How to deal with a long commute

Do you have a long commute to work? Are you wondering how you will deal with this change? Perhaps these tips will help you.

I had a commute of 1 hour 10 minutes spread over between 2-4 buses per trip every day until I moved closer to work. However, now my husband has a similar commute for him to get to work with our new house so I decided to write down all of my tips that I learned over the past three years.

The best tip that I can give you is to think of this time as "me" time. We call it my husband's "reading hour" instead of the word "commute". We are adding a positive connotation to this particular time of day instead of thinking of it negatively. I know that when I first started this long commute I thought that it was a terrible time waster but then I learned how to knit. Now, I can't do without that hour to and from work every day because it's the only time that I knit during the day. Talk about a positive turn around!

Our other tips include:

• Listen to audio books or read a book. Buy all of the books that you've been saying that you want to read (I found all of mine second hand) and read them one by one. When I lived in Montreal I read over 29 books in two years while commuting on the metro - I kid you not.
• Listen to music
• Play games on a portable mobile device like an mp3 player, if you have one
• Listen to the radio on your portable mobile device. You may find that you really get into certain programs that play during this time.
• Listen to learn a language CDs to perfect another language
• Listen to podcasts on your mp3 player or smartphone
• Watch a movie on your smartphone, if it has video capability.
• If you know someone in the bus, sit with them and talk. You may develop a really good friend!
• Read a magazine or even better - save your magazines that come in the mail for this specific time instead of reading them as soon as you get home. 
• Read the newspaper. My husband downloads the newspaper to his portable device every morning and reads his newspaper online every day. This saves a lot of paper for us and keeps him sane.
• Check your social networks on your mp3 player, if you have downloaded the apps for that. Just like the magazine, you could reserve this time as the only times that you check them
• Carpool with work friends and talk.

Orange Creamsicle Fruit Dip

Have you ever had an insatiable craving for a creamsicle? It's become a popular flavor these days and I decided to try it out as a fruit dip with Greek yogurt, honey and a few tasty orange-y ingredients! It was a wild success with my husband and myself!

 (Sorry about the picture! I didn't think that I was going to take one until I took a bite)

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup light or fat-free sour cream
• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (the real stuff, not the "Greek-style")
• 2-3 tablespoons orange marmalade, low sugar
• 1 tbsp orange juice concentrate (I used Minute Maid's Low Acid variety)
• 1/2 tsp orange blossom water
• 1 tsp creamy honey (or, to taste)

Directions: combine all ingredients in a dish and stir together well. Serve with varied fruit like kiwi, banana, apple, strawberry, oranges or berries.

Serves 4 with 1 cup of fruit on the side.

Nutritional information (from Lose It!) for 1 serving of dip: 112 calories, 2g fat (1.3g saturated), 10.4 mg cholesterol, 71.8 mg sodium, 17.6g carbs (0.2g fiber, 12.5 g sugars), 5.9g protein.

Notes:

• Orange Blossom water is available in the specialty section of grocery stores or Middle Eastern food stores. It's extremely powerful stuff though so note that if you want to experiment with it!
• I just made this up on the fly. I had no idea that it would be so good! As a matter of fact, the measurements provided are for all that I had left of the sour cream and the Greek yogurt. I just wanted wanted to use them up.
• Real Greek yogurt has around 18g protein for a 3/4 cup serving. I use the PC Greek yogurt brand, available here in Canada.

Ideas:

• This would be seriously fantastic with some crushed, canned mandarins and a little of the juice instead of the marmalade and orange blossom water. 
• Another great idea is to replace the sour cream with plain kefir. As a matter of fact, that just might be my next combination. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

Leftover Rice Pudding

I had some leftover rice in the fridge and I suddenly had the idea of using it to make rice pudding. My dad would be so happy because it's his favorite dessert!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups leftover cooked rice
• 1 can light evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup seedless raisins
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (depending on your taste)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves

Directions:
Add the leftover rice to a medium saucepan with the can of evaporated milk and stir together. Add the rest of the ingredients then let simmer on medium heat, stirring often, for 20 minutes or until the liquid reduces and thickens. Serve immediately.

Apple-Ginger infused Iced Tea

This is a wonderful, fresh homemade iced tea recipe with just a subtle hint of ginger. It's excellent for warm, summer days or for something that you want to keep in the fridge all-year-round.

Ingredients:

• 2 Granny Smith apples, washed and chopped
• 3 pieces of fresh ginger, peeled
• 8 regular tea bags (I used Red Rose)
• 1/3 cup white sugar (to taste)
• Water

Directions:
Using a pitcher of water, fill it up halfway then pour that amount of water into a saucepan. Bring it to a boil then turn off the heat and add the ginger, apples and tea. Let steep for 30 minutes.

 Pour the iced tea water back into the pitcher through a sieve to catch all of the solids.

Add cold water to the pitcher and stir. Add the sugar to the desired amount. I started with 1/3 cup then added a pinch more but you can add more or less depending on your taste. I used white so that it wouldn't affect the flavor of the tea (I usually go for brown but I wanted something that was just sweet).

Stir then store in the fridge until chilled. Serve over ice.

How to make maple candy

This candy recipe is really easy and you can use any moulds that you like! We used maple leaves as we were having a fall wedding but it's up to you.

Recipe:

• 1 (398 mL or 14 oz) can pure maple syrup, grade B or "the dark amber stuff"
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tbsp butter (not margarine)
• candy thermometer
• candy molds
• vegetable oil spray
• A good pot like a Dutch oven
• smaller container with a spout (like a creamer)
• large plastic freezer bags

Lightly spray the molds with vegetable oil so that the candy will come out easily while you bring the can of maple syrup, cream of tartar and butter to a boil. Stir the ingredients together slightly (just to mix it together) and add the candy thermometer. Then, let it boil without stirring until the candy thermometer reads 235 degrees (soft ball stage). Then, pour from the pot into the smaller container with a spout (it's just easier to handle). Now move fast! Pour into the molds until each candy is 3/4 full. Move quickly as the sugar darkens the longer it is removed from the heat. 

Let cool on the counter for about 15 minutes then tap the back to pop the hard candy out of the molds and into a large resealable freezer bag. Eat or store in the freezer for between three to six months.

Note: These are the hard, clear amber candies that you suck on. For the creamy maple candy, try this recipe.

Roasted garlic-infused chicken broth

If you are sick, the first thing that you think about is making hot chicken soup. Well, that's exactly what we did but I loaded up the chicken broth with roasted garlic. This stuff was so good that it will become a staple in our home!

Ingredients:

• 1 head garlic
• 1 900mL carton sodium-reduced chicken broth

Directions:
Cut the top off of the garlic head to expose the cloves inside and take off any loose peelings. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Once it is done, remove it from the oven.

I poured the carton of chicken broth into a medium-sized bowl then put on an oven mitt. I picked up the bulb of roasted garlic and squeezed the garlic into the bowl of broth. Anything that didn't come out easily, I used a knife to get it out.

Once all of the garlic was in the broth, I mashed it down with a potato masher to get all of the flavor out. 

Then, I got a strainer and poured the broth into my chicken and rice soup. It's as simple as that!

What to do when you are injured

Have you been injured recently and have to stop your usual routine? I made this list after I had to change my routine when I dislocated my toe. Hopefully, this list appeals to everyone!

Hobbies:

1. Learn how to knit or pick up the old knitting projects
2. Learn how to cross stitch or pick up the old projects
3. Learn how to crochet or pick up the old projects.
4. Learn how to paint or catch up on some painting. This could be painting canvas, wood, or anything else, for that matter. 
5. Get into stained glass painting
6. Learn how to paint dishes and fire them
7. Make candles at home
8. Finish off any scrapbooks or start new ones
9. Organize the boxes of photos and photo albums
10. Learn how to work with clay
11. Do the mending on your socks, shirts, etc.
12. If you like to sew, time to finish all of the sewing projects that you have going.
13. Learn how to draw. Get some books that show you how to do people or landscapes (depending on your interests) and go for it.
14. Learn how to make homemade soap, body lotion, body wash, etc.
15. Get into woodworking or carving wood. You can make your own chess set.
16. Get some pre-made wood items (like a jewelry box) from a craft store and finish it off. This could be staining it or painting it.
17. Learn a new language. Get the software in the language of your choice with a bilingual dictionary and set a time every day to do it.

Computers:

1. Organize photos, documents, videos, music and anything else on your computer
2. Scan the old photo albums and organize the images on the computer
3. Watch some movies that you’ve been wanting to see.
4. Mine through fantastic websites like Wikipedia, eHow, Essortment, and various blogs
5. Learn how to do things on your computer such as mastering Microsoft Office applications, anti-virus software, e-mail,  etc.
6. Organize the bookmarks in your browser
7. Download FamilyTree Maker (or a similar software) and start researching the family genealogy. Keep track of it in the software. See if you can get it all the way back to the mother country
8. Find your favorite podcast and keep up-to-date with the episodes. You may find that you become a fan of many podcasts. 
9. Play video games -- even better, play them with friends and family.
10. Research the things that you've always wanted to know about.
11. Create an account on a site like Amazon and do some shopping. If you can't shop, create some wish lists.

Brain Teasers:

1. Make a puzzle with 1000 to 2000 pieces
2. Read the books in your collection that you haven't read yet -- or the ones that you haven't read in a long time.
3. Master sudoku puzzles, word puzzles and crosswords. Work on doing them in pen.
4. Actually read the manual for your computer, phone or car to find out all of the features that you never knew were there and try them out.

The Kitchen and the house:

1. Make meals in large batches that can be frozen so that you are cooking less. Also make use of the slow cooker and meals that are very easy to make and don't take a lot of babysitting (like roasted meats and a salad).
2. Start making your own condiments (ketchup, BBQ sauce, etc.), pickles and preserves.
3. Thoroughly mine cooking websites like Allrecipes and make a list of the ones that you want to try. Try them, then review them online. 
4. Organize the junk drawer (or drawers)
5. Purge your bookshelves. This doesn't mean toss everything but take a good look.
6. Go through your dresser and closet for items to take to the Salvation Army - and take them!
7. Time to get into menu planning - plan menus for a month and write up the recipes and grocery lists for them. Then put them into practice and evaluate how long it took to make, if you like them, etc. 
8. Take care of the clothes that needed special care - hand washing, ironing, steaming, etc.
9. Go through the medicine cabinet and toss all expired medication. Check all toiletries and personal products for expiry dates as well. Make a list of the items that you should always have in the house (Tums, Polysporin, etc.) and the items that you now need to replace as they are expired. Gather all of the old prescriptions as well and place in a separate plastic baggie. On an outing, take the expired medication back to the pharmacist and get the items missing from the medicine cabinet.
10. Start a remodel in one of the rooms of the house. This could mean a major clean-up as well as you may notice that some rooms are cluttered. Think of repainting the walls and/or furniture, taking down wallpaper (or adding some), etc. Or, you could plan a renovation in an area as well. You are home -- you might as well.
11. Tackle the to-do list that you've been making in your head for the past 10 years. This could be the little things like purging your old school notes or shampooing the carpets. Even better - find all of the post-it notes that you've been keeping, write it all up in a master list on your computer and go about getting it done.

Social and personal life:

1. Make social dates with people and keep them. If you can't get out of the house, set up regular phone calls or video calls over Skype and keep them.
2. Plan your next trip (or trips). This could be the next big trip, the March Break trip, the family reunion, etc.
3. Plan movie nights with friends (most likely at your place). You can theme it with dinner to match the movie (ex. watching the Godfather with spaghetti and meatballs, cannoli for dessert).
4. Plan your Hallowe'en costume for this year (and those of your kids)
5. Watch at least 2 movies that you've secretly wanted to see but always said no to (for example, if you hate comedies but have wanted to see a Will Ferrell movie, do it).
6. Get a jump-start on Christmas for next year. Go through the decorations and see if there is anything that you can toss or donate, or if anything needs to be replaced (like the lights, garland, etc.). Plan the menu and gifts that you want to give to people. If some require time to make, why not make them? At the end of the day, if you decide on something different later on you now have an extra gift that comes in handy for that person that gave you something that you didn't expect.
7. Start planning the next family reunion. Get everyone's address and phone number, plan a venue and any associated costs. Plan the events and the meal, what is needed and talk about who can bring what. If anything, the list with addresses comes in handy for Christmas card time.
8. Break a few bad habits. Time to stop smoking or drinking, or eating right before bed. Pick a few habits that you've always wanted to break and do it. You have the time!
9. Evaluate your finances. Sit down and look at where money needs to go versus the items that you want. This could mean a little tweaking or a major overhaul. Look at paying off debts and savings in particular. It's also a great time to make short term and long term goals like paying off the car and buying a new TV within the next 3 years. If you are feeling really ambitious, program the finances into your calendar software (like Micosoft Outlook) to give you reminders. 

If you have kids:

1. Play board games. Get out the ones that you played as a kid and play those too.
2. Go on an outing once a week with them (if you can). This may be very difficult but try a location that is easy to maneuver around like the bowling alley, a museum or the mall.
3. Make your own playdough and make masterpieces.
4. Get out the lego.
5. Get out the dinky cars and the mats and play on the floor.
6. Teach them any of the above hobbies (woodworking, painting, knitting, etc.)
7. Go through the kids' wardrobe for items that are now too small and decide if these are hand-me-downs, can be reused in anyway or if they are going to the Salvation Army. Note anything that needs to be mended along with any stains and take care of that too.
8. Play video games together.
9. Go through the old photo albums together.

Exercise and healing:

1. Do all of the stretches required of you in order to heal
2. Go to physiotherapy appointments.
3. Take pictures of your healing injury – it might be difficult to look at (at first), but you’ll see the healing
4. Find games that you can play on the Wii that don't hurt or harm your healing.
5. Switch your workout routine to work an area that is not injured, for example, if your heel is injured then work your upper body. Just be careful as you may be overcompensating for an injury in other ways so don't overwork an area that hurts from regular activity.

 Sources:

Martial Arts Planet, "101 Things to do when you are injured".

Yahoo Answers, "Fun things to do while injured".
Undefeated Running, "Top 10 Things to do while you are injured and cannot run".

Tanya Hall, "Things to do at Home When Sick in Bed".

NextGenUpdate, "Things to do While Injured".

Running Free, "Things to do while out injured".

OreganLive.com, "Ten Things To Do When Injured".

Reddit, "Stuff to do While Injured".

Nice Shorts, "Things to do While Injured".
My Broken Leg, "Tips for Home Survival".

AND - my brain!

The 2012 Experiment

Well, here comes the end of 2011 and the start of a new experiment. Last year was so successful that I want to do it again so here is my list of items that I want to start or accomplish in 2012. This is shaping up to be a big year as we have some big changes coming: car, baby, house.

Health and Nutrition:

• Stop drinking pop and any sugary bottled drinks at all costs. Take water instead. 
• Follow Clean Eating meal plans and grocery lists.
• Work on my fruit, vegetable and fibre goals. 
• Continue my walk/run workouts until I can run for 30 minutes with no problems. 
• Get down to a BMI of 26 (that is a total of 20 pounds). 

 Fashion:

• Make my wardrobe 100% wearable. 
• Get the staples for my wardrobe (brown leather shoes, etc.) that I am missing.
• Get some more fashionable shoes. 

 Finances:

• Get a car. 
• Save money for a down payment on a house -- and buy one by December 2012. 
• Start buying baby things.

 Baby:

• Start trying for a baby. 
• Finish green knitted baby blanket for myself. 
• Start making baby things as part of my hobbies: wipes, nursing cover, nursing pillow and cover, baby hat and booties, etc. 

Travel:

• Visit my home for a wedding in June and Christmas in December. 
• Visit my husband's family for Easter and Thanksgiving. 
• Save money for a trip to Germany, Austria and Hungary in 2013 or 2014.

Social:

• Have movie nights once per month with friends. 
• Have themed dinner parties with friends, at least once every two months. 
• Watch a new movie every month (either at the theater, on TV or as part of movie nights). 
• Go out to dinner once a month with my husband on date nights. And every time, we can go to a new restaurant. 
• Find a cause in the community and start attending meetings or gatherings.

Hobbies:

• Finish any projects that I have started and don't start any new ones until those are done.

Home:

• Figure out what things we need for our new house: lawnmower, beds, furniture, etc.  

I will be continuing the goals that I set for myself in 2011 as well. Those are the In Progress and Unfinished ones in this list. 

10 frugal ways to decorate for the holidays

The holidays are approaching and it's time that we deck the halls to celebrate. Sometimes that stuff is expensive or the decorating ideas that we have cannot be realized with the budget. But, no fear! Here are 10 ideas of how to decorate on a tiny budget.

1. Pine cones: take a trip to the local park or an area that has lots of pine trees with a few garbage bags or boxes and collect the nice pine cones. Really look them over for bugs, mold or any imperfections before bagging them. Bring them home and wash them in a sink of hot water (when I did this, they closed up but reopened as they dried a day later). Then, use them in leftover planters, vases or jars tied with ribbon.
2. Cookies: make a few batches of sugar cookies and decorate them with icing done in your Christmas colors. Before baking them though, put a hole in the top with a wooden skewer. Do designs like snowmen, reindeer, snowflakes, ornaments, or words. Once the icing is dry, string them up with leftover yarn, ribbon or twine and decorate the tree with them. Or, just display them on nice cake stands on the table.
3. Food: create nice displays around the house with clementines, apples, or other seasonal fruit and vegetables. Use vases, jars or cake plates and place them carefully. If you really want to get into this, cover the items with powdered sugar or salt to create the glittery effect.
4. Stockings: make this year's stockings out of old sweaters, t-shirts or button-up shirts. If they aren't the right color, you can buy fabric dye and follow the package instructions to dye the fabric. Sew up with a sewing machine and decorate with ribbon or felt accents.
5. Centrepieces: take some mixing bowls and fill them with Christmas ball ornaments, pine cones, greenery or other items. Or, pack them with a mix of Christmas ball ornaments, apples and other items. Place in the centre of the table. Also, add bowls or planters of ornaments to end tables, magazine tables and other places around the house.
6. Wrappings: try some of the tips in my post about green wrappings along with embellishments like yarn pompoms, Christmas ribbon made from old shirts and other festive touches.
7. Tree: get an artificial tree with lights so that you buy it once and use it for at least 10-15 years. Decorate with ornaments, cookies, gingerbread men, pine cones or (if you want to be really traditional) strings of popcorn or cranberries. You could also decorate with paper snowflakes made out of white paper, dolls, clocks, etc. The options are endless, but start with your favorite colors and a theme.
8. Table: use a clean white tablecloth and use your best dishes but have little touches here and there like candles, decorated paper tags for guests, napkin rings, etc. The food should speak for itself, you don't have to have the table fully decked to the nines.
9. Rooms: add a little touch of the holidays to every room like a special cup towel in the kitchen, or towels in the bathroom. As long as everything is clean and organized, it looks fabulous and doesn't cost hardly anything. You could even do this with well-placed Christmas cards that you received.
10. Outside: depending on your location, try LED lights and topiaries. Or, you could make a wreath out of leftover strips of fabric in your color theme wrapped around a Styrofoam wreath form. You can also put out bowls of ornaments by the entrance.

10 things to do with clementines

It's the holiday season and clementines are in season! What can you do with them?

1. Eat them! Just peel the zipper skin and eat them as is.
2. Boil the peels with some spices in some hot water to perfume or humidify the house.
3. Mandarin cheesecake: try fresh, peeled clementine sections instead* with a little more sugar.
4. Stuff them in the toe of your stockings to eat Christmas morning.
5. Make a fruit salad with clementines, apples, pomegranate seeds and kiwi.
6. Add the peeled sections to a nice spinach salad with a poppyseed dressing.
7. Try making a clementine juice* mimosa.
8. Substitute* mandarins for sectioned clementine in this beet salad recipe.
9. Try this fruit dip with sectioned clementines*.
10. Add the peeled, sectioned clementines to your cranberry sauce instead of orange juice.

*Substitutions: mandarins are sweeter than clementines so you may need to add sugar to achieve the same result.


Of course, no post on clementines would be complete without addressng the wooden clementine box! What on earth can you do with that?

1. Come spring, use it as a planter in the garden or as a window planter.
2. Break it up, remove all of the plastic, paper and staples then use it for kindling in the fire (if that is allowed, double check in your area).
3. Use it in your home organization. Remove the plastic, staples and paper and sand down any edges that could give you splinters. Add items, a label and put on the shelf.
4. Make mulch out of it. Remove all of the plastic, staples and paper then give it to someone who makes mulch out of wood. Once it's all crushed, it can be used on flower beds in the spring.

Here are some more ideas:

• eHow: how to reuse a wooden clementine box
• Clementine box crèche
• apartment therapy: What to do with Clementine boxes
• fun in the making: category: reuse clementine box

Guilt-free Rewards for a Job Well Done

One of my problems with it comes to weight loss is struggling with the idea of rewarding myself for a job well done. It could be that I finally finished a long, arduous project or that I finally did 4 workouts this week. The first thing that I think is: I should reward myself, time for a Coke. Or, a chocolate bar. Or ice cream. 

Well, that just damaged the good chore that I finished. So, I took some time to make a list of guilt-free rewards to give myself for a job well done. I know I am not the only person thinking about this so I will share it with you.

Some of these options require finances but some are also free. What you could do is while you are working towards a goal, decide on the reward that you want to give yourself. Then put aside money for it while you are working towards the goal. For example, as a reward to myself for finishing a large project at work I can save money on the side to get my hair done at the salon. Once the goal is reached, then I can go for a morning of pampering and not worry about the finances.

• A long bubble bath with a yummy scent and candles, perhaps my favorite music in the background
• A mug of steaming hot apple cider or a hot chocolate with marshmellows (the diet kind)
• One uninterrupted evening of doing an activity that I secretly love (like writing)
• Talking on the phone with a best friend or on Skype
• Throw a party with all of your friends -- perhaps a pot luck, movie night, etc.
• One uninterrupted evening (or afternoon) of starting and finishing a project
• Watching a new movie at home. This could mean renting it then giving it the full new movie treatment (for me, this is turning out the lights, stopping all projects and just watching a new movie). 
• Going out to the theatre to see a new movie with friends (or with my husband)
• Have a nice meal at a new restaurant
• One uninterrupted evening of browsing my favorite websites
• Buying and reading a new magazine
• One evening of planning an upcoming event (like Christmas) and planning all of the items that I want to make to decorate the house or give as gifts
• If it's summer, one afternoon sitting and tanning under the sun with a nice book or great music
• Signing up for a class in a topic that I want to learn about (like yoga, knitting, or a language of choice)
• Crossing an activity off of the bucket list (skydiving, rockclimbing, running a 5K, etc.)
• Digging out the old "To Do" list and tackling one of the older ones that you've always said will never get done (ex. organizing the filing cabinet). 
• Reading a new book (or, one of your old favorites)
• Take on a new knitting project or spend an evening knitting
• Take the dog out for a walk in a new area (or put on rollerblades and run with the dog) or to the park
• Learn a new hobby from a friend (or teach a friend how to do one of your hobbies, if they are interested)
• Have a game evening on the Wii, Xbox or whatever you have with the family. See who will win. 
• Return to a hobby that you love but haven't done for a long time (for me, that would be genealogy or cross-stitching)
• Try a new recipe out of a magazine for supper
• Spend an afternoon at the local bookstore -- not buying anything -- but sitting with a coffee, paging through some books to see what is new and checking out the ones that you've always wanted. 
• Spend a lazy afternoon on the couch doing a hobby, snuggling with the kids and the pets
• Watch a movie that was your childhood favorite (perhaps even introduce it to your kids or your husband)
• Trying something new with your significant other (I don't think that I need to elaborate on this one)
• Go for a massage or spa treatment. 
• If you are a woman, try a new makeover on yourself or go and get one at Sephora or another store with that option. 
• Go to bed early or sleep in. Get your significant other involved in this to make sure that you are able to sleep in (or go to bed early) without any distractions. 
• Spend an evening researching a topic that interests you but you've never had time to think about it (like a historical event, a famous person, etc.)
• Get your hair done with color, highlights or a perm. Ask for the full treatment with the scalp massage and special conditioners that most salons do for free and enjoy the trip.

5 Simply Fabulous Lunch Wraps

There is a wrap at a particular coffee shop that I LOVE. Whenever I forget my lunch, I get this wrap there on the way to work. I got thinking though: this is so incredibly good that I am sure that I can make it at home. Then I realized that there are other simply fabulous wrap combinations out there as well. Here are 10 that I thought of (and tested!):

1. Thai Tuna Wrap: make a chili lemon mayonnaise with chili powder, lemon juice and mayonnaise. Add a chopped red bird chili. Add 1 can of water-packed tuna, 2 tbsp chopped green onions, 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, 1/4 cup cooked brown rice and 1/4 cup shredded cooked carrot. Mix together and add to a sun-dried tomato wrap. Wrap and refrigerate before eating.
2. Horseradish Beef Wrap: Mix together 1/4 cup chopped leftover beef roast and 1/4 cup leftover sauteed onions and mushrooms. Add 2 tbsp prepared horseradish sauce (I like a lot more) and mix. Add to a sundried tomato wrap with some sliced red pepper strips. Wrap and refrigerate before eating.
3. Vietnamese Spring Rolls: Cook some rice noodles and shrimp. Also wet some rice paper. In the cooked rice paper, add a handful of cooked rice noodles and three to four shelled, cooked shrimp (tails removed). Add a long sprig of fresh coriander and strips of cut red and green pepper then roll up like a wrap. Also, make a peanut dip with 2 tbsp natural peanut butter, 1 tbsp ketchup and 1 chopped red bird chili. Serve immediately with the dip. (These can be refrigerated but I find that the rice paper and the noodles get a little hard.)
4. Antipasto Wrap: add some leftover cooked, chopped chicken to a bowl and mix with 3 tbsp chopped, drained sun-dried tomatoes, 3 chopped canned artichoke hearts, 1/4 cup cooked, drained frozen spinach and 1 oz feta cheese, crumbled. Mix together. Add to a sun-dried tomato wrap and wrap up. Serve immediately (because it might get soggy).
5. Greek spinach wrap: cook some frozen spinach then drain it well. Add to a spinach or pesto tortilla with some leftover chopped chicken and light feta cheese. Wrap up and serve immediately.

Spinach, mushroom and feta quiche

I made this lovely quiche for breakfast this morning and decided to share the recipe with you. The best thing about it is that it is a base recipe that you can adjust and add your own combinations. I have some ideas at the bottom.

(don't mind my picture, I forgot to use cooking spray)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cleaned, sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup dethawed, cooked spinach (from frozen)
• 1/4 cup sodium-reduced feta cheese, chopped up
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup Bisquick
• Cooking spray (ex. PAM)

Directions:
Turn the oven on 385 F. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Meanwhile, add vegetables and feta cheese to a baking dish and stir well. In another medium-sized bowl, crack and add eggs. Discard shells and remove any traces of shell from the eggs. Add milk and Bisquick then stir together well with a whisk to break up any lumps. Add to baking dish with vegetables then bake for 40 minutes. Serve!


Notes:

• The base for this quiche is the milk, Bisquick and eggs. Once you have that down, anything is possible.The cheese ratio is usually 1 cup of shredded cheese but I reduced it given the strong flavor of feta cheese.
• I have also made quiche muffins before. I sprayed the muffin tin with cooking spray then I mixed it up in a mixing bowl then added it by a 1/2 cup measuring cup to each muffin. Baking time is around 30 minutes.
• I added no salt to this particular combination because I had feta cheese in it. However, with other combinations you might want to add salt and pepper to taste before baking.

Combination ideas:

• Green pepper, mushrooms and ham with shredded cheddar cheese
• Shredded apple (or pear), ham and very sharp or old shredded cheddar cheese
• Hot salsa, corn and shredded cheddar cheese
• Broccoli, ham or bacon and cheese (blue cheese, Havarti, cheddar, etc.)
• Leftover chopped chicken or turkey, green pepper, spinach and cheese (any of the above choices although feta would be stellar)
• Red pepper, asparagus and Swiss cheese (or Emmenthal, Havarti, Gouda, etc.)
• Sliced potato, bacon and 1 cup very sharp or old shredded cheddar cheese
• Red pepper, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese
• Caramelized onions, mushrooms and leftover beef roast with cheese (perhaps cheddar or Havarti)
• Roasted cauliflower, red pepper and onions with Jahlsberg cheese (or Havarti, Gouda)

Secret Santa Gift Ideas

Are you running a Secret Santa this year? Or, you can't think of anything to get for the event? Well, here are some gift ideas that may inspire you this year. These are also some great gender-neutral ideas if you are searching for gifts for relatives and friends as well.

1. Gift cards: this could be for the grocery store, department store, theatre, coffee shop or a restaurant.
2. Stainless steel coffee travel mug.
3. A coffee set with a mug and a bag of coffee beans. 
4. Box of chocolates, shortbread or candy: this one is harder as so many people have food allergies but you could ask beforehand if anyone objects. You could also make these at home instead of buying them. 
5. Office gift box: think of something that everyone in the office uses and constantly runs out of, like pens, pencils, card clips (if you need a pass that you clip to your clothes), silverware, etc. Just buy it separately and put it together in a basket or something like that.
6. Bottle of wine or other spirits.
7. Gourmet cooking set of flavored olive oils, vinegars and jams: If you are crafty, you can make this at home.
8. A USB key or SD card.
9. A nice photo album or photo frame.
10. A box of homemade Christmas cards with envelopes.
11. A fun new calendar for their desk. Perhaps one of those daily or monthly ones.
12. The latest best seller (hardcover or soft cover) on a topic that everyone enjoys or a book on a topic that everyone enjoys.
13. A holiday-themed candle (I'm always surprised how many men dig candles).
14. A sick kit: pack a basket with cough drops, Neo-Citran, and other things that you use when you are sick. 
15. A set of nice wine glasses (shot glasses, or bourbon glasses). 
16. A nice Christmas ornament. 
17. Any cooking or baking equipment: mixing bowls, baking sheets, cookie cutters, whisks or other utensils. 
18. Small appliances like a kettle, toaster oven, coffee grinder, power whisk, etc.
19. A nice throw or blanket for the house. 
20. A DVD of a movie or TV show that everyone enjoys or one that fits the season.

10 things to do with eggnog

'Tis the season for lovely eggnog! I'm so excited! Here are 10 ideas for how to use up that eggnog this holiday season.

1. Steam some eggnog instead of milk and add it to your coffee for an eggnog latté.
2. Eggnog cheesecake -- or try eggnog cheesecake bars. You could probably take this very recipe and cut it into bars with caramel on the top.
3. Grog -- add a shot of dark rum to some eggnog for a spirited drink. Or, try an Eggnog Russian.
4. Try making homemade eggnog.
5. Drink it warm with some spices like nutmeg and cinnamon.
6. Make a smoothie using eggnog as the liquid instead of water, juice or milk!
7. Make an eggnog punch! Here is a recipe for Peppermint Eggnog Punch.
8. Eggnog truffles.
9. Eggnog cookies.
10. Eggnog fudge.

Or, you could take any of these ideas and put them into Google Search to find other recipes.

Ice Cream vs. Frozen pudding

Whenever I crave ice cream, this is what I do:

That is frozen pudding. It doesn't matter what kind (I have tried nearly all of them from the grocery store) but if you add them to the freezer overnight and eat them whenever you have an ice cream craving, you could save at least 100-200 calories. And it's still a frozen, cold treat.

Making a lazy supper better...

I didn't want to cook last night AT ALL. No way, no how. So, I bought a bean and cheese burrito with the thought that supper would only take 2 minutes. Then my conscience stepped in saying: you have time to sauté some vegetables. I listened and it only took about 15 minutes. I did the dishes while this cooked.

Sautéed cabbage:

• 1/4 Savoy cabbage, shredded
• 1 tbsp butter
• sodium-reduced chicken stock
• salt
• pepper

I heated up the cast-iron pan to medium and melted the butter. Add the cabbage and sauté but let it stick on a little bit. I cooked it for about 15 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. I added a splash of chicken stock whenever it was needed then seasoned it with salt and pepper before serving.

After I cooked some cabbage and green beans, I felt better about the burrito. At least I was getting some veggie intake!

Product review: Juicy Fruit Dessert Gum

I have been watching the commercials for dessert gum but it was only a few days ago that I found it available in Canada. I was delighted! I bought all three kinds: Apple Pie, Strawberry Shortcake and Orange Creamsicle.

Orange Creamsicle: I found the flavor of this gum rather fake but it is a pretty good imitation of an orange creamsicle. The taste lasts only about 10 minutes but that is alright. The texture doesn't change over time (like regular Juicy Fruit gum) and I've found myself chewing it for a few hours without even realizing it. Overall review: 6 out of 10.

Strawberry Shortcake: the flavor of this gum came off as REALLY fake to me. I have to give them credit though because you can almost taste the bun, strawberries and whipped cream. The flavor isn't so great once it fades away though and I found that it had an aftertaste. I don't think that I will buy this one again. Overall review: 4 out of 10.

Apple Pie: this was the STAR! I absolutely love this gum! It really does taste like apple pie with cinnamon and everything! The flavor is truly stellar and although it fades after 10 minutes, I don't care. I love this gum and I will buy it again. I might even chew this in place of apple pie. Overall review: 9 out of 10.

Main points:

• Texture: good, doesn't change over time
• Flavor: only Apple Pie one was good but all of them last only about 10 minutes
• Price: SCARY. I think they are $2.49 per package which is insane. Wait a few months until they are about $1.50.

Website discovery: Essortment, Ehow and WikiHow

I have just discovered the websites Essortment, Ehow and WikiHow and I have to share my favorite links of the moment. I love these three websites because the articles are written by people who have experience in how to do something thus they post it for all of the rest of us. I love knowledge-based articles!

These are my current favorite links on Essortment:

1. 25 Places to Meet New People
2. How to Make Your Own Facial Scrub or Mask
3. Uses for Old Coffee Grounds
4. The History of Root Beer
5. Do it Yourself: Fixing Scratches in Wood Furniture and Trim
6. Make Your Own Scented Body Oil
7. Making Homemade Milk Soap
8. How to Remove Sticker and Tape Goo
9. Burning Patterns into Wood
10. Laptop vs. Desktop

These are my current favorite links on Ehow:

1. How to Make a Brown Sugar Lemon Body Scrub
2. Sore Throat Pain Remedies
3. Homemade Bath Salts
4. Homemade Lip Balm - made from coconut oil!
5. Make Curls Overnight Using Rags
6. How to Live Thrifty
7. 20 Holiday Trees Gone Wild
8. Category: Sewing and Upholstry
9. Techniques for Stenciling Furniture
10. How to set Food Portion Sizes for Young Children

These are my current favorite links on WikiHow:

1. How to Stencil Fabric
2. How to Make a Glowstick
3. How to Make a Candle with Essential Oils - bonus! makes body oil
4. How to do Pranks with Garden Gnomes
5. How to Set up a Sewing Room
6. How to Make a Crop Circle
7. How to Go Green at Work
8. How to Avoid Workplace Flu
9. How to Stop Procrastinating (and, even better, the Category)
10. How to Get Rid of Junk Mail

15 Meals with leftovers

Do you want to eat that meal again? How can you remake it so that you are using up the leftovers but eating something new? These are 15 ideas that I had on how to remake leftovers and turn them into a new meal.

1. Hot chicken sandwich: Take leftover chopped chicken or turkey and add to a piece of toast. If it's Xmas or Thanksgiving, add a little dressing or cranberry sauce as well then cover with another piece of toast for a hot chicken/turkey sandwich. Chutney or homemade relish is another option. Cover with hot gravy (leftover or not). Eat with leftover veggies.
2. Pot pie: Make a chicken, turkey or beef pot pie with leftover meat, veggies and some thawed puff pastry. Great add-ins are peas, corn, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms and cheese.
3. Chili spaghetti: Add leftover chili to spaghetti sauce and serve with pasta for a spicy kick.
4. Chili beans: Add leftover chili to baked beans (leftover or canned). You can also add this to hotdogs for spicy chili dogs while watching the game.
5. Chili cakes: Dethaw two packages of puff pastry. Grease one to two muffin tins and heat the oven up to 375. Cut the thawed pastry into squares and fit into muffin tins. Fill the cavity with leftover vegetable chili and sprinkle some cheese on top. Bake until the cheese is golden and the filling is hot, about half an hour. Eat as many as you want!
6. Pasta cups: take any leftover pasta that you have. Toss with a chopped pepper, onion and shredded cheese. Stuff the muffin cups with the pasta mixture and bake in a 350 F oven for about 20-30 minutes or until browned on the bottom. Serve with a salad. You can probably do this with rice too.
7. Burritos: Chop some onions, red and green pepper, mushrooms and some tomatoes. In a warm skillet, sauté the onions and tomatoes, then add the peppers and mushrooms along with hot sauce, chili powder and oregano; cook until soft. Add some leftover chopped chicken or beef roast pieces at the end to heat it up. Add to a flour tortilla and add some shredded cheese overtop, roll up and eat.
8. Quesadillas: Chop up a celery stalk and some red pepper into small pieces and stir fry until done. Add chopped leftover chicken to this mixture then spread over a flour tortilla. Pour cheese salsa overtop, add another flour tortilla on top and heat up in the microwave until cheese salsa is hot, about a min. Another idea is to add leftover chili to the quesadilla.
9. Action-packed rice: heat up a saute pan with some oil and add some chopped onion and mushrooms. Add 1 cup of leftover rice and season with soy sauce. Add some chopped up leftover meat and scrambled egg and keep cooking until the rice starts to brown on the bottom (but not burn). Add some thawed, chopped spinach. Keep turning until everything is heated and mixed through then serve.
10. Hash: you can do this with almost any leftovers. Take leftover chopped meat, potatoes and veggies and saute in a pan with a chopped onion. Let it brown on the bottom and keep turning it over to let it cook together then serve. This is great with leftover sausages, potatoes and veggies or other ingredients like bacon, eggs and sweet potatoes.
11. Fajita rice stew: Chop up some celery and red and green peppers along with a large onion and 2 cloves of garlic. On a separate cutting board, chop up two to three beef steaks in strips about 1 inch long. In a warm skillet, add a little oil then the onion and later the garlic. Add the meat strips, cook them. While this is cooking, open a can of black beans and a can of corn niblets, both drained well. Add the beans and corn along with the peppers and along with a large bottle of hot or medium salsa (or leftover chili). Add spices like cumin or chili powder if desired. Add 1 cup of cooked leftover rice. Simmer it all down until the peppers are tender and serve this beef fajita stew (can be done with chicken also). Add chopped cilantro at the end if desired, or chopped green onions.  This can also be made in advance and served as a cold rice salad.
12. English muffin paninis: Chop your fav cheese and lay out on an English muffin. Add tomato slices, pieces of cooked leftover meat, and some cleaned spinach leaves. Put two halves together, and press into a George Foreman grill like a Panini press until golden brown and flattened a bit.
13. Tacos: use any leftover meat with some shredded lettuce and cheese to make tacos. All you need is a taco kit.
14. Creamy casserole: Add some pre-cooked brown rice to a casserole dish with 1 cup of chicken broth. Add sliced veggies (leftover or fresh) and diced meat (leftover or fresh). Add leftover pureed soup (instead of canned soup) and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. You can also add shredded cheese before baking, if you want.
15. Mashed potato cups: load up your leftover mashed potatoes with cooked bacon, chives, sour cream, cheese or whatever you want. Mix it up then add to a greased muffin tin (or you can use paper cups). Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until done. Eat on the side with your meal. Another idea is to mix leftover mashed potatoes with leftover chili and top with cheese to make these.