Weekly Meal Plans & Quick Dinner Recipe Blog |
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January 5, 2009 by susan and michelle
A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, their conversation turned to complaints about stress in work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, their professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to hot chocolate.
When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said:
“Notice that all of the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you are drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases, it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What you all really wanted was the hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups. And then you began eyeing each others’ cups.
Now consider this:
Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money, and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us. God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups. The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have.
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And enjoy your hot chocolate.
Tags: hot chocolate | Comments (0)
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December 30, 2008 by susan and michelle
We stumbled upon this great article with some tips on naturally increasing your energy level. After the busy holidays, if you are feeling moments of sheer exhaustion, this article might help. It gives some great ideas regarding your lifestyle, diet, and environment for avoiding those tired times.
Here’s our top five:
1. Eat three healthy meals a day. People tend to skip breakfast which gives you an energy boost to start your day.
2. Exercise in the morning (not too much and not too little).
3. Take a shower and put on something you love (to avoid the lazy blah’s).
4. Drink more water and less coffee. Too much caffeine will actually cause fatigue.
5. Sleep with the sun. Are you ever wide awake at bedtime? Bright lights from the computer or tv late at night might trick your body into thinking it is day time and prevent you from going to bed on time!
Tags: Add new tag, energy | Comments (0)
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December 22, 2008 by susan and michelle
An upscale restaurant in our town just had a champagne tasting. The results were surprising and refreshing - you don’t need to spend a fortune on a good bottle of champagne. Here are the favorites:
1. Barefoot Bubbly (about $9 / bottle)
2. Korbel Brut, extra dry (about $12 / bottle)
3. Cristalino Brut (about $10 / bottle)
4. Brickstone Cellars Extra Dry (about $5 / bottle)
and
#5 is our favorite - Prosecco Italian sparkling wine ($13 / bottle)
Comments (0)
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December 16, 2008 by susan and michelle
This is a fun activity for little kids on Christmas Eve. It also makes a great gift for kids to give to their friends. Simply use baby food jars and layer the ingredients to create a “sand art” look. Be sure to attach the poem!
Mix together oatmeal, granulated sugar, sunflower seeds and the secret ingredient, glitter.
REINDEER POEM:
Sprinkle on the lawn at night,
The moon will make it sparkle bright.
As Santa’s reindeer fly and roam,
This will guide them to your home.
Tags: Christmas, Reindeer food | Comments (1)
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December 12, 2008 by susan and michelle
This is a YouTube video that one of our most courageous and generous friends forwarded to us. It will inspire you to spend more precious time with your girlfriends!
Transcending: Words on Women and Strength by Kelly Corrigan
Author Kelly Corrigan wrote this moving essay about women’s remarkable capacity to suport each other, to laugh together, and to endure. The full text is available in the paperback edition of her memoir, The Middle Place, on sale December 23, 2008.
Tags: friends, women | Comments (0)
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December 11, 2008 by susan and michelle
Here’s an excerpt from one of our favorite bloggers, Seth Godin:
“I never click on ads.”
It’s almost a badge of honor to say that. The subtext is, “I’m too smart/busy to waste my time doing that,” or perhaps, “I don’t want someone to sell my attention.”
But the real effect is that you’re starving great content.
I can say this because there are no ads here but,
If you like what you’re reading, click an ad to say thanks.
Pretty simple, but not an accepted online protocol, at least not yet.
If every time you read a blog post or bit of online content you enjoyed you clicked on an ad to say thanks, the economics of the web would change immediately. You don’t have to buy anything (though it’s fine if you do). You just have to honor the writer by giving them a click.
You still get what you pay for, even if you pay with attention.
Tags: on-line ads | Comments (0)
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December 10, 2008 by susan and michelle
As the unemployment rate continues to rise, people are colder, hungrier, and needier than ever. Many families are trying to control their budgets, including money set aside for charitable gifts. Instead of reducing your charitable donations, try to think of other ways to give by helping in a soup kitchen, donating all of your extra canned goods, or asking for food items for charity in lieu of gifts at birthday parties. During the holiday season, instead of exchanging gifts with your friends and family, think about buying gifts together for a needy family. Or make a donation in the name of your friends as your gift to them. We’ll finish up this blog with a poem that our friends gave to us last year with a charity donation in our name:
To our family and friends who we hold dearest
We hope to thank you in the Christmas spirit.
Thank you for all your kindness and love,
You are truly a gift sent from above.
We would like to repay you by supporting another-
A helping hand to one who has no other.
We are truly blessed in so many ways
And this was the best way we could think to repay.
So thank you again for all your love,
And thanks be always to the good Lord above.
Tags: charity | Comments (0)
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December 3, 2008 by susan and michelle
Here are our top five gifts to deliver to our close friends and neighbors for the holidays. All of the recipes are 3 ingredients or less. Get the kids involved and make it a family gift giving experience.
- Fudge in a Box – Our kids love to make this 3 ingredient fudge and then decorate the box for delivery. http://www.youvegotsupper.com/recipes/E_Z_Fudge.aspx
- Christmas TV shows – Print out the holiday TV show schedule and roll it up with a red ribbon, highlighting your family’s favorites. Deliver it in a red and white popcorn container with candies.
- Basket of Strawberry Jam, Nutella, and Fresh Bread – Here’s the super easy jam recipe: http://www.youvegotsupper.com/recipes/Strawberry_Jam.aspx. The rest is store bought but makes a great, gourmet gift basket.
- Chocolate Covered Pretzels – Dip the Utz sourdough pretzels (about ¼ inch thick) in melted Ghirardelli chocolate chips and let them cool on wax paper in the fridge – YUM! Place in zip lock bag and deliver in a silver paint can (you can get them from paint stores) decorated with ribbons and ornament balls.
- Homemade Peppermint bark in a silver tin wrapped like a present. http://www.youvegotsupper.com/recipes/Peppermint_Bark.aspx
Tags: holiday, Recipes | Comments (0)
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November 21, 2008 by susan and michelle
The perfect solution to spending time with the kids and still getting a home cooked meal on the table is to let them help prepare the meal. Kids love to help in the kitchen and they will be much more likely to eat that chicken dinner if they helped make it. They will develop a knowledge of how to cook with fresh ingredients and a love of healthy food while applying some practical math skills. Here’s some simple and safe tasks for your young sous chefs.
- Washing Fruits and Veggies
- Measuring
- Reading Directions
- Stirring and Whisking
- Cracking and Separating Eggs
- Assembling Their Culinary Creation
- Cleaning Up!!
Tags: cooking, family dinners, kids | Comments (0)
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November 14, 2008 by michelle
We asked our friends at J. Emerson Fine Wines (Richmond, VA) to share with us 5 fabulous wines that cost $15 or less. Serve one of these reds with your supper tonight! Cheers!
- Benotto, Nebieul Rosso 2005, $14.95 (Piedmont, Italy)
- 100 Marias, Tinto 2006, $10.95 (Alentejo, Portugal) -
- Domaine Gres St. Vincent, Cotes du Rhone Rouge, $13.95 (Rhone Valley, France)
- Bodegas Tiza, “El Ganador” Malbec 2006, $8.95 (Mendoza, Argentina)
- Gran Familia, Rioja Tinto 2006, $11.95 (Rioja, Spain)
Tags: red wine, wine bargains | Comments (6)
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