"Home and Garden Tips"
 Home and Garden Tips #1: Supermarket Survival Tactics Supermarkets can drain your pocket, your energy and your time. Here are nine supermarket survival tips for successful supermarket shopping.... 1. Eat before you go - an empty stomach is sure to guide you towards the chocolate and snacks. 2. Don't take the kids - they always find something they 'must have.' 3. Do it online - no petrol costs, no browsing the shelves wondering what treats to buy. 4. Prepare a detailed list - and stick to it! 5. Be brave and check out shop's own brand - some are good and often a lot cheaper. 6. Avoid sweets and snacks aisles - you don't NEED to visit these shelves - so don't. 7. Buy one get one free if you NEED it - not just because it's half-price - twice as much chocolate is twice the calories and sugar if not twice the cost. 8. Go on your own or with a good mate - on your own you can think more clearly, and a good mate can steer you in the right direction! 9. Don't 'pop-in' every day - if you have a freezer, a
montly shop could work.
Home and Garden Tips #2: Cut - Don't Chop! Rather than chopping herbs with a sharp kitchen knife and running the risk of cutting off the end of your finger, or even worse, your new acryllic nails :-), try using a regular pair of scissors. Scissors sold in stationery stores are usually light, easy to handle and fairly sharp. Have more control over your chopping board and less nail clippings! *Grow herbs on your windowsill as well as in the garden.
Home and Garden Tips #3: Evict the Dead Heads! Sometimes the garden looks scruffy and you can't put your finger on why. Check for dead-heads, they lurk in the most unlikely places. Unless you are growing plants specifically for drying and using in craft projects or flower arranging, all dead heads in the garden need to go. Use a sharp pair of secateurs or shears and cut all dead stalks, flower heads etc; Checking for dead plants regularly will also help you keep in touch with the finer points of your garden and you'll spot the weeds as they come up, rather than later when they are spreading seed all over your vegetable patch. Evicting the dead heads tidies up the garden and allows
more space for your newer plants.
Home and Garden Tips #4: Dressing for summer! Rather than using regular or 'light' mayonnaise to dress your salads. Try experimenting with other healthier ingredients: Natural yoghurt and creme fraiche mixed with chopped chives. Olive oil and apple cider vinegar with a hint of dijon mustard. Nut oils mixed with fresh chopped herbs Make your summer salads as tasty as possible. Leafy
green vegetables are high nutritional food sources and
the more interesting we make them to eat the more of
them we eat!
 What no chives??!! Get your seeds from Thompson and Morgan and start them off now... Thompson and Morgan herbs for US deliveries Home and Garden Tips - Chives from Thompson and Morgan UK Thompson and Morgan Global homepage Home and Garden Tips #5: Designer Leftovers When you're pushed for time, designer leftovers can be a great help in the kitchen. Prepare your meals with two days in mind: Bake too many jacket potatoes one day ... and slice and fry them the next. Make a big pot of bolognaise ... and add some chilli spices on day two. Roast a large chicken or turkey ... make a chicken salad or chicken curry on day two. Steam or boil twice as many potatoes ... make a potato salad the next day. Boil or steam rice one day ... rice salad or stir fried with veggies the next. Green salalds don't keep well as they are high in water content, but there are many foods that will store successfully overnight, leaving you with less slaving over a hot stove. Experiment with one-pot cooking and include soups and stews in your menu. They store well and more vegetables can be added daily. If you can get your head round it, have a baking day once a month and freeze lots of home made meals. NB: All foods kept overnight should be properly cooled,
covered and stored in the fridge. And meat products must
be re-heated thoroughly until piping hot right through.
Invest in a good set of pans and your life will be much
more straighforward in the kitchen!
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More general home and garden advice on this page: Home and Garden Tips and Advice
 Happy Gardening! Grow Your Own Groceries: Producing your own food is not only rewarding but - in times of economic and environmental changes - increasingly a must! Nature provides everything the human body requires to thrive, and cultivating some of those natural products in your own back garden will not only produce the best food on the planet for you and your loved ones, it is also economical, environmentally friendly and more fun than shopping.
 Gardening is more than a hobby; it's a way of life. Even without a garden, many plants can be grown in containers, on a balcony, and indoors. Order it now direct from the publisher... Grow Your Own Groceries Herb Gardening: Herbs are becoming recognised more and more as superfoods, as if we didn't know that really! 'Herb Gardening' has been beautifully put together by the publisher (Crowood Press) into a well presented book with full colour photos.  Along with growing instructions for forty different herbs, there are lots of great ideas, including culinary delights and medicinal alternatives. You'll also find gardening advice as well as some ideas on planning a herb garden. Order it now direct from the
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Grow Your Own Pharmacy: If, like me, you want to be able to eat the best food on the planet, grow your own!  • Clear instructions on planning, planting, growing and harvesting the fruits, vegetables and herbs required for a healthy vitamin intake. • Recipes and menus to help incorporate the fruit and vegetables into your daily diet. Granny's Book Of Good Old Fashioned Common Sense is packed full of great ideas and tips. Granny brings traditional home-making up to date with cooking, gardening, needlecrafts and even games to play with the kids...Click on the link below to order your copy.  Cooking doesn’t have to be a chore and preparing nourishing home cooked meals for the family will certainly keep them away from the goodie shelf. Gardening encourages physical exercise and a good healthy dollop of fresh air. And you can get the kids involved too. Before the days of computer games and electronic pets, children used to have fun without rummaging about in the fridge every five minutes. Enjoy a few rainy-day games and crafts of yesteryear with today’s kids. They’ll love it and so will you!
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