Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Top Ten Tuesday
If I'm going to be one of those obnoxious Apple owners, I figured it was time for another blog about something Mac! ;) hehe So, below are the top ten Mac-related products and websites I've come across over the past few months. Hopefully, if you're already on the Apple train, you'll find some of these helpful, and maybe you can share some of your favorite products and websites with me!
1. Apple's website offers some great tutorials if you're new to Mac, and these are some more great "pro" tips on Apple's website.
1. Apple's website offers some great tutorials if you're new to Mac, and these are some more great "pro" tips on Apple's website.
2. I'm all about some instant messaging, and Adium is a wonderful free IM application that lets me connect to AIM, Yahoo, Facebook, and more!
3. Two words: keyboard shortcuts!
4. Caffeine is a great little program that prevents your Mac from going to sleep or starting a screensaver...perfect for when you're making a presentation or watching a movie.
5. This is a helpful blog for "Macnewbies" and here's yet another website with tips for novice Mac users.
3. Two words: keyboard shortcuts!
4. Caffeine is a great little program that prevents your Mac from going to sleep or starting a screensaver...perfect for when you're making a presentation or watching a movie.
5. This is a helpful blog for "Macnewbies" and here's yet another website with tips for novice Mac users.
6. Since I use my computer on a regular basis to make presentations at the university and at church, I've found this VGA adapter to be essential in allowing me to connect to various projectors!
7. Okay, so I don't own this super cool sleeve yet, but it's a birthday gift that's on its way :)
8. While I'm probably going to stick with iPhoto for most of my picture needs because it is so well integrated into the OS, I HAVE to put in a plug for Picasa, since it is now available for the Mac. I think it is a better picture editor than iPhoto, and even if you're not a Mac owner, you should definitely check out the Windows version...it's awesome.
7. Okay, so I don't own this super cool sleeve yet, but it's a birthday gift that's on its way :)
8. While I'm probably going to stick with iPhoto for most of my picture needs because it is so well integrated into the OS, I HAVE to put in a plug for Picasa, since it is now available for the Mac. I think it is a better picture editor than iPhoto, and even if you're not a Mac owner, you should definitely check out the Windows version...it's awesome.
9. I wanted a bluetooth mouse for my Mac that looked nice but also had some curvature and wasn't itty bitty. So far, I like my Logitech V470, though it is at times a bit jumpy.
10. I use my Mac all the time and everywhere...needless to say, I've found this well-fitting and extremely thin keyboard protector to be quite helpful! I rarely even notice it now, though it did take a couple of hours to get used to.
10. I use my Mac all the time and everywhere...needless to say, I've found this well-fitting and extremely thin keyboard protector to be quite helpful! I rarely even notice it now, though it did take a couple of hours to get used to.
Okay, now it's your turn! What websites and products have you found helpful in using your Mac?
Friday, August 21, 2009
Foodie Friday
We borrowed a food dehydrator from my parents and finally were able to try it out last weekend. I bought a bunch of strawberries and blueberries and decided to make fruit leather. It was really quite easy as far as the hands-on work goes, but I don't think I realized just how long it takes for fruit to fully dehydrate.
First I used the food processor, though you could easily use a blender or chopper, to make a smoothie of the berries--1 1/2 lbs of strawberries and 1 1/2 pints of blueberries, give or take some. I didn't add any sugar, honey, etc. because I wanted to see how we liked it "au natural." Some recipes suggested using a seive to remove some of the seeds from the berries, but because the berry mixture was quite thick, I couldn't imagine that working well. Plus, I like texture and fiber in my food.
I lightly sprayed two trays designed for making fruit leather with cooking spray, and poured half of the berry mixture into each.
Then I plugged in the dehydrater, and let it do its thing....basically a fan moves heated air around in a circular motion. The recipe book said it would take anywhere from 8-12 hours, and since I didn't actually start the process of dehydrating until about 1 p.m., our leather still wasn't fully dry when we were ready to go to bed 10 hours later. However, the texture of the leather had definitely changed, and it felt gummy-ish.
So, we put the dehydrator on a timer for another two hours, and hoped for the best! In the morning, it felt *mostly* dry, and at that point I was just ready to wrap it all up. So, I rolled up the leather in individual servings using plastic wrap and, to be on the safe side, stored it in the refrigerator.
Overall, I was pleased with the result, and my husband has been enjoying the fruit leathers in his lunches, too. I think I'd like to incorporate some applesauce or something next time as a bit of a filler; some recipes even say to use applesauce as the main ingredient in fruit leather. Also, I'm glad I didn't use any additional sweetener. The fruit-only leather tasted sweet enough to me, and is certainly much healthier without the extra sugar.
If you're interested in trying out drying, you don't necessarily have to own (or borrow!) a dehydrator. There are a couple of other methods for drying food, including using your oven. In the future, I'm looking forward to making more fruit leather, and I also want to try to make some jerky and dehydrate watermelon!
First I used the food processor, though you could easily use a blender or chopper, to make a smoothie of the berries--1 1/2 lbs of strawberries and 1 1/2 pints of blueberries, give or take some. I didn't add any sugar, honey, etc. because I wanted to see how we liked it "au natural." Some recipes suggested using a seive to remove some of the seeds from the berries, but because the berry mixture was quite thick, I couldn't imagine that working well. Plus, I like texture and fiber in my food.
I lightly sprayed two trays designed for making fruit leather with cooking spray, and poured half of the berry mixture into each.
Then I plugged in the dehydrater, and let it do its thing....basically a fan moves heated air around in a circular motion. The recipe book said it would take anywhere from 8-12 hours, and since I didn't actually start the process of dehydrating until about 1 p.m., our leather still wasn't fully dry when we were ready to go to bed 10 hours later. However, the texture of the leather had definitely changed, and it felt gummy-ish.
So, we put the dehydrator on a timer for another two hours, and hoped for the best! In the morning, it felt *mostly* dry, and at that point I was just ready to wrap it all up. So, I rolled up the leather in individual servings using plastic wrap and, to be on the safe side, stored it in the refrigerator.
Overall, I was pleased with the result, and my husband has been enjoying the fruit leathers in his lunches, too. I think I'd like to incorporate some applesauce or something next time as a bit of a filler; some recipes even say to use applesauce as the main ingredient in fruit leather. Also, I'm glad I didn't use any additional sweetener. The fruit-only leather tasted sweet enough to me, and is certainly much healthier without the extra sugar.
If you're interested in trying out drying, you don't necessarily have to own (or borrow!) a dehydrator. There are a couple of other methods for drying food, including using your oven. In the future, I'm looking forward to making more fruit leather, and I also want to try to make some jerky and dehydrate watermelon!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Top Ten Tuesday
I was reading the other day about organic/natural foods (I'm always wanting to try to head more in that direction, but I have to do it slowly!). In the process, I stumbled upon all these websites touting the toxicity of cosmetics and personal care products. So, I'm thinking, "this is crazy...what's the point of trying to put healthy things IN your body only to go and put unhealthy things ON your body?"
Okay, so that's really just algae growing in a flask, but it was the most chemical-ish picture I had on my computer. Anywho, back to the topic at hand. My latest attempt at healthy is that I'm going to try to make a concerted effort to check for the following "Top Ten Toxic Cosmetic Ingredients to Avoid" in our daily personal care products:
1. Parabens - Methyl, Propyl, Butyl and Ethyl Parabens: Used as a preservative and can cause allergic reactions and skin rashes. Studies show they possess mild estrogen-like qualities, and preliminary research found parabens in human breast cancer tumors.
2. Diethanolamine (DEA), Triethanolamine (TEA): Can cause allergic reactions, eye irritation, and dryness of the hair and skin. Also can be toxic if absorbed into the body over a long period of time, and are associated with cancer in lab animals.
3. Diazolidinyl Urea, Imidazolidinyl Urea (Germall): Often used as preservatives, the American Academy of Dermatology has found these chemicals to be a primary cause of contact dermatitis; both release formaldehyde, which can be toxic.
4. Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate: Cheap, harsh detergent often derived from petroleum. Can cause eye irritation, dry scalp, skin rashes and other allergic reactions. Frequently disguised in pseudo-natural cosmetics with the parenthetic explanation "comes from coconut."
5. Petrolatum: Mineral oil derivative that can clog pores, which can disrupt your body's natural ability to moisturize its own skin, leading to dryness and chapping. Can also produce photosensitivity.
6. Propylene Glycol (PEG and PPG): Usually made from synthetic chemicals, it has been known to cause hives and eczema.
7. PVP/VA Copolymer: A petroleum-derived chemical that's used in hair styling products and some cosmetics. If inhaled, it can damage the lungs.
8. Stearalkonium Chloride: Toxic chemical used in hair conditioners and creams known to cause allergic reactions and irritation to the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes.
9. Synthetic Colors (FD&C or D&C followed by a color and number): Can be carcinogenic, or cancer-causing. Most are derived from coal tar. Not only are many people are allergic to coal tar, but coal tar has been shown to cause cancer when subcutaneously injected in lab mice.
10. Synthetic Fragrances: Labeled simply as "fragrance," there's no way to tell what chemicals are actually in the product. May cause headaches, dizziness, rashes, respiratory problems, and hyper-pigmentation (brown spots).
Just a disclaimer...I did not personally research the scientific merits of any of these claims, but used common (and educated, I guess) sense as well as some of the following resources:
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Top Ten Tuesday
For those of you that don't yet know, I got a new computer last month and am now the proud owner of...A MAC! :) There's been a bit of a learning curve, but so far I'm really enjoying my new 13" MacBook Pro. I've been so busy playing with my new toy that I've not done a good job of blogging lately. So, I'm trying to get back on the blogging train!
In honor of my crossing over to the "Mac side," I'm going to list my top ten favorite things about my new Mac:
1. It's so pretty! I love the aluminum casing and of course the cool glowing apple and backlit keyboard :)
2. It's very light and compact...really just feels like I'm carrying a book rather than a computer.
3. It comes out of sleep SO quickly and restarts in just a minute or two, which is nothing short of a miracle when you compare it to my old computer that took about 20 minutes to fully restart.
4. It seems that, for the most part, "things just work." I was easily able to connect to our home printer, it automatically and quickly connects to available wireless networks, and I can just drag and drop things that I want to email, open, save, etc. to the proper place and BAM!
5. The screen produces a gorgeous, crisp picture.
6. The multi-touch trackpad works quite well and is really intuitive.
7. The battery lasts for 5 hours, easy. It's supposed to last up to 7 hours, but I've not really done any "testing."
8. I can transfer pictures from my camera quickly since my Macbook Pro has a built-in SD card slot.
9. A lot of the software included is a cinch to use and lots of fun (iPhoto, Photobooth, and iMovie, for example), and I was able to synch iCal to the google calendars I currently use with no real problems.
10. The interface is really great looking and pretty darn easy to use. The fact that Macs now have a right click no doubt made my transition easier!
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