Brown Rice Salad With Herbs

Serves 4

Ingredients:
8 oz brown rice, washed
4 tbsp extra virgin oil
18 fl oz water
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
Salt and pepper

Instructions:
Cook the brown rice according to instructions.

In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper and stir into the rice, while it is still warm. Set aside to cool. Once the rice is cool, stir in the parsley and basil, mix well.

Enjoy with grilled tofu!

Quick Chicken Tortilla Wraps

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
4 flour tortillas
1 lb free-range chicken breasts (boneless and skinless), cut in thin strips
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
¾ cup, creamy salad dressing of your choice
Oil for frying

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wrap tortillas in foil and heat in oven until warm.

In a large skillet, heat oil. Add chicken strips and onion and fry for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Mix in sweet chilli sauce, salt and pepper.

Divide the chicken on each tortilla, top with tomato slices and lettuce, add some salad dressing, roll up and enjoy.

Delicious Apple & Veg Smoothie

Ingredients:
½ cup cucumber, peeled and sliced
½ cup carrots, sliced
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup apple juice
1 cup sweet-tasting apples, chopped
2 cups of ice
Nutmeg

Instructions:
Place all ingredients (except nutmeg) in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and sprinkle with nutmet.

Enjoy!

Shrimp and Mushroom Casserole

Serves 8

Ingredients:
½ lb mushrooms, sliced
3 lbs shrimp, cooked and peeled
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 onion, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
½ cup Half & Half
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ cups sherry
½ cup buttered breadcrumbs*
½ tsp paprika
Salt and pepper

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large skillet, melt the butter and sauté mushrooms. Add chopped onion and tomatoes and while stirring occasionally simmer for about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine Half & Half and flour until smooth. Then add sherry, Worcestershire sauce, paprika and season with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and the mushroom/tomato mixture and combine well. Spoon into a large buttered casserole dish, top with buttered breadcumbs and bake for about 20 minutes or until brown at the top.

Enjoy!

* To make buttered breadcrumbs, melt butter in a small skillet and toss the breadcrumbs in the melted butter.

Whole-Wheat Pasta Parmigiana

Serves 4

Ingredients:
12 oz whole-wheat penne pasta
3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp salt
1 lb mushrooms (of your choice), wiped and chopped
1 green bell pepper, deseeded and diced
1 yellow bell pepper, deseeded and diced
Juice of 1 lemon
½ cup Natural yogurt
2 oz Parmesan cheese (or more), grated
Salt and pepper

Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet, add the chopped vegetables and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the cooked penne, lemon juice, yogurt, salt and pepper and combine. Place pasta mixture into an ovenproof dish, sprinkle with lots of grated Parmesan cheese and place under a broiler until the cheese is golden brown.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Spring Cleaning Your Backyard

If you’re like most people, you have been waiting for the warm spring weather so you can get outside and enjoy!. You may be thinking about spring cleaning your backyard to get it ready for the sunshine and summer. Here are some ways you can do that and enjoy being outdoors at the same time.

Gather the family together so everyone is pitching in with the work. Although it might seem overwhelming, working together in the yard is one of the best family relationship building activities you can do. It’s a wonderful way to work together as a team and have fun at the same time. Of course, you’ll want to be sure to have people work to their abilities, but everyone can contribute.

Decide what needs the most attention. Undoubtedly there will be a build-up of leaves regardless if you raked during the fall. There may also be limbs which have fallen from the tree due to ice or wind. Check out the garden; what attention does it need? Do you have flower gardens which are about to burst forth with blooms? They’ll need consideration as well.

Try to make the tasks fun. Instead of acting like a drill sergeant, let the children toss leaves while they’re raking. They may even want to make a pile to jump into if there are enough of them. After they’ve had some fun they may be more willing to get back to work and get the leaves cleaned up.

Let the air in! Take time to aerate your lawn. This is important to breathe fresh air into the root system which will allow water and fertilizer to reach the roots. There are many methods to do this: use shoes with spikes on them, a hand tool specifically designed for aeration, or rent a power aerator.

Get your hands dirty. Weed the flower beds and along the sidewalks. Of course, you can also remove dandelions and broadleaf weeds with an ergonomic weeding tool. The point is to remove the weeds, roots and all, from your lawn as early in the season as possible so they don’t grow or possibly spread.

Repair your lawn. It’s almost inevitable that your lawn will have bare or brown patches. Remove the dead or discolored grass and sprinkle in some grass seeds. Then you can add fertilizer. Keep the area moist until the seed sprout and you can see new growth.

Take care of yard tools. You may want to take your lawnmower in for a tune-up. Check the hand tools to ensure they’re not rusted or broken. Replace anything you feel is unsafe or past the point of repair.

Decide what new plants you want to add to a flower garden or if you’ll have a vegetable garden this year. Mark off where the garden will be if you haven’t had one, and then choose what you’ll plant. Spring is the perfect time to lay weed barriers and mulch so you’ll have to do less weeding.

Don’t forget any play items in your yard. Decide if there are other pieces you’ll want to add this year and where you will put them. Check the chains and seats on swing sets. Replace them if necessary. You want your children to enjoy the equipment but you also want them to be safe.

By taking a weekend in the early spring, you can get your yard and garden ready for whatever the spring and summer may have in store. Spring clean your backyard with the help of your family. Once the biggest tasks are done you’ll be glad knowing your yard and garden are ready to enjoy.

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Chick Pea Salad

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups of cooked chickpeas
4 green onions, sliced
1 large carrot, grated
¾ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp natural yogurt
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped finely

Instructions:
In a small bowl, combine yogurt, vinegar and basil. Add remaining ingredients, stir well and chill in fridge for a few hours before serving.

Serve with pita bread or grilled chicken.

Thermofocus Non-Contact 5 in 1 Thermometer

Where to buy: www.amazon.com

The Thermofocus Non-Contact 5 in 1 Thermometer is the first and only FDA (Food & Drug Administration) registered non-contact medical thermometer. It is clinically proven to be just as accurate as rectal or ear thermometers, but at the same time it is non-invasive. The temperature is taken from the child’s forehead, naval or armpit in less than a second and won’t cause the child any unnecessary trauma.

It is completely hygienic and safe to use and won’t pass illnesses onto other family members. The thermometer offers a one button operation measuring fever and ambient room temperature. It can also easily gauge the temperature of baby baths, formula and food. It comes with a Fahrenheit or Celsius digital LED display and a 9 memory function.

Included in your purchase are 4 AAA batteries, which should give you over 10,000 readings, as well as an instructional DVD to ensure proper usage of the thermometer.

For more information on the Thermofocus Thermometer or to purchase the product, go to www.amazon.com.

Lemon & Yogurt Bread

(2 Loaves)

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 cup poppy seeds
3 eggs (preferably organic), lightly beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 cups lemon yogurt
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, sift together baking soda, salt, flour and baking powder. Add poppy seeds and combine.

In a separate bowl, combine eggs, oil and sugar and whisk until creamy. Add the lemon yogurt and lemon juice and mix well. Carefully blend with the flour mixture.

Grease two loaf pans and spoon in mixture. Bake in the oven for about one hour.

Simple Green Stainless Steel One-Step Cleaner and Polisher

Where to buy: www.amazon.com

Simple Green Stainless Steel One-Step Cleaner and Polisher is an easy and safe stainless steel cleaner. It is non-toxic, biodegradable and does not contain any petroleum products. It is also non-abrasive, non-flammable, contains zero VOCs and is safe to use around your children and pets.

Simple Green is a socially responsible company that has been manufacturing and selling environmentally safe cleaning products for over 30 years.

The Simple Green Stainless Steel One-Step Cleaner & Polisher can be used on all high-end chrome and stainless steel appliances and surfaces in kitchens. It easily cleans toasters, backsplashes, fixtures, grills, just to name a few. It also wipes away smudges, fingerprints, streaks, water stains and leaves your stainless steel looking sparkling clean and protected.

The concentrated cleaner comes in a 16oz or a 32oz spray bottle.

For more information on this environmentally friendly stainless steel cleaner, go to www.amazon.com.

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