On the Menu Monday!

I realized I haven't eaten a home-cooked meal in over a week! No wonder I'm exhausted and feeling run down. Living on hospital cafeteria and restaurant food is not the best option, but sometimes we just have no choice. Don't get me wrong; I LOVE to eat out! Just not everyday for over a week.

Since I am back home and finally have some down-time, I decided to purge a bunch of magazines (pulling out what I liked and recycling the rest). I found some great tips and inspiration, along with some yummy-sounding recipes I'm excited to try out.

Here's some of what I found:

~ Added to my Book Wish List: Paris Sweets by Dorie Greenspan. It is a story of her love of pastries and Paris complete with whimsical drawings and yummy recipes I can't wait to try. She also has a blog....check it out.

~ Precious/Sorrento Cheese is offering a FREE 46-page downloadable pasta cookbook.

~ Rachael Ray Magazine and On-Cor announced a contest to win a NYC Rachael Ray Show Getaway Package! Enter here.....Good luck!

~ Have you noticed how mini-desserts are all the rave now? These shot glasses of decadence somehow make us feel less guilty because of their tiny size. As if calories only count on full size servings. Or maybe it's so we can have a sampling of more than one flavor? I'm not sure, but I agree....I love them! Move over Cheesecake Factory and PF Changs, I may just serve up my own mini- dessert bar at my next gathering!

Pier 1 Imports offers up a wonderful guide to hosting Tasting parties.  their website is packed with great ideas and recipes. Here is one that I am anxious to test out:

Serve in 12 mini shot glasses.

3 tbsp butter, melted

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp sugar

8-oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp milk

4 oz baking chocolate or chocolate chips

8-oz whipped topping

chocolate shavings or wafers for garnish

• Melt butter in microwave bowl, add cracker crumbs and sugar, mix thoroughly. Place about a teaspoon of mixture in the bottom of each glass. Press down.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat softened cream cheese and vanilla until fluffy.
• In smaller microwavable mixing bowl, melt together milk and chocolate until melted and creamy. Add to cream cheese mixture, mix thoroughly. gently fold in whipped topping.
• Fill each glass to the top with chocolate mousse. Garnish with a dollop of whipped topping and chocolate shavings or wafers.

Enjoy the "little" things in life!

-dw.

Going Bananas!

Some time ago as I prepared for an upcoming trip, I bought a word game book called, Banana-Grams. If you know me, you know I LOVE word games. Scrabble, Bookworm, crosswords, anything with words and I'm in! So when I saw the book, I had to have it. I gave it a glance but really never got into it. I'll be honest, I didn't really get it. It was more than merely unscrambling words, it was banana boats, banana splits, banana shakes....etc. (That translates adding/changing letters to create new words, connecting words (like crosswords), turning one word into another word through a chain of letter changes....etc. The banana references were completely lost on me. I left it in my carry on bag and almost forgot about it. Then a friend starting mentioning a game by the same name. Odd, as she as referring to a table game played with tiles. Now, I was really confused. Then one day while waiting for a prescraiption at Walgreens, I noticed an end rack full of bananas. Well, not real bananas, but rather cloth bags in the shape and color of bananas. I stopped and caught a glimpse of the name on the side of the bag. BananaGrams. Price = $14.99. It seemed a bit much to pay for something I truly had no real knowledge of (and there was no help on the outer packaging to aid in figuring it out). But, I decided if it was a word game, surely I would enjoy it.

It was the best $15 investment I've made in ages!!!!

I LOVE it!

Two players (you can play with more, we just haven't yet) draw 21 tiles a piece. You then start creating words, connecting them to each other (like crosswords). Each time a player uses up all their letters each player draws another tile. First player to use all of their letters after the last tile is drawn from the bag WINS! It is like playing Scrabble without a board and zero wait time between turns! It is quick moving, easy to play, and very compact. If you haven't gotten in on the craze, I strongly suggest you try it! But I'm warning you....it's rather addicting!

And what about the book? It makes a LOT more sense to me now. I found it was more fun after playing the "real" game. So back in my travel bag it goes. Since the game version isn't ideal for airplanes....the book will make a nice travel edition!

enjoy trying new things!

-d.

No Library Card or Cash Needed!

In this economy, good deals seem to be getting easier and easier to find. But completely FREE?
That's not usually quite as easy! But Tow Books has done it....

John Warner, Chief Creative Czar of TOW Books announced, “We’re giving the books away for free. The problem with books isn’t that they cost too darn much, it’s that they cost anything at all. Thanks to file sharing, music doesn’t cost anything anymore. Why should books be any different? Why should someone pay 10 or 15 dollars for something they’re not sure is going to be any good?”

The giveaway includes dozens of copies of the actual physical books TOW has released, along with unlimited free electronic copies.

I chose, Everything Is Wrong With You: The Modern Woman's Guide to Finding Self-Confidence Through Self-Loathing
by Wendy Molyneux

Here is the description Tow Books offered....

While other self-help books might tell you that something is wrong with you, this book is here to tell you that everything is wrong with you. In your quest for perfection, are there things you've forgotten to worry about?

Like: Are your toes weird? I'm not saying they are, but are they?

What if you think you are thin, but you actually have a vision disorder that just makes you see yourself as thin when, in fact, you are totally not thin? Think about it!

What if whenever you go out of town your boyfriend has crazy orgies at your house? And what if all your best friends come to those orgies? Of course I can't prove it, but can you disprove it?

Remember, if you were OK, there wouldn't be so many books and magazines out there devoted to helping you get prettier and be more stylish. I mean, if you think that publishers are just in it for the money, then you definitely have trust issues! How can you solve them? Please purchase this book to find out. And maybe buy an extra copy in case you lose this one. And a third one in case you get mugged on your way home and the mugger demands three copies in exchange for your life. It happens all the time. On the other hand, you could just walk out of here without this book, thinking that you are great just the way you are … and arrive home to find that your husband has left you because of your weird toes.

Click here to see the available downloads.


enjoy the free laughs!
-d.

Eat This...at Panda Express

I love the Eat This, Not That books by David Zinczenko (Editor of Men's Health Magazine). I appreciate the help it gives me in knowing the best...and worst...menu items to order when eating out. Today I checked out my favorite shopping mall eatery, Panda Express.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that my choices here are usually pretty good. However, I was very dissapointed to learn that my side of steamed rice is a very high calorie choice. The side dish suggested is mixed veggies (90 calories), but with both main dishes already containing veggies, I will most likely pass.

One of my favorite dishes is listed as a calorie nightmare, but it certainly doesn't come as a shock. Orange Chicken, with all it's breading and deep frying, came in at a scale sinking 500 calories. (Note: It is the only item on their menu containing Trans Fat.)

My other two favorites, however, scored very well; Broccoli Beef and Mushroom Chicken together with mixed veggies total only 350 calories.

As for my usual side of steamed rice? At 380 calories alone, it is NOT a good option. I'll add on a bowl of Egg Flower soup instead (only 88 calories) and make it an even lower calorie meal overall!

Knowledge is Power.

enjoy the food even more knowing it's a good choice for you.

-d.

You may recall an entry I did some time ago when I discovered the book, Eat This, Not That. It is an incredible book that helps you learn which restaurant foods are better for you and which will sabotage your weight loss faster than you can say, "drive-thru!" It was put together by David Zinczenko, editor of Men's Health Magazine, and now there is a sequel out focusing on kids' foods.

I recently signed up for his e-mail newsletter so I could continue reading his great facts about restaurant foods. (I eat out way more than I should with my schedule, so I need to stay informed!)

Check out this article from his site:
16 Secrets the Restaurant Industry Doesn't Want You to Know

...and his appearance on the Ellen show:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1600119196/bctid1606785709

It's okay to eat out...just get the facts first!

enjoy your next fast food meal with less guilt!
-d.

Blogger Alert!

Like the old time journals passed down through generations, blogs are a window into our thoughts and adventures for future generations to discover.

Have you ever thought about printing out all of your blog postings and binding them together to create a real book? Well now it is super easy to do just that! Scrapbook Blogger does most all the work for you. With a few clicks of the mouse your blog is quickly transformed into the pages of a hard copy book. Print your entries out a year at a time or pick and choose which specific entries to include.

I played around a little on the site and found it fairly easy to navigate. (Check out the FAQ page before starting a project.) I wanted to do the layout and design work on my own pages, and there is an option to do just that (yea!). You can merge posts, change backgrounds, let the program design the pages for you, or arrange them yourself!

It is a quick and easy way to get your blog "published" in hard copy form and the expense wasn't much more than printing out color copies at your neighborhood Kinko's.

enjoy publishing the stories of your life!

-d.

Healthy Living With Ellie Krieger Follow-Up...

A while back I discovered a great book and shared about it on this site so I thought I would share this request I received today in case anyone wants to participate...

A national women's magazine wants to talk to women who are having success on the Healthy Living With Ellie Krieger program! Have you lost weight as a result of making healthy changes? Are you a mom who's gotten her family hooked on Ellie's recipes?

If you're interested in sharing your story, please send a note to success@healthylivingwithellie.com!

Who knows maybe you'll be featured in the magazine and you can be a inspiration to others! Good Luck!

enjoy sharing your story,

-d.

Ready to be a LOSER!

Okay, I'm in.

Well actually, back in. I have drawn the line in the sand and decided to start counting points again to shed these unwanted pounds! With the help of Weight Watchers' Points Program I lost 25 pounds back in 1999 and it's time to do it again.
My weight, like most people's, has fluctuated up and down over the past nine years, but now it has creeped back up to its highest number once again. I didn't like it then and I like it even less now. I want my waist back! I want to put my bikini back on - yeah, I actually could wear one only four, short years ago! (But that was an effect of the Divorce Diet; a plan I strongly discourage!) I want more energy. I want to be healthier and lower my blood pressure. I want to wear the smaller section of clothes hanging in my closet. That little black dress, those tighter jeans, and all those summer clothes!

So here is my plan...

I have decided against "joining" Weight Watchers. I know, I know, we all need accountability. But I'm going to go about it a little differently this time. Same Points system, just a different way of staying on track. I need some of YOU to help me do it! (I know many of you are not happy with where your at in your weight battles either.) Sooooo...we need to band together girls! Form a team. Unite for the greater loss!

Are ya with me?!!!!

I discovered a site called PeerTrainer today. And I joined. It's totally free, and I want YOU to join too. We can have our own private weight loss support group. Our own completely private place to set our goals and let each other know how we are doing along the way. Only those we know can join the group (for others reading this, there are a lot of public groups as well). If you'd like to participate leave me a message here or e-mail me and I will send you the link invitation.

Go check out the site, ask yourself if you can use a little help from your friends, and then make the commitment. Not to me....but rather to yourself.

Weight loss is not easy. It is not quick. It requires total dedication, and darn it, some days we may not find it alone. We need to rally together and hit the road running!

Now...are ya with me?!

Ah, come on....

To get the ball rolling, I have supplied a couple low Point snack options, a link to a Points converter (could they make it any simpler?!) and a suggestion to get a copy Lisa Lillien's book, Hungry Girl (I found mine at Safeway today!). Then check out her website featuring the WW Points for her recipes! I am also heading to Amazon to buy the latest Biggest Loser Success Stories book full of tips and advise.

5 Red Vines Licorice = 3 Points

16 Pretzels = 2 Points

9 Mini Cheddar Rice Snacks = 2 Points

1 Apple = 1 Point

1 Banana = 1 Point

Handful of Carrots = 0 Points!!!

enjoy having the support of friends!

-d.

What I learned today....

I just read the details on Stacy Julian's new book, Photo Freedom, and I am very excited to get my hands on it! For those of us that have heaps of photos waiting to be scrapbooked (I'm talking YEARS and YEARS worth here), it could be a lifesaver! Or at the very least a great guilt-reducer! Here's the bio:

Photo Freedom: A Big Picture Approach to Organizing and Scrapbooking Your Photos by Stacy Julian

Are you tired of feeling like you’re drowning in a sea of photos that may never get scrapbooked? Stacy Julian throws you a life preserver in her new book, Photo Freedom. Teaching you the system she teaches in her successful “Library of Memories” class, Stacy gives you a “Big Picture approach” to prioritizing and organizing photos. With Stacy coaching you through this book, you’ll get those piles of photos off the computer (and out of shoeboxes) and into your scrapbooks quicker than you ever thought possible. Through Photo Freedom, you’ll gain the freedom to scrapbook the memories you wish to preserve and have fun in the process.
130 pages, $19.95

Frugalities.com (my favorite on-line sb supplier) is doing a survey...if you fill it out you save 49% off your entire order! While they don't have everything on my current wish list, it will be better than shopping at this weekend's Shop Hop and only saving 20%. Too bad they are in Washington state so I pay sales tax either way; but hey, I get faster shipping right?!

Real Simple provided this great piece of advice and I had to share! Do you throw away carrots because they are getting dry? I do. I never seem to use them up fast enough and then I end up wasting the remaining portion. Well, next time try simmering them in a small amount of water to rejuvenate them! No more wasting carrots!

AccuCut introduced black chipboard at CHA! How cool is that?! Sometimes I love the natural color but there are times I want a completely different look and this will be perfect! YEA! They also blew me away with new Maya Road dies. They cut the paper to cover/alter the Maya Road products perfectly...chipboard albums, tins, etc! I cannot wait to use these!!!! And the new convertible cards and albums dies are quite impressive too! Way to stay on top of the game AccuCut!!!!

Planning a party and need great ideas? Head to Fine Living's Party Place! It is packed with ideas, photos and recipes for throwing the ultimate get-togethers! It's awesome! Because, you all know how much I love to throw parties!

enjoy the things you learn today!

-dw

How to Eat Yogurt...

For whatever reason, and I can think of a few obvious ones, I have never liked yogurt. I have wanted to. I fed it to my children. I thought I might change my opinion after they began creating new, cooler flavors. But, hard as I try, I just can't do it!

So today while skimming through some recipes on Food Network I clicked on a Baked Chicken recipe that sounded yummy, easy to make, and healthy (a hard combination to find)! When I read through the ingredients list I was surprised to see yogurt listed. Aha! Now, that is one way I might be able to get some yogurt into my diet. Everything is better with a little crispy, fried chicken, right?!

I noticed nutritionist and celebrity chef Ellie Krieger (whom I just discovered via the yogurt chicken recipe) has a book out. It looks very good! Maybe a trip to Borders is in order to check it out more closely and maybe even bring it home and start applying it to my overweight life!!

Small Changes, Big Results: A 12-Week Action Plan to a Better Life by Ellie Krieger and Kelly James-Enger. Has anyone already bought it? Do you recommend it? Let's hear your reviews.

Her new cookbook looks good too! The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life by Ellie Krieger.

Check them both out at Amazon.

enjoy the books that help you succeed in life!

-dw