December 2008Monthly Archives
Kindle Tip
I’ve been meaning to post this for a while, but then something else would come up that I would post about instead. Since I haven’t quite finished my 2008 Year in Review post, I figured this would be as good a time as any to post this handy-dandy Kindle tip.
I LOVE 
my Kindle which, btw, is named Margarette after my grandmother who passed on her love of reading to me. As much as I love her though, I haven’t been such a fan of the default case that comes with it. Even with the little lip inside the case on which it is supposed to rest, I found Margarette was often slipping out which I found rather annoying.
Many Kindle owners resorted to an adhesive-backed Velcro® solution. They would place a piece of either or the hook or loop portion on the back of the Kindle and the opposite hook or loop on the case. While I agree this is certainly a viable solution, I didn’t want to have to put anything adhesive on Margarette.
As I was reading the KindleKorner Yahoo group one day, someone mentioned a tip they had seen floating around on one of the various Kindle blogs for a way to more securely hold the Kindle in place in the native case without resorting to any additions. It was simple a matter of once you have the case opened, to slip the elastic band up and over the lower right-hand corner of the Kindle. I gave it a try to see how it would work. BRILLIANT! I never had a problem with Margette slipping out of the case any longer and it certainly makes it easier to carry her around with me while I’m reading if need be as well.
In case my verbal description left a bit to be desired, here are a couple of photos showing how to do it. As always, you can click on the image for a larger view. It really does work great!
Since I doubt I will post again before everyone starts ringing in the new year, although I’m sure many of my non-US readers have already done so, I just want to take a minute to wish each of you a very safe, healthy, and happy new year. I hope we all have an amazing 2009!!
Proud “Mom”
Ok, before anyone who knows me very well wonders what the heck I’m talking about, no, I didn’t secretly run out and adopt a child or anything like that. I’m referring to of a new food product on the market. 
Last year my friend Betsy asked me if I would be interested in helping develop a recipe for a vegetarian side dish using orzo as the base. It would be for the food business portion of Soup of Success, the job & life skills training program where she works. I think it’s an extremely worthwhile venture, so I told her I would give it a go. 
Fast forward a few months and many different attempts later, I finally came up with something that I thought was a good possibility. I packed up and headed back to the midwest for a long weekend, so we could get together and tweak the recipe. A pinch of this and a pinch of that later, we had something that we all agreed was delicious!
Betsy took the recipe back to her organization and they began working on the process of converting a home cooking recipe into something that could be mass-produced. There was another round of a pinch of this, a pinch of that, and several tweaks along the way by various people, but it was finally ready for the public! So, I am now proud to present to you — No Worry Vegetarian Curry:
If any of you would like to give it a try, it can be mail ordered directly from Soup of Success. Since I know many of my blog readers are also concerned with following a healthy lifestyle, here is a closer view of the nutrition & ingredient information for this product (click image for larger view):
They also carry many other products including soup mixes, cookie mixes, dip/dressing mixes, etc. I’ve pretty much tried most of the products they carry and can recommend them all. A personal favorite is the Ruth’s Original Blend dip/dressing mix. It can be used in a variety of ways which makes it very appealing, in my opinion.
The women who participate in this program go through an intensive 5-month plan where they learn the necessary job & life skills to help them get off of, or avoid having to go on, public assistance. Part of that training includes working in the food business which plays an integral role in teaching them job skills which can help them find a job after graduating from the program. Profits from the food business are rolled back into the program to help keep it running.
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Later!
Christmas Eating
Woo hoo!! For the first time in more years than I care to remember, I actually LOST weight over Christmas week. I went to my Weight Watchers meeting this morning and I was down 2.4 pounds this week. I even had two holiday luncheons with which to contend this week and still managed to pull off a great loss! I guess that thing about mental rehearsing really works. Who knew?!
I also thought I would share a few food pics. Since I live alone, I definitely didn’t have the big spread that most people enjoy on Christmas, but I was pretty happy with my holiday meal. 
I cooked up a couple of small ground turkey breast patties that I seasoned with a bit of salt, pepper, and rosemary. Along with that, I had a baked sweet potato (topped with brown sugar & cinnamon) and some peas with mushrooms & thyme. A little bit later in the afternoon, I had one of my pumpkin pie smoothies for dessert. Here are a couple of pics:
After I finished my meal, I settled in with some knitting for the rest of the day. I still have lots of the Noro Kureopatora yarn in my stash so I decided to whip up a pair of socks that I can wear around the house or with my Birkies. I’m more than half done with the first sock, so they are coming along nicely. The worst part about knitting socks is losing one’s motivation after the first sock is finished, so I’ll have to keep a close eye on myself to make sure I don’t end up with an orphan. 
I know it looks like I have some holes in a few places, but I really don’t. There are some pretty nubby parts of the yarn that are a cream color, so that’s what you’re seeing.
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with their friends and family. Here’s to a safe, healthy, and happy 2009 for us all!
To Go Organic or Not, That is the Question …
I’ve vacillated back and forth several times in the past year over whether or not to go organic with my food. Part of me questions if it’s really that big of an issue while another part of me thinks there surely must be some connection to our food/water sources and the increase of disease in modern society. As someone who with a chronic illness (CFIDS) and having a sister with Multiple Sclerosis, it’s definitely something worth looking at more closely, IMO.
Over the years, I’ve had varying conversations with friends about the link between additives/dyes, pesticides, irradiation, etc. used on our food and the surge of autoimmune diseases, cancer, childhood obesity, etc. Some think the surge in disease isn’t truly a surge, but only an increase in the actual diagnosis & reporting due to better/more accessible medical care. Others are adamant that it’s absolutely connected to the changes in our food and toxins in our environment.
Lately I’ve been listening to the Jillian Michaels podcasts of her radio show here in Los Angeles. She is one who is adamant about the importance of going organic whenever possible. She has discussed on several different shows about how various chemicals and pesticides affect our hormones and endocrine systems. Now, I realize Jillian is a personal trainer and not a doctor or nutritionist, but the things she says seem to make sense to me.
On a couple of different occasions when people would ask questions about eating organically, Jillian provided a quick list of organic “musts”. Here are her recommendations:
* Thin-skinned fruits & vegetables, such as:
- * Apples
* Cherries
* Imported Grapes
* Peaches
* Pears
* Berries
* Bell peppers
* Celery
* Potatoes
* Leafy greens (lettuce, spinach, etc. – ALWAYS wash well even if the bag says it’s pre-washed)
* Dairy products (eliminates hormones & antibiotics found in non-organic dairy products)
* Meats (again, eliminates hormones & antibiotics found in non-organic meats)
She also discussed that there are some foods that it just doesn’t make sense to spend the extra money on for the organic version. Non-organic foods with thicker skins or peels that are removed prior to eating are generally safe for consumption, as are foods that generally low in risk for pesticide residue. Here is a list of some “safe” non-organic foods:
* Bananas
* Kiwi
* Mango
* Papaya
* Pineapple
* Asparagus
* Avocado
* Broccoli
* Cauliflower
* Corn
* Onion
* Peas
* Seafood
After some consideration over the past couple of days, I’ve decided to give going organic another try and move more toward eating organically when it makes sense. It may not keep me from ever having cancer or help my CFIDS, but I can’t imagine it will hurt anything for me to take in fewer chemicals.
If you want even more information about food additives, pesticides, etc., here are a couple of links:
Organic.org
Food News (includes a printable guide of foods with the most & least pesticides)
I hope everyone celebrating has a safe and Merry Christmas tomorrow.
