Saturday, March 27, 2010

These are a few of my favorite things...

Okay folks, this is a post about me, and about the things that make my life easier/more enjoyable/yummier/ etc. I'm not talking kids, family, friends, etc. I'm talking about stuff. These are some of the items I currently can't go without, or could but don't want to!

The Magic Bullet. No kitchen is complete without one. Matt and I are smoothie freaks and use it every single day to make yummy fresh smoothies. I make all Piper's baby food in seconds with fresh fruits and veggies. Anything that needs blending, chopping, pureeing, etc. gets done in the bullet. I love that it's small and dishwasher safe. Plus, has anyone seen the infomercial? It's completely addicting! LOVE the magic bullet. I also want a "Ninja" master prep. Look at the infomercial. You'll want one too.



Mmmmm...Girl Scout Cookies. Need I say more? I think I will! I love them. Well, 2 of them at least! Samoas and Tagalongs. I even just made homemade Samoas. Good, but way too time consuming. We just discovered Dreyers Girl Scout Cookie Ice Cream. TO DIE FOR! It's definitely good that the cookies are only available once a year.


Sketchers Shape Ups. Honestly I just received my first pair in the mail this week. They look kind of goofy, but I can really tell a difference in my posture when I wear them and I can definitely feel my legs working when I'm wearing them. I just have a feeling that they're going to be a "favorite thing!"



Ahhhh, the Haan steam mop cleaner. I've got a thing with clean floors. My house can be cluttered at times, well most of the time, but my floors are consistently clean. I LOVE this steam mop! I love that it heats up in about 3 minutes, uses only steam to clean (nice to know that the baby isn't crawling and around on built up chemicals on the floor) and has a reusable microfiber pad that I use and just throw in the washing machine. Definitely worth every penny!



Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: Ladies, this book will change your life! Okay, it at least changed mine! My newest obsession is artisan bread. You know that bread that has the great hard outer crust and is soft in the middle? I currently make bread almost every day and LOVE it! The secret is the dough. It's only 4 ingredients but you make enough to last up to 2 weeks. You let your dough raise (no kneading) and then refrigerate it for up to 2 weeks. When you want to make bread, you just cut off a chunk of dough, shape it, let it "rest" for 40 minutes, and bake in a steam bath. It is the best bread ever! There are tons of variations in the book, but I'm still loving the basic recipe. Yum!



Fruit and Vegetable Co-ops: I've decided to not only eat more fruits and veggies, but to make my own baby food this time around. I found 2 local co-ops that make buying fresh produce easy and super affordable! I pick up a box every other week or so, depending on how quick we go through it. The fun part is seeing what produce you get. The baskets/boxes of produce are already put together for you, so it's a surprise to see what you get to take home. Today, I went through http://www.greenbeeproduce.com/ . My box was $18.50 and contained a bunch of bananas, a big bag of romaine lettuce, a bag of oranges, pears, apples, grapes, tomatoes, potatoes, cauliflour, and a pineapple. I love the surprise factor! http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/ is another local site. I've like both co-ops, but the bountiful baskets was more crowded, and took longer to pick up. It's so fun getting produce that I love, and also things that I may not have used before and finding fun ways to eat them!


I have so many more favorite things! Prepare yourself for part 2; coming soon!!!





7 comments:

Hollyween said...

I can't believe I don't have the magic bullet! What the? Ya know what I REALLY want? That vitamix machine at Costco. Have you seen a demo for that thing? I need to convince John that we NEED it.

I want your steam mop. That would be so nice to have!

Tis the time for favorite things. I just did a post about mine yesterday!

Dana said...

I'm going to try the produce co-op...I also have that same Haan floor cleaner... Love it! How did youmake the homemade samoas?

jen said...

Hey! It's Jen - your mom's neighbor.
Holy Cow my Google reader just suggested your blog to me and I totally know you! How funny is that.

I'm thinking I may need a magic bullet and a steam mop. I love, love the ABin5 book - I just got mine last month and have been going to town. And I love Bountiful Baskets too - but it is way too busy lately. I'll have to try your other produce coop. Thanks!

Draper's said...

Thanks for all of the great ideas. I have wanted to try to co-op for fruits and veggies. Sounds wonderful!

Miles and Bex said...

I have heard a lot about the co-op thing. I love the cookies and I also love my steam floor mop. I think my next purchase will be the steamer that cleans bathrooms! I am so excited for list 2.

Texie said...

Okay I want that mop!...and your shoes too. Hope all is well. Love your guts. Tex

Jilly B said...

That bread is phenominal, Dave wants her to bring it every Sunday to dinner! Jylaire is that mop different than the one you got about 6 months ago?