News Moms Need

Have you started to enjoy the fun foods of picnics and BBQs? Independence Day seems to be when my family feels summer is really here. Our grill was fired up yesterday and the freezer was stocked with popsicles. It’s always great to kick back and relax, but it’s also important to remember to keep foods fresh and safe from nasty things like salmonella and e coli.

Things to keep in mind while enjoying summer cookouts are:
• Keep raw meat and poultry separate from cooked or ready-to-eat foods.
• Minimize mayonnaise when you’ll be outside for long periods. I have stopped making potato salad with mayo and now use olive oil and lemon juice instead. It keeps much longer.
• Refrigerate any leftovers a.s.a.p., and never eat cooked food that has been out of the refrigerator longer than two hours.

If you’re pregnant, there are several more things you need to know, like avoiding soft cheeses, raw sprouts and unpasteurized juices, and limiting the amount of certain fish you eat.  Be sure to read more about food-borne risks in pregnancy on our web site.

Happy summer!

Have you ever noticed that bees often show up at your picnic uninvited?  Is that impolite or what?  Honey bees LOVE sugar and head for the watermelon, soda pop, juice and, um, margaritas. Aside from sweets, they are attracted to bright colors, so keep your clothes and picnic supplies toned down.

Yellow jackets and other wasps are carnivores, sometimes called meat bees, and will go straight for the burgers and dogs. If you swat at them and get them angry, they might take a bite out of you, too. So, keep your cool.

Solution – make little traps out of recyclable stuff you have at home.  There are several suggestions on the web. Here’s a link to a simple design.  Fill them with chucks of dog food  (Thanks Fido!).  Hang these delicious treats in a tree at least 20 feet away from where you want to eat or the kids want to play. Your uninvited guests will find them, eat their fill, get stuck and leave you in peace.

Keep your food and trash bins covered at all times. Just to be on the safe side, make sure you and the kiddies wear something on your feet. When food gets dropped on the ground, bugs and bees can show up to investigate.  Nobody wants to get her toe stung!