Category Archives: Food

Food, FRN, giveaway

Sunsweet Giveaway!!!

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I hadn’t had a dried plum since I was a kid. My mom hated them and prejudice me against them so it was great when I got a chance to try them again. I love raisins and plums so it would make since that I would like them. So when I unwrapped the first Sunsweet Ones individually wrapped dried plum it was like a piece of candy! My kids don’t have all the old people stigma that went them so they were clean slates. They also liked them! These are great snacks. The kids feel that they are getting a treat and it is really good for them. How good???

* Antioxidant rich. Prunes have a high antioxidant (ORAC) score. Antioxidants help to slow the oxidative damage to our bodies, and many researchers believe that antioxidants slow the aging process.
* Potassium punch. Move over bananas! Ounce for ounce, prunes have more potassium than bananas. Studies have shown potassium helps prevent hypertension and stroke.
* Bone health. A handful of nutrient-rich prunes a day may help bone metabolism and the reversal of bone loss for people with osteoporosis. They may also lead to improved bone formation.
* Low Glycemic Index (GI). Prunes are a low GI food, and therefore help to contribute to a low Glycemic Load diet and can aid in preventing and managing conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and obesity.
* Heart health. Prunes can help play a role in preventing heart disease and chronic diseases because they’re rich in antioxidants, which slow the chemical process of oxidation and protect key cell components from damage.
* Prebiotic power. Prunes naturally contain prebiotics, which stimulate the growth of healthy bacteria in the large intestine. This helps dietary fiber perform well and promotes immune system and digestive health.
* Weight loss. Prunes are a good source of fiber, and this can help keep hunger pangs at bay. As a food component, fiber isn’t absorbed, so it doesn’t contribute calories that’s why high-fiber foods are included in weight loss diets. Plus, four prunes have just 100 calories!

Win it!
Five (5) NerdFamily Things Readers are going to win a Sunsweet reusable shopping bag and a Sunsweet VIP Coupon, which is good for ANY Sunsweet product up to $5.50 in value.

To enter:

* Just leave a comment telling me either your favorite healthy treat to eat!
* A random winner will be selected and notified on December 7th.
* The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

* Subscribe to my feed (if you already do, that counts).
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.
* Subscribe to my Twitter and then Tweet about this!
* You can tweet everyday for an additional entry, just make sure to leave a comment for each time!

If you want to see more giveaways pop over to Making Money Keeping Money to see more giveaways on Contesting Monday

This post was written as part of a program for Family Review Network and Sunsweet Ones, who provided the product for review and giveaway. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary product.”

Food

Peaches and Cream French Toast

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This is a great recipe that our Mentor Mom Doris made for our MOPS breakfast and it was yummy!

Ingredients:
1 cup packed Brown Sugar
1/2 cup butter, cubed
2 tbsp corn syrup
1 can (29oz) sliced peaches, drained
1 loaf (1lb) day old French bread, cubed
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese cubed
12 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Process:
In a small sauce pan, combine the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved: pour into a greased 13in x 9in baking dish. Arrange peaches in dish. Place half of the bread cubes over peaches. Layer with cream cheese and remaining bread. Place the eggs, cream, and vanilla in a blender: cover and process until smooth. Pour over top. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean.
Serves 12

Food

Meal Plan Monday

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Ok, there isn’t much to this week but I still have to come up with some plan;). Since we are all coming off a stomach bug I am going to try and keep it light or at least not fried or tomatoes.

Wednesday: Out of town at Grandma’s
Thursday: Out of town at Grandma’s
Friday: Chicken, Broccoli and Rice after a day of Black Friday Shopping!

Food

Top Chef Vegas! (11/18)

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So who are we loosing this week? Based on how the last few weeks have gone I am predicting Jennifer. Who knew that Eli and Richard Blase were freinds? Eli was best man in his wedding!

This week we get to see Gavin Kaysen in the Quickfire. I have seen him before and read about him but he seems so short. Bocuse D’or? It seems to be a food Olympics. How come I have never seen that in the midst of the food tv? They are making ballentine or protein in proteins in an hour and 1/2. Mmmmm, bacon wrapped Scotch egg. Padma told Jennifer, “Welcome Back” during the tasting for the Quickfire. Jennifer won! Maybe she is going to pull this game out.
This presentation platters that are required for the Elimination Challenge should be good. Thomas Keller will be among the 12 judges they have to serve (he wrote the French Laundry). They have to put the food on mirrored platters and then plate in front of everyone. Jennifer got the best prize for her which is an extra 30 minutes to cook (everyone else gets 4 hours). I am not sure why they could only cook salmon or lamb as their proteins. Maybe so they can do an apples to apples comparison. I think Kevin doing a suvee may be a huge mistake! This isn’t something he normally does. Tom tells everyone when he visits the kitchen that the winner of this challenge gets $30,000.
Kevin served first and his platter looks pretty. Keller thinks it is too elementary. But everyone thought it tasted good. Then comes Michael, who is the only one with competition experience. Michael’s Mediterranean theme shot him in the foot because they weren’t Mediterranean flavors. Someone also found a bone in their fish. Bryan once again did a garlic chip. He seemed a little in the weeds in the last 10 minutes but seemed to pull it out. Keller did say that Bryan undercooked his lamb. Eli’s lamb sausage around 3 loins I find a little odd. Eli undercooked the lamb and didn’t carve it well. Jennifer wasn’t 100% about her salmon. Des Jardin thought things tasted good but the dishes weren’t well thought out. Padma thought Jennifer’s platter was the most intriguing visually. Apparently 1 of them will be on the US team for the competition. I wondered why someone asked if Bryan was coachable.
I like that Kevin played it safe because he got the flavors he wanted and his lamb was the only lamb that was cooked right. Michael was the one with the experience but he had some big flubs. It seemed the lamb being under cooked was a common thing. Jennifer’s fish not being cooked all the way and not being cut evenly is all on her. The winner was Kevin! I guess that simple and right is better than fancy and wrong! I kind of want to see Michael get bounced. But that is because he acts like a jerk. But it is Eli who is sent home.

Food

Chocolate Almond Popcorn

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This is something I try to always have on hand during the holidays but it is great all year. It keeps for quite a while if you keep it in an airtight container so it is great to pull out for those drop in guests or to take as a hostess gift.

Ingredients
1 cup popcorn kernels, popped
3 cups unsalted whole skin-on almonds (about 1lb), toasted
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 stick unsalted butter
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp kosher salt
(To the almonds you can put them on a cookie sheet in the oven at 250 degrees. Cook 15 minutes until you just start to smell them. Or put them in a skillet on the stove top and cook them on medium/low until you smell them. DON’T LEAVE THEM, NUTS BURN EASILY)

Process:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Put popcorn and nuts in a large bowl and set aside. Put sugar, corn syrup, butter, cocoa powder, and salt into a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a gentle simmer (about 5 minutes). Make sure to stir the mixture. Then pour the sugar mixture over the popcorn and nuts. Don’t pour it all in one spot; try to cover the popcorn and nuts. Toss until it is all coated. Put the mixture on rimmed cookie sheets. Bake, stirring every 20 minutes, until the mixture is almost dry to the touch (about 1 hour). Then cool completely on the cookie sheets. Store it in an airtight container.

Food

Top Chef Vegas!

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I have decided to take another tack about Top Chef. More snarky, less explanations, and a little assumption that you all have seen it. Tell me if you like this style more….

I really hope Jennifer stops her nose dive. We know she is good so what happened? And what the heck is Robin still doing here? I am assuming the show is cut to make her look bad because based on what we have seen, she shouldn’t be here. Are the Voltaggio brothers going to kill or hug each other?
I love Nigella Lawson!!! She is the guest judge, at least for the quickfire. I don’t really think that a breakfast dish in 30 minutes is really all that unreasonable. I do think that Robin’s blintzes might have been over ambitious and hard for traveling. Apparently this is going to be the episode where Michael and Robin are going to fight. Robin went back into the kitchen to clean and Michael cussed at her and told her to leave. I so wanted to try Kevin’s steak and eggs! I am not sure what Bryan put vanilla in. The polenta? The egg? It must have been the sauce. It wasn’t a surprise that he and Robin were in the bottom. I think Eli deserved the win with his redux of a Reuben.
Casino inspired food is the elimination challenge. This will be interesting. So how much money did each of these hotels pay in order to be featured? I think Robin’s art inspired dish will probably flop big, but it could be good. I am not sure how they are going to cater for 175 people in 3 1/2 hours.
I can’t believe that Robin is making Panacotta. The other thing I am shocked that about is that she is doing something she isn’t real used to doing. Jennifer seems to not be real sure how everything is going tie together. Eli is doing a soup and that has been hit and miss in the catering challenges. Robin’s sugar didn’t turn out. Jennifer’s table was empty when the judges showed up. Then Jennifer’s meat was tough and big. I want to know about “compressed broth”. It sounds interesting but I haven’t heard of it. And when did tomato water become such a big thing? I am with Tom about Robin. Padma was saying that looking at the glass made sense but Tom pointed out it wasn’t served to them. Eli’s carmel apple peanut soup with pulverized popcorn with raspberry sauce sounded fun but risky. No one liked it.
It wasn’t surprising to see Kevin, Michael and Bryan at the top. Bryan did garlic chips again. Since both brothers were up together, I am sure Bryan will be giving Michael a hard time. Tobey said Michael’s food showed his food which is delicate and effeminate and then Michael said that your personality is on a plate. It looked like Bryan was trying to hold in a chuckle. I can hear him giving his brother a hard time because his personality is delicate and effeminate;). After hearing them rave about Michael’s dish it wasn’t a surprise that he won. Michael won a trip and a giant bottle of wine. I wonder if they drank it while the rest went into judging?
Jennifer once again explained why she was in the bottom. And then they all told her how tough her meat was. Robin was once again over ambitious. She didn’t cook the sugar long enough and messed up the panacotta. It seemed like they despised Eli’s grainy soup the most but who knows what that will mean in the end. I like the fact that both Tom and Nigela said that panacotta is an easy dish and Robin got it wrong. And finally Robin is leaving!!!!!
Only 5 left…Who will win?

Food

Seeding Pomegranates

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Ruby orbs of juicy goodness. Yes, I am talking about pomegranate seeds. At Trader Joe’s they charge about $3.99 for pomegranate seeds. They look like they are about 1 pomegranate’s worth, maybe less than 1. Now on the other side. Here are 3 pomegranates that I bought for 50 cents a pound at a farmer’s market. But then there is the business of seeding them. It is super easy if you just plan ahead a little.

The first thing I do is cut them in half. Then I submerge them in a bowl of cold water. Let them sit for a while and the membranes start to absorb the water. That enables the pomegranate to release the seeds a little bit. After they sit just break out the seeds but do it under the water. Tossing out as much of the peel and membrane as you can.
Then run fresh water after you skim off as much of the membrane as possible. Then agitate the seeds in the water and leave them alone for a bit. The yucky bits (including dud seeds) will rise to the top. Then I dump them onto paper towel and then in a bowl. I tend to stick them in the fridge and just pick up some for a snack or throw them in salads. The other fun thing to do is stick them in the freezer. Then I drop them into all kinds of drinks from mixed drinks to lemonades.