|
|
Written By Nicole Humphrey Cook
 So I’ve decided to try and drop 10lbs before Fall, and then work on another 10lbs during the Fall into the Winter. Hoping that this will keep me from gaining any excessive weight during the Winter. It isn’t actually true, but it feels like every single winter I gain a whole size. It’s really not true, but it sure feels that way. I decided to get a new scale to get started on the right foot, and because my old digital scale is like one of the original digital scales and not working very well anymore.
The only thing I wanted besides to be able to read my weight, was the ability to see body fat. I got more than I wanted with this one, and I’m glad. I want to tell you the features because this might be the best scale I have ever owned. It is probably the most expensive. LOL It was a whopping $60 but I’m serious about getting the weight down a bit and keeping it off.
The stuff I love best about this scale:
- It measures my weight in 0.2-lb. increments, which is great because you can see when there is any difference at all. Of course I have to make sure I am weighing myself at the same time everyday. Unlike most people, I like to weigh myself in the evening before bed, because it motivates me more the next morning to start my whole day off right and I don’t get discouraged thinking about whatever it says that early in the morning. LOL
- It measures BMI (body mass index) which is nice to know. It basically takes your height/weight/age and sex and then lets you know if you are underweight, normal, overweight or obese. Really this helps only to know your target weight loss, and how much you should be aiming for. The better option is:
- Measuring Body Fat Percentage, which is does. Basically, when someone says they want to “lose weight” really what they mean is “I want to lose fat”. duh! Well, your body fat percentage is the percentage of fat your body contains. Example: If you are 150 pounds and 10% fat, it means that your body consists of 15 pounds fat and 135 pounds lean body mass (bone, muscle, organ tissue, blood and everything else). Uhm. I wish the scale only said I was 10% fat. LOL Wonder what it would say if I had some tissue or an organ removed. (I know, not funny)
- It checks your hydration level. I like this simply because I know there are tons of days where I am not drinking as much water as I should. This helps me keep this in check. Drinking more water also keeps me from being so hungry all the time. Thus the whole process helps with weight loss.
- Lastly, it measures your bone mass which is the best way to check your bone health. Kinda keeps you in check for things like osteoporosis, bone fractures, etc. You shouldn’t rely on the scale only for this though – because I’m sure its not fool proof.
Anyway, the scale holds up to 400lbs (which I obviously do not need, but its nice to know anyway). It’s the same size as every other scale I’ve owned and its AWESOME.
If you want the same professional scale I got, it was at Target. Here’s the link.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Written By Nicole Humphrey Cook
 It’s been a super long time since I have had a secondary refrigerator. We have a deep freezer in the basement that is huge and holds a lot and I love it. I usually have it filled with meals I have prepared in a big freezer cooking session. Of course that means there isn’t that much room for stock piling frozen items, and when there is, we can’t fit common, everyday things in there, like tubs of ice cream, etc. Plus, I can never stock pile things like cheese and sour cream that I might need for a weeks worth of meals, because there isn’t enough room in my fridge. I also hate that the kids drink warm soda and juice (their decision, not mine) because they know there isn’t enough room in the fridge to put the big pitchers. (5 kids = a pitcher a day). Not to mention countless water bottles, etc.
Well, my mom and dad decided to get a new refrigerator and asked me if I wanted theirs for our garage. With five kids, that was an easy answer, and by easy answer, I mean that I was practically jumping for joy at the prospect of being able to use it!
So it arrived last night, thanks to my nephew and a friend who brought it over in a trailer with a huge refrigerator dolly he borrowed from work. They were so great with it, and it looks so nice in our otherwise crowded garage.
We aren’t actually using it yet (shopping trip in the near future!), but I know it will fill up fast. Actually, we put a big jar of salsa in there that was taking up too much room in our kitchen fridge and some water. Now our fridge in the house will hold more leftovers. LOL
Do you have an extra fridge? Does it help with stockpiling at all? Do you use it for anything more than just soda and drinks? I’m positive we will, but I know just the ease of being able to throw some soda in there will be a huge plus.
Popularity: 3% [?]
Written By Nicole Humphrey Cook
 Now for something a little different. In English, it means Grilled Shrimp and Bacon Kebabs. But no matter what you call them, they are awesome!! I make them a lot and most of my kids actually eat them!
Brochettes de Crevettes
24 extra large shrimp (follow instructions below)
12 slices of bacon
juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon of honey
4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or if you are a Rachel Ray fan – EVOO)
4 tablespoons of chopped cilantro, to taste
sea salt, to taste
ground pepper, to taste
Peel and devein shrimp. Leave tails on. Mix the lemon juice, honey, extra virgin olive oil (evoo), cilantro and salt and pepper together in a bowl. Add the shrimp and coat with mixture. Cut the bacon in half crosswise and wrap a piece of bacon around each shrimp and thread on metal skewers. Using either a gas or charcoal barbecue grill, grill the skewers for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Written By Nicole Humphrey Cook
 I’ve heard about it for awhile now, but I needed to do some research before I was convinced that I was going to try it. What am I talking about? Well, apparently there are all these recipes that can be made/cooked in a mug in the microwave. I think it all started with some cakes that could be made in the microwave and were usually cooked in a mug. That’s all great and dandy, but I’m not a big advocate of microwave cooking, simply because I don’t usually like how things taste. Don’t get me wrong, I use my microwave to reheat things, and to melt things like butter but for cooking and baking purposes, its just never really been something I’ve done. So when I started seeing mug in a microwave recipes that stretched beyond CAKE, I started to get curious and more involved in how its all done, and guess what? I like the concept. My biggest reason for liking the concept, is that it is something my children can do. They can create their own meals in a mug or breakfast in a mug or whatever it is they feel like making.
To make it easier for them, I wrote the recipes we tried and actually liked, down on index cards with the exact measurements for ONE mug of whatever they wanted to make. We punched a hole and put a big ring through it and keep it on top of the microwave. After school, in the morning or whenever they feel like making something – all they have to do is grab the recipe ring and figure out what ingredients they need, whether we have them and then make them. Have you tried any recipes that can be made in a mug in the microwave?
My kids love this method of cooking, and I can’t lie – I’m a writer – I’m at home alone – I love the ease of being able to drop a few ingredients in one of my millions of coffee mugs and have an omelet or French toast when the minutes are up. Tomorrow I will be posting a few Mug in the Microwave Recipes. If you have any to share, please do. I’m on the look out for more – especially that are kid friendly and FRUGAL. 
Popularity: 9% [?]
Written By Nicole Humphrey Cook
As is pretty normal for me, I found this recipe in a special edition of a Taste of Home magazine. I modified it a bit, to add to the flavor and it is amazing. This is one of my favorite meals to make a double batch of (sometimes even more) and freeze. It thaws easily, and . . . → Read More: Freezer Cooking Recipes: Cheesy Rigatoni Bake Recipe
Written By Nicole Humphrey Cook
There are so many reasons to love this recipe. First of all, it only takes about 10-15 minutes to prepare it. It is a very frugal recipe and I have been able to use it to use up stale bread, hot dog buns, hamburger buns, etc. and eggs and milk that were about to expire. I . . . → Read More: Overnight French Toast Casserole Recipe
Written By Nicole Humphrey Cook
Seems that not everyone is back to school just yet, but in my neck of the woods they returned back on August 11. With the return to the classroom, our schedules have become busy and structured, and not so carefree and easy like the previous summer days we’ve left behind. At school, my kids eat lunch . . . → Read More: Back to School Freezer Cooking Meals
Written By Nicole Humphrey Cook
Do you find yourself eating out more frequently on the weekends than anytime? Sometimes I think the weekends signify “be lazy” time for me. I put forth a ton of effort to be sure that I am preparing meals for my family, but I definitely know that on the weekend, it’s hardest.
We went to the lake . . . → Read More: Lazy Weekend Food Issues
Written By Nicole Humphrey Cook
There is a waging war between the fast food industry, the Food Administration and dieters across the nation. On one side, you have those that swear that our obesity problems stem from greasy fast food items, so the fast food restaurants start offering alternative items. On the other side, you have these restaurants that have been . . . → Read More: Fast Food Facts
Written By Nicole Humphrey Cook
Today is my son’s birthday and it’s a big one. But in honor of his birthday, I decided to post a cheap birthday party idea that we have used in past years. We are doing something similar with a little more bang this year since it’s such an important one.
In past years, we have planned a . . . → Read More: Cheap Birthday Party Ideas
|
Find Me On:
Snag My Button:
|
