maven&amp;meddler

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Bistro 7,

potato chips,

pulled pork,

sandwiches in

recommended by maven,

restaurants

Tuesday

02Feb2010

Diet by Taco Bell? Not.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 21:33

On the heels of the previous post: Remember, when something like fat or sugar is taken out of a ‘diet’ food, be on the lookout for what the manufacturer might have replaced it with.

Remember, you’re in charge here. Don’t let the fast food chains win.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

1 Reference |

tagged

diet,

diet foods,

drive thru,

fast foods,

taco bell in

restaurants

Tuesday

02Feb2010

Don't get tricked by low-fat and low-sugar foods

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 21:12

The grocery store aisles are filled with products making glorious claims of low-fat and low-sugar, with the implied promise that they are healthier and a good choice for the weight concious consumer.

Whoa boy, is that a lie.

When they take fat out, they have to replace it with something to maintain taste and texture. The same goes for sugar.

When you’re scanning labels for what’s been taken out, take a look at what’s been put in under the radar.

Yogurt

tagged

artificial sweetners,

diets,

yogurt in

health

Saturday

30Jan2010

Saturday Chores: Organize your clothes closet for winter

Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 22:43

It’s that time of year again, to get the summer duds out of my way so I can actually see what I own to wear for fall and winter. With a few changes, you can make your closet more organized, make finding what you own easier and keep nice clothing looking nice longer. The secret is good quality hangars.

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closet,

organizing in

Saturday

30Jan2010

Good money management websites

Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 22:07

Knowing where your money is going on a daily, weekly and monthly basis is the true beginning to financial health and wellbeing.

In bad times, when everything seems to be crashing down, the challenge can be to not panic, and to calmly do your homework. You need to find the right resources for you and your situation. They might be as close as your state government web site.

There are plenty of good websites - that aren’t trying to sell you something like bogus ‘wealth management’ or ‘debt management’ services - than can help you get out of the mire even in these challenging times. Some of these sites are connected to reputable non-profit centers that help people manage debt.

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consumer,

debt,

financial management,

money management in

How to do it,

Saturday

30Jan2010

Lodge a complaint effectively and get better results

Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 21:53

I’m actually the queen of complaining and getting something good in return. Really.

I’ve sent in emailed photos of broken or defective products and gotten new ones back - free. Even when they were past warranty and the problem might have been partly my fault. And some of these things were really quite expensive - like a fancy biofilter for my fish pond or a really sweet, tail light for my bike that sells for nearly $50.

Here’s the secret: Calmly, with facts, dates and model numbers at your fingertips, in the most concise way possible, tell the offending company what your beef is. Remember that the person answering the phone didn’t cause your problem.

They don’t need your life story, the great American novel or for you to unload all of your frustrations on them. They want, in most cases, to get to ‘Yes’ as much as you do.

Give the person on the other end of the phone or the email every tool and reason to get there with you.

Here’s some other suggestions:

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complaints,

defective products in

How to do it,

Friday

29Jan2010

Now I remember why I hated P. F. Chang's faux Chinese food

Friday, January 29, 2010 at 22:32

Yes, it’s the sleazy attempt they make to ‘inform’ their unwitting customers of the ‘nutritional content’ of their meals, all the while slipping in an unconscionable amount of sodium along with the highly engineered in the food lab grease and sugar and refined empty carbs.

Ugh.

You might get fat from eating too much of these ‘edible food products’ but you’ll certainly be bloated beyond belief, and putting quite a strain on your cardio-vascular system.

Can you whisper “I’m having a heart attack”?

These are from the Men’s Health ‘Eat This, Not That’ site, this time about the 30 saltiest foods in America (you should browse through it. There are some real shockers!):

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eat this not that,

p.f. chang,

sodium saltiest foods in America in

health

Friday

29Jan2010

White Mountain Bulgarian Yogurt: real close to homemade

Friday, January 29, 2010 at 22:02

I’d passed this brand up in Whole Foods for quite a long time, not wanting to be disappointed again with a pricey yogurt that didn’t live up to my expectations. I used to make my own yogurt back in the day - before computers and the internet when I had lots of time.

Lately, I’ve gotten away from buying yogurt since so many of the brands are either goofy and awful: that includes everything by Dannon and Yoplait… filled with sugar and artificial flavors, or the better brands that are without the artificial ingredients, organic all that, but usually far too tart and watery. Not like homemade at all.

White Mountain Bulgarian Yogurt is truly close to the flavor of my homemade yogurt. Not too tart or tangy, not watery, with just enough uncompromising, unapologetic yogurt flavor to nicely complement any dish or to eat - as I have been - straight from the jar. You could pair this with sweet or savory dishes equally well, and save a bunch of money and add your own natural flavorings instead of that factory/laboratory produced crap that gets all the television advertising.

Dannon and Yoplait are as much like real yogurt as a Poptart is like real homemade pastry.

I recommend White Mountain Bulgarian Yogurt.

tagged

dannon,

white mountain yogurt,

yogurt,

yoplait in

recommended by maven

Friday

29Jan2010

RuMe bags are green, fair trade and very handy indeed

Friday, January 29, 2010 at 21:39

If you’re looking for some really nifty bags for absolutely all reasons and seasons - from shopping to schlepping items large and small - consider the green and fair trade RuMe bag from a company in Denver, Colorado.

How are RuMe different from all thoses keen bags you see in Whole Foods and other places?

Well, RuMe bags come in a huge array of sizes first of all. You can actually substitute them for plastic baggies when schlepping anything from trail mix for the office trail to your ipod. They come with a minimum of packaging and fuss.

You can get them imprinted with your design.

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rume bags in

home keeping,

Friday

29Jan2010

Fast, easy lunch: Croque monsieur sandwich marinara

Friday, January 29, 2010 at 21:10

What do you do with all the ingredients of a dandy Croque Monsieur (grilled ham and cheese) when you also have a half jar of yummy leftover pasta sauce?

Combine the two, of course.

tagged

croque monsieur,

grilled ham and cheese,

marinara sauce,

mario batali,

sandwich in

recipes

Thursday

28Jan2010

How healthy is your pasta? Depends on how much.

Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 16:34

Way back in the day, when low-fat or no-fat was being touted as the cure-all and sure path to weight loss, I made a huge mistake. I listened to it and didn’t ask the right questions.

Oh, boy … did I ever pack on the pounds.

Now, 30 lbs or so lighter (and that’s been the case for about 10+ years ), I fully understand that staying a healthful weight isn’t that simple.

Portion control - aka calories - and becoming a food activist and deciding that you only eat whole grain pasta (and breads) is the only real way to keep the scale - and your waistline - in their places.

We only buy whole grain breads and pastas here. And I really do find that whole grain pastas are very filling, despite the much smaller portions in relation to the vegetables and marinara style sauces and toppings.

1 Reference |

tagged

joy bauer,

pasta,

weight,

whole grain pasta,

whole grains in

health,

Sunday

24Jan2010

Food rules

Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 21:55

Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk.

The reason: they have a lot of refined carbohydrates and additives that you simply don’t need.

Be the kind of person who takes supplements - and then skip the supplements.

The reason: Newer research is pointing out something that seems to fly in the face of what we think we know - that people who are taking supplements appear to be healthier than those who don’t (and here’s the kicker ) but studies are also showing that the supplements seem to be largely worthless and ineffective. Maybe the supplement takers are doing something else - exercising, eating thoughtfully, sustainably and healthfully. Maybe supplement takers are more inclined to eat whole grains and avoid artificial faux ingredients.

Although there are a couple of exceptions to the supplement rule - as a cancer survivor I’m sure not going to ignore a significant body of research saying that Vitamin D3 probably does prevent recurrence of cancer and may prevent cancer and I’ll tke my fish oil capsules - I save one heck of a lot of dough on bullshit supplements that I instead spend on first class, fresh, whole foods.

tagged

cereal,

food rules,

michael pollan,

supplements in

Sunday

24Jan2010

Sunday roasted chicken

Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 21:08

There are few things I like better in this life than a nicely brown roast chicken for Sunday dinner. Yesterday, I bagged a nice air chilled Rocky from the fresh meat counter at Whole Foods, and this morning dressed it with a paste of onions, garlic, Moroccan preserved lemons, anchovy and olives.

Here’s the baby in the oven:

Don’t you love the glass oven doors? It’s such cheap entertainment.

Anyway, here’s the lowdown on the marinating paste:

tagged

beets,

romaine salad in

recipes

Sunday

24Jan2010

Nordstrom fit fundamentals: size doesn't matter and more on jeans

Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 20:47

Don’t you hate grabbing several pairs in ‘Your Size’ and getting to the dressing room to find out that few if any of them actually fit. Yikes.

4 References |

tagged

care,

denim,

fabric,

fit,

fit fundamentals,

hip,

jeans,

nordstrom in

How to do it,

Sunday

24Jan2010

Nordstrom fit fundamentals: Foundations

Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 20:38

I’m surprised at how many younger women don’t understand just what role the right foundation garments plays. The right slip or bra can make or break an otherwise great outfit.

There’s no excuse for poorly fitting undergarments, or bra straps hanging out. All that says is that you have a lot to learn.

1 Reference |

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bras,

fit,

undergarments in

Sunday

24Jan2010

Nordstrom fit fundamentals: shoe size, heels and boots

Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 20:28

Shoes rank right up there in anxiety levels with jeans, when ordering online. You have to really know what size you wear. Fortunately, Nordstrom has been shoe central for decades, and they really do have the chops to fit you correctly into a pair of shoes.

Believe me, your shoe size changes over the years. Mine did when I lost 30 lbs. I would think it works the other way, too. LOL.

4 References |

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boots,

fit,

heels,

shoes in

Sunday

24Jan2010

Nordstrom fit fundamentals videos: Measuring, dresses, jeans

Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 20:12

I was absolutely wowed when I found these while noodling around on the Nordstrom website. Always trying to communicate the importance of a good fit - no matter the cost of clothing - these are exactly spot on in addressing the various criteria of a good fit that flatters your body.

The series started with dresses, and then moved on to several segments in that all important area of demin. If you’ve struggled to find that perfect fit in a pair of jeans - fret no longer. I actually invested $20 the other day in some website that promised to give me everything I ever needed to know in order to find the perfect jeans brand, style and fit.

It was a zero and told me nothing new. These videos from Nordstrom are worth their weight in gold for the experienced fashionista to the fashion disaster.

Watch and learn:

8 References |

tagged

fit,

jeans,

nordstrom in

Saturday

23Jan2010

Burn the motivational posters and get demotivated !

Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 22:19

This was just too cool for school. A site selling posters, mugs, T-shirts and more guaranteed to make you yell “Fuck it!” and laugh right through your tears!

ACHIEVEMENT
You can do anything you set your mind to when you have vision, determination, and an endless supply of expendable labor.

From the Demotivators website:

MOTIVATION. Psychology tells us that motivation- true, lasting motivation- can only come from within. Common sense tells us it can’t be manufactured or productized. So how is it that a multi-billion dollar industry thrives through the sale of motivational commodities and services? Because, in our world of instant gratification, people desperately want to believe that there are simple solutions to complex problems. And when desperation has disposable income, market opportunities abound.

AT DESPAIR, INC., we believe motivational products create unrealistic expectations, raising hopes only to dash them. That’s why we created our soul-crushingly depressing Demotivators® designs, so you can skip the delusions that motivational products induce and head straight for the disappointments that follow!

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Saturday

23Jan2010

Grilled bay scallops with greens and ravioli

Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 20:39

This is really much simpler than it might look and packs a real punch with flavor. Mr. Maven loves the little tiny scallops, so when I saw them on special today I bought a pound - which easily fed the three of us, when combined with some packaged ravioli and a small bunch of wild dandelion greens. Talk about yum, this is it.

I put the scallops into a flavorful marinade of finely minced onion, garlic, olive oil and Old Bay Seasoning. After mixing them with the marinade, I put them into a small mesh strainer over a small plate in the refrigerator until I was ready to broil them.

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