What's For Dinner? Shrimp Scampi Surprise

Shrimp can be expensive, but a little goes a long way in this recipe. This is a yummy family favorite that can be served with rice or pasta. It really works well if there is leftover rice or pasta from a previous meal!

1 c. Shrimp, fresh or defrosted (1 cup defrosted)
1 c. Mixed vegetables, 1 c. frozen
1/2 c. Olive Oil (or 1/4 c. melted butter)
2 c. Rice or Pasta for 4, already prepared
4 cloves Roasted or Fresh Minced Garlic

Marinate shrimp in olive oil (or melted butter) and garlic in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Heat a large skillet on high heat. Add shrimp, olive oil, and garlic. Lower heat immediately and add already prepared rice or pasta. Add frozen mixed vegetables and allow to cook about 5 minutes together, stirring frequently. Season to taste and enjoy immediately!

Why we need to eat fruit...

http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/
With so much publicity about high fructose corn syrup, I was curious about the facts. If baby J can get all his servings of fruits and vegetables from juice, why not? Especially considering that fresh fruits and veggies contain fructose naturally (we can't eat too many of those, right?).

So I asked the doctor. The explanation was surprisingly simple. Here are the facts.

Fruits and vegetables contain fructose. True. They contain the same amount that you'd get by consuming a serving of them in any other form. The difference is that in their whole form, they are high in fiber. This is important because fructose is digested differently than other things. It is digested in the colon. For proper digestion, the fiber must push the fructose past the stomach and into the colon. Without the huge amounts of fiber, it isn't digested properly.

And undigested sugar and fructose becomes....

.... fat!

This is how a lack of fiber contributes greatly to obesity. And childhood obesity isn't a joke. Juice is a fun treat, as are other things containing fructose, but are never a healthy replacement for their substitutes.

This is yet another reason why we need to be grateful for the natural supplements our Grand Creator gave us. Enjoy an apple today. (BTW- studies indicate that eating a whole 200 calorie apple 20 minutes prior to a meal will cut the number of calories significantly during that meal).

Read more about the research being done at Princeton University.

Naptime buddies

Baby J always naps especially well when he has someone to cuddle. And Lyli is always looking for some extra love. It seems they have dreamt up the perfect pair.

My little garden helper...

                                                                  There were leaves

                                                     to rake,

dirt to shovel,                                                           

                                                                 and rocks to move. 

But the result is always worth the hard work.

We are going to have a

lovely spring together.

Long naps on mommie's lap

As a result of some more sneaky, as of yet unlocated, dairy, baby J hasn't been sleeping well. So I did something I haven't done in awhile- I let him nap on my lap. He is unusually tired, made evident by the fact that his usual 90 minute nap has extended to an unbelievable 2 1/2 hours! And he's still out! I'm incredibly bored but he should be a happier camper this afternoon.

How to Comment...

I'm not sure if this will solve the commenting issue, but it seemed to work for me when I signed out and made a comment. After entering the comment, you will see an option to "comment as". This scroll bar has several options, the most common including Google Account (including g-mail), LiveJournal, WordPress, TypePad, AIM (AOL instant message), and OpenID. If you choose any of these, you will be temporarily re-directed to enter in your email or user name and password.

If you don't have an account with any of the forums, you may choose to comment anonymously or to enter your name. To enter your name, choose "Name/URL", which will open a box to enter either or both.

Afterwards, click to "Post Comment" so that we may all enjoy your input. Hope this solves the commenting dilemma! If not, please comment (lol!) anonymously, if necessary.

Blah blah blah log

My own mom called me yesterday. She had a confession. She confessed to me that she has an addiction, one that she has not been able to satisfy for 16 days (17 days today). She is a junkie of my blog. And everyday she logs onto her computer to check for updates. Well, before she brought it to my attention, I hadn't even realized that I haven't blogged in that long. And she is having serious withdrawal.

Being so far from family and friends, I forget that my daily routine can be kind of exciting. That the new little things that the little man does are new. But, sometimes I just get tired of hearing myself talk. While thinking about this, I came to the conclusion that "blog" is actually a combination of the words blah blah blah and log. Nonetheless, I will try with due diligence to blah blah log more frequently.

Here goes....

... thinking to myself... What to talk about? Oh, baby J (can anyone think of a better nickname for my little man? He isn't really a baby anymore, but toddler J sounds strange. And I am already acquainted with another blogger who calls her little guy "the toddler". Suggestions would be appreciated.)

Where was I? Oh, baby J and a friend of ours, Tony, were sitting together reading a book last Monday. Tony did the reading and baby J turned the pages. After papa and Tony left for work, I overheard baby J talking in his bedroom. Granted, he doesn't say many words yet, but he says a lot. When I peeked in on him, there he sat on the floor with a book on his lap. He was turning the pages and pointing at the words. As he was pointing, he was saying "this this that this this that this this that". I'm so glad that I have an avid reader already!