What's that green stuff at the back of the fridge?



Dec/Jan 2011 cover image

 If it's not a bunch of kale or an avocado, you might want to "use it or lose it" says an article in the April/May issue of Natural Health.  First we might need to backtrack to the article on the Cheapskate's guide to a greener home where tip #37 tells us to Stop wasting food.  Buy only what you are going to eat in the next few days - after all it's not Old West where you might not get back into town until after the spring thaw.  Now back to what to do with those items that got lost in the back of the fridge..."Spoiler alert" says foods will have the best flavor by the "best by" date. "Use by" dates give you a couple of days leeway, while "expiration date" is the last day food should be eaten.  "Sell by" is the last day the store can sell the item - I usually stay clear of these unless I am going to be using it immediately.  But remember, if you didn't buy the item to eat, then why is it sitting in your fridge?  I suggest pushing the point and keep a running tally on a magnetic notepad on your fridge.  Everytime you throw away spoiled food write down how much you paid for it and subsequently wasted...I'll bet in no time at all, it will be close to the price of a meal.

I think I read Cosmo because I like dry humor...

The content is really totally irrelevant since I haven't had a date in years (really).  I thought the March issue could cure that, though.  I stupidly still have faith that I'll meet someone (totally unrealistic).  The headline on the cover "We found your future boyfriend!  23 Great places to meet men" sounded promising.  Maybe I could educate myself on where these elusive creatures (men) spent their time.  It was the first article I read and quickly learned that I will be forever single...Some Cosmopolitan advice I will not be following:
*Hanging out at luxury car dealerships to chat up men looking at cars they can't afford (avoid the men who got off the bus to look at Mercedes)
*Eating at hospital cafeterias in hopes of meeting a good-looking doctor (all the good doctors are women anyway - everyone knows that)
*Going to a guitar shop because you're sure to score with a musician (I'm gagging)
*Signing up as my male alter ego on Groupon so I see where guys are shopping (yes, we all want a man who is in pursuit of a sale)
I think I'll get back to my game of Solitaire now.

Are you a cheater?

On your workout, that is.  Are you really concentrating on the correct posture?  Is your back flat?  The April issue of Women's Health has a list of Shape-Up Shortcuts that lets you know exactly when and where you can cheat without defeating the purpose of your workout.

March 2011 cover

*Resting a few extra beats longer before your next set - Totally ok...good sometimes I just need a minute especially during obliques crunches...ouch!

*Skipping cooldown - WH says it's fine to let your heart rate come down just from normal activity...I really never saw the point in neck rolls anyway.

*Shaving off the last couple reps - It's a no-no...Push through and stress your muscles - it makes those body changes you're looking for.

Also in the issue - some popular moves which will get your arms ready for sleeveless by summer!  For more tips follow WH on twitter.

An apple a day...

Did you know there were, at one time, over 15,000 varieties of apples grown in North America?  Apples seem to be going the way of glaciers, African gorillas, & John Galliano's career.  That's right, certain varieties of apples are becoming extinct.  At this time there are only about 3,000 varieties of apples grown in the US.  That's still a lot of choices, however in the March/April issue of E: The Environmental Magazine there is an article featuring Big Horse Creek Farm in western NC that grows some rare apples and they do it organically too!    They have some interesting names:  Bunker Hill, Limbertwig, Ben Davis, Gravenstein, Newtown Pippin, and Westfield Seek-no-further.  Cheers to the apple growers that are striving to preserve the all American Apple Pie!

Best You

Originally intended to be a series of newstand only bookazines (those one topic mini-books that are impulse buys at the checkout counters), Reader's Digest Best You has instead taken the form of a free online newsletter.  Sign up and you'll be emailed one short tip or fact every day that contains a link to the Best You website which has more online articles.  The main categories are Look great, Get healthy, Eat well, & Embrace life.  Each is like its own little blog with links to more in-depth information.  Each week Best You Asks... a question of its readers and responses are revealed each Friday.  Interaction is encouraged by buttons to share on Facebook, twitter, via email and RSS feeds.  I've found it has some short things that are good for reading on your Smartphone during those off moments and I haven't been bombarded with more than one email a day.  Good tips, nice format, but not too cutting-edge.  Sign up for free and judge for yourself.

Mental Floss...

bills itself as "Where knowledge junkies get their fix."  The writers for this magazine must have fun in their office.  The contents are a Jeopardy! lovers' dream (and you know how I love Jeopardy!).  All sorts of crazy facts are partnered with funny cartoons and photos with more facts running along the bottom of the pages.  It's trivia mixed with David Letterman-like top 10 lists.  I love the knowledge quiz in the back where, according to the scoring key, it really doesn't matter how many you get right or wrong.  Check the website for short "Lunchtime Quizzes."  The article in the January/February 2011 issue "Masterpiece #81:  Shirley Jackson's The Lottery" takes a look at the writer's inspiration for a classic short story we all read in high school and another interesting article looks at cow vs. camel milk.  I would call Mental Floss a good choice for light reading.  Laugh a little!

New Newsweek

Another new redesign-Newsweek now has a female editor and the March 14th issue is focused on women.  From Hillary Clinton on the front cover to the feature on the 150 Women who shake the world, it celebrates International Women's Day, which is today, March 8th.  In the editor's introduction to the new format, Tina Brown offers this insight on weekly news magazines, which I found to ring very true.  In response to the thinking that weekly news magazines are outdated in today's deluge of daily news, she says weeklies are "filling the gaps" and help readers comprehend details other news sources may have glossed over.  An article can offer background that a 30 second newsclip can not.  As with other forms of digital information, news coverage also needs the backing of journalistic pieces such as those found in Newsweek and the previously mentioned The Week. 
You can get yourself a subscription to Newsweek by making a pledge to NPR station WHYY and you'll be supporting two great sources of current events coverage and making yourself news savvy.