Mama’s Blog

I made a new Fuhrman style dish tonight.  I have eaten outside the diet (meat, dairy, anything processed) about four times now, but I am still loosing weight slowly.  I have never lost weight quickly in my life, so I really didn't expect to.  If I loose 2 lbs a week thats really good for me.   I fully inderstand that plant foods are the healthiest and most nutritious, and I like his books, BUT... I need to chew and enjoy my food.  I can't live this 'deprived' (remember I am addicted to all things that taste good: fat, salt, sugar and also caffeine) and not like what I am eating all day long.  So no mor epureed soups for me.  Blah.   It doesn't help me because  I go nuts and fall off the wagon.  But I did like this.

Zucchini de la Reyes

Chop 1 lb of mushrooms and put them in a 5 Qt pot with a spray of Pam (trademarked) on Medium-High heat
Add 1 lb frozen corn
2 cans of beans, rinsed and drained (kidney or black)
3 cloves of garlic
32oz can of diced tomatoes
4oz can of tomato sauce
1 Tbsp balsamic vinager
1/2 to one bunch of green onions chopped
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 to 1 tsp ground red pepper to taste
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
4 (cucumber sized) zucchini peeled and chopped

If you add things in this order, you can throw them in as you go.  The mushrooms need to soften, but the zucchini only needs to comeup to temperature.  You could leave the peel on and cook longer, as you wish.  You may break the acidity with a tsp or two of honey, but I think Dr. Fuhrman would prefer you didn't.  :)  You could certainly add salt and meat to this.  I'm thinking sausage would be fabulous, but again, not what I'm going for, here.

I served it with frozen burritos which I microwaved for my husband and son.  My little boy got some plain corn, too.  I put out whole grain, no-fat tortillas, hommus and Toffutti Better Than Sour Cream to go with it.  I ate some in a wrap, but the rest as a bowl of veggie stew.  It would also be good over a plate of salad greens with crunchy tortillas.

Time is;
Too slow for those who wait,
Too swift for those who fear,
Too long for those who grieve,
Too short for those who rejoice,
But for those who love, time is not”
-Henry Van Dyke

I love my man.  It's Father's Day, and yet he took Little Boy Blue out on the town to shoot pictures.  Daddy got LBB his own kiddie digital camera a while back.  I took advantage of this time to work out and shower again, in peace.  Aaahhhh.  My sense of harmony is restored.  Thank you honey.  You are the best!

I have been trying to get in better shape.  We broke down and got the Wii, and I've been doing the Wii Fit.  I want a healthy heart.  I want to watch my boy grow up.  I want to be active in my senior years.  As it stands, my body has 'aged' from the injuries.  My heart probably didn't appreciate those years of addrenalin at work either.  So it's important that I do this.  I have always struggled with my weight.  I believe a lot of it is hereditary.  And some comes from lifelong eating habits.  My body type has become more German with every year :)  I feel like a stocky little old lady on the outside, but I'm still a beautiful young girl inside.  Hmmm.  And it gets harder every year, to loose the pounds. 
I found Dr. Fuhrman's book, Eat to Live, at the library and I've been skirting his plan all week.  He preaches Leafy Greens (at least a pound a day), mostly green veggies (at least a pound a day), beans (at least a cup a day) and fresh fruits (at least four a day), mostly as God made them.  No sugar, bread, animal, meat, dairy, salt and only a teaspoon of a healthier oil each day.  This is somewhat similar to Adele Puhn's diabetic diet, but she lists a serving of grain twice a day (e.g. one piece of bread) and an ounce or two of meat twice a day.  I have heard about the China Project for years, and I know that Vegan is healthy.  But I love meat and dairy.  Dr Fuhrman would prefer that one not ingest animal products and processed food, but if you must have something, make it a tiny amount  once a week.  And people who still want meat use it as a "condiment". 
I really want to loose weight.  I need to.  So I am going to try to go full Veggie Foods for 6 weeks.  If I can do it that long, I think I can make healthy eating a habit and hopefully keep progressing.  After that I'll decide if I want meat or dairy once in a while.  I really hope I can do this.  When I was 26 I got my body in shape with Adele Puhn's diet and Marshal Arts.  I was still a size 12: a Junior's 12 with great muscle tone but still not small.  I don't think my natural shape will ever be small.  But I don't care.  I like me at size 12 and healthy.  I hope I have the will power.  I think this will work for me because it doesn't restrict fruits or veggies.  I can have a sweet fruit or a starchy potato if I crave one.  And it's a freaking lot of food with high fiber to keep you feeling fuller longer.  I was scared that my family wouldn't go for it.  But so far so good.  I figure they will be eating my 'dinner' as their sides and I'll try to add stuff in just for them.  I know the first week will be hard.  

 

I am finally following the direction of many hairdressers over the years.  It was hard for me,at first.  I have to admit I was addicted to shampooing.  Finally, after reading this book,

I am shampooing less. 
I am a clean freak.  And while I have plenty of it, I have straight, finely textured hair.  So it feels oily in the morning, or it did.  Like most Americans, I thought you were supposed to shampoo and condition every day.  Well that's what the product makers want you to do.  The more stuff you buy, the more money they make, right?  Well, I'm still doing something to 'clean' my hair every day, but I'm not shampooing it.  I'll rinse it in plain water, or scrub my scalp/roots with conditioner, or even add a little cornstarch at the hairline.  I tried dry spray shampoo but the cornstarch works better, costs less, and is better for the environment.  The waterless shampoo liquid was awful, and didn't work. 
Brushing well with a natural bristle brush is a must.  This distributes any oil at your scalp, down the hair shaft.  Now I'm shampooing a few times a week instead of every day.  My hair has finally adjusted to this.  I have to say it was hard for me to even try it.  I had a real bias.  But my hair looks better now, clearly.  I can suppose the cuticle (scale-like surface of the hair shafts) is laying down on my hair because it's so shiny looking.  The natural oils in your hair help with that, but they also lift each hair away from the head at the roots, making your hair look fuller, too.  I don't heat style my hair much, so I don't condition it often either.  And I've found that brands aren't as important as the companies will have you believe.  I shampooed with baby wash yesterday and my hair looked just as good as when I use the 'protein' and 'volumizing' shampoo I usually get-  Without conditioner.  This is a good news for me, because I want to spend the least time possible on my hair and have it look good.  And healthy, to me, is the best look.  I'm happy with it.   

On a side note, the laundry detergent works really well.  My son was sick the last few days and we really put it to the test.  Poor kid had a tummy bug and was getting hit above and below.  Any laundry soiled with, let's just say, " bodily substances" goes immediately into to the washer at my house.  Well, after the sick one is cleaned and made comfortable.  The home-made laundry soap worked on the toughest (nastiest) stuff.  Leaves me wondering if there's a way to do it without phosphates.  I believe they are inherent, though. 

We kept my nephew this week.  My sister and BIL planned a trip and school ended up going longer than usual because we had so many snow days this year.  So I got him off to school and back.  We didn't get to do the fun stuff like go to the amusement park or pool, because he was in school in the day and DH works nights this quarter.  He was kinda bummed.  Such a good kid.  I love him so much.  Little Boy Blue feels like he's his brother.  Blue kept telling me how sad he was that nephew was going to spend the last day with the grandparents.  So sweet.
Today was Little Boy Blue's last soccer game.  His preschool teacher lives in the neighboring town.  She had emailed me and when I mentioned what we'd bee up to, she said she'd like to see him play.  She brought her two kids and we went to a playground after.  LBB is good and tired.  He's playing in the tub now just outside my door.  He was so happy to see his teacher.  He just loves her.  I'll say it again- I wish she could be his teacher forever.
Little Boy Blue and I made laundry soap this week while nephew was in school.  I saw the recipe on the internet and it seemed like a good idea.  It works, too.  It didn't get a coffee stain completely out, but I wash in cold water.  I've only ever been able to get stains out with Tide.  We've used Tide Free since LBB was a baby.  He's still sensitive to perfumes and so forth, but seems like he's not been as bad this year.  The homemade laundry soap hasn't bothered him.  So the good thing is it's very cheap to make many batches, approximately 2 gallons each .  It cost me about $12 dollars to get the first items.  And I'd spend about $3 more to get enough soap to mix with my remaining washing soda and borax. There's no plastic bottle to discard.  We do recycle, and I buy large containers to use less packaging.  But with this we are using our old laundry detergent bottle and not buying more so that's a plus.  It works as well as any cheap laundry detergent.  While reading about making laundry soap, I learned a few things about how to make less soap do a better job.  Basically you fill the washer and agitate it before adding clothes, then let them soak.  This is how my grandmother did it when she finally got a washing machine.  I've been doing this with good results, I just have to watch the water level.  For example, I fill it to "medium" with cool water and switch to "super" once the clothes are in and let it finish filling.  Then I run it on the soak cycle.  Because our washer has a water level sensor.  The negative is that it does contain phosphates.   Tide does not.  Many commercial brands do not.  I'll use the stuff I bought until it's gone.  After all, if I throw it away it goes into the environment undiluted and with no purpose.  But I'll go back to Tide Free and use even less.  So I learned something. 
Lastly, the guy I went through Fire School and Paramedic training with died this week.  I went to his viewing yesterday and it sucked.  His wife remembered me and I didn't think she would.  We did help them move way back then, and I was the only woman in the class, so maybe that was it.  She was sweet and strong and I admire that.  She and their kids are in my thoughts a lot lately.  Rookie school was crappy, and meant to be.  It's like boot camp with accelerated college courses thrown in: Not a lot of happy memories.  You just get through it.  But I remember him as being a good guy all around.  He'd worked his way up to Batalion Chief for a smaller town and went back through Rookie school in his 30's for our larger city, because our city paid well and had good benefits.  He never mentioned this though, unlike a few guys who liked to brag about their previous fire experience.  It eventually came out because firefighters tend to know each other, through the grapevine, as we were about to graduate.  He kept his head down and got through the crap, because that's just how he was.  Not a braggart, not a goof.  Quiet and kind, but with a sense of humor, too.  That's how I remember him.   
 
 

If today was your last day....
Nickelback

My best friend gave me the best advice
He said each day's a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, Leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less traveled by
That first step you take is the longest stride

If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
If today was your last day,
If today was your last day.

Against the grain should be a way of life
What's worth the prize is always worth the fight
Every second counts 'cause there's no second try,
So live like you'll never live it twice
Don't take the free ride in your own life

If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
Would you call old friends you never see?
Reminisce of memories
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one you're dreamin' of
Swear up and down to God above
That you finally fall in love

If today was your last day
If today was your last day...

Would you make your mark
By mending a broken heart?
You know it's never too late
To shoot for the stars,
Regardless of who you are
So do whatever it takes
'cause you can't rewind
A moment in this life
Let nothin' stand in your way
'cause the hands of time
Are never on your side

If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late,
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?

Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
Would you call old friends you never see?
Reminisce of memories
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one you're dreamin' of
Swear up and down to God above
That you finally fall in love
If today was your last day

If today was your last day,
would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?
You know it's never to late to shoot for the stars
Regardless of who you are
 
So whatever it takes
'Cause you can't rewind a moment of this life
Let nothing stand in your way
'Cause the hands of time are never on your side

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?

I just love the sci-fi theme of alternate universe.  If you want things to go down a different path, they can, and everything that happened before can still be true-  Cart Blanche to make it the way you want it, whatever it is.  Wouldn't that be nice?  It would save a whole lot of people a whole lot of heartache.
Sometimes it's nice to get away from reality for a while.  DH and I had a date tonight and we went to see Star Trek.  I loved it!  It was nice to step into the story and relax. 
Befor that, we took Little Boy Blue to the zoo.  He's such a daddy's boy.  It's not even funny.  It sucks when DH works the night schedule.  We had two good quarters schedule wise, so I guess it was time for the crappy one again.  It's hard for all of us, but especially LBB.  Right about the time we get used to it, it'll change again.  LBB gets excited because he's looking forward to DH being off all day.  Add the zoo into that mix and you get one ecstatic little boy.  He had a good day watching all the animals- and bugs sharing it with daddy.
Then we came home and worked outside for a while.  It was nice to get things done.  The lawn looks good and I scrubbed the mommy van's carpets.   Being that it is the mommy van, it won't stay clean for long- but it looks nice now.  Cleaning relaxes me.  My husband thinks I'm OCD and my sister thinks I have Ausbergers.  I'm sure neither one of them has ever perused the DSMR so I won't worry about it too much.  But maybe they are both right.  :)  I still want everybody to accept that to be a functional weirdo, is really normal.  :)
My issue is that I worry too much. 
We are about to start another round of work with the allergist and I'm actually tryng not to think about it.  We are seeing a new doc.  He's the head of research in our area, and really good.  To do better, we'd have to drive to NY once a month.  We'll see how this goes.  LBB doesn't need to focus on it either because he's scared and our next appointment is weeks away.  Pray for us that one day his dairy allergy will be gone, or at least not life threatening. 
I'm upset about the news of my FFPM classmate.  I feel for his family, too.  No one cares to be pitied, and I'm sure this guy would hate it.  I won't go down that road.  It's better that we do what we can.  I offered childcare and meals, but I'm not sure they need/want that right now.  What I can do is pray.  
Lot of praying going on, now.  I need some help with it.
I got on thinking I'd blog about the movie, but I don't really feel like doing that.  It was good.  I really enjoyed it.  I'll probably even watch it again, which is saying something.  Tell you about it later.
Take care you all.
Be safe.  

Today I found out a guy from my rookie class was suddenly given a terminal diagnosis, with little time left.  He's young and has kids.  He is a real upstanding, all around nice guy; Never said an unkind word to anyone.  I am praying for him and his family.  If you pray I hope you will add them to your prayers.  I hope your prayers will be better than mine.  I'm just not sure what to say to God about this.  It sucks and I hate it.  I've settled for praying for comfort for him and the family; praying that the love they share will sustain them.  

I'll have more details later, but I wanted to doc the dosage of a new glutaraldehyde product I'm using to combat the Black Brush Algae which has started in the big tank. 

I'm going with "Metricide 14" which my aquatic plant group members use frequently.  It's much cheaper than Seachem's Flourish Excel, but you have to buy it by the gallon.  And the amount of glut is different.  Excel is about 1.5% glut whereas Metricide is 2.6%. 

The dose to combat BBA when using Excel was twice the bottle directed maintenance dose of (not initial dose) of 5 cc per 50 gallons.  For my tank that was 7.5cc times two. 

Here's where I estimate:  I need to increase the the Metricide by about 25% to be twice that of Excel. 

So 7.5cc times 1.25 = 9.375 cc

9.375cc/5 = 1.875 teaspoons

I'll add just under two teaspoons of Metricide 14 for my 75g tank, every day for 14 days then do a major water change.

Hopefully this will be effective.  I was advised a much higher dose (1cc/2gallons) by someone else in the group, so I figue my lower calculaton is at least safe.  If it doesn't kill the BBA as well as Excel did, then I'l reassess.

New versions of my oat muffins and Sourdough breads. 

Strawberry Banana Muffins 

Makes 12 muffins

Bowl of Wet ingredients:
1/2 c Strawberries mashed
1 small banana
2 oz of applesauce
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c Rice Milk
1 c oats
1/4 c Canola Oil

Bowl of Dry ingredients:
1 c Bisquick
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking powder

Mix the rice milk and oats together (I used Old Fashioned because I prefer the texture, but any will do). 
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and put paper liners or spray (like "Pam") in the muffin pan.   
Mash the fruits and throw that in, along with the rest of the first 7 ingredients.  The oats need to set in liquid for about 10m.  They are usually ready by the time I've done the rest.  In another bowl mix the dry ingredients. 
Throw the dry into the wet and mix.  Don't over stir.  Spoon into muffin pan and cook for about 22 minutes.  They should be lightly browned and a tooth pick inserted in the middle of one should come away clean to show they are done.   These are so good for breakfast.  I also frost them when my son needs a non-dairy cupcake at some food event.   

I also have another bread variation.  A local health food store now has reasonably priced, white (finely ground) unbleached, unbromated flour which is perfect for bread.  And the price of Spelt has gone down as it's become more available.  It has at least 15% more protein than it's regular wheat cousins.  It also has greater iron, potassium and B vitamin content.  But I just like how this tastes!

Spelt Sourdough

makes 10 buns or a medium loaf

1/4 c room temp or warm soymilk
1/4 c warm water
2 Tbsp instant (mashed) potato flakes
1/2 c sour dough starter
1 1/4 c Spelt flour
1 c regular bread flour
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp Olive Oil

mix it together, knead for 10 m  and let it rise to twice it's size
(however many hours later, depending on your starter, mine needs at least 6 hours)
punch it down and roll it on a floured suface into a 10 inch roll, cut at 1 inch intervals
roll each into a ball and place on a floured pan
let rise again to double size (less time than before, mine takes about an hour)
bake at 375 degrees Faherenheit for about 20 minutes.

The same store now has hard red (whole) wheat flour, so I am using that in my recipes that call for whole wheat.  More on that once I have experimented a bit.