Eight Weird But Useful Kitchen Gadgets You May Not Know You Need

We’ve all got a few weird kitchen utensils in that one drawer, right? Thingamajigs that leave other people scratching their heads and asking, “What is this thing for, anyway?!?

^{This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.}

Everything from our cultural heritage to our mother’s affinity for hot cereal can affect how we cook and what we cook with. We rarely have the exact same tools in our utensil drawers because we all come to the kitchen with a different background and set of experiences.

For a tool to claim permanent residency in my kitchen utensil drawer, it must be one that I need and use at least once a year, and usually much more often than that. For example, I often use a lot of fresh garlic when I cook, and consider a garlic press to be a mandatory kitchen item.

On the other hand, I have a dear friend who, every time I am over at her house cooking and ask if she has garlic press (and yes, it happens more often than you might imagine) – every. time. – she looks at me like I’ve just asked her if I can borrow her spare flux-capacitor. (Note to self: Get Cheryl a garlic press {or a flux-capacitor} for her birthday next year.)

The most ringing endorsement I can give for the items on this list is that I would buy another one exactly like the one I have if mine broke. That’s what it really boils down to, right? Would you miss it if it was gone?

Listed below in order of relative awesomeness, here’s my list of useful kitchen gadgets you may not know you need:

Scottish Spurtle

What the heck is a spurtle!?! Good Question! A spurtle is a Scottish cooking implement used to stir oats as they cook. Its design allows you to keep the oats off the base and out of the corner curve of the sauce pan as they are cooking. I use it whenever I cook any kind of small-grained product on the stove (i.e., grits, polenta, etc.)

I use my spurtle several times a week because I absolutely love my porridge! Porridge is nothing more than cooked oatmeal, but it’s taken very seriously where I was born: Scotland. In fact, each October the World Porridge Making Championships are held in a tiny village, and it’s called The Golden Spurtle!
~ Christina, Christina’s Cucina

TRY: The 21st Annual World Porridge Making Championships: Award Winning Recipe for Sticky Toffee Porridge

GIFT IDEA: Package a Scottish Spurtle and a bag of Irish Oats in a pretty ceramic cereal bowl and BOOM – a perfect gift for just about anyone.

Danish Dough Whisk

Ever wished your whisk had a little more heft to it? Here’s your new best friend – straight from your grandma’s kitchen! Built to last, this heavy-duty dough whisk is perfect for hand-mixing mixing batters and doughs of all kinds. Dough doesn’t get caught up in the wires, and it cleans up in seconds.

TRY: Buttermilk Biscuits

German Spaetzle Maker

A spaetzle maker, common in German-speaking countries, simplifies the spaetzle making process and speeds up the prep time. It’s kind of a one-hit wonder, but if you love spaetzle, it is almost indispensable.

We were raised eating spaetzle noodles with goulash in Austria, and of all the tools this was the most important one in our culinary college. Yet, the Spaetzle maker or the spaetzle press is not that well known outside the German-speaking countries in Europe; except in the US, where German/Austrian/Swiss immigrants brought it along with them to the new world.
~ Helene, Masala Herb

TRY:

Microplane Zester

When Mr B and I got married, a dear friend gave me a Microplane zester as a shower gift, and it immediately became one of the single most indispensable tools in my kitchen. Not only does it zest citrus like a dream, but it shaves parmesan and other hard cheeses into the finest, lightest shredded cheese ever, and grates everything from chocolate to garlic to nutmeg with equal ease. If you don’t have one of these babies already, pick one up today in your favorite color!

Note that this is the only item on the list that I’ve narrowed to a specific brand. This is because I’ve tried many other zesters and fine graters, and in my experience, none do as good a job as the Microplane brand does.

Food Mill

If you’ve ever wondered how people make those uber-smooth sauces and soups, a food mill might just the thing you’ve been looking for. Food mills are a tool that has endured the test of time, and are often employed when canning or making preserves to produce a smooth puree without seeds, skins, or stems.

A favorite memory from my own childhood is standing on a chair over our food mill and turning it round and round while my mom peeled apples for applesauce.

Many food mills are mechanical, but if you aren’t up for grinding away at a pile of apples all day long, there is a nifty little food mill attachment for your Kitchen Aide that does the work for you.

I love my Kitchen Aide Food Mill. It lets me make applesauce from feral found apples workout needing to waste a day peeling around weird shapes or discoloration on the skin.
~ Alecia, Chicken Scratch NY

TRY: Easy No Peel Whole Apple Applesauce [Chicken Scratch]

Narrow Measuring Spoons

Do you have a set of measuring spoons that are narrow enough to measure spices directly out of spice jars? I’ve had a set of “skinny” measuring spoons for years, and I can attest that they can make life so much easier.

Watch how using these measuring spoons will make cooking easier:

25% OFF! Enter CUPS2YOU at checkout when you order this measuring cup and spoon set for a 25% discount! [Discount code generously provided by Danielle, Cooking Gods]

TRY:

Collapsible Travel Chopsticks

Technically, this one isn’t a “kitchen” utensil: it’s a “travel” utensil, but it’s one of my favorite things. Plus, it’s good for the Earth.

Recently, I started carrying my own chopsticks, for a number of reasons. I use them for everything from stirring drinks to tossing salads. (I also use them to eat, when appropriate.) They have their own little carrying case, and take up almost no room in the small festival bag I carry as a purse. (One of my friends calls it my “Jenga Purse” because everything is so precisely placed.) I use them instead of grabbing plastic utensils or disposable chopsticks whenever possible: I’m pretty sure I’ve already saved at least one very small tree in the process.

The first time I whipped out my chopsticks at a restaurant when my teenager was present, she was tempted to tease me a little, but she immediately had a change of heart. “I’m kinda glad you do little things like that,” she told me. “It’s cool.”

I like being able to pull my little chopsticks out at a moment’s notice, and I love that I will never again have to face that awful moment when you crack open a pair restaurant chopsticks and pray they break apart evenly and don’t give you a splinter in the process.

Did you know that over 20 million mature trees are cut each year for single-use chopsticks? If you need another reason to buy a set of travel chopsticks, how about this: it is one small way you can help to make the world a little better – with virtually no effort at all on your part.

What is this thing for, anyway?!? Eight Weird But Useful Kitchen Gadgets You May Not Know You Need

Silicone Garlic Peeler

The first time I ever used a silicone garlic peeler, it seemed like magic! Just pop a clove in the silicone tube, roll it around under your palm a bit, and Voila! The garlic falls out peeled and the tissue paper skin can be simply brushed away.

I put one or two cloves inside, roll it sideways on the counter with my hand and the peel comes right off. Before this, I would crush the clove with my knife and it gets all sticky and I waste some of the tasty juice.
~ Merc, Easy Filipino Recipes

TRY: Filipino Chicken Adobo

We’d love to hear about your favorite kitchen utensils! Please take a moment to tell us what you can’t live without in the comments below!

Thank you so much for being a faithful reader and supporter of The Good Hearted Woman. ❤ Be sure to Pin this post!

^{Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they do help keep this site up and running. As always, all opinions and images are my own. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!}

How to Start Raising Mason Bees {& Why You Will Love Them}

March 23 By Renée 5 Comments

Exceptionally easy to raise, Mason Bees are ultra-gentle uber-pollinators that will improve the health and well-being of your flowers, fruit crops, and garden.

Mason Bee with Purple Flowers - Raising Mason Bees | The Good Hearted Woman

[Image Credit: Mark Jones {CC BY 2.0}]

^{We teamed up with BeSpoke Bee Supply to bring you this sponsored post. This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.}

Are You a Backyard Gardener? Have you heard about Mason Bees? These little non-stinging, super-pollinating bees are one of the best kept secrets of the gardening world, and Mr B and I are excited to be welcoming them into our garden this spring!

Admittedly, until recently I didn’t know much about Mason Bees. I knew that they used mud for something, and they are usually included as a footnote in articles about the global impact of our overstressed honey bee population, but that’s about it.

That all changed when BeSpoke Bee Supply reached out to ask if we’d be interested in raising Mason Bees and sharing our experience with you. However, I can’t very well share, much less endorse, something I don’t know about, so I set about educating myself. As in, somewhere in the process, the hyper-obsessive researcher in me grabbed the reins and made me spend hours and hours pouring over everything I could find on the subject; and just like that, I’ve got the equivalent of a minor in Mason Bee husbandry and we have a Mason Bee Cottage all set up and open for tenants in the backward.

I’m excited to share what I’ve learned so far with you. Read on for everything you need to know about why you should raise Mason Bees, and how to get started today!

What are Mason Bees?

Mason bees are solitary nesting bees that emerge in early spring and lay their eggs in long, skinny tubes. These super-pollinators are exceptionally gentle and will only sting if you trap or squeeze them. (Can we all just agree to not squeeze the bees, ok?) There are about 300 species of Mason Bees found across the Northern Hemisphere and in Australia, so chances are you can find them in your area. Moreover, they don’t make honey, so there’s very little upkeep involved in raising these fuzzy little garden friends.

7 Reasons Why Gardeners Love Raising Mason Bees

Mason Bees are far more efficient pollinators than their Honey Bee cousins. According to Bryan Danforth, Professor of Entomology at Cornell University, “[Mason Bees] are three times better pollinators than honeybees.“
Mason Bees tend to stick closer to home. Honey bees will range up to two miles from their hive, while Mason Bees usually stay within 300 feet of home.
Mason Bees are very gentle. The males do not have a stinger, and the females will only sting if trapped or squeezed. (Once again, just don’t squeeze them, ok?)
Raising Mason Bees takes almost no time. In exchange for an hour or two hour each year, your Mason Bees will improve the health of your fruit crops and garden and give you hours of relaxing entertainment in the process!
You don’t need any fancy protective “bee-gear” to raise Mason Bees. [See #3 ?]
Mason Bees are fascinating to watch, and can be as educational as they are eco-friendly. And finally…
Raising backyard Mason Bees is one more step toward being a good steward of the land. Aiding the increase of Mason Bees in your area can ease the burden of overstressed Honey Bee populations, therein protecting and sustaining our future food supply… and possibly contributing to the survival of every land-dwelling creature on the planet, or at least every almond. (Though I’m thinking that last point is probably a different post for another time on my other blog. {Sigh}?)

Why don’t Mason Bees Sting?

Mason Bees are categorized as “solitary bees.” This means that each female is a Queen Bee and – like most single mothers – must do all of the work herself; including gathering pollen/nectar, laying eggs, and doing upkeep on her little mud nursery. She simply doesn’t have the time or disposition to get all aggressive and defensive, so you can get very close without any fear.

Raising Mason Bees | The Good Hearted Woman

[Image Credit: Gail Hampshire {CC BY 2.0}]

Mason Bee Life Cycle

Mason Bees emerge from their nest as adults in early spring. Males usually emerge before the females, which are mated immediately after emergence from the nest. Female Mason Bees begin to lay eggs in the beginning of the season, usually mid to late March. When Mama Mason Bee has provided a supply of food for the larva, she lays an egg and then seals it in an individual cell enclosed with mud walls. (Hence the name “mason” bees.)

Mason Bee eggs hatch almost immediately after being laid, and the larvae eat, grow, and pupate inside their little mud cell. The larva relies on warm spring and summer temperatures to grow, and by the end of June, each larva has spun a waterproof cocoon. The bees overwinter as fully-formed adult bees in fuzzy, wrinkled cocoons that look like the raisins you clean out of the backseat of the car. A new season of spring Mason Bees will begin to emerge when the weather begins to warm, and the cycle begins again.

Mason Bees are the blue collar workers of the bee family.

How to Start Raising Mason Bees

Everything I read about attracting Mason Bees for your first season is all very Field of Dreams, in that if you build it, they will come. In other words, give them an attractive place to live, a ready supply of mud, and a nearby garden or fruit trees, and they will move right in. With that in mind, the first thing you need to do is decide where your Mason Bees will live and what they will live in. The latter part of this was a no-brainer for me because Bespoke sent me a beautiful Mason Bee Cottage (that sounds so rustic and cozy!) to help me get started.

If you order a Mason Bee Cottage or Apartment from Bespoke Bee Supply, it will arrive fully assembled and comes with 10 Mason Bee Tubes.

Hand-made in-house by actual Pacific Northwest craftspeople, all of Bespoke’s beehives are made with Forest Stewardship Council lumber, making them the most sustainably made hives on the market today. Bespoke’s Mason Bee Cottage and Apartment hives are created from cut-offs created during the construction of their bigger Honeybee Hives. (Admirably, Bespoke has set a goal to become a zero-waste facility, and sets aside scraps and even dust and shavings for repurposing into other products.)

Bespoke sands everything down for a nice, smooth surface, and suggests that you finish the exterior with a coat of high-quality tung oil. By finishing your Mason Bee Hive, you’ll increase the life of the hive and make a more beautiful home for your new little Bee Buddies.

Setting Up Your Mason Bee Digs is as Easy as 1-2-3!

1. Select a location and set up your Mason Bee home. It should face the morning sun and protect the bees from wind and rain. (Under an eave with southern exposure is perfect!) The Bespoke website also suggests that you place your bee-home at eye-level so that you can “see your new friends coming and going in their dapper new digs.”

2. Make sure there is a supply of moist, clay-rich mud nearby, or at least the “ingredients” to make mud. (If you live in the Pacific Northwest, this shouldn’t be a problem!) Mason Bee mamas need mud to seal their eggs into their little cells, so it’s important that they have open ground with moist clay mud for building their nesting chamber partitions. Of course, they can make their own mud with a ready supply of water, but if you have little kiddos around, I’m sure that they would love to help out by making a great big mud pie for your Mason Bees!

3. After you harvest your bee cocoons in the fall, give your Mason Bee Cottage or Apartment a good cleaning with a stiff brush, and store unused tubes in a dry place. A few minutes of maintenance each year will go a long way toward extending the life of your Mason Bee home and nesting materials.

**Wait, what?!? What’s that about “harvesting bees“?!?**

Don’t worry – “harvesting bees” sounds a lot scarier than it is! Really, it’s more like harvesting “bee seeds.” It’s all a very easy process that simply involves removing the Mason Bee cocoons (aka “fuzzy raisins”) from the tubes, sorting them, cleaning them in a bleach mixture, and popping them into the fridge in a breathable container for the winter. Bespoke has an excellent informational page on their website that explains each step in great detail.

PORTLAND AREA RESIDENTS: If you are lucky enough to live in the Portland area, a regular schedule of bee keeping classes is offered through Bespoke Bee Supply each month. Sign up for a Mason Bee class to learn everything there is to know about how to keep Mason Bees and how to harvest their cocoons, and hang out with some great people who know way too much about bees at the same time!

Mason Bees in Tubes - Raising Mason Bees {Photo Credit: BeSpoke Bee Supply} | The Good Hearted Woman

[Image Credit: Bespoke Bee Supply]

Mason Bee Keeping Basics:

Early Spring: Set out your Mason Bee home and make sure there is water and clayey mud nearby. Put out your cocoons if you have them from a previous year, and new Mason Bee tubes. [If you are concerned about attracting bees the first year, you can spray an attractant to entice free-roaming mason bees to your cottage or apartment (…which upon rereading sounds way racier than it is meant to).] Temperatures should be reliably above 55°F, and plants should be beginning to flower so that your bees have something to eat.
Late Spring (end of active period): Collect nesting tubes and store them in the garage or shed to protect them from harsh weather and parasites.
Fall: Store harvested bee cocoons in the fridge in a breathable box. Mason Bee cocoons like a little humidity, so be sure to include a very slightly moist paper towel alongside your cocoons and check it regularly to insure that it stays moist. Mason Bees and nesting materials also need to be cleaned each fall to protect them.
Winter (Optional): Share cocoons with family, friends, and neighbors. (Christmas presents, anyone?)

Visit Bespoke Bee Supply to order your Mason Bee Cottage or Apartment, and for more information about raising Mason Bees.

I'm not saying that raising Mason Bees will save the world, but I'm not saying it won't either.

THANK YOU so much for being a faithful reader and supporter of The Good Hearted Woman. ❤ Be sure to Pin this post!

Quinoa Fritters with Arugula-Strawberry Salad {Sun Basket Review & Recipe}

September 26 By Renée 63 Comments

SUN BASKET organic meal kits deliver everything you need to cook easy, delicious, nutritious meals right to your front door.

BONUS: SUN BASKET will give you all their recipes – no strings attached!

Today, along with my review of Sun Basket’s meal kit delivery service, I’m sharing their recipe for these delicious, family-pleasing Quinoa Fritters. [Recipe at the bottom of post.]

This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.

Let’s start with a little about Sun Basket. I have to admit that I’m kind of intrigued with the vast number of weekly or monthly food delivery services that have been popping up in the last couple of years. For a small fee, you can have everything from fancy European chocolates to curated vegan cuisine (and virtually everything in between) delivered to your door on a regular basis. In the past couple of months, I’ve been sifting through the chaos to discover the best of the bunch.

When I first learned about Sun Basket, there were a few things that really stood out:

Certified organic, non-GMO, sustainably sourced, seasonal ingredients from the country’s top farms.
Grass-fed, antibiotic-free, pastured meats, and sustainable seafood from ranchers & fishermen with whom they have a direct relationship. (Read: trust)
Paleo, Gluten-free, and Vegetarian options.
Healthy, innovative, easy-to-prepare meals that require 30 minutes or less to prepare.
Environmentally responsible, 100% recyclable packaging.

With all those points on their side, we decided to give them a try, so we sat down to order our first box. (Click here to get your first three SUN BASKET meals for free.)

The online ordering process itself is very simple, but our household dynamics make it just a bit tricky. Until very recently, we had very a full house – including kids home from college for the summer and married kids landing for a few weeks. And guess what? Everyone had a slightly different eating style!

Luckily, Sun Basket offers a variety of meal plans: Vegetarian, Rise & Shine, Paleo, Gluten-free, and Chef’s Choice. Since everyone home at the time was OK with fish, we went with Chef’s Choice, which means that you get to choose any three meals you want. We chose these three meals:

Roasted Salmon with Red Chermoula & Seared Endive
Quinoa Fritters with Arugula-Strawberry Salad
Shrimp Tacos Diablo with Pickled Cabbage & Lime

Our shipment arrived on time, as scheduled. I was very impressed with the packaging, which clearly reflects Sun Basket’s commitment to the environment. The packaging is 100% recyclable, plus they offer free delivery and free return shipping so that they can reuse the materials. Boxes arrive with clear instructions on recycling, and the sauces came in awesome little reusable plastic containers with lids.

All of the ingredients arrived fresh and in premium shape, including tricky-to-ship items like strawberries and cilantro. Ingredients for each meal were clearly marked and packaged together in a brown paper bag, except the fish and shrimp, which were packed separately in the bottom of the box with additional ice packs.

Sun Basket follows best practices when it comes to preparing ingredients, and all allergens are clearly listed. Moreover, while they are not a completely gluten free facility, they take ingredient preparation very seriously. Each meal came with a beautifully photographed, detailed recipe card as well.

Clean, Responsible, Healthy & Delicious: A Review of Sun Basket Organic Meal Delivery | The Good Hearted Woman

Quinoa Fritters with Arugula-Strawberry Salad

Each of the meals we ordered serves two. (Four-meal plans are also available.) However, as I mentioned earlier, we had a full house, so we decided to have a party and make all three meals at the same time. Sounds like a great idea, right?!?

Let’s just say, I do not recommend it. Things got a little confusing at times. I tried to keep things organized by arranging the ingredients for each meal on top of the bag that it came in. (This part wasn’t as easy as it looks.) Nevertheless, the meals were simple to prepare, and the directions were straight-forward. It definitely would have been easier it I hadn’t been trying to take pictures and access the process at the same time I was preparing the food!

Our meals not only turned out deliciously, but they plated up beautifully. I referred to the photos on the recipe cards for plating, and everything looked as good as it tasted.

Each meal provided enough for two decent-sized portions, but in the future, I think I’ll try to have a few extra sides to bulk up the meal for those with heartier appetites. Of the three meals we prepared, the Quinoa Fritters by far went the farthest.

Not only did they go a long way, but the Quinoa Fritters were without a doubt the biggest hit from our box as well – everyone in the family loved them! (Believe me, this is no small feat!) They were very flavorful, and had just the right amount of contrasting textures with the crunch of the fried quinoa and the smooth yogurt-tahini sauce. The arugula-strawberry salad paired with them very well too, although honestly, I think almost any light, slightly sweet salad would do the trick.

One of the things I appreciate most about Sun Basket’s business model is that (unlike some other meal delivery programs that keep their recipes as secret as an Italian Nona’s sauce recipe) they share all of their recipes online – free to anyone. You can go online right now and browse through their menu. Then click on the highlighted name of any dish, and – Voilà – there’s the recipe!

Note that if you order Quinoa Fritters from Sun Basket, the yogurt-tahini sauce comes premade; however, it is super easy to whip together at home. (My recipe follows.)

Quinoa Fritters with Arugula-Strawberry Salad

These simple cakes form a gorgeous, crisp crust when pan-seared.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time40 mins

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Servings: generous servings

Author: Sun Basket

Ingredients

1/3 cup rainbow quinoa
2 scallions finely chopped
Handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley stripped from stems & finely chopped
¼ pound baby arugula divided
1 lemon
2 pasture-raised organic eggs
2 tablespoons Panko crumbs
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan
¼ pound strawberries hulled and sliced thin (1/4”)
2 tablespoons walnuts roughly chopped
Yogurt-tahini sauce Recipe below

Instructions

Quinoa Fritters

Combine quinoa and 2/3 cup salted water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the quinoa is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 15 to 18 minutes. Spread the quinoa out onto a sheet pan or plate. Prep the rest of the ingredients while the quinoa cools.
Finely chop ½ cup of the arugula, reserving the rest for the salad. Zest and juice the lemon, keeping the zest and juice separate.
Crack the eggs into a bowl, season generously with salt and pepper, and lightly beat.
In a medium bowl, combine eggs, scallions, parsley, chopped arugula, lemon zest, panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and cooled quinoa. Mix well to combine.
Shape into the mixture into 6 patties.*** Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the quinoa patties in batches and cook until golden brown and cooked through – 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

Strawberry-Arugula Salad

Hull the strawberries and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices.
In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and 1½ tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the strawberries, walnuts, and remaining arugula and toss to coat. Season to taste.
Transfer the quinoa fritters to individual plates and top with some of the yogurt-tahini sauce. Serve with the salad and more sauce on the side.

Notes

*** I find that the easiest way to form the patties is by using a 1/3 cup measure. Just pack the quinoa mixture into the measuring cup and turn it out directly into the hot skillet. Flatten slightly with the back of a spatula and you're good to go.

Tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

Yogurt-Tahini Sauce

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Author: Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

3 tablespoons tahini
1 clove garlic minced
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Water as needed

Instructions

In a small blender, mix together yogurt, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, maple syrup, salt and pepper until smooth. You may need to add a little water; just be sure not to make it too thin.

Notes

I like to add a little sweetener to my tahini sauce to offset the bitterness. (I have a high sensitivity to bitter.) Just omit the maple syrup if you prefer.

Tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

BOTTOM LINE

Would we order from Sun Basket again? Absolutely! This service would be perfect for a working couple or small family, or anyone wanting to expand their cooking repertoire. You get reasonably priced gourmet meals, ordering is online is super easy, and you can skip a week or cancel at any time. Their demonstrated commitment to both the environment and quality customer service is a real selling point to us as well.

Ready to try Sun Basket out for yourself? Click this link and get your first 3 Meals Free from Sun Basket! (If you win the giveaway, that’ll be six free meals!!)

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they will help us keep this site up and running – and (relatively) ad-free!! Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!

Capturing Adventure {Blurb Photo Book Review}

August 17 By Renée 22 Comments

Capturing adventure in a Blurb photo book is simple, easy, and so worth the effort!

This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.

Preserving memories in book form is a passion of mine. Since my preteen years, I’ve been an avid scrapbooker, adhering images and ephemera between the pages of weighty albums with everything from old-fashion black photo corners to high-end archival-approved adhesives. Keeping those images accessible and leafing through them from time to time with the people I love brings our experiences back with vivid clarity, and gives us all a chance to enjoy the memories together once again.

About fifteen years ago, I made the conversion to digital scrapbooking and never looked back. The end products of my efforts are now high-quality hardback books, printed through one of a handful of dependable self-printing book services.

My most recent scrapbook project focuses on the trip Mr B and I took to Hawaii last July. We were on Oahu for ten days, and while we were there, I took well over a thousand pictures. (If you’ve been reading me for a while, you may remember that when we got home, I wrote so many blog posts about our trip that I had enough material to create our Ultimate Oahu Vacation Guide!)

Our adventures in Hawaii were a perfect subject for a stand-alone memory book, and this time I chose to print it through Blurb, a well-renowned print-on-demand company that I have used a couple of times in the past.

Blurb offers a number of both online and print formats, but for this review, I’ll be focusing on printing photo books.

Printed photo books are available in three formats: soft cover, image-wrapped [hard-cover], or dust jacket [hard cover]. (My preference for photo books is nearly always image-wrapped hard-cover.)

Blurb offers three options for shape and size, ranging from a small 7” x 7” square book to a large 13” x 11” in portrait or landscape. I chose a moderate 8” x 10” landscape book for our Hawaii album.

There are also five paper options, with varying weights and/or textures; everything from the standard semi-matte up to Premium semi-gloss or Proline pearl. Blurb’s basic, standard weight is 80 lb. paper, (about the same as good-quality printer paper), but it cost very little to upgrade to the 100 lb. Premium paper. I strongly encourage that you upgrade too, especially for a book with a lot of images. (I went with 100 lb. semi-gloss paper for Our Hawaiian Adventures.) You can print up to 440 pages in one book: our Hawaiian Adventures came in at 114 pages!

Now, let’s get to the two things we all really care about when it comes to making photo books online: Ease of use and quality of final product.

EASE OF USE

This is where the rubber meets the road when it comes to online photo book creation. Some photo book printing sites are a little intimidating, but Blurb is not one of them. In fact, one of the things I like best about Blurb is the wide variety of options that they offer for content creation, and the ease at which a book can be completed. Whether you are a professional digital Creative or can barely turn on your computer, there is an option for you.

Make Your Book Online
Make your book quickly and easily without downloading anything. You can pull in images directly from Facebook or Instagram, or upload them from your computer and use Blurb’s templates and layouts to create a beautiful photo book quickly and easily.

Adobe InDesign Plug-in
If you have Adobe experience, this may be just the thing for you. Blurb’s Adobe InDesign Plug-In is free to download, and lets you create and lay out books directly within InDesign, with output options for both print and digital formats. You can also work on your book within Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.

Upload PDF to make your book
If you prefer, you can use Blurb’s specifications calculator to fine-tune your PDF to a Blurb-friendly book size.

I’ve used all of these options at one time or another, but for this project, I wanted a fast, simple method that would give me complete control over my layouts – and I needed to be able to do in while I was on the road and away from my primary computer. With that in mind, I decided to go with my all-time favorite online photo editor, PicMonkey.

My 3-Step Streamline Blurb Photo Book Creation Process

Step 1 – Create individual pages on PicMonkey. Save as high-resolution JPGs.

PicMonkey is a simple, easy-to-use tool for editing photos online. From Capturing Adventure {Blurb Photo Book Review} | The Good Hearted Woman

↑ I created all of the images for our Hawaiian Adventures book in PicMonkey.

I created all of my pages in PicMonkey, saved them as high-resolution JPGs, and then uploaded them to Blurb. Then all I had to do was drag them onto the pages as full-bleed images. After that, I just proof-read everything about 100 times (but that’s just me), and then ordered my book. That’s all there was to it.

Step 2 – Upload Full-page images to Blurb. Drag and drop.

Step 3 – Proofread, proofread, proofread. Then proofread one more time, and order book. 🙂

PRODUCT QUALITY

As far as I’m concerned, Quality is the online photo book creation endgame. I expect my photo books to Pop! with bright, true-to-life colors, clean, clear printing, and solid, well-crafted construction. Anything less is unacceptable. Blurb did not disappoint.

Overall, the quality of our Hawaiian Adventures book is excellent. The cover is solid, smooth, and semi-matte, which discourages fingerprints, and the cover image is clear and vivid. The printed images inside the book are sharp and clear, and the resolution is good to excellent. The colors are vivid and true to the digital preview. I do think that paper selection makes a significant difference here, so once again, I strongly encourage you to upgrade to Premium or Proline paper.

BOTTOM LINE

Mr B and I could not be happier with our newest photo book. Flipping through those pages is like reliving our adventure all over again (yes, fellow grammar divas, I know), which makes all the time and effort it took to create totally worth it, and the book itself priceless.

Ready to start your own photo book? Visit Blurb’s website to get started today!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. (Rest assured though, we will NEVER recommend anything we don’t believe in just to make a buck. We like to sleep at night.) Anywho, while clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they will help us keep this site up and running – and (relatively) ad-free!! Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!

How to Keep Your Dog Cool in the Summer

July 22 By Renée 124 Comments

Keep your dog cool in the summer heat! With just a few easy steps, you can help keep your pup as comfortable and insure her safety at the same time.

When the heat is on, we keep a close eye on our family pooch, Patches. Patches is a Blue Tick Heeler/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix, and to say that she loves the outdoors would be a vast understatement.

Nevertheless, when summer settles in and the thermometer starts to spike, Patches usually finds a cool spot to rest her belly, stretches out and closes her eyes, and starts to pant like we just dropped her on the Sahara without an umbrella.

^{This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.}

We want to do everything we can to keep our sweet dog cool and safe in the summer heat. Like Patches, most dogs instinctively know what to do when they feel the heat, but here are some easy steps you can take to make your pup as comfortable as possible, and insure her safety at the same time.

Keep Your Dog Happy, Safe & Cool All Summer! Get the best tips on keeping your canine companions cool!

**KEEP COOL, FRESH WATER ALWAYS AVAILABLE.**

Unlike humans, almost all of a dog’s efficient sweat glands are located on the bottoms of their feet. Instead, a dog’s primary method of heat exchange herself is panting. Panting allows the moisture on her tongue to evaporate; heavy breathing also allows the moist lining of the lungs to serve as a surface from which moisture can evaporate.

The more panting occurs, the more our four-legged family members need to drink to replenish the moisture lost. This is why the most important thing you can do for your pooch when the weather starts to heat up is to keep her well watered.

On very hot days, we try to change Patches water a couple of times a day – no one likes to drink hot, stale water.

**PROVIDE SHADE AND SHELTER WITH FREE AIRFLOW.**

We always allow Patches access to the house on hot days, but I have to admit that letting her in and out was a pain until we installed a doggie door a few years ago. I cannot even tell you how much that one change reduced our dog-related stress!

Even if your dog is an “outside only” dog, be sure that she has a cool spot to rest at all hours, preferably under a shady tree. Note that dog houses and kennels are not good options: they hold heat and do not allow for free airflow.

PROVIDE BEDDING DESIGNED FOR HOT-WEATHER.

There are a couple of good hot-weather bedding options to help cool your dog. One great choice is a cooling gel pad, the ultimate in affordable cooling for pets. These gel-filled pads can be used stand-alone or placed on a pet’s existing bed.

If you’re yearning for that ’70’s vibe, you could go for a canine water bed (Yes, really!) These specially designed beds (which you fill yourself) have a cool core that diverts the liquid throughout for advanced cooling power. Then all you’ll need is a doggy disco ball! (Believe or not, they make those too!)

ADJUST THE INTENSITY AND DURATION OF ACTIVITY.

On very hot days, we try to limit our dog’s exercise (as well as our own) to early morning or evening hours. If you are going for a walk, keep in mind that asphalt gets very hot and can burn your pet’s paws, so walk your dog on the grass if possible.

Always carry water with you to keep your dog from dehydrating. A water bottle and a collapsible water dish come in handy.

If you are an avid dog-walker, you might consider these awesome lightweight canine “running shoes.” Breathable and water-resistant, they will protect your pup’s paws from sizzling on that hot roadway.

For hot-weather hikers, a canine cooling vest (a lightweight vest with cold packs built into the sides) will allow your dog to stay comfortable and cool even on a long hike. If the vest is too much for your pooch (or you!), try a less obtrusive cooling collar.

The best activity you can do with your dog in hot weather is go for a swim. If your dog is an unsure swimmer, or you are planning a trip in moving water, you might want to consider getting a neoprene canine life vest. We recently bought a life vest for Patches for when we take her kayaking. It appears to be comfortable for her to wear, and it is easy for us to put on and take off; moreover, it gives her confidence in all kinds of water situations. We also like that it has a strong, built-in grab-handle for helping to guide her in and out of the kayak or the water.

There are a few things you should never do with you dog, especially in hot weather.

DOGGY DON’T’S

Don’t let the temperature fool you. Dogs can get too hot in weather as low as 80° F.

►►Signs of Dehydration and Overheating in Dogs

Don’t give your dog an extreme haircut. This may sound counter-intuitive, but a dog’s coat provides a buffer to help her regulate his body temperature. Not only will a super-close cut not help her handle the heat, but it could make her more likely to get a sunburn, too.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly…

NEVER, EVER LEAVE YOUR DOG IN A PARKED CAR!
Not even for a minute. To illustrate, when the temperature outside is 85° F, the temperature inside a car with the windows open slightly can reach 102° F in 10 minutes. (Rolling down the windows a few inches has little effect on the temperature inside your car.) After 30 minutes, the temperature will reach 120° F, at which point your trusting sidekick may suffer irreversible organ damage or die.

►►What to Do If You See a Pet in a Parked Car

Enough with the serious stuff though. There are plenty of fun ways to help your dog cool off. Here are just a few:

FUN WAYS TO COOL YOUR POOCH

Get a plastic wading pool. This time of year, you can pick up a hard plastic kiddie pool for a song just about anywhere. (Avoid the inflatable kind!) If your pooch is hesitant to jump in, you can coax her with a treat or a game. Once she gets the idea, you might have trouble keeping her out of it!

Play water games. Water games can also be a fun way to cool off your pooch. Patches likes to bite at the water stream coming out of the garden hose nozzle and chase it around the backyard. (If you use a hose, be careful to avoid faces and eyes.)
You can also set up a sprinkler with a gentle mist and let your dog play in it, or simply lay down nearby it.

Make your dog an Ice-bottle Buddy. Fill a plastic water bottle about ¾ with water and freeze it. (Leave the bottle cap slightly loose when you are freezing it so that the bottle doesn’t crack under pressure.) Once frozen, tighten the lid and slide the whole thing into an old sock and let your dog snuggle up with it.
- (NOTE: Never use bare ice to help your dog cool down, as it may lower their temperature too quickly and constrict blood flow, which will actually inhibit the body from cooling.)

Offer your dog a Belly Cooler. Dogs cool from the bottom up. When you lay a wet towel down for your dog to lie on, it cools her much more effectively than laying a towel on top of her coat. A nice cool tile floor works wonders too!

STAYING COOL ON THE ROAD – Tips for Traveling with Your Dog in the Extreme Heat

Leave early. Start early in the day to maximize cooler morning temperatures.
Freeze water. Fill plastic water bottles 3/4 full and freeze. In addition to being a source of cool water throughout the day, they can be also used as Ice Buddies [see description above] until the water melts. (Always be sure to have at least one unfrozen bottle of water with you at all times.)
Take more water than you think you’ll need. It is amazing how much water an animal (or a person) can require under extreme heat conditions.
Be mindful of hot pavement when taking your dog for a walk. If it’s too hot for your sensitive tootsies, it’s probably too hot for your dog’s paws.
Be watchful of heatstroke. Dogs can get heatstroke just like humans. (So can cats.) Signs include rapid breathing, a bright red tongue, red or pale gums, thickened saliva, depression, refusal to walk, diarrhea, and stumbling or staggering. [For more information on heatstroke, visit www.texvetpets.org/article/heatstroke-heat-can-be-fatal-to-your-pet.]
NEVER EVER EVER leave your dog alone in the car.

Are you an RVer who travels with a dog? Check out 13 Tips for Full-time RVing with a Dog, on Your RV Lifestyle!

To wrap it all up, if you are feeling the heat, chances are good that your pooch is feeling it too. She is counting on you to be a good Puppy Parent, so Be Cool.

THANK YOU so much for being a faithful reader and supporter of The Good Hearted Woman. ❤ Be sure to PIN and Print this recipe!

Chevy Impala 2015 {Review}

June 23 By Renée 5 Comments

Looking for a full-size sedan with a smooth ride, plenty of cool luxury features that come standard, and a sleek exterior? You should definitely check out the 2015 Chevy Impala.

Thanks to my role in the Chevy Shop Social: Portland, a fundraiser held recently to benefit Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, I had the opportunity to drive this sweet little number around town for a few days and run her through her paces.

There are a couple of things you should know before we go any farther though. First, this is my very first car review. (Woohoo! And yes, Scotty at SheBuysCars.com, I would be willing to make the sacrifice and do another one should the need and opportunity should arise.) Second, every car I have driven in the past decade or two has been at least seven years old, so I’m pretty awestruck by things that many who drive newer cars may think of as run-of-the-mill or even compulsory.

Wifi, Navigation & OnStar (Oh my!)

Every OnStar 4G LTE vehicle includes a 3-month or three gigabyte data trial (whichever comes first), after which you can purchase data in a monthly or one-time package.

First off – everything was so cool! I was like a kid in a candy store. A candy store with Wifi! The touch-screen was relatively responsive and very easy to navigate. Connecting to the internet was easy, as was pairing my phone with the car’s system. The signal came in strong, and the kids had no problem surfing the internet while riding in the car. I also appreciated the fact that that the connectivity didn’t immediately drop when the car turned off.

The navigation system was easy to follow and gave clear directions in a pleasant-sounding, courteous tone. (Which is a nice way of saying that it did not make me want to scratch someone’s eyes out as some navigation systems apparently are wont to do.) I liked that it warned me of upcoming traffic issues well in advance.

Starting with the 2015 model year, every OnStar-equipped Chevy comes with a 5-year OnStar Basic Plan that includes RemoteLink Key Fob Services (remote start/unlock/horn honk), OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics, and Dealer Maintenance Notification. I didn’t need or use the OnStar feature while I had the car, but just knowing it was there gave me a level of security that I found very reassuring.

Drive

I hear you. “That’s all pretty cool, Renée,” you’re saying, “but how is the drive?”

Glad you asked. Once again, from the perspective of someone who drives a ten-year old Corolla, the drive was awesome. Even in heavy traffic, the interior was calm and quiet, and the car did this thing where, when you push the accelerator, it actually picked up speed right away. As in, it didn’t feel like it was dragging and had be telekenetically encouraged to go. (Oh. Like you’ve never tried to internally pushed your car into upshifting with your mind.) Nope – it just up and went! Now! (Someday I’ll have a car of my own that just up and goes when I push on the gas, she thought wistfully.)

Comfort:

The soft leather seats are very comfortable, and come with adjustable lumbar support. Heated seats are standard, as is dual climate control, and there is also an option for cooled seats. (Would you like your buns chilled or toasted?) The leather-wrapped steering wheel was comfortable for my smaller-size hands, and I felt like I had plenty of room to breathe. (For reference, I recently drove a 2015 Mini-Cooper that made me feel a little claustrophobic until I got used to it.)

Safety

Sometimes it’s the little things that make me the happiest. The Impala has many cool and new-to-me safety features, including forward collision alert and rear cross-traffic alert, but my favorite safety feature was the blind spot indicator sensor. (I’m sure there is a more technical name for it, but you get my drift, right?) Basically, it’s a little icon on the review mirror that lights up when someone is in your blind spot. I loved this feature. Sure, I’m still going to look before I go, but it gave me a lot more confidence when merging, especially in busy freeway situations.

The Impala gets excellent crash test scores, due in part I imagine to the hundred (or ten) airbags that come standard. It also has an anti-lock brake system, a theft deterrent system, and all the other safety features (aka seat beats, child locks, etc.) we’ve come to expect.

Another little touch that I appreciated was this secret little compartment behind the gearshift. It’s big enough for a phone, wallet or any other little thing you want to hide from plain site.

For a car this size, I was pleasantly surprised by the generous trunk space: almost 19 cubic feet!

The back seat was roomy as well; plenty of space for three teenagers to fit comfortably, and I liked that the backseat had a standard outlet. (Gone are the days when you had to shell out big bucks for a converter. Thank goodness.)

2015 Impala 2LT Sedan

Engine: 3.6L SIDI V6
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Fuel economy: 21 combined city/hwy (18 city/ 28 hwy)
36 month / 36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty
60 month, 100,000 mile power train warranty AND roadside assistance

Standard Vehicle Price: $30,285

This Vehicle (with Extras): $37,400

Bottom line: Love it! As far as I’m concerned, the only thing Chevy forgot to include with this car was a box of Kleenex – to soak up my tears when I had to return it.

Disclosure: This car was provided to me by our local Chevrolet dealerships working with She Buys Cars, for my participation in the Chevy Shop Social: Portland in connection with Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

Arroz Con Pollo Recipe {Plus Our Review of Dream Dinners}

June 10 By Renée 2 Comments

What’s for dinner tonight?

That’s question that Dream Dinners, an innovative concept in meal planning and preparation, is hoping to answer – by moving the meal assembly process out of your kitchen and into their specially equipped stores. Recently, Mr. B and I had the opportunity to attend a bloggers-only event at their Clackamas-Sunnyside location to check out the service first hand.

This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.

The Dream Dinners experience begins online, as you preview their changing monthly menu and select from up to 17 different main dish options (depending on location), and select 3-serving or 6-serving dinners. (There is a minimum order per session of 36 servings.) Guests then register to attend a meal assembly session at their nearest Dream Dinners store location, and pay for everything online. From there, Dream Dinners does it all for you – shopping, prep work and clean-up. (Whoohoo, Clean-up!)

Our hosts for the evening, Hannah & Katie.

When we arrived for our blogger session, Hannah and Katie were on hand to guide us through the process. Both long-time Dream Dinners team members, they were amazingly friendly and helpful, and seemed to genuinely want us to have a fun experience. (I could imagine Dream Dinners being a great bridal shower or baby shower destination experience.)

I brought along my Dream Date.

After receiving an overview of the services they offered, we washed up and got to work. (The facility itself was spotlessly clean, and great attention was paid to proper food-handling practices.) Detailed printed instructions were provided for assembling each of our chosen meals, and we rotated through well-organized refrigerated recipe stations that held all the ingredients we needed. All the chopping and slicing had been done for us, so all we had to do was measure things out and put it all together.

When the meals were complete, we sealed them in resealable freezer bags, ready to take home and freeze.

Although many of the meals are relatively cost-conscious, Dream Dinners is definitely not about saving money. It is more about allowing busy people the opportunity to serve a variety of quality meals to their families.

Arroz Con Pollo is ready for the fridge.

The prices of menu selections vary, about $24 to $40 for each six-portion entrée. The range includes everything from higher-end steak and seafood dishes to more reasonable chicken dishes. (Based on current menu pricing at the Clackamas-Sunnyside location.)

Meet our PDX Blogger Dream (Dinners) Team: Denise of Healthy Disney Family, Me, Amanda of Burlap & Babies, Jenni of A Well Crafted Party, and Meg of Happy Kids, Inc.

The actual products we used to assemble our meals were very fresh, and appeared to be of high quality. However, although the recipes had some pretty fancy-sounding names, they weren’t particularly unique or special. (Said the food blogger.)

Most of the meals are not a stand-alone, so you will probably want to consider side dishes as well. Dream dinners has a freezer case of prepared side dishes and desserts available for purchase at an additional cost, or you can just supplement at home.

We had the opportunity to taste a few of the offerings at Dream Dinners, including The Chateau Chicken with Almond Butter Sauce. This was one of the meals Mr. B and I chose to make, and it ended up being our favorite of the three meals that we prepared at home.

You may want to check Dream Dinners out if you:

Like the convenience of having everything in one place, ready to assemble.
Feel as though the hardest part of making dinner is deciding what to make.
Enjoy interacting with people in this kind of venue. (This was actually my favorite part of the experience. Once again – this would make a great Girl’s Night Out.)
Have a relatively generous grocery budget.

You should probably avoid Dream Dinners if you:

Have special dietary needs: gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan eaters will not find much on the menu at this time.
Prefer to use only organic ingredients.
Prefer not to use plastic bags.
Don’t have a lot of freezer space.
Are on a tight food budget.
Are “kitchen-competent” and have the time to shop and prepare meals on your own.

All that being said, if going to a Dream Dinners outlet isn’t an option for you right now, you may still want to check out their cookbook – Dream Dinners: Turn Dinnertime into Family Time – from your local library. (It’s also available here on Amazon. ← affiliate link.) The cookbook provides 100 recipes for nutritious, family-sized, assemble-and-freeze dinners. You can prepare just one meal, or make enough for three and freeze the extra two for later.

Disappointingly however, most of the recipes in the book are not the same ones used for the Dream Dinners service. Also, be advised: the book receives mixed reviews and contains many errors. (So many that there is a revision list on the Dream Dinners website here.) Nevertheless, there are some tasty-looking recipes in the book to choose from, including a version of one of the meals we prepared during our visit: Arroz con Pollo.

Below, I’ve [heavily] reworked the book’s version to more closely resemble the one we made during our visit to Dream Dinners. This dish can be made with either chicken tenders, thickly sliced chicken breasts, or browned ground chicken.

Arroz Con Pollo

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time55 mins

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings:

Author: Adapted from the "Dream Dinners" Cookbook

Ingredients

Layer in pan:

1 cup uncooked rice
1 cup black beans drained
1 cup frozen corn
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders*
½ cup red bell pepper chopped
½ cup scallions chopped
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine & pour over pan contents:

1 cup salsa
1 cup marinara sauce
½ cup chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp minced garlic

Sprinkle over top:

1 cup shredded cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F. (Obviously, you can skip this step if you are planning to freeze it for later.)
Spray 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the rice over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Layer the beans, corn, and chicken over the rice. Sprinkle red pepper and green onions over top.
In a separate container, combine broth, salsa, marinara sauce, seasonings, and garlic.
Pour over the top of the layers in the pan. Top with shredded cheese.

To bake immediately:

Bake in preheated oven 45 minutes to 1 hour.

To freeze for later:

Cover with foil and put everything into a large resealable bag. Defrost and bake as directed within 3 months. Unthaw completely before baking. If you prefer, instead of immediately pouring them over the top, you can put the liquid ingredients into a resealable bag and pour them on after defrosting just before baking.

Notes

Alternate preparations:
*This recipe can also be prepared with thickly sliced chicken breasts, or browned ground chicken.
Vegetarian: Omit chicken, substitute chicken broth with vegetable broth, and use a vegan faux-cheese product.
Vegan : Omit chicken, substitute chicken broth with vegetable broth, and use a vegan faux-cheese product.
Dairy-free: Omit cheese or use a cheese product that works for you.

Tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

I like this recipe a lot because it goes together in just a few minutes and it’s so easy to adapt for just about any eating style. It’s naturally gluten-free, and the leftovers make a delicious lunch – just wrap them up in a tortilla and you’re good to go!

For more about Dream Dinners or to find a location in your area, check the Dream Dinners website.

Disclosure: As part of our blogger night at Dream Dinners, we received three meals for review. This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they do help keep this site up and running. As always, all opinions and images are my own. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!

Skinnytaste Cookbook & Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs

February 10 By Renée 32 Comments

These Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs from The Skinnytaste Cookbook become an instant favorite in our household. The first time I made them, Mr. B told me at least three times, “These meatballs are fantastic!” I have to agree.

_{[Sponsored post.] This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.}

My rule of thumb for buying a cookbook is that it must contain at least five recipes that I cannot live without trying AND it must offer some intangible something – innovation, technique, cultural insight, or even nostalgia – that I cannot already easily find on my shelves or on the internet.

The SkinnyTaste Cookbook far surpasses my cookbook buying parameters.

The SkinnyTaste Cookbook is the début cookbook of Gina Homolka, the personable and creative author behind Skinnytaste, a wildly successful, award-winning food blog. A home cook who has taken low-calorie cooking to a new level, Gina started “skinny-fying” her favorite recipes when she joined Weight Watchers and became dissatisfied with the dearth of truly tasty meals that fit into the plan. As she began tweaking her own favorite dishes to lower the fat and calorie content, she uncovered her secret formula for success: if you put a healthy spin on dishes you already love, you’ll feel satisfied as you slim down.

This recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs become an instant favorite in our household. After I made it, Mr. B told me at least three times, “These meatballs are fantastic!” I have to agree.

4.5 from 2 votes

Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs

Each meatball is stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese and baked, then finished with a creamy white wine sauce.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course: Chicken, Main Dish

Servings: servings

Author: Adapted (slightly) from The Skinnytaste Cookbook, by Gina Holmolka

Ingredients

Meatballs

Cooking Spray or oil mister
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground chicken Try Isernio 95% Lean
1/2 cup seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 large egg
1 large clove garlic minced
1/5 teaspoon kosher salt
2 ounces sliced deli ham cut into 12 strips, each about 3/4" wide
2.2 ounces reduced-fat Swiss cheese cut into approx. 3/4 inch cubes

Sauce

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup white wine or additional chicken broth
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup 1% milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Meatballs

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a heavy baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine ground chicken, bread crumbs, parmesan, parsley, egg, garlic, and salt. Mix thoroughly, and then divide into 12 equal portions. [See "Meatball Hack"]
Roll each 1/12 portion of the ground chicken mixture into a ball. Set aside. I usually put them in the fridge for about 15 minutes to make the mixture set a little better before trying to form it into balls.
Put a cube of cheese on one end of one strip of ham and roll it up with the cheese in the middle. Place the ham-covered cheese cube on one side of a prepared meatball and form the meat mixture around it so that the ham-n-cheese is now in the middle of the meatball.
Transfer prepared meatballs to baking sheet and bake uncovered 18-22 minutes, or until no longer pink in center.

Sauce

Make the sauce while the meatballs are finishing in the oven.
In a small bowl, combine wine, broth, milk, and mustard. Set aside.
Melt one tablespoon butter in skillet over medium-low heat. Sprinkle in one tablespoon flour and whisk until it begins to smell slightly nutty, about a minute.
Add liquid mixture all at once and whisk constantly. When mixture begins to thicken, remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, salt and parsley.
When meatballs have finished in the oven, transfer to skillet and toss with prepared sauce.

Notes

The [very] small changes I made include:
Breadcrumbs - The original recipe only calls for 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs, but I found that the meatballs were far easier to form by adding an additional 1/4 cup.

Weight Watchers SmartPoints [2018]: 1 serving = 9 Smartpoints (Calculated on WW Recipe Builder)

Tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

Meatball Pizza Hack

I use this pizza method to divide the mixture, which results in relatively uniform meatballs.

Meatball Hack • Get uniform meatballs every time without measuring or mess by using our easy *Meatball Pizza Method*

The Skinnytaste Cookbook features 150 deliciously inviting recipes, and most are accompanied by a beautiful, well-styled photograph. Recipes range from old family favorites like Fettuccine Alfredo to unique innovations like Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs. (See recipe below.) Instructions are easy to follow, and each recipe also includes detailed nutritional information.

Small things set this cookbook above the rest. Notably, many recipes include suggestions for brands that Gina has found work best. However, unlike so many others, these recommendations do not smack of paid endorsement, but rather simply some friendly advice from one cook to another.

Likewise, eating style is one of the things I try to be mindful of when I develop and share recipes, so I was both impressed and appreciative that each of Gina’s recipes includes a color and letter code just below the title that allows home cooks to easily determine whether the recipe is gluten-free and/or vegetarian. There are also codes for quick meals, freezer-friendly meals, and slow cooker meals.

Gina also offers practical, realistic advice about creating a healthy kitchen and lifestyle: plan ahead, take charge, dump the junk, and fall in love with real food. All things we know already, but within these pages, Gina give her readers a plan of attack. A road-map for success. At the risk of sounding too kumbaya, I found her book to be empowering. Whether you are a cookbook collector or you haven’t bought a new cookbook since the day AllRecipes hit the internet, The Skinnytaste Cookbook is well worth the investment.

Thank you so much for being a faithful reader and supporter of The Good Hearted Woman. ❤ Be sure to Pin and print this recipe!

_{Disclosure: [Sponsored post.] This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they will help us keep this site up and running – and (relatively) ad-free!! Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!}

Greek Turkey Burgers & Raddish Kids {Sponsored}

March 28 By Renée 9 Comments

Kitchen. Table. Family.

There are a multitude of reasons to cook with your kids. Teaching kids to cook – and cooking with them – is an empowering experience. Being capable in the kitchen gives kids (and the adults they grow into) self-confidence and a sense of independence. Kids who cook are more informed about nutrition and healthy choices. Kids are more likely to eat something new if they have a hand in preparing it. What’s more, the skills a child gains in the kitchen reach far beyond the kitchen door.

But some things are much easier said than done, and that’s where Raddish comes in. Raddish is a subscription service that delivers a themed box filled with culinary adventures to your door every month.

Each Raddish (Rad-Dish – get it!?!) Box includes everything you need for at least three separate kitchen adventures except the ingredients:

3 family friendly recipe guides carefully designed so that even non-readers can take part.
1 culinary skill card
2 creative activities with all the necessary materials, aimed at getting your family sitting, talking, and eating together. Activities range from science experiments and art projects to oral histories and foodie games.
Your shopping list, which is also emailed to you the week your box ships.
A Table Talk card deck for facilitating mealtime converstion.
An adorable Raddish patch to be ironed-on to your Raddish apron (which comes free which comes free with a 3, 6, or 12-month subscription)

When our Raddish Box arrived this February, the first thing that hit me when I opened it was the careful attention to detail and the clear intentions of each component. On top was our Raddish apron. Crisp white and embroidered with the Raddish logo, it was well-constructed, made of the heavy, easy-to-wash fabric, and sized to fit a wide range of kiddos.

By day, I am a certified teacher, and I was immediately impressed with the educational value of our Raddish Box: cooking lessons are designed to incorporate math, science, nutrition, reading and vocabulary, and geography and culture. Each element was well thought out, and the kit as a whole provided enough activities for at least three complete family activities/cooking experiences. I liked the clean, sharp-looking, laminated peripherals, the kid-friendly food choices and the intelligent integration of activities.
I had four kids on hand to test-drive it (ages 3, 6, and two 13-year olds) and I was surprised that even the older kids really seemed to enjoy and appreciate the experience. Our Raddish Box arrived in February and was themed to coincide with the Winter Olympics. We started by making Olympic Torch Cupcakes. The recipe was easy to follow, and I loved that the kids were learning that cake doesn’t always come out of a box.

While the cupcakes were in the oven, we made Greek Turkey burgers and then the kids made Olympic medals with the included craft supplies.

I was a little concerned that our picky eaters might not want give them a try – what with all the weird feta cheese and all – but even our 6-year old “Selective” Susie” gobbled hers up with a smile.
After the cupcakes cooled, we made the frosting and everyone took a turn at frosting cupcakes.

In short, I loved our Raddish Box. Clearly, the philosophy that drives Raddish appears at the heart of every element: they believe that two of the greatest gifts you can give your children are a love and appreciation of good food, and a childhood enjoyed at the family table. Our day with Raddish almost made me wish I still had young kiddos at home. (As the mother of five, I can’t believe I actually had to “borrow” children for this review!) If I did, I definitely would be ordering a subscription.

If you’d like to learn more about Raddish, visit their website. Subscriptions are as low as $20 a month.

We all loved these burgers – they were flavorful and moist without being the least bit greasy.

Greek Turkey Burgers

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time20 mins

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

For Tzadiki Sauce:
1 cucumber
1 small container plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbls lemon juice
1 Tbls Olive oil
For Burgers:
20 ounces ground turkey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 cup feta cheese
For Serving:
6 hamburger buns*
lettuce leaves
tomato slices
red onion slices

Instructions

Grate cucumber, and then squeeze and drain in colander.
To make tzadiki sauce, conbine grated cucmber with the remaining Tzadiki ingredients: yogurt,salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil. Set aside.
For burgers, combine ground turkey, seasonings and feta in a medium bowl and mix (with your hands!).
Divide turkey mixture into six even balls and flatten. Using wet hands to do this makes the job much easier!
Fry burgers in a medium skillet over medium heat, or grill on barbeque.
Assemble burgers on bun with tzadiki, lettuce, tomato, onion. Enjoy!

Notes

(The ingredients list for this recipe is courtesy of Raddish. Instructions are unique to The Good Hearted Woman.)

Conveniently, prepackaged ground turkey comes in 20 ounce packages! I used Jennie-O Lean Italian Seasoned Ground Turkey. I really liked the extra boost of flavor that the seasoned ground turkey gave the burgers.

*The recipe in the Raddish Kit indicated that this makes four (huge) burgers or eight sliders. We split the difference and made six very generous, normal-sized burger with this recipe.

Tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

Disclosure: The product provided for the review was free of charge from the company. All photos and opinions are my own. For more information, please refer to my disclosure policy.