FitSugar

Microwave Free Fridays

FitSugar — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 08:45:00 PDT

New research from a scientist in the UK has found a correlation between the rise in obesity and the rise in microwave ownership. Obesity started becoming a problem between 1984 and 1987. In 1984, ironically, there was a rapid spread of microwave ownership.

Sounds pretty convincing to me. Think about how easy it is to get an abundance of food when you're hungry these days -- 30 seconds and wham, your Hot Pocket is ready. One suggestion then, why not take a day off from the microwave and cook something on the stove, or maybe even in the oven? Microwave Free Fridays anyone? Perhaps you may surprise yourself with cooking skills you never knew you had. Also, you'll be able to make your meal as healthy as you want it, instead of consuming already determined nutritional info from a food maker that is not always 100% accurate. I am sure YumSugar will agree that preparing a meal can bring the fun and experience back to eating, rather than just eating for satiety. Heck, you may even notice some weight loss too.

I picked Friday because I like cooking a nice meal on a Friday night followed by watching a movie with my family, however do what works for you, just take one day off a week from nuking your food.

Source

Making Spring Cleaning Enjoyable and Efficient With These 9 Tips

LearnVest — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 03:05:37 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

Spring is in the air.

OK, fine. It’s just the unseasonably warm winter.

But we’re looking ahead to one of our favorite seasons, and nothing will make us better prepared to enjoy it than some serious Spring cleaning.

Looking around and seeing your sparkling living room, free of dust bunnies at last, is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. And as we all know, happier people are less stressed and more productive, not to mention good for the economy. Besides, a clean house frees your mind to focus on more important things.

Ten Spring Cleaning Tools For Under $10

But because no one wants to spend hours scrubbing when the sun is finally starting to show its face, and the whole family just wants to be outside, we want to maximize your Spring cleaning - with expert tips that will save you time, toil, and money.

So we spoke with Melissa Homer, chief cleaning officer at MaidPro, for an efficient, organized, and - dare we say - fun start to a much fresher Spring.

1. Get Great Deals

The best part about keeping your eye out ahead of time is that you’ll have a chance to get the best deals on staples like soap and sponges. Create a Spring cleaning envelope to hold coupons for products you’ll need, and leave the envelope in your purse or the glove compartment of your car so it travels with you wherever you go. Go ahead and set up a filter or folder in your email to keep track of electronic offers and coupons, too.

Read on for more.

Brown Bagging and Bacteria-Free: Tips For Bringing Leftovers to Work

Leta Shy — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:52:32 PDT

Does August's back-to-school mode have you in the mood for bringing your lunch to work? Good idea: not only will you be saving money, but you'll also be making healthier options while you're at it.

If you're ready to brown-bag it, bringing leftovers can be the perfect solution. Making a little extra when cooking dinner is a great time-saver; no need to carve out extra time to make a sandwich when you've already got a meal waiting in the pan, and you don't need to spend extra time planning out a lunch menu before you go shopping. But using leftovers for lunch doesn't mean that there's no preplanning required. Making sure you are safely and conveniently storing leftovers tonight means a happy, healthy lunch for tomorrow, so check out these tips for bringing leftovers as lunch.

Leftover prep. That huge dish of lasagna shouldn't stay out on your counter for too long. You should pack away your food (in convenient lunch portions if it's a big batch) within two hours at room temperature - but note that since Summer days can mean hot kitchens that you should refrigerate leftovers within an hour if the temps reach 90 degrees or more.

Read on for more tips on how to safely and easily bring leftovers at work.