Archive | May, 2013

How To Cut Bell Peppers

By on May 25, 2013 in Making Dinner, Preparation, Videos

Watch this simple tutorial for three ways to cut bell peppers:

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Homemade Skinny Margaritas

By on May 10, 2013 in Beverages, Recipes

The “Skinnymom” Margarita

Do you want a Skinnygirl Margarita or a Skinny Mom Margarita? I’m a mom and I like my margaritas like my food- simple and all-natural.

The average margarita can pack up to 550 calories per drink.  No wonder margaritas from Skinnygirl Cocktails are so popular- with only 220 calories in an 8oz. margarita.

I personally love Skinnygirl, especially the White Peach Margarita.  But, nothing beats homemade for me; and $24.99 a bottle makes me love homemade even more.  I like to know exactly what’s in my drink- fresh lemon, lime and a bit of agave nectar mixed with a fine tequila is the best-tasting and most refreshing margarita.  Here’s my homemade low-calorie margarita, or “Skinnymom” I like to call it at only 132 calories for an 8oz. margarita (insert big smile here).

 

 

Skinnymom margarita

Skinnymom Margarita

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Skinnymom Margarita

Skinnymom Margarita

Ingredients

  • 5 cups ice
  • Juice squeezed from 2 lemons
  • Juice squeezed from 2 limes
  • 3 tablespoons of Agave Nectar
  • 1/2 cup tequila (4 oz.)
  • 1/2 cup water (4 oz.)

Instructions

  1. Place ice in blender
  2. Add all remaining ingredients
  3. Blend until smooth
https://tonispilsbury.com/homemade-skinny-margaritas/

(No) Sugar Baby

Drinks made with prepared margarita mix contain a ton of sugar, and I can feel the effects on my endocrine system when I drink them- which is why I don’t anymore.  Agave nectar, especially pure raw organic agave nectar is a type of sugar that is much easier broken down by the body.  I use agave nectar in my homemade lemonade, coffee and sometimes tea.

Low Cal Margarita

 

White Tequila

Tequila calories are typically high; so using the appropriate amount in any drink is advised.  There’s no real difference in the amount of calories between white tequila and yellow tequila- both pack about 69 calories per ounce, but I prefer the blanco (white).

 

Low Calorie Margarita

Patron Silver Tequila- 69 calories per ounce

 

Salt or No Salt?

The answer for me used to be “no salt”.  Who needs the extra sodium, I thought. That’s before I realized the benefits of iodine for our thyroid. Rather than using the trendy sea salt, I opt for the good old-fashioned iodized salt as a great supplement for my endocrine system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skinnymom Margarita- via Toni Spilsbury

Skinnymom Margarita- via Toni Spilsbury

Also, try my Homemade Summer Sangria:

Homemade Summer Sangria

Homemade Summer Sangria

Make your own slideshow at Animoto.

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Losing The Blogging Weight with Mangodrin

By on May 7, 2013 in Busy Mom Living The Dream, Sponsored, Survival Guide for Busy Moms

You’ve probably heard of women trying to lose the “baby weight”, and may have fought the battle yourself to shed extra pounds that stick around way too long after the birth of your youngest child.

Not me.

Losing the baby weight was easier for me than losing the blogging weight.  After giving birth to three babies in two years, the only time I ever sat still was to nurse or rock them to sleep.  I was regimented in my nighttime routine of bathing and getting the babies off to sleep by 7:00PM  before collapsing into bed myself by 9.  So even if I woke up for feedings at midnight, I still had a good three hours of sleep under my eyes.

When my baby girl turned four I began blogging, and that’s when the weight came on. Routine bedtime became a thing of the past for me while I stayed up writing until 2 in the morning with potato chips beckoning me from the pantry.

My constant state of motion turned sedentary and food companies began sending me samples of the latest products to review for my blog.

Although I may not be considered “obese”, at 127 pounds I’m well over my target weight of 115.  Fortunately, the ladies of RECESS are giving me a jump start on my plan to get lean for bikini season with their #MangoChallenge 30-Day Challenge to “lose the blogging weight”.  At a recent Blogger Event at our local GNC Store, I discovered that I’m not the only blogger with this problem.

African Mango

RECESS Blogger Event for Mangodrin at GNC

I heard about the African Mango first on the Dr. Oz Show and thought about trying it out.  Mangrodrin is an all-natural patented formula made by a local nutraceutical company truDERMA and promises that I’ll lose “up to 28 pounds in 10 weeks”.

I’m in.

Follow me during the month as I work towards 115 pounds with Mangodrin’s #MangoChallenge.  I’m one of about twelve bloggers participating in the weight loss challenge, so if you want to check in on their progress or read about their individual struggles, head over to RECESS.

Join The #MangoChallenge

I love it when businesses want to share discounts and coupons with my readers.  During my #MangoChallenge I’m passing on a special discount for 30% off your entire order of Mangodrin.  This is a great opportunity if you would like to join me and share your results along the way.  This promotion is for online sales only by using THANKYOU in the coupon code section during checkout.

African Mango Mangodrin

use coupon code THANKYOU during checkout for 30% off your entire purchase

 

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What I Learned This Weekend

By on May 2, 2013 in Busy Mom Living The Dream, Eye Dream Gallery

Smiles are contagious. Bickering and grouchiness are too. The girls’ arguing was  a never-ending stream of “she called me stupid!” and “shut up!”, only to be interrupted with crying and pouting.

The constant snapping and shouting trickled down- or up, I should say- through the family. Conner yelled. Kevin snapped. I wanted a glass of wine.

I told the girls to get in the car. They had no idea where we were going, not that they noticed as they continued the circle of insults and hurt feelings.

I had no doubts that a plethora of parenting books, blogs and experts held the key to how I should have handled the situation. However, sometimes people can get caught in a temporary- and sometimes not so temporary- gray fog that even Dr. Phil couldn’t shine a beacon light on to guide them out.

As we left our gated community, I still didn’t know where we were going. I only knew that I needed to give Conner and Dad some peace and quiet. Five minutes later found me at Freddy’s Burgers drive-thru ordering ice cream sundaes. The girls looked confused.

Another five minutes found us in a nearby tranquil park eating ice cream, rolling down hills and playing.

Before anyone sends out any “bad mom” comments about my “negative reinforcement”, know this- it worked. Some might say I was rewarding bad behavior.

I might say that sometimes we just need a break.

park1 park2 park3 park4 park6 park7 park8

 

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