That Afternoon Bar

The purpose of an energy bar is to give you an immediate energy fix or snack. Some bars are tailored around athletics, where the protein and energy content varies for the needs of the athlete. But, many times this so-called snack acts more like a dessert or a bag of chips.

Consider the following tips when shopping for a bar:

• Aim for 5 to 10 grams of protein in the bar. Protein helps control hunger and supports the lean muscle mass that you want.

• Look for bars containing 170 to 270 calories. This provides enough energy to get you through until your next meal.

• Less than 5 grams of fat is usually ideal. Watch out for and avoid hydrogenated oil.
  

• Look for bars containing at least 3 to 5 grams of fibre.

• No form of sugar should be listed in the first three ingredients. One sugar you must avoid is high-fructose corn syrup.

Alive Magazine recommends the following bars which can be purchased for $1.49 to $2.99:

Source Salba's Real Whole Food Bars Certified 100% organic, these gluten-free, vegan bars provide over 700 mg of omega-3 and 3 grams of fibre.

Vega Whole Food Vibrance Bar These organic, raw bars contain a number of plant-based super foods.

Larabar Blended from 100% whole food, they are gluten-, dairy-, and soy-free with no added sugar.

Cut Clutter

Recent statistics suggest that we spend close to five years of our lives in the bathroom. It is very important to keep the bathroom clutter free. Mold, mildew, germs, and grime love clutter--especially in a warm, damp space like a bathroom.

Consider the following tips:

• Keep beauty products to minimum so that you can easily wipe down countertops.

• Keep cleaning products in a plastic caddy under the sink so you have easy access to the sponges, sprays, and wipes you need to keep the room spotless.

• Maximize your vertical space by purchasing an over-the-toilet cabinet or install cabinets that allow you to neatly store extra times.

• Use baskets, trays, and small containers to keep like things together. Put medications in one, hair products in another, first-aid materials in a third, and so on.

• Every six months, do a quick check on any bottles or tubes you haven't opened or used in that time.
  

• All makeup has an expiration or use-by-date. Sometime it is stamped on the product itself, sometimes on the packaging. Mascaras go bad more quickly than anything else; they are good for about four months. Other cosmetics and lotions are good for about twelve months. Perfume has a shelf life of 3 years.

• All medications have an expiration date. Go through the medicine cabinet once a year and toss out old drugs.

Sharing Recipes--Ricotta Lunches for One

Ricotta is a favourite component of many Italian desserts, including cheesecakes and cannoli. It can also be used in pasta dishes--manicotti, lasagne, and ravioli.

Grainy and creamy white in appearance, it is similar in texture to cottage cheese and contains about 5% fat.

I enjoy making the following quick and easy lunches.

Fruit and Ricotta Sandwich

Ingredients

1 slice whole wheat toast
1/4 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sliced fruit (canned or fresh)
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Procedure

• Spread cheese on toast.
• Top with fruit.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon.
• Broil until fruit is hot.

Fruit and Ricotta Split

Ingredients

1/2 small banana
1/2 cup strawberries
1/2 cup low fat ricotta cheese
sweetener (to taste)

Procedure

• Cut banana lengthwise and open onto a plate.
• Top with cheese.
• Sweeten strawberries to taste and spoon over cheese.

Finding Treasures

With warm weather just around the corner, it won't be long before we start searching for bargains at flea markets and yard sales. In addition to the thrill of the hunt, there's the satisfaction of transforming our finds into one-of-a-kind treasures.

The following tips will come in handy:

• Go early and quickly walk around to get a sense of items and price ranges.

• Bring extra bags and newspapers in case vendors don't wrap items properly.

• If you are looking for a specific piece, bring the dimensions of the intended space and your own measuring tape.
  

• Consider bartering: you can get anywhere from 5% to 50% off the asking price. You will probably make a better deal towards the end of the day when the dealer is more eager to make a sale.
  

• Take small bills with you--you are likely to get a better price if a dealer doesn't have to make change.

• Bring snacks and water.

Thrifty Tips--Baby Food

Even though I do not have children of my own, I found it interesting to learn that many new mothers are choosing to make their own baby food instead of opening up a jar from the grocery store.

According to Sick Kids dietitian, Daina Kalnins: "Generally speaking, preparing vegetables and fruits is much more economical than buying ready-made baby food. It's about half the price compared to commercial varieties." She stresses the importance of following food safety measures such as keeping cutting boards used for raw meats away from ones used for fruits and vegetables and using only fresh produce.

Consider the following tips...

• Start with small batches.
• Use fresh, frozen or dried fruit and vegetables.
• Cook fruit and vegetables before blending or pureeing.
• Cube cooked meat to decrease blending or pureeing time.
• Blend 3/4 cup cooked vegetables with 3 to 4 tablespoons of water for one to two minutes.
• Blend 1/3 to 1/2 cup cooked fruit with 2 teaspoons water for 15 to 45 seconds.
• Process 1/2 cup cubed cooked meat with 3 to 4 tablespoons of water or milk until smooth.
• Keep baby food in the fridge for no more than three days.
  

Cut Clutter

In his book, "It's All Too Much", Peter Walsh suggests that we take five minutes each day to purge a small area of our house. If we do this five days out of every week, we will have purged 260 small areas in our home by the end of a year. Those small projects really add up.

Here's what the five-minute purge looks like:

1. Set the kitchen timer for five minutes.
2. Grab a garbage bag. The bag can be used to throw things away or drop them off at a favourite charity.
3. Pick a target--it could be one drawer in kitchen, a shelf, or the floor of a closet.
4. Clear out anything that hasn't been used for the last six months.
   
5. When the timer goes off, stop. If the bag is full, put it in the garbage (or in the car trunk so you can drop it off). If the bag isn't full, save it for the next day's purge.

Environmentally Conscious and Frugal

The following tips can help reduce our environmental footprints and save money.

• Instead of using a dryer, hang clothes to dry on a fold up drying rack.

• Reduce the number of prepackaged snacks by making your own and using reusable plastic containers.

• Get a tea ball and buy loose tea in bulk to save tea bag packaging.

• Take quick showers instead of baths.

• Use refillable pens and pencils.

• Clean and reuse milk bags for storing food.

• Old t-shirts can be cut up into pieces; they make great rags and are washable. They can also be used for dusting, washing floors, and washing the car.

• Lug a mug or eat where they offer china service.

• Cloth napkins can be easily used to replace paper napkins. Inexpensive ones can be purchased at the dollar store or they could be made from old tablecloths.