I Love My Meatball Baker, Pinterest Contests and Giveaways #DavisonBalancingAct

New Kitchen Play Thing

I have had so much fun with my new toy–the Davison Meatball Baker. A few months ago The Balancing Act, a Lifetime television show that I blog for, asked if I wanted to try the meatball baker. (I am giving one away below!) I jumped at the opportunity to try this fascinating kitchen gadget…you know I love my kitchen gadgets. I was smitten when it arrived. My creative imagination went into overdrive…I created food like this:

With this Davison Meatball Baker…

I could envision so many yummy things to bake in this pan. From skewered shrimp to shish-kabobs, from sausages to bratwurst, I have used it to make delicious fare for our table. And the meatballs turn out gorgeous. No more misshapen, flat on one side meatballs for me. They come out round and perfect every time. See my meatballs and brats on the removable grid? Nifty for any size meatball and many other foods as well.

Healthy Meatballs

Plus there is an added bonus to baking the meatballs…they never sit in their own grease like they do when frying or baking in a regular pan. Your beautiful meatballs are healthier for you as all that extra fat drains right off. That is a biggie for anyone watching their weight or looking for healthy baking alternatives. This pan is a winner.

It is a pretty innovative kitchen product, which solves a lot of problems. The unique rounded rack holds the food so it keeps its shape. They bake evenly while staying out of the fat. It works so well you might want to use it every day. I am wondering if you could bake bacon? hmmmmm…

HIMself takes the first bite of meatball hoagie

I also baked some chicken kabobs and broccoli…They turned out yummy. I did broil them a few minutes for color after baking. Here they are ready to pop into the oven. I added a little bit of water to the pan to keep the broccoli from drying out. It worked like a charm!!!

Here is what the finished product looked like plated…

Meatball Baker Giveaway

You know I love to share with YOU…my dear readers. So I am going to give away an awesome Meatball Baker to one of my fans courtesy of Davison. All you need to do is comment on this post telling me what you would make first. There are other ways to earn more entries too. The giveaway ends 10/22/2012 at midnight EDT. Click the link &  leave an email address in your comment to be eligible to win…I must be able to reach you!!!

http://cre8tivecompass.com/mag/2012/10/11/i-love-my-meatball-baker-pinterest-contests-and-giveaways-davisonbalancingact/#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

Terms and Conditions: Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway ends at midnight ET Sunday, October 22, 2012. See C8C Giveaway Terms & Conditions for more information. You must leave a valid e-mail address to be entered. This giveaway is available to US residents only.

Meatball Baker Pinterest Contest

All of the rules and contest details are on the poster below. The contest begins today – Thursday October 11, 2012 and runs through the 23rd.

Here is the contest Pinterest board – https://pinterest.com/davisoninvent/davison-meatball-baker-sweepstakes/

The giveaway rules- http://www.davison.com/meatballbaker/

Use the hashtag #DavisonBalancingAct

I WAS GIVEN A DAVISON MEATBALL BAKER VIA THE BALANCING ACT TV FOR THIS REVIEW. ALL COMMENTS, IDEAS AND PHOTOS ARE MY OWN.

Antibiotic Resistance – A Global Health Crisis You May Not Know About

Antibiotic resistance is a global problem and is one of the worlds most pressing public health threats. What you may not know is that antibiotic overuse increases the development of drug–resistant germs like CA-MRSA, which is rapidly spreading worldwide. Recently, a strain of CA-MRSA called MRSA USA300 appears to be spreading rapidly in the United States.

According to the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA), it is imperative that global attention is given now to solving the crisis of antimicrobial resistance, or else a future where drugs can no longer cure infections and killer epidemics running rampant is imminent.

I am not writing to alarm you, but to encourage you to become a vital participant in solving this problem. The solution to this problem is awareness, education and new antibiotics. So I encourage you to do some research and then spread the word to your families, readers, fans and followers.

Community-acquired soft tissue infections are commonly treated using over-the-counter ointments known as triple-antibiotic ointments (TAOs). These include Johnson & Johnson’s Neosporin (polymyxin B, bacitracin, and neomycin) and Polysporin (polymyxin B, bacitracin). The widespread use of over-the-counter antibacterial ointments bacitracin and neomycin, have lead researchers to speculate that these antibiotic creams may be contributing to the emergence of a strain of MRSA called MRSA USA300.

an excerpt from The global problem of antibiotic resistance by Thomas Gootz

Amid the recent attention justly focused on the potential problem of microbial sources for weapons of bioterrorism, it is also apparent that human pathogens frequently isolated from infections in patients from community and hospital sources have been growing more resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Much of the growth of multiple-drug-resistant (MDR) bacterial pathogens can be contributed to the overuse of broad-spectrum antimicrobial products.…The continued evolution of such a complex array of antibiotic-resistance genes presents a formidable challenge at a time when large pharmaceutical companies have scaled down their presence in the anti-infectives arena.

In my research I found that pharmaCline, a new pharmaceutical company, might have a solution with its award winning over the counter hypoallergenic Tetracycline ointments – Diabecline® and TisseclinePlus®. These antibiotics utilize innovative technology with a proprietary drug delivery technology called Site Specific Penetration Technology (SSPT™). This game-changing line of topical hypoallergenic antimicrobial drugs delivers tetracycline straight to the bacteria in the injury.

We recently had a chance to try TisseclinePlus and Diabecline antibiotic ointments. They worked well in protecting minor cuts as they healed. The Diabecline is particularly important for those with diabetes. Wounds of a diabetic take longer to heal and are prone to serious infections.

Diabecline antibiotic ointment was recently honored with the Bronze Award for 2012 Best New Pharmaceutical Product at the 25th Annual Edison Awards in New York City. The Edison Award is one of the highest accolades a company can receive for innovation in business.

• FDA-listed first-aid hypoallergenic antimicrobial ointment
• Highly concentrated formulation designed to prevent diabetics, pre-diabetics and slow healers first aid wounds from becoming more serious
• Strongest topical antibiotic available without a prescription
• Safe and effective against a wide range of disease-causing bacteria
• Helps prevent infection in minor cuts, scrapes and burns
• Rapidly penetrates wound sites to optimize natural healing using Site Specific Penetration Technology™ (SSPT)
• Works as a pharmaceutical barrier to prevent the spread of infection

To discover more about these products visit: www.pharmacline.com

I was provided with product and information by pharmaCline to write this article. All opinions are 100% my own.

3 Simple Strategies to Breakthrough Self-sabotage

“Problems cannot be solved at the level of awareness that created them.” –Albert Einstein

As a mentor and coach, I facilitate breakthroughs…this is really ALL I do for my clients…

I walk with them as they breakthrough and claim their soul-based authentic power and passion…

I find that there are basically two types of clients:

• one who does the same things with the same mindset with the same routine day by day, month by month, even year by year…and
• one who accepts challenges, embraces change, and adapts their plans accordingly…

I often find that clients are their own worst enemies…why do I say this? Being your own best friend can propel you into your wildest dreams while self-sabotage can keep you stuck, blocked, or even paralyzed from moving forward and claiming your best life and career!

“you cannot walk the same path every day and expect to end up somewhere else” -Rebecca E. Parsons

You cannot keep doing the same things that brought you here and expect a different outcome…you have to find new strategies and, this is the biggie, actually implement them…

How do we get to the place where my client experiences and even expects breakthroughs?

3 key strategies to breakthrough self-sabotage…

1.    Be quiet and listen to your authentic inner voice…not the inner critic, but the true voice that knows exactly what you need to do to achieve your goals. Stop listening to others or even worse, buying into their well-intentioned ideas. Accept and understand that they are on their own journey and are looking through their personal filters. It is easy to confuse their path with yours. Take time every day to quiet your soul and connect with your inner guidance system that is always 100% correct. Trust that you know what is best for you.

2.    Learn that fear, doubt, and chaos are the signs of a breakthrough…if you reflect on your past you can probably find several examples of this. When you experience any tightness or painful feeling, practice connecting with it deeply and allow it to lead you to the opportunity it births. It is almost always a occasion for growth…personally, professionally, emotionally, spiritually, financially, etc. The more chaotic, painful, and frustrating the circumstance…the bigger the breakthrough.

3.    Let go of perfect…perfect is impossible period! You know the drill. You must know everything…have every possibility covered…have every duck in a row…have every i dotted and t crossed…it must be just so…you believe that you are just picky! Face it…all of this is just a delay tactic, procrastination, self-sabotage at its finest…and the single biggest stumbling block for many. When you allow yourself to embrace the ‘done is better than perfect’ attitude of most highly-successful people, you are well on your way to fulfillment and achievement.

Trust your intuition, embrace fear, and let go of perfect…these steps will lead you to more authentic power, more fulfillment, and more balance.

Take Debbie Ford’s self- sabotage quiz to see how you rank.

Don’t Deny the World Your Gifts by Doubting Them

“Never again will someone be made like you. Do not deny the world your gifts by doubting them.” ~The Daily Love

A post by Kelly Lynn Adams on Life Gloss today really rocked my socks!!! I am so hard on myself. I can give Doubting Thomas a run for his money any day. Especially of late as my doubt meter has been way off the charts to the negative so to speak. My gifts sitting idly by…

I have never considered my ego ‘fragile’ until the last few years. A series of unfortunate events, totally out of my control, took me way down the rabbit hole of self-doubt and second guessing that is a major creativity thwarter. I have wrestled this particular emotion over and over and over since May of 2008. I have had times when I was on the top and almost had the count…and others when I remained too listless to even fight back.

I selected SOAR as one of my words for 2012. I felt a shift in my spirits throughout the first few months. I was actually enjoying the view during my lofty flights…and then I allowed another unfortunate event to ground me.

Just now, as I wrote ‘ground me,’ I realized that it did not have a negative energy attached to it any longer. The energy around this event has shifted and it ‘grounds me’ in a balanced way…not a ‘chained to the sadness unable to move’ kind of way.

So what does this have to do with denying the world my gifts? I had lost the courage and the confidence in myself, but oh so worse I lost the courage to put my art and my words out there…communication is my gift…healing broken spirits is my gift…The Artist as a Spiritual Explorer is my gift. Three awesomely beautiful things indeed!!!

I feel balanced as I think about those words. Never before me and never after me will there be someone who has my unique set of gifts. Doubting them and denying them is a slap in the face of the One who bestowed them on me. This quote is hanging in three places in my home now so I will see it several times a day…and remember!!

I, Rebecca E. Parsons, am a communicator, a healer and a spiritual explorer. What I have to say with my words and my art are valuable to someone who is waiting for their message. A message only I can deliver. Who am I to deny them?

One Little Word to Change My life…LEAP in 2012~Bring It On!!!

It’s that time of year again…a time to reflect and review the many significant shifts which have occurred for me in my personal and professional life as 2011 was my time to soar~one little word to change my life. As I attended flight school this past year, I grew less afraid and more powerful with each winged ride. I did indeed SOAR throughout 2011 with the help of many, many dear people…
One-Word Mantra For 2012: LEAP

Leap into 2012 mantra

My word came to me slowly this year…as my time of reflection was somewhat interrupted by major life changes. As I talked with my soul sister Quinn McDonald during the 12/11/11 episode of Artistically Speaking, the word ‘leapt’ into my mind…I am taking a leap of faith as I move into 2012…

Bring It On!!!

I find this one word mantra a most powerful, yet simple practice…creating a vision and providing a mission as I LEAP forward with joy tinged with sadness. On January 5th, I will LEAP into the unknown…and begin a new season of my life as I become unencumbered with a house…
2011 – The Impact of SOAR

Selecting this one little word as a theme for my whole year seems to bring with it all kinds of new opportunities and experiences for growth…they just show up on my life path as the universe responds to my deep reflection. 2011 was the first year I selected a word. I entered the year full of expectation and hope and plans…SOARing indeed!

I launched my ill-fated Internet television show with much love and poured my heart and soul into the production. As with anything you do with someone else in charge, it can be yanked away without notice…and that is exactly how it happened. One minutes I had guests and segments in production, the next I was off the air, off the website and off my game. Not ready for prime time so to speak! It ended badly, I was in shock and embarrassed…but it was just the first of many blessings to SOAR into my life in 2011.

I was positive that the show would earn me a much needed income and, when that vanished, I was forced to re-examine some other possibilities that I did not have time to pursue as I worked around the clock on the TV show. I could not sit back an feel sorry for myself…I HAD to create an income.

My dear friend Jennifer Tuma-Young had invited me to join a group called Social Fabric® in January. I joined but did not have the time to get involved. In April when my show ended, I had all the time in the world to SOAR into soFAB.

Social Fabric is an invite- or application-only private online community that is owned by Collective Bias™, a leading social shopper marketing company. The Social Fabric community of bloggers work with and support brands that include Elmer’s, ConAgra, Sears, Colgate, MurphyUSA, and Mars Candy to name a few. And you earn income as you work with these brands.

By July I found myself as a campaign leader for M&M’s White Chocolate Candy Corn. I managed 120 bloggers and helped create buzz about the Halloween candy that resulted in massive sales, radio interviews, articles in Ad Age, and one of the most successful campaigns ever. I SOARed as I learned how social media works from a brand perspective. That added to my social media skill set which I had been building since the mid-90s. I am now a social media strategist and have been called a Social Media Maven. SOAR!!!

SOAR into Employment

This collaboration led to a freelance job designing magazines for brands and another managing social media campaigns for a brand. After three and one half years of unemployment, I finally earned my first paycheck in 2011. It was too late to save my beloved home, but it gives me a way to find another in 2012 as I LEAP into my future with wild abandon and for the first time in a long time with hopeful expectations…
LEAP Forward…

Bring it on! For me, as I LEAP expectantly into this coming year the primary focus will be my professional life while rebuilding my personal life. Stay tuned for some major LEAPs as I am able to announce them.

I can share that I am launching a separate division of REP MEdia specifically designed to offer social media and relationship marketing strategy, implementation and management services to brands. Plus, I am available for social media consulting and training on a one-to-one basis.

On the personal and spiritual level, I will continue my path toward healing, growth, and transformation. I am aware that my outer world is but s a reflection of my inner world….so I need to heal the wounds of the past three years and LEAP forward. I will continue to transform my life into art by sharing my creative, DIY and cooking projects with you as I grow Cre8tive Compass Magazine.

I am also aware that my business and financial growth came as a result of healing and accepting the me that I am and SOARing into my deepest truth. Of course, being proactive and asking for what I want and need has worked miracles for me also.

So I’m VERY excited about taking a major LEAP in consciousness in 2012. Stay tuned for more…