Choose your food wisely, lots of good ideas for you

  Think back, 30 or 40 years ago. Our grandparents, and even parents gardened.  We ate food fresh from the garden, and it didn't take hours to prepare. We were healthier, not so much diabetes, high blood pressure, allergies, ADHD etc.  We drank water, not pop, and ate less processed foods. Now the super market is loaded with stuff to stick in the microwave, foods that are tampered with, containing GMO's  and chemicals and preservatives. Finding things that are good for us is getting harder because we are getting more tuned in to eating stuff that comes in cans and boxes.  We buy into tv ads telling us to do "the smart thing" by eating a container of fruit flavored yogurt instead of cookies, doughnuts etc. Well, those flavored yogurts have 37 grams or more of sugar, more than a can of soda pop. Worse, some of them are sweetened with aspartame which is proven to be a poison to our system, if you see that, avoid the product, also anything with fake sugars, stuff that comes in little pink, blue or yellow envelopes is just a mix of chemical substances. Go for a little honey, or pure maple syrup. Some stevia is good but watch the company and try and get safe, pure, stuff.  A good rule to follow when shopping is, don't buy anything with more than 5 ingredients, and never buy things with ingredients your 3 year old c an not pronounce.  Make a few changes and start cooking fresh produce when you can. Farmers markets are opening up, most of their produce is safe and healthy, and you will find prepping a good meal can be done in anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, unless you are baking things and need more time there.
  Add tomatoes to your diet, people who have a tomato rich diet have lower risk of coronary  heart disease. The color comes from anti oxidants and is even more concentrated in sauce. Watermelon works the same way
  Keeping your immune system healthy is as easy as adding a few items,  like sipping a cup of hot tea. Tea give you 5 times more germ fighting ability if you drink up to 5 cups a day, Do some stretching, and relaxing. Add garlic to your meals, it has antibacterial fighters. Cuts your risk of high blood pressure and heart problems.  And try and stay cheerful, that elevates your mood and helps you feel better.
  When you buy your fresh produce, bring it home and wash it with a mix of 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup water, a splash of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of baking soda. I fill a large bowl and let produce soak for at least 15 minutes, then rinse well and store properly.
  I am blessed with green mold on the north side of my house, no sun hits it. Yesterday I mixed a cup of vinegar and a cup of water, and 1 Tablespoon of soda and sprayed the mold. It cuts it well, need a more powerful hose to get it washed off. You can also use this on your bathroom shower walls to stop mildew and mold.
  How about some new uses for olive oil?  Rub gently into your hands after doing painting chores, it helps remove the paint without hurting your skin. If you have a stuck zipper, try rubbing some on that and working it loose. If your hubby has dry skin he can use it to shave with, or try peanut butter(smooth of course) and just feel the silky skin you are left with, and of course if you have pets drizzle a tad on their food to help with  hair balls. Cats of course, dogs don't have that problem. Back in the Roman Empire days, olive oil was taxed because it was such a hot commodity.
 If you are a tea drinker and have stained cups and teapots, sprinkle baking soda on stained area, add enough water to make a paste and scrub with a sponge or dish cloth. Use a cotton swab for spouts,.

  If you use non stick baking pans for muffins, never use cooking spray on them, it makes them sticky. Use a small amount of olive oil, or better, paper liners.
  We have come into a white period, the dogwoods are just breathtaking and the snowball bushes are  out of this world, I have one with saucer sized blooms.  Right now all the white shows up against the fresh green of the trees, finally everything looks fresh and spring like. So nice after the long winter with the brown dead colors. I love these mountains, the colors are ever changing. We really seem to have periods of certain colors, yellow is always first, with the daffodils and forsythias but the whole summer season is filled with beauty. I think my favorite southern tree is the Mimosa, pink and delicate.  It's lumped in with crepe myrtles that range from white to pink, to rose and red and purple,  a never ending rainbow. If you have never been south, take a trip to this side of the country and almost any season but November to March will give you a glimpse of splendorific color.
  Hope you can get out and enjoy this lovely spring weather, til next time, eat healthy.

Tough Week in the USA

    Thinking about a blog subject this week has been difficult. So I have decided to say some of the things that are in my heart instead. 
     911 shook this country up, and for a while we were all sort of united in a common cause. Faded away to some extent, we forgot to watch our for each other, cover each others backs and stay in communication.  So we had two major tragedies this last week. Unless you live under a rock, you have to know about the bombing at the Boston Marathon.  It brought back all the memories and thoughts of 911. Once again, someone is  attacking our cities.  Watching all the videos, it's a wonder no more were killed. But there are many who are severely  injured and will not forget this attack the rest of their lives. Many lost limbs, and will require surgery, maybe many times, to help them in their recovery.  Months of pain and suffering will fill their lives. Their families and friends will be caring for  them the rest of their lives. How can it be that people who hate the Americans so  much are among us, talking to us, acting as friends, only to be planning an act of terror. We have always opened our country to immigrants, and hoped they would become American citizens, productive and caring. But that does not always hold true. And it would be impossible to screen out someone set on hurting us very far ahead of time. In fact , sometimes these heinous attacks are done , like at Columbine, by American citizens. It's kind of like this thing with new gun laws, most of us would be responsible and not plan on killing mass amounts of people. But someone who was planning that would likely get weapons whatever the status  was for selling them. It's just sad that so many people have so much hatred in their hearts. Who failed them, how did their lives go wrong? Where is God or their power in their lives?

   To  add to the sadness, there was that horrific blast in Waco, Texas . The town looks like it was bombed. More people died there than in Boston, and this is supposedly an accident. Never the less, it is painful to see so many hurt and gone forever.
  I spend a part of each day, reading my bible, spending time in prayer, asking God to watch over all of us, and keep us safe. Big order. Guess it's all part of his plan, and trying to understand it is impossible. Like loosing a child, or a husband, we are not meant to understand His ways, just to keep praying and asking for his help to understand and go forward, trying to do what he has put us on this earth for. I have days when I truly wonder if I am doing anything worth while, so glad I have some volunteer and some church work to help me feel like I am contributing at least a little in the way of compassion and caring. I continue to hope and pray that this world will become a better place for all of us, the fears for my grand kids and great grand kids are immense. Somehow, I am glad I am old now and will not live to see a lot of what this country will become down the line 20 years from now.
   For all of us, I hope we can step back, say a prayer for all the hurting families this week, and keep praying for better things in the future.
  I hope all of you have a safe and happy week, filled with spring flowers and sunshine, just never forget to be grateful for all the good things your lives  have in them.

Life is full of changes

   This last week was full of many changes. We had our first really warm weather, near 80 several days, almost 90 one day, and rain of course. Now it's cooler, but very pleasant. The Redbud trees burst open in all their splendor  the last few days, most of the forsythia and daffodils are long gone now. I have some pretty tulips blooming  in the front yard. Got the garden ready for planting with the able help of my son.  Have put out seeds for things that won't be up for a bit, so should be warm enough when they do pop out, like beans and zucchini.
  Missed my normal blog yesterday, my old computer started overheating to the point it would pop off, and give me a shock.  So with my oldest son who is a marvel with computers,  helped me pick out and get a new one up and running.  It changed me from a Vista system to Windows 8 and boy are they different.  I spent a while today getting cameras, card programs etc installed, then had a little help finding this blog spot.  Good thing I have a son with a great sense of computers to help me out.  I am  the world's biggest geek when it comes to technology.  Smart phones?  Hey, just give me one that makes calls and lets me text, all those apps just mess with my head. Same with computers, and this one does apps instead of what I am used to seeing. As time goes by, it will get easy and I will wonder why I could not figure out so many things.
  I have not taken time to compile a real blog for this week, so I will just let you know I am still around, just behind the eight ball. 
  Next week I promise to do better!

List of GMO free companys, lots of household ideas

  Ok, so Spring is taking it's time, but they are saying by tomorrow we will be much warmer, in the 70's. Can hardly wait. This has been the 6th coldest winter on record, and my icy feet can attest to that.
  This week has been full of strange and useful ideas to share with you. Did you know that you can rub a stick of chalk on a grease stain, let it set a few minutes, then wash as usual? Should remove the grease.  Or if you have cookie sheets or baking dishes that have been burned a bit, you can make a paste of  1/4 cup baking soda and enough peroxide(hydrogen) to create a paste, rub it on and let it sit a while then wash. You can use this on discolored white refrigerator and stove handles too.
  If you are fighting ear wax, mix equal parts of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar, I would only do a small amount, like maybe 1/2 teaspoon of each, put a few drops in each ear, give it a bit, then tip head and drain it out. May need to repeat for a couple of days.
  This idea came up on face book, but I am not too sure about it. Its a flea and tick treatment for dogs and cats. Mix 8 ounces of apple cider vinegar with 4 ounces of water,  and carefully add 1/2 of salt, it may react slightly.  Put in spray bottle and use on pet, maybe several days running. However, I did a little research and found that if licked excessively, it may change the pet PH which might cause problems, so not sure if I would use it. I would however use it on furniture and carpets to kill fleas. You would want to check materials in an inconspicuous place to be sure of color fastness. I think for the pet, I might still use a little bag of mint tied to the collar. This idea came from  a site called  allthingshomemade, but it just referred me to Pinterest and  got no further information.
 Saw a way of creating tiles for your walls that sounds interesting.  Cut cardboard squares the size you want the tiles, use cereal boxes, shirt card boards, anything about that thick. Using your imagination or a pattern, create  a design you like on the cardboard  with white glue, let it dry. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. securing on back. Then rub with shoe polish or stain to get desired color. Glue on prepared surface.
  A few thoughts on OTC medicines.  Almost all of these, be they for pain, heartburn, etc, cause liver failure, internal bleeding, and the danger of strokes. Please take time to read all the side effects. I had considered taking Pepcid, thinking it was safer than prescription stuff, but I was wrong, it has the same side effects. I learned to eat earlier, a little less, and leave at least 5 hours before lying down for the night. So far I have had good luck. On occasion I do grab some DGL, deglycerized chewable licorice. Great for tummys.  If you want to avoid medications, there are so many alternatives. For pain, headaches or body, try feverfew or white willow bark, shades of Dr Quinn and the indian remedys, but they work, and no side effects.
  If you have arthritis pain, try bromelain,  maybe just eating pineapple everyday,  or capsaicin capsules or rubs, devil's claw, fish oil(capsules)or my faves, turmeric and ginger.  Back to the headaches, you can also try aromatherapy, put a few drops of eucalyptus, lavender or peppermint on a hanky and inhale. Chamomile  or lemon balm tea also help.
   For muscle aches, good old epsom salts in a tub of warm water is great.
 If you have IBS, or that kind of problem, add a couple of drops of peppermint oil to your tea or cocoa.
  I found a good list of company's that are GMO free, their site is  http://nourishedkitchen.comgmofree-food.  In case you don't want to look them up, here are a few of them: Arrowhead Mills, Eden Foods, Purity Foods, Genesoy, Earth's Best,  HealthyTimes(baby foods),  Bob's Red Mill, Whole Foods stores,  Cascadian farms, Muir glen, Nature's path and the list goes on.
  There is a fairly new product out, I find it in my vitamin catalog, Swansons, called avocado oil. If you use this in place of some of the olive oil you are used to, it protects your eyes and vision against macular degeneration, cataracts etc. It's tasty so no problem working it into your diet.
   Can hardly wait for tomorrow, sunshine and warm temps to get out and do some spring gardening,. We have had a lot of rain lately, know it's good for the ground, but this old bod could use the sun for a while. I see the red bud trees are looking pink, so will be blooming soon. Easter week makes me feel like rebirth, all things new again etc. Hope you are getting spring in your area too.
  Remember, you get one body, it's your most precious possession, so guard and care for it. Happy spring.
  One last shot, President Obama signed the bill allowing Monsanto and other growers to expand their list of GMO produced foods. This means more poison in what we eat, our government sure is not concerned about keeping us healthy, just selling medicine to us after we are sick. Somehow, that does not seem right.

Good News on GMO's, dip recipe, cleaner recipe Hair help

 On Wednesday of this week, the 26th of March, Dr OZ had a rep from a grocery store called Whole Foods on his show. They are getting rid of any products containing GMO's in their store. For the most part, they are there now, but are looking for re labeling to reflect their stance.  In a few years, any thing you buy there will be totally organic and GMO free. I hope this helps other food stores to see the value, and maybe rethink their ideas, getting more safe foods into their stores too. I am only sad that we have no Whole Food stores in our area.  I know my family in NE can shop at one. At least there are merchants who do realize that some of us care about what we eat. Yeah!
  I also watched a report saying that  we eat way too much meat, it's bad for your heart and brain. Over eating meat causes cognitive decline, or altzheimers. If you back off meat and dairy and all their tainted products,  you could help cut altzheimers by 70%. That's a large number. Not saying avoid it totally, but eat small amounts and avoid processed meats, watch the dairy as it has known hormones added to most of its items.
 There are many ways of keeping your diet full of protein, add beans, brown rice etc.
  Saw a neat item on facebook this week, for making a cleaner for your counters, walls and other surfaces, and it's nearly a freebie. When you eat an orange, save the peel, put in a jar, cover with white vinegar, and steep on you counter for 2 weeks. Strain, put in spray bottle and use to disinfect. I am thinking I might add a little olive oil, to make a furnture dusting liquid, to be sprayed on a dust rag.
 Love avocado's?  Try mashing one ripe one, and adding 2 tablespoons of greek(plain) yogurt, 1 clove chopped garlic, 1/8 teaspoon onion salt and a splash of lemon juice.  Use in place of mayo on sandwiches or as a dip.
  If you are wanting to try a way of avoiding the parabans etc in shampoos and rinses, this is so easy. Put a tablespoon of baking soda in your hand, moisten slightly, and rub into scalp well. Rinse, and spray  your hair with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar mixed into 1 cup of water and placed in a spray bottle. Let that set 3 minutes, then rinse well. Your hair will be super soft and shiny.
  We finally have sun today, and it's just a bit warmer. The snow has melted off everything but the mountain tops, it's still coating them pretty well. It's feeling a bit more like spring. My starter plants are getting leggy, looking forward to warmer days and gardening very soon. Our fruit trees kind of jumped the gun and bloomed ahead of this last very cold week, would hate to loose all the fruit so hope  Mother Nature knows what she is doing. 
  It's Easter week, tomorrow morning  will be attending Good Friday service, and Easter Sunday after that. We have rain in the forcast but that's better than snow. Last year by now it was much warmer, windows open and heat turned off. Not yet this year.  We have had a lot of moisture in our area which should get our growing season off to a good start. Funny, it seems that when thats the case, we have a lack of rain during the summer months.
  Have a wonderful Easter, remember the reason, and give thanks for your blessings.  Hope you have family or friends to spend some of your weekend with, always a pick me up for spirits.

Allergies? Rashes? And Monsanto is doing it again

  If you suffer from allergies or rashes, blame it on products you are using in your everyday routine.  The allergy, rash stuff is just the tip of the iceberg. Have been looking into a couple of bad ingredients this week, parabans and phthalates. Phthalates are  compounds used to soften vinyl, over a billion tons are produced each year in this country. These are used in nail polish, cosmetics and hair products.  Parabans are chemicals used as preservatives. Both of these products alter hormonal systems so if you are using them on your babys, expect them to hit puberty as early as 8 years old. This is frightening, as the earlier a child matures, the shorter its life span is.  These substances also cause breast cancer tumors, and are found in the tumors. Milk, meat and dairy products are high in hormone changing substances, so those are ones to watch  too, read the labels. I heard this week that some milk companys will be adding sugars , and these will be fake ones, like aspartame, so kids will get hooked on the sweet taste. More obesity and poor health will follow that move.  If you are a nursing mom and using cosmetics with parabans ad phthalates, you will pass them on to your baby.
  Monsanto has pushed its bill as far as the President, if he signs it we will have more food grown with seeds that are treated with bug and insect killers.   Don't see how the FDA,  and the president can condone the poisoning of the American people, but it seems health care is not important any more. Just get people sick , then put them on medicines that cause even more problems. That makes it even more vital that we refuse to buy products that will do ourselves and our children so much damage.  Look for organic produce, it's not really hard to cook fresh foods from scratch, they  don' t even take that much more time to cook. Watch for the GMO free products if you are buying processed items, there are a few, but not many.
  On GMA this morning, there was a report that 1 out of 10 deaths in this country can be blamed on salt. We don't think about how much salt is in our bread, cheese, and other things we eat every day. Start a herb pot, keep it in your kitchen window and use to season food with.  I like to watch the Chew sometimes, but their pinch of salt is more like major amounts.  I am not much of a sweet craver, but have to admit to liking the taste of salt, I have been using Himilayan pink salt for  many years now, and it takes very little  so hope I am staying in a normal range.
  It's easy to find recipes for home made face creams, shampoos, bath products and household cleansers on line. In fact the variety is endless. There are a few I am fond of, have been making face cream from organic oils for quite a few years now. If you have baking soda, vinegar and tea tree oil, you can disinfect anything in your house. A little lemon juice added gives a nice fresh smell to your home. You can scan back through my blog and find recipes for almost anything you would need, or just go to your search engine and put in what you are looking for, the sources are endless.
  Spring is being very elusive, do so want to get the garden going again, and be out in the sun but instead, it's cold and snow flurries are in the forecast. The ground hog messed up big time this year.  Our fruit trees are blooming and it scares me to think this cold could take out the peaches and pears and apples this year. If it hurts ours, the orchards in our area will suffer too. Hopefully that spring warm up is very near.
  Closing note, have been watching a series of movies called THE BIBLE, airing on History channel. They are condensed but still interesting and well done. Curiously, Satan bears a striking resemblnce to someone we all know. If you get a chance to watch these, they are well worth the time. Somehow seeing things brings my daily bible reading to life a great deal more than I would have thought. You do have to remember it is a movie, though, so they take liberties with what is presented.
 Hopefully by next week, and Easter,we will have some more spring like weather. Stay warm.

Boost your immune system, home made calamine, and home made cat treats

 For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come.  (Song of Solomon, 2-11)
  Yesterday, I left the mountain at dawn, and drove to Newport for groceries, gas and all the stuff I do while in town. It was cold, 29 degrees, but clear. Along the way, I saw forsythia opening up, glowing with sunny yellow color, the daffodils have been in bloom, and now my front yard is purple with blooming vinca flowers. The blueberry bushes have leaves, sure hope they are not premature,  there will be more chilly days. But when I woke this morning, to a day that's expected to be in the upper 60's, The Song of Solomon was in my head. Funny, it just was there.
  We have touched on the fact that inflammation is the cause of nearly every illness or problem your body throws at you. And of course, that's caused by diet. We eat so many things that taste good but harm our systems. It's hard to follow a rigid, never have a treat way of eating, so we don't stay with it. But you can help by adding anti inflammatorys  to your regime. Eating lots of protein, not meat, but nuts, seeds, beans and lentils, add a vitamin D supplement, 1000 milligrams a day is now recommended,  limit caffeine, after the first few cups of coffee drink some green tea or herb tea, and of course be sure you are including a healthy dose of probiotics, like greek yogurt(plain) add your own fresh fruit so you avoid the sugar,  and things that are fermented, like sauerkraut. Try and stay away from large amounts of sugar, 6 teaspoons a day is enough, and even one can of pop will put you over the limit. It's a job, watching what you eat,but your body is what you make of it. You only get one so it's worth taking care of. It's almost berry season, so add in a lot of fresh strawberrys, blueberrys, whatever you can find.
  It's almost spring, and soon we will be working outside again. There will be itchy weeds and bugs, so today I have a quick recipe for calamine lotion to sooth the skin problems.  Do you have an aloe plant? If you do, just break off a leaf or two and  scrape out the juice.  It takes 2 tablespoons of aloe, 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of water. Mix, apply as needed. If you don't have an aloe plant, you can buy a bottle of aloe at most drug stores, think I got my last one at Walmart.  Last week when I moved  some plants around I broke off a couple big aloe leaves, so ended up  juicing them out and have a good sized container in the frig. 
  Last year I made that themogenic tea for a lot of family members,so this year I am going to be harvesting a lot more mint and yarrow, amazing how well that worked for colds and flu. I have started some chamomile and other new herbs too, hope I can get them producing well before fall. It's easy to find herbs on line, but here's the stumper, for 6 bucks worth of herbs, less than a pound by a long shot, the postage was over ten bucks which backed me off. I will find local sources from now on. My own if possible.
  Do you have a cat? Even dogs would eat these homemade treats, but you might want to omit the catnip for the pups.  Take some oatmeal and run it through your food processor, making 1 cup of oat flour. To this add 1 egg, 5 oz of tuna, I like the little bags with no fluid in them. 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of catnip. Pulse until well mixed, or do by hand. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and make very small balls using 1/2 teaspoon or so. Place on baking sheet and  bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool and store in air tight container. I think these would be too big for my cat so would make them smaller and watch the baking time, would take less time to brown.
  Sitting here looking out the window, the grass is getting very green, although here it never does turn brown during the winter. Even if we get snow, things stay green under it. There are leaf buds on the trees, and the cows have had their babies, so tiny right now, like pups, in fact my oldest son calls them cow puppies, Hope you are getting a break in the winter weather where you are, looking forward to spring veggies soon. take care, stay well.