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Healthy Eating Tip: Start a Lunch Club

FitSugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:00:00 PDT

When you're trying to watch what you eat, brown-bagging it at work is a huge help. But let's face it: Not everyone has time to pack a lunch every night or morning before work. So why not start a lunch club at your office? It will help you eat better and encourage your co-workers to do the same.

Recruit a few of your officemates to join the club; anywhere from two to six members is a great start. Each week, assign each person to bring an ingredient for sandwiches or a smart salad. One person brings lettuce, or someone buys a loaf of bread, another member provides cold cuts, and so on. Then, every day, you can toss up a big salad to share, or let members make their own sandwiches with the provided ingredients.

If you want to get fancier, take more of a potluck approach. Have each person bring a different dish each day - anything from pasta salad to stir-fry - that everyone can eat for lunch. That way, each person only has to worry about lunch once a week.

Do any of you do this? If so, please do share your tips in the comments.

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Would You Join a Lunch Club?

YumSugar — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 10:27:11 PDT

I'm always talking about starting a Lunch Club - note to Sugar HQ: I'll do it someday, honest - where I organize lunch outings to various tasty eateries. However, I've never thought of starting a Lunch Club where people take turns making food for each other.

I recently discovered a Cooking Light article spotlighting the folks at Room and Board. Apparently they have a Healthy Lunch Club where folks cook for one another. Personally, I love the idea, but think it might create added stress in my life. I can barely find time to make my own lunch! Although, I'm sure once you get into the swing of it, it's probably pretty great. Homemade meals every day? How could you say no?

So tell me, what do you think of the Lunch Club idea? Is this something you'd want in your workplace?

Source

10 Grocery Deals That Trick You Into Spending More

Business Insider — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:15:24 PDT

To help you avoid an expensive grocery bill, Business Insider shares grocery deals that aren't really deals.

These days everyone's trying to make the most of their trip to the grocery store, but it's hard to tell when you're saving big if the grocer is using tricky marketing tactics.

We tapped deals expert and founder of the excellent site Grocery Game, Teri Gault, to help us decipher the deals from the duds and share her exclusive tips for stretching your grocery budget. Try them this week.

1. Reaching for big packages. "People are reaching for the big packages all the time but a lot of times the medium package is cheaper," says Gault. "It's just a marketing thing. We think the bigger package will give us the bulk price but that's not always the case." To find the real steal, calculate the cost per unit using the prices on the shelf.

2. Falling for the "buy one, get one half off" routine. "Whenever you see these they sound like a great deal but the two items together are only a 25 percent savings," Gault says. "Buy one, get one for free is truly half off, not this."

3. Hitting the clearance shelf. While there are good deals to be found here, the problem is that most of the items are only 50 percent off and damaged, says Gault. "You can score good groceries that aren't damaged whenever a sale hits instead."

Read on for more.

Avery Island, Part Deux: Boils, Bottles, Bloodies & Boudin

OnSugar Blog — Thu, 03 May 2012 05:45:45 PDT

If you're itching for a culinary adventure, there's no need to leave your home! Escape to Avery Island for a crawfish feast with Food Orleans.

This was my lunch. I ate it all.

Avery Island is a gorgeous place; it's surrounded by a long lace of bayous, has plenty of wildlife roaming around freely (deer, bears, raccoons, alligators), and houses the beautiful Jungle Gardens and Bird Sanctuary. You can spend a full day there soaking up the splendor, especially if you pack in a trip to the Tabasco factory.

We had a lovely, long ride down the bayou to the McIlhenny family's trapper's camp, just so we could get in some air boat rides (FUN!) and a little of this:

My favorite lunch in the world! These fellas were HUGE.

I'm only partly responsible for this amount of crawfish carnage. Let's just say that my tablemate, Cecil, is one fast picker.

Earlier that day, we had a tasting of all seven flavors of Tabasco sauce, led by CEO and Chairman of the Board Paul McIlhenny. His chief flavor developer, Charlie Chang, who has worked for the McIlhennys for over 30 years, was also present at the tasting. It was fascinating listening to the two describe how certain flavors were inspired, or how they were refined to become what they are today. I have to say, my new favorite hot sauce is Tabasco Habanero. It's Jamaican inspired and has a lot of fruit flavor to it, plus it packs a slow, intense heat that hits you at the end. For the tasting, we had saltine crackers and softened butter to help us tolerate the high amounts of heat in some of the sauces. I discovered that a saltine cracker spread with butter and topped with a little Habanero sauce is extremely delicious--like eating a wicked little butter cookie. I'm in love.

For more on this tasty adventure, plus a Tabasco-inspired mixology lesson, keep reading!

See the First Pictures of Lindsay Price's Son Hudson

Allie Merriam — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 06:40:18 PDT

Lindsay Price and her son Hudson Stone were together yesterday for a shopping outing in LA. This is the first look we've gotten at the little guy, who was born back in Nov. 2011. Lindsay and her boyfriend, chef Curtis Stone, have since been hanging out with their new addition. Curtis confirmed Hudson's arrival last year, tweeting, "Lindsay and I are so excited to welcome our sweet little baby boy into the world. It feels so great to be a dad!"

Work recently took Curtis to Davenport, Iowa, where he linked up with fellow chef Giada De Laurentiis for a project. Curtis did a demo at a lunch benefiting the Gilda’s Club organization. Lindsay, though, accompanied him on the trip closer to home. They went to LA's Atwater Village last Saturday to visit with parents and students who built a school garden.

Jennifer Garner and Violet Party in the Sand For a Pal's Birthday

Lauren Turner — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:35:32 PDT

Jennifer Garner and Violet headed to a friend's birthday party at the Bel Air Bay Club in Pacific Palisades on Saturday. Jennifer brought a wrapped gift to the event, where Violet and the other kids played in a bounce house and had lunch in the sand. It was a sunny weekend outing for the duo, who were also together for one of Jennifer's first postbaby appearances earlier this month. Jennifer gave birth to Samuel almost four weeks ago, and while we haven't seen the little guy yet, his big sisters have been out and about. Seraphina shared a smiley afternoon with Jennifer and Violet went shopping with dad Ben Affleck earlier this month.

Foodie Friday Link Time: Healthify Your Bacon Sammy

Susi May — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:25:36 PST

Healthify your California Club sammy for a guilt-free lunch - Healthy Happy Life
Fight free radicals with pistachios and other surprising sources of antioxidants - Shape
Fix your hair problems with food! What to eat for lovely locks - HuffPost Health
Get a visual: what 100 calories of meat really looks like - Blisstree
Are you going meatless for March? It's a healthy challenge! - Daily Spark
DIY whole-grain raspberry breakfast bars - Fit Bottomed Girls
Vegan and gluten-free, we're loving this peanut butter chocolate chip fudge - Vital Juice
A cook's guide to picking the right pear every time - Vegetarian Times

Ryan Phillippe Has a New Love, and a Lunch Date With Kids Ava and Deacon

Allie Merriam — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:12:00 PST

Ryan Phillippe took his children Ava and Deacon to lunch in LA on Saturday. The actor has been busy completing work on a couple of films, like Revenge For Jolly! and Straight A's. In addition to the movie work, it seems Ryan's got a new love too - he's been seen around town with 22-year-old model Paulina Slagter, who appeared once in an episode of Entourage.

Ava and Deacon spent time with their dad in California recently while mom Reese Witherspoon was abroad promoting her movie This Means War. Reese went to Paris for a few days with friends, then headed to London for a UK premiere. She also found time while in England to visit The Arts Club with Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, and Stella McCartney. Reese is back in the US now, though, and spent a good chuck of the weekend chatting up her action-comedy with costars Tom Hardy and Chris Pine. Chelsea Handler also rounds out the cast. We'll see the whole gang hit the red carpet Wednesday evening when they reconvene for a domestic premiere.

Sneak in a Little Diet and Fitness With These Easy Tips

Leta Shy — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 03:29:38 PST

A healthy lifestyle isn't just about how many miles you've logged on the trails or how many cookies you didn't eat this week. It's also all the small choices you make that add up to big results. Want to sneak in a few saved calories or extra exercise? Here are three easy ways to sneak in a little dieting or fitness.

Save a few calories, here and there: Living a healthy lifestyle doesn't mean perpetually being on a diet. Whether you live by your cheat days or give yourself a few treats a day, you can always benefit from shaving a few calories here or there. To save calories with only a little thought, make a few, but still tasty substitutions, like nixing mayo for yogurt, getting the sauce on the side, or grilling instead of sautéing meats. Here are more ways to shave calories at every meal.

Walk a little (it adds up): Vigorous exercise may be the most effective type of workout for weight loss, but don't knock those little things you should be doing to keep yourself active and out of your desk chair. It all helps you burn those calories, stay healthy, and keep the pounds off. Looking for creative ways to keep you up and walking? Save phone calls until you have time to take a walk or park farther than you need to so you're forced to move more.

Slow down: Whether you're wolfing down your lunch or imbibing drink after drink at happy hour, here's a reminder that eating and drinking quickly is never a good idea. Not only does eating slower allow you to focus on what exactly you are eating, it's also better for being able to gauge about how full you actually are - which means less overeating. And if you can't get enough of happy hour, alternate drinks with club soda or a glass of water - not only will you be saving on calories, but you'll also be hydrated (not to mention hangover-free).

Johnny Depp Thrills Oxford Students With His Latest Rum Diary Press Stop!

Allie Merriam — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 02:02:00 PST

Johnny Depp was in a hat, sunglasses, and plenty of necklaces yesterday to pose outside the Oxford Union in England. The private debate club was one of many stops on Johnny's UK press tour for The Rum Diary, and members were eager to hear what the actor had to say. Organizers raffled off tickets to hear Johnny speak after demand far exceeded the 500-seat capacity of the theater! Johnny also spoke to the London paper The Guardian about his new movie, friendship with author Hunter S. Thompson, and love for Europe. Johnny admitted to really not disliking anything about European ways of life. He said, "It's a very old and beautiful culture, people know how to live. You know, [in London] you have Sunday roast or the pub lunch, that kind of thing. It's comforting. We don't have that in our culture in the States. Sunday is football day, so it's chicken wings and pizza."