21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart Book

Neal Barnard, M.D., brings us 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart: Boost Metabolism, Lower Cholesterol, and Dramatically Improve Your Health

For those of you who think you can't live without meat, this is probably not the book for you or is it?

This book introduces you to the benefits of a plant based diet.  That's right;  no meat, fish, dairy or eggs!  At first I was a bit skeptical because in my head I had been left with just veggies and fruits.  Although I love eating these food groups I thought I wasn't going to be satisfied or receiving a complete array of nutrients.  HOW WRONG WAS I!!  This book introduces you to a whole new world of eating.  Although at first you may find it difficult to leave meat behind you ultimately discover that there are many substitutes for it, such as tofu, lentils and many other yummy options. My husband and I tried it out for several weeks and we really did feel more energized and our clothes felt a bit looser.  Not only will you start to look better, but your overall health will improve because with a plany based diet you cut out bad cholesterol and unwanted calories.

The main thing one should do is read the whole book first, plan, try out new food alternatives little by little, clean out your pantry of unwanted goods and then just go all out for it.

Have you ever considered a plant based diet?

Disclosure:  I received the feature book for review purposes only.  All opinions are my own and have not been influenced in any way.

Gorton's Seafood Review & Giveaway

When I'm short on cooking time I occasionally recur to Gorton's Seafood products for a yummy, savory, quick and easy meal.  They have a wide variety that includes fish sticks, shrimp and a variety of fillets.

My husband and I enjoy the Shrimp Scampi.

It's creamy, delicious and tastes so good served over fettuccine.  The best thing is that the shrimp comes already with the sauce so all you have to do is heat up a skillet and toss the contents of the bag and wait until it heats up and serve over pasta or rice.

 BUY IT

Gorton's products can be found in supermarkets and local retailers such as Wal-mart and Target.

WIN IT

3 readers will win 2 free product coupons and a recipe card for (US only - Gorton's is not sold in Canada). 

RULES:

• Leave 1 comment per entry (If it says +2, then leave 2 entries)
• Leave your e-mail address with each entry.
• Leave your GFC name, facebook name, twitter ID {according to the network you leave a comment for}

 ENTRIES:

• Follow Always Around Boys on GFC {mandatory} 
• Go to http://www.gortons.com and sign up for their e-newsletter!
• Do tell... which recipe is your favorite Gorton's recipe? http://www.gortons.com/recipes.htm
• Follow AAB on Facebook
• Follow Gorton's Seafood on Facebook and leave a comment on their wall saying who sent you. +2
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• Tweet about the giveaway: 3 winners will get free Gorton's coupons and a recipe card @AABmommyBlogger Ends 05-04 US only   http://tinyurl.com/3e2srmz

• Can be done once daily/Leave link

• Follow my other blog +3
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This giveaway is open to U.S. Ends(05/04/2011) at 12:00pm Eastern Time. The winner will be selected by using random.org. I will post the winner on my blog and e-mail them. The winner will have 24 hours to respond or another winner will be selected.

Disclaimer: I received 2 complimentary Gorton's coupons to facilitate my review.

 

Thanksgiving

Up until the summer I had been living in Puerto Rico, where my dad is from and where I was born and had spent practically my whole life. Every year for Thanksgiving we would get together with my family and extended family at one of the aunts' house and have a typical traditional Puerto Rican Thanksgiving, which consisted of rice and pigeon peas, turkey, macaronni salad or potatoe salad.

This was the first year I spent Thanksgiving with only MY relatively new lil'family. I decided to make a full blown Thangsgiving meal. I was literally in the kitchen all day, but it was all worth it! {Sorry for my lack of makeup}!

Our little dining table with a rather large meal for the three(3) of us

cheesy mashed pottaos with parsley, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce

cornbread stuffing, creamed pearl onions, gravy

turkey breast

baby E fell asleep while eating

Family Night with Old El Paso: Review & Giveaway

My family and I love eating tacos for dinner!  There's even a previous post to show for it. So,  I was excited to add Old El Paso Original Taco Seasoning Mix in to the ground beef!

Ground beef -seasoned with Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix, sour cream, shredded cheese, taco sauce, refried beans, onions & lettuce, soft taco tortillas

Old El Paso Original Taco Seasoning mix is really easy to use.  All you do is brown the beef, add the seasoning and mix!  Normally, I don't like to work with red meat because I feel it needs a lot of seasoning. But with Old El Paso Original Taco Seasoning Mix that wasn't the case.  I really liked how the seasoning enhanced the flavor of the ground beef.

The great thing about eating tacos is that everyone in the family prepares their taco to their liking!  This was mine and it had a little bit of everything.

The hubby, enjoying his taco/burrito.

Even baby E enjoyed his deconstructed taco!

Want to Know more about Old El Paso

• Old El Paso offers a variety of seasonings, sides, sauces, and meal kits as simple solutions for a night of catching up with the family over a delicious taco dinner.

• To satisfy your Mexican style cravings, the Old El Paso's line up of products includes chilies, dinner kits, dips and sides, enchilada sauce, refried beans, seasoning mixes, shells, taco sauce and salsa.

• The Old El Paso taco seasoning mix selection includes flavors like Burrito, Cheesy Taco, Chili, Fajita, Taco, Mild Taco and even a seasoning with 40% less sodium.

• To keep your family laughing at the dinner table, have some fun with El TacodorTM, the world´s only family taco night game. With El Tacodor, your family can share a special night at home by challenging one another to quick fire trivia, wordplay and pantomime. Visit http://www.eltacodor.com today to download instructions, a score card, and a challenge sheet for even more fun on family taco night!

Interested in an Old El Paso Coupon

• Go to http://www.myblogspark.com/uc/main/b069/ to download a printable coupon for $0.60 off any two Old El Paso products today!

Visit Old El Paso over at their SITE!

Buy Old El Paso products at your local supermarket or retailer!

GIVEAWAY:
One (1) winner will receive a family taco night prize pack which includes a packet of original Old El Paso Taco Seasoning, a Cactus Chip & Dip Serving dish, a set of 3 Fiesta Chili Pepper serving dishes and a $10 gift card to purchase your taco fixings (ONLY valid in the US)

RULES:

• Leave 1 comment per entry.
• Leave your e-mail address with each entry.
• Leave your GFC name, facebook name, twitter ID {according to the network you leave a comment for}

MANDATORY ENTRY

• Visit the sponsor site and tell me which Old El Paso recipe would you like to try?

BONUS ENTRIES

• Follow Always Around Boys publicly on GFC.
• Like  AAB on Facebook {sidebar}
• Follow AAB on Twitter {sidebar}
• Follow Old El Paso on Twitter
• Tweet the following: {Win a "Family Taco Night" prize pack courtesy of Old El Paso through #myblogspark over @ #AlwaysAroundBoys http://tinyurl.com/26h87nu } Can be done daily. Leave the link
• Subscribe to  AAB via e-mail. {Make sure to verify}
• Follow AAB on Networked Blogs (all you need is a Facebook account) {sidebar}.
• Blog about this specific giveaway, linking to it. {Blog must have 100+ followers} +3
• Grab the Always Around Boys button and post it on your blog. {Blog must have at least 100+followers} Let me know where to find it +3
  

This giveaway is open to(U.S.). Ends(12/5) at 11:59pm Eastern Time.  The winner will be selected by using random.org.  I will post the winner on my blog and e-mail them.  The winner will have 24 hours to respond or another winner will be selected.

Disclosure: I received no form of monetary compensation for this post. I received a family taco night  prize pack courtesy of Old El Paso through MyBlogSpark, as well as the coupon link and Old El Paso information, all free of charge. This is an honest review and the opinions expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced in any way. I am not responsible for the delivery of this prize and can not be held accountable if, for any reason, it is not received.

Can't Get Enough of Korean Food

My mom just went back home yesterday, after having spent 15 days visiting with us, and I must say that I'm a little bit sad :-(

One of the things that we did while she was here was eat lots and lots of Korean food. Although, my mom makes the best Korean food-in my opinion-being that she was on vacation we just decided to pick up a bunch of side dishes over at H-mart.

Here is how my tiny dining room table looked almost everyday while she was here:

I love the concept of family style dinners.  Everyone has there own bowl of rice or noodles and then shares from each of the side dishes.

Yellow pickled radish

Spicy pickled radish

bulgogi

Korean Pancakes

My mother is visiting us for a while and of course one of the first things we had to do was get our hands on some yummy Korean food. I love Korean food, mostly because it is in my blood. I am half Korean on my mother's side.
Last Thursday we went to H-Mart (giant Korean Supermarket). It's approximately two (2) hours from where I live, but it is well worth the while to make the long drive. Needless to say that we ended up spending an outrageous amount of money-veggies, noodles, spices, mixes, treats, beverages, chop sticks, pillows, take home side dishes, kimchi, seaweed, etc. Actually, my mother paid for everything, but she was more than happy to do so.

One of the things we bought was Korean pancake mix.  When I used to live back in the Caribbean, my mom would often make these from scratch and they tasted so good.  So, when I saw the dry mix I zoomed it in the cart.

On Sunday, I decided to prepare the pancakes.  I was a bit nervous because I had never, ever prepared anything remotely Korean.

Basically, this Korean pancake mix is just flour and light spices.  One batch is made up of  1 cup of the flour mix with 3/4 cup of water but,  this can vary

After preparing the mix I cut up some mushrooms, orange peppers, and white onions.  Afterward,  I added the veggies to the mix, but it was to much veggies for the mix so I prepared more of the mix.

In order to add some more flavor to the mix, I chopped up some kimchi and threw it in the mix.

This is how the prepared mix should look...creamy.

I heated up a pan and then added a light touch of olive oil,; just enough to lightly coat the pan.  Then, I spooned the mix into the batch.

The pancakes will start to crisp and get a golden and light brownish color.

After the pancakes were done cooking on one side, I flipped them over.

According to my mother, there is no right time or way to eat this or any other Korean side dish.  This can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner with as many side dishes as you wish.

We ate the pancakes with spicy noodles and seasoned yellow radish.

Have you ever tried Korean pancakes or any other kind of Korean dish?

Now to some blog hopping! 

Great Side Dish

As of recent I've become a fan of Dutch Yellow Baby Potatoes.

Chop up some onions

I also used carrots and spinach.

I sauteed the potatoes, onions and carrots in low-sodium chicken stock at medium heat making sure to add more liquid if the pan started to dry out.

When all of the veggies were to the point of being fully cooked, I added the spinach.

We had our potatoes with a plain chicken breast sandwich (a bit of miracle whip and organic ketchup)

. 

Lazy Sunday with Papa John's

I love to cook, but there are days when I simply don't want to get out the chopping board, knives, pots and the pans in order to create a family meal. As matter of fact, I sometimes feel like not really doing absolutely anything around the house.

Today happens to be one of those days! I have decided to officially name this day, Lazy Sunday.

In honor of Lazy Sunday, my son and I have dedicated ourselves to watching Bob the Builder and Barney the Dinosaur episodes along with reading and playing-with-blocks breaks.

To complete our Lazy Sunday, we decided to order some carry out pizza. Although I don't discriminate with pizza, I chose to order a 3 ingredient pie from Papa John's. The coolest thing was, that I didn't have to pick up the phone to order the pizza.



Papa John's has this amazingly efficient online order system. We have Papa John's in the Caribbean, but not the online system. I was thrilled to know, that now living in the U.S.A., this system would be active. In the past, when ordering pizza from any place, it was always a hassle to make a phone order because the communication between us (client) and the phone attendant would not be clear, which would result in errors in the order. With this online order system, there was no mistake.

Not only did we get a yummy large pizza, but we avoided any mishaps in our order.



What we ordered: Large original crust pizza
1st Half: Bacon, Ham, Mushrooms
2nd Half: Grilled Chicken, Onions, Green Peppers

What do you like to eat on Lazy Sunday's?

Easy Made Pasta Alfredo

I'm a big pasta lover, although I try not to over indulge! I especially like pasta with Alfredo sauce. As many people out there, I've always recurred to using jarred Alfredo sauce. Although good, I've always found it to be a bit too rich, cheesy and salty.

Last week I found a recipe for a quick Alfredo sauce on the back of a box of Food Lion fettuccine.

[First, I boiled some water and then added the pasta.]

[As my pasta was cooking I chopped up some vegetables to add a bit more flavor and color to my pasta- garlic, fresh spinach, red peppers]

[Here's where I got my inspiration]

[I sauteed all of the veggies in a skillet with some unsalted butter]

[After the pasta was cooked and drained, I tossed it into the skillet with the veggies. Then I added some pepper]

[ I added a bit of whipping cream. Just enough to lightly coat the pasta, but not drench it]

[I added a handful of shredded low-fat mozzarella]

[Move the cheese around with a wooded spoon until it melts. Then, serve in your bowl of choice]

The end result was deliciously yummy! The pasta had the right amount of veggie flavors combined with a light cheesy goodness without being to overpowering. You could savour all of the ingredients. Even my 17 month old liked it and he can be a bit picky sometimes when it comes to his food.

What is your favorite pasta dish?