Springtime is right around the corner to summer swimwear season and eating right is now essential. Salads are my go to meal because you toss it up just as you like and it’s a great way to get my veggie intake. The only hassle? prep work.

You gotta slice the veggies down to size. Ugh. The reason I dread this task? I typically wind up slicing some skin along with cutting the vegetables. Whether it’s a knife or a peeler I somehow always seem to get a nick on the knuckle. But with the prepara peeler and its large gripper- prep work is now a cinch.

The comfortable non-slip grip is just one of the many features on this must-have kitchen tool. The peeler actually has 3 steel blades nested inside the handle that allow you to turn and click to select your choice of blade.

The soft blade is perfect for soft-skinned produce like peaches and tomatoes. The firm blade grabs and peels the skin of hard produce like potatoes and carrots and the decorative julienne blade cuts precise strips. Prepara has developed a peeler which is a three in one tool. It is a durable and dishwasher safe utensil.

Each blade was easy to select and change out and really cut perfectly. Fruit that I didn’t want a deep cut into, it managed to finely slice up and other produce that required deeper cuts, it did just that. The blade selection by twisting the bottom of the handle is easy to use and a brilliant way to ensure a larger non-slip grip.

My favorite thing about the trio tri-blade peeler? The gourmet shoestring carrot cuts from the julienne blade, that turn any tossed green into a colorful masterpiece or maybe the retractable blades which make it a safe stow away (avoiding any risks from the little ones who rummage through kitchen drawers.) It’s a toss up. So many features to love with the trio tri-blade peeler. -Amber

-Prepara is offering Daily Dish readers not only 15% off the peeler, but, any item you find online at www.prepara.com, just use the code HERB455 at checkout.

-Did I mention that prepara has one of Oprah’s favorite gadgets? Yeah you’ll want to check out all the cool stuff they have online at www.prepara.com.

Holly’s newest bedding piece is a Hi Height Baby measuring crib sheet from Clarechen. It’s so cute! We have the lavender one and the color is just right. The color is from “UNI color for Textile” environmental friendly ink from Japan. The crib sheet has added a really fun punch to Holly’s crib. It washes well and I haven’t noticed any fade in the color. Holly’s not growing rapidly enough for me to use the height measuring factor, but I know when our newborn arrives, I’ll be lamenting/rejoicing daily as I’ll be able to see that she’s increased in height.

Here’s a little more about the Clarechen:

Established in 2009.  CC believes good ideas are born at anytime in a person’s life under unintentional situations.  A lot of times, those ideas are the most powerful for finding daily problems and needs.  CC’s products are inspired by daily surroundings.  Exclusive, simple, different are the main elements we aim for to provide our consumers.

As far as pricing goes, the crib sheet is comparable. This makes an excellent baby shower gift or if you’re nesting like I am, go ahead and order one! – Katie

***Giveaway! Clarechen is giving away one Baby Speaks Bib to one lucky reader!***

Leave a comment telling me what baby speaks bib is your favorite or what color of Hi Height sheet you like the best. I’ll draw a winner from the comments and contact her via email. The winner will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Contest closes December 21st, 2010 (midnight).

Congratulations Brooklyn! You’re the winner!

The u-shaped pan bakes corners in more than just 4 corners. The brownie pan has been the craze with bakers everywhere and now the bakers edge has introduced the lasagna pan with the same extraordinary u-shaped lines.

I’m a simple cook…by that I mean I’m not very good at it. Lasagna is a big meal for me so I felt a bit overwhelmed with the task of putting this u-shaped pan to the test with all the ingredients that go into creating this pasta.

The preparation wasn’t bad at all. The noodles just fold into place with the u-shaped corners and everything else just pours perfectly into its spot. I put the pan in and minutes later I had a delicious crispy lasagna.

I think anything I create in the oven that comes out unburned is a masterpiece, so I needed an objective opinion. I took the lasagna out of the pan and dished it onto a couple plates and took it to my neighbors to get their take on the taste of this dish.

Sheepishly they began eating away because it did look crispier than any lasagna ought to be…but that is what makes this lasagna so good. Immediately they raved about the perfect pasta that is crispy on the outside yet deliciously cooked on the inside. I admitted that it wasn’t my amazing cooking skills nor my brand new oven that delivered such an appetizing lasagna but it was my incredible new u-shaped pan.

Available online at bakersedge.com.
-Amber

Along with my jacket/coat addiction I have a swimwear addiction. Not so much do I love to wear them as much as I am obsessed with trying to find the perfect suit! I have my swimsuits for swimming. Then I have my suits for water-skiing. Then I have my collection of suits for laying out. And then there is a bundle for hot tubbing and the list goes on.

With summer approaching, my swimwear search begins. Awhile back there was a standout suit to me I discovered on limericki.com. The eliza one piecer. The cut was something reminiscent of the 40’s, yet, the suit has distinctive updates that make it a real modern retro swimsuit. The cut is lower on the legs, like back in the day, but, the straps are a new design that give the suit some serious style. The olive green patterned material looks very Anthro-ish but 1/2 the cost you’d find there.

I put the Eliza one piecer to the test. I went hot tubbing with some of my closest friends and without soliciting comments…they made their own. They raved about the flattering cut. It really is a line that seems to flatter all areas. They loved the pattern and colors. They couldn’t get over that it was a modern fashionable looking one piecer—so hard to find! The only complaint…the embellishment on the strap that resembles a pretzel. However, nothing that a set of pliers can’t take care of! I quickly removed the buckle embellishment and the look definitely suits me better without the extra accessory. This suit is easily my new fave. It’s got a very flattering cut that is a modest suit that hides all that junk in the trunk and is fashion forward. So often the bikinis are the only option for a suit with cute material or modern looking, but, the eliza swimsuit is the new retro one piecer that definitely will be turning heads.-Amber

** Promotion Limericki is giving 10% off on any purchase to all Daily Dish readers. Please visit limericki’s website and use the code DAILYDISH to receive 10% off your order.

Before all you non-golfers out there see the headline and pass up this review because you don’t golf-STOP! This attire is not just for those that swing the irons.

Shi-golf is INSPIRED by golf to create a preppy apparel for all, but, the quality and classy threads can be worn on or off the greens.

Urban leisure at its best really. The sweaters are soft and form perfectly to your body. Sometimes with sweaters they are too bulky with wide lines, but, this collection has shapely cuts that have a great fit. They aren’t snug, yet, they shape you. Perhaps it is the tailored lines and amazing fabric that make the sweaters fit so well.

The other sweater I tried was the 3/4 sleeve length black and white sweater with white piping down the side. This sweater can take you into all seasons with its basic black & white color and comfortable fabric. The dropped scoop neckline and 3/4 sleeve make it a very universal sweater. You can wear it alone during the warmer months, and then when the colder months hit just layer it up!

Both sweaters were easy to wash and kept their tailored lines wash after wash. Sometimes things stretch and don’t fit quite the same after you wash it, but, not here. Looks like the sweater was tailored just for my body. I was curious about the fit on someone else, so I had my sister try it on and though our bodies are different-it looked great on her too…looked like she had her own tailored made sweater as well. You too can have your own tailored fit sweater, just go to Shi-golf.com.

Now I think I’ll be taking up golf seriously, because now I look the part…and isn’t looking great on the greens half the fun?!-Amber

There is big news on the CPSIA front (for background information on the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act read this earlier Boutique Café article). A rally and congressional briefing, OVERKILL: HOW THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACT IS DAMAGING AMERICAN BUSINESSES, will take place on April 1st. I look forward to seeing/hearing/meeting others and hope our legislators will be listening as well. See you at the rally!

Here is the press release for the event:

Implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) is following a worst-case scenario for manufacturers, retailers and charities. Thanks to the flaws in this law, millions of perfectly safe products are in the process of being destroyed, costing U.S. businesses billions of dollars in the midst of one of the worst economic crises in U.S. history. Charitable organizations and thrift stores are being forced to pull inventory from their shelves at a time when American families need them more than ever. The supply of science supplies to schools is being curtailed. Youth model ATV and dirt bikes are no longer available creating a safety issue because more than 90% of injuries to kids on ATVs occur on large adult size models. Even libraries are at risk of legal liability for lending children’s books. All of these violations of common sense are being done in the name of “safety”.

From unrealistic compliance deadlines that made it impossible for industry or the Consumer Product Safety Commission to adequately prepare before the law went into effect, to the unprecedented decision to retroactively apply the new lead standards and phthalates ban to inventory already sitting in stores and warehouses, CPSIA is causing massive disruptions to industries across the board, particularly small and medium-sized businesses.

So far, Congress has ignored the calls of thousands of small businesses, charities, parents and teachers to fix the flaws in this legislation, refusing even to hold public hearings on the problem. That’s why business and charitable groups are organizing a fly in, rally and Congressional briefing on Capitol Hill to meet with Members of Congress, provide information and bring attention to the CPSIA crisis. Wide participation is anticipated in this unique event to call upon Congress to urgently fix the CPSIA.

Date:April 1, 2009, 10:00am
Location: Capitol Visitors Center, Room HVC201 A&B, The U.S. Capitol

Speakers will include Members of Congress and representatives from:
· Charitable Organizations
· National Association of Manufacturers
· Small Business owners from various industries affected by CPSIA
· Motorcycle and ATV dealerships
· Publishers and Library Associations
· Product safety and lead experts (to discuss science-based risk assessment)

Confirmed Participating Organizations (as of March 16, 2009)
· Alliance for Children’s Product Safety
· American Apparel and Footwear Association
· American Motorcycle Association
· American Specialty Toy Retailing Association
· Fashion Jewelry Trade Association;
· Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association
· Handmade Toy Alliance
· International Sleep Products Association
· Motorcycle Industry Council
· National Association of Manufacturers
· National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops
· National School Supply & Equipment Association
· National Bulk Vendors Association
· Specialty Vehicle Institute of America
· Toy Industry Association

For additional information, please contact the Alliance for Children’s Product Safety at 202-828-7637 and visit the web-site at http://www.AmendTheCPSIA.com. To participate, PLEASE EMAIL - AprilRally@AmendTheCPSIA.com – THAT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND, ALONG WITH YOUR ZIP CODE (NINE DIGITS IS BEST).

Dr.Hauschka’s all-natural Decorative Cosmetics are made from pure mineral pigments and select nurturing botanicals. For example, their eyeshadow contains silk and talc powder to help it glide on smoothly and evenly and extracts of anthyllis and black tea to nurture delicate, sensitive skin. I don’t think I can even pronounce half of the ingredients on the back of my drugstore (and even Nordstrom-counter) eyeshadows and I’m pretty sure they don’t nurture the delicate skin around my eye.

Though I’m not a big fan of loose powder, the translucent face powder did an amazing job of keeping my makeup looking fresh all day with minimal shine, and even that little bit of shine seemed a healthier shine (I may have even looked radiant!) than what I usually see at the end of the day! I didn’t give the lipstick a thorough test as I’m not a big lipstick fan but the quick run I gave it tempted me to switch from gloss to lipstick. Perhaps it was the shea butter and carrot extract or rose and jojoba waxes, or maybe it was simply the colors taken straight from nature.

Loved the eyeshadow, face powder, concealer, lipstick and liner but to be honest I didn’t love the lip gloss or mascara, and that’s probably because I’m addicted to my L’Oreal Voluminous mascara and Bath & Body Works mentha lip shine. They’re definitely not as healthy for my eyelashes and lips but like I said, it’s an addiction and a hard habit to break! That being said I loved how Dr.Hauschka’s Decorative Cosmetics made my skin feel and the natural glow they gave me even after 8+ hours.

Dr.Hauschka’s hair care line is 100% certified natural and “provides deep cleansing and nurturing care using nothing but pure, eco-friendly, plant-based ingredients.” I can vouch for the deep cleansing part. As much as I prefer to use all-natural ingredients on my hair I felt the Apricot and Sea Buckthorn shampoo would almost work best as a clarifying shampoo. Perhaps I’m just not used to shampooing with something non-chemical but I felt like it cleansed almost too well! The Jojoba and Marsh Mallow conditioner helped add moisture back to my hair, but I’ve gone from using the duo every few shampoos rather than daily. I guess my hair couldn’t take holistic shock.

I haven’t had a chance to test out the Neem Hair Lotion (I rarely set aside 20 minutes for a towel-wrapped head) but I’m pretty excited about this one. I need my healthy sheen restored and my hair more manageable. Now if I could just use it on my kids…

If you’re looking to enhance the beauty of your skin (all the better to help that inner beauty shine through) then look no further than Dr.Hauschka. Your skin and hair will have all natural and all beautiful written all over it.—Emily

In a special Live chat event Taylor Dooley will be visiting with her fans, and answering their questions on Boutique Cafe Chat at 2pm PST on Friday Aug. 4, 2006.(www.boutiquecafe.com/forum)

Fans wishing to meet Taylor Dooley(www.taylordooley.com) online will be required to set up a free membership on Boutique Cafe Chat in order to post their comments. (www.boutiquecafe.com)

If it’s about boutique, if it’s about kids, if it’s about moms, if it’s about you, it’s on Boutique Café©.

About Boutique Café©
Boutique Café© is the world’s first boutique podcast for fashion savvy moms. Our weekly shows feature children’s couture designers and highlight topics of interest to moms around the world. Whether it’s a new muse, shopping for trendy outfits for your tot, or tearing your hair out over organizing your home, Boutique Café© is here to help. Besides producing a highly portable and downloadable radio show, we also support a community forum of buyers, designers, moms and professionals. If it’s about boutique, if it’s about kids, if it’s about Moms, if it’s about you, it’s on Boutique Café©. After all, who couldn’t use a cup of couture? For more information, please visit BoutiqueCafe.com.

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