Pumpkin One on One

Ok, now you have a few pounds of pumpkin at home, you know they are very nutritious and healthy, but are not sure what to do! Here is a guide from Eating well and a few recipes from various sources to help you make the most of them!

What type of pumpkins can I use for cooking?
Jack-o-lantern pumpkins are great to carve, but too watery and stringy to enjoy eating. Go with sugar pie, baby bear and cheese pumpkins instead. To make easy work of cooking a pumpkin, start it in your microwave for 2 minutes. Then, cut the pumpkin in half with a sharp knife and scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp. Next, place the pumpkin halves, cut side down, on a baking sheet pan and roast in a preheated 375F oven the pumpkin flesh is tender, which takes about an hour. When the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, scoop out the tender pulp to use in your recipe.


What's the best way to roast a pumpkin?
Roasting a pumpkin may sound like a daunting task, but it's really not. First, microwave a pie pumpkin on HIGH for 2 minutes. Then, carefully cut the pumpkin in half (you'll need a sharp knife), and scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp. Next, heat your oven to 375º. When it's nice and hot, place the pumpkin pieces (cut sides down) in a 13- x 9-inch pan. Cover and roast them for up to an hour, or until tender. Cool and scoop out the tasty pulp, and then use it as directed in your recipe.


What is the difference between canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie filling, and pumpkin puree?
Canned pumpkin is just that and nothing more: cooked, pureed pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling is flavored with spices like cinnamon, clove, allspice and ginger, and is also sweetened. It is a “convenience food” for making short work of pumpkin pie. Pureed pumpkin or canned pumpkin may be used for many dishes besides pumpkin pie, including delicious soups and pastas.


Check out the recipes below:


Pumpkin Soup with Bell Pepper and Paprika
Pumpkin (or Butternut Squash) Cookies
Pumpkin Mousse Pie


Sources: Various, including MyRecipes.com and Yahoo

Super Powerful Antioxidants from Unexpected (and Affordable) Sources

When we talk about antioxidants we usually think about blueberries, cinnamon and spinach. Well, surprise, surprise! Check out the list below of super powerful antioxidants, all at your fingertips!
From Prevention Magazine:

1. Whole Grain Pasta

Whole grain versions of pasta (whole wheat should be listed as the first ingredient) have 3 times more antioxidants than enriched or refined varieties, found Vinson’s study at the University of Scranton. He and his team compared the enriched or refined with the whole grain versions of three spaghetti brands.

2. Popcorn

Popcorn has 4 times more polyphenols—powerful cancer-fighting plant compounds—than the average amount found in fruits, says Vinson, who tested several whole grain foods to measure antioxidant levels. “When air-popped at home, it’s a 100 percent whole grain food, so it’s not a complete surprise that it’s packed with polyphenols,” he says.

3. Eggs

Eggs aren’t commonly considered a rich source of the antioxidant lutein (which protects your eyes from macular degeneration and cataracts) because they have low concentrations of it, relative to top sources such as spinach. However, scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University discovered that the lutein in egg yolks is absorbed more effectively than that in spinach, possibly because the yolks’ fat helps our bodies process the antioxidant much better. So even though one egg has only about 5 percent of the lutein found in just 1/4 cup of spinach, we absorb it 3 times more effectively, explains Elizabeth Johnson, PhD, coauthor of the Tufts study. “Spinach and other leafy greens are still the best sources, but whole eggs are another easy way to get more lutein,” she says.

4. Beans

A 2004 study conducted by the USDA found that certain varieties of dried beans contain high levels of antioxidants, but Americans commonly eat more canned beans, observes scientist Mark Brick, PhD. To find out if canned have as many antioxidants as dried, Brick and a team of researchers at Colorado State University measured the phenolic and flavonoid contents of several types of canned commercial beans for a 2009 study published in Crop Science. The scientists found that while all canned beans contain antioxidants, small red beans have the highest levels, followed closely by dark red kidney and black beans. In fact, darker canned beans have as much as 3 times more phytochemicals—plant compounds that wipe out free radicals to protect your cells and repair DNA damage—than white kidney and great Northern beans.

5. Yogurt

Love yogurt? You’ll love this stat: Just 1 cup of low-fat plain yogurt provides at least 25% of the daily value for riboflavin—the same that’s in 1 cup of boiled spinach. While not an antioxidant itself, riboflavin (a B vitamin) is critical in promoting antioxidant activity. Without it, the antioxidant glutathione—which is already in our cells—cannot destroy free radicals, which may lead to an increased risk of heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions. Because riboflavin is water soluble, it remains in the body only a few hours and must be replenished daily; yogurt does the trick.

6. Canola Oil

Heart-healthy canola oil (which is less expensive and milder tasting than olive oil) is rich in the antioxidant alphatocopherol, according to Maret Traber, PhD, of the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Just 1 tablespoon contains 16 percent of the DV. Alphatocopherol is one of eight antioxidants in vitamin E, which scientists have found keeps the fats in “bad” LDL cholesterol from oxidizing and forming free radicals, potentially leading to cardiovascular diseases and other chronic conditions. Turns out, though, we aren’t getting enough of this potent antioxidant. Close to one-third of women have low concentrations of alpha-tocopherol, say researchers who looked at data from a national nutrition survey conducted by the CDC. Easy fix: Use canola oil when baking or anytime you need a neutral-tasting oil for sautéing.

7. Organic Milk

Switch from regular milk to organic and you’ll be rewarded with a stronger dose of antioxidants, including vitamin E and the carotenoids beta-carotene and lutein, says Gillian Butler, PhD, coauthor of a recent British study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. Butler’s findings show that the antioxidants in milk from cows raised on organic or grass-fed diets are about 40 to 50 percent more concentrated than the milk from conventionally raised cows. These cows eat more grass, and the pasture itself provides more antioxidants than grain feeding even if the feed is augmented with supplements. If you’re not a frequent milk drinker, look for cheese and butter from grass-fed cows; they also offer more antioxidants than conventional varieties, says Butler.

8. Natural Sweeteners

The average American consumes 130 g of added refined sugars each day. If you cut excess sugar and use natural sweeteners like molasses, honey, brown sugar, and maple syrup instead of refined whenever possible, you can add the equivalent of antioxidants from an extra serving of nuts or berries to your daily diet. That’s according to researchers at Virginia Tech University who examined the antioxidant content of several natural sweeteners and found that molasses (particularly dark and blackstrap varieties) had the highest amounts. Their study, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, showed that honey, brown sugar, and maple syrup also contained significant levels of antioxidants. While the university study looked at commonly available commercial honeys (usually refined from clover nectar), earlier studies have measured antioxidants in a variety of honeys and found that darker types tend to have significantly higher polyphenol counts. For example, buckwheat has an antioxidant level 8 times higher than clover, which is also outranked by sunflower and tupelo honeys.

Sources: Prevention Magazine, msnbc

Sinus Infection Symptoms

Sinus symptoms and signs are caused because of infection of sinus and resulting causes the swelling because of bacteria within the cavities of sinus.

The sinuses are the cavities which are open in the continuous connection with nasal openings which are free for both air and mucous. At this situation, sounds certain type of volume. When sinus gets blocked because of certain swelling and infectious air already present inside the sinus then this situation causes the sinus headache.

Another reason for sinus pain is that when nasal get blocked because of swollen and air unable to get into the sinus. Sinus spray is generally used as a treatment for the sinus infection which is sometimes prescribed and gotten over the counter. This spray is is useful for killing the bacteria and microbes which causes severe sinus infection symptoms.

There are four major pairs of the sinuses which are listed below:
Maxillary sinuses (behind the cheek bones)
Frontal sinuses (in the forehead)
Sphenoid sinuses (behind the eyes)
Ethmoid sinuses (between the eyes)

Types of Sinus infection:

Sinus infections are classified in 2 ways as given below:

Length of time
They are infectious or not.

Acute lasts within one month, where as sub acute takes one to three months to cure. And chronic infection lasts after the three months. Infectious sinus infections are normally caused because of virus, but there are fewer chances for causing the infection because of bacteria.

Environmental irritations and allergies may causes non-infectious. Environmental irritation is such as drugs, smoke etc. Chronic and sub-acute conditions are generally caused because of lack of or insufficient treatment for acute sinusitis.

Causes of sinus infection:

There are many different causes of sinusitis. One of the causes is that blocks the passage in the opening or the tumor removes by the surgery. Not only nasal sprays cause the infection but may also addictive Sometimes over the counter nasal sprays can not only cause infection, but can also be addictive. Illegal drugs such as cocaine and other types which are snorted throughout the nasal can cause the sinus infection and irritation.

Various types of bacteria are also responsible for causing the sinus infection. The cilia which are the small hairs present in the passage of the nasal and sinus cavities helpful for moving the mucous out of nasal area. These are damaged because of lack of humidity, smoke, or other different causes. When this occurs the mucous gets stagnates and perfect area becomes for the growth of the bacteria and starts the infection. Allergies to the food and other different substances may cause the food allergy.

Sinus infection symptoms and signs:

The general sinus infection symptoms are headaches, tenderness of the face and twenty five percent of the patients suffering from acute sinusitis have the fever also. Coughing, sore throat, and a greenish, cloudy, or yellowish nasal discharge are some of the signs of the sinus infection.

The other signs which are checked by the doctor for diagnosing are swollen areas near the eyes, nasal passage which becomes reddened, drainage from the nose that is similar to pus and facial areas over the sinuses that are tender to percussion. Additional information is also useful for diagnosis such as history of the patient and some tests such as a MRI, or the CT scan may also be takes place because these tests are good at illuminating the actual infection rather than an X-Ray.

The bacteria, fungi and virus are responsible for causing the sinus infection. Treatment is based on the type of the infection so good and early diagnosis is very necessary.

Following are some common sinus infection symptoms::

Pain in the forehead, jaw, teeth and cheeks, or between the eyes.
Headache, particularly first thing in the morning.
Swollen or inflamed tear ducts, eyelids, and other tissues surrounding the eyes.
Fever.
Congestion, sore throat, neck pain or cough.
Weakness and fatigue.

Treatment of Sinusitis:

Self-Care at Home:

Home treatment opens the sinuses and eases their dryness:

Promote drainage
Drink lot of water and hydrating drinks as like hot tea.
Take a stream 2 to 4 times in a day by bowel of a hot water but not take when it is on stove or simply use stream vaporizer. Inhale the steam near about ten minutes. Steamy, hot shower is also effective. Vicks Vapo Run can be added in to the water and then take a stream which is useful for opening the passageways.
Thin the mucus: Expectorants are the drugs which are helpful for expelling the mucus from the lungs and the respiratory passages. They help thin secreation of the mucus and enhancing drainage from sinuses. Guaifenesin is used very commonly. Over- the-counter (OTC) cough medications which are in liquid form or prescription tablets can also combined for reducing the sinus infection symptoms. For knowing the right combination just read out the label ingredients or asks to the pharmacists.
Relieve pain: For reducing the inflammation and pain the medications are used such as ibuprofen (Motrin and Advil are examples), naproxen (Aleve) and aspirin. These drugs are useful for opening the airways by reducing the swelling. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) can be used for fever and pain but it is not helpful for inflammation.

Medical Treatment:

The main goal of the treatment of sinus infection is reduce the inflammation and swelling in the nasal areas, removes the infection and support the drainage from sinuses and maintain the open sinuses. Medications are suggested for treating the sinus infection but antibodies are taken for at least 10 to 14 days.

If the infection is chronic then antibodies continues up to 21 days. Extreme chronic infection does not give response to the prescribed medications and therefore patients have to take the medications for long duration. Still there is no any effect of the medication then it is related to surgical procedure and need stay in hospital.

In case of the chronic sinus infection, some of the times infection extends up to brain and eventually causes the death. But this condition occurs very rarely and not occurs frequently.

If the proper treatment is provided and treated if treatment is sought in particular time then sinus infection cures immediately.

Alternative Health News

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Week 4- Saute

(This is my plating. The other photos are the ones from the food show on week 1. I didn't get the time to take a photo of my veloute this week.)

This week I was on the saute station for A La Carte. The four dishes that come off saute are:

a Shell Bowl (mussels, clams, and scallops)

Short Ribs and Chili Mac with Potlikker Greens (yes, that's spelled correctly)

A Mushroom Veloute (soup)

and Seared Scallops with Spaghetti Squash. There are two of us on the station, so we each are responsible for two dishes. I was in charge of the Veloute and the Scallops.

Prior to Monday, I made a list of everything that needed done and the time each would take. I also made a list of mise en place to gather. This ended up being a huge time saver, as well as helping us stay organized.

Monday we prepped everything for service. I made the Veloute, roasted the squash, and prepped all the items for the Bouillabaisse for the shell bowl. Stacy seared and braised the short ribs and prepared it's sauce, cooked the pasta, and cleaned her shellfish. The Roundswoman prepared the Bechamel for the Chili Mac.

Tuesday we have an hour prior to service to get everything ready. I, again, had made a list of everything left to do and the order we needed to do it in (IE, prepare crackers asap!), the utensils and pots I would need for service, and the plates we were going to need to gather. I realized how much I have actually learned working the line at Nippers when it came time to set up the station and get ready for service. I immediately set up a bain marie on the stove to hold all our hot items that are not prepared a la minute. I set up a sani bucket for my utensils in addition to the one for the station. I gathered our plates and put them in an oven at 175F to keep warm for service. I gathered all the pots and utensils I would need during service. Chef came by and began to tell us several items on that list we needed, and everything was already done.

We warmed our items that were prepared the day before, and I made the crackers and a buerre blanc, as well as thawed and panned the scallops. We set up the cold station and it was time for service!

Service is only two hours long and was over before I knew it. I stayed calm and my scallops came out so wonderfully. It was actually kind of fun working saute, and I enjoyed the experience. Our homework was to prepare a list of what we could do better to improve the flow of service.

I will be on saute again next week and then we will rotate to another station. I haven't decided what station I would like to move to next. Perhaps Garde Manger.

Mini Triple-Treat Cupcakes: Happy Halloween!

Aren't these fun? I thought you might like to try them if you're having a Halloween party. Cathy at Noble Pig posted them and I believe the recipe is from Everyday Food. I used half Reese's and half Hershey's dark chocolate Bliss bars. (as I prefer dark chocolate with a pb cookie.) But as you can see, Reese's works better 'cause you can push it deeper into the batter. (But the Bliss was sheer bliss!)

Mini Triple-Treat Cupcakes
From Everyday Food and Noble Pig

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1/2 cup peanut butter

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

48 miniature chocolate peanut butter cups, such as Reese's (or anything else you'd like to try)

48 pieces of candy corn or M & M's, for decorating

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F, with racks in upper and lower thirds.  Line two 24-cup mini muffin pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together peanut butter, butter and brown sugar on high until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in egg and egg yolk, scraping down bowl as needed.  With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture, buttermilk and vanilla until combined.

With the large end of a melon baller or a spoon, place 2 teaspoons batter into each muffin cup, then press a peanut-butter candy into each center until batter aligns with top edge of candy.  Bake until puffed and set, about 10 minutes, rotating pans halfway through.

Immediately place a piece of candy corn on top of each cupcake; let cool completely in pans on wire racks.  

And here's my Garden Club Halloween Table. I've already posted Monique's Little Acorns and will post the other three recipes soon. (I think the witch must have gotten into some hard cider. :) )

FDA: Black Licorice May Affect Your Heart

"Black licorice can lead to heartarrhythmias and other health problems when consumed by adults in large quantities, the FDAnoted in its pre-holiday alert.

Experts say that consuming 2 ouncesof black licorice per day for two weeks can set the heart stuttering insusceptible individuals. The culprit is a compound called glycyrrhizin, whichis what gives licorice its sweet flavor.

Glycyrrhizin causes the kidneys toexcrete potassium. And low levels of potassium can make the heart beatdangerously fast or out of sync, says Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor ofcardiovascular medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, School ofMedicine.

The compound also leads to salt andwater retention which can be a problem for people with heart failure or highblood pressure, Fonarow said.

It’s long been known in somecultures that licorice was more than just a sweet indulgence. In certain partsof the world, the chewy stuff is prescribed to treat everything from heartburnto bronchitis to viral infections. So far, though, there hasn’t been a studyproving that licorice can cure anything, the FDA alert noted.

Because licorice is abioactive food, which means it can tweak metabolic processes in the body,you also have to worry about interactions with medications, Fonarow said."

Source: msnbc.com

50 Women Game Changers in Food: #21, Ree Drummond

Do I really need to say anything about The Pioneer Woman? After all, her blog has more than 23 million page views per month and 4.4 million visitors! But if you'd like some extra skinny on Ree, check out this lovely article about her in The New Yorker.

Briefly, Ree grew up in Oklahoma and after college in California, planned on moving to Chicago to study law. Her plans got interupted when she met and married a cattleman and found herself right back in Oklahoma, this time on a cattle ranch in Pawhuska.
A familiar refrain, Ree started her blog for fun, not expecting it to lead to anything. She's a writer, photographer and home-school teacher to her four children; telling us all about her experiences on the ranch has led to a cookbook: The Pioneer Woman  Cooks and to top it all off, Ree is about to star in her own Food Network show.



I confess, I am not among the 23 million who regularly visit her blog. But someone gave me her cookbook a while back so I had already perused it. I completely agreed with a comment about it in a New York Times article: "Vegetarians and gourmands won’t find much to cook here, but as a portrait of a real American family kitchen, it works." 
And I think that's exactly what Ree wanted to do with her highly popular blog AND her cookbook: she wanted it to be the story of a real American family kitchen.

I chose a basic fruit crisp recipe from her cookbook to highlight our blogger game changer Ree. It's a nice recipe using lovely fresh peaches but what drew me in was the maple cream topping. I had some left over and used it over some baked apples (yum!), but what I'm going to pour it over next are Hannah's Whole Grain Pumpkin Pancakes! 

Peach Crisp with Maple Cream Sauce
From The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond

Ingredients:

5 to 6  whole fresh peaches 

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick butter (1/2 Cup)

1/2 whole lemon

7 tablespoons real maple syrup, divided

1-1/2 cup whipping cream

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Method:

In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt using a 

fork or pastry cutter. Cut butter into small pieces and gradually add to flour mixture until evenly mixed. 

Peel peaches into a bowl. Add the zest from half a lemon. Squeeze juice from lemon half and stir in with peaches and zest. Add 2 tablespoons real maple syrup to peaches, stir well. 

Pour peach mixture into a small pan (8” or 9” square) and cover evenly with crumb topping. 

Cover with foil and bake at 350ºF for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes or until crisp and brown on top.

Maple Cream Sauce: 

Pour whipping cream into a saucepan. Add 5 tablespoons real maple syrup, 3 tablespoons corn syrup and stir over moderate heat until thickened and reduced by about one-third, approximately 15 minutes. Refrigerate mixture until it is cold and thick, or set the saucepan into a small bowl of ice (the ice will melt and turn into ice water). Stirring your mixture, it will cool and thicken in about 15 minutes. Drizzle sauce over peach crisp.

Serve warm.


Join Mary from One Perfect Bite and all the other participants in this fun series.

Val - More Than Burnt Toast
Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed
Susan - The Spice Garden
Claudia - A Seasonal Cook in Turkey
Heather - girlichef
Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney
Jeanette - Healthy Living
April - Abby Sweets 
Katie - Making Michael Pollan Proud
Mary - One Perfect Bite
Viola - The Life is Good Kitchen
Sue - The View from Great Island
Kathleen Van Bruinisse - Bake Away with Me 
Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds
Martha - Lines from Linderhof
Amy - Beloved Green
Linda - Ciao Chow Linda
Nancy - Picadillo
Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits
Veronica - My Catholic Kitchen

How to Make Your Home Healthier (by Dr. Oz)

I stumbled across this very insightful article and couldn't wait to share this with EcologicalMom readers. Check out these great tips from Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen on  how to keep home contamination to a minimum:

The Kitchen 
Garbage disposal: A veritable whirlwind of bacteria sprays up each time the disposal is on, leaving a germ-heavy mist hanging over the kitchen. Make sure the disposal opening is properly covered before flipping the switch.

Sponges and dishrags: These fertile breeding grounds contain more than 100,000 germs per square inch. Microwave wet sponges (not dry—they’ll catch on fire!) for two minutes when they’re particularly dirty. Ideally you’d do this every day to kill bacteria. You can also just use dishrags cleaned in a dilute bleach solution.

Cutting board: Wood cutting boards are in fact safer than plastic. In one study, bacteria on a wooden board dried off in three minutes. Bacteria remained on the plastic board overnight, and multiplied. Wood appears to have a natural, bacteria-killing property that glass and plastic do not.

Countertops: You can’t control all the bacteria in your house, so relax about that. Antibacterial countertops are useless. Clean off your counters with warm, soapy water after preparing food and dry thoroughly. If you’re cooking with potential bacteria (meat, fish or poultry), kill those germs with bleach or an eco-friendly alternative, like vinegar. Do the same in your freezer and refrigerator.

The Bathroom
Toilet: Toilets contain a bacteria line just below the water level, called a biofilm. This bacterial biofilm if very difficult to remove, even with household cleaners. Once airborne, these microdroplets land on everything within the flush zone: toys, cups, toothbrushes, etc. Gross, right?

Some of these pathogens live for a week on surfaces. Each toilet flush creates an unseen mist detectable at head height, which can travel 15 feet from the toilet bowl. This is known as the aerosol effect. Putting the toilet seat down before you flush the toilet will prevent some fecal particles from floating and landing on every bathroom surface. Keep your toothbrush covered or in the medicine cabinet!

Cleaning solutions: All surfaces should be cleaned regularly. This includes the door handle, toilet, sink, faucets, floor and shower/bathtub. Clean inside the toilet at least twice a week with a disinfectant. To avoid transferring germs, clean the sink and toilet with separate cloths.

Showerheads. Occasionally remove your showerheads and soak them overnight in a commercial cleanser or vinegar. This removes the mold and mineral residue that clog the head and contaminate shower water.

The Bedroom
Mattress: We all sweat during the night, up to a half pint of moisture. This goes into the mattress, which is an ideal environment for dust mites.

Add this to the skin we shed as we sleep (up to nine pounds per person per year), giving mites something to eat. These little buggers can irritate your skin and cause swelling. The scary statistics: The average bed is home to about 10,000 dust mites, which can cause hay fever, asthma and other things.

Every six months, turn the mattress over. Vacuum it monthly and replace it every ten years. Use a latex cover or a 1-micron filter sheet cover.
Pillow: Each night you inhale the waste of dust mites that live in the pillow. Use a 1-micron filter pillow cover or a latex cover.

Sources: Dr. Oz & Dr. Roizen, and Yahoo.com

10 Reasons to Convince You to Drink Water

Do you drink enough water? If not, check out the reasons below.... they should be good enough to convince you this time! 
Researchers estimate that half of the world’s population is chronically dehydrated. And in America, that level is even higher at 75 percent of the population.

More than two-thirds of your body weight is water. Without adequate water your body’s biochemical and electrical (yes electrical, read on!) processes begin to break down. The list of reasons your body needs water is as plentiful as the functions in your body, so due to space limitations, here are 10 good reasons to drink more water:

1. Your blood is over 80 percent water and needs water to make healthy new blood cells.
2. Your bones are over 50 percent water and, you guessed it, need water to make healthy new bone cells.
3. Drinking more water actually helps lessen pain in your body by getting your lymphatic system moving. The lymphatic system is a network of nodes, tubes, vessels, and fluid that move waste out of your tissues. It requires water to function properly.
4. Water helps to eliminate wastes and toxins from your body through the lymphatic system, kidneys, and intestines.
5. Water lubricates your joints and helps reduce joint pain and protect against wear and tear.
6. Water regulates your metabolism so if you’re overweight chances are you may need more water.
7. Water balances body temperature.
8. Water helps to ensure adequate electrical functioning so your brain and nervous system function properly. Your brain and nervous system send out electrical signals to function properly. Researchers estimate that your brain gives off about the same amount of electricity as a 60 watt light bulb. So, there’s some truth to the image of a light bulb going on when someone has a good idea.
9. Water alleviates dehydration (and I’ve already mentioned that most people are chronically dehydrated).
10. Every cell and organ in your body requires adequate water to function properly.

Sources: Care2 Green Living and Yahoo!Green

No-Sewn Clown Costume Made with a Pillowcase

If you haven't found a Halloween costume for your kids yet, here is a great and easy one for you: a no-sewn clown made with a pillowcase!

Need:

1.           Colorful Pillowcase

2.           4 Big Colored Pom Poms

3.           Elastic cording or 1/4 inch elastic

4.           Craft glue

5.           Scissors

6.           1 large safety pin / 4 medium safety pins

Dollar Store accessories

What To Do:

7.           Iron pillowcase to remove creases andwrinkles first.

8.           Fold pillowcase in half, lengthwise, andthen cut a small opening, on folded side, for the neck .  Unfold and thencut a slit down the back, only, about 5 inches long from the neck opening.

9.           Across from the neck opening, at each sideseam, cut away a 1/4 inch slice for the arm holes.

10.        Dab a bit of white glue onto the cut edgesto prevent fraying, if desired.

11.        Cut a piece of elastic that will fitaround your child's thighs, adding about 6 additional inches. 

12.        Cut a small slit on the inside of thedouble thick bottom border, making sure not to cut into the front layer offabric.

13.        Attach the large safety pin to one end ofthe elastic and then insert this into the opening of the border.  Makingsure to keep the other end free, weave the safety pin through the entireborder, gathering as you go.  Tie off end, leaving a short tail and pushinto border.

Attach Pom poms to the center front of thecostume or attach with hot glue if desired.  You can either make a big bowfrom a piece of fabric, folding over ends and tying in middle (attach to frontof costume) or we found our clown nose, gloves and bow tie at the dollar store.

Source: ziggityzoom.com

Monique's Little Acorns

Monique from La Table de Nana posted this super little fall recipe a while back. I knew I was having my Garden Club for coffee this week and thought this would be perfect on the table. Don't they look great in my pumpkin bowl? And they're delicious, too. (Find the acorn mold HERE. Or HERE.)

A bench note: my first batch turned out too light. I raised the oven temp to 370 and increased the time to 12  minutes. Don't take them out until they get golden brown on top; then the bottom will be the perfect color. Luckily, there's lots of batter so you can experiment with oven temps and time a bit.

They were a hit at the coffee!

Acorn Pound Cake
From King Arthur Flour via Monique

Ingredients:
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter
3-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
1/4 teaspoon almond extract 
5 eggs

Method:
Preheat oven to 350. (I heated to 370)
In a mixer, beat the first two ingredients until there are no lumps left.
Add the salt, sugar, flour and baking powder. Mixture will be quite thick. Add the extracts and the eggs, one at a time. The mixture will now be light and fluffy.
The key for perfect acorns, according to Monique:
A combination of cooking spray and flour. The cooking spray coats all the nooks and crannies and the flour adds a thin layer of non-stick protection that results in a smooth as silk finish on the outside of your baked goods. In this case, less is definitely more. Filling the wells too full will result in acorns that puff and flow over the sides of the well. Surprisingly, just 2 to 3 teaspoons of batter is plenty. A teaspoon scoop proved to be just the right size and made scooping a breeze.
Bake the acorns for 8 to 10 minutes ( I baked longer) or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the nuts comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for about 2 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.