According to EWG, try to avoid toiletries with these ingredients listed in the label:

• Words ending in “paraben”
• DMDM hydantoin
• Imidsazolidinyl urea
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone
• Methylisothiazolinone
• Triclosan
• Triclocarban
• Triethanolamine (or “TEA”)
• “PEG”
• “-eth” in the middle (e.g., sodium laureth sulfate)

The ingredient “FRAGRANCE” can include a lot of different chemicals, some of which may pose a hazard.   Use EWG’s Cosmetics Database to choose safer products.

This is the fresh fruit salad I made yesterday.  It’s great to keep in a Tupperware type covered bowl in the fridge ready for a quick snack, but just make sure you do not add banana to the whole batch.  If you want to add banana, just add it to what you’re getting ready to eat since bananas turn dark quickly.  However, the juices from the other fruits keep the apples from turning dark, so they’re OK the next day.  It’s so delicious (not to mention being healthy) that it’s hard not to eat a second serving of it!

INGREDIENTS:

• Organic apple with the peeling left on it, chopped (if it’s not an organic apple then it should be peeled because of higher levels of pesticides)
• Orange, peeled and sectioned and then cut into bite-size pieces
  
• Cantaloupe, cut into bite-size pieces
  
• Organic Strawberries (regular strawberries have higher levels of pesticides than most fruits), sliced
• Blueberries
• Nectarine, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
• Grapes (not pictured)
• Fresh Pineapple (not pictured)
  

Click here to see a list of the top 12 fruits & veggies with the most amounts of pesticides.

#1. Clair’s question. What’s the biggest kitchen blunder you’ve made?

I cooked our turkey using a different recipe than usual.  It wasn’t thoroughly cooked when it was supposed to be, so we had to go ahead and eat without it.  We had it a couple of hours later after dessert.  LOL  (It was really good!)
#2. What’s your favorite snow day beverage?

Homemade hot chocolate  (using Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa)
#3. What’s your favorite way to eat celery?

Stuffed with peanut butter and then topped with raisins  (an old Girl Scout recipe called “Ants on a Log”)
#4. What’s the most most unappealing looking food you can think of?

Hmmm…probably tofu.  I’ll have to think some more about this question.

This is the view out of my kitchen window.  My curtains look dark, but they actually match the cream color of the blooms on the Crepe Myrtle tree just outside the window.  Every day when I’m standing at the sink, I see this pretty view.  Years ago when we first moved to this house, all I could see out this window were a lot of rooftops and the very tops of a few small trees.  Time really does make a difference.

When thinking about the concept of “time,” there are some verses in the Bible that I like to think about.  In fact, these verses are in a popular song by the Byrds called “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season).”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:

1. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5. A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6. A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7. A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8. A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

I decided this could be done in the same pot…and it worked.  So easy!

INGREDIENTS:

• * 1 cup brown rice
• * 2 1/2 cups water
• * 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• * 1 large can turkey breast, 12.5 ounces (we get it at Sam’s)
  
• * 1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup, 10.5 ounces
• * frozen broccoli
• * freshly ground salt & pepper
• * (Optional -  stir in 1/2 cup sharp shredded cheese)
  

Cook brown rice in water and olive oil according to directions on the package.  As soon as it’s done, add the turkey and soup.  Stir.  Add just a little more water if necessary.  Place the frozen broccoli on top (break it apart), place the lid back on top of the pan, and cook on medium low for 15-20 minutes until broccoli is tender.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

* You can substitute canned chicken breast for the turkey.

Hope every father had a nice Father’s Day yesterday.  We had a quiet day, saw our son briefly in the morning before he left on a trip and then we went to church.   My husband opened his presents before our son left and was pleased with presents from our daughter & s-i-l & babies, our son, and from me.

Father’s Day presents can range from anything from a shirt and tie to Kettlebells to an MP3 player.  So if you forgot to get something for your dad, it’s not too late.

It was hot here today!  Summertime is definitely here which means a time for cooler clothes, flip flops, and slimming down.  More people seem to think about losing weight during the summer than during the other seasons, and they might take nuphedra to help them in their effort.  (They should always consult their doctor before taking any diet pills.)  As for me,  I try to go for a lot of walks and get more exercise during the cooler part of the day.

If the avocados weren’t in the picture, would you know the name of this utensil?  If I didn’t already have one, I wouldn’t know.  My daughter and son-in-law gave this to me last year, and it has been so handy.  My first attempts to use it ended up with smashed looking avocado slices, but then I finally figured out the correct way to use it.  It’s so quick and easy to make nice looking avocado slices now.

These cookies bring back warm memories of childhood and growing up.   My mother made these often, and they were so delicious warm out of the oven.   They’re like a brown sugar cookie, and kids of all ages like them.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• (1 cup nuts optional – we don’t add the nuts)

Cream the eggs, brown sugar, and butter.  Add the dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Form cookie dough into a long roll about 2 inches in diameter.  Wrap well with wax paper.  Chill for a few hours.  Slice and bake at 350 degrees as needed.  Bake 8-9 minutes for a soft cookie and 10-11 minutes for a crisper cookie.

The cool thing about this recipe is that the dough can be made a day or several days before it’s needed as long as it’s well-wrapped.  If it’s going to be kept for several days, it would be good to store the dough in a large gallon size plastic bag after wrapping with wax paper.