Wednesday Musings

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allergies, asthma, diet, food, hamster, history, pirates, read aloud, recipes, reenacting

Ugh…I feel awful.  Tired and bloated and just…ugh.  And its all my mother-in-law’s fault.  Well, not really.  You see, my MIL came into town for a long weekend to visit, and we ate at restaurants for every meal but breakfast for 3 days.  Normally, as a family, we maybe go out to eat, maybe, twice in a month.  Add to that our mostly vegetarian and minimally processed foods normal eating habits, and well…you might be able to imagine how I feel right now.  Plus, after 3 years on Implanon, I’m having my first real time of month in, well… almost 4 years.  I’ve managed to gain 6 lbs in 6 days (I only know this because I went to the doctor last week and then yesterday to deal with my breathing issues, and was weighed there).  I wonder how long it will take me to feel “normal” again.

Which brings me to good news!  I’m on my third day of using Advair, and I haven’t needed my abuterol inhaler yet!  This is seriously a miracle of modern medicine.  Since January, I’ve used my inhaler at least 4-6 times a day (which is the max I’m supposed to use it)…and still ended up in the ER 3 times.   What’s even worse, is that this last round of prednisone didn’t even lessen my need for the inhaler.  We still aren’t sure what exactly is causing this (I have lots of lab tests pending), but at least I can breathe!

The Read Aloud Project: One of the bloggers I enjoy and I follow has this *way too cool* idea for a read aloud list, which The Hubby and I hope to emulate with Sharkbait and Chickadee.  We’ve already read Little House on the Prairie, and are currently reading Stewart Little while we wait for Little House in the Big Woods and Farmer Boy to arrive in the mail (we bought them in hardcover, used from Amazon for a penny, plus shipping…which comes out to four dollars!).  We  are still working on a list, but I know I also want to include The Egypt Game, Charlotte’s Web, A Wrinkle in Time,  and the first Harry Potter book for this year.

Loving where I live: Virginia is a place of history…from Jamestown to the Civil War to today.  One of the groups that really bring history in this part of Virginia alive is the Tidewater Maritime Living History Association, a group that portrays “sailor’s lives in the Age of Sail, by presenting nautical history and general seamanship knowledge to the public” through ” living history demonstrations, battle reenactments, school programs, parades and memorial dedication activities”. I had the pleasure of meeting these guys at a living history event, and I think The Hubby and I have decided that we (the family) are going to reenact with them in addition to our Civil War reenacting.

Picture of the Day: Ensign at Half-mast aboard the USS Wisconsin BB 64

Quote of the Week: And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it. (Roald Dahl)

Herb of the Week: Yarrow is great for skin, soreness and wounds in a wash, bath or salve.  Magically it can be used for protection and purification.  It grows wild for forage, or can be cultivated.  And most importantly, its one of my favorite herbs!

Deity of the Week: Satet is the deification of the Nile flooding, whose name means “she who shoots forth”.  She was a goddess of war, hunting and fertility, among other things.  Her originated in the city now known as Aswan, and was also worshiped at Elephantine (an island of the Nile) as one of the consorts of Khnum.

Tarot Card of the Week:  The Five of Swords

When this card appears it usually means that you are defeated – cheated out of victory by a vily and cunning opponent. But sometimes you are that victor, the one who has defeated your opponents through the use of your mind. Whether the victory was an ethical one remains to be seen.

But let us return to the theme of defeat, which is the primary meaning of the Five of Swords. This is perhaps why the card is so unwelcome in readings; it shows that, despite your best efforts, you are likely to be beaten. But the Five of Swords is not only about being defeated and disappointed because of that defeat. If you allow yourself to become disillusioned after such a loss then you are on the path to greater ruin. Take defeat, learn from it, and then try again to succeed. It has been said that a good man will be beaten, and accept losing – but a great man will be beaten, then go back and win.

When the Five of Swords appears and you feel that you are on the winning side this time, there is still a warning to heed. Arrogance and pride often come hand in hand with a difficult victory such as this, and you must be careful not to think you are invincible. You have overcome a challenge, and you have the right to feel proud, but know that there will be other foes to face and that some of them will eventually defeat you. Declaring your invincibility is an invitation for someone to prove you wrong. If your victory was won through cheating or unethical conduct, beware of an attempt at vengeance.

source

Random Recipe Links:  So, I was somehow volunteered to be in charge of the 2nd annual Luau at our church (we belong to a Unitarian Universalist Congregation)…our theme this year is to have a pirate invasion, some Tahitian dancers, a costume contest and a reverse raffle to raise “ransom money” for the pirate invasion.  But, of course, the most important part of a luau is THE FOOD!  So, we’ve been checking out some recipes.  Our tentative menu includes a choice of Kalua Pig, Chicken and Pineapple Satay or Tofu Kebabs with (maybe) Pineapple Coleslaw, some random rice dish, and an array of appetizers, with either shave ice or pineapple cake for dessert.

Food Idea: Try adding veggies to your breakfast tomorrow...  I love zucchini!  Even for breakfast! This morning, for breakfast, I shredded half a zucchini and sauteed it with some onion, garlic and tomato.  Then I cracked an egg over the top and scrambled it all together with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and some basil.  Just sprinkle a tad bit of mozzarella over the top, and maybe crumble some bacon over as well…and delish!

And don’t forget the last drink for the night.

Final Thought: We got a new hamster the other day.  He’s a Siberian Dwarf, and Sharkbait named him “Gray” (he’s gray).  He’s really calm, and the kids are super-excited for tomorrow, when we can take him out of the cage to play with him (we were giving him a few days to get used to the transition).  Pictures will follow shortly!

Food for Friday: Sailor Biscuits

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food, recipe

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Sailor Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 cup of quick oats
1 heaping tablespoon of baking powder
a pinch of salt
1/4 c of sugar or 3 tablespoons of honey
a large dollop of yogurt
1/4 c of veggie oil or melted shortening
a bit of water (mix first, it should be the consistency of bread dough, if not add water, but if you add too much water, you can add some flour when you roll it out)

Mix everything together and roll out on a floured surface. You should have a fairly stiff dough, so add flour as needed. Roll out thinly and cut. We usually use the cookie cutters for this, but a biscuit cutter (or even just cutting out squares with a pizza cutter) works. Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes. These do not rise, and are texturally more like a slightly chewy cracker. Its hard to describe, but the kids love them either plain, or with a bit of jam.

This dough can also be used to make fruit dumplings or a rustic sort of turnover or tart (you might be able to see this in the slideshow), just slice in some fruit, sprinkle a bit of sugar (and maybe cinnamon and/or a dash of vanilla) and add a pat or two of butter.

*adapted from this recipe

Farmer’s Market Food Fun

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cooking, food, green beans, shrimp, spinach, squash, yellow squash, zucchini

In our home, we try to follow the wisdom of Michael Pollan—Eat food. Not too much.  Mostly plants.  Our caveat (which I am certain he would approve of)–Local when possible.  This, of course, means lots of trips to local Farmer’s Markets.  Right now, its the best time of year for the market, particularly here at the beach.  Monster zucchini and yellow squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes of every size, peppers hot or sweet, peaches, plums, pears, apples, green beans, okra, watermelon, onions, corn, and (best of all) shrimp and scallops are all common fare…and if you get there early, you *might* even catch some blueberries.

Our last family trip to the market included a road side stop at the local purveyor of seafood where we picked up a pound of shrimp and a pound of scallops, and the following is some of the food that followed:

Green beans with pears and dried cranberries

These were frozen greenbeans which were cooked unseasoned and then allowed to cool a bit.  Some super juicy, sweet, ripe pears were cut into strips (sort of a fat julienne size) and tossed in with a handful of dried cranberries (dried cherries would have been good too), a dash of apple cider vinegar (about a capful, to make it a mild sort of sweet and sour with the pears) was sprinkled in with some garlic salt and pepper.

Chickadee, the green bean connoisseur, devoured her serving without hesitation and even Sharkbait, who normally ignores green things, nibbled away a good portion of his.

Shrimp with Pasta and Spinach Stuffed Squash

These were the shrimp we bought, cleaned and cooked in (real) butter with a splash of moscato (only white wine we had in the fridge, and quite tasty with shrimp) and minced garlic, then served over the pasta.

The zucchini and yellow squash were sliced long ways, deseeded and popped in the microwave for 1-2 minutes (since they get broiled, it ensures the squash is cooked all the way through).  They were then stuffed with fresh spinach and halved grape tomatoes and topped with grated Parmesan and (real) butter and broiled for a bit (sorry, I couldn’t tell you how long–I’m infamous for just popping things in the oven and periodically checking on them til I think they are done).

Of course…the big fun in preparing fresh shrimp is cleaning them–of in this case, letting The Hubby show Chickadee how to do it (she was only squeamish for the first one!):

This Is What’s On My Plate (via This is Not a Diet)

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diet-suggestion, food, food-plate, food-plate-logo, food-pyramid, healthy-diet, healthy-eating, nutrition, nutrition-plate, us-diet-guidelines, weight-loss

Absolutely fantastic!

Earlier this week Michelle Obama introduced a replacement for the 2005 replacement for the original Food Pyramid.  The new logo has gotten much attention, but unfortunately the hefty price tag has taken the spotlight.  Personally, I was rather disappointed by the graphic itself.  It’s ugly isn’t it? [capt … Read More

via This is Not a Diet

How to get kids (and other picky eaters) to eat their veggies. (via greengeekgirl)

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cooking, eating, food, fresh-food, hamburger-helper, health, healthy-eating, home, how-to-get-kids-to-eat, kids, picky-eaters, tips, tricks, vegetable, vegetables

Awesome post!  It totally reminded me of our struggles and successes at getting the whole family to eat better…

One of the things we have done is implement a reward chart for trying new (healthy) foods. Chickadee gets a sticker every time she tries a new food, and she has to try each new food up to 10 separate times (at least a bite) before she doesn’t have to try it (research indicated that it takes at least 10 tries) anymore.

It’s a struggle that a lot of people are facing these days:  after having grown up on processed food, we’re finding out that eating stuff from tin cans, brightly-colored boxes, and greasy fast-food sacks is detrimental to our health, along with smoking, drinking, and all manner of other really fun things.  In order to keep ourselves and our families healthy, we’re turning back to fresh foods–including that all-time kid-repellent food, vegetables … Read More

via greengeekgirl