I had lunch with my son on a small balcony overlooking a lake this afternoon. It was quite surreal being in the midst of all that greenery smack in the middle of the city. Birds flew overhead as we ate and although there were no swans on the lake, there could well have been. It was almost perfect except for the fact that we were sitting under the blazing sun in 95+ degree weather 
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If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ve heard me mention more than once about my kids being picky eaters. There are lots of things they just won’t eat, no matter what I do. So when I do find something they like, I’m cooking that every other day. The mom in me is constantly concerned they’re missing out on certain food groups.
For the most part, they hate veggies but love meat. Veggies are easier to camouflage than meat, of course. Sometimes I puree the veggies and hide them in patties or sauces. As for the meat, I really do go out of my way to get the best cuts from the most nutritious sources.
If your kids are picky eaters like mine, you really should consider Natural Meats which is not only great tasting but also very healthily raised on vegetarian feeds without all those antibiotics and harmful stuff.
Knowing that the animals from the Niman Ranch are humanely raised in environmentally friendly farms is great. Knowing that my kids are eating healthy natural meats is an even bigger relief to me. Goodness knows that’s one less thing I have to crack my head over. Figuring out which recipes they like becomes the easy part 
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This is a sponsored post.
Related PostsThe long-awaited weekend is here. The kids can’t wait to see what I’ll be cooking. Unfortunately when I went groceries yesterday, I forgot to buy my lasagna sheets and beef. I could’ve sworn I wrote it down on my list. Must’ve missed it somehow, dang! Later I have to make another trip to the store.
We’ll be having seafood linguine for lunch and lasagna for dinner. Going to make some garlic bread too. The kitchen’s getting busy. What did I tell ya? Once I get my new oven, we’ll be piling on the pounds .
Okay, I’m hanging the “OPEN” back on my kitchen door. My new oven has arrived and Mom’s cafe is back in business. Yay for the kids, my poor deprived kids who haven’t had any ‘real’ food since my trusty old oven decided to quit on me.
I roasted some chicken drumsticks and potatoes yesterday and they were a hit with the kids. For the first time in months, my kitchen was filled with the heavenly aroma of chicken on the roast. My kids couldn’t wait for dinner and they really licked the platter clean in no time.
More cooking this weekend, that’s for sure 
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The past few days have been spent slaving in the kitchen. I have had to cook a couple of big festive meals. Well, okay, they were for less than 10 people so I guess you wouldn’t consider to be a big crowd, nevertheless it’s more than what I usually cook.
One of the things I’ve learnt is that if you cut up all the ingredients and have them all organized according to the dishes you’re going to cook, it’s much easier when it comes time to actually start cooking. I know it’s a very simple tip but it’s really helped me and I wish I’d thought of it sooner .
Like I always say, I’m not much of a drinker. I guess I never had much of an opportunity because when I was growing up, we were not much of a drinking family either. Oh sure, we did have special occasions when we would open up a bottle of wine but for the most part, we are water people.
But lately I’ve been reading that it’s good healthwise to have the occasional glass of wine. So I’ve been trying to make it a point to do that. At wedding receptions, I used to instinctly say no when I was offered a glass of wine but now I make it a point to grab a glass .
The other night, at my cousin’s wedding, I had Campo de Borja wine which comes from Spanish wine country where the weather is rather harsh and apparently great for growing some of the best grapes. I admit I was fascinated I got to learn a little about the wine I was drinking 
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I still haven’t quite acquired a taste for which wines are good or which colors to be looking for, but I think I’m off to a pretty good start already considering how clueless I can be!
Related PostsThis is a sponsored guest post written by a Press Release on behalf of PBM Products. Post powered by Sponzai.
GORDONSVILLE, VA., December 2 , 2009—PBM Products, LLC, a leading infant formula company that supplies store-brand infant formulas to Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Kroger, Walgreens, and other retailers, has received a favorable jury verdict and a $13.5 million damages award in its false advertising lawsuit against Mead Johnson & Co., the operating subsidiary of Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (NYSE: MJN) (“Mead Johnson”), the makers of the national-brand Enfamil® LIPIL® Infant Formula. Mead Johnson is 83 percent-owned by Bristol-Myers Squibb.
PBM’s lawsuit claimed that Mead Johnson engaged in false and misleading campaigns against PBM’s competing store-brand of infant formulas, suggesting they do not provide the same nutrition as Mead Johnson’s brands. PBM’s store-brand infant formulas cost up to 50 percent less than Enfamil® LIPIL®. The $13.5 million in damages awarded by the jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of the largest damages awards ever for a false advertising case.
“This decision by a jury of the people confirms that Mead Johnson’s ads have been false in suggesting that there is a nutritional difference between our store-brand formula products and their products, when in fact the only major difference is price,” said PBM CEO Paul B. Manning. “Despite Mead Johnson’s scare tactics, parents are assured that PBM’s formula products are as high quality and nutritious as Mead Johnson’s.”
U.S. District Court Judge James R. Spencer issued his written rulings yesterday following the November 10th jury verdict. Judge Spencer’s written rulings permanently enjoined Mead Johnson from making any false statements concerning PBM’s infant formula, including the claims Mead Johnson previously made in Enfamil advertising that “It may be tempting to try a less expensive store brand, but only Enfamil LIPIL is clinically proven to improve brain and eye development,” and “there are plenty of other ways to save on baby expenses without cutting back on nutrition.” The Court also ordered Mead Johnson to retrieve from the public domain all advertising or promotional materials containing these or any other false claims about PBM’s store brand infant formula.
The details of the decision and the complaint are posted online in full at:
· http://www.pbmproducts.com/docs/Order_Laches.pdf
· http://www.pbmproducts.com/docs/PBM_Complaint_MJ_III_LIPIL.pdf
The nutritional supplements under examination in the case are two fats, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ARA (arachidonic acid), which Mead Johnson calls “LIPIL®” solely for marketing purposes and touts as promoting infant brain and eye development. PBM’s claim focused on Mead Johnson’s direct mailing to more than 1.6 million parents of an alarming blurry picture of a child’s cartoon duck next to a clear picture of the same image which suggested that anything other than the Enfamil LIPIL® blend of ingredients is inferior and will result in poor eye and brain development. Other parts of the false advertising campaign consist of statements that only Enfamil LIPIL has been proven to confer visual and mental benefits on infants, and store-brand formulas are a “cut-back in nutrition” compared to Enfamil.
PBM successfully argued that these advertisements were false and misleading especially since PBM store- brand infant formulas have the same nutrients at the same levels as Enfamil. PBM infant formulas are formulated to contain DHA and ARA, and are sourced from the same supplier in amounts which equal or exceed the DHA and ARA in Mead Johnson’s Enfamil LIPIL®.
This decision marks the third time PBM Products has sued Mead Johnson for false advertising claims. On the prior occasions Mead Johnson admitted that it made false claims about PBM’s products. It is also the first false advertising case to focus on the issue of DHA and ARA nutritional ingredients in formula, which were introduced into the market in 2003 and have become a staple in recent years by many brands as key components for infant development.
“This jury verdict should send a significant and clear message to Mead Johnson about the way it conducts marketing and advertising for its brands,” said Manning. “This lawsuit also demonstrates our complete commitment to defending our products and the valuable brands of our retail partners.”
“As a parent and supporter of children’s medical research, I take a personal responsibility in assuring our customers that the products we produce are healthy and nutritionally equivalent to brand names like Enfamil® LIPIL®. It is important, especially now, for parents to know that there are lower priced yet highly nutritious store-brand formulas that will provide the same benefit to their children as any national brand name formula product,” Manning added.
The U.S. infant formula market is estimated at $3.4 billion and the global market is estimated at $7.9 billion.
All of PBM’s formulas, and for that matter all of U.S. infant formulas, are subject to the exacting standards of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), pursuant to the Infant Formula Act of 1980. This legislation vested FDA with the authority to ensure that all infant formula products sold in the United States provide the necessary levels of identified nutrients required for the growth of healthy babies. For more information, visit this FDA link.
PBM Products was represented by the law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP. Partners from the firm’s advertising practice, Harold P. Weinberger and Jonathan M. Wagner in New York, led the team.
About PBM
PBM is privately owned and based in Gordonsville, VA. PBM companies specialize in manufacturing, distributing, and marketing consumer food, nutritional, and pharmaceutical products. For more information, visit www.pbmproducts.com.
Enfamil® LIPIL® are registered trademarks of Mead Johnson & Co.
Related PostsWe’re staying home with no place to go (by choice) so the kids and I decided to have a simple meal of lamb chops with lots of healthy side dishes instead.
We’ve been working out really hard at the gym and didn’t want to pile everything back on in one sitting. Yep, we’re such boring folks .
Here’s wishing everyone a safe and blessed Thanksgiving! And a fantastic Black Friday if you’re making a dash for the stores in the wee hours .
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