Not All Peanut Butters are Created Equal

I love it when the Bon Appetit editors do my work for me!  They analyzed several brands of peanut butter, so I condensed their findings into this chart (based on a 2 TBSP serving):

Brand	Santa Cruz Organic	Skippy Creamy	Smuckers Natural
Cost (16 oz)	4.99	3.32	2.99
Sugar (gr)	1	3	1
Protein (gr)	7	7	7
Calories	200	190	200
Fat (gr)	16	16	16
Sodium (mg)	50	150	105

Here's what I concluded:  It doesn't matter whether you get the all natural or the regular peanut butter if you are considering fat, calories, and protein value of this popular kids' lunch food.  However, the organic and all-natural peanut butters had less sodium and less sugar than the regular.  However, when you compare cost with nutritional value, my money goes to the Smuckers Natural.  It is less expensive and moderately lower in sodium than Skippy, which has more sugar.  Isn't that nutty? :-)

Here's a link to the full article: http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/620/supermarket-standoff-peanut-butter/

The Traveling Trash Can

Remember the Feng Shui that is so important to the success of a classroom environment and the comfort of your home?  The same concept applies to your automobile.  During the summer months, it's very easy to leave the remnants of your trip to the lake, shore, or theme park at the end of the day when you're tired and the kids are cranky.  That's understandable!  But next morning, before the next day's events, remember to clean out those crumbs, orange peels, collected shells, and assorted other tidbits.  Not only will this improve the odor in your car but it should decrease your chances of mechanical failure because of the happy chi surrounding your car.  Clutter is a chi buster whether it is in your house, your classroom, your digital files, or your car!