Convincing the Hubby that Crock Pot cooking is AWESOME!

My hubby is always nice and eats what I make for dinner. (yes he cooks occasionally as well) But he always told me that my crockpot meals were not his favorite. Being a HUGE fan of the crockpot (I think it is the most genius piece of cooking equipment since fire!) this was not making me happy. SO I investigated further -- over several years;) His issues with my crock pot meals were:
1. The texture of the meat
2. Everything tasted the same

Well I was stumped for a few years. I'd make him suffer through a crock pot meal every month or so since they are so easy and I LOVE them. I tried a few new recipes, added seasoning, but still got the same "It was OK" response. At the time I was home with a preschooler and a new baby -- dinner time was NOT a time for elaborate concoctions!

And then I found this freezer meal workshop online, went and created 10 meals in 2 hours and brought home cooking instructions. One of them was a crockpot recipe -- OY! Well I was super excited about it. The recipe asked me to brown the meat before placing it in the crockpot. I NEVER did this before and always thought it was a waste of time and clean pots! But this time I followed the instructions and browned the pre-seasoned meat on all sides, put it and the other items in the crock pot and went about my day. Served dinner and got "that was really good" after dinner -- REALLY??? I mean I thought it was fantastic AND easy (which means it was a 10 for me), but never thought Hubby would agree.

So I experimented with a few old recipes. I seasoned and browned the meat before putting it in the crock pot -- JACK POT every time!! He liked them all!!!

I'm not a scientist, I'm not sure what browning the meat does to change the texture but it does work. I do think that seasoning the meat before browning allows that spice to penetrate the meat and give it a different more abundant flavor than when it is all seasoned together. I also find he is happier if I use a different seasoning on the meat than what is called for in the crock pot recipe. I think it adds more depth for him.

And now we are all living a happily ever after crock pot life!!!! WHEW!;)

Talk about a Ground Floor opportunity!!!

Wildtree made INC. magazines Top 5000 List!!!

Inc. projects Wildtree's growth @ 248% in 3 years! What a great decision I made joining this company in 2010!!

Initially I was using the WT products to make dinner time easy and delicious, then I decided to utilize the discount and have others pay for my dinners by joining as a rep the beginning of this year. Now I get paid to share these great food products with the WORLD!! With VERY few reps here in SO Cal I thought, what a great time to get in on a ground floor opportunity with a great company and all while eating healthier and yummier food.

If you are looking for an additional stream of revenue and love eating healthy, delicious food -- Wildtree is the place for you! Feel free to contact me with any questions or you can join my team via my Wildtree website under the Our opportunity tab.

Stock your freezer with quick, delicious and healthful meals!

Just in time for back to school...Freezer Meal Workshops.
Stock your freezer with 10 quick, delicious and healthful meals to help you get back into the routine!
This month's menu includes:
Lime Dill Fish
Fancy Shmancy Chicken
Pork Tenderloin with Asian Spiced Pears
Seasme Sun Butter Chicken
Harvest Frittata
Chicken Skillet Meal
Turkey Stroganoff Skillet
Mexican Skillet Meal
Cheddar & Herb Skillet
BBQ Beef Stew

Redondo Beach workshops September 24 @ 7pm or September 25th @ 10am

Reserve your spot via email at wildforwildtree@gmail.com or via phone at 310-850-6443

Similar workshops are being held this month in Culver City (September 23) and Beverly Glen.

Healthy Lifestyle does NOT mean Bland

So you’d love to be healthy but you just can’t fathom eating bland, boring salads each day or banning butter and cheese from your life?

Come taste the flavorful side of healthy with Certified Personal Trainer Dr. Mandy Rhodes and Yvonne Hall of Wildtree Herbs at 6:30pm on Thursday, September 16th at the Redondo Beach Neighborhood Grinds. Dr. Rhodes will describe how important it is to be healthy with some simple ways to incorporate healthfulness into your life, and Yvonne will let you taste the differences in foods and show you simple steps to making the meals. They will give you some ideas of how to cook healthy, flavorful, easy meals while watching your caloric and cholesterol intake. Here's how:

* Make beneficial cooking oil choices

* Use alternate preparation and cooking methods

* Search for and Banning some health busting ingredients

You won’t be disappointed at this fun and delicious excursion to healthy.

RSVP to wildforwildtree@gmail.com

Mandy R. Rhodes, CPT, DC is the founding owner of Active Balance and can be followed on her blog at activebalance.blogspot.com

Yvonne Hall, Southbay Wildtree Herbs representative, can be followed on her blog at wildforwildtreecooking.blogspot.com