[trueblue101357]

Originally Posted by Alaskagirl92128

Rtd's are the premade shakes, it stands for ready to drink.

thanks!

[bluegirl9]

Originally Posted by SeattleNP

You need a really good nonstick pan. If you have a crummy one - you know the cheap thin ones that stick in the middle, or one that's not cheap but has seen better days - do yourself favor and splurge on a GOOD one. You will thank me when you are making your omelettes and pancakes!!! Also a set of dry measuring cups and measuring spoons plus a liquid measure cup. You also NEED a food scale. Weight does not convert to volume, so meats must be WEIGHED BEFORE COOKING and veggies need to be MEASURED in your dry measure cups. A salad spinner will also come in handy!!

As for spices. I use nutmeg on my vanilla pudding and shake. Cinnamon is helpful too. Vanilla extract and rum extract are a must for me but that's a matter of personal taste. Look for spice and dry rub mixtures that have NO added sugar. I have found a Jamaican Curry blend, a Greek grilling blend and a Creole seasoning and they all do amazing thing to a chicken breast. Lots of people will suggest you stock up on WF products, but I think they are awful for the most part - the only ones I keep and use are the barbecue sauce and pancake syrup, though the new caramel syrup has been getting rave reviews. I avoid using them buy using my extracts. Buy a good apple cider vinegar (I use Braggs) and a bottle of EVO. And PAM - I have the olive oil one, the butter flavored AND the one to use on the grill. Lower fat meats have a tendency to STICK!!!

Best of luck - I'm still new here but you will see, you will learn quick!!!

My coach told me not to use extracts? I was assuming maybe because they contain small amounts of alcohol? I'd like to know, because I'd really like to use vanilla!

[cbl70]

I recently learned that you should NOT use PAM on non-stick pans.

My non stick pans only seemed to last for six months or less. When I asked a Williams Sonoma salesman why the weren't lasting longer, he asked me two questions: was I using PAM? And what level of heat was I cooking on? He said PAM would destroy the non stick surface. And that cooking with the heat too high (more than medium) would also eventually destroy the non stick surface too. Although I was generally cooking over medium heat I was using PAM. So I purchased a new pan and stopped using PAM and started using an olive oil mister. Since its only been a few weeks I can't confirm it works but I'm giving it a go.

[Annik]

I have a couple of glass jars that I fill with 64 oz of water each morning. As I drink them down each day, helps to visually remind me where I am at wih water intake.

Also, since I started making LizRrr's veggi purees, I am glad for the good blender I have.

And my Hamilton Beach grill is something that used to sit on my shelf. Now I use it every day.