Fried Rice Recipe

I want to share with you a dinner "recipe" that I use when I

1. Have leftovers to use up
2. Don't have much time to cook
3. Want to hide nutritious foods in a meal

I used quotation marks around the word recipe because it's not really a recipe, more of an idea.  We call it fried rice and my kids love it.  No matter how much I make, it's gone.  Here's how it goes:

1. Heat up a frying pan or electric skillet to medium hot
2. Add a little sesame or canola oil
3. Scramble a few eggs (you can even use leftover scrambled eggs here, just add them later)
4. Add a little more oil
5. Dump in some rice (any kind will do--brown, white, sticky, leftover, freshly cooked)
6. Add any leftover or chopped up chicken, pork, beef
7. Add cooked veggies such as peas, carrots, corn, green beans
8. Mix it all together and add lots of soy sauce, tasting as you go
9. You can garnish it with sesame seeds, green onions, or peanuts, or if you don't want to get fancy,
10. Serve it as is right in the pan.

The thing I love about this meal is that I literally can clean out my fridge and make one of my kids' favorite meals all in one shot.  And it's a healthy meal.  To up the nutrition factor, think about adding chopped spinach, green peppers, flax seed, etc.  The smaller you chop things, the less likely they'll be able to pick them out and when you stir it all together, you can chock a lot of veggies in there.

Any of the above ingredients is optional, except I guess the rice because then you would be making Fried.  The options are endless.  Tailor it to your family and enjoy!

Life and Death

Yesterday my hubby and I had the bittersweet opportunity to visit with a dear friend who has been given several weeks to live.  Since we saw him last he has lost 90 pounds and aged about 20 years from the horrible effects of cancer and its attendant drugs, which didn't help in his case.  Although we went to say our goodbyes and express our love and support, we came away having been inspired.

As he sat there on the couch with his wife and daughters close, all of them touching each other in some way, he told us of the peace he has.  He told us of the joy they have felt through this experience and the closeness to each other they have gained.  There were tears and sadness at the prospect of separation, but there was mostly joy and gratitude for a life well-lived and loved.  They have a strong belief in our Savior, Jesus Christ and know that theirs will be a temporary separation because of His great atoning sacrifice on the world's behalf.  They have allowed Christ to take their burden and hold them in His arms.

I too have a strong faith in my Savior.  I am not staring death in the face today, but I still have the daily opportunity to decide whether or not to give my burdens (however small) to my Savior and rest in His loving arms.  His Atonement is for overcoming death, but it is also for coming off conquerer in this life.  I can, with Jesus, be the victor over stress, disappointment, anger, hurt, abuse, annoyance, pain, hardship, however great or small.  The list goes on and on.  He is there every minute of the day for me, and for you and for everyone else in this world.  That is why His Atonement is infinite--it spans time and space, and He is my personal friend at the same time He is personally ministering for my dying friend and for you in your need.  I know He is there because I've felt His love comfort me and change me.  I am a new person in Christ, today and forever.

Feeding Kids

I took a child development course in college in which one section focused on child nutrition.  I learned some really valuable principles when it comes to feeding children; I have added some of my own along the way.  Here are some helpful tips to avoid mealtime conflict:

1. The family eats together and eats the same meal.  The arguments have been made and won regarding family dinnertime, so I'll leave that issue for now.  As often as possible, eat breakfast and lunch together too.  The chances for conversation are priceless, as well as the opportunity to model good nutrition, manners, and social skills.  DO NOT make something different for a child that refuses to eat what is served.  This is the #1 rule of feeding children.  I repeat, DO NOT make something different for someone that doesn't like what the family is having.  Oftentimes, they realize they like the food after all.  Even if they don't, kids will not and cannot starve themselves.  Even several days without eating won't hurt a healthy child.  And trust me, they won't let it go that long.  One slip of making a PB&J or mac & cheese, and they will work you over every time you make something that doesn't hit their top 10 list.  Allow your children to try new things.  Allow them to have gratitude for food, even if it isn't their favorite.  
2. The meal consists of several different dishes.  This helps mitigate the initial damage from rule #1. You know your children's likes and dislikes, so if you're making a main dish that someone doesn't like, just make sure there is a side dish that they do like.  Be sure not to tell them that you handpicked this dish just for them because they don't like the other stuff.  Children need to know that the family eats together and they eat the same meal.  This doesn't mean everyone eats everything on the table.  It won't harm your child if all they eat for dinner one night is bread and butter.  
3. The kitchen is 'closed' between loosely scheduled meal and snack times.  If children are allowed free and constant access to food, some of them will graze and snack all day.  When mealtime comes, they won't have room for the nutritious meal you made because they are full of snacks.  Then, essentially, they are choosing their nutrition, not you.  Establish flexible times for meals and snacks so your children know what to expect and if they are hungry, they know they can wait a few more minutes because mealtime is close.  Our culture as a whole doesn't know what hunger feels like anymore because we eat so much and eat when we aren't hungry.  There's nothing wrong with feeling slightly hungry for a little while.  It build self-control and character!
4. Children serve themselves what they want to eat.  Starting in the toddler years, allow and encourage your children to serve themselves.  This teaches them to gauge their appetite and match it to portion sizes, a needed life skill.  At first, and periodically, give suggestions ("start with just a small amount"), and mild warnings ("that might be too much for you") to guide them and avoid waste.  This principle of free choice shows respect to the child's autonomy and encourages independence.  Another part to this idea is to take your share.  I have trained my children to gauge their portion size with respect to the number of people that need to eat.  If there are 6 people at the table, they know they can't eat more than about 1/6 of the dish.  This is good manners.  
5. Children are expected to eat what they take.  This is the corollary to #4.  I often find myself saying "You can always take more, but once you take it, you can't put it back."  It's better to start with a small serving and take another later, than take too much and waste it.  As children are expected to eat what they take, they eventually learn to only take what they'll eat.
6. Fullness is respected.  Even with #5 being said, no one should be forced to finish their food.  Teaching our children to eat when they're hungry and stop when they're full is essential.  But...if someone is too full to eat their dinner, they are still too full 1/2 hour later when they suddenly want a snack.  Don't allow a delayed version of #1.  On the flip side, respect your children's hunger.  Sometimes I forget that my growing boy could indeed be hungry again only an hour after dinner and I need to allow him to eat.
7. One bite of a new food is required.  When you introduce something new or unusual, require each child to at least take one bite.  Even if they don't like it and won't eat any more, they learn to try  new things and are introduced to new flavors and cuisines.  It's almost tragic when children refuse to eat a food, only to find out later that they really like it and should have given it a go a long time ago!
8. Children are encouraged to eat their veggies.  While most of these principles revolve around respecting children and their choices, please encourage and mildly require they eat their veggies.  Few children voluntarily eat their vegetables, and we need to make sure they not only get the proper nutrition, but also develop a taste for them that will serve them for the rest of their lives.  As we eat more nutritious foods, we like more nutritious foods.  Don't allow vegetables to be a periodic and strange food.  Learn new ways to cook veggies if no one likes them--it might just be that you aren't very good at it yet.  

When I've attended meal events with adults and children, it makes me sad to hear the all-too-common "eat 5 more bites before you get up again!" or to watch parents actually force-feed their food.  Mealtime is an unpleasant battlefield where children choose their stubborn will as their weapon.  Instead, put these principles in place as a structure for positive interaction, learning, and fun.  Good luck and happy eating!

Food Economy

I hear lots of people, mostly moms, complaining about the rising cost of food these days.  I have seen it myself in our increasing grocery budget.  I have discovered some tricks for making every last dollar (and calorie!) count in the food we bring home and avoiding waste.  I'll share with you some of my most-used methods for making my grocery dollar stretch:

1. How to use less-than-optimal produce:  someone peels a banana, doesn't finish it, and leaves it.  A peach gets too soft or bruised for eating.  Carrots go soft in the fridge.  Do you normally throw it away?  Cut off the bitten end, throw it in the freezer in a ziploc bag, and dig it out next time you are making a smoothie (for the fruits).  Combine all your vegetable trimmings and make stock for soup.  There is a lot of nutrition there--don't waste it.  I even save the liquid from canned fruits that are packed in juice (not syrup) and use that in smoothies too.  It's also easy to 'hide' things in sauces, smoothies, quick breads, etc (think chopped tomato in spaghetti sauce, mushy pear in banana bread).
2. What about food kids leave behind:  most importantly--don't eat it yourself!  It's still wasted when you carry it around on your butt.  My next post is going to be tips for feeding children in order to minimize this situation, but it still happens.  First off, determine if the food can be saved.  Many times my children still want to eat their food, they just got too full so I will wrap it up and put it away for later.  If it's not worth saving, or unsafe to do so, can you feed it to a pet?  Our dog throws up if he eats anything other than dog food, bread, cheese, milk, or eggs.  But we also keep chickens and they get everything that isn't ingested otherwise.  My garbage disposal doesn't see much.
3. Leftovers...is this a bad word in your house?  I actually like leftovers because it means saved time later.  In fact, I often cook to intentionally make leftovers.  Here are a few favorites:  leftover rice makes great fried rice (throw in any leftover meats, veggies, even scrambled eggs); when you make pancakes or waffles, store the leftovers as batter and cook in the next few days (leftover pancakes and waffles are always too dry); leftover meats are great in sandwiches, soups, and with a little BBQ sauce and some buns you can make a whole new dinner; leftover baked potatoes are awesome when you grate them up and make hash browns for breakfast (no need to peel); or if you are just plain tired of the particular food you have on hand, stick it in the freezer to pull out on another day when you need a quick meal.  Many times while cleaning up dinner, I'll package serving-sized containers of our meal for my son and husband to take to work the next day--easy clean-up and lunch is made.  Score.  Several years ago I bought some thermos-type bottles and my children like to take leftover soup, pasta, etc to school to break up the sandwich monotony.
4. Milk about to expire:  make some homemade pudding, shake/smoothies, even just stir up a pitcher of chocolate milk and watch it disappear after school.
5. Stale bread or rolls: make toast, breadcrumbs to store in the freezer, french bread pizza, english muffin pizzas, croutons (you'll never buy them again), or french toast.  With dry tortillas, make chips, tostadas, or toasted strips to top salads.  

When you are faced with food that no one wants to eat as is, use your imagination.  Can it be used as an ingredient in something else?  Can you dress it up to look and taste better?  Can you save it for later when you will want it?  Don't forget the internet.  I've never been the first one to search for a way to use leftover _____.  The more we are given, the more responsibility we have.  We are very blessed to never go without and have the responsibility to use what we have and not let it go to waste.  

CURE FOR WARTS!!!

This is a life-changing discovery for me:  I have stumbled upon a cure for warts.  And listen up:  no side effects, no doctor visits, no pain or blood, no scars.  And....it only costs $3.00.  Can you believe this?  I was understandably cautious and skeptical because I have had warts come and go since I was a child.  I have tried everything under the sun, with varying degrees of success, and many repeat offenders.  I hate the nasty little things.  I hate them even more when they return after a lengthy, painful, expensive process.  I have tried surgery, liquid nitrogen, several herbal remedies, home freezing kits, etc etc.  And what do I have to show for it?  Scars...and warts.

My most recent wart experience consisted of a single wart on my hand.  I had it frozen at the dermatologist's office.  After the blood blister healed, the wart got bigger, and several more popped up!  I was so frustrated, and kind of mad for all the money I spent at the doctor.  I tried the freezing again and my hand was a conglomeration of ugly, red, swollen blisters.  One day I was at the bank and the teller saw the carnage that was my hand and asked what happened.  She told me her personal cure for warts.  Are you ready for this???  Clear Finger Nail Polish.  Clear Finger Nail Polish!!!

I have had to wait patiently to see if it worked or not before I could share the love.  Now that I am about 6 weeks in, almost all my warts are gone, and the biggest one is barely there.

Here are the keys I have discovered to making this effective:

1. Keep the warts covered 24/7 with polish.  I haven't given mine more than a few minutes without being covered.  
2. Cover the entire wart, and then some, to make sure you aren't leaving any wart tissue untreated.
3. Don't pick it!  When the polish dries, and the edges start to curl up, it's so tempting (and fun) to peel off the polish.  But unless you can reapply right away, don't do it.  If you are using this remedy for a child, this might prove your most difficult roadblock.  My suggestion is to reapply frequently.

I hope you feel the tremendous relief I have experienced with this simple, effective cure for your warts. I would love to hear your suggestions and experiences.

Stinging Nettle

I have some friends that take several prescription medications.  When we get together, they discuss their various conditions and medications and attendant side effects.  I have started to notice a disturbing pattern:  the more meds they take, the more they require.  In fact, they are taking some meds solely to treat the side effects from other medications!  These are not ladies with chronic, diagnosed, or serious diseases or syndromes.  I take prescription medication when needed, so don't get the idea here that I am arguing against medicine.  But the important word is "needed."  I take medicine, prescription or OTC, only when it is really needed--which is rather rare.  If you have to take drugs to treat the effects of the drugs you're taking, it's time to step back and evaluate.

When I have an issue come up that I feel needs treatment, I pray and then start to do my homework.  While I can't trust everything I read on the internet, I do start to get ideas and some feel right to me, so I do a little more in-depth research.  I also consult the professional alternative therapists that I see when I have a problem to get their insight.

My most recent physical ailment:  allergies.  I am a fall allergic.  I hate fall.  It only means summer is over and winter is coming.  Oh, and it also means my throat is going to itch, my nose is going to run, my eyes are going to be red and irritated, and I won't sleep well.  I have had success with OTC and prescription allergy medicines, but eventually they start to lose their effectiveness and I have to move on.  I started to panic last year when I had gone through all the meds and was running out of options.  Luckily, my doctor pulled another Rx out of his medical hat.

This year, I went into fall prepared.  I have been eating a teaspoon of raw, local honey every day for several months.  I cut dairy out of my diet completely.  And I have been practicing qi gong and meditation.  But still, my allergies arrived.  They were milder, but they were there.  I happened to have an appointment with my alternative therapist and she gave me a stinging nettle tincture and told me to take 14 drops in the morning and more, as needed later in the day.  I was hopeful, but skeptical--I've had such bad luck it's made me cynical.  I took my drops the next morning and the itch in my throat immediately subsided.  Could this be possible?  Yes!!!  I have experienced a true miracle.  When my throat began to itch I took a few more drops and immediate relief.  When my nose wouldn't stop running, more drops, and less handkerchiefs.  After about a week or so, I only need to take the morning dose and the afternoon booster drops have gone by the wayside.  But I keep my stinging nettle close by, just in case.  I am completely allergy-medicine-sober for a week now and it feels great.  I feel good enough to exercise, garden, and even sleep at night.

I urge you (with your doctor's approval--there are some cautions for certain conditions) to try stinging nettle if you have allergies.  I'd like to know what has brought you good results for your allergies.

Summer!

Now for a little expansion on my last post about our summer schedule.  I would like to reiterate that this schedule is for our convenience.  There have already been days, and there will be more, when we completely dispense with the schedule because something bigger is going on (for example: summer camps, company, etc.).  My summer schedule is really a guide for long, open days.  When our days are already scheduled for us and busy, we go with that.  Trying to do both is stressful, which goes against the whole point.  

Our week features a different theme each day.  Before the day begins we already have a plan for what we are going to do and when.  I am a planner (can you tell?), so usually Sunday evening is our family planning day.  We discuss any formal plans or schedules and coordinate.  The event only takes up part of the day, except for rare occasions, so they don’t feel like I’m smothering them.  Some of our themes we’ve used are:

• Cleaning Day consists of one big cleaning job that we all complete together, such as deep cleaning a room.  I limit the time involved to about an hour or so, and then they have free time for the rest of the day.  Simple.  We don’t spend the whole day cleaning.  Yes, it’s more work to have little ones help you clean than doing it yourself.  No, it doesn’t get as clean as it would doing it yourself.  But we turn on music and have as much fun as someone can when cleaning.  And believe it or not, all these years of having my kids do chores are starting to pay off.  My teenagers are pretty decent housekeepers if I keep my finger on them.  I like to remind them that the maid isn’t coming today (I’m still waiting for her), and I can’t do it all, so they have to pitch in.

• Cooking Day:  it’s important to me to teach my kids how to cook good food.  Cooking day consists of all of us making a recipe together.  Sometimes it’s basic, like bread and sometimes it’s fun like caramel apples.  But we have a lot of fun doing it and I hope they are learning skills for the future.  Oh, and everyone helps clean up.

• Outing Day has been as simple as a picnic at the park and as complicated as riding the city bus into town and window shopping for the afternoon.  (Try it—your kids will love it)  My kids like to give suggestions and I make the final plans.  Some fun things we’ve done  include touring local businesses (candy factory, honey/beehive business, dairy), hikes, visiting dad at work for lunch, making boats from recycled trash and racing them in the stream at the park, and eating out.

• Movie Day: we watch a movie, sometimes in our pajamas, complete with popcorn and other treats.  Make sure you turn off the ringers and don’t answer the door.

• Friend Day is when each child gets to schedule a play date with a friend at our house.  This is usually reserved for those friends not in our neighborhood—you know the ones that you actually have to call beforehand.

• Library Day:  we’re big readers at our house and we go to the library regularly.  Library day serves two purposes:  to remind me to get us there often, and to keep the kids reading--if they know they have to return a book on a certain day, they'll make sure they finish it before then.  We also participate in the summer reading program so the kids are motivated to go and redeem prizes, etc.  Usually I schedule library day before movie day so we have a few movies to choose from.

I hope you send your summer activity ideas my way so I can add to this list.   Next time, look forward to a post about how I get my kids to pitch in even more.  This goes way beyond chores.