What in the world is the cookbook all about?

Ok, it took me about two years to write and publish my cookbook - WHEW!  It was finally published a couple of months ago and it's been SUPER fun to hear what everyone has to say about it!  I'm going to give you a little insight right here, right now, so you can figure see what it's all about.  There are nine different chapters.  Each chapter is created to help motivate and organize a healthy eating lifestyle.  Below I have listed the chapters along with a short little somethin' somethin' about each one...
1.  Let's Get Started - This chapter is all about habits and how we can do a better job at being healthy simply by changing our habits.  It is encouraging and meant to get you excited about the journey through the rest of the book!
2.  Kids in the Kitchen - If kids learn how to cook, they have a better chance of being healthy adults.  It's all about working with children, as a habit, to make cooking be easy and a good way of life for them.  There are also some benefits for us parents!  If you are too tired to prepare a meal and you've been training your 12 year old to cook, they will be perfectly capable of turning out a great, healthy meal for YOU, for a change!
3.  Staples - Here's where we work on setting up the kitchen so that we always have things on hand that will make cooking a healthy meal easy.  We go from pantry to refrigerator to the spice cabinet.  It's all there, but, I encourage everyone to include their own family's favorites as staples in their kitchen.
4.  Heart Disease Prevention - I have heart disease on both sides of my family and, so do my kids - UGH!!!  The good news is, this chapter will give you tips and tricks to train yourself AND your children now so that your chances of keeping your heart healthy are much better.
5.  Feeding a Big Ol' Group - This can be an exhausting task, right?  Well, in the cookbook, I'll walk you through exactly how to have a stress-free get together and end up with the best food that you and your friends can come up with!  There are also tips on how to serve your guests in fun ways while also making the food interesting and easy.
6.  Tips and Tricks - This chapter covers some great, easy tips that we can all benefit from.  Learn what to carry with you, what to do when you are craving sweets, and how leftovers are important.
7.  Putting it all Together - Here's the meat (pardon the pun) of the cookbook.  I'll show you how to get the family involved, how to make food fun, how to find fun family time and how to simplify life!  It can be done, but why should just one person in a houseful of people have to be solely responsible for the food?  THEY SHOULDN'T! :)
8.  Organizing and Cleaning Up - Just like why should one person have to be solely responsible for the food, why should one person have to be solely responsible for cleaning up, right?  THEY SHOULDN'T! :)  This chapter will give you some ideas on how to get the whole family involved and make clean up time much easier.  Why should one person spend 20 minutes cleaning up when four people can each spend five minutes cleaning up, right?  The sooner you start teaching the kids, the better off you'll be when they can do it all!
9.  Now You are Ready! - This is the pep rally part of the book!  We invite you to stay with us and have fun while we're all being healthy!  My goal is to help others achieve a better quality of life, which is attainable through food...
We have many recipes throughout the cookbook.  Here's a sample list of them...

Smoothie (fan favorite)
Pizza
Mac & cheese
Salad dressings
Tacos
Meat Loaf
Lasagna
Chili
Steak & Baked Potato Soup (another fan favorite)

and much, much more!  All of your favorites cooked in a healthier way!
Are YOU ready?  You can order your own copy today!  All you need is an amazon.com login and go to https://www.createspace.com/4053930 .  Remember, Christmas is right around the corner and this book would make a great gift, especially for those that want to start the new year off with a healthy plan.  If you ever have any questions, ideas, or just need some encouragement, please contact us!  Here's where you can find us...
www.caraperkins.com
www.facebook.com/caraperkinshnhl
...and at Twitter, Instagram, Youtube (see our Kids in the Kitchen videos), and Pinterest all by searching caraperkinshnhl.
PLEASE share our info.  At Healthy Now...Healthy Later we say, "we ALL have health in common, so we might as well make it fun!"
Stay Healthy!
Cheers,
Cara

How in the World Do We Deal With Germs?

Ok, so it's cold and flu season.  No matter how healthy we eat and how strong we keep our immune system, sometimes a pesky germ will sneak their way into our bodies causing all kinds of nonsense!  Nonsense in the form of a cold, the flu, pneumonia or anything else they want to try and prove.  GERMS DON'T CARE!  Now, what do we do when this has caused an invasion in a body that we live with?  Well, there are no guarantees, but there are some weapons that we can arm ourselves with.  It's us against them and, we have the disadvantage since we can't see them...don't let them win the war!  Here are a list of steps that, with a quick trip to the local grocery or discount store, you'll be able to use in hopes of making the battle easier on everyone in the home.

1.  Don't let the sick person into the kitchen!  This is off limits!  Yes, this means that you will have to wait on them, but it's better than you and the the rest of the household getting sick too, right?
2.  The sick person only uses disposable cups, paper plates, napkins and plastic wear.  That's right, that means less chance of spreading the germs AND not as many dishes to do, (you are welcome :)) and all of this goes straight into the trash.
3.  Choose 1 bathroom for the sick person to use and everyone else stays out and uses the other bathroom.  Thoroughly disinfect the community bathroom with disinfecting wipes or a good spray as soon as you figure out that the sick person is sick.
4.  Hand washing/sterilizing...any time any of the non sick are near the sick, in the same room, touch something the sick has touched, etc...it is hand washing time!  Keep the hand sanitizing gel on hand too.  It makes things a little easier.
5.  Be sure and sterilize light switches, door knobs, phones, sink faucets, and anything else the sick person could have touched.
6.  The sick sleeps alone!  If you have kids sharing a bedroom, split them up.  Make a fort, get out the sleeping bags, whatever you have to do, but don't let them sleep in the same room.  This goes the same for the adults.  The non sick needs to take the couch for a while.

It's a tough battle, but you CAN win it!  Comment below and let us know what you do in your home to help fight the good fight.
Here's a grocery list to make life a bit easier...

1.  soap
2.  hand sanitizer
3.  paper plates
4.  plastic cups
5.  plastic spoons, forks & knives
6.  paper napkins
7.  disinfecting wipes
8.  disinfecting spray

Best of luck through this crazy time of year!
Here are the specific places you can find us on the web...
www.caraperkins.com
www.facebook.com/caraperkinshnhl
Twitter - caraperkinshnhl
Pinterest - caraperkinshnhl
Instagram - caraperkinshnhl
Youtube - caraperkinshnhl

I look forward to hearing from you...until then...stay heathy :)