Want to put that recipe in the crockpot instead of the oven?

I do not know how the weather is where you are at, but here in the beautiful state of Wisconsin, it is cold, windy and rainy. I personally, do not mind the cold, I live in Wisconsin, what else would I expect? However, I do mind the wind and rain we have been having. So, it is a great time to break out the crock pot and use it a lot more. Not only because the weather is so dreary and soup is great for this kind of weather, but because crock pots are not just for soups. My kids keep me so busy and I am tried of feeding them quick, unhealthy food all the time. There is a great conversion chart on About.com, entitled, Oven to Crockpot Conversion General Information that has some tips on how to convert oven recipes into crock pot recipes. I found something similar a while back, but forgot where I found it. While on Facebook, Skinny Crock Pot shared this one. I hope everyone finds it as useful as I do!!

Tips on freezing food

With everyone's everyday hectic lives I found these tips on allrecipes.com and thought I would share. I love having meals in the freezer that I can pop in the microwave and freeze on one of our busy nights!



http://allrecipes.com//HowTo/freezing-foods-a-real-time-saver/Detail.aspx

Weight Loss Journey

When I started this blog, I wanted to be all about recipes I have tried and foods I have put together myself. I have found it is becoming so much more for me. I, like so many others out there are on a journey, a weight loss journey. So far I have lost 30 pounds, dropped 4 pants sizes and lost some inches, but this I have not measured in a while. My husband has lost twice as much as I have. There are so many people that ask me how we have done it. We did it by creating a deficit in our diet, eating healthy, and exercising. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, it’s not. It is hard work and it sucks! I have no one else to blame but myself. I did it to myself, no one else force me to eat all the crap I was eating and drink all the soda I was drinking. When it comes your body and your health you cannot blame anyone else for the shape its in and if you think you can, well you’re wrong.

To find my deficit I needed to figure out my BMR [Basal Metabolic Rate],which is a measure of the rate of metabolism. There are formulas you can use, but I found a BMR calculator that I really like. It tells me how many calories I need to maintain where I am at and how many I need if I want to lose weight per how much I exercise. Now I know how many calories I need per day, here comes the hard part, counting calories, weighing food, it sucks. I have tried the online sites such as Calorie Counter & Fat Secret, but I am horrible at getting online to log everything in and remembering it all. So, I do it the old fashioned way, I keep a food journal and carry it everywhere with me. It takes some time to figure out how many calories are in everything, but we are creatures of habit and many of us eat the same thing most of the time. A website I have found to be the most useful is CalorieKing. It is a site you can join, but to look food up is free.

Another hard part for me is getting motivated to exercise. I started out with a couple exercise buddies, but they quit on me. Damn them! So, I didn’t find any new ones, but I found comfort in some of the regular classes I started taking at my local YMCA. Some people in my classes & the instructors have become more than just a face, they have become friends that inspire me & push me to work harder. So, my advice for someone who is not a self motivator, find a class or two to take somewhere. Don’t try, do!

Tagging my food

The other day as I was labeling my food, so it would be easier for people to find certain stuff, I realized that most of my food could be vegetarian. I have so many recipes that I love to cook and the meat could be omitted from it. This is what I love about the food I try, it does not have to be made the way I have it down. I love to play with my recipes and try new flavors. I encourage everyone to do the same! Find what you like and do not like, you may be surprised that you like a spice in one dish, but not another.

Happy Cooking!!

Carbs good or bad?

When people are watching what they eat they first thing most people I know do is cut their carbs. They either cut them out completely or cut them down extremely low. Here is an article that I read in one of my husband's magazines that I enjoyed. It is from the April edition of Men's Fitness magazine and it is called Carb Your Enthusiasm: 7 Reasons you shouldn't give up on them by Brynn Manninothem.

Will eating vegetarian help me lose weight?

We eat a lot of chicken, so one way we keep our meals from being so monotonous is by throwing low fat, low calorie, high protein and fiber, vegetarian meals into the weekly dinner menu. From things I have read meat is a good thing and my family loves it. Granted, I tend to only eat red meat once or twice a month, I have to satisfy my burger craving, the rest of the month is chicken, fish, and vegetarian.

I bring this subject up because I have a wonderful, but yet a bit naive friend who tends to buy into stuff without doing much research. She tends to believe the person who is selling her a product is telling her the absolute truth. I on the other hand, thanks to my husband, do not believe what I am being told without doing research on my own. Currently, a few of my friends have bought into how switching to vegetarian is the only way to go in losing weight. I am not saying they are wrong, but I feel they do need to research their food choices a bit more. By going vegetarian they are doing what I am doing, creating a calorie deficit, only in a different way.

I have learned a lot on the Mayo website and I am going to share yet another article I have found.


Question:
Vegetarian diet: Will it help me lose weight?
If I switch to a vegetarian diet, will I lose weight?

Answer:
from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. Mayo Clinic nutritionist

Research has shown that, on average, people who follow a vegetarian diet eat fewer calories and less fat than do nonvegetarians. Vegetarians also tend to have lower body weight relative to their height than do nonvegetarians. This makes sense, since a diet that largely consists of fruits and vegetables generally has fewer calories. However, switching to a vegetarian diet doesn't guarantee weight loss.

The basics of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight are the same for everyone: Eat a healthy diet and balance calories eaten with calories burned. Vegetarians — like nonvegetarians — can make poor food choices that contribute to weight gain, such as large portions of high-fat, high-calorie foods or foods with little or no nutritional value.

For this reason, vegetarian diets should be as carefully planned as nonvegetarian diets to make sure they are nutritionally balanced. Choose a vegetarian eating plan that is low in fat and that provides all of the nutrients your body needs. Be sure to include protein-rich foods — especially if you follow a vegetarian diet that limits fish, eggs and dairy products. Not only is protein an essential nutrient, but also it helps you feel full longer — which can curb your urge to snack.

But be cautious about your protein sources. Substituting large quantities of full-fat cheese and peanut butter for meat will add a significant amount of fat and calories to your diet. Limit your portions of these high-fat proteins. Opt for low-fat protein sources, such as dried beans, low-fat cheese, reduced-fat peanut butter and soy products.

Cooking methods and condiments also factor into your calorie intake. Instead of frying, try steaming, boiling, grilling or roasting foods. If you stir-fry, reduce the amount of oil you use. Also, use smaller amounts — or lower fat versions — of sour cream, mayonnaise, cheese and salad dressing in your food preparation.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vegetarian-diet/AN01580

Cake Tip

I received this tip from someone that is in the cake business a couple years back and I use it every time I bake a cake. They always taste very good.

I use a Duncan Hines cake mix. I use milk in place of water; this makes it more moist. I then add an extra egg to firm it up, it makes it like a homemade tasting cake.

I usually use two 9 in pans and bake according to the directions on the back, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Something I have learned....

With changing our eating habits in our house one thing that I have learned is that frozen spinach is a great filler for a lot of recipes. It is not only healthy for you, but really has no taste once it is combined with other foods.

Melting Chocolate Tip

Be careful when melting chocolate, it burns easily. Keep the heat below 120 F for dark chocolate and below 110 F for white or milk chocolate. Never mix water with chocolate. It can get thick, lumpy or grainy - commonly called "seizing".