Observations on labels

Not clothing labels, nutritional labels. I saw some good reminders on how to eat from Sujatha's post on what she read off a grocery bag. My other friend told me she lost a lot of weight in France and that everything in the US has more sugar and salt. She even showed me some proof and I quote "First example in my house right now: Oroweat 100% whole grain whole wheat bread: ingredient 1 is flour, 2 is water, 3 is .. sugar!"

Her proof is offered above. I confess I was more amused by the name of the manufacturer Bimbo Bakeries.

Really good almond butter

My trainer used to suggest eating apples with a bit of peanut butter or almond butter as a pre workout snack. I was ambivalent about almond butter till I tasted Justin's maple almond butter. It is vastly superior to other brands found on supermarket shelves. Though the calories are same, almond butter is way lower in sodium than peanut butter. If you are a fan of almonds, try it!

First post of 2011

Sorry for the absence from the blog. I can come up with a zillion excuses but ultimately it is my responsibility. :-) Happy New Year 2011. I hope all your wishes come true. So a friend offered this tasty addictive snack (thanks J!) - Kirkland signature cashew clusters. I'd say this is an ideal snack for hiking because of the nice blend of cashews, almonds and pumpkin seeds. Do make sure you bag them in a snack size Ziplock bag to limit your portion to 5 clusters.

Winter is also a bad time if you have dry skin on your arms and legs. I've done a bunch of window shopping at the mall on and off vacation this winter. I love Body Shop's Shea body butter which is now on sale for half price. In summer I love this light souffle. I have seen this line of products in Target's cosmetic section. Both these products are significantly cheaper than bigger, more famous brands. But they work well.

I'd love to hear any recommendations you have for very dry skin.