3 Ways to Cut Food Costs and Get Back to Basics

From the small restauranteur saving a dollar per case of shallots, to the largest car manufacturers getting a half-cent off each gallon of paint, all businesses benefit from cost-cutting. Getting just a little bit more bang for your buck is in your best personal interest, too–ever pass by a gas station because the one down the street sells gas for three hundredths of a penny less?

Being frugal does not mean you have to sacrifice every little thing that helps you get through the day. It just means using your creativity to maintain your lifestyle as best you can through any economic turmoil. Even if there’s no turmoil, what does it hurt to have a little extra money lying around?

When it comes to keep your food habits, you can absolutely get imaginative without sacrificing quality. With …

We Put a New (Easier!) Spin on the Traditional Cookie Exchange with a Chex Party Mix-Change — Prize Pack and $20 Gift Card Giveaway [Closed]

Cookies are a time-honored holiday tradition for most of us. Some of the best cookies made all year by anyone are those made in celebration of the holidays, and it is during this time of the year that we collectively throw our weight management plans out the window–hence all of those weight loss-oriented New Year’s resolutions. When I was a kid, I knew it was time to start getting really excited for Christmas when my grandmother started the holiday baking. By the time she was through, we would have several containers full of a variety of different cookies, and they lasted well into the new year.

The art of baking the perfect holiday cookie is pretty much lost on me as an adult. Me and baking is very hit or miss, but I still wanted …

Chicken Fajita Grilled Pizzas [Ragu Recipe]

During the Ragu Brand Immersion Weekend in New York City back in September, I and the other Ragu Mom’s the Word on Dinner ambassadors were treated to a delicious lunch prepared by the Unilever chefs. We were able to try a variety of dishes, each one created specifically for Ragu using their line of sauces, all of which you can find on the Ragu website. Accompanying each dish was a recipe card; I brought home several, along with a whole lot of motivation to prepare them myself at home.

The first dish I made was Chicken Fajita Grilled Pizzas.

Roasted Sweet Potato Chips Made with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! [Recipe]

Last Tuesday night I took part in the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! #Toast2TV Twitter party. It was a good time all around tweeting with some great people about all things television-related in anticipation of TV’s biggest night. If there is one thing I can always, always chat about at length, it’s television. I’m not a total junkie of course, but I do keep up with a rather lengthy list of shows. My very good friend Renee and I created and write Women’s Eye on Media and we frequently find ourselves having to discuss different topics that we can write about within the media spectrum that does not have something directly to do with television because of our collective tendency to write only about what shows we’re watching …

This Summer, Remember Green is Good with Sunkist Valencia Oranges

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sunkist. All opinions are 100% mine.

This week has brought on the official beginning of summer, but you would swear summer came early this year by the amount of humidity in the air; the kind of humidity that makes you feel sticky within ten minutes of walking outside. As we all know, different seasons bring on cravings for different flavors and in the summer, I cannot get enough fruit. It just so happens that summer is also peak season for Sunkist Valencia oranges, which is why they are also commonly called summer oranges.

So when you’re at your local market or grocery store and you’re picking through the bin of oranges, it’s likely that when you come across an orange with a bit of green …

Quick and Easy Breakfast Recipes for Kids

This is a guest post by Elias Cortez, a freelance writer and the editor of topnetbookpicks.com, a website which provides detailed reviews and information for popular netbook models such as the asus eee pc and the hp mini netbook series. You can learn more about him and the world of netbooks at his website.

Week day mornings are generally like this in every American home–rushed for time, kids who are fussy eaters, frustrated mothers, banging doors and nearly late for work. Yes breakfast time can be a tiring period; however, things can surely be worked out.

As a rule, make the breakfast presentation colorful–remember kids love colors. Next, the meal needs to be nutritious, healthy and easily made. Here are a few recipes you will find very useful to turn your mornings …