Friday, April 9, 2010 at 08:13 AM
Hooray for Friday! TGIF always calls for a fun blogpost so I thought I would bring you Two of My Favorite Things. Today’s topic – kitchen things!
I ♥ aprons! Isn’t this one just awesome?
It’s by Jessie Steele and I bought it at Just A Little Something Boutique in Foxboro, MA. My friend, PJ, owns Just A Little Something and he is fabulous! He’s the kind of guy you can call when you’re having a clothing crisis and he will come to the rescue. He makes buying jeans fun and easy. I never knew that was possible.
So, back to my apron thing. I wear aprons all the time. The reason? I like my clothes and cooking is messy. So, at least once a day (usually for dinner prep), I always tie on an apron. In the end, I get to keep my clothes longer and we spend a lot less money on Spray & Wash. Someday, I would like to own an apron that says A Better Bag of Groceries!
I had never heard of Jessie Steele aprons until I found this one at Just A Little Something. Their aprons are “retro-chic vintage-inspired hostess aprons, kitchen aprons & cooking aprons for the contemporary woman.” My pink and black apron is from their Hostess Apron Line and it’s perfect to wear while entertaining. So, if you are an apron kind of girl (or boy), check them out!
And now for Thing #2: Measuring Cups!
I have so many measuring cups, but one of my new favorites is this one by OXO.
I received this as a gift from Dream Dinners, the meal preparation site that I visit once a month to keep my sanity in check. You might remember my post on Dream Dinners. Basically, I go there and prepare about 8 or 9 meals every month to keep in the freezer for extra-busy nights. I ♥ Dream Dinners! And it was there that I started using these OXO measuring cups. Here’s what’s so cool about it:
You can measure from up above! No need to crouch down and get at eye-level when measuring liquids. They even have a Mini Angled Measuring Cup for measuring Tablespoons. I don’t own one of the small ones, but I hope to someday! Hopefully, my dear husband reads today’s post for some ideas for my upcoming birthday and/or Mother’s Day!
Question of the Day
What are two of your favorite Kitchen Things?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Two Favorite Things
Tags: aprons, Jessie Steele, measuring cups, OXO
Friday, March 5, 2010 at 06:57 AM
Hip hip hooray for Friday! I like to keep my blog posts fun on Friday, so a “Two of My Favorite Things” posts seemed to be in order.
First of all, let me just ‘fess up right now: I am not a great runner. In the 4th grade, I participated in a YMCA Fun Run with my mom and I came in dead last. In the Children’s Division. Not a good way to start my running career. And, I have been cursed with flat-as-a-pancake feet. As in the orthopedic specialist at Brigham & Women’s hospital called in about 15 interns to look at this specimen of over-pronation because he had never seen such flat feet before. Along with flat feet come alignment and knee issues. However, I have a great podiatrist in Brookline, MA who outfits me with custom orthotics that keep me running. No marathons, but running.
I love running because it is so versatile and efficient. You can do it anywhere, no equipment needed. Well, I guess you do need some equipment – like good running shoes and for me, my Ipod. Which brings us to Two of My Favorite Things!
New Balance Web Express
Like I said, I have been blessed with the World’s Flattest Feet. My custom-made orthotics are huge. And on top of them, I use a heel insert because I’ve also had some plantar fasciitis issues. So, I need a lot of room in my shoe. New Balance (a Boston-based company which began as a manufacturer of arch supports) has been my brand for many years. When we lived closer to the city, we would head to the New Balance outlet in Boston. Now, that we live out in the suburbs, I go to a small local dealer, DB Sports in North Attleboro, who has helped me to get the fit just right. However, since I try to be good about replacing my shoes often, I don’t always have to time to get to my Sneaker Man. So, I just click on New Balance Web Express, use my style number and find a great deal.
Like these!
I have to admit, they are a little brighter than they looked online. But part of the proceeds go to raise money for breast cancer research and they match my pink coat, so all is good.
I love shopping the Clearance section on NB Express. Shipping is often only $5 or free and they are on my doorstep in a day or two. Love it!
I love NB Express so much, I started buying my kids’ sneakers there too.
My son wears those shoes every day (my daughter, not as much) and see how good they look? He has had them since the beginning of the school year. Yes, they are more expensive ($35 on sale) than buying cheap sneakers at Target (only about $15), but they last so much longer. If I had purchased character sneakers from Target back in September, we would be on our 3rd pair by now. The Good Housekeeping Research Institute tested 20 different brands of kids’ sneakers and rated New Balance #1.
Another reason I’ve switched to New Balance for the kids is that my son and daughter also have foot issues. My son has my super-flat feet and my daughter has Fred Flintstone feet (thick through the instep). New Balance has all sorts of wide widths to help me get the fit just right.
My Ipod
With my feet feeling as happy as they can, it’s time to move on to the entertainment portion of my run. I don’t know how I ever run before I had an Ipod.
My pink case matches my sneakers!
The key to a great run is a great playlist. Otherwise you get tempted to stop and find a new song. One of the fitness classes that I teach is a Running class. I use my Ipod along with my Bose Sounddock and all of the participants are on treadmills. Some choose ellipticals, which is fine too. The class consists of a great playlist that I put together ahead of time. Similar to a spin class, the participants sprint, charge up big hills, hit the beat with big strides, etc. It’s a great workout and some of the people who come to my class have become true runners.
So what’s on my playlist? So many songs. But here are some of my favorites for a great run:
- Tin Man by Animal Kingdom
- Meet Me On the Equinox by Death Cab for Cutie
- September by Marianas Trench
- Use Somebody by Kings of Leon
- Magnificent by U2
- Love Drunk by Boys Like Girls
- She Is by The Fray
- Hands Open by Snow Patrol
- Vertigo by U2
- Get On Your Boots by U2
- I Run for Lifeby Melissa Etheridge
- Meet Me Halfway by The Black Eyed Peas
- That’s Not My Name by The Ting Tings
- Somebody Told Me by The Killers
- Amsterdamby Guster
- Shake It by Metro Station
- Square Oneby Coldplay
- You’re All I Have by Snow Patrol
- Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey
- Shut Up and Let Me Go by The Ting Tings
- Livin’ on a Prayerby Bon Jovi
- Under the Milky Way by The Church
- Rio by Duran Duran
- Roll With the Changesby REO Speedwagon
Don’t use all of them at once. Unless you’re running a marathon!
Question of the Day
What’s on your running or workout playlist?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: running, Two Favorite Things
Tags: Ipod, New Balance Web Express, running
Friday, January 29, 2010 at 07:13 AM
This Friday definitely calls for an installment of Two of My Favorite things – a reader’s favorite feature here on A Better Bag of Groceries. This week, the topic is cleaning – which is not one of my favorite things.
Here’s the thing about cleaning. It’s not that I don’t like cleaning, it’s that after all the energy I put into meal-planning, cooking, parenting, work, and fitness, there’s not much time left for cleaning. So, full disclosure here (always!) – I have cleaning people that come every two weeks. I’m not wealthy and I don’t have a big house, but I would rather go teach two fitness classes a week and use that money to pay the cleaning people. It’s a better use of time and energy. And cleaning for the cleaning people (that would be all the picking up that has to happen before they come) keeps our house pretty well-organized.
With 2 young kids in the house, I get to take in the Clean House After-Glow for all of about 20 minutes. And that is why a few years ago I bought The Shark. I found it at Macy’s for $30. Think of the Shark as a dustbuster that you don’t have to get on your hands and knees to use. It’s light and nimble and so much easier than dragging out the big vacuum. My kids love it when I ask them to run The Shark around.
You can use The Shark on carpets, wood floors, linoleum or tile – whatever you’ve got.
Too bad The Shark can’t pick up the green tractor in the hallway, the paper airplanes that are all over my coffee table and sofa, or the Littlest Pet Shop toy that’s been left on the floor. But, it does pick up soggy Cheerios. In fact, this is my new baby shower gift. Forget diaper bags and Pack & Plays, I want to give all new Moms the Shark.
Emptying the Shark is so easy – even a 6-year-old can do it. In fact, I think that’s my son’s favorite part. He’s such a boy – he loves to see all the gross stuff he picked up.
So, with the floors clean, let’s move on to the walls. My newest favorite cleaning lifesaver is the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.
I learned about this at ballet class. Not my ballet class (oh, how I wish!) but my daughter’s ballet class. Every Saturday morning, I chat it up with the other moms as we watch our 4-year-old ballerinas through a mirrored window. That is how I learned about the Magic Eraser. These moms were swooning over it. They said that using the Magic Eraser is addictive. You just can’t stop cleaning. I just had to get myself a product that would keep me cleaning forever.
So, I tried it out and they were right. I could not stop cleaning. The Magic Eraser got marks off the wall that I thought were going to be there for eternity. It even gets off Sharpie marker!
Check out my before and after pictures. Here is my wall, going up the staircase.
You can practically see the finger prints! I took the Magic Eraser to this little area for about 45 seconds and ouila…
No more marks. So this is where the addicting part comes in. I find myself cleaning and cleaning and cleaning. I just can’t stop. I think it definitely counts as toning exercise for the upper body!
The Magic Eraser is all I can talk about these days. I found out that my sister April used it to remove a wallpaper border in her daughter’s room. “It was the only thing that would do the trick,” she told me. My colleage, Caryn, who manages Marketing for NuVal, loves it too, although she warns that it can remove paint from walls and cabinets. I did find that on my red kitchen cabinets. So, scrub away, but not too hard!
There you have it, something old and something new, which seems to be a theme with My Two Favorite Things. Soon, I am going to have a spotless house! And great arms! Happy Cleaning!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Two Favorite Things
Tags: Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, The Shark
Friday, January 15, 2010 at 07:07 AM
So many people tuned in to read about Two of My Favorite Things last week! So, I decided to make it a regular feature on A Better Bag of Groceries. I have so many favorite things to share: workout stuff, cooking and kitchen stuff, kid stuff, you name it. So for today, here’s 2 more from the fitness category – one that’s brand new and one that I’ve had for a long time.
It’s interesting that I own both of these pieces of workout apparatus – they come from two very different worlds. Even though with two kids, a job and a household to run, I have limited time to exercise, I love to mix it up. Every week I aim to get in cardio, muscle work, stretching and balance work. That means a menu of spinning, running, Pilates, weight-lifting, yoga and most recently, Kettlebell.
My New Kettlebell
My husband just picked this 15-pound Kettlebell at Ocean State Job Lot for me this weekend. I started taking a Kettlebell class this fall when it was introduced at my gym. Kettlebell is a great full-body workout. I really feel it in my trapezius, glutes, adductors, and rectus abdominus after class. I’ve been wearing my new Polar Heart Rate Monitor during class to see what the cardio effect is and it’s pretty good! Many of the moves, especially the Kettlebell Swing, really get my heart rate going. At my gym, the “training” Kettlebells weigh 9 pounds and the next step up is 18 pounds. Since I’m prone to neck and lower back injuries, I’ve been carefully working my way up to the 18 pounds. My husband’s gift of an interim 15-pound Kettlebell was just what I needed.
The foundation of Kettlebell training is the Kettlebell Swing. This picture, which I found on kettlebelltraining.blogspot.com is a great example of what the swing looks like.
My Kettlebell instructor, Gail, is an incredibly well-rounded group exercise leader. Her yoga class is as amazing as her Kettlebell class. So, she has really added a lot of core-based moves in addition to the more traditional, powerful Kettlebell exercises.
My Old Pilates Ring
I have owned this GaiamPilates Ring, which I purchased at Target for $30 for 4 1/2 years now. Six weeks after my daughter was born, I started taking Pilates and it really helped me to get my abs back in shape following my 2nd C-section. Luckily for me, my sister, Julie, was studying to become equipment-certified in Pilates since she was planning to open up her own studio. As part of her certification, she needed to fulfill lots of hours of practice teaching and I was her student! I loved it so much, that I got certified to teach mat classes and have been teaching it ever since. I like to incorporate equipment into my mat classes, including balls, bands, and of course, Pilates rings. The gym-supplied rings where I teach have a little too much give for me, so I bought my own. It’s also great to have it at home for when I practice there.
My friend, Elaina, was kind enough to snap this photo of me demonstrating an Open Leg Rocker with Pilates Ring after we finished up our running interval workout today.
As I said, I like to mix it up!
So, if I were trapped on a desert island, would I bring my Kettlebell or my Pilates ring? Oh, what a tough question. I love that you can get cardio benefits with the Kettlebell, but with my temperamental neck and back, I wonder if my Pilates ring would be better for the long haul.
Question of the Day
If you were stranded on a desert island, what fitness-related item would you bring?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Two Favorite Things
Tags: Kettlebell, Pilates Ring
