secrets from Dr. Oz

i admit that i'm a little addicted to Dr. Oz...
maybe it's because i've always wanted to be a doctor myself...maybe it's because he's so "real" and i find his passion about health and medicine refreshing...maybe it's because he cares a lot about the people he helps...

i always learn something when i watch him... it doesn't even have to be something earth shattering... sometimes i learn how my plate should be divided into fractional parts representing food groups to guarantee that i'm eating healthier...
sometimes i see a new recipe...
sometimes i hear his audience members questions and think, "oh yah, i wondered about that myself!" :)

mostly, however, i really find that listening to what he's teaching is changing my life for the good...

there are times where i miss the show...but fear not, i keep the DVR set to record new shows... :)

i started to watch a show from last week and found some great information...

the topic: toxins...
the show is discussing what toxins our bodies are "excreting" into the water supply because we are not watching what we put into our body.
these toxins are causing fresh water fish to develop both male and female reproductive parts... can you imagine what they're doing to us?

these toxins are found in frying pans (non-stick), bottles, plastics, and yes, even in our lotions...
the toxins are responsible for cancer...and for children starting puberty earlier and earlier...
the toxins mimic hormones...and well, they're bad for us!

we want to stay away from these toxins if we have the knowledge and awareness that they are bad for us!

here are a few:

phthalates:
these chemicals are found in so many products...
*non-stick pans (ever see your pans smoke when you're getting ready to put new pancake batter on it...yep, the smoke - that's the bad stuff)
*flexible plastics
*lotion
*shampoo
*toys
*canned foods
*flooring
*baby powder

~by the way, a lot of times, phthalates are not "listed" on the ingredients that you can find on the back of your favorite products. oftentimes, phthalates are in beauty products - and specifically, in items with fragrance. so, if it has the word "fragrance" on the product...don't use it... (so sad about this!)

BPA (Bisphenol-A):
this chemical is found in hard plastics, including our favorite water bottles, food containers, baby formula cans, canned food, and toys.
the BPA doesn't stay in the plastic; it leeches into us...
BPA can raise breast cancer rates and also cause challenges in reproductive health...

in plastics, you want to use things that are BPA and phthalate-free...

you can also look at the bottom of the plastic for the "recycling" symbol.
if the symbol has the numbers 3, 6 or 7 in the center, do NOT use them...

and, you should never microwave your food in any plastic container... always use glass... :) (and this goes for the microwave meals, as well... you should never microwave your food in the containers they provide!)

basically, these pollutants are not as strictly regulated as they seep into our water supply... the drinking supply is regulated, but only 91 of the contaminates are regulated... and well, when we shower, flush, drink, wash dishes...all of those chemicals are going down the drain and into our water system...thousands of chemicals and toxins...

it looks like i have some important changes to institute myself... not only for me, but also for my family, especially K... :)

meals for 3.28.10 through 4.2.10

Sunday: chicken hot dish (from last week - didn't get to it)
Monday: taco casserole
Tuesday: leftovers (chicken hot dish)
Wednesday: leftovers (taco casserole)
Thursday: out to dinner, probably - if not, strombolis or homemade pizza
Friday: soup and sandwiches

breakfasts: sweet potato muffins, waffles, cereal
lunch: leftovers from dinners, sandwiches

desserts: jell-o jigglers, fruit

recipe nervousness turns into a good meal! :)

i love staying at home with my sweet girl... i love that my "stress" now is getting dinner on the table... :)
being at home has moved me into a new phase of life...one that i find to be a little challenging but fun... :)
i'm trying to learn how to really REALLY budget...and in meal planning, i'm learning how to make a list, stick to it, and make some healthy meals for my husband and picky but sweet baby girl who rarely eats what i give her...(but that's for another post) :)

i really enjoy trying new recipes...

i really dislike when i try a new recipe and it's a total flop - like the meal is just not good or worth putting in a mouth to count as calories (yep, i food journal , too - i need to get some serious lbs. off of this body)...

recent flops...
some sort of mexican casserole...
some kind of chicken wrap things...

i admit that i was a little nervous to try a new recipe after these not-so-tasty meals...if i spend time in the kitchen making something, i want it to taste good! :)

i love soup...and even though Spring is knocking on our door, soup is a meal that lasts for another good meal...if not a little more. :) and it's so easy to have lots of veggies in soup... :) yum!

i found this recipe in my mom's very small hometown newspaper - the Sidell Journal... :) it's been a few years since i cut it out, but i'm also organizing my folders of recipes into a bindered photo album with sticky pages... :) so, i'm finding these little treasures along the way... :)

i took the new recipe plunge again and made this on Monday...
it was SO YUMMY! :) and it used a crockpot! :) ya gotta love those crock pot recipes... :)
with a little corn bread, this was a real belly pleaser... :) like we couldn't wait for leftover night :)

go ahead...try it :)

Hamburger Stoup <---not a typo like my husband thought on our meal board - it's a play on two words - soup+stew :)

3 large potatoes, sliced (i peeled mine too)
3 carrots, sliced
1 lb. frozen peas
1 onion, diced (i used a sweet onion)
2 ribs of celery, sliced thin
salt & pepper to taste
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. of ground beef browned and drained
10 3/4 oz can of tomato soup
1 soup can of water

1. put veggies in the crock pot in layers as listed. season each layer with salt and pepper (i just used seasoned salt)
2. layer beef on top of celery. mix together soup and water in a separate container and pour over the ground beef.
3. cover & cook on low for 6-8 hrs. or high for 2-4 hrs., stir occasionally.

(i cooked it on high b/c i forgot to make it until 3 that afternoon...turned out fine...and i didn't see the "stir occasionally" when i was making it...i didn't stir...it was fine... :))

really...it's so good! :)

tears...

i'm watching The Today Show...

in the story they're reporting on, they just held up the infant sling that i used with K for her first few weeks of life...

the same exact sling...the same exact pattern...the same sling that i packed away with hopes of using it again should we be blessed with more children...

the sling that i used to put my tiny baby girl in to do a little laundry...

the sling that i used to put her in and cover her up with blankets so that i could go out and walk the dogs in the Fall of K's birth...

the sling that i used to snuggle K in as i was shopping at Target...

the sling that a mother is weeping about on Today...because her sweet baby girl suffocated in the sling...

i just watched her put her face in her hands and cry as she recalled seeing her baby girl's nose run with bloody mucous as she died...

i cried...

4 children have died in the past year from suffocating in this Infantino sling...


Infantino is now replacing all slings like this and the Wendy Bellissimo sling...

if you have this sling, please go to the website (Infantino) and follow the directions to get a free replacement... do it right now...

great thoughts...

it was a really grey day here... it was the kind of day where you stay in your sweatpants! :) the kind of day where you want to read under a blanket all day...
i didn't quite get to do this, per se, but i did get a little time reading... :)

when i was vacuuming today (hehe - Sarah F. :)), i found some magazines next to ry's chair... i put them there to "read later."

that was in December. :)

so, today, the magazines went onto MY chair for reading during naptime...

i didn't get through very many...but i got some great quotes...

what do you think? :)

"All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his."
~Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest
(this quote was paired with an incredible black and white photo, probably from the 1950s or 1960s, of a mom, sitting on her bed, reading with her four young daughters.)

"Compassion for our parents is the true sign of maturity."
~Anais Nin

"We sometimes underestimate the influence of little things."
~Charles W. Chesnutt

"Wealth consists not in having great possessions but in having few wants."
~Esther De Waal, Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict

values

i spent some time out in public this weekend... the mall, restaurants, the grocery store, a consignment shop... of course, when you spend time out, you are bound to come in contact with people...

now, i grew up, from the age of 8 on, in "the north," and it was a perfectly wonderful place to learn social graces and things of such... my mom was born and raised in the mid-west, so of course, i have a lot of her values and love in my socialization...
i remember that my mom was my best friend for a long, long time - especially when i was young (and still now, really)...i prefered to be with her over friends at times... perhaps it was because she is THE BEST... :) but, she was pretty much my one constant in life... she stayed home until i was in 3rd grade...and well, i was a military brat - so we moved A LOT... of course, that meant new houses, new schools, new friends, new neighborhoods...and well, my mom was always there... :)
since we were movers, i obviously developed a personality that would allow for me to be quite amicable...i made friends easily and learned that it was hard to say goodbye to old friends, but it was nice to say hello to new ones...

when ry and i moved to VA, the people were something i was struck by...they were SO friendly and kind...southern hospitality, i guess... it was refreshing... people would go out of their way to lend you a hand, they were quick to show you kindness, they'd call you "sweetie" or "honey" without a second thought...and they were patient and enjoyed every minute of the day... this is probably the greatest difference between "the north" and where i live now, in my opinion... in the north, everything is rushed, and there are few people who take the time to be nice...plain and simple... and when i came here...it was a wonderful change...

but this weekend... i felt like i was surrouneded by unkindness... people were too busy to stop...people were rude...and the looks that i got a few times... wow...

i drove home from the grocery store yesterday wanting to pray for the cashier at the grocery store i was at... i wasn't even in her lane, i was next to her...but as she was trying to step out from behind the cash register to take a bag to a waiting cart, my cart was in the way (which was put there by the bagger)... i was close enough to it to move it (i was in the middle of paying), so i did... i smiled and said, "excuse me...sorry about that..." what did i recieve? a glare... and when i was pushing my cart past her lane as i was leaving, she glared at me again...

when i was at the consignment shop, a brood of a family was walking around...2 children under the age of 2 1/2 and the mother was very pregnant with twins.... the grandmother was with them, too, probably to corral the 2 1/2 year old little boy who was off and exploring every few seconds (they had one of those sitting/standing strollers - he was standing while his little sister was sitting)... one of the volunteers who was working at the sale was being friendly to the family and was telling a story about her own grandchild who was as energetic and active as this 2 1/2 year old little boy... with a smile on her face, she was recalling when the nearby department store had to lock down its store b/c her grandson decided it was fun to play in the clothes racks and his mom couldn't find him... i heard her story and smiled at her as i felt a little panic as a mom myself just thinking of what i would do if i couldn't find K in a huge store...and yes, i was remembering the same game i'd play with my mom while shopping when i was a kid... meanwhile, the lady wasn't even talking to me, but i made sure to make eye contact with her and smile because the very pregnant mother and grandmother wouldn't even look at her or pay her any attention... courtesy...where was it?

i am thankful that i was raised with the values that i have... there's always time for a smile... i was taught to acknowledge people with eye contact if they were speaking... i was taught words like "excuse me" and "thank you" and "please" that would always be paired with a smile... i was taught that there are many minutes of the day...and yes, they are fleeting...but there's nothing more important than taking time out to be courteous and kind...

i will continue to pratice these habits...i have a little girl who needs to learn them now, and i hope and pray that my example will rub off on some of the people i meet who must have forgotten how to love one another...

meals for 3.21-3.27

i'm pleased to say that i'm ahead of the game for once in my life... but i'm not going to get used to it - it's a rare occurrance! :) i'm trying to plan our meals a little earlier so that i can search the circulars for better deals... AND, i plan on trying to use the new Coupon Queen site (see the link over there -----> :)) to see if i can save some $$ on groceries... :)

here are our meals for this upcoming week... :)

Sunday: b-fast - french toast, lunch- leftover pizza (from Fri. night), dinner - leftover stuffed chicken wrap ups (from last week)
Monday: hamburger stoup (crockpot) (new recipe)
Tuesday: skillet lasagna
Wednesday: leftovers
Thursday: chicken hot dish casserole (new recipe)
Friday: leftovers
Saturday: b-fast - something fast 'cause i'm going to see WICKED!! :) lunch - Ry will have leftovers, i'll be eating somewhere like Olive Garden or Cheesecake Factory, dinner - we'll probably meet somewhere after the show :)

lunch for the week: extra leftovers, cheese sandwiches, PBnJ sandwiches

i'll post the new recipes this week :)

happy eatings :)

nonsense...

it's been too long since i've posted...
i've thought a lot about lots of things to write about...but the thoughts are fleeting, and when i finally sit down to write, it's late, i'm tired, and i've forgotten my genius thoughts! (yep, those thoughts - they were that incredible...) :)

~meal planning... it was pointless this week... i have had a sinus infection that has kept me from smelling and tasting anything for several days... a great thing for my diet...but who wants to think about food when you can't taste anything??? so, we've had a range of some various foods... Subway sandwiches, English Muffin pizzas, stuffed chicken roll ups & mashed potatoes, and i don't know what we'll have for the rest of the week... maybe breakfast for dinner...that sounds good...and i don't know what else! :)

~my mom had her dental surgery today... as a side effect from her radiation a few years ago, she had dying jaw bone exposed... her gums were disappearing in these areas... the surgeon said the necrosis was more than he could've known since most of her jawbone (lower) was covered by gums... since the jaw bone wasn't healthy, her teeth were not being held in by much, so she lost most of her teeth on the lower jaw... he said they pretty much "fell out," but she would have started to lose them in the next few weeks without the surgery today... anyhoo, she has a few front teeth left... and then i guess after healing occurs (which will be a challenge, too, thanks to the radiation, again)...she'll get a bridge or something to replace the teeth she lost today.... the dead areas of her jaw bone were filed away to leave only healthy jaw bone...and they covered the areas that were exposed... it sounded like it worked out well...challenging, but well... :)

~the weather has been beautiful here! we played outside for 2 hours yesterday afternoon... :) love that sunshine... :)

~daylight savings time has kicked our scheduled into a tailspin... i'm hoping today will be the first day where K will nap twice... she really needs it... wish you could be here during dinnertime...it's true entertainment... and our dogs have gained an extra meal thanks to the sweet meltdowns of K as she throws food overboard... :) <---yeah, i'm smiling about it now...not so much when it's going on though...

~i love the new show "Parenthood" that's on... very good... :) i'm also going to try and watch the new series on WWII "The Pacific." and i think the new nature show starts on Discovery too! argh... i never have time to watch TV, but i sure am finding the shows to watch, aren't i? :)

~ i think we'll have to mow our lawn soon... ry will be thrilled...

~so sad for Sandra Bullock... what a rollercoaster ride for her...a tremendous high from her award last weekend...and a terrible low hearing her husband may have cheated... how sad...

~the census form was a true let down... how boring... but i would have loved to see someone fill out all the spaces... :) i wonder what the Duggars do....there weren't enough spaces for them... :)

~only 2 more days until Spring officially arrives... :) yay! :)

ok...that's enough for now... :)
:)
more later... :)
until then, go outside and let the sweet sunshine warm your pretty face... :)

it's been a long time...

since i've taken off my fleece when the dogs and i are walking...

since the dogs have been panting like crazy when we've finished our walk...

since i've seen truly green grass...

since i've seen flowers in the flower bed (hello, little crocuses! :))
i'd take a picture but the batteries are dead...charging...

since my white arms have seen the sunshine...

since i've wanted to stay outside for a very long time just breathing in the incredible smell of freshness...

since i've opened the window on the screen door...

since i've opened ANY window in the house...

since i've wanted to go have a picnic...

since i've wanted to go for a walk with K's new (and never used) wagon...
we may just have to christen it today

it's been a long time since i've yearned for spring...

i think she's right around the corner... :)
i can't wait...

:)

meals for 3.9 to 3.14 :)

a little late...normally, i try to post on Sun. or Monday, but we didn't get back home until late on Monday evening... :) had a great time at home, too, but maybe there will be more on that later :)

anyhow, a basic week of eating... :)

Tuesday: macaroni soup and fresh french bread
Wednesday: either pizza or stromboli, packed with veggies, on whole wheat dough
Thursday: leftovers or maybe grilling out!!! :) (YAY!)
Friday: eating out or leftovers
Saturday: eating out (if we didn't eat out on Friday) or leftovers
Sunday: something with chicken and the crock pot... TBD :)

lunch for the week: PBnJ (yum :)), microwave meals

breakfast: banana muffins :)


hope you have a wonderful mealtime this week! :)

:)

Homeward Bound...

....just headin' out to visit with some of my most very favorite people... :)

we'll probably spend time chatting with dad...while he gets filled with giggles watching his sweet granddaughter... :) and we'll enjoy the nights of him sitting and drinking his diet Root Beer before bed... :) oh, and eating Chinese...and going to the diner...normal family stuff... :) good times... :)

...and we'll sitting next to my mom... :) soaking up every single minute of time with her... gosh i miss her... :) we'll spend our time shopping, walking the dogs, soaking up the sunshine, and talking... :) and i'll be loving hearing her laughter as she soaks up every single minute with her incredible granddaughter... :) i see so much of my mom (and probably me :)) in K... it's warms my heart... :)


kinda like Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz" said, "There's no place like home..." :)

have a wonderful weekend... "see" you in a few days! :)

Are you an eavesdropper? :)

i've always loved to watch people...and i will admit that i'm pretty much the world's worst (or best? :)) eavesdropper... :) restaurants, our neighbors arguing, in waiting rooms...anywhere... :)

thankfully, this has never happened to me... :) if it did, i'd probably run for the hills... :)


BUT, just for a laugh...this is fabulous entertainment :) maybe we should try this sometime...just for the sake of humor :)

have a great day! :)

Tom Mabe: Eavesdropping

Monday "stuff" and meals for March 1st - March 5th

we didn't travel to PA this weekend due to some snow that they got "up north." they didn't get the predicted 12-18 inches...only about 6...so we could have probably headed up without any issue... granted, my mom said they closed the turnpike (the "toll" road/highway that leads you across PA) because the roads were so slick... maybe it was better we stayed in VA?!

we're going to try again to go this coming weekend...so again, the meals will be a little less planned as we near the end of the week! :)

i'm kind of sad about the Olympics ending... i so enjoyed the atheletes and events this year... :) i'll probably post on more about the Olympics this week... :)
on another note, however, at least i will be getting in bed before 12:30 AM now... that time change between here and Vancover was a challenge, especially when the "best" events were still happening at midnight! :)

today, i'm going to try and bribe Ry to ride with me to the "C'ville Market" - which seems to be a really cool fresh produce market... i've heard about it before, but tore out their "fresh deals of the week" from the newspaper yesterday... :) i don't know how to get there (but i already mapquested! :)), and i would feel much better if Ry was along for the ride, esp. with K...so we may try to head there after he comes home from work... :)

i'm kind of excited about that trip to C'ville Market... :) i'm dreaming of all the yummy fruits and veggies that we can pick up (for pretty cheap prices)... (our local grocery stores don't have dreamy produce selections lately... :( )

why am i excited about fruits and veggies??? well, i saw on Dr. Oz last week about the anti-cancer foods that we should eat... they outlined a plate and how you should divide your plate. we should be having HALF a plate of fruits and veggies... well, that doesn't happen here at this household... i'm ashamed to say that we sometimes don't even have a veggie (that's not related to the potato :)) in front of us at dinner... but, i do try hard to put out some sort of brightly colored veggie on a daily basis...

but, i want to get to our half-full of veggies dinner plate! we need to eat healthier...and our trip to C'ville Market can help us get started on this new "better eating" challenge... :)

OK...meals for the week... :) i will probably add another post about the veggies and fruits we can add to our meals... :)

~Monday: Mexican Casserole w/ some adjustments (i don't know what blog i got the recipe from...i just copy/pasted the recipe to an email to myself...but i'll look and post it if i find it) :)

~Tuesday: Macaroni Soup & grilled cheese

~Wednesday: leftovers

~Thursday: Cheesy Bow Ties (from Cooking on Clover Lane)

~Friday: leftovers (if we're here)

~Saturday and Sunday: we'll probably be away :)

:) hope you have a blessed Monday! :)
AND...
19 more days until the official start of SPRING! :)