Great Pumpkin Cookies, a bit of recycling and some health ideas

  I ran across a great recipe last week, it's the time of year we start thinking of pumpkin, crisp nights and a little warmth from the oven on chilly mornings.  So here is a recipe for Pumpkin Ginger cookies I think you will like.
  1/2 cup soft butter        1 teaspoon vanilla
 
  1 cup sugar                   2 teaspoons baking soda
  1/2 cup pumpkin          2 teaspoons cinnamon
  1/4 cup molasses          1 teaspoon cloves
  1 egg                             1/2 teaspoon salt,  1 and 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  2 and  1/3 cups unbleached flour
      Beat butter and sugar til creamy, add pumpkin, molasses, egg and vanilla.
      In separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Mix together and chill several hours or overnight
      Heat oven to  350 degrees.  Use teaspoon sized balls of dough, dip in sugar. I like to use organic brown sugar crystals, they leave a little crunch after baking. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, and cool on rack.
   Know all those toilet tissue rolls you toss? Save them and the lint from your dryer trap. Stuff the lint into the empty rolls and use to start fires in your fire place. Two less items to recycle.
   If you are trying to boost your immune system before the winter weather moves in, here are a couple of ways to help.  Be sure your multi vitamins contain 15 mg of beta carotene, 50 mg vitamin C,  and 400 iu of mixed tocopherol vitamin E.  Also be sure you are using a capsule, "bullets" tend to go through without doing you much good.
   To boost your happiness level, keep a journal.  Each day at the end of the day, jot down one thing you are grateful for.  Check the list often, in a few months this will improve your mood dramatically. This is a valid, proven scientific study which has been done.
  Try doing some deep breathing each day to clear the lungs . Breath in through the nose for a count of 7, hold for 8 counts, then exhale slowly through the mouth.  Do this twice a day, 8 times each.
  If you are looking to up your anti oxidants which are so good for your health, one cup of Matcha tea has  as many antioxidants as 8 cups of green tea.
   If you think you have a sluggish thyroid, you can check it out by taking your temperature by mouth in the morning before you get up. If it runs under 98 degrees for a week, you have a slow working thyroid gland.  To improve function, eat  things high in selenium, like mushrooms,  brazil nuts,  and iodized salt is important.  I love to saute a handful of onion, garlic, mushrooms and herbs and use them over pasta, or grilled chicken. You can likely think of a lot of ways you would eat these.
  Finally, if you are looking for a way to "detox" your body, when you get up in the morning start your day with a glass of warm water, and add a squeeze of lemon and a couple of dashes of hot sauce.  Should help kick start your day.
  Eat healthy, add those greens every day, keep smiling and be grateful for all the blessings you have. It doesn't take much looking around to see others who have so many more problems these days. Stay well.