Blog Posts by iVillage

nachos and mozzerella sticksBy Cynthia Ramnarace

Craving warm, satisfying, stick-to-your-ribs comfort food? Here's a guide to which foods to choose and which to refuse.

1. Loaded Nachos vs. Mozzarella Sticks
You want something salty and savory but are torn between the pyramid of cheese-drizzled chips and the crunchy-on-the-outside, ooey-gooey cheese on the inside sticks. Which is worse?
Answer: Loaded Nachos
Nachos are where portion control goes to die. After all, says registered dietitian Holly Herrington, who has ever just scooped one chip into that mound of meat, cheese and sour cream and said, "I'm done now?" An entire platter of nachos can yield more than 2,000 calories. Even if you split that with a friend, you're still getting 1,000 fat-filled calories. "The mozzarella sticks are not a great choice, but four sticks have only around 500 calories," says Herrington of the Center for Lifestyle Medicine at Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation. To lighten up nachos at home, make them with baked chips, skip

Food Expiration Dates 101: How Long to Keep Ice Cream, Pizza and other Frozen FoodsBy Lisa Cericola

The freezer is a frugal cook's best friend. It's the perfect place for pre-made or leftover meals and allows you to stock up on sale items like family-packs of chicken or 3-for-1 frozen vegetables. While foods kept at zero degrees Fahrenheit are safe to eat indefinitely, there still are expiration dates to make sure your food is the best quality. Read on for recommendations from StillTasty.com.

1. Ice Cream (Most Flavors)
Unopened: 2 to 4 months
Opened: 1 to 2 months
Ice cream doesn't tend to last very long in most households, but if you're the type to eat a small scoop at a time, be sure to discard opened cartons after two months. And if it completely thaws, discard it - do not re-freeze, as harmful bacteria may develop.

2. Frozen Vegetables (Most Types
Unopened or Opened: 10 to 12 months
Frozen vegetables are a healthy (and always in-season) addition to everyday dinners. Keep vegetables frozen until you're ready to use them. Store any unused veggies in a freezer

Food Expiration Dates 101: How Long to Keep Dairy and EggsBy: Lisa Cericola

Who hasn't sniffed the milk carton and hoped for the best? It's tough to know when butter, cheese, cream, milk, yogurt and eggs have gone bad so we've created this handy cheat sheet of expiration dates from StillTasty.com. Read on to find out when to toss eggs and dairy products!

1. Milk
Unopened or opened: One week after sell-by date in the refrigerator or three months in the freezer. Milk that has been continuously refrigerated will usually remain safe to consume for one week past the sell-by date. Freeze in an airtight container, leaving a half-inch of space at the top because milk will expand when frozen. If it develops an off color, odor or appearance, discard it. Milk is best stored in in the main body of the refrigerator, which is usually colder than the refrigerator door.

2. Butter
Unopened or opened: One month after sell-by date on package in the refrigerator or six to nine months in the freezer. Butter may be left at room temperature for one to two days,

9 Naughty Apps Worth the DownloadBy Kimberly Dawn Neumann

Test drive these digital turn-ons and get jiggy with your iPod, iPad or Android for $2.99 or less!

1. dirty truth or dare (extreme dare edition)
Why you want it: We hope the version you played in middle school wasn't as raunchy as this. With each turn, a player has to choose whether he wants to divulge a secret or perform a dare. If you're looking for sexy fun, we suggest going with the latter. The "Truth" questions are clearly not as interesting as the "Dares" (i.e. "What is your most embarrassing moment?" versus "Put on a blindfold. Flip a coin three times. Every time it comes up heads, take a piece of clothing off.") The app often refers to "the group." We're not sure what kind of group they're talking about here but the app is also lots of fun for a party of two.
Download it now: $2.99 on iTunes

2. a sexulator - sex calculator and calendar
Why you want it: If he says you're not having enough sex…you can politely whip out your phone and say "au contraire"

SPAM Walking Shoes: The Latest in Fitness Gear?

By Letisha Marrero

Anyone whose parents or grandparents grew up poor, like mine, were intimate with SPAM. First made in 1937, this post-war, low-cost meal, dubbed "The Miracle Meat of a Million Uses" was an instant cupboard staple. This was back when families were more concerned putting any food on the table for the lowest price possible. Now that people are trying to eat healthier (processed, high-sodium meat doesn't usually make the cut), what could SPAM possibly be used for? Shoe stencils of course!

A shoe company based in Venice, Calif. called Sanuk, known for their ultra-casual Sidewalk Surfer loafers, has inked a licensing deal with Hormel Foods to bring SPAM to your shoe rack. (To be clear, the shoes aren't made from SPAM, just decorated with its iconic logo).

Growing up in southern California, I know firsthand (uh, foot?) what constitutes standard, ultra-casual Cali footwear. I vividly remembers Uggs 1.0, Vans, Jellies or Flojos, (which literally translated to "Lazies" in

Food Expiration Dates 101: How Long to Keep Pickles, Mayo and Other CondimentsBy Lisa Cericola

Almost everyone has a jar of something really old in the back of their fridge. And that mystery jar usually contains some sort of condiment. Read on for StillTasty's guidelines on keeping and tossing ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, salad dressings and more!



1. Ketchup
Unopened: 12 months in the pantry.
Opened: 6 months in the refrigerator, 1 month in the pantry.
While you see opened bottles of ketchup sitting out on restaurant tables, it's best to store your own ketchup (which probably gets used less often) in your refrigerator.

2. Mayonnaise
Unopened: 3 to 4 months after the sell-by date on the package.
Opened: 2 to 3 months after the sell-by date on the package.
Sell-by dates represent the manufacturer's estimate of how long the product will be at peak quality. In most cases, opened food is safe to consume after a sell-by date if it has been stored properly and continuously refrigerated.

3.Barbecue Sauce
Unopened: 12 months in the pantry.
Opened: 4 months in the

Bad Dating Advice: 12 Maddening Tips You Should IgnoreBy Josey Miller

Just because someone gives you advice on your dating life doesn't mean you should listen!


1. You Don't Need Mr. Right -- Mr. Okay Will Do
If you're in your 30s, it's no longer "love is all you need," but rather "a pulse is all you need." At least, that's what Lori Gottlieb seems to suggest in her book Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough. She asks: "What's the difference between settling and compromising? When it comes to marriage, what can we live with, and what can we live without? How long does it make sense to hold out for someone better -- who we may never find, and who may not exist or be available to us even if he did -- when we could be happy with the person right in front of us?" But what's wrong with holding out until you find someone who has what you want? "By the time a woman hits her third decade, she has had enough time to get to know herself, what she is looking for and how to identify red flags," says Brenda Della Casa, author of

Are Nagging Wives as Bad as Adulterous Husbands?By Jill Provost

A story in The Wall Street Journal today proclaims that nagging may be "as toxic as adultery." And, natch, it's mostly women's fault.

The story starts with a cute anecdote about Ken M. finding a reminder to go to Home Depot in the middle of the sandwich that his wife packed him for lunch. She thought it was genius -- using humor to get her point across -- while he found it ridiculously overbearing, especially since he only found the note when he bit into it.

The article goes on to say, "a husband might tune his wife out because he is annoyed; nagging can make him feel like a little boy being scolded by his mother." Mm-hmm. Of course, what isn't acknowledged is the fact that having your lunch made and packed for you should make you feel the same way. Clearly, Ken M. has no problem with his wife's overly maternal instincts when it benefits him.

So women have a strong urge to run -- some might say control -- the household. While that might mean women