Chia Power

Have you heard of Chia? And I'm not talking about the pet. I'm talking about the latest and greatest new super food or at least that's what everyone is telling me.

It's high in fiber, high in protein, low in fat and calories with omega-3 EFAs.

Supposedly it was a staple for the Aztecs and Mayans and when my sister started eating it for breakfast, she lost five pounds in one week. No kidding. She put it in almond milk and let it sit over night in the fridge so it could expand. The next morning she ate a bowl and was full until lunchtime. It's kind of like a thin porridge but it tastes petty bland. When she had me try it I put a bunch of cinnamon and nutmeg on it so it would taste "okay" to me.

The only problem for me, was I had to keep running for the bathroom...seriously. I told my sis I could not eat that every day. I'm not sure if it was just all that fiber or if it wasn't reacting well with my body but I'm telling you, if I ate that stuff everyday I would definitely lose a few pounds...maybe more but I'd probably be dehydrated too.

So has anyone else tried the "Chia Pet Breakfast"? That's what my sis and I are calling it.

Spamwich

Here it is! A giant SPAMwich.

It was similar to a hotdog. Highly processed, a lot of salt but not bad tasting. The only problem I had with the SPAM was the texture. It was soft and mushy . . . sort of. More like the texture of tofu than meat. But it honestly wasn't bad inside the sandwich, with lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles piled on top.

We cooked it in the cast iron pan, just like Mom used to do. And it wasn't so pretty but it wasn't bad either. Kind of like a square hamburger patty.

We sliced it thinly and just fried it up. It could have been spiced up a little too, if we had thought about it (but no more salt--that was already in strong supply). We were more curious about it's true taste. So, I took a big bite of the sandwich and was pleasantly surprised. It was pretty good.

Then, I had to take a bite of the SPAM without all the condiments and veggies to find out for sure. And all alone, I didn't like the texture so much because when I took a bite and tasted it inside the sandwich, I didn't even notice the soft texture. I don't think I would buy it again because it's so high in sodium but I won't think so badly of it either. Kind of like a chili dog sort of night: quick, easy and inexpensive but not so very healthy.

So how bout you? Any foods from your childhood that you'd like to taste again?

SPAM

And I'm not talking about the unwanted email . . . well, maybe I am. SPAM was something I loved as a kid. I remember Mom frying Spam in the cast iron griddle and I would snack on it before she even got it into a sandwich. Of course growing up in a house with nine kids, I loved any food...well, except for liver and split pea soup. I wasn't very picky. If I would have been, I would have been hungry, more often.

I was telling my son how I haven't eaten Spam in over 40 years and the next night guess what I found on the kitchen table?

Yep, a can of Spam. My son said he'd make dinner with it. So tonight we'll be having Spam sandwiches.

Of course this innocuous meat was first introduced in 1937 by the Hormel company to help feed folks during World War II. And in 2007 the seven billionth can of Spam was sold.

Some people make fun of it as being a mystery meat source, ubiquitous and unknown, just like those strange emails that you find in your inbox every morning.  Yep, that's exactly where the name for those unwanted literary missives comes from: SPAM.

So, after tonight I'll be able to tell you what I think of Spam, cause to be honest I can't remember what the stuff tastes like.

I know it has a s gelatinous glaze, or aspic, that covers the meat. This gooey glaze forms from the cooling of meat stock. So, I'm pretty sure you'd want to eat the stuff before tasting it. But I'll let you know what I think of it now...nearly 40 years later. But, like I said, I used to love the stuff.

 

Rose Festival now City Fair

It used to be The Portland Rose Festival and you never had to pay to enter, the only money you used to have to shell out was for the rides or food. That's all changed.

I don't know when the name changed and I'm not sure I like it. But I do like seeing the rides and bright lights every June and all the activities are so much fun. Nighttime parades and fireworks, milk carton boat race, Saturday morning is the Grand Floral Parade and Junior Rose Festival parade, not to mention the Starlight Run, and so many other great family activities during June.

It's a great month filled with lots of fun thanks to the festival.

Charcoal

Have you ever burnt a piece of toast, a slab of meat out on the grill, or even a marshmallow over a flame?

I have. And Mom always used to tell me that charcoal is good for you. Well, I told my son the same thing and he said, "No it's not. It can even cause cancer." So I thought I would look it up and find out who was right and who was wrong.

Well, according to Natural Health Restored Charcoal is good for you.

"Activated charcoal is an excellent natural remedy that goes as far back as recorded history. It is so effective that it definitely deserves a prominent place in your medicine cabinet.
Charcoal is safe and harmless. It will do you no harm, even if you eat lots of it. It is officially recognized as an antidote. The FDA gives it their stamp of approval as a safe and effective remedy for acute toxic poisoning.

Charcoal is a cleansing agent that is able to adsorb toxic gases, liquid toxic wastes, germs, and heavy metals.

When it passes through your digestive system, it carries these toxins with it. That prevents you from absorbing them into your blood stream.

Adsorption is different from absorption.

With absorption, something is attached into something else. An example would be some water that is sucked up by a paper towel. The water goes into the paper towel.

With adsorption, something is attached onto, instead of into. Charcoal attaches or binds things onto itself. It does not absorb them.

Activated charcoal is not the same as regular charcoal. It is a lot more powerful than regular charcoal.

Regular charcoal is made by burning wood in a controlled environment.

To activate charcoal, steam or air at a high temperature is used to oxidize it. This process makes the charcoal develop lots and lots of tiny pores. These tiny holes are what make activated charcoal able to adsorb so much more than regular charcoal can."

So I was feeling pretty vindicated but then I read further.

The same site said: "Burnt toast and other burned or charred foods are NOT charcoal. Unlike charcoal, burned foods still have their proteins, carbohydrates, mineral salts, and fats present. These charred nutrients can damage your body. They can even cause cancer! Charred foods are not a natural remedy."

So it seems we were both right...sort of.

Still, I'm not sure that eating burnt toast could cause cancer. It seems a little strange to me...I guess more research is in order.

What do you think?

Columbia Christening

My hubby and I went to see the christening of Gunderson's new barge the Columbia. I'd never seen a boat really being christened. I mean, yes, of course on t.v. but not when I was standing right next to the boat/barge. This was interesting.

When the champagne hit the boat, it exploded.

Home built Benches

My husband loves to build things. He's built me chairs, this arbors, benches, tables and stools and now with our renewing of our wedding vows coming up in two weeks (to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary) he's  built wrap around benches on our deck, so people will have a place to sit.

It only took him a couple days. Here's how they ended up.

I'm thinking these are much nicer than renting chairs. And it sure is nice to have such a handy guy around the house ;D