Summer TIme Lunch Fun!

The countdown in the Amen house has begun! We only have 4 short days of school left before we are on our own to play the summer away! Most of the country is sharing our excitement, that soon our little monsters…*ahem*….I mean our little angels will be home soon for 3 whole months! As I was thinking about all of the fun activities we would be packing our calendar with, it hit me all at once! LUNCH! I usually make breakfast and send the oldest off to school with her lunch money or lunch packed in hand and then it’s just me, Aj and the bun that’s cooking in the oven. So, lunches are pretty easy around here and he is so picky that I usually only make a few different things throughout the week anyways, and I try to eat left overs as much as possible. The older one however, is a totally different story. She enjoys variety, so I made a dash to Google and found some amazing lunch ideas! I also learned that if you have to serve the same thing a couple of days in a row that making it LOOK different makes a huge difference! Some of the things that I found have an amazing level of creativity, I was very impressed. I have included all of the links to the pictures that I have found so if you want to explore further (and to give credit where credit is due =D).

Some easy ideas to use to spice up the daily lunch routine are things like: “Ants on a Log” (peanut butter on celery topped with raisins), “Pigs in a blanket” (little Smokey’s wrapped in a crescent roll), pizza rolls (these are a favorite of everyone in our house. When I make these, I have to make enough to feed an army!), Fruit layered on a stick is also a fun one that kids seem to enjoy. Not only are these a great way to spice things up, but with some fresh fruit or veggies, yogurt (Greek yogurt is GREAT for dipping fresh fruit like apples in and making Parfaits with), and a drink these are great “on the go” lunches as well! Just pack it all up and you are on your way to the pool in no time! Here are some other great lunch ideas, which I also love because they are all a fun spin on the regular old plain-Jane sandwich! http://blog.hwtm.com/2009/08/whats-for-lunch-funky-cuteness/ <<<This blog has a TON of cute sandwich ideas!

My goal for this summer is to make something different every day for an entire week (7 whole days)! I think that the site above and the ideas that I already have up my sleeve will make it a lot easier than I thought it would. Maybe I will even take another step and strive for 14 days of variety. I hope that this helps and please feel free to share any ideas that you have found for fun meals, or if there is something that you would like to see featured here. Happy picnicking! =D

Susan

Get the most out of your produce...Tips to make them last longer!!!

If you are anything like me you stock up weekly on your produce! I get the majority of my produce from Tampa Bay Organics ( www.tampabayorganics.com ) Its a fantastic home delivery service in the Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties (Florida) Every Friday I receive an email with what to expect in my box on Tuesday of the following week ( We receive the large box, seeing how I am borderline vegetarian). I can then log in and substitute or add to my order. Each week there is an assortment of Fruits and veggies (of the normal varities, ie : apples, oranges, bananas, carrots, celery, etc.) But usually ever week its something you would never expect ie: Dandelion greens, Kabocha squash, Kiwiberries etc. It has allowed the Double A's aka Picky and pickier to try new things because they are so excited to be apart of the washing and putting away of all the produce! We then can hunt up a fun recipe for our new items and go from there which in turn they want to try it because they helped!!!

I always have a plethera of fresh herbs and "salad" items. These items tend to go bad quickly so I have complied some of my "tricks of the trade" for making your produce last the longest and some to help you be able to enjoy them sooner by escalating the ripening!!! Enjoy!!!

LETTUCE

1st off is lettuce whether it be romaine, Boston Bibb, or red leaf this tip works for them all. When you receive your lettuce be sure to seperate and wash and spin dry each leaf. Then by simply wrapping the leaves in a Dish towel and placing it in your crisper drawer it should last a good 7-10 days.

MUSHROOMS

Always store your mushrooms in a paper bag, Do not clean your mushrooms until just before using them. When cleaning take a damp dish towel and gently wipe the mushrooms clean. Do not submerge them in water as mushrooms will absorb the water.

HERBS

Parsley
Fresh cut your parsley and Place it in a short rocks glass with water in the refrigerator. Just as you would fresh flowers on the dining room table.
Cilantro , Basil, Rosemary, etc.
Place your fresh cut herbs each in a freezer or paper bag with a paper towel and expel all excess air. The paper towel will absorb any moisture, therefore keeping your herbs fresher longer.

Sometimes, when we pick our produce at the market, it has not ripened to perfection yet so I have a few tricks to ripen your produce to perfection at home. These are sure fire tips to getting the best out of our yummy jewels.

Avacados
Avacados are very easy to ripen if they are too hard when you purchase simply place them in a brown paper bag and put in a warm spot, On top of the refrigerator works the best, for a day or so and you will have delicous perfectly ripened avacados in just a few hours. The gases from the avacado and the brown paper bag cause a reaction to ripen the fruit faster.


DO YOU HAVE TIPS AND TRICKS?! Email them to us @ 2NaturallyTwistedMoms@gmail.com
Or if you have any suggestions or these tips didnt work for your produce!!!

Have a great day!!!!

~Opal
The Florida half of 2NTM

Making Money From Home!

Making money from home…YES! it is possible to make money from home without spending a lot! (But please do your homework before jumping into a contract or sending anyone money, there are unfortunately A LOT of scams out there! =( ). I have heard several people over the last few weeks talking about money (or the lack thereof) and wondering how they could bring in an income without having to go to work and worry about day care (which is outrageous). Here are a few different ideas and sources that I have compiled, but don’t stop with just what’s here. Make this a starting point because there are literally THOUSANDS of ideas and options out there!!

1.       Direct Marketing (Don’t let these two words scare you!) I know that direct marketing has been given a bad name by companies who have done the pyramid scheme, but they are not all like that I promise! (This is where doing homework comes in handy. Be sure that you are not signing up for a company who is not ethical and a “fly by night” type of company). There are tons of different options out there, so be sure to pick something that you truly enjoy and can stand beside. The biggest part of direct marketing is believing in the product you are selling, otherwise you probably won’t make much (people can see when you are selling something that you are skeptical about). I am an independent consultant of Arbonne International and I absolutely LOVE it! If you want more info please feel free to contact me, I would love to help others get started and make some extra money! Opal is an Independent Consultant of Pampered Chef and this is right up her alley! She is an amazing cook, so having a job that she can cook for others and show them all the cool kitchen stuff out there is awesome. I am sure that she would love to help others get started with it too, so definitely don’t hesitate to contact her!! (Okay shameless promotions are done now LOL).

2.      Surveys and Product testing. YES! YOU CAN MAKE MONEY DOING THIS!! There are a lot of companies out there that will pay you to take surveys about products that you have tried, everyday things that make life easier (or sometimes harder), and even products that they send to you to test. (And you usually get to keep the item, so it’s a double bonus!)

3.      Offer a service! Are you fantastic at organizing and cleaning? Have a lot of time after the hubby gets home from work or on the weekends? Have days to yourself while the kids are at school? Offer a service to someone else and make some extra cash! Offer house cleaning services, errand services, grocery shopping services, etc. to those who may not have the time to do this for themselves. (Please, please, please be very careful not to put yourself in a situation that could be dangerous or illegal! Make sure that whatever you are doing that you exercises caution and common sense. Don’t forget to make sure that you are also compliant with tax laws. I don’t want to misguide anyone here =D).

4.      A second job? If you are looking for a second job that will work around your current schedule and will give you pretty quick money, why not look at the service industry? Waitressing is a great way to earn some money on the side and be able to work part time. You usually make pretty nice tips as well, so that could help bridge the gap in-between paydays.

5.      Make something and sell it! Not everyone is great at making everything. There are people out there who absolutely suck at sewing (like me!) and in turn, they avoid doing it all costs! You have an advantage if you are at all creative, you can make stuff at your own leisure and sell it on sites like EBay and Etsy. Signing up for an Etsy account is pretty easy and painless. They ask for your information and you get to pick your store name and can sell just about anything you can think of. (Just be sure to review their policies before you list something that might be questionable. You don’t want them to ban you because of an honest mistake!) J and I started our own Etsy store and I LOVE it. We can craft together and I list it. When something sells we package it up together and mail it right out. Each listing is only 20 cents (so you are out only pennies if it doesn’t sell) and the listing is valid for 4 months! That’s amazing!

6.      Ad space. Do you drive a lot? Why not sell ad space on your car? Companies will actually pay you to drive! This would be ideal if you have a long commute, are always driving the carpool or are just out and about a lot. Be sure to read and understand all of the information set forth by the company before signing any contracts though. Make sure that if there is a minimum mileage or any extra requirements of you that it is understood.

7.      Start a daycare or babysitting service! Are you home all day and love kids? Offer to watch someone else’s kids while they go to work. (Disclaimer once again! LOL Make sure that you are following all applicable state and local laws regarding daycare services. Some states make you go through a certification process to watch a certain amount of kids.) This might be a great way to make some extra money from home though, while also giving your kids a play buddy! The going rate for daycare is pretty high, so it could be very lucrative. Just make sure that you absolutely love kids and are capable of taking care of the kiddos, quality child care is of the upmost importance!

I hope that at least one or two of these ideas helps out, and like I said don’t limit yourself with this list. Use it as a starting point; there are TONS of options out there! =D

Susan

Cleaning..the simple and "green" way!

Before I started researching ways to clean my house in an Eco friendly manner, I thought for sure that this was going to be quite the chore. I never really entertained the idea of "going green" when it came to housework. I thought that not only would it be harder and more time consuming (which I couldn't stand the thought of giving up even more of my precious play time with the kids!) but I also thought "you can't possibly have a clean house without chemicals!". I mean, how do you know that it is clean without knowing that all of those toxic chemicals have stripped every last contaminant off of that surface? Well, needless to say I was in for quite the surprise. I headed to the grocery store and picked up a few times that I would need to clean my house and not use a single chemical (I started to think how all of these chemicals could affect my family and I didn't like the thought that the chemicals could be hurting instead of helping). I found a few recipes on Pinterest and quickly went to work. I started with my dishwasher, it was in desperate need of help. I read online that you could clean your dishwasher with a simple packet of lemonade (yeah right!). So with only 15 cents and an hour of wash time to loose (since I had to clean the dishwasher already, if it didn't work I wasn't really worried). Jasmine watched as I dumped it in and laughed that this was how I was going to clean it, but then she thought it could work. After the cycle finished we popped open the door together and were shocked, it actually worked! My dishwasher was spotless! Needless to say, this started a chain affect and we became believers, so the next stop was the washing machine. The method I used was a little more time consuming but it was more waiting then anything. We filled the washer up with the hottest water it would allow and poured in two cups of white vinegar and let it set for an hour. After it had soaked we let it finish the cycle and filled it up again, this time adding two cups of Borax (an all natural bleach alternative that I couldn't survive a day without). We let it set for another hour and then put it through the normal cycle. It made most of my washer sparkly white, but there were still a few spots that I thought I would have to scrub, so I went and got my sponge and to my surprise (again lol) they wiped right out! I think that the results certainly speak for themselves. Since our day of experimenting we have happily traded in our chemical filled wipes and bottles for 4 simple cleaning supplies (aside from my laundry soap) that clean anything and everything. We have a box of Borax, s spray bottle of vinegar, a box of baking soda and home made dish detergent. Not only am I limiting the amount of chemicals we are being exposed to daily, we are saving a lot of money and it has actually made my cleaning routine easier. All of my green products clean better then any chemical I used to use and I uncluttered under my sink, finally! Here is a list of DIY cleaning supplies and the site that I found it on (always give credit where credit is due). I hope this helps to save others money, time and a few nose hairs. =D

To clean your washing machine: 

Fill with hot water and add 2 cups of vinegar. Let it set for one hour and then run it through the rest of the cycle. Fill it with hot water again and add 2 cups of bleach. *I use Borax because it is a natural bleach alternative, but you can use regular bleach if you would rather* Let it set for one hour and then run it through the rest of the cycle. If there is still build up in the washer, it usually wipes out pretty easily with a sponge. Here is the site that I found it on, she has some other great tips on there too! (Like how to clan your bath tub with a baking soda paste, and it actually works). http://www.somewhatsimple.com/how-to-clean-your-washing-machine/

To clean your dishwasher: 

Make sure that your washer is empty and put a packet of Lemonade Kool-aid *the generic works just the same, but this is the only flavor that will work* in the soap dispenser cup and run the cycle as usual. When it is all done it will be nice and sparkly clean and anything that is left on the bottom easily wipes out.

Homemade dishwasher detergent recipe: 

1 Cup "Washing Soda" *Such as Arm and Hammer* or Baking Soda
1 Cup Borax (It does everything! LOL)
1/4 Cup Kosher Salt
1/4 cup citric acid (available at brewing places or Amazon.com. Or as an alternative you can use the same amount of Fruit Fresh or two packets of Lemonade-Flavored Kool-Aid, ONLY lemon and ONLY unsweetened!)
3 Drops and ONLY 3 DROPS of liquid dish soap (any more than that will cause the dishwasher to overflow).  *Add to each load, not to the mixture above*
Then splash 1/2 Cup of Vinegar in the bottom of the dishwasher and start the cycle. This will help the dishes to shine. 
Use 1-2 tablespoons of the above mix with each load in your soap tray.
This will save a ton of money and works great!
http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/02/homemade-dishwasher-detergent-revised.html
Tips for cleaning with vinegar: 
http://www.vinegartips.com/scripts/pageViewSec.asp?id=7

I hope that this helps (sorry if it is kind of long and overwhelming LOL). Enjoy!
~Susan 

Who wants to win something from 2NTM?

Oh yeah you read that correctly!!!! We have a challenge for you all....... A recipe off!!!

Do you have the best kept secret recipe in the whole wide world? Well here is your chance to share and possibly win a spice box from 2NTM's favorite Spice shop!!!

ENTRY RULES

We will be accepting 4 submissions for each category!
Categories are as follows:
Breakfast
Snacks
Dinners
Desserts

Submissions must be made to 2naturallytwistedmoms@gmail.com no later then Sunday April 1st @ 5pm

Your submission must be a full recipe and include a picture ( no more than 2 pictures please)  and in the subject line please put "Recipe contest: category" the category depends on your recipe if your recipe is a dessert it should look as follows : Recipe contest: Desserts

Please include your name, phone #, mailing address and email address in your emailed submission so we can ensure the winners get their prizes!!! ( We will only be posting your recipe name, your first name and your city and state with your recipe) Also please include a small photo of yourself!!!


All recipes will be posted on Tuesday, April 3rd.

Judging

Judging will be up to you and how many people you get to leave a comment with your recipe title and name on your recipe's category. (So tell everyone you know to get their vote in!!! and make sure they like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/2NaturallyTwistedMoms ) Voting will last until Friday April 5th at 12 midnight. Final tally of votes will be done on Saturday April 6th and winners will be posted that day around 5 pm.
This contest is not scientific!!!!
Winners will receive their prizes with in 2-4 weeks of close of contest.

Prizes

The winner from each category will receive a Spice box tailored to each category from 2NTM's favorite Spice shop. There is no prize for 2nd, 3rd or 4th places in each category. The winner will have a small bio written about them by 2NTM when the winner is announced!!!

PLEASE REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR SUBMISSIONS QUICK AND EASY AND KID FRIENDLY, BECAUSE AFTER ALL THAT IS WHO EATS OUR COOKING RIGHT?!

PLEASE HAVE FUN AND LETS KEEP IT CLEAN AND BE GOOD SPORTS!!!! 

HAPPY COOKING ALL, BUENO APPETITO!!!

Whew! Having fun is hard work!

Good morning and happy Tuesday! It has been a chaotic but fun weekend around here and I think we spent Monday recovering from all of the fun! LOL. Last week our handsome little man turned 3….3!! (I still can’t believe that he is already 3 years old!) Well, since he is a Cars fanatic we had a Cars themed birthday party for him on Saturday. He was ecstatic! As soon as DH hung his “Happy Birthday” banner he was running all around the house saying “My birfday is here! My birfday is here!” I think that it was a huge success, we had a house full of people, a kitchen full of amazing food and AJ had a smile from ear to ear the entire day! (Now we just have to get the Thank You notes done! LOL).

The outside of the invite

And it pops up! (I wish I could take the credit for thinking this up, but I found it on another website...and now I can't remember which site it was. Once I do I will give credit where it is due =D).

The birthday boy and his gift from Mom, Dad and Sissy!

Sissy was due for a new bike too and Aj needed someone to ride with!

Some of the party go'ers and the DH!

On Sunday we thought it would be fun to take the kiddos to Disney on Ice. So, the entire family made a trip to the Event Center to enjoy a magical evening together. (The hubby, kids, me, my mom, brother, aunt, uncle and 4 of our wonderful cousins all came together for the event.) After watching it, I have to say that it is worth the price of the ticket and the effort of packing in two kiddos. They both watched in awe the entire time and at the end they were able to high five all of the characters as they skated off the ice! J even enrolled in ice skating lessons after watching it, she has decided that she wants to be a Figure Skater and work for Disney when she grows up. I think that it will be interesting to watch her go from beginner to pro (and knowing her, it won’t take her very long to get there!)

Mickey and Minnie on the Ice

Well, that was our excitement for the weekend! I hope that everyone enjoyed the sunshine and beautiful weather; I know that we did and we won’t be spending very much time inside this week. =D

Susan

Just as random as I am!!!!

I hope you all had an AMAZING Weekend!!!! The Renaud Tribe did, and Im pretty darn sure so did the Amen Clan!!!!!

1st of all The Renaud Tribe has a new family member we'd like you all to Welcome....... Say Hello to Kaluha Belle Renaud  aka LuluBelle lol

Kaluha was rescued by one of our friends from a kill shelter in Georgia, She came over to meet the girls and Shae Shae LaRay Renaud Yesterday and Everyone was in love!!!! We believe she is a Shiba Inu and terrier of some sort and roughly between 1 and 2 yrs old!!!!  We are absolutely smitten with her!!!

While Kaluha and Shae and the Double A's played and got acquainted, DH and I played around in the garden and got some things accomplished. DH built the box for our raised bed as well as hung my plant hanger for me while I planted some radishes and tended to the already planted herbs and veggies and watermelon we have growing!!!

So that was our Productive Sunday after a small gathering with good friends at our house friday night!!! Thanks for visiting My random post and HAPPY MONDAY!!!!!!!!