Finding Myself Through Hiking

I'm thinking of going somewhere this summer were we have to do a lot of hiking! Being outdoors is a perfect way to find myself again! CSN|Stores has the best luggage stores! I'm thinking that we need a few new suitcases for our venture outdoors.

We have two suitcases that have broken zippers. Most of it is from 1994. My high school graduation present from my aunts. The set was perfect at the time.

Our Own Kobe Japanese Steakhouse

I walked in to a living room that looked like this:

Pillows were on the floor to kneel and eat.

 We had Kobe Japanese Steakhouse without the fire and less grease.

Juicer Review

I reviewed a juicer here! Check it out!

Weather

It's 59 degrees outside! Not December weather for Omaha, Nebraska that's for sure!
I just went fast walking around the school. I got all the way around this time; five laps. The last week or so I've been unable to go out, or it was snowy on the backside of the building.

Last year it seemed as though snow and ice were everywhere. Grandma Spiehs got her ankle fused and I broke my foot. It was a horrible winter.!
Snow will be traveling in soon enough I'm sure.

CSN | Stores Product Review

I was contacted by CSN | Stores once again. I was up for anther product review! I've done a few other reviews and giveaways for them.

CSN | Stores has so much to choose from. I could seriously find just about anything for my house or work at one of their stores.

This time I picked out a bathroom scale. I got the Trimmer Square Glass Digital Bathroom Scale in Chrome.

The price was $42.13 and marked down to $31.60.

Our old scale would not hold its batteries. I had the hardest time figuring out how much weight I've lost with the old scale.

The Trimmer Square Glass Digital Bathroom Scale n Chrome is perfect! It will even weigh my little guy.

My top five favorite features of this scale are:

1. Weighs up to 330 pounds
2. It has long lasting lithium batteries {that were included}
3. The tempered safety glass {that looks stylish}
4. LCD display
5. Tap-on technology to start and auto switch off in 6 seconds

Overall dimensions: 3" H x 14" W x 14" D. It fits great in our small bathroom.

Please take some time to visit CSN | Stores! They do have such a great selection.

Disclaimer:
The opinions on this post are my personal take on the products. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me.
I am not compensated to provide my opinion except for receiving the products themselves to test out.
If you have questions about this post please contact me at: alissa4illustration@hotmail.com

Red Gold

Our Kids Mom is hosting a giveaway for Red Gold Tomatoes.

Two winners get a Red Gold Tomatoes Prize Pack! See Our Kids Mom to view a more accurate picture of what you can win!

Do You Like Seafood?

I love it! I've been making salmon. I paint on olive oil mixed with lemon juice. Often times I sprinkle on an herb. What herb I put on depends on my mood. I'm trying to stay away from butter as much as possible.

My oldest child loves salmon, and my younger one won't touch it. They eat pretty good, so I have nothing to complain about. My kids are not the types that will only eat macaroni and cheese.

My Wee View has a pretty sweet giveaway going on right now. Five lucky winners are going to receive coupons for any FREE BlueWater product! 

Low Fat Granola

I got this recipe from Jolly Mom.

We sprinkle this granola on this homemade cereal.

Here's the recipe:

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, nuts, flax seeds, wheat germ, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, warm the applesauce, brown sugar, honey, vanilla extract, and oil over low heat.
3. Add the applesauce mixture to the oat mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated.
4. Spread the mixture onto two baking sheets. Make sure you have an even layer and the pans aren't crowded. Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the granola is a golden brown color.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before eating or storing in an airtight container. The granola may seem like it's a bit mushy in parts when it comes out of the oven, but once it cools it will harden and develop that wonderful crunch granola is known for.

Additions:

1. We added dried blueberries and cranberries that I bought from Costco.
2. You can use other nuts.

Maybe Not So Healthy...

But really good! Cracker Barrel has great salads that I can eat! I also LOVE their shop!

Go Graham Go is hosting a great giveaway! One lucky winner will win $100 gift card to Cracker Barrel as well as a gift basket full of $100 worth of their products!

Roasted Cauliflower

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Spray a 9x12 casserole dish well.

Pour in a large Ziploc the following ingredients and mix:

1. Garlic
2. Lemon juice
3. Olive oil

Add the cut and thawed cauliflower into the bag with the mixture above. Add the cauliflower to sprayed casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake for 20 to 30 min. Bake until it is light brown and a fork can easily go through the cauliflower.

In a small bowl mix the Parmesan cheese and parsley. Sprinkle the mixture on top and broil on low for a few minutes.

I Want a Juicer for Christmas

I'd like to have a juicer for Christmas. Two of a Kind Working on a Full House is hosting a giveaway were they are giving away a $100 gift card to ATG Stores. Wouldn't this be great to win!

I think if I won, I'd get a juicer. 

Bialetti

Jolly Mom is hosting a great giveaway! One of her readers will win Aeternum pans by Bialetti!
We love to cook! 

These are some of the great things about their pans:

1. Saute pans included: 8", 9.5" & 11"
2. Stain resistant white nonstick nano-ceramic interior
3. Allows excellent thermal conductivity
4. Eco friendly
5. PFOA free, PTFE free, Cadmium free

I Walked Over Two Miles Without Tennis Shoes On!

I left my tennis shoes in the car, so I could use them this weekend. I forgot to get them out! During my lunch break today I walked over two miles with dress shoes on. Luckily I'm not the type that wears skinny and long heals!

Moms Review 4 You! is giving away to three readers a pair of Reebok EasyTone Shoes!

After walking today in dress shoes I've realized that I need two pairs of tennis shoes. One for work and another pair for home.

Zen Soy

My Baby's Green has a great giveaway going on for TWO lucky winners to receive a t-shirt and free coupons for their choice of either a case of Zen Soy pudding-valued at $46 or a case of Soy on the Go-valued at $23! 

I love these kind's of snacks for my kids!

 

A Healthier Cookie

Tropical Traditions gave me a jar of Gold Label Extra Virgin Coconut Oil to try out.

I have to be honest at first I had never heard of Coconut Oil. I didn't know how to cook with it. I had to figure out if it was even healthy to use in the kitchen.

Luckily I have a sister that works in health and nutrition. She told me that it is healthy. I also read up on Coconut oil before it arrived to me. This is straight from Tropical Traditions website:

As a cooking oil, its chemical structure is kept in tact and therefore is resistant to mutations of fatty acid chains even when used in higher cooking temperatures, unlike most vegetable oils. Research shows that the medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil boosts the body’s metabolism, raises body temperatures, and helps provide greater energy which can lead to weight loss. For hundreds of tasty recipes from people who use coconut oil, visit FreeCoconutRecipes.com.

I used it on the boy's skin after a bath. I love how it smells and melts into their skin! Isaak always tries to eat the lotion. This is perfect for him because he can eat it.

I plan on using it to make a stir fry. Tofu is one of my newer loves. I'll post the recipe when I make this!

We also made healthier cookies! I'm a baker. Even though I'm trying to loose weight I still love to bake around this time of year. I've been trying to bake using healthier things in the mix.

The Recipe I Use for Chocolate Chip, Cherry Chip Cookies 

I love that these cookies contain oatmeal! 
Coconut Oil can replace butter!

Start:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 Degrees.

Cream the following together:

1. 1 cup Coconut Oil
2. 1 cup white sugar
3. 1 cup brown sugar

Add:

1. 1 teaspoon vanilla
2. 1/2 teaspoon salt
3. 1 teaspoon baking soda
4. 1 teaspoon baking powder

Blend in:

1. 2 cups flour
2. 2 1/2 cups oatmeal
3. 6 ounces chocolate chips, 6 ounces cherry chips.
4. 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Finish:

1. Spray a pan well. 
2. I used a medium Pampered Chef Scoop. 
3. Bake until light brown.
4. Place on a cooling rack when they've hardened up a little.
5. They taste good warm (straight out of the oven), room temperature and cold (we sometimes freeze them).
6. This made 55 cookies. We had a few and the rest went in the freezer for Christmas time. They tasted better then with using butter!

Disclaimer:
The opinions on this post are my personal take on the products. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me.
I am not compensated to provide my opinion except for receiving the products themselves to test out.
If you have questions about this post please contact me at: alissa4illustration@hotmail.com