Tuesday Megalinks: The Jayhawks Edition

Like a three-pointer at the buzzer, this week’s links will win your heart and make people from Tennessee feel bad. Congrats, Kansas!

Being Frugal: When Times are Tight - 168 Frugal Tips to Make Your Dollar Stretch
Whoa, nelly. Lynnae’s hit the motherlode. This is basically every personal finance/frugality blog, wrapped in a single post with pretty paper and a big, fat bow. Three woots!

Carnival of Personal Finance #147: MoneyNing
Longest. Carnival. Ever. Set an hour or two aside to peruse, and you’ll never have to read another money book again. (Until next week.)

CNN: Tasty tricks for cutting fat, calories from recipes
Quick and dirty article about lighter substitutes for oil, butter, etc. Has anyone ever tried the canned-pumpkin-for-vegetable-oil trick? Spill, por favor.

Consumerist Conglomerist: 5 Helpful Grocery Shopping Tips
Oh, Consumerist – you saucy minx. I do adore a good April Fool’s Day jest.

Consumerist: Walmart Shoppers Feeling the Pain When Buying Groceries
The post is short and to the point, but the comments – oh, the comments. There were 123 at last glance, and they waver between “I just sold my grandma for a loaf of bread,” and “I made soup out of my sofa last week and my family of 12 was completely satisfied.” Good times.

Festival of Frugality #120: A Penny Saved
If the FoF had rides and game booths, what would they be? I'm thinking a Wall Street Roller Coaster and the Milk Bottle Game, where the prize is the bottles themselves, so you can go home and repurpose them.

Get Fit Slowly: Bill Would Make it Illegal to Feed the Obese
Who’s Bill? And why is he being so mean? (Thank you, thank you. I'm here all week. Please tip your waiters.)

Lifehacker: Five Fast-Food Restaurants to Feel Good About
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
Chipotle’s barbacoa burritos are manna.
Please order me 42.

Make it From Scratch Festival: My So Called Me
Jenny’s rounds up the week’s best recipes and crafts from across the web, while her blog title makes me think blissfully back to the days when Angela Chase had this huge crush on Jordan Catalano, but Rayanne Graff totally betrayed her trust by doin’ it with him! Don’t cry Angela – Brian Krakow still loves you.

Metafilter: The Perfect Meatloaf
67 comments and counting, and the consensus seems to be some combination of: meat (duh), oatmeal (!), eggs, pepper, A1/worcestershire sauce, ketchup and bacon. To quote Mr. Burns, "Excellent."

New York Times: Some Good News on Food Prices
Some are arguing that higher processed meal costs are gonna level the playing field for organic and other healthy-type edibles. I’m not sure about that, but it’s certainly nice to think about.

Re-nest: 27 Household Uses for Citrus Fruit
#28: Throwing at a sibling’s head during a fight over the remote. (Not that it ever happened growing up, MY SISTER L.)

Sara Moulton: Sara’s Weeknight Meals
New series! Starring Sara! On PBS! Did anyone just see me do a pirouette? Because I totally did.

Serious Eats: What’s Your Best Low-Cal Recipe? and How Can ANYONE Afford to Travel and Eat?
Nice comment corral on two very CHG-esque subjects. I really love the S.E. commenters in general, though. They’re informed and eloquent, which beats out the everyday “LOL!!! You SUK!” stuff you see on YouTube.

Slashfood: A book club for foodies? A lip-smacking idea
Oh, what a neat idea. Anybody interested?

(Photos courtesy of KU, KUSports.com, and Getty Images.)

Light Fresh Tomato Lasagna: We’ve Got the Means to Make Amends

While Sundays in Casa de CHG are usually peaceful, relaxing affairs, last night was particularly sweet. Laid up by a slight illness, The Boyfriend and I had a little wine, worked quietly in our living room/Giant Teal Box of Tealness, and listened to old Pearl Jam B-Sides (found here, at I am Fuel, You are Friends). PJ was one of my favorite bands growing up, and hearing Ten at any time, in any form, transforms me to that dorky, flannel-clad 15-year-old who thought Eddie Vedder held all the secrets to life. (Note: he does.)

I’m 30 now (Eddie’s 43!?!), and while they still holds box seats in my heart, I don’t run out and buy Pearl Jam albums on the first day anymore. In fact, I don’t buy ANY albums on release day, and haven’t for a few years. I don’t know why that is. Am I too busy? Do Pearl Jam and Radiohead and U2 mean less to me now than they did in 11th grade? Is this what happens when you’re 30?

I don’t have a great segue here. Just know that last night, as I was pondering these Questions of Great Importance, I was also chowing down on a mean slice of Cooking Light’s Fresh Tomato Lasagna, minus that tricky “fresh” part. On the suggestion of my friend M last year, I baked the dish with canned, whole peeled tomatoes (instead of off-the-vine), which has since made it cheaper, easier to prepare, and not at all lacking in taste. (Thanks, M!)

A few points if you decide to make one of your own:

1) Reducing the sauce to a chunky (not watery) consistency is incredibly important here, as it will make or break the lasagna. (I speak from traumatic experience.)

2) It’s worth splurging for a slightly nicer-quality brand of tomatoes, since it’s the highlight of the dish.

3) As always, Cooking Light is pushing it calling this an eight-portion meal. If I had company coming, I’d make sure I had a salad and some garlic bread waiting in the wings. Oh – and since CL calculated the nutritional numbers, only the price is added up below.

Now, I'm off to stew for awhile over aging, music, passion, and how a few scruffy-looking, Doc Marten-sporting dudes from Seattle can simultaneously define and upheave a willing listener's life. Tonight, while you're making this lasagna (hee), try it yourself: go home and listen to your favorite band when you were in high school. How did they make you feel, and when did it change? What does that answer mean to you now?

P.S. No Code is PJ's best album. I’m not kidding.

Fresh Tomato Sauce Lasagna
8 servings
Adapted from Cooking Light.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 28-oz cans whole peeled tomatoes
2/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Cooking spray
8 cooked lasagna noodles
1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil

1) In a small pot or Dutch oven, heatl oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. While this is happening, crush the tomatoes with a food mill or by hand and add them to the pot. (You could probably just buy crushed tomatoes, too, but I haven’t tried it.) Bring pot to a boil. Drop heat to a simmer. Cook 80 minutes, until sauce is a little thickened. Kill heat. Add "2/3 cup basil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper." Stir. Set aside.

2) Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 13x9 Pyrex/baking dish with cooking spray.

3) In a medium saucepan, heat ricotta over medium heat. When hot, add mozzarella. Stir until mozz is all melted, and fully incorporated with the ricotta. Kill heat. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir.

4) Pour 2 cups tomato sauce in baking dish. Spread to cover bottom. Place 4 noodles over the sauce. Add all the ricotta/mozzarella and spread out on noodles. Place 4 remaining noodles on top of cheese. Spread last 2 cups tomato mixture on noodles. Sprinkle with the parmesan. Bake for 15 minutes, "or until cheese melts and filling is bubbly." Take out of oven. Garnish with basil. Give lasagna a few minutes to cool and set. Serve.

Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
290 calories, 11.8 g fat, $1.28

Calculations
1 tablespoon olive oil: $0.10
1 cup finely chopped onion: $0.18
4 garlic cloves, minced: $0.12
2 28-oz cans whole peeled or crushed tomatoes: $2.98
2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil: $1.69
1 teaspoon salt, divided: $0.02
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided: $0.02
2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese: $1.99
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese: $1.49
Cooking spray: $0.03
8 cooked lasagna noodles: $0.50
1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely shredded fresh Parmesan cheese: $1.13
TOTAL: $10.23
PER SERVING (TOTAL/8): $1.28

Comments of the Week

This week, Monica and Dani offer takeout advice, Leanne devises a chicken dish shortcut, Dialectically_Yours has a few great cookbook suggestions, and lots of folks have lots to say about confronting loved ones on weight and money issues.

As always (well, as of the last three weeks), some comments were edited for length.

On Healthy Takeout on a Budget

Monica: Indian: Saag paneer and aloo gobhi are also on the healthy end, as well as most vegetable curries. Yes, they're both made with butter, but they're mostly vegetables in butter, which is better than lamb in butter. If you have a Korean takeout nearby, bibimbap has infinite variations and most of them are healthy as takeout goes, although not quite as healthy as my home bibimbap. Finally, Greek delis often have wonderful bean salads and marinated vegetables.

Dani: In Australia, all Asian takeouts have a plain stir fried vegetable dish which, with rice makes an ample meal.

On Sweet Victory: Chicken with Shallot-Apricot Sauce

Leanne: At the end you pour pan juices AND sauce over the chicken. But, wouldn't it be easier to combine them and make it one "sauce"? I think I would sautee the shallots in the chicken pan after the chicken is cooked, deglaze once with chicken broth, and then proceed with adding vinegar and jam.

On The Dos and Don’ts of Buying a Cookbook

Dialectically_Yours: COPY OUT the dozen or so recipes you use most from one cookbook. If you're having trouble cutting the list DOWN to twelve, it's a keeper … Cooking is as much about memory and tradition as it is about nutrition, so DON'T gut your shelves over a new diet, ESPECIALLY if it's a result of health issues.

On Touchy Subjects: Confronting Loved Ones About Weight and Money Problems

Anonymous: Here is my suggestion if you are concerned about someone's weight: ask them to go for a walk with you. Also, be aware that weight is an incredibly private issue for some people. Some people would rather die than talk about it. Just because someone isn't harping on it, doesn't mean that they aren't thinking about it and trying.

Anonymous #2: Ive been overweight my entire life, and my ex-husband, who eats at least twice as much as I has always been very thin. Even his "gentle" comments were offensive to me becuase he has absolutely no idea what it is like to be in my shoes.

Anonymous #3: I have been married to a women for 30 years. ... She has added 5 - 10 pounds every year or so and now is about 60 -70 pounds overweight. I never said a word about her weight. … Sad point is, it affects our social life, our sex life and her health. I seem to have two choices, accept it or divorce her. That is a sad situation to place a devoted, loving partner. Any suggestions from people on either side of this issue would be greatly appreciated.

Kinder: My mother-in-law has a quickly worsening weight problem. At some point, I asked if she wanted to work out with me, under the pretense that it would be a positive social experience, a time to bond. But she bailed out after three trips (once she realized that going to the gym entailed doing exercise). I said nothing about her diet of baked goods and fried food; I was silent about her complete resistance to an exercise routine. And now I'm just exhausted. I actually really dislike going to the gym, but I do for the sake of my children. I'm kind of hurt by my mother-in-law's aggressive inactivity, but I want to help her have a better life. And I want her to be there for her grandchildren.

Anonymous #4: I have two cases - one friend, one relative - who constantly complain about their weight, who feel free to comment on my not being overweight, etc. My favorite was the friend told me I must be so skinny because I drank grapefruit juice. Never mind the fact that at the time I was an avid cyclist, and had ridden over 200 miles that weekend. … I do worry about their health, I would love to say LET ME HELP YOU. … It kills me because I know it's killing them. … So yeah, it would be lovely if these two would LET me be eyes on the paper. But it's hard to do when they keep waving their paper under my nose.

Anonymous #5: "Mind your own business" on these issues is a fine philosophical position - as long as it's consistent. If a person's actions are self-destructive, and they are fully aware of the consequences of their actions, then they have no claim on you for assistance when they've messed up their own lives.

Julia: Re: "I wonder: is there 'an enjoyable social experience' you can share with somebody who suffers from poor fiscal management?" What about asking them to take a financial workshop or course with you like the Dave Ramsey course? My dad took it and asked me to join him. I know it was his way of giving me financial advice without US actually having to talk about it.

Jeff S.: It's always important to remember that while your choices are your own, they can affect the people you love. These people may have to care for you when you are incapacitated, nurse you when you are down, or mourn for you when you have passed away. If you really want to avoid their input, then you may as well break all ties now, because they have a vested interest in seeing you happy and healthy. Unconditional love is not the same as unconditional acceptance of all of your choices.

Ering: I have changed a few habits and they way I did it is to use the challenge on ZenHabits website. Leo has a forum where you state the habit you want to create (i.e. eat healthy instead of stop eating badly) at the beginning of the month (or whenever you find out out about it!) and then you make a commitment to two things 1) meeting your habit and 2) report on it daily.

Anonymous #6: Justifying an intervention because someone's weight inconveniences your friendship is no more right than raping a friend because you feel a child will make her happy one day.

Chicken with Shallot-Apricot Sauce: Sweet Victory

Hey everybody! Remember yesterday, when I was all like, “Buy a cantaloupe! They’re delicious, and nothing could ever possibly be wrong with them?” Uh … not so much. Astute reader Joel pointed out that there was a cantaloupe recall on March 22nd, as a Honduran company called Agropecuaria Montelibano has shipped quite a few salmonella-tainted melons. The offending paragraph has been removed, and please feel free to send me the bill if you went out and bought a dozen. As always, I’m dumb.

(Edited to add: this looks like it might be a bigger deal now. See here.)

For further proof of my dumbinity, it finally occurred to me (after nine months) that I should mention more of my failures on this blog. (Note: it didn’t actually occur to me. It occurred to my friend F, who said, “You know, you should mention more of your failures on the blog. That way, people would feel better about the dishes you DO post on.” He’s usually right about these things – and about New Zealand novelty folk duos – so I’m going with it.)

Anyway, of the three or four new dishes I make per week, usually only one or two work out. I can generally chalk this up to my own inexperience or sketchy recipes, because as it turns out, you can’t eat everything you read. To illustrate, here are a few examples of recent bombs:

Weight Watchers Macaroni and Cheese: I whipped this up last year, but used fat-free instead of low-fat cheese, turning the meal into an abomination on par with Soylent Green. This time around, I followed the directions to the letter. And you know what? It still sucked.

Strawberry Mousse from Enchanted Broccoli Forest: Dude. I’m not sure why they didn’t just call this “Two-Hour Strawberry Yogurt,” because that’s exactly what it is.

Mashed Yucca with Garlic: This one was more my fault than lovely, wonderful Sara Moulton. I dumped waaaaaay too much milk into the mixture, creating a soupy, lumpy catastrophe instead of velvety, creamy comfort food. As my roommate C noted, “So, the yucca was yucka.” She’s clever, that one.

Ellie Krieger’s Pasta Puttanesca: Ellie is wonderful, and quickly becoming one of my favorite Food Network cooks. And while this dish was far from a disaster, it was nothing special either. (Incidentally, “nothing special” meals are almost worse than flat-out disasters, because they had so much potential. It’s like when a parent says, “I’m disappointed in you,” and it’s ten times more traumatic than if they just yelled.)

Roasted Butternut Squash, Rosemary, and Garlic Lasagna: An unmitigated disaster. It took a year to cook, made me nauseous, and nobody ate the leftovers. It’s LASAGNA for pete’s sake. Leftovers are THE POINT. Cooking Light, I expected better.

While the letdowns have been plentiful and painful, I’m proud to say that today’s recipe, Chicken with Shallot Apricot Sauce, is a winner. It got raves from The Kitchn, as well as CHG reader Gretchen, who tried it and gave an enthusiastic thumbs up. My own version was fruity and sweet and fancy looking, to boot. The chicken was a tad dry, but I think that was more a result of my overcooking than the instructions.

I should mention that The Kitchn recipe serves four, but I made a half-batch and reduced the olive oil a bit. Those calculations are reflected below.

Chicken with Shallot-Apricot Sauce
Serves 2
Adapted from The Kitchn.

For the chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (Mine were 6oz each – Kris)
salt and pepper
1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 cup chicken broth

For the sauce:
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
2-1/2 medium shallots, peeled and sliced thin
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1 heaping tablespoons apricot jam or preserves
salt and pepper

1) Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the chicken. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon oil over high heat. Place chicken in skillet and brown, about 3 or 4 minutes per side. Cover pan. Drop heat to low. Cook chicken fully, another 4 or 5 minutes. When done, use tongs to put chicken on a plate. Tent with tin foil and set aside.

2) Jack heat up to high. Add 1/8th cup broth to chicken pan, scraping up browned bits with your spoon as broth heats. Remove from heat and set aside when bits are fully scraped.

3) While this is all going on/as chicken breast browns, heat the other 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add shallots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until shallots soften, around 5 minutes.

4) Add 1/4 cup broth to shallot pan, scraping up browned bits with your spoon as broth heats. Add vinegar. Drop heat to medium-low. Cook another 5 minutes or so. Add jam. Stir thoroughly to mix. "The sauce will thicken but should still be easily stirred."

5) Slice chicken. Place on platter. Pour contents of pan #1 (the juices) on top. Pour apricot-shallot sauce on top of that. Serve.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
305 calories, 9 g fat, $1.52

Calculations
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6oz ea): 375 calories, 4.2 g fat, $1.49
1 tablespoons olive oil: 119 calories, 13.5 g fat, $0.10
6 tablespoons chicken broth: 5 calories, 0.2 g fat, $0.10
2-1/2 medium shallots, peeled and sliced thin: 36 calories, 0.1 g fat, $0.98
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar: 20 calories, 0 g fat, $0.15
1 heaping tablespoons apricot jam or preserves: 55 calories, 0 g fat, $0.18
salt and pepper: negligible calories and fat, $0.03
TOTAL: 610 calories, 18 g fat, $3.03
PER SERVING (TOTAL/2): 305 calories, 9 g fat, $1.52

CHG Favorites of the Week

Blog of the Week
Smart Spending at MSN
Every week, this Lifehacker/Slashfood-style site compiles the best posts from around the personal finance blogosphere, giving regular MSN readers a chance to read, comment and debate. Frugality is a major topic, but everything is fair game, like Clever Dude’s recent, excellent post on homebuying. It’s about time something like this existed. Thanks, Donna, Karen, & Co.!

Comedy of the Week
"$240 Worth of Pudding" from the State
I didn’t catch the State until very late in life, so I missed out on a lot. (Tragically, my parents didn’t have cable when we were growing up. They thought we’d watch too much MTV. Which? Yeah, we totally would have.) Here, Michael Ian Black and Thomas Lennon get serious and sexxxay with a metric ton of Jello.

Organization of the Week
Charity Navigator’s Food Bank Page
CN’s received several mentions here before, but this particular page will point you directly to food pantries and distribution services in your area, from Alameda to West Texas. The star ratings will tell you how efficiently run your particular bank is, so you can pick and choose as you like.

Quote of the Week
“My friend asked me if I wanted a frozen banana. I said ‘No, but I want a regular banana later, so ... yeah.’” – Mitch Hedberg

Untried Cheap, Healthy Recipe of the Week
Lazy Day Peanut Noodle Salad Recipe at 101 Cookbooks
It’s the 3rd of April, and there is nothing I want more from this life than spring vegetables and peanut butter-slathered noodles. (Also, for it to warm up about ten degrees.) (And a new skirt.) (And a pony.)

Video of the Week
“Just Like Honey” by The Jesus and Mary Chain
Oh, we are hitting the wayback machine today, folks. If you love feedback, romance-laden angst, or dyspeptic, mopey Brits, this is the band for you. It’s a gorgeous song, anyway.

(Photos courtesy of Flickr members Dmitry Kolchev and Sarahkim.)

Healthy Takeout on a Budget

As I write this, I’m sitting at home on our futon with 14 local menus to my left. The Boyfriend and I had spaghetti tonight (delicious, delicious spaghetti), but were pretty tempted to order takeout. We do that sometimes, because A) we like food, B) we like a variety thereof, and C) dishes. (As an aside, I’m convinced that dirty dishes are the root cause of 90% of roommate fights. Sign up for off-campus college housing and see for yourself.)

Ordering takeout occurs with some frequency in our abode. It keeps us from falling into a culinary rut and lets us feel like we’re treating ourselves. However, it’s always a challenge to do so cheaply and healthily. Sesame Chicken is tempting, see. So are sushi and pad thai and chicken parm and samosas and nachos and … oh man, I just wet myself. Anyway, my budget and waistline are forever working against me, and sometimes I have to eschew the deep-fried diamond-encrusted dodo eggs for something simpler and less heart attacky.

With that in mind, today’s post is a short-n-handy reference guide to ordering meals by phone. Essentially, it’s eight different, common takeout cuisines with a few inexpensive, semi-nutritionally sound foods assigned to each one. Weight Watchers, Calorie King, and Real Simple helped provide the health information, while the previously mentioned 14 Brooklyn-area menus supplied the pricing. For brevity’s sake, it concentrates on takeout only, since restaurant dining is a whole other ball of noodles.

Ah, but before we begin, a few tips on maximizing your cheap, healthy experience:

• If you order an unexpectedly large portion, put half in the fridge as soon as you have it. It’ll make for a great lunch tomorrow.


• Remember that you may get more bang for your buck from some takeout joints (Chinese, Indian) than from others (Japanese). If you’re looking to feed a crowd, the less-expensive option might be the better choice.


• To reduce cost, calories, and fat all at the same time, minimize fried foods and go easy on the meat and cheese.


• Consider ordering appetizers only, as they can be much less expensive.


• If you’re concerned about calories, fat, or sodium, check nutritional information online before ordering. Calorie King is a great general reference, and many chain restaurants have the stats posted somewhere on their sites.


• Have condiments or light dressings at home? Use ‘em and save packets that come with the meal.


• If you have a similar item in the pantry, don’t order beverages.


• Save the environment! Tell the phone operator you don’t need utensils, since you have silverware in your kitchen.


• Tip the delivery guy. If you can’t afford to tip, you can’t afford takeout.

And now, the list! (Incidentally, I'd love to add to this, so if you have suggestions, please bring 'em on.)

Chinese
Boiled wontons
Chicken, shrimp, or vegetable egg foo yung
Chinese vegetables with tofu
Egg drop or hot and sour soup
Fortune cookies
Steamed chicken, shrimp, or vegetables with brown or garlic sauce on the side
Steamed shrimp or vegetable dumplings
White or brown rice

Mexican
Bean burrito (easy on the cheese and sour cream)
Black bean soup
Black or pinto beans
Chicken or vegetable soft taco (easy on the cheese)
Rice and beans
Salsa or pico de gallo

Thai
Chicken satay (easy on the peanut sauce)
Ginger chicken
Salads (minus peanuts, no or light dressing)
Thai chicken with basil (breast)
Thai seafood salad
Tom yum kung (hot-and-sour shrimp soup)

Japanese
Chicken, shrimp, tofu, or vegetable soba
Chicken, shrimp, tofu, or vegetable udon
Edamame
Maki sushi (in small quantities)
Miso soup
Nigiri sushi (in small quantities)
Nori maki sushi (in small quantities)
Seaweed salad
Shumai
Steamed vegetable dumplings

Greek
Baba ghanoush
Cucumber raita
Dolma
Greek salad (no or lite dressing)
Olives
Pita
Souvlaki (1 skewer)
Souvlaki sandwich

Middle Eastern
Couscous
Cucumber raita
Dolmas
Hummus
Lentil soup
Pita
Shish kebab (marinated meat and vegetables)
Tabbouleh (1/2 cup)
Yogurt and cucumber soup

Indian
Bean and/or lentil stew
Chicken tikka
Chicken tikka masala
Chutney
Cucumber raita
Lassi (1 cup)
Naan
Poori (Puri)
Tandoori chicken without skin

Italian
Baked clams
Lentil soup
Linguini with red clam sauce (1 cup pasta, ½ cup sauce)
Mussels
Pasta primavera (1 cup pasta, ¾ cup sauce)
Salad (no or lite dressing)
Thin-crust cheese pizza (one slice)

(Photo courtesy of msnbc.)

Wednesday Note

Hi everybody,

Today's post will be coming a bit later this afternoon. In the meantime, Karen over at MSN blogs kindly linked to CHG's Touchy Subjects: Confronting Loved Ones about Weight and Money Problems post yesterday, and it set off a comment mini-firestorm over whether or not we’re obligated to financially support our parents in their old age. There are some super-interesting personal stories from readers, and opinions on the matter differ sharply. Like, REALLY sharply. Almost violently so. Take a gander, and then c'mon back around 3 for Healthy Takeout on a Budget.

Hearts,
Kristen