Putting on the Feed Bag

Feed 100 Children for $10 bag at Whole Foods. A cute, sturdy bag for a good cause. . .

Whole Foods Market is providing 100 meals to kids via the World Food Program’s Rwanda School Feeding operation. Whole Foods already donated the $10 upfront and the costs to produce these high-quality, 100% organic cotton and natural burlap bags made as eco-friendly and fairly as possible in audited and certified facilities.

It's a good sized bag measuring in at 12" x 14". Copper rivets, compartment dividers and very sturdy with the burlap bottom. It folds and zips into an easy to carry 5" x 7" size. And I will enjoy using it.

However, I wish they would design one to benefit the hungry right here in the United States and help support our food banks, whose shelves are rapidly becoming depleted. So yes, if you can, buy a $10 bag to help Rwanda AND also make a $10 food donation in the grocery stores' red barrels, drop a bag off at your local food bank when you drive by, or even mail them a check - that's win-win. And hey, give them something good -- brand names every once in awhile, especially if there is a sale, buy 1 get 1 free promotion or coupon. There is also a need for healthy food - think sugar-free and low sodium items. When my daughter's Girl Scout troop helped out our food bank, the director mentioned how many of the families had underlying health issues, too -- Diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, the elderly or infirm needing soft foods like pudding, Jell-O, etc.

New Sandra Betzina Patterns!

Vogue 1197 Love, love, love the short-sleeved top!

and Vogue 1198 Jackets - can't wait to see Sandra's versions.

99 cent Simplicity patterns

On sale this week at Hobby Lobby, starting tomorrow, Monday, July 19.

J.Jill Organic Cotton Jeans for only $19.99!

Organic cotton-blend boyfriend jeans - a different take on denim and the now ubiquitous chinos out there. Here's a fun, comfy and stylish alternative. Originally $89, now marked down to only $19.99! And with the J.Jill card $18.99?! - I bought two! 99% organic cotton, 1% Lycra Spandex. The oatmeal-colored fabric sort of reminds me of the painter's pants of the late 70's. I thought they had a slightly narrower, yet still looser, fit through the hips and thighs compared to the traditional blue denim version. Perhaps because the fabric weight and stiffness was a little bit lighter and softer. At first I passed these over because I had tried the traditional jean version a few months ago and they really didn't fit me. But the "Boyfriend Jean" styling, sitting slightly below the waist and a little bit slouchy, was more flattering and forgiving in the fit department. Unrolled, the inseam is 31 1/2" Definitely ballet flats or flip-flops if I want to wear them that way. But they just look super cute with sandals, boat shoes and sneaks, and help contain the style when you do a 2x 1-1/4" roll.

If you are shopping in the Houston area, I found these at the Memorial City Mall J.Jill store - they are on a rack in the center towards the right side. I think they just marked these down, there were still lots of them. They are also available at the $19.99 price on their website and in Petite sizes, too.

Thursday Tea Time

This week - Tazo Matcha Green Tea Latte concentrate

32 ounces - $3.99 at Super Target

"A soothing blend of traditional green teas with real honeydew melon"

Sounded quick, easy and cool on a 97 degrees in the shade day!

I mixed 3/4 cup of concentrate with 1 cup of skim milk, no added sugar or sweetener. I tried it iced; I put the carton in the refrigerator first. I'm thinking next time I may reduce the concentrate amount to 2/3. It has a pretty strong "grassy" green tea aftertaste. The honeydew melon flavor is discreet and seems to be mostly there for balance. It disappears before the green tea flavor kicks in.

Ingredients - water, matcha and other green teas, cane sugar, honeydew juice concentrate, natural fruit flavors.

4 ounces concentrate has 60 calories, 0g fat, 5 mg sodium, 16g total carbohydrate and 15g sugar

Opinion: If this is the same that Starbucks serves, you can certainly save some money and traveling time with this. I saw there were other flavor concentrates, including chai, on the shelf I would be willing to try. I also remember seeing a three-pack of the chai concentrate cartons at Costco, I think priced around $9.

Get your stink on!

We are all waiting for "Lois" the Corpse Flower to bloom at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences. You can even follow her Tweets on Twitter! ( @CorpzFlowrLois ) And @hmns you can find additional Twitter updates and even haikus written to Lois. The museum is open around the clock right now, awaiting her "arrival" - click here for the latest official updates, links and videos.

Netflix Stars - Almost Famous

4/5 stars - I can't believe it took so long for me to see this (10 years?!). Everyone looked so young! Outstanding casting performances. (Billy Crudup looked a little like a scruffy John Oates from Hall & Oates.) A little hard for my millennium teen to grasp the era and all it entailed. (rotary dial phones?!) And and eye-opening history background for me - I was of the David Cassidy/Donny Osmond Top 40 bubblegum radio upbringing. Anyways, well worth adding to your queue if you haven't already, for those Netflix doldrum times. Did I mention I hate how they have to hold back new releases 30 days in order to give the studios time to sell in the stores and by PPV first?

Upcoming Jo-Ann's Pattern Sales

July 18-24 -- Butterick patterns 99 cents

July 25-31 -- 50% off notions wall

July 29-31 -- Simplicity patterns $1.99

July 18-31 -- 40% off Gutermann thread

Spinach, Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella Pasta Salad

From the Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast Weeknight Meals, page 123. I found my copy at Costco for $14.99

All the recipes are 5 ingredient, 15 minutes!

This one is a perfectly yummy combination for hot summer days. Great Italian vinaigrette recipe, too. While fresh herbs would be best, I made do with dried (eyeballing it) and it was probably just as tasty.

Ingredients --

2 1/2 cups multigrain rotini pasta...2 cups grape tomatoes...6 ounces baby spinach...4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed.

Dressing - 1/4 cup red wine vinegar...2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley...1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or basil...2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil...1/4 teaspoon salt...1/4 teaspoon black pepper...2 garlic cloves, minced.

Cook pasta according to directions, omitting salt and fat. Rinse with cold water and drain. Combine dressing ingredients and stir with a whisk. Combine dressing and tomatoes in a large bowl. Add pasta and spinach, toss well and top with cheese.

4 servings - serving size is 1 1/2 cups salad, 2 tablespoons dressing.

As you can see, it is easy to substitute and play with the ingredients - bow tie for rotini, regular tomatoes for grape tomatoes, dried herbs for fresh. Even use bottled fat-free Italian dressing.

Netflix Stars - Bright Star

2.5 - if only for the cool fashion/sewing angle of Fanny Brawne. But even that couldn't hold our attention to this movie for very long. L read the book and said it was much better. Somewhat interesting enough to me - John Keats brought to life? Perhaps I may try it again later, and will definitely read the book at least.

Cooking Light - Hello Dolly Bars

Cooking Light - December 2007 - Hello Dolly Bars Also found on page 388 in the 2008 Annual Recipes book.

I used a 10" x 13" pan instead of a 9 x 9 pan. I also upped the graham cracker crumbs to almost 2 cups but kept the butter and water amounts the same. Don't fret about the lack of butter and crumbliness of the graham crackers, the condensed milk will seep down and help meld it all together. And don't skip lining the pan with parchment paper.

Hello Dolly Bars (aka Magic Bars, 7-Layer Bars)

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 9 cookie sheets)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon water
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup butterscotch morsels
2/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 (15-ounce)* can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350°.
Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper; cut off excess parchment paper around top edge of pan.
Place crumbs in a medium bowl. Drizzle with butter and 1 tablespoon water; toss with a fork until moist. Gently pat mixture into an even layer in pan (do not press firmly). Sprinkle chips and morsels over crumb mixture. Top evenly with coconut and pecans. Drizzle milk evenly over top. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly around edges. Cool completely on wire rack.

Nutritional Information (based upon 24 servings out of a 9 x 9 pan!)
Calories 123 (32% from fat)...Fat 4.4g (sat 2.3g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.6g)...Protein 2.1g...Carbohydrate 19.1g...Fiber 0.5g...Cholesterol 5mg...Iron 0.3mg...Sodium 64mg...Calcium 50mg

*as with everything nowadays, there's shrinkage in the packaging. My can was only 14 ounces. Not a crucial difference at all.

Netflix Stars - The Starter Wife

<---The 5 episode 2007 USA Network miniseries was so much better and more enjoyable than the 2008 TV series! ---> The TV series changed and deleted some of the stars of the miniseries, and took it in another direction. We ditched the 2008 version disc after about 20 minutes.

Thursday Tea Time

This week - Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Apricot Ceylon

Cost: $8.20

Number of teabags: 20

Caffeine: Yes

Type of tea: Black

Steeping time: 5 minutes

Mix ins: Both ways - straight and with vanilla powder

Teabag fragrance: Definitely deliciously apricot

Ingredients: Ceylon black tea, marigold flower, natural and artificial flavorings.
Taste: Faint apricot flavor

Opinion: Disappointed. I wanted to like this - I love apricots! You can even see the slices of apricots in the teabag. I tried it hot with the vanilla powder and iced - with double teabags for extra oomph. What you smell isn't what you long for in the taste. Compared to their peach teas, which are strongly peachy-keen, this one's a bit wimpy.

Rating: 2.5

Happy 4th of July!

Target Liberty of London box dimensions

Here are the dimensions (L x W x H) of some of the Target Liberty of London boxes:

Milk crate -- 11" x 10" x 8 1/4"

Media box -- 11" x 5 1/2" x 5"

Large tapered bin -- 14" x 12"(top), 10"(bottom) x 9 3/4"

Project Runway - The Ocho!

Season 8 of Project Runway begins on July 29. They are back in NYC... and each show will be 1 1/2 hours long!

First fig picking!

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Vote for Sandra Betzina to get her own show on Oprah's new network!

Sandra is auditioning to have her OWN show on Oprah’s new Network!
Please click on the link below to be taken directly to Oprah’s site where you will be able to cast your vote!

Here's the link --
http://myown.oprah.com/audition/index.html?request=video_details&response_id=20990&promo_id=1

Yogi Cherry Almond Crunch

I thought Yogi just made tea, so I was surprised to find this Yogi Cherry Almond Crunch cereal at Whole Foods. I was also surprised not to find any cherries in it either, other than cherry powder. Dried cherries would be a delicious and natural addition to a cereal with CHERRY in all caps on the box. But other than that, the cereal is very good and very filling. And there is a nice cherry flavor. A bowlful in the morning can easily power my treadmill workout.

Interesting combination of ingredients -- Oats, Barley, Spelt, Amaranth, Quinoa, Evaporated Cane Juice, Brown Rice, Flour, Whole Wheat Flour and Almonds -- provides 5g protein, 3g fiber, 2% calcium, 6% iron. It also has 6g fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 70mg sodium, 42g carbohydrate. 12g sugar. A serving is 2/3 cup for 240 calories.

Reebok rocks!

I want to get back into swimming again. Unfortunately, once you reach "a certain age," the Speedos of yesteryear's body and weight distribution aren't the most flattering anymore. I mean, you want to look good while you are doing good. These two Reebok suits have better support and a silver lining -- which is antimicrobial, no more swimsuit stink! Who knew Reebok made suits cut long enough for us tallies, right off the rack? (Here's fair warning if you're petite - sorry, you'll 'swim' in these styles) And at Macy's?! And on sale?! These retail for $88 and $86. Combined with a sale and even good timing with a Macy's discount coupon thrown in for good measure, you should be able to swim away for less than $50. Actually I was able to get these for $39!

The black and white suit is Style #51706 ($86) and the blue is #51741 ($88)