Our Secret Weapon; Contest Input Wanted

We use coconut oil for everything -- at least you would think so if you see how we use it. We buy a huge jar of it, which we keep in the pantry. Sometimes I refer to it as the "mother" jar.

We keep some in a small salsa jar in the bathroom. We use this coconut oil on our skin and in our hair. It softens the skin and helps to clear up blemishes. It helps to keep athlete's foot condition at bay.

We keep more in another small salsa jar near the stove. It's the only oil we use for cooking, as it has a high smoke temperature and does not spoil. It's one of our secret weapons for healthy eating.

We use a high quality coconut oil that really smells good! Here's the link ... and here's the code to give you $5.00 (USD) off your first order at iherb: WIL394

I'm coming close to post number 100, and that calls for a Contest! Please help me with ideas for my contest by posting a comment to my blog.

Packing to Move

Yes, we sold our mobile home and will be moving to a solid block house "up the hill." Most people don't know that there is any kind of elevation in coastal Florida! Oh, and we are moving approximately 3/4 mile, and doing it ourselves.

I haven't been posting much, but that's my excuse, and I'm sticking with it!

Well, I'd better go now. I've got lots more packing to do, and we are moving in a week.

Yummy Lemon Chicken

I wondered what would be for supper last night. I looked in the refrigerator and saw two thawed chicken breasts, and off to the side, a can of chick peas. I went to food.com, which used to be recipezaar, and entered these two ingredients in the search box. I looked at some of the recipes to get some inspiration.

I tried the special search methods at food.com, but they are not half as good as they search methods that were on recipezaar. But, I have digressed.

DH suggested slicing the chicken a certain way, and I wasn't sure what he meant until he did it. He cut them lengthwise so that there were now four pieces, each about half as thick as the original pieces. I placed them in a large skillet with some olive oil, pushed the pieces around to spread the oil, and proceeded to cook them very slowly. I got the bag of cilantro from the freezer and put some in with the chicken. I added the pulpy juice of two lemons, plus a couple dashes each of turmeric, cumin, and sea salt, and put a lid on it.

About this time, DH made up a rice blend and started it off in the rice cooker. It tastes good with any kind of rice - plain or a rice blend.

The chickpea can was half full, and I rinsed and drained them several times. I also poured about 3 ounces of pimento stuffed olives into a small colander, and rinsed them a few times. These I added to the skillet and covered it to simmer a while, turning the chicken pieces over occasionally.

The house smelled so good!

Here's the finished meal:

Just a heads-up: The juice of two lemons doesn't sound like much, but the lemon flavor is very strong and tart. I like bold flavors, and DH likes spicy flavors. A little diversity in the kitchen is good!

Evidence of Activity in the Sewing Room

From s 9958

That's all I can say for my sewing mojo right now -- that there is evidence of activity in the sewing room ...

I came in just in time!

I got my ration of sunlight yesterday and today. Not five minutes after coming back in today, it started to rain. That's a good thing, since it was over 90 degrees (F) outside, so maybe it will cool down a little bit.

I very rarely use sunscreen, but please do not worry that I might get a sunburn. I have built up my resistance to the sun by getting my tan slowly. I'm not very dark at all, but my skin shows great contrast to a white wall, for example. I like to get my share of vitamin D while preparing my skin for kayak outings (which we haven't done for a couple months due to the extreme heat).

I start each year as the cool weather turns to warm (OK, this IS Florida, so I must really mean Hot). As weather permits, I lay out in the back yard on Saturdays and Sundays in the middle of the day. At first, I limit my time to five minutes on my front and five minutes on my back. I work up to 20 minutes each. I use a small kitchen timer for the five-minute increments, or a cell phone's timer function for the 10-minute increments.

For an extra vitamin D punch, I slather my body with pure coconut oil, either before or after my "tanning" session. I also take vitamin D pills year-round.

I'm glad the weather is starting to cool off. We are looking forward to more kayaking. With my built-in sunscreen (aka, tan), I come back from kayaking with no burn. Yes, I also wear a big-brimmed hat to cut down glare!

Road Trip

We went on a road trip today. It wasn't just any road trip -- it was a trip to visit our daughter. It was also a motorcycle ride on our new bike. It's a Yamaha 1700 Roadstar Silverado, which has an engine more than twice the size of the old bike. The main thing about it is that it actually likes to go fast on the highway. The old bike preferred to go slow (think 15 mph through the mobile home park - THAT kind of slow - argh).

We left Daytona at 6:25 and arrived in Tampa at 9:25, after a breakfast stop and a gas stop. We went to our daughter's apartment, then she drove us to Wat Tampa, which is a Buddhist temple. Specifically, we went for the "Sunday Market" which happens every week, and consists of temple members selling food to raise funds for the temple. The link to tell about is it here.

We had green curry chicken and chicken salad, which were both spicy, and we also had pumpkin curry and fried rice, which were not spicy. Our beverages were bottled water, Thai iced tea, and mountain dew (for DD). For dessert we got egg custard with pumpkin pieces in it and fried bananas which were coated with a sesame-seed enhanced dough. Everything was really yummy.

We went back to our daughter's apartment and visited for a short while, then we rode the bike to Clearwater to visit with some old friends (take That for a double meaning!). After visiting with them for a while, we headed on back home.

We went through some light rain a couple times, and stopped at Little Saigon in Orlando for supper. We also got some "good rice" at the oriental market next door. These are the two "must stop" locations for us in Orlando.

We got back home just before 7 pm, and our dog Marco was really ready for his supper and evening walk. After a long day, I'm surprised that neither DH nor I have "crashed" yet.

What Happened to my Iced Tea?

Here is a bottle of iced green tea with stevia:

From Food

One morning I thought it would be helpful to add ionic silver to my regimen. I added some ionic silver to my tea and took it to work with me. Imagine my surprise when I looked up on my desk a couple hours later to this:

From Food

I tried one sip, and it was awful, so I took it home and took a picture of it.

If anyone knows why it turned color, please let me know.

Sayings for Sale

I have decided to open a Zazzle store so I can share my sayings with others. My first product is here.

Will post more, or less, depending ...

Last weekend we found a house, wrote a contract to sell this house, wrote a contract to buy that house, then got to work on this house. Small repairs were made on a daily basis, the outside painting we started last year finally got finished (by someone else), and the carpets were cleaned. It feels like we cleaned all weekend, yet we were done by 9:30 this morning. The only setback is that the realtor who is selling this house has a sick husband, and she was unable to bring any prospective buyers today. We have an "open house" sign which we are to place in the front yard whenever we are home. I hope this house sells really soon!

When are gray patches good?

When they are on the road, it's 95 degrees out, and you drive through them -- that's when!

From Bike Trips

I was bad ...

Every once in a while I see a fabric that I Must Have. When I saw my daughter in this dress, I knew I had to find the fabric:

From Family

I eventually found the fabric on ebay, and let it go. I recently found it again, and it has more reds than browns. Here's that fabric and another piece I got (click on the picture to see more):

From Sewing Fabric

I will probably make it into a long dress, but it won't have spaghetti straps like hers.

Back Up Your Blog

I subscribe to a blog full of helpful web site hints. Today's hint is to Back Up Your Blog. Check it out - it's really easy! Click Here.

Mango in a Stir-Fry

Recently, I came home to this. It's Mango, onion, and bell peppers stir-fried with some kielbasa. It was yummy! Click on the picture to see it better:

TNT Pattern

Gwen posted about her TNT (that's Tried and True) pattern which is really a pattern for her husband.

I have the same situation. My TNT is not for myself, but for my DH. I have made KwikSew 2417 many times as undies for him. Click on the picture to see the album:

ks 2417

More Thrift Store Finds

Here's a favorite slinky knit dress in black with tiny pink dots all over. I like to wear it with a white top and my pink crocs. I got the dress and top at thrift stores, and paid a good price for the crocs on ebay. Click on the pictures for more details:


Here's another inexpensive outfit. The slinky tank top and the rayon print blouse are from thrift stores, while the skirt is from WalMart:

You get to live ...

I wrote on DH's facebook wall: You get to live.

It means the taxes are done.

Sheesh! What did you think it meant?!?!

Slow Sewing Mojo

My sewing mojo has been very low lately. I finally figured out what was holding me back.

I have a UFO (unfinished object) which has been taking up space for several months. It's KwikSew 2675, which is a pull-over, U-neck, darted, short-sleeved top. I cut it out in 2007, and finally started to assemble it at the beginning of February. What was holding me back was the sense that it was not going to fit me.

Today I stitched the shoulder seams, attached the sleeves, and sewed the side seams. When I put it on, I knew that my intuition was correct. The shoulders are too wide and the bust darts are too high.

I went to my sewing room to find what size I had traced and cut. To my surprise, I had cut the shoulders in the smallest size (for KwikSew, that's Extra-Small), and pivoted out for the chest and hips. Furthermore, the pattern calls for 1/4" seams, and I stitched it with 5/8" seams. That tells me that most KwikSew patterns will not fit my small shoulders.

Then I remembered that 2000 I had made a jacket with KwikSew 2089, and it fits me fine. I also traced and cut that pattern starting with size XS through the neck and shoulders.

Since this current project doesn't fit, I am so "over it" and will donate it to a local thrift store. I have another project cut out that I expect to fit. More news on that later.

How to make a yummy fruit smoothie

We have a VitaMix blender. We did lots of research and found a good price. This blender makes it very easy to make a fruit smoothie. Here's what we put in it:

A banana, blueberries, two apples, some raspberries, about an inch of ginger, and at least one cup of green tea.

Here are the pictures:

Awesome meal!

Tuesday, after I visited the dentist for a cleaning, I arrived home to an awesome meal. Take a look:

Sewing Without A Clue

I had a grandiose project planned a few years ago. I was going to to a SWAP, which can be a big deal to those who sew. Click HERE for an explanation of SWAP, which means Sewing With A Plan.

Let's just say I'm not done ...

Here are pictures of my SWAP:

Sewing With A Plan

Messy Room as Inspiration

My sewing room is so messy that when I saw BeanGirl's so-called messy room, I knew I could do better without even trying. As it turns out, my sewing room is so messy, that it can only get better. What better inspiration than to show how messy it is now, and show it cleaned up later.

Click on the picture to see the photo album:

Sewing Room 2010

About Sweeteners

One company is changing the name of its sweetener. I guess they think we're stupid ... ? Click HERE to read about it.

One major aspect of our "Real Food" diet is avoidance of chemicals and man-made ingredients. We do not use "food" containing ingredients with chemical roots, and that includes sweeteners.

Instead of sweeteners, we use dates and other fruits, and stevia. We use stevia leaves when we make our tea. We have a stevia plant growing in our front garden, but one plant is not enough for us. We buy dried stevia leaves by the pound (to supplement our meager supply) from San Francisco Herb Co. at a reasonable price.

We also order packets of stevia extract from iherb. Each packet, which is the size of other sweetener packets, is up to four servings of sweetness. It's not a sweetener, though - it's just an herb that happens to be sweet.

When you order from iherb, save $5.00 on your first order with this discount code: WIL394

From Misc

We Stopped Drinking Carbonated Beverages because ...

There is a great reason to stop drinking carbonated beverages. Click HERE.

What Food is This?

I had no idea that so many people eat so much junk food. I subscribe to a blog called "We Like It Raw" - meaning food, of course! A recent post there shared a story about Jamie Oliver, who is a famous chef, and how he's trying to help people to become more healthy.

The point that struck me the most in the links about Jamie Oliver is that many (or most) children today cannot identify basic foods such as tomatoes and potatoes. I grew up knowing how to prepare basic real food. Our children were taught salad-making and other cooking skills. I guess I did not realize how fortunate we are to know how to do these things.

Click Here for the story.

Gazpacho

I made fresh gazpacho last night. It's a cold tomato soup with cucumbers.

I only made a little bit because my husband does not like cucumbers. When he tasted it, he declared it good enough to feed someone who does not like cucumbers. It's a yummy, healthy food!

When you click on the picture, you will find the instructions:

From Food We Made

If You Can't Have Fun ...

... then what!?

Rhetorical question, of course, but you must allow fun into your life.

That's something I took a long time to learn.

Now I'm sharing it with you.

Take a break occasionally. Laugh a lot.

I digress here: Want what you have, not have what you want.

Anyway, have fun, even if you have to take the time to do it!

If You Can't take One Day at a Time, then what?

You know that saying, "Just take it one day at a time." Some people are so busy or stressed that taking things one day at a time is like looking at a mole hill and seeing an entire mountain. You know that "other" saying, "Don't make a mountain out of a mole hill." I digress.

There is another saying that a mountain is conquered but one step at a time. So, if you can't take one day at a time, try one minute at a time. A few months ago I told that to someone who was having a bad time in her life. I have repeated it since. I even found that I can use it to my advantage.

Take a simple trip to the health food store to buy raw nuts. On the way is a certain mini-mart where a delicious iced coffee is available. An acceptable substitute is a bottle of starbucks mocha frappucino. But on my way to the health food store this week, I reminded myself that if I just drive PAST the mini-mart, I might be OK.

I was. OK. I mean that I drove right past that mini-mart and any other vendors of iced coffee.

By taking life one minute at a time, I was able to improve my eating for one minute, one day, and - well, you get the picture.

Iced coffee is one of my weaknesses. By taking one minute to skip that "Bad Food" - and I do mean that in all its implications - I empowered myself by one more minute, one more day, and - well you get the picture.

But you're not going to get a picture of iced coffee ...

Sesame Treats

Now that we eat real food, this is as close as we get to making cookies. There is no sugar, yet these healthy, non allergenic cookies disappear quickly. Here's what we do:

Put a dozen dates in a high-speed blender. Blond raisins or other dried fruits can be added for variety, but the dates are all that's really needed for sweetness. Add a little water and run at high speed until you have a sludgy drizzly mess.

Pour mess into a bowl.

Add about a cup of sesame seeds, 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds, and a tablespoon or so of virgin coconut oil. Mix this up with a big spoon.

We have corelle plates and coat them with a little oil, which makes spreading out the goo easier. Any oven-safe flat thing will work such as glass plates or a cookie sheet.

Use the spoon to kind of slush it all around on the plates and spread it out evenly.

We put this in our NuWave convection oven at setting 2 for an hour. You could probably put in a conventional oven at 150 degrees, but we're not sure what the length of time would be.

After an hour we pull them out and use a pizza cutter to cut one huge piece into many bite size pieces. Then the pieces are turned over and they are put back in again for another hour. If it's very thick, they might have to be cooked some more.

Tom Kha Soup

Miss Celie shared her soup creation today, and I remembered that we had made a similar soup not too long ago. I looked in my pictures and found two dated December 26, 2009.

We combined several recipes from recipezaar to create our own soup. We used regular Thai brand coconut milk (we use a lot and tend to buy three cans at a time). Instead of lemon grass stalks, we used ground lemon grass. We used Thai brand red curry paste and fish sauce, plus some fresh grated ginger instead of hunting the elusive galangal (a variety of ginger). We added bean sprouts and cilantro when it was almost done. We did not use any sugar.

Here's what the soup looked like about half-way through:

Here's what the soup looked like when ready to eat:

Mini Brownies

I found this recipe for mini brownies, then we made them our way. We did not soak the almonds and we did not top them with little berries. We did put everything into the VitaMix, so the nuts were ground as fine as powder:

What Blogoversary?!

As of December 18, 2009, I had been writing this blog for one year. Time flies so quickly that I hadn't even noticed! I guess I will have to put it on my calendar to remind me next time.