It is a proven fact that with weather changes, we also experience health related changes.

There are more people suffering from cold, flu, and other ailments, during Winter season, than any other time of the year.  Wouldn’t you agree?

Our healthcare providers do not encourage us to get flu shorts for the Summer, but as soon as Autumn approaches, flu shot requests are as popular as the gold rush.

During cold weather we tend to crave comfort foods, relax more, sleep longer, and stay warm.  Warm drinks, and hearty soups, also gain popularity.

I came across a very interesting article written by Dr. Mao, about longevity and Five Chinese secrets of maintaining health and energy during the Winter season.

Winter: the sleep of nature

The winter season is when nature sleeps, and everything experiences the slowing of natural processes — even our bodies. Humans stopped hibernating like their ancestral cousins long ago, but our bodies still experience the natural inclination to slow down in winter. The winter is a time to come back to quietness and rebuild your energy reserves.

I encourage you to read the complete article to be ideally informed, but I will post the headings of the Five Chinese Secrets to Winter Health:

1. Early to bed, rise when the sun is up

2. Be contented

3. Nurture energy storage

4. Eat for the season: no raw, cold foods

5. Avoid coldness and linger around warmth

So, what do you think?

Were you surprised by any of the items you read about?

How do you change your lifestyle during the cold winter season?

photo in this post was received via email – author unknown

Sauerkraut soup, also known as “Kapusnyak”- in Ukrainian, or “Kapusniak” – in Polish, is a very refreshing, zestful, and  nutritious soup.

I like making Kapusnyak for Easter late afternoon meal, since in Ukrainian Easter tradition, very special foods are served for brunch, so Kapusnyak is a wonderful addition to this menu for an early afternoon meal.

It also gives me a chance to use the leftover shank bone from the baked ham, and some of the pan juices, which add wonderful flavor to the Kapusnyak.

Ingredients:

• 1 ham shank bone, with some meat on it
• 8 cups of water
• 1 whole onion
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 carrots, cubed
• 2 stalk celery, cut to large pieces
• 2 cups sauerkraut (drained, and rinsed out)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 Tbs. Canola oil
• 2 Tbs. flour
• Sour cream (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tbs dill weed, chopped
• 2 dry Porcine mushrooms (optional)

Directions:

1. Fill a 6 quarts (or larger) soup pot  with  cold water.
2. Add the shank bone, and bay leaves, and some of the pan juices (these may be quite salty), and bring to boil.
3. Cook for 30 minutes.
4. Add whole onion, chopped carrots, celery, and 2 dry Porcine mushrooms.
5. Cook for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the celery stalks, whole onion, and the bay leaves.
7. Drain the sauerkraut, place on a colander, and rinse under a running, cold water, for about 2 minutes, continuously mixing it, to remove most of the sour juices.
8. Squeeze out, to drain the water, add to the soup pot.
9. Bring to boil, and cook for additional 30 minutes, or until kraut is tender.
10. Remove the whole mushrooms, chopped them up, and add back to soup.
11. Remove the shank bone, cut away the remaining meat, and add the meat back to soup.
12. Heat Canola oil in a sauce pan, add the chopped onions, and saute until golden.
13. Mix in 2 Tbs of flour to the onions, and brown lightly.
14. Gradually add some soup stock to this mixture, and mix well to creamy consistency (not lumpy), while cooking it for a couple of minutes, so it thickens.
15. Add to soup, and bring to boil.
16. Season the soup with salt and pepper, to taste.
17. Add chopped dill.
18. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, and fresh rye bread.

Preparing homemade soup, of any kind, is a simple process.

If you are able to boil water, and chop veggies, you are a budding soup chef.

I mean it. It is that simple.

Cooking soup requires some very basic ingredients:

• Soup stock (ready-made, or homemade)
• Your favorite vegetables
• Your favorite herbs
• Pasta, rice , or other favorite grains
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Some soups might need additional flavor enhancers:

• tomato paste
• cheese
• eggs
• heavy cream, or milk
• vinegar
• lemon juice
• wine

The reason soup is easy to prepare, is that you are able to alter its taste and texture, throughout the entire cooking process; unlike baking breads and pastries, or preparing main course dishes.

Did I convince you yet that you ARE able to prepare some yummy soup?

Next time I will show you how to make some soup stock, since it is very easy to prepare, and much cheaper than buying it ready-made.

If you think your mom and grandma were the only ones preaching that soup was good for you, especially during illness, some scientists agree with this theory as well.

Homemade chicken soup, also referred to by many as “Jewish Penicillin”, has been known for its “healing” powers for colds.  It is believed to inhibit inflammation, and break up congestion.

I am convinced that hot soup, hot tea with lemon and honey, and fresh garlic bread, are my best remedies for getting well from such recurring ailments as the common cold.

Soup is a winter staple that no one should be without, as it warms you up from inside out, and boosts your immunity.

Homemade soups made with organic veggies, are the best.

If you must depend on the manufactured soups, please watch out for the amount of sodium and fat,  they contain.

I will share some excerpts from an article I read in a post by Dr.Maoshing Ni.

The therapeutic value of soup comes from the ease with which your body can assimilate the nutrients from the ingredients, which have been broken down by simmering.

1. Lose weight with soup.

It has been found that people who eat one serving of soup per day lose more weight than those who eat the same amount of calories, but don’t eat soup.

2.  Build your immunity.

When you slowly simmer foods over low heat, you gently leach out the energetic and therapeutic properties of the foods, preserving the nutritional value of the foods.  Keep in mind that boiling can destroy half of the vitamins found in vegetables, so cook soup over low heat.

3.  Detoxify your body.

As a liquid, soup is already helping you flush waste from your body.  When you choose detoxifying ingredients, you are really treating your body to an internal cleanse.

4.  Warm up with a hearty soup.

Soups provide something the body craves in a cold weather. The Chinese nutrition would call this the “warming energy”.

5.  Get well faster.

When you are sick, there is no better healing food than soup.  The reason for this is that soups and stews don’t require as much energy to digest, freeing your body up to fight the infection.

Are you convinced yet of the health benefits your body is able to obtain from adding soup to your daily diet?

Preparing homemade soups might sound complicated and intimidating, but it is really very simple.

You can check out the soup recipes I already posted, but there are more coming up, so please stay tuned.

I already shared the story about my zucchini crop this year,  so now it’s a perfect time to share a zucchini recipe.

I was thinking of posting a Zucchini Bread recipe, but I have been baking a lot lately, so a vegetarian dish sounded more appealing to me.

My sister might like this recipe as well, since she just told me that she is contemplating becoming a vegetarian.

I could be a vegetarian most of the time, but I think I occasionally would miss my poultry and pork dishes.

My mom loved zucchini sauteed with butter, onions, garlic, and some Italian spices.

Today I will share this yummy recipe for Zucchini Casserole with tomatoes, cheeses and Italian spices.

One recipe fills a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium zucchini (8 inch long), sliced into thin discs (1/8 inch thick)
• 3 large tomatoes, sliced into thin discs (1/8 inch thick)
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. dry oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dry basil (1/4 cup fresh, chopped)
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1-1/2 cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Tbs. butter (or canola oil)
• 1/2 cup Italian Seasoned bread crumbs

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the Cheddar Cheese, Parmesan Cheese, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.
2. Set aside.
3. Grease the casserole dish, or spray with a  cooking spray.
4. Divide the sliced zucchini and sliced tomatoes into two equal parts.
5. Arrange the first half of the zucchini slices in the casserole dish, covering the whole bottom.
6. Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese mixture over the zucchini layer.
7. Arrange the first haft of the sliced tomatoes over the cheese sprinkled zucchini.
8. Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese mixture over the tomato layer.
9. Repeat the zucchini, tomatoes, cheese, layers again.
10. Set aside.
11. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter, over medium heat.
12. Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent (2 minutes).
13. Turn off heat.
14. Add the seasoned bread crumbs, and mix until the butter is totally absorbed and onions are mixed in.
15. Preheat the over to 375 degrees F.
16. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly all over the top of the casserole.
17. Cover with aluminum foil.
18. Bake for 20 minutes.
19. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes longer.
20. Let it cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Best served fresh, while the topping is nice and crunchy.

Still great the next day, but the bread crumbs become soft as they begin to absorb the moisture from the veggies.

Enjoy, and share your comments.

Being a grandmother (BABA in Ukrainian, or BABCIA in Polish) is such a rewarding experience, since you have lots of fun with your grandchildren, without being the firm disciplinarian you once were as a mother to your own children.

Of course, I try to follow the parent’s rules, as not to cause too much confusion for the grandchild, but I am much more relaxed with these rules, and try compromising to achieve the needed results.

Another grandma shared a link with me to a wonderful article about disciplining children, and how often parents use the wrong approach in disciplining their children, which compelled me to share it with all of you.

Also, there are several references to great parenting books, which would make a perfect gift for new parents.

Parents advisor Michele Borba, Ed.D., author of The Big Book of Parenting Solutions.

According to her, there are patterns to behavior.

Kids do the same things when they’re tired, hungry, or getting fed up;

it’s up to adults to take note and adjust accordingly.
Ignoring a kid’s signs is one of many discipline mistakes parents make all the time.

We’re too negative.

“Don’t hit your sister!” “Stop pulling the dog’s tail!”

The number of things you tell your toddler or preschooler not to do is endless.

THE FIX: Ask for the behavior you want to see.

“Parents say ‘no’ so frequently that kids become deaf to it — and the word loses its power,”
Save the nay saying for truly dangerous situations , and focus on telling kids how you would like them to behave.
For example, instead of,
“No standing in the bathtub!”
try,
“We sit down in the bathtub, because it’s slippery.”

We expect too much from our kids.
As soon as you shush him, he does it again.  Why doesn’t he listen?

THE FIX : Play teacher.

When your child breaks a norm, remind yourself that
he isn’t trying to be a pain — he just doesn’t know how to act in the situation,
so snapping isn’t effective (or fair).

Kids are born mimics, so modeling or drawing attention to something we want them to do goes a long way.

“It takes time and repetition for kids to learn to handle themselves,”

We model behavior we don’t want to see.

When you drop something, you yell.

A man cuts you off and you call him a rude name.

But then you get mad if your kid reacts the same way when things don’t go her way.

THE FIX :  Apologize and take a do-over

We use time-out ineffectively.
When you send your 3-year-old to his room after he hits his brother, he starts banging his head on the floor in rage.

THE FIX: Consider a time-in

A time-out is meant to be a chance for a child to calm down, not a punishment.
Some kids respond well to the suggestion that they go to a quiet room until they’re chill.
But others view it as a rejection, and it riles them up.

Plus, it doesn’t teach kids how you want them to behave.

Take a “time-in,” where you sit quietly with your kid.

If he’s very upset,
hold him to get him settled down.
Once he’s relaxed,
calmly explain why the behavior wasn’t okay.

Too angry to comfort him?

Put yourself in time-out;
once you’ve relaxed,
discuss what you would like your child to do differently.
We intervene when our kids simply annoy us.
You hear your children chasing each other around the house and immediately shout.

THE FIX :  Ignore selectively.

Keep in mind that children sometimes do things that are irksome because they’re exploring new skills.
Other times, they’re seeking attention.
When safety isn’t an issue, try watchful waiting.

We’re all talk and no action.

“Turn off the TV… I’m serious this time… Really!” Your kids continue bad behavior when warnings are vague, for the same reason you run yellow lights — there aren’t consequences.

THE FIX :  Set limits and follow through.

Start with respectful directives.
If she follows through, thank her.
If not, give a consequence

We assume what works for one kid will work for another.

THE FIX:  Develop a diverse toolbox.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/7-discipline-mistakes-all-moms-make-2509433/
Michele Borba, Ed.D., author of The Big Book of Parenting Solutions.

• Linda Sonna, Ph.D., author of The Everything Toddler Book
• Devra Renner, co-author of Mommy Guilt.
• Robert MacKenzie, Ph.D., author of Setting Limits With Your Strong-Willed Child.

photo credit: benfff85

We all can attest to the fact that we live in such a busy world these days, and rush trough everything we do, that at times we only hear what we want to hear, and see what, we think, we want to see.

Everyone strives for perfection, but we misspell words without noticing it ( I am just as guilty as anyone..).

Forget our appointments, grocery lists, names of people we just met, etc.

We are surrounded by advanced technology to simplify our life, yet always run out of time.

So what am I driving at,  you say?

Well, I have a little game for you to play, and would like to hear your comments, on how well you have done.

Here you go:

More Brain Stuff . . . From Cambridge University .

O lny srmat poelpe can raed tihs.

cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The
phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy,

it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt
tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a
taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.

Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the
wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was
ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs psas it on !!

I could not believe myself, how well I was able to read this, and actually had to go back to check again how badly it was misspelled…..

I am looking forward to hearing from all of you, what you thought about this little game, and if you surprised yourself as much as I did.

Please share your comments.

Toys, toys, toys, and more toys for kids.  We all love buying toys for our children and grandchildren.

There are so many to select from, to keep them fun, educational, and most of all SAFE.

Buying toys seems like an easy task, but it does require some research and common sense.

Today I will share another tip from ecomii.com, to put a bug in your ear, to keep in mind for your next toy shopping trip.

Today’s Tip: Avoid Unsafe Toys for Tots

What?

Protect your baby’s health by forgoing plastic toys, which may contain PVC, lead, cadmium and other dangerous substances.

How?

Only purchase toys made from upressed wood and organic fibers like cotton and hemp.

Why?

Children are at the highest risk of toxic poisoning, because their skin is so absorptive.

Plus, we all know how they love to chew.

Did you Know:

In the EU, soft plastic toys are banned from children under the age of THREE, because the phthalates (”softeners”) used, are highly toxic.

Please be a smart consumer and read the labels on the toys you are about to purchase.  Do additional research before making the final decision, to keep your babies safe and healthy.

Kids love coloring with crayons, but also with their favorite magic markers.  There are variety of those on the market, but some are not a safe as you might think.

As a parent you try your best to keep your children safe and healthy.

You feed them organic food, buy safe toys, and now you should read a tip about safe markers, posted by ecomii.com

Today’s Tip: Make Your Mark as  a Parent

What:

Protect your kids from toxic fumes by avoiding alcohol or solvent-based magic markers.

How:

Choose safe, water-based markers instead.  Look for seals of approval from the Art and Creative Materials Institute (ACMI-AP), or American Society for Testing and Materials ( ASTM).

Why:

Alcohol and solvent-based markers – such as permanent markers – contain dangerous chemicals such as xylene, toluene, and acetone, and children are especially susceptible to them.

Did you know:

If safety wasn’t reason enough, did you know that water-based markers are much easier to clean up?

Last year I did not have good experience with growing my squash and zucchini.  They were overcrowding the rest of my garden plants, so I transplanted them to a different location, and they did not like that at all.

This year I had a better plan, and gave them more growing room in my newly expanded garden patch.

I planted four zucchini plants and four squash plants, but one of my zucchini plants is different from the rest.  It has two tone leaves, and bears same kind of two tone zucchini, as you see in this picture.

This is my “odd” zucchini plant with spotted leaves, and it is a much bigger plant than the regular zucchini plants.

A close up view of the spotted zucchini leaf.

These are my regular zucchini, from seeds in same packet as the spotted one…go figure.

These are my Summer Squash plants; blooming already, but not producing yet.  They had a late start, but it is worth the wait.

I love  zucchini and squash with sauteed fresh garlic and onions.

This year I planted some corn, for the first time.  Hopefully the birds will let them grow to maturity.

I planted the one that is mixed with yellow and white corn on the same cob….should be yummy!

My granddaughter loves getting out the sweet peas out of the pods,  and eating it fresh.  Very sweet tasting little morsels they are!

Please share your gardening experience with all of us.