How many of you have no problem putting in the hours at the gym, or going out on your own and getting a work-out in? Most of us can handle that part, it’s the eating right thing that can screw it all up…..  Well Garage-Girls is so excited about this new website that is totally FREE and an easy, did we mention easy  to use to keep your eating habits in check.  Everyone knows the simple equation; burn more calories than consumed and your on the path to weight loss. This math equation is so simple a 1st grader could do it…. So why do we have such a hard time with it?

Easy, because we don’t realize what we are putting into our mouths each day.   MyFitnesspal is going to change all that for you.  MyFitnessPal is a health and fitness community with easy to use tools to track your nutritional intake and exercise levels. The active community offers much needed motivation and support and best of all it’s 100% free.

We encourage you to log onto www.myfitnesspal.com sign up and get to work.  You will create your profile asking you your age, weight and desired weight, with that information it is going to create a set target goal of calories you should be consuming daily to reach your goal. You will enter in how much exercise you did and what you ate for the day, the site will automatically do the math letting you know how many calories you have left to consume for the day.  Let me tell you when you have 6 calories left at the end of the day your thoughts of wanting that late night snack just completely disappear because you won’t want to go over your goal! It’s basically like weight watchers, but it’s FREE.  So go get on there and give us your thoughts on it, let us know if it’s helping you reach your goals! Send in your stories to sara@garage-girls.com

The perfect Easter Morning Breakfast Bread!

•2  cups  all-purpose flour

•2/3  cup  packed brown sugar

•2  tsp.  baking powder

•1  tsp.  ground cinnamon

•1/2  tsp.  ground cardamom or nutmeg

•1/4  tsp.  baking soda

•1/4  tsp.  salt

•2  cups  shredded carrot

•2    beaten eggs

•2/3  cup  milk

•1/3  cup  canola oil

•1  recipe  Cream Cheese Icing, recipe below

•1  recipe  Candied Carrots, recipe below

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan or three 4-3/4×2-1/2×2-inch loaf pan; set aside.

2. In a bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, soda and salt. In another bowl combine carrot, eggs, milk, and oil; add to dry ingredients stirring just until moistened.

3. Pour batter into prepared pan(s). Bake for 55 to 60 for the 8×4-loaf pan or 30 to 35 minutes for the large loaf pan or 30 to 35 minutes for the small loaf pans or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean (check the loaf 10 to 15 minutes before the end of baking time. If it is browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil). Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove and cool completely on a rack. Wrap in foil; store overnight before slicing. Store up to 3 days at room temperature or freeze up to 3 months. Glaze with Cream Cheese Icing and top with Candied Carrots just before serving. Makes 16 servings.

Cream Cheese Icing: Whisk together 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) cream cheese, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, and a little milk (3 to 4 teaspoons) until smooth and glazelike. Drizzle over Carrot Bread.

Candied Carrots: In a skillet melt 2 Tbsp. butter over medium heat. Add 1 cup shaved carrots and 2 to 3 Tbsp. honey. Cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until carrots are glazed and tender. Spread on paper towel or waxed paper to cool.

•Servings Per Recipe 16 servings Calories 205, Total Fat (g)7, Saturated Fat (g)2, Monounsaturated Fat (g)4, Polyunsaturated Fat (g)2, Cholesterol (mg)33, Sodium (mg)148, Carbohydrate (g)32, Total Sugar (g)18, Fiber (g)1, Protein (g)3, Vitamin C (DV%)2, Calcium (DV%)8, Iron (DV%)6, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Most of our readers remember their childhood days of hangin’ out in the Garage with their Dad, it’s how much of us got hooked into this “Garage” lifestyle.   Well times may have changed as far as what type of games, music and entertainment kids are into these days, but one thing will never go away…  The invaluable life lessons learned from hanging in the Garage with Dad. Listening to your Dad tell you stories of his memories of being in the Garage with his Dad, teaching you about tools and how to use them, Dad just sharing his knowledge with you, I guarantee each and every one of you have a memory from those days.  Our passion for the Garage lifestyle is still being instilled in little kids all across our country and today we want to share with you one lucky little girl that is getting the lessons of a lifetime all while having the best days of her life, hangin’ in the Garage with her Dad!

Here is our Garage-Girls Profile on Maggie Wood, a young lady who is going to be a mover and shaker in another decade or two. Maggie Grace Wood is the almost 6 year old daughter of Don and Shelly Wood. They live on a farm in the hills of Tennessee at a little dot on the map called Pleasant Shade.

GG: Where are you from?

MW: Pleasant Shade, TN

GG: How old are you?

MW: 5

GG: What are you in to?

MW: animals, swimming, going new places

GG: What do you collect:

MW: Barbies, Zoobles, Littlest Pet Shop

GG: Do you own a bike?

MW: A princess two-wheeler and a four wheeler

GG: What are your favorite subjects in school?

MW: Reading and math

GG: Do you help Daddy in his shop?

MW: yes, he likes me to help him

GG: What are your favorite tools?

MW: hammer and screwdriver

GG: What kind of bike or car do you want when you grow up?

MW: a yellow Harley Davidson and a yellow mustang

GG: Do you have any pets?

MW: yes, Two dogs, Tiki and Keaton and two cats, Butch and Sundance

GG: What do you want to learn how to do when you are older?

MW: cook and ride a motorcycle

GG: What do you do to relax?

MW: color, read, play on the computer, play outside in the creek

GG: What do you want to be when you grow up?

MW: a teacher like Mama

As she grows up a bit more, Maggie hopes to able to learn to cook from Mama, and ride her own motorcycle so she can go on trips with Mama and Daddy. Someday she would like to have a Harley Davidson of her own – no particular model at this point as long as it is yellow! A mustang would be her choice of a car to be able to drive.

While she enjoys helping Mama in the house and learning how to do girly things, some of her most special time is spent with Daddy out in his shop building. She absolutely loves to be Daddy’s little helper, and stands patiently waiting to hand him tools or put them back on the workbench. Her favorite tools at the moment are hammers and screwdrivers, and is delighted when Daddy lets her pound on something or try to tighten or loosen a screw. As she works with Daddy, they talk about any of the important things that she will need to know – “life lessons” to be gleaned from a man who has had a vast and varied life experience. She is not only learning what the tools are and how to use them, but also that the quality of tools has changed, and that brands once thought of as the best for the home handyman, such as Craftsman, aren’t always the right tools for the job anymore. Daddy is also teaching her that working in the shop is not just a skill, but when done with precision, detail, and devotion, it is a craft. She is also learning that it is important for her to learn to do many of these things for herself so that she will be self-sufficient and not dependent on others for some goods and services. The value and satisfaction of being able to do for herself will not only be gratifying, but she will not have reason to doubt the quality of the work. As they work, she hears stories from Daddy’s own childhood, of watching his father repair something because it needed it and was worth fixing, unlike the throwaway goods of today’s generation. These memories of Daddy’s are what fueled his curiosity of how things work, which has led to his desire to build choppers and restore vehicles, a love that he hopes to be able to pass along and share with Maggie.