Sleep...Are You Getting Enough?

Sleep. This was one of our habit changers before January 1st. How are you doing with it? Me? Not so good.

Let's start with some important facts.

Recently a study went viral about how women need more sleep than men. I don't know why this is news, because we women knew that all along. But at least we now have some scientific backup to wave at our significant others. This is the link. Copy in triplicate.  Duke University Scientific Study

Another study shows how sleep deprivation can kill you. I'm not so sure many people know this. Just look at what we do to our bodies everyday, with that idea that we can "catch up" on the weekend. Well, this study says there is no way to catch up. Here is the link to this article. Sleep deprivation

So we are really looking at something serious. If you don't sleep well, you are not going to be healthy. In a previous post I offered some suggestions on how to get a better night sleep. I do all those things myself, but sometimes life happens and sleep doesn't.

We have this dog. I'll call him Tony. Well, that is his name....but sometimes we call him other not so nice names. He is a little Shipperke. Small, but with in superiority complex. He weighs maybe 40 pounds, soaking wet. For some reason, he thinks that whoever is in the bed at any particular time...may it be me or my husband, needs to be protected. I guess that is an alright thing, at times. Ok, did I mention he sleeps in our bed, too?

We have another dog. I'll call her Cookie. Yes, that's her name. She is a Doberman mix of some sort. She weighs 80 pounds. She is kinda skittish and for some reason likes to wander around the house at night. We haven't figured out why. I can hear her nails clicking on the floor at all hours. She has lived in this house for 5 years. That's important.

The problem arises when Cookie wonders into our bedroom. She is just wandering around. She has a pad in the room that she may or may not lie down on. Well, Tony goes ballistic!!! He snarls, lashes out and shows his teeth at her... to defend us. After 5 years you would think he would know Cookie is harmless. You would think.....he snarls at Hubby when he comes into kiss my goodbye in the morning....but that's another story....

Well, the barking and snarling DOES NOT make for a good night sleep.

Now, this doesn't happen every night. Sometimes Tony just doesn't care. But these past few nights, it has happened several times. Last night it happened 4 times! Hubby has to get up at 4 am to get to work. And I am not a happy camper.

Needless to say, we aren't sleeping very well.

My point in all this....Sleep deprivation is not good. I am a woman; I need my sleep. I'm tired...Just plain tired. I have little gumption to do anything and have to force my way through the day.

Hubby and I are going to find a way to solve the Tony problem, but until then...What will I do?

NAP.

It's Recipe Day

I feel it's time for a wonderful Paleo Recipe. Don't you? I want to share something that I make most often and Hubby loves.

My daughter went to a Thanksgiving Party and instead of having the usual Thanksgiving fare, they had a Mediterranean Theme. One of the dishes they cooked was called Mantia. It's an Albania dish that actually is used as a stuffing for Dumplings, but, for Paleo sake, we are foregoing the dumplings, and substituting rice noodles. There are several different ways to make this dish, but here is what I do.

This is one of those simple dishes and you will end up making all the time.

What you need:

2 lbs Ground Beef or Ground Lamb. (I prefer Lamb)
Olive Oil
3-4 stalks of Celery
1 Onion
2 tsp Garlic salt
1 tsp Pepper
2 tsp Dried Parsley
2 tsp Dried Mint
1 tsp Allspice
1 package Rice Noodles of your choice  (I prefer shells or rice macaroni)
2 Tbl Greek Yogurt
One Whole Tomato, chopped
One Whole Cucumber, chopped

Cut a whole onion and 3-4 stalks of celery into fine pieces and cooked them in olive oil until they turn clear. Set them aside. Brown the meat completely. Once the meat has browned, add back in the onion and celery. Let them simmer together for a few minutes at a low heat. Add the garlic salt, pepper, parsley, mint and allspice. Let this simmer a few more minutes to get all those tastes blended together.

While the meat is browning, boil the rice noodles as per the directions on the package.

When the meat is cooked, pour over the noodles as you would spaghetti sauce. Then top it all off with the Greek yogurt, chopped tomatoes and chopped cucumbers.

Voila!

It is healthy, filling and will warm you up.

Enjoy!

January in the Garden Part 2

Let's say you don't have a space for a garden. You live in an apartment and don't have dirt.

I have a few ideas for you. There are so many options.

When I lived in an apartment, I found that the city I lived in has a community Garden. For $20 a year...yes, that's right, I had a plot that was 16 ft X 16 ft. I still have a plot there. I started with just digging rows 16 ft long and planting whatever was in season. It was pretty successful. I then went to the Raised Bed method and was even more successful.

Many communities have them and they are a good way to meet like minded people, make new friends and share gardening tips.

Another option, if your apartment has some sun on the balcony, is to use several planter boxes. You can grow so much in container gardens....anything from herbs to tomatoes. They can be the wooden box planters or the plastic hanging baskets, or the ones you attach to your balcony railing. Get some good organic garden compost and plant away. I suggest checking out online how to do each veggie in that they all need a little different care. You can even plant potatoes in containers. I have mine planted in wire baskets out in the garden. They seem to produce more that way.

Check out those upside down planters. They work well, too

If you have limited space, you can get herb planters with grow lights for in your kitchen, living room...where ever. There are kits you can buy, or make your own.

If you do plant on a balcony or in your kitchen, you have a larger selection to start with in January. Grow lettuce and spinach, chard and kale on your porch. Plant from seed and they will spring up in no time. They like cold weather. You can put some onions into a larger planter. As they grow tall, thin them out and eat the scallions. They are easy and grow fast.

Inside, plant a tomato in your upside down planter. You will have fruit to eat by March. Herbs plants are available in many nurseries now. Get the ones you will use, like basil, oregano, thyme and chives. There are thousands of ideas for small space planting. This is one of my favorites.

The best food is the food you grow yourself. There isn't a greater thrill than eating that home grown tomato right off the vine.

SO go for it!

January in the Garden

Guess what? It's that time of year, at least here in Texas, to get your garden ready. Believe it or not, there are several things you can plant right now. One of our health goals is to eat fresh veggies. You really can grow your own.

But first, you must get your soil ready. If you are new to this, find an area in your yard that has full sun most of the day. If you are in an apartment, I'll give you some ideas tomorrow.  

If your ground has never been dug, you have a couple of options. You can start digging and turn that dirt over a couple of times. On day one, dig down about a shovel's depth and turn the dirt over once. Pull out weeds and grass, but don't over do it. Water it fully to break up clods.  Wait a few days, then turn it all again. This time all those weeds and grass will be easier to pull out.  A couple of good  4X4 sq. foot areas is perfect for a small garden. 

The second idea, which is what I do, is to build raised beds. I have cheap scrap lumber screwed together into 4x4 foot squares. I used 2x6 inch boards. They were placed right on the ground. I dug about 12 inches down and turned the original dirt before I placed the boards, but you don't have to.  You can lay cardboard down straight on the ground to prevent weeds from growing up. 

Then I poured a few bags of compost into each square. I bought mine this last spring, but do have a compost and a worm bed going for this year. I think each raised bed took 3 bags. You can find good, cheap organic compost at a local Big Box Store. 

Since I grew crops in this compost last year, I need to add a few more bags and some fertilizer. You want a good, high nitrogen fertilizer, like a 8-2-4.  The 8 is the percentage of nitrogen, the 2 is the phosphorous level and 4 is Potassium.  Find a good, organic, granulated mix, or liquid Medina. Stir that into your soil. You are set for the spring.  

Now it's time to plant something. I recommend planting what you like and what you will eat. I've planted stuff before because it is on the recommended planting guides and didn't eat the stuff. 

Every good Agricultural Extension office will have a list of what to plant in your area. Those of you way up north, where it is now -15* can just stay in by the fire. Down here in the south, it's time to plant radishes, asparagus, carrots, leeks, leaf lettuce, onion plants, parsnips, garden peas, shallots, and spinach. And that's just in January. 

If you only have a small plot, like I do, I recommend leaf lettuce, onions, spinach and carrots.  These won't take up too much space and will be ready to harvest come tomato and pepper time.

Growing your own food is so fulfilling. Not only do you get good healthy produce, you get exercise and fresh air. Get your kids involved. I bet they will think what they helped contribute to will be worth eating.

Happy Gardening. 

An Exercise Alternative

How are your walks coming? Have you gone beyond the 15 minutes? 

I've been faithful to walk at least 15 minutes a day. We take the dogs and goat....yes we have a goat, down the hill and back up.  It takes about 20 minutes. But I'm finding that isn't enough for me. My plans to walk to the Farmers Market have been nixed by the weather these past few weekends. So, what to do?

This morning it's 25*.  I will bundle up and hit the streets, brrrr, but not for long.  I could go to the gym....but I don't have a gym membership. Really, nothing beats a good walk and I want to go longer. If you have a treadmill, you are golden.  

BUT.....If you don't, I have an alternative. A standing desk. It's the latest trend.

I have one. It's a crude wooden thing my husband had built for something else. It's the perfect height for my computer and I plan to start using it again.

We, as mammals, were designed to stand, run, walk, chase bison, squat, but not sit in a chair ALL DAY. At the office we sit at a desk, at home we sit at the table, in front of the TV. We don't move. That is what the walking is for, but the benefits of a standing desk are amazing.

We burn more calories while standing. Studies show up to 20% more. We are less likely to get blood clots, our metabolism increases. Our cardiovascular system improves. Our work productivity increases. I  know. There are articles out there by 'experts' that dis the idea, claiming varicose veins, bad posture....standing 10 hours a day. Well, I don't stand 10 hours a day. I do sit down...maybe too much. It has been proven to help your body.

An article in the New York Times spells it out for you.

I know many folks that are getting those Tread Mill desks. But, in a pinch: There are all sorts of options for work and home. Seriously! You can find them cheap at many Office Supply stores. Amazon and IKEA. Or build your own. Here are some I found.

This does not mean you can give up your daily walk. As the weather gets better, I plan on hiking more and will eventually increase my daily walks to 30 minutes.

But the Standing Desk is an added health booster. I hope you try it. 

Let's Talk About Pets.

We have been talking about our own health for a few weeks now. Healthy us, healthy kids...what about our pets? We want them to be healthy, and happy, too. I briefly mentioned elsewhere that what we find in our pet's food is very questionable. As far as I am concerned, what is not healthy for me is not healthy for my pets.

What's in the cheaper dog food? Are you ready for this? From Dog Food Advisor: comes a description of "rendering". It's too disgusting for me to share here. But check it out. It's how they get the by-products you see on dog food labels. They also share a list of what is legal to put in to dog food. Ready?

• Slaughterhouse waste (organs, heads, hooves, beaks, feet)
• Bread and cereal rejects (cobs, stalks, mill sweepings)
• Contaminated grain middlings
• Dying, diseased and disabled farm animals
• Road kill (deer, skunks, and raccoons)
• Distiller fermentation waste
• Spoiled supermarket food
• Dead zoo animals
• Restaurant grease
• Euthanized cats and dogs

I have dogs. 3 of them, to be exact. They are all up there in years and have really only been fed on bagged dog food and some wet food from a can. Since I am concentrating so much on the health of me and my husband, I decided that our "kids" needed good healthy food, too.

This is what I am doing. Or attempting to do.

Many Paleo folks are just switching from the store bought stuff to raw meat and bone broth. I am uncomfortable with the raw meat. It is my feeling that maybe our dogs don't have the intestinal fortitude to digest raw meat anymore. I may be wrong, but better safe than sorry.

Hubby has always given them a share of his meal. Bacon and eggs from breakfast. Chicken from dinner. They love it. So...that's what I have been giving them. I recently bought the ends and pieces of bacon in the deli section. I baked it as I do my own bacon. Granted, it took awhile because I wanted to cook all of it right then and there, and my pan didn't hold all that much at one time....but boy? They loved me for days. I was able do save some very pretty leaner pieces for us and gave them the fatty ones. I also got a lot of bacon fat that I turned around and used in my own cooking and shared with them.

I am still giving them the dry dog food, but am buying healthier brands. I pour beef broth or bacon fat on it and stir it in. They are now spoiled and prefer it that way. Eventually we want to eliminate the dry stuff altogether. I found some healthy canned dog food for a really good price. No meat by products or gluten. Some rice flower, peas and carrots in with real meat.

I cook them ground beef, ground turkey, eggs and give them the extra pieces of fat from our own meats.

This is what NOT to give your pets.

I know dogs are easier to feed. They will eat poop if you let them...at least one of ours does. EW. But cats are finicky. When I had a cat, he would ONLY eat the bagged cat food. If you can't cook for them, my suggestion is to find good quality for your pet. Go online and find good sources of pet friendly food. I know it can get a bit expensive, but remember: Supply and Demand. The more we buy of the good stuff, the cheaper the good stuff will get.

Your pet is like your child. Treat them well, and they will love you forever.

Happy New Year

Here we are. A new day, a new Year is finally upon us. How did we do? Are we ready?

I am. Here is my breakfast this morning.

We had baked bacon, cage free eggs...see how pretty and yellow? The eggs were scrambled with chard and scallion from my garden and I tossed in a mushroom. There is a sprinkling of feta cheese over the top. It was well received!!

And this afternoon, it's Roast Beast. I am also dehydrating pineapple slices for snacks. 

After breakfast, Hubby and I took a long walk with the dogs...our new tradition...a hike on New Year's Day.

But, lo and behold, when making breakfast, I found a 'no no' in the kitchen; a bag of chips. They were tossed. This brought me back to day one of last year's 16 day countdown. The first assignment was to junk the junk from the pantry. Did you do it?

There is no real reason to have pre-packaged, chemically laden food like products in your kitchen. Take a look at this label. Tell me it is really food. It's quick and easy, and 99 cents...but does it have any nutritional value? Look at the sodium content. Gag!

Even things you think are safe, like packaged tuna poaches, for example, have vegetable broth (soy, which means GMOs) salt and water added. Why can't it be just tuna?

We have been fed the notion that whole milk is bad for you.  We are told all fat is bad...heart desease and all that mumbo jumbo. Personally, I think God didn't give us cows, goats or other milk producing mammals for us just to create chemical, processed milk-like products. Adults usually don't have the ability to digest milk, anyway. I believe eating that chemical garbage above is what gives us heart disease, etc. 

Let me explain skim milk. Milk is taken from Bessy. It is then spun in a centrifuge to separate out the fat, which is removed to make other products, or fed back to Bessy. Then the watery liquid that is left over has to have some nutritional value, so synthetic vitamins are added back in, as well as dried milk. Dried milk comes from heating the milk so high that it dries to a powder. Thus all nutritional value is cooked out of it.  Oh, and somewhere in this process the milk has been pasteurized, again cooking out nutrients. So we are back to adding in the synthetic nutrients.   Really? Is this supposed to be a health food?

I don't drink milk. But I do use Organic Heavy Cream (whipping cream) in my coffee. Or I drink Almond Milk. But, there again....with popularity comes big business. Not all Almond milks are good...more chemical crap. Read the labels.

So, if you have not already done so, go into your kitchen with a big box or bag, read all the labels on all the cans and boxes in your pantry. If the label is a chemistry experiment, toss it. Throw out that 1%, 2% or skim milk. Throw out that American  processed cheese-like product wrapped in those handy plastic wrappers. Toss it. The hot dogs, processed deli-meats...toss them.

Go buy real tuna...in water. Go buy organic whole milk. Go buy real veggies, not ones in cans. Go buy real, grass fed meat, or at least meat from a butcher.

Go! Now!
Well, go tomorrow....enjoy the holiday today.

I plan on being healthy this year. I hope you come along with me on this journey.