Christmas in July QVC Specials: Kitchen/Gourmet

If you haven't yet tuned in to QVC's Christmas in July special this weekend only (July 21/22, 2012), now is the time. Watch the livestream here.
I've been watching all day and have some picks to share with you:
One of the most universally appealing gifts to give a single guy or girl is this Houdini Vertical Wine Opener, Sealer & Aerator in Gift Box. All you have to do is wrap it!

** SPECIAL DEALS AVAILABLE THIS WEEKEND ONLY 7/21-22 **

It is so easy to please a chocolate-lover, and you will do just that with this Harry London 6 lbs. Asst.Chocolate in Holiday Tin, Shp 11/12 . It comes in a lovely holiday tin - just put a big, bright red bow on it. Done!

How about a truly unique gift for the ultimate foodie in your life? And straight from France too! Get these Authentic Gourmet Butter & Chocolate Mini Croissants. Absolutely a QVC-super star product, and an excellent value to boot. These have various shipping dates. **GET THIS SUPER DEAL THIS WEEKEND ONLY!**

How is this for an absolutely adorable gift for the foodie/cook: Adjustable Adult Santa Apron with Faux Fur Trim by Valerie. The faux fur trim takes the cake! Adorable.

Get this next item now and have handy gifts to take to holiday parties (no need to run around last-minute either). Vintage Wine Estates Premium Wine 3 Bottle Gift. Done.

** SPECIAL DEALS AVAILABLE THIS WEEKEND ONLY 7/21-22 **

You may also like:

QVC's Christmas in July Program Guide for Sunday, July 22, 2012

Christmas in July QVC Program Guide (Saturday, 7/21)

Christmas in July QVC Gift Ideas from Kris Kringle For Singles

Christmas in July QVC Decorating Ideas from Holiday Single Girl

Christmas in July QVC Holiday Party

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Single Girl’s Healthy Grocery Shopping List

Shopping for groceries as a single girl can be both daunting and fun; daunting because of all the fresh choices available and fun for the same reason. I try not to buy too much of anything all at once anymore because the spoilage rate for me is pretty high; I may not always be in the mood to cook or I may have overbought vegetables and fruits.  

To get a week’s worth of healthy and delicious food helps me cut down on the food I buy outside of my home; for example, buying lunch at work. Aside from saving money, bringing my own food also ensures control over the ingredients in food and how it was handled. Also, to leave food out or in the fridge for days or even weeks at a time causes loss of vitamins and other vital nutrients.

I try to buy organic where I can; of course, with the outrageous prices, this strategy is somewhat limited. 

So my list goes something like this: 

• Strawberries, blueberries, etc - depending on what is offered at a good price and how the berries look and if they are available from nearby areas versus across the country or internationally.
• Other fruits – grapefruit is easy to split in half and take to work over the course of two days. Bananas last for most of the week and can be easily transported. I buy oranges, lemons (for squeezing in water), and others in a limited quantity because I personally am not great at eating the appropriate amount of fruits and vegetables (also, again, that spoilage thing!).
• Loose spinach / arugula – I have to be extra careful not to buy too much here; it’s easy to fill up the bag.
• Other veggies – I have to admit I am not a fan of veggies. But in my quest to eat healthier, last week, I bought a bag of carrots which will last me for two weeks. I take a small amount with me every day and eat it just before I eat lunch. More on this topic later.
• Smoked salmon – This is one of my favorites but with the high sodium content, I am limited in how much to consume. I wonder if the amount of sodium outweighs the essential fish oil that salmon provides.
• Olives – Aside from the healthy factor, I love the taste.
• Fresh salmon and other fish – I will splurge here and purchase the wild salmon. I’m told it has no food coloring such as the farmed salmon has.
• Organic foods/drinks – I buy organic low fat milk, half n half, yogurt, and eggs; totally worth it at a store like Fairway, where the price is okay. I’ll buy unsweetened almond milk every now and then as well as organic juices; organic oatmeal is another favorite.
• Chicken – At a hefty price, it can break the bank if you have a family to feed. But as a singleton, I do consider organic chicken to be worth the extra money. I individually wrap each chicken breast and freeze them.
• Bread products – I like to buy a baguette, cut it up into individual servings and freeze it. I love bagels so will usually buy a bag of those to freeze as well and enjoy on the weekends.
• Butter – I’m a huge fan. I’m not giving it up anytime soon. However, I have switched to European-imported butter because of the purity of the product; it has no “natural flavors” added to it – it’s just pure cream.
• Nuts/Seeds – I tend to forget I bought nuts and seeds because I freeze them. Also, because they are in the freezer, I can’t just take some out and eat them. To release their oils and their taste, it’s best to heat them in a pan just until you can smell them. Then, enjoy.

Well, that’s my general list in a nutshell. Share yours!

Better Ingredients = A Better Meal

As a singleton, you have some leeway when buying groceries. Since you aren't buying for a family of four, and therefore needing to clip endless coupons for the same few products found at the larger box retailers (you know which ones I'm referring to), you sometimes have the luxury to peruse smaller, specialty retailers offering a higher quality product. After all, that's what the internet and online shopping initially started out as before the larger retailers joined in and well, that's another blog post...

Locating authentic ingredients should be a high priority for anyone. Getting back to the basics, cutting out the junk (chemicals, animal by-products, etc) and knowing where your food comes from are all important factors to maintaining a healthy self. For instance, buying sub-par pasta gets you exactly what you paid - a product that tastes like cardboard. Pasta isn't bad for you if you a) have just the right serving and b) have a high-quality pasta, such as corn pasta. Gluten-free and with the right ingredients, this type of pasta will wake up your palette and make you glad you didn't order take out again.

Add to the pasta a batch of fresh tomato sauce and aromatic porcini mushrooms, and you've got yourself quite a dish. Anything imported from Italy is wonderful, especially these mushrooms which are anything but the highest quality. This can't be stressed enough: buy high quality when you can. Don't throw your budget out of the window but at the same time, know what to spend your money on. And good food is definitely worth your money for many reasons; your health being one of them.

For dessert, I'm going to share a recipe with you that I have made several times and enjoy very much. It's guilt-free and oh so Italian although I think the recipe is part of the South Beach Diet. In any case, basically, you mix in a small dessert bowl: ricotta cheese, vanilla extract, a touch of Splenda and mix it together. And enjoy! Remember, when choosing extracts, buy only the pure kind! In fact, I would even substitute Splenda for something more natural, such as Stevia or just a few sprinkles of raw cane sugar. Or you could just leave that out altogether. Actually, maybe add a few mini chocolate chips - yum!