Sane Fitness

We have a few new products to share with you from Sane Fitness. They have created these great workout programs that help you work out in little time (less than an hour, 3x a week) and with minimal equipment at home or at your gym. They offer kits for both Mommy and Mommy to Be.

Win a Sleep Number Bed

Select Comfort are giving away a Sleep Number Bed!


To celebrate Sleep Awareness in March, SLEEP NUMBER® is offering you the chance to win a Queen SLEEP NUMBER® c3 mattress and foundation valued at $1,298.99. This is the perfect bed to fit your body’s needs because each side can be adjusted to the exact level of comfort, support and firmness you want at the touch of a button. In a recent sleep study conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital by Harvard researchers, the majority of participants reported fewer back and neck aches as well as a significant decrease in soreness, stiffness and pain when they switched to a different bed. The bed participants switched to was a SLEEP NUMBER® bed. Prize includes a Queen SLEEP NUMBER® c3 mattress and foundation and UPS delivery. Contest ends April 2, 2009.

March Madness Recipes

Some great March Madness Recipes courtesy of Rudolph Foods Pork Rinds.

Pork Rind Wings

Ingredients
* 3 cups Rudolph’s Original Pork Rinds
* 2 large eggs
* 4 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled
* 12 chicken wings, cut in half at joints, wing tips discarded

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400° degrees. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
Place the pork rinds in a heavy plastic bag and seal. Roll with a rolling pin until the rinds become coarse crumbs. (Don’t crush them too finely.)
Lightly beat the eggs into the melted butter. Place the crushed pork rinds on a plate. Dip the wings into the egg–butter mixture and let the excess drip off. Roll the wings in the crushed pork rinds, pressing lightly to help them adhere to the meat.
Place the wings on the baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes or until done. Serve warm. Try this recipe with Rudolph’s Hot & Spicy Pork Rinds or Bar-B-Que Pork Rinds for an added kick!
Yield: 24 pieces.

Chicharron Quesadillas

Ingredients:
20 tortillas
3/8 lb Southern Recipe pork rinds/chicharrones
2 green tomatoes, peeled
1 chopped tomato
¼ onion, diced
3 bunches cilantro, chopped
½ cup crumbled Oaxaca cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil

Preparation:
1. Heat a small amount of oil. Fry onions and tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add chicharrones and cilantro. Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Heat tortillas and fill with chicharrones and cheese. Fold and lightly fry in oil. Drain.
Tip
Serve with 2 small avocados, Serrano peppers, to taste, and ¼ cup sour cream.

Cracklin’ Corn Bread

Ingredients
* ¼ cup all-purpose flour
* 1½ cup yellow or white cornmeal
* ½ tsp. baking soda
* ¼ tsp. salt
* 1 cup sour milk or buttermilk
* 1 cup Southern Recipe cracklins (crumbled)
* 1 beaten egg, room temperature

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl combine flour, cornmeal, baking soda, salt, sour milk or buttermilk. Stir in the cracklins and the egg. Blend thoroughly.
Pour batter into a medium–size baking pan (8½ by 4½ inches), greased if not using a nonstick pan. With a rubber spatula, smooth the surface.
Bake 30 minutes, until it is well–browned. (Reduce oven by 25 degrees if using a glass pan.)
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
NOTE: Cracklin’ Cornbread is best eaten warm. It can be frozen successfully but should be reheated in a 300° oven for 15 minutes before serving.

Recessionista Shopping Tips

Still want to shop but can’t afford it?

According to fashion stylist Colin Megaro, shop your own closet to reinvent old pieces and stay fresh for each season!! Instead of spending money on new clothes, invest in a personal closet consultation with a professional stylist. Colin Megaro’s “Wardrobe Renovation and Closet Inventory” service (NY and LA, price upon request) gives you hands-on support and advice to make old items new and make what you’ve got work for any season and trend.

Here are a few of Colin’s tips to make the most out of what you’ve got in your closet and spend as little as possible:

1. Clean out the closet. Take the time to remove every item out and go through each one. Make piles of clothing that you never wear, clothing that no longer fits and clothing that is still worn. Take the pieces that you don’t wear to your favorite charity and donate them. The closet will be less cluttered and you’re helping those less fortunate. If all else fails, remember it’s a great tax deduction.

2. Items that no longer fit properly: If they are too small, donate them along with the items you are no longer wearing. If they are overly big, slightly short or even out of style, take them to the tailor. Pant hems can be let down; shirts can be shorted and even made short-sleeved; skirts can be reworked into the newest styles. Tailoring items can give you the current styles at a fraction of the store cost.

3. Finally, let’s face it, most of us love the thrill of shopping. If there are items that you need to purchase, be smart and strategic about it. Everything is on sale now so look for the best deals you can get. Pick a few must-have items and let yourself have them. You’ll feel great after scoring a deal. If you are heading out to do a bit of shopping take yourself to H&M, Zara, Macys, Century 21, and even TJ Maxx. At the end of the day style is not about a label. It is about feeling great about what you are wearing!

Potty Training

We have just started potty training Alex and many think she is still too young, she will be 2 in two weeks. She has already shown interest in going potty and has been going occasionally, and asking to go, for a good few months now. We had a girls shopping trip this weekend and she picked out her first few pairs of Big Girl underwear. Yesterday was the first day wearing them and she did really good in the morning, only one accident, and two accidents in the afternoon.

I found this Johnson's article on Potty Training and I will be using some of the tips: http://www.johnsonsbaby.com/article.do?id=46&CMP=EMC-LFTDA


We will keep you updated on her progress and any useful tips we find along the way! Please feel free to leave comments with any tips you have found, the more help the better!
(This is not Alex pictured above, but I think the picture is so cute!)

Wordless Wednesday

See Kai Run

Contest Winners

Smart Shopper - Dina

Carrabbas - glass648 & Kari

Rocky Mountain Chipsters - Kara, Staci & Lissa

Cinzia Designs - Heather

Booty Butter - Crystal

Win a Clarasonic

Visit Diary of an Unlikely Housewife to enter to win a Clarasonic! This great Beauty Tool cleans out those deep impurities in your skin. I would love to win this, since Alex came along I don't have the extra funds to make it to the Spa for a facial, it must have been about a year since my last visit.

http://unlikelyhousewife.blogspot.com/2009/03/bring-out-gorgeous-giveaway.html