Easter egg decorating: Homemade egg dyes, Easter baskets, Easter eggs recipes

Waited till the last minute to color Easter eggs, did you? Need to pull a rabbit out of a hat (pun intended) and come up with your own Easter egg decorating stuff? Take it from this parent of four--been there, done that. Never fear--last-minute Louise is also super DIY mom! Here are for Easter eggs recipes and homemade egg dyes. These Easter egg decorations use recycled and on-hand materials. And best of all--homemade egg coloring is cheaper and safer than store-bought Easter egg decorating kits!   Easter egg decorating: Homemade egg dyes, Easter baskets, Easter eggs recipes

How to Make Fish Taste Better Healthy Salmon Recipes

Omega oils and fatty acids are essential for good health. Fish, especially tuna and salmon, contains high levels of essential omega-3 oils. Fish has long been hailed as 'brain food'. Problem is, a lot of people hate fish. Here are grilled salmon recipes that take fish from yucky to yummy.

Ultimate omega-3 grilled salmon sandwich: whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, celery seed, dill, garlic and fresh cracked pepper. Marinate salmon fillets (don't use fish in steaks--fillets are tastier and less bony). When grilling the salmon, add sliced sweet onions. Cook fish until flesh is flaky and opaque (not translucent) and onions are caramelized. Serve on onion buns or whole grain bread, spread with olive oil mayonnaise (rich in omega 3).

  Grilled salmon chef salad; marinate and grill salmon fillets using above recipe. Crumble salmon onto romaine salad (romaine lettuce, shredded purple cabbage and shredded carrots). Top with sliced almonds, cracked pepper, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and sprouts. Dress with raw olive oil and balsamic or acai vinegar. Option: add garlic croutons and sliced hard boiled eggs.


 Nut-crusted grilled salmon: finely crush almonds, pecans or walnuts. Dip salmon fillets in melted butter and coat with crushed nuts. Grill until fish is flaky and nuts are toasted. Optional: mix sesame seeds into crushed nuts, or coat salmon in sesame seeds instead of nuts. Top with Parmesan cheese. Serve with sauteed fresh green beans.


  Portobello encrusted grilled salmon: Scrape the black inner gills from portobella mushrooms. Allow gills to dry on paper towel. Dip salmon in melted butter and then coat with dried mushrooms. Saute or grill salmon until flaky. Top with fresh sliced or grilled portobello mushrooms. Serve with linguine tossed with truffle oil or olive oil, basil and oregano.


For more scrumptious recipes, grill favorites and vegetarian dishes, visit me at www.greatfood4u.blogspot.com. For more on omega-3 and health issues, visit me at www.healthhelp4u.blogspot.com.

Recipes to Use Up Leftover Easter Eggs

When Easter egg dyeing is over you're stuck with quickly spoiling eggs. I don't know about you, but I hate to throw out food. Whether you blew raw eggs out of the shell and colored the empty eggshell or hard-boiled and colored them, you are still left with quite a lot of eggs to eat. I struggled with this dilemma each year and finally come up with some recipes to use those leftover eggs before they spoil. Recipes to Use Up Easter Eggs 

Homemade Heart-Shaped Cupcakes, DIY Cookie Cutters, Valentine Treats

Well, little last-minute Lucy Lou has struck again. She volunteered you to make three dozen cupcakes (pink, heart-shaped, with sprinkles, please) for her class Valentine's Day party--tomorrow! And when does she spring this news? 9 p.m., Valentine Eve! No time to go to the store. I'm nothing if not the queen of improv. Here are super-fast, last-minute, homemade treat recipes made with on-hand ingredients. I've included DIY heart-shaped snacks and improvised frosting, sprinkles and decoration tips. Cupid will love you and so will all the children in your child's class! Homemade Valentine Treat Recipes, DIY Heart-Shaped Cupcakes, Cookies

Easy DIY Job Saves Us $800 a Year: Cheap Kids Haircuts at Home

As a mom of four, I'm always looking for ways to trim costs. With exceptions, do-it-yourself projects are a great way to save. Homemade options that require big time investments don't save--time is money. Here's one easy, quick, DIY job that saved us at least $800 a year when the kids were young: home haircuts.  Money Saving with Cheap Home Haircuts

How to Feed Obese Kids to Help them Lose Weight-- Food switches to improve nutrition

 In 25 years of teaching, I've noticed more kids tending toward obesity. I'm not talking about chubby kids who'll slim down in puberty, but those who are way overweight and getting fatter. What can we as parents do about it? Growing kids have to eat, right? Yes, but we can control what they eat. Obese kids are typically malnourished, not from eating too little but from eating the wrong things. Just in time for the holidays, here's a DIY guide to healthier food switches for kids' favorites. Feeding the obese child: Food switches to improve nutrition 

How to live comfortably in trailers, mobile homes, small houses

Recently, Anderson Cooper profiled families who had found creative ways to save money. Forced by the tight economy to downsize, one family of four sold their 3 bedroom home and built a 168 square foot "tiny house ." I'm all about cutting back and living simply. For the first 13 years of our marriage, we managed with a family of six in a 900-square-foot trailer. Here are some tips for living comfortable in a trailer, mobile home or little house. How families can live comfortably in small homes 

Ways to Help a Sad Cat Feel Happy

Got a sad cat? Cats get moody just like people do. He may be feeling more than just blue, too. Cat depression, anxiety and boredom are real conditions. Here are possible causes for your cat's depression plus ways to perk him up. Here are tips from the DIY Diva. Ways to Help a Sad Cat Feel Happy 

Smaller Houses are the Future if We Don't Cut Personal Spending

Anderson Cooper recently featured a family of four with an interesting and revolutionary lifestyle. Forced by the recession to close their business and give up their larger home, the couple built what they call the "tiny house." The structure has only 168 square feet of living space. It can be cramped and claustrophobic. It can also be freeing to purge the nonessentials and focus on the necessities.   'Tiny House' is the Future If Big Spenders Don't Cut Back 

Bathtub Refinishing Chemical Blamed Methylene Chloride for Deaths

A bathtub refinishing chemical has been linked to three Michigan deaths and 13 deaths in all. Methylene chloride, used to strip paint and as an industrial degreaser, is sold at home improvement stores and online. It's marketed to do-it-yourself enthusiasts for at-home bathroom remodels, says Michigan Radio. Here are details about this product and the deaths attributed to it. Read more at Bathtub Refinishing Chemical Blamed for Three Michigan Deaths

Home Maintenance Tip: Clean Vents to Keep Refrigerator Running Efficiently

Refrigerator Running Poorly? Clean the Vents
A few weeks ago, we began to notice that our refrigerator was not keeping food cold. Several items in our refrigerator spoiled. We noticed water puddling in the bottom of the refrigerator under the drawers. Was our fridge going out?
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How to Keep Toilets and Sewer Lines Free of Tree Roots

How to Keep Toilets from Clogging and Prevent Tree Root Growth in Sewer Pipes
Toilets clog for many reasons. One common cause of plugged toilets and clogged sewer lines is that tree and plant roots grow in and around underground plumbing and sewers. Here are two handy DIY ways to keep tree roots from clogging the sewer.
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'Anti-Virus Vista' Virus/ Spyware Removal Tutorial

Beware 'Anti-Virus Vista' Computer Virus Software: How to Recover Your System from Infection Yesterday, my computer security system was taken over by a pernicious virus calling itself 'Anti-virus Vista'. This virus was amazingly fast-acting and insidious. Anti-virus Vista nearly crippled my computer. Here's how I removed Anti-virus Vista. Read More

How to Use your Bread Machine to Create Special Diet Breads

Use Your Bread Machine to Create Diet-Friendly Breads for Your Special Needs
Remember bread machines? They mix, knead and bake bread; with bread machines, you control what goes into your bread. Diabetes, vegan, kosher, lactose-intolerant, gluten and tree nut allergies, hypertension; bread machines work well for special diets.
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Ladder Safety Tips

Ladder Safety 101: Tips from OSHA and Federal Workplace Safety Guidelines
Ladder accidents account for over 220,000 injuries annually, according High Beam Research. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) studies have shown that 100% of these accidents could have been prevented using proper ladder safety.
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Safe Winter Driving Tips for Traveling in Snow and Ice

Driving Your Vehicle in Snow, Ice and Winter Weather
This year marks my 30th year of driving a Michigan winter. And many of those wintery, icy roads were driven in a less than ideal vehicle, especially in the college years. Driving on snowy, icy roads or in blowing snow takes certain skills.
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DIY Home Maintenance Tips

Quick Tips for Home Maintenance that Will Save You Money and Make You Safer
Save money, live green, be safe, be healthy and live better with these cleaning, repair, home maintenance and yard care tips. Improve the performance and safety of your appliances and saving money at home.
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How to Host Thanksgiving Dinner

25 Holiday Serving Tips for Easy Parties
Holiday tips from a mother of four who has hosted holiday dinners for our extended family for eight years running. You'll find serving and organizaton suggestions and time and labor saving ideas so that you can enjoy the holiday with less stress.
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Gift Ideas for Childrens' Charities and Overseas Missions

Top 10 Gift Ideas for Childrens' Charities
Need some ideas for how to choose gifts for childrens' charities? Toys for Tots? Church giving tree gifts? Overseas missions donations? It's difficult to know what a child will like when you don't know the child. Here's a diy guide to choose gifts for missions. Includes issues to consider in charitable gift-giving:climate, living conditions, toy choices, etc. Gift suggestions that work well for anonymous giving.
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How to Host Thanksgiving Dinner

25 Holiday Serving Tips for Easy Parties
Holiday tips from a mother of four who has hosted holiday dinners for our extended family for eight years running. You'll find serving and organizaton suggestions and time and labor saving ideas so that you can enjoy the holiday with less stress.
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How to Engage Children in the Thanksgiving Celebrations
25 simple inexpensive ways to involve children of all ages in the Thanksgiving holiday preparations and memory building.
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Emergency Thanksgiving Holiday Shopping List, Menu and Recipes
Congratulations, you're hosting the Thanksgiving fest this year. Nervous?
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