Without getting too technical about exact temperatures — or the ripening gas known as ethylene — here's a simple chart that lays out where to store your most common produce, whether at room temperature, on a refrigerator shelf, or in the crisper (the coldest fridge drawer).
I've certainly been guilty of not storing my fruits and veggies in the right place, which can lead to wilted leaves and floppy carrots. That's no good! Keep reading to take a look at the chart
If you find yourself dumping stale wine, spices, and other expired pantry items, the time has come to discover a different way to shop. These six items are often used in recipes, but — just like the fact that hot dog buns come in a pack of 12, but hot dogs come in a pack of eight — there is that never-ending battle of buying a sufficient amount without having to toss the rest out. Take a look at sizes of items you should skip when shopping and what alternatives you should buy instead.
| 750ml wine bottles | Six-pack mini bottles of wine: rather than opening a large bottle for cooking, use a mini bottle. Each contains about one glass of wine, making them ideal to quickly use up in a day or two. |
| 1-liter bottle of club soda | 325ml bottles of club soda: because club soda has the tendency to go flat, buying the mini bottles ensures that each time you twist the cap, the soda is sparkling. |
| Canned tomato paste | Tubes of tomato paste: hardly any recipe calls for an entire can of tomato paste. A tube, which looks like it holds toothpaste, lets you release as much concentrated tomato paste as you need, and the cap lets you save the rest for later. |
| Quart of broth | Bouillon cubes or paste: the salty, concentrated bouillon basically has no expiration date, letting you enjoy as much broth as you want, when you want. Forget about tossing out half-empty Tetra Paks of broth. |
| Full-size spice bottles | Spices in the bulk bin: keep your spices as fresh as possible by buying them in small amounts in the bulk section of your grocery store or co-op. Otherwise, look for smaller spice packets, which are oftentimes cheaper than the large glass bottles of spices. |
| 750ml vermouth bottle | 375ml mini bottle: since vermouth is still a wine, don't keep it around forever and don't store it at room temperature. Always buy the smaller version, refrigerate it, and dump it one month after opening. |
Sometimes, there's no way to hide from the fast food drive-through. Luckily, most restaurants have a healthy menu for you choose from, although with the long ingredient lists on some of these products, "healthier" is relative.
Salad offerings at fast food restaurants are no different; although the base of lettuce and other vegetables is good news for your healthier eating pledge, large dressing packets can be your diet's downfall. Before you pour on the sauce, check out the calorie stats of salad dressings from five top fast food restaurants.
| Calories | Total fat (g) | Sat fat (g) | Trans fat (g) | Sodium (mg) | Sugars (g) | Cholesterol (mg) | |
|
McDonald's Newman's Own Ranch |
170 | 15 | 2.5 | 0 | 530 | 4 | 20 |
| Burger King Ken's Ranch |
190 | 20 | 3 | 0.5 | 560 | 1 | 20 |
| Wendy's Classic Ranch Dressing |
200 | 22 | 3.5 | 0.5 | 380 | 2 | 20 |
| Jack in the Box Bacon Ranch Dressing |
260 | 26 | 4 | 0.5 | 700 | 2 | 30 |
| Taco Bell Spicy Avocado Ranch Dressing | 80 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 120 | 0 | 10 |
Check out the healthier Italian dressing options after the break.
At Fit, we often talk about the importance of eating local and organic produce. It's grown without harmful pesticides and fertilizers, travels a shorter distance to get to you, and buying locally produced fruits and vegetables helps support small farms.
Shopping locally is not without its problems, though. Organic and locally grown food can be expensive, which is why it's good to know what's worth always buying organic. Convenience can be an issue too — especially if you don't live near a farmers market — but subscribing to a CSA can help with that. Sometimes it's just hard to know what's in season, which is important to me because I like buying the freshest produce available.
The folks over at GOOD have made shopping seasonally a little bit easier by developing this great infographic — it displays what produce is in season depending on where you live. The infographic covers the 10 most common fruits and veggies consumed and breaks down their availability by region. Now you can figure out the closest place to buy a particular fruit or vegetable if it's not in season where you live.
I'll definitely be printing this out and hanging it on my fridge — how about you?
Aw, I'd almost forgotten all about the whole Mark Foley thing until New York's Daily Intel put the recent sex scandals into a handy (Heh. I remember now.) chart aimed at answering that one crucial question: at what point is Info, Too Much.
I know, we said we were done blaming politicians who were involved in sex scandals, but really this is more for historical research. This little excerpt doesn't do justice to the whole thing. If you're interested in the prurient parts of politics, go peek for yourself.
This is it! Texas is in! And it's a shocker! Ohio results in too! John McCain has also captured the Republican nomination! Mike Huckabee has dropped out.
Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont — with a total of 370 Democratic and 256 Republican delegates — the results today made a huge difference in this race.
For Republicans, the primaries gave John McCain enough delegates to claim the nomination, and Mike Huckabee has graciously bowed out.
In the Democratic field, Hillary Clinton has put a decisive halt to Barack Obama's winning streak of 11 straight contests since Super Tuesday, and reinvigorated her campaign.
And now the results! To see who's won, read more
Almost every state in!!! Here's what we've been waiting for all day! Our exclusive state-by-state winners chart! Updated as soon as races are called — to check out the winners and comment on the outcomes, read more
Chocolate contains theobromine, a naturally occurring stimulant found in the cocoa bean. While the amounts necessary to poison your dog vary by type of chocolate, it's the theobromine that causes the danger to pets.
Check out my handy choco-chart, based on toxicity information from Dog Owner's Digest. I've started you off with some weights and amounts – print this out, calculate your pup's weight, fill in the blanks, and store in a safe place.
| Type of chocolate | 1 pound dog | 10 pound dog | 20 pound dog | 40 pound dog | ______ pound dog |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Chocolate | 200 ounces | 125 pounds | 250 pounds | 500 pounds | ______ pounds |
| Milk Chocolate | 1 ounce | 1/2 pound | 1 pound | 2 pounds | ______ pounds |
| Sweet Cocoa | 0.3 ounces | 1/6 pound | 1/3 pound | 2/3 pound | ______ pounds |
| Baking Chocolate | 0.1 ounces | 1 ounces | 2 ounces | 4 ounces | ______ ounces |
Health Magazine online has a couple of great charts that you can print out and use daily. One that I found especially helpful is the Workout Free Fitness chart that shows how many calories you (man or woman) can burn doing relatively normal activities.
Check out the other charts on Health.com. I've printed some out and keep them on my refrigerator for inspiration. Not to obsess on Valentine's Day, but 4th from the top seems like a great inspiration to stay in the spirit all year round. Or maybe you'll be inspired to mow your own lawn instead of hiring someone else to do it. Enjoy!
