We served this spicy pulled pork over Ezekiel English Muffins….yummers!
What’s for dinner? Rosemary-Balsamic Chicken
Today’s “What’s for Dinner?” is Rosemary-Balsamic Chicken, Cherry-Spinach-Arugula Salad & Sweet Potato Chips.
We used the left over Rosemary-Balsamic Marinade from the peaches earlier this week and marinaded the chicken all day. We threw another Spinach-Arugula salad together with 1 1/2 cups of salad mix, 1/2 a tomato, 1/4 cucumber and 1/4 cup of dried cherries, then seasoned with a splash of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon.
I attempted to make some sweet potato chips, but they need some work. I’ll have to try these again and post a recipe when I get it perfected! 🙂
Enjoy!
Merry Christmas!
Wishing you and yours a very
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Fun Project: Christmas Card Display
Here is a fun Christmas Card Project that took me less than 10 minutes! My son had a great time helping too!
Pick a cabinet or door you don’t use much – then decorate away. We used our liquor cabinet! We also used ribbon we bought at Michael’s for $1.00 each and still had tons left over for decorating the presents.
BTW: I don’t claim to be the creative mastermind behind this – I am sure I saw on Pinterest or something. Or maybe I am this creative! 🙂
UNREAL: A New Unjunked Kind of Candy
This week we were out and about and decided to stop into CVS for a little treat. Yes, even we eat junk from time to time. While at CVS, we came across these candy bars that looked a little futurist and I had to take a look. They were called Unjunked by UNREAL. They claim no GMOs, no artificial colors, sweeteners, preservatives and less sugar. I was thinking to myself, ya but they probably taste like CRAP. But I was in an adventurous mood so I decided to give them a try. They were on sale for 2 for $2 so a little pricier than regular junk. Here is what I got {unjunked M&Ms, Snickers and Reeces PB Cups}:
As you can imagine, I couldn’t wait to rip open the packages, but for the blog’s sake I was gentle in case I wanted to take more pictures of the packaging. But here is what the Unjunked candy looked like out of the packages:
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised that the Unjunked candy actually tasted really good and close to the original junk version. For the price, I’d go with the UNREAL 8 {Snickers} and UNREAL 88 {Reeces} as those were the best value.
The story behind the UNREAL brand is pretty neat too. Basically, a dad confiscated most of his son’s candy one Halloween, which of course caused an uproar. But the kid decided to show his dad that candy wasn’t bad, so he searched the internet. The kid ended up finding out the candy was actually full of bad things and so the dad was right! But they decided together that there has to be a better a way and so they went on a search to find the solution. Corn syrup? Out. Partially hydrogenated oils? Out. GMOs? Out. Artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives? Out. Reduced sugar by over 40% per serving on average? Check. They also decided key ingredients needed to be responsibly sourced, supporting farming communities and preventing destruction of the rain forests. All ingredients needed to be non GMO. Dairy needed to come from pasture raised cows with no antibiotics or added hormones. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do for people and the planet.
Sample comparison {from UNREAL’s website}:
Here is a sample ingredient list:
I have to say overall I was pretty impressed, especially when I read the story. So for now, we’ll buy this Unjunked version of our favorite treats – on occasion! Keep in mind this is still CANDY, with sugar, so it doesn’t give you cart blanch to go hog wild…..but if you are going to have a treat hear and there why not choose an alternative without the GMOs, HFCS, artificial flavors, colors & sweeteners – just my opinion of course!
5 Strategies for Staying Healthy this Winter
Americans get more than one billion colds a year. So why is it that we have smartphones but still no cure for colds and flu? It’s because we’re dealing with smart viruses. Any one of hundreds of viruses could launch a cold or flu attack, and chances are that this year’s flu virus won’t be the same as last year’s. That’s because viruses have the uncanny ability to constantly morph into new variations, making it nearly impossible to develop a simple cure.
Having said that, there’s still much you can do to stay strong and healthy all winter. Talk to your doctor about the best ways to protect yourself and give these prevention strategies a try:
- Wash Your Hands: Washing hands remains the most effective way to protect yourself and your family from colds and flu. Lather, rinse, repeat throughout the day. Do it long enough to sing “Happy Birthday” twice.
- Get Enough Sleep: Sleep may be your immune system’s secret weapon, according to recent scientific research. Less than seven hours of sleep a night made people three times more likely to catch a cold than those who got eight or more hours of zzzs.
- Exercise: While very vigorous physical activity (like running a marathon) can put a damper on your immune system, most scientists agree that moderate physical activity actually helps boost the immune cells that fight off invaders.
- Fuel Yourself with Good Nutrition: An orange a day (along with strawberries, bell peppers, potatoes, and other vitamin C rich fruits and vegetables) can help keep the doctor away. Lean meat, fish, and other protein sources also provide the amino acids needed to help maintain your immune system. Don’t forget to fill in nutritional gaps with immune supporting nutrients like zinc and vitamins D, A, C and E. Harvard scientists even suggest vitamin D supplements may help reduce the occurrences of colds. The scientists found low vitamin D levels in nearly 20,000 Americans increased their cold and flu risk.
- Power up with Plant Extracts: Scientific research has led to the discovery of a combination of plant extracts that naturally boost the body’s own production of interferon, a component of the immune system that helps fight off viruses. Other plant compounds found in elderberry and echinacea extracts can help, too. Take these when you feel the first sign of something coming on, and continue taking them for about a week as needed.
Photos updated:
Image credit: elenathewise / 123RF Stock Photo
Image credit: omgimages / 123RF Stock Photo