Free Donuts on Friday @ Dunkin Donuts!

On June 5, 2009, participating Dunkin’ Donuts stores throughout the country will give every customer a free donut of their choice, with the purchase of any beverage, limit one per customer.

National Donut Day, held the first Friday of June each year, was started by the Chicago Salvation Army more than 70 years ago. According to Dunkin’ Donuts’ Brand Marketing Officer Frances Allen, the day holds particular relevance in 2009. “From office meetings to Sunday get-togethers, donuts are one of those foods that lift people's spirits and bring genuine delight to any situation. And now more than ever, Americans are seeking those small moments of happiness," she said. "We hope our free donut offer will create an opportunity for people to celebrate donuts and bring some extra happiness to their day.”

REAL Food for Dinner?: Easier Than You Think.

A Just A Sec Exclusive!



You work all day. You come home, you're hungry for dinner.

How many of us still have the energy to do anything more than pluck a cardboard box from the freezer and toss its contents into the microwave?

You made that new year's resolution to eat healthier. And sure, if you had a personal chef, you too could enjoy a restaurant-quality meal at home every night. Maybe a nice filet of salmon and a compliment of fresh-from-the-farmstand veggies. But who has time to deal with "real" foods during the work week?

You do! Haven't you ever thought about steaming?

Kim hates to cook, especially after a busy day. And in an effort to eat "better", she found herself relying on low-fat frozen meals. The problem was, they left her dissatisfied. "They taste like the box they came in," she said. "And the portions leave me starving."

We challenged Kim to prepare a healthy dinner employing fresh, whole foods -- and with minimal effort. To help her out, we gave her a Nesco 5 Quart Steamer with Rice Bowl.

So what did Kim whip up for dinner?

"A swordfish steak, zuccini and rice," she told us. Sounds intimidating!



So what kind of work was involved? Here are Kim's steps to preparing her meal:

1. "I stuck the reservoir under the tap and filled it with water." (OK. So far, we can handle this. But surely it gets more complicated.)

2. "I unwrapped a filet of fish from the supermarket and put it inside the steamer tray with slices of zuccini." (Unwrapping and putting. Still with you, Kim.)

3. "I poured some water and rice into the rice bowl." (Poured...OK, still in the game...)

4. "I put the rice bowl into the second steamer tray, and then stacked the trays on top of each other and put on the lid."

5. "I plugged in the steamer, turned the timer dial. Later I took the food out of the steamer and ate it."

You're kidding. That's it?

Well, OK, but how was the food?

"Perfect!" Kim raved. "I wasn't sure how steamed swordfish was going to turn out. I don't know, I just had this prejudice in my head that if it was steamed, it was going to turn out soggy and gross. But it was delicious. It was flaky and tender. The rice was perfect. The vegetables were a little softer than I like them, but next time I'll know to set the timer for less time so they're a little crisp. Then if I'm cooking them with something else that needs more time, I can just re-set the timer to continue cooking the other thing. Or, add the zuccini in later."

We were impressed that the Nesco steamer was able to cook a complete meal all together.

So how was clean-up?

"Very easy. The product manual says the plastic trays are dishwasher-safe, but I don't have a dishwasher. So I tossed them in the sink with some warm soapy water while I ate, and half an hour later I was able to rinse them clean right under the tap. The food doesn't really stick to the plastic surface that much. The inside of the water reservoir wiped clean with a soapy sponge, then I just rinsed it out with a slosh of water."

Will Kim use the steamer on a regular basis?

"No doubt! I didn't know you could get something like this. I'm going to buy a lot more fresh food from now on. This is awesome!"

The Nesco steamer works with a wide variety of foods including grains, vegetables, fruits, eggs, seafood, meat and poultry. It comes with a 60 minute timer and is equipped with an automatic shut-off when it's out of water.

And this beautifully simple little appliance costs only $29.95.

For more information, visit www.nesco.com.

New Rules: Tea & Coffee in the Office

This blogger has set his own five rules about the making of hot beverages in the office.

Get Pricy, Healthy Snacks on the Cheap -- Here's How.

A Just A Sec Exclusive!

Got a sweet tooth that flairs up around 3 PM?

Would you love to replace those junky candy bars with healthful, super-sweet and delicious dehydrated fruit snacks from the health food store, but you just can't afford that regular expense?

In our 'hood, dried strawberries go for about $8 a pound, and dried raspberries, $17 a pound!!!! No wonder so many of us reach for the M&Ms -- they're a quick fix for less than a buck. (A fix that doesn't last very long, however -- you're sugar-crashing an hour later.)

Maybe, like us, you looked at those neatly sealed bags of pricy dried fruit and automatically assumed they came from giant drying factories, and that nobody had the ability to do the same thing at home. At least not without a lot of fuss. And who needs that?

We were delighted to discover that fruit-drying can be done at home, very simply, using personal food dehydrators by Nesco.



To test the ease of the process, our volunteer Stacia put the Nesco Snackmaster Express Dehydrator and Jerky Maker, Model FD-60, to the test. Never having used a food dehydrator before, in one weekend, Stacia dried enough strawberries to feed all the secretaries in her office during the following Monday's 3 PM energy plunge.

So did Stacia have to labor the entire weekend for those few moments of glory?

"No, it was easy. Much easier than I expected," she said. "I sliced the strawberries in half, placed them on the (dehydrator's) trays, turned the dial (on the dehydrator) to the recommended temp for strawberries, and came back six hours later. They were done. I put them into baggies and stored them in the fridge 'til Monday morning."

Wow -- pretty simple!

The dehydrator is made up of a plastic base, a lid (which contains the drying mechanism -- fan, temperature gauge, etc.), and a stack of trays in between on which fruit is placed for drying. Stacia's Snackmaster Express came with four trays, but additional trays may be purchased and added to the machine, creating a taller "tower" with space to dry even more fruit at one time.

The dehydrator's literature stresses the option of pre-treating fruit before drying it. Although not necessary, pre-treatment reportedly gives dried fruits a longer shelf life, and for fruits that tend to brown (like apples), it reduces browning.

Stacia opted not to pre-treat (to save prep time) and still got a perfect product that her co-workers raved about. But pre-treatment would have been as simple as soaking her strawberry slices in fruit juice for five minutes before drying.

We were impressed by the variety of things the Nesco FD-60 is designed to do.

Besides drying fruit (not just for snacks, but for adding to granola, yogurt, cereal, etc.), the Snackmaster Express comes with a special tray for making your own "Fruit Roll-up"-type snacks using your own homemade puree. Nesco's dehydrator comes with recipes for fruit roll flavors like "Orange Julius", "Strawberry Daiquiri", "Strawberry Cream Cheese" and "Pina Colada".

The Snackmaster dries vegetables and herbs for use in stews, soups, casseroles, marinades, pizza, breads, etc.

The Snackmaster is also a jerky maker. Dried meat snacks aren't cheap. Making your own is much cheaper.

For you crafty types, the Nesco Snackmaster Express FD-60 will keep you busy in all sorts of new ways, drying plants and flowers for potpourri, dried flower arrangements, wreaths, etc. There are some clever instructions for drying dough ornaments, too.

Stacia added that cleaning the dehydrator was also easier than expected. "I thought if any part of this process would be hard work, it would be cleaning those trays. They have all those little slots in them and I thought I'd end up spending a lot of time cleaning them up. But I just let them sit in my sink full of warm soapy water for a few minutes and the pink residue from the strawberries rinsed right off with plain water."

You should know that dehydrated foods, when stored in a cool, dry place, can last a year or longer.

You might even find ways to bring in extra income with a Nesco dehydrator -- think about it.

You can get your own Nesco Snackmaster Express for $59.95 at www.nesco.com. Not only is it affordable, but it quickly pays for itself.

Thai Lunch @ POOKET: Skip it!!

A Just A Sec Exclusive!

We sent Kathy, one of our volunteer restaurant reviewers, out to find a Thai lunch special near her workplace. She landed at Pooket at 945 Second Avenue at 50th Street.

She thought the lunch menu looked promising: 30 different items to choose from for $7.95, which included complementary soup of the day or house salad.

It was a bad experience from the moment Kathy walked in.

"The service was completely chaotic," she said. "It looked like there were two kids running around the dining room trying to do everything."

"First, they sat me down and forgot to give me a menu," she went on. "Eventually the waitress came back. I gave her a blank look, she looked at the empty table and said, 'Oh, you didn't get a menu yet?' Bad sign! Especially when a lot of people are in a hurry to get back to work at lunchtime. How hard is it to remember to give someone a menu when they sit down? I mean, shouldn't that be second nature for the hostess?"

"I couldn't believe it when the guy came with my salad and soup," said Kathy. "He literally threw the bowls on the table as he whizzed by." She also added, "I noticed the menu said you have your choice of soup or salad, but they gave me both. Were they too overworked or careless to bother asking, so they just gave everyone both? Or was that a menu typo? I'll never know."

And how were the soup and salad?

"They were both completely disgusting. Let me just say that I am not a picky eater. I will eat a lot of mediocre food when I'm hungry and not complain. But I took one bite of that disgusting salad and pushed the bowl away. If you'd been sitting there watching me, you'd clearly see how disgusted I was. I'm sure I made a total face."

"The salad was a meager portion of wet lettuce and a cucumber slice in a bowl without dressing. It tasted like something you'd eat out of the dumpster at the end of the day."

"The soup was like dishwater. Water with a vague hint of onion flavor, filled with limp pieces of cabbage, exactly three julienne slices of carrots the size of blades of thin grass, and exactly three squares of tofu."

As for the entree, Kathy kept it uncomplicated and ordered her favorite thing: classic Pad Thai with chicken. She knew what to expect, and had plenty of Pad Thai experiences to compare it with.

"I ate it. It tasted OK. But it was not the best Pad Thai I've ever had. No way. First of all, it was incredibly watery. The whole thing was sitting in a pool of broth, which is NOT how Pad Thai should be served."

She went on, "One of the things I love about Pad Thai is the different textures in your mouth of the smooth noodles and the fresh crunchy peanut crumbles. Pooket did one thing right -- they served the peanut crumbles on the side so you could put them on the noodles yourself and they wouldn't soak up the moisture before getting to the table. The problem was, the peanuts they served didn't taste freshly-chopped anyway. They arrived in a clump. Like they'd been stored for a while and the bits got all stuck together. I had to put the clump on top of the noodles, and break it apart with my fork. Not first-class Pad Thai."

"They were too busy to check on me during the meal, it seemed they were so understaffed and just wanted to throw bad food at you and get you out the door." "While I was eating, I noticed one customer across the room had a problem with his check. It seemed he was charged too much. And a guy at the table next to me at one point was calling out, 'Excuse me! Excuse me!' Then he turned to his friends and said, 'Nobody's looking!' So I don't think I was the only one who was unhappy."

So Kathy, how was the decor?

"The place was really shabby. I was surprised. I haven't seen a place that bad in a while. (The upholstery in) almost every booth was ripped to pieces, and they repaired them with so much black tape it was ridiculous. One booth had black tape going all the way up the side."

"It seems like Pooket has been trying to cut costs for a long time with the bad condition of the dining room. Taping up their booths, please! I don't know how long they've been passing off the poor ingredients in the food, but I think Pooket is suffering the effects of the economy, and they're passing the suffering on to the customer. I will never go there again." A note from the editorial department: we went to the Pooket web site address as printed on their take-out menu and found the account had "been suspended". Does this lend muscle to Kathy's theory that Pooket is trying to cut expenses? Web site account suspended, restaurant understaffed, pathetic ingredients and meager portions? We couldn't help but wonder.

Just to play devil's advocate here: Kathy, it was $7.95, for an entree, soup and salad. What do you expect?

"I've been working in New York for a long time. I've been to a lot of places. There are plenty of places with that kind of lunch special, where the food is decent. I can't believe Pooket gets away with being so bad when they have so much competition."

Kathy added this excellent point: "...getting a free soup and salad isn't a great value if what you're getting is tasteless shit that won't stick to your ribs, makes you want to hurl, and you'll probably not eat it anyway. What are you getting for free? Garbage. You're getting water and a couple of water-logged vegetables as thin as paper. So you've just paid $7.95 for mediocre food, when you could've walked down the block and found five other places who will feed you something decent for that much, or less."

In midtown east, when you're craving Thai, skip Pooket. You work hard for the money -- get fed by people who care about your satisfaction and your business.

$1 Oatmeal at Jamba Juice!!!

Now through March 31st, get yourself a deee-lish oatmeal at Jamba Juice for only a DOLLAR. Just print and present the coupon below. To find the Jamba Juice near you, use the Jamba Locator.

Cut What You Spend During the Work Week

Seems like everybody's looking to cut expenses. What about the money that seems to disappear from your wallet during the work week, and by Friday you wonder what you have to show for it?

This article from the New York Times offers solid suggestions for reducing what you spend Monday through Friday, plus some hints about where that money goes.

Have Happier Mornings!: Our Fave AM Gadgets

A Just A Sec Exclusive!

The first hour after you wake could set the tone for your entire day. So why not make your mornings as cheerful as possible? Here are our favorite gadgets for starting the day off right and putting smiles on our faces.

You Rule: The "Good Morning, Madam" Alarm Clock



It looks charming enough, but wait 'til you hear it. This alarm clock will make you feel like a million bucks from the very second you wake.

When the alarm rings, first you'll hear a subtle, delightful fade-in of birds chirping, followed by the voice of your personal butler. Each morning he'll wake you with a different message (the clock holds about 150!). We enjoyed hearing that Vogue magazine wanted our advice because of our remarkable style; that Victoria Beckham was at the front door, begging us to make a fifteen-minute appearance at her party, for which she'd give us a sportscar. This is a clock that'll make any gal feel like Beyonce, J-Lo, Madonna or Queen Elizabeth.

It also has a lovely night time feature, too. Just before bed, if you press the tiny rosette button on the front of the clock, your butler will lull you to sleep by reciting a relaxation meditation. And no kidding -- it really does chill you out, big time.

The "Good Morning, Madam" clock is made of wood with a handsome black lacquer finish, and the face is protected behind glass. At night, press a single button and a tiny light helps you see the time. It works reliably, runs on 3 AA batteries, and costs about $89. You can also purchase a "Good Morning, Sir" clock for your favorite prince.

For more information, visit Voco.


Breakfast Gets Cute: The Pop Art Toaster



Why settle for boring toast when you can have toast that smiles at you? Or smirks and says "Bite Me"?

We really got a kick out of the Pop Art Toaster. It makes fun designs on your toast using metal stencil plates that slip easily into the toast openings. The Lusso Chrome version comes with four designs: a smiling sun, hearts, a birthday cake, and "BITE ME".

It works easily enough -- the design plates slide right in and out. On the practical side, the toaster works reliably and has nice features. It allows you to adjust your bread's toasty-ness to one of 7 levels with a simple dial. It even has a "Frozen" button to defrost items straight out of the freezer (yum! think frozen toaster pastries!) and a "Reheat" feature that quickly re-warms your bread. There's also a slide-out crumb tray for easy clean-up. And we love the toaster's plump, curvy retro appearance.

The one wish we have for the Pop Art Toaster is this: if only there was a way to store the design stencils with the toaster. Maybe in the next version, you guys can include a pocket or a slide-out compartment where we can keep the plates close, but out of the way.

Still, we love the Pop Art toaster -- a stellar little kitchen goody we think every toast-lover should have. And at $39.98, it makes an affordable gift, even to yourself. To find out where you can get your own, go to www.poparttoaster.com.


Start Chill, Stay Chill: The Digital Zen Alarm Clock



Does it seem like you're constantly aggravated? Have you been told you need to chill out? That rude buzzing of your alarm clock is jarring -- what a way to launch a tense day! Instead, why not wake to tranquility and a sense of peace? The Digital Zen Alarm Clock by Now & Zen will make you feel serene and grounded right from the start.

This pretty little wooden box opens to a digital clock and houses a slim metal rod. When the alarm goes off, the rod emits a Tibetan bell-style chime that gives a gentle urge to wake. About 4 minutes after the first chime, another is heard. The chimes increase in frequency over the course of ten minutes.

The Digital Zen Alarm Clock was tested by two volunteer secretaries, who both agreed on the soothing quality of the chimes. "It wakes you, but it's so nice," Lisa said. Jeanne agreed, "I felt like I was waking up with the same kind of relaxation I feel when I fall asleep during a massage. I was alert, but it was like being whispered to, not yelled out or shaken to get out of bed."

Besides its alarm function, this clock has some other really nice features. You can program it to chime once on the hour, which the brochure suggests is a "mindfulness chime". If you meditate, you'll especially appreciate the countdown timer mode, which allows you to set the chime to go off after a certain period of time. The same progressive chimes that wake you in the morning will pleasantly nudge you out of a meditation.

The Digital Zen Alarm Clock runs on electricity and comes with a typical power supply to plug into your wall outlet. Its housing is available in three wood tones and sells for $109.95 -- a small price to pay for serenity.

To see the entire range of Now & Zen products, visit their web site.


Yummy in Your Tummy: Amy's Hot Cereal Bowls



When you wake up to a chilly morning, you might be tempted to pass on those healthy cereals in their cold, cold bowls of milk and just grab a cup of hot coffee. But then you'd be cheating yourself of nutrition and the delight of a yummy breakfast. Don't do it! Have one of Amy's new Hot Cereal Bowls instead!

Mmmmm, we love these! We were already fans of Amy's delicious, organic, no-prep frozen meals and soups, but we were really excited to try these. We sampled Amy's Multi-Grain and Rolled Oats Hot Cereal Bowls, and we had a hard time picking a favorite. What struck us most was how perfectly done these cereals turned out. Straight out of the microwave, they exemplified the ideal blend of textures -- hearty and creamy, not watery and bland. No guesswork! They were also more flavorful than instant oatmeal from the packet. We were delightfully surprised by the obvious difference. Amy's tasted less chemical and phony. They were rich, satisfying, seemed like home-made. One of our testers, Monica, said "This tastes like the kind of oatmeal you'd get in a gourmet bed and breakfast." Bingo!

So don't skimp in the morning. Make your tummy warm, happy and healthy. It's quick and easy, and inexpensive -- bowls are only about $2.29 each! What would you spend at that vendor truck, hmmmmm? Amy's Hot Cereal Bowls give you plenty to smile about, especially on their nutrition labels. Read them at www.amys.com!

In the Subway: Calorie Counts

Your subway commute is about to become a ride inside a calorie counting book.

The New York City Health Department is expanding its healthy-eating campaign with a series of subway ads that provide calorie counts for several items found on typical fast food menus. The campaign encourages adults to limit their calorie intake to 2,000 daily.

Read more at WCBS.

Annie Chun Makes Brown Bag Lunches Exciting

Like most people, you're probably looking for ways to cut expenses. Eating lunch out five days a week is one thing you can reign in -- but really, how excited can you get about brown-bagging? Crusty leftovers from dinner two nights ago; boring lunchmeats slapped between two slices of bread. Not particularly inspiring, especially when you work in a city that's full of delicious food choices from around the globe.

Ah, but brown-bag lunches don't have to be so bleak! If you're a fan of dining out Asian-style, you'll really appreciate Annie Chun's yummy meals that you can pack and eat, and they don't require refrigeration! They're restaurant-quality dishes at brown-bag prices. Best of all, Annie Chun's products are 100% natural, free of all preservatives and MSG.

At JAS, our absolute favorite Annie Chun's meal is the Teriyaki Noodle Express. Annie Chun makes a whole series of Noodle Express meals, including Thai Peanut, Thai Curry and Chinese Chow Mein varieties. We've tried most of them, and we're addicted. These are outrageously good noodles.



Noodle Express meals are like gourmet versions of the ramen noodles you're used to eating from a cup or a crinkly bag. The "gourmet" difference is in the noodles themselves. Annie Chun's noodles are not hard and dried. They're soft, ready-to-eat, vacuum-sealed noodles. There's no guesswork here. You don't have to think about how long to leave the noodles steeping in hot water to get the texture you like. Annie Chun's noodles are already done when you pull them out of the packet. Their texture is PERFECT -- not overly-done or soppy, and not underdone and crunchy. They honestly rival the best of restaurant-prepared Asian noodles. To finish the dish, just add the scrumptious Asian sauce and freeze-dried veggie flakes from the meal kit, heat, and eat!

Soup fans will also enjoy Annie Chun's Soup Bowls, in tasty varieties like Korean Kimchi, Thai Tom Yum, and Miso. Each one is like dining in your favorite funky Asian eatery, but for much less money.



We've also tried Annie Chun's Sushi Wraps, which are essentially "make your own sushi kits", including shelf-stable rice and seaweed wraps. These are a great idea for party hostesses with a creative culinary bent. You can create your own unique sushi rolls for guests -- the wraps and rice are already done for you -- just roll in your favorite ingredients.

However, if you're shopping strictly for easy at-work meals, we recommend that you pass on the Sushi Wraps, because seaweed wraps and rice are all you get. You'd need to spend time shopping for the extra ingredients, preparing and chopping them as necessary, and then rolling & wrapping the sushi to get a really satisfying meal.



You can find Annie Chun's goodies at your supermarket. Noodle Express meals and Soup Bowls go for about $3.49 each; Sushi Wraps run about $3.89. But hey, if you order 12-packs through Annie Chun's website, you can save a lot of dough! For example, you'll save $7.20 by buying a dozen Noodle Express kits. Hey, these are respectable savings! Go Annie Chun!

To shop online, go to www.anniechun.com.

The Easiest, Healthiest Home-Cooked Meals EVER.

Loyal readers of Just A Sec know we don't hand out our "SEC-Tacular Seal" to just any product. But this time, Birds Eye has earned it.

Just A Sec hereby certifies
Bird Eye Steamfresh Meals for Two
SEC-Tacular!





If you hate to cook, or just don't have the time (especially during the work week), but you want to eat healthy, and at the same time, you want dinners yummy enough to look forward to, Birds Eye totally has you covered.

God, how we love this product. Here's what happens.

1. Take a bag of Birds Eye Steamfresh Meals for Two out of the freezer.

2. Throw the frozen bag into the microwave. No, you don't have to cut it open, poke holes in it or empty it into a bowl. Nothing. Just toss the bag in and shut the door.

3. Run your microwave for about 11 minutes.

4. Remove bag from microwave.

5. Tear bag open at the pre-cut notch.

6. Dump perfectly-cooked meal out of bag and into dishes.

Dinner for two is ready.

No kidding.

And are they tasty? Oh yeah. We've put them to the test. Our favorites were the exotic Sweet & Spicy Chicken (roasted chicken breast with tomatoes, olives, raisins, onions and rigatoni pasta in a sweet and spicy sauce) and Asian Style Chicken Vegetable Medley (marinated grilled chicken breast with lo mein noodles and premium vegetables in an Asian inspired sauce). But there are six varieties in all, including Shrimp Pasta Primavera, Grilled Chicken Marinara and Shrimp Alfredo.

We tried every variety, and in every case the meals turned out PERFECT. The pasta was cooked to an al dente ideal, the meat was tender and juicy, and the vegetables were flawlessly steamed. We were amazed, because often these combination frozen meals can turn out unevenly cooked. Not so here. The entire meal steams right inside the bag.

But there are two more reasons to love Birds Eye Steamfresh Meals for Two. Ready? They're good for your body and your budget.

Each package has a suggested retail price of $7.49. That's dinner for two people at well under ten bucks!

These meals contain NO chemicals or artificial preservatives. And a quick look at the Nutrition Facts on the bag will make you smile. Most varieties contain between only 6-12 grams of fat per serving, and on average, they hover around the 50mg mark for cholesterol. Sweet!

Birds Eye Steamfresh Meals for Two are in supermarkets now!

Thanks, Birds Eye, for providing us with a labor-free, healthy, delicious and inexpensive option for dinner! You're SEC-tacular!

Brunch in Your Bathrobe at a Brooklyn Spa!

Been thinking it's time to treat yourself? Or that your sad Sundays need a shot in the arm?

Here's a mini-getaway we wish we'd thought up ourselves: at Body by Brooklyn in Clinton Hill, you an indulge in a delicious brunch and a sumptuous afternoon of relaxation.

For $54 per person, guests receive brunch from a menu of delectable choices, including a Spinach & Feta Omelet, Croque Monseur, Shrimp, Mozzarella & Tomato Frita and more. Then patrons are welcomed to the Wet Lounge, where everyone receives unlimited access to the Cedar Sauna, Turkish Aroma Steam Room, traditional River Rock Sauna, Thermal Hot Tub and Arctic Cold Plunge Pool. Guests can lounge for a few hours, or stay the whole day!

Body by Brooklyn is located at 275 Park Avenue on the corner of Washington Ave. and Waverly Ave. in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.

The facility is open from 10am-10pm Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and 10am-midnight Friday and Saturday. Appointments can be made by calling 718-923-9400 or visiting www.bodybybrooklyn.com.

Rules for the Kitchen at Work!

Smashing someone else's lunch in the refrigerator to make way for your own. Draining the last of the coffee in the pot and not refilling it. Leaving your dishes in the sink.

While it may be OK to do these things in your house, it's bad form in the workplace, say etiquette experts. After all, the office kitchen is a communal space.

But if there's a slob or a food stealer among your ranks, don't despair. Sometimes all it takes are some firm kitchen rules. Read up on some tips from etiquette experts on how to make the office kitchen a clean and friendly on the Your Lifestyle Check blog today!

The Bigger Place: Mexican Lunch We Like (Downtown)

For those of you who work in the Financial District or TriBeCa, we've got a great recommendation for a tasty and inexpensive sit-down lunch:

The Bigger Place
61 Warren Street, corner of West Broadway
(212) 528-3175

This Mexican American gem is cheerful and casual, and there's enough space for small groups. We at Just-a-Sec have given it two tries and had a consistent experience. On both visits, our waitresses were friendly and eager to please. We enjoyed the food, which was pretty straightforward Mexican fare with a couple of surprises thrown in (like blintzes stuffed with tomato, mozzarella and pesto) which is good if there's that one person in your office who hates Mexican and ruins it when everyone else is hankerin' for fajitas. You can bring them along to The Bigger Place.

The lunch here is a good value. You get a nice meal with decent portions, yet without feeling overstuffed. Examples include "The Little Special" for $7.75 (choice of soup, special blintz, roll and dessert); Quesadillas served with Mexican rice and salad for $7.75 - $9.50 a platter, and Enchiladas served up with Mexican rice, sour cream and parmesan chese for $8.25 - $9.50.

The Bigger Place serves nine beer varieties, and jarritos (traditional Mexican sodas) in twelve exotic varities, including non-alcoholic sangria.

The cozy, laid-back vibe at The Bigger Place combined with good food at good prices will make it one of those favorite places you'll go back to again and again.

Donald Sacks Lunch @ WFC: Save Your Money

At Just-a-Sec, we love being able to recommend a great lunch spot. And when we walk into a restaurant we've never been to before, we genuinely want to love it.

Unfortunately, that did NOT happen at Donald Sacks in the World Financial Center.

I went with a small group of people from my office, as a farewell lunch for a departing co-worker.

We ordered an assortment of appetizers for the table that included mozzarella sticks ($12.00) and chicken quesadillas ($11.00). Nothing unique or earth-shattering; your ordinary TGIFridays kind of fare. But they weren't even tasty ordinary fare. The mozzarella sticks tasted like something out of a cardboard box in the frozen foods section of the local supermarket; the quesadillas were bland and slapped together with obvious apathy.

For my main course I had the Chicken Marsala. The co-worker sitting next to me had the same. As I ate the first few bites, I noticed the chicken was actually difficult to cut because it was so rubbery. Rubbery and slimy and slippery with marsala sauce. Then my neighbor leaned in and asked me,

"Is it just me, or is your chicken like rubber?"

The Chicken Marsala entree -- alone -- was $24.50. For lunch.

Maybe that's pocket change for some, but on the average secretary's salary, it's way too much for rubbery chicken.

And if you're a suit with money to burn, may I point out that spending any amount of money on garbage like this doesn't make you impressively wealthy; it just makes you unintelligent.

And the desserts -- well, let me just say this. We're a dessert-loving group. We always order them and we practically lick the plates clean. When our waitress at Donald Sacks brought around a tray of dessert samples to tempt us, we ordered one of everything to try.

It says a lot that we left more than half of each cake and pie wedge behind. In particular, we joked that the carrot cake tasted like a sample that had been used three days running. It was disgustingly dry and stale.

And the service wasn't so hot either. We weren't visited between the delivery of our courses. We were essentially forgotten about.

Don't waste your hard-earned money at Donald Sacks. Trust me, you won't be "treating yourself" there. If you're going to dine in the World Financial Center, there are far less disappointing places, like Au Mandarin and P.J. Clarke's. Skip Donald Sacks. It's overpriced and underwhelming in every regard.

Italian Prix-Fixe Lunch We Like: GIGINO (Lower Manhattan)

For a satisfying, civilized lunch in Lower Manhattan that won't make you feel ripped off, we recommend the prix-fixe menu at Gigino Trattoria (323 Greenwich Street near Duane).

For $23, treat yourself to three decently-sized, delicious courses in an airy, faux-Mediterranean setting.

First course choices include a tri-color salad, polenta, soup or a duck liver pate crostino. Main course choices include something for every taste, from risotto to pasta, salmon and a delightful lemon chicken. For dessert, take your pick of cheesecake, tiramisu or an Amalfi Coast style apple tart.

The quality cuisine attracts discerning suits, but the prix-fixe deal makes this an accessible destination for the support staff, too.

Service is attentive but friendly and relaxed. No 'tude!

Reservations are accepted, and groups can be accomodated -- great for special occasions.

FREE BREAKFAST at JAMBA JUICE, Tuesday 4/8/08!

Stop into your local Jamba Juice tomorrow, Tuesday April 8, 2008 before 10:00 AM for FREE BREAKFAST! To find your nearest Jamba Juice, click here.

Bored with Drinking Water?

Yeah, I know. You try to get your water in every day. It does wonders for your complexion. It flushes out toxins and fat. You probably keep a great big water bottle on your desk and sip from it often. But boy oh boy, are you bored with it.

Some of those powdered flavorings for water are fun -- Crystal Lite, for example. But they're loaded with sodium. (How convenient! Drink water AND retain it, all in one sip!) Some have caffeine. Even if they're sugar-free, maybe sugar substitutes give you a headache.

And maybe you've even tried those fancy flavored waters like Vitamin Water, only to discover they're loaded with calories.

I recently found a brand of flavored water I just love: Hint. (And they didn't pay me to write this!)

Hint is water with just a hint of natural flavorings added. NO SUGAR. NO CAFFEINE. NO PRESERVATIVES. And they taste divine. Not too sweet, just a refreshing kiss of fruit essence. My favorite is Peppermint, but Hint also comes in eight other flavors, including Pomegranate-Tangerine, Strawberry-Kiwi, and Raspberry-Lime. E-mail info@drinkhint.com to find out where to get it near you (because unfortunately, it's not something everybody carries -- yet.) You can also order them by the case and have them delivered directly to your home or office at www.drinkhint.com.