Secrets of Success

Double Duty

Anytime I cook I try to cook two days worth of food. For instance, instead of one healthy casserole, I'll cook two and freeze one for a day when I'm feeling too tired to cook. It's sometimes too tempting to call for pizza delivery. If I have that casserole to throw in the oven, that's one day that I won't give in to temptation!

Gum!

Pop in a piece of mint gum (or flavored if you like it but mint is the strongest) to stop all the finger licking and tasting while you're cooking and baking. You won't wanna ruin the taste of the gum by eating the food. My sister and I own a cake business on the side, it helps to avoid eatng all of the sweet stuff.

Dutch Ovens

I use my Dutch oven instead of a slow cooker, the food comes out with a rich flavor (like in a slow cooker) but takes less time. And I can get everything ready and have my husband throw it in the oven if I'm not at home. I prep and pre-cook whatever needs to be done and put the Dutch oven in the fridge. In the end, it saves me time and saves me from having to explain how the slow cooker works.

Fill Up Before a Meal

Still in the phase where your always hungry? Try filling up on low-cal foods and water before you eat. I often eat a cup of watermelon slices and a glass of water before a meal to help make me fuller faster.

Making Pie Crust

When you have completed your pie crust dough, wrap it in saran wrap and refrigerate it for one/half hour. Doing that produces a more tender crust.

Coconut Oil

Cooking with oil is best done with coconut oil. the properties in it are amazing compared to everyday oils like veggie oil and canola.

DON'T USE PAM!

I have found that pam and those other aerosol cooking sprays has butane in them! So instead I went to my kitchen store and brought a sprayer that you have to pump, put your olive oil or other favorite oils in there, pump then spray... much cleaner for your body and lets get away from those chemicals!

Tomato paste papillottes

When a recipe requires some tomato paste it's usually the equivalent of two table spoons. What to do with what's left? I freeze it in aluminum foil papillottes containing each two table spoons. When I need some tomato paste I just take one papillotte.

Adding helpful kitchen aids to your Sparks grocery list

If you come across a handy kitchen aid you want to buy you can add it to the weekly shopping list.

Go to "My Nutrition" page,
"Add/Edit Extra Meal category",
In the pop-up "New Extra Meal Category" enter a word like "shops",
"Save settings",
which sends you back to "My Nutrition" page.

There is now a section for "shops"

Add kitchen aid under "Enter food not listed" then add it to the new "shops" section.

Press "Grocery List" and the new aid now appears under "Manually entered".

SLOW COOKERS

I use a liner in my slow cooker to save time on cleaning it.