This is a bit of an odd post, but it is a harbinger of what I suspect will be several future posts. I, like many women, have struggled with yeast infections over the years. Due to my recent bout with poison ivy and the antibiotics I took, I am faced with this challenge again.
I went to the Nurse Practitioner at my gynecologist's office yesterday. I learned that the Diflucan takes care of about 80% of all yeasts, but not all.
Basically, my best option to helping my body is to take sugar out of my diet. Sugar feeds yeast. So, I need to take my body off the sugar kick its been on.
Honestly, I've felt this coming for a long time. I have a good friend whose mother discovered that sugar was the contributing factor to her mood swings. When I heard her story, a seed was planted in my mind that sugar can have more of an effect on our body than we realize.
So, last night I felt I was faced with a choice: do I take the medication the NP prescribed to me or do I wait and see if I need it? Do I try to do something else? I am opting first to take out the sugar.
Here's what I've found works:
1) 3 Tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar in a pan with 2 cups of water. This is a good soak and wash when the itching. You can only use over the counter vaginal creams externally 3 or 4 times a day. This is a natural way to help.
2) The NP says that cranberry pills work for some. Not cranberry juice because of the sugar in it.
3) Probiotic/Activia yogurt works for some. Not everyone.
4) Drink lots of water to flush out your system. This is one I am horrible about and need to work on.
5) The final suggestion I've found is to take out the sugar. That's the one I'm trying now.
I'm going to be looking into what this means for my diet. I have requested a diabetic cookbook for review. I cut the amount of sugar in my coffee by half this morning--I couldn't quite do without it completely. I am realizing all the little ways that sugar is in the food I eat throughout the day. We'll see how this goes...
Friday, July 29, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Another Chocolate Chip Cookie
I really like chocolate chip cookies.
I have a recipe that I've made for 20 years from my mom. It's my mom's version of Mrs. Field's Chocolate Chip cookies. I have another recipe that has oat bran in it. Another that you melt the butter for and chill the dough! Another that has oatmeal in it.... Can you tell that I like good chocolate chip cookies? Because I've made so many different cookie recipes over the years, I'm always surprised when I find another recipe that I like for a chocolate chip cookie.
On Friday, I made one. It was the Super Chip Cookies in Let's Get Together by DeeDee Stovel and Pam Wakefield. This recipe is a little different because it has more rolled oats than flour and includes some whole wheat flour--though you'd never know!
I have been trying out a few recipes from this cookbook over the past two months. My favorites so far are this chocolate chip cookie recipe and the recipe in the beginning of the cookbook for scones. Both are hits with my kids.
This cookbook was written by the authors as a collection of easy to fix recipes for when you're having company. The recipes are written simply and are easy to follow. The breakfast recipes are good standards. I've actually been looking for a good scone recipe for a few years. There's a wide variety of lunch, appetizer, and main dish recipes. The ingredients are mostly basic, but there are a few recipes with unusual ingredients like fennel, radicchio, and arugula. I did make one salad dressing that my family didn't like, but I should have realized that before I made it. I've found that after cooking so many different dishes over the years, I can tell from reading a recipe whether we'll love it or not. The salad dressing was iffy because of the proportions of the ingredients--it was too strong for us. The dessert recipes are surprisingly varied. The Super Chip cookie recipe is one of them.
I have to admit, though, that I did do a bit of substituting with the super chip recipe. I used semi-sweet (not bitter sweet) chocolate chips. I also substituted extra chocolate chips for the grated chocolate and pecans for the walnuts. That's me and the way I cook.
If you enjoy entertaining and want flavorful, but pretty easy to make food, this is a great cookbook. There aren't any pictures of what the dishes will look like, but the recipes are simple enough that you don't need pictures to successfully make the dishes. The recipe I'm still looking forward to making sometime soon is the blue cheese stuffed flank steak. I'm saving it for a special dinner with my husband the next time we have a reason to celebrate!
Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book from Storey Publishing for review.
I have a recipe that I've made for 20 years from my mom. It's my mom's version of Mrs. Field's Chocolate Chip cookies. I have another recipe that has oat bran in it. Another that you melt the butter for and chill the dough! Another that has oatmeal in it.... Can you tell that I like good chocolate chip cookies? Because I've made so many different cookie recipes over the years, I'm always surprised when I find another recipe that I like for a chocolate chip cookie.
On Friday, I made one. It was the Super Chip Cookies in Let's Get Together by DeeDee Stovel and Pam Wakefield. This recipe is a little different because it has more rolled oats than flour and includes some whole wheat flour--though you'd never know!
I have been trying out a few recipes from this cookbook over the past two months. My favorites so far are this chocolate chip cookie recipe and the recipe in the beginning of the cookbook for scones. Both are hits with my kids.
This cookbook was written by the authors as a collection of easy to fix recipes for when you're having company. The recipes are written simply and are easy to follow. The breakfast recipes are good standards. I've actually been looking for a good scone recipe for a few years. There's a wide variety of lunch, appetizer, and main dish recipes. The ingredients are mostly basic, but there are a few recipes with unusual ingredients like fennel, radicchio, and arugula. I did make one salad dressing that my family didn't like, but I should have realized that before I made it. I've found that after cooking so many different dishes over the years, I can tell from reading a recipe whether we'll love it or not. The salad dressing was iffy because of the proportions of the ingredients--it was too strong for us. The dessert recipes are surprisingly varied. The Super Chip cookie recipe is one of them.
I have to admit, though, that I did do a bit of substituting with the super chip recipe. I used semi-sweet (not bitter sweet) chocolate chips. I also substituted extra chocolate chips for the grated chocolate and pecans for the walnuts. That's me and the way I cook.
If you enjoy entertaining and want flavorful, but pretty easy to make food, this is a great cookbook. There aren't any pictures of what the dishes will look like, but the recipes are simple enough that you don't need pictures to successfully make the dishes. The recipe I'm still looking forward to making sometime soon is the blue cheese stuffed flank steak. I'm saving it for a special dinner with my husband the next time we have a reason to celebrate!
Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book from Storey Publishing for review.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
New Email Scam
Email Scams are funny things...I get a lot of junk mail in my email. I've had it since the internet began. I have never responded to any of the scams. I'm pretty guarded.
A friend of mine got this email over a month ago and since she has genuinely gotten emails about daycare previously, she responded.
Here's the email:
A friend of mine got this email over a month ago and since she has genuinely gotten emails about daycare previously, she responded.
Here's the email:
Hi,
My name is Greg Mason and my wife's name is Jenny Mason we are both busy parents, we are blessed with 2 Children 1 boy and 1 girl, the boy's name is James 7 years old and the girl's name is Mary 3years and six months old.
We are relocating to your city , I want our little Daughter to enroll in your day-care as soon as we arrive there on 5th of August. Let me know what time your day care opens in the morning and what time is the closing hour, how many days a week does your day care work?
and what is your price per hour?
NOTE: PLEASE I NEED YOUR AREA ZIP CODE TO BE SURE THAT YOUR DAY CARE CENTER IS NOT FAR FROM US.
Thanks
My name is Greg Mason and my wife's name is Jenny Mason we are both busy parents, we are blessed with 2 Children 1 boy and 1 girl, the boy's name is James 7 years old and the girl's name is Mary 3years and six months old.
We are relocating to your city , I want our little Daughter to enroll in your day-care as soon as we arrive there on 5th of August. Let me know what time your day care opens in the morning and what time is the closing hour, how many days a week does your day care work?
and what is your price per hour?
NOTE: PLEASE I NEED YOUR AREA ZIP CODE TO BE SURE THAT YOUR DAY CARE CENTER IS NOT FAR FROM US.
Thanks
She did email back and forth a bit but things got fishy and that's when I went fishing on the internet. I found forms of this email on two different websites: http://www.dogwalker.com/possible-scam-email-being-sent-to-dog-walkers/ and https://daycare.com/forum/showthread.php?p=119538
My friend tried to be guarded about it. I'm thankful that the internet helped me figure out that it was a scam.
Be on your guard, my friends!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Enchiladas
When my husband and I first got married, I started making enchiladas. I grew up in Southern California eating a lot of Mexican food. Usually my family ate tacos, though, not enchiladas. My husband and I found that we enjoyed them a lot. Then, we realized that the sauce I was using (from a can) had MSG in it.
No more enchiladas for us.
It was only a few years ago when my husband gave me the America's Test Kitchen Family cookbook. I found that it had an easy enchilada sauce in it. I found this recipe online that includes the sauce I make:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/03/essentials-easy-enchiladas-recipe.html
For a filling, I often use ground beef sauteed with minced onion and cheddar cheese, or chicken, black beans, and cheese (jack or cheddar).
To make the sauce, I saute the onion in the oil. Then, I add everything for the sauce to my Vitamix blender. Since it spins it so fast, it cooks the sauce. If you're using a regular blender, just blend the ingredients and then add them back to a saucepan to cook for about 5 minutes before you use the sauce.
I find that this is a very mild sauce (use mild chili powder) and my kids will eat it. They actually enjoy dipping tortilla chips in it too. I'm so thankful enchiladas are back on our family menu!
Sunflowers
In our backyard, I planted some sunflower seeds. This picture is what they look like in my backyard right now. The largest one is getting ready to bloom. It has amazed me to watch it grow. I simply planted about 10-15 seeds in the dirt. The stalk on the largest one is probably an inch and a half in diameter. It is probably at least 6' tall--it's taller than me!
The rest of my garden has had mixed results this summer. I planted the wrong beans--bush, not pole beans, so I didn't use my space wisely by my trellis. My zucchini plant died as did my cucumbers. My tomatoes have many on the vines, but they are taking time to ripen. The small ones are ripening fine, but the larger ones are getting a bit of rot on the bottom--a common malady for tomatoes so I need to look up how I need to treat that tomorrow. My raspberry plants are growing, but they won't bear fruit until next year. My basil is doing well, but not thriving. We've had a few banana peppers and jalapenos which My husband has enjoyed. I haven't pulled up any of the onions yet, but plan to soon.
This is a picture of one of the small sunflowers that has already bloomed.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Blueberry Vinegar
This book has given me a lot of ideas for what to do with vegetables and fruits I normally have no idea what to do with.
The week before last I made some pickled beets with cumin and cloves. I did not have cumin seed and cloves, so although the author encourages no substitution, I hoped my substitutions were okay. I used cumin powder and ground cloves instead. My husband was very pleased with the results and they stay in the fridge for 3 weeks.
Yesterday I made two special errands. The first was to pick fresh blueberries. The second was to pick up canning supplies at a Mennonite store near the blueberry farm. The blueberries were easy to pick and thankfully there were plenty left. My luck at the other store was good, but I didn't find everything I needed. Some of the recipes in this cookbook require Pomona Universal Pectin. The store carried several types of pectin, but not Pomona. I have found it online, but you have to buy a larger quantity at one time and pay for shipping. I have read on several websites that it is a good pectin to work with. But since it isn't readily accessible here, I've decided to stick with the recipes from this cookbook that do not require the pectin.
Today I made some blueberry vinegar. It was a very simple recipe. I put the vinegar and blueberries in the blender and blended them until they seemed, well, blended. I am supposed to shake the container once a day for the next 5 to 7 days, strain out the solids, and then it should keep for a year.
I'll let you know how it turns out! So far, I like this cookbook. It has a wide variety of recipes and does include many jam recipes that don't require pectin--they are longer cooking recipes rather than quick cook jams and jellies.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Thoughts on Netflix
Yesterday, I received the mass email that Netflix sent out about raising their monthly rates for current subscribers come September 1, 2011. When Blockbuster closed most of their stores and discontinued their monthly watching service, I knew Netflix didn't have much competition. So, when I got the email about the increased prices, citing of course increased costs, I just wasn't surprised. When Hulu changed their movie service to a fee for service, I also wasn't surprised. Everybody wants a bigger profit.
But, the reality is this: Netflix is a want not a need. The plan I was on will increase from $10 a month to $16 a month. I have known all along that Netflix is a time and attention sucker for me. In a way, the rate increase was a blessing to me because it forced my hand. It compelled me to do something I probably should have done a long time ago.
I cancelled my subscription.
One thing Netflix seems to be forgetting is that most networks broadcast their shows weekly on the internet the day after the television airing. So, both shows I watch through the summer can be seen on the internet--for free.
When NPR reported the rate increase this morning, I was pleased that it was getting coverage. The reporter even interviewed an analyst who explained that Netflix was basically doing this out of a desire for greater profit, because they have no competition. The man basically confirmed what I had immediately thought when I received the email yesterday.
My husband pulled back from watching movies several months ago. We also cancelled our cable service back in March. This move on my part will be good for me. I will be more efficient with my time on the computer and less distracted. That extra time will be time I can spend doing the things I should be doing rather than being wasted by watching on the internet. And one blessing is that I will be saving money to boot!
But, the reality is this: Netflix is a want not a need. The plan I was on will increase from $10 a month to $16 a month. I have known all along that Netflix is a time and attention sucker for me. In a way, the rate increase was a blessing to me because it forced my hand. It compelled me to do something I probably should have done a long time ago.
I cancelled my subscription.
One thing Netflix seems to be forgetting is that most networks broadcast their shows weekly on the internet the day after the television airing. So, both shows I watch through the summer can be seen on the internet--for free.
When NPR reported the rate increase this morning, I was pleased that it was getting coverage. The reporter even interviewed an analyst who explained that Netflix was basically doing this out of a desire for greater profit, because they have no competition. The man basically confirmed what I had immediately thought when I received the email yesterday.
My husband pulled back from watching movies several months ago. We also cancelled our cable service back in March. This move on my part will be good for me. I will be more efficient with my time on the computer and less distracted. That extra time will be time I can spend doing the things I should be doing rather than being wasted by watching on the internet. And one blessing is that I will be saving money to boot!
Thoughts on Netflix
Yesterday, I received the mass email that Netflix sent out about raising their monthly rates for current subscribers come September 1, 2011. When Blockbuster closed most of their stores and discontinued their monthly watching service, I knew Netflix didn't have much competition. So, when I got the email about the increased prices, citing of course increased costs, I just wasn't surprised. When Hulu changed their movie service to a fee for service, I also wasn't surprised. Everybody wants a bigger profit.
But, the reality is this: Netflix is a want not a need. The plan I was on will increase from $10 a month to $16 a month. I have known all along that Netflix is a time and attention sucker for me. In a way, the rate increase was a blessing to me because it forced my hand. It compelled me to do something I probably should have done a long time ago.
I cancelled my subscription.
One thing Netflix seems to be forgetting is that most networks broadcast their shows weekly on the internet the day after the television airing. So, both shows I watch through the summer can be seen on the internet--for free.
When NPR reported the rate increase this morning, I was pleased that it was getting coverage. The reporter even interviewed an analyst who explained that Netflix was basically doing this out of a desire for greater profit, because they have no competition. The man basically confirmed what I had immediately thought when I received the email yesterday.
My husband pulled back from watching movies several months ago. We also cancelled our cable service back in March. This move on my part will be good for me. I will be more efficient with my time on the computer and less distracted. That extra time will be time I can spend doing the things I should be doing rather than being wasted by watching on the internet. And one blessing is that I will be saving money to boot!
But, the reality is this: Netflix is a want not a need. The plan I was on will increase from $10 a month to $16 a month. I have known all along that Netflix is a time and attention sucker for me. In a way, the rate increase was a blessing to me because it forced my hand. It compelled me to do something I probably should have done a long time ago.
I cancelled my subscription.
One thing Netflix seems to be forgetting is that most networks broadcast their shows weekly on the internet the day after the television airing. So, both shows I watch through the summer can be seen on the internet--for free.
When NPR reported the rate increase this morning, I was pleased that it was getting coverage. The reporter even interviewed an analyst who explained that Netflix was basically doing this out of a desire for greater profit, because they have no competition. The man basically confirmed what I had immediately thought when I received the email yesterday.
My husband pulled back from watching movies several months ago. We also cancelled our cable service back in March. This move on my part will be good for me. I will be more efficient with my time on the computer and less distracted. That extra time will be time I can spend doing the things I should be doing rather than being wasted by watching on the internet. And one blessing is that I will be saving money to boot!
Thoughts on not wasting food...
Peer pressure is a powerful thing. It can be good and bad. Often it is a good thing.
Two weeks ago, I went over to a friend's house and took fixings for PB&J sandwiches for my kids along with bananas. My kids were horrible about wasting a lot of their sandwiches. I don't usually force my kids to finish their food when we're guests in someone else's home. But, I could tell by my friend's face and gentle words that she didn't want to waste it, so she put their leftovers out for the birds. Her reaction made me pause and think.
Last week, we went to visit my mother in law's home for a week and over the years, I've realized that it is very important to her as well not to waste food. So, I paid close attention to what my children were given and ate or didn't eat off of their plates. I don't usually give them too much food, actually. I give them the amount that I've seen them eat before. The problem is that sometimes they eat it--and sometimes they don't!
So, I took a different approach yesterday. I have never been a mom to cut off crusts. I figured that that was just wasting food from the beginning. But, the problem I have faced has been how to get them to eat those crusts! The lunch menu at our house yesterday was PB&J or Ham & Cheese and watermelon balls, with water to drink. Instead of giving them a whole sandwich as I usually do, I gave them each just a half. I also gave them 5 watermelon balls. My deal with them was that they could only have more watermelon if they ate all of their sandwich--which meant all of their crusts. My oldest daughter who loves food easily ate her whole sandwich and had a second serving of watermelon. My second daughter who is my pickiest eater successfully also ate her sandwich, though it took her much longer. My son, who is an on again off again picky eater, was the slowest. But, he did succeed! All sandwiches, crusts included were eaten. Interestingly, no one asked for a second half or complained of being hungry. I do use homemade whole wheat bread so it is filling, but I still thought it was interesting that one half was enough.
My conclusion is that I think I've been wasting a lot of bread for the past year! I am encouraged by what happened yesterday. I am going to try and be consistent about starting out with smaller sized servings and then giving second servings, rather than larger ones to begin with.
I know the reward approach isn't fool proof though. Dinner did not go well with my pickiest eater because of the one piece of squash I wanted her to eat. And that's the way it is in our house--some meals are easily eaten by my daughter and others are not. At the end of the day, it did get eaten. But, I keep pressing on! I suppose I should celebrate the little successes and be encouraged by them!
Two weeks ago, I went over to a friend's house and took fixings for PB&J sandwiches for my kids along with bananas. My kids were horrible about wasting a lot of their sandwiches. I don't usually force my kids to finish their food when we're guests in someone else's home. But, I could tell by my friend's face and gentle words that she didn't want to waste it, so she put their leftovers out for the birds. Her reaction made me pause and think.
Last week, we went to visit my mother in law's home for a week and over the years, I've realized that it is very important to her as well not to waste food. So, I paid close attention to what my children were given and ate or didn't eat off of their plates. I don't usually give them too much food, actually. I give them the amount that I've seen them eat before. The problem is that sometimes they eat it--and sometimes they don't!
So, I took a different approach yesterday. I have never been a mom to cut off crusts. I figured that that was just wasting food from the beginning. But, the problem I have faced has been how to get them to eat those crusts! The lunch menu at our house yesterday was PB&J or Ham & Cheese and watermelon balls, with water to drink. Instead of giving them a whole sandwich as I usually do, I gave them each just a half. I also gave them 5 watermelon balls. My deal with them was that they could only have more watermelon if they ate all of their sandwich--which meant all of their crusts. My oldest daughter who loves food easily ate her whole sandwich and had a second serving of watermelon. My second daughter who is my pickiest eater successfully also ate her sandwich, though it took her much longer. My son, who is an on again off again picky eater, was the slowest. But, he did succeed! All sandwiches, crusts included were eaten. Interestingly, no one asked for a second half or complained of being hungry. I do use homemade whole wheat bread so it is filling, but I still thought it was interesting that one half was enough.
My conclusion is that I think I've been wasting a lot of bread for the past year! I am encouraged by what happened yesterday. I am going to try and be consistent about starting out with smaller sized servings and then giving second servings, rather than larger ones to begin with.
I know the reward approach isn't fool proof though. Dinner did not go well with my pickiest eater because of the one piece of squash I wanted her to eat. And that's the way it is in our house--some meals are easily eaten by my daughter and others are not. At the end of the day, it did get eaten. But, I keep pressing on! I suppose I should celebrate the little successes and be encouraged by them!
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