My Glam Day!

I feel so refreshed now that I have had my wonderful glam day at Glam and Gloss Day Spa in Lake Charles, Louisiana.  It was absolutely fabulous to say the least!   Prior to arriving, I had a long week and night.   I had to fly out at the crack of dawn (5am) .  Where is Lake Charles?  Lake Charles is one of the 5 major cities in Louisiana and is located about 2 1/2 hours east of Houston–just take I-10East.  

As soon as I arrived at Glam and Gloss, I was pleasantly surprised at what I saw–pictures had not told half of the beauty and quaintness of this wonderful day spa.  Okay, now, this place has to be the bomb because I live in Phoenix, Arizona, the queen city of all things spa; I have definitely had my share of spas.  In fact, I really do not prefer day spas, but I tell you, Glam and Gloss has made a believer out of me.  It  is not just your typical day spa located in a shopping plaza.  It is more like a little a retreat in your own personal cottage.  Upon entering, wonderful sounds of jazz  is playing in the background, with wonderful fragrances filling the room.  The decor is also awesome–pink walls with black and white accents.  Once I got checked in by their “glam consultants” I was offered water or hot tea, which I love! 

There are so many services, but I had a pedicure and a facial which were awesome.  In fact, the facial was so relaxing, I went to sleep!!  Then I had my make-up applied and it was beautiful. 

So to sum up everything, I was treated like a queen at Glam and Gloss Day Spa, it was indeed worth my 2 hour drive from Houston.

Kellogg Puts Peanut Crackers on Hold Due to Possible Salmonella Outbreak

Kellogg Company today announced it has taken the precautionary measure of putting a hold on Austin® and Keebler® branded Toasted Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers, Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Crackers, Cheese and Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers, and Peanut Butter-Chocolate Sandwich Crackers.

 

FDA and other regulatory agencies have indicated that Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) is the focus of their investigation concerning a recent Salmonella outbreak thought to be caused by tainted peanut butter. PCA is one of several peanut paste suppliers that the company uses in its Austin® and Keebler® branded peanut butter sandwich crackers.

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/kellogg01_09.html

Gadget of the Week: Toaster Ovens

I am always looking for ways to go “green” in the kitchen and cooking in my toaster oven allows me to do just that. Toaster ovens are excellent appliances with multiple usage models—I can warm, defrost, toast and cook all with this one appliance! I especially love using it whenever I want to cook something small or when I want to avoid the extra heat during the summer months. Lately I’ve been using my oven to bake sweet potatoes and my desserts! The price of toaster ovens ranges from $30 – $150 depending on the brand and the features. I have had the same Black and Decker toaster oven for over 8 years and it’s still going strong!

You can purchase these ovens at various places—Amazon.com, department stores and even some grocery stores!
Black & Decker TRO964 Toaster Oven, Stainless Steel

It’s Time in ‘09!

Okay, it truly is time in 2009 to do things differently than you’ve always done. It’s time to stay the course and honor whatever commitments that you have made for 2009 in terms of living a healthier life. It’s time to stop the “lose weight quick diets” only to find that you will gain all of the lost weight back by the next year. Stop the roller coaster weight loss madness and join me and make a commitment to eat healthier and exercise more for 2009. This is truly the best diet that you can ever do in your lifetime! So stop researching the best diet—the water diet or the oatmeal diet or whatever else diet—that can help you lose weight fast, and plan to do something that you and your loved ones can commit to for the long term.

There’s no perfect time to start, you just have to do like Nike says and “Just Do It.” Instead of going to the extreme and eliminating everything, start slow and make small changes to your diet. If you want to join the “It’s Time in ‘09” challenge, please email info@rhondascooking.com to learn more about our programs. For a limited time, we will have several promotional sales.

Read the Cooking Instructions First!

Just this past week, several people had Salmonella poisoning after eating frozen stuffed chicken entrees that were raw but breaded.  This happened all because people who got sick did not follow the instructions and reportedly used microwaves to prepare the entrees.¹  

 

¹“Cook frozen chicken entrees properly, USDA urges.”  Reuters.com. 04 Oct. 2008. 05 Oct. 2008

<http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE4930BJ20081004>.

Sometimes It’s Hard

Sometimes it’s hard to:

• eat organic food because it potentially costs more than non-organic food.
• avoid eating fried foods when you grew up eating it every day.
• exercise everyday when you don’t have an exercise facility near your house.
• stop eating fast foods when you have to work 8 hours a day and take care of others.
• lose 5 pounds when you have a medical problem that causes you to gain weight no matter what you eat or do.
• stop eating sweets when you are trying to “cut back”.
• have a positive attitude about life when you know that you aren’t where you need to be in terms of your overall health.

I have felt these challenges and wanted to just give up, at some point in my life!  Nothing that I tried to do worked for me.  The more I tried, the more stressed I got; which led to more frustration and problems; the cycle just kept repeating.  One day I realized that I was my own worst enemy.  I kept putting unnecessary pressure on myself, which caused me to have more health challenges.  Have you ever felt this way?

 

If you are currently feeling frustrated, talk to someone—anyone!  It can be your doctor, a counselor, a friend, a support group, or even me.  I have found that by expressing my feelings with someone, encourage and help me to see the big picture—that I am on right path of living a healthy whole life!

 

So, as you prepare for a new week, sit down for a few minutes and assess what’s going on in your life.  Strive to make small changes in your eating habits.  I want you to join me and live a healthy, whole life.  Together, I believe that we can overcome any challenge, one day at a time!  If you are up for the challenge, email me (Rhonda@rhondascooking.com) if you want help with getting started!

 

Are You Getting Enough Fiber?

Fiber is very important in one’s diet despite the fact that many people do not eat enough of it.  Fiber, also known as dietary fiber, is a carbohydrate that is not digested by the body and used as energy like other carbohydrates; instead, the body eliminates fiber.¹ I know you are probably asking yourself, “How can fiber be important if the body eliminates it?” 

 

It is important for the body to remove waste because if it remains in the body for a long period of time, then there is risk for potentially harmful substances to come into contact with the intestinal walls.¹ So, whenever fiber is consumed it acts like a broom inside the body and sweeps up the waste in the intestines and colon. This is what keeps you from being constipated—yes, I said it! 

 

Fiber is not only important for keeping you regular, but also a high fiber diet is important for lowering the blood cholesterol levels and possibly for losing weight!  There are two different types of fiber—Soluble and insoluble.  Soluble fiber, unlike insoluble fiber, dissolves in water; this includes foods such as oat bran and buckwheat.

 

The amount of fiber that you should consume daily can be found in Table 1. 

Gender	Up to age 50	Over age 50
Men	38 grams	30 grams
Women	25 grams	21 grams

Table 1.Daily adequate intake of fiber for men and women.

 (Source: Institute of Medicine).

 

If you are not reaching your daily fiber target, then try adding variety high fiber foods, such as whole grains, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes and vegetables to your daily meal plan, which can be seen in Table 2.  Notice that the bran and beans contain the most fiber and that foods that are high in sugar such as watermelon, white rice and orange juice contain less fiber.  So, the next time you go grocery shopping; please keep this list in mind!

 

Food	Fiber (grams)
Post Cereal Bran Flakes	17.6
Split peas, cooked	8.3
Lentils, cooked	7.9
Garbanzo beans, cooked	7.6
Psyllium Husks	6
Barley, cooked	5.8
Green peas, frozen	4
Pear	3.1
Apple	2.4
Fresh Spinach	2.2
Strawberries	2
100% whole wheat bread	2
Brown rice, cooked	1.8
Romaine lettuce	1.2
Grapes	0.9
Watermelon	0.4
White rice, cooked	0.4
Orange Juice	0.19

Table 2. Examples of low- and high-fiber foods

(Source: Esha Research Food Processor SQL).

 

¹Duyff, Roberta Larson.  Complete Food and Nutrition Guide.  New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2006.  

Gadget of the Week: Escali Primo Digital Scales

At one point in my life, I refused to measure anything that I cooked.  I was so sure that I had enough control and good eating habits to eat without measuring.  Well, those were the “before age 30 days”—the days when everything you ate actually burned off even without exercising!  Now that I moved past those memorable days, I have found that I have to work harder in order to stay healthy and look good, which means that I now have to start watching my portion sizes.  URGH! 

 

In order to keep me on track, I purchased a digital simple and inexpensive digital scale that I use daily! I know that many of you may be thinking that this is not necessary for you because you’re in control, well good for you.  But, for my friends out there who struggle with their weight and overeating, then you really need to make this small investment.  There are a variety of digital scales on the market that ranges from $25 – $100.  I recommend that you start with the less expensive scales.  However, if you want the scale that has all of the programs in it, then expect to pay over $60 for it.  You can purchase a digital scale at any department/kitchen store, as well as on Amazon.com (free shipping for orders over $25).

 

Click this link to learn more or to purchase the
Escali Primo Digital Multifunctional Scale.

New Product Review: Sabrosa Gourmet Salsa

For all of you salsa lovers, I have the salsa for you—Sabrosa Gourmet Fire

Sabrosa Gourmet Salsa

Roasted Salsa!  The Managing Director/CEO of Sabrosa Foods, Inc., Duane Thompson, was nice enough to send me some samples of his wonderful salsa!  Let me start by saying that what I love most about Sabrosa Gourmet Salsa is that it is all natural salsa—I mean 100% all natural—without the use of any preservatives like the most commonly used citric acid, which you find in many other salsas on the market.  The second reason why I like this salsa is the fact that this salsa doesn’t taste like tomato sauce with chunks of bell peppers, onions and garlic thrown in it.  In fact, Sabrosa Foods, uses fire roasted bell peppers and jalapeños to set its salsa apart from the rest!  The last reason and most important reason why I like Sabrosa Gourmet Salsa is because it has less potential of causing acid reflux, which sometimes is triggered from tomatoes and other highly acidic foods.

The salsa is available in two heat levels, mild and medium.  Do not be fooled by these levels, because even the mild has some kick to it!  Sabrosa Foods, Inc. is offering my readers a 10% discount on the salsa; so if you are interested in purchasing the delicious Sabrosa Gourmet Salsa email duane@sabrosafoods.com.  

Gadget of the Week: Zyliss Jumbo Garlic Press

Zyliss Garlic Press

I purchased the Zyliss Jumbo Garlic Press because I wanted fresh minced garlic, quickly!  I know that some of you maybe wondering why the need to buy a press when you could just chop garlic by hand.  Well, my answer is simple—convenience!  Once I started to use this press, life became so much easier because I didn’t have to peel or remove the ends of the garlic prior to chopping/mincing.  All you have to do is add the garlic clove and press!  As I have said many times, cooking should be fun and by having the right gadgets/tools you will be able to enjoy the experience of cooking! 

 

Click this link to learn more or to purchase the
Zyliss Jumbo Garlic Press with Cleaner.