Thanksgiving Thoughts

So I've been so busy living that I haven't had time for writing! Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I guess that would be a good thing to take note of for just a moment. How many of us really stop every day (or even every week or month) to pay attention to what we're thankful for? A few weeks ago a church member suggested we take a few moments and write down what we were thankful for. The list was easier to make for some than others, and I didn't do as well as I would've liked.

With that in mind, and recalling a class I had taken once in college, I started a prayer time in the evenings during which I spent the first few minutes only giving thanks. I haven't been as faithful with it as I should, but it has definitely brought some things to my attention. First, the more you practice an "attitude of gratitude" (see a recent Reader's Digest too), the easier it comes. Second, prayer is powerful and prayer mingled with thanksgiving and intercession is a tremendous blessing. I might also add that if you start such a regimen the devil will certainly start out to mess you up--don't let him!

So...may you be both blessed and thankful as we make our way toward another year! I know I am!

Mind Games

Well, I'm told that things like crossword puzzles and word searches are good for keeping your mind sharp. However, I've also found that they're addicting! Remember that post about temperance? It applies to all aspects of life, as I said, and this definitely is an aspect of life...but, oh, it's hard to apply it here!

I don't know about you, but I like "mind games"--that is to say, things like puzzles, logic games, etc. I do think they're helpful and you get better at them with time. Best of all, there's something for everyone. Don't like Sudoku? Try jigsaw puzzles. Can't stand crosswords? Give search-a-word puzzles a chance. And if you really want some mind-blowing mind games, study up on optical illusions, especially those done by Escher (like the one above). I guarantee you'll find something both enjoyable and useful.

While we're at it, though, I want to put in a plug for one of the best memory sharpeners around. We can come back to memory at a later date, but while you're working on sharpening your mind in general, do something to wake up your memory muscles. What's the best way to do that? Bible memorization. More on that later, though.... Happy November and happy mind-exercising!

Family, Friends and Fun

I really should make this more than one post...maybe I'll do a continued one later. The fact is, I've been having so much of these three things, I haven't had time to get on here and write about them! But I do think they're important to living a good and healthy lifestyle.

Frankly, I think all of these three things are under-rated. Oh I know psychologists talk about having a good support system and everyone says that laughter is the best medicine, but how many people really believe that? Do you believe it?

I certainly believe it's true. And what's more important, I think you can create your family. Yeah, that sounds a little weird, but while you can't choose the family you were born into, you can choose to separate yourself from members who are abusive and/or harm you through their relationship with you. At the same time, you can choose to include people in your family (by involving them in activities, treating them like family, etc.) who add good things to your life and whom you enjoy having around. We had an experience similar to the latter just this past week.

In short, I think one of the most important things to do is create connections that are beneficial to both parties (not in a parasitical way, but in a genuinely loving, caring way). Sadly, there are times when it is also important to cut connections -- while it's never good to burn bridges, sometimes it is necessary to diminish or even cease contact. And since most of us don't have the perfect family, I sincerely hope you have the opportunity to "recreate your family" today!

Garlic Season

Well, two seasons have just begun: Fall and the flu season! Which is why I'd like to recommend that people start another season -- the garlic season! In case you haven't heard, garlic is one of the all-time best ways to avoid being sick. Don't believe me? Just try it!

Garlic has had a long and colorful history for such a plain-looking little herb, but a lot of folks still don't really appreciate it. But garlic has an extraordinary ability for keeping germs and other "sick bugs" away...and I don't mean by hanging it around your neck! :-)

In our house, we take garlic tablets, pour garlic into food we're cooking, and then sprinkle garlic powder onto food while we're eating it! Just about everything except chocolate and ice cream has garlic in it. And no, I'm not kidding, either. :-) My mom has a kind of tea she concocts with garlic and cayenne in it -- quite frankly, I don't think anything could survive it, let alone a humble germ! ;-)

All literary hyperbole aside, however, let's face the facts: My mom also hardly ever gets sick. Furthermore, I can vouch for the fact that a sore throat will take a hike if you suck on a clove of raw garlic. Does it taste bad? Not that bad, and it's definitely better than getting really sick. (Just don't suck on it past when it starts to burn; at that point, you need to trash it and get a fresh one.)

So the next time you start feeling like you might be coming down with something, grab some trusty garlic...and it wouldn't hurt a bit to go on and grab some now -- it's great prevention!

As I was saying...

Well, last week sort of collapsed on me and I didn't get anything written. Nor could I think of anything to write just now, until I remember that I had mentioned Ramen noodles in a previous post. I thought now would be a good time to write about them. :-)

One thing I will say about Ramen noodles is that it's best to get the right brand. Top Ramen is the brand name of the ones we get...and they are good! We got the wrong brand recently and they just didn't taste right. The noodles were too tough and the seasoning was too salty.

Speaking of seasoning, Ramen noodles come with that little packet of seasoning -- we always get the Oriental flavored ones because they're vegetarian -- but you can put your own in instead. We frequently use McKay's beef or chicken seasoning (which is also vegetarian).

If you want something quick, easy, and (usually) hot, Ramen noodles are the best way to go. They're good for you, they taste good even when you're sick, and anyone can fix them -- even me! I have a friend that does movie nights with me every week or two and we almost always have Ramen noodles. I know another friend that was in college and someone gave him a case of Ramen noodles as a Christmas present because he practically lived off of Ramen noodles while he was in school. I hope you've had Ramen noodles too and if not, I highly recommend you try them. :-)

Consequences

Well, I haven't been following my own advice very well and guess what? I've been suffering the consequences for the last few days! I've been running a fever and sniffling and basically doing nothing but sleeping it off. (Proof I should've done the sleeping before when I was supposed to, huh?)

Anyway, I'm going to try to do better now...not that I'll be perfect or anything, but hopefully I'll remember that it's no fun to be sick. :-) I hope none of you have been suffering similar consequences; it's much more fun to follow good rules of health!

Always remember, though: God cares for the sick as well as the healthy, and He wants to help you, even if you do get sick because of not following His natural laws. I haven't been feeling well enough to do much devotional reading the last few days, so I've spent a lot of time praying. I hope you pray, too -- it's a good vitamin. :-)

On Sleep

I'm beginning to think all health topics are under-rated. Take sleep, for yet another example. When was the last time you really stopped and thought about how much sleep you're getting...or what quality...or more importantly, how it measures up to what you should be getting?

I'm sure you've heard various opinions on how much sleep one should get each night...but are you aware that it matters when you get that sleep? It's been proven (by studies and personal experience) that the best sleep is before midnight. (Has something to do with the chemicals your body produces to help you sleep better and when they're at their peak, if I remember correctly.)

What about sleep schedules? Did you know your body does better when you get up and go to bed at regular times? I mean, it's common sense, but too often we don't manage it and then wonder why we're tired. (Believe me, I'm preaching to the choir here! I got eight hours of sleep last night, but it was between 11:30pm and 7:30am, roughly. Not good on the biological clock!)

Anyway, I hope that this is at least thought-provoking and that we all will take another look at our nightly schedules. Sometimes things can't be changed and late nights can't be helped, but all too often we continue in bad habits that can be changed. Sweet dreams!

On Temperance

If exercise is under-rated, I know temperance is...and it's probably even more difficult. For one thing, it's often misdefined. (Yes, that's a word--I looked it up!) We often think of temperance as avoiding things like alcohol and drugs, but Webster's dictionary also defines temperance more broadly as "moderation in action, thought, or feeling" and "habitual moderation in the indulgence of the appetites or passions."

How important is temperance? Think about it. Over-eating has been shown to be bad for us, but so has under-eating; better to be temperate. Exercising is good for us, but not if we overdo it; better to be temperate. Reading and study, even of the Bible or other religious/devotional books may be good, but too much means other things don't get done and may even be harmful (think vision, etc.); better to be temperate.

I'm not saying I've got this down yet, but I'm definitely beginning to see the importance of it and trying to implement it. Maybe we should all take a good look at our lives and find ways that we can be more temperate in something (or some things). After all, as the apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:5 (KJV), "Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand."

Exposition On Exercise

Exercise. What an over-rated, under-rated, adored, despised, controversial topic! For myself, I've always believed it was important but only recently have begun to realize just how important it can be. It can change not only your physical appearance and abilities, but your mind, emotions, and self-concept. It can even affect your spirituality.

Now I don't know about you, but I have difficulty keeping up an exercise routine. Furthermore, when I go to exercise, I often don't have a clue what I should do. Fortunately I found something that has helped me with that.

The TV station 3ABN runs a show called Body and Spirit. It features low-impact exercises in quite a variety and with practically no equipment. I think the only thing they've used in the episodes I've watched is a hand towel! It's actually pretty cool that they can do that many different things using simple exercises and still get a good aerobic workout in.

If you're interested in checking it out, you can google "3ABN" and find their website and schedule. They also have it set up so you can watch 3ABN online; I haven't had a chance to check it out and see if they actually show Body and Spirit on there, but they should. Anyway, it's helped me a lot and I hope it helps you. Happy exercising!

Footnote on Tomatoes

So I was sitting over a plate of Ramen noodles, trying to think of something else to write about and the Tomato Tales post got me thinking. (Of course, I could just write about Ramen noodles -- they're a health topic in themselves -- maybe another time...) There are SO many uses for tomatoes; I can't even begin to describe them all. But not too long ago I came up with a rather cool use for them that perhaps you might find interesting.

I don't know if I said, but I'm not much of a cook and when confronted with an ingredient that I'm not familiar with, I can get somewhat flustered. So I wasn't sure what to do one day when we had an eggplant that looked rather similar to the one above getting ready to go back on the kitchen counter. I don't know anything about eggplants (except that they seem like rather strange vegetables) and I didn't know what to do to make it edible...but it needed to be cooked and soon!

I went to our rather overabundant supply of cookbooks and fished out a classic called Joy of Cooking. I don't know if you're familiar with it, but if you're not you should definitely get it. It introduces you quite politely to each ingredient -- eggs, apples, eggplants, etc. -- and then gives several recipes for preparing them. After I read up on how I should treat this eggplant, I decided to fry it in slices.

But what to serve it with? The recipe suggested serving it with something (apparently eggplant is very plain when served alone and prefers company on the platter) and one of the suggestions was tomato slices. Wanting to do something more exotic than raw tomatoes, I hunted through to the tomato section of the cookbook and found a great recipe for Tomato Provencal.

Having combined the two recipes to my satisfaction, and obtained the good will of those who had to eat this concoction, I modified it and added it to my recipe collection. I have included it below in case you would like to try it. You will note there are no amounts listed; this is simply because there is no way I can know how much eggplant will need to be prepared and all the other amounts are dependant upon that. Suffice to say that the tomato will be in equal parts to the eggplant and all the other ingredients are to taste.

Eggplant Slices with Tomato Provencal

Eggplant
Tomato
Olive or vegetable oil
Cornmeal
Parsley
Salt
Sweet Basil
Oregano
Garlic

Slice eggplant and tomato and drain on rack. Can rub or sprinkle eggplant with lemon juice to prevent discoloration if desired. Sprinkle eggplant lightly with salt; sprinkle tomato lightly with salt, sweet basil, garlic, and a very small amount of oregano, and drizzle with a little oil. Let tomato sit while starting to fry eggplant with oil, cornmeal, and parsley (don’t let frying pan get too hot). Next, place tomato on greased pan and broil in oven about 5 minutes, then bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Place eggplant slices on serving plate with tomato slices on top and serve hot. Allow at least 30-45 minutes to prepare.

I would like to add that this recipe is entirely vegan, but tastes delicious...very gourmet in my opinion. :-) If for some reason you have trouble with it, however, I do recommend that you get Joy of Cooking and work out the combination to your own liking.

Tomato Tales

So I'm new to this blogging thing and was trying to think of something to write about. One of the things I thought about when I came up with the title was that a lot of people are interested in living "right" or "well"...things like that. I believe in living in the light of God's love. Of course, that's not always popular, but it's the way I try to do things. Not that that's all this blog is about -- actually, there's a lot of things we can all do, whether we believe in God or not.

For example, due to the hard times a lot of people are having financially, there was a meeting at our church this past week to help people learn how to cut back and save. Well, I liked my mom's view of the subject -- she said that while they were learning how to fish (think of the proverb "teach a man to fish"), she was going fishing! So she found a place that would let her glean tomatoes for free.

Here's where I come in. I wasn't raised doing a lot of canning and freezing and stuff, but we try to live healthfully and cheap and I'm learning to do a lot of it now. So I spent a good bit of the last two days sitting by the sink cutting up tomatoes. Good recipe for when the a/c isn't working, the house is too hot for canning, and you haven't much time: Rinse tomatoes, cut out bad spots, hard spots, etc. and cut into chunks, and dump in garbage bags in freezer. Then you can take them out and thaw them later in the fall or winter and can them properly. Just one way to save money and electricity...and live more healthfully at the same time.