Grilled & Chilled Veggie Tuna Salad Recipe

I am so glad that spring is finally into full swing and many of us are now gearing up for the summertime season. For me personally, I enjoy eating a lot of tuna fish and vegetable salads during the hot summer season so when I saw this recipe land in my email box, I knew I had to share it with all of you.

The recipe and photo is courtesy of Hungry Girl. You can visit their site to learn more about them and to print off additional recipes.

Hungry Girl's Grilled & Chilled Veggie Tuna Salad Recipe

1 (2.6 oz.) Pouch - Tuna Creations® Sweet & Spicy
8 thin (or 6 thick) asparagus stalks, tough ends removed, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 cup eggplant cut into 1-inch cubes
One 1⁄2-inch-thick onion slice, rings intact
1⁄2 cup cherry tomatoes
3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 Tbsp. light balsamic vinaigrette dressing

1.Bring a grill pan sprayed with non-stick spray to medium-high heat. Add asparagus, eggplant, and onion. Cook until slightly softened, 6–8 minutes. Flip veggies, and add the cherry tomatoes to the pan. Cook for 4 minutes. Flip tomatoes. Cook until all veggies are soft and slightly blackened, about 2 minutes. Transfer veggies to a medium bowl. Let cool completely. Chop onion. Cover and refrigerate veggies until chilled, at least 30 minutes. Place lettuce on a large plate or in a large bowl and evenly top with chilled vegetables and tuna. Top or serve with dressing. Yum!

Tips: Get Ready for Garage Sale Season

Tips: Get Ready for Garage Sale Season

With spring cleaning season soon upon us, homeowners want to be out with the old and in with the new. During this time of transition, there’s no shortage of garage sales to help turn one person’s trash into another person’s treasure. To host a successful garage sale, The Lehigh Group, maker of Crawford®-brand garage and home organization products, offers the following tips:

Time it right – Many neighborhoods schedule an annual date on which all homes can participate and will promote the date on your behalf. If your neighborhood doesn’t set a date, consult local newspapers for upcoming community events in order to plan around them. Some say a weekend around the first or fifteenth of the month is most profitable, but if you’re competing with the town fair or a festival, live entertainment likely will trump your toddler’s toys.

Stage for a sale – Plan the layout of your merchandise with customers in mind. Staging similar items together, like children’s toys on a small table or electronic items near an outlet for testing, will help bargain hunters to hone in quickly on items they want.

Organize for safe shopping – Rummage shopping trips often are family outings, so make sure outdoor and garage items are secured out of children’s reach and cords are tied up to reduce tripping hazards. Crawford organization products – such as the new Safe-Mount Mobile Caddy – help homeowners solve a number of organizational challenges. The Caddy features mesh pockets that are ideal for holding odd-sized items and a durable mounting wall bracket for easy storage off the ground – helping to create a safe garage and a streamlined shopping space.

Be inviting, but cautious – Greeting guests as they arrive offers a chance to quickly evaluate whom you’re letting near your home and valuables. Be available for any questions they might have about the merchandise, and reassure the quality of goods by allowing customers to test or examine them before purchasing. Always monitor shoppers and keep an eye on higher-priced items, especially if they’re placed near the street.

*** This is a guest post ***

The Marine 4: Moving Target on DVD April 21st

How many of you are fans of The Marine movie franchise? I have to admit, I am a huge fan and own the first, second and third DVD in the series. I am super excited that the brand new The Marine 4: Moving Target is being released onto blu-ray and DVD on April 21st, 2015 and I will definitely be picking that one up!

Here is some information on the release!

Exploding on Digital HD™ April 10 and on Blu-ray™, DVD & VOD April 21st, 2015.

There is no greater force than an American hero! Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and WWE Studios present the latest installment of the popular franchise The Marine as THE MARINE 4: MOVING TARGET arrives on Digital HD April 10 and on Blu-ray, DVD and VOD April 21.

WWE Superstar Mike “The Miz” Mizanin is back as American hero Jake Carter in an all-new thrill-packed Marine adventure. Now in the private sector, Carter is assigned to protect a “high-value package” – a beautiful whistleblower trying to expose a corrupt military defense contractor. But a heavily armed team of mercenaries has been hired to kill her, along with anyone who gets in their way, and it’s going to take a fearless one-man fighting machine to stop them. Co-starring WWE Diva Summer Rae in her feature film debut, THE MARINE 4: MOVING TARGET is locked and loaded with explosive action from start to finish.

Both the Blu-ray and DVD include featurettes that take audiences behind-the-scenes of THE MARINE 4: MOVING TARGET and also offer a retrospective on the entire film franchise. “Firepower” focuses on the film’s intense gun battles to give fans a first-hand look at what goes into the making of these films. “The Franchise” retraces all of The Marine films with interviews and footage featuring the stars and key action scenes. Lastly, “Beauty is Dangerous” places focus on the ladies of THE MARINE 4: MOVING TARGET and how they can look so good while taking care of business!

ABOUT TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is the industry leading worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox produced, acquired and third party partner film and television programing. Each year TCFHE expands its award-winning global product portfolio with the introduction of new entertainment content through established and emerging formats including DVD, Blu-ray™ and Digital HD™. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox.

ABOUT WWE STUDIOS: WWE Studios develops and produces feature films, as well as television and digital content. Its diverse slate is released theatrically, direct to home, and/or across digital platforms, and is co-produced & distributed through partnerships with premiere global entertainment companies. WWE’s film division, led by President Michael Luisi, is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA.

Coconut Pound Cake Recipe

Today I am sharing with all of you another vintage recipe that I saved from my great aunt's box of recipes that she has stashed away for the past 25 years or so. I am adding this one to my "baking list" and going to try making it later next month when we are entertaining some friends and family.

Coconut Pound Cake Recipe

3 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5 medium eggs
1 cup frozen coconut
1 tablespoon coconut extract

In a large mixing bowl sift together the all purpose flour, baking powder and salt. In another mixing bowl cream together the milk, vegetable shortening, granulated sugar and the eggs. Stir in the frozen coconut and the coconut extract.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pour cake batter into a lightly greased pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan before removing it.

Watch your cake closely, according to my aunt's notes...sometimes it bakes up in 30 minutes and at other times it takes 50 minutes. Not sure why but she made those notations on her recipe card.

How To Work Out With A Towel When You Can’t Get To The Gym

How To Work Out With A Towel When You Can’t Get To The Gym

Celebrity Personal Trainer Provides His Best On The Go Workout

Image Courtesy: FreeImages.com 

Your busy life is no longer an excuse for skipping a workout. Celebrity personal trainer provides an on the go workout that is manageable for everyone from busy parents to traveling professionals.

“Many people think they need fancy gym equipment to see results,” says Celebrity person trainer, Joey Thurman. “The truth is all you really need is determination and a towel.”

1. Hamstring Curls- Lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the towel under both feet. Lift your hips off the ground to a bridge position. Keeping your hips in this position, slide your feet out and away from your body using your heels. Slide your legs back by using your hamstrings to pull yourself back into the bridge position. Do 20 reps

2. Side Squats- Stand with the towel under your right food. Lower yourself into a squatting position, when doing this keep your abs tight and back straight. Keeping steady with your left foot, use your right outer thigh to slide your right leg out to the side. Using your right inner thigh, pull your leg back so you are back in the original squatting position. Do 25 reps on your right side before switching to the lift side.

3. Towel Twists- Start in a normal lunge position with your right foot forward, left foot back. Hold the ends of the towel with a closed fist and pull it taught and extend both arms in front of your right leg. With both arms extended lower your body into a low lunge position while at the same time rotating as fast possible to your right. Return to the starting position and repeat as many times as possible in 30 seconds. Switch legs and perform the same exercise this time rotating to the left side.

4. Sliding Push Ups- Start in your regular push-up position. With the towel under your right hand and your hands directly under your shoulder, lower down into a push-up. Once lowered, slide your right hand out to the side so that your hands are now wider than should width apart. As you push up, use your chest muscles to pull the right hand back in so that both hands are under the shoulders again. Do 10 reps before switch hands.

5. Double Outs- Start in a push up position with the towel under the toes of both feet (feet are shoulder width apart), inhale and slide your knees under your body until they reach just under your navel. Exhale and slide feet back out to their original position. Do 20

About Joey Thurman: Joey Thurman is a health, fitness, and nutrition expert and the creator of The Lifestyle Renovation, a website dedicated to helping people achieve their health and fitness goals. He has appeared on CBS, FOX, ABC, and WCIU sharing his insights as a celebrity fitness trainer and published author. Joey’s work has been featured in publications such as BodyBuilding.com, Racked, TimeOut Chicago, RedEye, and American Global Traveler. Joey is a fashion model represented by Chosen Model Management where he works with brands including Neiman Marcus, Abercrombie, Jockey, and Carson Pirie Scott. He has also appeared on the covers of Healthy for Men and TimeOut Chicago. Joey is a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) with the American Council on Exercise, a Fitness Nutrition Specialist (FNS) and a FITchef. For more information, follow Joey on Instagram and Twitter at @JoeyThurmanFit.

Bad Asses on the Bayou - DVD on April 7th

I am a BIG fan of the Bad Asses franchise of films. Matter of fact, I think these films are the best that actor Danny Trejo has done. He is a great actor and always pulls off these "bad ass" type of characters with perfection!

The new Bad Asses on the Bayou DVD is being released on April 7th, 2015 and today...I am giving you some brief information about the upcoming DVD release.

Synopsis: Bad Asses on the Bayou reunites the dynamic duo, Frank Vega (Danny Trejo) and Bernie Pope (Danny Glover), as they travel to Louisiana to attend the wedding of their dear friend Carmen Gutierrez (Loni Love). What was pictured as a wedding weekend escape to the south turns violently ugly as madness and mayhem ensue, pressing our senior heroes to once again serve justice.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is the industry leading worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox produced, acquired and third party partner film and television programing. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox.

Resurrection Salad and Red Snapper Recipes

Here is a new salad recipe that puts a healthy spin on a classic Southern favorite. Traditionally, ‘killed lettuce’ is made with a hot dressing made with melted bacon grease to help wilt the leaves. The below recipe replaces the fatty dressing with a dressing made instead from plums and apricots so there is no sacrifice on the flavor.

The recipe is featured in the April/May issue of AARP The Magazine and was created by novelist Alice Randall and her daughter, Caroline Randall Williams – coauthors of Soul Food Love. Called the Resurrection Salad, the recipe can be partnered with George’s Red Snapper for a delicious and healthy meal. The salad recipe makes 8 hearty servings.

Resurrection Salad Recipe

½ cup sliced green onions
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
4 plums, pitted and chopped
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 heads romaine lettuce


In a small saucepan, heat onions, oil, vinegar, salt and black pepper over medium heat. Bring to a simmer; add the chopped fruit and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat; simmer until fruit is soft, about 10 minutes. Divide lettuce among eight plates; pour hot dressing on top.

George's Red Snapper Recipe
Serves 4

2 skinless red snapper fillets (about 1 pound total)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon, quartered
4 sprigs fresh oregano
4 sprigs fresh parsley
1/2 lime, cut in two pieces

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Divide both fillets in half. Put each in the middle of its own square of aluminum foil. Drizzle the snapper with the olive oil; squeeze one quarter of the lemon over each fillet. Cover each fillet with oregano and parsley sprigs. Fold the aluminum foil in toward the middle so each fillet is fully wrapped. Fold and pinch the edges to seal completely. Put the packets on a baking sheet. Bake until the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Carefully open the foil packets (there may be a lot of steam), transfer the fillets to plates and squeeze the lime over them. Serve immediately.

JeNu Skincare Device + Skin Care Tips for Older Women

Image Courtesy of FreeImages.com

This is a sponsored post written by me. This post brought to you by JeNu.. All opinions are 100% mine.

Let's face it, none of us are getting any younger. When I turned 30 seventeen years ago I got myself on a skin care routine. Every morning I cleanse my face and use 2 serums before I put my make-up on for the day. Before bedtime, I cleanse my face again, apply a moisturizer and again use 2 serums before I call it a day.

Thankfully because I started early...my aging signs are minimal. However, I am now starting to see some fine lines creep in around my eyes & lips and brown age spots are starting to appear. Even though I am doing everything right...there is more that I can do!

Let me introduce you to the JeNu skin care device that has been proven to help the skin care products that you already use work better! Yes, you read that right...BETTER! This device uses ultrasonic energy to help your products absorb quickly and evenly into your skin. Without it, your products either get washed off or evaporated before they have reached their full working potential.

JeNu was recently listed by Vogue.com as a Game-Changing Product to own in 2015 and licensed dermatologist Dr. Sonia Batra, M.D. (on the TV show The Doctors) states this:

"Because it's so easy to incorporate into a daily beauty regimen I am still using my JeNu every day. I've noticed a much great return on the skincare I'm using."

The company had an independent research group run a test on 160 ethnically diverse women between the ages of 30 and 67. During this test, over 200 products from 80 different brands (including but not limited to: Lancome, Avon, Neutrogena, Olay and others) showed these results:

* 90% of women said that the JeNu Ultrasonic Infuser System made their skincare products work better.

* 80% of women said that they felt more confident after adding JeNe to their beauty regimen.

* 80% of women said they couldn't believe how much faster they saw results when they added JeNu.

* 2X as many women said that they were satisfied with their appearance after using the product.

Furthermore, independent lab & clinical tests of skin care formulas applied to the skin then measured for absorption using multiple methods and here are those results:

* 90 individual clinical tests on 30 women between the ages of 23 to 57 years old participated by using a leading brand anti-aging eye cream, vitamin C serum, Hyaluronic acid formula or a retinol formula said that they saw average absorption increase 3 times! Wow!!!

What it all boils down to is this...if you want your current skincare products to work better and faster...you need the JeNu Ultrasonic Infuser System!

Check out this out: You can get the JeNu Ultrasonic Infuser currently for $186.75 (regular retail is $249.00) which is a limited time offer saving you 25% + you will get 2 free gifts and free shipping with your purchase! The device comes with a 1 year warranty, wall charger and a 30 day risk-free money back guarantee. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain! They also offer a partial payment plan for those who need that.

Here are some of my personal skincare tips that I wanted to share with all of you.

1. You don't have to spend a fortune on beauty products! These days a lot of the lower priced products work just as well as those $300 cleansers & creams. Find a product that you like and stick with it.

2. Be consistent with your beauty routine and make it a daily or twice-a-day habit...just like eating and bathing. Don't get on the beauty bandwagon just for an upcoming special occasion! You have to do it daily and be consistent with your efforts!

3. Read your beauty product labels and invest in products that do multiple things. Multi-use products will save you money in the long run. In addition, I personally find it best to use products within the same brand (cleansers, tones, creams and serums) because they are made to work together.

4. Invest in a good ultrasonic device like the JeNu so that your beauty products will work better and faster! You want those products to absorb fully into your skin...not evaporate or wash-off. You can read all about the current JeNu Offer by visiting the company's site online.

How are you doing with your beauty routine? What is and isn't working for you? Do you have any tips to share with me and my readers? Leave your thoughts, comments and tips below in my blog's comment form. Thanks!

Cosmopolitan Madras Cocktail Recipe

Easter is only a few days away! It's time to get egg-cited about all-natural cocktails for Spring and impress your holiday guests with an easy-to-make and refreshingly delicious Madras cocktail. This cocktail recipe is courtesy of Powell & Mahoney.

Madras Cocktail Recipe

2 oz. Powell & Mahoney Cosmopolitan mixer
1 oz. fresh orange juice
1 ½ oz. vodka or gin in a shaker

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Shake and strain over ice into a highball glass. Garnish with a slice of orange.