Flavorful Low-Sodium Family Meals with Mrs. Dash Seasoning Blends!

Over the last few years, I have been trying to limit the amount of sodium in my diet  for health related reasons. Reducing salt in your diet can help prevent high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. When I began using less salt in my cooking, my family grumbled a little until I discovered Mrs. Dash Seasoning Blends!  There are 15 flavors of Mrs. Dash Salt-Free Seasoning Blends.  Each Mrs. Dash Seasoning Blend is an all-natural blend of 14 natural herbs and spices. The Mrs. Dash web site is packed with useful tip and fabulous recipes that every member of my family (even the picky eaters) enjoy!  I have tried many of the recipes and I would like to share some of my favorites with you!


Fruity Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

• Salad
• 1/3 lb. (165g) spinach leaves, washed
• 1/2 pt. (240mL) fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1 kiwi, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. (15mL) slivered almonds
• Dressing
• 1 tsp. (5mL) Mrs. Dash® Lemon Pepper
• 1 Tbsp. (15mL) SugarTwin® Granulated White
• 2 Tbsp. (30mL) vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp. (30mL) rice vinegar

Directions:

1. Place salad ingredients in attractive bowl.
2. Make dressing by mixing remaining ingredients together.
3. Toss spinach with dressing and serve immediately.

Baja Chicken Breasts with Oranges and  Jalapeno

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash® Fiesta Lime Seasoning Blend
• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/3 cup chopped red onion
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash® Fiesta Lime Seasoning Blend
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
• Cooking spray
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, about 5 ounces each
• 2 oranges, cut into wedges
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. In a blender, combine the orange juice, red onion, jalapeno, garlic, Mrs. Dash® Fiesta Lime Seasoning Blend, and lime zest. Puree until blended.
2. Coat a shallow baking dish with cooking spray. Place chicken in prepared pan and pour orange juice mixture over top. Cover with plastic and marinate for at least 15 minutes and up to 24 hours (refrigerate chicken if marinating longer than 1 hour).
3. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Bake chicken 30 to 35 minutes, until cooked through. Serve chicken with extra marinade spooned over top and orange and lime wedges on the side.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. (15mL) Mrs. Dash® Original Blend
• 4 medium baking potatoes
• 1/4 cup (60mL) reduced fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup (60mL) 2% milk
• 2 Tbsp. (30mL) unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Scrub potatoes and pat dry.
3. Pierce skins with fork.
4. Place potatoes directly on oven rack.
5. Bake 50 to 60 minutes.
6. Cut lengthwise slice from top of each potato.
7. Scoop out potato, leaving 1/4 inch (6cm) thick shells.
8. Mash potato flesh in bowl.
9. Add sour cream, milk, butter and Mrs. Dash® Original Blend; mix well.
10. Spoon mixture into potato shells.
11. Place filled potatoes in baking dish.
12. Bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

My family loves all of these dishes! The Twice Baked Potatoes are my sons absolute favorite.  They would be thrilled if I served them everyday.  My favorite is the Fruity Spinach Salad.  I have served this salad for parties and always get so many compliments.  You do not have to give up flavor to reduce sodium in your diet, just add Mrs. Dash!  Give it a try and let your picky eaters be the judge!




I wrote this blog post while participating in the Mrs. Dash and TwitterMoms blogging program for a chance to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here

Giveaway! 18x24 Poster Print from UPrinting.com

I am very excited to be hosting a giveaway sponsored by UPrinting.com., a leader in online printing.  The wonderful folks at Uprinting.com have graciously offered one lucky Up in the Air's reader a 18x24 Poster Print either Semi Gloss or High Gloss!  
I can think of so many possible uses for a custom poster! It would be great to use to decorate my son's room! UPrinting offers cheap poster printing, so I could decorate a whole wall!

UPrinting is a leading online printing company that provides high quality printing at the most affordable prices. For over 25 years, UPrinting has been a trusted leader in online printing, featuring its signature easy-to-use website and the famous Free File Review, a complimentary proofing service which requires no upfront payment. UPrinting offers convenient marketing support services such as design, lists, and direct mailing to help grow small and medium-size businesses nationwide.

Powered by brand new fully automated in-house Komori presses and CREO direct-to-plate, we offer faster turnaround with minimal human error and lower overhead cost. This allows us to provide customers with consistently high-quality printing at the lowest possible prices.



Win it!

One lucky reader will win a custom 18x24 Poster Print!


How to Enter:

Visit UPrinting.com and look around.  What other of their products do you like?  Let me know in a comment

Bonus entries:

Follow me via Google Friend Connect



Follow me on Twitter


Tweet about this giveaway (this can be done once daily, leave link in comment)

This giveaway will end on  Monday, August 30th at 10:00 pm CST.


This giveaway is open to U.S. residents 18 years old or older.  The winner will be chosen via Random.org and will be notified by email.

Disclaimer:  This giveaway is sponsored by GiveawayBlogs.com and UPrinting.com. 
I received no compensation, monetary or otherwise, for posting this giveaway. All opinions expressed in this giveaway post are my own.

Fractures! A new way to print and frame your photos!

I love to take photos!  Sometimes it can get  really expensive, printing and framing your photographs.  There is a new process called Fractures which allows you to print your digital photos directly on glass. They have combined printing, framing and mounting into one simple process. You upload your photo to FractureMe.com and they print it on glass and send it to you with everything you need to mount and display your work of art!  If I am one of the first 100 participants, I will be receiving a Fracture picture frame to review and I will be writing a follow-up to let you know what I think!

I wrote this blog post in response to a TwitterMoms RAMBO alert, making me eligible to get a Fracture picture frame for review. You can learn more about Fracture at http://www.fractureme.com.”

One Project Closer is giving away a DuoFast FloorMaster 250 BN Nailer!  We are rebuilding an old house and will be installing a wood floor very soon.  This nailer would be great!  We have rented nailers in the past but you are always in a rush to finish because you have to get them back!   This giveaway ends on August 27th so hurry and enter at One Project Closer!

ten tips for saving money during the back-to-school season

I have been doing this back to school thing for it seems like forever!  I have one son in college and the youngest will be a senior in high school this year!
I have learned a thing or two over the years and my top ten tips for saving money are:

1.  Stock up during the back to school sales!
2.  Take advantage of tax free days.
3.  Use coupons, especially on the items on sale!
4.  Check with friends and neighbors who have older children who might can pass down books, etc.
5.  Resale shops! You can find awesome buys at resale shops!
6.  Now is the time to stock up on basics, like socks and underwear while it is on sale.
7.  Lots of stores have sales on snack foods. Great for school lunches!
8.  Watch the newspaper for great deals on calculators, computers, etc.
9.  College students can save lots of money by buying used books.
10. Many college book stores now offer the option to rent books for a fraction of the cost of buying.




I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Staples
blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more
information on how you can participate, click here 

I have always been plagued with skin problems!  As a teenager, I had the occasional break-outs but as I got older the problems did not lessen... they got much worse!  I tried all the over-the-counter acne remedies, but nothing really worked for me.  I went to the dermatologist and have tried Accutane, topical medications and antibiotics but still little relief.  I would love to try microdermabrasion at home! I am sure that I would seem a real improvement in my skin!