Photo by:  dheuer

• Have you ever thought about volunteering in your community?  Maybe you have a lifestyle where you can travel around and volunteer.

My husband Ray and I have volunteered for a couple of agencies in the last 15 years.  In our home town of Dayton, OH we helped with volunteer ushering for the theaters.  During the winter months we would usher weekly having a wonderful opportunity to see some great shows the local theater offered.  Actually this is how my husband and I started dating.  I had been volunteering for the theatre for many years.  When I first met Ray we had a conversation about “The Will Roger’s Follies” that was coming to the theatre and was sold out.  Ray had wished he had bought a ticket but I came to the rescue by offering him the opportunity to come help usher and see the show at the same time.  We continued doing the volunteer ushering for a couple of years.  The reason we quit volunteering for the theater was due to us moving away from the Dayton area. Continue Reading »

No Comments »

Photo by:  inuyaki.com

• Note:  This recipe makes 12 servings.
• A good recipe to make for a large gathering or tailgating.  You can always reduce the amounts.
• I got this recipe from “Big Jim” at a Cajun Festival in Kettering, Ohio.
• The recipe has real good flavor and should be a hit with your guest. Continue Reading »

No Comments »

Photo by:  SashaW

• Disease begins when there is an imbalance within the body.  The body becomes stressed when the system is out of balance, and the stress is what initiates disease.
• According to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania depressed women are more likely to get breast cancer than those who have never been depressed.
• When anger, negative emotions, repressed and suppressed emotions, and stress are a part of a lifestyle they can be very damaging to ones health.
• Feeling down and depressed increase stress hormones that destruct the immune system and health of the human body. Continue Reading »

No Comments »

Photo by:  warriorgrrl

• Lifestyle factors such as diet, drinking alcohol, and smoking can be associated to 75 percent of cancers.  Infections, food additives, pollution, drugs, ultra-violet light, exposure to radiation, and hormonal imbalance can also be risk factors and causes for many types of cancer.
• The diet is one of the greatest risk factors. Continue Reading »

No Comments »

Photo by:  Carmyarmyofme

• I have made lentil soup before but never followed a recipe.  I would usually put celery, carrots, onion in a vegetable broth, and add lentils with a secret seasoning spice.  I decided to follow a recipe I saw in Vegetarian Times magazine and was so impressed with the flavor I wanted to share it.

Curried Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

2 cups red lentils, sorted and rinsed

1 qt. low-sodium vegetable broth

1 large onion, finely chopped (2 cups)

4 celery stalks, finely chopped ( 1 1/2 cups)

2 large carrots, finely chopped (1 1/2 cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 Tbs. curry powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 Tbs. lemon juice

• Bring the lentils, vegetable broth, and 4 cups of water to a simmer in large pot.  You will get some foam so just skim it away when it rises to the top.
• Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic; simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes.
• Add cilantro, curry powder, and cumin, and cook 20 minutes more, or until lentils are soft.
• Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
• Stir in lemon juice

Serves 6 and is vegan, gluten free.

I felt this recipe was easy and had a wonderful flavor.  There were left overs and when reheated the flavor came out even more.  If you like Eastern Indian food you will enjoy this recipe.  The spices used were just right.

Reference:

Vegetarian Times     www.vegetariantimes.com

No Comments »

Photo by:  jenny downing

Cancer can be a result of a cell being altered through many years of exposure to chemicals, viruses, inflammation, and a number of other factors.  When an extensive amount of cell division takes place there is more possibility of finding cancer.  When a cell reaches a breaking point and exhaustion, a cancer cell can develop and begin to cause havoc on ones health.  This process can take up to ten years or so. Continue Reading »

No Comments »

Photo by:  zoha n

I want to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month by giving some ideas of how you can protect yourself against this disease.  Do you realize breast cancer is a preventable disease?  By eating a proper anticancer diet lives can be saved. Continue Reading »

No Comments »

Photo by:  Meg’s library

First let me explain a garbanzo bean is the same as a chickpea.  This recipe is a gluten free recipe and can also be made to be vegan if desired.  After making this recipe I decided you could substitute chickpeas with black beans for a variety .  I did use cilantro instead of parsley.  Serving a Greek salad topping (recipe included) over the croquettes made this a very tasty meal.

Croquettes

1 cup chickpea flour

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

4 green onions, chopped (1/2 cup)

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

1. Whisk together chickpea flour, cumin, chili powder, and salt in bowl.  Whisk in 3/4 cup hot water.  Stir in remaining ingredients, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
2. Coat nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over meadium heat.  Scoop 4 1/4 cup dollops of chickpea mixture into skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low.  Cook 3-4 minutes, or until golden.  Flip with spatula, and cook 3-4 minutes more.  Repeat with remaining chickpea mixture. Continue Reading »

1 Comment »

Photo by:  Ballistik Coffee Boy

Have you ever wondered what is causing your aches and pains?

For the last month I was experiencing some aches and pains wondering what might be triggering the problem.  The  joints in my fingers were so tight and painful.  I was worried I might be having symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.  I would wake up in the morning barely able to make a fist without pain.  Throughout the day my thumb joint would hurt when I went to lift something.  My hands just felt so stiff.  It was on my mind often as to what might be causing my pain.

In the year 2000 I stopped drinking coffee for a couple of reasons.  I was diagnosed with breast cancer (ductual carcinoma in-situ) and wanted to “clean” up my act in what I was putting into my body.  I know there is much pro and con about coffee being good or bad to drink.  With my lifestyle at the time it was difficult trying to find fair trade, organic, grown in shade, coffee, which would of been a good alternative.  So I just stopped drinking coffee altogether.  I also learned caffeine is a drug.  Why would I want to purposely put a drug in my body when I was trying to cleanse my system?  So for about seven years I resorted to drinking herbal teas. Continue Reading »

No Comments »

There might be a few of you asking this question.  I have been in the process of making a move from Dayton, OH back to the Taos, NM area.  Prior to living in Dayton this past summer, my husband and I spent six seasons living in the Orilla Verde Recreation Area sixteen miles south of Taos just outside the small village of Pilar, NM.  Two summer seasons we were in this area, and then for four years we had lived in the recreation area year round.  We are back for another winter season which will take us through the month of March. Continue Reading »

No Comments »