A Different Kind of Cinnamon Twist

I have never looked at StumbleUpon, but a friend of a friend uses it all the time to look at yummy food and recipes. She showed this to me and the first thing I thought of was 1) I have to try that and 2) I have to post this in our blog. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to try this recipe out myself, but it looks amazing. Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread looks easy to make and really fun to eat. I imagine it being soft and moist in the middle, but crunchy from the cinnamon sugar on the outside.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/5DjbyG/www.joythebaker.com/blog/2011/03/cinnamon-sugar-pull-apart-bread

Blogs!

This past Summer I discovered the world of healthy living blogs. These bloggers (mostly women) write about anything health related. These topics range from the seemingly mundane (the best almond butter, how to buy cheap organic produce, and healthy holiday recipes) to heavier, more intense conversations (eating disorders, body image, and mental health). I love finding fun, healthy recipes, interesting new foods, new exercise ideas, and inspiration from all the blogs I read.

Here are some of my favorites!

-Fitting It All In

-Peanut Butter Fingers

-Kath Eats Real Food

-College Foodie Finds

-Une Vie Saine

-Healthy Tipping Point

-The Oatmeal Diaries

I am really curious to hear your reactions to these blogs. We've talked about how the food movement can be somewhat elitist. Not many people have the ability to spend so much time and effort planning their meals and buying such fresh healthy ingredients. Do these blogs further illustrate the divide between the have's and have nots?

Also, some of these women post every single meal they eat. Is it healthy to spend so much time obsessing over what we and other people are and aren't eating? Is our culture becoming too obsessed with food?

Let me know your thoughts!

Worst Birthday Cakes?

"Happy Birthday to you" the crowd sings, you close your eyes and get ready to blow out the candles. After you blow those candles out, with a big grin you open your eyes. You finally see your birthday cake, and you realize that your friends just got you the WORST birthday cake ever!

How would you feel if you got these birthday cakes?

Hmm...I wonder if those butterflies were potty-trained...

Yes... thanks. You drive me nuts!

Ummm.... why is Elmo mad and is that BIG BIRD!?

Hello there! Wait!? I feel like I've met you before...

Who am I?

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY!

Okay...this is not the green goblin from spider man...

this is Shrek.

SpongeBob Squa....No Pants

Grumpy Thomas

[Courtesy of http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-500172_162-10006708.html?tag=page]

A Subtly Smaller Package

In order to hide higher food prices, companies are selling slightly smaller packages of food for the same price of the previously larger packages. They are attempting to hide this change in quantity by making these changes subtle. Bags of chips now contain more air than they used to. Boxes of pasta are the same height and width so that they appear to be the same size they've always been, but now the depth is smaller. Jars of peanut butter have scoops in the bottom so that they appear the same size but hold less. Canned products are slowly decreasing from 16 ounces to 15 and then 14. Some companies are completely changing packaging to disguise this change in quantity by promising more fresh or environmentally friendly packaging.

Even I have to admit that I haven't noticed this change. As a student who is not on the meal plan, I have to buy groceries every week. Even though I've always considered myself an observant person, I haven't seemed to notice that packages are smaller or that I've been paying more for groceries. In fact, I always pay about the same every week. But looking back, I have noticed that many products have switched to "greener" packaging and that bags of chips do seem to have more air. The next time I go to the grocery store, I will definitely pay more attention to the weight and volume of what I am buying.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/business/29shrink.html?scp=6&sq=food&st=cse

Radioactive Iodine-131 Found in U.S. Milk

Milk in Washington State and California were detected by the EPA and state Departments of Health to have levels of iodine-131. According to the EPA, the amounts discovered in the milk were at a level approximately 5,000 times lower than the regulated limit, but nonetheless were higher than otherwise "normal" conditions. Federal officials say "not to worry." As it turns out, milk is one of the easiest foods to gauge and test for radiation, according to Al Lundeen the spokesperson for the California Department of Health.

For those of you who are not intimately familiar with iodine-131, it is a gas (along with iodine-129) formed within fuel rods as they fission.

According to the article in the Associated Press:

The modeling the EPA and FDA have done show that even if a catastrophic

failure occurred in the reactor vessel at the Fukushima plant, we have a 6,000

mile difference between Japan and the West Coast. That's more than adequate

to dilute the radiation.

These trace amounts of radiation are a clear result of the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Radiation can make the 6,000 mile trek, and I am not convinced there is enough historical data on the subject to conclusively determine what is an "adequate" distance to dilute radiation.

For more information about Iodine-131, click HERE

For more information about contaminated milk samples, click HERE

The Newest Superfruit

Step over açai berries, there's a new superfruit. It's called baobab. It hails from Africa and is about to be the next health craze. Supposedly it has 2 times the antioxidant value of açai berries, 6 times the amount of vitamin C of an orange, double the calcium of milk, and a ton of B vitamins. It comes in the form of a fruit bar and fruit powder, which can be mixed into smoothies and other foods. Check out the website, dedicated entirely to baobab, for more information.

Taking the Color Out of Food Takes Out The Fun

It's true, I wouldn't eat Cheetos if they were gray, or eat tan Jell-O. I'm not sure I would any of those foods in the first place, but appearance matters when it comes to junk food.

Though some people love the idea of an all-natural, all-organic diet, the locavore influence has yet to reach junk food. In this New York Times article, journalist Gardiner Harris addresses an interesting counter-argument to supporting natural food. Some food, is tasty because it has been artificially colored; some foods taste better because they are chemically colored.

This article is unique because it stands up for junk food and processed food, in a way that foodies might not. Like any situation, there is compromise. Certain food manufacturers have come up with naturally colored alternatives to their classic and even iconic foods. Kool-Aid now comes in an "invisible" option, and Kraft Macaroni makes an organic cheddar pasta.

Check out this article because most of us would probably agree with the concluding quote: “I could live without sprinkles, but why would I want to?” he asked. “They’re cupcakes. They’re supposed to be fun.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/weekinreview/03harris.html?ref=style