Please consider helping this family:

Please consider donating to the family of Chris Lucas, a Pizza Hut Manager aged 27 who lost his life saving his customers and employees as Joplin, MO was pounded by that horrific tornado. Chris pushed customers and employees into the freezer and tried to tie the door closed. Chris was a Navy veteran and the father of two daughters with another child on the way. The First National Bank in Vinita, Oklahoma has a fund set up for his family. It is called the Christopher D Lucas Family Trust Fund. The number is 918-256-781. Please think about donating. This young father sacrificed his life so that others could live.

As I hear about more memorial funds, I'll pass them along in the event you're interested in helping out families struggling to rebuild their lives.

Nothing is more reassuring than a hug from your mom. But the sound of her voice might be just as good...

If you’re feeling stressed out – give your mom a call. The mere sound of her voice can be very comforting according to one fascinating study. A group of young girls were put in stressful situations – like asked to solve some difficult math problems – or asked to give an impromptu speech – things that would cause their heart rates to soar and their stress hormones to rise. Then, one-third of the girls got a comforting hug from their mothers. One third of the girls watched a 75 minute “emotion neutral” video and the other third of the girls were handed a telephone with their moms on the line. The children who got to interact with their mothers had virtually the same hormonal response, whether they interacted in person or over the phone. The girls' levels of oxytocin, often called the "love hormone" and strongly associated with emotional bonding, rose significantly and the stress-marking cortisol hormone was washed away. So even if mom is not nearby, a quick call for reassurance may just be the ticket – if you’re in need of a little reassurance.

Ordering tomato on your hamburger not only makes it taste better - it's healthier!

Do you know why lemon is served with fish? It turns out this has been a custom since the Middle Ages. Back then people believed that the juice of the lemon would dissolve any bones that were accidentally swallowed. The custom still stands – although I don’t think anyone is buying the “lemon dissolves bones” part of it anymore. Here are some other interesting facts about the food you eat:

• Eating a tomato slice on top of your hamburger tastes good - but there is also a health reason for doing it. When a source of Vitamin C - like tomato or orange, lemon, grapefruit or strawberry is eaten with meat, the body makes better use of the iron in the meat.

• Carrots really do help your vision - at least at night. Vitamin A is known to prevent "night blindness," and carrots are loaded with Vitamin A.

• Sometimes frozen is better. The longer that fruits or vegetables sit around waiting to be sold or eaten, the more nutrients they lose. But fruits and vegetables grown for freezing are usually frozen right after they're picked. Therefore, they have less time to lose their nutrients.

• When milk is exposed to light, it loses Vitamin B very rapidly.

Four Things You Didn't Know You Could Cook on the Grill:

For a lot of people, Memorial Day is the first day of the year they fire up the grill. And obviously, hot dogs and hamburgers are the staple at most barbecues. But if you want something a little different this Monday, here are four things you didn't know you could cook on the grill.

#1.) Lettuce. Before you make a salad, throw a couple heads of romaine lettuce on the grill for a few minutes. It'll stay crisp but give the salad a smoky taste. Add grilled chicken to the salad to make it more of an entrée.

#2.) Breakfast. If you're having an EARLY barbecue, try cooking French toast and breakfast sausage on the grill. It'll be different than usual, but still delicious.

#3.) Green Beans. Maybe you've cooked things like asparagus and corn-on-the-cob on the grill. But it's great for green beans too. Just make sure you have a pan, or a flat surface to put them on so they don't fall through the grate. If you don't snap the ends off before you cook them, they work as a finger-food you can use with dip.

#4.) Clams. If you put them in a pan over the fire, they'll open right up. Then grill some lemons, add some garlic, and you're good to go.

You can check out recipes for all four at iVillage.com.

Six Crazy Things Celebrities Have Insured:

If you think your insurance premiums are crazy, check out the insane things celebrities insure. First and foremost, they love insuring their legs. Back in the day, Fred Astaire insured his for $150,000. More recently, Rihanna and Jamie Lee Curtis insured theirs for a million dollars . . . David Beckham insured his for $70 MILLION . . . and Mariah Carey reportedly insured her legs for a BILLION dollars. Here are six more crazy things celebrities have insured.

#1.) Their Cans. Dolly Parton once insured her two most-important assets for $300,000 each. But honestly, they're probably worth a lot less now.

#2.) Their Tongues. Gene Simmons insured his tongue for $1 million. And food critic Egon Ronay insured his for $400,000.

#3.) Their Fingers. Keith Richards insured the middle finger on his left hand for $1.6 million. (--We'll ASSUME it's because he needs it to play guitar.) (???)

#4.) Their Voices. Bruce Springsteen and Rod Stewart have both insured their voices for $6 million.

#5.) Their Hair. Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu is a spokesman for Head and Shoulders, so Proctor and Gamble insured his hair for $1 million. And at one point, Tom Jones supposedly insured his CHEST HAIR for $7 million.

#6.) Their Smiles. When America Ferrera was a spokesperson for Aqua Fresh, they insured her smile for $10 million.

If you’ve got a weak belly or food in your mouth- DO NOT read this:

The FDA just released new guidelines for how much NASTY stuff can be in the food you buy, and it covers mold, rat poop, insect parts, and maggots. And, spoiler alert: The answer is not NONE. Here are a few examples that may make you stop eating for a while:

--Canned and dried mushrooms. Must have under 20 maggots of any size per 100 grams of canned mushrooms, or 15 grams of dried mushrooms.

--Popcorn. Must have less than two rodent hairs in more than half of the subsamples. Also, must have no more than one piece of rat excrement in the subsamples.

--Asparagus. Less than 10% of the spears or pieces can be infested with beetle eggs or sacs.

--Fig paste. Must have fewer than 13 insect heads per 100 grams.

--Canned and frozen peaches. Must have no more than one larvae or larval fragment over five millimeters per 12 one-pound cans.

--Pizza sauce. Must have no more than 30 fly eggs or two maggots per 100 grams.

Seven "Healthy" Foods That Are Making You Fat:

Food companies have mastered the art of making things SEEM healthy even if they aren't. For example, packages of gummy bears usually say they contain "real fruit juice." And even though they do have SOME, they're mostly made of corn syrup. So here's a list from the magazine "Prevention" of seven "healthy" foods that might be making you fat.


#1.) Baked Potato Chips. They have less fat than regular potato chips, but they're still high in calories, low in nutrients, and low in fiber. A better alternative is popcorn, which has more fiber but 65% fewer calories. And according to a recent study, adults who eat popcorn get as much as two-and-a-half times more whole grains than people who don't.

#2.) Light Ice Cream. First of all, it doesn't taste as good. And it can also have just as many calories. For example, the average full-fat ice cream has about 140 calories per serving. But there's a light ice cream made by Haagen-Dazs with 220 calories per serving, called Dulce de Leche. Dairy-free ice cream made with soy and coconut milk is better for you. And some people like it just as much as the regular stuff.

#3.) Zero-Calorie, Spray-On Margarine. Even though the bottle says zero calories, companies are allowed to SAY zero as long as it has less than five calories per serving. That means a bottle that says "zero" can actually have up to 900 calories. A better choice is spray-on olive oil, which has a little fat, but it's still healthier. The monounsaturated fatty acids in it are good for your heart and lower your cancer risk.

#4.) Fat-Free Salad Dressing. To make it taste good they add sugar, which means a lot of calories. And you actually NEED a little bit of fat to help you absorb the vitamins in your salad. So you should use regular, oil-based salad dressings, which have healthy fats instead of the saturated fat used in creamy dressings.

#5.) 100-Calorie Snack Packs. A recent study showed that people might actually eat MORE if the portions are presented in smaller packages. So, those 100-calorie packs are okay as long as you only eat one. If you eat three, it defeats the purpose. Prevention.com suggests eating almonds instead . . . which is a much LAMER option, but it's also much healthier.

#6.) Pretzels. Fat-free pretzels seem healthier than chips. But they're made with refined white flour, and they're stripped of all their vitamins and antioxidants. Plus, they're loaded with carbs. Think of it this way: One 15-ounce bag of pretzels has the same number of carbs as 24 slices of white bread. A better snack is a whole grain cracker that's high in fiber and protein.

#7.) Vitamin Water. It does have vitamins. But one bottle can also have up to 200 calories. And if you add 200 calories a day to your diet without exercising, it can make you gain as much as 20 pounds a year. Instead, look for a flavored water with zero calories . . . or stick with REGULAR water.

Six Things Women Do to Look Hot . . . That Men Actually Hate:

Women do way more to look good for men than men do for women. But some of the stuff women do can actually be a turn-off. Here are six things women do to look hot . . . that men actually hate.

#1.) Too Much Foundation. When it's caked on it just makes you look fake. And guys assume that without makeup, your face is covered in scars and acne.

#2.) Neon Lipstick. It's becoming popular all of a sudden, and guys might eventually LEARN to like it. But so far, they don't. And they also don't like it when women wear light red or pink lipstick, then trace around the edges with a dark lip liner.

#3.) Super-Thin Eyebrows. If you have a uni-brow, obviously a little plucking is a good idea. But guys don't like it when women pluck their eyebrows until they're a millimeter thick. Or worse, until they're gone completely and you have to DRAW them on. Men tend to prefer a more natural look.

#4.) A Bump In Your Hair. Having a small bump in front is okay. But the bump Snooki used to sport was WAY too big. And it just looks silly to most guys.

#5.) Rosy Red Cheeks. Most men like make-up they don't notice. And in general, rouge is better on old ladies.

#6.) Glitter. A little bit in a few key areas can be good . . . like on your cleavage. But too much is just annoying because it tends to rub off on other people. And by the end of the night, EVERYONE'S wearing glitter.

The Donald Finally Speaks Up About His Hair:

Donald Trump is clearing up the biggest mystery surrounding him . . . how he does his hair. In an interview with "Rolling Stone", Donald says, quote, "Okay, what I do is, wash it with Head and Shoulders. I don't dry it, though. I let it dry by itself. It takes about an hour. “Then I read paper and things . . . I also watch TV . . . the 'Today' show did a beautiful piece on me yesterday." (???) He adds, quote, "Okay, so I've done all that. I then comb my hair. Yes, I do use a comb." Yes, the combing. This is where most people want the nitty-gritty on Donald's technique. He says, quote, "Do I comb it forward? No, I don't comb it forward. I actually don't have a bad hairline. "When you think about it, it's not bad. I mean, I get a lot of credit for comb-overs. But it's not really a comb-over. It's sort of a little bit forward and back. I've combed it the same way for years. Same thing, every time."

Trump also reveals that he has only one real vice: Soda. He says, quote, "I've never smoked a cigarette in my life. I've never had a drink, never had a joint, never had any drugs, never even had a cup of coffee . . ."I will say, though, that I like a little caffeine. People assume I'm a boiler ready to explode, but I actually have very low blood pressure, which is shocking to people. "I'll drink water. Sometimes tomato juice, which I like. Sometimes orange juice, which I like. I'll drink different things. But the Coke or Pepsi boosts you up a little."

Here's something else Donald would like you to know about himself: He's nice. He says, quote, "I don't want to ruin my image by saying this, but I'm a much nicer person than people understand. "I like to do the right thing and help people. But when people are disloyal to me . . . I hold a grudge. I have the longest memory. I always kick back. I believe in that."

The Four Biggest Myths About Your Health:

A lot of people think the placebo effect isn't a big deal, because it doesn't ACTUALLY make you better it just makes you THINK you're better. But in reality, placebos are surprisingly effective for people with Parkinson's, depression, intestinal issues, and a variety of other things. And up to one-third of people who are in pain feel better after taking a placebo, because when your brain thinks you're taking a pain reliever, your body automatically releases compounds called opioids, which are kind of like morphine. Here are four more big misconceptions that most people have about their health.

Myth #1.) "Overweight" Equals "Unhealthy." In one study, more than 25,000 men were tracked for over 23 years, and researchers kept tabs on their health. In the end, men who were overweight or obese, but exercised regularly, tended to live longer than men who were thin but DIDN'T exercise. In general, doctors worry more about your body mass index, which is supposed to be below 25. But if you have a lot of muscle, it can be much higher.

Myth #2.) If You Have Bad Genes, You're Destined to Die Early. Scientists keep finding new things in our DNA, like the breast cancer gene, which significantly increases your chances of developing breast cancer at some point in your life. 60 to 80 percent of women who have the gene will develop breast cancer compared to 13 percent of women who don't. But it's not the same with other diseases, and if someone in your family died early, it doesn't necessarily mean you will too. In fact, scientists think the majority of cancers are caused by things you can avoid, like smoking, sun exposure, and a poor diet. And if there was a pie chart showing all the things that affect how long you live, your genes would only take up about one-third of it. The other two-thirds are things you can control.

Myth #3.) Prescription Drugs Are Guaranteed to Be Safe. People think that if the FDA approves a new drug, it means it's been thoroughly tested for side effects. But about 10 percent of the drugs that are approved by the FDA are later discovered to have MAJOR side effects that didn't show up in clinical trials. That's why you should stick with a medication if it's working for you, and not switch to some new drug just because you saw an ad for it on TV.

Myth #4.) Hospitals Are Sterile. The reality is, hospitals . . . and doctors . . . are often covered in nasty drug-resistant germs that could make you sicker or even kill you. According to the CDC, each year 1.7 million people in the U.S. develop infections while staying at the hospital, or immediately after they're discharged. And almost 100,000 of them die.

The biggest myths about pregnancy:

Any mom will tell you carrying a child comes with lots of aches, pains and plenty of bad advice! What should you you believe when expecting? My Health News Daily discovered eleven of the biggest myths about pregnancy!

1. Pregnancy Lasts Nine Months. Sorry, girls --it's actually forty weeks which calculates to nine-and-a-half months.

2. When You Have Sex Determines the Gender of Your Baby. Some folks believe a woman's body can be more welcoming to boy or girl sperm at certain times of her cycle, but new studies show there simply isn't any correlation between the conception window and the sex of the child.

3. You Can Predict the Sex of Your Baby Without Technology. Doctors have discovered that most folklore methods have about 50/50 odds, except for extreme morning sickness. If you're feeling seriously nauseous your chances of having a girl go up.

4. Twins Skip a Generation. Fraternal twins do run in families thanks to a gene that allows women to release more eggs during ovulation, but it doesn't leapfrog from grandmother-to-granddaughter.

5. Breastfeeding Makes Your Breats Sag. Hungry babies don't change the firmness factor for "the girls," but smoking, multiple pregnancies and aging can all contribute to south-bound cleavage.

6. The Mom-to-Be is the Only One Going Through Hormonal Changes. A study cited in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior found that an expectant daddy's testosterone levels go down and prolactin goes up, perhaps as nature's way of getting ready for baby.

7. Your Body Shape Will Never Be the Same Again. Blaming the extra girth on Junior might be convenient, but your body would change as it ages with or without that little bundle of joy.

8. Pregnancy Makes Your Feet Grow. A few gals go up about a half-size during pregnancy, but most will fit back into their stilettos after swelling in their calves, ankles and feet goes down.

9. Drinking Any Alcohol During Pregnancy Will Hurt Your Baby. New studies out of the UK and Australia show that light drinking --anywhere between one drink per-week or one small drink per-day --may not be harmful. In fact, many physicians in the United States allow their mommies-to-be the occasional adult beverage after the first trimester.

10. Morning Sickness Only Happens in the Morning. Unfortunately, shifting hormones don't have a strict schedule and waves of nausea can strike any time, primarily in the first sixteen weeks of pregnancy.

11. Pregnancy Brain Makes It Impossible to Concentrate. Ladies in a "delicate condition" have thirty-times the normal amount of progesterone running through their noggins so it's natural to be quite tired or forgetful. However, one study found that women in their third trimester have increased attention spans --presumably because they'll need the focus to care for a newborn.

Three Things Companies Do While Hiring . . . That Should Be Illegal:

Fourteen million Americans are currently unemployed, and the things some companies do while hiring doesn't help. Here are three things companies do while hiring . . . that should be illegal.

#1.) Discriminating Against the Unemployed. Companies are allowed to post job listings that say they're only interested in hiring people who currently have a job. And it tends to weed out the people who aren't really qualified. But it also does nothing to help the national unemployment rate, which bounced back up to 9% last month. And it discriminates against women who take time off to have a baby, then want to go back to work.

#2.) Employment-Based Credit Checks. If you apply for a job, the company is allowed to check your credit history to see how responsible you are with your finances which makes sense if you're applying for a job as a banker. For most jobs though, it's not really necessary. But according to the Society for Human Resource Management, 60% of all employers do credit checks on their employees. And obviously, if you've been out of work for a while, your credit might be less-than-perfect.

#3.) Asking for Someone's Social Security Number Before They Have the Job. Obviously, you have to give it to them for tax reasons and to prove who you are. But there's no good reason for a company to ask for it until they've offered you the job and you've accepted. Identity theft affects nearly 10 million people in the U.S. each year. And if you have to send your social security number to ten or twenty different companies you're applying to, you're much more at risk. Plus, if your identity is compromised, it can affect your credit . . . which we already know can prevent you from getting a job in the first place.

Five Things You Didn't Know About Cinco de Mayo:

Today is Cinco de Mayo, so most people get hammered and don't actually understand what they're celebrating. So here are five things you didn't know about Cinco de Mayo.


#1.) It's Not Mexican Independence Day. Mexican Independence Day . . . or "Gritto de Delores" . . . is celebrated on September 16th, and it commemorates the day in 1810 when a Catholic priest declared war on Spain.

#2.) It Celebrates a Victory Over France. In 1861, Mexico defaulted on loans from a bunch of countries in Europe, so France invaded the next year. The French hadn't been beaten in 50 years, but on May 5th, 1862, the Mexicans won the Battle of Puebla. The French took the country over a year later, but Cinco de Mayo celebrates the FIRST battle.

#3.) It's More Popular in the U.S. Than It Is in Mexico. It's not a national holiday In Mexico, and it's mostly celebrated by people near the city of Puebla, which is in the southeastern part of the country. It only became popular in the U.S. in the 50's and 60's, partly because of FDR's 'Good Neighbor' policy of strengthening our ties with Latin America.

#4.) It's Also Popular in . . . Malta? Malta's an island nation in the Mediterranean Sea, just below Italy. And Cinco de Mayo is popular there too . . . but only because people in Malta supposedly LOVE Corona. Corona's sold in over 150 countries, and it's the fifth best-selling beer in the world.

#5.) They Celebrate in Chandler, Arizona by Racing Chihuahuas. There's no real reason behind it.

Least Liked Baby Names

As far as baby names go, it's dangerous territory when you start raggin' on people's precious little miracles. But we’re gonna do it anyway.

Laura Wattenberg is the author of a baby name book called "The Baby Name Wizard", and instead of running the usual studies to find out which baby names are most popular, she went the other direction and found did a national survey to find out which names are disliked.

For boys, names with an "aiden" sound dominated the list. The top four most disliked are Jayden, Brayden, Aiden, and Kaden and Hayden came in sixth. The rest of the top 10 are Hunter coming in fifth, then Bentley seventh, then Tristan, Michael, and Jackson.

For girls, the most disliked name was the ever-controversial Nevaeh. That's "heaven" backwards. The rest of the list includes Madison, Mackenzie, McKenna, Addison, Gertrude, Kaitlyn, Makayla, Bertha, and Hope.

Wattenberg's study also found some trends about disliked names. Usually the names that came out of nowhere to become popular experience a backlash. So do masculine names that suddenly become feminine, and weird spellings.

Some people go the other direction and just hate traditional names, which is how a name like Michael made the top 10.

According to the most recent Social Security Administration data, in 2009, the most popular boys' baby names were Jacob, Ethan, and Michael . . . and for girls it was Isabella, Emma, and Olivia.

What's Healthier . . . Breakfast at Starbucks or McDonald's?

Starbucks sells a lot more than just expensive coffee. They market the food they sell as a healthier option than eating breakfast at a fast food restaurant. And with things like carrot sticks and hummus, that's true. But a lot of the pre-made grab-and-go foods are just as bad as a fast food breakfast, or worse. Here are five breakfast and lunch items from Starbucks compared to similar items from McDonald's.

#1.) The Starbucks Strawberry and Blueberry Yogurt Parfait vs. McDonald's Fruit N' Yogurt. The McDonald's version is 6.6 ounces and has about 220 calories. The Starbucks version is 8.1 ounces, which is more than you really need. And since the portion size is bigger, it has about 80 more calories. Winner: McDonald's.

#2.) The Starbucks Veggie, Egg and Monterey Jack Artisan Breakfast Sandwich vs. The Egg McMuffin. An Egg McMuffin has about 300 calories and 12 grams of fat. The Artisan Breakfast Sandwich is basically just a fancy Egg McMuffin, and it's got 50 more calories and 6 more grams of fat. But the Egg McMuffin has almost twice as much cholesterol. Winner: Tie.

#3.) The Starbucks Santa Fe Chicken Panini vs. The McChicken Sandwich. The McChicken has 360 calories and 16 grams of fat. The Panini is bigger, so it has 400 calories. But despite the sour cream spread, it has five fewer grams of fat than the McChicken. And both options are loaded with sodium. Winner: Starbucks.

#4.) The Starbucks Turkey and Swiss Sandwich vs. The McDonald's Cheeseburger. You'd think it's a no-brainer, but once again it comes down to portion size. A McDonald's cheeseburger has 300 calories and 12 grams of fat. But the Turkey and Swiss is much bigger, so it has 390 calories and 13 grams of fat. And it also has a ton of salt. According to the National Research Council, you're supposed to have no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day. The Turkey and Swiss at Starbucks has a whopping 1,180 milligrams. And a McDonald's cheeseburger has 790. So if you ate them both in the same day, you'd consume about 500 more milligrams of sodium than you should. Winner: McDonald's.

#5.) The Starbucks Café Mocha vs. The McDonald's Mocha. With nonfat milk, a 20-ounce large mocha at McDonald's has 330 calories and 6 grams of fat, while a 20-ounce venti mocha at Starbucks has 280 calories and just 3 grams of fat. A large cup of regular coffee only has about 5 calories, no matter where you buy it. But that number goes way up when you start adding cream and sugar. Winner: Starbucks.

Thanks to Stauffers of Kissel Hill Supermarket for supplying the groceries and recipes. You can find each recipe at http://www.skh.com/!



Beef Tenderloins with Red Wine Sauce
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
4 (4-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks, 1 inch thick
1 Tbs oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup A.1. Original Steak Sauce
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 tsp dried marjoram, crushed

Directions: Sprinkle pepper over both sides of steaks, pressing into steak. Brown steaks in hot oil in skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side or until desired doneness; remove from skillet and keep warm. Cook and stir onion in same skillet over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Stir in steak sauce, wine and marjoram. Heat to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer for 2 minutes or until there is about 1/3 cup sauce remaining. Serve over steaks.

Ginger-Glazed Carrots
2 Tbs butter, divided
3/4 cup water
1 lb baby carrots
2 Tbs honey
2 Tbs orange juice
3/4 tsp McCormick® Ginger, Ground
1/8 tsp McCormick® Nutmeg, Ground
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp McCormick® Parsley Flakes

Directions: Place 1 tablespoon of the butter and water in skillet. Add carrots; cook, uncovered, on medium heat 5 to 6 minutes or until carrots are slightly tender. Drain. Mix honey, orange juice, remaining 1 tablespoon butter, ginger, nutmeg and salt in skillet. Add carrots. Cook, uncovered, on medium heat, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently to glaze carrots. Sprinkle with parsley, just before serving.

Couscous with Spring Vegetables
1 can (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
3 Tbs Grey Poupon mustard
10 oz package couscous
1 cup bunch green onions, sliced
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel

Directions: Bring broth to boil in medium saucepan on high heat. Stir in mustard until well blended. ADD remaining ingredients; mix well. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand 5 min. or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with fork.