The cans say there is “about” five servings of 16 chips, which means 80 Pringles. When we tested four cans of Original Pringles we counted two cans with 79 chips, one with 80, and the last one had 78.
However, a can of Sour Cream and Onion chips had 82 and can of Pizza-Flavored had 81.
Pringles has 25 different flavors in the U.S. and even more internationally, when combined you can make 318,000 unique flavor stacks. Of all the varieties, the top-selling flavors are Original, Cheddar Cheese, Barbeque and Sour Cream and Onion.
When Fredric Baur, the inventor of Pringles potato chips died at age 89, per his wish, his cremated ashes were placed inside an original flavored Pringles can for burial.
Baur
In 1956, Baur, a trained chemist, used a geometric formula to create a saddle-shaped chip that would not break when individually stacked inside a cardboard cylinder in-a-can invention.
Besides a burial urn, here are other uses for Pringles cans:
Store other foods inside. Chips aren’t the only food that will travel safely inside a Pringles container. You can also safely pack a sleeve of crackers, some spaghetti or other noodles, dried beans, and more inside this handy can.
…and cookies.
Flour, sugar, and breadcrumbs are other products that can be transported via the Pringles container. The sturdy cardboard will protect the food, and you won’t have punctured bags or spilled products On your roadtrip, in the tent or inside a RV.
Make a cell phone speaker. Cut a slit near the bottom of the Pringles can. Make the slit large enough for your cell phone to sit inside. Remove the lid. The can will amplify your cell phone’s speaker.
Store plastic bags. Cut a small (one-inch diameter) hole in the Pringles lid. When you need a plastic bag, simply reach into the hole, and pull one out.
Office or hobby supplies. A Pringles can will also corral those office supplies like pens, scissors, paper clips, and glue sticks. Hobby supplies like beads, wire, artists’ paintbrushes and more will also fit inside.
Hair accessories holder. Use a Pringles can to keep hair ties and elastic bands together. Just put them around the outside of the can. Clips, ribbons, and bows can be stored inside the can, as well.
Dog cage?
Makeup organizer. You can cut down Pringles cans so that your makeup brushes, comb/brush, and other tools are easily at hand. Tape a series of cans together so they’ll stay securely upright.
Necklace holder. Put weights in the bottom of a Pringles can. Then wind a rubber band around the can, near the top. Hang necklaces and bracelets from the rubber band. Simple! And handy, too!
Bird feeder. Use a darning needle to poke and thread a string through the top of the Pringles can. Tie the ends of the string together. Then use a spatula or butter knife to smear peanut butter all over the exterior of the Pringles can. Then roll the prepared can in birdseed. Hang the bird feeder from a nearby tree or garden flag holder.
Keep paint rollers fresh. When painting, you can slip a Pringles container over the paint roller at the end of the day. The next day, the paint in the roller will be ready to go.
Travel Tools. We use a few select tools when traveling in our car or a RV–a tire gauge, a channel lock, screwdrivers, pliers, etc. An easy way to keep these few, but necessary, tools together and within reach is to store the tools inside a Pringles can.
Cousins?
Children Fun. Kids love doing this. Remove the bottom of the Pringles can. Use waterproof tape to securely fasten the lid onto the can. Gently place the lid end of the can into the water. Look through the bottom of the can to see what’s underneath the water’s surface. Here’s more ideas:
“Where do you get your ideas for articles? How do you develop and retain dependable sources? How do you sell more? Increase business? Obtain information?”
These are common questions I have received over the years as a “Jack of All Trades” being an investigative reporter, insurance salesman, business executive, trade organization president, writer, detective and corporate facilities manager. The simple answer is to be a good networker.
Personal Connections
After making any connection, I always tried to build on it. Sometimes it takes creativity and thoughtfulness, but those are wonderful traits for life anyway. At HEB Food/Drugs, my division had thousands of employees (Partners), service providers, vendors and other resources to keep our stores, offices, warehouses, manufacturing plants and other real estate safe, lawful and in welcoming conditions.
H-E-B calls employees ‘Partners’
Early on, I would use Rolodex files (labeled: “Sources,” “Engineers,” “Partners,” “Designers,” Electricians,” and others) for individual information on people in each category.
For example, when I visited Austin, Houston, Dallas, the Rio Grande Valley, the Coastal Bend and other regions of Texas, the file for that area would include more than just names, phone numbers, and emails. It was critical to have personal notes to connect and care with individuals I may come in contact with. Examples might be:
Birthplace, Birthday, Anniversaries, Spouse, Children, Other Family, Connections, Hobbies, Interests, Education, and Accomplishments.
Others items to note might include Affiliations, Career and Work History, Goals, Prides, and other interests.
“Is Bobby, Jr. still playing baseball this year? How’s Nancy doing in track? Here’s an autograph of Tim Duncan for your brother. I know he’s big on Spurs basketball,” were some ways to build rapport.
The key was to capture the bits and pieces of hot, vital information about people I met. These appear as phrases such as “Texas State alum,” “loves to fish,” “never eats lunch,” and so on.
Many times I kept a pocket recorder to help remember for when I jotted it down in the hotel room or plane ride later. As technology developed, I kept computer files and spreadsheets instead of manual Rolodexes.
Note: Even today, I do not include confidential information and confidential names on a computer or internet file. My reputation and ability to gather data and news depends on sourcestrusting me.
Resources You Can Count On
It’s all a lot of work, but worth every minute of it. What does all this have to do with resolving an emergency, mitigating a problem, gathering resources, or closing the sale? Just about everything when it’s used at the moment it’s needed.
Who can you depend on for help when your dealing with a hurricane, a sales proposal or news article?
I don’t subscribe to the saying “Networking is a numbers game.” The success doesn’t come from how many people you can meet. What you actually need is to have a list of people and resources you can count on.
One of my greatest mentors was a senior vice president of Facility Alliance at H-E-B, Ralph G. Mehringer. I watched and learned. When he met someone for the first time–a food server, janitor, visitor, new partner, whoever— Ralph was consistent about making them feel like the most important person in the room.
When I lived in an apartment above the Majestic Theater in downtown San Antonio, a neighbor, Walter Stovell, known as the “Godfather of Houston Street,” totally made eye contact with others–and he kept it. He smiled. He listened.
Majestic Theater
During conversations, Walter made comments and asked questions that showed he was hearing and listening. One day the current and two ex-mayors of the Alamo City walked by and Walter amazed me with his abilities to engage each one opportunities to express themselves without interruption.
What If You Need a Large List to Increase Sales or Potential Sales?
A sales person may mention to someone for whom has been a good customer, “I was just going through my checks, and I realized I spent over $2000 with you last year. I guess we’re really getting to depend on each other more than I knew.”
A typical question I receive is “where do you get your articles and story ideas?” They are all over, if you network properly.
You can expand networking by simply trading networks with someone else. How big is your network? If you answered infinite, you’re right. You’re only limited by the number of people on earth. Your network is potentially the size of all your contacts, plus all your relatives’ contacts, your friends’ contacts, your business associates’ contacts, and so on.
Suppose you want to introduce a new service you offer. Are you going to limit the list to the names you’ve been able to scrape together? Of course not. You’ll ask me for my list, and if I like the offer I might even ask a few other people for their lists. Instead of a few hundred names, you now have a few thousand.
Always treat anyone’s contacts with the utmost respect. Like tightrope walking, this is a system based on trust. A fall from grace, like a fall from the high wire, can be very hard to recover from.
3 Tips on Selling
🔹 Be Knowledgeable. If you want people to listen to you, you need to be an expert about the product you’re selling, about the market it exists in, and about the way it addresses the needs of your customer.
🔹Establish Rapport. Your primary responsibility is to establish a connection between the needs of the customer and the solutions that your product/service provides. It’s about them, not you. If you’re not paying attention to the customers’ needs, how could you ever accomplish that? Listen to what they’re saying. Ask questions to gain deeper understanding. Seek to build and demonstrate empathy.
🔹Build Relationships. Many people will go to online reviews to learn about your product or service. It’s amazing how much stronger leads are that come from customer referrals. Cultivating customer relationships will give you more leads, and when you listen to compliments and complaints about your offering, it will help you improve for future customers.
One final thought is to use the forever faith 80/20 rule. Twenty percent of your network likely provides 80 percent of the value. What have you done for them lately?
Eating enough protein is vital to staying healthy and independent in the long run. But there’s new evidence that piling protein-packed plants onto your plate can come with extra health benefits, too.
A study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that replacing just 3 percent of calories from animal protein (think red meat or eggs) with a plant protein (like nuts or beans) lowered the people’s risk of early death by 10 percent. Other research has found that plant-based diets can protect you against heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Plants also deliver nutrients such as fiber and phytonutrients that you won’t get from animal proteins. These can help stave off disease and keep gut health on point. Plus, plant-based proteins tend to be low in saturated fat, which is good for heart health.
Even if you don’t want to go completely vegetarian or vegan, plant-based proteins deserve to be a bigger part of your diet. And these picks can give you the most protein bang for your buck — and can be easily worked into the meals you’re already making.
Plant-Protein Powerhouse #1: Split Peas
These humble legumes are far from a one-hit wonder. Sure, they pack 8 grams of protein per half cup. But they also give you about 8 grams of dietary fiber in that serving, too.
Fiber helps reduce cholesterol and improves blood sugar management, which can impact heart and metabolic health. Men and women over the age of 50 should aim to consume 30 and 21 grams of fiber daily, respectively.
Another nutritional highlight of green and yellow split peas is lofty amounts of folate, This is vital for our DNA synthesis and metabolism.
In the Kitchen: Since the peas are split, they cook faster. (Plus, it eliminates the need for a pre-soak that’s needed to cook dried beans.) To get started, simmer one cup of split peas in two cups of water for about 25 minutes. Split peas can also be cooked in a slow cooker. Besides split pea soup and aromatic Indian dal dishes, use the peas to:
Make dips like hummus
Provide bulk to casseroles and veggie burgers
Add protein to vegetable salads
Plant-Protein Powerhouse #2: Tempeh
While tofu is made from soymilk, tempeh is made from fermented soybeans. This gives it about double the protein (about 16 grams per half cup) and more flavor. Tempeh has a mild, nutty, tangy taste, and a firm, ‘meaty’ texture that holds up well as a meat alternative.
Tempeh is also rich in other nutrients (B vitamins, iron, and fiber, to name a few). Plus, since it’s fermented, it tends to be easier to digest than beans. Translation: less gas.
In the Kitchen: Tempeh soaks up flavors from sauces and spices very well. So, try marinating plain tempeh patties just as you would steak or chicken. Then you can grill, bake, or pan-fry to cook. Add your tempeh to salads, sandwiches and tacos. Or you can make ground tempeh using the large holes of a box grater and create meat-free versions of these dishes:
Chilis
Meatballs
Burgers
Kebabs
Bolognese sauce
Plant-Protein Powerhouse #3: Peanut Butter
Peanuts are legumes just like split peas and beans. This means they boast a little more protein than other nut butters made with tree nuts (like almonds). In fact, they have about 7 grams of protein per 2-tablespoon serving.
Peanut butter is also a perfect mix of protein and healthy fats, which helps you stay fuller longer. Combined, these two nutrients can help you avoid spikes in blood sugar after a meal. This helps reduce your risk of diabetes — and the sugar crash that can bring on hunger pangs.
To get the most benefit, select a peanut butter that doesn’t include any added sugar or added fats, such as palm oil.
In the Kitchen: Peanut butter is a perfect grab-and-go protein source. Put some on toast with sliced bananas for a quick snack, use it as a dip for apple slices, or add a dollop to your morning yogurt. It also makes a great add-on to smoothies, oatmeal, and creamy sauces for stir-frys.
Plant-Protein Powerhouse #4: Hemp Seeds
Tiny but mighty, hemp seeds have nearly 10 grams of protein in a 3-tablespoon serving. They also contain all nine essential amino acids that your body can only get from food (a key part of keeping muscle mass as we age). And they’re a good source of the healthy fats called omega-3 fat alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).
ALA has been linked to lowering inflammation which can have heart health benefits.
In the Kitchen: Hemp seeds taste like a cross between pint nuts and sunflower seeds. (No— they won’t get you high like a marijuana plant.) For a boost of nutrition and flavor, you can blend hemp seeds into dips and smoothies, or sprinkle them on:
Oatmeal
Yogurt
Salads
Soups
Roasted vegetables
Plant-Protein Powerhouse #5: Chickpea Pasta
No shade to regular pasta, but noodles made from chickpeas and other legumes can give you a notable protein and fiber boost. A 2-ounce serving of chickpea-based pasta supplies about 11 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. That’s nearly twice as much protein and three times as much fiber as traditional pasta made from wheat flour.
Boil up a pot of chickpea penne or rotini and you’ll also get more of several vital nutrients such as magnesium, iron, and potassium.
In the Kitchen: These new-generation noodles have definitely improved in flavor and texture over the years. But there are a couple of important things to keep in mind when preparing any legume-based pasta.
These pastas can go from perfectly al dente to soggy in a matter of moments. So, taste test often as you near the recommended cooking time.
The noodles also foam quite a bit when in boiling water, so skim it off as needed with a spoon.
Unlike wheat-based noodles, the legume variety should be rinsed with cold water after draining to remove the starch
Depending on how old you are, you may remember using “rabbit ears” to get a better television signal. Sometimes the rabbit ears weren’t enough on their own, and you’d have to add some aluminum foil to the ends to boost the signal. The days of using foil to get a better TV picture may be over, but it’s not as obsolete as you might think. Today, you can use aluminum foil to boost the signal from your wireless router.
Adding aluminum foil to a Wi-Fi reflector can help the signal bounce around your home, reaching those otherwise spotty areas.
Greasy Easy Clean-Up
Hopefully you’re aware that you shouldn’t pour grease down your kitchen drain — hot or otherwise. So, how are you supposed to get rid of your used cooking grease and oil? Pouring it into the garbage can seems like a terrible — and potentially messy — idea.
Luckily foil is here to save the day. Line the inside of a bowl with aluminum foil, and pour the hot grease into it. Once it cools and solidifies, ball up the soiled foil and toss it into your trash can.
Remove Rust, Really
Tired of looking at rusty metal? If it’s chrome, there’s a quick fix. Just tear off a piece of foil, soak it in some water, and use it to start scrubbing the rusted chrome. The rust will disappear in no time!
No AA? No Problem
The batteries have died and the only replacements you have in the house are AAA. What to do?
You can convert those AAA into AA by placing a bit of foil at the positive ends before inserting the batteries into your equipment.
Banana Trick
Bananas are such a delicious, easy-to-eat snack. Unfortunately, they also go bad really quickly. After a few days of lying out on your kitchen counter, your bananas will start to brown.
If you need to keep your bananas fresher longer, turn to aluminum foil.
Wrap a small piece of aluminum foil around the stem of your bananas. By breaking off part of the banana’s contact with the air, you can slow the decaying process that plagues these fruits. A little piece of aluminum foil can lead to longer days of ripe, yellow, ready-to-eat fruit.
Good Crust
Getting the perfect pie crust can be a little tricky. You can account for flakiness and flavor with the recipe, but when it comes to just how golden brown your crust will get, you have to throw yourself at the mercy of the oven. Or will you?
Try out a little-known baking hack using, you guessed it, aluminum foil. Cover your crust in aluminum foil before popping the pie into the oven. This should help ensure that your crust doesn’t burn!
Messy Ice Cream Cone Prevention
Use aluminum foil to keep an ice cream cone from spilling everywhere. Simply wrap some alluminum foil around the very bottom of the cone, that way any melting or spilled ice cream drips into the foil instead of the floor… or
Funneling
Wrap foil around paper cone.
Need a makeshift funnel? No worries. Grab your trusty roll of aluminum foil and fashion a funnel out of that. It’s surprisingly easy.
Foot Foil Relief
Wrap a foot in aluminum for one hour to see what happens. There are several benefits to wrapping your feet in foil. It can alleviate aching joints, it soothes pain caused by burns and it is a great solution against fatigue. Another fun trick is keeping your foil in the freezer before you use it on your body to not only help with fatigue but swelling as well.
Home Made Stylus
Need a stylus in a pinch? Before you fork over $10 to $30 for one, try making your own. It’s quick and easy. Just wrap the tip of your favorite pen in foil, use a bit of tape to secure it, and voilá!
Garden Protection
If you’re looking for a way to keep insects out of your vegetables, mix some aluminum foil strips in with your mulch. Seriously. Also, you get the bonus benefit of the foil reflecting light back into your plants.
Door Knob Paint Protectors
When painting doors, be sure to wrap your doorknobs in aluminum foil. When painting a door, or even surrounding walls, paint drips are inevitable. By wrapping your knobs in foil, you can keep them clean and paint free
Nutritionally, variety helps ensure that you get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay healthy. And psychologically, variety helps make mealtimes more enjoyable and healthy eating more fun. This translates to a better chance of sticking with healthy eating for the long haul.
Dodie is a retired Registered Nurse who also taught prenatal and nutrition classes.
Here are 16 foods to keep on hand — including fridge, freezer, countertop, and cupboard items — to make sticking to a healthy diet a little easier.
REFRIGERATOR
Food to Stock #1: Carrots
High in vitamin A and fiber — which can help fill you up and prevent blood sugar spikes — carrots are nutrient-dense, versatile, easy, and convenient. That’s everything you want in a food when you’re trying to eat healthier.
Most people eat carrots in the form of raw sticks, maybe plunged into a bowl of hummus or as an alternative to chips alongside your lunchtime sandwich. Both are good options, but you can also enjoy roasted carrot “fries” (cooked in a little heart-healthy olive oil), ribboned carrot “noodles,” or pureed carrot soup. You can even buy shredded carrots and use them in place of potatoes in a breakfast hash. The healthy, high-fiber possibilities are endless.
Food to Stock #2: Pre-Washed Salad Greens
Salad greens are low in calories and high in vitamins, minerals, and water. That makes them especially helpful if you’re trying to lose weight. Eliminate the hassle of washing and drying greens by opting for the pre-washed versions of spinach, kale, romaine, watercress, or arugula. They all provide vitamins A, K, C, and B9 (folate), and minerals such as iron and potassium. (FYI: Iceberg lettuce is a less nutrient-dense salad green, so it’s more nutritious mixed with other greens.)
These and other “shortcut” items — such as pre-cut vegetables, shredded cabbage, and precooked, vacuum-packed beets — are great for making quick meals in a pinch or for bulking up a frozen entrée or any meal that’s light in the veggie department.
Food to Stock #3: Cantaloupe
High in water and low in calories, this melon offers a sweet and satisfying way to pack in essential vitamins. Just 1 cup of balled cantaloupe delivers more than 100 percent of the recommended daily value (DV) of vitamin A and more than 75 percent of vitamin C — all for just 60 calories.
In that same 1-cup serving, you’ll also get a decent dose of potassium, an electrolyte that helps regulate the heart and blood pressure by counterbalancing sodium.
Food to Stock #4: Eggs
Protein is an important part of a balanced meal that helps us stay full for longer, and it’s also essential for maintaining lean muscle mass. The average egg delivers 6 grams, making eggs a protein powerhouse.
Eggs are also a great source of vitamin B12. This nutrient keeps nerve and blood cells healthy and protects against a type of anemia that can make you feel exhausted. That’s especially valuable when you’re trying to stay motivated to maintain a regular exercise routine.
And remember: Eggs aren’t just for breakfast. A hard-boiled egg adds heft to salads, while a fried egg is delectable atop roasted asparagus, sautéed kale, or a variety of other veggies.
Food to Stock #5: Low-Fat Greek Yogurt
A cup of low-fat Greek yogurt has about 22 grams of high-quality protein. That makes it an excellent ingredient for a satisfying meal or snack — especially if you’re a vegetarian. The tangy, creamy stuff also scores points for bone-building calcium and probiotics to support healthy digestion.
Plain Greek yogurt can be a little bland, so try topping it with berries, nuts, and/or homemade granola. If store-bought granola is your only option, make sure it has fewer than 5 grams of sugar per serving.
More ways to use Greek yogurt:
Whip it up with chopped cucumber and dill for a delicious dip.
Substitute it for mayo in chicken salad or for sour cream in a burrito bowl or on top of chili.
FREEZER
Food to Stock #6: Frozen Vegetables
Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, riced cauliflower, green beans, spinach … the list goes on. Whatever you choose, a stash of frozen veggies is like an insurance policy for your healthy diet.
They’re fast, easy, and don’t spoil quickly, so you can stock up on as much as you’d like. Then they’ll be there when you realize your supply of fresh produce is completely drained or when that red pepper languishing in the crisper drawer starts feeling, well, not so crisp.
What’s more, frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as their fresh counterparts, if not more so. That’s because vegetables that will be frozen are picked at peak ripeness, when they’re the most nutritious, and then packaged within hours. But fresh produce often travels far from the farm to the grocery store and can lose some of its nutritional value along the way.
Food to Stock #7: Frozen Berries
Strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries are excellent foods to keep on hand because they’re rich in antioxidants and fiber. But they go bad fast. A bag of frozen berries, on the other hand, can last for months.
You can toss them into a smoothie or mix them into Greek yogurt or oatmeal for a sweet and simple nutrient boost.
Food to Stock #8: Edamame
These young soybeans are often served salted in their shells at Japanese restaurants, but you can also find them in the freezer aisle. One cup of cooked edamame has about 18 grams of protein along with 8 grams of fiber.
Edamame is one of the few plant-protein sources that is considered a complete protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids your body needs but cannot produce.
You can buy them fresh and steam, or pick up the precooked frozen variety and briefly microwave to defrost before chowing down. You can also pop edamame out of the shell and add to soups or salads for an easy vegetarian protein boost.
Food to Stock #9: Salmon
Salmon is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, known as healthy fats.
Omega-3 fatty acids can help tame inflammation, arthritis, and high blood pressure. They’ve also been linked to healthy aging of the brain. Research suggests that people who eat fatty fish once a week are less likely to die of heart disease.
Not a big fan of salmon? Any cold-water fish can provide a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, including herring, tuna, and sardines.
Food to Stock #10: Ice Cream Bars (or Your Treat of Choice)
Yes, you read that right. Keep lower-calorie frozen treats such as ice cream bars or greek yogurt Bars in your freezer for desserts or random sweet cravings.
Experts agree that depriving yourself of the things you love is a surefire way to derail your healthy eating habits. Keeping pre-wrapped, single-serve options on hand will help satisfy your cravings without overdoing it.
COUNTERTOP
Food to Stock #11: Grape Tomatoes
When you walk into the kitchen for a snack, you’re likely to eat the first thing you see. So keeping grab-and-eat fruits and vegetables on the counter is a no-brainer.
Tomatoes are rich in vitamin C, potassium, and the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to reduced risk of heart disease and some cancers, including breast cancer and prostate cancer. Generally, the redder the tomato, the more lycopene it has.
To maximize the protective benefits, pair your tomatoes with a healthy fat such as avocado or olive oil. A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that eating salsa with avocado boosted the absorption of lycopene by nearly 4.5 times.
Food to Stock #12: Avocado
Beyond being an excellent complement to your tomatoes, avocado adds creamy texture and essential nutrients to any salad, sandwich, or bowl. They’re rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats as well as fiber and potassium. Plus, the fat gives meals and snacks staying power to keep you feeling fuller longer.
Food to Stock #13: Clementines
Citrus fruits are best known for their abundance of vitamin C. And for good reason: A single clementine — commonly known by the brand names Halos or Cuties —provides 40 percent of your daily vitamin C needs. What most people don’t realize is that clementines can also contribute to your daily fiber needs.
While a clementine contains about 1 gram of fiber, keeping them on your countertop and snacking on a few throughout the day is an easy and delicious way to boost your fiber intake. They’re also sweet, easy to peel, and usually seedless, making them a perfect grab-and-go snack for all ages.
CUPBOARD
Food to Stock #14: Oatmeal
When you need a quick, filling, and healthy breakfast, oatmeal is hard to beat. Oats are high in a type of soluble fiber called beta-glucan, which has numerous health benefits that include lowering cholesterol and improving digestion.
For the biggest fiber boost per bite, opt for rolled oats (also called old-fashioned oats) instead of instant versions that are more processed. Rolled oats take only about five minutes to make on the stove, while steel-cut oats (an equally healthy choice) require about 30 minutes to cook.
Oats not only make a tasty hot breakfast, but they can also make a great thickener for smoothies or an alternative to breadcrumbs when coating proteins for dinner.
Food to Stock #15: Low-Sodium Canned Beans
Beans make an excellent base for plant-protein-heavy meals. Whether it’s black beans, cannellini beans, or chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), keep some in stock. Many beans are also a good source of iron, which is great news for anyone cutting down on iron-rich meat.
If you can’t find low-sodium or unsalted options, buy what’s available and rinse them in water before eating. This will help remove about a third of the excess sodium.
Food to Stock #16: Nuts
Nuts are a powerful part of a healthy diet, delivering fiber, healthy fats, protein, and a variety of vitamins and minerals. In a review of 29 studies, researchers found that eating nuts — including walnuts, peanuts, and hazelnuts — was linked to a lower risk of heart disease and cancer.
All nuts have their strengths, but we especially like walnuts because they offer more heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than any other nut.
While nutritious, nuts are also high in calories, so be sure to watch your portions. Most adults should aim for four 1.5-ounce (about a handful) servings of unsalted nuts per week, according to the American Heart Association.
Do you ever wonder what you should eat before, during and after you decide to go for a walk, jog, bike ride or work out? Of course you should always check with your health care provider and adjust according to your age and physical condition, but here are basic tips to help most meet their healthy living goals.
Always eat before working out
Whether your goal is to lose weight or add muscle, it is important to eat before exercising. You should eat a small meal or snack 30 to 60 minutes before your workout or a large meal two to three hours before your athletic event. During this snack or meal, eat foods that are full of carbohydrates and high in protein – this will keep you energized and prevent your muscles from getting weak.
If you like to work out in the morning, here are some healthy breakfast ideas that will also fuel your workout:
Peanut butter on whole grain toast, a glass of milk or Greek yogurt
Fruit, Greek yogurt and a piece of whole grain toast
Fruit smoothie with milk, Greek yogurt or almond milk
Eggs, whole grain toast and fruit
Oatmeal, fruit, nuts and milk
What to eat during halftime
If you’re looking to lose weight, it’s not recommended to eat during your event or workout. However, if you’re training for a triathlon, marathon, sporting event with a halftime or cycling a long distance, you should eat small amounts of fruit, such as orange slices or a banana.
The most important fuel during a workout is water. While exercising, drink 24 to 48 ounces of water per hour of activity. In the morning, right after waking up, drink 16 ounces of water and then try to drink 90 to 100 ounces throughout the day.
After workout nutrition
After a exercising and especially a workout, it’s not necessary to eat. However, if you are hungry, grab fruit to help keep the calorie intake low. Also, avoid drinking sports drinks; instead drink a glass of low fat chocolate milk. Chocolate milk gives your body the protein and electrolytes it needs.
If you work out right before lunch or dinner, eat within two to three hours, but make sure it is at least half an hour before you go to bed.
With busy schedules and never-ending to-do lists, it can seem like living a healthy lifestyle is out of reach. But, prioritizing nutrition doesn’t have to be a chore. Here are five quick tips to help you and your family eat well, even when it feels like time is not on your side.
1. Meal Prep in Advance Prepping for the week ahead on Sundays can make a huge difference in what you eat throughout the week. Pre-chop veggies, cook grains or grill proteins for the week to have as an arsenal of ingredients that can be quickly combined to create easy lunches and dinners with fresh flavors.
2. Choose Portable Snacks Keep portable snacks on hand that are easy to throw in a purse, lunch bag or bring to the gym. Nuts and granola are nutritious and easy to pack. Whole fruits like apples and bananas, or portable yogurts and cheese snacks are also great options.
3. Reach For the Freezer Think eating frozen means you can’t eat well? Think again. Frozen foods are not only convenient; they can provide portion control while also tasting great. At mealtime, grab an entrée like the new Lean Cuisine Chicken Tikka Masala, which has 18 grams of protein, vegetables and no artificial preservatives. Or, if you’re in a pinch for a side dish, grab some frozen vegetables for a quick and delicious dose of vitamins and fiber.
4. Breakfast in Large Batches Oatmeal is a great make-ahead breakfast because it can be prepared in a big batch in a hurry and then portioned to grab and go throughout the week. If you’re willing to spend a bit more time prepping, large batches of breakfast sandwiches can be made ahead and frozen.
5. Use Online Tools to Organize Does the stress of figuring out what to make for dinner lead you to order pizza? Use an online platform to organize recipes that interest you so they’re always at your disposal. That way, you’re just a few clicks away from inspiration.
With 40 years experience as a licensed Registered Nurse on a cruise line, a Colorado ski resort, and in Phoenix, AZ, I did everything from Operating Room to Immunology to all levels of Newborn care.
Among my favorite jobs was teaching childbirth and nutrition classes. For the most part, I believe whole foods trump supplements. And eating a nutritious diet loaded with veggies, grass-fed meat, and plenty of good fats is the starting point.
To this day, I do not take prescription medications and know other nurses and health practitioners who live medicine free lives as well. This doesn’t mean I haven’t taken prescribed drugs for pain after an old volleyball related surgery, but that was years ago.
You certainly cannot supplement your way out of poor dietary choices. However, even with the best diet, there may be a few gaps that we might want to fill to “supplement” a solid diet.
For example, Omega-3 fatty acids are vitally important to our health. Our Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio should be 1:1 or 1:2. Sadly, the average person’s is more like 1:20. Not only are we not getting enough Omega-3 from sources like grass-fed meats and fish/seafood, we’re also over consuming Omega 6 (e.g. vegetable oils, excessive nut consumption) – a double whammy.
Personally, Jack and I don’t eat enough fish to get adequate Omega-3 due to concerns about toxins, mercury, etc. That’s why we “supplement” with Green Pasture Fermented Cod Liver Oil (FCLO).
I use the word “supplement” loosely here, since FCLO is really a whole food. Not only that, but it’s also a traditional food with a long history of use. Quite the opposite of highly processed fish oils.
🔹Fermented Cod Liver Oil is simply cod livers fermented naturally to extract the oils.
🔹The cold-processing method maintains all the fat soluble vitamins.
🔹Most fish oils on the market are heat processed. What’s worse is that they’re then bleached and deodorized, and since most of the vitamins have been removed or destroyed, synthetic vitamins are added back in.
FCLO contains more than Omega 3s. It’s also a great source of Vitamin A and Vitamin D, and contains small amounts of Vitamin K2, Vitamin E, and various other quinones.
If you want to try out the amazing benefits of Fermented Cod Liver Oil, or maybe your current supply is running low, we highly recommend Green Pasture.
Start the New Year with healthy habits. Now is the perfect time. Walk more, eat better, turn off the TV, read often, and achieve an improved lifestyle change.
During the winter months, fogged-up and frosty windshields can be a constant issue. To quickly eliminate the fog without creating a mess of smudges, use a chalkboard eraser! It works really well, and it’s easy to store in your glove box or center console.
Another tip for dealing with a foggy windshield is to make sure your car’s air recirculation is turned off. The air in your car is already humid, and humid air contributes to windshield fogging. Use the fresh air intake option instead, which will pull in dry air from outside. The dry air will help take care of the fog in no time!
Fog-Proof Your Windshield
While the tips I mentioned above will help you get rid of fog on your windshield, there are also ways to prevent fog from forming in the first place! Here are a few you can try:
Smear shaving cream on the inside of your windshield, then wipe it off. You’ll leave behind a thin layer of shaving cream, which contains some of the same ingredients as commercial defoggers.
Fill a stocking or sock with kitty litter and leave it in your car overnight. The litter will help absorb moisture that would otherwise collect on your windshield.
Before you turn your car off in the evening, open the windows for a few seconds to let the cold, dry air in. This dry air will help dehumidify your car overnight.
Don’t leave water bottles or other drinks in your car overnight. The moisture from them can contribute to a foggy windshield.
Keep Socks In Your Glovebox
Having a pair of socks all ready in your car can be especially useful during the winter! You can pull them on over your shoes if you ever need to push your car out of ice or snow. (The socks provide a little extra traction that makes it easier to find your footing.)
Another way to use socks is to cover your wiper blade overnight! Just raise your wiper blades and slip the socks over the ends. The socks will help prevent ice from forming on the blades, which will make your de-icing process much easier in the morning.
Fix For Frozen Wiper Blades
During the winter, make sure to fill your car with washer fluid that is rated for cold weather. It can help melt the ice that’s clinging to your wiper blades in the morning. It can also be a quick way to defrost your whole windshield if the ice is thin enough!
Impromptu Ice Scraper
Can’t find your ice scraper and need to get going? Grab a plastic spatula from your kitchen, or use a plastic card from your wallet! (It’s best to use a card that you don’t mind losing, in case it accidentally snaps while you’re scraping the ice.)
Windshield Parking Hack
Let Mother Nature defrost your windshield for you! If you can, park your car facing east. This ensures that your windshield will get a bit of extra warmth from the sun as it rises in the morning. Your wiper blades may be able to take care of the remaining frost—no scraping required!
Thaw Frozen Car Doors & Locks
For frozen locks, try heating your key with a match or lighter. Gently push it into the lock to melt the ice. (Just be careful not to burn yourself!)
Another option for thawing frozen locks is to use a drinking straw. Just aim the straw at the lock, and blow air into it. The heat from your breath will start melting the ice, and you’ll have that door open in no time!
And finally, you can use hand sanitizer to fix frozen doors and locks. Just rub a layer of hand sanitizer over the frozen area and let the alcohol melt the ice.
Prevent Frozen Doors
Sick of having to unstick frozen doors? Prevent them from freezing in the first place with a bit of cooking spray. Just spritz a bit of it where the door seals. This acts as a “waterproofer” to prevent water from seeping in and freezing your door shut.
Keep Side Mirrors From Freezing
Prevent side mirrors from freezing overnight just by covering them up! Use a plastic shopping bag, a ziplock bag, or whatever you can find to slide over the mirrors. Tie the end or keep it in place with a rubber band, and your mirrors will remain ice-free overnight!
Fast Headlight Fix
Having bright, working headlights is especially important during the dark and snowy winter months. If your headlight covers could use a cleaning, just cover them with a layer of toothpaste. Let it sit for a minute or two, then rinse the toothpaste off with warm water.
This toothpaste treatment will help remove the film on your headlights so they shine more brightly. It’s a quick and easy fix that’s much cheaper than buying a special headlight cleaner product!
Get Un-Stuck Fast
Keep a bag or two of heavy cat litter in your trunk on snowy days. It will help add weight to your car, which can help give your tires a bit more traction in the snow and ice. And you can sprinkle the litter under the tires if you get stuck! This will give your tires something to grip onto and improve your chances of getting out of that snowbank.
Another useful tip for getting your car out of a snowbank is to use your floor mats. Just lay them down in the snow in front of your tires. They’ll provide more traction for your tires and help you get your car moving. (Just don’t forget to pick them back up before you drive away!
Make A Winter Emergency Kit
Weather can be unpredictable during the winter, so it’s a good idea to keep emergency supplies in your car just in case. Start with a spare outfit that can keep you warm if you happen to get stranded. Follow these steps:
Unzip a winter coat
Put a thick pair of socks, long underwear, hat, gloves, scarf, and snow pants inside the coat
Zip the coat up and stash the outfit in your trunk
You should also keep additional supplies in your car that could save your life in a winter weather emergency. Here are a few suggestions:
Flashlights
Warm blanket
Charged battery pack for your phone
Hand and foot warmers
Bottles of water
Energy bars
Now that you have these helpful tips, you’ll be able to face many winter driving challenges with confidence!
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Holiday season 2020 was a tough year for retailers and other small business due to the pandemic. In 2021, Black Friday sales hit some all-time lows. With the higher prices for fuel, energy, food and just about everything imaginable, it seems like the 2021 holiday season will be challenging to most people.
Some of us are rightfully concerned about holiday gift giving while others have already begun their buying early. We have all seen the Christmas season creeping in early on Halloween, but this can actually help some people spread out the gift buying over a longer period of time. We much prefer using a planned budget instead of depending on credit cards and suffering depression in January when the bills pile in.
Throughout the year, or as early as possible, it’s a good idea to save $10 to $25 a paycheck. It can add up nicely when it’s time to buy gifts (or make them). With 26 paychecks in a year that’s around $500 when black Friday hits after Thanksgiving.
However, few of us can escape the realities of a harsh economic and political climate today, not to mention the increased hardships (jobless, out of business, or health, for instance) we’ve endured.
It’s a good idea to rethink our spending strategies. Besides just setting aside money from each paycheck, there are other ways to find money to put aside. Some people set up a separate savings account just for gift giving.
Here are some additional ideas some may deem helpful:
🔹Choose a gift of something useful and customized for the individual. This year spend less, but provide more value. A book (instead of a toy or game), health food or supplements (rather than a fruit cake), or something needed (helpful household items versus nonessential decorative ones).
🔹Cutting Down on Eating Out. Lunches out with coworkers can be dropped for one day of the week. At $6 to $12 a day, that adds up to, in a month $24 to $40+ that can be instead put into a gift savings jar.
🔹Reduce Your TV Service. We haven’t had any such service in over three years and absolutely love it: No fake news, social engineering or propaganda has been wonderful. Our time is spent simply living, traveling and experiencing (rather than having). It’s far more meaningful.
Those television ads will have you believing the whole point of Christmas is to spend tons of money on food, shopping and dining out.
Instead of going cold turkey, you can drop down your TV subscription to basic service for a few months or the summer and sock away the savings. This is also handy if you are coming to the end of a promo and can’t get another one; drop down in service for a few months and then pick up the new promos coming out later. You could save considerable money each month and it’s not that hard.
🔹Limit the Coffee/Donut/Sweets/Soda Budget. I remain amazed at the drive thru queues at coffee shops in the morning. This wouldn’t be a lot of money set aside but if you buy a $5+ drink and reduce it by one cup a week, you have an extra $20-$30 to put into savings for gifts.
By making some simple changes to your budget NOW, you can plan to have a terrific Christmas. There are plenty of other ways to save money. Just look at what you are currently spending on any one item and try to reduce it by a few dollars each week. Those dollars add up quickly.
If you aren’t willing to cut back at all, there are a couple of ways to bring in extra money and set that aside for gifts as well.
Consider practical: a good book, health products, a favorite snack.
🔹Save Change. I’ve always been a fan of rounding up in the checkbook and by the end of the month there’s a good $15-$25 higher in the bank than my checkbook shows. That extra money goes to savings without a thought. And add into that any change I get throughout the year, there’s around $250-350 dollars that I didn’t even have to cut back for.
🔹Do you really NEED it? Selling off items around the house (some people I know find stuff on the curb for trash pickup and regularly make more than a few extra bucks). Keep the fees to a minimum and try selling the items off through Craigslist first. The idea is to collect it all in a closet and then have yourself a grand yard sale over a warm weekend.
Recently I noticed Jack had a pill bottle labled “Humidity” with a magic marker. Curious, of course, I twisted the cap off and peaked inside to see an assortment of silica beads (or tiny pillows).
Later, I asked him why he was saving them in a pill bottle, he simply replied with a grin, “To dehumidify things. It’s like a miniature dehumidifier.”
It turns out Jack keeps some in his camera bag and in a small bathroom basket that has his razor, comb, and a few toiletries in. He said it keeps them there “to prevent razor blades from rusting.”
This made me wonder what others kinds of uses they would be good for. Here are at least a dozen handy uses for little silica beads.
🔹Throw a few on your car dash board to fight window fog.
🔹The little bags can dry out a wet cell phone.
🔹Toss in tool box or bag to prevent rust or oxidation.
🔹Toss a few in your large pet food bag to prevent it from getting soggy.
🔹Preserve stored Christmas decorations and ornaments.
🔹Keep some in your linen closets to keep your linens dry.
🔹Keep some in your camera bag to keep your equipment dry.
🔹Throw a few in your photo boxes and albums to prevent photos from aging and warping. Jack protects his autograph collection with them.
🔹Store some in your luggage when traveling to keep moisture out of the bags.
🔹Keep some near your razor, the beads will prevent rust and extend the life of your razor.
🔹Eliminates that old book smell. Just place them in the pages of a book or on your book shelves.
🔹Store some in your pills and vitamins to keep them fresh.
🔹Keep some with your garden seeds so that they will stay dry.
🔹Toss one in your gym bag to help combat that ol’ smell.
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Have you ever purchased an item of clothing and received a little baggy with an extra swatch of fabric? You might have assumed it was to use if you ever needed to mend the item, like by patching a hole.
What you might not have realized is that this extra fabric is actually for you to test washing it to see if it will shrink or if the colors will bleed or fade. That would have been a really good thing to know in my early 20’s.
Shirt Loops
We can thank the Navy for this little convenience. Since sailors didn’t have any closet space to speak of when out to sea, collared shirts were sewn with a loop on the back to easily hang them from hooks.
There was also a trend in the ’60s for men to hang their shirts up in lockers at the gym without getting them all wrinkly during a workout. Also, in the 60s, girls would pull or tear the loops off their boyfriends shirts to notify others he was taken.
For those who wanted to have a loop without ruining a shirt, one mail-order company offered to send just the loops to people in the mail.
Now they’re mostly decorative.
Metal Buttons on Jeans
If you’ve ever put a pair of jeans on straight out of the dryer, you know these little metal buttons exist. Hot! Hot! Hot! But, did you know they’re not just decorative? They’re actually strategically placed in spots to help keep the seams intact.
Mr. Levi Strauss himself took out a patent for rivets in 1829 after miners were complaining their jeans wore out too fast. While they may not always be the most comfortable part of a pair of jeans, they are there for a reason.
Shorts Cost As Much As Pants?
It seems like we should pay less for our shorts than we do fill length pants because there is more cloth. That’s not necessarily the case.
In reality, shorts that don’t fall past your knees may contain just a fifth less fabric than ankle-length trousers. This is because most of the cloth in these items is sewn into the top half.
Those same details that end up accounting for most of the material—flies, pockets, belt loops, waist bands—also require the most human labor to make. This is where the true cost of a garment is determined. The physical cotton in blue jeans accounts for just a small fraction of its price tag. Most of that money goes to pay the people stitching it together, which takes about the same amount of time.
3-Step Guide to Unshrinking Most Clothes
Step 1 – Soak in a Solution of Lukewarm Water & Baby Shampoo
Fill a sink (large bowl or bucket) with lukewarm water then add a capful of baby shampoo to the water.
Place the item you want to unshrink into the sudsy water. Let it soak for a minute or two, then gently knead the item with your hands to help relax the fibers.
Remove the item from the water and gently squeeze it to remove some of the water. (But don’t wring it or rinse it out!)
Step 2 – Absorb Water From Shrunken Clothing with a Towel
Lay out one of your big, clean bath towels and lay the clothing item flat out on top of it.
Roll the towel up from one end so the clothing item is wrapped inside. Press on the towel gently to absorb the excess water, then unroll the towel.
Step 3 – Gently Stretch & Reshape Clothing
Grab your second clean bath towel and lay the damp piece of clothing out on it.
Use your hands to gently stretch the item out to its original size. Finally, leave the clothing item on the towel and allow it to air dry completely.
A Note On Rinsing: You’ll notice the directions don’t mention anything about rinsing out the shampoo water. Actually, this process doesn’t leave very much soap behind in the clothes, and the little soap that does remain seems to help keep the fibers pliable during the stretching process.
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Clever Journeys 