Cabernet Estate Reserve® Tomatoes
Low in calories and rich in fiber, it’s a crisp, healthy pick, as easy to reach for as your favorite glass of wine.
Cabernet is often described as complex, full-bodied with dark fruity flavors which is exactly how a Cabernet Estate Reserve® Tomato can also be described. Never heard of the Cabernet Estate Reserve Tomato®? Village Farms International – a Canadian company that specializes in greenhouse grown produce – grows Cabernet Estate Reserve® Tomatoes – a beautiful brown cherry tomato that is very complex starting with the color: a deep wine hue with shades of vine. The texture is semi-crisp and the flavor is deeply earthy with very sweet overtones – which is how a sommelier could also describe a Cabernet. Read more 
Organic Figgy Pops
When your snack is this real, freedom is yours.
Made in Nature should win an award for the most original and fun snack name – Figgy Pops – but what they really deserve is an award for is for making one of the best organic unbaked energy balls on the market. Figgy Pops are bite-sized super snacks made with organic fruits, nuts, seeds, and spices. If nature made candy, then Figgy Pops would be growing from trees but instead we can thank Made in Nature for combining the best of Mother Nature’s most delicious gifts to make Figgy Pops. Read more
Where does $100 to the American Institute for Cancer Research Go?
The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) has a very impressive name with the four key words – American, Institute, Cancer, and Research – that draws prospective donors to make millions of dollars in contributions annually.
A 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization based out of Washington, DC, AICR “educates the public about the relationship of nutrition, physical activity, and weight management to cancer, interprets the scientific data and funds research.” In other words, AICR does not do research; they read and interpret the research to educate the public and they provide grants (less than 6% of total revenue collected goes to grants in the USA and Europe, according to the IRS Form 990). Read more
Parma Zaan Sprinkles
Parma Zaan Sprinkles are an almond-based vegan substitute for parmesan cheese. Dairy-free with all natural ingredients and no artificial anything, Parma Zaan Sprinkles is also notable for containing no hydrogenated fats or refined sugar. Made with five ingredients: blanched almond meal, sea salt, nutritional yeast, dehydrated onion, and citric acid, Parma Zaan Sprinkles provide the nutty, cheesy flavor we all love without the dairy. Read more
The Vegetable Plate Revisited
Before you yawn and say to yourself “oh, not another vegetable plate,” read on for some tips on how to take a vegetable plate from a snoozer to an exciting, colorful, and flavorful meal. First, choose colorful vegetables because presentation is important. Food can look bland and still taste great but a meal is so much more enjoyable when the food looks as good as it tastes. Read more
Winter Journal
Your eyes water up when you watch certain movies, you have dropped tears onto the pages of numerous books, you have cried at moments of immense personal sorrow, but death freezes you and shuts you down, robbing you of all emotion, all affect, all connection to your own heart.
On the eve of Paul Auster’s 64th birthday, the author sat down and penned a memoir called Winter Journal. Published in 2012, Winter Journal is not an “I did this; I did that” account of his life (although there is a bit of time-centered personal detail in the book) but more of a “I felt this; I felt that” type of story as he recalls how he reached a milestone where the world no longer considered him young or even middle-aged. Read more
BetterOats® Organic Bare Instant Multigrain Hot Cereal
To make better happen every day.
BetterOats® is owned by Post, the third largest cereal company in the United States – a corporation better known as the maker of Honey Combs, Alpha-Bits, Fruity Pebbles, and Raisin Bran. In an effort to capture the more health conscious market (and for this the company should be commended), BetterOats® has recently introduced an unsweetened instant multigrain hot cereal made with seven ingredients: Read more
Where does Money to Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, Inc. Go?
Everytown is a movement of Americans working together to end gun violence and build safer communities. Gun violence touches every town in America. For too long, change has been thwarted by the Washington gun lobby and by leaders who refuse to take common-sense steps that will save lives.
But something is changing. More than 3 million mayors, moms, cops, teachers, survivors, gun owners, and everyday Americans have come together to make their own communities safer. Together, we are fighting for the changes that we know will save lives.
Everytown for Guns Safety Action Fund, Inc. (Everytown) was formed in 2014 when two non-profits – Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America – combined to form one united non-profit to work together to reduce gun violence. How do they do this? By advocating for universal background checks on firearms purchases – including those at gun shows and over the internet, by supporting laws to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, supporting gun safety technology, and supporting legislation for stronger penalties for gun trafficking. Read more
BuckWHAT Granola
Not all granola is created equal.
When I hear the word “buckwheat,” I am reminded of “The Little Rascals” and “Our Gang” – the popular short films about a group of neighborhood kids (Spanky, Alfalfa, Chubby, Breezy, Darla, Stymie, and of course, Buckwheat), their dog (Pete), and beloved teacher (Miss Crabtree) that was filmed in the 1930’s and enjoyed syndication on television for decades after.
But, buckwheat is actually a very popular food in Russia and China (owing to its short growing season) that serves as a staple similar to quinoa in Peru, rice in Asian countries, and corn in Latin America. Many Americans think buckwheat belongs to the wheat family, as its name suggests but buckwheat is a gluten-free seed packed with protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. And, therefore a perfect ingredient for granola. Read more
A Wake Up Call for Sheryl Sandberg and Elizabeth Alexander
Most people know who Sheryl Sandberg is (the COO of Facebook) by virtue of who she works for but not everyone knows who Elizabeth Alexander is (a poet, essayist, playwright, and professor) although she taught at Yale for 15 years and is currently a faculty member at Columbia University.
Both women are middle-aged, successful, and role models for the younger generation. Living in opposite corners of the country (Sandberg in California; Alexander in New York) with vastly different careers, these women appear to have little in common although both were widowed young: Sandberg two years ago at the age of 45 after her husband, Dave Goldberg (at age 47) sustained a traumatic head injury possibly caused by heart arrhythmia while running on a treadmill; and Alexander in 2012 when her husband, Ficre Ghebreyesus died from heart failure at age 50 while exercising on the family’s treadmill. Read more
Paddock Post 