Shelley's Chicken Salad

This salad comes from one of my good friends, when I visit her house it is mandatory that she make it for me :)

2 cans or C shredded chicken
2 stalks celery, diced
2 stalks green onions, diced
1/4 C mayonnaise (I use Veginaise)
2 red apples, diced
1 t curry powder
1 t dill
salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and cover tightly. Rest in refrigerator 2 hours to blend flavors.
Serve over lettuce leaves, on bread or in celery stalks. Very yummy!

Encouraging Article on Partial Fasting, just in time for Lent.

Retune The Body With A Partial Fast

by PATTI NEIGHMOND

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Consuming only water for a 24-hour period — no more than once a week — can suppress insulin secretion and reduce the desire for sugar.

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November 21, 2007

For thousands of years, beginning with philosophers like Hippocrates, Socrates and Plato, fasting was recommended for health reasons. The Bible writes that Moses and Jesus fasted for 40 days for spiritual renewal.

To understand how the body reacts to a lack of food, you could start by looking at what happens to newborns. Newborns can't sleep through the night because they need to eat every few hours. They don't produce enough glycogen, the body's form of stored sugar, to make energy.

"Glycogen is necessary for thinking; it's necessary for muscle action; it's necessary just for the cells to live in general," says Dr. Naomi Neufeld, an endocrinologist at UCLA.

Neufeld says most adults need about 2,000 calories a day. Those calories make energy, or glycogen. Neufeld says it doesn't hurt — it might even help the body — to fast or stop eating for short periods of time, say 24 hours once a week, as long as you drink water.

"You re-tune the body, suppress insulin secretion, reduce the taste for sugar, so sugar becomes something you're less fond of taking," Neufeld says.

Eventually the body burns up stored sugars, or glycogen, so less insulin is needed to help the body digest food. That gives the pancreas a rest. On juice diets recommended by some spas, you may lose weight, but your digestive system doesn't get that rest.

Mark Mattson, a scientist with the National Institute on Aging, says that when we convert food into energy, our bodies create a lot of byproducts we could do without, including free radicals.

"These free radicals will attack proteins, DNA, the nucleus of cells, the membranes of cells," Mattson says. "They can damage all those different molecules in cells."

And even if you don't fast, Mattson says that simply limiting the calories you consume may be beneficial. He points to studies where rats and mice were fed every other day. Compared with those fed normal daily diets, there was a reduction in disease among the rats that were severely restricted in their food intake. Mattson says those findings hold promise that humans could also benefit from partial fasting.

Mattson thinks partial fasting has numerous benefits, from improving glucose regulation, which can protect against diabetes, to also lowering blood pressure. Some animal studies have also shown that partial fasting has very beneficial effects on the brain, protecting against Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and stroke.

Partial fasting may even extend lifespan because eating less sends a message to the cells of the body that they should conserve and use energy more efficiently.

"When they're exposed to a mild stress, [the body's cells] sort of expect that maybe this is going to happen again," Mattson says. "So maybe next time I may have to go longer without food, so I'd better be able to deal with that when it comes on."

Mattson says that process is similar to the way muscles get built up when they're stressed by exercise. Mattson adds that because complete fasting is difficult to study and there is little actual research comparing people who fast with those who don't, it's not clear whether complete fasting (water only) is also beneficial.

Proponents say small, short-term studies find that complete fasting lowers blood pressure and reduces cancer risk. But Dr. Naomi Neufeld worries that complete fasting could be harmful. After the first few days of liquid only, the body uses up all its stored glucose to make energy. And then it turns to other sources, including fat and muscle.

"The main tissue that's the target in long-term fasting is muscle, because muscle has readily available amino acids which can be converted to glucose right away," Neufeld says. "In that way, your brain is never deprived of needed glucose."

The problem, Neufeld says, is that when muscle breaks down, potentially toxic proteins are released. These proteins are partly composed of nitrogen, and too much nitrogen in the body can be toxic to the kidneys and liver. That's when starvation is officially under way.

Inspiring Story of being "Happy First"

918 Moms - Inspiring others with Happy First by Melanie Henry font size:   Print   Email   1 comments Cancer survivor Debbie Vineyard aims to inspire others through her women’s and children’s clothing line, Happy First. In a minute, Debbie Vineyard’s world changed. As she held her 6-week-old baby and her 3-year-old son scurried about, Vineyard learned she had cancer. A woman known for calling and e-mailing friends to wish them a “Happy First Day of the Month” or “Happy Monday” would begin chemotherapy the next day, Feb. 1, 1995. Of cancer, Vineyard simply says, “I got the good one. Isn’t that funny?” According to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the survival rate for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a blood cancer involving the body’s lymph system, is generally 90 percent or higher when the disease is detected during early stages, as it was for Vineyard. Vineyard knew the odds were on her side, but the unknown haunted her. “I wasn’t worried about me,” she says. “I was worried about my kids, my husband. I felt like I could beat it from the start. I knew God had a plan for me and I was going to be fine.” Fifteen years later, Vineyard is cancer-free. “Everyone has their own story,” she says. “I had to go through cancer to get my story.” Her story began with a cancer diagnosis, but Vineyard was determined to make her next chapter one of new beginnings. So, Happy First was hatched. The egg-inspired clothing line offers women’s and children’s apparel with unique messages. Four years ago, the line began with eight products. Today, Happy First offers dozens of products with vendors in 15 states and online at  www.HappyFirst.com. Best sellers include “Happy Chick” and “Freshly Hatched” organic infant onesies, adult wraps and “Happy Hour” hoodies. “(It’s) just like you are bursting out of a shell,” Vineyard says. “I like the idea of a fresh start every day.” Friends say her enthusiasm is addictive. College friend  Amy Fuller says Vineyard radiates something special. “I think she’s exploding with the need to explore life and not waste a minute,” she says. Lori Dale, another longtime friend, admits that she often needs “a dose of Debbie” to brighten her day. Others appreciate her contributions as well. This year Vineyard has been nominated as the Pi Beta Phi Woman of the Year. As her company grows, so does Vineyard’s commitment to giving back. In addition to donating a portion of the Happy First proceeds to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Vineyard is also an advocate. She says her clothing line is more than just a shirt or jacket. “It’s an opportunity to connect and share my story and encourage people to live life to the fullest,” she says. “I tell them to be positive. Many cancers are curable. Watch the blessings that come from the challenge.” Vineyard says she wants people to embrace the Happy First mentality, which is to simply find your passion and pursue it. Spend a minute with her and you’ll see just how she celebrates life each day. Melanie Henry co-founded 918moms.com, a community Web site for moms who swap stories, save money and share advice. Learn more at www.918moms.com. This article originally appeared in the February 2010 issue of TulsaPeople Magazine.

Words You Should Never Say...

This is a great list from Kathy Peel on 25 things we should never say to our kids!

Pure Vanilla Extract

I love real vanilla, in fact in baking my motto is "why use 1 t of Vanilla when I can use 2"! However good Vanilla is very expensive and in my house goes fast, so I found out how to make it myself. Here's the easy recipe.

1 large bottle of Vodka
3-5 real Vanilla beans (I use Organic)

Split vanilla beans down the center to release the vanilla. Add beans to vodka and seal. You will need about 6 weeks time to cure the vanilla into extract, so store in dark dry place during cure time.

After vanilla is done, you can transfer it to a smaller glass bottle if desired. You will notice that most pure vanilla extract is packaged in dark glass bottles, this is to prevent sun/light exposure. I recommend a dark glass bottle if you can find it.

Color and consistency will not be the same as commercial products but the flavor can not be beat.

More Vodka can be added to use same process to create one more batch of extract, adding 1-2 more beans for a fuller flavor.

Beans are approximately $3-5 per bean, here is where the expense lies, but when you compare it to the amount this recipe yields to the cost of retail Vanilla, it wins in the savings department!

Amazing Make Up Remover

Here is a great recipe for natural make up remover that is kind to your face.

1 Tbls Pure Aloe Vera
1 Tbls Distilled Water
1 Tbls Jojoba Oil

Mix ingredients well in bottle.
Use just a few drops on cotton pad and wipe over face to remove make up and mascara.
Proceed with facial cleanser.

Reviving Make Up Brush Cleaner

It is hard to remember to clean our make up brushes, but once something touches our face, it needs to be cleaned so as to not spread bacteria. A good rule of thumb is to clean them at least every 2 weeks. This wonderful homemade cleaner is so simple it will having you taking better care of those brushes with very little effort and at a fraction of the cost of retail brush cleaners.

Reviving Make Up Brush Cleanser:
2 Tbs Pure Alcohol
1 C Distilled Water
1 tsp Castille Soap

Have available:
Damp, new sponge or paper towel
2 Shallow dishes or small bowls
Distilled Water
Clean towel or paper towel
1 Clean towel folded

Steps:

1.  In shallow dish of cleanser, dip tip of brush, being careful to not wet the farrel (the metal connection between brush tip and wood handle). Do not swish the brush around, you will "muddy" the cleanser, just hold for a few seconds.
2. Wipe brush back and forth on damp sponge or paper towel, do not rub or circle the tip. Repeat steps 1 & 2 until tip wipes clear.
3.  Wet tip in dish of distilled water to rinse.
4. Wipe again with back and forth motion to rid of excess water on clean paper towel. 
5. Shape brush with fingers and lay flat to dry on folded towel with brush tip hanging over.
6. When brushes are completely dry, fluff lightly with fingers and replace in holder. 

• Always be careful to keep brushes pointed down when handling so water does not get into the farrel.
• Grouping powder brushes, blush, and eye brushes together for cleaning makes it easier.
• For heavy eye liner or lip liner brush cleaning add tip to a drop of Olive Oil on a paper towel and wipe gently for make up removal, then proceed with Step 1. 
• Kabuki or powder brushes can also be "quick cleaned" by wetting tip with distilled water, applying a few drops of soap to a damp sponge, and wiping brush back and forth on sponge, finish with a water rinse and dry.

Homemade All Purpose Cleaner

This Cleaner cleans up amazingly, leaving no residue behind only a fresh fragrant scent of your choice! I change the scents to match the season i.e. spring- citrus, summer-lavender, fall-cinnamon, winter-pine. Change it up however you like.

1 funnel

1 clean durable spray bottle

2 c White distilled vinegar

1 T antiseptic essential oil

(thyme, sweet orange, lemon, pine, rose, eucalyptus, cinnamon, rosemary, lavender, tea tree, etc.)

2 c hot water

2 t liquid detergent (dish soap)

* Add dish soap last so it doesn't foam up on you. I prefer unscented soap unless you are omitting the essential oils... it works without the oils too!

Add ingredients in order as listed with funnel into spray bottle and give a good shake. You will need to shake before each use as the mixture settles. Playing with the ratios is completely up to you, if you like more scent, or prefer less vinegar - go for it, it's your house!

Everything is cost effective except the essential oils can be pricey, check for sales at your local health food store or online. Storage is not a problem, the bottle will last you as long as a regular bottle of cleaner.