100 and holding……….

Ha!  Kidding……Let’s see an unfat tip for today……..I ate……what did I eat???…..did I eat?  Hmmmmm that is a good unfat tip….kidding….but seriously I don’t know what I ate today….oh yea, yea it’s comming to me …..slowly…..ever get so tired you don’t know if yer comming or going?  Sit at the computer so long for days you feel like your eyes are hanging down to your knees and you can’t see straight anymore???….you turn yer head but ya still can’t see cuz you left yer eyes round the corner somewhere?…..And your butt hurts from sitting so much??  That ‘s what I’m feeling right now – need a pillow or a cloud….yea a cloud would be better……ahhhh the thought of a cloud to sit on…anyhoo I ate …not good today…..nova salmon but it was too oily and too salty….yak I’m getting an urky feeling thinking about it.  Nova Salmon with crackers….oh bad…very bad… too much salt….and crackers always have dehydrogenated oils……..oooh I was such a bad girl!  Not to say salmon is not good for me.  It is and it is one of my favorite meals – I just got an oily batch this time.  I like it raw best – sushi style but too expensive right now soooo had to settle.  Salmon is good for the heart, bones, brain and has the right fats my body needs.  Oh and I like it ….a lot.  Look here for some good info on salmon.  http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=104  Ate some M&Ms too and a few Brazil nuts which happens to be one of the best nuts you can eat….I already new that from years past research but have looked it up for you here – http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/brazil-nuts.html Good for the heart, lowers cholesterol, has high levels of selenium, B complex and many more benefits.  The little stinkers are hard to crack though.  I usually squash them and have to knaw them out much like a beaver knaws a log…….but worth every knaw and tasty too.

For dessert I had an apple…………….all better now……………

120 and holding……….

     I am holding my weight at 120 – not sure how since my bike quit – I don’t know I think a couple of months ago so not getting much excerise.  I really miss it.  I am only eating neccessities that my body craves because that’s how I stay healthy.  I believe that craving says I’m lacking certain vitamins and minerals such as when I crave potatoe chips which I noticed is when I’m not  eating potatoes regularly my body is screaming – get me some potassium & folate!  Or a number of the many vitamins & minerals in one little potatoe.  Too many to list so here is a very informational website for nutrition.  http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2551/2  Possibly salt too since I rarely use salt.  Try not to oink out on the good stuff you really like as it may not like your slim figure when you are limited to your regular excercise routine.   Helps to be poor too…….learned that growing up.  Should be a lot of healthy people right now with the failing economy seeping lower and lower.  I see so many businesses closed or closeing it makes me want to cry.  The next blog may be titled “Diary of a starving country”  or ” 100 and holding”  LOL……but if we work every angle we can pull ourselves out ……….again.  Such as…..a friend just told me some people he knows switched houses so one could keep from foreclosing!  Wasn’t that a great save?  I’m so excited for them!

unfat tip for today – failing economy

Yes we may be cutting more fat than we want to 

these days with the failing economy still not

looking too promising.  I am cutting back to

necessities only.

Eating on the Road

     Eating on the road can be a challenge at times.  If you don’t like eating in just any resturant or you can’t afford to eat out,  you have to try to make healthy choices suitable for the cituation.  It’s more expensive to eat on the road.  Well it could be simply because you can’t buy large quantities which often saves money.  I try to pick healthy food that keeps if It can’t be eaten in one sitting.  Salad is actually probably my favorite dish which is hard to maintain while on the road.  Another is fish which definately has to be eaten in one sitting.  So I find the best way to have a salad on the road if not eating in a resturant is by buying and consuming one or two salad ingredients at a time.  Unless of course you can afford a full salad which is quite often expensive but less expensive than eating in a resturant usually.  Be careful with the mixed salad mixes.  They may not be what they say they are and you might need to spend a lot of time in the bathroom which is what happened to me recently.  Some times they are not spring mix like it says on the container but simply some type of ground cover or weeds that grow here and there.  I had read about this awhile back but bought the mix because it was less expensive.  Not less expensive in the long run if you get sick.  You know the old saying – you get what you pay for. 

I found a way to save on milk if you like milk.  Of course it’s not cow’s milk.  It’s soy milk which last quite awhile but there are questions about soy milk being healthyor not.  But then who knows if the cow milk is good these days?  I like it so I drink it.  It’s suppose to have benefits if they still exist in the milk. 

http://www.rense.com/general26/milk.htm  is one site for milk.  There are many.  Just type in milk, benefits to find more.

http://www,buzzle.com/articles/soy-milk/dangers.htm

So you see – who knows what we are really consuming? 

Anyway some more tips on what I like to eat on the road.  Bacon bits keep well.  Fruit of course.  You can buy 1 carrot at a time so that works well and is also healthy.  There are several vegetables you can still buy 1 at a time I guess and eat raw which hass less calories than cooked veggies.  Yogurt is a good one.  You can still eat fairly healthy on a limmited budget on the road.  You may even loose some weight too.  We use to eat a raw potatoe every so often while we were kids.  Just put salt on it.  Potatoes are high in potassium.  If you think back to your childhood you may think of some things your parents introduced you to to eat that most people wouldn’t even consider – like the raw potatoe I mean.  Nothing grosse.  I like to eat a red bell pepper like an apple and it’s rich in vitamin c   Http://thedailyplate.com/nutrition-calories/food/generic/red-bell-pepper-raw.  An avacado is another, a tomatoe.  There are many. 

Be careful of what you eat and have a good healthy trip.

Farmer helps Doctor Save Lives

When the 1918 flu pandemic killed millions A Farmer teaches a Doctor what helped keep her family alive.  http://maryjanesfarm.org/  Look for Feb/Mar 2010 issue “fact or folklore?”

Hot day lunch

     A nice cool healthy refreshing lunch I sometimes crave on a hot day.  Chop up a carrot and an apple.  A hand full of spinach or cabbage is good too if you have.  If you don’t, just the carrot and apple make a good hot day snack or salad.  Toss in a few raisins for energy or grapes and a few nuts if you have them, then sprinkle with cinnamon- helpful if you’re diabetic.  Add a couple spoons of apple juice or what ever juice you have for dressing if you need dressing or use a little lemon or lime juice.  Chop up a tiny piece of ginger root for flavor and health.

Diabetics:  Carrots are kind of high in sugar content but is a good blood sugar regulator.  http://www.juicing-for-health.com/carrot-nutrition.html Carrots help heal various diseases and are rich in potassium which helps with leg aches,  magnesium and other vitamins and minerals.  Carrots have many other benefits such as detoxifying the liver, lowering cholesterol.  http://www.juicing-for-health.com/carrot-nutrition.html 

Apples – are very healthful but check sugar content if you’re diabetic.   http://www.sugarstacks.com/fruits.htm  We have all heard “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”.  Check here to see which apple best suites your needs http://www.allaboutapples.com/health/ .

Raisins sugar content: http://nutrition.about.com/od/askyournutritionist/f/dried_fruit.htm

Raisins – energy, anemia, bone health, blood circulation, and we know how raisins help constipation but the raisin has so many more benefits http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/health-benefits-of-raisins.html .

Unfat joke – to drink or not to drink?

Don’t eat……………..LOL…………..or drink anything but water. 

This system use to be called fasting.  I would do it for two or three days.  Don’t know if it’s done anymore and probably not too healthy especially for Diabetics.  I wouldn’t recommend it really.  I haven’t done it for years.  I use to “fast’ around swim suit time so I could wear a bikini without being embarrassed.  I have never been fat, just a few extra pounds around the middle I guess because my winter meals tended to be more fattening than summer meals and of course less exercise due to weather.

Seriously though if you drink alcoholic beverages, you can almost see the pounds gathering between sips.  I use to like those 800 or more calories per shot drinks like a separator, (brandy , Kailua, cream) and the Irish cream drinks.  Oh yea baby.  Yee-Ha!  Yes I hugged a few toilets in my day till I learned not to mix my alcohols.  The Kioke Coffee (brandy, Kailua, coffee and cream.  Must be around 1200 calories in that one.  That was just about my favorite too actually.  You figure a few of those you’re pushing 5000 calories in one sitting.  I still like them.  I just don’t drink them any more.  At my age now you would have to roll  me out the door after two drinks with all those added calories plus I’m not use to drinking any more.  It looks like they now have diet alcoholic beverages for every one. http://www.dwlz.com/WWinfo/liquor.html   I like a glass of wine now and then these days.  That’s about all I care for.

Cheaper Eats & not Much Choice

       When it’s definitely past time to skimp you might want to try some split green peas.  I’m just lucky I have some and a place to cook them cuz some people don’t even have that.  I’m very grateful to the one above for what I do have.  You can make that last 3 days.  The last piece of ham is perfect for a pot of split peas soup.  The ham will be used for the oil needed to keep the peas from being too dry.  Lean ham is low in calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbs  http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/sausages-and-luncheon-meats/1344/2 but somewhat high in omega 6 fatty acids needed for brain function. http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-6-000317.htm’  It’s important to maintain brain functioning nutrition if at all possible on low budgets.   Fish is your main source of Omega fatty acids so if you don’t have fish take your cod liver oil or what ever fish oil you use.  My mom use to give us cod liver oil when we had it so that’s what I use. 

O-k so split peas, ham, onion, garlic, basil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes , water and a teaspoon of fennel for flavor, for the heart, blood pressure and asthma.  Not too much because I find it loosens bowels.

The story of the green pea it seems goes back in time to 7000 or 6000 BCE for the gathered peas with the first signs of cultivated peas around 500 to 400 BCE by the Greeks and Romans and sold in the streets of Athens as hot pea soup, considered an energy food. http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch52.html The pea pods grow in a coiling winding twirl like vines upward attaching to what ever is available much like green beans. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pea   The name pea is thought to be from the old English name Pisum.  The raw pea being extremely low in fat has quite a variety of vitamins and minerals high in vitamin K for energy plus 67% vitamin C and 23%  thiamine (B1).  Dried peas are 65% fiber and can also stabilize blood sugar. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=56

Brain Eats – Simple Quick Snack

     One of my favorite quick healthy nutritious snacks is an avacado.  I just cut it in half, put a spoon of hot sauce inside and eat the avacado and sauce with a spoon right out of the shell.  Don’t even dirty a dish.  I eat it plain if I don’t have sauce.  Sometimes I cut up a tomato and avacado and eat it.  I like the taste of the avacado and the tomatoe.  No need for salt.  Avacado is a little high in fat but just don’t eat it too often, or cut out something else.  It’s too good for the body to not eat.  It’s rich in vitamins and minerals, has no cholesterol http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1843/2 has Omega 3 fatty acids and is rich in Omega 6 fatty acids essential for brain function which the body does not produce so you have to get it from food sources.  The omega 6 found in avacados also preserves  skin, hair and bone health.  http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-6-000317.htm

Avacado’s are a must in your diet.  One or two a week is enough to produce many bendfits for your body and brain.

Easy Quick Dinner – Unproccessed

I’m not one for processed foods since there is heart disease in my family and most processed foods are made with hydrogenated oils among who knows what.  Every once in awhile I will have processed food but not too often.  I know a lot of senior citizens eat processed food because it’s quick and easy.  Maybe some of it is healthy.  I don’t know since I don’t use it because of the heart disease in my family. I prefer food as fresh as I can get it.  Here is a quick and easy meal I like.

Chicken – I usually take the skin off & throw it away but for this dish I left it on for half the cooking time .  Chicken is one of the more favored lower calorie meats.  Somewhat high in cholestorel but just don’t eat it too often.  A variety is best anyway for change and nutritional reasons with it being approximately 43% protein.  http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/poultry-products/703/2 1 chicken thigh with skin, Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids, vitamin B6 for cardiovascular health http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=116 potassium which is good for cells, nerves, slow reflexes, weakness, fatigue. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-effects-of-potassium-deficiency.htm The chicken thigh is higher in fat than a chicken breast but low in socium and juicier and so it works well for this dish.  Just don’t eat it too often.  http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-chicken-thigh-meat-only-i5099 Back to the dinner:

1 chicken thigh, fresh green beans which are low in fat and carbs and high in potassium http://www.thedailyplate.com/nutrition-calories/food/generic/green-beans  just layed in around the thigh, basil, garlic, pepper and a squirt of Braggs Liquid Aminos (vegetable protein from soybeans).  That’s what I use as a salt substitute most often.  Very tasty.  I put the dish of chicken and green beans in a plastic bag, poke one whole in it and cook it in the microwave for 5 to 10 minutes depending on your microwave temperature.  You can also put it in a small pan with a little water and steam the whole dish if you don’t like to cook in a microwave.

Of course I don’t have to tell you you can use a variety of vegetables, what ever you have or what ever is in season.  Top it off with a fresh tomatoe just before eating if you have one. 

There you go – a tasty, healthy, inexpensive quick fresh dinner that anyone can easily make.

Green Brunch

Today I made a green brunch, a sort of a huervos rancheros meal which I am still working on eating.  I find that working on the computer is a lot like painting because I get so envolved I don’t stop to eat.  Good for dieting though. 

1 Stalk of cerery chopped, which is good for lowering blood pressure and good for hot days because it’s juicy.  1 Stalk of bok choy chopped, also juicy and full of nutrition.  I won’t go into the nutritional details of bok choy because I just posted an article on bok choy recently.  See Cheap Eats in this blog.   1/2 clove garlic http://honeybee57-herbsandme.blogspot.com/  for the many benefits of garlic and plenty more I didn’t list.  About 3 tblsps of left over blackeyed peas which had cabbage in it.   1 egg on top or egg beaters.  I seldom use egg beaters.  Sprinkle some basil and pepper on top.  Pop in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes then  a couple pinches of grated cheddar/jack cheese sprinkled on top and about 5 green pimiento olives.  A quick twirl of mustard to give it a tangy flavor.  A very tasty low calarie balanced meal with lots of  nutritional energetic vitamins.

Cheap Eats – Healthy Too

     Rather than a fast food burger that isn’t too healthy and is only good for one meal I often go the the market and get salad fixings.  I try to pick inexpensive produce (which is getting hard to come by) and toss a salad together which is usally good for a few meals.  The other day I bought a bunch of Bok Choy for $1.01 which to me tastes very good, is very thirst quenching as it is aproximately 66% water, has about 9 calories per cup, zero cholesterol and is also loaded with much needed body enriching vital nutrition.  Too many to list.  See the website below for nutritional value of Bok Choy.    http://nutrition.about.com/od/fruitsandvegetables/p/BokChoy.htm

Not to mention the various ways to fix it if you don’t want salad.  I use it mostly in salad but like it steamed or stir fried also.  I always feel the less it’s cooked the more nutritional it is.  Bok Choy is from the cabbage family of vegetables and cabbage is very healthy also and is another inexpensive vegetable that goes a long way both in nutrition and in many meals if you need to streatch your dollars.  A head of cabbage which will keep in the fridge for 10 days or longer can be used in a variety of tasty dishes.  I don’t buy cabbage very often simply because it does last so long and honestly I’m tired of it by the time I finally finish one head of cabbage.   That’s another story in itself.

Back to the  first cheap eats recipe:  Bok Choy $1.01, red bell pepper – $1.50, expensive for me but rich in vitamin C and very flavorable.  Also good for two meals, tomatoe – less than a dollar for the oblong one, garlic – less than a dollar and good for several meals.  Basil.  Throw some grapes in if you have and some nuts if you have.  I usually throw some flax seed on top too.  (helps with hormonal issues such as hot flashes)  Good for men and women.  I most often don’t use salad dressing and this particular salad didn’t need it.  When I do use salad dressing it’s usually olive oil and balsalmic vinegar or a spoon of honey and some mustard.  If the leaves go limp on the bok choy before I use it up that’s when I steam it or stir fry it.  Still very tasty with no dressings.

I often just grab a red bell pepper and eat it like an apple for lunch or an avacado which I like with red hot sauce on it. 

So there’s some of  my favorite cheap eats. 

Tip for today – Try to eat a few nuts daily.   Just a few.

Unfat Green Breakfast

     I was out of  the B vitamin rich eggs today so I want to share with you another unfat breakfast that I whipped up.

Cabbage – High in Boron which helps raise estrogen levels in the blood.  Estrogen helps preserve bone strength.  Cabbage is also a known as a cancer fighter.

Asparagus – a good source of vitamin A, C, K, Folate, protein, choline, omega 3 & 6 fatty acids, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium – no cholesterol, no sugar, low in fat.  http://www.nutritiondata.com/

Onion and bacon bits, what ever I had on hand to give it flavor and a good balance of nutrition. 

Avacaado – Vitamin E & D.  (cut up and put on top after cooking vegetables)

Garlic, basil, pepper, red pepper flakes, curry, oregano, ginger, soybean in some form.  I use liquid.

Eat  up and enjoy!

Unsick Soupy Soup

     I want to share a soup recipe I use to combat or ward off flu and colds.  I sometimes buy soup broth but most often I make my own useing either juice from vegetables or chicken or both.  I just add everyday spices that most people keep on hand all the time.  http://www.greenpharmacy.com/

Basil – upper respiratory, Oregano – for upper respiratory, Red pepper – upper respiratory and thins mucus.  Garlic – an antitoxidant, upper respiratory – many more benefits, ginger – reduces pain and fevor and has many more benefits.  Bell pepper – upper respiratory and also rich in vitamin c.  I usually don’t need to add salt as it tastes salty enough for me after adding spices.  I use pepper.  I might add other spices depending what I’m aiming at.  Say if I had arthritis I would add Rosemary, Tumeric, Fenugreek.  Lot’s of fluids when uesing lot’s of spices.  Don’t over do – use a normal amount of spices.  Throw in some spinach if you have it.  Instead of crackers I like to slice up a tomatoe and throw it on top just before I eat the soup. 

The main ingredient after garlic for flu and pneumonia is a  large onion – upper respiratory.  It also lowers cholesterol and high blood pressure.  You can add green onions if you like.  I try to pick a clean onion because I float the onion peel in the soup until done then discard it.  Carrotts, Celery, spinach,  cabbage, What ever greens I have really.  Leave it soupy.  You need lots of fluids to fight colds and flu’s.

Eat Green Daily

      Eating greens really makes me feel good.  I feel more energetic which makes me more active.  In turn being more active kills two birds with one stone.  I am too busy to eat and also desire less food.  Eating less helps keep me trim.  When I don’t eat greens I feel tired and drug out.  Not much energy.  I try to eat greens 1 to 3 times a day.  Fresh greens like fresh spinach, Asparagus, celery, spring mix, green onions, just something green every day.   What ever is in season.

An example of a favorite breakfast is:

1 egg, bacon bits, asparagus, basil, green olives, garlic and cheese.  Top with fresh tomatoe after cooking.  All fresh or as close to fresh as you can get.  I rarely use salt and you probably won’t need it anyway with the olives and bacon.  I do use lots of pepper because I love pepper.  I have this breakfast almost every day with what ever greens I have on hand. 

Vitamins in eggs – A, D, E, K, B1, B2, B6, B12

Minerals in eggs – zinc, iron, selenium, phosphorous iodine, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, xanthophyll pigments lutein and zeaxanthin.  See Suite101.com for the nutritional and beneficial value of eggs for your body.

Vitamins in bacon – A, B1, B2, B5, B6, B12, C, E

Minerals in bacon – Calcium, copper, folate, folic acid, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium and zinc.   See calorie-counter.net  for more info.

       The basil is good to use with garlic to cut gas and is also good for headaches which I rarely have anymore.  Garlic is an antitoxidant and natural blood thinner.  Green olives have little or no calories and I like them.  Tomatoes are low in fat and sodium, high in potassium which helps leg cramps and they lower blood pressure.  Celery can also lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

       I use the greens mentioned above because I like them and they are all low calorie and healthy.