My current shopping wish list

A good 7 months or so have gone by since I last took a look and my shopping wish list. Some of the items have been purchased, some are still on there, and some new ones have appeared. Sadly, none have made it OFF of the list due to changing my mind. 

On the top of my list is a camera. The Nikon D3200. I have always wanted to get more into photography, and it just hasn't happened yet. I am hoping by the time I finally decide to purchase this WANT I can make as much use of it as I imagine. Because I am a complete amateur at this I don't want to invest too too much in something I don't know how to use, but I do plan to dive deep into learning the ins and outs once I have it. 

Then there are these amazing exercise pants from lululemon. They are the Get Up and Glow Tight style, and they are perfect for running. They keep you visible in low light and has a little pocket in the back for your keys or maybe some ID. I have to be honest and admit that I have plenty of exercise pants (about 5) but I have seen these pants on some many different women and absolutely every last one, regardless of body type, look great. Actually almost any pair of pants from lululemon has this "age and gravity defying" attribute it appears. I say this not randomly but because I have seen some of these same women in jeans and they don;t look half as good as they look in a pair of lululemon pants. OK, ok, so I haven't tried them out myself, but I will, and I will report back. 

Still on my list is a flat iron from Chi, the TURBO 1.5". I am glad I waited because it looks like it is 65% of now, and yet I am not rushing out to buy it yet because it isn't a need, and I am also not so happy that it is digital. Maybe later.....and maybe by the time I make up my mind it is cheaper....

Then again, they could be completely unavailable, like these grey flats from TOMS. I had said I wanted them back in June of 2012, and now they are all gone. So now I am looking all over to find a pair just as cute and just as comfortable in grey. No luck yet.

I need to be quicker about some of these decisions. But hey, sometimes swim classes for my kiddos at the local YMCA take priority. 

What is on your shopping wish list currently?

Rossana G-A




FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

Going Green for a Healthier Scalp

I have to admit, sometimes my green efforts sound outrageous even to me, but I have been surprised by how well most of them end up working. I already use a homemade laundry soap (sort of- mixing washing soda and good old fashioned ZOTE soap) and my clothes are doing great. I have been using green deodorant for years and love how that has turned out. Now, my scalp has made me jump into something I thought I would never do, do green with no-poo (without shampoo)

I have been reading about all the harm we cause ourselves with shampoo, starting with the harshness of the chemicals like parabens and sulfates. Then I find out maybe my shampoo is making my itchy scalp worse. I happen to have somewhat sensitive skin, and I can’t use just any moisturizer, so why would my scalp be any different.

I was considering going “no-poo” for about 2 years but keep getting deterred by the idea of having icky feeling hair, let alone the smell, but I kept reading on different blogs how many women had maybe just a week or two of the ick factor and none of the smell issues. So I decided to give it a whirl. But I could not do this cold turkey! No sir. I needed to ease into it. So first I decided to start by washing my hair less often to begin with, by doing it every other day, then just twice a week. Man was that hard!!! I kept wanting to wash it, but I held strong.

Then I thought “I’m nuts! How can my hair get cleaned without some sort of soap if not a shampoo??” So I looked into it and decided to try out a castile soap with tea tree oil to help my scalp issues. I went for the Dr. Brooner’s brand. It is a soap, not a shampoo, and it uses all natural ingredients. That worked out rather well, and the tea tree oil started helping with my itchy scalp. I went about 2 weeks with that (maybe 3 washes so far). 

So I took the leap. I had prepared the baking soda and water mix (1 tbsp. baking soda to 1 cup of water) to clean my scalp, and also prepared the apple cider vinegar and water mix (2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar to 1 cup of water) to condition it, and left them in my bathroom, but couldn’t make myself use them. Then one night I just did it. I had gone 3 days without washing my hair and thought, “if it doesn’t feel clean I can always go back to the castile soap”. 

I poured slowly the baking soda mix from the clear squeeze bottle and worked it into my scalp, rubbing every inch, making sure not to miss anything. I kept picturing a corner of greasy hair if I didn’t make sure every strand was covered. I followed the instructions on the many blogs and did only the roots and not the ends. Washed it out after about 2 minutes of rubbing, and my scalp and the hair felt almost squeaky-clean. How could this be?? It isn’t soap!!! But wait…this does feel a bit….dry?!?! So how the heck is apple cider vinegar supposed to make this feel better??

So there I went. I poured slowly the apple cider vinegar mix from the clear squeeze bottle and worked it into the ends, rubbing every inch. The smell was strong at first. It wasn’t feeling very different, but it did say to leave it in a few minutes. I also made sure not to go all the way into the roots since they said it would make my hair greasy…yeah, vinegar makes hair greasy, go figure!!!

5 minutes went by while I kept showering, and the smell wasn’t so strong. Time to wash it out. I kept picturing myself walking through the halls at work and people craving a salad for lunch al because of my hair, so I washed and washed.

I was tempted to pour a bit of conditioner, but I didn’t. I could always pull my hair back the next day. I wrapped my hair in a towel and let it dry a bit while I put on my moisturizer and pjs. By the time I took off my towel and started to brush it out it was amazingly manageable. If you have ever used conditioner you know there is this creamy feel to your hair, and if you go without you feel it dry and hard to comb through. Well this was sooooo not the case for me. My hair felt clean, really clean. Not creamy like with conditioner, yet completely comb-able (if that makes any sense). I have a bloodhound nose, so I could tell a scent of vinegar was still there, but an hour later is was almost completely gone (like I said, I am part dog).

Ok, so let’s see how it feels in the morning. I’m sure this can’t last long. Nope…morning came and my hair was still feeling pretty good. Brushed it with my boar bristle brush and stilled it as usual (I don’t use product because I have never liked how it feels), and off I went. It is close to noon for me and my hair still looks and feels good. It isn’t a miracle treatment by any means, and it has only been one day so far, but I expected much worse. 

If you are interested in a bit more information about the harms of shampoos (and deodorants and fragrances) here is a link that may interest you http://www.mnn.com/communityblogs/oddlyocean/the-harm-of-shampoos-deodorants-and-fragrances

I’ll do an update as the time passes to see how my scalp is doing, but I was planning on keeping a schedule of Sunday night baking soda and vinegar, and Thursday night castile/tea tree oil soap and vinegar (I liked the tea tree oil part). I may also look into some essential oils to help add some “oomph” to how my hair smells because right now it doesn’t smell like anything at all, and there is something to be said about nice smelling hair.



Have your tried going green for your scalp?

Rossana G-A



FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

Cast Iron cooking - another green endeavor

I grew up in a household that cooked in Cast Iron skillets. My Mom never really taught me how to season them as she had been cooking in them for ever. She did, however, teach me they had to be completely dried or they would oxidize.

Then we "went with the times" and bought some non-stick skillets, started using cooking sprays, and even bought a microwave. Yep, I think I may have dated myself, but anyway...

In my efforts to have a healthier home and a healthier planet, I have gone back to these good old fashion skillets. I had non-stick for the majority of my married years, but the non-stick lasted only a few years and I was incurring the costs of new one more often than I liked. Then I come to find out about the lovely carcinogens left behind....wonderful.

Interestingly enough, even before I knew this, I venture out to buy to cast iron skillets because I loved to cook in them at my parents house. I stopped using them as frequently because they kept sticking. I come to find out I had to season them.

I found this wonderful blog post http://modernmrscleaver.com/2012/08/16/psssst-cast-iron-pass-it-down/ about cast iron and the ABCs of using and caring for them.

Image from modernmrscleaver.com

So I was sold. I pulled out both my skillets and seasoned them a few months back, and have slowly started using them.

I have the 5-inch lodge miniature skillet,

and the 8-inch skillet.

They have been a joy to use...once I got used to actually lowering the temperature on my electric range...because they heat up and stay hot so much beter than non-stick modern pans. One more for cast iron. That makes....a gazillion against non-stick pans.

I have noticed the lids I have from my other pans work well, but I plan to start using them in the oven as well, so I do plan to invest in a couple of cast iron lids.

I also noticed the handles do get pretty darn hot, and this multitasking Mom can easily forget to use a pot holder, so maybe some Silicon Hot Handle Holders are in my future as well

And since I am on a roll, I'l probably invest in a few more pieces. This one is a two-for-one, or should I say a five-for-two; a skillet, a fryer, a dutch oven, a lid, that also converts to a griddle. 

Have you tried cooking with Cast Iron?


Rossana G-A



FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

My current shopping wish list

I knew it!! I had secretly thought that my wants are not wants for long if I wait long enough to get them. All of a sudden I don't want them anymore even if I didn't end up getting them.

My first big surprise was that my hubby slowly convinced me to get the Vibram FiveFingers, although I still don't know which ones I want. My kids want some too, and since these little ones grow so fast they will actually need new shoes in a few weeks.

Here is my favorite so far

And the kids' selections are cute as well

Then I have a few wants for beauty tools like a flat iron and a face scrubber

But I expect that if I wait a few months some other stuff will replace them on my list of wants....but I think the flat iron will stay.

The latest thing on my list is this very comfy recliner sofa from ZGallerie. This one may actually make it into my home shortly.

It is a power recliner that fully reclines with zero wall clearance. I can almost see myself falling asleep in it, with my comfy blanket on top. A nice foot rub would be nice too, but I won't hold my breath.


What is on your shopping wish list currently?

Rossana G-A




FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

Hot weather, cool lunch!

Since we are in the middle of summer, and my kiddos are going to summer day camp where they go out on field trips and hikes and swimming and all sorts of warm weather activities, it was soon apparent to me that their normal packed lunch was not getting the usual amount of shade it had while they were in school. They started complaining about their grapes being soggy and their yogurt not being cold.

I could have opted not to pack them such items, but when these are such healthy foods I thought I would look into it a bit more. I looked all over the Internet and found some interesting items. I also found out they sold them at Target, which made me even happier as I could go check them out and not simply order them on-line (and pay for shipping).

I was happy to find a smaller version of some lunch travel containers I already had.

These have been great tools for me when packing my own lunch, and for the past week it seams I made a good purchase in expanding our lunch tools for them.

 

These handy containers have an icepack on the lid which keeps the contents nice and cool without making the rest of their lunch bag wet with an external icepack. They are as small as 1 cup and 2 cup containers, and perfect for those fresh fruits and veggies they love. They also keep cheese and ham slices cool, for those “green Mom version” of store lunchables.

I was also very happy to find these yogurt containers.

They are insulated cups that fit most store brand individual yogurt cups. They also come with 2 stackable cups. One with an incorporated icepack lid for such things as pre-packed fruit cups or “green Mom version” fruit in juice without all the pre-packaging. The other is a smaller cup simple cup for dry snacks like granola, cheerios, or goldfish crackers.

My kid lunch packing collection already included the following items:

Lunch Bag

Napkins

Water Bottle

Snack bags

Silicone Cups - to use as bento dividers

Large sub container or small vento box

Sandwich container

Small snack container

Sporks

This last one I use more often in less warm weather to send my kids some chicken nuggets, or fish sticks, or even soup. It is a great tool because it comes with a spoon in the lid, it is microwaveable so you can heat it up again right before you pack it (or reheat if they can do so at school, but without the lid), and dishwasher safe.

Hot food bowl

I am actually a bit embarrassed to admit I have a few other things I use for packing lunches, like sandwich shape cutters, or cookie cutters I use for fruit shapes, little plastic sauce bottles, but these are the ones I use almost every day. It is all in an effort to make lunch more enjoyable and more eco-friendly for my little ones. And for me too :)

What are you eco-friendly lunch packing tools?





Rossana G-A


FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

My current shopping wish list

I am way to frugal for my own good. I don't buy things I need until I really really have to or unless I find a really good deal. My current list is a good example of how I wait and wait to buy these things.

The current pair of tennis shoes I want are Nike Free because they are so light weight that they are perfect for me. I haven't wanted to purchase them yet because I have a pair of New Balance shoes that still have a lot a miles to go, although they are a lot heavier. 

Then I have the craving for a jacket that is light enough to run with during warmer weather, but heavy enough to keep me warm when it is cooler. I love the finger wholes too. I haven't bought this lululemon jacket because they used to have one with a taller collar that provided greater protection during cool weather runs and they don't have it anymore. I keep waiting to see if they come out with it again, and I make due with whatever jackets I have.

Next on my list are some running bottoms, long and cropped. The ones I currently have are about 9 years old, and I can't make myself get rid of them because they are still in pretty good shape, but they do look a bit older (in style too) and I am sure any elastic material has a short lifespan so they will give-out on me soon, but not yet.

My next item is more of a want. I recently got giften a Morganite ring from my husband for our 11th wedding anniversary, and now I have been coveting similar style earrings. I don't need them, I just WANT them.

                           

                               

Lastly, I have been looking to purchase flats to wear to work that are comfortable too, and these TOMS ballerina shoes keep calling my name. And when I like something I keep buying it in different colors. That's just how I roll. But I haven't bought them because I have some flats that just happen to be NOT so comfortable but in good shape.

I know, I know, I need to get over myself and just go out and buy some of these things. I will....some day.


What is on your shopping wish list currently?

Rossana G-A






FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

Guess what's for dinner!

I had a bit of fun yesterday sending out on my Facebook page this picture and getting a bunch of different responses to my call for a guess of what was for dinner.

I got everything from "Pizza" to "Tuna Loaf". I guess you could actually make a pizza with these ingredients, but it is not one my kids or I would be eager to try. I have also, believe it or not, not ever tried a tuna loaf let alone know how to make it.

So what did I make for dinner? Tuna Croquettes!

It is a simple and healthy recipe, and most times I have all but one of the ingredients at home (celery is not always in my fridge).

Ingredients:

3 (5-ounce) cans of water packed tune, drained and shredded.
3 large celery sticks (or 5-6 ready-packed small celery sticks) finely chopped
1 round slice of red/purple onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 large eggs
freshly ground pepper and salt to taste.

This yields about 30-36 kid sized croquettes. I prepared this in 20 minutes (give or take for some picture taking) and cooked them in about 5-6 minutes.

I drained all 3 cans of tuna and placed it in a large mixing bowl. I added the celery, onion, bread crumbs and eggs. I also ground some fresh pepper (not too much because my 6 year old boy has a sensitive palet and pepper is "HOT AND SPICY" according to him) and a bit of salt.

Here is where you can't be afraid to get messy. I actually enjoy this part a lot.

I mix all the ingredients by hand, literally. I squish it all together and start making little balls, small enough to fit in the palm of my hand.

Then I flatten them out a bit and lay them on a well oiled grill. You need enough oil to sauté your croquettes, which means it is not deep frying but just lightly fried. About 2-3 minutes on one side, then you flip them over to get a golden brown on the other side. I also keep the grill on medium or medium-high heat to avoid having the croquettes stick and not need as much oil.

As a mentioned before, this is a fast and healthy recipe. More elaborate recipes include some mashed potatoes to help keep the croquette together, but that adds starches, carbohydrates and calories to the recipe. We are also a low carb and low-glycemic diet family, so even though it is definitely a much yummier croquette with the potatoes, we stay away from it and keep all the flavor going with the onions, celery and pepper in it.

This is what my plate looked like

A few sides, and lots of salad. My kids love their rice and beans, and I am increasing how much salad they eat, so their plate looked a bit different than mine, yet it had the same sides.

I do admit, my daughter did say "Mom, next time, can you make them without the celery?" because she is not a fan of celery, but once we got some ketchup out for her she stopped complaining.

From kitchen to table in less than 30 minutes. Not bad for a school day.

Tuna croquettes are definitely one of my "fast cooking" go-to recipes when I didn't plan ahead my dinner, and my kids love them.

What are some of your "fast cooking" go-to recipes?

Rossana G-A




FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.