Love for Paul Newman

Gotta love a guy named "Paul." Seriously, some of the greatest guys in history (or at least the 21st century) have been "Paul"Ps. Paul McCartney (arguably the best Beatle...clearly I'm biased after literally bumping into him in NYC a few years back). Paul Simon. Paul Newman. Seriously, it's a sad thing "Paul" is off our baby-naming list, but we've both gotta like the name. *shrugs*

We appreciate Paul Newman less for his acting skills (although I love those piercing blue eyes...and Cool Hand Luke? Love it. NOBODY can eat 50 eggs. Ha.) and more for the charity work his company, Newman's Own, still does, even after his death in 2008. Truthfully, what we appreciate the most is the fact that many of their products are all natural (and some even organic), so when I'm making my grocery buying decisions, I consider health (including a deep look at the ingredients and nutritional facts, when it's a prepared food - we try to keep it low-fat/low-cholesterol/low-sodium when possible) and value, but when a Paul Newman product costs a tad more, I may still opt for it.

For example, two of our always-have-on-hand food staples (y'know, for those nights when Mama just ain't up for cookin'...which can be often lately) are the Newman's Own brand. The first is his jarred tomato sauce. I know, I know, I could make my own and freeze it and blah dee blah blah...but when his organic marinara hits our taste buds just fine (mind you, I do kick it up a bit with my own "method"...which I've tried to teach Dave in the event that our kids get a taste for it and something ever happens to me...I'm not morbid, I'm Irish) and save me a buttload of time, I'm all in. The occasional coupon helps on the "value" front, too.

The other food staple that I like to keep in the fridge is one or two of the Paul Newman frozen pizzas. The pizzas are a traditional "frozen pizza-esque" thin crust, but the ingredients are thoughtful. The pepperoni is uncured and nitrate free (except that which occurs naturally), so I feel okay about eating some once in awhile during my pregnancy. While I'm itching to try their supreme, I know Dave's not a fan, so we pretty much stick with the four-cheese or pepperoni. I did recently pick up the buffalo chicken style since it's one of my man's favorite flavors. Update: We tried this last night. Dave loved it. Me...not s'much. There was some heat to it (which I'm not a huge fan of), but not a lot of flavor for my taste. Maybe this means I get to try "supreme" someday as payback. ;-) Just kidding; we try to keep things fair here, especially food-wise. But, yeah, if you're into buffalo chicken, you may like it.
Another awesome thing about the pizza? Once in awhile, you'll find a coupon on the back of the package - usually for ANY Newman's Own product (strangely, not pizzas, though). Dave usually looks for those boxes first. Gotta love a man who's into a bargain.

That being said, these ain't cheap. At least, at Hannaford, they're just shy of $6. We can occasionally get them with a coupon for close to $5. Honestly, I look at it this way - it's still cheaper than buying a pizza from a local pizza joint (and easier...and faster). Plus, knowing the charity factor involved, I feel better about the price, too.

So, if you haven't tried any Newman's Own stuff, go ahead! They try hard to keep the ingredients as-good-as-pre-packaged-food-can-be-for-you. Or, if you're not in the mood to try their stuff, just watch Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Either way...can't go wrong with a "Paul."