I can’t believe it’s been over a year since I have blogged. I have been working full-time and trying to maneuver my various blogs around by consolidating and reorganizing. We’ve been busy remodeling the house and I have been hanging out on Facebook–a lot!
I bought some ingredients to make a green veggie drink and the lettuce began wilting in the fridge, so today I got to it. I have never had pulverized lettuce before. I have used kale in smoothies and I have juiced other vegetables like carrots and cucumbers in a juicer.
I thought the flavor was good but the consistency was a little odd. I used apple and banana and it had the consistency of thick sludge. Supposedly, this green drink is supposed to be very good for your skin. I think I prefer to chew my lettuce.
“Oh, yes I am getting beans, all the same length to make Dilly Beans,” said Debbie, the farmers market customer whom I just met. We proceeded to have conversation about canning, etc. I continued to shop for produce but kept wondering about the Dilly Beans.
I caught up with her again at the check-out stand. “How do you make the Dilly Beans?”
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“Let me have your phone number and I will text you the recipe,” said Debbie.
I felt a connection, even if only for a brief moment. She texted me the recipe to preserve the beans but I have yet to put them up.
I often think about how easy it is to meet some people and others not. I feel like I just want to make the Dilly Beans so that I can respond to Debbie to let her know that I was successful making them. I may need to wait until next year as the season for green beans is almost past.
Meeting new people is just a matter of talking to them and I feel that even though our encounter was brief we were friends for those brief moments. I do have her phone number so I will need to reach out to her since we have this dilly green bean connection.
This little miniature-sized kernel is packed with health benefits and is believed to prevent certain types of cancer, can help control diabetes, is gluten-free, offering a dietary option to people with celiac disease. It improves digestive health, builds strong bones, promotes red blood cell development, and boosts energy and fuel production. What’s not to love?
Sorghum is mineral-rich, and contributes 10g of protein and 6g fiber per 1/2 cup to the diet. It is a good source of calcium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. You can pop it like popcorn or use it as a replacement for rice or barley in your favorite dishes or soups.
Sorghum is a drought tolerant cereal grass native to Africa, but is widely cultivated throughout the world, including the U.S, Central and South American and India.
If quinoa and millet are just not doing it for you, why not give sorghum a try. You can even buy it as flour and as beer and in packaged foods like crackers.
I especially love popcorn and this is a good alternative to popcorn. It is oh, so flavorful, especially when you pop the kernels in ghee. Another benefit to eating sorghum is that there are no annoying hulls that get stuck in your gums and teeth. They are a bit small to pick up with your fingers so it does take some getting used to. Also, not all of the kernels pop, but they are also edible but I tend not to eat the un-popped ones.
1/3 cup sorghum2 tablespoons melted gheemedium high heat, put a lid on it when it begins to pop and shake the pan a bitadd a little salt and enjoy!
Lately, it’s all things avocado. Avocado toast, avocado colored shoes, guacamole. There are even giant avocados grown in Florida that measure three feet long and cost around $45. That is some serious green there!
Avocado is incredibly nutritious: Vitamin K, folate, Vitamin C, potassium, Vitamin B5 and B6, Vitamin E. It also contains small amounts of magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, zinc, phosphorous and vitamins A, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin) and B3 (niacin).
Benefits of Avocado
Contains more potassium than bananas
Loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids
Loaded with fiber
Eating avocados can lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels
Avocados weigh in at around 160 calories, 2 grams of protein and 15 grams of healthy fats. They do not contain any cholesterol or sodium and are low in saturated fat.
Avocados are considered a high-fat food but the fat content is oleic acid—a monounsaturated fatty acid that is also in olive oil.
You can get as creative as you want to with avocado. Of course, there is avocado toast where you spread avocado on toast and top with an egg. Add some arugula to the top with a sprinkle of lime juice and celery salt. I’ve had avocado in breakfast bowls comprised of brown rice, egg and slices of avocado with a sprinkle of soy sauce. There are a myriad of ways to prepare it.
Seriously, you can’t go wrong with eating avocado in any way, shape, or form. They taste good and are good for you. My favorite way to eat them is mashed with a clove of pressed garlic, a squeeze of lemon or lime juice to prevent oxidization and to add flavor, a sprinkle of sea salt, a hint of tabasco and then I dig in with some tortilla chips. Yum!
Gummy Color Therapy Photo by Surasak Klinmontha/Shutterstock.com
I am a creature of habit and sometimes I go on a gummy bear kick. I think I like to eat them because they are fat-free and tasty to boot. The only problem is they are pretty much all sugar and have no vitamins or minerals even though you may think they do since many vitamins are now of the gummy variety. One small bag of gummy bears run in the 300 calorie range and that is nothing to sneeze at. I like the German variety best.
I think one of the reasons I like them is because they are colorful. In fact, I think I like to look at the colorful gummy bears more than I like to eat them although I think the color entices me to eat them. Color makes me happy or at least happier.
Color is a welcome boost especially living in the Northwest where it is gray and dismal much of the year albeit very green. Color selection is big business, in advertising, apparel, décor, etc. I think it is fascinating. The colors you choose to wear and surround yourself with emote different psychological feelings.
I have a lot of black in my closet because black is easy and goes with just about everything. I also have a lot of the color pink, especially in the warmer months. Typically, I look out for the new color trends and try to buy the color en vogue just because sameness gets boring. It’s easy to buy a solid colored t-shirt or two and layer with a jacket. Voila! Updated wardrobe.
I’ve often thought about what heaven would look like and in my mind it typically looks like earth with maybe some more clouds. What if it was really colorful! …on earth as it is in heaven!
