Taco casserole

1 lb ground turkey
2 cans refried beans
1 jar salsa
1 package taco season
4 cups broken tortilla chips
2 cups shredded cheese
lettuce, tomatoes, olives, sour cream, and green onions are all optional


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown meat, add taco seasoning, refried beans, and salsa. Stir well.
In a casserole dish, layer meat mixture, broken tortilla chips, and cheeses like you would a lasagna.
Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, or until hot, bubbly, and cheese is melted. Add toppings as desired.

homemade maple syrup

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon maple flavor

Put the brown sugar into a medium saucepan. Put the cornstarch into a small bowl or cup and drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of the water. Stir or whisk with a fork until the cornstarch is dissolved, then add it to the saucepan along with the rest of the water.

Stir or whisk constantly over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil one minute, still stirring.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the syrup cool completely. When it is cool, stir in the maple flavor.

Store in the refrigerator.

Dishwasher soap

1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
1/2 cup salt
10 packets of unsweetened lemonade
vinegar

Mix first 4 ingredients together in large container. Use about 1/8 of a cup per load of dishes. To help with spots on your dishes, fill the rinse aid spout with white vinegar.

Laundry soap

1 bar of naturally made soap (I made my own and used lemon scents), grated
2 cups borax
2 cups washing soda (different from baking soda. Can be found on the laundry aisle at the grocery store)
1 cup baking soda

Mix together ingredients in large container. You can also use various scents for the soap you use. Also, you can add in a few drops of matching essential oils. Shake container very well. Use 1/4 cup per load of wash.

Tub Scrub

1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup salt
15-20 drops essential oils (I used orange)


Pour all into a bowl, put lid on, and shake very well. Put a little of the dry mixture on a scrubbie and clean the tub. No fumes to avoid, no need to wear gloves, and works just as well as the name brand scrubs that can harm your tub or assault your senses!

Sweet potato pancakes

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tbsp applesauce
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
2 16oz cans yams, drained

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 2 tablespoons pecans, baking powder, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt in a large bowl. Combine milk and next 4 ingredients (milk through eggs); add to flour mixture, stirring until smooth. Stir in sweet potatoes.

Spoon about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot nonstick griddle or large nonstick skillet. Turn pancakes when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked.

Chocolate chip cookies

Far warning, this makes A LOT of cookies

8 cups flour
8 sticks of butter, melt
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tbsp salt
3 cups sugar
3 cups brown sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
8 eggs
small bag chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix everything down to the chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl, until smooth. Next stir in chips with strong spoon until the chips are evenly distributed. Bake 12-15 minutes-just until the edges are slightly browned.

Oven "fried" chicken strips

• Sauce:
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
• 
  Chicken:
• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders (about 16 pieces)
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup coarsely crushed cornflakes
• 1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon instant minced onion
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400°.

To prepare chicken, combine chicken and buttermilk in a shallow dish; cover and chill 15 minutes. Drain chicken, discarding liquid.

Combine cornflakes and next 5 ingredients (cornflakes through pepper) in a large zip-top plastic bag; add 4 chicken pieces to bag. Seal and shake to coat. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken. Spread oil evenly in a jelly-roll pan, and arrange chicken in a single layer in pan. Bake at 400° for 4 minutes on each side or until done. Serve with sauce.

Oatmeal cookies

1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp salt
6 cups oatmeal

Mix everything together very well. Scoop out small amounts for each cookie and place in an oven that was preheated to 350 degrees. Bake 15-17 minutes.

Spanish rice

small onion, chopped
3 cups rice
1/2 tsp garlic
7 cups water
2 tbsp chicken broth
1 small can pasta sauce
2 cups corn
1 tbsp taco seasoning

Mix together all ingredients in large saucepan. Continually stir until rice is cooked. Serve with burritos or as a side to any mexican dish.

Applesauce breakfast cake

3 1/2 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
3 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in microwave until liquid. Mix all ingredient together. Bake about 45 minutes, or until knife stuck in the middle comes out clean.

Make your own natural cleaners

Borrowed from Planet Green

1. Powdered Laundry Soap
1 bar soap, grated (I use natural, homemade soaps in various scents)

2 cups washing soda

2 cups Borax
1 cup baking soda
Combine all of the ingredients and store in a covered jar. Use ¼ cup per load.

2. Lavender Laundry Softener
1 cup dried lavender buds
1 quart white vinegar
2-4 drops lavender essential oil
Combine the mixture and let it sit for a week.

3. All-purpose cleaner
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp Castile soap
1 tbsp Borax
Combine all the ingredients and add to a spray bottle.

4. Tub Scrub
1 cup baking soda
¼ cup salt
10 drops citrus essential oil
5 drops tea tree essential oil
Combine all the ingredients and store in an airtight tub.

5. Carpet Deodorizer
1 cup Borax
1 cup baking soda
10 drops essential oils

Combine and store in an airtight tub.

6. Oven Cleaner
1 small box baking soda
1 cup liquid Castile Soap

Combine ingredients and mix until smooth. Apply to a cloth and wipe clean.

7. Dusting Spray
1 cup distilled water
3 drops essential oils
Combine in a spray bottle and use with a cotton cloth.

8. Citrus Degreaser
½ cup lemon juice
¼ cup baking soda
5 to 10 drops citrus essential oils
Combine to make a paste and use a damp cloth to wipe off.

Discussion: Children and allowances

Taken from MSNBC

By Laura T. Coffey

TODAYShow.com contributor

updated 5:02 p.m. CT, Tues., March. 20, 2007

Laura T. Coffey • Profile • E-mail

Got money worries in your adult life? If so, be honest: Are some of those worries related to stubbornly bad money habits you find tough to shake?

Well, that just might be your parents’ fault. Financial experts say the money troubles that plague many of us as adults often stem from the way our parents raised us to view and handle money.

No matter what financial demons might be haunting you, though — from high credit-card debt to a non-existent savings habit to an inability to budget accurately for short- or long-term goals — money professionals say you absolutely can break the cycle for yourself and for your own children. One way to do this is to make wise use of a simple, time-honored tool: Allowances.

Success depends on how parents decide to play the allowance game. Fumble it, experts say, and children can learn all the wrong lessons about money and develop a sense of entitlement. Handle it well, and children can learn to be responsible decision-makers who know how to allocate their funds and live beneath their means.

“Just like we teach our children good hygiene, good manners — anything that’s a critical life skill — that’s what we have to do with allowance,” said Susan Beacham, a former private banker who founded Money Savvy Generation, a company in Lake Bluff, Ill., that teaches personal-finance concepts to children and parents.

“When you introduce allowance you have the opportunity to teach your child how to control impulses and delay gratification.”

Rules of engagement
Financial and child-development experts generally agree on some overall principles about allowances. For starters, they say children need to be given an amount of money that is age-appropriate and that allows them to make real choices — and real mistakes — so they can feel how much it hurts.

Allowances are a big deal for Jackie and Kevin Freiberg and their children Taylor-Grace, 15, left; Dylan, 6; and Aubrey, 11. “My parents are putting a lot of responsibility in my hands and a lot of trust. And I want my parents to be able to trust me with money,” says Aubrey.

“Eventually they’re going to … buy a toy that turns out to be a piece of junk, even though it looked glitzy in the packaging,” said Peggy Eddy, a certified financial planner and president of Creative Capital Management Inc. in San Diego. “I’d rather have my child make an $11 mistake than wait until he’s 50 and inherit from our estate and buy something stupid.”

Experts also recommend talking with young children about money-related choices before starting an allowance; paying kids in cold, hard cash because it’s less abstract than, say, a prepaid debit card; assigning them certain financial responsibilities and sticking to that arrangement without bailing them out; being punctual about payday; and being very, very careful about tying the allowance to routine chores. (More on that in a minute.)

Allowances are a big deal in the home of Jackie and Kevin Freiberg, authors and professional public speakers who live in San Diego. The Freibergs have three children: Taylor-Grace, 15, Aubrey, 11, and Dylan, 6. They’ve been giving the girls regular monthly allowances on a dependable schedule for some time now, but they haven’t started the allowance regime with Dylan yet because he’s still so young.

That’s not to say they aren’t teaching Dylan about money. When Jackie takes him shopping with her, she’ll have a pre-emptive chat with him before they enter the store. On some days, she’ll tell him not to pester her at all for any purchases. On other days, she’ll give him a spending limit — say, $5 or $10 — and tell him it’s his job to find something he likes under that amount.

“You can tell that he can choose more wisely now,” she said. “I’ll say, ‘OK, Dylan, what’s the better deal? This for $5.99 or this for $9.95?’ He’ll often make the better choice.

For his part, Dylan loves this arrangement.

“I look at the price tags myself,” he said with pride.

And why does his mom set a spending limit for him?

“Because then you won’t waste money,” he said.

Beacham of Money Savvy Generation is an advocate of sitting down with children when they’re old enough and deciding which expenses will become their responsibility from here on out. In her household, her daughters Allison, 15, and Amanda, 13, agreed to take charge of paying for their school lunches, toiletries and clothing. They even signed a contract to that effect. Those expenses come to about $80 a month, so that’s what Beacham’s daughters get.

It’s not that simple, though. Above and beyond choosing how to spend that $80 to cover those expenses, the girls agreed to set aside at least some money each month in three additional categories: save, invest and donate.

“I’m trying to teach them the habit of choice,” Beacham said. “First of all, their allowance is for expense coverage. It’s not money just for breathing. … And I’ve told them, ‘Now you have to do what I do when I get paid. You have to put some money away, donate some money and invest some money for the future. You have to pay yourself first.’”

Beacham sees a special benefit in having her daughters handle their own clothing budgets.

“You know how many things they walk away from now that in the past they were falling on their swords over, and I was giving in and buying these things for them because I didn’t want to see my child in pain?” she said.

“All of a sudden you get to see what’s important. It’s a beautiful thing. Your money, they’re always willing to spend. Their money, it’s a whole different ballgame. You don’t get that unless you give them some money to control and to make mistakes with.”

Money for chores — or not?
Many financial professionals caution that connecting allowance money to chores can be a slippery slope. Such an arrangement could lead to children saying, “How much?” every time they’re asked to do something around the house — especially as they get older and find other sources of income from baby-sitting, dog-walking, summer jobs and even holiday and birthday money.

That said, some say it’s a great idea to sit down with your child and arrive at a clear set of overall expectations together. For example: The child will keep his or her room neat and clean, clear the table after dinner, fold his or her laundry and put it away and take out the garbage. In exchange for holding up that entire end of the bargain regularly, he or she will get an agreed-upon weekly or monthly allowance.

In Joel Larsen’s house, it doesn’t quite fly that way. Larsen is a certified financial planner and principal of Larsen Financial Strategies Group in Davis, Calif. He and his wife Terrie-Lynne have two daughters: Shasha, 10, and Meng Zhen, 6

“There is no allowance in our house,” Larsen said. “Chores are expected to be done because everyone in the family helps. Period. When our kids need or want money, they can earn it.”

Larsen and his wife have devised a system — some might say an ingenious one — whereby their daughters actually fork over some cash if they neglect to take care of their duties around the house. The fine for failing to clear the dinner table, for instance, is 25 cents. And if they leave their toys out at the end of the day, the toys go into “jail” — a basket in the pantry. It costs 10 cents to release an individual toy from its prison sentence.

Because this is done consistently, and in a consistently fun way, the whole arrangement has become something of a game for the girls. The other night they noticed that their mom had left her shoes laying around, and they put the shoes in jail. Mom had to add a dime to all the other “fine” money, which lives in a jar heavy with coins that will get donated to UNICEF.

“If the (girls) don’t have a dime, we’ve got something they can do to earn it,” Larsen said. “The little one can wash dog prints off the window almost every day – and that’s worth a whole buck! My 10-year-old helps me in the office, and I pay her six bucks an hour. She earned enough money to buy a Nintendo DS … and she feels good about it.”

For Terry Almario of Seattle, the system of agreeing on a whole set of expectations up front with her 11-year-old daughter Margie has worked well.

“I’ve used allowance as an opportunity to teach Margie when you work hard you are rewarded, and this will be true all your life,” said Almario, a real estate agent.

Margie earns $30 a month for helping to clean the house regularly. This includes unloading and loading the dishwasher, keeping her room clean, helping to vacuum, cleaning the bathroom and dusting at least once a week. She also makes a dollar for each 'A' she gets on her report card.

“I came home yesterday and she had cleaned the kitchen and picked things up around the house,” Almario said. “She cleaned her room and got up this morning and unloaded and loaded the dishwasher. It was amazing.”

Margie said she was happy to help.

Margie Almario, 11, earns $30 a month for chores.

“My mom’s been working really hard and I wanted to give her something that would relax her,” Margie said. “I think kids should get allowances if they do chores. … I have a lot of friends who get allowances but they don’t do anything. So the parents just pay them to just sit around and really do nothing.”

Special money for special jobs, goals
Most financial and child-development experts agree across the board that it’s a fine idea to pay children extra money for extra jobs, such as mowing the lawn, washing windows, washing the car or helping to clean out the garage — especially if the child is saving for a big item.

An impending car purchase for their oldest daughter has become a huge catalyst in the Freiberg home. Mom and Dad have agreed to match whatever money 15-year-old Taylor-Grace saves toward the purchase.

There are strings attached. Taylor-Grace must maintain a 'B' grade point average or better, play on a sports team, handle a slew of basic household chores on a regular basis, and help babysit her 6-year-old brother Dylan when needed. That babysitting work can bring in some extra money on top of her regular allowance money.

“We are absolutely trying to instill in her a work ethic,” Jackie Freiberg said.

• 10 Tips: How to handle allowances successfully
• Discuss: What are your allowance rules?

Taylor-Grace is so motivated about the car purchase that she’s been stashing three-fourths of her monthly allowance — or $150 — into her personal savings account.

She’s also become quite entrepreneurial. She baby-sits around the neighborhood for $10 an hour whenever she can, and she runs a weeklong dance camp for young girls over the summer and nets about $650 in the process.

“The car purchase is very important to me,” Taylor-Grace said. “My parents told me even before I was into getting a permit that I can’t come back and complain or anything when I see my friends’ parents just buying them cars… They want me to feel a sense of ownership for the car that I buy, something that I worked hard to get, not just something that they bought me. …

“I’ve learned that saving is the best. Even though it’s not the greatest in the short term, in the long term it’s the best. Do I want the car in the end, or do I want this shirt that I might wear once?”

Allowances or no? As a mom of 5, this is becoming a burden to our family. Advice? What would you do and how?

How to detox from caffeine, sugar, and white flour

Caffeine, sugar and white flour are substances that interfere with your metabolism and brain health — and the ones people usually have the most trouble giving up and getting out of their systems.

I recommend eliminating these items from your diet in a systematic way. This may help you avoid potential withdrawal symptoms, make you feel better, and jumpstart the process to better brain function and overall health. Follow the steps below to help make the transition as simple and painless as possible.

How to eliminate caffeine

If you have been drinking caffeine for a long time, you have to get off it over a few days. Minimize your pain and the difficulty of giving up your addiction by following these steps.

Step 1: Start on a Weekend

You may want to start on a Sunday. This will allow you to take naps as needed, since your body will be recovering from the caffeine and you are liable to be fatigued.

Step 2: Reduce Your Caffeine Intake

For the first three days (Sunday, Monday and Tuesday), cut your daily intake of coffee, cola, black tea or other caffeinated beverages in half. That means if you usually have four cups of coffee in the morning, you would have two cups of coffee in the morning on Sunday, one cup on Monday and half a cup on Tuesday. Doing this helps you wean your body off the caffeine, which should reduce withdrawal symptoms.

Step 3: Drink Green Tea

For the next four days (the remainder of the week), you can drink one cup of caffeinated green tea steeped for five minutes in boiling water. You may continue drinking green tea for all its wonderful health and weight benefits. (Note that I recommend green tea as part of your morning ritual.)

You can switch to decaffeinated green tea if you want to eliminate caffeine completely. Otherwise, it is fine to have one cup of caffeinated, organic green tea every morning. The caffeine is minimal, and the health benefits are great.

Step 4: Take Vitamin C

Throughout this process, I recommend taking 1,000–2,000 mg of buffered pure ascorbic acid (vitamin C) powder or capsules. This may help you detoxify and balance your system.

Step 5: Drink Plenty of Clean Water

You should also drink at least six to eight glasses of filtered water a day. You should do this regardless of whether or not you are getting off caffeine, but it is especially important for this process because it will keep your body well hydrated and can reduce headaches and constipation, and flush toxins out of your system.

How to eliminate sugar and white flour

Eliminating sugar is hard because it’s an addiction. But the physical cravings dissipate quickly once you stop eating it. Here are some tips for how you can successfully do this.

I recommend starting the same day you cut your caffeine intake in half.
The tried and true method from my experience with thousands of patients: Go cold turkey from all white flour and sugar products. (Don’t cheat — it will only make it worse!)
Include protein for breakfast, such as eggs, nuts, seeds, nut butters or a protein shake.
Combine “good” protein, “good” fat and “good” carbs at each meal. (Good fats are fish, extra virgin olive oil, olives, nuts, seeds and avocados. Good carbs are beans, vegetables, whole grains and fruit. Good proteins are fish, organic eggs, small amounts of lean poultry, nuts, soy, whole grains and legumes.)
Don’t go low-fat. Consume olive oil, olives, nuts, seeds and avocados every day. Despite commonly held beliefs, these good fats are NOT fattening.
Eat every three hours. Snack on nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts or pumpkin seeds (raw or dry-roasted only). One serving is a handful or ten to twelve nuts.
Drink at least six to eight glasses of filtered water a day.
How to ease withdrawal symptoms

The unfortunate reality is that making these changes in your diet is liable to cause a few withdrawal symptoms. They include:

Bad breath
Constipation
Achy, flu-like feeling
Fatigue
Headaches
Hunger
Irritability
Itchy skin
Nausea
Offensive body odor
Sleep difficulties (too much or too little)
These symptoms are actually a good sign. They mean your body and mind are eliminating stored toxins and are finding their way to balance and UltraWellness once more.

Those who consume the most caffeine, alcohol and sugar, and those who have the most food allergies, will have the most difficulty initially. In any event, symptoms of withdrawal usually disappear after three or four days.

What to do if withdrawal symptoms become uncomfortable

Make sure you drink at least six to eight glasses of filtered water daily.
To prevent headaches, make sure your bowels are clean.
If you are tired, allow more time for sleep.
Make sure you exercise daily to help fight off fatigue.
If you are hungry, have some protein in the afternoon such as a handful of nuts or seeds such as almonds, pecans, walnuts or pumpkin seeds, cooked beans, or a piece of steamed or baked fish.
If you’re irritable or have trouble sleeping, take a combination of calcium citrate (500 mg) and magnesium citrate (250 mg) before bed.
If you have an upset stomach, drink ginger or peppermint tea. Steep a tea bag in boiling water for 10 minutes, and drink up to four cups a day as often as needed.


Based on the book The UltraMind Solution by Mark Hyman. Learn more and join the UltraMind community at ultramindsolutionclub.com.

Pizza pasta

1 lb ground beef or turkey
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
4 oz pepperoni, chopped
2 cups water
4 cups spaghetti, uncooked
1 cups shredded cheese
1/2 cup black olives, chopped (optional)
1 cup peppers, sliced (optional)

Brown meat (both ground turkey and pepperoni) with Italian seasoning. When meat is done, pour it into a large pot with pasta sauce and water. Stir in pasta. Cover and cook on medium until pasta is done. Top with olives, peppers, and cheese.

Yoga for insomnia

http://blog.gaiam.com/blog/3-yoga-poses-for-insomnia-how-to-videos/

Phytonutrients

Get Your 4 Phytonutrients in These Prevention Power Foods

Most people know that we need adequate amounts of oxygen, water, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, and good carbs for great health. But you may not know much about a group of micronutrients, also called phytonutrients, that can help prevent disease and restore health and vitality. Phytonutrient-rich foods are essential to vibrant health and wellbeing, yet they are almost completely ignored by many diet plans.
There are about 2,000 known phytonutrients; many others are being discovered all the time. And, you guessed it, they’re found in fruit, vegetables, herbs, spices, nuts, sprouts and seeds. A single fruit or vegetable may contain more than 100 different types of healing phytonutrients that basically make up the immune system of the plant.
Once eaten, phytonutrients impart their incredible healing abilities inside your body. The thousands of phytonutrients are categorized into families, including carotenoids, catechins, flavonoids, lipoic acid, phytoestrogens, polyphenols, sulfurophane, and others. Let’s explore the phytonutrient families and find out how you can include more of them in your diet.
Anthocyanins
These natural, health-boosting substances give certain fruits their purple to reddish color. Not only does research show that anthocy anins have the capacity to boost short-term memory by 100 percent in just eight weeks, they also stimulate the burning of stored fat in the body to be used as fuel.
Up your intake: Anthocyanins are found in dark purple or red grapes, cherries, and berries, including blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries.
Carotenoids
Not only do cartenoids help strengthen your eyesight and boost your immunity to disease, they are powerful antioxidants that, in some studies, reduced the risk of cancer and protected against the effects of aging.
Up your intake: Carotenoids are the yellow, orange, and red pigments found in foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots, mangoes, pumpkin, tomatoes, papaya, peaches, and other similarly colored foods as well as dark green vegetables like broccoli and leafy greens.
Catechins
Want to lose weight? Be sure to add catechins to your diet since they activate fat-burning genes in abdominal fat cells to assist with weight loss, and belly fat loss in particular. According to research at Tufts University, catechins increase abdominal fat loss by 77 percent and double total weight loss.
Up your intake: Catechins are mainly found in green and black tea, as well as apples.
Flavonoids
Flavonoids are the miracle nutrients we keep hearing about in the media lately; they interfere with the stages of the development of cancer cells. Resveratrol, a particular flavonoid found predominantly in grapes, has demonstrated its ability to protect the brain from damage.
Up your intake: Flavonoids are found in berries, cherries, currants, pomegranates, red and purple grapes, red onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, apple (skin), and walnuts.
Now you can understand why phytonutrients play such a critical role in your diet. In the coming weeks, you’ll learn more about the disease-preventing and even disease-reversing powers of phytonutrients and how to get more of them in your diet.

To rename a snack...

I would love suggestions on a new name for this snack. It's been called some rather unappetizing names like White Trash and Puppy Chow and I hate both of those. So come, suggest.

1 box of Cinnamon Life cereal (or you can use any kind of Chex or Life or Golden Grahams)
1 large box of raisins
1 cup peanuts
1 stick butter
1 small bag of chocolate chips
2 cups chunky peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 box powdered sugar

Pour cereal, nuts, and raisins into a large paper sack.
In a saucepan, put butter, chocolate chips, peanut butter, and vanilla together. Over medium heat, mix everything very well.
Pour sauce over cereal mix in paper bag.
Pour in box of powdered sugar and shake really well.
Serve when cooled.

REVIEW: Scrubbing bubbles toilet cleaning gel

I'd been thinking about trying this new cleaning product since I first heard about it. I mean, something that keeps me from having to scrub out a toilet used by 4 boys? Sign me up! Unfortunately, it didn't exactly turn out as the commercials said.

According to the official site:
Scrubbing Bubbles® Toilet Cleaning Gel makes it easy to keep your toilet bowl clean and fresh. Simply use the Toilet Cleaning Gel dispenser to stamp a gel disc onto the inside of your toilet bowl. The discreet gel disc sits just under the rim. There's no need to touch the disc or the bowl with your hand, making Toilet Cleaning Gel more hygienic than traditional clip-on bowl cleaners.
The gel disc gradually dissolves with each flush, allowing a controlled release of cleaner and fragrance. Each disc lasts up to seven days and leaves no residue behind. Your toilet bowl will remain clean and fresh — with practically zero effort.
Available in two great fragrances: Fresh Clean and Citrus Action.

First problem: the "clean or fresh" smell of the cleaner mixed with the smell of urine. GAG!
Second problem: If the dispenser isn't lined up exactly, you use way more than is recommended. This usually leads to your first box being used faster.
Third and final problem: The claim is that the disc is "discreet and lasts up to 7 days". My boys promptly noticed the blue jelly like disc and I had to remind them to leave it alone. Also, the disc fell out after a whopping day and a half. Maybe it'd be better for families who have a less used toilet?

I bought my box at the base commissary for $2.68. To me, it's worth way less. I'll stick to my old methods from now on.

Foods for detox

Think of how much garbage you eat. The grease, the additives, the toxins. Now read how to get rid of them. FYI: I detox once a month, usually the week before my period.

Feeling sluggish? Achy? Bloated? Time to detox. But where do you start?
Start now with spring foods that have exceptional natural detoxifying power. In the rainy and muddy months of spring, nature provides a low-fat, low-mucus harvest of sprouts, greens and berries. Use the spring grocery list below and eat more of these foods from March through June to help detox and rebalance your body.
Though these certainly aren’t the only items you can eat during this time, they are the in-season foods most beneficial if you want to detoxify and keep your digestive and lymph systems working at their peak. These foods can help you feel better, boost fat burn and prevent illness during the months of spring!
For a more customized approach to eating for detoxification, find out your Ayurvedic mind-body type profile, or dosha, and use the tips in the Ayurveda for Detox DVD to tailor your eating, fitness and other routines to your mind-body type.
Click here for a list of foods that detox the body.

Home remedies

Eliminate ear mites. All it takes is a few drops of Wesson Corn Oil in your cat's ear... massage it in, then clean with a cotton ball. Repeat daily for 3 days. The oil soothes the cat's skin, smothers the mites, and accelerates healing.

Kills fleas instantly...Dawn Dishwashing Liquid does the trick. Add a few drops to your dog's bath and shampoo the animal thoroughly. Rinse well to avoid skin irritations. Good-bye fleas.

Rainy day cure for dog odor: Next time your dog comes in from the rain, simply wipe down the animal with Bounce or any dryer sheet, instantly making your dog smell springtime fresh.

Did you know that drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost immediately-without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional pain relievers.

Did you know that Colgate Toothpaste makes an excellent salve for burns?

Before you head to the drugstore for a high-priced inhaler filled with mysterious chemicals, try chewing on a couple of curiously strong Altoids peppermints. They'll clear up your stuffed nose.

Achy muscles from a bout of the flu? Mix 1 tablespoon horseradish in 1 cup of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as a massage oil for instant relief for aching muscles.

Sore throat? Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria.

Cure urinary tract infections with Alka-Seltzer. Just dissolve two tablets in a glass of water and drink it at the onset of the symptoms. Alka-Seltzer begins eliminating urinary tract infections almost instantly-even though the product was never advertised for this use.

Honey remedy for skin blemishes... cover the blemish with a dab of honey and place a Band-Aid over it. Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin sterile, and speeds healing. Works overnight.

Listerine therapy for toenail fungus:Get rid of unsightly toenail fungus by soaking your toes in Listerine Mouthwash. The powerful antiseptic leaves your toenails looking healthy again.

Balm for broken blisters...to disinfect a broken blister, dab on a few drops of Listerine, a powerful antiseptic.

Easy eyeglass protection... to prevent the screws in eyeglasses from loosening, apply a small drop of Maybelline Crystal Clear Nail Polish to the threads of the screws before tightening them.

Cleaning liquid that doubles as bug killer...if menacing bees, wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets get in your home and you can't find the insecticide, try a spray of Formula 409. Insects drop to the ground instantly.

Smart splinter remover: Just pour a drop of Elmer's Glue-All over the splinter, let dry, and peel the dried glue off the skin. The splinter sticks to the dried glue.

Hunt's Tomato Paste boil cure... cover the boil with Hunt's Tomato Paste as a compress. The acids from the tomatoes soothe the pain and bring the boil to a head.

Vinegar to heal bruises... soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for 1 hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process.

Quaker Oats for fast pain relief... it's not for breakfast any more! Mix 2 cups of Quaker Oats and 1 cup of water in a bowl and warm in the microwave for 1 minute, cool slightly, and apply the mixture to your hands for soothing relief from arthritis pain.

Mini raisin muffins

4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together in alarge mixing bowl. Using a small scoop, fill each cup in a mini muffin pan. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Pizza swirls

This is really easy to get kid's help with making it!

Frozen bread dough, thawed (We used Rhodes brand)
1/2 cup pizza sauce
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 package pepperoni, chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Roll out the bread dough into a thin rectangle. Place a little of the pizza sauce on, then toppings. Roll up dough exactly like you would if you were making cinnamon rolls. Slice and place on greased baking pan/stone. Repeat until all ingredients are gone.
Bake on 375 degrees for 15ish minutes, or until they're starting to brown.

Peanut butter rice crispie treats

Fair warning: The marshmallow, peanut butter mixture is really hard to stir. Share the responsibility with someone else, so you won't have sore arms

1 cup chunky peanut butter
2 bags of marshmallows
8-10 cups rice crispies
melted butter or cooking spray

Melt marshmallows and peanut butter together in a large pot. When the mixture is completely melted, stir in rice crispies. Spread mixture, while still warm, onto a large bar stone/pan. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container.

Creamy chocolate dessert

Crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
Cooking spray

Filling:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 block cream cheese
1 8oz tub whipped cream
3 cups milk
2 small packages chocolate instant pudding mix
Unsweetened cocoa (optional)

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. To prepare crust, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor; pulse 2 times or until combined. Add butter; pulse 10 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans. Firmly press mixture into bottom of a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325° for 20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool completely.
3. To prepare filling, place 1 cup sugar and cream cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Fold in half of whipped topping. Spread cream cheese mixture on cooled crust. Cover loosely; refrigerate 1 hour.
4. Combine milk and pudding mix in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or until pudding is set. Spread the pudding mixture over cream cheese layer. Spread remaining half of thawed whipped topping over pudding layer. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cocoa, if desired. Cut into 15 pieces.

Blueberry pecan cake

cooking spray
2 sticks butter, soft
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp grated orange rind
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 cups flour
2 cups blueberries
2/3 cup pecans, chopped
powdered sugar

Mix together all ingredients for cake down to the blueberries, until smooth. Slowly fold in blueberries and pecans until well mixed. Bake on 350 degrees for 35ish minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Sprinkle cake with powdered sugar when removed from oven.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup oil
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cups brown sugar

TOPPING:
1/2 cups brown sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tbsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 9 inch deep dish baking pan/stone with cooking spray.
Mix together all ingredients for cake until batter is smooth. Pour into stone.
In another bowl, mix together ingredients for topping, until well crumbled. Sprinkle over cake.
Bake35-40 minutes or until toothpick stuck in middle comes out clean.

Breaking bad money habits

From Woman's Day:

Money a little tight? You may assume it’s due to rising costs, tightening credit and the fact that you haven’t had a raise in, like, forever. Well, let’s be honest. If your basic needs are being met, your financial problems could be the result of bad money habits. But in the same way you picked up these habits, you can replace them with good ones that will help you spend less and save.

Living without a budget
Spending money without a plan has to be the mother of all bad money habits. It’s like driving blindfolded—you don’t know where you are and can’t see where you’re going, so you don’t know when to stop. But if you want to be in control of your money and make intelligent decisions, a budget is absolutely essential.
Break the habit! Sit yourself down and make a list of your fixed monthly expenses, like the rent and car payment. Next, estimate your variable expenses, such as utilities, food and gas. Set a little aside for occasional expenditures (clothes, appliance repairs, car maintenance, entertainment). Tally these and subtract from your monthly income. If you find out that your expenses are more than your income, don’t worry. Just keep making adjustments until you strike the right balance, then stick to it.

Paying with plastic
Depending on plastic—I’m talking about both debit and credit cards—to cover your day-to-day spending may be convenient, but you’re probably not noticing how much you’re spending.
It’s a fact that we spend more when we pay with plastic, says Robert Frank, a Cornell University economist and visiting professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business. “Forking over cash is a more vivid sensation than the abstract act of promising to pay for than the abstract act of promising to pay for something later,” he says. “Paying with plastic allows a person to act more impulsively—he can get things right now without having to deal with the actual payment until sometime in the future.”
Break the habit! Paying with cash puts strict limits on what you can buy. Figure out how much you’ll need for the day and put that in your wallet. That’s it! Leave your plastic at home, or put it in a less convenient place in your wallet. As you go through your day, you’ll become shockingly aware of how often you reach for the plastic. The good part? You’ll discover you spend less when you depend on cash.

Rolling a credit card balance
Credit card issuers know that once they can get you to cross the threshold where you owe more than you can pay in a single month, they’ve got you where they want you—paying them interest month after month. But when you carry a balance and pay just the minimum, you’re rolling the equivalent of a snowball that can quickly grow out of control.
At a 14.39% average credit card interest rate, very little of your minimum monthly payment goes to pay down the balance. If you owe $5,000 at 14% interest with minimum payments of 2.5% of the outstanding balance, it will take you 243 months (20 years!) to be rid of your debt. In that time you’ll pay $4,167 in interest—and that’s assuming you don’t add any new purchases. What started as a one-time event to get you through a difficult month can easily turn into a balance that rolls over indefinitely.
Break the habit! If you can’t pay the entire balance in a single month, get rid of that credit card. Cut it up so you can’t use it (but don’t close the account, or you could be hit with a big interest rate increase). Now start paying down the balance as rapidly as possible. Create a payment chart and look at it each day for proof of your progress. Once you get that balance down to zero, promise yourself you’ll never get into that mess again.

Being unaware of interest rates
Interest you earn on a savings account. Interest you pay on a home equity loan, credit card account or student loan. Either way, ignoring it can be an expensive proposition.
The difference between 3% ($8,734) and 1% interest ($2,628) on $25,000 in a savings account over a 10-year period is more than $6,000! That’s what you’d throw down the drain if you weren’t paying attention. Paying a credit card bill late can send your interest rate soaring to 27% or more. How long will it take you to notice that your required payment has doubled but your principal balance remains stalled?
Break the habit! Make a simple chart that shows the interest rates you’re earning on your CDs and money market accounts (and those you’re paying, too). If mortgage rates have dropped, it may be time to refinance your home. Just make sure you run all the numbers, taking into account all of the associated fees. If your bank has dropped its interest rate for savings, shop around. You may get a much better rate by transferring your savings to an online bank like hsbcdirect.com.

Saving only at the end of the month
If you think it makes sense to pay your bills first and then see how much you have left to put in savings, think again. This usually leads to a very bad habit known as “no savings,” because whatever you have left, you’ll always find some way to spend it.
Break the habit! I’ve said it before, but here it is again: Treat yourself as your most important creditor. Pay yourself first! You may want to make up payment coupons like the ones you have for your car payment. Or set up an automatic bill payment to “Myself.” Even if it’s only $25 or even $10 to start with, do it.

Too many visits to the ATM
Since you only go to your bank’s ATM (no fees involved), and you’re pulling money out of your checking account (no debt), visiting the ATM is totally harmless, right?
Wrong. Just because you’re not paying a fee to withdraw money from an ATM doesn’t mean you’re spending responsibly. Frequent ATM visits can allow money to leak from your life undetected—you take out cash, but fail to keep track of where it’s going. That can easily become one $200 drain after another.
Break the habit! Discipline yourself: Go to the ATM only once a week. Once you withdraw cash, tuck it into marked envelopes: Groceries, Gas, Lunches, etc. Spend from the appropriate envelope. When it’s empty, no more spending until the next fill-up.

Ignoring your credit reports
Each year that goes by in which you haven’t reviewed your credit reports (one from each of the big three credit bureaus), you may become more entrenched in a financial quagmire.
It’s been estimated that 4 out of 5 credit reports have errors. And according to Consumer Reports, consumers find some 13 million inaccuracies each year. Inaccurate information could mean you’re paying higher insurance premiums or inappropriately high interest on a credit card account—and you’re stuck with a low credit score.
Break the habit! Get out your calendar. Make a note on the first day of March, July and November, reminding yourself to request one of your free credit reports to review. Federal law says you’re entitled to one free credit report each year from each of Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Spread them out over the year so you can monitor your report once every four months. Get your reports free at AnnualCreditReport.com (all other sites require you to pay). If you find any errors, report them immediately, using the dispute feature outlined on the report.

Not paying on time
I was born with a strong procrastination gene, so I can attest to the problems associated with this terrible habit. The cost of late payments these days ($29 or more per occurrence with most credit card companies, for example) is bad enough. But that’s not all: Many creditors will see one or two late payments as cause for increasing the interest rate. The increased interest together with the late fee can easily send a credit card balance over the limit, which of course kicks in another punitive charge: the over-limit fee. And even one late payment can put a seven-year black eye on your credit report.
Break the habit! Don’t wait until a few days before a bill is due to pay it. If there’s any chance you will procrastinate, make the payment on the day the bill arrives.

Bouncing the account
There was a time when bouncing a check was, at the most, embarrassing, and the $5 fee wasn’t hard to take. But those days are long gone. Bounce fees have skyrocketed to $25 or more—plus a daily fee from some banks for each day your account remains in the red. Habitually bouncing your bank account via debit card, ATM withdrawals or writing a paper check can be devastating. If the bank considers you a deadbeat customer, they’ll close your account and report it to a central clearing house. Now you will find it tough to open a bank account anywhere.
Break the habit! If you’re a bouncer, get thee to the bank! Arrange for overdraft protection that will catch you in case you overdraw again. There will be a small transaction fee, but nothing close to the horrendous “courtesy bounce fees” many banks are charging. Next, commit yourself to recording every single debit card, ATM and paper check transaction in your checkbook register, making certain you calculate a new balance every time. Never allow yourself to come closer than $100 to the end of your money in the account. Reconcile your account each month when the statement arrives.

Caribbean chicken

46oz can pineapple juice
2 bottles bbq sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
chicken pieces

Rinse and place chicken in crockpot.
Stir together ingredients for sauce and pour over chicken.
Cook on high for 6ish hours.

Easy peasy chicken quesadillas

2 cups chicken, chopped (great way to use up leftovers!)
3/4 cup ranch dressing
1 packet taco seasoning
2 cups Mexican blend cheese, shredded
6 large flour tortillas

Mix together chicken, taco seasoning, ranch dressing, and cheese.
Heat pan on medium and coat with cooking spray.
Put 1 tortilla on the bottom in the pan, 1 layer of chicken mixture, then top with another tortilla.
Brown one side, then carefully flip to brown other side. Cut into 1/4s and serve hot.

Chicken nugget sauce

This recipe closely imitates Guthrie's or Zaxby's sauce. If you're from the south, you know at least Zaxby's. If you're from around Athens, GA and some places in AL, you know of Guthrie's.

1/2 cup mayo (can use Miracle Whip also)
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1/4 tsp white vinegar
1 tbsp pepper

Mix ingredients together and serve.

Creamy fruit salad

1 large can mixed fruit
1 can pineapple (can be chunks or bits)
1 can mandarin oranges
bananas, sliced (we did 3)
apples, chopped (we did 2)
1 small box vanilla pudding
1 1/2 cups milk
3 oz orange juice concentrate
3/4 cup sour cream

Open and drain fruit. In a large bowl, mix together the milk, pudding, sour cream, and oj concentrate. Pour drained fruit into mixture and stir well. Chill until ready to serve.

Double chocolate cake

I box of chocolate cake mix (I used Devil's Food)
1 small box chocolate pudding
2 cups sour cream
4 eggs
1 cup water
3/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cups chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients, down to the chips, in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Pour in chocolate chips, stirring thoroughly.
Pour batter into greased 9x13 inch pan/stone. Bake on 350 degrees for 45ish minutes, or until fork stuck into the middle comes out clean.
Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Beef Risotto

This turned out WAY better than I thought. Even the kids went back for at least 2nds!

2 lbs ground turkey
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups uncooked rice (we used Uncle Ben's)
5 cups beef broth
1 cup carrots, shredded

Brown turkey with onions, garlic, and pepper. When it's browned, add the broth, rice, and carrots. Cook until all broth is absorbed. Serve and enjoy!

Apple oat muffins

4 cups apples, shredded (we used Granny Smith's)
3 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup applesauce
2 tsp vanilla
16oz vanilla yogurt
2 eggs
cooking spray

Peel, core and shred apples. Mix all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Scoop batter into muffin stone/pan coated in cooking spray. Bake on 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until edges brown slightly.

YIELD: 3 dozen muffins

FOR THE BODY: Proper sun salutaions

This is a video clip from Rodney Yee's Yoga for Beginners about how to do proper sun salutaions. Like any other exercise, it's important to get it right, so you avoid injury. ALWAYS warm up, even before yoga.

I cannot stress how much my whole family LOVES yoga. It's low impact and increases your flexibility, which makes more strenuous exercise easier (like biking). If you take some time daily, you'll be thanking yourself. Also, you can combine yoga with meditation, which I also cannot brag enough about.

Italian breadsticks

1 package of active dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 cup hot water, divided
1/4 cup olive oil
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt

TOPPING:
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shred
2 tsp basil, chopped
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp oregano, chopped
1 egg
1/4 cup water

Mix together all ingredients for dough. Cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and place in a warm place in your kitchen, that's free of drafts, for about an hour, or until dough doubles.

In another small bowl, mix together all ingredients for topping, making sure to mix very well. Set aside

Punch dough down, half it, and roll one half on a floured countertop, into a rectangle. Pour half of topping over top. Slice rectangle into strip. Twist each strip and place on baking pan/stone. Repeat with other half.

Place breadsticks in oven preheated to 350 degrees. Bake until slighly browned-about 15-20 minutes.

Chicken Chili

4 cans of white beans (pinto, great northern)
2 can chopped tomatoes or tomato sauce
2 cans corn
5 cups chicken, chopped (great way to use up leftovers)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 of each: green, yellow, and red bell peppers, chopped
1/3 cup chili powder

Place everything in a crockpot. Cook on low for 6ish hours, or until done.

Baked rice pudding

4 cups water
2 cups long grain rice
3 cups milk
3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

Put water and rice in a pot on the stove. Cook on medium heat until almost all water is gone. Mix in milk, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Pour mixture into 9x9 inch baking pan/stone. Bake on 350 degrees, stirring frequently, until mixture is thick. Sprinkle a little more cinnamon on top; serve warm.

Orange BBQ chicken

1 bottle BBQ sauce (we use Kraft original)
1 jar orange marmalade
1 small red onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
Various chicken pieces

Mix together BBQ sauce and marmalade with the onion and pepper. Pour mixture over various chicken pieces and let them marinate overnight. The next day, grill until done.

Peach cinnamon rolls

1 pkg dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 2/3 cup buttermilk (or milk) warmed
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tbsp vanilla
2 egg yolks
4 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp salt
cooking spray
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup peach preserves (or any other fruit preserves you'd like to try)

Dissolve yeast in a mixing bowl with 1 tbsp sugar and warm milk. Let stand for 5 minutes.
In another bowl, mix together preserves, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
Mix egg yolks, vanilla, and melted butter to yeast mixture. Slowly mix in flour. When it's mixed very well, put dough mixture into a plastic bowl, coated with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and 2 towels and put in a warm place, free from drafts, in your kitchen. Let rise for an hour, or until it doubles in size.
When dough is done, turn onto floured surface. With a rolling pin, press dough into a large rectangle. Pour preserves mixture onto dough rectangle. Roll into large log. Cut each roll about 1/2 inch thick and place on greased baking stone/pan. (This part gets messy, so be prepared!)
After all rolls have been cut, scoop poured over preserve mixture on top of each bun. Bake on 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm!
Makes about 16 rolls.

Easy chicken and rice burritos

flour tortillas
1 cup water
1 cup rice
2 cups chopped chicken
1 envelope taco seasoning
salsa
shredded cheese
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes

Mix together chicken, seasoning, rice, and water together in a pot. Keep it on medium heat until water is gone and mixture thickens. When it's done, put heaping spoonfuls on tortillas and top with salsa, lettuce, tomato, and salsa.

Grilled turkey club sandwiches

spicy mustard
Texas toast bread
sliced turkey breast (or I used leftover turkey)
sliced tomatoes
sliced cheese
bacon bits
lettuce
cooking spray

Spread spicy mustard on each slice of bread. Stack on turkey, cheese slice, tomato, lettuce, and bacon bits. Grill until each side of sandwich is browned.

GOING GREEN: Stop buying magazines!

This one is so simple, it's ridiculous. Many magazines can be researched online and you can read articles from them. For example: www.cookinglight.com and www.womensday.com. No need to buy when you can read for free, right?
So next time you see an article in a magazine that you'd like to read, make note of it, come home, google it, and save some trees!

Beer bread

Or "other bread", seeing as how you can substitute just about any other carbonated beverage in this recipe.

3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 can cream soda

Mix all ingredients together-WITH A SPATULA, NOT IN A MIXER-until all ingredients are equally moist. Put mixture into bread pan. Bake on 375 degrees for about 35 minutes, or until fork stuck in the middle comes out clean. Serve with your choice of dips.

Quick pumpkin pie

15 oz can of pumpkin
14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
pie crusts

Mix together all ingredients for pie. Pour into pie crusts and bake on 375 degrees for about an hour.