January 20, 2009

Here it is only three weeks into the New Year and I’m already behind on my menu planning. I wanted to try harder to come up with healthy choices for family dinners each week. I know a big part of my problem right now is the time factor.  If I had more time, it would be more fun to peruse these cookbooks, plan the meals for the week, make the shopping list, and get all the shopping done the same day. (Oh, in a perfect world!)

Some of my favorites!

I really do love browsing through cookbooks and trying to plan more of a variety each week. If I tell HayHay that we’re having turkey meatloaf again, I’m afraid his head might spin! And he’s the easy one to please…

Seriously, though.  These are some of my favorite “go to” cookbooks for a wide variety of healthy recipes. When I do take the time to look through any one of these, I always find something pretty easy and healthy. I especially like a recipe that has the nutritional information included, like most of these do.

One thing I always forget about planning for is dessert. (I’ve said before that my guys are deprived of sweets.)   If anyone has any easy, healthy, dessert recipes, I’d love to hear from you.

~LilSis

January 19, 2009

Thanks for the info about the MAC free shipping offer, BigSis! I probably shouldn’t order anything this time since I just paid a visit to the MAC counter. (That’s going to be a real test of willpower.)

Back to your question about breakfast. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and has been for as long as I can remember.  I’ve never been crazy about pancakes, donuts, or french toast type breakfasts. BUT, if calories and fat grams were not a factor in choosing my favorite breakfast, I’d have to say that it would be something like the huge bacon and cheddar cheese omelet served with crispy shredded hash browns like I got at the restaurant in Vegas on your birthday! (I’m purposely not naming the restaurant since we won’t be returning to that hotel.)

Unfortunately, my favorite spot for Sunday Brunch down on the beach in Cardiff had to close it’s doors last year. My favorite thing on their menu was a Garden Omelet. It had spinach, asparagus, tomatoes, mushrooms, and just a little provolone cheese in it! That was such a perfect omelet!

So, those are a couple of my favorite breakfasts. Honestly, if I could, I would probably eat a big fat Sausage Egg McMuffin and hash browns from McDonald’s every day, but since we are trying to eat healthy, I don’t indulge in those!

450 Calories and 26 grams of fat

This may seem pretty boring, but I don’t ever get tired of it. During the week at around 6:00, I have either a bowl of nonfat vanilla yogurt with a sliced banana and berries or a bowl of McCann’s Irish Oatmeal, sprinkled with a little cinnamon.

That is followed by my only caffeine of the day, a Diet Rock Star. After a few hours of work and my exercise, I’ll usually take a break around 9:30 or 10:00 and have a one egg omelet cooked in just a tad of olive oil for second breakfast.

So, that’s it in a nutshell.  And you’re right about someone cooking breakfast for you! I love that! It doesn’t happen too often around here, but when it does, I definitely enjoy it!

Is anyone already bored with trying to plan a weekly menu of healthy recipes? I know I am. I am trying to change things up a bit and surprise my family with something that they don’t have every week or so. Tomorrow, I’m going to share some of my favorite cookbooks that I like to peruse for healthy recipes.

~LilSis

January 18, 2009

Here’s a quick alert for the MAC fans out there.  I just got an email for FREE SHIPPING today and tomorrow only.  This offer ends January 19.  Use promo code 2DAY.  There is another promotion currently running for free shipping with any $60 purchase; it doesn’t require a code.

If you’ve been eying the new MAC Brunette Blonde Redhead Collection but haven’t made it to the mall yet, here’s your chance to grab some of those limited edition products with free shipping.

MAC Brunette Blonde Redhead Collection

Get shopping, girls!

~BigSis

January 18, 2009

Whether you call it a resolution or a goal or whatever, I know that many of us – most of us – are trying to eat better this New Year. I certainly am trying to. I wonder how you’re all doing so far now that we’re a little over 2 weeks into January?

For me, the first step toward a healthful day of eating is a great breakfast followed by a second great breakfast! First breakfast on weekdays is always a 6 am smoothie made with vitamin powder, ground flax seed, unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze, a splash of juice (orange or cranberry usually), and frozen blueberries and strawberries. That’s it. I whip it up in my new pink KitchenAid blender and I’m set for 3 hours.

Second breakfast is around 9 or 9:30 and is a serving of McCann’s Quick Cooking Irish Oatmeal nuked in the office microwave. I do splurge and put a pat of real butter (gasp) on it. I heard from our Aunt C that her daughter-in-law puts a drizzle of olive oil on her oatmeal, so I tried it today, and it wasn’t bad!  It needed a dash of salt, but I think I could get used to it.   Weekend breakfasts may have a little more variety since the time crunch isn’t in turbo mode. I might skip the smoothie and have a banana, and then later have a couple of scrambled eggs on wheat toast. No matter what though, I never skip breakfast.

We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I totally believe that to be true. Without a breakfast of some kind to get your body going and rev up your metabolism, you start the day out sluggish and droopy. It’s been shown that kids who eat breakfast do better in school and tend to be healthier overall. And did you know that eating breakfast will actually help you lose weight? We might think that skipping a meal saves those calories and that we’re ahead of the game, but that isn’t only untrue, it has just the opposite effect. Want more info? Check out this WebMD article on losing weight by eating breakfast.

I hear all of you out there saying “I’m not hungry in the morning so I’ve never been able to eat breakfast.”  I found some interesting info on WikiHow that will tell you how to change that, and show you how to feel like eating breakfast.  Just because you haven’t been a breakfast eater in the past doesn’t mean that you can’t become one!  Maybe the solution is something as simple as changing what you perceive breakfast food to be.  You don’t have to eat cereal or eggs; anything that you enjoy for dinner or lunch can become breakfast.  I went to RecipeZaar and searched for breakfast, and found 1970 recipes!  There has to be *something* there that you would enjoy eating in the morning!

Vegetarian Big Breakfast (Flickr photo by Ellesil)

LilSis, I know that love of breakfast is something that you and I share, along with Big T!  I still remember that great breakfast he made for me and SisMama and all of you when we were visiting last June…biscuits, roasted potatoes, fruit salad, and eggs with mushrooms and asparagus!  There’s something really awesome about someone making you breakfast, don’t you think?  What’s your favorite breakfast, LilSis?

~BigSis

January 17, 2009

We’ve been talking about beauty and skin care products a lot recently, so I have to ask a question that’s been on my mind. I want to be transparent, so I’m not going to hide this vulnerability. Tell me I’m not the only one who suffers from this anxiety and insecurity. Please tell me. Here’s how it goes. I have to go into a department store to pick up one of my can’t-live-without-products, like the foundation I finally found that covers just the right amount AND doesn’t cause any breakouts AND matches my skintone AND isn’t too dewy or too matte.

Prescriptives Flawless

This should be a quick little errand, right? Bing bang boom. Wrong.

For me, it causes dread and a serious amount of anxiety that sees me looking on the Area 52 website to find something that can help me relax. Because I know that when I – a normal, confident, professional woman – march up to the counter with my request, I’m going to feel like the Hunchback of Notre Dame with a bad case of leprosy within minutes. I can’t just pay for my purchase and leave. No, no, no, that would be too easy. The salesperson has to try to up-sell me or cross-sell me, or whatever the heck they call it. I’m bombarded by:

“Have you tried our new eye cream? It really works on those wrinkles and puffiness and crow’s feet”.

“Would you like to make an appointment for me to give you a makeover, dear?”

“Do you use our new wrinkle-erasing-lifting-super-duper-youth-restoring-magical-miracle-night-cream? I think it would really help you. Let me give you a sample!”

“Would you like for me to recommend a product to help with that redness/those wrinkles/that dryness/your oiliness?”

By the time I slink away to my car, I feel like the most flawed woman ever to approach the counter. Now, in my mind, I’m droopy, dehydrated, shiny, dry, red, pale, wrinkly, baggy, saggy, and puffy. All at once! In reality, I do have my own little challenges like every woman does, but usually I’m content with what I have to work with. Not overjoyed, (I AM forty-something, for cryin’ out loud) but content.

So I’m wondering. Is it just me who feels like a frappin’ troll after they’ve just handed over their hard-earned money for a product? Should we pay for someone to insult us? Maybe it’s worse for me since I had skin problems as a teenager, and so I’m over-sensitive to salespersons’ “suggestions”? Maybe the dermatological afflictions scarred my self-esteem more than my skin, and I’m still reeling from it years (and years) later, even though I spent a bajillion dollars last year for six Fraxel laser treatments, and my skin is in better shape than it has been since I was 12 years old? I have the feeling that my anxiety, insecurity and paranoia in this area are more common than I know. Does anyone share this with me, or do I need to get in touch with someone like www.PsychCompany.com and arrange some psychotherapy? Give me some support, sisters, before I bow to the pressure to make all my purchases online!

~BigSis

January 16, 2009

LilSis, I’d love to give you an update on the Borba cellulite products.  I started using the Firming Body Cleansing Serum ($20) almost 60 days ago.  I liked it immediately and I still like it.  It seems to firm and just feels energizing on my skin.  The Serum contains Hyaluronic Acid (a humectant which is said to promote the skin’s natural ability to hold onto moisture), Heptapeptide-1 (which is supposed to help firm and tone the skin while fighting free radical damage), plus Guanabana Fruit Extract, Diamond Powder, and Hydrolyzed Spandex Fiber.  If you know what those ingredients are, you’re way ahead of me!

Since I liked the Serum, regardless of my ingredient ignorance, I ordered two other products to complement it.  I got the Firming Body Trio which includes the Serum plus Firming Micro-Diamond Body Polish and Firming Diamond Shimmer Contour.  I’ve been using the Serum and the Polish on alternate days, and the Contour Cream every day.

The Body Polish contains Diamond Powder to exfoliate and improve microcirculation, Glycolic Acid and Salicylic Acid to help refine and retexturize surface skin, plus Vitamins A and E, Colloidal Oatmeal, Soy, Cucumber, Aloe, Hydrolized Spandex Protein, Heptapeptide-1, Guanabana extract, and Papain.

The Contour Cream contains Diamond Powder and Mica which are supposed to provide multidimensional radiance and contour to diffuse the look of imperfections. It also has Guanabana Extract, Shea Butter, Cucumber, Aloe, Hydrolized Spandex Protein, Papain, Salicylic Acid and Glycolic Acid.

I’m not a BeautyBrain, so I can’t tell you what all those ingredients are, and if the claims that Borba makes concerning them are reasonable.  What I can tell you is that I PROMISE I am seeing results after using this trio together for only a week!  I’m SO not kidding, and I’m NOT on the Borba payroll!  I have used plenty of anti-cellulite products that moisturize and not much else, but this line is different.

Borba Firming Cellulite Trio

The Borba products do not have any caffeine that I can see (again, I’m no BeautyBrain), which makes their effectiveness even more surprising.  What I’m seeing is tighter, smoother skin with no nasty caffeine side effects.

I’ve been ordering through the Borba web site, but I just found the products on QVC.  QVC has the firming trio for $48, plus shipping.  I paid $60 on sale, but the regular price for the trio is $80.  Doh!  Guess where I’ll be doing my ordering from now on!  Comments on the QVC web site mention the unpleasant smell of the products, and I have to say that I’m not in love the scent of the cream. The good news is that it disappears pretty quickly so it doesn’t bother me at all.  I don’t notice an undesirable fragrance in the body polish, and I actually like the fresh scent of the serum.

Overall, I would highly recommend the Borba Body Firming Trio, and the QVC price makes it a great deal as well as effective!  So far, this is the best firming product line I’ve used.  If you know of something better, let me know so I can test it!

~BigSis

January 15, 2009

BigSis first mentioned Relastin Eye Silk to us back in November.  I decided to give the Relastin Eye Silk a try since I wasn’t completely satisfied with my whole eye cream regime.  I started using it on December 1st, so as of today, I’ve been using the product for 45 days. I have to say that I have really noticed some results with this product!

I use the product morning and night. It only takes a VERY small amount! This product has a very different consistency compared to any that I’ve used in the past. (And, trust me, I’ve tried a lot!)  It’s not really a serum and not really a cream, but more of a very light, soft, gel like consistency. (I guess that’s why they named it Silk)  And it works great under concealer, too, which is a BIG problem with a lot of eye products.

The container is a pump and you really can’t tell how much is actually left in the bottle, so I went ahead and ordered another bottle since I didn’t want to take a chance of running out. Check the Relastin website for special sales or discount codes. They have a special going on right now where you can buy two Relastin products and receive the Relastin Eye Silk for FREE!

Relastin Eye Silk

I don’t want to claim that this is some miracle product and then someone tries it and doesn’t notice the same results. I just notice that underneath my eyes seems a little tighter, more supple and less wrinkled. I’ve also noticed that ‘those nasty little crows feet’ are somewhat diminished. Seriously! I wouldn’t make that up!

There’s really no reason not to give this product a try because they do offer a full 30 day money back guarantee if you’re not completely satisfied! You’ve got nothing to lose!

So, BigSis, now that we’ve found an eye product that actually produces some results, I’d really LOVE to find an anti-cellulite product that will do the same!

How about an update on those Borba Cellulite Products?

~LilSis

January 14, 2009

It’s time again!  What time?  Time to get your creative thinking caps (or chef hats) on, because the 44th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off is here!  The deadline for recipe submissions is April 20, 2009, so you’ve got over 90 days to come up with a brilliant original recipe.  The categories this time are Breakfast and Brunches, Entertaining Appetizers, Dinner Made Easy and Sweet Treats.  Be sure to check out the web site for all the rules.

$1 million cookie!

The $1 million winning recipe in the last contest was the Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookie submitted by Carolyn Gurtz from Maryland.

Last time, 2 years ago, SisMama and I entered the contest with a few original recipes of our own, and although neither of us made the finals, it was great fun!  It was the first time either of us had entered, so this time we should have a little better idea of how the contest works and how the recipes need to be submitted.  Hopefully we learned a little from the experience, and will do better this year.  SisMama and all you cooks and bakers out there…start your ovens!  Don’t be intimidated by the number of entries the contest will get or by the enormity of this competition.  Someone has to win, and it may as well be you!  You could be the winner of ONE MILLION DOLLARS!  Now get in that kitchen and rattle those pots and pans!

~BigSis

January 13, 2009

Most MAC Eyeshadow fanatics know about the MAC Cosmetic Recycling Program! It’s such a happy, happy day when I discover that I’ve just emptied my sixth eye shadow container.

Six beautiful little empty pots! It's a Happy, Happy Day!

It’s simple. I return the six empties to any MAC counter and in exchange, I get to choose a free lipstick! I  also just ran out of both my MAC Select Moisture Cover Concealer and my MAC Select Sheer Loose Powder at the same time! Now, I had no choice but to go to the MAC Counter today!

BigSis just mentioned how much she loves the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. I’ve never tried it because I’ve been happy with my MAC Prep + Prime Eye. I might have to give the Urban Decay a try just to compare the two, since BigSis likes it so much!

I haven’t yet had a chance to mention the beautiful new MAC Eyeshadow color that Bo gave me for Christmas. It’s called Wintersky and it’s a gorgeous color. It’s amazing that she was able to choose a color that I didn’t already have. So, while I was at the  MAC counter, I purchased another Wintersky since it’s a limited edition shade. I also picked up a new color called French Cuff! Lucky for my wallet, I was in a huge rush when I ran into Macy’s so I couldn’t linger over all the lovely new shades! I’ll save that for another day.

It’s so much fun to go pick out a FREE lipstick; so, whatever you do, DO NOT throw away those MAC eyeshadow empties!

~LilSis

January 12, 2009

Hooray for Urban Decay!  How can a company with only two products in my makeup drawer have an enormous impact on my daily makeup routine?  I don’t have the popular Urban Decay Lounge or YDK Eyeshadows, Greed Lip Envy, Midnight Cowboy Lipstick, or Catfight Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in my stash.  Nothing but two little beauties: Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion and 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils.  I don’t like to say a product is life-changing, but these guys are incredible!

LilSis and I talk all the time about what MAC eyeshadow snobs we are, but without a good eyeshadow base, we’d be cheating ourselves out of a lot that a high quality product has to offer.  A good eyeshadow primer will grab onto your shadow, and enable it to last longer while intensifying the vibrancy of the color.  Fading and creasing will become an instant thing of the past!

Even with a great eyeshadow like MAC, you still have plenty to gain by taking a few extra seconds to apply a base.  I resisted adding another step to my morning routine, but I finally caved and tried some products that were recommended to me as base: MAC Paint in Base Light, Bourjois Survolteel Waterproof Eyeshadow in Beige, and Bourjois Shimmering Shine Liquid Eyeshadow in Beige Metallique.  As far as I can see, these particular Bourjois products aren’t available any more.  My experience is that they’re all great as long-lasting shadows, and I especially like them for muggy summer days when my chances of creasing climb to 100% along with the humidity.  As a base for other shadows though, I think they’re too thick, plus they bring color and shimmer with them so any shadow you put on top of them is going to change.  Maybe for the better, but it’s going to change.  Plus, it takes me way too long to get the application even and smooth, and I just don’t have that kind of time (or patience) in morning crunch-time.

Urban Decay Primer Potion

I much prefer the invisible Urban Decay Primer Potion.  The Primer Potion goes on clear and you can’t even tell you have it on.  You use a very very small amount;  I spread it around quickly with a small concealer brush but you could smooth it on with a fingertip if you wanted to.  Then apply your eyeshadow on top as usual.  You won’t believe how much difference it makes!  Today, I put my makeup on at 6:30 am, worked all day, worked out at the gym, did a bunch of errands, took care of the furkids, made dinner, cleaned up the kitchen, and at 9:00 pm, my eyeshadow looks like I just put it on!  I’m SO not kidding!  The color is true and there is literally NO creasing!  Try this Primer Potion now!  It may be the best $16 I’ve every spent on a product.  I agree that the cutesy container leaves a lot of product inaccessible, but you can do what Clumps of Mascara does, and hack into it!  That’s what I’m going to do!

The other Urban Decay product I’m crazy about is their 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil.  I like automatic pencil eyeliners usually because I don’t like fiddling around with a sharpener whenever the pencil loses it’s point,  but I’m willing to make an exception for the 24/7, which is a normal-needs-sharpening pencil.  This super-creamy pencil glides on like butter, and then you have 30 seconds or so to smudge it around or blend it as you wish.  Then it’s ON baby for the rest of the day!  No fading, no disappearing, no creasing.  It’s totally waterproof, but disappears easily at bedtime with a swish of Lancome’s Bi-Facil.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil

I have the Glide-On Pencil in 4 colors and none of them are boring.  I have 1999 (plum with teeny gold glitter), Bourbon (brown with teeny gold glitter), Lucky (brilliant deep copper), and Covet (peacock green).  My favorites are Bourbon and Lucky.  Bourbon is a great snappy bronzy brown, but don’t be afraid of the glitter…I wouldn’t even call it glitter.  It’s just a little pizzazz!  Lucky is a fabulous color for blue eyes!  Try it!  1999 doesn’t show up much on my skin, so it needs a deeper shadow color on top of it, which I always do anyway to help set any liner pencil I use.  I’m not sure what to do with Covet, maybe someone can give me a suggestion of how a blue-eyed person can wear peacock green liner without looking like a peacock.  I have my eye on a couple of other colors:  Underground (metallic taupe), and Ransom (deep purple with subtle silver sparkle) or Lust (bright iridescent purple).  At $16 each, you can afford to try some fun colors, even if like me you need a little guidance in wearing them!

You can order Urban Decay through their web site, but you can also find their products at Ulta, Sephora and department stores.

~BigSis