Thanks everyone for entering the Wusthof Santoku knife giveaway!
 The winner is comment #21


Which happens to be PriorFatGirl - Liz/LutherLiz!

Her comment was:
LutherLiz, June 22, 2012 12:53 PM

I want to try the knife because it is shiny! (ok, also I just need a good knife!)

If you've read my blog for awhile, it will be no surprise to you that I LOVE to cook!  When I initially started cooking, I really didn't view kitchen tools as something to "invest" in.  I bought some of the cheapest things I could find, and within a few months they already needed replacing. 

From that moment forward, I learned my lesson:  There is really nothing like good quality equipment in your kitchen.  Yes, it may cost a little more, but good quality pans and especially knives will last for many years, and make cooking easier and more enjoyable.

I was recently given the opportunity to try out a Classic 5-inch Santoku knife from Wusthof. The blade on this knife is ideal for slicing paper thin vegetables. It has a hollow edge blade which helps the food more easily release.  It's a little shorter than some of my other Chef's knives, but I actually found that makes it easier to handle, and slice almost anything! 

Hello Lover!

Last Wednesday I attended the first local farmer's market of the season in my town.  Every Wednesday our Marketfest sets up for a few hours at the local community center, and vendors come and sell all sorts of fresh fruits, veggies, breads, jams, salsa, eggs, etc.  I bought rhubarb, eggs, and parsnips.  The rhubarb was calling my name to be made into a crisp! 

Dilemma #1:  How will I make this rhubarb crisp as low points as I can, but still have it taste good?  Dilemma #2:  My friend who is has celiac disease is coming over for dinner, so how will I also make said crisp gluten free?

Using my new best friend Santoku knife, I chopped away at my delicious fresh rhubarb and strawberries, making quick work out of all of the slicing I needed to do.  It was amazing... and sharp!  I sliced up all 8 cups of fruit for this recipe in just a matter of minutes.  I think I'm in love... with a knife!
The result.  A perfect delicious crisp both healthy and gluten free!

Filling:
4 cups of Fresh Rhubarb diced
4 cups of sliced fresh strawberries
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 Tbsp Kraft Minute Tapioca
1 tsp Penzey's all spice
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt

Topping:
1-1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp kosher or sea salt
1 tsp Penzey's Cinnamon
6 Tbsp cold cut up butter (into about 12 pieces)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and lightly butter a 9x13 pan.

Mix together all of the filling ingredients and put into the pan.

In a separate bowl, put the topping ingredients.  Mix with your hands (the best way in my opinion) until the mixture resembles very course bread crumbs.

Sprinkle on top of the filling and bake at 350 for 50 minutes.
So... would you like to win your very own 5" Wusthof Santoku Knife?  Yep... I thought so.  It's your lucky day, because Wusthof has offered to give one of my readers their very own knife!

Here's what you need to do to win.  There are 3 total entries possible, you can do one or ALL three:
1 - Leave me a comment on this post telling me why you want to try out a Wusthof Santoku knife.  Easy as that! 
2 - Facebook  First, make sure to follow me on Facebook (if you already follow me then you are already ahead!), and then follow Wusthof on Facebook.  Leave me a comment telling me you did.
3 - Twitter.  First make sure to follow me on Twitter (hopefully you already are).  Then follow Wusthof on Twitter and tweet the following:  I entered @fatlittlelegs giveaway to win a @wusthof Santoku knife. You can too: http://tinyurl.com/7hfvexq
Good luck!
This contest is open to US Residents only, and will run until next Tuesday at 9 pm Central time, at which point I'll randomly draw a comment from all comments to pick the winner.

Opinions above are all my own.  I only post on things I really do love.  That said, Wusthof did provide me with my very own Santoku knife and one for one of my blog readers in order to promote their product.

I'm really excited for Monday this week.  2 reasons:  #1 - Its my birthday week, and #2 - in honor of my birthday week I'm giving a present to you.  And its a GOOD one!

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of trying out 2 different Anolon skillets.  Now, you guys know that I love to cook, so I was thrilled to try these pans.

I received these 2 beauties

Anolon Nouvelle Copper Non-stick 12" Skillet

Anolon Nouvelle Copper Stainless Steel 12" Skillet

Even as I lifted them out of the box, I was immediately in LOVE.  They are so incredibly heavy and well constructed.  A bit of drool might have actually escaped my lips as I quickly thought of what I should cook with them.

I decided on a sesame shrimp stir fry in the stainless skillet.

Sesame Shrimp
Serves 5 @ 5 Points+ each



Add to skillet and heat to just simmering.  Cook 1-2 minutes until thick.

Serve with steamed rice and maybe an egg roll for good measure!  Just remember to count the extra points.

The results?  Delicious and nutritious!  The skillet is absolutely as drool-worthy as I thought it would be at first glance.  Its heavy, and heated both quickly and evenly on my gas stove.  The skillet is large and can accommodate a lot of food, without stuff spilling out the side or getting goop all over your stove top.

I've also since used the non-stick skillet for everything from french toast to grilled cheese sandwiches, and it heats evenly and needs no oil!  I can honestly say it is the best non-stick skillet I've ever used!  Oh, and I almost forgot... one of the best things about the non-stick skillet is that it is metal utensil safe!  No more cheap plastic flippers melted to the side of your pan.  Oh?  I'm the only one that does that?  OK... that's a bit embarrassing.

So... lucky you on my birthday week.  One of you is going to win your choice of either the non-stick or the stainless steel skillets from above!  So listen up, here's what you have to do to win:

1) Mandatory (which means you have to do this before you can enter any of the other ways):  Subscribe to my blog - either via Google Friend Connect or RSS Feed.  Then, visit Anolon's website and leave me a comment on this post, telling me what other piece of cookware you are drooling over?

2) "Like" Fat Little Legs on facebook.  Like Anolon too!  In fact, I have a link to their page from mine.  You must leave me a comment on this post letting me know you did this for a second entry.

3) Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway:  I entered @fatlittlelegs @Anolon cookware giveaway: http://tinyurl.com/7fsdmsy You should too!  Leave me a comment telling me you tweeted.

Contest open to residents of the U.S. only.  Contest will run until next Monday, 3/26 at 9:00 pm Central Time and the winner will be chosen randomly from all comments received and announced on Tuesday 3/27.

Disclosure:  Thank you to Anolon, who provided me with both skillets free in return for my review and giveaway.  And aren't you excited they are going to give you one too?

We have 2 winners! 

The first winner is comment #17 from Melanie:
"Just liked it on FB too! I need that pick me up in the afternoons too!!"


The second winner is comment #4 from RJ:
"I've been following your blog for quite some time, but I just made it official! I look forward to reading your postings each day."



Congrats Melanie and RJ.  Please email your mailing address to fatlittlelegs@yahoo.com and I'll pass your info on to Zipfizz!  Enjoy and please come back and let me know what you think!

Thank you everyone that took the time to enter!

Recently I was contacted by Zipfizz to sample and review some of their drinks.  Zipfizz is a powder you mix with water.  Each tube has 10 calories, 2-3 carbs, no sugar, and 30 times the electrolytes of leading sports drinks.  There is no artificial coloring, flavoring, or stimulants, and no high fructose corn syrup.  Each serving also contains B12, caffeine from natural sources, and 500 mg vitamin C for an immune boost.
I tried all the current flavors of Zipfizz (orange soda, berry, limited edition orange creme, pink lemonade, grape, and citrus) and found that it was super delicious!  I especially liked the berry and pink lemonade flavors.  I honestly didn't care for either of the orange flavors.

Being a new mom, Zipfizz has done amazing things for my afternoons!  I've been drinking it almost every weekday afternoon, and have definitely felt an increase in my energy within 15-20 minutes.  It has become a sort of healthy treat that I look forward to. 

I've been able to find Zipfizz at Target, Walmart, and Costco.

Would you also like to try Zipfizz?  The company has agreed to provide 2 of my readers water bottles filled with a tube of each flavor.   You'll have 4 chances to win, please leave me a comment for each of these, and I'll choose 2 people at random:

1) Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect - right hand column of my blog, subscribe to my RSS feed, or emails.  Leave a comment telling me you did.  If you already do this, leave me a comment telling me .

2)  Leave me a comment telling me what flavor of Zipfizz you'd love to try.

3)  Follow me on twitter and tweet this:  "I entered @fatlittlelegs @zipfizzcorp giveaway at http://tinyurl.com/7kpwho7"  Leave me a comment telling me you did this.

4)  Like zipfizz on facebook or follow them on Twitter... or do both.  Leave me a comment that you did this.  There is a $1 off coupon available on their facebook page too!

You'll have until next Monday, January 16th at 9:00 pm central time to enter.  US Residents only please.

Disclaimer:  Zipfizz provided me a water bottle filled with samples for myself, and 2 water bottles filled with samples for my readers in exchange for this review.  They did not however tell me what I needed to write.  All opinions are my own, and I genuinely like their product, and have since purchased it for myself.

As chosen by random.org out of the 23 comments submitted was comment #20:
which was daniela6968 who said she wanted to try:
Broccoli w/cheese sauce!

daniela6968... I've sent an email to the provided address with the details on how you can claim your prize.
CONGRATS!

Just a quick reminder that the Green Giant Giveaway end tonight.... so make sure to enter before 10 pm Central Time.

Awhile ago Green Giant sent me this in the mail:


At 2 Weight Watchers PointsPlus and 60 calories per serving... and cheesy... I was excited to try it.
And then pregnancy happened to me, and I was excited to try NOTHING!  Well... finally I was able to try the veggies, and I have to say they are pretty tasty!  They were delicious over a baked potato!  That definitely was a full, very fulfilling, and super quick meal!
And lucky for you guys... Green Giant and my Blog Spark have offered to let one of you try out these veggies as well... along with this awesome prize pack:


Complete with a bowl, spoon, a coupon for Green Giant Veggies, a pedometer, and an insulated tote!
To enter its simple... just go to http://greengiant.com/pages/Products.aspx and come back and leave a comment telling me what type of  Green Giant Boxed Vegetables you'd try if you won.

This giveaway is open to residents of the US only and will go until 10 pm CT on Friday, April 1st.

Disclosure:  Green Giant provided me with this product, my own prize pack, and information through MyBlogSpark.

First of all we have a winner for the CSN Stores Giveaway.
The winning comment is #3 as chosen by random.org
Hey Sarah - thanks for the contest! In my bag - two point snack bar in case I get caught out and won't have to find a fast food place, my WW journal, some gum,

Lip gloss, phone, sudoku book, and a little cash! I carry a small purse! Love your blog, you are such an inspiration.

Louise - I don't have your contact information, so please send your contact information to:  srhrss@yahoo.com so I can send you your $40 gift code to CSN Stores.

Sometimes life gets crazy. We all have those days where we are so busy we can’t keep things together or find what we need when we want it. It’s on those days that a great laptop messenger bag or any sort of bag that keeps things organized when you want them will be a lifesaver.


I think it could also be helpful on your journey to health. We all know that bringing along our own snacks/lunch for instance will keep us away from the vending machine and fast food drive-thrus. It can also help to keep your food journal in your bag with you. I always say “bite it and write it.” It definitely keeps me on track.


I’ll admit sometimes I live out of my laptop bag or my purse. If you looked in there right now you’d find:
- an empty Tupperware that had Nutella in it for my toast this morning
- a church bulletin from last Sunday
- a half eaten granola bar
- My weight watchers materials/journal
- mittens
- makeup
- gum
-old pay stubs
- my gym membership scan card
- coupons
- an American Express gift card, tucked into a thank you note.
- 2 pairs of sunglasses – one broken one not
- cell phone charger
- GPS charger
- iPod charger
- Weight Watchers weekly
- Samsung Intercept cell phone (my latest toy)


Today, CSN Stores has offered to give one of my readers a $40 credit to one of their over 200+ online stores. CSN Stores is an online retailer that is comprised of more than 200 different shopping sites. Some of these include: Cookware.com, Csnbaby.com, and Fitnessequipmentandmore.com. I have made purchases in the past from CSN Stores, and have appreciated the good customer service and fast shipping!


There are a couple of ways you can win. For each of these please leave a separate comment to have your entries all counted:
1) Leave a comment and tell me, what’s in your bag, and how does it help you on your journey?


2) Post this giveaway on twitter using the following: I just entered @fatlittlelegs @csnstores giveaway and you should too: http://tinyurl.com/6hnh9fyLeave me a comment telling me you tweeted.




3) Follow my blog (with Google Friend Connect - on the right hand column OR by subscribing to my email updates) and leave me a comment telling me you did. If you already follow my blog, just leave me a comment telling me that.

4) Post about my giveaway on your own blog, and leave me a comment with the link.


This contest will be open until 9 pm Central Time on Thursday, February 24th. The winner will be chosen at random from all eligible comments.   This giveaway is open to readers in the United States and Canada only.


Disclosure: CSN stores did not compensate me directly for this post, but they did offer to give one of my readers a $40 gift card.

I really hope you all enjoyed the first annual Healthy Living During the Holidays Week last week.  Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway.  The winner of the cookbook as chosen by random.org is Lisa Buchanan with her comment (including recipe - Thanks Lisa):

I make a veggie casserole every Thanksgiving and have learned to lighten it without anyone in my family telling a difference. Here is the lightened version.



2 cans french style green beans (I get low sodium) - drained
2 cans whole kernel corn (I get no salt) - drained
2 cans Fat free cream of chicken or one of each chicken and mushroom soup
8 ounces fat free sour cream
8 ounces 2% sharp cheddar cheese - shredded
1/2 stick I cant believe it's not butter
1 sleeve of reduced fat and/or wheat Ritz crackers


Mix all ingredients but last 2 and pour into 9 x 13 Pyrex dish. Crumble crackers and place on top of mixture, poor melted butter on top. Bake 425 for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly. ENJOY!

Lisa - I'll be contacting you to get your address, and your cookbook will hopefully be on its way before Thanksgiving.  I hope you enjoy it!

Next - my weekly weigh in.  You'll remember how my scale progress has been pretty slow, and I was committing to making some changes.  Well, it did pay off because I lost 1.8 pounds at my weigh in on Thursday, and I'm down a total of 111.2 POUNDS!!!  I am ecstatic.  I have 10.2 pounds until I reach my ultimate personal goal.  I'll be posting my holiday goals this week, regarding what choice I have made this holiday season.

Finally, I intend on making giving thanks a theme of my posts this week.  I'm going to post something every day week regarding what I am thankful for as we approach Thanksgiving.  I encourage you to post something to your blog or leave a comment here telling something YOU are thankful for as well.  My intent is to focus more on the blessings in my life rather than the failures and the shortcomings.  So...

Today I am thankful for my legs.  They may be fat little legs, they may have extra flabby skin, and bumps and lumps, but they carry me every single day.  They are strong, and with them my body can run.  Because of my legs I've been able to successfully run two 5ks this year, and also raise almost $400 for prostate cancer!  My legs also fold up to make a nice lap where my little "L" can sit and snuggle me.  So, yes, I am thankful for my legs! 

What are you thankful for today?

Good morning!

I have a summary post that will be up later today bringing an official end to Healthy Living During the Holidays Week, but until then, don't forget that today is the last day to enter to win the Weight Watchers cookbook.