by Rondi on January 11, 2012
Mr. Food’s latest eCookbook, Lighten Up: 20 Tasty & Healthy Recipes for the New Year from Mr. Food, now available for free download.
The Mr. Food Test Kitchen shows you how to enjoy all your favorite dishes without de-railing your intentions to eat smarter in their latest eCookbook, Lighten Up! 20 Tasty & Healthy Recipes for the New Year. From healthy appetizers & bites and soups & salads to easy main dish recipes and light easy desserts, their lighter versions taste decadent but will keep you on track, whether you’re looking to lose weight or simply eat healthier. Enjoy your favorite recipes without sacrificing flavor — these tasty & healthy recipes will start your new year out on the right foot!
Image source: mrfood.com
I received no products or monetary compensation for this post. Just spreading the word about an online eCookbook. Article provided. The opinions herein are my own.
by Rondi on January 10, 2012
There is no limit to your creativity, and when it comes to home improvement you do all that is needed to make your home the most beautiful place on earth. Though it certainly helps to have a large budget, home improvements can alter the over all look and feel of your home by spending the little amount of money you have got. You need not incur much expenses in home improvement project, if you decide to do it DIY.
Home improvement project may consist of huge changes ranging from re-carpeting your home, adding in some new landscaping to re-creating a room by renovating it completely. Home improvement may also include bringing small changes in your home, like buying new bedside lamp shades or cleaning your garage, or painting the exteriors of your home. Home improvements of all kinds lead to the augmentation of the overall ROI of your home in the years to come. You can always avail the affordable services of a handyman to accomplish these tasks, but self-reliance will give you more satisfaction as compared to the work done by a hired professional.
Having a plan in place before starting your home improvement projects is very important. So plan ahead before you embark on the long and tiring journey of home improvement. Browse through the Internet where you can get a lot of home improvement ideas suitable as per your budget. You can do following things on your own for making your current home seem new.
Replace anything which is outdated and broken
Changing accessories in each room will freshen it up. A beautiful lamp shade or a bright pillow or flower-vase can make a lot of difference to your room.
Get a fresh coat of paint inside out
Remove all the switch plates and outlet covers to avoid paint splatters on them. To strip the wallpaper off the walls completely for a smooth finish.
Re-carpet your home
Tiles and hardwood floors are good options as far as the inner areas of your home are concerned. But living area must be carpeted, as your home can only give that snuggly feel with carpeting. Replacing your old carpet with a new one can have a huge impact on the look of a room.
Energy saving improvements
You can avail tax allowances as a home owner for energy saving improvements. Not only will the value of your property will increase, but you will also be saving yourself on unneeded tax liability.
Wall papers make your room warm and cozy and even make it look bigger. Install blinds for blocking the light from entering the room. It helps in reducing eye strain and headache. Break larger tasks down into small projects so that you may tackle home improvement in a better way.
Image source: affordabledecor.biz
by Rondi on January 9, 2012
Having a pool or a pergola will not only mean you make better use of your back garden but it will help get your children out from in front of the television, will give you an added excuse to entertain and will encourage you to spend plenty of time relaxing in front of it with a drink in hand. Finish off your pool area with some sandstone pavers and provide some shade with either a veranda or a patio. Remember if you have guests or are throwing a party on the patio and are planning on serving alcohol be sure to provide your guests with water so they don’t dehydrate or drink too much. Having a water filter means you can get pure fresh water straight from your kitchen tap.
Punch
Make up a fresh fruity punch in a large bowl and have it there for guests to help themselves. You can make either an alcoholic or non-alcoholic version. For an easy punch mix a large can of tropical juice with a bottle of ginger ale and a bottle of lemonade, then add some ice and a few sprigs of mint and serve. Punch is great for kid’s parties too or for an adult version try Sangria.
Water
When you are outside in the sun water is the best thing you can have to rehydrate. When serving alcohol you should always have plenty of water on hand so that guests don’t have too much alcohol and get intoxicated or dehydrated. It is recommended that we all drink at least a litre of water a day, but this can be difficult, particularly if your tap water doesn’t taste very good. Invest in having a water filter installed and you will always have pure water on tap. It removes all the chemicals from the water and is extremely beneficial to your health.
Cocktails
If you are having a party try serving colourful cocktails instead of the usual beer and wine. On a summer’s evening some fruity cocktails taste great and will give your party a bit of a tropical flair. If you can’t afford all the ingredients to make a range of cocktails have your guests each bring a bottle of alcohol to make up the recipes.
Iced Tea
Iced tea is a fantastically refreshing drink and makes a perfect drink to have by the poolside. It is very popular in the United States where over eighty percent of all tea drunk is actually iced tea. It is particularly popular in the warmer southern states. The drink has varying degrees of popularity in many other countries. It is served with ice and can be made with sugar to sweeten it.
Beer
Beer is one of those drinks that are great to have on a hot day. If you are not traditionally a beer drinker there are many new sorts of beer emerging all the time, so you might find one to suit. You can buy low carb beer, full strength or light beer and you can even get beer with a hint of flavour, such as lemon, lime and even ginger.
Bio: Tom Mallet is an Australian freelance writer and journalist. He writes extensively in Australia, Canada, Europe, and the US. He’s published more than 500 articles about various topics.
Image source: everydaylifes.com
