Posted under

Just in case you missed the news at the beginning of the month and are wondering about the pink text, we are going Pink for October to show our support for breast cancer awareness.

While out shopping, you will have noticed by now the abundance of pink products being sold at most retail stores. Since the Susan G. Komen for the Cure is an important cause to me, I buy pink products from the companies that are giving their profits to that charity. Not that the other charities aren't completely legitimate, it's just a personal choice. I found this post on the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Message Board and felt it was important enough to pass along to our readers.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure suggests consumers use care and consideration before buying pink products.

October 6, 2009

DALLAS–(Business Wire)–From grocery stores to home improvement centers, pink ribbons and labels adorn everything from candy to vacuum cleaners to raise awareness and money during the 25th annual National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But with so many “pink” marketing programs out there, how can you be sure your money (or how much of it) is going where it should?

Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world`s leader in the fight against breast cancer, suggests people ask a few questions before picking one product over another.

“Selecting the right program is a personal choice based on your interests, your passions and a cause that is important to you,” said Katrina McGhee, vice president of global partnerships for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “You work hard for your money, make sure your purchases have the impact you want.”

Whether a program offers to donate a portion of product sales or requires consumer participation in exchange for a donation, Komen's objective is that all programs that benefit Komen are meaningful, educate women and men about breast cancer and generate funds which Komen devotes to research and community outreach.

In order to determine if a cause-related program, promotion or project is one that you would like to support (or is worthy of your support), Komen suggests consumers ask five key questions.

1. Is this company committed?

Read the product packaging and promotional materials or display and visit the company Web site to make sure the company is credible and committed to the
cause.

2. How is the program structured?

Transparency is key. Is the company clearly stating how the money is raised and how much will be going to charity? For example, if it's a donation per purchase, ask how much of purchase price goes to charity-is it two percent or 10
percent-or some other amount? If there is a minimum contribution guaranteed by the company, what is the amount? Is there a maximum donation that will be made by the company?

3. Who does the program benefit?

Does it support a well-managed, reputable non-profit or fund? Again, we recommend that consumers read Web sites. Komen makes it very clear on our site who we are, how we structure programs and how the monies are used. The Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance is one resource for information on non-profit organizations if you are unsure (visit www.give.org.

4. How will the organization that benefits use my money?

It should be abundantly clear where the monies go. What organization will they support? Will the dollars generated go to research, education, community programs or all of the above? Komen is very specific about our programs, activities and grants awarded to support our mission to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease. View Komen's most recent Annual Report.

5. Is the program meaningful to me?

Is the program supporting a cause you believe in or have been touched by? Based on the details of the program and the potential for dollars to be raised does the program make sense to you? Selecting the right program is a personal choice based on your interests, your passions and a cause that is important to you.

~LilSis

Posted under Health

One of the things I love about blogging is the community.  We share a common interest, and it seems to me that most bloggers are very supportive of each other and encourage each others' success.  And if you're lucky, at some point you might get to meet your online friends in person.

The other thing I really like is that bloggers know food!  If I see a recipe posted by Anna, Peabody, Grace, Cathy, Susan, Michelle, Susan, Lisa, or  Heather (among many, many other incredible cooks and bakers), I am confident that I can make that recipe and it'll turn out great.  If I have any questions or problems, or successes I want to share, then I know who to go to.  I can't do that with the cookbooks on my shelves.

The only problem with online recipes though is how to organize them.  I used to highlight the recipe and paste it into Microsoft Word, then print it out and save it to my hard drive.  But then I had all of these hard copies to sort and file, and who ever goes back through all of those?  There's too much paper in our lives to deal with already.  And invariably I save a recipe to my laptop at home, and then later need to access the recipe at work so I can pick up the ingredients on my way home.

What if you could save an online cookbook of all your favorite recipes, sorted the way you want it?  Well, you can do just that and it's super duper easy!  Are you using Delicious bookmarks?  If you are, then you can tweak it to organize your online recipes, and if you're not, then think about getting on board!

Delicious is awesome because you just sign up for a free account, and then you use it to bookmark your favorite pages.  It doesn't matter which computer you're on.  Your bookmarks are on Delicious, not on one particular computer.  The other cool thing is that you can choose to share your bookmarks and your personalized cookbook with other people that you specify.

So, let's set up your online cookbook!

• First, access your account at http://delicious.com or set up a new account.

• In the right sidebar, click on Tag Options and choose Manage Tag Bundles.

• A new window opens. Click on Create to make a new tag bundle.

• In #1, enter the Tag Bundle Name, something like “Emma's Cookbook”.  In #2, enter the tags that you want to use to sort your cookbook.  Separate your tags with spaces.  You could use broad categories like appetizers, vegetables, meat, and dessert, or you could use more specific tags like cookies, chocolate, soup, potatoes, quiche, candy, fruit, etc.  You get the idea.  It's totally up to you and how you want to organize your recipes.

• Click on the green Save button, and you're done!  Voila!

Now, when you go back to your Delicious home page, you'll see your tag bundle listed on the right sidebar under Tag Bundles.  To place a recipe into your cookbook, just add your tags to it before you save the bookmark.  Delicious will sort it into your cookbook bundle, and you just have to click on the tags in your cookbook to show all of the recipes with that tag.

If you decide later that you want to add more tags to your cookbook, just choose Tag Options and Manage Tag Bundles again. Then click on Edit next to your Tag Bundle's name.  Add, change or delete your tags as you wish, then Save.

That's it!  You have your own online cookbook, wherever you are!  I hope that you give this a try and enjoy it as much as I do!

~BigSis

Posted under Food

I'm not your average P90X devotee…young and male. I'm a 52 year old, vegan, menopausal woman, and I finished one round of P90X AND lived to tell about it. In fact, I'm about to start my second round.

If I can do it, you can do it!

I definitely learned a bunch of things during the intense 13 weeks of P90X and I'd love to share them with you! I want to tell you what you can expect from P90X as a woman, and what you shouldn't expect. I also have some tips for you, and some ideas on the results you might get. Let's go!

EXPECTATIONS…

• Expect to build muscle, and to increase your flexibility, strength, and endurance.

• Expect to start seeing results as quickly as 2 weeks. Expect to be proud of yourself and to be motivated by the results that you see.

• Don't expect to immediately lose a lot of weight, especially in the first 30 days or even up to 60 days. You're going to be building a lot of muscle and losing some fat too, but you may be building muscle at a faster rate than you're losing fat. Make sense? We also know that muscle is heavier than fat, so the net effect may be zero weight loss for a while. In fact, you might even gain a pound or more, but you just have to be patient. Don't freak out! If you stick with the exercise program and eat properly, then you will build muscle and lose fat, but don't expect to see an automatic gigantic weight loss immediately.

• Expect to be sore, even weeks and weeks into the workout. You may even be sore after every new workout. That's a good thing…your muscles are telling you that something is happening. What they're saying is that they're confused and they're changing!

• Expect for this workout to be extremely tough; maybe the hardest thing you have ever done. Tony Horton says P90X isn't some “silly little class”, so expect it to kick your butt, because it will!

• Expect for it to be difficult to push “PLAY“ on some days. We all have days when we're low on energy and/or low on motivation; that's just part of being human. Don't let those days control you though. Even if you don't feel up to a super-duper tough workout, just start it. Just start! Chances are, you'll pick up momentum as you go along, and you'll get through the whole darn thing before you even have time to whine about it.

• Expect to modify some of the exercises, especially if you have knee or back problems. Side lunges, for example, are terrible for my knees, so I either do them very carefully or I skip them altogether if my knees are grumpy that day. I also know that the yoga chair pose is something I can't do at all because it kills my back. Another modification I made is that I didn't use the pull-up bar in my first round of P90X, but it wasn't rest time for me when the folks in the video were doing pull-ups or chin-ups. I did another upper body move that I felt worked those same muscles, so I still got a workout on that body part.

Photo credit: aJ GAZMEN ? GucciBeaR's flickr photostream

• Expect to struggle with push-ups. Don't be surprised if you have to do “girl push-ups”, even all the way through. There's no shame in that! As long as you're doing your best, you're going to see progress in what you can do and you will get results. I personally have a really hard time with push-ups, and I pretty much hate the nasty little buggers, but I love what they do for my upper body so I keep pushing through!

• Expect to be blown away by what some of the people can do on the DVDs. These folks are not all professionals, but they are SUPER FIT people! You should not expect to be able to do everything they do! Please hear me…do not expect to do everything they can do! It's something to strive for, but don't think you should quit if you can't keep up with them. You just do the best that you can each and every workout, and you'll see improvement each time you do that workout. Their performance is something to work toward and not something to be discouraged about.

• Don't expect to be able to do exactly what the men do. Men are built differently from women. No matter how fit you are, it's not going to be hormonally natural for you to build muscle as quickly as men do, or to be able to do all of the things that they do, especially when it involves upper body strength. Don't expect to be able to do all of the variations of push-ups, for example, and don't beat yourself up if you can't do the chin-ups and pull-ups.

• Expect to be amazed at what YOU can actually do. If you do more every day and keep pushing “PLAY”, you will be stunned at the results that you'll get, and those results will start soon! You'll be proud of yourself, and will want to tell everyone you know about your program.

• Expect to love some programs and to hate others, and to feel just ambivalent about many of them. For me, the one that I absolutely hate is the favorite of lots of people, and that's Kenpo. For some reason, I just hate it, so I skip the Kenpo workout and substitute another on that day. I might do cardio or yoga or legs and back, depending on what I feel like. I don't make the Kenpo day a rest day, I just do something else that I enjoy more. I don't think exercising has to be all rainbows and butterflies, but I also don't think it has to be torture. Be kind to yourself and make an adjustment if you need to.

• Expect to want to quit. At some point, you may decide it's just too hard. This is absolutely the hardest workout that I have ever done. I've done aerobic workouts, step workouts, Tao Bo, Jane Fonda, ballet workouts, Jillian Michaels, weight workouts; you name it and I've done it over the last 25 years, and this is by far the most challenging program that I have ever done. Tony Horton makes Jillian Michaels look like a Girl Scout, and I thought her DVDs were pretty tough before I attempted P90X! So expect to want to quit. It's normal! But don't give in to the temptation!

Once you get to that frustration point, I think that one motivational strategy is to concentrate on the body part that is your favorite and that people always compliment you on. Realize that that you're just making it better and fitter. If that doesn't spur you on, maybe negative psychology is more effective for you, as it is me. I think about the body part that I am least happy with, and the fact that if I don't work out today, that body part is going to look WORSE. For me, legs are always my battle…trying to keep fat from accumulating on the stems. If I'm tempted to skip a workout I just think, guess what, your legs are going to look even worse than they already do if you wimp out. It sounds negative – and it is – but it works for me.

• Expect that you will want to talk with others about what you're going through, what you're experiencing, what your questions are, what your problems are, what your successes are. There are lots of ways to do that: the message boards on Beachbody.com, plus Twitter, and Facebook.

• Expect to want to continue at the end of the 90 days; whether you want to do another round of P90X or to go on to do something else: Insanity, TurboFire, P90X Plus, Brazil Butt Lift, whatever. You're going to want to do more once you see how strong you are, how good you feel, how much better your endurance is, how high your energy is, and how pumped up your confidence is about your body image! There's no way you're going to want to sacrifice all of that and just go back to whatever your routine was before (or no routine at all). So expect to continue!

TIPS…

• Listen to what your body is telling you. P90X is a serious workout. If you're trying to do something and your body says you're hurting it, not just exerting it, then you need to stop and make sure that you don't do that exercise again without evaluating what's going on.

• Know your body and what your limitations are. If you've been working out for very long then you know the difference between STRAIN from a muscle that's being worked really hard, and PAIN from an injury that is about to occur. Don't feel like you have to be SuperWoman, otherwise you'll end up with an injury that may sideline you for weeks. If you get hurt, you'll be set back and you'll be mad that you tried to be tough and push through when you should have stopped the moment your body warned you.

• Start out with light weights, and don't worry about being a wimp. I started out using 3 pounds for triceps and 5 for biceps, and then just worked up from that. I finished at 10 pounds for biceps and 8 for triceps, but occasionally I'd back off a bit on shoulders if I felt a little strain. I'm at the age where I know people who are getting rotator cuff surgeries and I don't want to be the next one on the operating table! That's another example of listening to your body. Don't feel like you have to do heavy weights, especially as a woman. You could use physical aids like elbow compression sleeve to reduce the strain on your arm and improve mobility during your weight lifting sessions. You'll get the muscle growth and the toning you want without heavy weights. If the guys are doing 50 pounds, don't feel bad if you're only lifting 5! This is not a competition! It's about getting fit and healthy; not winning!

• Wear good shoes in every workout (except for the yoga, of course). You'll need the support for the jumping and jogging, and for the weight workouts, good shoes give you a sturdy foundation. You also need a really good cushy mat for the 90 minute yoga workout, and for warm-ups, cool-downs, and some floor exercises. My favorite shoes are made by Mizuno.

• Try your own music if you don't enjoy the music on the videos. I don't care for the music on the yoga video, and it makes the 90 minutes feel even longer. So I choose the option for the voice cues only with music off, and I just play other music I like in the background. Just keep your music level low enough so that you can still hear Tony's cues.

• Take your measurements and photos before you start. I was a bad bad girl and didn't do it, and now I wish that I had. You ca get a feel for how things are going by the way your clothes fit, but it's just really helpful to be able to look back at where you began.

RESULTS…

I finished my first round and am about to start my second. After week 9, I had to take a 6 week break from working out after I smashed my ribs in a fall while on vacation, and then it took me 2 weeks to ease back into working out. Even so, I still got tremendous results and once I was recuperated, I started right back where I left off.

Before the fall in week 9, I felt incredibly strong. I was close to being in the best shape of my life, even compared to my 20s when I worked out every day and was obsessed with being fit. I'm now 52, 16 years vegetarian, 1 year vegan AND menopausal. The fact that I got the results that I did really speaks to the power of the program.

Being vegan, I have to use my common sense and eat in a very intentional manner, since I also do a cardio workout at the gym during my lunch hour every day. I need to make sure that I get enough protein, and that my food is giving me fuel. I don't want to be slowed down or weighed down with empty calories that I'm going to have to burn off. By the way, my favorite book on vegan sports nutrition is Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by Brendan Brazier.

So what kind of results did I get? By week 9 before I got sidelined, I built a lot of muscle, and lost about 5 pounds. I'm 5'7″ and started out at 131 pounds. After 9 weeks, I weighed 126 pounds, but I had lots more muscle. During the 6 week injury break, I lost muscle mass and got down to 123 because of it.

My arms and back both built muscle, my ever-grumpy lower back was stronger, I was more flexible from all the yoga, and had a lot of endurance. For women it's really important to have your butt lifted up, and this program does that. Between all the cardio and leg routine and yoga, your butt definitely goes back up to where you want it to be, in spite of gravity and aging!

I also I noticed my quads were more defined than they have ever been, even in my 20s, which isn't to say I don't still have some fat, because I do. I think it's pretty much impossible for women to expect they can see a day with zero fat and zero cellulite – #1 because we're our own worst critic, but #2, I just don't think our bodies work that way. I've accepted the fact that I'm going to have SOME fat that I'm not happy with, but even so, my quads were really defined from all the different exercises but they didn't get bulky.

As far as my arms go, they of course didn't get as large as a man's would, but they buffed up quite a bit and I saw definition in my triceps, biceps, shoulder and forearms. That's pretty much the whole arm, wouldn't you say? I did the Lean Program with lower weights at 12 to 15 reps, and my arms still got plenty big for me. I like for my upper body to build up a little bit, because I think it gives nice balance to the pear shape that many of us women have. For me the Lean Program was the perfect amount of upper body growth and lower body toning, so I'll choose it again.

Man or woman; we all want toned abs, right? Well, step right up, ladies and gentlemen, and get your abs right here. P90X will absolutely tone your core and build your abdominal muscles. I hadn't built a 6-pack when I finished round 1, but I saw definition and was beginning to see that vertical line of defined muscle that kind of hints that a 6-pack could be in your future. Did it hurt? Well, yes, of course it did. Ab work is always uncomfortable, but I think visible progress happens pretty quickly in the midsection, as long as you're not carrying a lot of extra weight there.

I already mentioned that I'm going through menopause, which translates into weight gain for lots of us girls. I've been on a mission to NOT gain 50 pounds and have so far been successful, but without P90X I think I would have a much bigger struggle on my hands (and on other body parts)!

The results are truly amazing and I'm looking forward to doing the whole 13 weeks without a break – God willing. Long term, I probably will rotate different workouts on different days after round 2. P90X is not a program that you do for one period of time; I think it's something you integrate into your life for the rest of your life.

ONE LAST THING…

I heard in the media that some female celebrities have done P90X with fabulous results (Pink, Demi Moore, and Sheryl Crow, for example) but I never really considered attempting P90X myself. When my nephew told me I could do it though, I was intrigued and challenged and decided to try it.

I also heard that if you want to do P90X, you have to want it. You have to want it bad. This isn't a program you can toy with or play with and then poof, presto, you get great results. You have to want it because you're going to have to work for every single ounce of fat that you lose and every single ounce of muscle that you build. If you want it, you're going to have to work for it, but it's going to be worth it.

Push yourself through this program! If it was easy, everyone would do it. When you reach your goal, you're going to be immensely proud of yourself.

One last piece of advice? Bring It!

~BigSis

Posted under Fitness

I had to respond to your post yesterday, LilSis.  Being 3.4 years older more mature than you, my essential list needs to be 30 instead of 3, but I'll try to limit it.  😀

First off, mascara has to be one of the 3, since my face feels bare and featureless without it.  I've tried the cult-favorite Maybelline Great Lash, and I just don't like it.  I need more oomph than that.  My favorite is Loreal's Voluminous.  It gives me volume and thickness, and doesn't flake, smudge or smear.

My number 2 pick would have to be a good lip balm.  I can't STAND dry lips, in fact I'm a little obsessive about it!  My current inexpensive go-to is Aquaphor in a tube.  I apply it in the morning and at night after brushing my teeth.  It does a good job of keeping my lips chap-free and prepped for lipstick or lip gloss.

Last but most importantly, I have to have an excellent facial cleanser.  The key to keeping my skin out of the weeds (ie: broken out) is to cleanse deeply and faithfully.  I can't get by with those little wipes you use, LilSis.  I need something serious to keep my skin clean and my pores clear.  My current favorite is Serious Skin Care's Glycolic Cleanser.  It's serious, for sure!

That's my top 3 list.  If I could add a few more, I'd include Relastin Eye Silk, Tazorac Retin-A,and Urban Decay 24-7 Eyeliner in Underground and 1999.  And MAC eye shadow, powder and blush.  And Prescriptives foundation.  And Borba Shimmer Contour Cream.  And L'Occitane Almond Supple Skin Oil.  And Essie Nail Polish for pedis.  But I'm really not high maintenance.  Really!  You don't think that's a lot, do you??

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

Those were great reviews on the eye products, BigSis!  I'm going to have to try that anti-aging Olay eye roller. I'm sure lots of other women will want to try it too since you gave it such a rave review. 🙂

And, it just so happens that I've got another great new product to tell you about, so listen up ladies!

Sally Hansen Creme Hair Remover

Guys, please don't get offended that I'm leaving you out on this one. I'm specifically speaking to the ladies about this because men have it easy when it comes to facial hair; you just shave your face every day. Easy, breezy, 1, 2, 3, and you're done.

For some reason, it's okay for us women to shave body parts all the way from our toes to our neck, but it's not so cool for us to shave our faces. (I do have a friend that admits to shaving her face every day, but I'm not goin' there.)

That being said, I guess I just admitted that I have unwanted facial hair. Yep. I said it. I hope you appreciate the fact that we're pretty honest here. We like to tell it like it is. Not only do I have the unwanted lip and chin hair, but I also happen to have some facial hair down my jawline and onto my neck. Sounds attractive, doesn't it? Luckily, mine is blonde and fuzzy, but it's still unwanted.

It's not something we love to discuss, but most of us women will admit to having our lips waxed and to plucking unwanted chin hairs, which by the way, multiply like “breeding rabbits” once you enter the “menopausal” stage of life! If you're not there yet, aren't you glad that you have something to look forward to? 🙂

So, why am I talking about this “taboo” subject?  The last time I had my face waxed was over six months ago and I broke out so bad afterward that I decided I wasn't ever going to do it again.

Since that was so long ago, it was time for me to check out my options so I spent some time at CVS one day looking over all the different hair removal products. I ended up deciding on this Sally Hansen Creme Hair Removal Kit. I don't know what persuaded me to buy this particular product, but I'd tried Nair products before and they never work very well for me so I wanted to try a different brand.

I did a test patch, as suggested, and waited 24 hours to assure that I didn't have a reaction to the product before using it on a larger area. Once I knew that I was “good to go”, I put it on my “problem areas” and waited for it to work its magic. With Nair, I usually had to repeat the process two or three times to get results but not with this Sally Hansen Creme Hair Remover!

Presto! After only eight minutes, I wiped off the creme and the hair was gone! All of it! I think I even did a little happy dance right there in my bathroom! This was really easy, not stinky, and I had great results, so I'm hair free and happy! 🙂

I know it's not a fun subject to discuss, but if you have a similar problem, you might want to try this product. How often does a product really work as well as it claims?

~LilSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

I know LilSis and lots of the other Ten in 2010 participants have started off the new year with a new motivation, increased fitness and weight loss.  Not me though, I've been doing good to just maintain with my 5 gym workouts a week.  Since my priority the last several weeks has been to spend as much time as possible with Bry, I wasn't getting in any additional workouts, which is perfectly fine. My priorities were clear to me.

But now that he's off on his Navy adventure, it's time for me to recommit to getting back into fighting shape.  I never know when I might have an unexpected scuffle with an ornery chick in the parking lot before work!  Yeah, there's a story there, but I'll save that for another day.

The truth is, a forty-plus body wants to get fat.  You have lower metabolism, more aches and pains, less energy, and wacked out hormones.  At least, that's the state of the union in my world.  It takes more and more work to achieve results, and it's very easy to get stuck on plateaus.  Plus, doing the same old stuff starts to lose its effectiveness.

All of that is no excuse though, and I'm not making any.  I don't have a ton of weight to lose, but I do want to build some more muscle and lose those ding dang blobs of fat that insist on congregating and loitering on my rear view.  You know the ones I mean.

I had planned to go back to Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred, since she whipped me into decent shape last year with her program.  I'd been rotating the 30-Day Shred with a couple of her other heinie-kicking DVDs, and they really did work.

Bry and his dad have been big fans of P90X though, and Bry said I should give it a try, and swears I can do it.  Really?  Ok.  If you say so, Bry.  I know you care about your old aunt and you wouldn't tell me that if you thought it would be the death of me.

I love a challenge, and with my all-or-nothing personality, P90X is right up my alley, at least theoretically.  One of the things that intrigues me about it is the idea of “Muscle Confusion”, which is said to bring greater results to your bored muscles.  So today, I'm going to do the fitness test to see if I'm up for the P90X challenge.  If not, I'll do the 30-Day Shred for a couple of weeks, and then test again.  If I pass the test, I'm off and running.

I just have one question before I start…will P90X kill a forty-plus woman?  Do you know of any women who have done it and survived; other than Sheryl Crow and Pink?

~BigSis

Posted under Fitness

I may have just found a blowout product that's near perfect. Alterna Perfect Blowout Cream has lots of things going for it that my hair absolutely loves:

• Fighting humidity.

• Creating lots of shine. Lots.

• Protecting the hair from heat damage.

• Enhancing smoothness, softness, and straightness.

• Reducing frizz.

• Never getting crunchy, stiff, sticky or goopy.

That's a lot to love! There's just one thing that keeps Alterna Perfect Blowout Cream from being completely perfect. Alterna says their products are not animal tested, and I've seen comments online from people who have emailed Alterna for confirmation, and have gotten it. I thought Alterna's products were not animal-tested, and that's why I've been comfortable buying them.

However, PETA's Caring Consumer web site doesn't list Alterna on the “does test” list or on the “does not test” list. That means they're one of the many companies in-between. Maybe they don't test and they haven't documented it yet for PETA. Or maybe they outsource their testing so their hands don't get dirty. At this point, I don't know why they're in limbo land.

I haven't contacted Alterna directly myself yet, so I don't have any first-hand information. I'll report back with anything I find to give us a comfort zone with Alterna products.

If indeed Alterna does NOT animal test, then yes, this blowout cream would literally be perfect. Utterly, astoundingly, stunningly perfect. It's that good. I really hope I can keep using it.

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

Chili isn't very photogenic, but at least you can see the yummy tomatoes, corn and different color beans.

A couple of weeks ago I made a Cowboy Beans recipe from “Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday” Cookbook for a big potluck birthday party. It was my first time making the recipe and even though it was pretty simple, the beans were a big hit! I'll have to make them again soon and share the recipe.

A couple of ingredients in the bean recipe gave me an idea to try something different with my chili recipe for our annual chili cook-off, which was held this past weekend. The past two years my recipe has come in 3rd place but this year I wanted to kick it up a notch to see if I could beat out my rival 2nd place winner. And I'm happy to announce that out of 15 entries and 51 ballots, this chili recipe did bring home the 2nd place prize. 🙂

Smoky, Fire-Roasted Chili with Bacon

12 oz. pkg apple-smoked thick cut bacon, chopped into pieces
2 shallots, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
(2) 14.5 oz cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
4 lbs. lean ground beef
14.5 oz can regular diced tomatoes
2 roasted and chopped Serrano peppers (with seeds)
1 roasted jalapeno pepper, chopped (with seeds)
16 oz. bottle dark beer
14.5 oz can tomato sauce
14.5 oz can dark kidney beans
14.5 oz can white kidney beans (or cannellini beans)
1 c. sweet corn (frozen or canned)
6 t. Penzeys Chili Con Carne Seasoning
2 t. Penzeys Smoky 4S Special Seasoned Sea Salt
2 t. Penzeys salt-free Arizona Seasoning
1 t. cayenne
1 t. cumin

In a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, cook bacon, stirring until it begins to brown, about 4-5 minutes. Drain off fat, add the chopped shallots, reduce heat to medium and cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, reduce heat to medium low and stir for another 2-3 minutes. Add the fire-roasted tomatoes with their juices and simmer another 10 minutes or so to blend the flavors.

(Note: Even though I use a lean beef, I brown the beef in a separate pot so I can drain the fat, instead of just adding the beef right into bacon and tomato mixture.)

In a separate large heavy-bottomed soup pan over a medium high heat, begin to brown the beef. Once the beef is almost browned, add the chopped onion and continue to cook until onions soften and beef is completely browned. Drain the fat. Add diced tomatoes and cook for 5-10 minutes over medium-high heat then add tomato sauce, beer and Serrano peppers. Simmer for about an hour and then add the bacon and fire-roasted tomato mixture, beans, corn and spices. Adjust seasonings to taste.

I made mine the day before and chilled in the crockpot overnight. When I reheated it, it was a little thick for my taste so instead of water, I added another bottle of beer. Voila!

(The extra bottle of beer is not listed in the recipe because you could use water to thin the chili, if desired.)

This chili definitely has a bit more heat to it than my normal Chili Con Carne recipe, but it wasn't overwhelming. You could use less peppers or none at all if you like a milder taste. Serve with warm cornbread for a complete meal or put out a selection of toppings such as grated cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, and Fritos.

(Note: Even though most of my spices are Penzeys brand, it's not absolutely necessary. The 4S spice contains Smoky Paprika and Seasoned Salt so those could easily be substituted for the 4S; and the Chili con Carne spice is a mixture of chili powder, cumin, garlic, and oregano.)

Half the fun of making your own chili is adjusting the spices to your own taste, right?

We had a great time with great friends at our annual chili cook-off!

Just for the fun of it, I'd thought I'd share a photo of me having a toast with my teeny, tiny, trophy! 🙂

~LilSis

Posted under Food

Apple flickr photo from Ahmed

The other day I found a stack of little bitty note-size flyers at the checkout of my hippie health food store (actually it's Natural Grocers/Vitamin Cottage).  It was a summary of  the Dirty Dozen, which are fruits and veggies that you should always buy organic, and the Clean 15, which test lowest for pesticide residues. I was a bit surprised at some of these items.  See what you think:

Dirty Dozen
(worst first)

Peaches
Apples
Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Lettuce
Grapes (imported)
Carrots
Pears

Clean 15
(best first)

Onion
Avocado
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet Peas
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli
Tomato
Sweet Potatoes

What surprised me? That broccoli, peas, cabbage, tomatoes, corn and asparagus were relatively clean. I always thought that the safest things to buy conventional had thick skins, like bananas, pineapple or avocados.  I'm a bit surprised too that apples are so contaminated.  It's good to know, so thanks to the hippie health food store for the itty bitty flyers!

These lists were put together by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, and are part of their Shoppers Guide to Pesticides.  You can download the entire guide in PDF and print it out, or you can download the i-phone app to refer to when you're out shopping.  I think the app would be super-handy since I'd never have the guide with me at the store.  I don't even remember my coupons most of the time.  If they could only come up with an app for coupons!

~BigSis

Posted under Food