Order Delicious and Healthy Meals From Blue Sage Cuisine (Review)

January 14, 2017 By Marijean

Happy 2017!! 2016 was a great year for myself and my family. This year I do want to make a resolution, to eat healthier. I now work part time in the afternoons/evenings, so trying to come up with healthy meals at lunch time and dinner time is becoming quite the task. For lunch sometimes I grab fast food for a quick option which isn’t healthy, or sometimes I skip and eat a snack at work which is not healthy either. I get home after 6pm and the last thing I want to worry about is what meal I will be cooking. I would rather spend quality time with my family. Sometimes I wish their was an easier way.

Well, I found one! I was contacted recently by Blue Sage Cuisine, a local catering company out of Jacksonville, FL. They provide locally sourced, scratch/made organic/natural cuisine, including Vegan, Vegetarian and Gluten Free options.They offer weekly meal prep and delivery. After speaking to the very sweet owner, Jasmine Wooden, I was very intrigued and definitely wanted to give this a try.

Here is some information about Blue Sage Cuisine:

At Blue Sage Cuisine , we provide locally-sourced food choices that are scratch-made and preservative-free. From corporate business needs and private parties to holiday dinners and weddings, we cater events of all kinds while maintaining the highest quality ingredients and service. We provide plated family-style, full service buffet and drop off service for weddings to small groups and everything in between. Our intimate service allows you to have personalized, high-quality service in the comfort of your home, office or any space that meets your needs. Since everything is made fresh, you can customize your menu to meet your dietary or personal preferences. We also offer fully Vegetarian, Vegan and Gluten Free options.

We are passionate about serving the highest quality natural and organic cuisine. That means we work with local farmers and fishmongers to ensure we receive sustainably sourced, wild caught seafood, free-range and grass fed meats and organic produce. We make everything that we can from scratch to ensure that we know every ingredient that goes into your meal. You can trust that you are eating only what is listed on the ingredients and nothing more! We believe that food is primary to good health and what goes into your body is of the utmost importance. We can’t wait to serve and share our passion with you! Be well!

When you go to www.bluesagecuisine.com, their are many tab options at the top. Check out the “Meals” tab. This will show you the food that Blue Sage Cuisine offers. From Brunch to Soups and Salads, everything looks and sounds so yummy! They also serve a wide range of Vegan meals. To get started with Blue Sage Cuisine, click on the “Contact Us” tab. Then, click on “Info Sheet-Meal Delivery”. Fill that form out and Blue Sage Cuisine will be in touch with instructions on how to order.

When you are ready to order, you will see the weekly menus being offered for the following week. They are currently delivering to a select location in each of the following areas: Mandarin, Nocatee, Baymeadows/9A, Stands/UF, and San Marco. In order to pick up your meals on a Monday, your order must be placed by the following Saturday. Jasmine will explain all of that information in her email to you.

You can choose from a weekly lunch option which includes 5 different meals. You can purchase the “regular” lunch serving size, which is what I reviewed, or they have a larger portion option for an additional cost. All of the meals are packaged in BPA free containers and they are re-heatable making it very easy! The meals I received in the regular portion lunch option are below:

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Chicken Chili Verde

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

Mediterrannean Plate

Turkey Burger and Sweet Potato Fries

Each meal comes with heating instructions and calorie count. These meals make it super easy for my busy mornings/afternoons before I head out to work. They are also great for a quick and easy dinner just for myself. All of the ingredients are very fresh and everything was so tasty. Each meal kept me full until dinner time. My husband tried the Mediterranean plate and he is pretty hooked!

I was able to choose a Family Meal as well. Each meal feeds a family of four. They all looked so good, it was hard to choose. Each comes with a salad or side dish.

I chose the Lasagna Bolognese which comes with a salad.

The family meal was more than enough food for my family of 4. We had plenty of leftovers for the next day! The food was so good and I love that it is a much healthier version.

In conclusion…. the website was very user friendly, ordering process using PayPal went smoothly, and the meals are affordable, healthy and delicious. If you are looking to start eating healthier or are in a time crunch to prepare meals, then definitely give Blue Sage Cuisine a try!! Check out the below coupon for a discount on your first order during the month of January!

Connect with Blue Sage Cuisine: Website Facebook Instagram

I received meals in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Chefsteps Joule Sous Vide Review

December 17, 2016 By Marijean

My husband loves to cook. I always said he missed his calling in life, he should have been a chef. He loves kitchen gadgets and always buying new ones that come out. I am very lucky that he does all of the cooking because, to be honest, I am NOT a good cook. I always say I wish there was a simple way for me to cook with food coming out actually edible. Well, luckily for me I have found a way! Let me introduce you to the best cooking tool you could have in your home….Chefsteps Joule.

Joule is a rugged kitchen tool that’s made for everyday use. Its strong, durable body is made of extruded polycarbonate, and the top and foot are 316L stainless steel. There is no display to break, which also means Joule is half the weight and size of other sous vide tools, so you can carry it in your knife bag or store it in your top drawer. Joule preheats water way faster than other sous vide devices, and the LED is all the display you’ll need for information at a glance. Heat a pot of water. Or a Cambro. Or the kitchen sink. Capable of heating 20 liters of water or more and equipped with a universal clip along with a magnetic base, Joule works where you want it to work. With Bluetooth LE and WiFi control, you can cook from anywhere. When’s the last time you started cooking from work? Or the bus? Never, that’s when!

What is Sous Vide?

Sous Vide is a French term that describes cooking food in a sealed bag, immersed in water that is kept in the exact temperature that you set. That means steak is never over cooked, chicken is always tender and briskets are fall apart tender.

When I first heard about Sous Vide cooking, I kinda looked at my husband like he was crazy. Cooking meat in a bag? Say what?! No thanks.. not for me. If I only knew then how much of a staple this would be in my kitchen. This little cooking tool is AMAZING. It will honestly change the way you cook forever.

How to use the Joule:

Using the Joule is really easy peasy. As long as you have a smart phone, you are good to go. Just download the Joule app (free!!) for Android or IOS and connects via bluetooth. This app gives you easy step by step instructions on how to use the Joule to cook the best meal. You pick the recipe and it will tell you exactly what to do. I love that because I am the type of person who needs detailed step by step instructions on how to cook a meal. All the controls happen on the app, other than the On-Off button on Joule.

The first meal I cooked was New York Strip Steaks. We are BIG steak eaters in our house and my husband hates when his steaks are overcooked. So, the first thing you do is pick a recipe from the app. Then plug in and set the Joule in your water (The unit is waterproof – the entire thing can be submerged). This can be a pot, a bucket…anything you wish that the Joule will fit in. Since the Joule is small in size you do not need a giant pot to cook in. How cool is that?! Then we seasoned each steak and pre-seared them per recipe. Put each steak in a separate zip lock style bag (another awesome thing is this does not require bags to be purchased from Chefsteps, you can put your meat in any type of ziplock bag you please). From there, we attach the bags to the sides of the pot with clips (we use chip style clips, thank you oxo) and you just press start on the app and then that is it! You just sit back and relax and wait for your meal to be done! So simple! When it was done we gave it a quick sear over the grill (you can also use a pan) and the steak was ready to eat. You will be able to enjoy the most perfectly cooked steak you have every had.

Is the Joule powerful?! Yes it is! Joule features 1100 watts of power. This is the most powerful Sous Vide on the market for home use.

Usually when we cook steak or go out to a restaurant, we ask for medium or medium rare. With traditional grilling, we usually end up with overcooked meat. The Joule will never overcook. You will get edge to edge perfection. Our steak came out perfect as you can see from the photo. It was very tender and super juicy. My husband brought the Joule to work and cooked chicken, he said it came out super moist and flavorful.

Meat isn’t the only thing you can cook in the Joule. You can cook vegetables, eggs and desserts!! The possibilities are endless with all of the delicious recipes on the app. The Joule makes cooking so easy, and the app is super helpful with the detailed instructions and pictures.

We are so happy with the ChefSteps Joule. It has changed the way we cook forever. We are very excited to try Prime Rib with the Joule for our Christmas Dinner!

ChefSteps is selling Joule for $199. This would make an awesome gift for someone who LOVES to cook (or wants an easier way of cooking, like myself)!

Connect with ChefSteps: Website Facebook Twitter Instagram

*I received a Joule in exchange for this review. All thoughts are my own.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Get Your Kids Eating A Healthier Diet By Making These Simple Changes

December 1, 2016 By Anne

If you are a mom, you will know only too well the struggle of getting your children to eat healthy food. Many children have a fear or at the very least, a severe aversion to vegetables when they are young. No one is exactly sure where this hatred comes from – some believe it is simply because if children are told something is good for them, they will naturally resist it. Others think that it is because after trying it, they realise they don’t get the instant energy rush that they get from sweets and fast food. But we all know that children cannot grow up purely eating fast food and takeout. All of these types of food contain very high levels of salt, sugar and fat, and can sometimes lead to a lifelong food addiction as well as a whole myriad of different health problems. All of this doesn’t mean to say that you can’t give your children treats. But simply by making a few small changes to your family diet, you can get your kids eating in a more healthy manner – without them even noticing!

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Baking cookies with your children is one of our life’s little pleasures. It is a fun family activity that everyone can get involved in, whether it’s stirring the mixture or simply decorating the finished result. Many families bake together frequently. The downside of being a family that bakes weekly is that your children are regularly ingesting a lot of unhealthy fat and sugar, which can have a negative effect on their bodies over time. But by using some slightly alternative ingredients in your batch of cookies, you can give them to your children with slightly less guilt. Switching regular flour to coconut flour can still make great tasting cookies, as shown in this recipe: blog.paleohacks.com/coconut-flour-chocolate-chip-cookies/. Coconut flour is higher in protein and in healthy fats than regular flour, making it an all round healthier option. Plus, if you or anyone in your family is coeliac, it is gluten-free, too.

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Pizza

Let’s face it: every kid loves pizza. You’ve probably lost count of the amount of times your little ones have pleaded with you to order them a Dominos, after all. There’s nothing wrong with getting takeout every once in awhile. But making a habit of ordering pizza can end severely damaging your family’s health. Next time they ask for pizza, why not try making it yourselves instead? If you’re feeling adventurous, pre-make the bases yourself. But if not, you can just buy them from the store. Let your kids experiment with their own toppings and after half an hour in the oven, you will have some delicious homemade pizza to tuck into!

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Cake

Another sweet treat, nearly everyone would have to admit that they love cake. A lot of us tend to use Sunday as a day to bake a cake for the week – one that we know our kids will love. But think you have to cut out cake completely in order to live a healthy lifestyle? You couldn’t be more wrong. There are now ways to have your cake and eat it, and it’s all to do with changing some basic ingredients. Vegetables such as zucchinis and aubergines are now being used to bake cakes out of, as they can create a moist sponge that rivals a regular cake, with half the sugar. Try your hand at whipping one up and see if your kids notice the difference!

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

Ice Chips Candy Review (Holiday Gift Guide)

November 18, 2016 By Heather Little

****Featured on Shark Tank!****

Finally, it’s here – a candy that is actually good for you! Ice Chips Candy is naturally sweetened with 100% Birchwood Xylitol, which has a long list of health benefits. These hard little candy pieces come in a variety of flavors including peppermint, pina colada, lemon, berry mix, and even egg nog. But our favorite was definitely the licorice! The candy comes in a small tin, just the right size for the car or a purse, and just one or two pieces is enough to get your sweet tooth fix. But even better, the ingredients in the candy won’t promote tooth decay like other candy and because Xylitol is a low glycemin index sweetener, it won’t impact your insulin levels, so they are a perfect sweet treat for diabetics.

Unlike other candy loaded with sugar, Ice Chips Candy is good for your teeth and is actually sold at many dental and orthodontic offices. The xylitol in Ice Chips strenghthens teeth, reduces new tooth decay, reduces cavity-causing bacteria, inhibits growth of dental plaque. Just a few pieces immediately after snacks and meals can actually be beneficial for your teeth. It is a candy I can actually feel good letting my kids eat.

These would make great stocking stuffers this holiday season!!

To see all the many delicious flavors Ice Chips Candy comes in, visit www.icechipscandy.com. You can also purchase Ice Chips at most Vitamin Shoppe stores near you. Click here to locate the closest store.

Connect with Ice Chips Candy: Twitter Facebook

*I received samples in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

Heather Little

My name is Heather Little and my husband and I have two sweet girls and one crazy dog. We moved to Florida 6 years ago and have loved every minute of it! I enjoy crafting, good food, shopping, and of course travel!

Red Ace Beet Shots Review

November 8, 2016 By Heather Little

Beets have long been considered a superfood, so easy-to-take beet supplements are very popular these days. I’ve heard them advertised on TV and on the radio, so I was excited to have the opportunity to try Red Ace Beet Shots. Made from 100% USDA organic beets, Red Ace beet shots provide you with clean, long lasting energy. Whether you’re trying to dominate a 10 mile run or a 10 hour work day, Red Ace is your daily dose of “get up and go”. Beet juice naturally increases oxygen intake, boosts stamina and endurance, supports healthy blood pressure, fights inflammation, and increases energy levels all day long.

Red Ace beet supplements come in three varieties, each with its own unique benefits. Organic Beet Performance Shots are the equivolent of over 3 organic beets in one small bottle! Organic Beets and Turmeric Shots give you long lasting energy and the powerful anti-inflammatory benefits of tumeric in one easy shot. Organic Beets and Greens Shots will give you long lasting energy and the cleansing and detoxification of greens. Each shot comes in a super cute little 2 ounce bottle with easy twist off cap and are best served chilled. From the looks of the juice, I wasn’t sure how they would taste, but all 3 flavors are surprisingly sweet and actually really tasty! Red Ace contains organic beet juice concentrate, organic lemon juice, and organic flavors that make it taste just as good as is it good for you. Plus, the beet shots mix well with your favorite drinks, so it’s easy to get your daily dose. After just one bottle, I definitely felt like I had increased energy and improved mental clarity throughout the day.

Ready to see the difference 3 organic beets can make in your daily routine? Whether you are an athlete looking for a competitive edge on your competition or a mother of two just trying to stay on top of your kids; Red Ace Organics Beet Juice can help you!

Increase Oxygen Intake

Boost Stamina and Endurance

Support Healthy Blood Preasure

Increase Energy Levels and Brain Activity (without the crash!)

Clean Energy All Day Long

Fight Inflammation

So if you’re looking for a delicious, natural, healthy supplement that has positive effects on just about every major organ and system in your body including, your heart, your muscles and your brain, then I’d receommend give Red Ace Beet Shots a try!

You can find more about Red Ace’s available products at http://redaceorganics.com/.