The Benefits of Microwave Toaster Ovens

Microwave ovens have been around for awhile now. They are one basic appliance that can be seen in the kitchens in every household and who wouldn’t buy this perfect appliance anyway? They made our lives so much easier than it used to be. It heats leftover food and liquid and have a defrosting capability. It’s perfect for any homes, whether it be in an apartment or condominium. Even though you have this awesome machine, it can’t do beyond that it what is required. The limitation of such a machine can be saved by a toaster oven. That is why people buy a second device, the toaster. However, what if these two can be combined? It would be far better if everyone would have just one machine with two functions in it. Luckily, there is the microwave toaster oven. It’s exactly a combination of the two. It’s a microwave and a toaster in one! Continue reading “The Benefits of Microwave Toaster Ovens”

Top 5 Tips for Dining Out the Healthy Way

If you’re like me, you have the best intentions when it comes to cooking meals for yourself and your family, but it seems that time gets away from you and you end up deciding to dine out instead. Eating out can be a time saver but it can also be a challenge to make healthy choices when you’re not cooking things yourself.

The good news is, with a little planning you can make educated choices before you even leave your house! Here are my top 5 tips for dining out.

1. Plan ahead. This applies to both where you’re eating and what you’re ordering. Have a list of go-to restaurants where you know the menu well so you don’t have to spend a ton of time deciding what to choose. Have your family create a list of several places everyone likes and use that as a rotating list of places to go in a pinch. You can even add a new place you want to try once in a while. Many restaurants have their menus posted online so you can determine if it’s the right choice for you before you head out. Continue reading “Top 5 Tips for Dining Out the Healthy Way”

Baby Food Mill – Puree Wholesome & Natural Food for Your Little Ones

Get your little ones off to a healthy start in life by feeding them with homemade baby food. They provide an efficient way of preparing healthy and nutritious food for your little ones. Today’s mills are multi functional in that they can grind most products (carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, apples and even meat) to the desired texture. During the teething process a good quality grinder is specially designed to crush solid food into a semi solid state which helps with your baby’s ease of swallowing. They are compact, easy to assemble and clean, lightweight and are travel friendly.The process of grinding is extremely straightforward; you put the desired food inside the baby food mill and grind.

When choosing a product you should purchase based on the following criteria.The capacity of the baby food mill should be your first consideration as each of these appliances process varying amounts of food at a time. Larger volume baby food processors allow you to process several meals at once so that the food can be stored for later use or for freezing. Continue reading “Baby Food Mill – Puree Wholesome & Natural Food for Your Little Ones”

Easy Entertaining – Frugal Holiday Entertaining

One aspect to take into consideration when entertaining is the financial cost. If you aren’t careful, expenses can add up, pushing you over budget when feeding a crowd. Follow these easy tips to keep your holiday gatherings memorable and budget-friendly!

1. Don’t worry about decorating the entire house. Focus the festive decorating in the room where you are entertaining. Concentrate on the food and the table if you are on a tight budget.

2. Use what you have. Re-purpose items you already have on hand instead of buying new ones. Collect branches and pine cones yourself and use for decorating instead of purchasing them.

3. When choosing a menu, make budget-conscious choices. For example, a standing rib roast is a beautiful entrée, but it will push your budget way up. Host a Buon Natale theme, an “Italian Inspired Christmas” and prepare two delicious, yet inexpensive pasta main dishes along with salads and a loaf of foccacia. Choose recipes that call for lower cost ingredients. Continue reading “Easy Entertaining – Frugal Holiday Entertaining”

4 Qualities That an Excellent Bed and Breakfast Should Have

Booking your stay at a bed and breakfast is not just about having a place to spend the night. There are various elements that make up for a worthwhile experience. Here are 4 qualities you ought to find in such a place:

1. Location of the Lodge

Location is extremely important. When deciding on a bed and breakfast, people need to see to it that it is close to the areas that they want to see. If you intend to have the ability to travel within budget, it would be best that the location of the inn is near traveler areas and prime locations. This would certainly not just save you from spending much on charge, it will also be a time saver.

2. Warm and friendly personnel. Continue reading “4 Qualities That an Excellent Bed and Breakfast Should Have”

Basmati Brown Rice Pulav

Deeply love rice but avoiding it due to diet or carb issues? But this substitute will fulfil your cravings for rice in the most delicious ways.

Yes it is the unmilled, unrefined, unprocessed form of white rice.

It is the healthy gluten free option which will help you meet all your nutrition requirements without compromising on taste and diet.

Just removal of the outer hull of the rice kernel gives is this variety of rice which has a layer of bran.

Over the few years, It is gained popularity and have a designated place on the shelf in many kitchens. It has become a great pick for those who are health and fitness conscious. However, cooking brown rice is time consuming process. And moreover, people assume that being a healthy option, brown rice has a boring taste. Continue reading “Basmati Brown Rice Pulav”

Freezer Cooking – A Great Way to Save Money on Your Monthly Grocery Bill

Some people call this once-a-month cooking, once-a-week cooking, or freezer cooking. The names may be different but the concept is the same. You block out one day and do the bulk of your cooking for the designated time period.

This can really be a great money saver for those families who don’t feel like they have enough time to cook on weeknights and consequently eat out frequently. This is also great because you can build your weekly cooking around the sales, buying in bulk, or those items you are able to use coupons to buy for pennies.

If this is the first time you’ve ever done this, I suggest planning on cooking for one week. Carve out a day where you know you can cook with minimal interruptions. Continue reading “Freezer Cooking – A Great Way to Save Money on Your Monthly Grocery Bill”

A Compact Refrigerator Can Bring Health Benefits

Do you live in an apartment or dorm room? or do you enjoy traveling and want to save time, money and live a healthier life? If so, a compact refrigerator or mini fridge can be the answer you’re looking for. Many people already know about some of the benefits that a compact refrigerator provides, but many people do not realize that owning a mini fridge can provide health benefits as well. Did you know that owning a compact refrigerator could help you eat less, spend less and waste less?

When determining one’s refrigeration needs, a consumer can easily assume that purchasing a smaller appliance will save space and be more energy efficient, which is true statement, but many do not realize the health benefits that a compact refrigerator can bring. One health benefit from owning a mini fridge is that it can prevent consumers from purchasing large quantities of food at a time, thus eliminating the possibility to overeat. Consumers who purchase small amounts of food and beverages will be inclined to eat less, thus saving inches on his or her waistline. In today’s society, purchasing just enough food that one individual or a small family can consume is also an excellent money saver as well.

Continue reading “A Compact Refrigerator Can Bring Health Benefits”

How To Vacuum Seal And Freeze Food In Canning Jars

I want to cook soups and freeze them in canning jars and have ordered a product online that will vacuum seal these jars for me. I have never canned but I found online that there are canning jars that I can freeze in. I know that I must leave space in the jar for expansion. Do I wait until the soup is cooled off before putting it into the jars? Must I purchase these jars online only? Would the canning jars that they sell at Ace, etc. not be advisable for freezing?

All standard canning jars (Ball and Kerr) can safely be placed in the freezer. Jars take up a lot of freezer space and are somewhat dangerous because they can and do break easily. Cleaning glass out of a freezer would be about the last thing on my list of things to do.

A better method for freezing soup (and many other foods) is to quick-freeze it in user-friendly amounts first. I use 1-cup plastic containers for soup so that I can use 1 for one serving (nice for lunch for one), or I can pull out more if I need more servings. After they are frozen I pop them out of the plastic containers and stack them and seal them with my FoodSaver in a bag. They fit better in the freezer. You can do the same thing in inexpensive 1-quart plastic freezer containers if you need larger amounts than 1-serving sizes. Continue reading “How To Vacuum Seal And Freeze Food In Canning Jars”

5 Reasons Having a Mobile Pizza Party Is the Best Idea Ever

Who says you can’t serve pizza in your party? In fact, hiring a mobile pizza company to do the catering for your party is the best idea you can ever think of. Here are some of the reasons why you should definitely consider serving pizza on any party or get-together.

Why Pizza is the Best Party Food Ever
1. Everybody loves pizza
Sure, caviar and steak made from Kobe beef may be some of the best and fanciest foods out there, but you don’t see many people, kids specially, lining up for them. Pizza is just one of those rare foods that children and adults love equally. If your guests are a mix of people from different age groups, then it certainly is a must that you serve this all-time favourite.

2. Pizza is a great comfort food
Many of us grew up eating pizza. In fact, many people consider it as their ultimate comfort food as this great Italian invention is often tied to some of our best and happiest memories. Continue reading “5 Reasons Having a Mobile Pizza Party Is the Best Idea Ever”