Looking to Spice Up Your Cooking?

April 7, 2022 by 2 Comments

Looking to shake things up in the kitchen? Check out these spices, rubs, and foodie finds.

steak rub

Rainier Foods

Price: $3.99 – $44.99

chicken rub

Rainier Foods is the maker of delicious premium spice blends. From vegetables to chicken, pork, beef, seafood, and snacks, they have the right seasoning for any recipe. Bulk rubs are also available. A family-owned business located in the shadow of Mt. Rainier in Washington, they source the finest ingredients, with all products made locally to ensure the best quality from the Pacific Northwest. The brand proudly donates 1% of sales to the Washington National Park Fund. Also available on Amazon.

Stemple Creek Ranch knows the importance of family time and brings folks together for a quality meal no matter the occasion. Add it to the menu for your next family meal. The family-owned brand is leading the way in regenerative agriculture while offering premium meats that are often served in Michelin star restaurants. Families nationwide can enjoy these delicious offerings delivered right to their doorsteps for them to easily prepare on their own. They are strong believers that grass-fed and grass-finished animals make the best selections for their customers. Making it the perfect meat to grill up with friends and family.
farm to table
Price: 16oz – $5.99 | 3lb – $14.99
Lefty’s legendary Fish N’ Chicken Mix fry batter adds some Southern flair to any meal. The ultimate spicy addition to your Super Bowl feast. The bold flavors marry perfectly with poultry, pork, seafood, and vegetables. Set out to make flavorful food made with quality ingredients, and once you try their fry mix you will be left wanting to indulge. Also available on Amazon and select Sam’s Club, Kroger, Publix, and Safeway retailers in the DMV region.
hot sauce rub marinade
Price: Varies
When Veteran Dennis Butterworth set out to compete in a BBQ competition just for fun, little did he know it would eventually lead to a brand that offers premium products with a touch of goodwill. Meet WarPig BBQ. Their BBQ sauces will leave you feeling good all-around. Be sure to add them to your favorite meat. A portion of proceeds from their BBQ sauces and rubs are donated to Veterans organizations.

Filed Under: cooking, food, review Tagged With: , ,

4 Things A Beginner Baker Needs To Know

March 15, 2022 by Leave a Comment

If you’ve always wanted to give baking a try or are looking into a new hobby, it’s great that you’re taking the time to learn a little about it beforehand. There are some things that you need to know in advance if you want to give yourself a good first impression, else you would be setting yourself up to fail later on. However, there’s not too much to stress on, as baking is something that’s accessible for anyone to take part in, so long as they have the means to get working on it.

baking

Equipment comes first

Before you get started on any recipe, you want to make sure you have everything you need to finish a recipe. Baking is generally something you want to follow to the letter, and without measuring cups or scales, you’ll have a hard time doing that. You can’t just estimate things, or the recipe won’t turn out as it’s been advertised, and you’ll be giving yourself a bad experience with it overall. You’ll also want mixing tools – although it doesn’t have to be an expensive mixer, you can do a lot with just a bowl and a large wooden spoon, whisk, or other utensils.

Anyone can do it

If you feel like baking isn’t for you because you’ve got no prior cooking skills, think again. Baking is something anyone can take part in, so long as you know to follow the recipe. You can even do it with your kids, and parents often let their children take part in preparing cakes and such. It’s a fun activity that you shouldn’t be preventing yourself from doing.

Stick to the recipes

Until you’re experienced with baking, you shouldn’t really be trying to experiment with all of the different things you can do while baking. If you want cookies to turn out how the recipe claims they do, stick to the recipe as best you can. There’s no need to change a recipe if you like the result, and until you know that – you should stick to the recipe as best you can. It’s easy to assume that certain steps are insignificant, but making a mistake in your recipe can cost you your ingredients – so it’s not worth sacrificing them for science!

Get creative

Once you have gotten into baking, you can start to do things your own way. If you know you don’t like things a certain way, or you prefer substitutes to ingredients listed in the recipe, you’re free to play around with it. You can also try out a different topping for cheesecake each time you prepare one. Take a look at what other bakers are doing online and take inspiration from it – baking is a hobby that you’re free to do what you want. Again, it’s not something you’ll want to try as a beginner, but creativity will take your baking to the next level.

You’ll find that once you get started, baking is very therapeutic. Many people try baking when they’re looking for ways to calm their nerves. You’re in control, everything can be done exactly as the recipe states – it’s easy to do right.

Filed Under: baking Tagged With: ,

‘Manly Men’ Meat Lovers Flowers for Valentine’s @manlymanco1

February 13, 2022 by Leave a Comment

Before you click off in haste- wait a second! These are fun, and I think you will find them unique and fun and silly- your meat loving significant other will really enjoy them.

valentines gift for men

If you are anything like me, (and since you are here, I guess you are) you probably try to be as open minded as possible. So then, you might not love the term “manly man”. Perhaps for the stereotypes it conjures, or the way that it forces societal gender types onto people. It can be unhealthy and quite bad for people’s self esteem and self worth- more and more educators, scientists, and psychologists are finding these types of terms destructive. However, if we are tongue in cheek, and I assume that they are, the The Manly Man Co. specializes in gifts for men- and those who like to eat meat or receive unusual gifts, LOL. We all know people who are really hard to get gifts for, and not everyone of either genders likes to get flowers. If you look at their twitter feed, the company doesn’t seem to be pushing toxic masculinity or anything like that, just some fun and humor.

gift box

Also? My son really, really loves these. He loves the flavor, and he really thinks the bouquet is cool. And if you know teenagers, it’s hard to get them to admit they love anything except video games, their phones, and figuring our how to save enough money to get a car, LOL.

Plenty of people don’t really want flowers for Valentine’s Day, or even a traditional card. Instead of a polite ‘thank you’ this year for less than original gifts, The Manly Man Co. is offering an array of meat-based gifts to celebrate the meat lover in your life.

valentines day
Meathearts™
That’s not a typo, The Manly Man Co. has reimagined a classic Valentine’s Day candy into a very manly handmade version crafted in beef jerky. Meathearts are laser-etched with messages like “BEEF MINE,” “MEAT ME, AND XOXO.
$22.50 for 1 oz (approximately 21 pieces)

meat flowers bouquet

The famous Beef Jerky Flower Bouquet
What could say that someone loves a ‘manly man’ more than a dozen beef jerky ‘flowers’ in a handsome bouquet delivered in a pint glass vase?
Ditch the pretty flowers for the perfect meat-based manly version.
$99.00 for a full dozen, available in 3 flavors.

Meet THE MEAT CARD™
Why would any man want a boring cardboard card when they could get a custom (and potentially titillating) custom card laser-etched on beef jerky? Customers are encouraged to print whatever message they want to deliver directly to their manly man (we don’t judge.) Messages vary widely in naughtiness levels; here are two (relatively) clean examples: “Can we exchange meats?!”, “Your meat is officially off the market.”
$22.50 for 100 custom characters laser engraved on a card-sized (4″x9″) sheet of delicious beef jerky.

Bacon Scented Wrapping Paper (scratch and sniff)
Everything is better with bacon, so why not up your wrapping game with the glorious smell of bacon? Even if a manly man gets soap on a rope, it will be a big hit if wrapped in something that smells like bacon when you scratch and sniff.
$19.95 for a 30″ wide roll (8′ long.)

And speaking of bacon …

The Meat Bouquet
Here’s another radically superior beefy bouquet choice for men. It’s a tasty and tasteful arrangement of ready-to-eat thick-cut slices of gourmet bacon and beef sticks in multiple flavors.
$59.00 includes 9x beef sticks and 8x gourmet bacon in various flavors. Also available as a bacon bouquet and beef bouquet.

If your Valentine is a meat lover, this is a site you will want to use- for now, and to bookmark for further use. Enjoy the shopping experience!

Filed Under: gifts, holidays, review Tagged With: , , ,

5 Tips for Cooking for Your Family While Vacationing

February 2, 2022 by Leave a Comment

healthy foods

One of the beauties of getting to travel is the fact that it’s far from being one-size-fits-all. While some families will go to hotels and go out to eat every night on vacation, other families will rent out an apartment or lodging and will just cook their meals from there.  Food during travels just makes it taste so much better, doesn’t it? 

Even if it’s just home cooked meals, it still tastes so much better. Maybe it has something to do with the variety of ingredients, or the fact that you’re making something new. Whatever the case may be, getting the chance to cook during your travels can be so rewarding. 

Regardless, there still seems to be this idea that cooking during travels is almost impossible when in fact it’s further from the case. Sure, it can be quite challenging to try and cook food in a hotel room, especially one without a kitchen. But taking that aspect out of the count, you can indeed cook and create some of the best food when traveling. So here are some tips for achieving just that.

It all comes down to accommodation

One thing you must think about while planning your trip is whether or not you want to cook. If you’re traveling with a family, such as three or more, then know that going out to eat can get pretty expensive.  That’s why a lot of families will instead opt into lodgings such as a cabin, house, or apartment.

These usually contain kitchens, and some will even go as far as having all the equipment you need.  So if you’re dreaming of making pork tenderloin with cranberry in slow cooker, this can indeed happen. But, you’re going to have to choose your accommodation quite wisely. 

Think about bringing some of your own equipment

If you and your family are going to travel by car or RV, then this can be very easy, but if you’re going by plane or bus it’s best to not count on this tip.  Some methods of traveling can make it easy to pack. When it comes to road trips, you can essentially pack anything you’d like and not have to worry about luggage weight or fees like you do at an airport.  One of the additional benefits is the fact that you can have your own kitchen gadgets as well.

So if you are going to camp in an RV or maybe even go on a vacation in an AirBnB for a week with the family, as long as you’re on the road with your own vehicle, you can essentially bring what you want. This can include

  • Slow cooker
  • Pans
  • Can opener
  • Grater
  • Tongs
  • Tea Steeper
  • Bottle opener
  • Air fryer

Basically, any of the tools that you tend to use at home can help.

Be okay with settling with a microwave

If you and your family can’t afford an expensive apartment or cabin for lodging, then it’s okay. Maybe that’s not you, or maybe even that’s not even offered where the family vacation is at. In cases like this, just know that there are options. Some standard hotels will have mini-refrigerators and microwaves. While you can’t do too much cooking, you can still achieve a bit of food prep and a nice meal with these two kitchen appliances.  Plus, you can upcycle your food waste when finished as well.

You don’t have to cook your meals

If you’re wanting to give your family a nice homemade meal, just know that these don’t have to always be cooked. Sometimes, just having one warm meal is more than enough and this could be something such as going out to eat or even taking out. But there are still options such as buying needed ingredients for sandwiches. But you can even provide fruit, yogurt, cereal, and some other tasty snacks like hummus.

Just don’t get stressed over providing a warm cooked meal because it’s not always necessary. Just go to the grocery store in the area you’re in and see what options they have that don’t need to be cooked. You can still have a delicious and nutritious meal, such as a salad, and not have to worry about anything getting cooked.

Simplicity is key

Overall, when you’re traveling, try to avoid making things complicated for yourself.  You’re on vacation, you’re traveling. Traveling is supposed to be a way to relax and unwind. So if the idea of cooking on vacation just stresses you out too much. Then you should know that it’s far from being a requirement. Just take things easy. Just make sandwiches for lunch or buy snacks here and there. Just enjoy your trip. 

Filed Under: traveling Tagged With: , ,

Kid Friendly Cooking: Chocolate Macaroon Snowballs Kit with Kidstir

December 14, 2021 by Leave a Comment
Looking for a fun family activity or a great gift for kids this holiday season? Get kids in the kitchen with Kidstir’s single or subscription cooking kits. Each month brings a new box with 3 step-by-step recipes, kitchen tools, and a brand-new, activity-filled Foodie Fun magazine. In addition to mastering tasty recipes, kids learn hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, improve math and reading skills.
cooking with kids

This month’s theme is “Our Merry Table” and includes recipes such as vegan Spaghetti & Beetballs, a guide on how to make your own oat flour, a DIY dog treat guide, delicious gluten-free Macaroon chocolate snowballs, and more. Please let me know if I can send samples or images for any stories.
cooking with kids
The items in the box include a small child size oven mitt, small spatula, and many recipe cards. This is not one of those kits that include the food and other items that you will need to cook the food and recipes, you will have to buy those things on your own.
kidstir
Every months has a different batch of recipe cards, based on what time of year it is and holidays and things such as that. I have no idea if they change up the oven mitt and spatula- both boxes I got had them in it (Oct and Nov boxes) as well as recipe cards for the Day of the Dead and holiday themed things like latkes and eggnog. They might always have that, I’m not sure.
If you are looking for a monthly box of recipes to ty out, this is the site for you.  Check out this site or you can visit Amazon and pick one up. Enjoy!
Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, review Tagged With: , ,

Important Decisions You Need to Implement For a Healthy Body and Mind

October 14, 2021 by 1 Comment

Life is a balance of many factors. To live a healthy, happy life, it’s essential to make the right decisions. If you want to enjoy good health and peace of mind, you need to make some tough choices in your diet and lifestyle. In this post, we will talk about some critical decisions that are essential for your well-being.

fresh fruit

1 Eat Nutritious Food 

Eating a nutritious diet is one of the most important decisions you can make for good health. If you overeat sugar and saturated fats, your body will accumulate fat cells, leading to weight gain. You’ll also feel tired because your blood glucose levels fluctuate, which means your energy stores within your muscles are being depleted faster than they should be.

A healthy diet includes:

  • Lots of vegetables.
  • Fruits.
  • Lean proteins from fish or poultry.
  • Whole-grain carbohydrates such as brown rice or quinoa instead of white bread products like pasta and chips.

These types of carbs contain fiber which helps maintain stable blood glucose levels. Of course, healthy eating habits require discipline, but if you stick with it over time, there’s no doubt that you’ll feel better.

2 Exercise Daily 

The next most important decision you need to implement is exercise. Exercise at least five times a week for 45 minutes each time, but if you’re starting, aim for 30-minute sessions three days per week. If your schedule doesn’t permit that much downtime in the morning or evening, try exercising on your lunch break instead. Exercise will help ensure that all of the body’s systems are working correctly and enhance numerous bodily functions, including regulating blood pressure levels throughout the day and strengthening muscles while boosting bone density. Regular physical activity also helps manage stress, so it’ll keep anxiety symptoms under control – something that can be beneficial when trying to fall asleep at night too! So get moving more often by making this critical decision.

3 Reduce Alcohol Intake 

The third decision you need to implement is to reduce alcohol intake. If you overuse alcoholic beverages, it can lead to numerous health problems, including liver disease and cancer, so we recommend cutting back or even stopping altogether depending on your situation. When you drink excessively, not only will it damage many of the body’s organs but also cause mood swings and depression symptoms, which may make getting a good night’s sleep difficult, if not impossible at times. The Real-World Impact On Your Brain and Body is also highly noticeable when your body withdraws from alcohol. 

If there are medical reasons that prevent you from drinking, don’t start now because this critical decision could save your life! But if it’s something like social situations where people enjoy having a few drinks after work with friends, try suggesting other activities instead, such as going out for a nice dinner.

Making healthier lifestyle decisions can considerably impact your life, including longevity, physical health, and mental well-being. When you feel good about yourself, it’ll also boost confidence levels, leading to better relationships with others!

Filed Under: health Tagged With: , , ,

The Key Elements of a Healthy Lifestyle You Might Be Neglecting

August 9, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, people across the globe have come to the realization that our health is not something that we should be taking for granted. Often, we rely on modern medicine as a means by which to deal with all our health issues and it’s totally okay to use this as a way to help us recover and heal from illnesses.

However, far too often people use this as an excuse to not take proper care of themselves, using medical intervention to solve their problems rather than preventing problems from arising in the first place. This of course only applies to certain illnesses which are triggered by unhealthy lifestyles. Here are some elements of your health that you should take into your own hands. 

Your Sleep

Many people don’t realize what a major impact their sleep has on their health. Overworking themselves, staying up too late and only getting around 5-6 hours of sleep each night is a quick way to watch both your physical and mental health dwindle rapidly. Sleep should be a major focus and priority in our lives – we should schedule our sleep the same way we would schedule a meeting to ensure a good 7-8 hours every night. Your sleeping accessories (like your mattress and pillow) are also important items to upgrade when the time is right, and nowadays this is easier than ever since you can even make an online order for a memory foam mattress in a box. 

Your Nutrition

When it comes to nutrition, people are often operating at one end of two extremes. Either they don’t take much notice of their diets and eat a lot of junk and processed food, or they fall into the trap of following hundreds of different diet fads which can be just as unhealthy. Healthy nutrition is all about balance and moderation. Intense restriction and starving yourself is dangerous, and so is overloading your body with fats and sugars. However, each of these in small amounts is okay: watching your weight and eating lower calories is fine, but having a takeout on Friday nights is also okay. Your main focus should be on incorporating loads of whole, natural foods with loads of vitamins and minerals as your foundation and trying not to worry too much about having some treats now and then, since balance is key for mental health.

Your Activity

Regular movement is a crucial aspect of a healthy lifestyle, however, this doesn’t have to look the way you might imagine. When trying to work on their health or lose weight, many people turn to what they assume is the “right” way to do this. They might try out running, join a gym or start doing crunches on the floor of their bedroom. This might be a great change to their lifestyle. However, there’s also the chance that they might hate it – and that’s okay! The important part of exercise is that you enjoy it enough to do it consistently. This means that it might take you a while to find what’s right for you. It might be tennis, dance classes, kickboxing, weight lifting, swimming, yoga or hiking. There are endless ways to move your body and all of them are going to offer health benefits. Of course, certain types of exercise might be more conducive to certain aesthetic goals (like building muscle), but if you’re just looking for a healthy kick, it doesn’t really matter what you do. 

Your Mind

Yup, your brain is yet another organ that you need to take care of. Sometimes people get so focused on the physical aspects of a healthy lifestyle, that they end up neglecting the psychological side of things, which is just as important. Your mental health is a major element of your overall health – symptoms of depression and anxiety can often manifest physically which proves this fact! It’s important to take your mental health seriously by implementing time for yourself regularly and being kind to yourself. All of us need time off to dedicate to ourselves – to a hobby that we care about and to resting and relaxing. 

Final Thoughts

Advice found online might make a healthy lifestyle seem unattainable and complicated, but the truth is that expensive supplements, complex workout routines and restrictive diet plans aren’t all they’re made out to be. Focusing on these simple, main elements are all you need to be sure that you’re really taking care of your health and doing what matters to live a long and healthy life.

Filed Under: health Tagged With: , ,

Eating fish to lose weight: Here is what you need to know

August 3, 2021 by Leave a Comment

You don’t need to cut back on your meat consumption, despite popular misconceptions. Of all types of meat, fish is the healthiest part of the diet even if you are losing weight. There are plenty of such nutrients present in fish that boost the metabolism of the body resulting in weight loss. Due to this, dieticians recommend everyone add fish to their diet plan. Below are some top reasons why you should eat fish at least once a week.

Fish is capable of meeting the protein needs of the body:

It is a well-known fact that our body needs protein to lose weight. Those who lose weight generally add eggs and chicken to their diet. If you need a complete meal that fulfills your body’s protein needs, consider adding fish to your meal since it is rich in protein.

If you are trying to shed some pounds with foods having insufficient amounts of protein, you will not be able to control your hunger. Protein usually makes you feel full for a long period of time. This way, you can easily hold yourself back from eating excessively to satisfy your hunger. If you are convinced to add fish to your diet, try to cook it healthily. Fried fish is never recommended for losing weight

There is less fat in fish:

As compared to beef, pork, and mutton, fish has a very low-fat content. Those who want to fulfill their desire of eating meat while keeping the fat consumption low can fall back on fish. Luckily, fish can be cooked in many ways without any addition of fats such as oil, cheese, etc. To make your seafood more wholesome, pair it with vegetables. The richness of healthy content in the fish also depends on how fresh it is. Therefore, the world’s renowned dieticians always recommend consuming fresh fish. You can easily buy fresh fish at Fish Me. 

You don’t need to worry about calorie count:

Losing weight and keeping tabs on calorie count always go hand in hand. People usually prefer food with low calories. Fish is considered the healthiest food with a minimum number of calories. One ounce of fish contains 30 calories. If we compare it with other sources of protein, fish contains the least number of calories while being rich in protein at the same time. If you choose to cook it without adding extra fats, you may go for grilled fish, baked or boiled sushi, etc.

Patients with diabetes can feed on fish for weight loss:

Living with diabetes always entails the patient losing weight to keep the level of sugar and insulin balance in the body. Shedding pounds with diabetes is not easy as you cannot consume all foods that are good for losing weight.  Fish, however, is rich in omega 3 fats that have anti-inflammatory properties making the food best for diabetes and heart patients.  

Filed Under: health Tagged With: , , ,