Perfect Fit Meals from Kroger

Kroger has jumped into the diet game with their Perfect Fit Meals.  Available for pickup in the store or online ordering and home delivery, they have created a variety of single portion pre-prepared meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  They were sampling the meals in the store where I shop and I stopped to hear the pitch yesterday, picked up their brochure and a couple of the meals.

Assuming the brochure reflects the entire menu, they offer four breakfasts including an omelet, oatmeal, a scrambled egg, meat and vegetable dish and pancakes and range in price from $2.99 to $4.99.  The lunch/dinner selection includes eighteen entrees ranging from fish to chicken to beef and one vegetarian dish and range in price from $4.99 to $7.99.  There are also ten selections listed as snacks or sides that range in price from $1.99 to $3.99 and include muffins, vegetables and a few desserts.  The entrees range from 190 to 360 calories each with the majority falling in the 300 calorie area.   The snacks range from 60 to 190 calories each.  The brochure helpfully denotes dishes that are gluten friendly, dairy friendly, vegetarian and kid friendly.  The store representative told me that the meals could be expected to last 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator and could be frozen in the plastic containers in which they come.

 I decided to try two of the entrees and began perusing the nutritional information for each selection.  The first thing I noticed was that the majority of their choices are quite low in fiber, averaging about 3 grams each.  Assuming that the calorie and fat counts are in the allowable range, I always check the fiber content of pre-packaged meals first since that's what keeps you feeling full.  There are only six meals out of the eighteen total that have more than 3 grams of fiber and only 2 that have more than 6 grams.  I like to shoot for 5 to 6 grams of fiber per meal so that narrowed my choice appreciably, presenting a real problem if I chose to follow their meal plan exclusively.

Misreading the label, (darn my aging eyes!), I chose the chopped chicken salad, which has only 2 grams of fiber (320 calories, 41g protein, 19g carbs, 9g fat) and the southwest turkey with 9 grams of fiber (360 calories, 34g protein, 35g carbs, 11g fat).  As an aside, it would be difficult to follow a low carb plan using these meals.  Both meals were delicious.  The chicken salad came with a blueberry balsamic dressing that I found particularly yummy.

Realizing that my main diet issue is portion control, a few months ago I began eating Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice meals almost exclusively and that has worked pretty well for me and is a lot cheaper than going with other pre-packaged meal plans like Nutrisystem or Jenny Craig.  I like the Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice meals and usually have a spinach side salad to round out my dinner portion.

So how did the Kroger meals line up against the plan I am already following?  I like both meals so that criteria wasn't helpful.  The Kroger meals are significantly more expensive than the Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice meals, which run around $2 to $2.75 per meal at my store.  The Kroger meals are fresh, as opposed to frozen and I know that should be important but I have a hard time getting worked up about it.  There are more higher fiber choices in the frozen food aisle and that's important to me.  The other issue I had with the Perfect Fit Meals is the container in which they are packaged.  Although it's neat that you can freeze the meals in their existent containers, those container have no recyclable symbol on them.  If the containers are truly not recyclable, that's a huge problem.  I have enough trouble with my choice to eat meals that come in plastic containers, I certainly don't want to be eating meals in plastic containers that can't be recycled.

So in conclusion, I'll probably stick with my Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice meals but occasionally supplement with these very tasty Kroger meals.  If you shop at Kroger or have one in your area, give them a try and let me know what you think!

Trendspotting in D.C. - Two Bags for Every Woman?

I've spent the last week visiting my sister in Frederick, Maryland.  We had a lot of fun.  One day we took the subway into Washington, D.C. where we spent the day at the fabulous Newseum.  If you're going to be in the Washington, D.C., area I highly recommend that you plan a day at the Newseum, it's incredible.

Traveling on the subway in the early evening allowed me to covertly observe a lot of people making their way home from work.  Ever larger handbags have been on trend for women for quite some time.  Based on my very small sample of Washington, D.C. commuters, it looks like a new trend is two bags.  A large purse and an accompanying tote seemed to be de rigueur for the majority of female workers.  The purses are so large I can't imagine what they're carrying in that other bag.  Are they all stopping at the gym on their way home?  These second bags don't seem to be the right size or shape for a laptop.  Are they the female equivalent of the briefcase?  The bags didn't seem to be the right shape for that either.  Is everyone really taking a lot of work home with them?  Are they doing their shopping on their lunch hour and want a cute way to tote their purchases home?  Along with the rise of the big purse trend many studies came out about how we were hurting our backs, our shoulders and our posture by hauling giant purses everywhere we went.  Is this new trend a positive one in that it balances us out?

My current "purse" consists of a small camera case, sans camera, which dangles from my wrist and into which I tuck all my necessities.  One of my close friend tells me it, "looks like crap".  I have a couple of dressier wristlets for when I care about that!  Putting just about everything I need into a 2" x 3" case makes me uniquely incapable of imagining what might be in these big bags.  How could anyone possibly need to drag so much stuff around with them?

Although traditional briefcases were scarce on the subway, the men were all carrying some sort of bag too.  Messenger bags, backpacks, satchels and a few man purses were in evidence but I didn't see any two-bag men.  Why do women have more to carry than men?  Does this trend mean that young mothers, with the addition of a diaper bag, are now carrying three bags around?

If you're one of these two bag women, I'd really like to know...what's in there?!

Having Children in Your late 30s and 40s? 4 Things to Consider

This is a guest post by Alvina Lopez who is a freelance writer and blog junkie, who blogs about online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alvina.lopez @gmail.com. 

In America it is very common to have children relatively early and I suspect this is even truer in the Southern states where I live. It wasn't uncommon for some of my high school friends to have children right after they graduated and some friends became pregnant even before finishing school. Now however many women are waiting longer and longer to have children. To my mind this is a good thing as child-rearing requires an insane amount of maturity. But for those who want to start or add to their family relatively late in life, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1.     Keeping physically fit is extra important.

For those of you who had children when you were in your twenties or early thirties you may have taken it for granted how much energy it takes to raise a young child simply because you had ample stores of energy yourself back then.  If you are planning on having a child late in life be sure that you are physically fit and energetic enough to spend all those sleepless nights awake caring for little Junior.

2.     Understand the risks of late pregnancy.

If you are intent on having a child after 35, listening to the risks of late pregnancy can be a little bit of a downer. While the 35 plus mothering demographic is the most rapidly growing child-bearing group, it is important to know that your child has higher risks for certain diseases and complications and this doesn't just include birth-related risks like higher rates of miscarriage. Children of older mothers have much higher risk of diabetes and if the father of the child is over 40 at conception the child is at a much higher risk of manifesting schizophrenia and other genetic disorders. A Times Online article gives more information

3.     Ask other siblings how they may feel about having a new sibling, especially if they are older.

Having a child is always a decision that involves many people but when you are younger it is a decision that should be thought out carefully by two people—yourself and your partner. When you have other children, you have to consider how older siblings may feel about it, as well as grandparents, and more.

4.     Understand the social anxieties that you and your child may experience.

Although I absolutely love my parents and am grateful that they waited till they were financially and emotionally stable to have children, I can speak from first-hand experience that having parents who are much older than you can present moments of awkwardness. Growing up, my friends would always mistaken my folks for my grandparents and, especially when younger, it was disappointing that my parents couldn't practice sports with me. Another anxiety that many children of older parents have is that they will pass away prematurely. This of course is a very real fear, something all older parents ought to consider.

Overall, I am a big advocate of waiting until you are older to have children. Still, biologically the best child-bearing years are in one's twenties and early thirties. While modern science is making it easier to have healthy children later, don’t jump on the having children late in life bandwagon until you've carefully considered your decision from all angles.

7 Things You Should Know About Early Retirement

Ally is part of the team that manages Australian Credit Cards, a blog about what influences most people to spend more. Before joining ACC, she was a Media Planner with McCann Worldgroup Philippines, Inc., with award-winning executions, including the Levi's 501 "Live Unbuttoned" global campaign.


The benefits of retirement at an early age are endless, especially if you were wise and tossed a substantial amount of money aside, or have a stable retirement plan. Most people (60%) when asked if they would like to retire early, said yes. With obvious benefits: more time to do the things you enjoy, travel, grandkids, and hobbies, the list is endless.


However, there are some serious considerations to early retirement that you may want to consider.


HAVING A CASH CUSHION:

Ensuring that you have the cash to retire early, because now you are going to need quite a bit more money than a person who retires at 62. Did you save like a maniac to be able to do so? Because remember, now that you're not working, it's going to cost a lot more for all those fun things you want to do. Here is a handy retirement calculator to find out if you are really ready to retire: Retirement Calculator.

SOCIAL SECURITY:

Social Security doesn't kick in until age 62, and without paying in during the years of early retirement - your expected benefits could change the monthly amount you had budgeted. Social Security works on credits, and in order to be eligible for retirement benefits, you need 40 credits, which equals 10 years of work. If you stop working before you have the credits needed, it could seriously affect that monthly paycheck. Plus, the lack of work for the years you retire early won't be adding to your retirement credits and will ultimately change your benefits. For more details, see: Social Security Benefits.

REDUCED PENSION:

When you retire before age 62, your IRA pension can be accessed, however a whopping 10% penalty will be charged for early withdrawal. Plus, you won't be contributing any longer, so your pension should be padded, over and above what you predict your living expenses will be during retirement.

Make sure your pension plan is padded enough to cover the 10% penalty and the 20% withholding tax you'll have to pay for early withdrawal.

MEDICARE:

Medicare isn't available to anyone until age 65 and medical insurance can be costly, even with COBRA or other extended health insurance benefits from your company. If you get sick, experts in "Retirement, Your Future" say that you need to have in excess of $200,000 to cover medical expenses should you become ill, and do not have access to Medicare.


ECONOMY:

With the stock market dropping regularly, and people losing their nest eggs due to low returns on bonds, IRAs and other retirement accounts - you need assets that will grow, not shrink.   Be certain your retirement fund is safe in this less than stable economy.

DEBT ELIMINATION:
Too many people go into retirement in debt and many fail.  Financial planners and advisors strongly advise that you consider paying off all of your debt before retiring. Your credit cards, lines of credit, auto loans, mortgages and other higher interest debt.   Without the burden of deb and can really enjoy your freedom.

UN-RETIREMENT:
Should you fail, maybe because planning was not sufficient or retirement accounts took a dive in the market, are you thinking about what you would do if you had to come out of retirement? So many elderly people find themselves in this position. Having to work after the market crash put a huge dent in their retirement funds. Planning what you could do should if you have to return to work would be a smart move.

INFLATION:
This is the catalyst that will eat away at your hard saved cash. It is like a tax on products that are nearly invisible, and is the number one enemy of people who retire early.

An inflation rate of 4.5% will cut your purchasing power in half every 15-16 years. In the near future, your dollars will be worth less, and you will have to nearly double your money to survive the inflation crisis.

Make certain you figure for inflation in your retirement plans, and also be sure that your fixed annuities and pension plans compensate for inflation now and in the future, or you could be facing a serious cash problem.

Sitting all Day? A Thing or 2 about Office Chairs.

This is a guest post by Michael Samsel who is a writer on the subjects of home design and green home practices.  A co-founder of StylishHome.com, its “good design” mission emphasizes individual design personality, the eclectic and hand-made, and a commitment to green home pursuits.

Sitting and working, hours on end, staring at the monitor, while minding the mouse and keyboard.  As this has come to define the workaday world, office furniture manufacturers seized the opportunity, quite effectively I might add, to fill the void… offering you comfort and ergonomic correctness… in such a cool way as to become fashion.   Of course part of that process involved converting you from a $100 purchase to something more in the range of $1000.  But – it’s better built, better for you, greener, and helps suffering through your hours on duty just a little more tolerable.  Here are a few noteworthy contenders:

Herman Miller Aeron Chair

The Aeron chair showed up on the scene in 1994 – just in time for the Internet juggernaut.  It quickly became the de rigueur office piece even for desks of plywood on sawhorses.  It’s probably the only office chair recognizable by name, and, it questioned the whole premise of what constituted a comfortable and status appropriate chair. Over the years, varying colors, sizes, finishes and feature tweaks have kept it fresh.  It is still much in demand.

Not to go too far with the science, these chairs did have considerable science in arriving at their design, predominantly a result of studying the specific postures of the computer user.  Realizing that a more reclined posture during work that equalized weight was preferred, the chair designers went about providing flex in areas such that you didn’t slide out of the chair, while leaving your feet on the ground, and still providing support for a proper screen viewing angle.  Perfecting, as you might say, the user’s angle of repose.

Steelcase Leap Chair

To say the competition was alarmed might be an understatement.  Since then, never has so much science and design effort gone into the common office chair.  Steelcase, a leader in the office furnishings business worked with the design consultancy, IDEO, to develop their Leap Chair.  With such heady projects as Apple’s first mouse, and Palm’s PDA, Steelcase obviously spared no expense to develop a worthy alternative.

The Leap Chair is a result of work by dozens of scientists and 4 years of research.  It has both the Silver Cradle to Cradle Product Certification and the SCS Indoor Advantage Certification.  Studying how the spine moves, the Leap’s LiveBack® system changes shape to support the entire spine.  And did I say “no mesh”?  For those who find the draft on your underside from mesh chairs chilling, take a Leap. 

 Knoll Life Chair

Knoll is certainly no slouch in the office furnishings category.  So it should come as no surprise that they would throw their hat into the ring.  Working with Formway Design in New Zealand they introduced their “Life Chair” in 2002.  It’s fine minimalist profile and “move with you” functions have won this chair high praise and many awards.  

Allsteel Acuity Chair

In partnership with Milan-based Design Continuum Italia, Allsteel introduced the “Acuity Chair”.  Its clean design, intuitive controls, and durable aluminum frame are mere bonus to its ideal ergonomic comfort.  Try the optional back jacket with leather panel for the look of luxury.

Now these are just a few and the best known of office chairs.  They are all “investment grade”, but ones which you may very much appreciate over time.  Finding opportunities to “test drive” your top choices and, if possible, along side the desk you have or want, will help in your decision.  Or, take a few cues and find other less expensive alternatives.  One last word… “polished aluminum”.  It is all the rage and nearly every manufacturer offers an aluminum version. 

Dealing with Mice in your Home

Are mice in your home outsmarting you by avoiding your traps or taking the bait without getting caught? This post will give you information about baiting methods that the exterminators use so you'll minimize your chances of empty traps and those scurrying noises in your ceilings. It will also give you information on what is the best bait for a mouse trap.

Food Bait: The Best Bait for a Mouse Trap 

This is the best bait for mouse traps since it doesn't involve poison

There are many types of bait that work well for catching mice and rats. The secret is having good aroma because rodents' sense of smell is very acute. You just have to remember to change the bait occasionally as some become rancid, dry out or deteriorate badly, emitting no aroma. Bait also must be more tempting, or at least different in smell, than the food the mice are currently eating.

Brand name peanut butter is one of the best baits for a mouse trap, but some generic and natural brands use fillers that turn waxy or rancid. Mice and rats are attracted to fats and sweets, as well as grains. Bird seed and pet food are also great baits. This is why homes of people who feed birds or have dogs and cats very often have mice. Homes with horses on the property or other livestock operations also generally have mice.

If the bait doesn't catch a mouse within the first few days, try something else. Offering a source of bedding, such as tissue or small cotton ball, with a drop of vanilla, maple or chocolate syrup is good bait. Mice look for nesting materials as they multiply. Caramel, jelly beans and tootsie rolls work well, and so do Snickers bars and Slim Jims. The rule to remember is that most any aromatic food is a good choice for baiting a mouse trap. (Sowerwine, 2007)

Food bait is ideal for snap traps, live traps, and electronic traps. When setting snap traps, place the least amount of bait possible on the trap since the more bait you use, the easier it is for mice to remove it without activating the trap.

The problem of losing bait without catching the mice or rat is solved by using electronic traps. Electric traps, the most effective type of mouse trap, have a pressure-sensitive plate in front of the bait, so as a mouse approaches, it received an electrical shock that kills within seconds. The trap also has a built-in safety, which disables the trap if the door is opened to access the bait, making it safe for pets and children. The most effective electronic mouse traps available today hold up to 10 bodies before needing to be reset.

Anticoagulant Rodenticide Bait 

Anticoagulants can be used in conjunction with bait. Anticoagulants cause death as a result of internal bleeding, which occurs as the animal's blood loses the ability to clot and capillaries are damaged. The active ingredients are used at very low levels and the onset of symptoms is delayed, so the rodent does not avoid the bait because of its taste or the onset of illness. When prepared with quality cereals and other bait ingredients, all anticoagulant baits provide good to excellent house mouse control if placed in suitable locations for the mice.

Because some anticoagulants require multiple feedings over several days before a lethal amount is ingested, fresh bait must be made available to mice continuously over a period of time. In practice, baits can be offered to mice for at least 2 weeks or as long as feeding occurs. While the newer anticoagulants (brodifacoum, bromadiolone, and difethialone) may be capable of causing death after a single feeding, the mice do not die until several days after feeding on the bait. Therefore, the method of setting the bait out is essentially the same as for the older anticoagulant products warfarin, diphacinone, and chlorophacinone.

Anticoagulants have the same effect on nearly all warm-blooded animals, but the sensitivity to these toxicants varies among species. If misused, anticoagulant poisoning can cause the death of pets, livestock, or desirable wildlife that may feed on the bait. Additionally, residues of anticoagulants that may be present in the bodies of dead or dying rodents can cause toxic effects to scavengers and predators. However, this "secondary hazard" from anticoagulants is relatively low when baits are used properly.

Symptoms of anticoagulant poisoning in mammals include lethargy, loss of color in soft tissues, such as the lips and gums, and bleeding from the mouth, nose, or intestinal tract. Because all rodenticides can be toxic to humans, particular care should be taken to keep rodent baits out of the reach of children. Vitamin K is the antidote for anticoagulant rodenticides, although in cases of severe poisoning, whole blood transfusion is also used.

All baits must be used according to the label directions. Use rat and mouse baits in a way that makes bait available solely to rats or mice. The newer anticoagulants (brodifacoum, bromadiolone, and difethialone) have never been approved for use in agricultural or field situations or for use against ground squirrels, meadow mice, pocket gophers, or any other rodents except house mice, Norway rats, and roof rats. This is because these newer materials are more persistent in the body once ingested, and thus they may pose a greater hazard to nontarget wildlife, including predators and scavengers. Careful bait use will reduce the chance that rodenticide residues will occur in nontarget animals. (Timm, 2006)

Other Rodenticide Bait 

In addition to the anticoagulant baits, there are other rodenticides available for use against the house mouse. Although not anticoagulants, bromethalin and cholecalciferol are used in a manner somewhat similar to the anticoagulant products. These two materials are formulated to serve as chronic rodenticides, so that house mice will have the opportunity to feed on exposed baits one or more times over the period of one to several days. Bait acceptance is generally good when fresh, well-formulated products are used.

Another material, zinc phosphide, differs from bromethalin and cholecalciferol in that it is an acute toxicant that causes death of the mouse within several hours after a lethal dose is ingested. When using zinc phosphide baits, prebaiting (offering mice similar but nontoxic bait before applying the zinc phosphide bait) is recommended in order to increase bait acceptance. If acceptance of prebait is poor, do not apply toxic bait, but change the bait material or its placement. Zinc phosphide bait is not designed to be left available to mice for more than a few days, as continuous exposure is likely to result in the mice learning to avoid the bait, a behavior known as "bait shyness." The advantage of using zinc phosphide bait is its ability to achieve a comparatively quick reduction of a mouse population. Because bait shyness can occur with zinc phosphide baits, these products should not be used more frequently than once or twice per year at any given location. (Timm, 2006)

Rodenticide Precautions 

When using any rodenticide, carefully follow label instructions and understand all precautions. Never place baits where children or nontarget animals can access them. Remove and properly dispose of all uneaten bait at the end of a control program. In addition, it is wise to collect and properly dispose of any dead rodents found during the course of rodenticide application. You can pick them up, using a sturdy plastic bag inverted on your hand, and seal them in the bag for disposal with household garbage, or bury them in a location where they will not be easily dug up by pets or scavengers. (Timm, 2006)

Mouse Bait Rodenticide Tips 

• If you see mouse droppings that are the same color as the rodenticide, this means the mice have been eating the bait
• Usually, it only takes a few rodenticide pellets to kill a mouse
• Store poison bait out of reach from children and pets
• Call poison control in case of rodenticide ingestion
• Try to leave the least amount of bait as possible on traps, especially snap traps
• Glue traps do not need baited
• Electronic traps are the most effective mouse traps

Works Cited 

Sowerwine, F. (2007, October 5). Best baits for mouse traps. Retrieved April 18, 2010, from ISS (It's So Simple) Mouse Traps: http://issmousetraps.blogspot.com/2007/10/best-baits-for-mouse-traps.html
Timm, R. M. (2006, November). House Mouse. Retrieved April 18, 2010, from UC IPM Online: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7483.html

Guest Post Sponosored by Victor®

Helping Each Other - June Love Drop

The Love Drop  team is at it again! Last month they gave over $9,200 worth of cash, goods and services to their recipient, the Stalnaker family, who had been going through a financially hard time due to the effects of the BP oil spill on the Louisiana economy. The family was in need of a car and the Love Drop team was able to surprise them with one, making it one of the most exciting Love Drops ever.  You can watch how it all went down here. 

This month they rally behind the Aubins  - a Michigan mother and her three children who  are mourning the death of Keith, husband and father, after his lengthy battle with multiple health problems.  Our goal is to raise at least $3,600 to pay the family's rent for three months, which will allow them to focus on what they need to during this time, without fear of losing their home. Additionally, since Keith was an organ donor, he leaves a powerful legacy and the Love Drop team hopes to raise awareness of organ donation this month to honor Keith's memory. Help us make this month special for the Aubins!  

Want to help?  Here are three ways you can participate:
Give $25 towards rent <-- Click this link to contribute $25 towards their rent for the next three months - it will relieve so much stress for them.
Give a gift or service - Gift cards are always helpful. Places like Target, Wal-mart, restaurants, etc would definitely help them out. Services too - especially those you can offer yourselves, or from your company.
Organ donation  - We're giving the Aubin's the gift of knowing that the people on our team are organ donors. If you are one now, or pledge to be soon, please tell us so, and we'll relay the total number as a gift at the Drop.