The Obesity Epidemic

Everyone is looking for someone or something to blame for the obesity crisis. According to the CDC website, "In 2008, only one state (Colorado) had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Thirty-two states had a prevalence equal to or greater than 25%; six of these states (Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia ) had a prevalence of obesity equal to or greater than 30%". That does not even count those that are just "overweight".

Personally I blame it on fast food restaurants like Burger King, McDonald's, etc. It is way too convenient to just stop and get burgers and fries on the way home than to cook a decent meal. And with the politically correct world we live in, we have to cater to the kids' likings. McDonald's and Burger King is great because EVERYBODY likes it. You don't have to argue with the kid to eat his broccoli.

But a Whopper has 670 calories, with 39 grams of fat. 11 grams of that is saturated fat. A medium Burger King French fries has 360 calories with 20 grams of fat. 4.5 grams of that is saturated fat. Add a medium chocolate shake and you get 690 more calories with 20 more grams of saturated fat. 12 grams of that is saturated fat. Total that up and you get 1720 calories and 79 grams of fat. There is no excuse to serve a meal like that. Based on a 2000 calorie diet, you are done eating for the day.

To burn those calories walking, the rule of thumb is 100 calories per mile for a 180 pound person. So you would have to walk a little over 17 miles that day. This works out great if you live 8 1/2 miles from a Burger King...

So it is how it is. You cannot have a government mandate forcing Burger King or McDonald's to serve healthy food because it would taste like crap and this is a free country. So the only thing we can do is educate your kids to make healthy choices as they grow older. And get them involved in a physical activity like Extreme Trampoline!

Mom Made Beany Weenies For Thanksgiving...

With all the Thanksgiving hype on the internet, I thought I would share this experience that happened to me many years ago. I was about 13 and it was a day or two before the annual family Thanksgiving dinner. It was one of those years when it seemed like everyone was going to be in town. My mom was pretty much on her own cooking and it was starting to look like 20 or more family members were going to be there.

I know mom was making her plans on what she need to get at the store, when all at once the phone started to ring. Now I will be the first to say that our extended family did not get along all the best. (I didn't know it at the time, but my parents were contemplating divorce). One side of the family said "I don't know if I am going to be there if so-and-so is going to be there. And the other side called too and said the same thing, putting my mom in the middle. She did not uninvite anybody and she just told everyone to show up if they wanted to, and if they did not make it, it was their loss.

Thanksgiving morning came, and I went into the kitchen to see if there was any early Thanksgiving goodies I could snack on, but the kitchen was virtually empty. I asked my mom if everything was ok, and she said she had it under control and for me to go out and play. I figured she decided to have it catered, or maybe everyone else was bringing a dish. Well teenage hunger kicked in and guests started to arrive. but no one was carrying anything. I went back in the house, and my mom had a great big serving bowl in the middle of the table full of beany weenies! There must have been 20 cans of pork and beans and 2 packages of chopped up hot dogs. Other than paper plates, plasticware and some potato chips, that was it.

At first I thought my mom had lost it, but stepping back and seeing the big picture my mom was my hero. I was so proud of her for making a statement. She was able to spend time with the family members that WANTED to be there instead of cooking and cleaning. I didn't miss the turkey that year at all...

You can read a bit more about my mom at http://jimmohr.blogspot.com/2009/05/best-chicken-and-noodles-ever.html.

Having A Savings Account..

Right now is a terrible time for living off your interest money earned from a savings account. But there are many elderly (and not so elderly) doing that right now. When interest rates were around 6% on a CD (certificate of deposit), a person with a life savings of $200,000 could expect to receive $12,000 a year, or $1000 a month. (taxable income) After the catastrophe of the recession (or whatever it was), interest rates on CD's are around 2%. So the same amount of money would earn only $4,000 a year, or $333 a month. This amounts to a 66% pay cut.

This fact is not talked about in the media today. There are millions of people living off of way less money than they were used to. These people do not have a "category" easily tracked by graphs and statistics. They are lost as a casualty of today's events. This also hurts the Federal Government considerably. Interest income is taxable. So the IRS is getting 66% less money from taxable income. In many cases, it amounts to even more than that because the loss of income for the recipient. This may push them into a lower tax bracket and they will pay even less tax.

That being said, saving in a bank account is a good habit long lost. Today's economy thrives (or at least used to) on credit purchases. I remember when I was little and got paid $5 to cut the grass, my dad would make me walk up to the bank and deposit half in my savings in a savings account. He would inspect the bankbook when I got home. At the end of the year, he would sit down with me and show me the benefits of interest earned. $100 became $110, add a little more and $150 becomes $170. That is great incentive for a 10 year old.

When I was a bit older, he also explained the shortcomings of negative interest. Negative interest is the interest YOU pay out on credit cards and loans. A 17% interest credit card is like a savings account in reverse. Not only are you NOT earning money with your money, you are losing money at a ridiculous rate just for the convenience of being able to make payments. Paying 17% and not earning 3% adds up to 20% more money that you should have. I know that is a crude example, but you get my point.

I do not object to a credit card purchase as long as you pay off the entire balance every month! As a matter of fact you can actually make a little money by doing just that. As long as you pay off the entire balance at the end of the month, you have kept that money in your account until they actually cash the check.

My dad's theory was simple; if you cannot afford to pay cash for something, you cannot afford it. Period. He did not object to buying on credit, but it was a good check and balance of where you stood. By following this advice, I developed a habit that carries on 40 years later - put a little money in the bank whenever you can. And leave it alone!

Maybe it is because kids today can't fathom the mathematics, but I don't think we need to discourage young people from saving...

Save Money On Gas..

My blog post for today quotes an article straight from MSN's website in the Lifestyle section. It gives us "10 ways to save money on gasoline". You can read the full article HERE. Let's just say I am a bit skeptical, but I just love these type of gas mileage savings articles full of helpful hints. The author has good intentions, but let's break it down into real numbers.


#1. New air filter can save you 10%
#2. Front end alignment can save 10%
#3. Tune up can save 4%
#4. Proper tire inflation can save 2.8%
#5. Proper gas cap can save .5% (1 cent per gallon @ $2 a gallon)
#6. Slowing down can save 7%
#7. Driving Smoothly can save 33% (66 cents per gallon @ $2 a gallon)
#8. Laying off the brakes can save 35%
#9. Carrying less weight can save 1-2% (let's just say 1%)
#10. Don't idle can save 1 cent per gallon for every 3 minutes - I idle maybe 6 minutes a day for a 2 cent or 1% savings by turning off engine.

So if I add up all my savings, I can expect to increase my gas mileage by 104.3%. It looks like I will have to stop every few miles to drain some gas out of my tank.

If you believe all this, maybe you can tell me where the Missing Dollar went.

Casa Salad Recipe

There is a great restaurant chain here in the Fort Wayne, Indiana area called Casa D'Angelo. The Casa Restaurant Group currently has 5 restaurants in the Fort Wayne chain; Casa D'Angelo, Casa Mare, Casa Grille (2) and Casa! Ristorante. They all proudly serve their famous Casaburo Salad (Insalata). You can actually buy their salad dressing Here, but the "Casa Salad" recipe remains a closely guarded secret.

There are many websites that offer a recipe that is close to the Casa Salad recipe, but I think the Casa Salad recipe found here is close to the mouthwatering original. This will serve 2-4 people, depending on your appetite. You will need the following ingredients:

• Approximately 1/2 a head of fresh Iceberg lettuce
• Approximately 1 average size head of fresh Romaine lettuce
• 1 bunch of green onions
• 1/2 green (bell) pepper - 1/2 red (sweet) pepper
• Approximately 20 or so black (ripe) olives
• 1 large clove garlic
• Anchovy paste (please don't omit, you can't taste it, but you need it)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• Approximately 1/8 cup bacon bits
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• Approximately 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
• Approximately 1 cup of large garlic / onion croutons
• (optional) organic apple cider vinegar

1. Clean and chop the lettuce into large salad (serving) bowl.
2. Clean and chop green onions into the bowl.
3. Drain and Chop black (ripe) olives into the bowl.
4. Chop the peppers coarsely and add to the bowl.
5. Mix olive oil, sugar, corn starch and red wine vinegar in mixing cup to start making the dressing. (optionally, I like to add a teaspoon of organic apple cider vinegar)
6. Stir in approximately 1/2 teaspoon of the Anchovy paste into the dressing. My anchovy paste came in a squeeze tube, so I add about 1 inch squeeze.
7. Chop the garlic clove finely, and add to the dressing.
8. Stir the salad dressing mixture briskly and dump over the salad mixture.
9. Stir the salad mixture to evenly coat the salad with the dressing.
10. Dump in the bacon bits and grated Romano cheese and stir the entire mixture again.
11. Dump in the croutons and stir well one last time.

For best results, let the Casa Salad mixture set in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for around 1 hour. This will allow the croutons and peppers to soften a bit and the dressing will permeate the salad as it wilts down a bit. When you take it out, you can add ground black pepper and salt to taste. Leftovers will last for a day or two in a covered bowl in the refrigerator.

Of course, my Casa Salad recipe can be adjusted to taste and your feedback is always welcome!