There is nothing cheap about owning a home, is there? While plenty of people choose to rent instead of own, many of us take pleasure in owning our own place. Choosing a home is a big decision - starting with the location. How good is the neighborhood and how are the schools? What will the commute be like for work? Are there favorite conveniences nearby? Then there’s the house itself - how big is the property and is the house the right size? What is the condition of the home and the rooms, especially the kitchen and bathrooms. Luckily our home is in excellent shape, though some expensive items like our kitchen appliances are nearly due to be replaced.

I like to search through Consumer Reports before I make big purchases, especially for cars and appliances. Even if you don’t have a subscription to the magazine, you can find a lot of information on the web or review the books for free at your local library. For us it has saved us a lot of headaches, helping us to make better choices in our purchases. Kitchen appliances aren’t cheap, so it’s worth taking the time to buy the best one for our budget that will last us a good long time and save on energy bills too.

I’ve been reading a lot lately about microwaving and how it negatively affects your foods. According to some recent research, microwaving actually alters the composition of your food, not only making it less nutritious but also making it harder for your body to digest it.  If that’s the case, it makes me wonder how much we should be microwaving our foods? I find it very convenient for quickly heating up left-overs, but maybe when it comes to cooking my vegetables and other foods it might be better to use something like this Oster Mechanical Food Steamer.

It’s the kind of small kitchen appliance that I know I’d get a lot of use out of. This two tier steamer is perfect for steaming so many healthy dishes plus it has a large bowl that you can cook up to ten cups of rice in it, and another tray that you can make hard or soft-boiled eggs in. It’s super easy to take apart and clean when you’re done too.

Awhile back I happened to be visiting with a friend who was raving about her George Foreman Grill. I had seen the many commercials on TV, but as you know, the things they say about a product on TV isn’t necessarily the truth. But we cooked some chicken on it and it was then I became convinced  that I really had to buy one, and so I did. I took the plunge and went for the George Foreman G5 Grill with all of the bells and whistles.

I am not exaggerating when I say I love my grill. I love that I can cook my favorite meats and fish in any kind of weather and get that great grilled flavor. From a healthy perspective, the fats drain away, which is fantastic! The plates are interchangeable so I can make waffles, or bake pancakes, fry bacon- and with 84 inches of cooking space, it’s a perfect size for my family.  And the plates can be tossed in the dishwasher for easy clean up, which is a big plus in my house. This is a fabulous indoor electric grill that I know I will enjoy using for many years. With it’s sleek red exterior it even looks great in my kitchen if I don’t get a chance to put it away. No doubt about it, I have become a huge fan of George Foreman grilling.

I love making homemade bread in our breadmaker.  I have some friends that are even more ambitious that don’t use a breadmaker, but that’s not for me.  I know I’m getting delicious bread made with the kind of healthy ingredients we prefer, so the breadmaker is the perfect shortcut for me.  It does all of the mixing and kneading and beeps when I need to add nuts, etc. Perfect.

Did I mention how wonderful the bread smells?  Or how great the warm bread tastes with sweet butter on it….I’d probably live on bread and butter if I could!