SPRING BREAK!

It is Spring Break in my neck of the woods in Utah and both my boys have been loving it.  One teen sleeps all day and the other snowboards. They really are in heaven...until today. 

We didn't go anywhere due to work, that their dad is out of town and finances. I opted to spend money by taking them out to eat at different places around the city, rather than spend money on gas and hotel and activities.  They were really quite pleased with the idea, since one didn't want to miss out on the slopes and then other likes sleeping in. 

We've had 4 days of eating out while our food hung out in our refrigerator, forgotten.  This morning I opened my refrigerator to see what I was going to make for dinner tonight and if I needed to stop by the store.  I was delighted, as I always am when I see this, that my produce was still fresh and yummy looking, sitting ever so nicely in the cripser drawers. It almost seemed a shame to disturb them, and so I closed the door and made the decision to add one more day of eating out to the list, since school isn't back in session for two more days.  And I know it will be fine...I have Bluapples in my refrigerator.  The milk, however, I had to toss this morning.  I wish there was a product out there to save that!

And so, I headed off to work with a list of jobs for my teens to do while I was gone.  And the looks on their faces was priceless.  WHAT?  YOU WANT US TO CLEAN ON OUR VACATION?!?  Yes. Yes I do. Because sometimes when a mom gets home from work, she'd like to grab a slice of pizza, sit down on the couch and watch a movie with her kids in an already clean house.  I am actually looking forward to tonight.  It has made my Monday feel so much more exciting. :-)

This weekend is when they are really going to freak. It has been a long winter and our home is in need of a fresh start. The weather is beautiful, my husband is out of town and it seems like the perfect time to get some real deep cleaning done. And of course, it goes along with Spring Break...right?  Spring Cleaning!  I am excited for this.  There is just something wonderful about knowing your light switch plates just had a bath.

The link below is a website that gives a very useful list of what to clean. I find it to be helpful and will be using it this Saturday.  Maybe you will too.

Have a fantastic Monday everyone!

Spring Cleaning

Bluapple 101

You may have clicked on this link and wondered what in the world is Bluapple 101.  The picture explains that exactly, but in short...it is how to effectively extend the life of your produce by using the product, The Bluapple. It gives information on what ethylene gas is and how to eliminate it.   Read below to find out more.

How to Store Fruits and Vegetables

How do you store an organic green apple that was purchased at the farmers market on a Sunday, so that it has the highest chance of survival past one day? Use a Bluapple, of course!

But what about questions on WHERE to store it, and at what TEMPERATURE?  Should it be stored in the refrigerator, or on the counter top with other produce?

The Bluapple website has those answers and more.  We have almost 200 different fruits and vegetables listed with information on how to store them properly. It is easy to use. Either scroll through the list and click on the item you see, or use the search bar and find what you are looking for.

We call it  PRODUCEOLOGY, understanding how to store your fruits and vegetables.

Head on over to our website to learn more.  Save the link for future reference when putting away your fresh produce. Lean how to save money, reduce waste, eat better at www.thebluapple.com.

http://thebluapple.com/storage-tips

Dips Dips and more Dips

Last night I had a mango salsa dip with tortilla chips for dinner. That's it.
I sat down with a bag of chips and a bowl of salsa, turned on Mad Men, and ate "dinner."

This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Not in the summer, anyway. Why?  Because if it was the end of June I'd be eating my fresh homemade salsa, rather than (sorry Costco, I suppose it is better than nothing) my store brand plastic container with a black screw on lid salsa.

I love salsa. I love dips. I love the crunch and the wide variety of choices when it comes to dips, and what you can dip in them!

In my search for something delicious, I came across Sam the Cooking Guy. He has some great recipes, a fun and active Facebook page, and even a radio show.  Check him out!
http://www.thecookingguy.com/eat-this


*And of course, what tastes better in dips? Fresh Produce! Brought to you by a Bluapple.* :)

Yummy Fresh Lunches

I have packed my kids their school lunches since 2nd grade. My now 18 year old son was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic when he was eight. And so, I started packing him his lunch to ensure that he was getting a healthy low-carb meal.  Son number two came along, and since he'd always seen me packing his brothers lunch, he knew no different. Brown Bags were as normal as a back-pack.

I have probably purchased at least 9-10 different lunch boxes per kid over the years, due to them being lost or just worn out, or not as cool because "6th graders don't take space aliens on lunch boxes mom."  They were almost always dirty, with food stains and sometimes a terrible smell for a few days as the left-over milk carton that didn't get thrown out on Friday smell goes away.

But...I discovered these cute lunch boxes at a trade show over the weekend.  They are eco-friendly, reusable, safe, fun, creative and above all...very useful.  Had these been around back when my boys were little, I would have used them! I could have put some ketchup in with some baked potato fries and kept a salad fresh and looking yummy to eat, rather than a boring PBJ sandwich a a piece of fruit.

Check out their website and FB page. I got a set to give to my little niece this weekend. It is nice enough now for us to take our lunch to the park.  And how perfect are these little boxes? Perfectly perfect. 

http://www.laptoplunches.com/

Skip the diet. Just eat healthy.

I cleaned out my closet yesterday. I had in my head that I was going to donate all my summer clothes that don't fit me right now and let go and live, quit trying to be skinny, just breathe.

The pile was getting bigger and bigger. I was a little ashamed about how many pairs of jeans I owned. Especially for someone who doesn't wear jeans very often. I had a lot of shorts, a few skirts and two t-shirts that I love, but now roll up over my belly button every few minuets when I wear them.

I put them into a big pile ready to bag them up and haul them to Goodwill...and then I paused.  I took a moment to consider my actions. First of all, I had hundreds of dollars in clothing, perfectly good clothing piled up on the floor, to discard because...??? I didn't want to lose weight?  Yes. But the foundation of that thought was I wanted to continue to be lazy.

I don't exercise. Ever. Not even a walk around the block, unless it is to catch a bus.  I help myself to seconds at dinner because I can, not because I am actually hungry. These are two very bad habits.

If I changed two bad habits, the few inches keeping me from wearing all that I already own would be gone. It would take 3-5 days running (which I used to do all the time) and then being more aware of what I am eating. How hard would that be? How healthy would that be? How economical would that be?

Very. And so...I left my clothing in a neat stacked pile and placed a pretty bow on top. They are a present for me next month when I can wear them because I decided to be healthy, rather than lazy. And I AM being lazy. I'm wearing yoga pants right now. I haven't done yoga in over a year!

It is time to change.

I take the time to eat healthy, to prepare delicious dinners that my family will love.  I can do the same for myself, to take the time to BE healthy and keep my body in a condition to live strong, live long.

Dinner With Friends is Good for the Soul

After a long week of work, my Friday night was looking like a night of taking kids to their events, making dinner for just my husband and I and a night of sitting on the couch, watching movies and talking and...nothing too exciting. And don't get me wrong. I love those nights. I do. But I really wanted something different. Something to get excited about. Something that still allowed me to wear my sweat pants.

And so I invited our friends over for wine, spagetti and conversation.  It was late when I made this choice to shake up our evening. The teens plans changed and allowed for an evening just for adults. No questions about snowboarding videos or complaints about being bored.  They were off to their friends homes and the house was left to my husband and I. And so the invite went out and to my delight, three of our friends were just as excited to visit with us as we were with them.

I made my moms homemade spaghetti sauce, boiled some noodles, placed some garlic bread into the oven and opened a bottle of white wine. And since I didn't have items for a dessert and didn't want to leave the house, I filled a bowl full of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I am cultured like that.

Our friends arrived and we sat with our dinner and drinks, talking, laughing and completely forgetting that we had a game to play. The conversation was the main event and it carried on into the night, each of us sharing stories and ideas, laughing and talking. It felt so good to be with friends whom my husband and I adore, and being loved back.  It was the perfect evening, a simple evening.

Do you have evenings like that? An evening that can top any fancy dinner or special event, because all you really wanted was a connection with your friends?  I found this article today, and it reminded my of my weekend. I like the idea of committing to repeating our weekend more often. It certainly was good for my soul.

http://www.chicagonow.com/always-a-bridesmaid/2011/01/dishing-over-dishes-dinners-with-friends-can-soothe-the-soul/#image/1