Ideas for picky eaters!!

Tomorrow our family is boarding a plane and heading for some snow...hopefully!

We are going to Tennessee and snow is expected. The boys are crazy excited. We are just going for 4 days...up tomorrow, back on Sunday!

Before I leave I wanted to leave you with a post on feeding your family, particularly your children, healthy food when all they desire is junk.

I have two children, that I raised completely the same. One child (Ethan) will eat EVERYTHING, and will actually opt for a salad when we go to a restaurant even when chicken nuggets and hamburgers are on the menu. Then I have another child (Ashton), that does not gleen to all things green as enthusiastically as his brother! :) So what's a mom to do???

Here are a few ideas that I do that have helped a lot with my picky eater:

1. Only cook ONE meal. Do NOT cater to everyone's different food preferences. We eat as a family, and the family eats the same thing.

2. Eliminate the processed snacky foods. When you do this, they are much more likely to be ready for their next meal because they haven't filled up on junk.

3. Have healthy snack foods on hand...such as, cut up fruits, homemade granola bars, cut carrots, yogurt, peanut butter on grain crackers, dried fruit.

4. Cut out the sugary juices or artificial flavored drinks and drink water. Water is THE MOST important liquid for your body. Help your children with this early so that they don't struggle as an adult. As a family, we now only drink water for lunch AND dinner. My kids will drink OJ or Almond Milk for breakfast. When we first made this switch there was some kick back initially. Ashton even made the comment that he thought we were now poor since we couldn't afford to buy drinks! HA No, son...we could buy drinks, but we chose not to. Now my kids are so used to water that sometimes they even surprise me by actually chosing water over other drinks even when we are out.

5. Patience and persistance: Change won't happen overnight. Don't expect it to, but don't grow weary of making healthy decisions for your family. When your family realizes this is a lifestyle change and they either get on board, or go hungry :) they'll eventually jump on the bandwagon. Since I adhere to rule #1 (see above)...if my kids choose not to eat something I prepare, they realize that there will be no snacks and they will have to wait until the next meal, sometimes overnight if it was from dinner. While Ashton isn't gang busters about some of the food on his plate, he is definitely getting MUCH better because I keep introducing things to him. Tonight we had the chili and he wanted seconds with more beans please.

I think it's a lot about expectations. What you expect from your kids, and what they should expect from you. You can't give crossed signals. That's not to say that you don't finish up a great meal with a bowl of yummy icecream every now and then. But you can't say we're choosing to eat healthy on Monday, but by Tuesday you cave and give in to the tantrums and crying and shove Ho Ho's in their hand to get them quite! :) Be prepared, make small changes, gradually increasing good foods while decreasing poor food choices. Get creative in the kitchen. Get your children involved in the preparation of the meal.

You may just surprise yourself at how easy it really may be if you just give it some time and attention!

Let me know about your success stories along the way too! It's always inspiring to me, and I'm sure other readers too, to hear your stories and news!!

Worlds BEST Chili!!!

Can I just tell you all how much I LOVE MY NEW CAMERA LENS for my Canon Rebel XTi! What a difference this lens makes!!! Everything is brighter, more professional looking and I can make the backgrounds get all blurry while the image I want stays crisply focused. Really awesome!

Today I had my normal, traditional salad...yummy!!! Romaine, Spinach, Carrots, Yellow Peppers, Avocado, Chik'N patty, hummus & BBQ sauce. I seriously could eat this everyday...wait, I do!?!

And for those who don't know me...I live in Florida. And for us Floridians...today was COLD!!! Like really cold! With the chill factor it was in the low 30s this morning...brrrr! So what's a Floridian to do on a cold day like today? Yes, bust out the Parka, dust off the un-used fireplace all 364 other days of the year, and make a big ol' batch of CHILI!!! And let me tell you...this IS the World's Best Chili. It is so good. My family ALL gobbled it down!

World's Best (and Spicy) Chili

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 tablespoon salt

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 green bell peppers, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained

1 (12 ounce) package vegetarian burger crumbles

3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, cut some of the tomatoes

1/4 cup chili powder

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can black beans

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt.

Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.

Mix the tomatoes into the pot (or in my case I used the Crock pot). Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes, if cooking on the stove top. If using the crock pot, cook on HIGH setting for 2 hours. 5 minutes before serving, stir in the corn.

This chili IS a bit on the spicy side (even after reducing the amount of jalapenos and chili powder that was on the original recipe)...but spicy in a good way. BUT if you are spice sensitive, use only 1/8 cup of chili powder and 1/2 the jalapeno!

And YES...this chili is vegan. However...I dare you to give this to your favorite omnivore and tell me if they can taste the difference? It's seriously good!

My Daddy and Me!

I just took this picture tonight and wanted to share it! I just love it. Can't remember the last time we took a pic together!!!

Some new eats....and 2010 goals!

I've recently tried some new products and really like them. Therefore, I thought I would share them with YOU! First is the Larabar... the Peanut Butter and Jelly flavor! Out of this world good. Love, love, love it. I really really like the dried cherries instead of the dates that are in the majority of their other bars. Not that I have a thing against dates, because I certainly do not, and often enjoy a bar with dates as their main ingredient. BUT, these have this tangy-ness to them that I really enjoy!

The second product that I picked up recently in the grocery store was this Kashi Whole Grain Flakes and Granola with Black Currants and Walnuts cereal! This cereal tastes awesome. Unfortunately, you pay quite a bit for not so much cereal. I don't eat cereal that often though, so that's not a huge biggie for me, I'll just savor this box while it lasts.

Now for my new goals for 2010! I've been thinking of this quite a bit recently.

I've felt recently, more than ever, that I'm actually reaching, or on my way toward, feeling like a real athlete. I've been in fitness for about 18 years...but never before have I felt more like an athlete. Perhaps it's actually having a goal (the Disney's Princess 1/2 marathon) that I'm training towards that makes me feel this way...but it's very empowering.

My workouts have taken on a new meaning. Before, I'm sad to say, they were purely for vanity. How it would help me lose weight or fit in a bathing suit come summer. My workouts also were heavily dependent on my eating lifestyle at the time. The logical thing would be to think if you ate bad one day, then you should workout even harder in the gym to compensate for it. I was just the opposite. If I ate bad, then I'd blow off the workout, and then continue eating bad for the rest of the day, always saying to myself "I'll be good tomorrow, might as well "enjoy" this eating frenzy for the rest of the day"...such havoc on the body, and mind.

Now my workouts are independent of my meals and choices. I workout because my body needs it. I workout because I have a 13.1 mile race staring me in the eyes in March. I workout because I love the muscles that my body is developing. I workout because I love feeling strong! I need to be prepared...so I get up and go. This has been wonderful for my body, and mind.

And since this is my fitness and healthy eating blog, these goals are directed solely with THAT in mind. Here they are:

1. Complete the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon strong and without injury!

2. Find other road races and compete in another 1/2 marathon with a sub 2 hr. time

3. Continue to learn, discover and refine my eating lifestyle

4. Fine tune my grocery budget to include ALL organic products

5. Save enough money for a VitaMix AND Excalibur Dehydrator

6. Be able to do 3 pull-ups, unassisted.

7. Grow my bicep muscle to see a visible hump :)

8. Try one new recipe each week

9. Be back in all of my smaller sized clothes, regardless of what the scale says

10. Develop weekly meal plans and adhere to the menu

So there you have it. Those are my 10 goals in 2010!

I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to reach all of those...that's a GREAT feeling!!

Gain some, Lose some!!!

My goal this holiday season has to be able to maintain my weight loss, and focus on getting those last stubborn 5 lbs. off after the New year. I think over the past three weeks I have been to more parties, dinners (feasts) than I have in the entire 11 previous months combined! I'm not knocking it...I LOVE parties, any and all types. Put me in a room with food and friends and I'm one happy cat!

I was telling my workout partner that I haven't weighed myself, purposefully, because honestly...I FEEL great and I don't want that number on the scale to dictate my mood. I mean, you're feeling good just seconds before you step on, and then BAMM! this arbitrary number comes up and you're immediately feeling way elated, or waaaayyyyy depressed. I'm the same person that I was seconds ago, but somehow that number has the power to yield such crazy effects on my psyche!

BUT...this morning I decided to go ahead and step on it...just to see what damage this season has done. I've made great choices, and some not so great choices at each different party. I've never felt deprived, and never felt gorged like I wanted to die, as I have in the past.

So I got on the scale...and it says I only gained 1 lb. While of course I was secretly wishing I would be surprised to see a loss...I've got to admit that I did fairly good considering the abundance of food that has crossed my plate, and my lips! :)

BUT...regardless of what the scale says...I've gotten SMALLER this season. This morning when we got dressed for church, I was able to wear a pair of my goal pants!!! These did not fit just three weeks ago.

So next time you wanna reach for the scale, and allow IT to dictate your mood, think about how you are feeling...does that number matter? Don't allow yourself to be a slave to its power.

On a side note.

Yesterday I ran with my Garmin. Oh my. Soooo in love! I have been running in the past about a 10:20 mile. Well, with my Garmin on I could actually SEE my pace the whole time and it allowed me to maintain around 9:40 pace, without feeling like I was going that much harder/faster. It's awesome! It made me run faster! it's magic :)

Merry Christmas indeed!!!

I got it!!! I got it!!! My husband and boys got me the Garmin Forerunner 310XT for Christmas!

Talk about WAYYYY excited! We are usually VERY low key when it comes to gifts for each other...aka...we don't do them! LOL But my hubby pulled out all the stops this Christmas! On Christmas Eve I opened a gift from him, which was AN AWESOME NEW LENS FOR MY CANON REBEL XTi! WOWZERS...what a difference this lens makes! Way super cool! After I opened that, I thought there was no way I was going to be getting the Garmin. Christmas morning came and as I went to go open my other present from him I was actually thinking to myself "Tiff, don't be disappointed when you open this present and it's NOT the Garmin watch. You already got a really nice present, so act really happy no matter what this is!"

You should have heard my squeal when I saw this baby! I think that really pleased my husband too!

I had actually asked for the 305 model, but apparently they were out of stock where he went. This one IS actually better, way more than I need it for. It's really designed for the Tri-athlete since it is water proof for swimming and has cycling features as well. But hey! You never know what I may decide to do after the Princess 1/2 marathon!

We had such a wonderful Christmas. Spending valuable time with each other and family. I took not one picture of any of the dishes I cooked, or of the plates I consumed! :) Honestly, I just haven't had the time, nor desire, since my focus has been where it should be...

We will return to our normal viewing pleasure soon!

Particular taste buds???

So is it just me, or do you eat certain "health" foods that you think are out of this world good, only to be told by others that it tastes nasty???

I think I've developed taste buds for healthy eating and get really excited when I make, or discover, a recipe or food that "resembles" something unhealthy but instead is great for you. It tastes good, in my mouth. But the look on others faces tells me otherwise!

Does this happen to you?

Holiday love, holiday pudge!

What a weekend of parties and events!! Oh my!

Let's see, Friday I had TWO parties I went to, Saturday was ONE, and Sunday there were TWO again! There's no one that likes a party better than myself but I'm afraid that my waistline may be paying the price for it! LOL

While I try and make the best choices possible while there...who DOESN'T want to eat a piece of holiday pie, or sample the piping hot bread assortments! :)

I'm enjoying the company, catching up with friends and out of town family members though. The holiday season IS a short season, and while I may add a few fluff pounds along the way, I'm not fearful anymore that they'll hang on too long!

My workouts are still going GREAT and consistent, which is KEY. I ran 6 miles on Saturday and felt great, cold, but great! :)

In the past I always had the all of nothing mentality. If I ate bad, then I'd ditch the workout and say "oh well, I'll just start on Monday, etc." Now, I may be indulging more than I normally do, but my workouts are continuing on and I'm getting stronger because of it. Both physically AND mentally!

Question for you: Are you an all or nothing kinda gal (or guy)? Or does eating a slice of mom's pecan pie just make you work out an extra 30 minutes on the treadmill to work it off?

Let's Be Honest!

Let's be honest.... Even with the silly looking cone around his neck, Lucky IS an adorable dog!
But let's also be honest and say, it really is quite funny to see him try and sniff around the yard for the perfect spot to do his business. He practically flips himself over when his cone gets stuck in the grass.

Let's be honest....this cookie looks pretty scrumptious doesn't it???

But to be perfectly honest....it's not really a cookie. It's Fitnessista's Breakfast cookie recipe....but it WAS scrumptious!

Let's be honest...these brown rice California rolls I bought at Whole Foods was all I ate at for lunch yesterday.

I took the kids to Disney's Hollywood Studios yesterday, and to be completely honest, the California rolls were NOT a good choice, b/c they were NOT filling enough, didn't have ANY greens in them, and left me starvin marvin, which led to some pretty unfavorable choices at the park!

Let's be honest...what boy doesn't want to build his own Jedi Lightsaver??? Even if it means paying mommy back from his allowance when we get home.
But to be perfectly honest...we got home to find, he didn't even have enough to cover the bill...Swindler!!!

Let's be honest...We all looked rather silly in our 3D glasses on the Toy Story Mania ride.

To be honest though....who cares! It was no holds barred...we were the rootiness, shootiness, cowpokes around! I took top score...yee haw!

Let's be honest...it was a drizzly yucky kinda day, and being the prepared mom I was, we improvized and used some extra shirts to keep the rain off our heads while we waited for the Fantasmic show to start!
But to be completely honest...I will NEVER, and I mean EVER, go back to that show again! I was so disappointed in the Mouse folks here. The show was great, but the exit plan they have, one of the worst I have encountered. Just envision 10,000 people exiting a show thru one spot and everyone crammed like sardines to get thru that hole. Now envision trying to keep your children by your side, without them getting trampled. I was mad. I couldn't believe it. Definitely not Disney at its finest.

Let's be honest...we came there to really see the Osborne Family Lights they put up annually.
But to be honest...when we turned the corner and saw the amount of people in the streets, we decided that this one shot would be enough to say we saw it!

Let's be honest...you're about ready for all this honesty to be done, right?

Well, my friend Rachel, gave me this blog award! I know Rachel thru our church we attend and have gotten to know her much better thru all our homeschooling activities we do together with our group of awesome friends! Thanks Rachel for the award!!! I would link back to her blog, but it's private!

Rules for the award:
1. Must thank the person who gave you the award and list their blog and link it.

2. Share "10 Honest things" about yourself.

3. Present this award to 7 others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged you.

4. Tell those 7 people they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving the award.

Okay...so here they go:

1. I used to race motorcycles as a child. I had a Kawasaki 80 dirt bike.

2. I did some modeling and acting as a child as well. I was even casted for a television show called, The Back Alley Gang. It was similar to the Little Rascals. Unfortunately we never made it past the pilot stage. I wonder what my life would have been like had it succeeded.

3. We had a double wedding. My husband's brother got married with us. Although it was a HUGE wedding it actually felt very intimate. People ask me all the time what it was like sharing the day with another bride...that part NEVER bothered me. I just wanted to marry Preston. Whether that meant by myself, with four other brides, alone or with 10,000 people. I wanted the marriage, not the wedding.

4. My degree is in Food and Nutrition Science. Basically it's useless since I never went on to do my internship or my Masters in order to get my R.D. status. Although I'm a stay at home mom and don't envision myself working again, it still would be nice to have gotten that designation.

5. I often wake up in the middle of the night and find that my one arm is raised high in the air while I'm rubbing it (in my sleep) with the other arm! Strange, I know...

6. I cut my own hair. I've dabbled with cutting my own hair since I was young. While now I style my own hair, when I was younger whenever I was stressed, etc. I would often be found in the bathroom trimming something on my head. I've tried to grow my hair out umpteen times, but it never fails...I can't keep the scissors out of my hand.

7. I homeschool my children. This is something that I always thought was great for other people, I NEVER ever thought it was something I would do, nor want to do. My oldest did one year in a private school and has now been home since. It is not easy, but it is most definitely GREATLY rewarding. Not really sure I could see us doing it any other way!

8. I have this "tell" that my husband actually picked up on. Whenever I'm uncomfortable with a situation, unhappy about something, thinking about how to word my words, I bite the inside corner of my mouth. I give myself away everytime with him!

9. I would love to sell everything we have to go be missionaries somewhere. I'd want to bring my mom along with us too! :)

10. I am a goal setter. I like BIG lofty goals. Then I like to steam ahead full throttle until that goal is achieved. But once it's done, I'm over it and want something new to conquer. This can sometimes be a bad thing AND a good thing. Great for tackling the what seems impossible. Not so good for every day stuff that still has to be done. I do BIG really well, hate the mundane little stuff that needs accomplishing.

So there you go. Ten things about me! Now I get the honor of choosing 7 people to pass this honor onto!

It's My Life

Peas and Thank you

The Wagner Family

The Cricket Chronicles

Silly Tater Tot

Chocolate Covered Katie

Blood Sweat and Heels

Not so sure about Tofu....

Yesterday our puppy got neutered AND had SEVEN teeth extracted. Poor little fella. We picked him up at 2:30 and found ourselves with one tired pup, with a cone around his head to keep him from licking the incisions. For the majority of the day he laid around the house. However, from about 11:00pm until 2:00am he decided he would moan...in my room. I would take him out to see if he had to pee....nope. Took him into the kitchen to see if he wanted water...nope. So back in his crate he'd go and more pillows over my ears to try and drown out the constant noise.

My alarm went off at 4:40am and I slept thru a minute of it, which I never do, due to pure exhaustion. I immediately sent a text to my workout partner that I wasn't coming, I'd been up all night with Lucky! I lie back down in the bed and my mind immediately starts wondering and going in overdrive. I'm thinking how I'm not going to be able to go to sleep again and then I'm going to be mad at myself that I didn't workout....so...I hauled myself out of the cozy bed and headed to the gym. The first 5 minutes of my run felt like I had 80 lb. weights on my feet...but I persevered and finished my run strong!

This morning I had more Apple Pie Pancakes with my coffee. And around 10:00 am I was hungry again, so I opted for a Green Monster shake with spinach.

Lunchtime rolled around I just wasn't in the mood for a salad. I was in the mood for BBQ! I opened a new bottle of BBQ sauce that I had never tried before....WOW! This is now my favorite BBQ sauce. Loved it.

I marinated some extra firm tofu in it for about an hour and then grilled it. Okay, so I'm not sure if I'm all that into tofu. At least in this form. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it was just blah. I don't like eating blah food. If I am going to eat something, I want it to be worth while and tasty. Is this an acquired taste?

I paired the BBQ tofu with sweet potatoe french fries & ketchup, and Lemon Broiled Green Beans (from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan Cookbook). The green beans were definitely good though.
After lunch I wasn't feeling satisfied, had a hankering for something sweet, so I had a few squares of this dark chocolate. Yuuuuummmmmm.
Later in the afternoon the boys and I hit up WholeFoods and I was able to score a Kabocha squash! I've been seeing these pop up all over different blogs with everyone singing it's praises. My Publix wasn't carrying them, so I was excited to see it at WholeFoods. Not exactly sure what I'm going to do with it yet, I'll be sure to let you know as soon as I figure that out.

How do you eat your Kabocha? What's your favorite way to cook it?
We were also out of many of the ingredients I need to make our homemade granola bars...
I also made us a batch of Spinach Pies. Daddy's gonna be excited!!!

Around 4:00pm I decided I wanted some tea, TAZO Chai Tea, to be exact. I also had one of my granola bars! This time I added flaxseed and chia seeds to the batch as well.
Quite tasty. Daddy's gonna be excited!!!
Then I individually cut and wrapped 30 bars and then packed them in a gallon ziplock bag for storage in the refrigerator!
After all that baking, the boys decided we needed to go outside for a little football action and some hide n' go seek. Before I knew it, it was time to head back inside to whip up some dinner.

Tonight was really good. Really really good.

I made some Brown Basmati Rice. Topped with Cuban style roasted veggies (Red pepper, marinated artichokes, mushrooms, onions & zucchini). To make them "cuban style" I roasted them on the stove top, then once al dente I put them in a bowl, drizzled EVOO over top, squeezed the juice of one lime, added chopped garlic (1 large clove) and fresh chopped parsley.
This dish is DEFINITELY one I'll repeat again and again. You know it's a keeper when the kids eat it too!

Rather than search for a single miracle food,

(or pill)....

strive for a varied and delicious diet.

*Body and Soul Whole Living Magazine Dec. 2009

Apple Pie Pancakes and a Birthday Party!!!

I think I've found a new favorite to replace my morning oatmeal and apples! It's still oatmeal and apples, just in a different form! A few weeks ago I made Apples & Flax pancakes but got to thinking about replacing the whole wheat flour with oatmeal ground up into oat flour. Genius idea if I do say so myself because it tasted FABULOUS! My hubby took a few with him for his drive into the office and later told me he thought they tasted like sweet apple pie!!! He's right though...it does remind me of apple pie. MMMM,mmmmm, good! I especially like it with a bit of Almond Butter spread over the top.

Apples Pie Pancakes

2/3 cup ground oatmeal

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 tsp. stevia

3/4 cup of almond milk

1 granny smith apple, peeled and chopped

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Combine dry ingredients. In a seperate bowl combine applesauce, milk, and vanilla. Pour wet mixture into dry and stir until just combined. Fold in chopped apples and let batter rest.

Spray skillet with non-stick spray. Pour batter into pan to form pancakes and cook over medium heat. Let cakes cook on one side for several minutes, until bubbles start to form and pancakes are golden brown. Flip and cook for a few more minutes. This recipe should yield approx. 6 pancakes.

Later, my youngest, Ashton and I got to baking in the kitchen to get ready for our annual Happy Birthday Jesus Birthday party! As you can see by the "cookie roll" he is cutting that this was not any attempt at preparing something healthy, vegan, or remotely good for you in the least! But with less than 24 hours till 16 moms and 43 children emerged on our home, a mom's gotta do what a mom's got to do. And in this case, it meant Toll House.
Ashton was the perfect little baker, slicing and placing each piece in the individual mini muffin pans.

Once they came out of the oven, we stuffed each one with a reese's cup center! YUM!

I think Ashton liked them....
We had a GREAT time celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus! We started out with a word search and a maze activity for the kids to do. I tried to keep everyone on schedule since there were SO many kids...figure too much free time is where something always goes amuck.
After the kids were done with the Christmas Activity pages we got to work on our Christmas craft. We made homemade Christmas ornaments. One 3" styrofoam ball and 18,000 cut out 3" pieces of fabric (LOL) and one pencil is all they needed. Push the fabric square into the ball part way and then pull the pencil out. They turned out really cute!

Of course a Happy Birthday Jesus Party wouldn't be complete without "Pin the Star on the Manger".
We had stars all over the place!!
Then the kids gathered around to sing Happy Birthday..... what sweetness the sound of children singing!

This was the first time I've ever made a three layer cake. I was so proud of myself, especially given that I waited to the 9th hour to complete it! Each layer had a different meaning...the brown layer symbolizing our sins, red layer= the blood of Jesus, green layer= our growth and fresh start with Christ in our life, the roundness of the cake=Jesus came to Earth which is round, white frosting= Jesus washes away all our sins!
I didn't actually have any cake myself, but from what I hear, it was delish! :)

The Spirooli!!!

I've been asked on several occasions about how I make my zucchini noodles. Hubby and I went to a Raw Cooking class and were introduced there to the beauty of making raw, GREAT for you, noodles! I came home from that class and quickly ordered one just by google-ing "spirooli" and found one on ebay I believe. I think I paid around $34.00 or something close to that.

I LOVE this thing! I typically peel a zucchini and then turn it into long zucchini noodles. But you can use a ton of different vegetables, and the three blades that come with it, to make a variety of foods with fun shapes and sizes!

If you have the spirooli, or something similar to it, what fun things do you like to use yours for??