Being a huge fan of ready-to-eat meals all my life, I am always on the look out for new products to try. Just the other day, I was perusing the isles during my usual grocery shopping trip and came across a new ready-to-eat lunch box. Seeing that it was on sale, I was drawn to taking a look. After checking out the products within the gopicnic lunchbox, I was sold – and bought three flavors. Being familiar with the usual high amounts of sodium, fat, and sugars in other ready-to-eat meals, I was surprised to find a different quality (and taste) in the nutrition of these gopicnic products. Quite a pleasant surprise!
gopicnic brands gopicnic ready-to-eat meals is an innovative company based out of Chicago, IL. First founded in 2006 to provide airlines in the United States with easier food for customers, gopicnic has thrived over the years and is now available in retail stores across the nation (…The World’s First Beehive-On-Tap System
Two beekeepers in Australia, Cedar Anderson and Stuart Anderson, have invented a new sort of hive that could revolutionize Beekeeping traditional methods. They have invented the FLOWHive, a special hive that can put your honey "on tap" directly from your hive box. It's main benefit being that it can pour honey out of the combs without upsetting the bees. The FLOWhive contains special inserts that will fit into normal hives or, if you get the whole FLOWhive system, you will have their special wooden outer box complete with windows and access points that will ensure you know exactly when to harvest the honey and have a full supply as soon as it is ready to go.
There are a lot of skeptics in their beekeeping community who say it is unlikely to work without a lot of mess and cleanup needed. Some comment in the beekeeping forums that they would rather wait and see before jumping to buy this sort of invention.
The key to the system is a special imitation of the traditional…
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9 Alternatives to Candy for Trick-or-Treaters
So, Halloween is the holiday most known for it’s spooky amounts of candy.
It starts out as a sweet little, “we’ll buy a bag to hand out to the disguised kids knocking on our door”; but then develops growing more horrific by the minute. “Okay, I’ll take one for myself.” “Let’s get an extra bag for us”. “Wow! I haven’t seen this candy since last year! Let’s get some!” From innocence to guiltiness, one by one we consume more and more candy; the result? – feeling terrible the following day, your face breaks out like a leprous zombie, and the creepy monster that roared the night before is feeling shameful and disappointed in itself.
To appease the candy vampire within, try serving one of these alternatives for yourself and/or the costumed minions rapping on your door.
1) Fruit
Apples, Bananas, & Oranges all make great snacks and are sturdy enough to survive the night in a trick-or-treaters bag.
2) Veggies
Chopped celery with peanut butter and raisin…
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Fun Fall Festivities for the Greenie at Heart
Fall is a great time of the year to get outside and enjoy all our planet has to offer. With the weather beginning to cool down, leaves starting to change colors, and the holidays coming soon, this is a wonderful season to bond with the family and enjoy some fun fall festivities. Green Businesses has a few favorites we love to do every year. Maybe you do too?
Apple Picking
Apple picking may be available all year round, but autumn just so happens to be the most festive time of the year to indulge in such a fun activity. You may have to drive a distance to get to your destination, but it is well worth the drive. The human soul seems to regenerate as you get out of that car and find yourself surrounded by trees and mountains and nature. It is so satisfying to walk through the fields of trees, picking and choosing which apple you would like to enjoy, twisting the select few until they snap off the branch, and later enjoying a crisp and delectable snack. Not to mention, these a…
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Food Safety for the Fourth
With Independence Day coming up this weekend, a lot of US citizens will find themselves Barbecuing and cooking for friends and family. We certainly will. My personal favorite grilled hot dogs with a side of beans, fruit salad, and maybe some barbecued corn on the cob; and to wash it down, some refreshing lemonade. I don’t know about you, but there have been some gatherings that did not end so well, and have left me not wanting to enjoy shrimp or some other type of food for a long time. Here are some food safety tips to help your scrumptious ribs and potato salad not make any one go home sick.
Temperatures
It is important that when cooking meat, you keep a close eye on the temperature. Poultry should hit 165 °F at the minimum and be held there for at least three (3) minutes. Beef, pork, lamb, and veal should all hit 145 °F and be held there for at least three (3) minutes. It is important these meats are cooked so hot because most bacteria cannot survive these temperatures. Any…
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Food Safety Alert: Salmonella Outbreak in Chia Seeds
I have received a food safety alert from NutritionAction.com. It seems there has been an outbreak of Salmonella in Chia powder that has sickened and hospitalized people in the U.S. and Canada, over the last few days. This outbreak has led to the recall of “Organic Sprouted Chia Powder products produced by Health Matters America, Inc., … and by Navitas Naturals.” If you have purchased one of these products, throw it away or return it to the store for a refund.
The article, Food Safety Alert: International Outbreak of Salmonella in Sprouted Chia Powder by Caroline Smith DeWaal (June 18, 2014) describes the symptoms too look out for, the investigation of this outbreak, and more. If interested, read her words below:
Twenty-one people in 12 states have been sickened and two hospitalized after eating sprouted chia powder contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. In Canada, 44 have become ill and five hospitalized. Sprouted chia powder is used as a gluten-free…
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