Sunday, March 7, 2010

Charlotte Jane


Good morning Charlotte Jane
we christen you today
with a name that's sure to make your mother cry
when she looks into your eyes
your life lies in visions before her mind
and mine as we lay awake to fires of night
hoping just to see you smile
as we change from day to day
for each--let this poem remind
that each sun rise
it says to you
Good morning Charlotte Jane





Monday, March 1, 2010

Target nuts are "The Nuts"



In poker lingo, saying you have "the nuts" is used metaphorically to describe an unbeatable hand. A player flopping the nuts in poker can not be beaten.

A common and certainly apocryphal folk etymology is that the term originated from the historical poker games in the colonial west of America, where if a player bet everything he possessed, he would place the nuts of his wagon wheels on the table to ensure that, should he lose, he would be unable to flee and would have to make good on the bet. Since it would be expected that a player would only make such a bet when he had the best possible hand, the folk lore says that this is how the best possible hand came to be known as the nuts. It is also rumored that these historical games were played only in the winter, and therefore, the nuts that were placed on the table were "stone cold", hence coining the term "stone-cold-nuts" link

Whatever the origin, I think of the nuts that I get at local big box store Target as pretty unbeatable. They are tasty, minimally processed, and cheap. Typically I'll pay $9.99 for a 32oz pail of either raw almonds, roasted(but unsalted cashews), or raw mixed nuts(almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, and hazelnuts).

Acceptable paleo nuts include almonds, Brazil Nuts, cashews, chesnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and walnuts.

Most co-ops and higher end grocery stores of Minnesota like Lunds/Byerlys/mount royal foods in Duluth also have good nuts, however they are typically far more expensive(like $6 or more for for 12-16 oz.)If price is of no concern these are the best you can get(They often have more unique flavors) which I think is a cue of certain minerals/vitamins although I can't be sure.

Other lower price stores like Cub Foods and Walmart have cheaper nuts but they tend to be overly salted, or roasted in un-paleo oils(like cottonseed/peanut/soybean). I consider them ok options if you can't find anything else but I wouldn't consume them frequently.

Another good strategic tip that can be used anywhere is that nuts sold for baking tend to be slightly cheaper/less processed than nuts sold individually in the nuts section. I know as a paleo dieter you're not used to going down the baked goods aisle but it does create a unique opportunity to pick up some value if you can avoid the temptations that await you.