Issue Date: November 20, 2005
Simply delicious and cruciferous
New research says cruciferous vegetables -- cabbage and its cousins broccoli and Brussels sprouts -- may cut risk of type 2 diabetes and cancer.
Baked Chicken & Brussels Sprouts
1 Tb. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 8 pieces
1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
2-3 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cups 99% fat-free chicken broth
Salt and black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a skillet, heat oil and brown chicken. Lay chicken in a shallow baking dish and surround with Brussels sprouts. Sprinkle onions and rosemary over chicken. Add broth, salt and pepper. Bake, covered, for 20 minutes. Uncover, increase oven temperature to 400 degrees, and bake 30 to 40 minutes, until sprouts are cooked firm, not mushy. Serve.
Serves 8
Per serving: 137 calories, 17g protein, 8g carbohydrates, 4g fat (1g saturated), 40mg cholesterol, 3g fiber, 286mg sodium
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New passport rules
Planning a Caribbean cruise, a ski trip to the Canadian Rockies or a beach vacation in Mexico? Soon you'll need a U.S. passport to travel to these destinations that now require only a driver's license or birth certificate. As of Dec. 31, 2006, Americans will need a passport for all air and sea travel to and from Mexico and Canada, Central and South Americas, the Caribbean and Bermuda. And by Dec. 31, 2007, a passport will be required for land crossings to Canada and Mexico.
Check out iafdb.travel.state.gov for a list of more than 7,000 offices accepting passport applications. Next year, you'll need passports more often.
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Brown sugar, explained
What's the difference between dark and light brown sugar?
Sally Thigpen, Ruston, La.
Molasses. Dark brown sugar contains more molasses than light brown sugar.
There also are flavor differences, but you can use dark and light brown sugar interchangeably.
Brown sugar is actually made in two different ways, although both methods use cane syrup (which becomes molasses when boiled down), says Paul Caulkins of the Imperial Sugar Company (in Sugar Land, Texas!).
"Enrobed" brown sugar forms by mixing cane syrup into granulated sugar. Darker syrup produces darker sugar.
Or, sugar crystals are injected into cane syrup that has been boiled under vacuum to a super-saturated state. In this condition, sugar crystals grow. When they're large, the mixture goes into a centrifuge, much like a washing machine's spin cycle. The sugar and syrup then separate, leaving the sugar coated with a film of syrup.
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You can live on one income
Scaling back to one income may seem impossible to families who use the second paycheck to cover the mortgage, car payments and tuition. But with planning and discipline, spouses who want to retire or take time off to raise children can make it work.
While you're both working, try to use the larger income to cover all expenses. Direct the second income to savings, retirement plans and an emergency fund. If you can't make such a dramatic change to your spending and saving habits immediately, start gradually -- but do start.
Instead of spending both paychecks to the last penny each month, stash away 5%, then 10%, then 20% to 25% of your gross income, advises financial planner Mo Barakat of Ameriprise Financial. If you don't tap into the second income, you'll have savings for future tuition and will build a nice nest egg.
Cut corners. Try Christine Walker's "65 ways to save in The Smart Mom's Guide to Staying Home." And Mary Goulet and Heather Reider, in "The MomsTown Guide to Getting It All," suggest a daily "15-minute financial check-in" to balance your checkbook, pay bills, research investment opportunities or check how many minutes you've used on your cellphone. They're right: Making a habit of knowing exactly how much money you have will decrease your chances of overspending.
Sharon Epperson is CNBC's personal finance correspondent.
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