OXO Apple Slicer - A MUST HAVE!

You can have a sliced & bagged APPLE and PEAR in less than 30 seconds. I LOVE THIS! Apples and Pears are so good for you and apples have approx 4g of fiber. My son loves fruit which reminds me to eat it as well. I was never a believer in these type of gadgets because so many don't work. I think I am going to try the mango slicer next.
I bought this at Bed Bath and Beyond, $10 (had 20% coupon so $8)

(When I Googled it, I found a "how to" video on it ?:)? hmmm...makes you wonder)

The Veggie Steamer - My $5 Best Friend

I had my VEGGIE STEAMER for YEARS and had never used it until NOW!!
For all the Moms that ask me how to get an EASY and HEALTHY DINNER on the table...here is part of my trick.

BOILING VS STEAMING VEGGIES???

I had always boiled my veggies, frozen & fresh. The frozen veggies always turned out really mushy and watery. I have since learned that boiling veggies waters them down which in turn depletes much of their vitamin content.

Check out this article from MSNBC.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16382205

Now, ...this steamer is in my dinner repertoire almost every night. It is soooo easy and the veggies, wether frozen or fresh, turn out yummy!!!

I buy the following from Trader Joes:

• Fresh Baby Carrots
• Fresh Organic Broccoli/Cauliflower in a bag
• Fresh Yams in a bag
• Fresh Sweet Potatoes in a bag
• Fresh Asparagus
• Frozen Organic Sweet Peas
• Fresh and Frozen Multi colored Bell Peppers
• Frozen Corn

I buy the following from Whole Foods:

• Frozen Organic California Blend Veggies (This is one of my BEST food finds.) This is a mix of veggies for approx. $2/bag. They turn out like FRESH veggies when steamed. They have other blends as well.

**If you want to get a little FANCY, you can always steam the veggies until AL DENTE then toss them into a saute pan and add a little butter, salt and pepper then cook until soft.

**I just saw these steamers at Ross for approx. $5. They are easy to locate. :)