Brainy

Origins of Common Food Names

Thanks Julie Fritz for helping us with these fun facts to round out our month of nutrition.

Ever wonder where your favorite snack got its name?  Curb your appetite with the trivia below.

*Did you know there is no real Betty?  Betty Crocker got its name because Betty was seen as an All-American name.  The last name was given from a company director.

*What drink was first introduced as a “snappy apple” carbonated beverage?  Snapple, of course!

*What is Canadian, oil and low in acid?  Squish these words together and you get canola oil.  The term was successfully created to combat the ugly name rapeseed, which is really where the slick substance derives.

*Could’ve had a V-8?  You bet!  This combination of tomato concentrate, water and eight vegetables makes up the original cocktail base.  Beets, celery, lettuce, carrots, parsley, watercress, spinach and tomato- I know you were wondering!

*Raise your milk glass to that Milano cookie.  Pepperidge Farms is the namesake of family property and the Pepperidge trees planted there.

Now you can enlighten your coworkers while standing around the water cooler!  Here’s a toast to invisible Betty and her delicious baked goods!  Too bad those unwanted lbs aren’t invisible, too!

St. Paddy’s Day Celebrations -What You Need to Know.

Planning a St. Paddy’s Day Celebration?  Whether you’re inviting a few friends over or celebrating with a few hundred of your newest friends, Julie Fritz, our DIY contributor is here to help

First – read this quick lesson on Paddy vs. Patty. While you’ll laugh at this true Irishman’s frustration with the rest of us regarding our amateur hour approach to this Irish celebration, it’s worth the read to learn that “Paddy is derived from the Irish, Pádraig, and Patty is the diminutive of Patricia, or a burger, and just not something you call a fella.”

Drink! If you aren’t a Guinness beer fanatic, you may look to other options. Local drinking establishments will surely be pouring green hued beer from the tap or you can follow instructions from SheKnows to tint your own.  Why should the grown-ups have all the fun? The kids at the party will enjoy seltzer water or clear juice treated in the same way as the beer.  While you’re being the Saint Paddy’s hostess with the mostest, why not download our custom party coasters to keep the party off your furniture?

Green teeth? Be warned, though, if you see a hint of green to fellow beer drinkers’ teeth, it may not be your beer goggles! Those who haven’t had a professional dental cleaning in a while or who have plaque buildup should steer clear of emerald brews. According to Joseph Roberts, a Philadelphia dentist: “The green food coloring that is added to the beer stains the bacterial cell walls in plaque. So if his smile is looking all green, it’s probably not just the beer.”

Sláinte! A common toast in Ireland is Sláinte! It is pronounced ‘slawn-cha’ and means health. It is our equivalent to cheers, so here’s to your health and Irish festivities!

Appts, Appts, Appts: Get Organized

After Pilates class on Saturday, I walked to my local nail salon eager to revise my Frankenstein looking chipped black nails for something, well a little more polished. To my horror (literally you should have seen my face) they were booked. The manicurist asked if I had an appointment —- an appointment, hmm what a novel idea. My nails (still chipped) were the impetus for this post.

For the most part, each year you’ll have the same type of appointments — two dental cleanings, one doc visit, six hair colorings, 25 nail appointments. What if you got organized and actually booked these in advance? Think about the time you would save, the preferential dates and hours of appointments you’d secure and a whole lot less stress from begging for someone to “fit you in”.

Here are our five best tips for getting your appointment life organized:

1. Make a list of what appointments you’ll need for the year and categorize them. For example:

Beauty:

Hair, Nails, Waxing

Medical:

Dentist, Doctor, Acupuncturist, Optometrist

Other:

DMV, Accountant, Psychic

2. Look at each individual type of appointment and decide in what month you’ll need to have the appointment.

For example:

Hair: Every Other Month

Nails: Every Month

Accountant: Once Per Year

3. During the first week of each new quarter: January 1, April 1, July 1, October 1 – book all of  your appointments for that three month time period.

For example:

Quarter 1: 2 hair appointments, 3 nail appointments and an accountant appointment need to be made.

4. Store your appointments on an online calendar like Google Calendar so you can access it from any computer.

5. Set a reminder two weeks before each scheduled appointment to confirm it still works with your schedule — we get it, things come up!

Clean Your Computer Desktop

Take 20 minutes to organize your computer desktop today–and you’ll thank us each time you power-on.

1. Your desktop should be a temporary place for files. Toss or file everything on there that you don’t use each day.

2. Pick a simple background wallpaper like a solid color that the files can rest neatly on.

3. Organize the desktop into two sections — Today and This Week – and then place files into each section depending on when you will tackle the item.

4. There are computer programs that will help you keep your computer and desktop clean and organized by setting up rules to follow. If you have certain items that always need to do the same thing, setting up rules can save loads of time and then the computer will know what to do. Try Belvedere for PC and Hazel for Mac.