I was happy to get a serving of Mom's special stuffing. Then a small serving of mashed potatoes and gravy made my meal complete. I didn't care if about eating anything else - I had my two favorites. Rare treats - real mashed potatoes with homemade turkey gravy - simmered over a low heat and stirred continuously until it was time to put it on the table. Family traditions help make this special day even more so.
The leftovers are all tucked away in the ice-box by now. And the pumpkin pie is long gone. Mom's best stainless steel cookware has been lovingly washed - by hand - and put back in the cupboard. The football games are over. All the preparation, all the excellent dishes, and BAM - the feast is over. The day's fun and fellowship remind us what this great holiday is all about - gathering with loved ones. Sharing and giving Thanks.
Eating healthy was somewhat of a challenge today. It is Okay to cheat - every once in a while isn't it? That big scoop of whipped cream on top of that extra large slice of pumpkin pie could probably add an inch to my waistline! And it sure tastes good. How often do we get to enjoy such delicious deserts with the people we value most?
We have so much to be thankful for here in the USA. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
The Blessing
“Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” Psalms 95:1-2
The next couple days will find many of us hurrying around to gather all the ingredients for another unforgettable Thanksgiving feast. We'll pick up last minute spices. Visit our favorite bakeries for all kinds of delicious goods. Last minute Turkeys and hams will practically fly out of the stores. Some of us will take the easy route and pick up a store-bought pie. And we'll be getting ready to prepare all of our family favorites.
Family tables are decorated with beautiful Thanksgiving decor. Many a table will soon be filled with great food and surrounded with good cheer. Family and friends enjoying this wonderful time of year. Giving Thanks for our countless blessings. We have so much to be grateful for - children to love, families to enjoy, and hopefully - good health.
This Thursday many a foodlover will get out our best stainless steel cookware and whip up delicious sauces, cranberries and vegetables, yams and mashed potatoes, delicious gravy. I'm anxiously awaiting all the fun dishes we get to cook in just a couple of days.
Eating healthy will be a challenge to many of this weekend. The plethora of pies, and goodies, and rich foods will please many a hungry palate. If this Thanksgiving finds you watching your waistline try drinking a tall glass of water before you eat. Some experts suggest eating an apple right before your meal. You'll eat less and feel better later. No worries - your favorite Pumpkin pie will still taste great on Friday! And who can pass up a nice big turkey sandwich made from leftovers while watching all the great football games this weekend?
The next couple days will find many of us hurrying around to gather all the ingredients for another unforgettable Thanksgiving feast. We'll pick up last minute spices. Visit our favorite bakeries for all kinds of delicious goods. Last minute Turkeys and hams will practically fly out of the stores. Some of us will take the easy route and pick up a store-bought pie. And we'll be getting ready to prepare all of our family favorites.
Family tables are decorated with beautiful Thanksgiving decor. Many a table will soon be filled with great food and surrounded with good cheer. Family and friends enjoying this wonderful time of year. Giving Thanks for our countless blessings. We have so much to be grateful for - children to love, families to enjoy, and hopefully - good health.
This Thursday many a foodlover will get out our best stainless steel cookware and whip up delicious sauces, cranberries and vegetables, yams and mashed potatoes, delicious gravy. I'm anxiously awaiting all the fun dishes we get to cook in just a couple of days.
Eating healthy will be a challenge to many of this weekend. The plethora of pies, and goodies, and rich foods will please many a hungry palate. If this Thanksgiving finds you watching your waistline try drinking a tall glass of water before you eat. Some experts suggest eating an apple right before your meal. You'll eat less and feel better later. No worries - your favorite Pumpkin pie will still taste great on Friday! And who can pass up a nice big turkey sandwich made from leftovers while watching all the great football games this weekend?
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Choices
How can parents teach their children healthy habits? Eating Healthy and getting plenty of exercise should come naturally to both parents and children alike. I wish I had never bought that dreaded video game console he so enjoys. I wish I could get him to spend as much time playing outdoors as he does playing his video games. Maybe my expectations are out of whack. And taking him to the dreaded fast food giants sure was a prudent move. Why is it so easy to succumb to the ease and convenience of the fast food giants?
In the good old days - before fast food joints became so prevalent families actually ate at home every night. A home cooked meal - usually including some kind of meat and potatoes. There was always a green or yellow vegetable - unless we had spaghetti and meatballs! Or, unless it was Friday night and we got to choose the night's menu.
I loved Fridays. When my turn came around I would sometimes choose pancakes. I loved the maple syrup. And a few of Mom's pancakes would fill my little tummy enough to make me a happy camper. Who cared about too many carbs or the glycemic index?
The folks were young and active enough to burn off the calories from whatever Mom served. And, of course, us kids usually had burned up the calories gained at supper before bath time. I don't remember many overweight children in our school. Eating healthy was not really forced on us. ( Unless you count Mom's repeated reminders to eat our peas, or carrots ) The choices our parents made just turned out to be healthy for us.
Last Friday night I let my oldest choose what we would have for supper. He chose fish fillets. While the fillets were in the oven I steamed some broccoli and peas. Fifteen minutes later the boys were eating. He got his fish - which hopefully didn't contain too much mercury from a contaminated waterway. And Dad got to sneak in some healthy vegetables, vitamin rich and full of beneficial antioxidants. I guess eating healthy doesn't have to be too difficult.
In the good old days - before fast food joints became so prevalent families actually ate at home every night. A home cooked meal - usually including some kind of meat and potatoes. There was always a green or yellow vegetable - unless we had spaghetti and meatballs! Or, unless it was Friday night and we got to choose the night's menu.
I loved Fridays. When my turn came around I would sometimes choose pancakes. I loved the maple syrup. And a few of Mom's pancakes would fill my little tummy enough to make me a happy camper. Who cared about too many carbs or the glycemic index?
The folks were young and active enough to burn off the calories from whatever Mom served. And, of course, us kids usually had burned up the calories gained at supper before bath time. I don't remember many overweight children in our school. Eating healthy was not really forced on us. ( Unless you count Mom's repeated reminders to eat our peas, or carrots ) The choices our parents made just turned out to be healthy for us.
Last Friday night I let my oldest choose what we would have for supper. He chose fish fillets. While the fillets were in the oven I steamed some broccoli and peas. Fifteen minutes later the boys were eating. He got his fish - which hopefully didn't contain too much mercury from a contaminated waterway. And Dad got to sneak in some healthy vegetables, vitamin rich and full of beneficial antioxidants. I guess eating healthy doesn't have to be too difficult.
Monday, November 12, 2007
The Neighborhood
When we were kids, our Dad would pile us all into the station wagon one warm and sunny summer day and off we'd go to the peach orchard. Once there we would all climb on to a trailer pulled by an old tractor and head out into the orchard. The tractor guy would give us a couple bushel baskets and point to a few trees full of the juiciest, ripe peaches.
An hour or so later we'd have a couple bushel baskets full of beautiful, yellow and red peaches fresh off the tree. And the itch. Anyone who has picked peaches know that itch. Those tasty summer treats and the thrill of riding on a trailer out into an orchard made that temporary inconvenience just a minor nuisance.
Summer was always a time for fresh tomatoes, watermelons and peaches. All grown right in this area. Cucumbers, radishes, and peppers adorned many a summer salad. We ate well. Locally grown produce was plentiful and always reasonably priced.
When I go into a market today and buy some salad fixins I have no idea where these vegetables are grown. Or how long they sat on a truck in order to reach our local market. While we can't always buy locally grown produce it sure seems like an ecologically friendly way to get good, nutritious food.
Can we help save our planet - even just a little - by getting more locally grown food? And eliminating all the pollutants generated by transporting food from heaven only knows where?
The experts - whoever they are - say that a global economy is a good thing for everybody. I just wonder why so much stuff comes from countries half way around the world? Our country grew to be a world leader long before we imported all this stuff.
A trip to your local superstore or discount store will undoubtedly result in a purchase of stuff made in (pick a country). The gasoline that gets us to our destination store comes from a part of the planet that most likely hates Americans.
As we prepare to celebrate and give Thanks this Thanksgiving I think I'll cook my supper with cookware Made in the USA. I'll choose the same cookware many of the pros like to use. I'll cook with the best stainless steel cookware available. The same pots and pans made by American craftsman for generations. Made in the USA!
Friday, November 9, 2007
The Morning Walk
A morning walk is one of my favorite habits. Of all life's pleasures surely walking has to rank in my top five. Right after - well you know - and playing with the kids, and quiet time with the little lady and eating and... OK, call me a dork - my kids do! My morning walks help kick start my day. Those twenty or thirty minutes spent walking refresh my spirit. Walking in the cool morning air allows me to visualize my day. It is an excellent time to think on the goals and tasks for the day ahead. My morning walk is good for the soul and gives me added energy throughout the day.
Many a new idea can pass thru my little brain during my morning walk. Many a pleasant thought or memory. And the occasional bad ones too. Walking somehow helps me suppress those unhealthy negative thoughts. Why waste time on thoughts you'd really rather not entertain in the first place? When one of those unfriendly memories enters my mind I try to change the course and think of something more pleasant. Or pray!
As an added bonus, I'm burning calories. OK, call me lame again - I'll freely admit it. I could just as easily be burning twice the calories on my TreadClimber and listening to some motivational tracks or watching a good video. But who can pass up a crisp, beautiful autumn morning to enjoy some quiet time in all of God's splendor? Or better yet to share with your spouse, children, or favorite walking buddy.
November is such a wonderful month for getting outside. The cool, crisp morning air refreshes our senses and feels so good to breathe. November reminds us to enjoy the great outdoors while we can. Before long many of us will be wishing for mornings in the 40s or 50s. That walk at lunch in your shirt sleeves or light jacket on a pleasant autumn day will soon be just another nice memory.
Why not eat a healthy lunch and slip outside for a pleasant half hour of stress relief and enjoy a brisk walk? Some experts suggest even as few as fifteen minutes will make a big difference in your energy level for the rest of the day.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Healthy Living
Good Health is not an accident. In our youth many of us are ( or were ) blessed with mostly good health. Maintaining the body we are blessed with is not always easy. The Human body was not really designed to sit behind a desk for 9 hours a day. Or to spend countless hours watching a TV while in a sedentary position. Our bodies are designed to be active.
It is up to us to take action and do all we can to keep slender or at least maintain a healthy weight. Eating right and exercise are critical to our level of health. Where we are today - in terms of our overall health - is frequently the result of the choices we've made up to this point in our lives.
I've made some pretty unhealthy choices. Smoking has to top the list of my poor decisions. Letting my exercise habits slide has been bad choice number two. I love donuts. And candy and sugar laden breakfast cereal. If it has sugar in it - I probably like it. That is OK when you're ten and you are outside running around the schoolyard or your front yard every evening after school.
Coming home from my nice comfy cubicle to my nice comfy recliner and an evening of TV is just not enabling me to burn the calories and maintain a healthy weight. The older we get the harder it is to keep up healthy levels of activity. The human body can naturally see a decline in the metabolism rate over the years. If we don't exercise regularly after age thirty or so we can see a gradual growth of the old waist size. I really admire those guys my age who don't have 40 inch waists.
If they can keep their waistline in a reasonable range, so can we! Small, simple changes can, in time, lead to a much healthier you. This time of year is an excellent time to get outside and enjoy the beauty of autumn while walking off the pounds. Or running if you're so inclined. If you smoke - quit today. Don't wait. Your body will thank you. Your loved ones will thank you. And you'll soon be glad you did.
Hopefully you will find the information in these pages useful in your quest to live a healthy (and long) life.
It is up to us to take action and do all we can to keep slender or at least maintain a healthy weight. Eating right and exercise are critical to our level of health. Where we are today - in terms of our overall health - is frequently the result of the choices we've made up to this point in our lives.
I've made some pretty unhealthy choices. Smoking has to top the list of my poor decisions. Letting my exercise habits slide has been bad choice number two. I love donuts. And candy and sugar laden breakfast cereal. If it has sugar in it - I probably like it. That is OK when you're ten and you are outside running around the schoolyard or your front yard every evening after school.
Coming home from my nice comfy cubicle to my nice comfy recliner and an evening of TV is just not enabling me to burn the calories and maintain a healthy weight. The older we get the harder it is to keep up healthy levels of activity. The human body can naturally see a decline in the metabolism rate over the years. If we don't exercise regularly after age thirty or so we can see a gradual growth of the old waist size. I really admire those guys my age who don't have 40 inch waists.
If they can keep their waistline in a reasonable range, so can we! Small, simple changes can, in time, lead to a much healthier you. This time of year is an excellent time to get outside and enjoy the beauty of autumn while walking off the pounds. Or running if you're so inclined. If you smoke - quit today. Don't wait. Your body will thank you. Your loved ones will thank you. And you'll soon be glad you did.
Hopefully you will find the information in these pages useful in your quest to live a healthy (and long) life.
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