The Ultimate Snack Drawer...

Snacks throughout the day are part 

of a balanced diet.

3 meals and at least 3 snacks a day.

When we are working on getting our eating habits back into balance, 5 snacks a day are ideal.

Processed food is alluring-easy, colorful packaging sometimes even portioned in cute little bags.

First things first: kids always prefer junk food. 

Even the kid inside each of us. 

When we put junk food in our kitchens,

junk food wins every time and twice on Sunday.

Give healthy snacks a chance. 

Don't buy the junk. 

Instead, fill the snack drawer with these healthy choices.

Some of these choices are great diversions from candy bars and chips.

There is something to be said about a bowl of pretzels, a handful of chocolate chips, and a glass of milk.

Everyone in the household will find their own favorite snack 

          and how they put the choices from the drawer together.

Show them some ideas and let them have a taste test.

Then there's the know how of more natural choices-no packaging, no fillers like 

genetically modified soy,

baked goods with questionable oils 

like soybean and canola,

high fructose corn syrup, whey protein, 

bleached flour etc.

Snacks give us an opportunity to 

rev up our vitamin and mineral intake 

naturally from our food; not a bottle of pills.

What is in the ideal snack drawer ?

Here's a list:

Nuts and seeds:

Mixed nuts

Salted cashews

Salted almonds

Pistachios

Sunflower seeds

Dried fruit:

cherries

cranberries

raisins

trail mix of nuts and dried fruit

 marshmallows

chocolate chips-milk and dark chocolate

graham crackers

Nutella

pretzels

tortilla chips

Now to put snack ideas together:

nuts and chocolate chips are an amazing substitute for a candy bar

s'mores are fast and 

not just for camping

dried cherries and dark chocolate chips 

chocolate chips and raisins

cashews and a sliced apple

pretzels and Laughing Cow Cheese triangle

come in great flavors like Swiss, tomato basil, blue cheese and so much more

http://www.thelaughingcow.com/

Tortilla chips and home made salsa

are a great way to get kids to eat 

raw veggies like  tomatoes, 

peppers, and cilantro.

Check out the  'how to make salsa' 

video on YouTube :

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC3Up9B7yJE

Pretzels and spinach dip

(The kids ask for it, "Mama, I'm getting a little bowl for 'green dip' and pretzels"

It's a good way to get kids to eat spinach a few times a week.

Check out the 'how to make spinach dip' recipe on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXxR_BGjX1c

Sprinkle dried cherries in a 

bowl of cereal in the morning.

Pistachios and grapes

Nutella and strawberries

 

trail mix

Recipe:

4 cups air popped popcorn

2 cups Cheerios

1/2 cup mixed nuts

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup dried cherries

1 cup chocolate chips

trail mix curbs hunger in the afternoon

and as that last snack in the evening...

great snack for on the 'go' especially 

on the commute home...

curbs hunger long enough to find patience 

to cook a good dinner.

What's for dinner? Pasta with meat sauce.

This is such a simple recipe. 

Every family has their own version. 

I have tried soooooo many recipes over the years. This is by far the most delicious-bold flavors and sweet taste of tomatoes.

For the sauce:

Defrost 1 pound ground beef in the microwave.

In a large saucepan, add:

1 teaspoon garlic and onion powders

1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Original Blend

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup water

 

Seasonings in the pan.

 Stir with a whisk. 

The whisk works really well to break the chunks of ground beef into fine crumbles.

Cook the beef until browned and some of the liquid is reduced.

Add 3 cans of tomato sauce.

Look for cans with no funny stuff in the ingredients 

like: soybean oil,  corn syrup, etc.

A good read says: tomatoes, onion powder, 

garlic powder, and citric acid. 

Not fancy...just basic.

Stir and simmer for another 10 minutes on low heat.

 In a medium saucepan, boil 3 cups water.

Add 1 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Add 1/2 pound angel hair pasta.

Cook until tender.

Drain in a colander.

HUGE TIP: Many tries over the years to get the family to eat whole wheat pasta. 

They just did not acquire the taste. 

They said over and over again, 

"Mama, why do you keep messing with our pasta? 

We don't like it when you try to switch it."

Of course, I never stopped trying. 

By chance, I bought angel hair wheat pasta. 

It has a subtle taste and 

mimics the white pasta almost identical. 

The kids love it and that's all I buy now. 

Just recently, I bought the spaghetti version 

by accident and they still won't eat it. 

Victory is sweet on the angel hair though.

Shred Parmesan cheese and sprinkle on top of a bowl of pasta...

 Let the pasta and the sauce cool. Store both in the refrigerator up to 5-6 days.

A bowl of pasta with meat sauce makes 
a great lunch in a thermos, 
an afternoon snack, or dinner. 

Also, when there is just a little sauce left at the bottom of the jar, this recipe transcends well and makes a great chili. 

Cut into small chunks and saute 1/2 red, 1/2 yellow and 1/2 green peppers in a large saucepan. 

Add 3 more cans of tomato sauce 
to the leftover pasta sauce 
and the following ingredients:

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 cans of beans, drained
(any beans will do-black, red, kidney, etc)

Make this a staple in the fridge each week. 

Add it to 'prep time'.

Add a dollop of sour cream, 
or sprinkle it with 
cheddar, Colby or 
pepper jack for a little heat...

The 'Jennifer manicure'-no nail polish; still lovely hands.

One of my best friends, Jennifer, 
is a no nonsense kind of lady.

She has a booming photography career, 
3 beautiful children, a handsome husband, 
a huge Italian extended family,
and a really busy life.

"I don't make time for manicures. 
But I still want my hands to look pretty, " she tells me.
Even my tweeny daughter, Bella, says 
"Mom, I think I will give my nails a break this week
and do the 'Jennifer' manicure."
:))))))

        Nails don't have to be painted all the time. 

    The key to beautiful hands is simple-
   all nails must be the same length...

             

             NO NAIL POLISH MANICURE:

·  When your job requires a lot of 
wet hands at work, and/or you 
are not permitted and/or 
are discouraged from wearing nail polish,
you can still present a beautiful hand.
File each nail gently to the same length 

once a week.

·Scrub the nails with a toothbrush.
Long nails and no polish do not mix. 

Keep the nails short with just a little bit of a tip.
Using a clear coat of polish keeps the nails healthy and protects them from snagging and tearing.

Sally Hansen is the best clear polish by far. 
Here is a link:

http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/catalog/shop_product_detail.jsp?filterBy=&skuId=693955&productId=693955&navAction=jump&navCount=3
 

What's for dinner? Beef roast, mashed potatoes, green beans, cheddar biscuits, arugula salad, and chocolate cupcakes

 Start the crock pot early in the day. 

It takes about 4 hours for the roast to cook.

Make the beef roast in the crock pot.

For the roast recipe:

watch the YouTube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_UcloEFY_w

For the gravy recipe:

Once the roast is done,

in a medium saucepan melt 1/2 a stick of butter.

Add 1/2 teaspoon garlic and onion powder.

Add 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt.Stir with a whisk.

Add 3 tablespoons flour. Stir quickly with a whisk.

Add 3 cups of the roast stock. 

Stir with a whisk and bring to a boil.

Cut the roast in small bite size pieces with a serrated knife.

Put roast in a serving dish.

Pour gravy over it.

For the mashed potatoes recipe:

watch the video on YouTube:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKbmHBshBHo

For the green beans recipe:

In a medium saucepan, boil green beans in water until tender; 

about 8-10 minutes.

Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to retain their color.

Put the green beans back in the pan. 

Add 2-3 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt.

 Reheat on medium heat while stirring gently with a wooden spoon until the butter melts.

CHEDDAR BISCUITS. (MAKES 24 BISCUITS.)

3 CUPS FLOUR.

4 TEASPOONS BAKING POWDER.

1 TABLESPOON SUGAR.

1 TEASPOON SALT.

1 TEASPOON CREAM OF TARTAR.

1 ½ STICKS BUTTER.

1 CUP MILK.

2 CUPS CHEDDAR CHEESE OR COLBY JACK, SHREDDED

• IN A LARGE BOWL, COMBINE FLOUR, BAKING POWDER, CREAM OF TARTAR, SALT, AND SUGAR. STIR WITH WHISK.
• CUT BUTTER IN SMALL CHUNKS.
• ADD BUTTER TO FLOUR MIXTURE.
• MIX WELL UNTIL MIXTURE RESEMBLES SMALL CRUMBLES.
• ADD MILK MIX UNTIL COMBINED.
• ADD CHEDDAR CHEESE

• ON A PARCHMENT COVERED BAKING SHEET, SCOOP OUT 1 TABLESPOON OF DOUGH.

•  DOUGH IS TO RESEMBLE A ROUND PANCAKE.
• BAKE AT 450 DEGREES FOR 10 MINUTES.

  

Salad: 

Arugula-wash greens. 

Cut peppers into small chunks. 

Cut cucumbers. 

Beets optional.

For the salad dressing:

watch the YouTube video on 

 how to make balsamic vinaigrette: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI9Ym26W4-E 

For the cupcakes:

watch the video on YouTube 

on how to make chocolate cake batter: 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiEomw7jo6g 

Use a muffin pan and muffin cups to scoop 

2 tablespoons of chocolate cake batter in each cup.

Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. 

Insert a toothpick in the cupcakes to see 

when they are baked through.

For the frosting:

 Cut a stick of butter into chunks. 

In a medium glass bowl, melt it in the microwave 

covered with a paper towel for one minute. 

Add 2 cups of chocolate chips to the melted warm butter. 

Stir with a whisk until the frosting is smooth.

Let the cupcakes cool completely. 

Spread the frosting on the cupcakes gently with a butter knife.

Another delicious alternative to frosting is to use Nutella instead.

What is Nutella?

http://www.nutellausa.com/ 

What's for snack? Nachos

Simple recipe:

1/2 bag tortilla chips

6-8 ounces colby jack shredded cheese

When we shred the cheese at home, 

there are no preservatives to keep the cheese from caking.

2 small tomatoes, finely chopped and salted

1/2 head romaine lettuce, finely chopped

4-6 teaspoons sour cream

1 pound ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning

Salsa-see recipe

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC3Up9B7yJE

Brown the ground beef. 

Use a whisk to break down the bigger chunks of meat.

Add the taco seasoning. Stir.

On a large platter, arrange the tortilla chips in a single layer.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese.

 Sprinkle the ground  beef.

Add another layer of tortilla chips, shredded cheese and ground beef.

Put in the microwave until the cheese melts. About 1-1/ 1/2 minutes.

Sprinkle the lettuce and tomatoes.

Add the salsa in a generous amount.

Last, add the sour cream in small 1/2 teaspoon dollops.

Taco sauce-optional

Black olives, jalapenos,  guacamole, 

and beans also add great flavor.

How Makeoverslife came to be...

After college, I decided to move to Fayetteville, Arkansas
from my home town in Ohio.
I ended up finding a space to rent on the Downtown Fayetteville Square. I opened a clothing store.I named the store A-Line. It was a resale shop.
It did amazing beyond my wildest expectations. I saved a lot of money. A year and a half later, I sold A Line to a friend of mine's mom. It is still in business today. :)))
With the money I saved, I refurbished the space and opened a new store with new clothes.I named it "The Source'. I went to New York  every 10 weeks and brought the New York City style and attitude down South. It was a huge success. The entire store was full price for the first month, 25 % off the following two weeks, 50 % off weeks 6 and 8, 75 % off weeks 9 and 10, and everything $20 and under the last 3 days before I hit NYC again. I cleaned out the store every season. I had customers shopping with me at every price point.

What I learned was that there is a direct connection between appearance and the way we feel about ourselves.
When we look our best, we are more productive and we lead each day with confidence.
To have a successful dressing and makeup experience our task begins in having an organized closet and beauty routine.
Our clothes must fit well, our hair and nails groomed, and learn to shop for what we need at a price within our budgets. Having said all this, it then becomes more natural to curb our shopping habits from going awry.

Getting dressed each day from a closet full of clothes we love to wear is amazing versus trying to get dressed from a closet full of 'maybes'.

 Next door in the same building to my store, a restaurant went out of business.
I always loved everything about the restaurant business-the stainless steel equipment, the white tablecloths, prep time, a busy night when the restaurant is packed full and jazz is playing softly in the background, the wine cabinet, the bar, people having a really great time.
So I threw caution to the wind and went for it. I bought all the equipment from the bank for $5000.00 and opened Tangos Restaurant in June 1995.
The words hand painted in bright colors on the window said, 'good food. good company'.
I had great success with it. Tangos was open for breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week. 

Sunday nights I closed so that I could clean the entire place from top to bottom.
The food was 'continental fusion'. I changed the menu every 3 months.
But the cuts of meat were always the same...3 steaks, 2 chicken dishes, 3 pastas, duck, lamb, and seafood.
I organized the kitchen like a well oiled machine. I kept track of all the food cost and the cash coming in. 

My customers included The Tyson family of Tyson Chicken, Alice Walton from WalMart's family, and JB Hunt had a special hook where he hung his hat at Tangos.
These big companies all had their headquarters in Northwest Arkansas.
I loved my job even though I worked 100+ hours a week.
When it was time to sit down and write out my recipes for the Makeoverslife program, I was amazed how many I had committed to memory. They flowed out onto my computer like a river.
They are dear to my heart, tried, true and tested delicious.

A few months after I opened Tangos, my mother came and helped me buy the 22,000 square foot building that housed the restaurant and clothing store.
The building also had 4 large condos on the 3rd floor.

I moved in to one of them, rented out 2, and turned the 4the one into a bed and breakfast. I called local businesses to find clients.

Shortly after I opened the clothing store, a woman walked in and introduced me to a meditation course.
We talked for a couple of hours and the journey inward began for me.
I took Lia's course for 9 days; 9 hours each day and $2000.00.
It shifted my entire life in a new perspective.
I learned to clear my mind and organize my emotional closet sort to speak.
It is now 17 years later and I still use the tools she taught me on a daily basis.

Last year, my daughter, Isabella went into the hospital. It turns out that she had a genetic tumor attached to one of the main veins coming from her heart.
The tumor turned out to be benign and very rare.
The meditation exercises kept my faith strong like nothing else ever could have.
I know that anything life throws at me, I will be the person with grace, fierce passion, faith, and strength.
It's not what happens to you in this life that counts, it's how you handle it that determines the outcome.
I operate from a centered perspective.

In 2000, I moved back to Ohio after the birth of my daughter. I wanted to be near my entire family to raise my children. Arkansas is now a distant warm and fond memory and the lessons I learned there gave way to create the Makeoverslife program. I wrote it in 2003 and have helped hundreds of families organize their lives and get back to basics.

The fitness portion of the Makeoverslife program was inspired out of need.
After I gave birth to my daughter, the weight was just not coming off. So I started to walk with her outside while she napped for about an hour and a half.
The weight started melting off. My body got stronger. I began to run part of my route.
That was 11 years ago. I now run on a regular basis.
Not too much as I have done in the past. My route is about 2 1/2 miles and that is plenty for me. 

Yoga was a natural progression. I love the silence in physical meditation aka yoga.
I did not prefer to go to a class or use a DVD.
So I learned many poses and created my own routines that are now part of the Makeoverslife  fitness program.
I do yoga throughout the day. A few poses in the morning, some in the evening and a few times a week I take my time and do a full hour.
I love living in a healthy body.
Another part is that my children keep me active with swimming, tennis, bike riding and other fun activities. 

Life in action is all about balance.
We all work so hard to build a life...career, partner, family, a home, cooking, and activities.

Maintaing  what we worked so hard to achieve is the key.

Ease procrastination-time yourself with hard to start tasks...

Time Effort vs. Physical Effort.
We spend a lot of time dreading some simple tasks of
everyday life: Cleaning, taking out the trash, emptying the
dishwasher, taking the dog for a walk, etc. In reality, the jobs we
dread only require 15-20 minutes of our precious time.

 Exercise I:

Next time you look at the heaping amount of dishes in the sink and
you know you have to empty the dishwasher of clean dishes before
you can even consider this chore one half finished, time yourself. It
diverts the dread of the chore, and makes it seem like the 10-15
minutes it actually takes to do it. You would spend double the time
dreading it and dragging your feet.

Second, Minute, Hour, Day, Week, Month, Year, Decade,
Century, Millennium.

We are born on a special day when time begins for each of us. We
have approximately 75-80 years here on Earth. With this amount of
time in mind, here is the breakdown:

Total time on Earth:
900 months.
3900 weeks.
27,375 days.
525,600 hours.
3,536,000 minutes.

Minus the hours we sleep.
600 months.
2600 weeks.
18,250 days.
350,400 hours
2,357,333 minutes.

Time is the same for everyone. It is our true nature to think we are
eternal in this life. However, if we get 75 birthdays here on Earth,
then we are lucky. Think of time as your most precious
possession. It is yours right now. Use it to spread goodness and
understanding to everyone.

 Exercise II:

1. Close your eyes.
2. Find a quiet spot.
3. Get your mind clear. Your thoughts still.
4. Say to yourself:
“I have all of my Birthdays.”
“I want to spend my time sharing inspiration.”
“I have all the time I need.”