Just a few days of sunshine and we’re already eating popsicles out here in California. But these are not ordinary fruit bars, they are made from superfruits such as acai, blueberry and pomegranate.
Dreyer’s new fruit bars are made with real fruit and are a great source of antioxidants which helps fight free radicals. Superfruits have been hitting the market for years. They include fruits that are high in vitamin C and are consider to be antioxidants. It’s rare to see them made into popsicles, when they are usually sold as health supplements or juices.
These fruit bars don’t just sound good, but are good for you! It is sweet, but is also tart and tangy too. I especially prefer the acai and blueberry over the pomegranate. I assume you can whip up some of these fruit bars yourself if you can get your hands on some acai berries.
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Interesting ideas come out of Japan. The latest trends over the years is the Cat Cafe. I wonder if such a cafe business would work in the U.S., but probably not as successful as in Japan.
I have heard of dogs for rent, where people can rent dogs for the hour and just take them out for the day.
At Cafe Nekorobi all the cats have their own photograph albums for visitors to look through. Image source.
Norimasa Hanada, owner of Neko no mise (Shop of Cats) was among the first to open up a cat cafe. Handa explained, cat cafe are popular with young urbanites who live in rental apartments that prohibit pets. While most family condominium allow pets, it’s really the young single people who could use some comfort and companionship of a pet.
Here is Megumi, 33, an office worker. She noticed that each cat cafe has it’s own vibe. This one at Neko no mise, has more friendly cats that are less stressed out. Image source.
The fees are charged by the hour, from $7 - $10. In order to survive in the cat cafe business, they need a high turnover rate of visitors. Despite the recession, the folks here don’t mind spending the money to hang out with these furry creatures. Maybe it is due to work or other stressful events, that cat cafes are so popular. Consider it “pet therapy”.
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I have a cabinet full of supplements, from fish oils to CoQ10. In the past, I was never big on taking supplements or pills of any kind. But it wasn’t until I found out how effective the supplements were for my health, that I took them more regularly.
My favorite is CoQ10 as it’s not only good for your gums, it’s also good for your skin. Another great supplement is fish oils. They provide Omega 3 fatty acids are great for health and beauty (skin).
The best place to get both CoQ10 and fish oils is at Costco. The fish oils are a great deal at $10 for 400 softgels of 1,000 mg.
Other supplements I take daily is Jarrows Bone-Up. It’s a multivitamin which has calcium, vitamin C and D3 as well as other good stuff for young women.
Senator John McCain has introduced the “Dietary Supplement Safety Act”. If passed, it will drive up the cost of dietary supplements and restrict your access to them.
We need to make sure supplements are within all of our reach. This act even has a misleading title to it too. I have emailed my representative about opposing this bill. Please take action by clicking here.
Just enter your zip code to contact your local representative. It’s simple and easy to do. Exercise your right to representation!
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This is my first “salt bar” made with Himalayan rock salt. Since I am a big fan of Himalayan rock lamps, the next step was to make a salt bar.
There has been handmade soap made with Dead Sea salt, Hawaiian sea salt, and Himalayan rock salt in the market. They all say it’s great for people with problem skin such as eczema and psoriasis. I figure it must be good overall, even if you have normal skin. You would think the salt would sting any cuts, but I think it helps it heal faster.
It’s not the most beautiful bar of soap, but does look like a piece of granite and feels just as heavy. So maybe it’s not that bad if you’re into collecting rocks.
Himalayan salt is mined by hand from the deep salt range located at the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains. Unlike regular table salt, Himalayan salt is not chemically processed. And unlike sea salt, it is free from pollution and contains 84 trace minerals.
If you have chunks of Himalayan rock salt, you can make sole (pronounced So-lay) out of it. Sole is a mixture of the Himalayan salt in water. You only need to take 1 tbs of sole daily, first thing in the morning, to feel it’s benefits. There are instructions on how to prepare it here.
The other thing I did different with this bar was use lard. I have bought handmade tallow soap and thought it was nice soap.Some people don’t like using animal by products for soap. Even though tallow (and lard) have always been a common ingredient in soap making. I also think it’s great to learn the art of soap making with different types of oils and ingredients.
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After buying and selling things on Ebay over the years, I’ve learn a lot about shipping packages with USPS. Ebay makes it easy if you have a scale at home, you can just weight the packages and print out postage at home.
Today I want to share my experiences of shipping with the Unites States Postal Service (USPS).
First Class mail is the best way to ship. I think it’s just as good as Priority Mail. Priority mail is great if you are mailing heavy items and want a flat rate. It usually delivers within 3 days. My only complaint is that the $4.95 box is too small.
Here is a list of prices for Priority Mail with USPS.
With Priority Mail, Express Mail and International packages you can avoid the lines at the Post Office and use USPS Click-N-Ship service. These boxes are free and can be requested to send to your home within 7-10 days.
The shipping method I do not recommend is Parcel Post and Media Mail. It may sound tempting to ship this way as the price is much cheaper. It is the slowest way to mail anything. Makes you wonder if your mail was still delivered by the Pony Express.
Media Mail is described to be the following items:
Media Mail® service is a cost efficient way to mail books, sound recordings, recorded video tapes, printed music, and recorded computer-readable media (such as CDs, DVDs, and diskettes). Media Mail can not contain advertising except for incidental announcements of books. - USPS
Media mail is subject to inspection and you will have to pay any extras for items not consider media mail. Magazines are not media mail. Calendar was not on the list, but my local mail clerk said it was OK to ship media mail. A good thing to do is bring the stuff and pack it in front of the mail clerk (to make sure everything is legit).
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In 2010, California becomes the first state to ban trans fat from restaurants and bakeries. While New York and Boston have similar laws.
I have stopped eating many food that contain trans fat. Trans fat raises your bad LDL cholesterol and lowers your good HDL cholesterol. Trans fat is also called hydrogenated fats. It’s usually added to processed and packaged baked goods to extend shelf life. More money in seller’s pocket, bad health for consumer.
Last time I was at the grocery store and picked up a box of “Butter Croissant”. But soon put it back when the the ingredients listed partially hydrogenated oil instead.
This is the way a croissant should be made, with real butter! It’s great as sandwich bread or with a bit of jam. Photo from Gunn’s Bakery.
Trans fat (hydrogenated oil) has been disguise as “healthy” fat substitute for a long time. The commonly used butter substitute is margarine and Crisco.
We have been mislead to think it’s better then butter. We are much better off cooking with real butter or lard (popular in Mexican food) then with margarine. And it taste better too!
Here is an excerpt of “The Skinny on Fats” written by Mary G. Enig, PhD and Sally Fallon:
” Instead of being eliminated, trans fats are incorporated into cell membranes as if they were cis fats—your cells actually become partially hydrogenated! Once in place, trans fatty acids with their misplaced hydrogen atoms wreak havoc in cell metabolism because chemical reactions can only take place when electrons in the cell membranes are in certain arrangements or patterns, which the hydrogenation process has disturbed.”
Trans fat lead to poor health such as heart disease and other metabolism problems. To have a healthier lifestyle, please avoid consuming trans fat.
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It wouldn’t be Christmas without candy canes. It’s simple candy made with sugar and peppermint oil.
Lots of colorful candy cane to chose from and nicely set in a pretty vase too. Take one! Photo from bookgrl flickr, CC.
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Instant coffee doesn’t find much interest here in the U.S. But Europeans don’t seem to have a problem with it. They even have what is called “luxurious” instant coffee. I think instant coffee is great, it’s easy and convenient way to enjoy coffee.
The world of instant coffee is much more then I realized. In Asian markets you can usually find many brands and selections of instant coffee. They are mostly imported from Thailand, Vietnam, and China. The packets even come with sugar and powder milk. But the powder milk they use is made with hydrogenated oils. I suggest they use only pure milk powder with no hydrogenation. It’s a matter of healthy eating.
This is Starbuck’s instant coffee, VIA. It took them 20 years to come up with the perfect cup. It is a strong cup. This is the 3 pack that retails for $4.99 at Amazon. I think the price went up, as it use to be $2.95 for 3 packs. Definitely not cheap compare to other instant coffee brands.
Starbuck is advertising these as being just as good as a cup of fresh brew. Starbuck’s PR - “There’s never been an instant like this. With Starbucks VIATM Ready Brew, at last there’s an instant coffee you can enjoy at home that’s as good as fresh-brewed Starbucks coffee.”
M won’t drink instant coffee, unless he’s out of coffee beans. But I don’t mind instant coffee at all. It’s great when you only want one cup. Also great if you are on the road or out on a hike.
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What better way to get into the Christmas spirit then putting up decorations? I just saw these cute Christmas critter ornaments at Pottery Barn. I especially like the baby penguin. But $26 for a set of 4 is quite pricey!
Pinecone Critters. Along with the pine cone body, it’s very creative! Photo from Pottery Barn.
Smith & Hawkin, the garden shop I’ve enjoyed visiting, always had nice ornaments. But sadly they are out of business (since last July 2009). I found this photo from the Daily Green. I remember seeing them last winter but didn’t buy any. They are so cute and colorful too! I found some on Ebay and thinking of bidding for them (starting bid is $3 for all 6).
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I have just finished listing my handmade soaps for sale online.
I like this little note from shopHANDMADE “Shop Handmade. Give Handmade.” I think commercial products are good, but handcrafted items come from the heart.
At shopHandmade you can also find many other handcrafted items from other sellers too. From hand knit scarves to candles.
Here is my little shop. To make purchases, you have to sign up with an account. It’s quick and easy, payment is done via PayPal.
UPDATE 12/10/09: I prefer etsy or Ebay. shopHandmade does not have “ease” of use and has problems loading. They have the right idea, but there needs to be some improvements. Until then, I have closed my account with shopHandmade. I hope the folks there make note of it! Thanks.
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