September 2011 « One Megacoolmama... One Megacoolmama…

One Megacoolmama…

…with fun and healthy ideas for kids!

Sep 29

Go vegetarian for a day and get a chance at $1000! 9/29

by megacoolmama

World Vegetarian Day is October 1, and the North American Vegetarian Society is sponsoring a contest in which you could win $1000 just for pledging to try going vegetarian for at least a day!  Easy enough, right?   Just follow this link to find out more!

Why go vegetarian, you ask?  Well, I have actually said that if I could keep up with maintaining a vegetarian lifestyle, I totally would!  Honestly, I don’t think I would miss meat that much; I have never been much of a meat-eater.  I have noticed on days that I do not eat meat (or only 1 portion of meat/chicken/fish), I feel better than when I eat more meat.  There are a wealth of resources outlining the benefits of a vegetarian diet.  Here are some that I found after just doing a Google search:

There were many more, but these were ones I felt were really worth looking at and took a little bit different approach each time to explaining the vegetarian lifestyle benefits.

If you decide to try going vegetarian for a day, let me know in the comments section how you did!  Was it more/less difficult than you expected?  Would you try it for more time?  Would you consider completely switching over to becoming vegetarian?

Good luck!

 

 

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Sep 28

Melissa and Doug giveaway! 9/28

by megacoolmama

One of my favorite toy companies, Melissa and Doug, is sponsoring a giveaway today, September 29, in honor of Michelangelo’s birthday!  (Yes, THE Michelangelo!)  They are giving away their double-sided easel (worth $79.99) to a lucky winner.  All you have to do is go to their Facebook page and comment on how your kid(s) would use the easel!  It’s that simple!  Good luck to you and your little artists!

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Sep 28

National Coffee Day tomorrow, September 29! 9/28

by megacoolmama

If you haven’t figured it out by now…I LOVE COFFEE!  And, I know that many other Megacoolmamas out there feel the same way about this delicious, heavenly, mood-lifting beverage from the Gods!  (Okay, that may be taking it a little too far, but I seriously feel this way sometimes!).  Anyway, my point is that YOU ARE IN LUCK!  Tomorrow, September 29, is National Coffee Day, and you can get some megacool deals on coffee at your fave cafés!  ;)   Check these out…

  • Thornton’s gas stations are giving away FREE coffee and cappuccino beverages between the hours of 6 a.m. and 2 p.m tomorrow!  Yippee!
  • Caribou Coffee is doing a Buy One Get One Free deal on all of their coffee drinks!
  • Dunkin’ Donuts is “brewing up a special contest” in honor of National Coffee Day for their Facebook fans!
  • Enter here to try and win a Keurig Brewing System from Bailey’s creamers!
  • Read here about how coffee can actually help women fight depression!  Yet another reason to enjoy my beloved beverage!  :)

 

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Sep 27

Get a FREE $10 Credit from Fab.com! 9/27

by megacoolmama

Hurry to get your FREE $10 credit from Fab.com when you join through this link!  You really do have to hurry though because this link will expire at 10 p.m. Central time on Wednesday, September 28!  Look at some of the cute things I found there that you could get for CHEAP!

 

 

 

 

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Sep 25

Natural “Green” Cleaning is Easier Than You Think! 9/25

by megacoolmama

I have to admit that I used to be one of those people who were drawn to the most convenient and/or popular name brand cleaning products.  We see them advertised constantly, and they make people’s lives look so EASY and CLEAN on tv, don’t they?  :)   The truth is, with small children, one’s house does not stay clean on a very consistent basis.  I have had to let go of the fact that my house will NOT be in the state it was pre-children if I want to keep my sanity.  However, since I have had children, I have also started to read labels on the products I buy.  Of course, we all want what is absolutely best for our little ones.  But, what we don’t think about sometimes is that the very things we bring into our home to make it a safe and clean place for our children could be actually hurting them!  Many of the cleaning products  that we take for granted are made with harmful chemicals. (This is a nice link to a database  in which you can search particular products to find out what they are made of and their health effects)  Exposure to this cannot be the best thing for anyone’s health! 

Of course, there are household cleaners out there that are environmentally friendly and made of natural ingredients, such as Green Works and Seventh Generation.  I have also recently discovered another alternative to buying several household cleaners- Castile soap!  I found this at my Trader Joe’s (also available at Target and maybe Walmart) and picked it up when I read that it was a natural cleanser.  What I didn’t realize was just how multi-purpose it actually is!  I can use Castile soap for household cleaning AND as a body wash, hand soap, baby soap, etc.!  Megacool!  I found a huge bottle for only $9.99 which should last quite a while since I will be diluting it before I use it.  Here is a link to a nice site  that provides ideas for the many uses of Castile soap.  The actual website for Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap is having a sale (15% off) on a lot of the soaps right now (there are different scents- tea tree oil, peppermint, rose, almond, citrus, etc.)

Just take a second to think about switching to a cleaner that is safer for you and your family.  You will end up saving money in the long run and you will be doing something great for your health! 

Let me know if you made the switch!

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Sep 25

Test New Beauty Products! 9/25

by megacoolmama

Fitness magazine offers a program in which you, the reader, can test the beauty products featured in their monthly issues!  Just go here to find out how!  Who doesn’t love new beauty products that are free?  :)

 

 

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Sep 23

Women’s Fall Jackets for less than $20! 9/23

by megacoolmama

Totsy is offering up an awesome sale right now on Women’s fall jackets!  I found these few below for less than $20! 

         

 

Use the code BACK2SCHOOL to get an extra 10% off at checkout!

Get over to Totsy within the next couple of days to take advantage of this awesome sale before it’s gone!

 

 

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Sep 22

Megacool Healthy Apple Cake Recipe! 9/22

by megacoolmama

Healthified Fresh Apple Cake

Fall is the perfect time to bake with the freshest apples you will find all year!  Some day soon, after you have returned from apple-picking at your nearest apple orchard, try out this recipe.  This cake will freeze quite nicely if you don’t use the entire cake after baking.  Just plastic wrap it and freeze! 

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c. granulated sugar
  • 3/4 c. brown sugar
  • 1 c. buttermilk
  • 1/2 c. all natural applesauce
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 c. flaxseed meal (found easily at Trader Joe’s or Costco…I think even Walmart and Target sell this in the baking sections now)
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 3 c. finely chopped unpeeled apples
  • 1 c. chopped walnuts

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 13×9-inch pan with cooking spray.
  2. In large bowl, beat sugars, buttermilk, applesauce, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 20 to 30 seconds or until blended. Add all remaining ingredients except apples and walnuts; beat on low speed about 1 minute or until blended. Stir in apples and walnuts. Spread batter in pan.
  3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on cooling rack 1 hour.

Do you have your own twist on the recipe or a “cool” way to serve this apple cake?  Leave me a comment so I can try it out!  :)

 

 

 

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Sep 22

Tasty, Healthy Foods to Boost Metabolism and Burn Fat! 9/21

by megacoolmama

 

Being the health-conscious Megacoolmamas that we are, isn’t it nice to know that some of those foods you are eating every day can actually help boost your metabolism and burn fat?  Take a look at the following list of foods that do just that, and amp up their intake in your day to get your metabolism revving!

  • Bananas-  They help beat puffiness and diliver over 400 mg of potassium, which helps to fight stomach-bloating sodium in your body.
  • Green tea-  If you sip three cups of this a day, you can burn 30 extra calories!  That actually equals out to about 3 lbs a year without dieting!
  • Spinach-  Boosts levels of calcium and vitamin C, both which lower your odds of gaining belly fat!
  • Oranges-  Been shown in studies to help curb fat absorption, due to the levels of vitamin C, therefore making you slimmer!
  • Whole grains-  Eating three 1 oz. servings of these a day can keep your insulin levels low, which may shrink fat cells!
  • Yogurt-  Encourages the growth of good bacteria in your gut, helping to fight off the kind that cause bloating!

 

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Sep 17

“The Kind Life” 9/17

by megacoolmama

Currently, I have family visiting, and my younger sister has the same passion for healthy, environmentally-friendly living that I do!  So, as we were having a discussion about something to do with healthy cooking, she asked if I had ever heard of Alicia Silverstone’s blog called “The Kind Life”….I had not heard of it before, but am mega glad that she recommended it to me!  This blog is amazing…it is chock full of ways to live a “kind” life.  Kind, in this sense, means being kind to yourself and the environment you live in by being as healthy and eco-friendly as possible.  Alicia Silverstone and her Kind community give tips on everything from eco-friendly ways to decorate your home to vegan/clean eating recipes.  This is the kind of site I hope to emulate some day, though with my own twist on it of course!  Go check it out and tell me what you think!  This will be a site I check on daily now!

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