Why I have been so quiet…

My dear friends,

Many of you guys have wondered why my blog has fell silent… and for the past three years I have not been able to speak of what has went on in my life due to a lawsuit.  My lawsuit has been settled and now I am trying to pick up the pieces of my shattered life and put things back together.  December 20, 2011 was a very happy day, I was going to dinner (at about 9:30pm) and I thought nothing of it.  I usually left the building and picked up chinese takeout or ran to McDonalds in the parking lot.  But this day I did not get any dinner, when I stepped out of the elevator on the first floor there was a sloppy mess of floor cleaner, stripper that was laid out thick on the floor.  I took one step out and that’s when things got fuzzy and hard to recall. Continue reading

Happy Holidays Mike and Della!

The Holiday season often puts me in contact with friends that I have long lost contact with.  The other day I saw a facebook post from Mike McGill, one of my oldest friends.  Back in the day (way back in the day) we swapped firefighting stories, went on search and rescue adventure training, and had many interesting hobbies.  I’ve not kept in touch as well as I would have liked through the years.  I am so happy to say that Mike has found someone who has brought so much happiness to his life, Della. Recently he posted Della’s Quiche recipe and his family recipe for Cheese Grits, (which I have recently made both and were well received).  I should also say that recently both of them have had weight loss surgery and between Mike and Della they have collectively lost enough weight for one person.  I’ve never saw him look so happy, and I’m proud you have lost weight.  I hope to someday (soon) meet Della and thank her for all the happiness she has brought into one of my best friend’s life.  Happy Holidays Mike and Della and thanks for letting me share your recipes. Continue reading

4 Things You Should Never Eat (and How to Stop)

“One bad meal won’t transform your body, just like one good meal won’t equal immediate results; the body builds itself from habit.”

Always

  1. Eat veggies and protein at every meal: We’re not talking fried, cheese-covered, or canned vegetables, either. Not only are fresh veggies rich in vitamins and antioxidants, but also, the water and fiber content help keep you full. If the thought of eating veggies all day long makes you gag, then get over it, says Jonathan Ross. “Healthy food tastes boring for a little while. Your taste buds adapt.” Alongside those veggies, make sure you have protein. Jonathan cites several studies showing that a diet rich in protein helps control cravings while also helping to build lean muscle mass, adding to the body’s fat-burning potential.
  2. Eat healthy fats: Forget what you think you know about low-fat diets; it’s all bunk, says the trainer. Good-for-you fats help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and boost your HDL (good) cholesterol; they’ve also been shown to reduce belly fat. Look to incorporate monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats into your meals while avoiding saturated and trans fats. Avocados, olive oil, and nuts are all great options.
  3. Plan, prepare, pack: The best way to maintain a healthy diet is to be in charge of it yourself. Jonathan recommends cooking meals at home and packing your lunch whenever possible. Another tip: keep water and healthy snacks in your purse, car, and gym bag. This way you won’t be tempted to order out when you’re on the go.
  4. Be kind to yourself: Even with the best intentions, binge eating might happen. Whatever you do, don’t beat yourself up, warns Jonathan. “Handle slip-ups as nothing more than they are,” he says. Consuming yourself with guilt can make things worse; part of sticking to a healthy diet involves feeling good about yourself and the choices you make.

 

Never

  1. Drink calories: You’ve heard it before, but soda, juice, and other store-bought beverages are some of the biggest obstacles when it comes to maintaining a healthy diet. They contain no real nutrition and are basically nothing but sugar, the trainer adds. The one exception Jonathan makes to this rule is for healthy smoothies. Look for recipes that contains fiber, protein, and healthy fats.
  2. Skip meals: When you want to change your body, nutrition is key. “Fill your gut to lose your gut,” says Jonathan. “It’s the best way to lose weight and keep the body going.” Jonathan also advises to eat “real food” — the more you know about where it came from or what it’s made of, the better. Eat four to six small meals each day, and make sure that protein is a component in everything you eat, he says.
  3. Eat fried foods: Yes, Jonathan did say that occasional indulgences are OK, but fried foods are something he almost always steers clear of, saying they’re “completely destructive to the body.” Fried foods are widely available (and cheap), making them hard to steer clear of, but the amount of trans fat they contain should be enough to scare anyone, he says.
  4. Eat sugars or grains at night: While Jonathan is a huge fan of whole grains, he says to avoid them at night, along with sugar and starches. Just like trainer Bob Harper, Jonathan believes that breakfast should be the heartiest meal of the day; from there, gradually lighten as you get closer to dinner. Starches and grains are more calorie-dense and are unneeded at night when the body is winding down, says Jonathan.

Happy Birthday Mom!!! I Love you!

Mom

Mom’s Birthday

Today isn’t just Thanksgiving, it’s also Hanukkah, holidays to many people around the world.  It also happens to be my Mom’s Birthday.  I want to wish my Mother a very happy birthday today.  Mom is spending the day with family and she always gives so much of herself.  She is currently caring for Aunt Julia who needs 24/7 care due to end stage kidney failure… and she took the time to make sure a shut in cousin who is a veteran, confined to a wheelchair had a special thanksgiving dinner brought to him. My mother is such a giving, special person that I wanted to take a moment to honor her and wish her the best.  I only wish I could afford to give her a nice vacation to a resort somewhere so that she could be pampered a little herself.  Mom, I love you… happy Birthday.

Wal-Mart collects for needy employees not their community… REALLY???

Collection Bins for Employee Thanksgiving

Collection Bins for
Employee Thanksgiving

I know that the economic climate in our country is at an all time low, but what does it say when the largest retailer in our nation puts up collection bins not for the needy residents of their community. I find this to be the most shameful thing this company has ever done… instead of paying their workers a living wage they actually have the nerve to set bins out so that their customers can take pity upon their needy employees.  This company has a long history of not acting in their worker’s best interest and their wages and hours are bare minimum compensation for the work that they do.

It makes me wonder what they are going to do next, put up a Christmas tree in front of the store and expect their customers to leave gifts for their underpaid employees?  I am not that old and I remember a time when companies gave their employees holiday bonuses to make sure that there was food on the table (and good food at that too) for the holidays.  My stepdad always brought in a ham that DuPont provided every year at Christmas time.

Wal-Mart can certainly afford to provide food for their needy employees, they are the most profitable retail store in the world afterall. Better yet pay them a responsible living wage so that they can afford to provide for their family year round.

Do These 9 Things in Your Kitchen to Lose Weight

The kitchen is the heart of the home, but it’s also the place that can make or break you on the weight loss front. If you’re on a quest to slim down, do these nine things in your kitchen.

Make Fruit Accessible

Make Fruit Accessible

  1. Make fruits as accessible as a bag of chips: Wash, cut up, and store fruits such as grapes, melon, kiwi, pineapple, and apples in reusable containers in the fridge so they’re easy to grab. Make sure they’re right up front at eye level so they’re the first thing you see when you open the fridge door.

 

  1. Prepare a big container of salad: Having a salad before dinner is a great way to fill you up so you eat less of the main course, but preparing a salad every night takes so much time that it’s tempting to skip out. Ensure you get a bowl of greens every night by making an enormous bowl of salad at the beginning of the week. You’re sure to eat a salad with dinner if it’s already made — just scoop out a bowl, top with vinaigrette, and enjoy.

Continue reading

Where Were You When Kennedy was Assassinated

John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy

Today marks the fiftieth anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination… I was wondering where everyone was and what they were doing when he was killed.  I know that many of you were not born.  Today we reflect on his legacy and some of us may wonder what would have happened if he did not die in the motorcade in Dallas fifty years ago.  Please leave a comment sharing your memories of this man or your tributes if you were born after his death.
Continue reading

The Life of Pi

poster

Life of Pi

I watched this movie this weekend and was amazed at the detail in it… it is hard to believe that the tiger was a computer animation. This movie drew me in and really made me question deeply what was going on. The visual aspect of this movie was absolutely stunning and even the smallest encounter with a creature had significance when it was brought together at the end, it also caused me to rethink everything witnessed and even left me wondering if in the end it was Pi’s way of dealing psychologically with the loss of everyone he loved and knew or if the tiger ever existed or not.

Hearty Hamburger Soup

Hamburger Soup

][1] Hamburger Soup

My mother knows how to stretch every dollar out of the food budget she can.  While good choice meats are now selling at good choice prices, you can still get reasonably lean hamburger for much less than you can get soup/stew meat for.  This is a hearty soup that can be enjoyed on any chilly fall or winter day and it goes straight to work warming your bones. Don’t knock the simplicity of this recipe… it’s very good and I promise it won’t disappoint.  Serve it with simple biscuits and you have a winner every time.   While this recipe calls for very little mix in vegetables, you can add practically anything from leftover corn, cauliflower, green beans or what have you to mix it up a little bit.  My Grandmother used to freeze those one or two bites of leftover this or that vegetables and when her freezer container got full it was soup time.  In this economy wasted food is wasted money and it’s a shame to have to waste anything, especially when you can repurpose it into tasty soup. Continue reading

Health Challenges To Be Met

Reclaim My Health

Reclaim My Health

Dear Friends, I have came to the realization today that I need to make changes for my health… I need to learn to eat better breakfasts… I need to rest more… I need to take better care of myself.  I need to do some serious work on getting better. Sooner or later we all come to the shocking realization that we are no longer the young vibrant people we once were.  With age comes responsibilities… and things do not get easier.  I need to find ways to walk more… I need to find ways to put better food choices on the table.  I need to find ways to encourage me to do what needs to be done. This is not going to be easy at all… I am ready to accept the challenge… 2012 and 2013 were not good years for me… 2014 I must do things differently… or face the reality that I won’t be very happy in 2015.