The Wonderful World of Flax

Here is another nutrition lesson, flax seed! I eat flax seed every morning. I grind it in my coffee grinder and sprinkle it on my cereal (hot or cold.) I give it to Salem & Oaklen too.

I buy it in bulk either at Whole Foods Market (~ $1.29 lb), or Smith's Market Place (~ $.99 lb.) You can get it at almost any store (packaged, by the cereal) but it's cheaper to buy at the above mentioned places in bulk. It's better to buy the whole seed and grind it since the nutrients go rancid quickly. If you do end up buying ground flaxseed, store in the fridge or freezer.

Here are some benefits:
* Flax seed has a binding agent so it makes the oatmeal or other food stick together, that way it's less messy for babies or kids to eat.
* For babies learning how to pick up finger food, sprinkle some ground flax seeds on the food so it's not so slippery.
* One tablespoon of ground flax seeds and three tablespoons of water may serve as a replacement for one egg in baking by binding the other ingredients together.
* Flax seed owes its nutritional benefits to lignans and omega-3 essential fatty acids. It'll help you stay smarter! :)

Below is more information that I got from good ol' Dr. Sears. http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t041700.asp

In addition to nutritious fats, flax seeds contain other nutrients which make eating the whole seed superior to consuming just the extracted oil:

• Flax seeds contain a high quality protein.
• Flax seeds are rich in soluble fiber. The combination of the oil and the fiber makes flaxseeds an ideal laxative.
• Flax seeds contain vitamins B-1, B-2, C, E, and carotene. These seeds also contain iron, zinc, and trace amounts of potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and vitamin E and carotene, two nutrients which aid the metabolism of the oil.
• Flax seeds contain over a hundred times more of a phytonutrient, known as lignin, than any of its closest competitors, such as wheat bran, buckwheat, rye, millet, oats, and soybeans. Lignins have received a lot of attention lately because of possible anti-cancer properties, especially in relation to breast and colon cancer. Lignins seem to flush excess estrogen out of the body, thereby reducing the incidence of estrogen-linked cancers, such as breast cancer. Besides anti-tumor properties, lignins also seem to have antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties.

Flax seeds, because they contain some protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, and lignins, are more nutritious than their oil. Yet, for practical purposes, most consumers prefer simply using the oil for its omega-3 fatty acids and not having to bother with grinding the seeds. But nutritionally speaking, it's worth the trouble to grind fresh flax seeds (say, in a coffee grinder) and sprinkle them as a seasoning on salads or cereals, or mix them into muffins. When buying seeds, be sure they are whole, not split; splitting exposes the inner seed to light and heat and decreases the nutritional value. Or, buy pre-ground flax seeds, available as flaxseed meal. One ounce of flaxseed meal (approximately 4 tbsp.) will yield about 6 grams of protein, and 8 grams of fiber.

7 HEALTH-PROMOTING PROPERTIES OF FLAX

Flax oil, flax seeds, and the omega-3 fatty acids they contain are good for your health. Here are some of the ways flax helps your body.

1. Flax promotes cardiovascular health. The ultra-high levels of omega-3 fatty acids lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Fish oils and algae are also good sources of essential fatty acids.

2. Flax promotes colon health. It has anti-cancer properties and, as a natural lubricant and a rich fiber source, it lowers the risk of constipation.

3. Flax supplements can boost immunity. One study showed that school children supplemented with less than a teaspoon of flax oil a day had fewer and less severe respiratory infections than children not supplemented with flax oil.

4. Flax provides fats that are precursors for brain building. This is especially important at the stage of life when a child's brain grows the fastest, in utero and during infancy. A prudent mom should consider supplementing her diet with a daily tablespoon of flax oil during her pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

5. Flax promotes healthy skin. I have used flax oil as a dietary supplement in my patients who seem to have dry skin or eczema, or whose skin is particularly sun-sensitive.

6. Flax may lessen the severity of diabetes by stabilizing blood-sugar levels.

7. Flax fat can be slimming. Fats high in essential fatty acids, such as flax, increase the body's metabolic rate, helping to burn the excess, unhealthy fats in the body. Eating the right kind of fat gives you a better fighting chance of your body storing the right amount of fats. This is called thermogenesis , a process in which specialized fat cells throughout the body (called brown fat) click into high gear and burn more fat when activated by essential fatty acids, especially gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). I have personally noticed that I crave less fat overall when I get enough of the healthy fats. A daily supplement of omega 3 fatty acids may be an important part of weight control programs.

It Is You

When Darrell and I were dating, I made up a poem one day while I was in the car commuting to the U. I-15 was under construction so I had at least a 1/2 hour drive. I made up this poem in my head then quickly went to a computer lab to type it up. I emailed it to him that day, then later decided to post it on lovepoetry.com so I'd always have a copy.

http://www.lovepoetry.com/poem.asp?x_id=42921

It is you
by Heather Ravnikar

It is you who makes me happy;
It is you who makes me smile;
It is you, when I am with you,
Makes every bit worth while.

It is you who makes me laugh;
It is you who makes me cry;
It is you who treats me royally;
It is you who makes me fly.

It is you who waits so patiently;
It is you with love so tender;
It is you who is so thoughtful;
It is you to whom I'll surrender.

28 and OK

Today is my birthday and I'm "OK." The finger counting way to do 28 in binary is shown above, it's the same as the OK sign. :)

My family always talks about binary on birthdays because we often do the candles that way. It's a good way of saving candles and fire hazards! :) Yesterday we celebrated with many people at my house. I think I had all 28 candles on my cake, but I blew them out all with one blow.

If you're curious, 28 in binary is 00111. (If you were to do the candles in binary, you put 5 candles on the cake but only light the last three.)
1 2 4 8 16
0 0 1 1 1

(16 + 8 + 4 = 28)

20 years later

When I went to Mt. Vernon in February I had to get a picture while sitting on those green chairs on the back porch overlooking the Potomac River. I remembered, when I was 8, that I sat there and had a picture taken. It was in July and VERY hot! Here's a little photoshop magic to show how much I've aged! :)

Salem's Imagination

Salem has quite the imagination. There are many days that he has to dress up as a certain character or other noun. He has been the following:
Peter Pan, a duck, Joseph Smith, Santa Claus, Spiderman, A snowflake, Bob the Builder, a pirate, a leprechaun, Clifford the big red dog, a farmer, Mr. Incredible, and more.

He has an imaginary friend named "8A" (pronounced aay-tah.) He came up with the name on his own, then later I asked him how to spell it and he said "an 8 and then an A."

He is always telling me stories about 8A and their adventures together. 8A has been many different ages, one day he is 5, the next day he is 27. 8A has also lived in many different places, one time it he lived in Delta, UT, another time he lived at our house. Salem always likes to tell me that 8A gets to do certain things that he can't do. "Well 8A's mom lets him jump on his bed..." etc etc etc.

When we're traveling in the car, Salem will talk my ear off about the things that he and 8A have been doing. I've never heard Salem have a conversation with 8A but he just likes to tell stories. A few times I've asked Salem questions about 8A and he responds and says "No silly, he's imaginary!" So, it's all for fun.

He'll be a great author someday...

High Fructose Corn Syrup - Avoid it!

I love to learn about nutrition. I've always said that if I were to go back to school, that I'd like to major in nutrition. I'm of course not the perfect eater (I don't think anyone is) but I try to eat "feel-good" food as I've taught my family.

A friend said to me a few weeks ago "What is your food mantra?" I didn't really know how to answer that but I started telling her about the ingredients that I try to avoid. I'll mention one ingredient that I avoid today and later I'll try to do more posts about other ingredients.

Today's topic is High Fructose Corn Syrup. I'm sure you've heard of it, it's in almost everything! This is a very concentrated sugar that was introduced in the 70's (man-made.) It's sweeter and cheaper so the food industry "ate" it all up (pun intended.) Now it's in most processed food, condiments, soft drinks, and even bread! HFCS prohibits your stomach from releasing Leptin which tells your body that it is full. So that's why some days you eat and eat and eat yet still feel hungry. I've done my best to cut HFCS out of our diet and I've noticed now that when I or my family has it that day, we are by far more hungry.
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Here are more facts that I've dug up from the internet:

High-fructose corn syrup is a sweetener containing 40 to 90 percent fructose and a carbohydrate extract from corn. This is a popular and inexpensive sweetener in cereals and sodas.
***
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a form of corn syrup which has undergone enzymatic processing in order to increase its fructose content.

The production process of HFCS was developed first by Japanese researchers in the 1970s. HFCS was rapidly introduced in many processed foods and soda drinks in the US over the period of about 1975–1985.

The process for making the sweetener high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) out of corn was developed in the 1970s. Use of HFCS grew rapidly, from less than three million short tons in 1980 to almost 8 million short tons in 1995. During the late 1990s, use of sugar actually declined as it was eclipsed by HFCS. Today Americans consume more HFCS than sugar.

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is produced by processing corn starch to yield glucose, and then processing the glucose to produce a high percentage of fructose. It all sounds rather simple--white cornstarch is turned into crystal clear syrup. However, the process is actually very complicated. Three different enzymes are needed to break down cornstarch, which is composed of chains of glucose molecules of almost infinite length, into the simple sugars glucose and fructose.

Ordinary corn syrup contains dextrose sugar which is about three-quarters as sweet as the sucrose sugar in cane or beet sugar. In many sweetener applications this is an advantage because it does not overpower the other flavors in the food. Howev-. er, in some applications, such as soft drinks, a sweeter taste is desired. To improve the sweetness of ordinary corn syrup, it undergoes a further process called enzyme conversion. In this process, the dextrose sugars in the syrup are converted into sweeter fructose sugars by the action of an enzyme in a series of steps under carefully controlled temperatures, pressures, and acidity. This produces a high fructose corn syrup with a 42% fructose content. It is used in canned fruits and condiments.
***

High Fructose Corn Syrup {HFCS) is extremely soluble and mixes well in many foods.. It is cheap to produce, sweet, and easy to store. Its used in everything from bread to pasta sauces to bacon to beer. Its even used in "health products" like protein/energy bars and "natural" sodas. You sort of get the idea that you are eating something good for you.

HFCS is great for the manufacturers. It retains moisture, resists drying out, controls crystallization, prevents microbiological growth and blends easily with sweeteners, acids, and flavorings. Best of all for manufacturers, it makes sugar drinks taste better and is cheaper than sugar.

From the point of view of soda makers, HFCS is a revolutionary advance in food science.

Generally, baked products made with HFCS will be softer than those made with sucrose. This means if these products are "steamed" they may get gummy. Thus, if there is a fast-food hamburger place that precooks and wraps their product, they may prefer the firmer product (sugar); If you doubt that they use sugar at fast food restaurants, ask for their nutritional publications. They all have them available. You might be surprised.

Barefoot and...

Barefoot and...carpet! We had the carpet installed in our room downstairs that we've been working on. It's actually been done and ready for carpet for a while now, and today was the happy day to get carpet! :) Right after the carpet guy left, Salem, Oaklen and I took our shoes & socks off and "snuggled" on the new carpet to read books, it was great!


Now we just need to put the furniture back in there. It'll be a spare room/bedroom.

Happiness is... Part III

Happiness is...

* watching the sunset with my boys out of Salem's bedroom window
* showing my sons how to blow bubbles with their hands using soap & water in the tub
* playing the ABC game with Darrell
* talking to my mom on the phone
* watching Salem "dance" the soap on his body while taking a bath
* getting to know people through blogs
* getting some Spring cleaning done
* seeing Oaklen use sign language to tell me he wants something or needs his diaper changed
* playing with your childhood toys, with your own children
* dinner time conversation..."What is something that made you happy today? Sad? Grateful?"
* watching Oaklen's face when he tries to use the squirt bottle
* being able to renew that library book or DVD one more time
* discovering that my children unraveled the entire toilet paper roll, yet not getting mad at them (although I told them it was the first and last time!)

South America & Caramel Smudges

Like mother like sons...I passed my birthmark trait onto my sons. Their birthmarks are more like caramel smudges, and they're cute! Mine is shaped like a pirate's hat if you're looking at it from my angle as I sit cross-legged, or if I'm standing and you're looking from behind it looks like an upside-down South America.

I found Salem's birthmark one day as I was changing his diaper as a baby. The mark is in the same place as mine, the upper right thigh. It's a cute smudged line, I looked a few days ago and it's starting to fade so I wonder if it will stay.

I found Oaklen's birthmark as I was washing his back (after a diaper explosion of course) and couldn't get that mark off!

(Okay, now I've given you the answer to my foolish truth post. I fooled all of you, even my hubby & mom. I was pretty tricky...he he he.)

Lou's Rolls

My Aunt Loueine is famous for her rolls. She came to town years ago and made them for us. Like all good cooks, she didn't really measure or have a recipe, but I wrote down a recipe as best I could. I missed a few details so I've filled in the gaps from doing research on other recipes, but here goes...

Lou's Rolls

2 cups milk, scalded
2T yeast dissolved in 3/4 cups warm water with 1t sugar
4 beaten eggs
1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cups oil
2t salt
7 + cups flour (she used all-purpose flour)

1. Scald milk in microwave for 2 1/2 minutes
2. Dissolve yeast in warm water & 1t sugar (Warm water can come from the tap, it's about the same as "cool" bath water.)
3. Beat 4 eggs.
4. Pour milk in a large bowl. Add sugar, salt, oil, and yeast mixture, mixing after each addition.
5. Add beaten eggs.
6. Add flour, stirring after each cup (the dough should be sticky.)
7. Put flour on flat surface to knead and add additional flour until dough is soft but not sticky.
8. Put in greased bowl, oil top of dough and cover with a towel.
9. Let dough rise until double in bulk, then punch down and let rise again.
10. Shape the dough into rolls.
11. Bake at 375 degrees F for 12-15 minutes.
Delicious!
Makes 3-4 dozen rolls

Weekend Highlights

Our weekend highlights...

Emptying of the Piggy Banks - My boy's piggy banks were getting full so we went to the credit union and put their change in the machine, they thought it was so much fun! We then opened up a dedicated savings account for each of them so it earns higher interest. I was proud of Salem for the amount of money he saved, it was a lot!

The Home Depot - Discover card is doing a cashback bonus promotion for home improvement stores that started in April. We've already been there four times! :)

Darrell's 10 mile run - Darrell has been running every morning for a long time and now did his first "race" on Saturday morning. He has actually ran longer distances than this race before, but it was fun for him to be with people (including his brother Ryan) and have a finish line. We figured out the approximate time that he'd arrive so I planned on being there with the kids at the finish line, well...I was putting on my coat to leave the house and he called and said that he was already finished! I was glad that his parents and brother's family were there, but I was sad that I wasn't there. I met him afterward and snapped a few pictures. I'm thankful for such an easy-going husband.
UPDATE 4/9/08: Here is a picture that my sis-in-law, Christa, took that shows Darrell at the finish line.


Rotating 72 Hr Kits - I've been getting in the habit of rotating our food and other items in the 72 hour kits every 6 months, around conference time. Salem gets quite excited to eat the food that I don't buy too often.

Mending - I've also made a habit of mending while I watch the Saturday sessions of conference. I mended tears on clothes and sewed on buttons. I felt like such a mom! :)

General Conference - My favorite was Elder Ballard's talk. He talked about Mothers and he even talked to the children! Listen to it here.

Foolish Truth

Since it's April Fool's day I'll play a game with you. All of the following statements are true except for one. You need to figure out which one.

1 I was born on a Monday
2 I have a birthmark on my upper left thigh
3 I've thrown up in Boston
4 I've never been to North Dakota
5 My skirt fell off when I was performing in Disneyworld
6 I only got two A-'s in high school, the rest were A's
7 I never "sluffed" a day of school
8 I enjoy reading self help books
9 I fear spiders
10 I got married on groundhog day
11 Currently, my favorite color is pink
12 I have a habit of picking my nails
13 I've only lived in three different houses
14 I've never been ice fishing
15 I used to play the violin
16 I got lost at Lagoon when I was little and said my name was George Burns
17 My family nickname is Rooney
18 My left leg is shorter than the right leg
19 I used to be a sample lady at grocery stores
20 I know the Thriller dance
21 I told my dentist that my name was Barclay
22 I was a girl scout
23 I went skiing when I was pregnant
24 I wrote a letter to President George Bush Sr. about broccoli
25 I enjoy math
26 I fainted while giving a talk in church
27 I cut my hand on a tuna fish can lid when I was a baby
28 I've never broken a bone
29 I won the 100-yard dash and the 50-yard dash the same day in elementary school
30 I cried when I watched Dylan's last episode on 90210

Easter 2008

Below are some pictures from Easter weekend. We had three different Easter Egg hunts: one at each grandparent's house and one Easter morning in our house.

Oaklen finally discovered that those "nicely wrapped little rectangles" were chocolate! He successfully opened a few and got quite the chocolate face. I was a nice mom and let him indulge just a little since it was Easter. He made up for it by carrying around some broccoli and munched on that for a while. He likes to eat all the flowers off the broccoli and leave the stem. He enjoyed finding the eggs and many times we would "recycle" the egg by taking it out of the basket and dropping it so he could find it again. He kept pointing and saying "egg!"

Salem had the 4-yr-old excitement. He enjoyed the whole weekend. He was a good sport about the candy and only ate a little. He enjoyed the baseball mitt that the Stidham's gave him and wore it the whole day on Saturday. On Sunday there was an empty basket with a picture of Christ next to it, signifying Jesus Christ's tomb, he thought that was neat, especially since he got to keep the picture. In primary on Sunday we talked about the resurrection and Salem raised his hand and asked "Are animals resurrected too?" It was so adorable! (Yes, animals are resurrected too.)

Darrell was able to be home on Sunday morning and didn't have any church meetings. That was a treat. He also was able to come home with us after church, which was unbelievable. He started walking out to the car with us and I thought he was just going to help us into the car, but he came home too!

We had great fun with lots family.

Yoga for kids

A few weeks ago Salem wanted to get a yoga for kids video from the library. He was so excited! :)

We came home and he did the video twice that day then every morning that week. He ran into the bedroom and woke me up and said "Mom, will you turn on the TV so I can do Yoga for kids?" He put on his "yoga" clothes, got out my mat, and did poses like "downward dog," "cobra" and his favorite "lion" so that he could roar like a lion. Oaklen thought it was pretty cool watching his big brother.

Happy Birthday Tiger

Today commemorates my old cat's birthday. Tiger was born March 25, 1987.

She was a fun and loving cat and we miss her. She was cross between a Siamese and a Tabby so she had quite the personality and meow. She grew up with me and was there for almost all of my life's major events thus far. I knew her on this earth longer than I knew my father on this earth. We had to put her to sleep in 2005 due to a sickness, but she lived a long and happy life.

Here are a few pics...

Tiger's portrait

Sleeping at the end my bed, her paw is over her eyes.

She would always snuggle up with me when I slept...whether I liked it or not. :)

She always had to be where the action was, she'd always be sitting on my textbook when doing homework and here she is "helping" my mom with the bills.

She even helped me get ready on my wedding day...

Oaklen the Turkey

Everyday I find myself saying this phrase "Oaklen is a Turkey." He's always doing something that warrants me to say that like:
*he won't take a nap
*he got into my curio cabinet
*he was played with the vacuum and knocked out the dirt container
*he figured out how to open the door and go downstairs to the main floor...in the middle of the night!
*he got into the peanut butter and it got all over his clothes and face
*he managed to swipe food from someone else's plate
*he turned off the computer when I was in the middle of writing an email
*he climbed up on a chair or couch and played with the light switch
*he got into a kitchen cabinet and put everything out on the floor
*he got my keys and went to the door knob to try to unlock the door

I've now even got him to raise his hand when I say "Raise your hand if you're a turkey!"

But, he's a cute turkey and we love him! :)

Your influence has been felt by many

A friend from my teenage years passed away on Sunday. She lived up the street from me and was in my ward. She always had the cutest smile and personality. Tanya died due to complications from Wegeners disease. She will be missed by many.

Although I haven't been in touch with her for years, she had an impact on my life. It makes you stop and think about all the people that you know that have made an influence in your life. I want to thank all the family and friends that have been in my life to make me who I am today. I love you!

Here is a fun picture of Tanya & me going on a trip to California with her mom, Pam. (Her little brother, Tyler, is in the background doing the bunny ears.) Taken in 1995.

Brace yourself

Brace yourself for the most exciting news of the day...







17 years ago today I got my braces on! (March 19th, 1991.) That makes me sound really old but I was only 10 yrs old when I got them on. I got the braces on in the middle of my 5th grade year and then had them off the August before my 7th grade year. (Then got my wisdom teeth out a year later.)

Here is a picture of me about half-way through my braces phase. My orthodontist gave me this T-shirt. I think I only wore it once. "The tin grin is in."

Homemade star show

Salem did the activity tonight for family home evening. We got a flash light and a vegetable steamer (cooking pot with holes on the bottom.) We went into our bedroom, turned off the light and put a blanket on the window to make it extra dark.

We laid on the bed and he turned on the flashlight and shined it through the vegetable steamer. It made a pretty cool star show on the ceiling for Oaklen, Darrell and me. Afterward I showed them a few shadow images like the classic shadow dog and butterfly.

Good times...

My life isn't....

My life isn't all hearts & flowers...




Sometimes it's shamrocks!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!