Rice and Meatballs

When Evan was home during the break at the end of summer term, he shared with us his favorite recipe - Brown rice and meatballs. And beyond sharing, he even made it for a Sunday dinner! It was delicious. And we like it very much. We've made it a couple times since.

Today, I invited the Jensens to have rice and meatballs with us. Sundays are busy - schedules were hard to match - the meal started out with just Nancy and me. Scott came a bit later, and then Don joined us. Then Greg showed up. Claire missed out - she was off to choir the whole time but there are left overs, she'll have some another time.



Brown Rice and Meatballs -

Evan says it has to be brown rice.
We use Costco frozen meatballs.
We warm them in a crock pot covered in Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce. Regular barbecue or sweet barbecue - both are very yummy.

Thanks Evan. It's a favorite of ours now too.

Another question needs answering

I had lunch with Dr Oz the other day. I generally don't watch any of the "doctor" shows, but as I flipped through channels, to find something to keep me company while I ate my Healthy Choice soup, I heard something about "large behind women and large belly women..." It caught my attention so I tuned in for a bit.

There is a difference between fat stored on our backsides than fat stored on our middles - has to do with subcutaneous and visceral fat. Fat on our behind is subcutaneous - under the skin. Belly fat is often visceral meaning it surrounds our organs. Each means something different to our health. Down side of the fat behind - it is hard to lose - but the upside is it is not as much a health threat. Visceral fat is easier to lose but it is very unhealthy.

Why are we storing this belly fat? As always eating and exercise habits make a difference in how much fat we store. If we eat more than we burn, we'll store fat. Menopause is a big contributor as well. Stress. Stress is messin' us up.

Oz explained that stress is a huge factor in storing belly fat. Our bodies are wired to do so. Our "ancestors", in times of stress, needed to store fat. Stress hormone was released telling the body to store fat around our vital organs for survival through hard times. (hormone - thus why things rev up during menopause)

There was other info shared, healthy and fat covered intestines handled (was so weird looking), and how to dress our big behinds or big bellies demonstrated. I changed the channel around this time.

Today I am wondering "Why, if we don't have the stressful situations of our "ancestors" to live through, do we store fat in excess like we do?" I'm sure you can answer the question yourself, but I did a little search. The answer is simple. Our stress response has never changed but some of us live in a more constant state of stress.

What is stressing us out? What could be more stressful than worrying about where to get our next meal or running away from something that might eat us?! We live in safety and seems we have plenty to eat. But really, what is stressing us out?! Not having to chase our food is causing our bodies stress. Kind of ironic. And because we eat so much we stress ourselves by worrying about how much we eat and the belly fat it causes. Isn't is crazy that we've allowed our lives of ease to actually increase our stress - or decrease our ability to deal with stress? There is so much more to blah, blah, blah about in regards to stress. It is havoc on our bodies! What are we going to do about all this stress that makes us unhealthy?!

Does this stress you out?

Sorry.

What was for Dinner

We had missionaries to dinner tonight.

We had Taco Soup and Corn Bread. Was delicious. My friend Melanie shared the recipe with me.

1lb hamburger
1 package taco seasoning
1 can beans (pinto, chili or black - I used black)
1 can kidney beans
I can corn
I 8oz can tomato sauce
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 medium onion chopped
1 cup of water

Brown hamburger, drain fat, add taco seasoning. Drain and rinse beans - add all of the ingredients to large pot - no need to drain other items. Simmer for awhile. Makes enough for 6. I served it with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and Low Salt Fritos. (Did you know that they make low salt Fritos? - They do! Melanie suggested them)

Jeepers - the Sequal

A few years back, Greg acquired a jeep. Remember this - Jeep 2008

Well - here it is today!


Greg pulled it around town behind our big car Tuesday - getting it registered. It has a 1946 License plate. And just a few finishing touches and it will be ready for the road.

Thank you Uncle Scott!!!!

some fun from POM

This is for my sister Sandy. She probably knows how to do this already but still is something fun to share.

How to Open a Pomegranate in Six Movements from POM Wonderful on Vimeo.

Yucky Candy

We don't have many trick or treat visitors stop by our house on Halloween night, but I always buy a lot of candy, just in case. I usually buy yummy chocolate minis of some sort. I often break into the bags before Halloween and then since I buy so much for the "just in case there's a crowd" thinking there is a ton left over - and I end up eating it all.

Not this year! I punished the neighbors for my lack of discipline. I bought two big bags of "yucky candy". Claire was totally embarrassed by our offerings. And now we have a lot of yucky candy sitting about, but I have no desire to eat any of it! Not one single bit.

Sorry neighbors but thank you me. :-)

A visitor from the past

We hope everyone had a fun Halloween!

Ghostly Dancers

from my sunset blogs link

It's Growing!!

OK - I had planned to just do weekly updates on this Amaryllis - and I still most likely will do that - but it's growing! This morning was the first sign. So just had to share.


P. Allen Smith how to video suggested not watering the bulb until the first growth appeared. I decided to follow this advice and kind of worried would it really happen, just setting it into the dirt - and voila - it is working. Reason not for watering was to keep the bulb from rotting.

So Happy!

Amaryllis

I received an Amaryllis bulb for my birthday. I planted it today.

Here we go!

The Birdhouses at OSH

Remember my recent visit to OSH? I mentioned that I loved the giant "birdhouses". Well, I thought I'd share them with you. I think you'll find them very charming.






There are only 5 of them. One of these pictures must be the backside of one of the houses. All so cute though, don't you think?

A Walk in Quicksilver Park

Several times a week, if the path isn't muddy, I walk this beautiful trail.

Entrance to this part of the trail is located at the end of McAbee - down the street from Castillero Middle School.

As a kid, groups of neighborhood friends would walk these paths - just us kids alone. We called them The Nature Trails, and we either entered off Leyland Park Drive, behind the country club golf course, or we'd walk down McAbee to its end, then on through Pierce Ranch. I think it was a dairy.




One of my walking buddies - Wrendy [shy of the camera] and wonder dog Mac (he is a very good boy).
That's Mt Hamilton in the distance.

What a beautiful way to start any day.