Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Random Something or Other #1

I really love reading random list blog posts, and they are really easy to write, so I think I'll start trying to share some of my own....

This is me this morning...

This is my last FB status update...

Within 5 minutes this morning Jax & Lucca got caught twice playing in the toilet, spilled an entire cup of milk all over me, and then crawled up on the table and started eating double-fists of butter. 
I'm really starting to re-think this twin thing...

These are the blog posts I'm procrastinating...
  • My (P)interesting Family: Felted Wool Mittens
  • Help For Picky Eaters
  • Reasons To Use a Food Scale
  • My #Disneyside Vday Party

This was my morning's impulse buy (Woot sucked me in...)...



Welcome to my Wednesday :)

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Relished: Stop Planning, Start Cooking (Sponsored Review)

I received 3 complimentary meals from Relished for review.
The opinions provided are honest and mine.
Links within this post may be affiliate links.

My grandmother passed away two weeks ago.  The day I found out I was at my parent's house picking up a delivery from Chicago-based company, Relished.  The timing of that delivery could not have been more fitting; I'll tell you about Relished, and then I'll tell you why.


What is Relished?
The concept behind Relished is simple-Once a week receive a delivery of fresh ingredients you'll need to prepare 3 delicious meals without the hassle of grocery shopping and without the traffic headache of eating out.  The company is based in Chicago and the ingredients are sourced locally from there. 

Each week, a set menu of 3 meals is available for order.  Your delivery will include all the ingredients (minus salt, pepper, & oil) needed to prepare those meals, as well as a sturdy and detailed recipe card with pictures and directions.  Every detail is covered, from how to prep the vegetables to how to present your food on the plate.  Each of the ingredients are individually packaged  and labeled for easy assembly in your kitchen.

Ingredients for Pepper-Crusted Flat Iron Steak & Vegetable Ramen

After signing up for Relished, you will begin receiving a 3-meal delivery once a week.  You can choose between 2, 4, or 6 servings at the price of $9.99/serving.  The ingredients are shipped fresh, not frozen, with the goal of arriving at your house the same day it leaves Chicago.  Right now they are able to ship within 250 miles of Chicago, or most places east of Colorado.  Their website provides a helpful zip code locator to ensure you are in the delivery zone before finishing your order.  


Once your receive your delivery, you simply put the ingredients in the refrigerator and pull them out when you are ready to make a meal.  Each week the menu will change, providing variety, and if you want to skip a week, there is a simple process to do that through the website or via email.  

Why It Was So Great For Me...
I mentioned I received my fresh food delivery the day I found out my Grandmother had died.  Funerals are never a planned event, and they take up a lot of time and energy.  Everything I had planned to do that week (grocery shopping, for example) went right out the window as family started to arrive.  By the end of the week I'd missed several appointments and just wanted to hibernate in my house to breathe and take a break from the world.  How grateful I was to have 3 full healthy and easy-to-prepare meals already waiting in my refrigerator!  We made the first meal the day the ingredients arrived because of the unexpected change in plans.  The second meal I threw together for lunch between funeral activities and family coming and going.  And the third meal I saved for after everyone had gone home.  It happened to coincide with Valentine's Day, and my husband appreciated a nice steak dinner with just the two of us after all the out-of-towners had gone back home.  















I believe in what Relished is doing!  It might not be cost-effective for my family of little ones every week, but if you are a family that eats out often, the price per serving and quality are very comparable to anything you would find in a restaurant without the cost of gas and no crowds to fight. The instructions were so easy to follow and made me feel good to be preparing beautiful dishes with fresh food.  I look forward to trying out another week of menus soon!

Sign up for your 1st week of deliveries and enter
freemples@gmail.com
in the Referral box at checkout.
Simple as that, and cancel anytime!

Want More Information?
Relishedfoods.com

Thursday, February 6, 2014

The Pan That May Change My Life (sponsored)

Products in this post were provided free in exchange for review. 
 No other compensation was received.

I got married 10 years ago and have been cooking with the same cheap aluminum pots and pans I received back then.  Most of them are no longer circular, but vary in shape depending on how it was banged around in the cupboards or thrown haphazardly in to the sink.  Most of them also are showing varying amounts of remaining Teflon.  Yes, we've gotten rid of the peeling, dangerous ones, but the ones with scratches still grace my stovetop just waiting for food to immediately stick upon contact.

When I was asked to review a pan with new non-stick technology for Ozeri, I jumped on the opportunity and it has been nothing but love in my kitchen since then!


After cooking on this small skillet since Christmas time, these are the reasons I will gladly consider replacing all of my cookware with this new Green Earth cooking line:
  1. Solid Construction  No cheap aluminum-this pan feels substantial, but is not heavy.
  2. Ceramic Coating is thick and non-assuming.  The bottom of the pan is textured to aid your food in not sticking, and my food really hasn't been sticking!
  3. Silicon Handle I've always been afraid my cheap pan handles would melt if I put them in the oven.  With silicon handles, these pans are safe to go in the oven for warming or to finish cooking something you started on the stove.
There was one learning curve with this pan...The ceramic material conducts heat extremely well.  It took me a couple times to figure out, but I've discovered the need to use these pans with a much lower heat than I'm used to doing with my older pans.  This is definitely not a bad thing-it seems like it would save me money on my gas stove in the end-but it did take a few test runs with "blackened" grilled cheese sandwiches before I figured out the heat sweet spot.

It is definitely time to replace the decade-old pans I have jammed into my kitchen cupboards, and I would not think twice about buying the Ozeri Green Earth Pans when I finally get around to making the change.

How about you-is it time to replace the pans in your kitchen?