Put Fruit and Veggies In your Diet

Did you know that what you eat makes the difference in your health. One easy way is to put fruit and vegetables in your diet. Fruits and vegetables in a daily diet have been shown to reduce your cancer risk. In fact, the American Cancer society recommends eating at least 2 1/2 cups of fruit and vegetables daily. 

Fruits and vegetables are important to the human body as they contain many important vitamins and minerals. They are normally low in calorie intake so they fit well in every ones diet and offers antioxidants that we all need. One tip that many nutritionist offer is to loo for the fruits and vegetables with the most color. Those with dark green, red, yellow, and orange have the most nutrients. So now the question is how to work fruit and veggies into the diet. 

Eating at least 2 1/2 cups of veggies and fruits a day is the recommended serving size. That is 5 servings at 1/2 cup. So how will you get those servings in each day?? Here are some ideas that may fit you

•  enjoy 1/2 banana, in your morning cereal
•  throw some frozen berries into cup of plain low fat yogurt
•  cook up an omelet with spinach and tomato on morning omelet
•  red, orange and yellow peppers go well in scrambled eggs
• enjoy a snack of applesauce
• baby carrots are great motivators so enjoy 5 or 6 for a treat
•  one small orange averages a 1/2 cup of fruit as well
•  for lunch why not eat a veggie wrap with a cup of vegetable soup
• opt for a salad with low fat dressing to add 1/2 cup to your daily diet
• cooking the family meal is easy to place veggies in the diet either frozen, fresh, canned or dehydrated. So many ways to add a bit of veggie to your diet
• pop a potato or better yet a sweet potato in the microwave and if you top it with salsa even better        
• Dessert is even made better with all the fresh, canned and prepared fruit desserts that can be made up              

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Be Safe: Don't Drink and Drive

What's one drink?? Let me tell you what one drink could do. It can devastate a family of a 16 year old boy who simply was celebrating by going out to eat with his family. He had just learned to drive and received his license. A man going home from his job disturbed at his job and wife decided to get a cold one on the way home. Perhaps... it was more than just one but if he had not stopped then he may not have caused that accident that took my uncles life and injured my grandparents.

In a separate incident my cousin returning home from Iraq was driving home from his job and was hit by a driver that crossed the line and ended his life. Want to do something about it?? Have a good time and do not drive home. Have a driver with you or do as I tell those I love and have your good time at home.

Just to be clear Drunk Driving is a crime committed when an individual drives a vehicle with an excess of alcohol in their blood. The charge of Driving Under The Influence that does not cause damage to property or injury often results in 6 months of jail time.

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Preparing Cauliflower for Later Use.

One of my mama's favorite cool season garden veggies is cauliflower. While a member of the cabbage family it is a bit harder to grow. You may want to do a quick search to find tips in growing cauliflower. The veggie has a large head that made up of florets and is white, green, purple or orange in color Cauliflower can be prepared a number of different ways including steaming, boiling, mashing , roasting and sautéing. 

When selecting your cauliflower ensure that the curd (the colored flowerets) are tightly paced without gaps. The leaves should also extend over the top. When growing your own remember that the flowerets will allow to save their color if the leaves are allowed to grow up and over. In addition, a shopping tip to save is that any brown spots may point to the item sitting on shelf too long. 

As we all are aware of there are many shopping helpers on the shelves now days. One time saver is pre chopped florets but these go to waste soon and should be used within 2 days time. If you can not prepare pre packed within in 2 days or fresh within 5 days then you can save a bit more time by blanching the cauliflower. To blanch cauliflower:

•  Bring large pan of water to boil ontop of stove. 
• Put florets in pan and boil 3 minutes
• remove florets and place in ice water.
• Remove florets from ice water, drain and place in fridge
• Blanched cauliflower can be frozen up to a year. 

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Newborn Screening Awareness Month

In the United States newborn babies are screened for conditions that may other wise not be noticed. Newborn screenings have been useful in ID'ing about 5,000 health conditions in new born babies. The screenings are made available to help improve lives of children as well as families. In order for the screenings to be successful every baby born In the United States must be screened. 

Genetic testing performed on newborns have showed to help decrease morbidity and mortality from genetic diseases. Some disease and disability have been shown to be prevented all together. 

, while in other cases it may only be currently possible to delay the onset or reduce the severity of disease.  To put it simply, newborn screening with confirmation through genetic testing can save babies’ lives and provide them a healthier start in life

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Make Your Own Finger Paint

3 tbsp sugar

½ tsp salt

½ cup corn starch

2 cups water

food coloring

1 tbsp liquid dish detergent

Combine the sugar, salt, corn starch, and water in a saucepan. Whisk until combined.

Stir over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens- stirring continuously.

One it is thickened pour in the liquid dish detergent and mix well.

Set aside and let cool.

Once it has cooled down pour into containers and add the desired food coloring.

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Recipe for Rice Month

September is National Rice month. While the harvest may be small rice is one grain that has been in America for over 300 years, Did you know that around 85% of the rice consumed is grown here in the United States. States such as Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas all grow the crop. In order to honor the hard work of these farmers I am sharing a delicious recipe of Fried Pork Rice 

2 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4" pieces

1/2 lb. ground pork

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp. grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 c. frozen peas

4 c. cooked white rice

2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp. hoisin sauce

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1 tsp. sesame oil

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add eggs and let sit for a few seconds before lightly scrambling and folding the egg mixture over itself. Remove from skillet and set aside.
2. In the same skillet, heat remaining tablespoon oil then add onion and carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. Add the ground pork to the skillet and season with salt and pepper, then cook until the pork is no longer pink and is starting to caramelize. Stir in the ginger, garlic, and peas and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add the rice then stir in the soy sauce, hoisin, green onions, and sesame oil. Toss to combine then fold in scrambled eggs. Serve immediately.

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Clip Those Coupons and Save

Do you take advantage of all the great deals in the Sunday paper?? If not then September may be the month you may want to take note of just what savings you could find. September is National Coupon month and is a great chance to start clipping those coupons and saving those green backs. However,, do not stop at the clip-able coupons because there is more savings to be had. 

Traditional coupons are still quite popular but now there are even more coupons and savings you can find on the internet and other mobile forms. Printable coupons have become a great way to save money. Coupon codes are yet another form that can be used to save. 

While you will not win a million by clipping coupons the savings has been shown to amount to 500 to 1000 dollars a year. Other great ways to save and gained by couponing include:

•  more knowledgeable of prices of products that are used often. This helps make a smarter shopper. 
• encourages shoppers to be more aware of sales that will help save even more money. 
• Take your child with you and have them practice math skills to see how much savings are gained

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Easy Baked Cinnamon Apple Recipe

Cinnamon Apples

3 medium firm, sweet apples, like Honeycrisp or Fuji

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Oat Topping

8 tablespoons (115 g) unsalted butter (1 stick)

3/4 cup (105 g) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (65 g) old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

• Prepare Apples
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray a baking dish large enough to fit 6 apple halves with non-stick cooking spray.
Halve the apples from stem to end and use a spoon to scoop out the core, seeds, and stem. Arrange the apple halves in the baking dish with the flesh facing up. Scatter 1-tablespoon of brown sugar and a 1/4-teaspoon of cinnamon over the apples.
• Make Topping
Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat then stir the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt into the melted butter (doing this directly in the saucepan reduces dishes).
Divide the topping between the apples, lightly pressing it down onto the apples.
• Bake Apples
Cover with aluminum foil and bake 25 minutes. Uncover the apples then bake another 20 to 30 minutes until the apples are soft and the topping has browned.

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Child Safety Awareness -==== Drowning

As you may or may not know I am expecting a grand-child any day now. With the due date of September 2nd and baby safety month awareness being in the month of September I thought no grander time than to share some great safety tips that you may find very useful. 

To start with, we will share some tips with the concern of drowning of children. Did you know that Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional deaths of children ages 1-4. Following are some tips that you may find very useful. 

•  children should never be left unattended around water.
•  If your home has a pool or spa ensure that they have barriers, covers and / or alarms 
•  children should be taught how to swim and how to administer CPR
•  One of the most common areas that drownings occur include bathtubs. Young children should never be left along without an adult in the immediate area. Drownings can occur quickly and quietly It only takes a small amount of water for a drowning to occur.