March 17, 2010

Here we are in March already. My son turned 20 on Monday. Daughter is finishing up high school this semester. The future is bright with promise, although we don't know what will transpire concerning jobs, houses, whatnot. God knows and we can trust Him with it.

car blanket pattern

I'm looking forward to making this; actually I have already started a red, white and blue knit blanket and will make it into a car blanket. YAY!

A photo of our daffodils coming up:

Happy December

Looks like I forgot about this blog. Now it's winter and dreary but beautiful in its own way. I can easily get cabin fever. yesterday we walked in a park.

July Garden

enjoying tomatoes, green beans, basil and the ever present garlic chives and mints

taco seasoning

Bulk Taco Seasoning Mix

¾ c dried onions
½ c chili powder
¼ c salt
3T garlic powder
3T cornstarch
3T ground cumin
1T to 3T cayenne pepper (depending on how hot you like it)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Store in plastic or glass container with a lid.

It takes approx. 3T of this mix to equal one packet that you would buy in the store.

This recipe makes about 2 cups.

eating better for arthritis pain

good information This site has a bunch of diets. I've been diet crazy since high school, reading and trying different ones, not that I'm ridiculously overweight, but I always worry about it too much, and food is interesting. Here's a diverticulitis diet.

I think I have arthritis pain in my thumbs at time.

from vaxa.com - foods best to eat

Fruits (Those that are high in Vitamin C)

# Strawberries
# Kiwi Fruit
# Peaches
# Mango
# Cantaloupe
# Papaya
# Apples

Vegetables (High in Vitamin A (beta-carotene) and Vitamin C)

# Collards
# Squash
# Sweet Potatoes
# Broccoli
# Spinach
# Brussels Sprouts
# Bell Pepper

Fish (Rich in Omega-3 essential fatty acids & high in Vitamin E)

# Salmon
# Mackerel
# Sardines
# Herring
# Tuna
# Trout

Unsalted Nuts and Seeds (Also high in Omega-3 essential fatty acids & high in Vitamin E)

# Walnuts
# Brazil nuts
# Almonds
# Sunflower seeds
# Linseeds
# Pumpkin seeds

Pulses and Grains

# All lentils
# Chick Peas
# Brown rice
# Whole wheat bread

Anti-Inflammatory Foods

# Turmeric
# Ginger
# Garlic
# Apples

If suffering from gout avoid foods high in purines and high proteins such as beans and meats. In general avoid red meats, tomatoes, tea, coffee, dairy products, fried foods, chocolate, preservatives and additives. Medical Literature contains and many documented cases indicate how diet modification can improve inflammatory arthritis. Try altering your diet and see if you notice improvement.

Bread Machine Yeast Zucchini Bread

from bellaonline.com

Zucchini Sunflower Seed Bread

1 1/2 cups water
1 cup packed shredded zucchini
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups white flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons soft butter
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon dry yeast

Place the ingredients in the bread machine pan in the order given; turn the machine to the dough cycle. When the cycle is finished, remove the dough from the pan and shape it into a large round loaf or two smaller round loaves. Place on a parchment-lined baking pan. Let rise until double.

Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 20-25 minutes or until browned.

Note: If you’d rather not take the time to shape the dough, then set the machine to the large loaf cycle and let the machine do all of the work for you. Hands-on time is about 10 minutes to place the ingredients in the bread machine pan, and that’s it.

June garden

We are making garden progress - we've had lots of rain.


dog in sleeping mode

sunflower patch

tomatoes

more tomatoes


zucchinis

basil

beans