So many leftovers. Time to consolidate all that information.

Yes, this was definitely the week that was; as in you were warned by Starbucks that prices would increase. They did. You may not have noticed the 5 cents here and there and some drinks jumped more than that, but it’s the caffeine that counts, right?

At the same time they got hit for the price jump, albeit with warning, they continued to tweak their healthy menu items. A few simple adjustments on your latte orders, like switching to nonfat milk, can keep the calorie count down. Actually they have lots of company in the new calorie-posting lifestyle. Look at Applebee’s new healthy choice list with the long title: “Unbelievably Great Tasting & Under 550 Calories.” That’s a mouthful.

Grocers continue to parade around their value-pricing deals and low-calorie combinations. FreshDirect, the online grocer in New York, touts its 500-calorie meals which they create in-house and have available for delivery.

Results are in that people do pay attention to calorie postings, but they are being questioned for their exactness. Several reports have questioned the validity of the numbers. Think this is where commonsense has to rein. If it looks too good to be true…Guess what the triple burger might actually have more than 100 calories! I see more fruit options as commonsense sides to accompany main courses.

Celebrity Food Shows have been touting the combination of waffles and fried chicken. Now that has become a menu buzz. Do you get two separate plates so they syrup does not run all over the crispy chicken? This is what we call a fad; not a trend!

As the weather continues lashing out at us with a full deck of impossibilities, (tornadoes in CA?), it’s time to begin the magical pre-spring daydream: Seed catalogs. This is the time of year to leaf through them and find the best possibilities for your eventual garden. Time to order and begin the slow sprout. So many catalogs and so many new veggie and fruit possibilities. This is your year to rotate and bring on some new choices. Skip the all-traditional garden and go for some of the newcomers–all well marked. Just verify the growing zone so CA crops do not sit idle in your mid-Atlantic garden! Can one really have too many tomatoes?

Always a few more food recalls to focus our attention. This week it was cheese logs, smoked beef brisket, and additional burger items. With the appointment of the new FDA deputy commissioner in charge of upgrading food safety, maybe, just maybe, we can start to see better focused attention and action.

Speaking of burgers: Here’s a new burger bar prototype to consider: Burger King and Budweiser have teamed up to open a Whopper Bar by mid-February in South Florida. If it works there…the rest is history: Tourist areas get ready to open a cold one! It’s a success in Germany and new one is planned for Spain.

Oatmeal continues to be everyone’s favorite bowl game. McDonald’s, Caribou, Starbucks, and Jamba Juice are all tripping over each other with the flavor possibilities and price wars. What happened to good Old Quaker at home–OK, the one minute kind in a to-go cup–even less expensive!

Rest up a new week in food is ready to entice.