Vitamin C Blast

For someone that actually works in marketing, I'm a total sucker for advertising. The other week when I was reading through the Saturday paper I stumbled across an ad from Sunkist for it's new varieties of oranges. Now, I still find the fact that fruits need to be advertised a bit odd. But moving beyond that fact that even my apple has a website these days, my interest was piqued by these newly available oranges, so I set out on a quest to find them.

The first on my hit list was the Moro Orange (a variety of the blood orange - pictured above). It was simply delicious. A bit tangy, a bit sour, almost like an orange and a raspberry teamed up to form a superfruit.

The next one on the list was the Minneola Tangelo, a cross between a grapefruit and a tangerine. It's a bit hard to peel, but well worth the trouble. The Minneola has a unique sweet and honeyed taste. They are super juicy and have a decent shelf life. This variety has become a favorite of mine, and a regular addition to my weekly grocery list.

The last new variety of orange that I came across was the Cara Cara, one I had never heard of before. I stumbled across this variety in a random Saturday taste test at Costco. After a quick search online, I discovered that the Cara Cara has been newly branded "The Power Orange". It's a special variety of juicy, low acid, seedless naval orange that is packed with extra natural nutrition and minerals. The bright orange exterior covers a deep, rich pink pulp, which is extremely sweet.

Needless to say, if you are looking for a little extra blast of Vitamin C to ward off the inevitable spring cold, you have new options!

Add a Little Shimmer

Right about now is when the dryness of winter catches up to me and I start to become a lizard. My skin gets dry and my lips start to crack. The only savior for years has been Burt's Bees lip balm. With it's beeswax and rosemary oil combination, it keeps my lips moist and smooth. The only downfall is that it was plain and a bit waxy. Now they've introduced Lip Shimmers, a version of their lip balm with a little color added, and a lot of gloss. No more layering lip balm, then lipstick. It's all in one handy, rosemary-scented tube. My favorite is Rhubarb. It's the perfect color for pale blondes, natural or not. They've also introduced a Super Shiny Lip Gloss, but I have yet to see this one in stores.

The Grinds that Get me Going

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a total princess with my coffee. I brew at home and fill up my travel mug each morning. I'll even pass on my daily cup altogether if the only option available is Folgers or Maxwell House. For me, neither of these are "good to the last drop" or even good on the first drop.

For the past few years, I've been hooked on Green Mountain Coffee. Ever since I had a cup of Wild Mountain Blueberry back in 2004, it's been my bean of choice. Most of this company's coffees are Fair Trade and a number are even organic. And the flavors are to die for. Some favorites include:

• Spicy Eggnog
• Wild Mountain Blueberry
  
• Caramel Vanilla
• Island Coconut

Green Mountain rotates its flavors every few months, so you need to either order online or head south and stock-up to ensure you get your flavor of choice.

In Pictures

When I asked my mother if she needed any suggestions or ideas for Christmas this year, she answered with a very definitive "Nope - I have it all figured out". And she did. On Christmas day, we unwrapped a very cool Kodak Easyshare Digital Picture Frame. What a cool gift. My husband and I take millions of pictures and videos, but we never get around to ordering prints. With this little gem, we can add a ton of pictures (via any type of memory card) and watch shots from our honeymoon, vacations, trips to the market, and more. It's a great gift idea and something we will enjoy all year.