In-Flight Meal Service
Here’s my trick for keeping my stomach (and my body!) in good condition while traveling: have a good-quality meal with lots of fresh fruit beforehand (smoothies are key), and then pack your own snack for on-board munchies!
I like some decaf green tea for antioxidants and to keep me feeling full, and a Bonnievilles Power Cookie, preferably coconut almond. These cookies are handmade in Boston, have lots of protein and a low glycemic-index. They have no refined sugars, no dairy, no gluten and no artificial fillers or flavoring. They’re available in the bakery section of any Massachusetts Whole Foods.
And, of course, get yourself a huge bottle of water before boarding. You’re more likely to finish a large bottle than to order 15 of those small cups of water on-board. Hydration is the most important part!
It Feels Good to be Cheap (in most cases)
Here are some fantastic websites that will help you look fabulous while still functioning in an un-satisfying tax-bracket.
www.like.com: I still love zappos.com for it’s reasonable prices and free shipping (and user-friendly interface) but like.com can sometimes have even better prices, not to mention a larger selection.
Of course I order from payless.com as well. You’d be surprised how many compliments you get on a pair of $19.99 BOGOs, as long as you don’t buy those heinous Keds or something.
www.6pm.com: (Thanks for turning me on to this, RG!) Unpredictable in terms of selection, yet oh-so incredibly cheap every time. There’s no explanation why these fabulous brand items go on sale, but who needs an explanation?
www.15dollarstore.com: Ok, haven’t actually vetted this one myself, but it seems like if you put the work in, you can get a pretty astounding deal. Love to hear feedback if you have tried it….
www.forever21.com: Obviously.
Again, if you choose wisely, you can really win here. Things with “belt attached” and “embroidery” are cheap-looking and not worth your time.
However, basics, along with some other items, are as close to a steal as you can get. $3 for a tank top? I don’t care if it shrinks after a few months! Still completely worth it. Actually, I’ve had some Forever stuff long out-last some much more expensive clothing from Macy’s, Express or Urban. Again, not for the faint-hearted or gullible, but definitely a great deal.
www.retailmenot.com: Unbelievable. Search for the store you’re shopping in, get coupon codes. Sometimes they’re a wash, but this seems to be one of the best coupon code websites at this time. Don’t order anything without looking it/the store up on this site first. I got 20% off a shoe order the other day for no other reason than that I searched “Payless Shoe Source Coupon Codes” on Google, and Retail Me Not came up first in the search with a valid coupon.
www.amazon.com: Well, duh. Tiger blood.
I actually search for some things at www.Google.com under “Shopping” and then refine my search by price. Amazon is almost always at the top. I look for everything, vitamins, pet treats, etc., find a good price and buy in bulk. I was able to buy my very expensive tinted moisturizer, 2 for the price of 1, just because I searched it online and bought it from amazon. As much as I love Sephora… well, you can’t beat that price.
Any of your own special online secrets? Post them!
Happy shopping!
Reuben Studdard Sangwitch
As a vegetarian, Reubens never really occurred to me as a meal option, and I always felt a little left out of some sort of delicious secret. So, I finally tried making one with vegetarian deli slices (and made John one with traditional corned beef) and it was great!
You need:
Bread, preferably rye or pumpernickel
Corned beef or vegetarian deli slices
Swiss cheese
Mustard – whole grain is my fave.
Horseradish
Sauerkraut
Butter!!!
Butter the outside of your bread. Stack cheese on one side, meat on the other, and put the mustard/toppings in between (if you put it on the bread, get ready for sogginess). Wring out your sauerkraut (rinse first if the taste is too strong for you) and put it in the middle.
Put the delish pile in a non-stick pan on med-low, and put a lid on the pan. This is a good trick to heat the whole sandwich evenly and melt the cheese.
I like to dip the whole shebang in thousand island dressing.
I served these with sweet potato fries and lemon-dill aoli… More on easy homemade aoli soon.
Super-Duper Cheap Hair Treatment
Wanna get messy?!
If you don’t have heat damaged/color treated/dry/split ended/curly/pain-in-the-butt-hole hair, then stop reading and go admire yourself in the mirror. You are one out of 1,000, and you’re #$*(@ lucky.
For everyone else, here’s a great way to invigorate your fractured follicles.
Buy coconut oil (click for the kind I use). Make sure you have olive oil and honey on hand as well.
Wash your hair, and leave it wet.
Coconut oil is solid, and warm/hot oil is more easily absorbed into hair, so I set up a double-boiler (a little water in a pot with a stainless steel bowl hovering over the water- the water must not touch the bottom of your second bowl – you want the steam from the water to heat your bowl – I’m holding the bowl up here so you can see the water in the pot beneath):
Put 2 parts coconut oil and 2 parts olive oil in the bowl. Use low heat, and DON’T BE AN IDIOT. Oil can get hot, quickly. Don’t hurt yourself – this only takes a short time to heat and for the coconut oil to liquify.
Add 1 part honey. Stir.
While it’s warm, but not too hot, rub/pour it into your hair. This is messy. Do it in the tub. Pile your hair on top of your head with a clip, blow dry your hair on low for a few minutes (again, heat helps with oil and moisture absorption) and wrap your head in a plastic shower cap.
Hang out. Laugh at how dumb you look. Your cat may laugh too.
Eventually, when you can’t stand it anymore, go wash your hairs off. Depending on how dry your hair is, you may need more or fewer passes with shampoo. I only wash once.
Here’s a great shampoo that has none of that drying junk in it – to purchase, search on Google to get a better deal.
Great article about the NO POO way of life… what eliminating shampoo entirely can do.
Home-Made Chinese Food
There is no good Chinese food near us, not to mention the grease-saturation level one encounters in take-out. Therefore, I decided to come up with my own variation, drawing from a few online recipes.
Tofu: Found this dry-fry technique online, which vastly improves the quality of tofu! Check it out here. I use “SoyVay Veri Veri Teriyaki” as my marinade. I also added bamboo shoots from a can (found in the Chinese food section of the supermarket, probably next to the baby corns) when frying the tofu in the wok at the end.
Fried Rice: I varied this fried rice recipe. I made 2 cups of brown rice (whole grains – wahoo!) using chicken stock (remember, 1 cup dry rice means about 2 cups cooked). I added 1-2 TBSP to a non-stick pan, scrambled an egg in there over low heat, added frozen peas and thawed them for a moment. After that, you can add the rice and 1-2 TBSP soy sauce to taste. I left out onions because the man of the house hates them, but you should get down with your bad self if you like onions and add them at the beginning.
Broccoli: I cut a head of broccoli into bite-sized pieces and chopped two cloves of garlic. Put the garlic and about 2 TBSP canola oil into a wok or frying pan, and turn it on medium to high heat (always depends on how hot your stovetop runs). Careful here- the garlic starts to burn if you leave it too long, so I almost immediately add the broccoli and toss it (I like to cook with cheap wooden spoons from Target). Brown the broccoli a bit, and toss often. Add stir-fry sauce, toss a bit more, and when it’s cooked to your liking, set aside in a bowl with foil on top to keep it warm. Ideally, you will be finished with everything else by now, so you can just serve it hot, but I always take forever and have to set things aside in foil.
This is definitely one of the more labor-intensive meals I make occasionally, but I watched SNL while doing it, so that was a pretty good time. I highly recommend entertaining yourself if you can.
