The Lazy Cook
Dishing Up Great Time Saving Ideas in the Kitchen
Enjoying a Sweet Mothers Day
09 days
by lifestylist
in Uncategorized
Happy Mothers Day! I was reminded today as to why I became a Lifestylist® – my mother is the perfect example of who to live your life with style. We celebrated with homemade cinnamon buns and a cruise around their lake – how did you celebrate with your Mom?
Enjoying a Breakfast Out
0128 days
by lifestylist
in Uncategorized
It’s so nice to find a restaurant that not only has great food for the adults, but they also provide ways to keep the kids busy so you can enjoy your meal.
The Original Pancake Houses in the Dallas Ft. Worth area are those places. We went for brunch today and even though it was busy and had a long wait, adults enjoyed some of the best coffee I’ve had in years while the kids were entertained by the very talented balloon artist. The food was amazing – so many great choices! The staff was very patient and helpful -they gave great recommendations. You could tell that they enjoyed working there, and everyone had a smile on their faces.
Great news – they are open 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays so it’s a great choice for a late date night.
Sunday Soups
0134 days
by lifestylist
in Uncategorized
This is going to be a busy week! I leave tomorrow to do some new model homes for SE Homes of Texas in Louisiana, so while I’m enjoying all of that Cajun cuisine I wanted to cook up some healthy meals my Lifestylist® family could enjoy.
Ro-tel® (tomatoes and diced green chilies)is a staple in my pantry. It is low calorie, low fat, and full of spicy goodness and is an important part of my vegetarian chili and my vegetable soup.
I make this in my slow cooker – it’s a perfect weekend dish because you can prep all of the vegetables and let it cook up on it’s own. Use vegetables that your family prefers or ones that are fresh at the farmers market – my version changes with the seasons.
You can find the recipe on my Lifestylist® Recipe page – enjoy!
Recycling as a Domestic Lifestylist®
0135 days
by lifestylist
in Uncategorized
It always seems like when it gets colder I start nesting. It’s so dreary outside now is the perfect time to clean out closets and do those tasks I don’t want to do when it’s gorgeous out.
The domestic side of the Lifestylist® Brand is not only about what I do for myself and my family, but what I can do for others.
There are great sales right now on clothing and home items, and the colors that are available are gorgeous. There were some deals that I couldn’t walk away from, but we have a rule in my family – if something comes in, more needs to go out.
There are lots of important non-profits that help women “dress for success” and give them the skills and clothes to be able to successfully interview and land a new job. We are also very involved in groups that help homeless families and abused women get back on their feet, including Shared Housing and Genesis Women’s Shelter. Knowing that I’m going to be helping others by cleaning out my closets helps me to dig a little deeper and let go of things I might have held on to than can have a better use with someone else.
Today was a great day – I got some great new looks in my closet and helped a lot of women in the process. Recycling at it’s finest!
Great Plates
0139 days
by lifestylist
in Uncategorized
I love it when my kids call me for advice – especially when it has to do with looking for a source or product they need for their homes.
My daughter decided to start out the New Year with some different plates -the ones that she had were chipped and a bunch of them had gotten broken.
I am a frugal Lifestylist®, and as luck would have it I found some great plates at The Dollar Tree that are an amazing deal! They had dinner plates, bowls, and mugs all for $1.00 each. I love that they are a simple white with a raised beading around the edge, and at that price they are almost less than paper plates! It’s a good thing she’s in Florida because I think I bought up every one in Dallas.
White is a great choice for your table – it doesn’t fight with whatever color your food is, and you can easily add color to your table top with napkins, placemats, and flowers.
Welcome 2013!
0141 days
With just a few more hours until 2013, we wanted to get an early start on some healthy recipes for the New Year.
We love using as many local foods as possible in our cooking, but winter limits what we can find.
Our New Beginnings Fiesta Salad uses Rotel – a great spicy tomato and chili mix that is low on calories but adds lots of flavor. When we make this in the summer we’ll use fresh tomatoes, peas, and chilis but this is the perfect way to pay homage to the southern tradition of having black eye peas on New Years for luck.
You can find the recipe on our Lifestylist® recipe page. Happy New Year!
Bringing in The New Year – Happy 2012!
0506 days
Happy New Year from the Lifestylist® family! We are really excited about 2012 and the opportunities that will come with it.
A lot of being a Lifestylist® is about being a trend tracker and doing research. Today I read something that was written by someone else titled “Social Media Lifestylist Guidelines for 2012″ – boy does that sound dull! The first thing that comes to mind is a big dusty manual full of rules and regulations, and that is exactly what social media (and being a Lifestylist®) is not about.
The tag line I have always used for my Lifestylist® brand is “It’s All About You”. I didn’t want the brand to be about me telling people what to do – I wanted to listen to people’s wants, needs, and dreams, and help them achieve those even when they didn’t know that’s what they were really searching for. I don’t want to dictate, I want to educate. I’ve learned that listening is so much more important than anything I will ever have to say, because sometimes if you let people express their thoughts they will find their answers.
Social media is such an exciting new frontier because it gives everyone the chance to tell their story to the universe. It’s become a great equalizer because almost anyone on any budget can get access to a computer and a free site and share their thoughts.
There’s a down side to this though as well -there’s not as much editing as we’ve seen in the past. We have to learn that even though someone may have written it, there is the possibility it might not be true. Before we share or depend on information we find we have to be sure and check the facts. As the guardian of the Lifestylist® trademark for almost 10 years now I’ve seen how many people want to tie into my brand but aren’t willing to go through the legal process to acquire a brand of their own.
So what are the real Lifestylist’s guidelines for 2012? Never call them guidelines, live your life to the fullest, listen to those around you and you can never laugh too much or have too much great food and wine!
Here’s to a boisterous 2012!
Lifestylist® Breakfast Biscuits
0535 days
Anyone who reads this blog knows this Lifestylist® is not keen on mixes, but I’m going to make an exception with this recipe.
Breakfast is a hard meal for me, and I know that my daughter has a tough time getting something healthy into my grandkids before they all head out to school. This is the LifestylistFood® version of a recipe I found on Pinterest, and I’m crazy about it! It’s easy enough that the kids can make them themselves. By adding the ham and cheese you get some nutrients that can hold you over until lunch, and these are so moist you don’t need butter or anything else on them. Be sure not to substitute something else for the buttermilk – it gives these the moistness and kick that makes these so special.
Breakfast Biscuits
Ingredients:
1/4 cup lean ham, sliced and chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups Bisquick®
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put all ingredients into a bowl and stir just until combined. Scoop into buttered muffin tins, and bake 15-18 minutes or until tops are lightly browned.
Being Thankful
0543 days
Happy Thanksgiving! This holiday is about food and family, but even more than that I like to use it to remind me how thankful I am for what I have, and for those around me.
For over 25 years my parents were very active doing disaster relief with The Salvation Army, and even raised the money for a state of the art canteen for the Tyler Texas location. Whenever there was a disaster or need and my parents got a call they dropped everything and hit the road. One of the most memorable phone calls I ever received was when Hurricane Katrina hit and my parents answered the call. They called me when they were outside the Super Dome not having a clue what was going on inside. For six weeks they were in the French Quarter feeding the volunteers – my Dad always joked he always wanted to have a restaurant in the French Quarter and he finally got his wish!
Whenever this Lifestylist® could I joined them on the road helping my Mom cook up to 2,000 hot meals a day and seeing first hand what mother nature can dish out. People were so sweet and hospitable, even though many had lost everything that they had. It was always hard to leave – I wanted to stay there and help rebuild.
This year I have been blessed to be involved with three amazing organizations – Shared Housing, Genesis Women’s Shelter and HomeAid/Homebuilders Care. I am always so drawn to the kids – many of them have seen things we can’t even imagine, but they always have the best manners, always say please, thank-you and give the best hugs 
It’s harder than ever to make a living, but even if you can’t make a donation to a worthwhile charity think about donating your time -you’ll be very thankful that you did.