Who knew it was so easy to make restaurant-style fish tacos at home? Shelterrific won our hearts (and our tummies) with this great recipe!
Ingredients:
3-4 white thin white fish filets of your choosing, such as tilapia
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
salt & pepper
Tabasco, sriracha, or any red pepper sauce
1 cup panko or crushed tortilla chips
lime juice (optional)
tortillas
thinly-sliced green cabbage, or lettuce tossed with a bit of lime juice and salt
cilantro
sour cream
cheese
How to Make It:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Cover a cookie sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking oil. If you have time, marinate the fish in a zip-top bag with a few splashes of lime juice for up to 4 hours. Dry filets and cut into strips 1″ wide and salt and pepper both sides.
2. Put each of the flour, eggs, and panko crumbs each in separate shallow bowls, and add a 2 pinches of salt & pepper to each. Add a few big dashes hot pepper sauce to the eggs, and mix well with a fork. Next, dredge fish first in flour, then egg, then crumbs, and pat on all sides. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping half way through.
3. Add cabbage, cilantro, sour cream, cheese, or other toppings and serve on tortillas.
Do you have a great recipe to share? Let us know!
Tip of the Day: To the Bitter End
If you’ve got an upset stomach due to indigestion or a hang-over, try drinking a glass of club soda with a dash of bitters. It should help ease your pain.
Tip of the Day: Ever Wonder How To...?
To learn how to do just about anything, visit WonderHowTo.com, which culls instructional videos from more than 1,700 websites. You can check out what’s hot, do a custom search, or browse through such categories as family, electronics, software, dance, fitness, magic tricks, and pets. Whether you want to learn how to cut your own hair, use Photoshop software, or make a shot glass out of ice, you’ll find it here.
Tip of the Day: Spice It Up
Hot, spicy foods can help the body burn up calories. Using spices like cayenne pepper and chili powder elevates the body temperature, which makes the heart beat faster and requires more energy.
Tip of the Day: Free Income Tax Filing
The IRS free-filing service provides free federal income tax return preparation and electronic filing for all taxpayers. All you need is access to a computer and the Internet and you can prepare and e-file your federal tax return for free! Free file offers two options. The first, called Free File, is for filers whose incomes are $57,000 per year or less. Free File allows you to prepare your taxes using one of the 20 tax preparation software products on their site. If you make more than $57,000, the IRS has decided you can afford to pay for these programs yourself! But you can still use their Free File Fillable Forms, which are electronic versions of the usual paper forms that you can file online for free. To access either service, go to IRS.gov/freefile.
Tip of the Day: Mud-Free Shoes
If it’s too muddy for even your beater sneakers out in your
garden, keep them clean by sticking plastic bags over them. Secure them with
rubber bands and you’re ready to go to work.
Tip of the Day: Free, Printable Valentines
If you want to say "Be My Valentine" but you don't want to spend the money on store-bought cards, download valentines from the internet. Our friends at Living Richly on a Budget found these great Valentine's Day cards that you can download and print for free!
10 Creative (and Free) Valentine's Day Gifts!
Valentine’s Day is the perfect occasion to say “I love you” to the special people in your life. Rather than buying flowers, chocolate, or teddy bears clutching stuffed hearts, why not add a unique touch to this year’s valentines? Here are ten clever ways to show your loved one you really care -- and they don't cost a cent!
Breakfast in Bed
Far from cliché, breakfast in bed is one of those great luxuries that nearly everyone loves to indulge in. Get up a half hour earlier than your sweetie and take time to prepare something they’ll really like. Even if it’s only toast and eggs, they’ll appreciate the gesture – and a special touch like a flower in a vase or a fresh fruit salad will go a long way.
Create a Handwritten Note
With email, text messaging, and Skype, the era of handwritten letters seems long gone. Take a moment to express your feelings to your loved one on a sheet of paper or stationery. Leave it under their pillow, or if you don’t live together, send it to them in the mail for a lovely surprise when they open their mailbox. If you’re not the wordy type, even “I love you” on a Post-It note in an unexpected place will brighten their day.
Love Poems
If you draw a blank when you put pen to paper, let the famous poets of the past and the present speak for you. At Poets.org, you can find all sorts of love poems to print out and paste into a card, read aloud to your valentine, or even send in an e-card if you’re pressed for time.
Dress to Impress
Couples who have been together for a long time sometimes fall into comfortable routines and forget to make things special for each other. Don’t let it become a habit! Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to wear that shirt and tie your partner thinks you look dashing in, or to wear that dress your partner bought you all those years ago. Dressing up for each other shows care and consideration whether you’re going out for a night on the town or spending a cozy evening at home.
Snowmen With Heart
If there’s snow on the ground where you live, build a snow sculpture outside your honey’s bedroom! A snowman holding a valentine is a sure way to make someone smile, and you’ll win points for going the extra mile and enduring the cold! This is also a fun activity for kids to be involved in.
Valentine’s Tree
Another fun activity for kids is to make a Valentine’s tree. If you have a small artificial Christmas tree, this will do the trick; or you can collect dead branches and display them in a pretty vase. Cut out paper hearts, and write on them all the things you love about each other. Then punch holes in the top, and tie ribbon through to hang them on the branches.
Photo Collage
Picasa, Google’s online tool for photo editing, is a fun way to organize all the photos of you and your mate throughout the years. Combining several images into a photo collage will create both a beautiful keepsake and a reminder of why you love each other so much.
Share a Seedling
Florists hike up their prices for Valentine’s Day, so they’re definitely to be avoided if you’re sticking to a tight budget. A more unique, meaningful idea is to clip a portion of one of your houseplants and use it to grow a baby plant. Cut your plant at the part of the stem where there is a joint and let it sit in a vase or cup of water for a few days until it grows roots. Then transplant it in a tiny pot or even a coffee mug. A ribbon or a heart-shaped lollipop stuck in the soil will give it a touch of holiday flair.
Offer a Massage
Who doesn’t love a great massage? A Valentine’s Day rubdown is the perfect frugal gift. Light some candles and play some soft music to set the mood. Add a drop of vanilla to your regular lotion for a sensual twist, or a drop of lavender oil for a more relaxing experience. The great part about this gift is that the two of you can trade massages, and with feedback, learn where each other’s tense spots are for future reference.
Make a Mix Tape
Okay, so nobody really makes mix tapes anymore. But if you still have a CD player (many people do in their car), burn a selection of love songs to a CD for your partner to listen to on their way to work. You can also save a playlist to a flash drive and upload it to your partner’s iPod or computer. If love songs are too cheesy for you, choose a selection of music that makes you think of your loved one, or songs that remind you of when the two of you first met.
Do you have other great Valentine’s Day gift ideas that are unique and inexpensive? Share them with us here!
Far from cliché, breakfast in bed is one of those great luxuries that nearly everyone loves to indulge in. Get up a half hour earlier than your sweetie and take time to prepare something they’ll really like. Even if it’s only toast and eggs, they’ll appreciate the gesture – and a special touch like a flower in a vase or a fresh fruit salad will go a long way.
Create a Handwritten Note
With email, text messaging, and Skype, the era of handwritten letters seems long gone. Take a moment to express your feelings to your loved one on a sheet of paper or stationery. Leave it under their pillow, or if you don’t live together, send it to them in the mail for a lovely surprise when they open their mailbox. If you’re not the wordy type, even “I love you” on a Post-It note in an unexpected place will brighten their day.
Love Poems
If you draw a blank when you put pen to paper, let the famous poets of the past and the present speak for you. At Poets.org, you can find all sorts of love poems to print out and paste into a card, read aloud to your valentine, or even send in an e-card if you’re pressed for time.
Dress to Impress
Couples who have been together for a long time sometimes fall into comfortable routines and forget to make things special for each other. Don’t let it become a habit! Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to wear that shirt and tie your partner thinks you look dashing in, or to wear that dress your partner bought you all those years ago. Dressing up for each other shows care and consideration whether you’re going out for a night on the town or spending a cozy evening at home.
Snowmen With Heart
If there’s snow on the ground where you live, build a snow sculpture outside your honey’s bedroom! A snowman holding a valentine is a sure way to make someone smile, and you’ll win points for going the extra mile and enduring the cold! This is also a fun activity for kids to be involved in.
Valentine’s Tree
Another fun activity for kids is to make a Valentine’s tree. If you have a small artificial Christmas tree, this will do the trick; or you can collect dead branches and display them in a pretty vase. Cut out paper hearts, and write on them all the things you love about each other. Then punch holes in the top, and tie ribbon through to hang them on the branches.
Photo Collage
Picasa, Google’s online tool for photo editing, is a fun way to organize all the photos of you and your mate throughout the years. Combining several images into a photo collage will create both a beautiful keepsake and a reminder of why you love each other so much.
Share a Seedling
Florists hike up their prices for Valentine’s Day, so they’re definitely to be avoided if you’re sticking to a tight budget. A more unique, meaningful idea is to clip a portion of one of your houseplants and use it to grow a baby plant. Cut your plant at the part of the stem where there is a joint and let it sit in a vase or cup of water for a few days until it grows roots. Then transplant it in a tiny pot or even a coffee mug. A ribbon or a heart-shaped lollipop stuck in the soil will give it a touch of holiday flair.
Offer a Massage
Who doesn’t love a great massage? A Valentine’s Day rubdown is the perfect frugal gift. Light some candles and play some soft music to set the mood. Add a drop of vanilla to your regular lotion for a sensual twist, or a drop of lavender oil for a more relaxing experience. The great part about this gift is that the two of you can trade massages, and with feedback, learn where each other’s tense spots are for future reference.
Make a Mix Tape
Okay, so nobody really makes mix tapes anymore. But if you still have a CD player (many people do in their car), burn a selection of love songs to a CD for your partner to listen to on their way to work. You can also save a playlist to a flash drive and upload it to your partner’s iPod or computer. If love songs are too cheesy for you, choose a selection of music that makes you think of your loved one, or songs that remind you of when the two of you first met.
Do you have other great Valentine’s Day gift ideas that are unique and inexpensive? Share them with us here!
Tip of the Day: Ice Proof Your Windshield
If an ice storm is in the forecast, coat your windshield
with a solution of one part water to three parts white vinegar. It will keep
your windshield ice free.
Recipe of the Week: Grilled Pear, Ham, and Cheddar Wrap
This recipe from Kiddies Corner Deals appealed to us because it's a tasty alternative to the traditional ham and cheese sandwich. It's easy to make and kids will love it. We also want to mention that Kiddies Corner Deals has some fantastic coupon codes and info about kids clothing sales! Check them out! Now, on to the recipe...
Ingredients:
1 taco-sized 100% whole wheat tortilla
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon 100% pure honey
4 slices smoked honey ham, thinly sliced
1/2 bosc pear, thinly sliced
1 slice deli-style cheddar cheese
How to Make It:
1. Place a nonstick skillet over low heat.
2. Spread cream cheese on tortilla, then add honey and spread evenly over cheese. Place ham slices over the cheese mixture, and then top with pears and cheddar cheese. Roll up.
3. Place seam side down first in skillet and brown on all sides. (If you have a tabletop grill use that.)
Tips:
To make this a low-fat recipe, substitute Flat Out bread for the tortilla and Neufchâtel cheese for the cream cheese, and use reduced-fat cheddar cheese.
Do you have a great recipe for your kids' lunch? Let us know!
Ingredients:
1 taco-sized 100% whole wheat tortilla
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon 100% pure honey
4 slices smoked honey ham, thinly sliced
1/2 bosc pear, thinly sliced
1 slice deli-style cheddar cheese
How to Make It:
1. Place a nonstick skillet over low heat.
2. Spread cream cheese on tortilla, then add honey and spread evenly over cheese. Place ham slices over the cheese mixture, and then top with pears and cheddar cheese. Roll up.
3. Place seam side down first in skillet and brown on all sides. (If you have a tabletop grill use that.)
Tips:
To make this a low-fat recipe, substitute Flat Out bread for the tortilla and Neufchâtel cheese for the cream cheese, and use reduced-fat cheddar cheese.
Do you have a great recipe for your kids' lunch? Let us know!
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