Wholly Moly! Making Healthy & Quick Dinners Possible with Dips?

If you’ve spent anytime following me, you know I like to eat.

Unfortunately, while cooking sounds like it could be fun, time seems to get in the way for my battle to make a meal that’s healthy, quick (like 20 minutes quick) and of course, tasty. So when I got an invitation to attend a cooking class hosted by Wholly Guacamole to get some tips on “dinner dilemmas,” I was quick to RSVP since I need all the help I can get. However, while I am a fan of all things made with guacamole or salsa, I was intrigued to learn how I could make that spread for a week’s worth of dinner hearing the complaints of empty stomachs.

The 20-count mom class seemed to be ready to learn any new ideas about getting healthy and  quick meals on the table for their family. And after an afternoon of learning basic cooking skills, a few test recipes for appetizers, entrees and even a few cocktails, I was quite surprised on all the different uses of “salsa.” I mean, really, a drink? Yes, we actually made two including a cocovado using Wholly Guacamole and coconuts and placing a dollop of Mango Wholly Salsa before pouring champagne. (At this point I became a believer since cooking started with a cocktail!)

Throughout the afternoon, I learned other great recipes including apps like Island Mango Shrimp and my personal favorite, roasted tomato, goat cheese and feta bruschetta. Besides being fun to say 10 times, the combo of goat cheese, feta and a little balsamic glaze made it hard to just eat one (so I ate like three.) We also gave dinner staples like chicken breast and meatloaf a makeover with a few new ingredients. However, it was the vanilla ice cream topped with warm Pineapple Wholly Salsa that really sank the deal…it was so good I ate it before I ate my lunch!

After the cooking class, I was full, happy and empowered to take this “mama challenge” and try it on my most cynical critics – my family.  So equipped with one of each of the products, I went home to make dinner for my family. Ready to make something new and not to be wasteful, I was going to incorporate my salsas into as many meals as possible.  

The first night: The most obvious use would be Mexican food and since I already had fajitas thawed, there wasn’t much I could do. However, I used the pico and guacamole mix to create cute little appetizer cups that included a perfect bite of everything you eat in a fajita all in a baked chip. While not that original, it was very tasty. When my husband asked for a little more heat, we pulled out the Hot Salsa. Good Dinner. Happy Family.

The next night I worked to expand the menu and decided to conquer pork tenderloin paired with the Pineapple Wholly Salsa, mashed potatoes and broccoli. It took about 10 minutes to prepare everything and about an hour to cook. My husband even complimented me on the presentation on this one. Again, Good Dinner. Happy Family.

While I could go through a list of all the great things I made, I think it’s obvious that Wholly Guacamole and Salsa line is a lot more than just dip. Don’t believe me, then take your own challenge. Go to their Facebook or webpage for a good coupon you can use today and get cooking.

While there’s another reason why they call it “Wholly,” after this challenge I know why I call it “Holy Wholly Guacamole.” And hopefully your family will too. 

Disclaimer: I was a special guest of Wholly Guacamole and received products to sample these recipes. However, the comments here are all my own. 

Make Mealtime Madness a Thing of the Past: The Mom 100 Cookbook

Type in the words “Menu planner template” in Google and see how many different versions are out there for moms to try to tackle that daily question, “What’s for dinner?” Even with the hundreds of cookbooks (yes, that is the truth) that I own, the biggest challenges in our household every night is how to make a dinner that’s creative, cost-effective, quick, healthy and tasty. It’s not that I don’t have recipes, it’s just that everything else gets in the way of me trying to tap into my inner June Cleaver. After a long day, it’s hard to deliver the goods and then get to all the other things that need to get done. But I can’t even eat the same 7 meals a week. But let’s be honest, the kids probably don’t care if dinner was showcased in this month’s Food and Wine Magazine.

What’s a mom to do? 

THE MOM 100 COOKBOOK: 100 Recipes Every Mom Needs in Her Back Pocket by Cookstr.com founding editor-in-chief and mother of 2, Katie Workman, promises that no meal will be boring ever again! She delivers solutions to the 20 most common cooking dilemmas that every modern mom faces, providing recipes and tips for parents who are so baffled by their kids’ food preferences that mealtime has become a minefield. Because Katie knows what it’s like to be a mom in the kitchen, her recipes also include special Fork in the Road suggestions (which lets you make one basic dish while still catering to different tastes,) as well as Make Ahead sidebars (recipes you can prepare in advance and store in the fridge or freezer for a quick, tasty, and healthy meal during the hectic week) and What the Kids Can Do sidebars (so instead of them getting in your way, you can include the kids in cooking dinner!)

THE MOM 100 COOKBOOK presents 5 solutions to each of the 20 most common kitchen dilemmas, including: The Overnight Vegetarian Convert; Salad-Rejectors; Breakfast on a Harried School Morning; The Fish-o-Phobe; Snacks That Don’t Come in a Crinkly Bag. 

Each of the 100 recipes is complemented by mouthwatering color photographs taken by Todd Coleman, executive food editor of Saveur magazine. The result is an attractive, easy to understand, indispensible resource that every mom will be grateful for every day of the week. Just one glance at this beautiful book, and I’m sure you will agree with Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis, and Ina Garten – who are among her biggest fans!

Recipes highlights include:

• A mouth-watering Brisket that will please husband and kids alike (and also provides leftovers for sandwiches and a soup – recipes included.)
• Roast Chicken Pieces with 5 options for rubs (because, really, who has time to roast a whole chicken after work?!) 
• Healthy, but tasty & fun snacks like Chickpea Poppers.   
• Simple and quick additions to regular dinner sides, like goat cheese or Dijon mustard in Mashed Potatoes.
• And an award-winning (from everyone who has tried it) One-Skillet Cheesy Beefy Casserole! A delicious meal with only 1 pan to clean!

So the real question remains. Is it really any good? These familiar foodies think so: 

     “One of the best cookbook authors of her generation, Katie Workman is the perfect person to help moms everywhere get delicious meals to the table. I’m waiting for my invitation to her ‘taco night.’” — BOBBY FLAY

     “These are the 100 recipes everyone needs! They’re the classics your family wants with the volume turned up.” — INA GARTEN

     “The recipes in Katie Workman’s smart, sassy new cookbook will have even picky eaters asking for seconds!” — GIADA DE LAURENTIS

And to get a quick taste as to what the book offers, here’s a link to 10 quick tips in the kitchen: http://youtu.be/n0jXx_vK40U

Ready to get your copy of your new solution to mealtime madness? You can get it now on Amazon.com or  get your own signed copy from Katie Workman on May 24 from 4:30 – 5:30 pm. Then stay for cooking class at 6:30 pm at the Central Market in Plano as part the store’s 10th anniversary celebration. 

Hope that this one ends up in your back pocket (or at least as part of your quick reference shelf.)

DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of The Mom 100 Cookbook for consideration of a review. However, all the comments listed here are my own. 

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/05/06/3934736/may-is-national-smile-month-let.html#storylink=cpy

Get a picture-perfect smile!

There's a month designated for everything nowadays, but this month was new one for me... May is National Smile Month! And considering I'm always working to make my coffee and wine tinted teeth look like they belong on the front page of a celebrity magazine at home WITHOUT SPENDING MUCH MONEY. So when I got a few tips from a dentist to make my teeth look great without a treatment or service, I was excited to share these with you. But after I did a little more research on this dentist office, I found out this was no normal dentist and it's possible to get those pearly whites - looking a lot more white at home with a home kit!

First, because I can't keep a secret, I had to share the juicy stuff. After a little Googling I discovered this dentist was in CHICAGO...so immediately, I started to delete her info since I wouldn't be traveling out of state just to do a crown. However, it was the words "SPA" in Mitchell Dental Spa that really peaked my interest. While you get your dentistry, you can get a facial, massage or botox while you are laying horizontal in the chair waiting for your cavity to get filled. BRILLIANT! So the question remains, when are these guys coming to DFW? 

Second, the free way to get your teeth picture-perfect for National Smile Month, check out these great tips: 

A great smile can go a long way when it comes to making a first impression. White, bright teeth and a wide smile convey an air of confidence that is important in any situation, from a job interview to a first date. Teeth whitening procedures are certainly effective, but small daily steps can also be helpful and less expensive.  

1.) WEAR LIPSTICKS THAT CONTAIN A HINT OF BLUE—Blue tones around the mouth can make teeth appear whiter, so when shopping for new makeup, consider red lipstick with blue undertones.  These will make your smile appear brighter by offsetting any yellow coloration in the teeth.  Coral and orange based lipsticks can make the teeth appear more yellow, so avoid these if you are self-conscious about your pearly whites.

2.) SNACK ON CRUNCHY FRUITS AND VEGGIES –Mildly abrasive fruits and vegetables such as apples, carrots or celery not only provide the body with essential nutrients, but also act as a natural toothbrush by gently scrubbing off small bits of plaque that have gathered on the teeth and gums.

3.) SWISH WITH WATER AFTER DRINKING TEA OR COFFEE—Coffee, tea and other dark liquids can stain the teeth and leave them looking dingy. To prevent discoloration, simply swish water around in your mouth immediately after consuming a staining liquid.

4.) CHEW SUGARLESS GUM CONTAINING XYLITOL—Xylitol, a naturally occurring sugar substitute, has been added to many sugar-free gums as a sweetening agent, but it also has healthful properties. Chewing a gum containing xylitol, such as Trident, has been shown to reduce the levels of harmful oral bacteria, reducing the likelihood of developing cavities.

5.) BRUSH TEETH BEFORE GOING FOR A RUN—Running dries out the mouth and any plaque that already exists on the gumline will tend to dry out and calcify, resulting in discoloration and even gum disease. A quick brush before leaving for a run can help solve this problem.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST: 

While I have tried some reasonably good teeth whitening systems at home, it always seems after I wear the trays or gel on my teeth for an hour, the next morning when I turn on my friend Keurig that it seems like I just wasted the treatment from the night before. So when the IntelliWHITE Pro Whitening Kit system appeared on my doorstep, I figured it would end up in the drawer with the other products. But in addition to the bumpers that keep you from getting the ointment on your tongue this kit gives you an eraser pen to use after your coffee, wine and any other foods that stain your teeth. And best of all, the actual IntelliWHITE Pro Whitening Kit (retailing online for $70 for two packages - buy one, get one free) seems to work well and I give it a pretty good challenge!

 No matter what, remember the best way to celebrate Smile Month is to SMILE! Besides, it increases your face value.

Looking for a better way for a picture-perfect celebrity smile? May is SMILE MONTH so make sure you give those teeth a little extra love!

DISCLAIMER: I received IntelliWHITE Pro Whitening Kit for consideration of a review. However, all the comments listed here are my own.