Turkey Nap

A Health Fact...Did you know that turkey makes you sleepy? Thanks to "TLC Cooking", here is some very interesting information...

Turkey does have the makings of a natural sedative in i­t, an amino acid called tryptophan. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, meaning that the body can't manufacture it. The body has to get tryptophan and other essential amino acids from food. Tryptophan helps the body produce the B-vitamin niacin, which, ­in turn, helps the body produce serotonin, a remarkable chemical that acts as a calming agent in the brain and plays a key role in sleep. So you might think that if you eat a lot of turkey, your body would produce more serotonin and you would feel calm and want a nap.

­
­That was the conclusion that led many people to­ begin taking a dietary supplement of tryptophan in the 1980s as a way to treat insomnia, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned tryptophan supplements in 1990 because of an outbreak of eosinophilia-myalgia, a syndrome that causes muscle pain and even death. The FDA said contaminated tryptophan sup­plements caused the outbreak [source: FDA].

­But nutritionists and other experts say that the tryptophan in turkey probably won't trigger the body to produce more seroton­in because tryptophan works best on an empty stomach. The tryptophan in a Thanksgiving turkey has to vie with all the other amino acids that the body is trying to use. So only part of the tryptophan makes it to the brain to help produce serotonin.

Most likely, it's the whole traditional Thanksgiving meal that can produce that after-dinner lethargy. The meal is quite often heavy and high in carbohydrates -- from mashed potatoes, to bread, stuffing and pie -- and your body is working hard to digest that food. After all, the average Thanksgiving meal contains 3,000 calories and 229 grams of fat [source: Meeks]. Also, if you drink alcohol with your dinner, you'll likely feel its sedative effect, too.

But there is a way to take advantage of the tryptophan in turkey. If you have trouble getting to sleep one night while there's still leftover turkey in the refrigerator, you could have a late snack of turkey and that, nutritionists say, might be the right amount of tryptophan on an empty stomach to help produce some serotonin.

So if you always get sleepy on Thanksgiving Day, it's not due to eating to much, IT'S THE TURKEY! :-) - Rejoicing in the present.

Cooking W/ Brandy - Black Friday Stew

After a long day of shopping :-), you will want something easy and relaxing to eat for dinner. Something you can eat while curled up in that blanket you got for $3 in those slippers you grabbed after waiting in line for an hour. :-) ENJOY

Sausage Stew

Ingredients:
1 Smoked Sausage (cut in small pieces)
1 can Hunt's Garlic and Herb Sauce
1 cup of frozen veggie blend ( I use a peas, carrots, corn, beans mix)
1 cup elbow noodles
1 can of dark red kidney beans, drained
2 cups of water
salt and pepper to taste
*parmesan cheese (optional)
*cornbread or crackers (optional)

Bring above ingredients (excluding cheese and cornbread or crackers) to a boil in a large pot. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes stirring occassionally. Top with parmesan cheese and cornbread or crackers.

- Rejoicing in the present

Giving Thanks

It's Thankgiving Day, a day that we are taught to be thankful, but this is a man-made day. The Bible teachs us to be thankful to God every day for everything and ein very situation. It's not hard to be thankful for a loving spouse, sweet children, a warm meal, great prices and a roof over your head. However, do we thank him for the trials in our life, the days our children are a mess and our husband is not sweet, the weeks without a job and the months that we don't even have money for the things that are on sale. Do we thank him for EVERYTHING? Do we thank GOD? Do we thank HIM every day? Take the time to meditate on these verses...

Lev_22:29And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will.

Psa_50:14Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:

Psa_69:30I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

Psa_95:2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

Psa_100:4Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Psa_107:22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

Psa_116:17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.

Psa_147:7 Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:


Jer_30:19  And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.

Jon_2:9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.

2Co_4:15For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

2Co_9:11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

Php_4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Col_2:7  Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Col_4:2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;


Rev_7:12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving!!! - May it be a lifetime instead of a day! - Rejoicing in the present :-)

Orphan Sunday

^{Psalms 27:10 "}When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up."

Look at your children, look at your nieces and nephews. What if you were not in the picture? Who would take care of them? Now look across the street. Look across the nation. Look across the ocean. There are 1000s of children who do not have a home. What can you do about this? Would the Lord use you to take these children up? - Orphan Sunday

-rejoicing in the present

Re-Creating Crayons

Here is a great craft to do while the kids are on Thanksgiving break...

Our church preschool class had a bunch of crayons and many of them broken. So I decided to take the broken ones and re-melt them into new fun crayons. Unfortunately I did not have any cute cupcake pans, just the normal kind, but they turned out fine.

What you need...

1. Broken crayons

2. METAL muffin  pans

3. Oven
 

What do you do...

1. Peeling and organizing can take A LOT of time. So this would be a fun job to give your children to do. Especially if you need some quiet time.

2. Peel all the wrappers off

3. Organize them into colors or don't :-)

4. Place in your muffin pan

5. Heat in your oven at 350 for 10 mins

6. I did some by color groups (blues, greens, reds) and then I did mulicolored ones. Both turned out adorable.

- Rejoicing in the present

IT IS GOOD to give thanks!

Psa 92:1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:

We should thank Him for his amazing characteristics

Psa 92:2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,

Thanking Him with songs...

Psa 92:3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.

Thanking Him for his goodness and greatness

Psa 92:4-9 For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. v. 7...But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore. For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. ...

Thanking Him for His blessings...

Psa 92:12-14 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;

Thankful that we serve such an amazing God...

Ps. 92:15 To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

What other thing can you give thanks to God about? Family? Children? Friends? Jesus' Birth, Death and Resurrection? Thus Salvation? Your House? Car? Job? Trials in life? His Strength?...There is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much to be thankful for.

I pray this will not be just a moment of thanksgiving, or even a day or week, but lifetime of rejoicing in the goodness and greatness of our Almighty, powerful and loving God. - rejoicing in the present.

Pro-Active Care Against Colds

About this time, many people are getting runny noses, colds, and flu-like symptoms. I want to encourage you to be pro-active in your health. Here is something you can take every morning to keep those bugs away.

I try to drink a cup of this tea, first thing every morning. Here is some information from CNCA Health

What Is Echinacea?

There are three types of echinacea: Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea pallida, and Echinacea angustifolia. All are used to boost the immune system and fight infections, but only the purpurea and pallida varieties have been definitively proven effective. Echinacea purpurea is the most commonly used, and is believed to be the most potent. In the purpurea plant, the leaves appear to be the most effective part.

Why Take Echinacea?

Echinacea is thought to support the immune system by activating white blood cells. Three major groups of constituents may work together to increase the production and activity of white blood cells (lymphocytes and macrophages), including alkylamides/polyacetylenes, caffeic acid derivatives, and polysaccharides. More studies are needed to determine if and how echinacea stimulates the immune system in humans.
Echinacea may also increase production of interferon, (natural proteins produced by immune system cells) an important part of the body’s response to viral infections. Several double-blind studies have confirmed the benefit of echinacea for treating colds and flu. Recent studies have suggested that it may not be effective for the prevention of colds and flu and should be reserved for use at the onset of these conditions.

Recommended Dosage

At the onset of a cold or flu, 3–4 ml of echinacea in a liquid preparation or 300 mg of a powdered form in capsule or tablet, can be taken every two hours for the first day of illness, then three times per day for a total of 7 to 10 days.
Side Effects/Precautions/Adverse Reactions

• Echinacea is rarely associated with side effects when taken orally at customary dosage levels.
• Supplementation should not continue longer than eight (8) continuous weeks.
• Tell your healthcare providers about any complementary and alternative products you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care.

Side Effects

According to the German Commission E monograph, people should not take echinacea if they have an autoimmune illness, such as lupus, or other progressive diseases, such as tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, or HIV infection. (The concern about its use for those with autoimmune illness is not based on clinical research and some herbalists question the potential connection.) Those who are allergic to flowers of the daisy family (ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, and daisies) should not take echinacea.
Also, people with asthma or atopy (a genetic tendency toward allergic reactions) may be more likely to have an allergic reaction when taking echinacea. 20 cases of allergic responses (e.g., wheezing, skin rash, diarrhea) have been reported in medical literature.

Avoid Echinacea If …

Because of its effects on the immune system, you should not take this herb if you have multiple sclerosis, AIDS, tuberculosis, leukemia, and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Do not take echinacea injections if you have an allergy to the plant. Avoid them, too, if you have diabetes; they can upset the balance of the metabolism.

Hope this helps - rejoicing in the present