I have always enjoyed researching various cookbooks, newspapers, magazines or watching television’s variety of cooking shows to find ways to improve my cooking, learn to make different meals, foods and of course make my time in the kitchen a breeze. I found that if you set aside one day to prepare for your weeks meals, you’ll have more time for family, fun and your own leisure time. The most time-consuming part of being in the kitchen cooking is gathering ingredients, kitchen tools and measuring ingredients.  Everyone’s lifestyle is different, but we can all agree on having a busy lifestyle has taken alot of you away from spending quality time at the dinner table. There is an easier way. Why not save those extra dollars by doing all the labor and packaging yourself? Even better, have your kids help out in the kitchen. Kids in the kitchen is an exciting and interactive quality time as a family.

Making your own cooking mixes are easy, economical, nutritious, fun and they can be very versatile.  By making your own cooking mixes, you can save almost half to three-fourths the time you spend your time on preparing one meal. You can actually do this because you are preparing not just for one meal, but several meals at one time. Believe me, being a mother of four and working full time, this can help tremendously as a kitchen time saving technique.

Most commercial mixes provide us all with a quick convenience, but to me they are considered generally advertised as time-savers rather than as a money-saver. Prices can regularly increase with rising labor and packaging costs.  As I mentioned before, why not do all the labor and packaging yourself.  If you compare the cost per cup of those commercial mixes with your homemade mixes, you will discover that your mixes cost extremely less than about half the price of store mixes. Wow! What a savings for your family. If you plan your grocery shopping right, you can save even more money by watching and browsing the grocery store ads for specials on the staple items such as flour, sugar and shortening.

It’s a great satisfaction in choosing your own ingredients to cook with and knowing exactly what is in your foods. Some may want to reduce the amount of certain preservatives and additives that they consume.  By making your own mixes, this is a great way to start. Making meals from your own mixes, you will notice a fresher flavor in your foods.

 Making my own mixes make cooking more enjoyable and more convenient, and they save money! Now you can make the same discovery.

Here’s a Hamburger Mix that you can try. You can substitute the Ground Beef for Turkey Meat. It’s the beginning of many meals, made in minutes.

4 pounds lean ground beef or turkey meat

1 large onion, chopped

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon Southwest Seasoning mix (available at Noel’s Kitchen)

Brown ground beef in a skillet. Drain. Add onion and continue cooking over medium heat until onions are golden. Add remaining ingredients. Cool. Spoon mixture into four 1-pint freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch space at top. Seal and label containers. Freeze. Use within 3 months. Makes about 4 pints of Hamburger Mix.

This recipe makes Taco Salad, Tacos, Stroganoff, Enchilada Casserole, Spaghetti or just an everyday busy casserole.

I really enjoy reviewing and trying recipes different ways. Today, I decided to add a bit of a twist to the regular White Chocolate Chip Cookie.  I added Almond extract in place of the Vanilla and it was a huge hit with the family. They practically devoured the whole plate of cookies.

 Ingredients:

 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon Almond extract

2 large eggs

2 cups (12-ounce package) White Chocolate Morsels

 Directions:

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In another mixing bowl, beat butter, sugars and almond extract until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Sir in white chocolate morsels. Drop by well-rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheets.  Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until centers are set. Cool on cooling rack for 2 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen. Enjoy!

I really enjoy reviewing and trying recipes different ways. Today, I decided to add a bit of a twist to the regular White Chocolate Chip Cookie.  I added Almond extract in place of the Vanilla and it was a huge hit with the family. They practically devoured the whole plate of cookies.

 Ingredients:

 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon Almond extract

2 large eggs

2 cups (12-ounce package) White Chocolate Morsels

 Directions:

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In another mixing bowl, beat butter, sugars and almond extract until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Sir in white chocolate morsels. Drop by well-rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheets.  Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until centers are set. Cool on cooling rack for 2 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen. Enjoy!

MAKING STRIDES TO SAVE THE TATTAS

Dear Friends,

I’m so excited! This year I have signed up to walk in the Bay Area American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and I’m hoping you’ll support me. The event will take place in San Jose, CA. on October 31, 2009.  Why Making Strides? Because the American Cancer Society invests the funds I raise in a responsible and effective way, fighting breast cancer on many fronts: groundbreaking research, public awareness and education campaigns, advocacy at the federal and state level to ensure all women have access to mammograms, and free programs and services that improve the quality of life for patients and their families.

I hope that you will support me in my efforts to fight breast cancer. I would greatly appreciate it if you joined my team or made a donation.

If you would like to join my team, please click on the link below to go to my personal page. Click the “Join my team” button.

If you would like to make a donation, please click the link below and click the “Donate” button. In these challenging economic times there is an increased need for the free services that the American Cancer Society provides to patients and their families. A donation of any size would provide critical support to the work being done to fight breast cancer.

Each of us has our own reasons for caring about the fight against breast cancer. Whatever your reasons, I hope you’ll choose to make a difference by signing up to walk with me or by making a donation online to support my efforts. I’m so grateful to have great people like you in my life who care about breast cancer! Together we will make a difference, make history, and make strides.

Click Here To Visit My Personal Page:

Click Here To Visit My Team Page:

Click Here To Visit Company Page:

IT ALL STARTS WITH YOU….

For the past few days I’ve been getting ready for my company’s National Conference in Chicago. Wondering what to wear, what to bring. But I never thought about what to eat while I’m traveling. Sure, once I get there, but since I’m leaving in the early morning and not arriving until the afternoon, I’ll still need some sort of nourshment along the way.  Now that airline carriers charge so many extra fees, lots of people have resorted to bringing their own snacks and meals.

It’s very easy to take a little bit of time to prepare your own food for a plane trip. Bringing along healthy ingredients like vegetables and grains are very portable and they can be prepared in so many savory ways. Rather than eating foods like chips, candy, try a recipe like this that’s satisfying and delicious.

Just pack ahead and keep everything refrigerated until you go. There are small enoughinsulated lunch bags with freezer packs that will keep your meal fresh.  Tip: If you freeze a small individual container of yogurt the night before, you can than use that for added coldness, as well as a healthy snack once it thaws. Happy travels…………..

Fresh mint gives this dish a pleasant aroma. Dried cranberries offer a hint of sweetness. Use any other dried fruit you like in their place: Try golden raisins, currants, dried cherries, or chopped dried apricots.

Yield

3 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)

Ingredients

• 3  tablespoons  fresh lime juice
• 1  tablespoon  extravirgin olive oil
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground coriander
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 2  cups  boiling water
• 1 1/3  cups  uncooked bulgur
• 1/2  cup  matchstick-cut carrots
• 1/3  cup  dried cranberries
• 3  tablespoons  slivered almonds, toasted
• 2  teaspoons  chopped fresh mint
• 1  (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained

Preparation

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk; set aside.

Combine boiling water and bulgur in a large bowl. Cover and let stand 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Add bulgur, carrots, and remaining ingredients to juice mixture, and toss well to coat. Cover and chill.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

451 (22% from fat)

Fat:

11.2g (sat 1.1g,mono 6.5g,poly 2.9g)

Protein:

13.8g

Carbohydrate:

79.3g

Fiber:

18.2g

Cholesterol:

0.0mg

Iron:

3.7mg

Sodium: