New friends...yeah, that's how to veiw it !

It seems that the ability to eat fish again is not only making me VERY happy, but seems to get the scale moving in the right direction once again. It's a win win kind of thing. Fish has always been my favorite food , and when the allergy came into existence , I felt like I had been removed from a big part of myself !

Yesterday was our usual "run to do grocery shopping" round, followed by chopping and then singing at the 4 pm service for Bob. We began the day with the new breakfast favorite ( eaten 7 days a week) , Overnight oats. Here is how I make it :

Overnight Oats

1/3 cup rolled oats
1 cup soy milk
1/3 pint fresh blueberries ( or can use chopped apple)
2 tsp Splenda
1 T cinnamon

Before bed combine all ingredients in a container. Place in the refrigerator
overnight. In the morning , stir and eat.

A note about Splenda- a lot of people , in an attempt to eat healthy and lose weight will start out using things like Splenda or Nutrasweet and then dump it in favor of things like agave syrup, Stevia or sweetening with fruit because it is perceived as healthier. Truth is agave is a HIGHLY refined product, and both it and fruit affect your blood sugars, plus add calories. Splenda and other artificial non caloric sweeteners do not. Using these can reduce the caloric count of your serving by 25-50 calories. And, if you have any reason to watch your blood sugars, they are an even more intelligent choice . This last issue became clear shortly after breakfast !

We had gone to Gatlinburg for vacation a few weeks back , and when we came back we started noticing odd rash things on us. The complex sent out a notice that we were being sprayed for bedbugs, but none of these bites looked anything like bedbug bites , and we had seen no evidence of bedbugs. Several of the "bites" had rings around them, and I have been vacuuming like crazy, looking for ticks, bedbugs, spiders or anything that could possibly be biting us. Also watching for any sign of fever or Lyme disease. It has been very nerve wracking to say the least. After we finished breakfast we were talking about the plans for the day and I looked down at Bob's foot and saw a water blister on his toe, and offered to put some antibiotic cream and a band aid on it for him. While treating his toe I noticed that he had Athletes Foot between the toes, so we added a stop to get some spray for it to the list. Bob has had a problem in the past with athletes foot and other things , and as a result has to wear certain kinds of shoes and socks. I noticed he had a lot of these ring bite things around his ankles, and I was concerned about an allergy to whatever had been biting us. While we were at the store I picked up a can of Lotrimin spray , was reading and the words "also affective on ringworm" literally jumped off the label and screamed at me. It dawned on me that we might be dealing with ringworm ! It's one of those things that you hear about , but never really watch for. Once we got home from shopping I did some research, and sure enough it seems we are dealing with ringworm, and most likely got it from the swiming pool at the motel. A generous souvenir if you will . So here we go with creams, a round of grapefruit seed extract internally and replacing the towels. We have gotten into a very bad habit of using the same towel over and over between the three of us ( air drying between uses) , and this has made the fungus spread like wildfire. We were also eating a lot of melons and high sugar fruits, so basically we made ourselves and our home a four star resort for the beasties. Low sugar or sugar free will be the way to go now.

Ringworm, incidentally, is not a worm at all, but a fungus. It got it's name from the ring like appearance of the eruptions. You can pick it up from animals, any damp surface, swimming pools, tanning beds and any place where infected human skin has touched. It can surface on just about every part of your body. Ringworm...bedbugs...urban life of today is nothing like urban life when I was younger !

While it sounds disgusting, there is great satisfaction in at long last knowing what you are dealing with and how to proceed. There is resolve, and progress can be made. By lunchtime I was feeling empowered !

Lunch was a grilled yellow fin tuna sandwich from one of our favorite sandwich places, Portillios. They have great burgers and sausages, but they also make this grilled tuna sandwich that is one of my favorite things to eat ! They serve it on a bun with lettuce, tomato, red onion and a thin coating of mayo. Not sure of the calorie count because they do not post the nutritional info, and to be honest I do not care ! This sandwich is to die for ! I also got an order of onion rings ( one splurge for the week) , and ate it with about 10 baby carrots, a pint of blueberries and a diet green ice tea. Yummy !

The afternoon was spent washing and cutting veggies and other kitchen duties. Dinner was going to be a combo of my two favorite things- fish and oriental food ! One of my favorite styles of cooking is oriental, and it has been a while since I had gotten to play. One of the things I love to make ( and the guys love to eat) is California Rolls- or sushi as my son calls it. Now that fish is no longer a problem, we can have it at home . Nick and I worked together to construct dinner- California rolls and Beansprout salad with Garlic and fortune cookies. Here is my plate, and I went back for seconds on the sushi !

Bean Sprout Salad With Garlic


2 tablespoons Black sesame seeds
3/4 pound fresh bean sprouts thoroughly washed- and drained
1/4 pound fresh Chinese pea pods thoroughly washed and drained
3 medium garlic cloves peeled and minced
2 medium scallions -- trimmed & minced
1 inch cube ginger root, fresh, minced
2 tablespoons oriental sesame oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Fresh bean sprouts are a must for this recipe . The canned variety don't have the
requisite crispness. Place the bean sprouts and pea pods in a large heatproof bowl and set it aside.
In a medium-size skillet set over moderately low heat, stir-fry the garlic, scallions
and ginger in the oil for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are limp.

Add all the remaining ingredients, increase the heat to moderate, then boil the mixture,
uncovered, for 1 minute to slightly reduce the liquid. Pour the boiling dressing over
the bean sprouts, toss well, then cover the bowl and chill the salad for several hours.
Toss again before serving.

California Roll

1 pk Nori sheets
2 cups brown rice
5 cups water
3 T rice wine vinegar
1 tsp Splenda
1 pk mock crab
1 avocado
2 or 3 carrots
2 or 3 ribs of celery

Cook the rice and water according to package directions. You want more water to make
a sticky rice. Remove from heat, stir in rice wine vinegar and splenda and let cool.
Cut Avocado, celery, carrots and crab into thin strips. To assemble, lay a sheet of nori on
a cutting board, pile on rice, wet your hands and press down to a thin layer so it covers
the nori sheet. Place strips of the above ingredients down the middle and roll up in a tight roll
and press all over to insure it sticks. Cut into 8 slices and put on a plate. Chill and serve.

We sat eating , talking and laughing at the fortunes ! It cost 89 cents for a bag of fortune cookies , and it may be the cheapest entertainment of all. We interpreted the meanings of the fortunes with a kind of dark , comedic twist and laughed. One that my husband got we decided was just a sign that the creator of the fortunes was just plain overworked

" Ask not what your fortune cookie can do for you, but what you can do for your fortune cookie "
???????????

Later we had dessert- homemade coconut ice cream ! I have been experimenting in the past with creating good home made ice cream. This one was inspired by something Culvers was offering for the flavor of the day a while back. The flavor is right , but it cures way too hard in the freezer.

Coconut Ice Cream

2 cans coconut milk
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup coconut
3/4 c splenda

Blend in a blender and then freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturers directions

Ice cream eaten in proper portion size will never hurt you. Proper portion size is 1/2 cup. It is only when you begin to treat a pint or a half gallon as a serving that you will get into trouble !

Mother's Day

Low key , quiet sort of day yesterday. Highlights seemed to be sick boy, haircut, attack of pollen and gathering of supplies. It was Mothers Day, and the guys made/finished breakfast off for me

Overnight oats are so easy anyone can to them in the morning. Start the night before by boiling 4 cups of water with a bit of tried fruit, stir in 1 cup steel cut oats, remove from the heat and cover overnight.In the morning add whatever additions you wish ( this time it was chopped apple) and heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Quick, healthy and delicious !

Bob had two masses and I spent the morning making lists for the science store, rethinking curriculum, checking on Nick the sick and tinkering with making some Cream of whatever Soup for lunch.


Seen here with an open faced grilled cheese hummus sandwich and banana. To make the soup take 2 cups of medicinal grade homemade chicken and herb stock, 3 chopped onions, 3 diced carrots and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 15 minutes and add 1 cup frozen broccoli and 1/2 cup frozen peas. Cover and cook another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and take an immersion blender and puree ( or let cook and process in a blender). Season to taste- I mixed in a spoon of peanut butter because it just seemed to be what was needed. Any veggies you have could be substituted for the ones mentioned.

After lunch we headed out for necessary errands, and other fancy stuff. Once we came back home, The Family of Man embarked on a hair cutting project. Daddy makes haircuts fun it seems through doing silly things to the hair in the process. Like this :

Haircuts for Nick are a major thing( Because of Autism haircuts are a bombardment of sensations has him hysterical most times and often I am the one who has to do it). Bob giving him a haircut and Nick smiling through it was a better Mothers Day Present than anything that could be sold in stores.

Dinner was spaghetti with Italian sausage and a simple salad of greens, sliced tomatoes and pumpkin seeds. Not glamorous but quick, easy and using items from my pantry and freezer.

Not sure how things will go today- Nick has been coughing and last night began to sound like he was losing his voice and complaining that it really hurt. I spent the evening sneezing and having my voice cut out due to the ride out in the lovely pollen yesterday. It seems that everything is blooming about a month early here, the blossoms are lasting longer due to the cooler temps and as a result this cold is hitting me harder than usual. There is improvement , but it disapears the minute I set foot outside right now. Local honey better work quicker !!!

Salad Days

Life takes it's toll on all the things around you, and one day you wake up to discover you need to replace office chairs, breakfast bowls ( because someone dropped them) and more. If it's a good day you also learn that yon need to buy more dental floss, new underwear ( because it is falling off) and other fancy stuff. When the going gets tough...the tough go shopping ! Which is exactly what we did after a morning of church services. But first, time to fuel the troops for the day

Breakfast was Overnight Oats with fresh fruit. To make the oats for 3 people, at bedtime bring 4 cups of water and 1 T raisins( or other dried fruit) to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 c steel cut oats and cover. In the morning , add a little water if it is too thick, and heat for about 5 minutes on a medium heat. Top with your choice - here it was 3/4 cup of homemade chopped fruit salad( no dressing because it does not need it)
When the guys got home from church , we had lunch before heading out. Sweet potato lentil spinach salad- my favorite !

Lentil sweet potato salad

1/2 cup green lentils -- rinsed
2 small or 1 large sweet potato
1/4 cup walnuts
5 dates
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp maple syrup
1 Pinches kosher salt + ground pepper
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Spinach to serve

Cook lentils in a pot until tender using a 4:1 water to lentils ratio. Bring to boil, reduce to
simmer and cook for about 30 minutes on low.Meanwhile, dice sweet potato, spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with cinnamon, salt and pepper, and bake cubes at 400* for about 30 minutes.Chop dates and toast walnuts in the microwave (1 minute on high) or in a dry skillet.
When lentils and potato are done, toss everything together and serve over chopped baby spinach.

Then off to do some power shopping for things needed and things we remembered we needed once wandering around the stores. It was all fun till someone lost an eye ...err we hit the checkout line.I think price tags mate while in your cart and suddenly produce a creature that makes you cringe at the size !

Dinner was , oddly enough, another salad. I had originally planned on making a veggie lasagna, but when we had to spend the afternoon shopping I opted for something quicker- Very Veggie salad and Peanut Noodles

Very Veggie Salad

10 cups mixed greens or baby salad greens
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes ( or 2 plum tomatoes, chopped)
1 avocado -- cubed
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 red bell pepper -- thinly sliced
1 cup cooked lentils
2 medium carrots -- grated
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
dressing of choice

Distribute greens, vegetables (except carrots), and lentils on dinner plates. Then distribute
grated carrots. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and pour dressing over salads.


Peanut Noodles

1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons sunflower oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar -- or 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup natural peanut butter

Boil water for noodles and cook according to package directions.
Meanwhile, peel and coarsely chop the garlic. In a blender or food processor, combine the garlic, oils,vinegar, soy sauce, peanut butter, and optional red pepper flakes. Process until smooth, and then season to taste with salt and pepper.Drain pasta and toss with peanut sauce.

After dinner and putting things away , we settled in for an evening of great TV ( Ruby, season 4 of The Tudors, Kirstie Ally, Big Life) and felt like something to munch on. This made a really good dessert

Plain nonfat yogurt with frozen blueberries and 1/3 cup granola. It gives the mouth feel and sweetness of ice cream , but a lot less fat , sugar and such. Any fruit would work in it's place, but the frozen fruit makes it the same chill as ice cream.

Other than walking around the store , it was a bust exercise wise. That is okay because we are all allowed rest days and life needs to carry on while we are trying to reshape it. I think it works better to be concerned about getting in exercise the 5 days of the work week than to save it all up for the weekend. Less risk of injury and all that jazz. Let's make it a great week !

I see, said the fuzzy eyed man

Nice sunny day yesterday. For us it was a day of back to school and one must do out of the ordinary errand because Bob had one last vacation day and we had access to the car. After all of the singing commitments of Holy Week, it's good for him to have a day to just breathe before jumping back into his official paying job.

Breakfast was overnight steel cut oats with a tropical fruit mix and strawberries. I LOVE overnight oats when we have to get moving faster in the morning ! To make them for 3 people I bring 4 cups of water and 3 T of any dried fruit to a boil. Once it boils remove from the heat and add 1 cup steel cut oats. Cover and in the morning bring it back to the flame and heat it for about 5 minutes. Fast, yummy and filling !

After breakfast we headed off to get vision exams for myself and my son. I knew I needed new glasses, Nick has never had a vision exam and up till recently has never shown any vision problems. He can see things at a far distance, but has begun to make some really silly errors when reading. Could it be clowning around or was there a real problem ? Not sure , so vision exam is a good way to find out. Turns out he is neither nearsighted or farsighted, but has inherited severe astigmatism from both his father and I and needed glasses. He also got the dilation drops , and the poor kid had a rather strange sensory day- never an easy thing for an autistic !
He had to wear sunglasses for a few hours after the exam. Our glasses would be ready that afternoon so we came home to eat lunch and do school.

Lunch was happily leftovers of the dishes I brought on Easter- Roast Veggie and pasta salad with a Balsamic dressing and Couscous with Dried Cranberries and Pecans

Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries and Pecans Recipe


1 cup shelled pecans
1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 cups boiling water
1 cup thawed frozen peas
3 scallions -- very thinly sliced
2 medium cucumbers -- peeled, seeded, and diced
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
Lemon Dressing:
Zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 garlic cloves -- minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

Toast the pecans in a shallow pan in a preheated 350-degree F. oven until very fragrant, about
7 minutes. Set aside to cool.Place the couscous, cranberries, and turmeric in a large bowl. Pour
in the boiling water, stir, then cover the bowl with a large plate or foil. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Remove the cover, then fluff the couscous with a fork. Cover again and let sit 5 more minutes.
Stir in the pecans, peas, scallions, cucumbers, and basil.
Combine the dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously.
Yield: 4 servings

For the pasta salad I made a box of whole wheat pasta and roasted a butternut squash, pound of asparagus, head of broccoli, head of cauliflower and 8 carrots cut into julienne strips at 375 for a half hour. Then I combined then and tossed with this

Balsamic Dressing

3/4 cup water
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tsp capers
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp tarragon -- thyme, fresh basil, chopped parsley.

Shake and serve

Both were very good cold, and the next day ! We finished schoolwork ( which was shortened because of his eye dilation and inability to read close up for a few hours because of it) and then headed back up for our new glasses

Me- in frames that are more recent than 80's big hair bands( hubby in the background)
The visually improved Nick . Glasses are going to take a while to adjust to for him. New line of vision, new things on your face, learning how to deal with streaked lenses and more.

We did get out for a 45 minute walk in the midst of all of this back and forth. I credit Bob with giving us the prompting ! There are times that it is really helpful to have the in person support of another on the journey...who is not trying to keep a million details in mind at the moment !

Dinner was Roast vegetables and grilled steak salad. To make I cut up a bulb of fennel, a half a pound of mushrooms, a red onion, a zucchini, 4 Mexican orange sweet peppers and half a pound of asparagus spears and roasted them at 375 for 30 minutes. Meanwhile I grilled 3 sandwich steaks on my George Foreman Grill ( you could substitute chicken, fish or baked tofu here). Take 3 plates and lay our a mix of romaine and watercress( or any greens you like) top with roast veggies and one of the steaks , sliced. I like a drizzle of a honey mustard dressing here but it works with nothing at all or a balsamic dressing just as well.

A busy but healthy day !