Cucumber smoothie

Minty Cucumber smoothie


1 big cucumber, peeled
a handful of mint leaves
about 12 stevia leaves
7-10 ice cubes
water so the blender will blend

Throw it all in the blender and blend...
That's all, and the picky eater who will sometimes eat cucumbers gave the thumbs up.  He liked it.

Ceiling Fans! Part One :D

I'm so happy!  I've been searching for a decent ceiling fan that won't crack me in the head or chop off my fingertips every time I stretch (yes, occasionally I try to get a workout at home).  Well... hopefully they won't...

First, let me fill you in about what I learned while shopping for ceiling fans.  The most reliable, quiet, quality fans are Casablanca and Hunter fans.  I'm sure there are others, maybe Emerson, but these are the two I looked at.  Casablanca fans are more expensive, and I couldn't find one within my price range (as cheap as possible) so I looked at the Hunter fans.  Now, the fans are supposedly most efficient if they are 7ft-8ft above the floor, and since I have a 8ft ceiling, that gave me no room for "most efficient."  I considered a flush mount fan (also called hugger), but found the drop was similar, about 14-15".  And the one Hunter hugger fan I found had LED lighting which looked like a yellowy-greenish alien cave glowy thingie... uh... no thanks.  Also, flush mount fans are even less efficient at circulating air, due to being so close to the ceiling... I guess fans gotta breathe too :).   

Anyway, with my low ceiling,  I couldn't find a fan with a good light here that was less than 16" down.  Not much breathing room.  Oh... and I also wanted one with a matte nickle finish like our other light.  At last I found an affordable one ($169.00 each) with only a 14.5" drop.  That'll do... I'm short... DH doesn't workout, my kids are all short (for now).   So here is a pic of the fans I'll be installing.  Nice eh?

 Now, please don't tell me anything negative about this fan.  I know it doesn't circulate as much air as some of the other ones I've seen.  But I can't raise the ceiling, and DH insisted on a Hunter fan, so I had to compromise.  I know I'm gonna definitely need some help with this project.  Last time I installed a simple light fixture, I had to yell for help and my DH held the light while I wired it up.  This time, it'll be a little heavier, and more complex.  But I have better help...

I now have a good friend whom I do some sewing for who is also a handyman by trade.  :)  Yippee!  He's offered to help me install them on his next day off.  There will be another post with pictures when that happens, so I can remember what we did.  I might want to install a fan in our bedroom one day...

Pina Colada smoothie

Yup... it taste just like a pina colada (virgin version).
1 big kale leaf
2 slices of pineapple
about a table spoon of coconut oil
flax seeds
ice cubes
soy milk
Blend it up and you have a drinkable kale concoction. My kids don't like it because they don't like pineapple, but I couldn't even taste the kale.

Green Smoothies

Okay... I'm adding green smoothies to our diet.  After seeing an ND for the last 3 months, I've decided that a change in our diet is necessary.  I've slowly been adding more fruits and veggies, fish and healthier grains to our diet and have just started on the green smoothie path...

I'll start posting some recipes that the kids actually drink.  Unfortunately, DH refuses to try them.  But the kids are all willing.  I'm hoping my youngest will stop getting sick all the time, and my daughter is hoping her skin will be "BEAUTIFUL!"  I'm sure it'll help. 

This morning, I shoved a couple handfuls of spinach, two apples, a cup of ice cubes, a squirt of honey, and a splash of water (to get things blending) into the blender.  My son drank it up after an initial... "uh... I don't know if I like it...."  My daughter fell asleep in the car, so I ended up drinking hers (along with mine).  Edible, but not the best smoothie I've ever had...

I'll continue to post recipes and pics on my healthy foods adventures as time permits... 

Bento: Zippys

DH wanted a big meal and bought  everything he wanted for lunch AND dinner.  So all I had to do was pack tonight's Bento.  Chili and rice with Broasted chicken, a bit of kim chee and some carrot flowers.  The chili has a piece of wax paper separating it from the rice. Easy peasy...

That's a huge amount of food, but he'll be happy.  He's a big guy.   Must plan for more bentos next week.  The veggies only lasted two days last week...  This week I'll plan a little better....

Experimental Bento: SPAM musubi SUCCESS!

SPAM Musubi

Tamago (egg)

broccoli

bean sprouts

mandarin orange (Cuties)

soy beans

Tofu 

carrot flowers

I used the prepared naked SPAM musubi to make today's lunches, so 20 minutes was enough time to put these together.  The frozen musubi took almost 4 minutes to heat to make the rice soft again.  I wrapped them with fresh musubi nori and cooked some scrambled eggs.  Yes, they're a little bit overcooked, but they'll taste fine anyway.   I cubed some tofu (which I'll probably use the rest at dinner time tonite), and peeled some Cuties.  Stick it all in the box, and it's ready! 

Nori won't be crisp, but it won't be mushy either.  I think the only complaint will be... "one isn't enough!"  Yeah?  Well too bad,  'cuz this is a well balanced meal and is no more than you should have for lunch.  ;D

Experimental Bento: SUCCESS! (So far so good)

The kids are at school, DH went to work and they were all very happy to have a bento to take with them.  This one is mine...  DH and the kids have a little bit more chicken, there was just enough for everyone, if one person is a light eater.

On Today's Menu:

Mochiko chicken

3 small rice shapes or 2 Nori wrapped Rice balls (DH had ume inside his)

bean sprouts

broccoli

grapes

soybeans

decorated with some carrot flowers

DH also had kim chee as requested

The chicken and rice took up about 1/2 the bento, the rest of the space was filled with the veggies/fruits.  But OMG!  The chicken was delicious!  The soy beans were yummy, the rice balls were cute and the meal was balanced.  Everything looks fresh and tasty, you'd never know the beansprouts and broccoli were made 2 days ago. 

I woke up 30 minutes early to make the lunches.  It took about 25minutes to cook the chicken, but I'm sure if I had an appropriate sized pan and enough oil to fill it, it would've been cut down to 15.  Unfortunately, I have one that's perfect for one egg, and another that's perfect for a huge, daddy-size, filled with goodies omelet.  I need something in between. While the chicken cooked, I put together the rice balls,  and filled the bento.  Not so bad...

So here's a bento, wrapped in a napkin, packed and ready to go:

Some notes for next time:

• If I want to make those cute little faces, cut the nori the night before. 
• Make sure there's enough rice for me
• Buy a bigger Fry pan. 
• Cut grapes to serving size and store in a bag too. 

So what's on the menu for next time?  (someday soon, I still have beansprouts and other fruit/veggie fillers)
SPAM Musubi
Tamago (Egg)
And veggie/fruit fillers 

If all works out, I'll have to buy REAL Bento boxes and some of those neat little chopstick cases for us so they don't poke through my napkins... :D

Experimental Bento: Mochiko Chicken

This morning, I've prepared a large batch of mochiko chicken.  There's 6 pounds of chicken thighs, and I've split it into 5 sandwich sized bags.  2 are in the refrigerator, and 3 in the freezer.  Bento usually don't have too many pieces of this stuff, maybe 4 bite size pieces and lots of other goodies. 
My DH said his friend married a Japanese lady and she makes him bento everyday to take to work.  He's lost a lot of weight.  Hmmmm....  I hope it'll help...
This recipe is not yet tested, and I modified a small one to make a large batch, so take your chances.  I'll check back and repost with pictures after I've had a chance to cook it.   


Large Batch Mochiko Chicken:

6 lb. bag of boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup mochiko
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup cornstarch
8 eggs
3/4 c. shoyu
2-3 cloves garlic, minced

Soak chicken at least overnight.  Prepare by deep frying, or if you're like me, use about 1/2" of oil in the pan, and fry.  Drain on paper towel.  Everyone loves mochiko chicken... how can you not?  It's fried...  :D

It's looks like I'll need to make myself bento.  All these recipes are making me want one too....
It's a lot of work on the weekend, but hopefully, we can all enjoy nice lunches during the coming week.  The kids are really tired of school lunches, and the price just keeps rising.  Dad keeps going out for hamburgers and fries, not a healthy habit.  And if lunches are this good, I might not forget to stop and eat when I'm busy sewing....

Experimental Bento: Fruit and Veggie parts - 1

What kinds of veggies/fruits to add?

The easy ones would be carrots, celery, strawberries, blueberries, and anything that doesn't require special treatment.   But we all know that every Bento comes with some neat little bunches of pickled veggies and special looking touches...   It just wouldn't be a Bento without it!  So I'm going to try making some veggies that I can easily pack without spending extra prep time in the morning. 


Broccoli:
Boil it in some lightly salted water till it turns to a bright green.  It's done.  Here's how I'll store it so I can use it for a few days.  Drain well, shaking out the excess water.  Wrap in a dry paper towel and place in a plastic bag, sucking out as much air as possible.

Bean Sprouts:
Boil bean sprouts for just a minute or two.  They should turn slightly translucent, but not too wilty.  Should have a slight crunch to them when you bite them.  Drain, and run cold water over them to stop the cooking.  Gently squeeze out the excess water and sprinkle with about 1 Tbsp. of rice vinegar and shoyu, a splash of sesame oil, 1 tsp. sugar, and season with some pepper.  I like to add sesame seeds too, but I ran out.

Carrots:
I wanted to fancify the carrots a little, so I cut them into little flowers.  It's simple and impressive.  This is one carrot, cut like this:

1) Peel.
2) Cut into manageable pieces.
3) Cut slivers out of the sides, lengthwise.
4) Now, cut your carrot coins.  Kawaii!
Then I wrap them in a slightly damp paper towel and placed them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. 


Edamame:
Don Quijote had them on sale last week for cheap so I bought 5 bags and store them in my freezer. Boil in some salted water for about 5 minutes, drain, but don't rinse and wrap them like the broccoli when cool.. Hopefully it'll last for the week. Unless I eat them for snacks...

I also bought a container of blueberries and a bag of those "cuties."  They look like tangerines,  I have a few cans of mandarin oranges too.  

Okay.. that's a good start.  We'll see how things go this week before we try other recipes.  Hopefully, they'll have at least a couple of good bento lunches this week....

Experimental Bento: Spam musubi recipe

My kids and DH have been asking me to make them Bento for lunch and I've been avoiding it.  Looks like so much work!  But today, I have a plan to make it a little easier.  I'm thinking that if I premake some of the more time consuming things, like chicken, teriyaki, and maybe even noodles, I can can cook them up quickly in the morning and pack them while I prepare breakfast.

In case you're wondering, I usually make something the kids can eat in the car since we have a long drive to school.  It can take up to an hour if traffic is bad.  So I wake up just before 6am, make something like personal size pizzas or bagels and a smoothie and get out the door just after 6:30am.  Yeah... I hate waking up early.
So adding a bento lunch to the list seems outrageous to me.  And anyone that knows me knows that I'm a very lazy cook.  I dislike cooking... hate it...  But the things you will do for your loved ones...
  
Today I'll start with a field-trip favorite made in a more time efficient manner...  SPAM musubi.  This is an experiment.  I've seen ready-made ones at Sam's Club, so I'm guessing you can make them ahead of time and microwave them to soften the rice.  But the nori becomes mushy and falls apart.   I'm going to try preparing a few naked ones and keep them in the freezer.  During the week, I'll zap them in the microwave, then wrap with fresh nori before packing.  That might work.

SPAM musubi  (makes about 9):
SPAM musubi maker
1 Can of SPAM, sliced about 1/4" thick.
Brown Sugar
fresh cooked rice
Nori for wrapping

While waiting for your rice to cook, fry the sliced SPAM in the pan till it gets a little brown and crusty.  Sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar over the SPAM, turn and cook till it's gooey.  Do the same to the other side.

Okay... here's the assembly line picture.  I make them right on the plastic wrap, then cut and wrap them for storage. 

And here they are, finished and ready for eating.  The wrapped ones in the background will be frozen.

 

We ate 3 for lunch... I didn't want to freeze the ones I used for the finished musubi picture, and we were hungry.  Yum!

Tomorrow, I think I'll prepare some mochiko chicken that I can heat up and pack during the week.   And maybe we'll have some for dinner too...

Blog comments

I am thinking of deleting this blog.  Over the past year, I've been receiving comments (now moderated) from people wanting to post their links to their own sites...  looks like asian porn.  WHY?  What the heck does cleaning house have to do with porn?  Why am I attracting that kind of audience?  So if this doesn't stop, I'm quitting. 

Cleaning house, a little at a time.

Okay... I hate cleaning house, but I love living in a clean, clutter free home.  So I guess it's gotta be done.  I'm so unorganized and can't decide where to begin, so I'm sitting here, thinking up a plan of action.  Where do I start?
Let's see...  I guess the best way to start is to declutter.  There will be less stuff to clean up... so this week will declutter week.  From every room in the house, I will spend 5 minutes a day removing the "stuff" we've accumulated and really don't use.  That's... about 8 rooms. I'll lump together bathrooms.  They don't have much stuff anyway.    Anyone wanna join me?  That's only 40 minutes... hmmm  that sounds like a lot.  Let's break it up into the two floors.  Downstairs 20 minutes (4 rooms), upstairs and hallway 4 more areas (20 more minutes).
Okay?  Ready, set GO!

Inspirational sites!

I love these ideas... will have to find a way to use them.
Window film links and how-tos (tip: do not use contact paper.  It's hard to remove)
Painting on window film 
Design Sponge
Trove
Using fabric as window film


Shades made from old window blinds (looks like roman blinds)

Wall decals are so neat!
making fabric wall decals
Wall decal ideas
Etsy search for wall decals

Too sweet

Okay... DH loved the cookies, and they look good, but I thought they were way too sweet. Of course, we followed the recommendation of using 1/2 cup suncrystals per 1 cup sugar, but I think we can cut it down quite a bit and still have tasty, sweet cookies.

Think now... they say stevia is 10 times sweeter than sugar. So 1/4 cup of stevia would be the same as 2 1/2 cups sugar... right? Already that's too much for a 2 cup sugar recipe. So we should be replacing 1 cup sugar with 1/10th of a cup of stevia. Hmmm... yeah.. I think 1/8th to 1/4 would be about right for suncrystals. We'll try again next time.

So... Sun crystals appears to be a good solution. It browns like baked goods should and is very sweet, with a much reduced caloric content. I'm wondering if changing the proportions of sugar in the recipe will cause any other problems. We'll see next time. I'll post the cookie recipe when we get it just right.

Sun Crystals Sweetener

I think I've found the perfect sweetener. It's rather pricey, but if it will help him keep his sweet tooth from killing him, I'll use it. He ordered five bags (5lbs) and paid 34.00 for them. It's a mixture containing 50% stevia and 50% regular granulated sugar. You use 1/2 the amount of sugar called for in any recipe, and you'll have the same results with fewer calories. So if you're baking, this is a real plus... cookies will look and taste good.

I found a box of small packets at a local grocery store, but the large bags were not available there. DH found it online. Sun Crystals can be found and ordered here. SunCrystals website

Today we made cookie batter and replaced most of the sugar with Sun crystals. We'll bake it up for Santa tomorrow, and see if it tastes good. This is only going to be used for dad's cookies since the rest of us don't need it. I sure hope it works out for him.

Truvia: NOT the perfect sweetener, but....

Drats. We've started using it and I thought it would work out but after researching a bit more, I've found out it has side effects. It may have something to do with the erythritol and apparently it can cause some people to have stomach problems. Some people have also reported having MORE carb cravings... not what you want if you're diabetic. Other reported side effects were mental confusion, fatigue. I'm not sure we'll stick with Truvia, but if we don't experience any of the side effects, it might be worthwhile to manage his diabetes. We haven't used it much yet, and I generally don't like to add too many unknown sweeteners to our cooking.

Here's a link to an article I found useful in helping us make a decision regarding it's use:
Purevia/Truvia controversy

I try to stick with tried and true white sugar. However, knowing NOW that less refined foods are actually easier for the body to process, I think I will be using less refined sweeteners when possible. Here are a few I'll try:

• regular stevia sweetener when I can find it
  
• organic agave nectar
• brown “turbinado” cane sugar, we use this occasionally. Maybe we'll use it more often.

I'm sure white sugar will still manage to make it's way into my meals since the rest of us don't eat many sweets anyway.

So I'll be adding a few recipes using some of those natural sweeteners, sometimes including Truvia for my DH. Today's recipe:



Cucumber Wakame Salad (Namasu):
2 japanese cucumbers or one regular one
sliced carrots
a little bit of wakame (soak in water to rehydrate it)
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1 1/2 packets Truvia
a pinch of sea salt

Dissolve salt and Truvia in the vinegar. Slice the cucumbers into chunks and carrots into rounds. Squeeze out the wakame, mix it all together with the dressing and let sit in the fridge for an hour or so before serving.
Optional chores: Remove the seeds by slicing the cuke in half then scooping out the seeds with a spoon. Looks nicer.
You can also grate some fresh ginger to add more spice to this one... it's really good.

Diabetes... what a chore

Okay... DH is finally accepting the fact that he needs to do something about his health or he will be on insulin in a few months. We're praying it's not too late. I've been trying to get him to eat healthier, more veggies, less rice, more fiber, less refined foods... and get some exercise.

He's been eating healthier meals (whatever I pack, rather than buying fast food) and we've been trying very hard to do the diabetic plate thing. 1/2 veggie, 1/4 protein, 1/4 starch, a glass of milk, and a fruit. It's a big improvement. In the past 2-3 weeks, he went from 260 to 245. Oh... and he tries to take a 30 minute walk on his days off. I'm going to try getting him to take a walk 5x a week, or at least on days when he doesn't have overtime.

But he's craving sweets now. So I've been researching stuff like Splenda, Nutrisweet, and Truvia. I've ruled out using Splenda and NutriSweet artificial sweeteners. There are side effects. Truvia appears to be a safer alternative. It comes from the stevia plant and is used in several other countries as an alternate sweetener to sugar. This week we'll be trying it since we found some when we went grocery shopping at Safeway today. It's a bit pricey, but if he likes it, we'll continue using it.

Here's more info... Truvia.com . They also have recipes to try and info on how it can be used in baking and cooking in place of sugar. Maybe I can convert some of our favorite recipes too...

Girl 5 and the Ukus

Wow. She had a lot of babies in her hair, and tons of nits. We spent at least 2 hours pulling nits out and there's still a lot left. She will need to return for another combing session next week.

This time, I thought I'd take a few pictures for anyone who is curious to see what an uku looks like. Here's a pic of one of the ukus.
And some nits:They almost look like dandruff, but some are brownish in color. The white ones are usually already hatched shells, the brownish yellow ones are probably live eggs. You can tell it's a nit if it doesn't slide down the hair shaft easily.

Her grandma gave her a third treatment a couple days ago and they applied the nit gel to help remove the eggs. It didn't work very well. We found at least a dozen baby Ukus, a few adults and lots of nits. Poor kid, she must've been itchy for a while. This is evidence to me that those pesticides don't work very well and the only REAL way to be sure you get rid of them all is to keep nit picking and use the Robi comb... daily if possible. Gosh I'm beginning to sound like an sales associate for the Robi comb. Honestly, I'm not affiliated with them (though I'm beginning to think I should be). I just believe in their product after having to deal with these little buggers.

How to finally get rid of head lice (aka ukus)
Use a remedy that would kill them first. If it's Nix, Rid, mayonnaise, essential oil solution, it really doesn't matter what you use initially. You most likely won't be able to get rid of all of them because they probably will not kill off the eggs. And you may also have some resistant bugs crawling around your head even after treatment.

Next, do the egg releasing gel or use a vinegar solution to loosen up the nits a bit. This only aids in the nit removal process. It doesn't mean you'll be rid of ALL of the eggs, so you'll have to pick out whatever you can when you finish with the little plastic comb. The vinegar might sting if you have open sores on your head, but the smell will wash out and it'll actually leave your hair feeling beautiful.

Then, follow up after your hair is clean and dry with the Robi comb. You might find nothing left, but continue to do this daily for at least 2 weeks, then maybe 2 times a week for the next month. Anything you've missed will be zapped. If you use this method, you shouldn't need to do a second treatment. The hatchlings will be killed off daily rather than waiting a week (for them to spread perhaps?!).

And here's the famous Robi Comb.
Now, if you don't want to use pesticides or messy mayo treatments at all, I think using the Robi comb twice a day (take a good 20 -30 minutes to do a thorough combing) would do the trick. I'm just a little paranoid. But if they ever get the Ukus again, I think I would feel safe with this method. But I might end up Robi combing 3 or 4 times a day...

And don't forget to wash the beddings and vacuum the house. They say it's not necessary, but I still think it's a good idea if you have the time. At the very least, vacuum the area where your kids lay around or sleep. Daily if possible, til you know they're gone... the ukus, not the kids.

Head lice, ukus, the curse, whatever you call them, takes TIME to get rid of. But I really think the comb has been a blessing. If it weren't for the comb, I think my daughter would still have the bugs. And her friends, well, if they can just keep visiting so I can comb through every few days, we'd all be rid of them sooner.

I've become mommy to my daughter's clan.

Yes... they are starting to call me mom since I'm the one who is trying to rid their heads of the bugs. It's only because I have the comb and have done all that research and I know how hard it is to get rid of them.

Well, we have another one of her friends here... And I thought they were all clear. This girl (#5) has also gone through her 2 treatments and she was the first one who did it. She hasn't come over for Robi combing till today and the girls are checking her head before we Robi her. It's a hot day and the comb will not work if her head is sweaty, so they're laying around in the shady backyard to cool down before we start. They've already found a bug and lots of nits so I'm assuming we'll find lots... I'll be back to update this after we comb through... Gosh.. what a month it's been.

Eczema relief

Not long ago, my daughter had an eczema flare up (of which I also have small patches which I'm trying to get rid of). Her skin is nearly cleared up again. Instead of resorting to Hydrocortisone creams or steroids (which I think the doctor might have prescribed because it was quite a large area), we treated it with several different things... so I don't know what exactly worked.

Benadryl in the evening, only when the itch was really bad (to make sure there was NO nighttime scratching)
10 minute Sea Salt bath with Rose, Sandalwood, patchouli and some other oils that were already added to the salts.
Tea tree spray - water in a spray bottle with about 5 drops of tea tree oil. Shake and spray on.
We started a few days with ACV/water spray, but it was too strong and painful to continue. Not sure how much this helped. We continue to drink water spiked with ACV and honey everyday... she must get the required 2 tsp of ACV. I normally make a pitcher with 1/4 cup ACV, 1/4 cup honey and fill it up with water. It looks like a 2 qt pitcher.
Aveeno lotion with tea tree in it.

She wore long sleeves, mostly because she was embarrassed, but I'm sure it helped prevent her from breaking skin when she did scratch.

I took a few weeks, but it's starting to look almost normal again. And she says the itch is now gone. She hasn't taken benadryl for a few days now, so I'm sure she must be feeling better.

I'm sure beach trips would've been helpful too... but by the time I figured this out and had time to take her, there was no need to do so. Oh well, we'll probably go this weekend anyway. I need to do something to get rid of my patches before they spread.