25 random things about me...

Natalie posted hers...Rachel posted hers...so here are 25 random things about me.

1. I do not like milk (or coffee or tea). Once when I was preschool age, I started sneakily pouring out my morning glass of milk into the trash....that lasted until Mother gathered up the trash and discovered it.

2. I watch less than 5 hours of tv a week....I used to watch at least that much a day. I'm very comfortable with silence. (Unless I happen to catch some movies like I did this weekend: Miss Potter, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and Nadine)

3. I really dislike housecleaning, but I love to be organized.

4. I've been in 2 car accidents---I was driving both times.

5. My first cat was named "Mother cat."

6. I had never heard the words "homosexual," "gay," or "lesbian" or even knew what they were until I was a freshman in college.

7. My favorite flavor of jello is black cherry.

8. Brenda (my brother-in-law's oldest sister) taught me how to swim when I was about 12.

9. I have A- blood...so does Kari.

10. I had my tonsils removed when I was 18....I did not get any jello or ice cream in the hospital!

11. I've always wished I could have piano lessons and learn to play the piano and play it well.

12. Mother taught me how to embroider when I was 5. I've always had a love for a variety of needlework.

13. Eisenhower was president when I was born.

14. The first time I saw a scorpion, I stepped on it to kill it..I was barefoot! I had no idea what a scorpion was!

15. I really miss living in the country and riding horses.

16. I love reading magazines--everything from Mental Floss, Vanity Fair, People, National Geographic, Newsweek, Home Companion, Smithsonian. If I could afford it, I'd probably subscribe to dozens! When I was growing up we always had Good Housekeeping, Newsweek, and Progressive Farmer.

17. When I began my first full-time job as a librarian in 1993, I didn't even know how to turn on the computer! I'm amazed at the wealth of knowledge I've gained in 15 years...and even more amazed at the opportunities I've had to use it.

18. The very first thing I ever cooked following a recipe was a plain vanilla cake---and I left out the vanilla! I still have the cookbook--it was a birthday present from Mother when I was about 10 or 11.

19. I was 18 the first time I flew on a plane---and I flew by myself to Anchorage, Alaska from Dallas. I spent 2 weeks with my aunt and uncle -- it was a graduation gift from them. It was the best gift ever!!

20. I love to make ppts!! (Esther can certainly testify to this! lol)

I've spent 2 days trying to think of 5 more things to add, so I'm going to stop here!
Later: Kari came up with the next 5--and may I say...she's truly the best daughter in the world...and I love her without measure! She knows me so well... :)

21. You always sleep with the light on! Probably because you fall asleep reading one of those gazillion magazines. :)

22. You had not mowed your own yard in my lifetime until this past year.

23. You have a freakish obsession with old quilts which you have passed that gene on to me.

24. You like to travel and see new places and yet can also be a homebody and not want to go anywhere.

25. You would much prefer to drive a standard stick-shift car than an automatic.

Traviata Cake

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDhHxIz83Ic

Two new products...

I tried the new Campbell's V8 soup today--butternut squash--and found it to be a satisfying soup. Would have been perfect for when I first had the surgery! I liked the pureed texture and adding a bit of pepper to it was all that it needed. The box contains two servings at 140 calories per serving and comes in 5 flavors.

I was raised on Nabisco Premium Saltine crackers--don't think I even knew there were any other brands! We crumbled them into our Campbell's Vegetable Beef soup (which we had on a regular basis--the only flavor we ever ate!), we had them with peanut butter and syrup, we mashed up cold leftover pinto beans and smeared them on the crackers to eat, we ate them with apples, we ate them with bananas, we nibbled on them when we were sick, we even smeared just mustard on them and ate them--we ate sleeves of them by themselves!

Today I found Mini Saltines! 17 of them have 70 calories...they are just the perfect bite size for soup!

More soup this week...

I'm trying out another new soup recipe this week--in honor of Natalie coming over to have supper with me on Monday.

Ground Turkey Soup

Makes 12 servings (I'll cut this recipe in half--my slow cooker isn't big enough for the full recipe)
120 calories per serving

1 lb. fat-free ground turkey (If you are feeling really creative, you can make little meatballs by using some bread crumbs and one egg mixed with the turkey)
1 c. onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can navy beans or kidney beans, drained
1 c. carrots, sliced
1 c. celery, sliced
1/4 c. rice, uncooked
1 qt. low-sodium diced Italian tomatoes
2 c. green beans (I'll probably substitute zucchini)
1 t. parsley flakes
half a green bell pepper (not sure if the color really makes a difference--I've got a yellow one on hand, so will use it--and probably roast it)
1 t. salt
1/8 t. black pepper
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
3 c. water

Brown turkey in large skillet. Combine remaining ingredients in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on low 8-9 hours. Remove the bay leaf after cooking. Can also add some shredded fresh spinach to the soup--serve after the spinach has wilted.

Chocolate cravings....

I've been craving chocolate for the past month....warm chocolate chip cookies (which I've given in to repeatedly) and chocolate candy....fruit with fruit dip (the fat-free, low-cal kind). I think I've gotten it out of my system...I've now got fruit in the house without the dip and no more candy or cookies. Not sure what brought on this sugar craving after more than a year (emotional stress more than anything), but it was pretty intense...one I wasn't strong enough to battle very well.

Are there any health benefits to chocolate? Yes..but it must be dark chocolate.

*Dark chocolate contains antioxidants which help protect the body from aging.

*Dark chocolate has nearly 8 times the number of antioxidants found in strawberries. (Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Chocolate dipped strawberries....now there is a powerful antioxidant snack, huh?! lol)

*The flavanoids in dark chocolate also help lower blood pressure.

*Dark chocolate can also help reduce bad cholesterol by a small percentage.

*Dark chocolate also stimulates the peptide hormones in the pituitary gland---endorphins--which makes you feel good.

*It contains serotonin which we all know helps with depression.

*It acts as a stimulant much like caffeine does.

*About a half a bar of dark chocolate (3.5 oz. or less) contains about 200 calories--one shouldn't eat more than that a day--and will give a person the added health benefits without crossing too far over the high calorie, high fat line.

What about sugar--the white, refined kind? Did you know that sugar is the number one food additive in the U.S.? Kinda scary, huh? There aren't any health benefits that I'm aware of. There are, however, natural sweeteners such as spices (vanilla, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, cloves), fruit juices, and honey which can have health benefits.

P.S. None of the chocolate I had was dark--- I was a very bad girl!!

11 of the Best Foods You Aren't Eating

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/the-11-best-foods-you-arent-eating/?em

Esther sent a link to this NY Times article which appeared last summer. The author compiled a list of the healthy foods which people should be eating but aren't. If this were a test, I'd flunk it like crazy!!

1. Beets (I don't think I've ever knowingly eaten a beet in my life!)
2. Cabbage (I might eat coleslaw once a year, if that often---I don't I get any health benefits based on that!)
3. Swiss chard (what is that? some type of lettuce?)
4. Cinnamon (toast? in pie? does that count?)
5. Pomegranate juice (Can't say I've ever had this either)
6. Dried plums (ok...who is he kidding? Prunes!)
7. Pumpkin seeds (tried them once---they tasted like paper)
8. Sardines (haven't had any of these little babies either!)
9. Tumeric (I wouldn't even know how to use this!)
10. Frozen blueberries (Finally! A food I can relate to!)
11. Canned pumpkin (Does this mean I can have pumpkin pie more than twice a year?!! It's my favorite pie!)

If you click on the link above, you can find out how each of these foods should be served and what their health benefits are.

Tag...you're it!

I've now tagged all my posts so that you may easily search for recipes. All recipes have "recipe" as a tag. I've also included the title of the recipes, the main ingredients (i.e., chicken, beans, etc.), and a generic label (such as "soup") as tags.

So sorry it took me so long to realize I not only needed to do this, but should have been doing it all along!

Extreme weather...calls for more soup!

Ok..so our extreme weather isn't in the same category as Alaska where it is -50 something in Fairbanks (and it can get over 90+ there in the summer), but with the weekly 30-40+ temperature differences we've been having a person has to have access to summer and winter wardrobes. I find it rather annoying. Yesterday it was 72. Right now it is 36....and I just want to stay cozy in bed and read and surf the internet and eat soup.

I'm going to fix something I've never had before...ratatouille. What is it? It is an eggplant-based vegetable soup which roughly translates from the French as a stirable chunky stew.

Slow-cooker Ratatouille

makes 6 servings

120 calories per serving

1 T. olive oil

1 lg. onion, chopped

6 lg. garlic cloves, minced

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 medium-sized eggplant, cubed

2 c. mushrooms, thickly sliced

4 tomatoes, cubed

1 c. low-sodium tomato puree

1/4 c. dry red wine, or wine vinegar

1 T. lemon juice

2 t. dried thyme

1 t. dried oregano

1 t. ground cumin

1/2 - 1 t. salt

1/4 - 1/2 t. black pepper

4. T. minced fresh basil (or 1 rounded T. dried basil)

1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped

Turn slow cooker on high for 2 minutes.

Pour oil into slow cooker and add remaining ingredients except parsley and fresh basil. [Note: If using dried basil, add it now.]

Cover. Cook on high for 2 hours, and then on low 4-5 hours.

Stir in fresh basil (unless you used the dry). Sprinkle with parsley.

Delicious served over wheat pasta or brown rice. Can also use it as a pizza topping.

[Notes: I think I'll roast the peppers first--I like a smoky flavor. If I don't have the wine vinegar, I'll just substitute chicken or vegetable stock. I have some leftover grilled chicken breasts--I'll bet this would be delicious served together!]

Sounds delicious, yes?

Shocking!

The current People Magazine is all about losing weight, diets, and what people really eat. It was the "What You REALLY Eat!" that caught my eye...

100 people (73 women, 27 men) were asked to keep a food journal for 4 days. Then the journals went to a team of dieticians and a nutrition expert for analysis. The results were shocking....and, in my humble opinion, probably representative of the majority of Americans.

95% do not get enough dairy.

93% do not get enough whole grain.

92% do not get enough vegetables.

86% do not get enough fruits.

67% ate no fish.

Recommendations:

Limit fast food meals to one a week.

You really can't eat too many vegetables.

A person tends to consume about 600 calories less a day by eating 6 small meals as opposed to 2 meals.

Women need about 800 calories less a day than men, but men need to eat more fiber.

Fix it and forget it----lightly....

Mother gave me a new cookbook for Christmas titled "Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly: Healthy, Low-Fat Recipes for Your Slow Cooker" by Phyllis Pellman Good. You've seen them in Target and Wal-mart. While this is advertised as a slow cooker cookbook, you can certainly make any of these without a slow cooker. I usually prepare my stuff the night before by putting most of it in the crock and then in the fridge so that I can quickly get it going the next morning before I leave.

I manage a healthier consumption of food so much better if I have previously prepared food, so I requested this cookbook hoping that it will help me through the rest of the school year. While I certainly don't come home as exhausted (mainly from DRIVING so far!!) as I have the past 2 years, I often come home hungrier because I've eaten very little throughout the day. In fact, it got to the point about 2 months ago that I had to lock the library doors and turn out the lights just so I could eat lunch!

I've marked several recipes to try during the next few weeks and bought ingredients today. I'm looking for recipes that are under 200-210 calories per serving.

Hamburger Soup

makes 6 servings

160 calories per serving

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef

1/4 t. black pepper

1/4 t. dried oregano

1/4 t. seasoned salt (I didn't have any--so just used sea salt)

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

3 c. hot water

8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 T. low-sodium soy sauce

1 c. carrots, sliced

1 c. celery, sliced

[I also added 1/2 of a zucchini, sliced and quartered)

1 c. macaroni, cooked (I don't have any, so am going to use some pesto-filled mezzaluna)
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese (I decided to leave this out and throw in a slice of American cheese)

Combine all ingredients except macaroni and cheese in slow cooker.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Turn to high. Add macaroni and cheese.

Cook for another 15-20 minutes.

Postscript: This soup turned out delicious! Great flavor and very filling without feeling heavy. I think this is a soup that would appeal to kids because of the flavor---and a good way to sneak in more veggies.