Diet Recipe Root Veggie Leftover Use Up Soup

I'm working to get the last 12 pounds off from 100 gained over the last nine years. I hit a plateau in weight loss after losing nearly 90 pounds. Every day I write a diet recipe of the day post and a diet tip to share how I lost weight. Today's tip is: mix it up. So I'm sharing an unconventional recipe

Root Veggie Leftover Use Up Soup--ingredients will vary depending on what root vegetable leftovers you have to use up. First, collect any and all vegetable leftovers: squash, sweet potatoes, potatoes (any color), onions, scallions, carrots, parsnips, turnips, rutabagas. You know, those bags of chopped onions mouldering in the fridge. Those withered carrots and sweet potatoes, those cooked potatoes you need to use up. Then read on for recipes  Diet Recipe Root Veggie Leftover Use Up Soup

Washing Machine Maintenance Tips I Almost Overlooked

 I was doing a load of wash today. As I was putting the clothes in the machine, I noticed filth build up on the tank and agitator. I use liquid fabric softener which can create sticky residue if used with cold water. That collects dirt and clings to the basin. I regular clean that away, but today I looked a little deeper. I saw that same sticky dirt collected under the rim of the tank. Washing machine tanks are like toilet bowls, which also collect yuck just under the rim.Washing Machine Maintenance Tips I Almost Missed

Home Furnace and Appliance Maintenance Tips

We just discovered a problem with our furnace and so I wrote about getting a furnace tune-up before winter. The blower switch had gone out on ours and it's going to cost about $50 to fix. It's a do-it-yourself job for anyone who's relatively handy (luckily both sons and husband are). The tune-up we're leaving to HVAC professionals. That's a little more intensive job. But there's another DIY job you can and should do with your furnace, in fact all your appliances: clean or replace furnace filters. Dirty filters blow dust back into the air. This is not only messy, it's unhealthy and unsanitary. It wreaks havoc with allergies. Dirty filters pose fire hazards. Read moreDIY Furnace and Appliance Maintenance Tips

Harvest Superfood Recipes Indian Squash with Apples

I have lost 86 pounds and have been writing a series on How I lost weight. I write a diet recipe of the day. In honor of my favorite season, fall, here's a harvest favorite. It includes two of my favorite Michigan produce offerings: apples and squash. And features exotic Indian spices. It's low-calorie, kosher, vegan, halal and uses superfoods. Diet Recipe of the Day Squash Apple Masala Bake

Diet Tip: Eat Mostly Veggies and Fruit, Locally Grown Preferrably

I've lost 83 pounds, 40 in the last 5 months. I've been writing a series of articles on +How-I-lost-weight using Diet recipe of the day and Diet tip of the day tags. Diet wisdom varies on fats, starch, meat, salt, dairy--which are the worst for weight loss. Sometimes dairy is the culprit. Then health gurus say it's starch. From my experience, it's not so much about what you don't eat as what you do. Diet Tip of the Day: Eat Mostly Veggies and Fruit - News
 

Balance is Healthier Parenting Than Health Obsession

Drugs, cleaning products, household items, cosmetics, disposable items, kids products--we try to use natural ingredients as much as possible. Note I said "as possible." It's virtually impossible to avoid all chemicals. M
y naturalista friends are going to gasp, but I say balance is healthier parenting that rigid obsession with health.

Organic, raw foods may be physically healthier, though with the chemical saturation of our environment, I'm not sure. But I know myself. I over think everything. it would make me a crazy (crazier) wreck trying serve perfectly pure foods. Raising four kids, I couldn't afford all natural foods, even if we ate only vegan. That food is super expensive! And even if I had one child, or no kids, I couldn't afford it. We live in the city--I couldn't grow all my own food if I wanted to. Our soil is toxic. I'd feel anxious and guilty that I'm a bad mom.Constantly worrying, makes me nervous and grouchy. And then I'm not a good mom. And THAT is my main priority.  Balance is Healthier Parenting Than Health Obsession

Save Money, Get Best Back to School Prices on College Textbooks

Dwindling federal financial aid means fewer students get money for college tuition, let alone textbooks. College textbook prices can actually rival tuition, they're so high. Not an exaggeration when you factor in that textbooks and materials are generally not tax-deductible. Here are ways to save money on college textbooks and stretch your college textbook dollar. Lady Greenwise says spend smart, not big. Back to School Shopping: How to Save Money and Find Best Prices on College Textbooks

Art or Tagging? Detroit Gets Graffiti Makeover

We've heard the stories of ruin in Detroit till they're coming out of our ears. From the Motown moniker, "blight belt" seems to be the new nickname. But there's one thing about urban decay -- it makes a great backdrop for graffiti, a superb canvas, if you will, for tag art. And it's that juxtaposition that's causing some controversy. At what point does philistine tagging become patrician art? Model D recently explored some new downtown Detroit mural paint-overs that recover old tags with new art. Is this a makeover or urban decay tarted up as art?  Art or Tagging? Detroit Gets Graffiti Makeover 

Daily Deals of the Day: Priceline Travel Booking

I'm Super Frugalista! I pinch pennies so hard the Lincoln Monument walls rumble. Every day, I submit a tightwad tip for you on Bubblews or Yahoo Contributor Network. Today's I use the tag +Dailydealsoftheday. Today's is travel. And the place I find the best deals is Priceline "Name Your Own Price" or daily deals. I started booking book hotels, flights and car rentals through Priceline about 6 years ago. Since then, I've tried Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia, Cheap Seats, Kayak and just about every site you can name. I've even tried some that use Euros instead of dollars (I'll save in any currency!) Bill Shatner's price compactor wins every time. Daily Deals of the Day: Priceline Travel Booking 

Detroit Mower Gang Reclaiming Abandoned City Parks

A community group, the Detroit Mower Gang, is taking their urban renewal campaign to Detroit's parks. The group's Motown Mowdown event last Saturday, May 25, was a 24-hour marathon of freshening up closed and disused city parks. It's the quintessential "grassroots" effort, as the Detroit Free Press aptly called it. But the mowers don't stop at one day of service (weeds and grass don't stop growing!) They meet bi-weekly to maintain parks. If your community needs a spruce up, and you're fortunate enough to have a mower and truck to haul, this would be a relatively simple give-back.Detroit Mower Gang Reclaiming Abandoned City Parks