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Maintaining the Heart Healthy Boundaries
Amy’s Mexican Casserole is a ‘must try’
If you want something different, Amy’s Mexican Casserole is a must try. Granted, finding the queso cheese was impossible, but substituting Mexican Style shredded cheese fit the bill. When I tried this dish, the sour cream and mild salsa were not added. It was still delicious.
1 lb. ground beef, mixed with taco seasoning
Add diced onions, peppers and green chiles
Add the jar of queso cheese
Layer the tortillas with the prepared meat and shredded cheese until there are tortillas on top
Sprinkle top with shredded cheese
Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes
Top off with sour cream and salsa when done—-Enjoy!
Variations:
If you have a large family, more meat can be added, but this also means more taco seasoning, onions, peppers, green chiles, and queso cheese is needed also along with the extra tortillas, sour cream, and salsa.
Homemade Chicken Soup with Rice
Ok, this might be the start of the holiday season, but the cold and flu season is upon us. As a human, I am not immune either. Other than wiping down all surfaces with disinfectant, keeping one’s hands germ free, and staying away from sick people, the cold weather can be a culprit for sickness. My system fought it before Thanksgiving. The only thing caught by me was a sore throat, the sniffles, sneezing and a night time stuffy head. It surprised me that the post nasal drain down the back of my throat didn’t get into my lungs, causing a cough.
The old saying said to feed a cold, right? Well, below is my Homemade Chicken Soup with Rice.
Ingredients:
1 cup rice, cooked according to package directions
1 chicken haunch (leg and thigh combo) or large chicken breast any poultry was fine, thawed, skinned, boiled and deboned, if needed.
Three fresh carrots cut
½ can of stringed beans, drained
1 quarter cut onion, sliced
1 palm-sized amount of salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and garlic salt for flavor
Directions:
Cook the rice according to package directions, set aside.
Boil the skinned thawed chicken haunch in a medium-sized pot for 20-25 minutes. Boiled chicken smells good and should not have any pink showing or raw juices running after being cooked.
Remove the chicken from the pot and run under cold water to cool. Burt fingers didn’t feel too good.
With the water saved from boiling, add the salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and garlic salt, stirring after each have been added.
Add the cut chicken back to the pot with the vegetables and rice, stirring after each one is added.
Simmer about 10-15 minutes over low heat until one can smell it cooking.
Serve hot with a dinner roll and enjoy!
Serves about 6
© December 4, 2016
Why dessert is eaten last depended on one’s life timeline
Until seeing the article below, it hadn’t been known by me why humans ate dessert last. While there are many scientific studies, there are a few things this article was missing. Didn’t a family’s customs come into play?
While there might have been an inborn desire to inhale many calories as possible, meals aren’t complete without dessert. In some cases, people from my church said that desert got eaten at lunch and dinner. Some families only had dessert on Sundays. Most of the time, it was made from scratch before pasteurization and refrigeration.
Notice that while conditions like heart disease, and high cholesterol had names, the path to treatment for heart attacks and strokes came much later. Likewise, the dangers of sugar and its link to diabetes weren’t known back then either other than being bad for the teeth. When people ate sweets, they had to make them. There weren’t any nutrition labels showing how much sugar, fat from calories or transfat. Thanks to modern conveniences like manufacturing, sugar is readily available in more items other than desserts and candy.
Those that grew up during World War II dealt with shortages in staples, like sugar. The Great Depression made food more scarce, so any dessert is a treat, especially getting a birthday cake. My mother doesn’t eat a lot of sweets like cake, cookies and pies. Every time someone had a birthday or retired cake was served at the party. My grandfather served a dessert after dinner, but as children, we had to eat all our food first, including vegetables.
I wonder if there were books on what dessert went with a certain meal? They had books on the type of wine that went with certain meals. Why not make one for desserts? The only thing this blogger knew is what bread to serve. Italian dishes went with Italian bread. Roast beef had bread as did roast pork, chicken and turkey.
In my family, dessert was a sometimes food, only to be eaten after dinner and only if we cleaned our plate. It went further with me though. Mom tried cutting out a lot of the extras that my brother and sister got but I didn’t because I didn’t move around enough.The after school snack was forbidden. Fruit replaced potato chips and sweets.Servings of potatoes, pasta and bread were also limited. If I asked for seconds and cake was served, I had to forfeit the cake. If we got soda, I got one cup.
It is tradition, in my family, during the holiday season, to serve chocolate with the celebratory meal. Any time my mother served chicken or turkey, my siblings and I asked where the chocolate was? My sister got mad one time because mom had no chocolate dessert on the table on Thanksgiving. It made me mad too because I don’t like Lemon Meringue Pie and prefer chocolate cake to apple pie or peach cobbler. Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie aren’t my favorites either. I resorted to bringing my own dessert instead of asking her what to bring.
When dessert is served, it is the complement of a great meal. It made the difference just like the type of wine or bread. Whether one ate dessert and how often depended on where they are on life’s time line.
Source:
Girl Scouts’ cookie cereals debut January 2017
The Girl Scouts were branching into the cereal market. So far, the cereals were modeled after Thin Mints and Carmel Crunch. These were due in Jauary 2017. It’s a little strange to see Thin Mints as a cereal, but then, one of the major cereal companies made a cereal out of oranges. Remember Kellogg’s OJ’s? Thankfully, this was discontinued with a whole host of other cereal market flops.
While consumers will have to wait for these cereals, they won’t have to wait for the new S’mores flavor, only two or three months. The new S’more cookie flavor was in celebration of the Girl Scout Centennial. Thin Mints and Caramel DeLites, or Samoas, were top selling cookies for the Girl Scouts. My mother loves Thin Mints. I liked Caramel DeLites because of the chocolate stripes that were similar to Keebler’s Fudge Stripes.
General Mills chose to partner with the Girl Scouts to produce these limited edition cereals. It might have something to do with the Girl Scout Centennial. Actually, it was to improve cereal sales that were slow. The cookies are top sellers also. General Mills, well-known for its top selling cereal, Cheerios, was tight-lipped about the details behind this event, more knowledge was expected closer to the premiere date.
General Mills has been known to release cereals based on popular movies. Last year, it was Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Another company tried that as a major release and it ended up discontinued. I remember the cereal that came out after E.T. The Extraterrestrial by General Mills. The cereal companies are getting smarter after their flops of 20+ years ago. These new cookie-based cereals are in limited release.
Sources:
Girl Scout Cookies Cereal Is Coming For Us In 2017 By Jenna Amatulli Trends Editor, The Huffington Post
Girl Scout Cookie Cereal Is Coming In 2017 October 24, 2016 10:38 AM
General Mills to make Girl Scout cookie cereals in 2017 By Kristen Leigh Painter Star Tribune OCTOBER 24, 2016
A Tribute to Discontinued Cereals By Zach Tropf March 4, 2009B
Eat potassium-rich foods to avoid a stroke and lower blood pressure
Want to know how to avoid a stroke? Eat more potassium rich foods found in fruits and veggies like: orange juice, bananas, raisins, spinach, broccoli and potatoes. Not only did these foods help maintain proper muscle function, they had other health benefits too.
My mother had a major muscle spsm that left her lying flat on the floor. The Doctor’s Book of Home Remedies said it this was caused by low potassium. The left leg muscle ache suffered by me from December 2015 to February 2016 wasn’t just lack of fluids, but low potassium also. Raisins were never in short supply as a snack, which is eaten by me a lot. The pain ceased in April.
Most of these fruits and veggies also served a dual purpose. Foods like broccoli and salmon are bone strengtheners and have as much calcium as a glass of milk, a slice of cheese and a small serving of yogurt. Properly prepared, they are also a great way to lower cholesterol and avoid clotting that blocks blood flow to the brain. Women were more apt to suffer strokes than men. However, those ladies in the latter stage of middle age and those beginning seniors who had high potassium in their diets were less likely to have strokes than those who didn’t.
Remember the onions, peppers and mushrooms people loved on their pizzas and spaghetti dishes? These foods help curtail some of the signs of menopause, like mood swings, hot flashes and night sweats. My friend from church told me this was a good way to stay healthy too. Eating mushrooms reduced the risk of breast, colon, and stomach cancer. Onions protected the heart, the immune system and are excellent in fighting diabetes and some forms of cancer. .
To be perfectly frank, eating food like this beat taking fish oil as a daily supplement. The after taste made my breath smell like fish and everything taste that way too. I swear it oozed from my pores too. The odor was strong before taking my shower. Mom told me that because of the salmon in my diet, the fish oil supplement might not be needed.
Because of my moderately high cholesterol, diagnosed in 2009 during a routine check up, it was important to pay attention to one’s diet. Eating these potassium rich foods also helped in reducing blood pressure. After visiting my doctor and having my level checked twice this year, it amazed me that it was normal after suffering from “White Coat Syndrome”, or having high blood pressure only when visiting one’s primary doctor. Stress also caused health problems like strokes and heart attacks. The migraine suffered by me in 2008 was induced by stress and could have caused a stroke. My whole right side was weakened by more than Spastic Cerebral Palsy.
So the secret is out. To avoid a stroke one had to eat potassium rich foods. Granted, they not only helped avoid strokes, but also lowered blood pressure. Some of them served a dual purpose and were bone strengtheners too, while others battled the effects of menopause and reduced the risk of some forms of cancer.
Ramen Noodles no longer just a ‘poor man’s lunch’
Why have Ramem Noodles replaced tobacco products in prison trading? Tobacco products are more expensive because of a tax imposed on them before 2000. Budget cuts in private correctional facilities made this pasta a hot commodity. Using food instead of cigarettes was not uncommon though.
In 1921, Iowa became the first state to pass a tobacco excise tax at the state level in addition to the federal tax.[3] Other states quickly followed suit, and by 1950, 40 states and Washington D.C. enacted taxes on cigarette sales.[4] Texas had a tax of $1.41 tax per carton. My parents always bought a few cartons of Salem Cigarettes every time they shopped for groceries. Knowing my mother, the cheaper the price the better.
A lot of the prison movies seen by me had inmates trading things other than cigarettes for much needed items not normally found, like chocolate or cookies. One actually had a general store of items people bought with money placed in their accounts. It wasn’t uncommon for some to need basic hygiene products. As budgets became smaller, the quality of food offered declined in the private prison sector. Maybe they should cut cable television to offer three meals a day. Prison was a punishment not a vacation. If they wanted to earn money, teach them to prepare their own meals, don’t cut them out. The best way to prevent repeat offenders is to educate them.
One inmate, a convicted drug dealer, supposedly used his EBT card to pay bail. While this did violate the ‘food only rule’, the government couldn’t trace actual transactions like this. They do get tough on abusers in the system. Other items such as pet food and household products were also purchased. If they hadn’t been allowed already, people were soon to purchase lingerie and use their card at strip clubs. Congress upheld prohibited use of EBT cards in liquor stores and night clubs
A lot of college students and young adults live off of Ramen Noodles to survive the month when the money was low. With a few more ingredients added, the basic bland chicken or beef flavor could stretch into two meals. It was on longer the ‘poor man’s lunch’ or to be eaten only when sick as referred by me. I have been known to prepare enough additives like veggies and meat to make two servings, one for the freezer.
Sources:
Ramen is displacing tobacco as most popular US prison currency, study finds, Mazin Sidahmed, Monday 22 August 2016 06.00 EDT
11 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Buy With Food Stamps, HANNAH BLEAU 8:39 PM 06/30/2014
Congress Bans Access to Welfare Cash From ATMs Within Liquor Stores, Stripclubs and Casinos, Christopher Santarelli. Feb. 20, 2012 5:31 pm
“Heroin Dealer Allegedly Posts Bail With His EBT Card”, Becket Adams Apr. 11, 2012 11:00 PM
“Cigarette taxes in the United States” Wikipedia, Last Modified: 17 July 2016, 20:16.
To Buffalo Wild Wings: Stick with the plan
What would increasing the price of Buffalo Wings do at a chain restaurant? Let me see if I understand the latest post on social media. Apparently, one of the investors, Mick McGuire, founder of Marcato Capital Management, believes share price could triple if the restaurant chain improves its business focus.
Here’s what Mick McGuire wanted to see:
- New talent on the Board of Directors and in management
- More emphasis on Buffalo Wings main business
- Ending the way new brands are introduced in high-functioning areas
This blogger did not understand a lot of investor language. All right, so I had to define cessation. Don’t laugh, at least I know the meaning. As a person who enjoyed dining out on occasion, I can see why these changes needed doing. If profits weren’t better in business, this restaurant was doomed to fail. McDonald’s didn’t get popular by making bad hamburgers or selling shoddy items. Their version of the Fit Bit had to be pulled from the Happy Meal due to children’s allergic reactions. I can deal with that.
I remember eating at the now defunct Rock Creamery before moving into my apartment. My friend, now deceased, and I used to stop in every so often to have lunch and sample some of the ice cream. The management sold the business to someone that made drastic changes. One of them cost them their core audience, the young people.
When we visited this place, the previous management had satellite television streaming through there. I thought, after In Living Color was cancelled, Keenan Ivory Wayans wouldn’t allow the show to be syndicated on any cable channel. Actually, he left because Fox aired repeats before any deal on syndication was made, without his authority. He thought it lowered the value. It played during a few of our visits. Since this place was within walking distance of the mall and other neighboring businesses, some of the workers came to get lunches, drinks or ice cream. Two high school girls played a card game, called Skip Bo, at one of the tables.
After the store ownership changed hands, the first thing they phased out was the satillite television. They replaced it with country music. My friend and I noticed the place being dark and almost empty except for a table of six to ten people, myself and my friend. A lot of what made the place attractive disappeared. Gone were the high school crowd and employees from surrounding businesses buying their food. Less than a month later, it closed.
As an owner of two websites, my job is to increase traffic. Like the establishment in this article, my job is to attract readers with engaging articles on trending web topics. In my case, I work alongside established news and social media for my core content. To me, if there is no way to tie the story to a trending news topic, it didn’t get written.
As for the situation with Mick McGuire’s letter, he’s right. Stick to the plan of operation.
Source:
Activist investor pushes for change at Buffalo Wild Wings AUG. 18, 2016 – BY ERICA SHAFFER
The Angel Food Network: Alternatives were still in development
This really disturbs me. The one thing counted on by me and people in 39 other states have been discontinued. The founders of The Angel Food Network were disgraced when they were forced to close in 2011 because of criminal activity.
Somehow, the operators were using the non-profit organization to make a profit off of its partners in 40 states, which were helping people in need. The worst part about this was that a lot of these partnerships were with other churches. I was referred by a member who used the service from my church. They gave me enough food to survive almost a month with a big box. The only thing they didn’t offer was bread and eggs. There was plenty of meat, canned goods, and freezer items. So far, there haven’t been any bananas offered. With the latest danger of fungi, they can’t sit after ripening. Fresh pears, apples, limes and a big watermelon were available.
Both the founder, his son and his wife were to face criminal charges for skimming millions for personal use. Whatever happened to “Thou shall not steal?” What about Wanting others’ belongings? Greed was one of the Seven Deadly Sins also. In the last days, mankind will be lovers of themselves. Lately, there have been a lot of shootings (murder) and people stealing. I remember the break in at my apartment last month. Whoever was watching my movements wanted that router/modem power cord.
To me, seven years in prison for father and son weren’t enough. I shouldn’t scoff at this because I am not the judge or jury. They also got a $15,000 fine and had to give up almost $3.9 million. The crime wasn’t the only bad thing that had occurred. When this network officially closed its doors in September 2011, a lot of volunteers were turned away with the needy who depended on this organization. There are alternatives available, but their reach is not as widespread as AFN. They were still developing. One had no distribution centers within 50 miles of me.
This was very sad.
Phelps’ diet might age him faster on the inside
Age won’t be the only thing that would slow Michael Phelps down as an Olympic athlete. While it is true that race times got slower as athletes age, Phelps has other contributing factors that could slow him down. After yesterday’s article, Top five diet tips for Olympic athlete wanabes, it shocked me to see the kind of food eaten to fuel his workouts while he prepared for the Olympics. The article said it was reasonable because of what the body went through during training.
Let’s
cut the bull. Michael Phelps’ diet was scary. He lives off of the high saturated fat content he eats. If anything did age him, it would occur on the inside first. There were a host of health problems that came from eating high fat content such as: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, heart attack, and Type 2 Diabetes. When my sister ran track in high school, they told her not to eat sweets. I mean, What he did, blew my diet tips out of the water, just like he did when he won his last gold medal.
Dwayne Johnson, “The Rock,” was no better. While there is an eating plan in place, he undoes the 150 days of ‘clean eating’ on that one cheat day. My plan was the 80/20 rule, that is 80% good, 20% bad. During the week, I stick to my low cholesterol diet. On the weekend, particularly Sunday, I can eat the breakfast they serve in my department. I still have limits like one donut, one small cup of coffee, but nothing greasy or upsetting to my stomach. Anything swimming in grease, spicy food or covered in sour cream.
//www.washingtonpost.com/video/c/embed/a1598d44-273d-11e6-8329-6104954928d2” target=”_blank”>Michael Phelps had another problem with alcohol. Over time, that can add weight to his middle. Let us hope he remains on the straight and narrow path for the sake of his infant son and fiancee. Thank goodness he got help after getting arrested on a DUI after retiring after the 2012 Olympics. During the test and treatment of stenosis of the lower limbs in 2005, one of the doctors asked if I had any ‘self destructive’ habits like drugs or alcohol. Thankfully, there were none.
In spite of his eating habits, Michael Phelps remains at the top of his game. He is number 3. Let us hope his diet changes as he ages to keep up.
Kim's Kitchen 
