Cooking with the PS3

I have to admit, I am a sucker for a video game. Granted they only hold my very short attention spam for an hour or so, but once hooked, I am back for more every couple of hours!

But now they have just gone too far! They have combined my love of cooking and my love of gaming into two gotta have games for my PS3! First, one of my favorite shows is Hell's Kitchen. (Even though I would be thrown out before the show ever started!) But I live to see what they come up with. But now I can play Hell's Kitchen on PS3..... Yeah... I have plenty of time for that!

And as if that wasn't bad enough, my husband brought home Cooking Mama Cook Off! It's a two player game, so now my husband AND I are both wasting time. You face off in cook off challenges to see who is the best chef. It's great! The food even changes the way it looks according to your actions. No... my house is totally not getting cleaned now. Laundry? Forget about it!

Know before you go!

Before you head out and buy the next new craze in diet pills, make sure you know what you are looking for. Know what you want your diet pill to do. Do you want it to suppress your appetite? Do you want sustained weight loss? How about increased energy? Or even acne fighting? There are so many pills on the market today that do so many different things, you really do need to know before you go!

Take the time to do your research. Read up on weight loss pill reviews written by people who have used them, loved them as well as those that have hated them. It give you good perspective to get the good, the bad AND the ugly! Remember to keep an open mind while you are searching, but not open enough that all your brains fall out. If it sounds to good to be true..... It most likely is. Fads come and go, but the really good ones stick around for the long haul.

And don't forget that weight loss pills alone are not enough. Make sure you are eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of rest and exercise.

Blueberry creme muffins

I stumbled across this recipe at allrecipes.com while trying to find good uses for Bruce's cereal and I fell in love. I made a few adaptations and you will have to too in order to make it your own.

It would definitely not pass a slimming pills review, they would kick it to the curb. This is by no means lowfat. But it is Oh So Good!!! Give it a try, tweak it a little and I think you will find that you have a new favorite muffin recipe!

Cooking Fun

I never thought I'd say this but I am SO glad that my kids are finally old enough to help me out in the kitchen! For the better part of their lives I have scuttled them out of the kitchen as soon as they set foot through the door. Visions of sugar covered fingers and flour covered floors filled my head. And as they scurried away, little disposable diapers butts disappearing around the corner I would emit a sigh of relief. I was again free to continue my creation in the kitchen.

However, now that we are free of diapers, my children are venturing back into the kitchen, little by little. And to my surprise, I am welcoming them! I find it wonderfully fulfilling to watch my 9 year old make dinner with nearly no help from me at all. And helping my 5 year old make a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and red sprinkles for her big sister, with no particular occasion in mind, makes me shine with pride! My 13 year old is another story! I can leave him alone in the kitchen and find wonderful, inventive and imaginative masterpieces when I return. Simple foods made into delicious meals and presented in such fun! One day he made dinner into a whole pirate scene, complete with ships and water, islands and dessert treasure! He really is amazing.

Like I said, I never thought I would hear the words issuing from my own lips but, I am so glad my kids love to cook with me!

Staying Fit

Staying healthy and fit is more than just your diet. You need to have a complete and healthy diet along with lots of exercise, plenty of sleep and low levels of stress. All of these things factor into why people have trouble losing weight. If you don't know how to lose fat, try some of these simple ideas. Try getting up early, having an apple and some yogurt for breakfast and going on a bike ride while it's still cool enough to do so. Eat a light lunch, turkey sandwich with lots of lettuce and tomato's and very little mayo.... no cheese and a water. Snack on carrots and ranch and eat a decent dinner. Spend 20 minutes before bed reading a book, crafting or just relaxing in a bubble bath. Get yourself into bed early. You will feel better all day long!