Fake-Out Alfredo

If you grew up around yummy southern cooking, like whole milk, or use butter in everything, then this may not be the recipe for you. If you are like me and grew up drinking skim milk and eating 99% fat free ground turkey you may want to try this one out. 

Fake-Out Alfredo has 3 ingredients: 1/2 cup Cottage Cheese, 1 tsp Lemon Juice and Garlic Powder to taste.

Blend all three ingredients together (add in a tbs of milk if you are having trouble getting it to blend)

Then serve over pasta. For this recipe I used brown rice pasta. 

White Russian Chocolate Pudding

With the overwhelming popularity of Drunk Gummies, I thought I might create another adult dessert! I attempted to make Red Wine Rock Candy, the science geek in me thought it would be a ton of fun and nostalgic, but it turned out to be a big fail.

So I give you White Russian Chocolate Pudding:

 Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw sugar
3 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup Vodka
1/4 cup coffee liquor
1 tsp vanilla extract

 Place all ingredients in a sauce pan and whisk over medium heat until well blended.

 Once the ingredients are well blended turn up the heat to high. Constantly stir the mixture until it begins to thicken and stick to your whisk. Remove from heat.

 Select your favorite martini glass :)

Serve chilled.

*Please note this recipe includes alcohol and is intended only for adults over the age of 21. Please don't eat these and drive, operate heavy machinery or text.

Shoe Redo

I have this super comfy pair of aerosoles that I haven't worn in a long time because the heels look like my dogs used them as a chew toy.

 I saw a great idea on pinterest where someone covered their scuffed up heel in glue and then rolled it in glitter to cover the scuffs. While I was walking through Michael's Craft Store I saw Tulip Fabric Paint in a color close to my shoes! I used painters tape to keep my lines clean.

I painted on three coats allowing an hour drying time between each coat. The photo above shows one coat of paint (notice the scuff marks and tears have already disappeared!) 

The final result! They are not perfect when you look up close, but they look pretty fab on my feet!

My 8 month old Peed in the Potty

You read that correctly. My 8 month old peed in the potty! I was recently introduced to the book "The Diaper Free Baby" by Christine Gross-Loh. The book explores Elimination Communication.

My husband who is skeptical of the whole process said "I think you just happened to be in the right place at the right time" and I told him that is the whole point.

The author breaks the book down into a few categories Full Time, Part Time and Occasional EC. Which means you can utilize this method in the time you have available. As a full time working mom I fall under the occasional category. A friend of mine who introduced me to the book (and also has an 8 month old) and is doing this full time has not had to change a poopy diaper in over a week.

What I have learned from the book is:

Get to know your baby and recognize when they need to go to the bathroom. (The book recommends leaving your baby's diaper off or putting them in a cloth diaper so you and your baby know when they are wet) This method doesn't really work for me so I just keep an eye on his diaper to determine what patterns he has. I have realized my son tends to pee after he drinks a bottle. So at that time I give him a pottytunity (as the book calls it)

If you know your baby is going to the bathroom (be it in a diaper, the toilet or on your floor) give them verbal cues. I give my son a psssss sound to associate with peeing. The hope is that eventually if I put him on the toilet and make the sound it will cue him to pee.

A rule I have set for myself is that if he seems frustrated or doesn't want to be on the potty, pick him up and try again at another time. Luckily so far he seems to enjoy sitting on the potty.

Click on the book below for more information:

Lashes by Latisse

Want eye lashes like Kim Kardashian? You can put on fake lashes...or try Latisse!

I have spent years and lots of money trying to find the perfect mascara, but whenever I wanted my lashes to really stand out I always added on fake lashes. When the advertisements for Latisse started a few years ago I was skeptical, but heard from a few people that it worked. So I finally took the plunge and purchased two boxes (about an 8 week supply) and guess what... it works!!! The photo below are my lashes before and then my lashes after 6 weeks using Latisse. I am now just using it a few times a week for maintenance.

A Spoonful (or 12) of Sugar

I asked Ellen Miller of Isobreathing to give us the scoop on how food and drinks we consider healthy can be deceiving.

Read your labels!

The new year is upon us and many of us make our yearly resolutions to become healthier and lose weight. I was asked to write this article as an eye opener for many. Yes we have been told to read our labels but how many of you are actually doing this. While there are many components to reading labels I am going to focus on sugar for this article. I hope that the references below will help you be more aware before you purchase foods especially if you are feeding young children.

When reading labels do you know what ingredients are actually sugar?

Look for: malt, sorghum, sucrose, fructose, maltose, glucose, dextrose, high fructose corn syrup, maple, brown sugar, powered sugar, brown rice syrup, cane juice.

or sugar alcohols: mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol

Look there's sugar in my yogurt: A great article on how much sugar is in yogurt. We typically think of yogurt as a healthy option. The photo above shows 8 teaspoons!

Remember every 4 grams is equal to 1 teaspoon.

More Sugar Shockers:

Apple cider 81 grams (20 teaspoons),

Instant coffee with sugar cappuccino flavored 64 grams (16 teaspoons),

Fruit punch powdered mix 95 grams ( 23 teaspoons)

Sweet tea 95 grams,

Grape juice frozen concentrate sweetened 36 grams

Salad dressing for coleslaw reduced fat 38.4 grams

Canned fruit 77 grams

Dried cranberries sweetened 62.6 grams,

Carmel popcorn 64 grams,

Banana chips 25.7 grams

Granola bars oats fruits and nut 40 grams

Upon checking WebMD I found:

SoBe Energy or Elixir: 16 ounces = 52-54 grams sugar, 200-220 calories

SoBe Green Tea: 16 ounces = 50 grams sugar, 200 calories

Snapple Iced Tea, Peach, Lemon, or Raspberry: 16 ounces = 46-50 grams sugar, 200 calories

Arizona Iced Tea: 16 ounces = 48 grams sugar, 180 calories

Snapple Antioxidant Water, Agave Melon: 20 ounce bottle = 32 grams sugar, 140 calories

Glaceau Vitamin Water: 20 ounce bottle = 32 grams sugar, 125 calories

Gatorade Bring It, Shine On, or Be Tough: 16 ounces = 28 grams sugar, 100 calories

Instant Cocoa: You’d probably expect hot cocoa mix to have cocoa, or maybe powdered milk, highest on its list of ingredients. But for Swiss Miss Mocha Cappuccino and Marshmallow flavors, the first and second ingredients are sugar and corn syrup, with cocoa listed as the fourth ingredient.

Swiss Miss Mocha Cappuccino or Marshmallow flavors: 1 envelope made with 6 ounces water = 19 grams sugar, 120 calories

What can you do?

Read your labels, keep an eye out for the sneaky sugars and choose products without added sugar.

Make your own, to enjoy yogurt without the added sugar, make your own flavored yogurt starting with Greek Yogurt (it has 4.5g sugar per half cup and it is not from added sugars, but the sugar found naturally in the milk) and add in fruit.

Drink more Water, Hydration is very important in overall health and wellness add in a slice of lemon or lime to give your water flavor and save yourself the calories of the drinks listed above.

Decoding your DSLR Camera

One of my New Year Resolutions is to figure out how to use more than just the auto setting on my DSLR. I turned to my good friend and fellow April Mommy Cassie Sperling of Studio None Photography, located in San Diego, CA for help. (She is also famous and was recently on the Dr. Oz show which is super cool)

Guest Blogger Cassie Sperling:
So, you have this really cool DSLR camera, but you don't know how to use it outside of the auto mode. You find yourself playing around with it, but then realize, you can't take a photo in the dark. "I paid all this money for a nice camera and it won't take a picture in the dark..." That was me not too long ago. I purchased my first DSLR in 2008 and have taught myself, without any courses, how to take better photos.

Exposure is your best friend in the photography world. Literally, just like your best friend, you find the exposure is sometimes way too bright for your liking, or too dark. Like your friendships, there needs to be a balance. Looking through your viewfinder (through the eye piece), you will see a meter on the bottom that lights up. Your goal here is to place the bar in the center of the meter to capture the best exposed photo. You can get creative with this feature if you want to purposefully over or under expose a photo.

"How do I get that bar to move?" you ask. There are a couple of ways to move that bar. ISO speed, shutter speed, and your f stop (or aperture), will help you create the perfect photo. Low light situations call for a higher ISO speed. The higher your ISO, the more light is let into your lens. Remember what I said about balance? High ISO speeds produce a lot of noise in your photos (the grainy pixels), so make adjustments with your f stop and shutter speed to create a nice balance. If you have editing software, such as Adobe Lightroom, you can reduce the noise in your photos and won't have to worry as much about a higher ISO speed. If you do not have editing software, play around with your settings, get them on the computer ASAP so you can get instant feedback and make adjustments in the future.

Your shutter speed works in the opposite direction as compared to the ISO. The higher the fraction on your shutter speed, the faster the shutter opens and closes, and the less light is allowed in through the lens. Sharp photos are produced with a faster shutter speed to reduce camera shake and to increase image stability. In combination with the ISO, your exposure is almost set.

You are in love with the photos that focus in on a subject, but are nice and blurry in the background, but how do you take that photo? (note from Mrs. Alexandria, I have always wondered this I am so excited to finally have the answer) The f stop, or aperture, determines the blur of the background, as well as how much light can be let into the lens. A low number for your f stop, such as 4.0, allows the lens to bring in more light to the camera. I always start out setting up the f stop to produce the image I am trying to capture, then I adjust the ISO speed and shutter speed.

Now that you are balanced, what are we missing? Our subject! The most important aspect of your photo. Kids are the perfect subject to test out your photography skills. With their fast action, they keep you on your toes, and will keep you adjusting your settings on your DSLR.

I have found, if you want a child to cooperate with you to get the perfect shot, start out by getting down on their level. Less intimidation is key...well, that and bribes too. Play with the angles as you capture your images; at the same time, interact with the kid. Sometimes it is hard to forget they are just sitting there building up large amounts of energy. Try some photos from up high, down low, to the side, from behind, or even straight on. Practice will make you a better photographer and it will also help you develop your own style. Remember, the more photos you take, the more you can learn about your camera, its settings, and your own style. Go grab your DSLR and start playing!

Be sure to follow Cassie on Facebook or send her an email if you have any questions studiononephotography@gmail.com