Tag Archives: food

Penny Spa

11 Saturday Feb 2017

Posted by in Fun, Health and Food

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Earlier this week my wife and I celebrated our thirteenth wedding anniversary – with a stay vacation all week! Yep, a whole week off work with no wasted time traveling, crowds or traffic, seedy motel rooms, or bad food. Our town is already like a vacation destination and has tons of great food establishments. Plus, our house is very cozy and just right for hanging out. We are close by to parks, trails, and a short walk to downtown.

A definite highlight of our week was our “penny spa” on Saturday, thanks to our nine year old daughter. I don’t know how or why she came up with this idea, but she warned us a few days beforehand that she was going to do a spa on Saturday for us. Then, the night before as we were tucking her into bed she said, “just twelve more hours until your spa!”

img_0312Saturday morning she had everything ready to go; soothing “rain forest” music from the internet, a gooey rub-on mask for facials (smelled like glue!), cucumbers for our eyes, treats (from a paper menu), foot massages, back massages with karate chops, neck massages, hair brushing, and our favorite magazines. My wife got forty-five minutes worth and me, a half hour. I told our daughter that I would tip her and she asked, “why?” She only wanted a penny. Pretty sweet, huh! We’re living the good life for sure.

At lunch time it only seemed fitting that we take her to our favorite gourmet pizza place. Then we went to our favorite French pastry shop. We topped it off with some impromptu shopping and found some bargain deals on a few of her favorite toys.

It was one of those “smelling the roses” kind of days that don’t come around often enough and, when they do, go by all too quickly. Come to think of it, the entire week went by way too fast! That seems to be life these days – weeks, months, and even years slipping by faster and faster. But so glad we got this sweet moment!  In fact, a mystery is this: If we were immortal with nothing but endless time, we might long for it to be limited for a while so that we might better savor the moment. Penny spa is that wish come true.

The majority of the world’s best thinkers, leaders, servers, fighters, and artists throughout history are mostly forgotten. Yes there are ruins, writings, and now the internet as if to reach eternity. But there is no vast remembrance of innumerous real greats from ages gone by. Still, the effect of so many of them continues, showing that our magnificent efforts in life are not just about our one short blip in time. Let’s make it count beyond us.

Our Great Modern Food Supply

06 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by in Health and Food

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Just how much is food and health tied to money? They’re inseparable. But don’t miss this one. It’s a big hitter. If we don’t understand these concepts and do something about it, then the effects are national, even global, and catastrophic. It all started with a well-meaning idea to figure out how to increase food production for a starving world. But it quickly began to get out of control.

What do you think happens when the large pesticide and herbicide companies buy out the seed companies, genetically alter and patent features of plant cells that are herbicide/pesticide resistant, and ensure that those plant’s seeds (such as genetically engineered corn, soybean, canola) are the most widely used for food production (thanks to government subsidies)? What if these mega giants go even further and sue farmers who unintentionally end up with the company’s patented product growing in his fields (also forcing the farmer to destroy his own stored seed base because it is now contaminated with the patented product)?

Here’s what happens (and has happened): You now have a cleverly devised, giant scale food monopoly consisting of a few mega companies that control the majority of food production from seed to market. A great disaster is awaiting us. The immense diversification of plant seeds and genetic varieties for farming is being lost. And as a result of relying on relatively few varieties of genetically engineered seeds, unknown genetic side effects in the plants may render crops a failure in certain geographic regions, due to disease, weather or soil conditions. When this happens, there may be few other sources of natural seeds to use and certain crops may not be able to be grown on a wide scale for years until sufficient quantities of other seed varieties can be reestablished. In other words, unpredictable food shortages and high prices.

It seems like the so called solution to world hunger (by the food production giants) could actually be the very cause of future food shortages. And it doesn’t help when countries can import subsidized food products cheaper than they can grow them – it puts the local farmers out of business and makes more and more people reliant on the food giants. This actually has the effect of increasing world hunger should there be a glitch in the mega food production. For a fascinating documentary on this subject, watch The Future of Food (for free) on Hulu.

But supposing everything goes according to plan and there is plenty of highly processed and/or genetically engineered foods to go around. What then? Is our modern food production system safe and healthy? On the whole, no. For the most part, food was much more healthy for us when everyone had their own garden. But because most of us don’t know the first thing about gardening anymore, and because the majority of our diet consists of highly processed “food” products, we have brought on the cause of much of the health problems that affect the “civilized” nations. Malnutrition and obesity together! We are what we eat!

Genetically altered corn based products are killing us, among others.  And we are not eating enough vitamins, minerals and fiber. As a result of our ever poor diets, we turn to the drug companies for the answers to our symptoms (and they’re more than ready and willing to “help” supply us with a pill for every ailment). We don’t even think to look at our nutrition as the possible cause of our health issues. Doctors don’t really go there anymore. Most simply write out another prescription.  Wisdom in food therapy like the Gerson diet is frowned upon.

For a real eye opener on these topics, watch the movies Foodmatters, Killer at Large and Fat Head.

So what can we do? We should grow our own foods and/or buy from the local farmers markets, buy organic, eat raw fresh fruits and vegetables as often as possible, eat superfoods regularly, and avoid over-processed foods (if there are a bunch of ingredients with names you can’t pronounce then chances are it’s over processed).

Let’s re-learn basic nutrition. Try juicing (for a great story on juicing, see Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead)! The food producers and grocery stores will cater to our likes and dislikes. We have all the power – if together we start eating smart again.

This takes practice, and I’m as guilty as anyone in not eating right.  In fact, after recently adding the reference to Killer at Large and stating how corn products are killing us – just that same afternoon I happily ate fried corn chips and corn flour tacos!  Some habits are hard to break.  🙂

Canning the Best Tomatoes

26 Wednesday Oct 2011

Posted by in Health and Food

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We don’t can tomatoes to save money on our grocery bill.  But in the long run, we just might save a ton on health costs!  The tomato is a “super” food and it is also one of few of the vegetables and fruits that, when canned/jarred, retains much its nutritional value (The Great Physician’s Rx for Health & Wellness, Jordan Rubin – much more at his website http://greatphysiciansrx.com/).

Tomatoes are one of the easiest foods to can as well.  In just two to four hours of medium labor you will end up with up to a year’s supply of tomatoes for your raved about lasagna and spaghetti dishes.  Not only that, but your canned tomatoes are far better quality and taste than store-bought canned tomatoes (because the big food producers do not use perfectly ripe tomatoes as you will).

Here is what you will need:

  1. Perfectly ripe tomatoes, preferably local bought right from the farmer (as in ready to slice and eat immediately). Note that 25 pounds of tomatoes (approximately one standard size packing box) yields about 10 quart jars of canned tomatoes.
  2. Salt
  3. Sugar
  4. Lemon juice
  5. Quart jars with lids (note that the lids are two-part, the flat top with the seal and the threaded rim).  Use only new (unused) lids.  The jars and rims can be used over and over.  Either the narrow or wide mouth jars are fine.
  6. Canning pots (find them cheap at garage sales).
  7. Jar racks and tongs (check at thrift stores).
  8. A metal strainer to scoop hot tomatoes out of the pot.
  9. Some patience and humor, because it will be a bit messy – but it cleans up.

Directions:

  1. Clean work area and utensils thoroughly.  Remember that as in any food preparation, starting with clean counters, sinks, jars, pots, utensils (and you) is a must.
  2. Wash all tomatoes and stage in a clean area.
  3. Get several canning pots going on the stove (on our standard four-burner stove we tend to have two pots for cooking the jarred tomatoes, and one for heating water for removing skins).  Note you will be putting either raw tomatoes or jarred tomatoes into the pots so only fill them about half way.  If you do not have a large enough pot for removing skins (step below), you can use several smaller pots to boil water and use your sink (or a smaller pot placed in the sink) for the hot water (you will continually be replacing the water in the sink with fresh boiled water, as once the water in the sink begins to cool it no longer performs its function of getting the tomato skins to split).
  4. Dip a batch of tomatoes (maybe a dozen or so) in boiling water for about 30 to 60 seconds or until the skins split.  Note that you will have to do this step in stages, dipping as many tomatoes as you can fit in the pot or want to work with at a time.
  5. Transfer the tomatoes to a cold water bath (second sink, or another large pot).
  6. Slip off skins (you may need a knife to help peel them).
  7. Leave tomatoes whole or cut in halves or smaller pieces depending on your preference (we find that halves or pieces are easier to work with).
  8. Fill quart jars with tomatoes (you do not need to add any water – just keep pushing down the tomatoes).  Jar should be full to about 1/2 inch from the top.
  9. Run a knife or wooden spoon handle repeatedly through the tomatoes to remove any air.  Jar should be full to about 1/2 inch from the top.
  10. Add one teaspoon salt.
  11. Add one teaspoon sugar.
  12. Add one and a half teaspoons of lemon juice.
  13. Wipe rim of jar to remove any tomato particles.
  14. Place clean lid on jar and screw on rim until just snug – do not get carried away tightening down the lids because they will need to “breathe” a bit when they are cooking.
  15. After you have enough jars to fit in the boiling pot (usually about seven quart jars will fit in a standard home canning pot and rack), transfer the jars to the boiling pot.  Make sure water level is slightly above top of jars.
  16. After water returns to a boil, boil for 45 minutes (slightly more at higher elevations – up to 10 more minutes).
  17. Gently lift the rack or single jars (using tongs) out of the water and set on the counter (good idea to have a towel underneath) to cool.
  18. It is a good idea to not move the jars until they are completely cooled to room temperature (or next day to be safe).
  19. Check to make sure that the lid on each jar has “popped” down (you will hear them popping as the jars cool).  They will usually start “popping” within the first half hour.  You can visually see this and there is no need to touch the lid or push on it.
  20. Any jar lid that has not “popped” down after an hour of cooling should be removed, the rim wiped clean, a new lid replaced and the jar re-boiled with the next batch.  Note: If you get tired of doing this or only have a few that did not seal, you can always put the tomatoes in a container in the refrigerator and make a fabulous fresh spaghetti sauce the next day or freeze the container and make your lasagna later!
  21. When all the jars are cooled (preferably, the next day), gently remove the screw on rims, and wash the jars with a moist rag or small towel (they will be sticky from the tomatoes and sugar water that have boiled out).
  22. Now proudly position those beauties in your pantry (up higher if you have kids) and look forward to enjoying THE BEST canned tomatoes you have ever tasted.  Try to use them up in a year (they will probably last longer, buy why keep them longer since you will can fresh ones next year!)