The number of us taking daily probiotics is growing, as we become more and more aware of the importance of a healthy personal micro-bionome. Though, I'm sure, none of us know if the, over the counter supplements, actually work well. Perhaps this increase is due to reading of recent research reports or both doctor and pharmacist recommendations to take probiotics during and after a prescribed bout of antibiotics. All of those reasons are how I first started taking them. And then I didn't stop.
Until this spring, that is: I kept forgetting to buy more and then {boom} I was out. Approximately four days later I began to feel sad. Not something I'm accustomed to, though I've had my moments. Sure enough, once I began to take them again the sadness lifted. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but I'm not volunteering to give it another try.
A month ago, I decided to try another brand of probiotic with roughly the same strands. It was highly rated on the website where I buy my supplements. I began to replace the old ones gradually. Half a dose of old and half a dose of new each day, being careful to read the dosage on the new package. Over the following week, I noticed my face began to feel puffy in the morning and throughout the afternoon. I know this isn't a good sign. It means something in your system is unable to do its job, for several reasons.
I looked up (because I always start with what I've recently changed) "probiotics and puffy face". And knew I was onto something when Google told me I wasn't the first person to do that particular search. I immediately stopped taking the new probiotics and the puffiness was gone. One of the articles I read said that the puffiness might be an allergic response. Perhaps one of the inert ingredients?
I'm more curious about probiotics than I was in the beginning. The information out there for the layman is sparse, which makes sense as the research is so new. But now I want to know: have any of you had any interesting experiences while taking probiotics?
Friday, July 1, 2016
Monday, March 21, 2016
Kids Today
I don't know if the conversations in our staff room reflect what's being talked about by people across the nation or world, but the popular belief I hear most often is, "families and children are going to hell in a hand basket". A belief I do not share.
I do believe that as technology progresses our choices of free time use change. I believe, as a society, we continue to become more casual with fewer boundaries. I also believe that both prosperity and poverty have profound effects on the world of a child. A prosperous person may believe they alone know what hard work is--> a sign they have never experienced poverty.
One long time work friend is a believer in the "hell in a hand basket" trend. Every year or so I feel the need to engage her on this topic. This time I decided to cite my own childhood and the varied children I grew up with. A week later, she revisited our exchange, but I soon realized she had taken my childhood and turned it into an abnormality,
"You grew up in a rough neighborhood".
"I grew up in a rural mill town", I replied.
My first feeling was to be alarmed how she had deemed my life experience to be something extraordinary. After mulling it over for a few days, I decided that she had wrapped my childhood up in a tidy package to keep it from influencing her belief. Are we all guilty of this? Or does it happen more often in people with a strict dogma? Whatever it is, I find it disturbing.
I do believe that as technology progresses our choices of free time use change. I believe, as a society, we continue to become more casual with fewer boundaries. I also believe that both prosperity and poverty have profound effects on the world of a child. A prosperous person may believe they alone know what hard work is--> a sign they have never experienced poverty.
One long time work friend is a believer in the "hell in a hand basket" trend. Every year or so I feel the need to engage her on this topic. This time I decided to cite my own childhood and the varied children I grew up with. A week later, she revisited our exchange, but I soon realized she had taken my childhood and turned it into an abnormality,
"You grew up in a rough neighborhood".
"I grew up in a rural mill town", I replied.
My first feeling was to be alarmed how she had deemed my life experience to be something extraordinary. After mulling it over for a few days, I decided that she had wrapped my childhood up in a tidy package to keep it from influencing her belief. Are we all guilty of this? Or does it happen more often in people with a strict dogma? Whatever it is, I find it disturbing.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
Thanks to daughter Fran, whenever I try a recipe that features broccoli, carrots, squash or cauliflower, my first impulse is to prep and roast in the oven. I enjoy the taste of the caramelization that occurs during the roasting process. She also taught me that chicken is more tender and juicy cooked whole (breasts or thighs) and cut for recipes after a short rest.
Here's what you need:
2 chicken breasts
2+ cups of broccoli (approximately)
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 cloves of garlic
Salt
Pepper
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp (or more) olive oil
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup cream
1 1/2+ cups of chicken broth
3 cups of Casarecce or Penne pasta
Let's begin:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Prep broccoli by cutting into pieces you feel comfortable eating in a casserole type dish. I like mine fairly small. Place cut broccoli onto a full size (18x26) baking sheet pan, ideally with a silicone mat. Add about 1 Tbsp of olive oil, 1/4 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 of ground pepper, toss together.
Prep chicken breasts with a thin coating of olive oil along with a few grinds of salt and pepper on both sides. Add to a small foil lined baking dish.
Place both the broccoli and chicken breasts into the preheated oven. In my oven, both are usually done after 20 minutes, depending on size of broccoli and whether chicken breasts are completely thawed. I like my broccoli to be a medium golden brown around the edges. Check temperature of chicken after 15 minutes. Once it's up to 100 or so degrees, cooking can be complete within 5 minutes. Be sure not to cook it beyond 155-160 degrees.
While the broccoli and chicken cook, finely shred both the Parmesan and Monterey Jack cheese and mince garlic.
You can begin to make the roux during this time:
Heat a large non-stick skillet or dutch oven over medium low heat. Pre-measure your cream and broth to have ready. Heat large pot of water for pasta.
Add flour to dutch oven/skillet. Stir for approximately 1 minute. Add butter, olive oil and minced garlic. Using a wire whisk, stir constantly for approximately 2 minutes or until you can smell the garlic. Begin to slowly add the cream while stirring constantly. The mixture should begin to thicken. Do the same with the broth. Add more broth if the consistency seems too thick for a white sauce. Turn heat down to low, stir in shredded cheese until melted. Turn off heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook and drain pasta--saving a cup of pasta water in case dish needs more moisture once all the ingredients have been added.
When chicken is done and has rested for 5 minutes, use a sharp knife and fork to slice. I slice each breast in half, lengthwise and then 1/4+ slices crosswise.
Add pasta to cheese sauce, stir to coat. Then add chicken and broccoli. Stir to coat. Be sure to taste. Adjust salt and pepper as needed or add a few dashes of red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.
Here's what you need:
2 chicken breasts
2+ cups of broccoli (approximately)
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 cloves of garlic
Salt
Pepper
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp (or more) olive oil
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup cream
1 1/2+ cups of chicken broth
3 cups of Casarecce or Penne pasta
Let's begin:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Prep broccoli by cutting into pieces you feel comfortable eating in a casserole type dish. I like mine fairly small. Place cut broccoli onto a full size (18x26) baking sheet pan, ideally with a silicone mat. Add about 1 Tbsp of olive oil, 1/4 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 of ground pepper, toss together.
Prep chicken breasts with a thin coating of olive oil along with a few grinds of salt and pepper on both sides. Add to a small foil lined baking dish.
Place both the broccoli and chicken breasts into the preheated oven. In my oven, both are usually done after 20 minutes, depending on size of broccoli and whether chicken breasts are completely thawed. I like my broccoli to be a medium golden brown around the edges. Check temperature of chicken after 15 minutes. Once it's up to 100 or so degrees, cooking can be complete within 5 minutes. Be sure not to cook it beyond 155-160 degrees.
While the broccoli and chicken cook, finely shred both the Parmesan and Monterey Jack cheese and mince garlic.
You can begin to make the roux during this time:
Heat a large non-stick skillet or dutch oven over medium low heat. Pre-measure your cream and broth to have ready. Heat large pot of water for pasta.
Add flour to dutch oven/skillet. Stir for approximately 1 minute. Add butter, olive oil and minced garlic. Using a wire whisk, stir constantly for approximately 2 minutes or until you can smell the garlic. Begin to slowly add the cream while stirring constantly. The mixture should begin to thicken. Do the same with the broth. Add more broth if the consistency seems too thick for a white sauce. Turn heat down to low, stir in shredded cheese until melted. Turn off heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook and drain pasta--saving a cup of pasta water in case dish needs more moisture once all the ingredients have been added.
When chicken is done and has rested for 5 minutes, use a sharp knife and fork to slice. I slice each breast in half, lengthwise and then 1/4+ slices crosswise.
Add pasta to cheese sauce, stir to coat. Then add chicken and broccoli. Stir to coat. Be sure to taste. Adjust salt and pepper as needed or add a few dashes of red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.
Friday, January 15, 2016
Bacon Corn Chowder
Usually a search for a recipe becomes having to choose between several versions, because they all sound calorie worthy. This was not the case when I did a search for corn, potato, bacon, chowder.
90% of the recipes that populated my results used 'cream of something' soup, canned potato soup or pre-cooked bacon. I understand that's simply the way some people cook, but 90% of the results? Ugh.
Thankfully, I finally stumbled upon the following recipe after I tweaked my search terms for the 5th time. It's a keeper AND I only made one change--a bay leaf. Almost forgot to add: beer bread was a nice accompaniment.
Bacon Corn Chowder
Author: Dara
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
8 oz smoked bacon, diced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cup frozen yellow corn
1lb white or red potatoes, washed and chopped into 1″ chunks
3 cups low sodium chicken (or vegetable) broth
1 cup half and half
1 tsp salt
1.5 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp fresh thyme, washed
1 tbsp fresh chives, washed and chopped
Instructions
In a large soup pot or dutch oven, saute onion, celery, and bacon in olive oil on medium heat for 5-6 minutes, until softened
Add corn, potatoes, stock, salt, pepper, and paprika
Cover and bring to a boil
Reduce heat and simmer on med-low 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender
In a food processor, puree 1.5 cups of chowder with 1 tbsp of flour
Whisk pureed mixture back into chowder
Add half and half, thyme and chives
Cover and simmer on med-low for another 10 minutes
Serve hot with chives and black pepper
90% of the recipes that populated my results used 'cream of something' soup, canned potato soup or pre-cooked bacon. I understand that's simply the way some people cook, but 90% of the results? Ugh.
Thankfully, I finally stumbled upon the following recipe after I tweaked my search terms for the 5th time. It's a keeper AND I only made one change--a bay leaf. Almost forgot to add: beer bread was a nice accompaniment.
Bacon Corn Chowder
Author: Dara
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
8 oz smoked bacon, diced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cup frozen yellow corn
1lb white or red potatoes, washed and chopped into 1″ chunks
3 cups low sodium chicken (or vegetable) broth
1 cup half and half
1 tsp salt
1.5 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp fresh thyme, washed
1 tbsp fresh chives, washed and chopped
Instructions
In a large soup pot or dutch oven, saute onion, celery, and bacon in olive oil on medium heat for 5-6 minutes, until softened
Add corn, potatoes, stock, salt, pepper, and paprika
Cover and bring to a boil
Reduce heat and simmer on med-low 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender
In a food processor, puree 1.5 cups of chowder with 1 tbsp of flour
Whisk pureed mixture back into chowder
Add half and half, thyme and chives
Cover and simmer on med-low for another 10 minutes
Serve hot with chives and black pepper
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Nelson Park Idea=exercise
Embankment Slide Proposal
One of the natural features of Nelson Park that can be enhanced are its hillsides. Already, people use the hillsides in the center of the park during snowy periods for sleds. During the summer these same hillsides are used to slide by sitting on cardboard sheets that slide over the grassy hillsides. Both of these recreational uses do damage to the hillsides by killing the vegetation and exposing bare dirt and causing ruts in the hillside. This proposal can be used to enhance the sliding experience, repair the damage that has been done to the hillsides, and increase the physical activity of children by encouraging them to climb the hillside in a safe fun environment.
The basic proposal is to add four slide areas to the hillside between the newly renovated play area and the gazebo on top of the hill. Two slides would replace the current sliding area and provide a safe sliding area and stairways to return to the top of the hill. One slide would be added to the short hill immediately adjacent to the new play area. This slide would be targeted toward smaller children and if possible children with physical challenges who currently sit and watch the people sliding down the bigger hill. A fourth slide would be just north of the first two slides. This slide could use natural features of the existing hill to support a longer, less steep slide that has a couple twists and turns for added fun. The final part of this proposal would be to improve the vegetation on the hill. There is a fair amount of poison oak that should be eliminated from the hillside. Trees and shrubs could be added that would provide shade for the slides and help to discourage in-growth of poison oak, black berries, and other unwanted species.
The cost of this project is highly dependent on the materials used for building the slides or even the types of slides used. I have researched a company that makes plastic slides for use on embankments. Their slides would cost about $40,000 for one slide. Other types of slide would change this estimate. The re-vegetation could cost around $2,000 depending on the types of materials used. My suggestion is that we begin with one slide and a set of return stairs as a pilot to gauge cost, interest, and durability. If the project garners the support I think possible, grant support, local donations, neighborhood labor and donations could be used to complete the project.
I have seen on-line examples of other cities that have developed embankment slides in their parks. Each one expresses that these additions have been a valuable addition to their parks system. There are a number of unknowns for Nelson Park like initial cost, maintenance cost, liability, and developing a need for restrooms. I would like to work with the city to explore the embankment slide opportunity, and to add a fun, useful new feature to Nelson Park. If the expertise does not exist with Salem Parks staff I would help expand the research on this project to cities who have experience with such a project.
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