You must eat this

Nutella S’Mores


Graham cracker
Nutella
Toasted marshmallow
Happiness

Waiter, there’s a soy in my tuna

I was having Easter dessert with a cousin of mine and we were talking about food and healthy eating and he asked me what is in my can of tunafish.  Well the obvious, right?  Tuna, water, maybe some salt.  He smirked at me and said, “Go look at the can.” I did, and was shocked to find…

Soy? Soy.  Why? Apparently soy is used in many foods as a filler and other uses.  In this case, it is in the vegetable broth that is added to the tuna.

This is directly from the Bumble Bee website: Bumble Bee uses commercially available vegetable oils (e.g., soybean oil) from licensed manufacturers or distributors. These oils are purchased only from approved suppliers that source from a wide range of approved crops. Soybeans grown in commercial quantities in the United States include both GM and non-GM varieties, but current regulations do not require the identification and labeling of these varieties. Consequently, our products containing refined soybean oil may or may not be produced from GM soybeans. Labeling either as containing or not containing could be equally inaccurate. FDA does not permit food to be labeled inaccurately.

Considering that 93% if the soy crops grown in the U.S. contain GMOs I think the chances are pretty good that the tuna contains GMOs.

When they say GM they are talking about Genetically Modified Organisms or GMOs.  There is a lot of information on the internet about GMOs and the possible dangers associated with them. It’s a controversial topic and the bottom line is that there isn’t enough research to support the safe use of them.  So why are we being the lab rats.  It’s enough for me to know that the use of GMOs has been banned in some European countries.  Will we ban them here?  Probably not?  Why? Money.

The information in this article is enough to make me want to stay away from them, but the problem is that they are EVERYWHERE and they’re hidden.  There is no requirement that companies label for this.  Who would have thought that tuna contains anything other than tuna, water, and some salt? Here are some helpful tips to try to avoid GMOs.

The lesson here for me is to always read labels and never assume anything.  I’m not naive to the fact that I am consuming things on a daily basis that are bad for me, but sometimes I just assume that something is more of a healthy choice.  In this case I was wrong.  This was a healthy reminder that I need to stay aware.

More helpful tips

DietAid

Comfort food

We’re bracing for Hurricane Sandy right now and in need of some comfort food. I made this. Can’t get any more comforting!

From www.kraftrecipes.com

VELVEETA Down-Home Macaroni & Cheese

Prep time: 25 min

Total time: 45 min

Makes: 5 servings, 1 cup each

What You Need

1/4 cup butter or margarine, divided
1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked
1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese
6 RITZ Crackers, crushed (about 1/4 cup)

Make It

Heat oven to 350°F. Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in medium saucepan on medium heat. Whisk in flour; cook 2 min., stirring constantly. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to boil; cook and stir 3 to 5 min. or until thickened. Add VELVEETA; cook 3 min. or until melted, stirring frequently. Stir in macaroni.
Spoon into 2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray; sprinkle with Cheddar. Melt remaining butter; toss with cracker crumbs. Sprinkle over casserole.
Bake 20 min. or until heated through.

Nutritional information per serving

Calories 460 , Total fat 25g , Saturated fat 15g , Cholesterol 75mg , Sodium 870mg , Carbohydrate 42g , Dietary fiber 2g , Sugars 8g , Protein 17g , Vitamin A 20%DV , Vitamin C 0%DV , Calcium 50%DV , Iron 10%DV .

Roasted vegetables

Roasted vegetables are one of the simplest, delicious things to make. I like to roast a bunch of veggies on a Sunday to have in the fridge. They’re great with macaroni as a meal, as a side dish, veggie sandwich, or alone as a snack.

Three simple steps!

Preheat oven to 475, then…

1. Chop

Chop up any veggies you like

2. Toss

Toss them all in a baking dish,
Drizzle with olive oil
Sprinkle with any spices you like
{I use The Melting Pot’s Garlic and Wine Spice}
Toss with your hands until veggies are evenly coated

3. Roast

Roast veggies for about 45 minutes. Be sure to stir them about every 15 minutes.

They should look like this when done

Yum!

Skinnygirl rules

Simple

Who needs a chip clip when you have a clothespin?

Well it’s about that time. Spring is starting to show her pretty face and along with wanting to clean, organize, and get outside, generally we women want to shed those few (or more) pounds that have crept up on us during winter.  I’m so sick of all the fad diets and programs and torture yourself tactics to lose weight.  It’s not in our nature as humans to want to deprive ourselves of anything, especially food.

So it’s time to flip the switch.  I will not deprive myself of anything.  Instead I will have MORE please.  This is my new diet for 2012.  The MORE diet.  I’m not weighing myself, banning any foods, or trying any extreme exercise programs.  Instead I am having MORE!!!

 

Date night, a misunderstanding, and breakfast for a week

Last weekend my husband and I were granted a date night by a friend who volunteered to watch the boys for us. 🙂 I love when that happens.  Our plan was that we were going to get something to eat then see a movie.  My husband came home and declared that we would be dropping the boys off at 6:30 and the movie started at 7:00.  It was 5:15.  I had nothing defrosted because I thought we were going out to eat so I got myself all in a tizzy.  Quick dinner = eggs!  Peppers and egg sandwiches.  So I cracked some eggs.

No I'm not a photographer...sorry :0)

I was just about to scramble them up when Jack asked me why I was cooking.  Wait, what?  Ok so he neglected to mention that the boys would be having pizza over at our friend’s house and that we would be stopping quickly before the movie to grab some pizza ourselves.  Hmmm now I had cracked eggs, but no dinner to serve.  What to do…breakfast frittata!

I threw some parsley, grated cheese and salt into the eggs and scrambled them up.  Then I heated up some olive oil and tossed in frozen peppers, onions, and some shredded up ham.

Still not a photographer!

I let that saute for a bit, then put that mixture into a pie dish.  I poured the eggs over, then popped it in the oven.

I cooked it until it set – about 20 minutes, then I added some sliced mozzarella and shredded cheddar because no meal is complete without cheese.  I cooked that about 10 minutes and it was now time to leave.  The frittata was not done cooking.  I shut off the heat, but left it in the oven with some foil over the top of it and hoped for the best.

When we got home the house smelled like, well, eggs of course.  When I took the foil off of the pie dish it was like opening up a gift.  I was greeted with this little beauty.

It was so tasty and I was so happy that our little miscommunication resulted in yummy breakfast!

Have you ever serendipitously created something delicious?

Linking up to The Nester’s – It’s Not Perfect but it’s Beautiful party.

Some great tips and tricks!

I got this email in my inbox today. Some of these ideas I already knew about or have seen on blogs and Pinterest, but some are new to me. I wanted to include them in a post so I can come back and reference them.  Thank you to whomever compiled this list!  It’s fantastic!

DISCLAIMER:  These are not my ideas!  If one of these ideas originated with you or you know where it came from, please let me know so I can give proper source credit.

Ideas to Make Life Easier

Why didn’t I think of that?! We guarantee you’ll
be uttering those words more than once at these
ingenious little tips, tricks and ideas that solve
everyday problems.

Hull strawberries easily using a straw.

Rubbing a walnut over scratches in your furniture
will disguise dings and scrapes.

Remove crayon masterpieces from your TV or
computer screen with WD40.

Stop cut apples browning in your child’s lunch box
by securing with a rubber band.

Overhaul your linen cupboard, store bed linen sets
inside one of their own pillowcases and there will
be no more hunting through piles for a match.

Pump up the volume by placing your iPhone & iPod
in a bowl. The concave shape amplifies the music.

Re-use a wet-wipes container to store plastic bags.

Add this item to your beach bag. Baby powder
gets sand off your skin easily, who knew?!

Attach a Velcro strip to the wall to store soft toys.

Use wire to make a space to store gift wrap rolls
against the ceiling, rather than cluttering up the
floor.

Find tiny lost items like earrings by putting a
stocking over the vacuum hose.

Make an instant cupcake carrier by cutting
crosses into a box lid.

For those who cant stand the scrunching and
bunching: how to perfectly fold a fitted sheet.

Forever losing your bathroom essentials? Use
magnetic strips to store bobby pins, tweezers
and clippers, behind a vanity door.

Store shoes inside shower caps to stop dirty
soles rubbing on your clothes. And you can
find them in just about every hotel.

A muffin pan becomes a craft caddy. Magnets
hold the plastic cups down to make them
tip-resistant.

Bread tags make the perfect cord labels.

Bake cupcakes directly in ice-cream cones, so
much more fun and easier for kids to eat.

Microwave your own popcorn in a plain brown paper
bag. Much healthier and cheaper than the packet
stuff.

Install a tension rod to hang your spray bottles.

Turn your muffin pan upside down, bake cookie-dough
over the top and voila, you have cookie bowls for fruit
or ice-cream.

Freeze Aloe Vera in ice-cube trays for soothing
sunburn relief.

Create a window-box veggie patch using guttering.

Use egg cartons to separate and store your
Christmas decorations.