I just found a new website that I am loving, so I had to share. It is called Posh Points. www.dinewithoutwhine.com/poshpoints Basically it is an online trading community. When you sign-up (free) you get 15 free points (each point is equal to approx. $1). Then you can super quickly post items for sale as well. I just “bought” a Czech Crystal Ladybug Bracelet for 8 points (I thought Clara would be proud) as well as a couple e-books for 4 points each. All kinds of goodies to be found and it is just starting out - each day there seems to be more and more items posted. So go shop and unload some of your unwanted things as well. Just be careful, it’s addicting - I searching around now for things I can “sell”! Have fun!

I tried a great new product this week that I am ecstatic about, so I had to share.  They are called Gnu Bars, and you can find them at www.gnufoods.com as well at a handful of stores around the country.  They have a store locator on their site.  They also have an automatic shipment program where they will automatically send you 15 or 30 bars each month at 35% off the normal price and you can cancel at anytime.  I am considering joining that program after ordering one of each flavor to give them a try.  Anyway… here’s the scoop…  They are moist, tasty, organic, natural and include 50% of your daily needed fiber.  I’m sure you have heard fiber helps reduce the risk of heart disease and certain kinds of cancer.  Fiber also helps you feel full and therefore you eat less.  The problem is we can only eat so many fruits and vegetables and a lot of the bars out there just don’t taste that great or are filled with sugar.  These bars come in Banana Walnut, Cinnamon Raisin, Orange Cranberry and Chocolate Brownie.  I ate the entire Banana Walnut Bar today and it was wonderful.  Then, just for you I opened up the other flavors and took a little nibble just to report on the taste.  They were all tasty, but I would say my favorites go in this order Cinnamon Raisin, Banana Walnut, Chocolate Brownie, Orange Cranberry.  Anyway, I encourage you to give them a try and let me know what you think!

Even more food recalls. 

  MONDAY, Feb. 19 (HealthDay News) — The drumroll for tainted food continued Monday with a nationwide recall of Oscar Mayer chicken breast strips for bacterial contamination.The recall by Carolina Culinary Foods of West Columbia, S.C., involves 52,650 pounds of fully cooked chicken breasts produced on Jan. 9 and distributed nationwide to retailers.

The six-ounce packages are labeled “OSCAR MAYER/LOUIS RICH CHICKEN BREAST STRIPS WITH RIB MEAT, GRILLED, FULLY COOKED — READY TO EAT.” Each package has the number “P-19676″ inside the USDA inspection mark on front and a use-by-date of “19 Apr 2007″ on back.

According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a sample of the meat tested in Georgia was contaminated by Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause listeriosis, a rare but serious infection. There have been no reported cases of illness linked to the recalled chicken, the agency said.

The recalls lately have been downright scary!  Here is the latest.

Food Recalls:

http://health.msn.com/dietfitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100156377&GT1=9033

Fresh cantaloupe and selected jars of organic baby food were recalled late Friday, and a major recall of peanut butter was initiated late Wednesday after 300 people in 39 states were sickened.

In the case of the cantaloupes and peanut butter, the culprit was salmonella. The baby food was contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, which can cause botulism. Both are life-threatening illnesses.

Dole Fresh Fruit Co. recalled roughly 6,104 cartons of imported cantaloupes from Costa Rica that were distributed to wholesalers in the eastern United States and Quebec between Feb. 5 and Feb. 8, the Associated Press reported. There were no reports of illness.

And the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers late Friday not to use certain jars of Earth’s Best Organic 2 Apple Peach Barley Wholesome Breakfast baby food because they may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum,, a life-threatening illness.

The manufacturer, Hain Celestial Group of Melville, N.Y., initiated a recall on Feb. 9 of 4,072 cases of individual jars and 38,298 variety packs, the FDA said in a prepared statement. Production and distribution of the baby food has been suspended while the FDA and the company work to determine the source of the problem.

The food, part of the firm’s “2nd Vegetables, Fruits and Blends” line intended for babies 6 months and older, was distributed through retail stores and also sold through the Earth’s Best Website, the FDA said

The agency urged consumers to throw away any jars they might have.

In the case of the cantaloupe recall, the FDA is urging consumers to wash the outer surface of cantaloupes and other melons with cool tap water before slicing into them.

Dole said the recalled cantaloupes have a light green skin and orange flesh, and were distributed for sale in bulk cardboard cartons, with nine, 12 or 15 cantaloupes to a carton. The recalled cartons are dark brown with “Dole Cantaloupes” in red lettering. They have a 13-digit number on a white tag pasted to the carton; the 10th digit is a “2.”

Consumers with questions should call the store where they bought the cantaloupes or contact Dole at (800) 232-8888.

The affected baby food involves:
Earth’s Best Organic 2 Apple Peach Barley Wholesome Breakfast (4.5 ounce jars) 23923-20223 PFGJ14NP EXP 14 SEP 08 A
Earth’s Best Organic 2 Wholesome Breakfast Variety Pack (12 pack) 23923-20295 13 SEP 08
Earth’s Best Organic 2 Apple Peach Barley (4.5 ounce jars within 12 pack) 23923-20223 PF6J14 NP EXP 14 SEP 08 A.

Consumers who have questions should contact Hain Celestial Group at 1-800-434-4246.

Last Wednesday, ConAgra Foods Inc. recalled its Peter Pan peanut butter and batches of Wal-Mart’s Great Value peanut butter after they were linked to the salmonella outbreak that struck across the country.

Scientists were still trying to determine how Salmonella tennessee got into batches of the spread made at a Sylvester, Ga., plant.

The company still has not determined how many jars are affected by a recall. The plant, shut down since Wednesday, is the sole maker of the Peter Pan brand and one of the producers of the Wal-Mart Great Value house brand, and the recall covers all peanut butter made at the plant since May 2006.

Consumers should toss out jars with a product code on the lid beginning with “2111.”

ConAgra announced that it has added extra capacity to its toll-free Consumer Affairs hotline (866-344-6970), which is set up to respond to consumer questions and concerns. Callers can also apply for refunds for products covered by the recall.

Meanwhile, in a related move, the USDA announced Monday that it was implementing the first changes to its meat and poultry plant inspections program in a decade, the Associated Press reported.

Plants with a history of problems will receive greater scrutiny, and conversely, plants that have better records of meat and poultry handling will see fewer inspections for contamination from E. coli, salmonella and other germs.

The new “risk-based” system will evaluate the type of product produced and the plant’s record of food and safety violations, Agriculture Department officials told the AP.

According to the CDC, there are an estimated 76 million cases of food-borne illness each year in the United States, the vast majority of which are mild and cause symptoms that last a day or two. Some cases are more serious, leading to 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths annually. The most severe cases tend to occur in the very old, the very young, and those with weakened immune systems.

More information

For more information on safe food handling, visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Here are a couple healthy recipes from Diana Walker -
http://www.thecravingscoach.com/blog  I haven’t tried them yet, but am planning to.  They sound really good!C-

Here is an easy dinner recipe for you sent in by Dine Without Whine (www.dinewithoutwhine.com) subscriber Jessica Gallman. 

Pork Chop Casserole
 
6 pork chops
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (24 oz.) package hash browns
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can french fried onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
 
Salt pork chops and brown in vegetable oil.  Place in large casserole dish.  Mix remaining ingredients and pour over top.  Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. 

ENJOY!

 The following info. was contributed by E.D. Foods featuring Outragously Good Soup.  If you haven’t already, grab your FREE Giant Sample Pack!  www.dinewithoutwhine.com/soup   

Happy Valentine’s Day!  

I wanted to find out something interesting about Valentine’s day, but didn’t think the usual “X amount of cards are sold on Valentine’s Day” or “X amount of people celebrate it” was an absolutely worth-while read. So, I dug a little deeper and found what I think are cool facts about Valentine’s Day - they kind of make you go “Wow, really?”

Long before St Valentine lived, February 14th had strong links with fertility. The date traditionally is known for when birds choose their mates.

February 15th was the date of the Roman festival of Lupercalia - the Wolf - where young men held a lottery to decide which girl would be theirs.  In Medieval times, girls ate unusual foods on St Valentine’s Day to make them dream of their future husband.

In the Middle Ages, they also believed that the first unmarried person of the opposite sex you met on the morning of St Valentine’s Day, would become your spouse.

Elaborate handmade messages, cards and gifts became popular during the 17th century.

During the middle of the 17th century even married people took a Valentine - not always their legal ‘other half’!

By the 19th century, printed Valentine’s cards were on sale and extremely fashionable - in 1825 the Post Office handled more than 200,000 letters more than usual on St Valentine’s Day.

No one really knows who St Valentine actually was. There are two men who could be responsible for the traditional association with love and marriage, but the most likely theory is that Valentine was a priest during the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius II.  The story goes that Emperor Claudius had issued a decree that Roman soldiers were not allowed to marry - because marriage would inhibit their ability to fight.  But romantic Valentine continued to marry soldiers in secret, until eventually his clandestine activities were discovered and he was jailed. Before being beheaded he fell in love with his jailer’s daughter, for whom he left a note signed ‘Your Valentine’, before he was led away to his death.

For plenty more fun facts, Google “Valentine’s Day Facts” - you’ll get over a million hits!

Have a GREAT Day!