Cool Beans Ice Cube Tray

Cool Beans Ice Cube Trays are cool in more ways than one:

It cools your iced coffee, iced cappuccino or latte.
It looks cool doing it.
Since you make Cool Beans ice cubes with coffee or espresso, your drink won’t dilute, like it would with regular ice cubes.

The goal of these jumbo coffee bean-shaped cubes is to keep your beverage strong and undiluted. You don’t have to brew coffee just to make the cubes. Make it from the coffee you brew for daily drinking, especially since there's usually some leftover.

So instead of pouring out the unused brewed coffee left in the pot, pour it into the Cool Beans Ice Cube Tray. Don't have enough leftover? Then store it in a jar and put it in the refrigerator and keep adding to it until you have enough to fill a Cool Beans Ice Cube Tray.

No more ice cubes melting in your coffee. With Cool Beans your iced coffee will never dilute again.

Ice Coffee Tips:

A fun thing you can do is to add a rock sugar swizzle stick to your iced beverage. These are stir sticks with thick rock candy on the end. You can buy these in most candy stores. Another idea is to use a cocktail shaker. Mixing your iced coffee drinks in this will make them extra frothy.

When making iced coffee it's important to remember that the taste depends on the bean. A darker roast coffee blend yields a better iced coffee. Experiment with different roasts and flavors to see what you like the best. Maybe you could mix a couple of flavors of coffee together and use this custom blend to make your iced coffee with. Short on ideas? Check out the menu variations at Starbucks.

Search the various recipe web sites for different types of iced coffees. The possibilities are endless! Do a search for iced coffee recipes and just see what you can find. Flavor packets are also available to add to your iced coffee for additional flavor combinations.

Of course, you can make coffee ice cubes in any ice cube tray. But Cool Beans adds some charisma to your iced coffee, plus it's a fun gift for any coffee lover. I think they'd make a great gift for Father's Day or as a hostess gift for a summer luncheon or bbq.

I love gadgets, I just wish I'd start coming up with some of these ideas.

High Energy, HIgh Protein Granola Bars

It's that time of year when everyone starts coming out of the woodwork. With the weather warming up we tend to stay outdoors for hours or all day doing yardwork, biking, swimming, running, hiking, etc.

However, oftentimes that means being out someplace where you don't have access to the refrigerator. So you have to bring along a beverage to quench your thrist and something to keep your energy level up so you don't collapse.




I love to make homemade granola like I made in a previous post as well as granola bars. In fact when we're hiking in the mountains of Colorado for hours on end we always bring some with us and even some sort of wrap, usually turkey, in our backpacks.

Here's a simple recipe for high energy, high protein granola bars. This isn't a low fat bar but packs the punch to fuel your body for hours.

Feel free to substitute any of the ingredients for ones you prefer. I'll give a list of some other alternatives at the bottom of the recipe.

High Energy, High Protein, Granola Bar
(serving size depends on how you slice them)

Preheat oven to 350 degree

Line a 9 1/2 x 13" pan with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Dry Ingredients:

3 cups whole grain cereal (I used Kashi GoLean w/13g of protein)
1/2 cup nuts or seeds ( I used chopped raw almonds and sunflower seeds)
1 small pack of ground Flax Seed - approximately 1 tablespoon or more if you like
(Flax Seed is high in Omega-3 Oils and Lignans)
1/2 cup dried fruit or a mix - (I used figs & apricots)


Mix dry ingredients together and set aside

Wet Ingredients:

1/4 cup sunflower butter
3/4 cup honey
plus 2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix wet ingredients plus cinnamon in a sauce pan and heat to a boil. Pour over the dry ingredients and blend together.

Spread out into your sheet pan edge to edge and pack firmly down.

Place in preheated oven and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely.

Pull out block of granola by foil and turn over onto a cutting board. You can slice into squares or make a horizontal slice down the center and then cut into individual bar shapes. Can wrap individually in wax or parchment paper or plastic wrap.

Note:

If you don't want to use sunflower butter feel free to use any other kind such as: peanut, almond, cashew, etc. If it's all natural and doesn't contain salt add a pinch to your wet ingredients after cooking.

Any type of combination of dried fruits would be great. Just make sure they are cut up into small squares so they're easy to eat. You can add dried craisins, raisins, pineapple, etc.

In place of honey you could use Agave Nectar, Maple Syrup, Brown Rice Syrup, etc.

Any combination of nuts will work depending on what you like. If you're allergic then don't add any. Sunflower seeds and butter are a good alternative to those with allergies. If you love chocolate add chocolate chips or m&m's

Be creative and if you like you can add different extracts or oils, even sesame seed oil for some great flavor.

Have fun with these.

Shopper's Guide to Pesticides

I think most of us try these days to eat a healthy diet. Of course we all have our moments when we have to eat pizza or ice cream or even chocolate plus a whole host of other junk foods.

What I hate though is when you try to eat right and be textbook, so to speak, only to find out that what you've been eating all these years is harmful to your health.

What I'm talking about is the news that came out the other day about pesticides on your fruit and vegetables. I eat oatmeal every morning with frozen mangoes and blueberries on top sprinkled with cinnamon. Now they tell us that the blueberries have such large doses of pesticides that even washing the frozen ones won't get enough of them off. Here I thought I was being so good and health conscious.

Making healthy food choices is simple, especially if we have the right tools to guide us down the produce aisle. The Environmental Working Group provides this easy-to-use list so we can all shop smarter, save money and be that much more healthy — and happy.

This list shows the "Dirty Dozen" those with the highest levels of pesticides and the "Clean 15" those with the lowest levels. You can view that here.

In addition, below Dr. Andrew Weil, renowned medical expert on natural health and wellness, tells us why and how he uses the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides.



Although it's not always easy to purchase organic foods whether it's due to cost or the location we live in, it's still very important for us to stay abreast of what's going on environmentally, for the sake of our children and ourselves.

I suppose I'll have to start adding something from the "Clean 15" to my oatmeal instead of my usual blueberries or I'll just have to double up on the mangoes.

Roasted Vegetable Tower with Sauteed Tomatoes

I had such a craving today for vegetables and fruit. So I loaded up with grapefruit, pears and cantalope and then hit Whole Foods during the lunch hour and purchased lots of great veggies for dinner tonight plus some salmon which I always love.

When selecting my vegetables I decided I wanted to make a vegetable tower so I purchased vegetables that had about the same circumference.

Here are the ingredients I purchased for this luscious dish:

Roasted Vegetable Tower with Sauteed Tomatoes

Ingredients:

portabella mushrooms (1 each for how many you're serving)
red onion, sliced in 1/4 inch rounds
butternut squash, peeled and sliced in 1/4 to 1/2 inch rounds
eggplant, sliced in 1/4 to 1/2 inch rounds
salt and pepper

6 Roma Tomatoes, cut in 1/4 inch dice
clove of garlic, minced
extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano

Directions:

Slice the red onion, butternut squash and eggplant. Lay on a sheet pan lined with heavy duty foil and rub olive oil over them with S & P sprinkled on top. Then place the veggies in a 400 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. Add the portabella mushrooms also drizzled with olive oil, for an additional 5 minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting in the oven, place approximately 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saute' pan with minced garlic. Heat for about 30 seconds then add the diced tomatoes. Cook over medium heat until the tomatoes release their juices and begin to soften but still vibrant in color. Remove from heat.

On a plate layer the veggies like a tower by placing the mushroom, onion, butternut squash then the eggplant and ladle a couple of heaping spoonfuls of the tomato mixture over the veggie tower. Top with freshly grated cheese and serve.

Delicious, light and beautiful. Enjoy!

All it takes is a few steps to create this lovely tower of roasted vegetables.

My Favorite New Tool!

The tools that I use most in my kitchen and are perfect for almost everything are my knives. Let's face it, if you have a great set of knives they can get you through almost any task in your kitchen. However, it's fun to pick up a gadget or funky tool now and then.












Well, yesterday I experienced the OXO - Corn Peeler. I couldn't believe how effortlessly it worked and did the job perfectly. I even tested it on raw corn and it was amazing. In fact, I had so much fun with it, I ended up peeling more corn off the cob than I needed. It was so simple!

There's nothing better than using fresh corn in a recipe instead of frozen. Although the frozen works fine but fresh off the cob is still best.

Check out this remarkable tool.

If you're wondering what recipe to use it on try my Southwest Chipolte Chicken and Rice Salad. It's delicious and great to place in tortillas the next day for a delightful wrap. Plus the most fun will be when you use your new OXO - Corn Peeler. A must for anyone that likes to peel fresh corn off the cob without any effort at all! At least in my opinion.

Honey and it's Many Health Benefits

It's that time of year again when everything is in full bloom. The winds are blowing and so does everything else outside that appears to cause my eyes to water, throat to itch and periodic sneezing.

A few years ago I happen to go into the local pharmacy only to find that they were selling honey from the local farmers. I thought it was odd but then the gal behind the counter told me it helps to ward off allergies. Apparently if you purchase local made honey and take 1-2 teaspoons a day it will help to rid you of those unwanted allergies that crop up during the spring and summer months. So I've been taking it ever since. I can't say for sure that it's helped me but since I love honey anyway, I've decided to take a daily regimen.

So yesterday I decided to go online and explore honey and if it actually does ward off these allergies. Most comments didn't say it was proven but that it can help.

In addition, I learned so many other amazing facts about honey that I wanted to share with you.

Here's a bit of what I read:

The fact is, researchers are turning up more and more new evidence of honey's medical benefits in all directions. The benefits of honey don't just stop at satisfying the palate; honey also offers incredible antiseptic, antioxidant and cleansing properties for our body and health, hot beauty and skin care tips for ladies, and amazing healing properties as a head-to-toe remedy, from eye conjunctivitis to athlete foot.

Its powerful healing attributes have long been used thousands of years ago and known to promote healing for cuts, cure ailments and diseases, and correct health disorders for generations after generations. The renowned UMF Manuka honey, perhaps the tastiest natural medicine, is commonly cited in many discussions on health benefits of honey. This honey not only fights infection and aids tissue healing but also helps reduce inflammation and scarring. In addition, it is often used for treating digestive problems such as diarrhea, indigestion, stomach ulcers and gastroenteritis.

Among other interesting facts I learned that:

1. Next time before you go for a workout, take a spoon of honey to enable you to go for the extra mile. I would have never considered taking this for energy. I will now!

2. If you are feeling low and lethargic in the morning, instead of reaching out for a can of carbonated energy drink , try honey. Spread it on hot toast or replace the sugar in your tea with it for a refreshing surge of energy.

3. If your kids are finding it hard to cope with the physical strain from the buzzing activities at school, prepare them some sandwiches with honey, butter and ham to make sure they have enough energy to sustain through the day. I can recall when I was younger my grandmother would make me honey and butter sandwiches. Sounds strange now but I remember gobbling those up. I guess she must have had some insight on the health benefits of honey that the rest of us were unaware of.

Looking to improve your skin and keep it healthy? Here's a simple facial mask that you can make at home:

For Normal Skin:
Apple Honey Mask

You will need

1 Apple, cored & quartered

2 Tablespoons Honey


Drop the apple pieces into a food processor and chop. Add honey and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Pat the mixture onto your face with a light tapping motion, tapping until the honey feels tacky. Leave it on for 30 minutes and then rinse.

To find more facial masks for normal, dry, oily, or tired skin check this out.

To learn more amazing facts about the benefits of honey from allergies to weight loss plus a whole host of benefits, check out this site. With honey so readily available and the amount I read and keep myself updated about foods, I'm shocked that I'm just reading about this now.

I hope you find this article to be helpful to you as well.

Arugula Salad with Grilled Chicken & Strawberries

The weather was so unbelievably beautiful today especially since originally the forecast was for rain and storms all day.

I felt like something light for dinner this evening so I decided to make a salad. My family didn't mind since I always make big meals. So tonight was light and easy.

I had some chicken (which I grilled), strawberries, Ciliegene Mozzarella, and Arugula on hand and made some fresh croutons.

Then I made a Pomegranate Raspberry Vinaigrette to go with the salad. For those of you that purchase store bought vinaigrette's it's so easy to make your own. A simple rule of thumb is:

3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. I tend to make it with 1/2 the amount of vinegar to the oil. That's because I like mine with a little more tang. Then I added some Dijon mustard, Agave Nectar for sweetness and a little salt and pepper. You can also add some chopped shallots and minced garlic if you like. I didn't add those this evening.

Tonight's dish was simple and delicious. In fact, the croutons I made by just using some whole grain slices of bread. Then spraying them with Pam, adding a little salt and pepper and putting them in the oven until brown and crispy. Then I just sliced them into cubes and added them to the salad. Easy, delicious and low fat.

So if you're in the mood for something light, why not whip up a salad for yourself using the ingredients you have around. Whether you have red wine vinegar, balsamic, strawberry or any type of vinegar you can make a vinaigrette with the oil you have on hand, although Olive Oil would be my preference. It's that simple. Give it a try!