Vegetarian Baby Steps

Well, I am moving forward in the move towards becoming a vegetarian. Mostly staying away from meat, and also I have lost the taste for milk. Still eating eggs, but for now that's okay.

Where I really am doing well is eating more vegetables and fruit. I've noticed in the last week that I am losing weight without "dieting". Guess that is the best news right now in my journey. Later, I hope that better overall health will top the goals list.

If you have any tips for a meat-lover changing to vegetarianism, please leave suggestions in the comment section. I definitely need the help!

Photo by Joel Mabel

10 Food Safety Tips

Here are a few food safety tips from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.

1. Keep cold foods cold, at 40 degrees or below, and hot foods hot at 140 degrees or above.

2. Use an instant-read food thermometer so meats are cooked to safe temperatures.

3. Wash your hands and frequently clean cooking surfaces. Always wash your hands after handling raw meat or poultry.

4. Keep raw meat, poultry and egg products separate from already cooked items to avoid contamination.

5. Refrigerate items properly.

6. Store food as soon as you arrive home from the store.

7. Don't leave perishable foods out for more than two hours.

8. Don't thaw meats on the counter. Defrost them in the refrigerator.

9. Don't taste food to see whether it has gone bad. If there's a doubt, throw it out.

10. Don't allow juices from raw meats or other items to mix.

If you have other tips to add, please jot them down in the comment section.

Veggies To Go on Squidoo

Squidoo.com is a wonderful, fun website where anyone can create little mini-sites for free. All you have to do is decide on what topic you want to write about, click on Create a Lens, and follow the easy steps.

I currently have a growing number of lenses about all kinds of topics. My favorite, and most popular, is my Bucket List. I also have a couple of lenses that have to do with cooking - White Chicken Chili and Veggies To Go (which now has morphed into another title).

If you are interested in creating a Squidoo lens, you can follow this link and read all about how to create a lens. Then just jump in there. The more you create, the more income you can earn if you would like, and the better you get at developing a lens you will be proud of.

Please click on http://www.squidoo.com/veggiestogo
to see one of my food-related lenses.

Hope you join us on Squidoo.