The Monday Recipe Blog

How about a healthy Native American Fry bread?

We are proud of our Native American heritage in Oklahoma. We have the largest Native American population in the country, and Native American Fry Bread is something that many of us enjoy often.

However, using the traditional recipe too often can be dangerous to your health. Fry Bread contains lots of fat and things that are really bad for your heart.

Now a healthier Native American Fry Bread recipe has been created, and this makes it easier to enjoy this delicacy.The following is the recipe for Native American Fry Bread after its healthy makeover....

Healthy Native American Fry Bread

Ingredients:

1 c. self-rising flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. fat-free milk
1 t. baking powder
1 T. Splenda
Canola oil

In a large mixing bowl, mix flours, baking powder, Splenda and milk.

Place dough on wax paper sprinkled with self-rising flour. Knead the dough, and add more self-rising flour to make a good dough. Allow the dough to sit for at least an hour. Can be more if you need more time.

When you are ready to begin the frying process, pour about 1 inch of canola oil into a frying pan, and heat it. You will know it's ready if, when you sprinkle a little flour on the oil, it sizzles.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Shape into round forms that look like dessert plates. Fry in the oil until golden brown, then remove immediately from the oil and place on paper towels to drain. Makes 8 servings.

The best-known way to use Native American Fry bread is for the base of an Indian Taco. This is made by layering cooked pinto beans or chili with beans, onions, lettuce, tomato, grated cheddar cheese and sour cream on the fry bread.

Another, more traditional way to eat it is with a meal as bread. You can also serve it as a dessert with honey or ice cream.

Each fry bread using this recipe is 148 calories, 4 grams fat (less than 1 gram of saturated fat), 24 grams carbs, 2 grams fiber, less than 1 mg. cholesterol and 5 grams protein.

If You Get A Kidney Stone, Make It Scram!

Happy Halloween, everybody!!! Let's talk about a frightful subject - kidney stones.....

No one likes a kidney stone. It produces one of the worst pains a person can feel - you will actually feel like you might be dying. And probably wouldn't mind if you did. Here are a few tips in case you ever have to deal with one of these....

Drink, drink, drink. What you are trying to do is make the stone pass out of your body, and the way to do this is by flushing with liquids.Water is the best thing to drink when you have a kidney stone. Drink a lot, not a little. At least three quarts of water every day. That's a bunch of water, but remember, you are trying to flush out the stone.Some say that dandelion tea causes more blood flow in the kidneys, thereby helping to flush the stone. It is also a good diuretic. Some other good diuretic teas are couch grass and corn silk.

Take a walk. Yes, you won't feel like it, but walking helps put the stone on the move. This is a good thing, because the stone has to dislodge and move in order to leave the body.

Saw palmetto has been used for ages to get rid of kidney stones. Sometimes called the "plant catheter" or "old man's friend", this is the home remedy of choice for these types of problems.Take 2 160 milligram caps each day as soon as you know that you have a stone, and continue until it passes.Saw Palmetto relaxes the ureter, making it easier to pass the stone.

If it looks like the stone is not going on its own, you will need to consult your physician. It has gotten simpler, less painful and less invasive over the years to remove large stones in many cases by using ultrasound treatment.

When the stone is gone, drink cranberry juice to help keep more stones away.

Good luck! If you have your own method for chasing away a kidney stone, please respond and let us know.

Avoid Catching The Flu From Someone In Your Home

When someone in your home has influenza, the odds are pretty good that others in the house will develop the disease. A pandemic flu is so easily passed from one person to another that precautions can cut the risk of exposure somewhat, but the reality is that someone else will likely be infected.

The following are steps to take when someone in the home is exhibiting signs of pandemic influenza:

A person exhibiting flu symptoms should immediately go to bed in an isolated area of the home. The sick room should be avoided except by the person caring for the ill. If more than one person has the flu, they should share the sick room. Move in extra beds or cots, if necessary. Under no circumstances should sick individuals be spread throughout the house.

If windows can be opened, please do this. Fresh air is important, as is natural light, if possible.

The less items in a sickroom, the less there is to disinfect. Remove all unneeded furniture and items from the room, even the curtains, if feasible.

Use disposable plates, cups and utensils for the patient. This keeps infected items out of the kitchen.

Visitors are strictly off-limits. Even if the patient is feeling better, the only person allowed in the sickroom should be the caregiver. The patient may still be infectious, and a patient with a pandemic flu will often relapse, even after several weeks. Keep the patient in bed and isolated for three weeks, if possible, if he/she has a pandemic influenza.

Never use a vacuum cleaner with a sick person in the home. This stirs up the air and propels the virus, not to mention that conventional vacuum cleaners harbor all sorts of bacteria.

Always wear latex gloves and, preferably, a NIOSH-certified half-face respirator with safety goggles when in the sickroom or around laundry or waste from the sickroom.

Unscented bleach will become your friend when caring for a flu victim. Mix up a solution of 2 tablespoons bleach to 1 quart water each day in a bucket. At least once per day wipe hard surfaces in the sickroom with the solution, using a paper towel. Discard the paper towel in the sickroom trash bag. This process will effectively kill the bacteria. Do it often. Don’t forget telephones and television remotes. Wipe the surfaces in the kitchen and laundry room daily and the other areas of your home whenever you can. Mix up a bucket of solution each day, as the bleach solution loses effectiveness very quickly.

Some little-known areas that tend to collect and harbor bacteria are your door mat, the soft, rubber area around the top of your garbage disposal, your telephone, any countertop and your car’s door handles, dashboard and console. Introduce these to your bleach solution during a threat of flu. Be careful that the bleach doesn’t damage anything in your car. Test in a small area first.

Keep the ill person’s laundry completely separate from the other household laundry. Use strong kitchen trash bags to store the soiled laundry and keep in the sickroom until ready to launder. Tie the bags tightly. Wash the laundry in hot water and use bleach, if possible. Outside drying in the sun in preferable to machine drying, but either will do. Never forget to wear latex gloves, and wash your hands thoroughly after removing the gloves.
The key to surviving a deadly flu pandemic and protecting your family is knowledge. Knowledge is power, and you will need to know how to react when others around you may be panicking. Become a flu expert now, before the flu pandemic turns into a killer.

There is no substitute for good medical advice from a physician. Always consult your doctor, if possible, and follow his/her advice.


This information was taken from the book How To Wage War Against A Flu Pandemic by Debra West, available at http://www.alltrailsleadhome.com/ or Amazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/How-Wage-War-Against-Pandemic/dp/144868448X/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256598818&sr=8-9

The Friday Dog Blog

If it's Friday, it's a dog....

This pup likes apples - her name is Little Darlin'. I'd bet she's not always a little darlin'!

Windshield Time? How About A Book?

Most of us spend time behind the wheel every week. Many commute every day to work and back. What are you doing while you're behind the wheel? Hopefully not talking on the cell phone, shaving or putting on make-up!

There is something you can do during your windshield time that will improve your life and won't turn your daily drive into Mr. Toad's Wild Ride for you and your fellow commuters...

Learn while you drive. For this you will need either a cassette tape player or CD player in your car, or an MP3 player, preferably an I-Pod. It will also help if you have a library card to a large public library.

There is a huge variety of books on tape, books on CD and e-books for MP-3 players. You can purchase the books on CD and tape at chain bookstores, for a price. Even better, you can check them out at your local library for nothing. You have 2-3 weeks, depending on your library, to listen and return the tapes or CD's.

Recently libraries have begun offering a large number of e-books for its customers. These are wonderful, and I now download the e-books for my I-Pod more than I check out the CD's. If your library does not offer e-books, it probably will very shortly, as this is the hot thing for libraries and library customers.Here is how to download a book from the library....

Go to your library website and look for e-books. (If the library doesn't offer them, e-mail the head librarian and request them.) You will download a free program from the library website that will allow you to place the downloaded books on your computer and your MP-3 player.

Once that is done, all you have to do is browse through the books and choose one to download. I wouldn't download more than one, because the library will ask you to listen to the book within a couple of weeks or transfer it to CD's, then delete it from your computer. Now, if you transfer the book to your MP-3 player, technically you will have it for as long as you need it, but it's always better to stick to the rules and, anyway, who can listen to more than one book at a time?

That's all there is to downloading books from the library. You will not have to return them to the library and there are no late fees. It's a great idea, and extremely time-saving for customers.

You will be shocked at the number and variety of e-books available at the library.

You can also check out books on cassette tapes and books on CD's from your library. If you don't have a CD player, it might be time to get one, because libraries are phasing out their books on tape.

You can go to the library website and browse with keywords or authors until you find what you want, then reserve it, designating the library branch where you want to pick it up and return it. When it gets to the library, you will be called or e-mailed, and you have several days to get there and pick it up.

Choose a book that appeals to you. If you generally read novels, then choose a novel by your favorite author that you haven't read. If you read history, pick a history. If you are interested in self-improvement, there are tons of choices. I once chose a book on CD that was on 24 discs! I had to renew the book to get another 3 weeks to listen, but it was one of the best books ever.

Ok, now you have your book on tape/CD or MP3 player. Every time you get into your car, you can now look forward to "reading" a great book.

There are some self-help books on CD and e-books that are actually formulated for commuters. You can learn a foreign language, bone up for national exams, learn to do various tasks and crafts, learn to be a better businessperson or manager, the sky is the limit.

When you are into a good book that you really enjoy, you will actually look forward to your drivetime! Try it out, you will never drive without a book again.

Warning: Get your cassettes, CD's or I-Pod ready before you leave home. If you have a CD in your player that is almost finished, get the next one out of the box while your car is still in the garage. You don't want to run off the road while fiddling with your I-Pod or CD player.

How do you spend your windshield time? Comment and let us know!

The Monday Recipe Blog

Starbuck's Pumpkin Bread Clone Made With Splenda

Has everyone been telling you that pumpkin is a superfood, and that you need to get more of it into your diet? True enough, but aside from Thanksgiving pumpkin pie and pumpkin soup, there aren't that many good pumpkin dishes.Here is a truly great one, though - Starbuck's Pumpkin Bread copy, but made with Splenda instead of sugar.

This gives you the nutrition of pumpkin without the guilt of taking in more refined white sugar. What could be better?

Starbuck's Pumpkin Bread Clone Made With Splenda

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
4 eggs
1 c. Splenda
2 T. Splenda Blend Brown Sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 can pumpkin
3/4 c. olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, mix eggs, sugars and vanilla on high speed about 30 seconds, then add the oil and pumpkin. Mix well.

Pour the dry stuff into the wet stuff and mix well with the mixer. Pour batter into a well-greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan. Bake for 70 minutes, or until the top is dark brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Wait until the bread is cool, then take it out of the loaf pan and slice it into 1 inch thick slices.Makes about 8 slices.

It's not even fair to call this a bread - it tastes like cake! I like to freeze it and take it to work for a healthy and filling snack. If you microwave a frozen slice, it tastes as fresh as when it came out of the oven.

Note: I often use a mini-loaf pan for this bread. It takes about 35 minutes for mini-loaves to bake. This recipe makes five mini-loaves.

It's Time To Stock Up On Flu Oral Rehydration Solution

One of the most dangerous elements of the seasonal flu or Swine flu is dehydration. This is caused by fever, nausea or diarrhea.Oral Rehydration Solution replaces essential fluids and electrolytes that are lost when the patient is ill. Water alone is insufficient to replace these when the patient is suffering from the flu.

You can purchase this in the form of solutions such as Pedialyte, assuming that the pandemic is not so dangerous and widespread that stores are in short supply of this essential liquid.However, there is a cheaper and better way to always have a large stock of O.R.S., and the following are the instructions on how to make as much as you might need...

The best and most simple Oral Rehydration Solution is a mixture of table salt, white granulated sugar and water. I will tell you how to make a supply of the dry ingredients, to be mixed with water when needed.

For a large supply that you can give away to family and friends and still have plenty on hand, you will need about 10 pounds of sugar, a couple of containers of table salt and a box of Bag-ettes. Bag-ettes are little zip-lock baggies that you can purchase at a craft store such as Michaels, or online. They are designed to hold jewelry, and a box of 200 is very inexpensive. Buy the 3" x 5" bag-ettes.

Using a Sharpie-type pen/marker, mark each bag-ette with these words:ORS for Flu. Add to 1 liter of water.

To each bag-ette, add 3 TABLESPOONS of sugar and 1 TEASPOON of salt. Zip it up and that's it.Continue until you have 200 or so baggies of ORS. Store them in a larger zip-lock bag in a cool, dry place like a little-used closet.

When needed, add one baggie to a liter of water and have the patient drink as much as possible. Just sipping it throughout the day is better than not drinking it at all.You can add a little unsweetened Kool-Aid to the liquid if you need to make it more palatable, but it's normally fine the way it is.

The sugar/salt/water O.R.S. was developed by the World Health Organization and has saved countless lives in Third World counties. This keeps a LONG time - you will have a supply of life-saving dehydration-fighting solution for many, many years.

This information was taken from the book How To Wage War Against A Flu Pandemic by Debra West, available at http://www.amazon.com/How-Wage-War-Against-Pandemic/dp/144868448X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256433693&sr=8-1

NOTE: For children, the formula is a little different. Use 4 TABLESPOONS of sugar and 1 TEASPOON of salt, and add to 1 1/2 quart water.