Lets Eat Healthy!

Healthy eating seems difficult to us today because we have grown accustomed to “convenience foods” with artificial, processed ingredients. Despite the fact that these foods are the easiest items to buy at grocery stores and mini marts when you have very little time, there are actually plenty of healthy snacks that you can easily have on hand with just a little bit of planning. In addition, preparing healthy meals can become quick and easy once you practice and develop routines.

Quick Snacks

Keep several items of fresh fruit handy in your backpack, handbag or car. Many varieties of fruit provide ready to eat snacks that are every bit as convenient as bags of potato chips if you remember to shop for them and bring them along with you. Wash fruit ahead of time and pack it in a plastic or paper bag so that it stays clean. Choose durable fruits such as apples to minimize bruising or pack fruits in containers that will protect them. Also carry small bags of nuts, which contain protein as well as healthy fats. Dried fruits go well with nuts and are less perishable (and less messy) than fresh fruit.

Keep Healthy Ingredients on Hand

Healthy eating involves avoiding most processed convenience foods and cooking meals from scratch instead. Save time cooking from scratch by thinking ahead and prepping some ingredients when you do have the time in order to use them later when you prepare meals. Cook beans and grains and keep them in your refrigerator to use when assembling meals. Cut bags of vegetables ahead of time so you can easily reach for them when you need them. If you do not have the time to do any prep at all, keep cans of beans and frozen vegetables on hand to use when preparing meals. Some grocery stores sell bags of freshly cut vegetables as well.

Practice, Practice, Practice

The difficulty of cooking from scratch has been exaggerated for us by advertising agencies with an investment in steering us toward buying processed foods, which have much higher profit margins than simple, healthy foods such as beans, grains and fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s certainly true that it takes less time to pop a frozen pizza in the oven than it does to cook a simple, healthy dinner, but cooking gets dramatically quicker and easier as you develop routines and skills. An important component of quick, healthy eating is learning your way around your own kitchen and developing a base of quick, healthy recipes that you can expand over time.

Are Dates That Important?

In this age of being frugal and mindful of how and where we spend our income, I have a few comments about food and beverage expiration dates. You know, the dates stamped on the food and beverages that we purchase. The dates must have a safety connection or why would they be printed on food and beverage products. So I did some research. According to the United States Department of Agriculture: The DATE is NOT always a safety date! So what is the dating?"Open Dating" (use of a calendar date as opposed to a code) on a food product is a date stamped on a product's package to help the store determine how long to display the product for sale. It can also help the purchaser to know the time limit to purchase or use the product at its best quality. It is not a safety date. After the date passes, while not of best quality, the product should still be safe if handled properly and kept at 40 °F or below for the recommended storage times listed on the chart at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Factsheets/Food_Product_Dating/index.asp. If product has a "use-by" date, follow that date. If product has a "sell-by" date or no date, cook or freeze the product by the times on the chart.cording to the USDA

Types of Dates:
A "Sell-By" date tells the store how long to display the product for sale. You should buy the product before the date expires.
A "Best if Used By (or Before)" date is recommended for best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
A "Use-By" date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. The date has been determined by the manufacturer of the product.
"Closed or coded dates" are packing numbers for use by the manufacturer.

This research answered many of my questions, hopefully yours also. I guess the next time I clean out my food pantry disposing of food I thought was expired, I will rethink my behavior.

Cottage Cheese with that Beef?

Like many of you, I’m always trying to stretch my dollar. I’m also trying to serve healthy meals so that I don’t stretch my pants. So when I came across this idea as a way to save at the grocery, I just had to share.

When I go to the grocery, I buy ground beef in jumbo portions and then repackage them into smaller portions that I can freeze. My sister recently told me that she started mixing in ground sausage, like you use for breakfast, to add flavor to her lean beef. I tried it and mmmm, was it good.

Yet here’s an idea that takes that mix to a whole new level. The idea is that adding cottage cheese to hamburger will enhance the flavor, add protein and allow you to increase servings from four to six per pound. So I’m going to try it. If anyone else has done it, let me know how you faired.

Tipping Etiquette

With the recent economy and constantly trying to be more aware of my spending, I find that I’ve been paying more close attention to how I’m tipping these days. I used to make it a habit to tip 20% at restaurants even if the service was just decent. Being once a server myself, I had a weak spot for the wait staff and know that they depend on tips to earn a living. However, I’ve since decided to tip 15% if the service is good and 20% if it’s great. If service is just fair, I tend to think twice before even tipping the standard 15%.

My father on the other hand feels it’s important to tip even more, especially since restaurants are slower these days and cutting back on servers’ hours. I thought he had a valid point until I realized he may be taking this to the extreme.

I recently had a baby and when I was being released from the hospital, my father asked my mother if he should tip the nurses. My mother nearly jumped out of her chair. Being a retired OBGYN nurse, she explained to my father that whatever she did was “her job” and that it should be expected to get good treatment at a hospital. She explained that flowers or a food basket would be acceptable but definitely not a tip. I myself couldn’t believe that my 72 year-old dad was actually thinking about tipping a nurse. What has this world come to that he feels he has to tip someone just for doing their job, even when tipping isn’t a standard practice for this profession. My mother explained that he thinks he has to tip for everything. We had a good laugh about it, but it’s actually sad that some service is so poor these days that my dad feels the need to tip a nurse, who I would imagine already makes a decent salary.

What about hairdressers? I never know how much tip is appropriate. If they rent the station at a salon, do I tip more than if they didn’t rent the station but were an employee of the salon? I recently had an esthetician agree to perform her services at my house. She charged me the same as she would at the salon, but I wasn’t sure how much I should tip her since she wasn’t using a rented space. I tipped her the same and then thought twice about it after she left. Maybe I didn’t need to tip at all? I found my answers at

http://www.findalink.net/tippingetiquette.php

Sometimes I tip more than I want to just out of fear that they might think I’m cheap if I don’t tip well (even if I’m not 100% satisfied).

So, my question is… since when did tipping become such an expected practice and why am I always surprised when I receive good service. Shouldn’t we expect to be waited on with promptness and kindness if we’re paying for our services? I don’t know if this economy and my need to save more money has changed my perception, but it seems like tipping has gotten way out of control these days. Who will I tip next, my doctor for taking me on time for my scheduled appointment?

How to save money every month!

It’s easy to stop pulling out the wallet every once in a while and declare triumph, but don’t kid yourself – we know it’s the recurring expenses that really drown us into debt. The monthly expenses are what most people neglect because they are subconsciously trained to ignore it after seeing the same line item month after month after month. Let me tell you the truth. It’s the area that’s most beneficial to look into because you work on eliminating it once and you are saving money every month. Want to know where to start? Here’s the tip of the iceberg.

The Usual and Important Bills to Cut Every Month

Cell Phone – Remember me getting a few hundred dollars for switching cell phone carriers? What I didn’t mention is that many people are starting to look into prepaid plans as well. The per minute cost may be high but if you never experienced having your ears burn because you talk too much on the phone, you probably can save some money by paying as you go.

Home Phone – I don’t have a home phone and I have no idea why the business model still exists. Do you have one still? That’s so 1980s…

Internet – Have you looked into the different technology (and thus, options) available to you? Could you actually buy an Internet capable phone and hook it up to a PC (a feature known as tethering) to get essentially the same service for a fraction of the cost?

TV/Cable – The case is made countless times but I bet many of you still pay way too much for your favorite shows. There are many legal ways to watch TV online like hulu.com and if you are a movie buff, there’s always the idea of using a Netflix coupon to get some free service.

Gym Membership – Gym? Do you actually go? Most people are going after a healthy and fit body instead of becoming a muscle man (or lady). The most fit people are always the ones who go out to jog every day. They run on the road, on the beach and in the parks. You don’t need to smell other people’s sweat and pay a bunch of money just to stay fit right?

Clubs, Newsletters, Subscriptions – Enough said. Unless they provide real value, stop paying for it!

Electricity – Many tricks we know, but in order to save money every month, we have to change our habits! Turn off the lights and electronics whenever it’s not needed, dial down the water heater to 112 degrees, open the windows instead of using A/C. These are all simple ways to not only save but to put less strain on the overall environment.

Prescriptions – It’s easy to switch to generic brands and best of all, it’s almost always cheaper.

Insurance – Call the representatives regularly and see if there is a better deal (remember their competition as well). If everyone does this, it may even create more jobs!

Activities You Should Try

Pretend You are Broke for 2 Months – The ramen days are over but that doesn’t mean the hard earned money that we have should go to waste. Try it. It’s quite fun (I lived with $34.01 a week once and learned a few things)

Add Up All Your Monthly Recurring Subscription Costs for the Year – It’s amazing how pricing strategy works. $37 a month is actually closer to $450 a year. It’s not that cheap after all.

I know you have some great tips and tricks. Share with others!

Clean and Green

I’ve got two little ones at home, so I’m always on the look-out for things that can make my home just a little safer. As my son is entering his toddler years, I decided I should check out what’s underneath my kitchen sink. When I unhooked the cabinet locks, I was shocked. Like so many others, I’ve accumulated a lot of chemical cleaners over time. I knew I needed to get them out of the house before my son figures out how to open the cabinet and feed them to his little sister!

It was shortly after this epiphany that I read an article about Ed Begley, Jr. For nearly four decades, he has made guinea pigs of himself and his family for the green cause, trying all manner of eco-friendly actions to conserve resources and reduce their footprint. Not only has he timed how long his he timed how long his wife took a shower, he's also drunk his own nontoxic cleaning products, Begley's Best, to show how safe they are (not that he recommends trying this at home). When I read about this, I decided it was perfect for my house.

Begley's Best™ is an all-purpose cleaner designed to replace all other household cleaning products. It’s made from extracts of pine, de-acified citrus, maize, fermented sugar cane roots, and olive seeds. The ingredients are all natural, non-toxic and totally biodegradable in just 3 to 7 days. Begley's Best™ dissolves away grease, grime and dirt, quickly, safely and effortlessly. You can use it on any surface that is compatible with water, such as tile, showers, porcelain, counter tops and cupboards, linoleum, plastics, wood, leather, stainless steel, aluminum, chrome and colorfast fabrics. It is ideal for shampooing and spot-cleaning colorfast carpets and upholstery. It’s the perfect cleaner for use on appliances, large and small, inside or out.

Go green for Valentines?

Ever get a Valentine’s Day gift that made you swoon or one so weird you rethought the romance? Well, heads up everyone, the holiday is upon us and here are some unique ways to be festive and still help the environment.

Among the nifty eco-gift ideas are hemp lingerie, soy candles, chocolate bon-bon creme or -- if you’re really serious -- a conflict free diamond.

As The Daily Green notes, there are 20-plus styles of sexy lingerie made of organic cotton, hemp and bamboo. Yes, bamboo.

Organic and fair-trade varieties of chocolate are those by Green & Black, CocoaVino, Divine Chocolate, Endangered Species Chocolate, Newman’s Own Organics, Los Angeles-based Native Gardens, 365 Organic Truffles from Whole Foods, the Dagoba Organic Chocolate Sampler, Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates, Ithaca Fine Chocolates and Seattle’s Theo Chocolate. Just to name a few.

Mother Nature Network has its own list of 14 inexpensive gifts that include adopting a sea creature on Oceana’s website, a solar cooling hat and Bee Gorgeous Organics’ chocolate bon-bon cream (calorie-free.)

Sierra Club recommends pesticide-free flowers and/or those grown locally, saying 80% of flowers sold in the U.S. are imported from Columbia and Equador on refrigerated airplanes.

Enjoy your Valentines Day!

Happy Hump Day

Happy Hump Day. Do you know why we call Wednesday, Hump Day? Here's some fun information on the term.

Referring to Wednesday as "hump day” is a tradition in American English. It refers to the idea that a week — especially a work week — is like a hill. Monday and Tuesdays are days when you climb up, since they are the beginning or start of your work week. At the end of Wednesday, you’ve reached the pinnacle of the week, and your work on Thursday and Friday represents climbing down toward the weekend.

Hump day then refers specifically to that middle of the week point, where you reach the crest of your journey and begin to pace downward toward the end of the week. If you have a tedious job or just work hard, it can be comforting to reach hump day. Then, the weekend doesn’t seem so far off and nebulous as when you started work on Monday.

There is some dispute about whether Wednesday is truly hump day. Especially when the expression emerged, many people worked a six-day week, and had only the Sabbath or Sunday as a day of rest. Some suggest that in this context, Thursday would have actually been hump day. Also, if you are simply looking at the course of the week, Thursday is the fourth day of the week and in the direct middle, if your week begins on Monday. Yet, many people count the beginning of the week as Sunday, and that makes Wednesday the true middle, whether or not you are using “hump day” in reference to working.

Whichever way you look at it, it's still the middle of the week for most of us, so Happy Hump Day! Enjoy the rest of your week.

Share Save Spend

Now that my son is getting a little older, I'm starting to think about how I'm going to teach him about money. In this day and age of 3-year olds with cell phones, I want to make sure that my kids are centered. I recently came across a site called sharesavespend.com and I think it might help.

Having a balanced and values-centered approach to money means aligning what you care about with how you use your money. While this sounds simple enough, it becomes seriously complicated by the compounding pressure on youth and adults to spend, spend, spend, and to reach for an upscale lifestyle.

Conventional financial advice is often transactional in nature and provides direction on important outcomes such as retirement savings, investment allocations, etc. But this approach doesn’t complete the picture. At Share Save Spend, they take a different, yet complementary approach. They have found that people want to have different kinds of financial conversations, particularly ones that address multi-generational money dynamics between youth and adults.

Their tools are designed to help youth and adults understand the how and why of their money decisions. Whether it is through the exercises in the Financial Sanity™ Kit, the 101 Discussion-Starter Fun Cards™ or the S³ Bank Kit™, their goal is to help people develop healthy money habits.

Superbowl Sunday - Be Safe and Drive Smart

Super bowl Sunday is the second most likely holiday for alcohol related crashes. The Las Vegas local chapter of Designated Drivers, Inc. is stepping up to make sure they give drivers every opportunity to get home safely this weekend.

In a press release out yesterday, Designated Drivers noted that January 2010 traffic fatalities in Clark county doubled from last year. With that being said, they are encouraging drivers to "Make the Right Call."

Free rides will be available Sunday from Noon until midnight, supported by a grant from the NV Office of Traffic Safety, State Farm Insurance, Cannery Hotel and Casino, Eastside Cannery and the Rampart Casino.

Simply call (702) 456-RIDE. The service provides drivers to transport the client and their car home safely. You must have a car in order to use the service. The service is free and tips are greatly appreciated. Donations can also be made to the organization through their website.

The organization is not encouraging you to anticipate needing the ride, but it is available if you do end up in a situation that prevents you from driving safely.

Some tips they recommend are:

• Designate the driver who doesn’t drink ANY alcohol before the party begins
• Avoid drinking too fast, pace yourself! Alternate alcoholic drinks with soda
• If you do drink more than expected, ask a sober friend to take you home
• Stop your drinking friends from getting behind the wheel, take the keys!
• Be a responsible host: offer non-alcoholic drinks every time, make sure there is plenty of food, stop serving alcohol during the last quarter of the game and switch to coffee and desert.
• Offer to have the drinkers stay over

The Designated Drivers Foundation, Inc. is a Nevada and Arizona 501(3)(c) Non-Profit Organization designed to create awareness about the perils of drinking and driving, educate the public about available driving programs, and fund sensible alternatives to drinking and driving.

To find out more about the organization or to make a donation, visit their website at the below link.

Designated Drivers, Inc.

Bucky Plush Toys Now On Sale!

Bucky (the credit union mascot) plush dolls now on sale at all our southern Nevada branches. On sale in Reno in a few weeks. They are only $10 which includes a $2 donation from each sale going to the Nevada Jump$tart Coalition.

The Nevada Jump$tart Coalition, is a statewide, all volunteer, 501(c)(3) non-profit association dedicated to improving the personal financial literacy of children living in Nevada. The Nevada Jump$tart Coalition consists of individuals and organizations representing business, government and education who have joined together to improve the personal financial literacy of Nevada's youth.

Find out more about Jump$tart at:

http://www.nvjumpstart.org/

Come get your Bucky today!

The results are in!

Punxsutawney Phil, America's most famous rodent prognosticator, saw his shadow yesterday morning, signaling six more weeks of winter. Phil emerged from his ceremonial tree stump at Gobbler's Knob, Pennsylvania, to a cheering crowd that had waited in the cold for his annual prediction. It is the 99th time that Phil -- in his various incarnations -- has seen his shadow, according to groundhog.org, the official Web site of the groundhog club in Punxsutawney, about 75 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, in western Pennsylvania.

Not seeing a shadow -- something that has happened just 15 times in Phil's history, according to the club -- would have meant spring is around the corner.

Phil's predictions don't mean much to human weather predictors, however. According to stormfax.com, Phil is correct 39 percent of the time. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration goes even further, saying Phil has "no predictive skill."

The tradition behind the famous groundhog goes back to medieval times when there was a superstition that all hibernating animals emerged from their caves and dens to check the weather on Candlemas, which is halfway between the winter solstice in December and the vernal equinox in March.

Seeing their shadows would mean winter would go on for another six weeks, and they could go back to sleep, according to the tradition. The tradition came to America with the early German settlers who arrived in Pennsylvania.

Green Grass of Home for YOU to Explore in Reno

Reno's Rancho San Rafael Regional Park is a 570 acre park in North Reno located at 1502 Washington Street. 775-785-4319 The Park includes acres of grassy fields, wetlands, natural areas, picnic shelters, nature and walking trails, playground, and huge dog park. Rancho San Rafael Park is home to the Wilbur D. May Center, which includes the May Museum, May Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, Great Basin Adventure, and a restored ranch house that can be rented for events and meetings. Rancho San Rafael Regional Park is home to the Great Reno Balloon Race and the Reno-Tahoe Blues Fest. http://www.washoecounty.us/parks/

The Great Basin Adventure area is fun area specially designed for children of all ages. You are invited to explore Wilbur's Ranch complete with pony rides and a petting barn or ride our Log Flume Ride, a perfect treat for hot summer days. Don't forget to visit the Discovery Room where we encourage our little guests to touch everything, our dinosaur play park, gold panning area and lots more.The Great Basin Adventure is a seasonal operation open for Memorial Day Weekend, and open for the season once the traditional schools are out for the summer.