So last year for Easter I made an incredible tasting coconut cake. And today another cool coconut cake came through my FaceBook feed, and I am going to have to try it. Soon. I am already thinking about the substitutions. Like coconut oil vice canola.
This cake marries two favorite flavors of mine and Scott's - coconut and malted milk. The frosting contains butter, creme of coconut and vanilla! Yum!
And I found another coconut themed "recipe" to try tonight. Coconut oil, honey and salt. Tastes like caramel and is supposed to be a natural remedy to help one sleep through the night.
Note: I tried this last night (because I didn't publish this post before TWD) and I can report that I 1) thoroughly enjoyed the taste of this delight, and 2) I slept like a baby until my alarm woke me up (low battery) in the middle of the night. Will have to try this again soon...
* Mostly organic....one way to describe me and my life!
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
14 March 2016
26 August 2013
Like a Phoenix
I finish my vanilla matcha latte, make a quick trip to the women's room and just make it back to the gate in time to hear that our plane is within distance from the airport. Yes! An hour late but I am not complaining because my body is still trying to catch up with my mind.
I was not ready to leave this morning...
I was not ready to leave this morning...
This last month has been scary and brutal. In my last post about my Virginia trip I mentioned my diagnosis of bronchitis. Well, the cough and congestion has been taking its sweet time in leaving me.
It started with some innocent enough throat clearing after mango margaritas at La Hacienda in Frisco during a basketball tournament weekend. Then the day before I headed to VA, I just had a dry cough. I didn't concern myself much and didn't treat myself to anything more than Emergen-C. In the sleepless days to follow, I was clamoring for AlkaSeltzer cold meds and trying to ease my cough with hot showers while away.
When I returned home from my trip with a worsening cough, I stepped things up a bit taking puffs off of Scott's inhaler and helping myself to Emi's leftover cough syrup from her bout with bronchitis in January. There was little relief and I was choking on the mucus (I know, TMI). I was worried that my cough was more serious so I went to Urgent Care that Sunday where the doctor diagnosed me with bronchitis and sent me home with antibiotics, prednisone and my own cough syrup with codeine so I could sleep.
I took the meds dutifully for a few days, but 5 days later following last dose of prednisone, I coughed so hard I hurt something. Dr. Google assures me it was costochondritis. Then I started waking myself up in the middle of the night gasping for air.
I would fall asleep mostly on an incline (desperately wanting to flip over onto my stomach) and wake up 2 hrs later with the feeling that there was a film of saran wrap over my windpipe. I would gasp and panic and wake Scott up and eventually when I exhaled and tilted my head back, I could breathe and shakily talk. I used the inhaler to try to help open things up during those episodes.
After the 3rd night of this fun, I headed to the ER to make sure I didn't have pneumonia. At night when reclining in bed, I would experience wheezing from my right lung, the one underneath the painful ribs. It hurt so much to even put a bra on (but I did). The ER doctor x-rayed my lungs and while he heard the wheezing a little, my films were clear and I still had good movement. He concluded that I had Acute Bronchitis and switched my antibiotic from Augmentin to Azithromycin to kick things into gear.
When I asked about the scary gasping for air episodes at night, he said to come in if I experienced it again. I didn't go back to the ER but the gasping for air every 2 hours continues most nights still.
I went to my "regular" doctor a few days later to see if I was experiencing asthma. The nurse had me blow into a spirometer, gave me a lung treatment (told me to "smoke this") and then had me blow into a spirometer. The lung treatment stirred things up in my lines and I had a coughing fit in the doctor's office, but the doctor said I didn't have asthma, she suspected allergies and said to take Mucinex and she prescribed Singulair which treats asthma but helps with allergies. I took that for just a few nights and it did not prevent my spasmodic coughing episodes at night.
I listened to the advice of a co-worker and tried 24 hour Allegra to address any post-nasal drip from allergies and Mucinex to help clear my lungs. That seemed to provide relief for a few days. I would feel better during the day and then think I was going to die the next morning when I was not getting enough sleep.
I talked with my dad about my concerns and he said he was about my age when he started having allergies. I still don't accept that this is allergies but I was desperate for relief and sleep. He said Mucinex almost killed him and didn't clear his lungs and he recommended Claritin-D. I went back to my doc to check out my very tender right rib and request some Claritin-D. She suspected my Gallbladder (!!!) and called in a script for the anti-histamine and set up an appt for me to have my gallbladder scanned. Can you believe I was actually relieved to hear that it might not be my lung?
So I got 30 days of Claritin-D and have taken exactly 1 dose because I hate the medicine head. I think it helped me a little that night I took it, but I still had some coughing and the next morning I was so detached, I cared about nothing. It was hard to get out of bed and actually go to work feeling so apathetic.
That day on the way home, I picked up a Vick's personal vaporizer and that little device really helped me out. Hot showers and baths have always been a part of the ritual in getting over this health issue, but during the day when I really wanted to hang on the beach or in a steam sauna, this little guy helped me out. Closest thing to rinsing out my lungs that I could do for myself.
So I'm on my way to Napa for work and I'm hoping the grape country will help me recover.... This morning was no cup of tea though. My back and lungs were hurting from coughing and I am sure that in my haste to pack and get ready for my trip that I did not take in enough fluids. Saturday was going along so well I thought I was thoroughly healed up. Then David and I went to Chili's for lunch and that's when I didn't feel so hot. I think sugar and dairy sets me back... wonder what wine will do...
I'm in Phoenix getting ready to board a flight to Sacramento and drive an hour to Napa for work and some play. Even though I feel half dead I am excited about the week!
When I asked about the scary gasping for air episodes at night, he said to come in if I experienced it again. I didn't go back to the ER but the gasping for air every 2 hours continues most nights still.
I went to my "regular" doctor a few days later to see if I was experiencing asthma. The nurse had me blow into a spirometer, gave me a lung treatment (told me to "smoke this") and then had me blow into a spirometer. The lung treatment stirred things up in my lines and I had a coughing fit in the doctor's office, but the doctor said I didn't have asthma, she suspected allergies and said to take Mucinex and she prescribed Singulair which treats asthma but helps with allergies. I took that for just a few nights and it did not prevent my spasmodic coughing episodes at night.
I listened to the advice of a co-worker and tried 24 hour Allegra to address any post-nasal drip from allergies and Mucinex to help clear my lungs. That seemed to provide relief for a few days. I would feel better during the day and then think I was going to die the next morning when I was not getting enough sleep.
I talked with my dad about my concerns and he said he was about my age when he started having allergies. I still don't accept that this is allergies but I was desperate for relief and sleep. He said Mucinex almost killed him and didn't clear his lungs and he recommended Claritin-D. I went back to my doc to check out my very tender right rib and request some Claritin-D. She suspected my Gallbladder (!!!) and called in a script for the anti-histamine and set up an appt for me to have my gallbladder scanned. Can you believe I was actually relieved to hear that it might not be my lung?
So I got 30 days of Claritin-D and have taken exactly 1 dose because I hate the medicine head. I think it helped me a little that night I took it, but I still had some coughing and the next morning I was so detached, I cared about nothing. It was hard to get out of bed and actually go to work feeling so apathetic.
That day on the way home, I picked up a Vick's personal vaporizer and that little device really helped me out. Hot showers and baths have always been a part of the ritual in getting over this health issue, but during the day when I really wanted to hang on the beach or in a steam sauna, this little guy helped me out. Closest thing to rinsing out my lungs that I could do for myself.
So I'm on my way to Napa for work and I'm hoping the grape country will help me recover.... This morning was no cup of tea though. My back and lungs were hurting from coughing and I am sure that in my haste to pack and get ready for my trip that I did not take in enough fluids. Saturday was going along so well I thought I was thoroughly healed up. Then David and I went to Chili's for lunch and that's when I didn't feel so hot. I think sugar and dairy sets me back... wonder what wine will do...
I'm in Phoenix getting ready to board a flight to Sacramento and drive an hour to Napa for work and some play. Even though I feel half dead I am excited about the week!
28 December 2011
Arsenal
Yesterday I battled my head cold with thoughts of "Why me?" and self pity in between all of the nose-blowing, but today is a different story. I know soooo many people ailing with different ailments and I am tired of commiserating. Here is where I get off (I hope!). I dug deep into the recesses of the medicine cabinet for the Neti-mist sinus spray and the Nose Better gel. Then I ran to NG to grab some fish oil supplements and Emergen-C. The Black Tie chocolate cupcake wasn't on the list but I thought it might be a good chaser for the fish oil...(FYI, I was right.)
On the menu tonight is PHO and I am praying that the stuff I'm already doing plus the pho send this head cold packing...
12/29/11 Update: Pho was yummy and I wish I had more today...
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| Not pictured: Theraflu Daytime Multi-symptom Cold Caplets, fish oil supplements and Kleenex (you're welcome) |
On the menu tonight is PHO and I am praying that the stuff I'm already doing plus the pho send this head cold packing...
12/29/11 Update: Pho was yummy and I wish I had more today...
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| Good stuff, maynard! |
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| We are definitely Phonatics!! |
22 December 2011
Not Faffing Around
Today is supposed to be the shortest day of the year. I sure hope so because it sure has been the longest week. Yesterday felt distinctly like Friday to me, probably because I've shoved a weeks worth of work into 3 days. I've been sorting through 14 years of office accumulation, transitioning stuff to those I'll leave behind, purging stuff no longer needed by anyone and involuntarily taking trips down Memory Lane. Very. Cathartic. Indeed. And oddly enough, planned well before I decided to leave.
Let's see - what else?
- I am almost done with Christmas shopping. Luckily for me, I have 2 elves who are grabbing up the last few gifts to be gotten. (Thank you, Scott & Emi!)
- My mean baby sister forced me to test my blood sugar last night after dinner (and some wine) at her house. She stuck me in 3 different fingers with 4 different settings before getting a good amount of blood to do the test. Guess what? It didn't hurt! And my blood sugar is just fine.
- My mom's in town for a visit and I'm cooking her birthday dinner tomorrow night - lasagna!
Hope this Friday Eve catches you ahead of the holiday rush!
11 October 2011
Monday Mulligan
Yesterday didn't turn out quite like I had planned. Not that any of my days really turn out as planned but I was so looking forward to my day off. No kids, no husband, no plans, just me at the house by myself with some books that I've wanted to finish and maybe a project or two. I really thought that I'd done enough "sacrificing" for the family, but I guess not.
Last week we had health issues with the kiddos that sidelined some of our plans, but no big deal. Friday, we drove 2 hours to visit with the Little Ones' birth parents for a little over 3 hours and then we drove back 2 hours plus some to pick up Emi from her Grandma Babe's house. That was a very long day, but still, no biggie because it was so sweet to see our 3 kids together again, loving on each other and playing with their new toys. It was obvious that they missed each other being apart for 2 days.
Back to yesterday. I had the day off and I planned to take care of the rest of the dishes in the sink, run a load of donables to Salvation Army and then, read the rest of The Shack. That was the original plan but last week when Emi was gone I really missed her, so I decided to have lunch with her at school. So after I dropped off all of the kids at their schools, I came home and immediately got busy with my projects.
I moved between the kitchen (washing a batch of dishes to dry) to the sun room (culling out toys for donation) to the basement (sorting out stuff for donation/trash/relocation). The good news is that I was able to fill the back of the Disco with 6 bags of kids clothing, toys and other sundry items AND I located our "set it and forget it" appliance that my mom gave to us many years ago. That baby is now safely in our pantry and we now have a little more room in the closet on my side of the basement.
Note: I also found a box of VHS videos that came with us in the move 6 years ago. I felt like chunking it in its entirety and I would have except for the fact that some of the labels had things like "Emi walks 2003" and "Mom visit" on them. My Pink Floyd The Wall video was in there too. I really need to sort through that box for video to keep and convert, but that will be for the next time I purge the house of old and unused things.
After loading up the Disco, I headed out to drop off the donables, pick up some cleaning supplies and lunch, then meet Emi in her cafeteria. That was a crazy 30 minutes! Emi asked what I was doing on my day off and I told her about what I had accomplished and she chided me saying I was wasting my day, that I should do something enjoyable like read or nap. I told her that those 2 items were the last on my agenda and I would tackle them after I got home and had a shower.
When Emi was dismissed for recess, I sped home to hang with Scott on his lunch break. I was home for all of 5 minutes when the Little Ones' school director called. She said that David was a little warm and he said he felt like throwing up. Great! It was nap time for the kids at this time and his temperature was low enough where I was given the option to pick him up after nap, but I decided to go immediately and take him to the doctor to make sure he didn't also have strep.
He knew I had the day off and he also knew that Aubri got Gummi Bears when I took her to the doctor so part of me was thinking that he was trying to work the day into his favor. {he can be very crafty} He had a low fever and the doctor said his throat was red and irritated and while he didn't perform a strep test on him, he concluded that he had strep (based on the fact that his sister had scarlatina and his symptoms). I let him have a few Gummi Bears and some watermelon so he wouldn't be taking his medicine on an empty stomach and he spent the afternoon in bed getting some much needed rest and I got a 10 minute nap before I needed to pick up little sister.
I didn't finish my book but I got a nice long bath and a couple of chapters read before I helped (watched) Scott uninstall our old crappy dishwasher. ;.)
Tonight, we are tired but we have a new dishwasher installed (I helped) with the first load of dishes running...
Maybe I will finish my book tomorrow?
Last week we had health issues with the kiddos that sidelined some of our plans, but no big deal. Friday, we drove 2 hours to visit with the Little Ones' birth parents for a little over 3 hours and then we drove back 2 hours plus some to pick up Emi from her Grandma Babe's house. That was a very long day, but still, no biggie because it was so sweet to see our 3 kids together again, loving on each other and playing with their new toys. It was obvious that they missed each other being apart for 2 days.
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| Hugs |
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| Party Time |
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| Legos |
Back to yesterday. I had the day off and I planned to take care of the rest of the dishes in the sink, run a load of donables to Salvation Army and then, read the rest of The Shack. That was the original plan but last week when Emi was gone I really missed her, so I decided to have lunch with her at school. So after I dropped off all of the kids at their schools, I came home and immediately got busy with my projects.
I moved between the kitchen (washing a batch of dishes to dry) to the sun room (culling out toys for donation) to the basement (sorting out stuff for donation/trash/relocation). The good news is that I was able to fill the back of the Disco with 6 bags of kids clothing, toys and other sundry items AND I located our "set it and forget it" appliance that my mom gave to us many years ago. That baby is now safely in our pantry and we now have a little more room in the closet on my side of the basement.
Note: I also found a box of VHS videos that came with us in the move 6 years ago. I felt like chunking it in its entirety and I would have except for the fact that some of the labels had things like "Emi walks 2003" and "Mom visit" on them. My Pink Floyd The Wall video was in there too. I really need to sort through that box for video to keep and convert, but that will be for the next time I purge the house of old and unused things.
After loading up the Disco, I headed out to drop off the donables, pick up some cleaning supplies and lunch, then meet Emi in her cafeteria. That was a crazy 30 minutes! Emi asked what I was doing on my day off and I told her about what I had accomplished and she chided me saying I was wasting my day, that I should do something enjoyable like read or nap. I told her that those 2 items were the last on my agenda and I would tackle them after I got home and had a shower.
When Emi was dismissed for recess, I sped home to hang with Scott on his lunch break. I was home for all of 5 minutes when the Little Ones' school director called. She said that David was a little warm and he said he felt like throwing up. Great! It was nap time for the kids at this time and his temperature was low enough where I was given the option to pick him up after nap, but I decided to go immediately and take him to the doctor to make sure he didn't also have strep.
He knew I had the day off and he also knew that Aubri got Gummi Bears when I took her to the doctor so part of me was thinking that he was trying to work the day into his favor. {he can be very crafty} He had a low fever and the doctor said his throat was red and irritated and while he didn't perform a strep test on him, he concluded that he had strep (based on the fact that his sister had scarlatina and his symptoms). I let him have a few Gummi Bears and some watermelon so he wouldn't be taking his medicine on an empty stomach and he spent the afternoon in bed getting some much needed rest and I got a 10 minute nap before I needed to pick up little sister.
I didn't finish my book but I got a nice long bath and a couple of chapters read before I helped (watched) Scott uninstall our old crappy dishwasher. ;.)
Tonight, we are tired but we have a new dishwasher installed (I helped) with the first load of dishes running...
Maybe I will finish my book tomorrow?
09 October 2011
Something Wicked This Way Came
Contagion noun
Last Wednesday David came home from school looking a little green around the gills and said that his belly hurt. He'd had a rough week at school because a behavior notebook starting escorting him home and I thought maybe he was stressed about us knowing the dirty little details of his days at school. Oy! Emi was already en route to her Grandma Babe's for the beginning of Fall Break and the rest of us were getting ready to hit Sam's for a little midweek grocery shopping. The Little Ones were using the bathroom before we hopped in the car when David surprised himself and us by vomiting while he was standing in front of the toilet. Good timing! Thank God we hadn't rushed them to get into the car already...
...her face looked a little puffy and flushed. And at breakfast when she was putting a bite of eggs in her mouth, she gagged and actually threw up. I couldn't tell if she just gagged on the eggs, or if she had the stomach bug that David had, or something else. Her tummy and throat didn't hurt (according to her) but that flushed face started to look like a little sandpapery rash. When Emi was 18 mos or so (OU-TX weekend too, coincidentally enough) she ran a slight fever and gagged while eating, but we suspected the congestion made her throw up. Soon after, she developed a rash on her face that felt like sandpaper. Her doctor knew as soon as she stepped into the examination room that she had scarlatina. I suspected that Aubri had the same.
This morning we confirmed that Aubri had scarlatina! Poor baby girl. She is just not a complainer....so sweet even when she's feeling like total crud.
So to recap on our health: Uncle!
In other scary news, Scott and I have been preparing for the new season of The Walking Dead by watching some tried and true and also new scary shows, and I am here to let you know that American Horror Story is scary! (and disturbing, so extra scary)....in a Shining sort of way. After we watched it, we had to watch a little Jimmy Fallon (so funny) to rinse our brains of the images embedded in there from AHS.
And the other night I noticed that The Exorcist was coming on and DVR'd it. I guess I was thinking after 31 years, I might be able to handle viewing such evil again. I saw the movie originally in the 7th grade (and then partially again in college) and it forever scarred me. So I guess I needed more scarring? Last night after we got all of the kids in bed, we turned out all of the lights and proceeded to watch it again, the original unholy and scariest movie of all time (in my opinion). There was gentle rain falling and breeze blowing in through the window at the time.
The BBC station edited out a lot of the really gory stuff and I blocked a lot of the other images and sounds that had gotten through when I was in the 7th grade, but I was still tensed up the whole time. There was a photo of Regan on her mom's nightstand that scared me and that was before the demonic-possession. We paused the movie here and there for bathroom breaks and to check to make sure the rain wasn't blowing in the windows and then during the actual exorcism, when I was turning my head to face Scott and block the demon noises from coming into my earholes, the electricity flickered for 1/2 a second and the movie was off. Was it the rainstorm jacking with the satellite or God trying to cut me a break? Or both? Either way, I was relieved that the show was off.
We watched The Time Traveler's Wife after that to purge the unholy images from our minds. I read that book and loved it and thought the movie was really good too.
We had planned on carving pumpkins for Fall Break but instead, we spent time quarantining our kids, enjoying the cooler temps and the RAIN...and trying to scare ourselves silly.
What about you? Have you been plagued by anything good or bad lately? Are you ready for flu season? and Halloween?
1. the communication of disease by direct or indirect contact.
2. a disease so communicated.
3. the medium by which a contagious disease is transmitted.
4. harmful or undesirable contact or influence.
5. the ready transmission or spread as of an idea or emotion from person to person: a contagion of fear.
Something happened after we watched that movie for our anniversary date night....or maybe it was the flipping of the calendar to October.
Something happened after we watched that movie for our anniversary date night....or maybe it was the flipping of the calendar to October.
Last Wednesday David came home from school looking a little green around the gills and said that his belly hurt. He'd had a rough week at school because a behavior notebook starting escorting him home and I thought maybe he was stressed about us knowing the dirty little details of his days at school. Oy! Emi was already en route to her Grandma Babe's for the beginning of Fall Break and the rest of us were getting ready to hit Sam's for a little midweek grocery shopping. The Little Ones were using the bathroom before we hopped in the car when David surprised himself and us by vomiting while he was standing in front of the toilet. Good timing! Thank God we hadn't rushed them to get into the car already...
So we had a change in plans and ended up ordering dinner in for the 3 of us who could handle eating that evening. David got the stomach bug that's been circulating around town and ended up puking several times through the evening (dry heaving at a couple of points, poor guy!) Scott and I downed Pau D'Arco and Activated Charcoal in a effort to NOT catch it (We were successful!). David was better on Thursday, not 100% but not throwing up and being cautious with what he did eat.
Later that day we discovered a note from Emi's school that lice was found on one of her classmates! She didn't bother passing the information on to us. We've never worried about Emi getting lice before because of the products we use on her hair, but still...would be nice to have a heads up on another outbreak.
Friday we planned on making the drive to visit the Little Ones' birth parents for their combined birthday celebration and we gave Emi the option to come with or stay with Grandma Babe for another day. She opted to stay with her grandma (good call) and during our 2 hour drive to the visit, it was obvious that Aubri was not feeling well. She didn't have much of an appetite that day and she started to feel a little warm. I kept bracing myself for the puking to start when we least expected it but she was fine. We gave her some acetaminophen that afternoon and she seemed better by bedtime.
But Saturday morning after Aubri helped Daddy with the shredding...
Later that day we discovered a note from Emi's school that lice was found on one of her classmates! She didn't bother passing the information on to us. We've never worried about Emi getting lice before because of the products we use on her hair, but still...would be nice to have a heads up on another outbreak.
Friday we planned on making the drive to visit the Little Ones' birth parents for their combined birthday celebration and we gave Emi the option to come with or stay with Grandma Babe for another day. She opted to stay with her grandma (good call) and during our 2 hour drive to the visit, it was obvious that Aubri was not feeling well. She didn't have much of an appetite that day and she started to feel a little warm. I kept bracing myself for the puking to start when we least expected it but she was fine. We gave her some acetaminophen that afternoon and she seemed better by bedtime.
But Saturday morning after Aubri helped Daddy with the shredding...
...her face looked a little puffy and flushed. And at breakfast when she was putting a bite of eggs in her mouth, she gagged and actually threw up. I couldn't tell if she just gagged on the eggs, or if she had the stomach bug that David had, or something else. Her tummy and throat didn't hurt (according to her) but that flushed face started to look like a little sandpapery rash. When Emi was 18 mos or so (OU-TX weekend too, coincidentally enough) she ran a slight fever and gagged while eating, but we suspected the congestion made her throw up. Soon after, she developed a rash on her face that felt like sandpaper. Her doctor knew as soon as she stepped into the examination room that she had scarlatina. I suspected that Aubri had the same.
This morning we confirmed that Aubri had scarlatina! Poor baby girl. She is just not a complainer....so sweet even when she's feeling like total crud.
So to recap on our health: Uncle!
In other scary news, Scott and I have been preparing for the new season of The Walking Dead by watching some tried and true and also new scary shows, and I am here to let you know that American Horror Story is scary! (and disturbing, so extra scary)....in a Shining sort of way. After we watched it, we had to watch a little Jimmy Fallon (so funny) to rinse our brains of the images embedded in there from AHS.
And the other night I noticed that The Exorcist was coming on and DVR'd it. I guess I was thinking after 31 years, I might be able to handle viewing such evil again. I saw the movie originally in the 7th grade (and then partially again in college) and it forever scarred me. So I guess I needed more scarring? Last night after we got all of the kids in bed, we turned out all of the lights and proceeded to watch it again, the original unholy and scariest movie of all time (in my opinion). There was gentle rain falling and breeze blowing in through the window at the time.
The BBC station edited out a lot of the really gory stuff and I blocked a lot of the other images and sounds that had gotten through when I was in the 7th grade, but I was still tensed up the whole time. There was a photo of Regan on her mom's nightstand that scared me and that was before the demonic-possession. We paused the movie here and there for bathroom breaks and to check to make sure the rain wasn't blowing in the windows and then during the actual exorcism, when I was turning my head to face Scott and block the demon noises from coming into my earholes, the electricity flickered for 1/2 a second and the movie was off. Was it the rainstorm jacking with the satellite or God trying to cut me a break? Or both? Either way, I was relieved that the show was off.
We watched The Time Traveler's Wife after that to purge the unholy images from our minds. I read that book and loved it and thought the movie was really good too.
We had planned on carving pumpkins for Fall Break but instead, we spent time quarantining our kids, enjoying the cooler temps and the RAIN...and trying to scare ourselves silly.
What about you? Have you been plagued by anything good or bad lately? Are you ready for flu season? and Halloween?
01 September 2011
The Dirty Dozen, Clean Fifteen* and Weekend Plans
* information gleaned from the Environmental Working Group website after finding an outdated listing in Skinny Bitch.
I've been reading through the Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook for more nutrient dense recipes and right off the bat there's a section on buying organic. As my blog's name and heading indicates, I am mostly organic, but from reading the listing in the cookbook and then perusing the EWG website, it looks like I might need to get more organic for my family's sake.
The Dirty Dozen (These are the most pesticide filled of the bunch so buy these organic if possible.)
Clean 15 (lowest in pesticide)
Other plans for the weekend: to work in the yard, bake some treats (and maybe do a yard craft with the kiddos), swim, watch some Dexter episodes, have some beers, experience our first home game of the season (from the comfort of my home), watch Stepbrothers (I missed this when it came out), make lumpia (a friend of mine has never tasted this Filipino delight so I'm making some for tailgating), take pictures, and hang out with my beautiful little family.
Any big plans for you this weekend?
I've been reading through the Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook for more nutrient dense recipes and right off the bat there's a section on buying organic. As my blog's name and heading indicates, I am mostly organic, but from reading the listing in the cookbook and then perusing the EWG website, it looks like I might need to get more organic for my family's sake.
The Dirty Dozen (These are the most pesticide filled of the bunch so buy these organic if possible.)
- Apples - 98 percent of apples have pesticides (and we LOVE apples in my house)
- Celery - as many as 57 different pesticides!
- Strawberries - as many as 13 different pesticides
- Peaches
- Spinach
- Nectarines
- Grapes
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Potatoes
- Blueberries
- Lettuce
- Kale/Collard Greens
Clean 15 (lowest in pesticide)
- Onions
- Sweet Corn
- Pineapples
- Avocado
- Asparagus
- Sweet Peas
- Mangoes
- Eggplant
- Cantaloupe
- Kiwi
- Cabbage
- Watermelon
- Sweet Potatoes
- Grapefruit
- Mushrooms
Other plans for the weekend: to work in the yard, bake some treats (and maybe do a yard craft with the kiddos), swim, watch some Dexter episodes, have some beers, experience our first home game of the season (from the comfort of my home), watch Stepbrothers (I missed this when it came out), make lumpia (a friend of mine has never tasted this Filipino delight so I'm making some for tailgating), take pictures, and hang out with my beautiful little family.
Any big plans for you this weekend?
31 August 2011
What I'm Reading Currently
While I am reading Raising Your Spirited Child for very obvious reasons (to save the dear little boy's life) I also have a couple of books checked out in an effort to glean some vegan and raw recipes, techniques and tips. Looking for new inspiration and new healthy ingredients to add into our repertoire.
The first book I scanned for recipes/tips was Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet. This book was focused mainly on macrobiotics, which is fine. Back in 2004 we did the mostly macrobiotic diet to become healthier and I shed 13 pounds I did not know that I had to lose. Bonus! I already have the Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics from way back when so I didn't feel compelled to check out a lot of her recipes but a few things went on my list of things to try: Fried Udon Noodles, Pecan Crusted Seitan, Pan Fried Mochi, and Moroccan Couscous with Saffron.
As a result of the quick afternoon of perusing her book I finally made a meal with tempeh. It was wolfed down by the whole family so we'll definitely incorporate tempeh into the mix. Now that I think about it, it might not have been a result of reading her book. I got the tempeh before I had her book but I was inspired to cook with it after I returned her book so I will give Alicia the credit.
I also purchased some mochi from the new store in town and we'll be trying it out this weekend. Not the pan fried version but the cashew/date baked version. We are already brown rice converts (organic short grain); a carryover from the mostly macrobiotic days.
The second book I've been scanning for recipes/tips is Ani's Raw Food Essentials - this book was listed on Gena's recommended reading list for the newly raw-curious. So far I've gotten some good recipes to try and I am inspired to make my own vanilla extract and kimchi very soon. I have also wanted to try raw cheeze to see if it's something that is actually palatable so I jotted down the Basic Cheeze and Chipotle Cheeze recipes. Ani has a wonderful sounding Mexican Lime Soup that I may un-cook this week and the other recipes on the list to try are her Pad Thai with Kelp Noodles, Sesame Noodles and Tamari Almonds.
The last book in my queue is Skinny Bitch, Ultimate Everyday Cookbook .... it looks promising...and I hope to have some time this week to glean some good stuff from it.
The first book I scanned for recipes/tips was Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet. This book was focused mainly on macrobiotics, which is fine. Back in 2004 we did the mostly macrobiotic diet to become healthier and I shed 13 pounds I did not know that I had to lose. Bonus! I already have the Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics from way back when so I didn't feel compelled to check out a lot of her recipes but a few things went on my list of things to try: Fried Udon Noodles, Pecan Crusted Seitan, Pan Fried Mochi, and Moroccan Couscous with Saffron.
As a result of the quick afternoon of perusing her book I finally made a meal with tempeh. It was wolfed down by the whole family so we'll definitely incorporate tempeh into the mix. Now that I think about it, it might not have been a result of reading her book. I got the tempeh before I had her book but I was inspired to cook with it after I returned her book so I will give Alicia the credit.
 |
| Tempeh Stir Fry - yum! |
I also purchased some mochi from the new store in town and we'll be trying it out this weekend. Not the pan fried version but the cashew/date baked version. We are already brown rice converts (organic short grain); a carryover from the mostly macrobiotic days.
The second book I've been scanning for recipes/tips is Ani's Raw Food Essentials - this book was listed on Gena's recommended reading list for the newly raw-curious. So far I've gotten some good recipes to try and I am inspired to make my own vanilla extract and kimchi very soon. I have also wanted to try raw cheeze to see if it's something that is actually palatable so I jotted down the Basic Cheeze and Chipotle Cheeze recipes. Ani has a wonderful sounding Mexican Lime Soup that I may un-cook this week and the other recipes on the list to try are her Pad Thai with Kelp Noodles, Sesame Noodles and Tamari Almonds.
The last book in my queue is Skinny Bitch, Ultimate Everyday Cookbook .... it looks promising...and I hope to have some time this week to glean some good stuff from it.
14 June 2011
Labs
I am happy to report that mine and Emi's bloodwork all came back normal. Well, Emi's Alkaline Phosphatase and ALP were elevated but her pediatrician said that with growing kids and puberty that is normal.
Children normally have much higher ALP than adults because rapid bone growth is normal in children and bones make ALP.
"Rapid bone growth" is an UNDERstatement for my girlie. She grew upwards of 6 inches from April 2010 to April 2011. Yipes! She is almost as tall as me now! While we are pleased to hear there are no signs of diabetes, we are still working on making better decisions w.r.t. food and exercise when we're away from home. Aren't we, Emi? Love you baby girl!
Children normally have much higher ALP than adults because rapid bone growth is normal in children and bones make ALP.
"Rapid bone growth" is an UNDERstatement for my girlie. She grew upwards of 6 inches from April 2010 to April 2011. Yipes! She is almost as tall as me now! While we are pleased to hear there are no signs of diabetes, we are still working on making better decisions w.r.t. food and exercise when we're away from home. Aren't we, Emi? Love you baby girl!
22 November 2010
Therapeutic
This morning as I lay there with the electrodes and heat working their magic on my back I tried to figure out how I tweaked my back again. Then I remembered the past weekend (which seemed to fly by....I wonder why) and realized it wasn't ALL about The Walking Dead and catching up on other DVR'd shows.
In addition to that, we:
I love going to PT even though they make me exercise...or maybe it's because they make me exercise....no, it's the heat and those wonderful electrodes that put me in an alpha state. Actually, it's that they work with me on helping me to condition my body and tackle what life throws at me. It's like having a personal trainer, but one who is gentle with me, not barking at me to push myself harder. Although I do work up a sweat these days...
In addition to that, we:
- Sorted through all 3 kids dressers and closets (and playroom/sunroom) for donables
- Bathed and blow dried both dogs (after bathing the kiddos)
- Vacuumed and dusted whole house (twice - before and after dogs were bathed because they are shedding fools)
- Painted chalk board on wall in kitchen (after loving what I saw on Nothing But Bonfires)
- Clipped, pruned trees and shrubs; dead headed roses; weeded, raked and bagged leaves in front yard
- Dragged portable radiator up from basement
- Wrestled and played with the kiddos
- Put up our Christmas tree
- Brought countless Christmas decorations up from the basement
- Carried countless loads of laundry up from the basement
I love going to PT even though they make me exercise...or maybe it's because they make me exercise....no, it's the heat and those wonderful electrodes that put me in an alpha state. Actually, it's that they work with me on helping me to condition my body and tackle what life throws at me. It's like having a personal trainer, but one who is gentle with me, not barking at me to push myself harder. Although I do work up a sweat these days...
13 October 2010
So Where Was I...
...when the EARTHQUAKE hit?
Yipes! I was at my first physical therapy appt...actually lying there on the table while the therapist was massaging my back! The 2 story building shook for about 30 seconds and I thought it was just some helicopters flying by on the way to the airport. I imagine it would be just like the beginning of a Stephen King story.... Soon after the quake some of the therapists came back in to the building saying the tremor was felt as far away as Dallas and Clinton and was definitely a quake, not an explosion.
While the therapist was still working on me on the table I watched the news and learned that you can't really feel the quake unless it's over 3 on the Richter scale. The preliminary magnitude of this quake was a 4.3, then upgraded to 4.5 and the last I heard it was upgraded to 5.1! Maybe not a big deal if we were in California, but here in Oklahoma (aside from Jones, OK) we are not used to quakes.
My Little Ones were fine although they thought someone ran their car into the house. Scott was fine but was walking around campus so he didn't feel the quake. Emi was in the Gifted class in the portable classroom and reported that a lot of the soda bottles they were using to experiment with pH fell down as the building shook....
What a trip!
Later someone posted on FaceBook something about aftershocks sometimes being more intense than the original quake...almost 12 hours later and no tremors...
My lower back was in heaven for a bit when the electrodes were emitting heat and pulsating my tight muscles. Then there was the exquisite pain as the therapist was "picking" or "digging" at my back muscles. I explained to both therapists who tagged teamed me that my butt felt like someone frogged me in the cheeks and in my house, I can't be sure that that didn't happen. So they did their magic and showed me some really good exercises to help me heal up my tweaked lower back.
Yipes! I was at my first physical therapy appt...actually lying there on the table while the therapist was massaging my back! The 2 story building shook for about 30 seconds and I thought it was just some helicopters flying by on the way to the airport. I imagine it would be just like the beginning of a Stephen King story.... Soon after the quake some of the therapists came back in to the building saying the tremor was felt as far away as Dallas and Clinton and was definitely a quake, not an explosion.
While the therapist was still working on me on the table I watched the news and learned that you can't really feel the quake unless it's over 3 on the Richter scale. The preliminary magnitude of this quake was a 4.3, then upgraded to 4.5 and the last I heard it was upgraded to 5.1! Maybe not a big deal if we were in California, but here in Oklahoma (aside from Jones, OK) we are not used to quakes.
My Little Ones were fine although they thought someone ran their car into the house. Scott was fine but was walking around campus so he didn't feel the quake. Emi was in the Gifted class in the portable classroom and reported that a lot of the soda bottles they were using to experiment with pH fell down as the building shook....
What a trip!
Later someone posted on FaceBook something about aftershocks sometimes being more intense than the original quake...almost 12 hours later and no tremors...
My lower back was in heaven for a bit when the electrodes were emitting heat and pulsating my tight muscles. Then there was the exquisite pain as the therapist was "picking" or "digging" at my back muscles. I explained to both therapists who tagged teamed me that my butt felt like someone frogged me in the cheeks and in my house, I can't be sure that that didn't happen. So they did their magic and showed me some really good exercises to help me heal up my tweaked lower back.
01 September 2009
The Guardian
With so many reports of H1N1 hitting the local schools - many of Emi's schoolmates have been out with some sort of illness - and hearing about so many friends across the country with their kids staying home with fever and aches, I've fired up the old Germ Guardian in my cubicle. (2 months earlier than in the past)
26 August 2008
Ahhhh Relaxation...
Is it just me or am I the only one who finds dental cleanings so relaxing that I actually fall asleep? I can't help myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bun). When the dental hygienist starts to clean my teeth, my eyes roll back into my head and I am in an Alpha State. Sometimes I catch a catnap unless my hygienist is talking to me. And when I leave I feel so refreshed...too bad my insurance only covers cleanings twice a year!
06 May 2008
Hot Mamma
No, not really. I just had my FIRST mammogram today after putting it off for 2 years. I can tell you it was not as unpleasant as I'd imagined. I pictured an uncaring technician who would flatten my breasts suddenly like the slamming of a book while avoiding eye contact all the while telling me not to breathe (or cry). Or, worse, maybe that she'd be something like the sky waitress from our recent trip to Long Beach.
Instead my technician was a lovely woman named Lynn who instructed me to undress from the waist up and don a cute little "cape" with a single snap in the front. There were wipes to use to remove any residual deodorant from my pits. I placed my belongings in the basket she provided. Lynn was very thorough in her explanations and breast exams...there were two, one standing up and the other laying down. She knew exactly where I would be (was) tender and why (coffee, hormones, child, stress). I let her know that my 5 yr old knew the exact spots because her elbows could find them precisely at the peak of my tenderness. After the exams, we carried my basket across the hall to the mammography room.
Lynn told me to push my cape (although she called it something else) over my shoulders and let me know that we'd be putting my right breast on the tray which looked a little high to me. She was great in that she cleaned off the machine before shooting the films so I wouldn't get any cooties. After my breast was resting on the tray, she moved the plexiglas paddle down slowly and explained that I should keep breathing until she told me to stop and that the machine would press down a little more so I shouldn't be alarmed. Things were cool, I breathed until she instructed me to stop, she took the picture and we moved on. We got 2 shots of each breast flattened down, then we used the "bookend" method and got some pics of my breast flattened sideways. Not too bad really. Much more tolerable than the bitewing x-rays at the dentist.
As suspected, I have dense breast tissue so I shouldn't be alarmed if the technician review my pictures calls to chat...and ask me to come in for more invasive pictures. Or possibly an ultrasound. I was a LITTLE disappointed because I had brought a book to read in the waiting room and I had barely read my first page when the technician called me back. ;.( I arrived 20 minutes before my appt to register and Mary Ann was so efficient with the registration and Lynn so efficient with her exams and pictures that I was back in my car in about 40 min total!!
Instead my technician was a lovely woman named Lynn who instructed me to undress from the waist up and don a cute little "cape" with a single snap in the front. There were wipes to use to remove any residual deodorant from my pits. I placed my belongings in the basket she provided. Lynn was very thorough in her explanations and breast exams...there were two, one standing up and the other laying down. She knew exactly where I would be (was) tender and why (coffee, hormones, child, stress). I let her know that my 5 yr old knew the exact spots because her elbows could find them precisely at the peak of my tenderness. After the exams, we carried my basket across the hall to the mammography room.
Lynn told me to push my cape (although she called it something else) over my shoulders and let me know that we'd be putting my right breast on the tray which looked a little high to me. She was great in that she cleaned off the machine before shooting the films so I wouldn't get any cooties. After my breast was resting on the tray, she moved the plexiglas paddle down slowly and explained that I should keep breathing until she told me to stop and that the machine would press down a little more so I shouldn't be alarmed. Things were cool, I breathed until she instructed me to stop, she took the picture and we moved on. We got 2 shots of each breast flattened down, then we used the "bookend" method and got some pics of my breast flattened sideways. Not too bad really. Much more tolerable than the bitewing x-rays at the dentist.
As suspected, I have dense breast tissue so I shouldn't be alarmed if the technician review my pictures calls to chat...and ask me to come in for more invasive pictures. Or possibly an ultrasound. I was a LITTLE disappointed because I had brought a book to read in the waiting room and I had barely read my first page when the technician called me back. ;.( I arrived 20 minutes before my appt to register and Mary Ann was so efficient with the registration and Lynn so efficient with her exams and pictures that I was back in my car in about 40 min total!!
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