Slow Cooker Meals & Tips

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Charla

Who doesn’t like to come home from work or from a busy day running errands and have dinner waiting in a slow cooker. Just walking in the door and smelling the aroma of a delicious home-cooked meal is so inviting. Well, Food Network has eleven tips for slow cooker meals that are definitely worth checking out. I already see one tip I need to remember, the one that talks about how it’s better to fill a slow cooker halfway to two thirds full. Also, here are eight simple slow cooker recipes from Food Network that sound so good!

With the holidays coming up, a lot of us will be taking desserts, dips, snacks and appetizers to parties. What better way to keep them warm than in a slow cooker. If any of you have eaten at Qdoba’s and love their queso, here’s a recipe for a lower-fat version of Qdoba’s 3-Cheese Queso.

Don’t have a slow cooker? Check out these from Amazon. I’ve started ordering from Amazon more and more the past couple of years after realizing how easy and convenient it is. And I nearly always find the best price on something at Amazon plus a lot of items qualify for free shipping which saves money! A lot of you probably figured this out a long time ago..
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Menu Plan Monday & Recipe for Qdoba’s 3-Cheese Queso (Healthier Version)

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Charla

Can you believe holidays are getting close? For those holiday get-togethers, I’d like to share a recipe. This is a great recipe to fix in a Crock-Pot/Slow Cooker to take to a holiday party or pot-luck. By the way, the Cook ‘N Carry Crock Pot is great for traveling in the car. We gave one of these to my mother-in-law for Christmas one year.
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So many people love Qdoba’s 3-Cheese Queso, so much that you can even find the recipe on Food Network‘s site. We always order it when we go to Qdoba’s, but I would like a healthier version to fix at home. So here’s a lower-fat version plus some substitutions in case you need them:
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Qdoba’s 3-Cheese Queso, Lower-Fat Version:

1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese, reduced-fat
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, reduced-fat
1 cup American cheese (Alpine Lace has 25% reduced fat)
1 cup Fat-Free Half & Half
3 roasted poblano peppers, finely chopped (or canned chipotle peppers or green chilis, drained)
8 ounces tomatoes, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon ground garlic (or minced garlic from a jar)
1 teaspoon salt

Combine ingredients, cover, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 2 hours. Stir occasionally. Add just a little bit of milk if you need to thin it.

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Hope you enjoy this if you make it. At Qdobas, they serve it with tortilla chips flavored with a touch of lime. So good! Talking about all of this is making me hungry for Mexican food, so I think I’ll incorporate some into our menu this week!
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Monday: Chicken tenders cooked in olive oil & fajita seasonings, refried beans, avocado slices, tortilla chips & salsa

Tuesday: Homemade Chicken Enchilada Soup (This tasted so good last week and I think it helped me get over my cold a little faster because of the onion, garlic, and spices in it.)

Wednesday: Leftover Chicken Enchilada Soup

Thursday: Chicken Italian Pasta

Friday: Pizza & salad (haven’t decided what kind of pizza – have any ideas?)

Winner of $25 Visa Gift Card from Crizal Lenses

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Charla

Congratulations #11 which is Steff. You are the winner of the $25 Visa Gift Card from Crizal Lenses which are made by Essilor. I will be sending you your gift card.

Essilor is a great company which is the creator of progressive lenses. I have some glasses with their lenses, and their non-glare coating has lasted longer than that of lenses from other places.

Friendly Friday 11/4/11

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Charla

Welcome to Friendly Friday!

It begins at 8pm Central Thursday nights. Remember, YOU can host the link list on your blog, too! Just get the InLinkz code and copy it directly into your post. The code is different every week, so be sure to get the new code when hosting Friendly Friday on your blog. Hosting the list is a great way to get even more traffic to your blog and make Friendly Friday more beneficial for everyone.

Thanks for joining the Friendly Friday celebration hosted by Christi at Frugal Novice, Xenia at Thanks, Mail Carrier and Charla at Healthy Home Blog! We invite you to join us every Friday to make more friends in blogville, get more blog followers and follow other great blogs out there.

To join in the Friendly Friday celebration, include your family-friendly link in our list, follow the hostesses in the first 3 spots and then start blog hopping! Visit other blogs on the list and comment to give them some blog love. Then take a minute to follow them through Google Friend Connect – this is a good way to keep up with other blogs, but also lets us show support to each other! Please DO NOT list your giveaways here, links must be to either your homepage or your Friday posting with your blog title. All others will be deleted.

When people comment on your blog and let you know they’re a part of Friendly Friday, return the favor and follow them back. This way everyone gets traffic and followers out of participating, and it’s a win-win situation. We would love for you to also grab our Friendly Friday button and post it on your blog and/or in a post – the more bloggers that find out about Friendly Friday and participate, the better!

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Spotlight on Friendly Friday Followers! We love your participation and want to show it! In addition to gaining followers, each week we’ll select a blog at random and will feature a link and a write-up for that blog in the content of next week’s Friendly Friday post. There are so many seriously wonderful blogs out there, and this will be a great way to highlight one of those each week. Say hello to the lucky one for this week (and feel free to stop by and give them a little extra love):
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The author of two novels of supernatural suspense, Vanessa Morganhas been hailed as a ‘female version of Stephen King’ for her talents. With both books rankings as Amazon bestsellers and currently being turned into movies, this Belgian writer knows how to draw you in with her suspenseful words. If you’re a fan of horror and getting spooked, you won’t want to miss this blog and her books!

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Now that you know about this wonderful blog, it’s time for you to join in! Add your family-friendly link below and we’ll see you back here every Friday! And don’t forget, you can get the InLinkz code
to share Friendly Friday on your blog!
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All three hostesses appreciate followers through GFC and Twitter, and we’ll follow you back – be sure to leave a comment with your URL and/or Twitter username. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Don’t forget – Friendly Friday now begins at 8pm Central on Thursday nights!

Cooking Tip: Substitution for Squares of Baking Chocolate

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Charla

Have you ever been right in the middle of making something and then suddenly realized you didn’t have squares of baking chocolate for your recipe? You can substitute 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder plus 1 tablespoon oil or melted butter for each one ounce square of chocolate. Those are ingredients that most cooks have in their kitchen all the time. Those ingredients can save the day!

Menu Plan Monday 10-31-11

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Charla

I have a great giveaway going on right now for a $25 Visa gift card which would come in handy for Christmas, either to use on a gift or to give as a gift.

Cold and flu season has definitely started, and I had a cold this past week but am feeling better now. Hope everyone is staying well.

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Monday: Chicken, squash, lima beans

Tuesday: Homemade Chicken Enchilada Soup

Wednesday: Bring in chicken, fried okra, potatoes (busy evening)

Thursday: Leftover Chicken Enchilada Soup

Friday: Pizza & salad

Skin Care

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Charla

One thing I’ve noticed is that the older I get, the more sunspots I seem to have. The sunspots are from spending too much time out in the sun without sunscreen when I was younger. Maybe I need to visit a skin care blog, but now I’m too busy with work at school to think much about my skin. I’m thankful for cover-up makeup that helps hide the sunspots!

Friendly Friday 10/28/11

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Charla

Welcome to Friendly Friday!

Janice @ Celebrating Family.does exactly that, she celebrates her family and shares experiences, parenting tips, recipes, crafts, saving money tips, her faith, and anything related to family life on her site. Janice does product reviews and also giveaways, but only for things that she’s actually tried herself. Be sure to check out her recipe for kid friendly pizza rolls. I think even adults would like these!

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Now that you know about this wonderful blog, it’s time for you to join in! Add your family-friendly link below and we’ll see you back here every Friday! And don’t forget, you can get the InLinkz code to share Friendly Friday on your blog!
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All three hostesses appreciate followers through GFC and Twitter, and we’ll follow you back – be sure to leave a comment with your URL and/or Twitter username. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Don’t forget – Friendly Friday now begins at 8pm Central on Thursday nights!

Menu Plan Monday 10-24-11

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Charla

I mentioned this month is one of those overwhelming months with so much to do as a teacher! I’ve been remembering the verse that says to take one day at a time, and I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. That’s encouraging! AND I’m starting to get the holiday bug. No, I’m not sick…I’m starting to get excited about getting to see family around the holidays. That’s what makes holidays so special is getting together with those we love! And while we’re doing that, let’s try to remember those who are lonely and and maybe invite them over sometime around the holidays.

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Monday: Salmon Patties, black eyed peas, baby carrots

Tuesday: Leftover Salmon Patties, black eyed peas, carrots

Wednesday: Bring in fried chicken breasts and okra, salad

Thursday: Italian Chicken Pasta (Barilla Plus Pasta) and salad

Friday: Maybe go somewhere out to eat.

Essilor Launches Facebook Game/Sweepstakes & $25 GIVEAWAY

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Charla

* Giveaway ended November 5, 2011

Do you know about Essilor? The reason I do is because I have progressive lenses in my eyeglasses that were made by them. They are awesome lenses, and I’m thankful to have such lightweight glasses that help me see so clearly. When I got my lenses from them, I found out that Essilor just happens to be the leading manufacturer of optical lenses in the U.S., and they are the leader in progressive and anti-reflective coated lenses.

So now that we all know about Essilor, have you heard about their sweepstakes and about Crizal lenses? They are the only No-Glare eyeglass lenses that eliminate the enemies of clear vision (glare, scratches, smudges, dust, and water). Here’s info:

“The sweepstakes will offer one lucky grand prize winner a MOTOROLA XOOM™ with Wi-Fi, a $1,000 general use gift card and their very own Crizal lenses. The second place winner will receive a $1,000 gift card and Crizal lenses, and the third place winner will receive a $500 gift card and Crizal lenses.”
The sweepstakes will end on Oct. 31 at 8:00 pm CST. Consumers can play the game and enter the sweepstakes by visiting the CrizalUSA Facebook page and clicking on the Contest tab.

Essilor is also privileged to support the Foundation for Eye Health Awareness and its efforts to educate Americans on the importance of eye health and the importance of taking care of their eyes through its campaign Think About Your Eyes:

“Essilor, the maker of Crizal lenses, will donate $5 to the Foundation for Eye Health Awareness for each new CrizalUSA Facebook page “like” and another $5 when consumers play the game, up to $20,000. “

Crizal lenses can help adults and children see, look and feel better. Essilor has a great promotion to encourage consumers to defeat the five enemies of clear vision with the “Combat the Enemies of Clear Vision with Captain Crizal®” Facebook game and sweepstakes. These are the five enemies which those of us who wear glasses know can be irritating:

Glare
Scratches
Smudges
Dust
Water

With that said, let me tell you about the giveaway.

Win it:

One lucky reader will win a $25 Visa gift card. This contest is open to all U.S. residents. Entries will be accepted until midnight CST Saturday, November 5, 2011. Winner will be chosen by Random.org.

Mandatory Entry:

Visit CrizalUSA Facebook page and play the “Combat the Enemies of Clear Vision with Captain Crizal^®” Facebook game and sweepstakes and leave a comment on the Crizal USA Facebook wall. Say that “Healthy Home Blog sent me here, and I played the game for a chance to win.”

Bonus Entries:

Be sure and leave a separate comment for each entry. And if you’ve previously subscribed, followed, or liked Healthy Home Blog, let me know that in a comment, too. That counts!

“Like” Healthy Home Blog on Facebook.(1 extra entry)
Click the Facebook “Share” button below this post to share it on your FB wall (1 extra entry)
Follow me on Twitter. (1 extra entry)
Subscribe to Healthy Home Blog by email or RSS Feed. See “Follow Me!” box at the top of this page. (1 extra entry)
Follow me through Google Friend Connect on my sidebar. (1 extra entry)
Leave a NEW comment on as many other posts as you like. Be sure to let me know which posts you commented on below. (1 entry per day)

Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.

* I was supplied with a gift card for myself and one for this giveaway. All opinions are mine and are honestly given.

Looking for Jobs

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Charla

There are so many people looking for work nowadays. Quality Assurance Director Jobs are available in many areas, but a person would have to research and see what qualifications are necessary. It definitely would be worth checking into if someone needed a job and felt they might qualify. Some colleges have jobs posted for their graduates, and that’s a good place for college students to check. Just driving around and looking for new businesses being built, checking the local classified ads, and talking to people and networking are all good ways to search for a job.

Friendly Friday 10/21/11

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Charla

Welcome to Friendly Friday!

Please note – we’ve started having Friendly Friday begin at 8pm Central Thursday nights. This will give you early-to-bed people time to enter too!

Remember, YOU can host the link list on your blog, too! Just get the InLinkz code and copy it directly into your post. The code is different every week, so be sure to get the new code when hosting Friendly Friday on your blog. Hosting the list is a great way to get even more traffic to your blog and make Friendly Friday more beneficial for everyone.

Sarah is the blogger at It’s a Vol. If you’re wondering where she got her name, she says, “A VOL is short for Volunteer, as in Tennessee is the Volunteer State and in our case the mascot for the University of Tennessee Volunteers, better known as, you guessed it, a ‘VOL’. ” She is married to Christopher and they have a daughter, Evie. She has experienced postpartum depression and anxiety, and has great resources for help. She has four dogs and two cats, and you’ll find out all about her sweet family when you read her blog – so stop by and say hey!

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Now that you know about this wonderful blog, it’s time for you to join in! Add your family-friendly link below and we’ll see you back here every Friday! And don’t forget, you can get the InLinkz code to share Friendly Friday on your blog!
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All three hostesses appreciate followers through GFC and Twitter, and we’ll follow you back – be sure to leave a comment with your URL and/or Twitter username. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Don’t forget – Friendly Friday now begins at 8pm Central on Thursday nights!