I'm sad to say Good bye to my blog,

 you were a challenge,

Mr.Blog  you have taught me to say what's on my mine, and that you have a lot to say 

some times you say too much,but in my case never enough

you often start down the road with a subject,

rabbit trails and ADD to lead you to the next blog.
I thank you for showing me how to hear how fellow bloggers feel.
I'll see you again . 

    

Food for Thought two, too....

Relationships always go up and down and side to side. At least that is what someone had told me at church. That my relationship with a higher power was only as good, as close, as intimate, as the relationships I had with others. I began to relate that statement to other parts of my life, as it was relatiable to the relationships that I had top to bottom with my boss, my pastor, or the leaders appointed over me, and those whom I considered my peers and my equals.

YUM

Do you remember all the hoopla over the Hostess empire failing? All those people buying all those Twinkies because eventually there would be no more. You would no longer be able to eat Twinkies, and now Twinkies suddenly became important to you, not because you loved them all your life but because they would no longer exist all together. We treat people like Twinkies all the time. Take them for granted because we feel like they will always be there, our friends, our loved ones but if disease or death threaten to take them out of the equation we sudden realize how much we want to be with them, need them, love them.

Our top to bottom relationships are like our food to mouth relationships. We are emotional eaters or emotionally starved. Use food to heal and nurture our bodies, or to abuse them and do them harm. How we relate to others is often a mirror to how we relate to food and the other way around. We either desire to control it, or it controls us. Like every relationship we choose to be in we either submit to it, or dominate it. How we relate to food is how we relate to one another and how we relate to one another is how we relate to food. We top from the bottom, or bottom from the top...

Food for Thought

 Many times our relationships with food are based on what 'someone' has told us. Do not eat salt, do not eat sweets, nor drink alcohol. Drink plenty of water, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, eat five small meals per day. Follow the relationship rules for food and you won't be too fat or too thin, and there is no such thing as being too healthy.





What if everything you had heard about having a good relationship with food got turned on it's head? What if there wasn't a rule book for eating that applied to everyone? What if something that is good for you isn't good for me and vice-versa? A relationship with food should be a personal one, shouldn't it?


SALT
Let's take salt for matter of example. We have all been told that consuming too much salt was dangerous, that at very least it caused high blood pressure, and that it was one of the villains in heart disease. A month or so ago this idea, rule if you would, got turned on its head for me when I took my daughter to the cardiologist. My daughter had been suffering for years with sudden fainting attacks that looked very much like sudden seizures. I found out that she had a condition that was described as an immature automatic response system and that when she was in a heightened state (fear, or excitement) her body shut down and she would faint. This is caused often by not ingesting enough salt. Salt was the connection her body needed to act correctly. This while I was busy cutting salt from her diet, my family's diet as a whole, and my diet. I was all about spices and had cut salt out as a spice, failing to realize it was not only the spice of life, but the spice for life.

Beer...

Either we have a good relationship with beer or we don't. We like it or we don't. Likely very few of us sit around pondering its powers for healing and it's health benefits. In fact, it is more likely that we think it is what has been making us fat, giving us that so attractive beer belly. Steven Harrod Buhner the author of Paradise Lost: Of Healing, the Sacred, and the Beer, talks about have for tens of thousands of years beer was used medicinally and sacred rituals and how far we have come from that past knowledge. "In many ways the true value and wondrous mystery of herbal fermentations, of brewing itself, has yet to be recognized in our modern Western world. But the mystery is still there, waiting to awaken our wonder, if we only let go and drink a little deeper."(Buhner, 2005) 

http://www.gaianstudies.org/articles3.htm

I'm a night time snacker, and every time i try to find something to munch on after classes, I'm always faced with so many unhealthy option. Here are a few friendly choices:

Salty

Popcorn:  If you are popping your own, pop it in a little oil and then add a sprinkle of salt or popcorn flavoring. If microwaving it, choose a light butter or a low fat butter option. Plus, don't get carried away, watch your portions.  

Nuts and seeds: Choose only a handful to get rid of your craving or to help fill you up.  

Cheese: You can have a small amount of low-fat cheese. This includes string cheese, cheese slices, and even cottage cheese.  

Pickles: It may sound like an unusual snack, but it is salty, tasty, and low in calories.

Pretzels: a low fat healthy crunchy salty option.

Veggies with dip: Most dips are horrible for you, and full of fat. However, you can make a great dip from low fat sour cream or better yet plain yogurt. Add seasonings and herbs of your choice (light on the salt). This is a low fat option that will taste fantastic and you can then dip your carrots, cucumbers, and celery in it!  

Sweet

Fruit: - There are a lot of good options including bananas, melons, and berries

Cereal: Having a small bowl of cereal can make you feel full and fulfill your sweet tooth. Pick one that is low in calories and fat, with just a bit of sweet to it.  

Toast with honey or jam: - Make toast and skip the butter. Add a bit of jam or honey for a healthy and delicious twist.  

Sweet flavored rice cakes: crunchy and satisfying. Finish it with a small glass of milk or juice and you should be feeling pretty good

Yogurt: Have a small bowl or dish of flavored yogurt. There are tons of options to choose from and even the varieties that are regular have very little fat and only a few calories.

Low fat graham crackers: Sweet and tasty in a few different flavors. Be careful how many you eat though.  

Drinks

Milk: aim for less fat and choose a lower fat or no fat option (skim, 1%, 2%). Have six ounces. It is just under a cup and should help fill you up.  

Juice: Make sure you are drinking real juice (100%) and not a small portion type of juice with lots of added sugars

Tea: - Whether you like it hot or cold a good cup of tea can help make for a good night. Choose something herbal or decaffeinated so it doesn't keep you up. If you like it sweetened add a tablespoon of honey rather then sugar.

feeding your face

Here are a few mixtures that you can apply to your skin. Just grab your blender, 

 head to the salad bar  

and instant spa day

6 carrots                                                     1/2 green bell pepper handful kale 1/2 handful turnip green	4 apricots 1 bunch red or green grapes 1 pear
4 carrots 6 oz canteloupe (1/8th)	watercress (for acne - mineral needed is silicon)
8 strawberries 4 oz green or purple grapes	watercress + 3 times a non-green juice for excema
5 carrots 1 apple	carrot juice for sunburn
1/2 inch knob ginger root 6 carrots 1/2 green bell pepper

Sum Good old fruits & veggies

I came up with this chart to give an idea of what kind of veggies to start buying more of.This will help when my children take over shopping for themselves   

Raw foods	Nutritional value	Raw Foods	Nutritional value
Apples	Remove toxins from the intenstines; stimulate peristalsis and bowels; flush kidneys; natural acids for digestion.	Citrus	vitamins C and A
Apricots	Potassium and magnesium for energy and stamina; iron for blood building; silicon for hair and skin. High in beta carotene = anti cancer	Cucumbers	silicon
Bananas	potassium	Dandelion greens	magnesium
Bell pepper	silicon	Gingerroot	zinc
Celery	potassium, sodium	Kale	silenium, calcium
Cherries	iron, magnesium, potassium, silicon, vitamin A	Parsley	calcium
Strawberries	ellagic acid: anti-cancer

$3 a serving

With 7 teenagers, the need to teach shopping on a budget is a must. I'm always looking for quick and recipes to show my kids, so they can start make their own meals.
 If you don't like root beer you could try a cola instead  




Root Beer-Can Chicken



Ingredients:
1 1/2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
2 (12-ounce) cans root beer, divided
2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 (3 1/2-pound) whole chicken, skinned
Preparation:
1. Prepare grill for indirect grilling, heating one side to medium.
2. Combine first 7 ingredients and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl.
3. Open both root beer cans; pour 18 ounces into a small saucepan. Set remaining root beer aside (in the can). Bring 18 ounces root beer to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, butter, and vinegar, stirring until smooth.
4. Rub paprika mixture evenly over chicken. Holding chicken upright with the cavity facing down, insert reserved opened root beer can into cavity. Place chicken on unheated side of grill. Spread legs out to form a tripod to support the chicken. Cover and grill for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into meaty portion of thigh registers 160°, basting chicken every 20 minutes with sauce.
5. Lift chicken slightly using tongs; place spatula under can. Carefully remove chicken and can from grill; place on a cutting board. Let stand 10 minutes. Gently lift chicken using tongs or insulated rubber gloves; carefully twist can and remove from cavity. Discard can. Carve chicken




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