course, one of the favorite uses for flour is in cookie recipes that make scrumptious desserts without you spending a fortune on ready-made.
Yes, there are a lot of pre-packaged convenience foods out there, but if you are also weight conscious as well as budget conscious, then take control of your health by making it yourself fresh, instead of pulling it out of a package and eating food laden with preservatives and high fructose corn syrup.
Rice. My mother loves rice so much that we once bought a fifty pound bag from a grocery store. Rice is a side dish, but it doesn’t have to be plain. It can be jazzed up with veggies to accompany dinner. Spanish rice can be made with finely diced peppers, tomatoes, and a dash of turmeric.
My sister-in-law is from Indonesia, and she uses leftover rice for a dessert called sweet rice. Just add evaporated milk and some sugar to a bowl of rice and warm it in the microwave. It is a tasty treat for after dinner. She has rice in the house all the time, which she cooks in an electric rice steamer. She eats it with every meal, including eggs at breakfast. It is certainly cheaper than bread!
Another popular dessert is rice pudding. Rice can also be mixed with leftover meat and a cream soup to form a casserole. Rice has many uses as a thickener in soups and so you can be sure to find a few that your family will love.
Continued in 5 Kitchen Staples to Help Stretch Your Food Budget Part 2
Fruit Bran Milk Shake
Fruit Bran Milk Shake
One Serving
• 2 cups Skim milk
• 1/4 cup All bran cereal
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 1 Medium apple (sliced)
Freeze 1 1/2 cups of the milk in a cube tray overnight. Put the bran, cinnamon, vanilla, and apple into a blender. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of milk. Blend for 20 seconds. Continue blending and slowly, one at a time; add of the frozen milk cubes.
Nutritional Facts Per Serving:
Calories 261
Total Fat 1 grams
Saturated Fat 0 grams
Cholesterol 10 milligrams
Sodium 320 milligrams
Total Carbohydrate 52 grams
Dietary Fiber 11 grams
Sugars 22 grams
Protein 17 grams
Sunny Start Smoothie
Sunny Start Smoothie
Two Servings
• 1 cup of orange juice
• 2 bananas – cut
• 2 Tablespoons of honey
• 1 orange – peeled and cut
• 1/4 cup of granola
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Nutritional Facts Per Serving:
Calories 296
Total Fat 2 grams
Saturated Fat 0 grams
Cholesterol 0 milligrams
Sodium 30 milligrams
Total Carbohydrate 71 grams
Dietary Fiber 6 grams
Sugars 27 grams
Protein 4 grams