Archive for the 'Lifestyles' Category
Holiday Eating For Diabetics.
If you have diabetes, you probably look at the holidays with dread. All of the cookies, pies, tarts, and cakes that are offered by your friends and family can really wear on your determination to ‘be good’. If you follow a few simple guidelines, you can enjoy the holidays and the food that comes with them, safely.
1. Eat a light meal before leaving home. A healthy snack can curb your appetite, making you less likely to over eat which can force your sugar levels to high numbers.
2. Check your sugar levels before leaving home. Carry your glucose monitor with you, along with lancets and test strips. If you feel the slightest bit off kilter, excuse yourself to a restroom and check your glucose.
3. Bring an insulin injection pen with you. You can discreetly inject yourself in a rest room. Have alcohol pads in your insulin kit. If you do not wish the host or other guests to know about your kit, pack it in a small soft cooler that can fit into a purse or coat pocket with a small ice packet.
4. You don’t have to deny yourself from the dessert section. Just take much smaller portions.
5. Do not eat any sugar laden or refined foods during the day or when you are not at a party or family gathering. Consider these outings as your treat and reward for carefully following a diet the rest of the weeks/month.
Being a diabetic doesn’t mean losing out on sweets entirely. Everything in moderation and only when your sugar is in an acceptable range. Be sure to make healthy choices when you are eating, paying particular attention to vegetable side dishes. If you are filled with healthy foods it will be easier to not over indulge at the dessert table.
Posted in Diabetes, Holidays | 2 Comments »
Choosing A Great Tree.
If you haven’t already chosen a tree for this year, it’s time to begin looking. While every family has their favorite type of tree, be it cedar, white pine, or artificial, not everyone is sure how to pick out the best one for their home. So, before you head out to the store or nursery, let’s go over a few basics.
1. Where do you plan to place your tree? Get an idea of where the tree will be standing and clear a large space. Take in account room you will need for presents underneath. As discussed in the safety post, stay away from used fireplaces. Be sure a power outlet is nearby for the lights.
2. Measure the height of your room. While a live tree can be trimmed by cutting a few inches from the trunk, an artificial tree will need to be returned. Save your time and gas by knowing how tall of a tree your home can accommodate.
3. Choose a tree with strong branches. Not only will they need to hold up the ornaments easily, but if you have children or pets, the tree will need to be able to spring back from hugs and bumps.
4. In the case of a live tree, look for a dark green color and needles that do not fall off easily. This means the tree has been well taken care of. A tree that has a light, splotchy color, sometimes yellow or brown in any place means the tree has not had enough water and will begin to shed it’s needles very quickly. A dry tree is a fire hazard!
5. If at all possible, look for a nursery that sells trees with roots. Replant your tree in your yard or donate it to a friend, city park, or community garden. Evergreen trees are wonderful for combating the green house effect and every one that can be saved is a step towards a healthier planet.
Picture credit to Free Gifs and Animations
Posted in Holidays | 2 Comments »
Xbox Live: Predator Game Space
Do you know what your children are doing online?
With the internet, many parents have become more careful in the time they allow their children to spend online. Parents monitor the sites kids are visiting and have restrictions set on their computers. In some cases the kids get past those restrictions and meet adults online. While this happens, many parents are trying harder to combat this issue.
Cue Xbox Live.
A few days ago we subscribed to Xbox Live. My husband and brother in law wanted to play Halo 3 online and see what else they could find to distract them from their manly stresses. (insert a chuckle here, I know what they do all day) I didn’t mind, thought it would be fun.
Imagine our horror when we heard some sad sack hitting on a 13 year old girl! The horror wasn’t really from the man hitting on her, it stemmed mainly from the fact that she gave him information on where she lived. State, home town, and the name of the apartment building. Anyone plugged in to that particular scenerio could hear her.
Scary stuff. Parents should think twice before buying a younger teen a subscription to Xbox Live or at least monitor the child’s gaming activities. Children must be responsible enough to not relate their personal information to anyone who asks.
Predators will use any outlet to reach their target. When you use Xbox Live, remember that it is the same as the internet where any number of people came meet and chat together. Some of the people do not have the best of intentions. I cannot stress this enough: Teach your children to never, ever give out their home address, school location, or real name to people met online or via Xbox Live. (or any other platform with interweb capabilities)
Posted in Parenting, Personal Safety, Technology, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Christmas Tree Safety Tips
Many families like to put their Christmas trees up the day or week following Thanksgiving, or in the end of November if Thanksgiving is not part of their holiday tradition. While I will be talking about how to choose the perfect tree, let’s first discuss safety. Proper handling of your tree will avoid any potential accidents and make your holiday a safe and happy one. Use the following list to stay safe!
1.When you first bring your tree home, if you are using a live tree, be sure to cut a 2 inch section from the bottom before placing it in the stand. This will encourage the tree to ‘drink’ the water you provide. A dry tree is a dangerous one. Needles will fall more quickly and dry branches are apt to cause a fire. Check the water and replenish it each day that your tree is used with lights.
2.Check your lights whether you use new lights or the ones from previous holidays. Examine the wires for cracks, breaks, or fraying. Exposed wires can lead to sparks and fire.
3.If you must use several strings of lights, use a power strip with surge protection. This will prevent problems with your power outlets.
4.Many light strings may have lead in their construction. Wear gloves and wash your hands after decorating with lights.
5.If you have children, especially small or special needs children, please use large plastic ornaments. Small children and special needs children tend to mouth objects. Tiny ornaments can be a choking hazard.
6.When choosing plastic ornaments, try to avoid those with the label ‘Made in China’. With the recent levels of lead found in plastic toys and other products from China, it is a good idea to either avoid them or use latex gloves when handling any decoration made from materials imported from China for now. Do not allow children to touch them. Place them high on the tree, out of reach. Wash your hands.
7.Do not use edible decorations like cranberries or stringed popcorn if you have small children. As with the previous points, small or special needs children will mouth nearly anything. The strings can become entangled in their intestines if swallowed or choke them by balling up in the mouth/throat.
8.No glass around children!
9.Do not place any tree near a used fireplace, live or artificial.
10.Unplug your lights when leaving home or before bed. Removing them from their power source is much safer than just turning them off or turning off the power strip.
Posted in Holidays | 5 Comments »
A Holiday Plan.
Here it is, the day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday as it’s called here in the States. Do you have a holiday plan?
If you’re sending out cards, now is the time to begin addressing them. I like to have my cards out by the first of the month, just to make sure they are to my recipients in time for the holidays. But what if you want to send cards to friends who might not be of your faith?
Do a little research. Simple solutions to the quandary is to just ask how your friends plan to spend their holidays. Or maybe, “Do you and your family get together for the holidays?� is a sneaky way to find out if your friend(s) celebrate a specific religious holiday. Be sensitive to your friends, send a card that is either for their holiday or a generic holiday greeting without religious reference.
If you are going to send gifts, don’t go overboard with people you are not very familiar with. For example, I recently made a recommendation of tea or coffee for a business acquaintance. A gift is great, but your boss may feel as if you are trying to bribe them into giving you a better position or pay raise if you buy something extravagant. Keep it simple and thoughtful. The same goes for a boss, a card or gift card is a nice appreciative gift for your employee(s). If your company supplies a bonus for the holidays, then adding something extra is not perhaps the best course of action unless handled in private. Other employees may become jealous.
In the coming weeks before the holidays, keep checking back for posts concerning holiday gift buying, safety, and more!
Posted in Holidays | 4 Comments »
Traditional Side Dishes
Side dishes are a little easier than the main dish, because so many sides for Thanksgiving are vegetables. Green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, and cranberries are just examples. You can take each one of those veggies and give them a tasty twist to wow your guests.
Fresh green beans are so very yummy when deep fried. Just pop them into hot oil a handful at a time and fry for 3-4 minutes. Plate them all lying in the same direction and sprinkle a bit of your favorite seasoning on top.
Corn can be brightened with the addition of chopped green and red peppers. A touch of sweetness will compliment the hot. Add in a touch of vegan safe sugar. (check with the company, some sugars are refined with charcoal from bones)
For your mashed potatoes, use vegatable broth as the mixing medium. It will give a great taste, plus add in a softer texture.
Fresh cranberries are easy to cook with! All you need to make your own cranberry sauce is a bag of cranberries, a little water, and some sugar. Pour the cranberries into a saucepan with about a cup and a half of water. Cook until the cranberries are soft (low heat). Add in sugar to sweeten the sauce to your preference. Remove from heat and stir vigorously, crushing the berries. If the sauce is too thin, slowly add a little cornstarch roux to the mix and stir until thickened. Orange peel added to the water, then removed before mixing will add in a great taste.
Posted in Cooking, Holidays, Uncategorized | No Comments »
A Tasty Halloween.
Hey, Halloween is tomorrow! What are YOU doing?
I’m getting the kids ready, looking for candy, and trying to decide if we’re going to dress the dog up. I also found a ton of Halloween decorations for 50% off retail, so I went a little crazy. The ront of the house looks like some sort of graveyard/crypt.
The best way I’ve found for decorating is to start my decoration shopping when the sales hit, then to continue shopping until everything is gone. That way, next year there is a huge box of things to choose from, all still brand new and at a fraction of the original cost. We also found some grea fabric for a dollar a yard, gauzy white and some black net. We enclosed the porch with the black, with the entryway open and strips of the fabric hanging down. Lights can go around your door, roof, windows, or bushes. With the white fabric, my two girls want to be ghosts. Talk about a cheap way to get out of costume purchases!
For tomorrow, it’s going to be a total grossfest around the kitchen. Moldy Breakfast Pizza will start it all off, lunch will be Monster Eyes, and supper will be a tasty concoction of Maggoty Mess. What kid wouldn’t be happy as a ghoul could be?
All of these recipes are easy and tasty. If you have just a few items on hand, you can make all of them.
Moldy Breakfast Pizza
eggs
bacon
Or
Some breakfast sausage, crumbled.
Cheese for melting
Tomato, chopped
Parmesan cheese
Green food coloring
Toast
Use one egg for each slice of toast. Scramble with crumbled bacon or sausage and tomato. Place on warm, buttered toast, top with your child’s favorite cheese. Allow the cheese to melt. Mix a drop of green food coloring with the parmesan, try to get a nice mold color. Sprinkle the ‘mold’ on top of the pizz, then serve.
Monster EyesMake deviled eggs according to your favorite recipe. Pop one half of a pimento stuffed olive into the middle of the deviled egg. Serve.
Maggoty MessMaggoty Mess can be made quite easily. You can follow your favorite recipe for beef stew, then right before serving, add in cooked Orzo pasta. The pasta looks just like maggots!
Posted in Cooking, Holidays | 1 Comment »
Friday’s Foods: Sweet Potato Souffle
I adore things made with sweet potatoes and with pumpkin. This recipe was shared again by Gayla Peterson, it is from a community cookbook put together by her friends and neighbors.
If you’re like me and love pumpkin, substitute pumpkin for the sweet potato. It’s not just a recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas, pumpkin and sweet potatoes make great accompaniments to nearly any cool weather dinner. Special thanks to June Moriarty who contributed this recipe to the community cookbook. If you would like a copy, send an email to familyresourceblogger (at) gmail.com
Remember, every Friday a new recipe (or a few) will be posted, so be sure to check in!
Sweet Potato Soufflé
3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
½ cup butter, melted
Mix above ingredients and put in casserole dish.
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup melted butter
Mix above ingredients and pour over sweet potato mixture and fold until the mixture looks mealy.
Bake uncovered at 350o until done.
From the Kitchen of June Moriarty
Posted in Cooking | 1 Comment »
Brownies and Pumpkin Cake!
My friend Stacey sent me these recipes that her friend Gayla Peterson shared with her. Gayla, thank you for such yummy sounding treats! I can’t wait to try them and just had to share with the Family Resource Readers!
Ok guys, ejoy this! And if you want to get in on having a recipe posted that will show up in Google search and have your name on it, send the recipes to familyresourceblogger@gmail.com
I’ll pick one and post it each Friday, maybe sooner if it’s tasty enough!
Saucepan Brownies
1 cup butter
5 Tablespoons cocoa
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
Melt butter and cocoa together in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and add sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Sift flour and add last. Pour into greased 11 X 13 pan and bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Pumpkin Sheet Cake
1 (15 ounce) can canned pumpkin puree
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS
In a mixing bowl, beat pumpkin, 2 cups white sugar, and oil. Add eggs, and mix well.
In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, and beat until well blended. Pour batter into a greased 15 x 10 inch baking pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake tests done. Cool.
Also works well as cupcakes or a bundt cake. Cover with the numminess of the following frosting recipe!
ICING:
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese
5 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 teaspoons milk
1 cup chopped walnuts
In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter or margarine, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add 1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, and mix well. Add milk until frosting reaches desired spreading consistency. Frost cake, and sprinkle with nuts.
Posted in Cooking | No Comments »
Motivational Monday: Albert Einstein
“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.”- Albert Einstein
Something that bothers me to the extreme is how attached some people get to items. I can understand sentimental value. A few things in my home have been with me for years, mementos of certain people or times. But, hoarding and attaching signifigance to the smallest thing results in a cluttered home and mind. The constant worry of if something is ’safe’ from your children, partner, or guests is stressful. Packing it carefully away reduces it’s real value.
And what is the real value of a sentimental item?
The memories. Yes, the set of dishes your grandmother used on holidays or other special occasions may mean the world to you. But what satisfaction comes from having it packed away? The memories came from the use of them…and how can memories continue to be forged if you wrap them in newspaper?
Handling and using the things that come from ones you loved is the best way to honor them. Of course, some things might be too fragile for everyday use. If finances permit, check into preservation/restoration services. A quilt can be hung on a wall, plates placed in a hutch, and small things like Granpa’s pipe and pocketwatch could make a lovely shadowbox.
Build your memories, don’t pack them away.
Posted in Daily Living, Mental Health, Stress Management | No Comments »
