July 27, 2009

A few years ago, I still had 3 cats instead of my current 2, and I really was getting tired of the daily litter box scooping routine:

• Find a plastic bag without holes

• Scoop into the bag and tie it up

• Take the filled bag to the dumpster – rain or shine, light or dark, Africa hot or Antarctica cold

If I was too lazy to make the trip to the trash, I’d occasionally leave the little bag of presents sitting on the front or back porch for later, and that’s just gross.  There had to be an easier way to handle this chore, which had to be done every day with 3 cats.  I started thinking and wishing that someone made a contraption like the Diaper Genie, but for used cat litter instead of disposable baby diapers.  I went online, and voila!  Someone does make that contraption.  It’s called the Petmate Litter Locker ($21.87 at Amazon).

Litter Locker

This little jewel does everything I want it to do.  I don’t have to dig around for a plastic bag and I don’t have to schlep the filled bag to the dumpster every day.  You just scoop the used litter into the Litter Locker with the provided scooper, and then turn the handle.  There is a long plastic bag in the Litter Locker, and when you turn the handle, you’re essentially coiling the bag and it’s contents around itself.  When the Locker gets full, you just empty the coil into the trash.

There is no odor, and you never have to touch anything yukky.  If you have several cats and like a really clean litter box, or your cats demand a really clean box, you can scoop several times a day if you want to.  It’s super easy!  And anything that makes my life easier is a winner in my book!  I’ve been using the Litter Locker for around 3 years now, and am on my second one.  After a while, I think the plastic does absorb a bit of odor from storing all that poo, so I replaced mine when I moved a year ago.

You can buy the Litter Locker and refills at Amazon.com, PetSMart, WalMart, Petco and several online pet supply companies.  I highly recommend it!

~BigSis

July 25, 2009

Do you read the Huffington Post?  I guess I’m late to this party, because I’ve heard about it for a while but just now started reading it every day and now I’m hooked.  I love their mix of news and smart bloggy posts on this and that.

Paula Abdul photo by Alan Light

So I found this bombshell on Huffington Post last weekend.  Paula Abdul may not return for the next season of American Idol.  I know, it’s devastating and earth-shattering, but I have to report it to you.  Don’t kill the messenger.  HuffPo links to an LA Times article that says Paula’s new manager claims she’ll leave if the “rude” producers don’t deal with her.  We know that this kind of public posturing is part of the whole deal-negotiating game, but what if Paula really DID leave the show?

Would you care if Paula didn’t come back for another season of Idol?  Do you enjoy her wacky comments?  Do you think Paula is part of what makes Idol so fun to watch?  Or do you think the show would be better off without her?

~BigSis

July 23, 2009

Jillian Michaels "Banish Fat Boost Metabolism"

I’ve been talking about doing the Jillian Michaels’ workout DVDs for a while now:  “30-Day Shred”, “No More Trouble Zones” and “Banish Fat Boost Metabolism”.  Last Sunday’s Parade Magazine had an ad for a free copy of “Banish Fat Boost Metabolism”, which is the cardio blast video which will kick your butt!  Trust me.  This WILL get your bod to sit up and pay attention!

To get your free copy, go to JillianMichaels.com.  You will have to pay $4.95 shipping, but you’re still ahead since the retail price of this video is $14.95.  You also get a 2 week free trial of Jillian’s online weight loss program.  Be sure to note that you’ll need to cancel the program before the trial ends, otherwise you’ll be charged for continuing it.

If you need a little boost and a little fat banishing – who doesn’t – then this is the ticket!

~BigSis

July 21, 2009

I don’t like to get off on a rant on our blog.  LilSis and I decided to be positive here, since there is so much negativity in the world, and we all need a little break from the stress of everyday life.  But I have to let it loose today!  The space program is my pet peeve, and if I see one more video of our moon landing 40 years ago I’m going to have a hissy fit.

Let me explain my unpopular opinion.  I think the space program is a gigantic race for bragging rights between countries.  It’s an international ego trip.  Who can get to the moon first?  Who can get to Mars first?  Who can have the biggest and best space station?

I say who gives a flying fig?  Do you know how much we spend on the space program?  In 1969, the Apollo project cost $25 billion.  That’s 40 years ago.  Now NASA wants to go back to the moon by 2020.  Any idea of how much that will cost?  President Obama has requested funds of $18.7 billion for NASA in 2010, $3.21 billion of which would go toward manned space exploration.   And did you know that the International Space Station is a $100 billion project?

My problem with all this ego spending is this.  I bet you a dollar that you know someone who has been impacted by childhood brain cancer, by breast cancer, by Alzheimer’s disease, or by Lou Gehrig’s disease.  What if we took the money we’re throwing up into the atmosphere, and throw it at one of these diseases?  Do you think we might get a better return on our money?  I think we might. I want us to try.

I get that the space program provides a lot of jobs.  I get that the space program is a source of national pride.  But I say there are better sources of national pride. I’m proud of what our military is doing throughout the world to bring peace, for one thing.  And could there be any greater pride than that which would come from our research brainiacs finding a cure for one of these devastating diseases, as opposed to flying all over the galaxies looking for little green men…throwing our valuable mis-spent dollars out the window the whole way?

Do we really think there will come a day when we will need to live on the moon or another planet?  Really?  What are the odds of that?  Contrast that with the odds of getting one of these horrendous diseases.  I rest my case.  Let’s kill the space program now.  Please.

~BigSis

July 19, 2009

When I take the time to watch TV, I do love me a reality show.  So You Think You Can Dance, American Idol and Top Chef are my favorites.  Top Chef is a Bravo show, but the other two are Fox productions.  I’m really curious about how the public is going to react to Fox’s newest show, which premiers Tuesday, July 28.  It’s called “More to Love”, and I’m just wondering if this show already rubs anyone else the wrong way, as it does me.  I’ve only seen the promos, but it screams exploitation to me.

Here’s what Fox’s web site has to say about “More to Love”:

~BigSis

July 17, 2009

flickr photo by paulotavio

Well, LilSis, the horse races sound like a lot of fun.  Unless of course, you’re here in Texas where it’s AFRICA HOT!  We have horse races here too, but there’s no ding dang way I’m going to the track when it’s 104 degrees like it has been this week.  Sure, you can watch the horses from the air-conditioned indoor area, but where’s the fun in that?  I like to be down on the rail where you can feel the dirt flying and hear the horses breathing.

Surely, surely, there is no-sweat summer fun to be had in Texas (and other sizzling places) that won’t involve a call to the paramedics and a trip to the hospital for heat stroke!  Surely!  You can only sit in the house playing Wii and watching the “Real Housewives of New Jersey” for so long.

Here’s what I came up with.  If you have other ideas, please share them!  We’re desperate out here, folks!

• Check out one of the blockbuster summer movies.

• Hang out at the pool IN the water, not just near it.

• Spend the day at a water park.  Don’t forget the sunscreen!

• Go to the mall and shop the summer sales.  Don’t go in any store that has winter clothes displayed already!

• Investigate your local museums – besides art, you may have a science and history museum or something else interesting that you never think of visiting.

• Whip out the Slip N Slide.

• Play in the sprinkler – do kids even do that any more?

• Make homemade ice cream.  We used to love homemade banana and homemade coke ice cream.  And vanilla, of course, with chocolate syrup.

• If your car has working a/c, drive to Starbuck’s and get a frappucino.

• Go to a restaurant where you aren’t sad to not be dining al fresco.  Have a cold beer or an iced tea with a cool salad, and some sherbet.

• Visit the library…you remember the library, right?  That’s what we had before Barnes & Noble and Amazon hit the scene.

• Shop at the farmer’s market for all of the season’s bounty…but go early, early, early before it gets hot, hot, hot!

• Make a big bowl of guacamole and eat it with the crispiest chips you can find and the iciest margarita you can blend up.

• Watch movies with lots of snow.  How about “Snow Dogs”?

• Get a frosty fruit smoothie for breakfast from your local smoothie shop.  What the heck; have one for lunch!

That’s it for me.  If you’ve got a cool idea, let me know.  We’re melting out here!

~BigSis

July 15, 2009

Thanks for all the great healthy snack ideas yesterday, LilSis.  You know I love snacks as much as you do…salty and savory ones rather than sweet ones usually.  I also agree with eating small meals during the day.  For my second breakfast or my after-workout snack, I sometimes have a granola or protein bar.  Not a big meal replacement bar, but a nice tasty snack-size one that doesn’t have too many calories, fat grams or sugar grams.  I was excited to try these new Granola Nut Clusters from Nature Valley that MyBlogSpark sent us to investigate.

We got four flavors: Nut Lovers, Honey Roasted Peanut, Roasted Cashew and Roasted Almond.  I tried some on my own and took some to work for an informal taste test. LilSis tried them, and also got the expert opinion from my favorite surfer dude and her 15-year-old eating machine, HayHay.

Nut Lovers

(7 clusters: 160 cal, 10 g fat, 14g carbs, 7 g sugar, 4 g protein)

Please note there has been a limited recall of this variety.  Check the Nature Valley web site for the impacted “use by dates”.

• BigSis: Tastes stale! I expected this to be delicious with all the nuts, but you didn’t get much granola, and the nuts were just blah and soggy-ish.  Not worth the calories and fat for sure!

• BigSis’ Co-workers: Texture is a little soft, tastes of honey, needs more almonds, nothing stood out, no one liked it.

• LilSis: I thought these would be my favorite of the bunch but they were a strange texture. They seemed almost stale. Too soft. I didn’t like the cashews in the combo.

• HayHay: They’re alright. They almost all taste the same to me.

Honey Roasted Peanut

(7 clusters: 140 cal, 7 g fat, 15 g carbs, 8 g sugar, 5 g protein)

• BigSis: You can see lots of peanuts and there’s a big peanut flavor, but I’m not a real fan of peanuts. So.

• BigSis’ Co-workers: Very peanutty, flavor better and not as sticky as the Nut Lovers, favorite of two people.

• LilSis: These were good and more crunchy than the Nut Lovers. I could definitely eat a big bag of honey roasted peanuts back in the day, but I don’t care that much for peanuts these days.

• HayHay: They’re alright. They almost all taste the same to me.

• SirHoney: These are my favorite!! (You knew he’d have to get in on this taste test!)

Roasted Cashew

(7 clusters: 150 cal, 7 g fat, 18g carbs, 8 g sugar, 4 g protein)

• BigSis: These seem a bit more salty than other flavors with big pieces of cashew, flavor is fine but not great.

• BigSis’ Co-workers: Extremely crispy, big bite of crunch for the size, not as much nut flavor as peanut, eeewww don’t like it.

• LilSis: I don’t care for the texture of the cashew combined with the granola.

• HayHay: Don’t like them at all.

Roasted Almond

(7 clusters: 140 cal. 7 g fat, 15 g carbs, 7 g sugar, 4 g protein)

• BigSis: My favorite of all 4 varieties, big pieces of almond and great almond flavor mixing well with granola.

• BigSis’ Co-workers: Very crispy and crunchy, lots of granola and nuts, so crunchy I almost want to make it into cereal and put milk on it, favorite of one person.

• LilSis: These are my favorite. They have a very similar texture as the honey roasted peanut, but I just like almonds more than peanuts. (As the taste testing progressed, these did prove to be quite addicting!)

• HayHay: Not a fan of almonds.

Overall, I think the clusters have way too many calories, fat and sugar for me to snack on them.  I do think the Roasted Almond flavor is delicious, and I wouldn’t mind keeping a bag of it around to ease a sweet tooth urge at night.  One or two of these is a nice little sweet bite without any caffeine, so they would be perfect as an occasional evening treat…not as a daily snack for a forty-something woman!  None of my co-workers would buy them, as they are all chewy granola fans rather than crunchy fans, and these are uber-crunchy!

~BigSis

July 13, 2009

Tomatoes in Mid-Air by aaroncorey on Flickr

When tomatoes go bad, there’s only one thing they’re good for, but that makes for a very long laundry day!

So how do we keep our tomatoes from going so bad that they can only be used as a damaging projectile?  We’re in the middle of excellent tomato season now, and I usually buy a ton of them at the farmer’s market on the weekend. I know that storing them in the fridge is a huge no-no…it changes the texture and ruins the flavor.  But is there anything else I can do to make my maters last until I can eat my entire haul?

Here’s a tip I read on Cook’s Illustrated.  Store your tomatoes (at room temp) stem side down.  Why, you ask?  Two reasons:

• A tiny amount of air can exit through the cut stem end, allowing for dehydration and quicker spoilage

• That cut stem end can also be an entrance for bacteria and mold which will also lead to spoilage

Who knew?  Now we do, and we can keep our tomatoes fresh for all those awesome summer dishes.  LilSis’ Heirloom Tomato Salad with Basil Vinaigrette comes to mind!

~BigSis

July 9, 2009

Are the little critters eatin’ you up this summer? Here in Texas we’re always trying to avoid mosquito bites and chigger bites. Sometimes we can avoid them, sometimes we can’t. Either way, they’re super annoying! You spend most of your time trying to swipe them from your face than actually being able to sit back and enjoy watching them fly around your garden. My absolute worst nightmare would be to come home one day and see a whole swarm of critters nesting in my home. Urgh, it’s making me feel queasy just at the thought of this. In fact, it happened to my friend a couple of weeks ago. She found the likes of fleas, ticks, and cockroaches in some of the rooms in her house, and she tried everything she could to try and get rid of them but to no avail. It wasn’t until she was able to get in touch with somewhere like https://www.pestcontrolexperts.com/pest-control/ that they were eventually exterminated from her home for good. Phew! At least I know what to do if this situation happened to me, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I can avoid this altogether. Anyway, I’m too focused on trying not to get bitten by mosquitos and chiggers that I simply don’t want to add any other problems to my list.

Do other parts of the country have chiggers? If not, let me fill you in. These microscopic varmints will burrow under your skin, and STAY ALIVE! How gross is that? It’s like the stories you hear about the bugs that lay eggs in peoples’ eardrums or the worms that live in peoples’ brains. Chiggers will drive you insane with the itching because they’re squirming around under your skin! One of the home remedies for chigger bites it to kill them via suffocation by covering the chigger bite with clear nail polish. I kid you not.

Have you noticed that some people don’t get snacked on by mosquitoes, and other people are devoured? I’ve heard that taking B vitamins makes your blood taste yukky to mosquitoes so they’ll leave you alone if you’re full of B. I’ve always taken B, but I don’t know if that’s why they neglect me or not, but I’m glad whatever the reason. Another home remedy I’ve heard of is to keep a dryer sheet in your pocket to repel bugs.

There are plenty of chemical-laden insect repellents on the market, but there are also some natural ones, which would be my preference. One is called Buzz Away. It’s an all natural insect repellent without DEET. It’s said to repel mosquitoes, black flies, fleas, gnats and ticks. Who wants those on their body? Not me.

Buzz Away Natural Insect Repellent

You can order through Buzz Away’s web site, or at many local vitamin stores, health food shops and drugstores.

Have a good summer, and stop scratching that bite! It’s gonna get infected!

~BigSis

July 7, 2009

Cuisinart 2 qt Stainless Steel Ice Cream Maker

We have just one week of July behind us, so there’s still plenty of summer left, and what better way to celebrate summer than with ice cream! LilSis mentioned this great Cuisinart ice cream maker a while back, and it’s been in the back of my mind ever since.

When the new Williams-Sonoma catalog (schwing!) came out last week, guess what was in it?  This same awesome 2-quart Cuisinart stainless steel ice cream maker at the excellent price of $79.95.  But guess what?  If you buy this shiny little beauty from Williams-Sonoma by August 3, you get a $20 gift card for the store by mail…free!  Free free free! My favorite price!

So I’m thinking.  Ice cream and a $20 gift card to one of my favorite stores.  It seems like a no-brainer to me.  Only problem is I’ll also have to spring for The Vegan Scoop ($13.59 at Amazon) since dairy ice cream doesn’t like me.

Williams-Sonoma Ice Cream Party Bowls

Oh, and I’ll have to get these cute exclusive ice cream party bowls for $39 from Williams-Sonoma.

And by the time I gobble down a few quarts of non-dairy ice cream, I’m going to need bigger pants.  Maybe the $20 gift card isn’t such a good deal after all.

Oh, who in the hecky darn am I kidding?  Free is free, people!  Run…don’t walk…to Williams-Sonoma and get your ice cream maker and your gift card before this deal expires!  If you run, I bet you’ve already burned enough calories to eat a bowl of mint chocolate chip by the time you get there!

~BigSis