Food Safety - Your Refrigerator

Why do we refrigerate foods?

Refrigeration slows bacterial growth. Bacteria exist everywhere in nature. They are in the soil, air, water, and the foods we eat. When they have nutrients (food), moisture, and favorable temperatures, they grow rapidly, increasing in numbers to the point where some types of bacteria can cause illness. Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 °F, the “Danger Zone,” some doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. A refrigerator set at 40 °F or below will protect most foods.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Refrigeration_and_Food_Safety.pdf

Stay out of the "Danger Zone" in your refrigerator!
When it comes to meal preparation and storage (Leftovers), knowing how refrigeration affects different types of foods can save you from making yourself or, even worse, someone else painfully sick.

Here are the refrigeration times for some of the most common CaringMeals:
- Opened Luncheon Meats: 3-5 days
- Ground Meats: 1-2 days
- Chicken: 1-2 days
(be careful with chicken and ground meat!)

For an in-depth explanation of this topic, the USDA has provided a complete guide to food safety:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Refrigeration_and_Food_Safety.pdf

Their Food Safety home page is:
http://origin-www.fsis.usda.gov/Food_Safety_Education/index.asp

You can even call them at 1-888-MPHotline! Your tax dollars at work!

Gawking at Food

There are a million recipes online, but when you can see beautiful pictures of the food being prepared, the recipe really becomes inspiring.

For example, take a look at this:
http://iowagirleats.com/2009/11/24/id-marry-this-soup/
Seeing the meal is so much more exciting than just reading about it! If you like what you see, browse all of the pictorial recipes on Iowa Girl Eats.

If you love looking at food (and getting ideas for cooking CaringMeals!), take a look at http://foodgawker.com/. It is user sorted directory (the most popular sites are at the front) of food pictures and recipes from all over the Internet.

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

A Different Dream

I recently heard from Jolene Philo, an author and blogger, whose book A Different Dream for My Child: Meditations for Parents of Critically or Chronically Ill Children speaks to parents of special needs children.

She wrote about CaringMeals on her blog: http://www.differentdream.com/2009/11/meal-planning-made-easy/. Often we think of bringing meals when someone has a sudden event in their life (birth, accident, illness, etc.), but think of the long-term care needs in your network of friends. I'm sure there are some parents of special needs children who would be relieved to have meals provided once in a while!

Freecycle

For a while now I've been a regular on Freecycle.org. The goal of the site is to keep "stuff" out of landfills, and get it into the hands of those who can actually use it. I am able to give away useful things that I no longer want, and I can ask for things that I have been wanting, all for free-no strings attached! I've received things for my kids and things for my home! Just be careful, perusing the site and picking up items will eat up your time (and gas) if you let it! Always remember to use your head when connecting with others online.

Enjoy!