The best-known chocolate covered raisins in the world are Raisinets, made by Nestlé. Some fun Raisinet facts:

To celebrate National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day, Nestlé has launched the Star Struck Sweepstakes: Upload a photo of you with Raisinets, and you could win your choice of a trip for two to Hollywood or New York City, plus $2,500. The contest continues through June 21, 2011.

Final factoid: There’s a town in America called Raisin City, located in the heart of California’s San Joaquin Valley. Home to nearly 5,000 raisin growers, it’s where 99.5% of U.S. raisins are produced—including those that become Raisinets.

Atlantic Cod is endangered. Switch to Pacific
cod. Photo courtesy McCormick. Get a
recipe for beer battered cod.

Ubiquitous fish farming may be the solution of the future. But for the present, shrimp and salmon, the two leading farmed seafood species, are often farmed in an unsustainable manner, polluting the environment.

The Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, sponsored by California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium, creates pocket seafood guides showing which fish are both sustainably harvested and low in toxins. Download a pocket guide that is customized for your region before you go shopping for fish or head to a restaurant. There’s also an iPhone app.

The non-profit Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program is the most recognized and trusted resource for sustainable seafood recommendations. Seafood Watch recommendations are science-based, peer reviewed and use ecosystem-based criteria.

The website also offers delicious and environmentally-friendly seafood recipes by some of the nation’s leading chefs. You can sign up for the recipe of the month as well.

It’s easy to make sustainable choices that satisfy your taste buds and your conscience.

If you love flavored coffee, check out Organic Valley’s new flavored Half & Half pints for an instant treat. They turn plain coffee into hazelnut or vanilla coffee. A soy creamer is also available in vanilla varieties.

Half & half, which is a combination of cream and whole milk, adds just the right amount of richness to a cup of joe.* The new flavors add the perfect amount of hazelnut or vanilla, as well.

*Why is coffee called a cup of joe? The true story is lost to history, but here are the three top contenders.

The only catch, for those of us who don’t add sugar to our coffee, is that the flavors are presweetened – with Fair Trade certified, unrefined organic cane sugar.

Beyond coffee, we used the flavored half & halfs on our morning Cheerios and oatmeal. It’s a delicious touch, if not exactly contributing to a healthy, whole-grain breakfast.

Organic Valley is a co-op of family farms that practice organic dairying. Their cows are antibiotic- and hormone-free; no pesticides are used in the pasture or to grow their feed. The line is certified kosher by OU.

Popcorn “chips”: Pop Corners from Medora
Foods. Photo by Katharine Pollak | THE
NIBBLE.

Tumaro’s, the first company to introduce flavored tortillas, has added New York Deli Style Wraps to its line of gourmet tortillas and wraps.

The five flavors are inspired by New York deli breads: Rye, Pumpernickel, Sour Dough, Everything and Cracked Pepper.

The wraps are rolling out now to both mainstream and specialty markets nationwide. A four-pack retails for $2.99 to $3.99.

The extra-large, 10″ wraps are 96% fat-free, cholesterol-free and high in fiber. And they’re a caloric bargain:

Tumaro’s New York Deli Style Wraps range from 80-100 calories per wrap. A sandwich uses two slices of bread, adding up to 140-240 calories. Bagels, depending on the size, can range from about 215 calories for a small bagel to almost three times that.

We appreciate that that the wraps are thin and flexible—easy to fold. All the flavors are delicious, but Pumpernickel and Rye provide authentic “deli sandwich” flavor. Cracked Pepper offers a nice burst of pepper that works especially well for a scrambled egg wrap.