Maid

Tasty Banana Muffins That Are Good For You!

by Jennifer | No Comments Friday, April 27, 2012

These fantastic muffins only have about 150 calories and 5 grams of fat each. Not bad, considering most muffins have at least 300 calories a piece. They don’t have any butter or oil, and are so tasty you will want two of them, and that is ok! The recipe yields about 15 muffins.

You will need:
-1 1/2 cup flour
-1 cup of quick oats
-1/4 cup sugar
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-2 tsp. baking powder
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1 egg, beaten
-3/4 cup skim milk
-1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
-1/2 tsp. vanilla
-1 tsp. maple extract
-1 cup mashed bananas (about 3)
-3 tbsp. ground flax (optional, but it doesn’t affect the flavor and is really great for you!)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit. Mix all ingredients together by combining wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately, then slowly incorporate the two together until you have a smooth batter. Spray muffin pans with non-stick spray, and insert muffin cups. Fill each cup about 3/4 of the way, and bake for 18-20 minutes on the center rack. We have found that 18 minutes is best, but it really depends on your oven.

If you would like, you can add one of these to your muffins:
-raisins, 1/4 cup
-chocolate chips, 1/4 cup
-blueberries, 1/4 cup
-pecans, 1/2 cup

Enjoy! I know we are!

How To Remove Wax From Your Carpet

by Jennifer | No Comments Thursday, April 19, 2012

We have come across this problem many times, where a client calls saying the candle fell over, and now there’s bright red wax on the clean white carpet. It happens to pretty much everyone at some point, and we think it’s important to know how to remove it. It’s actually very easy!

All you need is paper towel and an iron. It is described well In This Article By The Same Name.  So don’t panic, and in no time your clean carpet will be good as new!

Cleaning For A Reason Week Begins Today!

by Jennifer | No Comments Wednesday, April 18, 2012

As we have mentioned before, we work with the organization called Cleaning For A Reason that provides free house cleanings for women with cancer who are undergoing treatments. We are very passionate about this, because having a clean home while dealing with cancer is so important, but can be almost impossible to manage with so much to handle already.

Starting today, in conjunction with the Mayor of Plano Phil Dyer, we are thrilled to announce that this Cleaning For A Reason Week. For more information, Go Here To Our Press Release!

5 Important Ways To Reduce Your Risk Of Heart Disease

by Jennifer | No Comments Monday, March 26, 2012

Heart disease takes the lives of roughly 1 in 5 people in America. While advances in medical technology have increased that can help people at risk or suffering, this problem won’t be reduced until we make better choices in our lives. Everyone already knows that a healthy, balanced diet and regular excercise are the two greatest things we can do for ourselves, and should be taken very seriously, but what else can we do?

1. Take A Multivitamin Rich In B, C, and Omega-3.

These vitamins should be present in your daily diet, but a boost from a multivitamin will help as well.

2. Drink Lots Of Water

While not everyone can realistically drink 64 oz. of water a day, drinking it as often as possible will do wonders for you. Choose water over soda, and you will notice a difference in your overall well-being.

3. Have A Beer Or Glass Of Wine Every Day

Just one of either of the two will help lower your cholesterol, a major player in heart disease. It will also put you in a more relaxed mood, which will assist with your blood pressure. Just don’t have more than one regularly, that will counteract the positive effects and can bring you into alcoholism.

4. Get Help If You Have Sleep Apnea

If your partner says you snore too much, get help. If you are by yourself, try and record you sleeping to make sure. Sleep apnea is a condition that causes you to stop breathing many times a night, which interferes with your REM cycle, increases blood pressure, and reduces your overall health.

5. Drink Hot Tea Every Day

Not only is it soothing and tasty, it’s great for you! It doesn’t really matter what kind you drink, but green and black are best. It helps lower your cholesterol, and that warm comfy feeling you get from drinking it can’t hurt your mood either!

There are so many things you can do to help lower your cholesterol. Hopefully our advice will get you started, but check out these great websites that go in greater detail and have loads of little things you can do every day to make a significant impact on your health:

30 Ways To Reduce Your Risk Of Heart Disease And Stroke – Reader’s Digest
Lifestyle Changes – American Heart Association

How To Get Your Kids To Help Clean

by Jennifer | No Comments Monday, March 19, 2012

It’s not always easy getting your kids to help out around the house. Their growing minds are going at a million miles an hour figuring everything out, and it may seem impossible to get them to focus on house cleaning, especially when it’s not as exciting as everything else. The trick is to make it a fun learning experience with them. Keeping the chores age appropriate is necessary. Go To This Chart as a guideline of what you can realistically ask a child/teen to do.

To keep your kids on track with their duties, try a chore chart with a rewards system! It will teach them a great deal more than an allowance alone, and you can be creative with what you decide to give them if they complete all their tasks. They will happily oblige if they know they are working towards something they can really look forward to! The reward could be strictly monetary if you would like (for example, you will give a dollor for every chore completed by the end of the week,) or add a bonus for the end of the month, such as dinner at a restaurant of their choice or a day at the water park. You know your children better than anyone, so use your judgement. If you want to create your own fun chore chart, Try This Link By Tipjunkie for some great ideas!