Hardcore copycats

It is mind-boggling to see how many diet supplements are on the market right now. I realize that self image and vanity are a top dollar market, but can they really be that different from one another? I would bet that the same active ingredients can be found in most of the top diet pills on the market, and the variety comes only in the other "filler" ingredients. Hydroxycut hardcore is currently America's #1 diet pill, but at $60 per bottle, there are many copycats out there offering the same formula for much less.

People pay so much money for "miracle solutions", when what they really should be spending their money on is better food and a good pair of walking shoes. More home cooked meals, smaller portions at each meal, more fresh fruits and vegetables, and much more exercise could benefit nearly everyone.

DJ's Restaurant Review

DJ's Drive In has opened in the location that was previously a Sonic Drive In that failed. I'm not sure why the Sonic failed, because it seems that Eureka Springs is lacking in the fast food department and the Berryville location is always hopping with business. I would have expected someone to jump on a franchise opportunity to open it again, but maybe they have rules against re-opening in the same location.

We went to DJ's for dinner last week and it was good. The service was pretty quick, and the food was decent. We ordered crawfish po'boys, fries, and shrimp baskets for the kids. They loved their food and I thought the fries were really good. As for the po'boys - they were good, but my husband is from New Orleans and let's just say that after you've had the real deal, everything else falls short. The crawfish were a bit chewy and there was no remoulade sauce. Our overall impression was good, and we would eat there again.

Another time later in the week, my husband took the kids there for "happy hour" to get slushes. He was disappointed to find that the price seemed a bit high for half-price drinks, and when he looked closer at the receipt, found that they charge twenty cents for every flavor added to the slush, including the main flavor. So if you order a strawberry kiwi slush, they add forty cents. This seems a bit misleading to me, since no one would order a slush with no flavor, so at least the first flavor should be included in the menu price. The slushes didn't taste as good as Sonic slushes, according to my family, and the consistency was very hard and frozen in a ball.

We have not tried their breakfast menu at all, the sweet potato fries, fried okra, nor any of the other desserts or ice cream. I suspect we will be going back to DJ's in the future.

Why I eat every three hours

I am currently reading a book called "The 3-Hour Diet" by Jorge Cruise and it really makes sense. This isn't really a diet, but a way of eating that is like a breath of fresh air in the world of restrictive fad diets. There are no off-limit foods at all, and the major point he makes is that unless you eat every three hours, your body goes into "starvation" mode and basically starts breaking down your existing muscle mass for energy. For every pound of muscle you lose, you burn 50 less calories even at rest.

What this means is, even if you don't exercise you can at least keep the calorie-burning muscles you already have if you nourish your body with food every three hours. Then you will burn more calories even while you are sleeping. Now, of course if you exercise you can lose even more, but he believes anyone can lose an average of 2 pounds per week just changing their eating schedule.

There are a couple of rules, but they are easy and become second nature when you incorporate them into your daily life. The first rule is that you must eat your first meal within one hour of waking. Otherwise, you will have no fuel and your body will start using your muscles for energy. Then you have a snack three hours later, lunch three hours after your snack, another snack three hours after lunch, dinner after another three hours, followed by a small treat. He advises not eating within a couple of hours of your bedtime so your body will be ready for rest and not trying to digest a meal, which could keep you awake.

Overall, I have felt really good since starting to eat every three hours and some of my pants are already looser at the waist. I tend to get mood swings and headaches if I don't eat regularly anyway, so this is a way to help keep my blood sugar levels steady throughout the day without feeling deprived.

Smoked!

We discovered the absolute best way to have a turkey prepared - smoked. We had smoked turkey at a friend's house on Thanksgiving and loved it. So when we were shopping at Hart's a few weeks back and they had a sign that said "Place your smoked turkey orders for Christmas now" - we just had to order one. It was delicious and we will be having the leftovers for another week at least. If you haven't tried it, I highly suggest you do. You won't be disappointed!

We had a nice, quiet Christmas here at home. The kids were happily playing with their new toys all day, so my husband and I actually got to spend some time together and were even able to watch a movie.

Vent: wasting food

I know this is probably a well known fact and also a moot point, but I just wanted to vent about kids wasting food. If you have toddlers or preschoolers, I'm sure you can relate.

Why is it that you always end up with more food on the floor at the end of a meal than in the kid's tummy? And for older kids, why are they so picky??? You serve something that they have eaten happily since they were a baby and all of a sudden, they don't like it anymore. Then they eat it somewhere else, like school, and they decide they like it again and will eat it at home too. It is just annoying to me when we are on a very tight grocery budget and half the food ends up on the floor.

I've tried serving really small portions, but if they actually like it, then I'm up 6 times getting more for everybody. You just can't win...

I'm not into the "short order cook" routine for my kids, either. I cook one meal for all of us and serve it. If they don't like some of it, they don't have to eat it, but I don't make anything else for them. Luckily, my kids will try anything at least once (even spicy food) and they love veggies, so it's not all bad.