Category: Trending

Image by Jeremy Smith from Pixabay

Trader Joe’s is one of my favorite places to shop. I love the frozen pastas, the seasonal goodies, and the occasional wine sampling.

After listening to a few food editors, I found out about a few things that are NOT worth buying. Apparently, a few things have led to quite a bit of disappointment. Since I don’t like being disappointed and certainly don’t like wasting money, I now avoid these items.

If you love TJs like I do, be sure you avoid these items on your next shopping trip…

Most Bread

The bread isn’t that good. Plus, many of the loaves are likely to go moldy within a day or two.

Most Produce

The first thing you approach at a Trader Joe’s is the produce. While it looks great, many items go bad within days. Some can even go bad within hours of getting it home. If you really must buy produce at TJs, go for some of the sturdier items like potatoes or onions.

Packaged Sushi, Sandwiches, Wraps, & Salads

If you’re buying these because you think they’re fresh, think again. None of them are made on-site. Plus, they are likely going to be bland, stale, or both.

Ice Cream

All ice cream is the same, right? Wrong. Quite a bit of ice cream in the frozen food section sounds delicious, like their mini cones. However, it comes off as bland and boring. You’d be better off going to your local supermarket where they have an entire aisle dedicated to impressive flavors.

Image by Henrik Larsen from Pixabay

Frozen Meatballs

While you might be looking to make a quick pasta dish, steer clear of the frozen meatballs – turkey or beef. They are much softer than the average meatball, and the taste is far from Italian.

Trader Joe’s Beer

Your local TJs sells beer from local breweries and around the globe. You can find some great deals. However, their house-label beers are generally pretty gross. Stay clear of their beers and focus on the more established brands.

Shelf-Stable Salad Dressings

Where you buy your salad dressing matters, at least at Trader Joe’s. The ones in the dry grocery aisles are usually overly sweet and overpriced for what they are. If you really want salad dressing, buy it in the refrigerated section or grab the ingredients and make some at home on your own.

Now that you know what to stay away from, focus on all of the other goodness when you get to Trader Joe’s!

Photo by Fallon Michael on Unsplash

There’s something exciting and magical about walking into a Whole Foods. It feels so, well, wholesome when you get inside. The organic store has a ton of high-quality foods and products, but not everything is worth the price. In fact, they’ve earned the nickname “The Whole Paycheck” because you can spend a fortune if you’re not careful.

Many customers have shared what isn’t worth the money.

Before you head into Whole Foods next, check out these 8 things to avoid putting into your cart:

Photo by Brittani Burns on Unsplash

The Hot Bar: The premade soups, salads, and entrees are certainly convenient, but it can be quite pricy when you look at what it will cost per pound. In fact, by the time you fill up your box and get to the checkout, it could have been cheaper to go out to a restaurant.

Rotisserie Chicken: You’d save so much time just buying a classic rotisserie chicken at Whole Foods. It’s already cooked, and you can buy an organic one. “Meh,” is how most customers rate it, though. Most say that the Costco one, which is a cult favorite, is not only better but also cheaper.

Pre-Cut Produce: The easiest way to get your fruits in for the day is to grab a container of pre-cut fruits, whether it’s watermelon, mango, or sliced strawberries. Those containers cost a fortune compared to what it would cost to buy the whole fruits and cut them yourself.

Croissants: Okay, hear me out. The Whole Foods Bakery is amazing with its cakes and cookies. However, their croissants are just not that good. They are also really expensive, so it’s best to skip these when you’re at the store. Perhaps grab a Berry Chantilly Cake for dessert instead.

Photo by Anne Preble on Unsplash

Basic Produce: You should go to Whole Foods for the organic and the hard-to-find produce, not the conventional stuff like avocados and spinach. You’ll pay a lot more than buying them at your regular grocery store.

Fresh Fish: While the fish is always “responsibly farmed,” many will question just how fresh it is. It’s also quite expensive, so if it looks old, save yourself some money and skip that department entirely.

Bulk Nuts: It’s tempting to grab a bag and start dispensing nuts into your bag. Pistachios, macadamia nuts, and more can add up quickly by the time that bag makes it to the scale. You could be paying $10 – $20 per pound, which is higher than what you’d pay at Walmart or Aldi.

365 Milk: It’s easy to reach for the 365 milk. It’s cheaper than the other top-of-the-line dairy brands since it’s the Whole Foods brand. Even though it’s cheaper, it’s not always better. In fact, it tends to spoil quickly. Many customers also complain of an “odd taste” or that it has a “strong plastic” flavor.

You’ll find plenty of treasures to spend your money on at Whole Foods. If you skip these eight items, we promise you’ll be happier with what you pay at the register, too.

Photo by Christina Victoria Craft on Unsplash

If you’ve ever had an ingrown toenail, you know how painful it can be. If it’s painful to walk and you’ve got redness and swelling on the edge of the toenail, it’s probably because of an ingrown nail. It’s important to do something about it right away. Otherwise, it could become infected or even abscessed. If you start to see yellow discharge or you run a fever, it’s best to make an appointment with your doctor.

The good news is that the moment you notice an ingrown toenail, you can treat it naturally and at home, which is always a good idea.

Photo by Pilar Rubio on Unsplash

Treatment Options

1. Soak and clean the foot with the infection in warm water for about 20 minutes, three times a day. The warm water can help to reduce the swelling. Then, use a cotton swab (or even dental floss) to help pull the ingrown nail gently away from the toe’s skin.
2. If you’ve had the ingrown nail for a while, a warm water soak may not be enough. Add Epsom salt to the bath and follow the same instructions as above.
3. Use a bit of vapor rub on your toe. The balm can speed up the healing and relieve the pain.
4. Use apple cider vinegar to boost the healing. Let a cotton ball soak up the vinegar and then hold it onto the toe for a few minutes. Repeat daily until the pain is gone.
5. Use a bit of antibiotic cream on the red and swollen area, then wrap in a bandage to keep the area clean.

Photo by Alicia Christin Gerald on Unsplash

Prevent Ingrown Toenails to Begin With

Also, know that ingrown toenails don’t “just happen.” They’re usually caused by something such as diabetes, sweaty feet, shoes that don’t fit properly, a bacterial infection, or cutting your nails too short.

Knowing that you can avoid ingrown toenails is half the battle. Knowing how to take care of them when they happen is the other half. Take care of your feet so you can avoid the pain!

Photo by Ello on Unsplash

If you’ve got hot food that isn’t going to be eaten right away, you will want to get it into the fridge. The question is, do you have to cool it down first? Or, can it go in piping hot?

Food safety is critical, so let’s discuss the correct method.

Food Safety 101

Food safety should always be practiced. Otherwise, you risk various foodborne illnesses like E. Coli, listeria, or salmonella. 40 F to 140 F is considered the “danger zone” where you’re most likely going to experience problems. So, you should cool food as quickly as possible to get the food out of the danger zone.

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Cooling is Critical

Your fridge may not be able to cool everything down quickly enough – and you don’t want to get anything else around the leftovers warmer than it should be.

Now, here’s why cooling is so important:

• It prevents bacterial growth
• It preserves food quality
• It protects the other food you have in the fridge (or freezer)

Once the food is out of the danger zone, you can place it in the fridge. If the food has been in the danger zone for more than a few hours, it might be best to toss it.

Image by Abdulmajeed Hassan from Pixabay

A Few Best Practices

Make it easy on yourself and follow a few best practices:

1. Cover your food with a lid or foil with a gap so that steam can escape.
2. Transfer food to a shallow pan or container so that heat can dissipate faster.
3. Use a food thermometer to monitor the temperature. You want to get the temperature out of the danger zone (so below 40 F) within two hours.
4. Use an ice bath to speed up the cooling process.

The next time you have a hot dish, cool it down, wrap it up, and get it in the fridge. It’s the safest way for you to deal with any of your leftovers.

The NFL kicked off its Thanksgiving slate on Thursday afternoon with an NFC North showdown between the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions. It’s a matchup between two teams that bookend the division standings — the Lions are on top, the Bears are in the basement — but part of what makes the Thanksgiving games interesting despite that is the pageantry of the whole thing.

Of course, there was CBS sending its top crew, the celebration of John Madden, and all the fun little touches that come from games taking place on Thanksgiving. And of course, while it’s not the Super Bowl halftime show, fans at the stadium and watching on television got treated to a performance while both teams made their ways into their respective locker rooms.

While Lainey Wilson is scheduled to perform during Giants-Cowboys and Lindsey Stirling is the halftime show during Dolphins-Packers, Shaboozey took the stage at Ford Field during the early game. Unsurprisingly, he performed his smash hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” along with “Last of My Kind” and “Highway.”

If you’d like to watch the full performance, you can do that right here. While Shaboozey performed, the Lions were certainly the happier of the two teams in the halftime locker room, as they held a 16-0 lead and limited the Bears to only 53 yards of total offense in the first half.

The NFL kicked off its Thanksgiving slate on Thursday afternoon with an NFC North showdown between the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions. It’s a matchup between two teams that bookend the division standings — the Lions are on top, the Bears are in the basement — but part of what makes the Thanksgiving games interesting despite that is the pageantry of the whole thing.

Of course, there was CBS sending its top crew, the celebration of John Madden, and all the fun little touches that come from games taking place on Thanksgiving. And of course, while it’s not the Super Bowl halftime show, fans at the stadium and watching on television got treated to a performance while both teams made their ways into their respective locker rooms.

While Lainey Wilson is scheduled to perform during Giants-Cowboys and Lindsey Stirling is the halftime show during Dolphins-Packers, Shaboozey took the stage at Ford Field during the early game. Unsurprisingly, he performed his smash hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” along with “Last of My Kind” and “Highway.”

If you’d like to watch the full performance, you can do that right here. While Shaboozey performed, the Lions were certainly the happier of the two teams in the halftime locker room, as they held a 16-0 lead and limited the Bears to only 53 yards of total offense in the first half.

The NFL kicked off its Thanksgiving slate on Thursday afternoon with an NFC North showdown between the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions. It’s a matchup between two teams that bookend the division standings — the Lions are on top, the Bears are in the basement — but part of what makes the Thanksgiving games interesting despite that is the pageantry of the whole thing.

Of course, there was CBS sending its top crew, the celebration of John Madden, and all the fun little touches that come from games taking place on Thanksgiving. And of course, while it’s not the Super Bowl halftime show, fans at the stadium and watching on television got treated to a performance while both teams made their ways into their respective locker rooms.

While Lainey Wilson is scheduled to perform during Giants-Cowboys and Lindsey Stirling is the halftime show during Dolphins-Packers, Shaboozey took the stage at Ford Field during the early game. Unsurprisingly, he performed his smash hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” along with “Last of My Kind” and “Highway.”

If you’d like to watch the full performance, you can do that right here. While Shaboozey performed, the Lions were certainly the happier of the two teams in the halftime locker room, as they held a 16-0 lead and limited the Bears to only 53 yards of total offense in the first half.

The NFL kicked off its Thanksgiving slate on Thursday afternoon with an NFC North showdown between the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions. It’s a matchup between two teams that bookend the division standings — the Lions are on top, the Bears are in the basement — but part of what makes the Thanksgiving games interesting despite that is the pageantry of the whole thing.

Of course, there was CBS sending its top crew, the celebration of John Madden, and all the fun little touches that come from games taking place on Thanksgiving. And of course, while it’s not the Super Bowl halftime show, fans at the stadium and watching on television got treated to a performance while both teams made their ways into their respective locker rooms.

While Lainey Wilson is scheduled to perform during Giants-Cowboys and Lindsey Stirling is the halftime show during Dolphins-Packers, Shaboozey took the stage at Ford Field during the early game. Unsurprisingly, he performed his smash hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” along with “Last of My Kind” and “Highway.”

If you’d like to watch the full performance, you can do that right here. While Shaboozey performed, the Lions were certainly the happier of the two teams in the halftime locker room, as they held a 16-0 lead and limited the Bears to only 53 yards of total offense in the first half.

The Detroit Lions have been the best team in the NFC this season, thanks in part to one of the most balanced offensive attacks in the league. Detroit is built inside out, relying on arguably the best offensive line in football to pave the way for their two-headed rushing attack with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, with Jared Goff picking defenses apart in the play-action game off that running game.

On top of that, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is about as creative as they come when it comes to dialing up some trickeration, and on Thanksgiving he tried to let his star right tackle, Penei Sewell, shine on the Lions first drive of the game. After picking up a first down to put them just outside the red zone, Sewell lined up at tight end and came around on a reverse, but instead of running it, the big fella was looking to throw it downfield. Unfortunately for Sewell, the Lions, and everyone watching hoping to see some Large Man Excellence, the Bears covered it extremely well and there was nowhere for Sewell to go, with the Bears defense eventually swarming him and pushing him out of bounds — because they could not bring him to the ground.

It’s actually a really good play by Sewell not to force a throw into coverage like most non-QBs would do in that situation, and the fans still went crazy for the play call and for Sewell shrugging off the entire Bears defense to stay on his feet. The craziest part of the whole thing is that Sewell, by losing two yards, took a sack on the play, which means he has taken more sacks this season than he’s given up at right tackle. Sewell came into the game having allowed 0 sacks in more than 700 snaps, per PFF, which is an astonishing stat and a great example of why he’s a perennial All-Pro. Hopefully, this won’t be the last time we see Sewell given the chance to throw the ball cause I want to see him get a chance to let the ball fly.

Thanksgiving is here and that means a virtual smorgasbord of football action. The weekend begins with a tripleheader on the big day itself, and the fun doesn’t stop until Monday. In this space, it’s been a tough season but, on the bright side, four of the last five weeks have ended in the green as we scratch and claw our way toward respectability.

There is still a long way to go but, before we get to the Week 13 picks, let’s take stock of the progress.

• Week 12: 3-2
• 2024 Season: 24-35-1

Come get these winners.

Chicago Bears (+10) over Detroit Lions — ESPN Bet

I’m tired of fading the Lions. It hasn’t gone well, and I hate it. But this is another spot where I think I have to. Detroit is banged-up and, while the Lions should win this game at home, Chicago is a step above the doormats that should be catching double-digits in this spot. Thoughts and prayers.

Atlanta Falcons (+1.5) over Los Angeles Chargers — FanDuel

In the interest of full disclosure, I’m a Falcons fan. I don’t want to bet on the Falcons. I actively try not to. But this is a spot I really like. Atlanta is coming off a bye, while Los Angeles played a high-impact game on Monday on the west coast. I would already have the Falcons as a tiny favorite before accounting for the situation, so give me the candy on the home underdog.

Cincinnati Bengals (-2.5) over Pittsburgh Steelers — FanDuel

This is Cincinnati’s last stand. At 4-7, they have zero margin for error. That’s not why I’m taking them, but the Bengals should be able to move the ball and score, even against Pittsburgh’s defense. The market is still a touch higher on the Steelers than I am, and grabbing this below a field goal is advantageous.

Carolina Panthers (+6) over Tampa Bay Buccaneers — BetMGM, Bet365

Make no mistake, Carolina isn’t very good, but they are undervalued at this number. Bryce Young looks like an NFL quarterback and, while the Panthers are going to give up some points here, they can go shot-for-shot with the Bucs at home.

Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers OVER 46.5 points — Widely Available

NFC South overs have crushed all season. I’m not getting off the train just yet and, as noted earlier, I think this might even be a spot when the Over is correlated to the underdog to some degree. Tampa Bay’s defense should pave the way for some fireworks.