Kashi Recall

Below is a letter emailed from Kashi to one of our readers. We share it with you in case you have any of the products mentioned. How very responsible of the company to personally contact a consumer in a matter that may be of their concern.


Here at Kashi, we consider our consumers family. That’s why we’re taking a proactive position on the peanut product recall and recommending the following steps to protect your health and that of your families.
Since you received a Kashi™ TLC® Oatmeal Dark Chocolate cookie sample in the mail last year, we want to be sure you have the most updated information.

No doubt you have heard of all of the recalls involving peanut products from Peanut Corporation of America. Initially, our products were not involved, as only peanut butter and peanut paste were recalled—ingredients that we do not use in our products.

As Peanut Corporation expanded their recall to include additional peanut ingredients, we learned that the facility that bakes our TLC cookies used the recalled peanuts in products produced on the same line as our Oatmeal Dark Chocolate cookie. Therefore, we have voluntarily recalled all of our Kashi TLC cookies, including the cookie sent to you. If you still have the cookie, please throw it out just to be safe; we would never want to put our consumers’ health at risk.

Also included in this recall are:

• Kashi® TLC® Chewy Granola Bars in Trail Mix and Honey Almond Flax varieties, 7.4-ounce box with a "Best If Used Before" date prior to September 19, 2009 and followed by the letters CD (SEP 19 2009 CD)

• Kashi® TLC® Chewy Granola Bars Peanut Peanut Butter, 7.4-ounce box with a "Best If Used Before" date prior to August 8, 2009 and followed by the letters CD (AUG 08 2009 CD)

• Kashi™ TLC® Chewy Cookies in Oatmeal Dark Chocolate, Happy Trail Mix and Oatmeal Raisin Flax varieties only, 8.5-ounce box with a "Best If Used Before" date prior to July 30, 2009

If you have purchased boxes of any of these products, you should throw them out and call us at 877-701-5868 for a refund. For more information, visit us at Kashi.

Ammonia Free hair color

Saving 50% on hair color created quite a buzz. There are several ammonia free brands out there but to answer your question, I use Clairol Natural Instincts. Being a newbie on the hair coloring scene, I can't say it's better than other brands. It just happens to be the one I found, I tried it and it seems to serve its purpose. If any of you with more experience have some suggestions, please pass them along.

Save 50% on Hair Color

After breaking down and deciding to go ahead and cover my gray, I bought a box of semi-permanent, ammonia free hair color. Trying to be as natural and kind to my scalp as possible. Anyway, seemed like an awful lot of color for just my hairline and being the frugal woman that I am was not excited about dumping the rest of it down the drain. That's MONEY! Not to mention, the excess toxins having to be filtered out of our water supply.

What's a girl to do? Got it! Grabbed an empty and clean peanut butter jar that was headed for the recycling bin. I emptied 1/2 the activation creme into it. Marking the original bottle with a Sharpie was quite helpful in keeping me at the 1/2 way point. Next I poured 1/2 the colorant into the jar. This was trickier as that bottle is not clear. A bit of guess work here but I think I got it. Remember, go slow at this point. You can always add a little more, but once it's in, it's in. Shake and from here, I continued with the enclosed instructions.

Because the peanut butter jar doesn't have a squeeze top, this round was a bit messy. I scooped out a bit (don't forget the gloves) and smeared it on my hair. The consistency of this hair color is gel like so that helps. The remainder of the activation creme and colorant are still unmixed in their original containers for next time.

Results not guaranteed, but saving 50% is!

Nothing Glamorous Here Girls!

Organic Food Coupons

MONEY! MONEY! MONEY! Can you hear that song in your head? These days that's the only place we're hearin' it cuz it sure ain't in our wallets. So what's a mom to do? Go back to feeding her family filler "foods" that fake our minds into thinking we're actually full when we're really starving for some nutrition and energy? NO WAY! Instead click on some of these links for coupons on organic and natural products.
Mambo Sprouts
Coleman Natural
Stonyfield
Organic Valley
Horizon
Seventh Generation

We can cut corners in a lot of ways, but let's make sure we're cuttin' the right ones.

Green Lighting Guide

We're nearing the end of January. How ya' doin' on making those new year's resolutions? I'm sure by now most of us have SAVE MONEY at the top of that list. And while we're on the subject of saving, how about saving some energy? You've heard changing your light bulbs to compact fluorescent ones can save you both. Is it true? And what about mercury? What happens if you break one of those things? Are there any other environmentally friendly options when it comes to lighting?

All good questions and The Environmental Working Group has the answers for all of them including a chart of their top 7 picks with the mercury content, average life span, and where to purchase listed for each.

As far as those other resolutions...we'll get to those another day.

BlendTec vs. VitaMix

I walked into Costco ready to buy a VitaMix blender. I have been wanting one for two years and now have some Christmas money burning a hole in my pocket. We walk in only to see a demo on the BlendTec Total Blender. At first I thought, "oh great, what's this?". The last thing I need are options and some new fangled machine claiming it's just as good but cheaper. I look at the price-ok, so it's not cheaper. First thing I did was ask the guy "how does this compare to a VitaMix". I was ready for the salesmen's "well you know..." followed by a list of why his is better. Instead Mark graciously commented that the VitaMix was a good machine but there are features to the BlendTec he likes better. Hhhmmm do tell. Mesmerized by his demo, my daughters and I stood their for awhile watching, tasting, commenting, oohing and aahhing. The machine is pre-programmed to make ice cream and smoothies-stopping automatically when it's ready. How does it compare on healthier fare? Well, it's pre-programmed to make whole juices, pulverizing pomegranate seeds until you cannot even tell their there. Oat flour, wheat flour, corn meal? NO PROBLEMO. It grinds the grains and makes it all. When you use the soup cycle it finishes it off HOT. Imagine that! We were impressed!

He told me he'd be there for the week so eventually we headed home where I could scramble online and do the ultimate double checking. And look what I found, a handy dandy chart comparing the two. Yes, everything here is what Mark told me. Relieved and excited, we headed back the next day to purchase the Total Blender.

A girlfriend of mine had recently purchased a top end blender that was to compare with both of these. The only problem, the blades had not come in. Poor thing has been waiting for over a month. On Sunday I told her all about my BlendTec and that afternoon her and her girlfriend made a visit to Mark. The very next day, she got her money back on the other one-good job G.

Can't say I'm an expert yet, but on Wednesday she's comin' over so we can take these babies for a spin. We'll report our progress. Rest assured recipes are in formation. In the meantime, we're drinking our greens! And yes, the cleanup is a BREEZE!!

Spa Facial

UNFORTUNATELY AS OF JANUARY 2009, RIVERSTONE SPA WILL BE CLOSING. Previously I had written about my wonderful experience there with Tricia. I will miss the tranquility of Riverstone and its calming atmosphere. We wish all of you at Riverstone much success and joy in your future ventures. As for Tricia Schofield, Esthetician,I am grateful to find out that as of January 26, 2009 she will be employed with Bliss Spa inside the W Hotel in Buckhead. I'll see you soon Tricia!!