First of all, in case you didn't know this about me, I HATE SUMMER! I despise being hot & sweaty and I don't like bugs. That is what summer is to me.. staying hot & sweaty and fighting bugs. YUCK! The last couple of months here it has been over 100 degrees & absolutely miserable. Even the bugs are miserable. Everytime we open the front door, spiders, grasshoppers, etc. would literally come running inside. It also hasn't rained in I don't know how long, but we are in a very serious drought.
So, praise God, yesterday we got a nice soothing rain and the temps dropped into the 70's. It was wonderful! I was happier than I had been in months... until I pulled in my driveway yesterday evening and stepped out of my car. I did not even have time to shut my car door before my feet were covered in ANTS! I look down and there were millions of them. Big red ones, little red ones, black ones, any kind of ant you could think of all working together. I screamed & ran to my front porch. It felt like I was in a Science Fiction movie! There were so many of them and they were moving so fast that it looked like the ground was moving. Grant let our little weinie dog out (she weighs less than 10 pounds & is over 18 years old) and I was scared to death that the ants would eat her alive! I grabbed her & put her back in the house.
When I went to leave this morning, they were already awake, but not all of them. So I made it to my car safely before they could get to me. However there were enormous mounds everywhere. Kevin is supposed to ask the agricultural scientists at his work what they recommend we do to stop these nasty creatures.
Fall can not get here fast enough! I love Fall and winter. No sweating. No bugs. Bundling up with a cup of hot cocoa or sitting by a campfire roasting marshmallows is sooooo relaxing. I love the colors of Fall. I don't do a lot of decorating, but I have lots of Fall decorations. I usually bring them out in August. Kevin laughs at me. He says that will not make it get here any sooner. I tell him that at least I am doing my part. I am anxiously waiting for Fall to get here and I will embrace it with open arms.
Lori
Friday, August 12, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
Quiet time & raspberries
Good Monday morning! Why does it seem the weeks get longer & weekends keep getting shorter? The boys were gone to Lake Texoma last week so I was home by myself. I love them dearly, but it was so nice to have some peace & quiet. Monday night I went to bed at 8:15 & didn't get up until 6 a.m. I guess my body needed that rest. I had some great alone time with God. I desperately needed that also. I get cranky when I've gone too long without my quiet time with my Heavenly Father. Of course, I pray everyday, actually I just talk to God off & on all day long. And He is the first one I talk to every morning. I spend at least 20-30 minutes with Him each morning, but sometimes I just need to sit still in His presence. Just spending time telling Him how much I love Him & Him telling me how much He loves me. That time is so special to me. When I go too long without having that special time, I get cranky & get a bad attitude. After last week, I feel refreshed in my Spirit & ready to continue the battle. This life will be one battle after another until we are called Home. We have to cling to the Father & have our spiritual armor on at all times so that we are ready for whatever the enemy throws at us.
It was so easy to eat healthy last week with the boys gone. I feel lighter & stronger each day that I nourish my body with God's healing foods instead of filling it with junk. However, yesterday was a bad food day. I have been allowing myself one bad meal a week, which doesn't affect me too much. But, yesterday Cole was home so we had French toast made with white bread & I haven't had syrup in several months, so I used a little syrup. Then I had been craving pizza all week & had not gotten any, so we went to Pizza Hut after church. Last time we ate there they just had the really thin cracker type crust, but yesterday was nothing but the thicker crust. Oh, I LOVE the thicker crust, but I knew it was not going to be good for me. I only ate 2 pieces & a salad, which is not bad, but I guess combined with the French toast it was too much white bread for my body in one day. I hurt so bad last night that it took me 3 hours to get to sleep & I took pain pills before I went to bed. I am in terrible pain this morning. I can literally feel the inflammation in my body. My face is puffy, my fingers & all my joints are puffy & stiff. I am learning that my body just can not handle white flour.
I read on Livestrong.com that raspberries are one of the best anti inflammatory foods. I have been eating more raspberries & taking a raspberry liquid extract each day. I usually take it in the morning & evening. I think I will try it a couple of more times today & see if that gives me any relief. Today is definitely a detox day. Lots of veggies, fruits & distilled water. Got to flush all that white flour out of my body.
Keep praying for rain & cooler temps. May God bless you all.
Lori
It was so easy to eat healthy last week with the boys gone. I feel lighter & stronger each day that I nourish my body with God's healing foods instead of filling it with junk. However, yesterday was a bad food day. I have been allowing myself one bad meal a week, which doesn't affect me too much. But, yesterday Cole was home so we had French toast made with white bread & I haven't had syrup in several months, so I used a little syrup. Then I had been craving pizza all week & had not gotten any, so we went to Pizza Hut after church. Last time we ate there they just had the really thin cracker type crust, but yesterday was nothing but the thicker crust. Oh, I LOVE the thicker crust, but I knew it was not going to be good for me. I only ate 2 pieces & a salad, which is not bad, but I guess combined with the French toast it was too much white bread for my body in one day. I hurt so bad last night that it took me 3 hours to get to sleep & I took pain pills before I went to bed. I am in terrible pain this morning. I can literally feel the inflammation in my body. My face is puffy, my fingers & all my joints are puffy & stiff. I am learning that my body just can not handle white flour.
I read on Livestrong.com that raspberries are one of the best anti inflammatory foods. I have been eating more raspberries & taking a raspberry liquid extract each day. I usually take it in the morning & evening. I think I will try it a couple of more times today & see if that gives me any relief. Today is definitely a detox day. Lots of veggies, fruits & distilled water. Got to flush all that white flour out of my body.
Keep praying for rain & cooler temps. May God bless you all.
Lori
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Healthy Mocha Caramel Frappucinos
My friend & co-worker, Lana's, birthday is today. She & I share a love of mocha caramel frappucinos from Starbucks. But we are both trying to eat healthy so we have not had one in several months. I decided to try to make her a low fat, low sugar, healthy frap for her birthday. I found a caramel sauce made with Splenda. It has a few more ingredients than what I like, but since I was only going to use a teaspoon or 2, I went with it. But, could not find a low calorie, low sugar chocolate sauce without aspartame. So, I made my own.
HEALTHY CHOCOLATE SAUCE
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup Agave nectar
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1-2 teaspoons of Splenda
Just mix all ingredients together & put in covered container in refrigerator. It's really thin at first, but thickens up a little after sitting in refrigerator several hours. I tried it without the Splenda, but Kevin didn't think it was sweet enough, so I added the Splenda & he liked it better. He has a major sweet tooth. I think it would be even better with Truvia. I will try it & let you know.
I took a couple of cups of strong coffee, a couple of cups of Braum's skim milk, about 1/4 cup of homemade chocoate syrup, 2 tsps of caramel sauce, 2-3 tsps Splenda, added a couple of cups of ice & blended away. I had to throw out 3 pitchers before I finally got it right. But, it was worth it. Lana & I got our frappucinos & don't have to worry about the fat & sugar.
I'm not having a lot of luck cooking with Agave. It takes a LOT of it to get things sweet enough for Kevin & it's pretty expensive to have to use so much. So, I'm going to start trying to use Truvia. It is all natural & is supposed to be easier to cook with & is low glycemic.
A little info about milk. I know that some doctors in this area are recommending their patients drink only Braum's milk. Braum's cows are not injected with hormones & antibiotics, so their milk is much cleaner & healthier than other milk. I read an article a couple of weeks ago that was saying that they didn't start injecting cows with hormones until the mid-90's. AND that the United States in the ONLY country that injects hormones in their cows. Other countries refuse because they don't think it is safe for their citizens. But the good ole USA & FDA just see $$$. When they give the cows hormones, the get sores that get infected, so they have to inject them with antibiotics. Then our children are drinking milk loaded with hormones & antibiotics. Since the USA began doing that girls in the USA now get their periods sooner & more people are getting resistant to antibiotics. I buy as much groceries as I can at Braum's. I feel their products are safer & healthier & it is an Oklahoma based company. I use their milk, butter, cheese, etc. Also, their eggs are from free range hormone free chickens. Most of their products are actually cheaper than what you buy at the grocery store.
Thank you for reading. Have a blessed day!
Lori
HEALTHY CHOCOLATE SAUCE
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup Agave nectar
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1-2 teaspoons of Splenda
Just mix all ingredients together & put in covered container in refrigerator. It's really thin at first, but thickens up a little after sitting in refrigerator several hours. I tried it without the Splenda, but Kevin didn't think it was sweet enough, so I added the Splenda & he liked it better. He has a major sweet tooth. I think it would be even better with Truvia. I will try it & let you know.
I took a couple of cups of strong coffee, a couple of cups of Braum's skim milk, about 1/4 cup of homemade chocoate syrup, 2 tsps of caramel sauce, 2-3 tsps Splenda, added a couple of cups of ice & blended away. I had to throw out 3 pitchers before I finally got it right. But, it was worth it. Lana & I got our frappucinos & don't have to worry about the fat & sugar.
I'm not having a lot of luck cooking with Agave. It takes a LOT of it to get things sweet enough for Kevin & it's pretty expensive to have to use so much. So, I'm going to start trying to use Truvia. It is all natural & is supposed to be easier to cook with & is low glycemic.
A little info about milk. I know that some doctors in this area are recommending their patients drink only Braum's milk. Braum's cows are not injected with hormones & antibiotics, so their milk is much cleaner & healthier than other milk. I read an article a couple of weeks ago that was saying that they didn't start injecting cows with hormones until the mid-90's. AND that the United States in the ONLY country that injects hormones in their cows. Other countries refuse because they don't think it is safe for their citizens. But the good ole USA & FDA just see $$$. When they give the cows hormones, the get sores that get infected, so they have to inject them with antibiotics. Then our children are drinking milk loaded with hormones & antibiotics. Since the USA began doing that girls in the USA now get their periods sooner & more people are getting resistant to antibiotics. I buy as much groceries as I can at Braum's. I feel their products are safer & healthier & it is an Oklahoma based company. I use their milk, butter, cheese, etc. Also, their eggs are from free range hormone free chickens. Most of their products are actually cheaper than what you buy at the grocery store.
Thank you for reading. Have a blessed day!
Lori
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Salmon Ceasar Salad and Spinach Dip
July 4th was different since it is so dry in Oklahoma that we couldn't do fireworks. My husband & our friend, John, look forward to blowing things up every year. But we still got together and had good food & good company.
Let's talk food!! One of my new favorite dishes is salmon ceasar salad. I take Romaine lettuce & if I have spinach or red leaf lettuce, I add some of that also. Chop or tear up the lettuce into a medium size bowl. Crumble 1/2 pouch of salmon over lettuce. Add walnuts, pecans, almonds, raisins, sunflower seeds, whatever else you want. Sprinkle grated parmesan & romano cheese on salad. Marzetti's has a light all natural ceasar dressing that is really good. I also like Kraft's Catalina Light Done Right. Of course a vinegarette of any kind is always best calorie wise. I can't get enough of this salad. I absolutely love it! I hope you will try it & let me know what you think.
I was going to make spinach dip the other day & was shopping for sour cream. I was reading the labels of the different brands and found that the "store" brand had 6+ ingredients, BUT, Daisy brand had only 2 (cultured cream & salt). The store brand was only 20 cents less than Daisy. Isn't that crazy! I paid the extra 20 cents & got REAL sour cream and not fake chemicals & preservatives.
Here's a recipe for the BEST Spinach Dip you will ever eat.
1 box frozen chopped spinach (thawed & excess water squeezed out)
1 - 24 ounce container of DAISY Light sour cream (ingredients are only cream & salt)
1 pkg Lipton Garlic & Herb soup mix (adds great flavor to so many things)
1 can water chestnuts (chopped)
Mix all ingredients together and serve with crackers or chips of your choice. Also great with carrot sticks, yellow squash sticks or zuchini sticks.
Stay cool and pray for rain. God bless all who takes the time to read this. And if you have any tips or recipes to share, I always enjoy learning & trying new things.
Lori
Let's talk food!! One of my new favorite dishes is salmon ceasar salad. I take Romaine lettuce & if I have spinach or red leaf lettuce, I add some of that also. Chop or tear up the lettuce into a medium size bowl. Crumble 1/2 pouch of salmon over lettuce. Add walnuts, pecans, almonds, raisins, sunflower seeds, whatever else you want. Sprinkle grated parmesan & romano cheese on salad. Marzetti's has a light all natural ceasar dressing that is really good. I also like Kraft's Catalina Light Done Right. Of course a vinegarette of any kind is always best calorie wise. I can't get enough of this salad. I absolutely love it! I hope you will try it & let me know what you think.
I was going to make spinach dip the other day & was shopping for sour cream. I was reading the labels of the different brands and found that the "store" brand had 6+ ingredients, BUT, Daisy brand had only 2 (cultured cream & salt). The store brand was only 20 cents less than Daisy. Isn't that crazy! I paid the extra 20 cents & got REAL sour cream and not fake chemicals & preservatives.
Here's a recipe for the BEST Spinach Dip you will ever eat.
1 box frozen chopped spinach (thawed & excess water squeezed out)
1 - 24 ounce container of DAISY Light sour cream (ingredients are only cream & salt)
1 pkg Lipton Garlic & Herb soup mix (adds great flavor to so many things)
1 can water chestnuts (chopped)
Mix all ingredients together and serve with crackers or chips of your choice. Also great with carrot sticks, yellow squash sticks or zuchini sticks.
Stay cool and pray for rain. God bless all who takes the time to read this. And if you have any tips or recipes to share, I always enjoy learning & trying new things.
Lori
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Preservatives, sweeteners & Lori's Orange Sauce
Through much prayer & researching I have found that preservatives (such as MSG, sodium nitrates, nitrites, etc.) destroy your liver & pancreas. Some doctors swear that sodium nitrates is the leading cause of pancreatic cancer. Nitrates are found in nearly all smoked or cured meats. Bacon, weiners, most lunchmeats all have sodium nitrates. However, since this has become such an issue now, more companies are making meats without using the nitrates & nitrites. You just have to read the label.
Artificial sweeteners have always scared me. It just never made sense to me why you would purposely drink or eat a chemical that has been proven over & over & over again to cause cancer, alzheimers, etc. and that when exposed to heat turns to formaldehyde. I could preach on the dangers of aspartame (mainly) all day long, but in the end, it is an individual decision whether to use it or not. Most nutritionists & doctors agree that Splenda is the least dangerous of the sweeteners. It is made from sugar. But, recently I have found sweeteners that God made that do not have a negative effect on your blood sugar. Agave Nectar is from a cactus & it is loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals & consuming Agave actually LOWERS your blood sugar. It is a little expensive, but can you put a price on your health? Agave is wonderful in tea, coffee, any drink. I've been taking unsweetened Kool Aid & using Agave to sweeten it. My guys all love it. Here's a sauce that we love over fish, chicken or pork chops.
MARINADE
1/2 cup orange juice
1-3 tbs mango jelly
2-3 tbs raspberry jelly
2-3 tsps agave nectar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp worcestire sauce
Corn starch or Wondra (to thicken)
Whisk all ingredients except Wondra or corn starch in saucepan over medium heat. When it begins to bubble add a little Wondra. (Corn starch & me don't have a very good relationship) Stir & add Wondra until it reaches desired consistency. If it gets too thick, you can always add a little more juice.
NOTE: You can use pineapple juice or pomegranite juice or whatever you want. Also use whatever jellies or jams you like. You can play around with it & totally make it your own.
Artificial sweeteners have always scared me. It just never made sense to me why you would purposely drink or eat a chemical that has been proven over & over & over again to cause cancer, alzheimers, etc. and that when exposed to heat turns to formaldehyde. I could preach on the dangers of aspartame (mainly) all day long, but in the end, it is an individual decision whether to use it or not. Most nutritionists & doctors agree that Splenda is the least dangerous of the sweeteners. It is made from sugar. But, recently I have found sweeteners that God made that do not have a negative effect on your blood sugar. Agave Nectar is from a cactus & it is loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals & consuming Agave actually LOWERS your blood sugar. It is a little expensive, but can you put a price on your health? Agave is wonderful in tea, coffee, any drink. I've been taking unsweetened Kool Aid & using Agave to sweeten it. My guys all love it. Here's a sauce that we love over fish, chicken or pork chops.
MARINADE
1/2 cup orange juice
1-3 tbs mango jelly
2-3 tbs raspberry jelly
2-3 tsps agave nectar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp worcestire sauce
Corn starch or Wondra (to thicken)
Whisk all ingredients except Wondra or corn starch in saucepan over medium heat. When it begins to bubble add a little Wondra. (Corn starch & me don't have a very good relationship) Stir & add Wondra until it reaches desired consistency. If it gets too thick, you can always add a little more juice.
NOTE: You can use pineapple juice or pomegranite juice or whatever you want. Also use whatever jellies or jams you like. You can play around with it & totally make it your own.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Time to get serious about health
So the last 23.5 years I have been pretty busy working full time, taking care of my husband & 2 boys, being Sunday School teacher, Booster Club, etc. I was so busy taking care of everyone else that I did not take care of myself. I am 46 years old. The last few years I have lived with excrutiating pain. Arthritis has afflicted my entire body. I have bone spurs on my neck & spine. My feet have hurt so bad the last couple of years that I literally would cry myself to sleep most nights & it was getting very difficult for me to walk. I had bloodwork done & found out that my blood sugar was high & my liver was shutting down. Wake up call!! I processed what this meant for a few days & realized that I had to take care of myself so that I could take care of my family. If I didn't get my health back, I wouldn't be here to take care of them.
I began to seek God's guidance. I asked Him to show me what I could do to get my health back. I kept hearing Him tell me to eat the foods that He made & not so much of the foods that man made. I began to research nutrition websites. LiveStrong.com is one of my favorites. Also, Jordan Rubin has a great website. Dave Zizencko (the Eat This Not That Guy) is awesome. I follow him on Twitter & Facebook.
Over the last month or 2 I have radically changed my diet. I try not to eat foods with sodium nitrates, high fructose corn syrup, MSG or lots of big words that I can't pronouce. I eat lots of nuts, veggies, fruits, salads, fish, eggs, etc. In the last 3 weeks, my pain has decreased considerably & I am walking easier than I have been able to in a long time.
In this blog, I plan on sharing what God has revealed to me along with nutritious organic yummy recipes. I'm not sure if anyone but my sweet cousin will ever read this, but if so, please know that you need to take care of yourself. You are no good to your family if you don't take care of yourself. I believe there are other women out there just like me & I would love to share this journey with them.
I began to seek God's guidance. I asked Him to show me what I could do to get my health back. I kept hearing Him tell me to eat the foods that He made & not so much of the foods that man made. I began to research nutrition websites. LiveStrong.com is one of my favorites. Also, Jordan Rubin has a great website. Dave Zizencko (the Eat This Not That Guy) is awesome. I follow him on Twitter & Facebook.
Over the last month or 2 I have radically changed my diet. I try not to eat foods with sodium nitrates, high fructose corn syrup, MSG or lots of big words that I can't pronouce. I eat lots of nuts, veggies, fruits, salads, fish, eggs, etc. In the last 3 weeks, my pain has decreased considerably & I am walking easier than I have been able to in a long time.
In this blog, I plan on sharing what God has revealed to me along with nutritious organic yummy recipes. I'm not sure if anyone but my sweet cousin will ever read this, but if so, please know that you need to take care of yourself. You are no good to your family if you don't take care of yourself. I believe there are other women out there just like me & I would love to share this journey with them.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Changes Part 2 - Dialysis
My husband has always been the picture of health. Thin, lots of energy, hadn't had a sick day from work in over 20 years until 2008. He had begun having trouble swallowing & everything he did manage to eat, gave him indigestion. We found out he had a hiatal hernia & esophagial reflux. They went in & stretched his throat on 2 separate occasions & he was able to eat normally again. However, after doing his labwork for the procedure, the Dr calls & says his kidneys were failing. WHAT??? That's when we learned about Nephrology & began meeting more medical personnel than we ever wanted to know. He still felt fine. No physical symptoms at all, but every time they did bloodwork, his creatinine & potassium were high. Then on February 24, 2010, he was too weak to get out of bed & go to work. I had a feeling that this was it. Labwork showed his potassium levels were 9.5. He was admitted to hospital & began emergency dialysis. He bounced back quickly. The doctors & nurses keep saying that he is the healthiest dialysis patient they have ever seen. When you go on dialysis you can draw disability immediately. Kevin would go crazy if he didn't work. He is an electrician. So he decided to continue working full time (his employer has been very gracious with Dr appts, dialysis, etc.). I also work full time & my employer is not as gracious. I have a very very stressful job & my boss does not think that anyone should ever be gone from work for any reason at all unless an ambulance comes to carry you away... and even then he would probably follow you to the hospital with an armful of work.
Kevin went to the dialysis clinic 3 days a week, but they are only open from 7 am to 5 pm, so he was missing too much work. In July we began home dialysis training. Since I was to be his caretaker, I had to learn as much as I could about dialysis in as short a time as possible. Again, I can NOT miss work, so I would go to work between 6:30-7:00 Mon-Fri & leave about 12:50, go straight to clinic for training & finish up there around 6 pm Mon-Fri. I worked a few hours on Saturdays & Sundays to make sure that I got my 40 hours in. I was beyond exhausted, but did not have a choice. After 3 1/2 weeks of training, the Dr sent us home with all the medical equipment. Our oldest son is in college, so we turned his bedroom into a medical equipment room. Our house is only 1300 square feet. The equipment & supplies takes up almost the entire bedroom.
Since August 13, 2010 we do hemo dialysis at home 6 days a week. We both get off work at 5:00, rush home & try to have him hooked up by 6:30. The whole process takes 3 1/2 to 4 hours, if you don't have any trouble. This has been the greatest trial we have ever had to face, but God has carried us through. Our church family has been absolutely amazing. Our church ladies brought dinner to us 3 days a week for several months. Also, my husband's best friend stepped up in a huge way. I trained him how to be the caretaker, so most weeks he comes 2 or 3 days so that I can get things done around the house, chaffeur our 15 yr old & friends around, grocery shop, etc.
We are blessed with wonderful friends that we enjoy going to dinner with or playing cards, etc. Now we only have time for a quick dinner before or after dialysis. The luxury of taking our time or going out of town for the weekend is no more. Kevin was recently approved for the transplant list. We are believing for a miracle and that a transplant is not necessary and that we can get rid of that mechanical kidney. God has been faithful and we know that He will continue to carry us through. We are excited to see the great blessings that are in store for us when this is over.
Kevin went to the dialysis clinic 3 days a week, but they are only open from 7 am to 5 pm, so he was missing too much work. In July we began home dialysis training. Since I was to be his caretaker, I had to learn as much as I could about dialysis in as short a time as possible. Again, I can NOT miss work, so I would go to work between 6:30-7:00 Mon-Fri & leave about 12:50, go straight to clinic for training & finish up there around 6 pm Mon-Fri. I worked a few hours on Saturdays & Sundays to make sure that I got my 40 hours in. I was beyond exhausted, but did not have a choice. After 3 1/2 weeks of training, the Dr sent us home with all the medical equipment. Our oldest son is in college, so we turned his bedroom into a medical equipment room. Our house is only 1300 square feet. The equipment & supplies takes up almost the entire bedroom.
Since August 13, 2010 we do hemo dialysis at home 6 days a week. We both get off work at 5:00, rush home & try to have him hooked up by 6:30. The whole process takes 3 1/2 to 4 hours, if you don't have any trouble. This has been the greatest trial we have ever had to face, but God has carried us through. Our church family has been absolutely amazing. Our church ladies brought dinner to us 3 days a week for several months. Also, my husband's best friend stepped up in a huge way. I trained him how to be the caretaker, so most weeks he comes 2 or 3 days so that I can get things done around the house, chaffeur our 15 yr old & friends around, grocery shop, etc.
We are blessed with wonderful friends that we enjoy going to dinner with or playing cards, etc. Now we only have time for a quick dinner before or after dialysis. The luxury of taking our time or going out of town for the weekend is no more. Kevin was recently approved for the transplant list. We are believing for a miracle and that a transplant is not necessary and that we can get rid of that mechanical kidney. God has been faithful and we know that He will continue to carry us through. We are excited to see the great blessings that are in store for us when this is over.
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