Superbowl Game Series: Oven-Fried Zucchini Sticks

 You will love this healthy snack: Oven-Fried Zucchini Sticks. They are crunchy, incredible!

Oven-Fried Zucchini Sticks

Servings: 4 portions

• Canola or olive oil cooking spray
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds zucchini, (about 3 medium), cut into 1/2-by-3-inch sticks
• 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 475°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
Combine flours, cornmeal, salt and pepper in a large sealable plastic bag. Dip zucchini in egg white, shake in the bag to coat, and arrange, not touching, on the baking sheet. Coat all exposed sides with cooking spray.
Bake on the center rack for 10 minutes. Turn the zucchini and coat any floury spots with cooking spray. Continue to bake until golden and just tender, about 8 to 10 minutes more. Serve hot.

Nutrition

Per serving: 127 calories; 2 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 23 g carbohydrates; 7 g protein; 4 g fiber; 427 mg sodium; 524 mg potassium.


Source: EatingWell.com

CRIB RECALL: Generation 2 Wordwide Safety Craft Cribs

"Consumers should immediately stop using Generation 2 Worldwide "SafetyCraft" brand full-size and portable drop-side cribs because their plastic hardware breaks easily, posing a death risk to infants, the government said on Thursday.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement that the cribs appeared to use the same drop-side hardware as the Generation 2 Worldwide ChildESIGNS brand recalled a year ago.
"This hardware ... can fail and place infants and toddlers at risk of strangulation and suffocation," the CPSC said, warning against attempts to fix the cribs.
CPSC said it had reports of three infant suffocation deaths and 20 drop-side related incidents involving previously recalled models of Generation 2 Worldwide and ChildESIGNS cribs with plastic hardware similar to "SafetyCraft" cribs.
CPSC has limited information about the exact model numbers because the Alabama-based company ceased operations in 2005.
However, the cribs are known to have "SafetyCraft" on a label on either the head or foot boards. The cribs were used in homes and child-care facilities. Consumers can identify the Foundations SafetyCraft crib by "Foundations" printed on the mattress support assembly instructions label under the crib mattress, the CPSC said. "

Source: Reuters, msnbc

Baby And Me Eco-Giveaway: Last Call!!!

If you have a baby, don't miss this Eco-Giveaway. This is your last call!
The Baby And Me Bath Towel from Bathing in Grace is a great invention by a Mompreneur! This cleverly designed set of 2 towels allows you to bring your wet baby out of the water straight to your arms effortlessly (click here for pictorial illustration). The set includes a towel that you wear around your body like an apron, and a hooded baby-sized bath towel to wrap baby in after bathtime. It dries the baby, and keeps you from getting wet. What's more, the towels are very fluffy and soft, made with 100% organic bamboo terry cloth. Genius!

We like it so much that we have been giving it away (each set is worth US$56!). The last lucky winner will be announced on February 7, 2011.
It is very easy to participate:
1) Invite your friends to subscribe to our bi-weekly e-Newsletter. You will be entered once for each friend that signs up. Spread the news to increase your chances to win!
 2) Don't forget to send us an e-mail with the names of your friends that subscribed. Our e-mail address is EcoLogicalMom(at)ymail.com.

Just copy and send the link below to your friends:
http://ecologicalmom.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=71811fa4d84123a4bc6539050&id=d0a1368f2d

Or Click on the icons at the bottom of this posting to share the article through your social media (Facebook. Twitter, etc).


If you haven't signed up for our bi-weekly e-Newsletter yet, just click here!

Winners will be selected randomly
"Baby and Me" towels are provided by Bathing In Grace.

 

USC offers free flu vaccines

The Thomson Student Health Center is offering the flu vaccination free of charge to students, faculty and staff. This initiative began after the center cut the price of flu shots in half in order to increase incentive for vaccination.
Nicole Carrico, a public relations and quality assurance coordinator for Student Health Services, said February is the prime flu month for campus, and there is a vaccine surplus in the health center. Carrico added that about 4,000 vaccines were ordered and that the health center is offering the remaining 1,000 for free.
"Anticipating we're going to see a huge amount of flu on campus within the next couple of weeks, it's important we get rid of the vaccines now," Carrico said.
According to an update provided by Heather Stewart-Grant, a Thomson Student Health Center lab manager, there were 94 positive flu tests in January 2011 at the health center, and five of those were positive for H1N1, also known as the swine flu.
Last year, two different kinds of flu shots were offered at the health center — the H1N1 flu vaccine and the seasonal flu vaccine — while this year's vaccine is a combination that combats three different types of flu, Carrico said. She also added that last year, the facilities that provide the vaccine ran out, and in order to prevent a shortage this year, more were ordered.
"The whole response overall this year has been somewhat disappointing and slow at all the clinics so far, so we made [the vaccine] free," Carrico said.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Well, now I am really getting set for my trips to town. For sure, I cannot drink on every trip. Bad for my health and not really that satisfying. So I must do something else, a little work, or a movie on my Laptop would be nice. Music is always pleasant.

"There will always be death and taxes. However,

death doesn't get worse every year."

I have the first part ready now for trial, Saturday night when I go to Aliamanu. I will take my computer and do whatever work I can do on  the way over, probably on some posters since I need fresh ones all the time and I am still learning.

I have some music on my USB thumb drive and I can listen to some good music. I put three disks in the thumb drive which should be enough. Same thing on the way back, except that I will have my R & C vacuum bottle too. Should make for a pleasant evening.

The blogs have slowed down a little but they go up and down, with the net average going up slowly but surely. But the occasions will gather or disperse as well so we must accept that. I cannot see the point where the law of diminishing returns will have an effect on us yet.

"I have been broke often, but I have never been poor. Being poor is a state of mind. Being broke is only a temporary situation."

~ Mike Todd.

From Jimbo Johnson email: Hey, If you could spread the word about the event that would be much appreciated :)

Event:  Big Band Ballroom
Valentine's Dance
Held By:  Waipahu High School Band
Purpose:  Fundraiser for the
Band Program
Date:  Saturday, February 19, 2011
Location:  Waipahu High School Cafeteria
Time:  7pm to 10pm
Cost:  $8 pre sale - See me, or $10 at the door
Featuring our Jazz band.  There will be Food, Prizes and more.
Thank you!
-  Jimbo Johnson.

Coffee Lovers

Most of us love coffee, pure or mixed with milk. However, many of us wonder how good or bad it is for our health. In a study published in a special supplement to the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, researchers explored the potential benefits of caffeine and found substantial evidence that it may be protective against the cognitive decline seen in dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
For the study (“Therapeutic Opportunities for Caffeine in Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases”) a group of international experts looked into the effects of caffeine on the brain. The result was a collection of original studies exploring a number of topics ranging from molecular targets of caffeine, neurophysiological modifications and adaptations, to the potential mechanisms underlying the behavioral and protective actions of caffeine in distinct brain pathologies.

Here’s a brief summary of what they found:
1. Caffeine has a positive effect on cognition, memory performance, and the ability to complete complex tasks.
2. An inverse association between regular caffeine consumption and the incidence of Parkinson’s disease was found -- in other words, caffeine looks to be protective against Parkinson’s disease.
3 . The consumption of moderate amounts of caffeine was seen to decrease the cognitive decline associated with aging, as well as the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease.
4. Caffeine prevented motor deficits, normalized brain function, and prevented brain degeneration.

Other studies have shown:
5. Caffeine improves a sense of well-being, happiness, energy, alertness and sociability.
6. Caffeine enhances aerobic endurance.
7. Consumption of coffee can lead to a decreased risk of Type 2 diabetes.
8. Coffee has a whopping amount of antioxidants -- on average, Americans receive 1,299 milligrams of antioxidants from their 1.64 cups of daily coffee.

When selecting your coffee, opt for Fair Trade, organic, or shade grown–coffees farmed with these farmer and planet-friendly systems are becoming increasingly available in the mainstream marketplace.

Source: Yahoo

Fake Blueberry in Top Brand Cereals: Shocking....

The Consumer Wellness Center recently produced a Food Investigations video that looked at the actual blueberry content of several widely available packaged foods. It shows how Kellogs, General Mills, Betty Crocker, and other brands advertise plump, whole blueberries in their cereals and mixes, but deliever dextrose, corn flour, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, sugar, citric acid, artificial flavor, and food colorings Blue #1 and Red #40 instead.
Watch for yourself: