Pineapple Plants

Well, I got this idea from +Aarica Langdon on +Blythe Raw Live show a while back. I tried it last month & the poor thing didn't make it. So, I am trying 2 more. These 2 have really good roots already, so hopefully, they will grab hold of the soil well.
Make sure you get a ripe pineapple by pulling on a leaf about an inch up from the top of the pineapple. If it pulls out easily, the fruit is ripe.

To plant the top, all you do is grab hold of the pineapple firmly and twist the top off. Then, pluck the leaves off until about an inch of the base is bare of leaves. You can see all the rootlets near the bottom. Clean out that fleshy section that is protruding from the bottom with your fingers if there is a lot.
Plant it in good potting soil, water thoroughly & hopefully, it will take hold and grow. It takes about 18 months for the plant to mature and bear a new pineapple.

Yogurt-Dipped Strawberries recipe

This is a very easy-to-do treat that I found on Google+ by +Sata Ataie. Here is my step-by-step with pictures while making it.

1 package of fresh, organic strawberries
2 cups organic whole milk yogurt

Rinse the strawberries. Then, cut off the leafy cap.

Rinse again. Then, dry thoroughly.

Roll or dip each berry in the yogurt until covered.

Place dipped berries in glass pan and put in freezer overnight.

Enjoy!
(And, don't throw out any leftover yogurt. It's still yummy to eat, it just has a hint of strawberry taste now!)

More Food Shopping

As if it wasn't enough to spend several hundred dollars on food yesterday at the co-op ... I spent a bit more today because we forgot a couple of things yesterday & there were also discounts & sales I couldn't pass up!

I had to mail a few things at the local PO annex in the store down the street. Well, they had a shopping cart full of discounted bananas! And, yes, I bought more. .39c/lb.! Couldn't pass that up. I just put up 3 more bags in the freezer. I would have liked to have bought the whole cartful! Also bought more blackberries (2 for price of 1) & 2 pineapples ($2 ea.!) Kumquats that just came in & the guy had to find the price. I've never had kumquats & have been wanting to try them. Plus, a few veggies for Christmas dinner dressing that we forgot yesterday.


Going to cut up the pineapple & freeze the chunks now. I may try to plant the top of one again. My last try failed. I'm determined to get one to grow!
Then, after lunch, I will be making a snack recipe to share that I saw on Google+ the other day.

Tuna Recall - undeclared soy allergen

Market Basket Initiates Limited Regional Voluntary Recall of Market Basket Solid White Albacore Tuna in Water 5 oz. Product Due to Undeclared Allergen

As a precautionary measure due to mislabeling, Market Basket is initiating a voluntary recall of its Market Basket Solid White Albacore Tuna in Water 5 oz. product — specifically, only those products ...

Frozen Bananas tip

Do you use a lot of bananas in your smoothies or other recipes? Make sure to check your local co-op for discounted bananas and stock up! I buy several bunches of discounted organic fair trade bananas for .49-.79c/lb. whenever I can. Just because the skin has black spots does not mean the banana inside is no good. Just peel them, then layer them in zippered freezer bag and freeze. Don't stack them on each other inside the bag or they are harder to separate. I try to put them in whole and not in chunks for the same reason.

Popcorn Recall - Undeclared Allergens

Popcorn Palace Issues Allergy Alert on 1-Gallon Value Bag Products

Popcorn Palace of Schiller Park, IL, is issuing this statement to alert people with allergies to Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Milk, Soy, and Wheat that some of our 1-Gallon Value Bags contain the undeclared in...

Breakfast Smoothie recipe

I threw this smoothie together this morning as an experiment. I get tired of my usual honey/lemon drink as it doesn't really mask the MSM & Vitamin C powders very well. So, I came up with this:

1 organic banana
1 cup frozen organic raspberries
1 cup homemade almond milk (my recipe here: http://quingemsquisine.blogspot.com/2011/10/raw-almond-milk-recipe.html)
1/2 teaspoon powdered Vitamin C (about 2000 mg)
1/4 teaspoon powdered MSM (about 1000 mg)
1/4 teaspoon maca powder
10 drops spearmint-flavored astragalus

Blend until smooth.
Sorry, no picture. But, it is bright pink and yummy!

Ground Beef Recall - E. coli contamination

Deadly Bacteria Prompts Huge Ground Beef Recall | Rodale News

Beef processor Tyson Fresh Meats announced late on Friday afternoon that company officials were recalling 40,948 pounds of ground beef that was shipped to 16

Whipped Topping Recall - undeclared milk allergen

Ohio Processors, Inc. Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Milk Allergens in “Instantwhip B/C Topping” (Whipped Topping)

Ohio Processors, Inc. of London, Ohio announced a voluntarily recall on Instantwhip B/C Topping because the product contains an undeclared milk ingredient (sodium caseinate). People who have an aller...

Sweet Potato & Apple Dog Biscuit recipe

I found this recipe here: Whole Foods & adapted it.

3/4 cup cooked plain mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 cups Bob's Red Mill Stone Ground Whole Wheat flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup fine cornmeal (masa harina)
1/4 cup finely chopped organic mint
1 organic Gala apple, peeled, cored and grated

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together sweet potatoes and broth. Add flour, cornmeal, mint and apples and stir until combined. Knead the dough a few times until it holds together. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until about 1/4-inch thick. Use (2-inch to 4-inch) cookie cutters to cut out treats. Transfer to baking sheets. Bake until dried and just slightly golden on the bottoms, 25 to 30 minutes. Turn oven down to lowest setting (mine only goes down to 170F) for about 30 minutes if you have gas; or, turn electric oven off, leave oven door ajar and let the treats cool and dry out in the oven for 1 to 2 hours. Can also be dried out in the dehydrator overnight. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week or freeze for longer storage. This recipe made 35 two-inch bone-shaped cookies.
These are also people-friendly treats. ;)

 My mint was getting a bit dry, so had to use it fast! Made extra broth, in case the dough was too dry. Gave the rest to Nikky, mixed in her kibble.

Ready for the oven!

 The finished product!

And, it's a winner!

Celery Seed Recall - possible salmonella

Organic Celery Seed Recall:

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm284034.htm

Crockpot Pepper Chicken recipe

I found this recipe on AllRecipes & adapted it.

2 organic whole chicken breasts (WITH skin & bones)
1 organic red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 can organic crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup organic Italian dressing
1 organic heirloom yellow Roma-style tomato, sliced

Place all ingredients in crock-pot. Cook on high for one hour, then set to low for 4 hours.

 My red pepper was previously frozen, so is a bit wrinkly & I forgot to put the yellow tomato in the picture ...

After 1 hour on high, I turned it down to low to cook the rest of the day. Love that bright yellow tomato. I should have saved some seeds ...

~~~~~~~~~~
One hour to go and this is smelling delicious! Can't wait for dinner!

~~~~~~~~~~

Dinner was great! Here's the result. This recipe fed 2 humans, 1 large kitten and 1 small dog.

Raw Milk article

homegrown & handmade: What's so bad about raw milk?

What's so bad about raw milk? Maybe it's just coincidence or maybe it's just my imagination, but it seems that since Farmageddon was released, the heat has been turned up against raw milk....

Baked Apple Recipe

I found this recipe on AllRecipes & adapted it a bit.

1 organic Gala apple, cored, sliced, peeled
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons organic flour
1/8 teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon organic raisins
1 Tablespoon + 2 3/4 teaspoons chopped organic walnuts
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon organic whole milk
Organic pasture butter or organic coconut oil

Grease small 2 3/4 cup casserole dish with butter or coconut oil. In a small bowl, mix apple, flour, sugar, spices, raisins & nuts. Pour mixture in casserole. Pour milk over all. Bake in 350F oven for 45 minutes.
Served 2.

Beef Heart & Exercise!

I am thrilled to say that I found some beef heart this morning! I asked again at my local co-op & the butcher said he thought there was some in the freezer. He found it, but then he couldn't find a price on it. But, then he said I could have it all! Three beef hearts for free! Fantastic! And, they look really good. Have to partially thaw them to separate, though ...

And, in other news, I got some good exercise in after lunch.
Exercycle:
15.1mph
3.9 miles
15.08 minutes
245 calories burned
1 chapter of Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, Book 11) read
Trampoline
40 jumps
6 calories burned
Other exercises - 20 reps of each exercise.
Worn out.

Tortillas!

I just bought a tortilla press on eBay! I've wanted one for a while. I get tired of paying so much for tortillas when I learned how to make them when I was 12. I just hate kneading dough. So, I'll knead it in my breadmaker & then press in the tortilla press! I can't wait to get it! I still have the recipe I learned on, but I want to try lots of others. I love flavored tortillas & those with unusual grains (like spelt.) Anyone have links to good tortilla recipes?

Ravioli Recall - undeclared soy allergen

Rising Moon Organics Announces a Voluntary Recall of One Code Date of Mislabeled Mediterranean Garlic & Herb Ravioli Due to Undeclared Soy Allergen

Rising Moon Organics® today issued a voluntary recall of Rising Moon Organics Mediterranean Garlic & Herb Ravioli, a frozen product, because of an incorrect back label on some packages. This misl...

Candy Recall - Metal Contamination

Winn-Dixie Issues Voluntary Recall on Bulk Gummy Bears

Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: WINN), is voluntarily recalling Sunrise Assorted Flavor Gummy Bears sold in the self-serve bulk area of select store produce departments between November 14 and Decemb...

Wednesday Exercises

Well, another day, some exercises!
Exercycle:
18mph
4.3 miles
10.41 minutes
209 calories burned
Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, Book 11) one chapter read


Trampoline:
40 jumps
5 calories burned


I'll be doing my other exercises throughout the day. I had to run to the post office this morning. And, air my car tires up, so didn't get them all done this morning!

Afternoon Exercises!

Got into doing my exercises late today. Usually, I try to do at least the exercycle in the morning, but didn't get to it today. So, I did them all when I got home from work.
Of course, I read another chapter of Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, Book 11) while riding the exercycle:
19.2 mph
3.3 miles
10.25 minutes
159 calories burned
Then I did all my other exercises. Even burned another 25 calories on the trampoline. (I need to start getting the readings on that meter, too! I usually forget about it ...) And, I doubled up on my other exercises again. I had been doing 5 reps on each thing for the longest time. The other day, I went up to 10; today I did 20 on each! I'm worn out!

Root Cellar article

Root cellars and food preservation | How to Save Money, and Save Vegetables, by Creating a Simple Root Cellar | Rodale News

You can preserve some of this summer's and fall’s tastiest harvest by creating a root cellar in your yard—or even under your bed.

Dog Food Recall - possible Aspergillis contamination

Yes, it's another brand. Same problem!

Advanced Animal Nutrition Recalls Dog Power Dry Dog Food

Advanced Animal Nutrition today announced a voluntary recall of its dry Dog Power Dog Food- due to aflatoxin levels that were detected above the acceptable limit. The affected products were manufactur...

Monday Exercises!

I was in a bit of a rush this morning, so didn't write this down until now. But, I read another chapter of Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, Book 11) while riding my exercycle:
15.6 mph
5.4 miles
20.18 minutes
259 calories burned
That was a good ride! Now, I'm going to do my other exercises that I didn't get done this morning! Nice to spread them out sometimes. I also did quite a bit of walking in the stores I serviced this morning!

Sunday Exercises!

This morning I did quite a bit of exercising. It's nice having everything in one room! I even doubled up on the reps I usually do & it felt pretty good. I read another chapter of Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, Book 11) while riding the exercycle. I may need to start reading 2 chapters at a time. These seem pretty short.
17.7 mph
2.1 miles
7.11 minutes
105 calories burned

Exercise Room!

I finally moved all the exercise equipment out of my room & into the doves' room! So, the exercycle & abdoer have been joined by the mini-trampoline, exercise ball, resistance rings, dumbbells, & exercise pedal ...
So, I did all my exercises & then read a chapter of Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, Book 11) while riding my exercycle:
17mph
2.4 miles
8.19 minutes
119 calories burned.
Better than yesterday & slowly working back up to where I was last week.
Now, I need to cut up the butternut squash for tonight's soup.

Cilantro Recall - possible Salmonella

Pacific International Marketing Voluntary Recalls Product Because of Possible Health Risk

Pacific International Marketing (“Pacific”) is working with the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) and California Department of Public Health to coordinate a recall of Cilantro for potential contami...

Rice & Squash With Coconut-Almond Trout recipe

My mom & I teamed up for dinner tonight. We're using up the last of our white rice (will only buy brown in the future) & my mom was just going to make buttered white rice to go with the fish. But, I wanted to use up my small organic green squash, so I came up with this:

For rice:
1 cup baby carrots, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon organic pasture butter
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup rice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup organic green squash, chopped

For fish:
Trout (or freshwater fish of choice)
1/2 cup almond meal (ground almonds)
1/2 cup organic shredded coconut

Saute carrots and onions in butter until tender in cast iron skillet. Add the rest of the ingredients, except squash. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cover for 15 minutes. Add squash and cook for 10 more minutes, covered.

For the trout, lay out butterflied fish on a cookie sheet (or pizza pan) skin-side down. Layer almond meal and organic coconut flakes on the meat of the fish (the fish 'juice' helps to bind it somewhat as it cooks.) Bake in 350F oven for about 15 minutes.

 Rice ingredients.

 Fish is ready for the oven.

 This turned out GREAT!

Nothing wasted. The kids got a treat. Ezra got the skull & Nikky got the skin. Nikky wanted the skull, too, so Ezra ended up taking it under the Christmas tree to eat it all! They did start in the kitchen, but brought it into the living room! (Will have to clean the carpet, now!)

Tea Recall - glass fragments

Voluntarily Recall of Limited Quantity of 12 oz Tejava® Premium Iced Tea

As a precautionary measure, certain production lots of Tejava® Premium Iced Tea in 12 oz glass bottles are being recalled nationwide due to the possible presence of glass fragments which could be harm...

Ginger Smoothie recipe

This smoothie was so easy and the results are really yummy! I got the recipe from +Tracy Russell of IncredibleSmoothies.com on G+. I adapted it slightly.

2 frozen organic bananas
1 cup raw almond milk
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
(I was out of molasses, so I substituted organic dark maple syrup.)

Blend. Garnish with pinch of cinnamon.

Back to Exercises

I haven't been able to exercise since Monday morning due to car trouble that caused me to have to walk to the store in the bad winds we had at that time. I was in a bit of pain in my legs after that, but much better now.
Anyway, I started another book today, Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, Book 11) and read a short chapter while riding the exercycle.
14.7 mph
2 miles
8.04 minutes
98 calories burned
Not the best, but I need to work back up. I did all of my other exercises, too (trampoline, dumbbells, etc.)

Canned Soup article

canned soup | The Truth About Canned Soup | Rodale News

Your soup could be canned up in a chemical stew.

Saturated Fat article

Health Benefits of a Low-Carbohydrate, High-Saturated-Fat Diet by Donald W. Miller, Jr., MD

A hundred years ago, before Americans changed their diet and the calamitous events of the 20th century began, heart disease was far less common that it is now. Few Americans were overweight, and coron...

Candy Recall - Peanut Allergen

See’s Candies, Inc. Issues Allergy Alert on 8 ounce Almond Clusters, Code SF 088/12

See’s Candies, Inc. of San Francisco, Calif., is recalling one code of 8 ounce Almond Clusters, because they may contain peanuts. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanuts run the ri...

Cheese Recall - possible Listeria

Product Recall: Fair Oaks Dairy Products Issues Voluntary Recall For Fair Oaks Farms Fine Cheeses Half Pound Packages Because Of Possible Health Risk Due to Listeria Monoctyogenes Contamination

Fair Oaks Dairy Products, LLC, Fair Oaks, Indiana today issued a voluntary recall of certain one half pound retail packaged cheeses and cheese gift boxes produced under the Fair Oaks Farms Fine Cheese...

GMO Products article

What is GMO? | The Non-GMO Project

Agricultural Crops That Have a Risk of Being GMO For consumers, it can be difficult to stay up-to-date on food ingredients that are at-risk of being

Dog Food Recall - possible Aspergillis contamination (another brand)

Cargill Animal Nutrition Recalls River Run and Marksman Dry Dog Food

Cargill Animal Nutrition today announced a voluntary recall of two regional brands of its dry dog food – River Run and Marksman – due to aflatoxin levels that were detected above the acceptable limit....

Boxed Rice Recall - Undeclared Milk Allergen

Mars Food US Recalls Two Date Codes of UNCLE BEN’S Whole Grain White Rice Garden Vegetable Due to Undeclared Milk

Mars Food US today issued a voluntary recall of two date codes of UNCLE BEN’s Whole Grain White Rice Garden Vegetable due to an undeclared milk allergen. People who have an allergy or severe sensit...

Dog Food Recall - possible Aspergillis contamination

P&G Voluntarily Recalls One Production Lot of Dry Dog Food

he Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) has voluntarily retrieved a single production lot of dry dog food due to aflatoxin levels that were detected above the acceptable limit. This product has alre...

Water Tips article & video

Celestial Healing Wellness Center originally shared this post:

Why drink water? 7 health shockers that will make you grab your water bottle

By Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D. As a runner, I’ve always been an avid water drinker. And because I’m a dietitian and nutrition editor, I typically choose to hydrate with water (it’s calorie-...