A perfect pizza crust must have the exact mixture of texture and flavor. The basic ingredients include water, yeast, flour, shortening, sugar and salt. The role of water is important as it mixes the others together into a perfect mixture. But the key for a guaranteed perfect crust is by choosing the right kind of flour. It certainly makes the simple ingredients so mouthwatering.

The perfect pizza dough should be smooth and stretchy but not too sticky, which results in a mouth-watering crust. If you wish to add desirable flavor, keeping the dough in the refrigerator might help or you can also add corn meal to give it a yellowish color. The dough must be kept fresh wrapped in a plastic bag in the coldest part of the fridge. Freezing the dough will stop the yeast to ferment that could turn the taste into a bit like a beer.

For those who are conscious about their health, a whole-wheat pizza crust which has becoming more popular nowadays, is the best for you. But a healty and nutritious pizza at home is easy as well. You can control what ingredients goes in your pizza and you can also save money in the long run.
So which pizza crust do most people prefer? Statistics say, thin crust is the popular choice. Whatever the style is, the crust is certainly an important part of a good pizza.

Come and see us for the very best Home Delivery Pizza Mallorca

photo credit: scaredy_kat

But, what if you don’t want to go back to home cooked meals?  After all, you work hard, and if you enjoy eating in restaurants, it’s a pleasure that you might not want to give up.  You might need to make some adjustments to be able to keep this simple pleasure in your lifestyle.  Some people scan the menu, looking for prices first before choosing a meal.  But, there are plenty of other ways to dine out and stick to a budget.

First, go to a restaurant that you can afford.  You might have dined at restaurants where the small portions are sold for exorbitant prices.  But, you can eat your fill on cafe food that’s big on flavor, where excellent service is provided, and the prices are reasonable.  If you enjoy large portions, then try an all you can eat buffet.  Plus, you’ll save on tips.

Scout which restaurants offer special deals and discounts.  For example, you might get a percentage off your meal during off peak hours.  If you’re a senior citizen, you might get a discount on certain days or you can sometimes take advantage of small portions at a reduced price.  Call ahead to find out what special deals are offered by restaurants in your area.

If you’ll be dining without children, check out happy hour lounge specials.  Sometimes you can get an hors d’oeuvre sampler for the price of a cocktail.  If you do have kids, take advantage of free kids meal nights.

If the two of you are having a special night out, try sharing an appetizer and an entree.  Some restaurants have too-big portion sizes anyway.  Many restaurants are glad to provide an additional plate at no extra charge.  Take your leftovers home to make the most of your food budget.

Check out newspapers and ad circulars for restaurant coupons, but make sure you read the fine print.  You don’t want to order your meal only to find that there are so many terms and conditions that the ‘coupon’ was really a come on instead of a money saver.  The Entertainment Book is usually a great place to find buy-one get-one-free special restaurant offers all year long.

Try making due with less when you dine out.  For example, drink water instead of a soda or other pricey beverage.  Drinks can add several dollars to the bill for just two people.  Make due with an entree, and forego desert.

Add a little zing to your water with a squeeze of lemon, or even a little sugar.  After dinner, grab some ice cream at the grocery store for desert at home.  You can even save money by eating at fast food joints; just choose healthier items from the menu.  Most fast food places offer salads and soups, for example.  Try fresh fruit or a low fat yogurt parfait for desert instead of high fat, sugar laden sweets.

Remember to look at your receipt.  Some establishments provide rewards or free meals if you take a survey about your restaurant experience.  With a bit of creativity, you don’t have to give up dining out.  It takes a bit of planning, but you can still have a fun and affordable dining out experience.

You’ll be hard pressed to find a lunch deal for less than $10 plus a tip.  You gulp your food down, have a couple of laughs with your officemates, and hurry back to the office wishing you could lay down for a nap.

As you approach your desk, you notice some guy stashing away a brown bag.  He looks happy, rested, and eager to get back to work.  In fact, he even worked a little while eating his lunch.  He’s musing about how tasty it was, how much money he was able to save, and the headaches he avoided.

Then you start to wonder: is it worthwhile to make my own lunch and bring it to work every day?  Let’s run some numbers to evaluate this.  Let’s assume that it will cost you about three bucks a day to prepare your own lunch.  This is a conservative estimate; it’s probably far less expensive.

This comes to $15 for your five day work week.  Compare this to $10 per day for $50 per week.  You’re saving at least $35 every single week, not including time, gas, and tip!  That’s at least $1,800 per year in savings.  Still interested?

Here are some tips to make your brown bagging a success.  First, make your lunch the night before to avoid a morning rush.  Keep things simple, but be healthy and show some creativity.  A sandwich on whole grain bread is a great choice, but change things up with some nuts, fruit, and yogurt.  Try including a little treat to look forward to, like a cookie or your favorite energy bar.

Plan your meals ahead, and buy them in bulk quantities.  For example, buy a family size bag of chips and put them in plastic baggies instead of buying lunchbox size mini chips.  You’ll pay a lot more for the nominal convenience of smaller servings, and it’s not that tough to just bag them yourself.

Prepare a large meal, and save the leftovers for lunch the following day, or even for a week’s worth of lunches.  If you make it at home from fresh ingredients, you know it’s good for you, tasty, and clean.  Put your leftovers in individual containers that evening, then just grab your food and head out the door the next morning.

If you’re harried and just don’t have time to make a lunch, a can of prepared soup or chili will do.  You can even keep some of these in your desk for days when you forget your lunch.  Most offices have some sort of kitchenette with a stove or microwave where you can heat up your lunch.

Don’t forget your beverage.  If you are a fan of soda, you can pick up a 12 pack from the grocery store for about $3, which equals a quarter per can.  Compare this to those pricey vending machine sodas or coffees.  This is a huge savings!  Or, drink water and save even more.

If you like, you can even choose to work through some or all of your lunch break.  Catch up on email, or other light reading or organizational duties.  Your boss might be impressed, and you’ll be ahead of the game if you need to leave the office early.  Before long, you might find that your co-workers start asking you for brown bag tips.

There are many advantages to brown bagging your lunch.  You’ll eat well, save time and money, and be more focused and productive.  Now you just need to decide what to do with all the money you save!

Just about everyone has heard of the variety stores where most everything costs one dollar, hence the term “dollar store.”  This concept is actually not a new one, only in the past, there were “five and dimes” or simply the “dime store.”  As you might surmise, most everything in these little stores was priced at five or ten cents.  Unfortunately, inflation has gotten the best of us.  Back in those days, five cents went much father than a dollar currently does.

Now instead of dime stores, we’ve got dollar stores.  This can sometimes be a bit misleading, since most of these stores don’t sell everything for strictly one dollar.  Most things are a dollar, but other items sell for multiples of a dollar.  Some things you’ll find at the dollar store include household supplies, games, pet food, canned food, clothes hangers, garden accessories, candy, and all kinds of other sundry things.

Most items at the dollar store are priced well below a general grocery or retail outlet, but you should still have a good handle on prices before going in.  Some of the products are either generic or private label brands created only for that particular retail chain.

Other items may be bought from other stores with overstock or a going out of business sale.  You might also find merchandise that was created specifically for a promotional event and is now out of date or out of season.

But, what if dollar stores sold fresh food item?  Too good to be true?  Well, it turns out that there are 99 cents only stores where – of course – nothing costs over 99 cents, ever.  The chain got its start in 1982 and now has more than 260 stores in four states, including Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas.  Total sales for 2006 topped a billion dollars.

The chain claims to be the longest running single price retail chain in the nation, with deep discounts on new, brand name items.  You might be pleased to learn that some of their merchandise includes fresh fruits and vegetables, deli items, frozen food, and sometimes even fresh meat.

Deli items consist mainly of cold cuts.  The store also carries canned food and other basic grocery staples, alongside health, beauty, and personal hygiene items.  Inventory varies, and not all items are brand name.

Some items recently advertised for 99 cents include cantaloupe, one and a half pounds of plums, a dozen eggs, 32 ounces of milk, and five pounds of potatoes.  And, even a large watermelon for – you guessed it – 99 cents.  Of course, the ad didn’t mention what size those eggs are.  And, some snooty wine drinkers are enjoying 99 cent wine too.

Until recently, these types of stores were thought of as low quality stores that were only in poor neighborhoods, with products bought by people who were willing to sacrifice name brands for quality to save a buck.  Of course, that mentality has changed now that food and gas prices have spun out of control.  Now, everybody’s looking for bargains.

99 cents only stores are usually clean and well kept, with friendly, helpful staff.  Shelves are fully stocked and neatly organized, aisles are wide and easy to navigate, and the overall atmosphere of the store is pleasant.

You can even pick up the 99 cents only cookbook: gourmet recipes at discount prices.  If you live in one of the four states where the chain has retail stores, its worth the extra gas to trim your food budget.  You’ll be amazed when you see what you can get at 99 cents per item.

Even casual coupon clipping can help you save quite a bit of money, but once you start, you’ll soon find that you have become a coupon clipper extraordinaire.  In order to do this, you need a bit of patience, and some flexibility.  You’ll need to be willing to try new brands according to what’s on sale, but making this simple change can save quite a bit of money.

You’ll also need to be savvy to use coupons to your best advantage.  Coupons are designed to get you into to the store to buy the discounted item.  But, remember that discounted pricey brands are sometimes more expensive than full price store brands, so shop wisely.

You can find food coupons almost anywhere.  The Sunday paper is a good source, as are weekly ad circulars, online coupon sites, public libraries, and coupon swap boxes at the store.  Don’t overlook checkout coupons; these are handed to you with your receipt when you check out at most grocery stores.  Make sure you keep close tabs on your coupons; you don’t want to let them expire and waste valuable savings.

It’s important to keep your coupons organized so you’ll have them handy when it’s time to shop.  Try sorting them by food type in a file card organizer or other easy to find place.  Before you head to the store, pull coupons that match items on your shopping list.  Don’t forget to use mail in rebate coupons too; these can be easily overlooked.

Sign up for a store loyalty membership, which usually includes coupons and store bonus points that offer rewards like discounts or rebates.  If you shop with a credit card, sometimes the store credit card will help you accumulate double points and even free items.

You can save the most money by combining coupons with sale prices.  If you’ve got a coupon for an item that you don’t need right away, try waiting to buy until it’s on sale.  Keep your eyes open for sale and extra bonus points labels.

Compare advertised specials.  You’ll need to decide whether it’s worth the gas money to drive to another store to get a better price on an item; sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.  Before you rush off to the other store, find out if your local store honors competitor coupons.  Many grocery stores do.

Don’t fall into the two-for-a-dollar marketing ploy unless you really need the items being offered.  Limit yourself to only buying what you need.  For example, you might get 10 lemons for a dollar, but you’re wasting money in the end if you don’t use them all.

In the past, some shoppers felt that the grocery store frowned upon coupons.  Shoppers didn’t want to be embarrassed, or hold up the line for the checker to process the coupons.  With so many avid coupon clippers nowadays, these worries are a thing of the past.  Computerization has made the process of scanning coupons quick and easy.

You may not want to take the time to use all of these strategies, and it will take a bit of patience, practice, and experimentation to learn which techniques save the most.  But, if you need to stretch your food budget, clipping coupons is one of the best ways to do it.

Matisse & Jack’s offer a variety of healthy and delicious snacks that require little effort on your part, which are all natural and junk free. Simply add a few ingredients to their mixes and bake, very easy and very quick. I have found these make excellent after school snacks and my kids are now hooked on them.

Matisse & Jack’s graciously sent me a package of each mix that they currently have available; Granola Bites, Cocoa Squares, Cranberry Power Snacks and Chocolate Chip Power Snacks.

The first package I made was their Granola Bites. I simply followed their baking instructions, which required adding honey, butter and water to their mix and then added a tablespoon of the mixture to my mini-muffin pan, to create “mini bites”. They smelled so good while they were baking (which is under 15 minutes) and better yet, they looked and tasted homemade.

As I mentioned a little earlier in my review, my kids were devouring these little bites and couldn’t wait for me to bake the next batch.

You can order these products from their website, but I was a little put off by their online prices – although their products are absolutely awesome, I thought they are a little on the expensive side. I did notice that they do offer free shipping if you order 6 or more boxes and currently they will provide a 10% discount with online orders if you refer 3 of your friends to them.

Edited to Add: After I had written this review I was contacted by one of their representatives, in response to my thought on the price being a little high. I was not aware of the following information:
We charge a premium because all of our ingredients are sourced from the US, and most of the grain ingredients are local to the Western United states. We use Chocolate chips from specialty chocolate producer Guittard (local to the Bay Area). All ingredients are 100% natural and non- genetically modified. Also there is no msg in the product. The natural flavors just consist of powdered vanilla flavor (from all natural sources), and in the cocoa squares we use chocolate flavor (also 100% natural). We use premium Indonesian cinnamon.

Their products are also available in retail stores, which until recently was only in the northern California area, but they just informed me that their mixes are now available at Super Target stores in many other states.

If you would like more information on Mattisse & Jack’s products, please visit their website at http://www.matisseandjacks.com/

A single serving coffee maker that is a lot like an espresso machine. It brews 1 to 2 cups of coffee in matter of seconds. The gift pack comes with coffee machine, coffee pods (filters with coffee included), two pod canisters and a thermal coffee mug. For fresh brewed coffee every single time you want a cup of coffee.

I am the ultimate coffee drinker. I drink coffee almost all the time including the hot summer months. It’s my biggest down fall. The bad part of this is that I’m always drinking old coffee. I think for some reason I always have to make a full pot of coffee and I can never drink it all before it starts to taste old. I went on the hunt for a coffee maker that would suit my needs and this is what I found. I won’t be without it.

It’s so simple to use and fast. I can brew a single cup of coffee in less than 30 seconds. By using their special coffee pods I get wonderful tasting coffee that’s hot and ready to go quickly. The coffee that comes with this pot is really good. It doesn’t have that bitter after taste like some coffee can have. They also have lots of other flavors including dark roast, french vanilla and even cappuccino.

This coffee machine is like an espresso machine in the way it makes your coffee. When the coffee is finished brewing you have a nice frothy top and very hot coffee. It satisfies my coffee cravings and believe me I have some cravings for coffee. I’m like a crazy woman if I don’t have that cup coffee with me, especially in the morning.

I also like the slim feature of this pot. It sits on my counter right next to my regular coffee pot (which I only use when I have more than a few guests) and takes up very little space. It also comes in 4 different colors so you should be able to find a color that will match any decor.

There is also a standby water reserve and that’s why it makes a cup of coffee so fast. The reserve can hold up to 5 four-ounce cups of water at a time. It’s easy to clean too. Just take it apart and put it in the dishwasher. Yea it’s dishwasher safe. How can you beat that?

I love this coffee maker for my own personal use and even when I have a couple of friends over. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. You can buy the extra pods and store them in the canisters to keep them fresh until your ready to use them. If you are as fanatic about coffee like I am, try this little coffee maker. It’s a pleasure to use and the coffee is unbeatable.

Cons: The only real complaint I have is that the pods are a bit pricey, but for the convenience and the flavor I’m happy!

Where To Buy: Senseo Coffee Pod System with Gift Pack

In the eastern side of the globe, especially in the Middle East, wine or any other alcoholic beverages are banned. With the country of U.A.E coming in as an exception, all other countries in that Islamic region say a big no to wine or any other alcoholic beverages. In fact, some of these countries have laws that are considered outright ‘barbaric’ when compared to the rest of the world. Isn’t it ironic that the region that despises wine the most today use to be the host of the worlds biggest wine drinking population at one point?

If you do decide to travel that ‘not so friendly to wine drinkers’ region, the promised lands are not that far. A little bit further down central Asia comes the open to all wine lovers countries such as Cyprus (Where the first wine was originally created), France and other European countries. Wine in Europe is second only to water, I will actually go a little further and say that wine is the ‘juice’ of Europe. Europe is the destination for the wine lover in you as its packed with beautiful wineries and carries a rich wine history. The bars in countries like Germany and Sweden are open very late when compared to their Northern American counterparts and get this . . . most of them are out doors! It’s like going to a friends house who has the most awesome patio. Ofcourse when you go on this trip, you must visit France – the official motherland of wine.

French wines are considered to be one of the best ones in the world and also the most expensive. You can also find wine that age back to hundreds of years, but careful when you ask for a taste as they will be quite heavy on your wallet.I didn’t mention the far east so much as most of these countries just import wine from Europe and other North American countries. As they were not blessed by the fruit essential to wine making which is the grape. Japan is the only country in that region that is actually just began to make and export their own wine on an international level.

Needless to say, wine is here to stay and it is growing in popularity at its own rate. The more people understand it, the better it is for all. I say you and I have a drink to that!

For more on wine 101, just visit us, where you can download your FREE “How to make wine at home” ebook.

Baby Cubes are made into small frozen cubes almost like ice cubes, so if you have a young infant, you won’t have to worry about waste or contamination like you would with traditional jarred baby food.

What’s The Cost: Prices vary.

Pros: I really like this product and my young taste testers, ages 16 months and 4 years, liked it too. The mango went over especially well, and my 4 year old even ate the golden beets. We used the apple to make a yummy smoothie.

The fruits and veggies are also 100% certified organic, which is great since the “organic” label can contain up to 30% of non-organic ingredients.

This is an awesome product for a busy Mom who is concerned about reducing her baby’s exposure to harmful pesticides. All you need to do is pop a cube or two into a bowl and let it defrost (or use the microwave if you prefer) and you have fresh, healthy organic produce for your baby or toddler.

Cons: None noted.

Where to buy:
Baby Cubes

Submitted by: Carrie Lauth; Atlanta, GA

I had the pleasure of joining up with a great Meal Planning service created just for busy moms.  The sign up process was easy and I had no troubles logging in after making my payment. Once inside the member only area I was able to grab my monthly meal schedules that included really yummy recipes that I was excited about trying. The one big thing that I loved most about the membership plan was the fact that the shopping lists are already done for you – that made my life so much easier.

If you have a particular menu that you want to use for the month you have the option of selecting from healthy menus, vegetarian menus or family friendly menus. Of course you don’t have to limit yourself to one style you can download all three which gives a HUGE variety of recipes to work from.

Another great find inside as a member is a forum with experts and other members which allows you to communicate  and get some planning advice, etc.

Where to sign up: Meal Planning Central