The Force of Life

Photo by Suhairy Tri Yadhi on Pexels.com

“Infuse your life with action. Don’t wait for it to happen. Make it happen”.

Quote by Bradley  Whitford, Actor, born 1959 .

During Spark People’s 5% Spring Challenge, during one of the week’s, the focus of the week was for “ Movement, and this was totaled each day on the team’s site.
Movement to me is getting out and doing things. By engaging in activities, it’s a way of connecting with people, finding out their stories and impact on their life, how it can be connected to you. All of these movements is a learning in the process, your mind adds what you learned to previous learned knowledge and assimilate into life goals.

On a Saturday in May, there was a special event called “ AIR, “ Attitutude in Reverse” , the  website: Air.ngo
“ Miki and Friends, Open Air, Healthy in Mind and Body”
A non-profit, starting the conversation about good mental health and how dog’s help improve our lives.
The  event had : Dogs, music and Family fun. All activities provided good de-stressing and Coping mechanisms.
• Certified 5k Run & Walk

• Dog activities and demonstrations – fun for families with or without dogs!

• Butterfly Release for those who lost a loved one to suicide.

• Concert , live musicians .

• Vendors, on health & wellness, dog products, environmentally friendly, or homemade dog toys.

 

Jiffy French Dressing for Salad and two lunch salads, October 4, 2013

Life is Beautiful  is the title that I choose for my blog  when I started it.

Lately , I put other family members first and have less time for myself, my husband  and my house working a full -time job.  It has caused me to delay my own check-ups, the first being my dental cleaning, was due in December.   Each month, I knew this, yet I had to bring mom for many follow -up visits both in January and February for the dentist.   until now, I spend every week house sitting ,and  working alongside the  ” Visiting Angel” coming to mom’s house; and during the months of July and August, taking my sister three times a week for Physical Therapy, left no chance to take them to the beach even for one day.  Also, getting their porch fixed and selecting and ordering porch railings  a priority.( expect a phone call any day this week that ready for installation.  As long as it comes before the weather turns colder.

After I received a follow-up phone call,In August from my dental receptionist,  , asking  where are you? I said , “taking care of my mothers house, I don’t have time for my appointments” . I now in the process of getting a crown on a molar tooth For a cavity.  This will cost big bucks.

At home,  we prepare foods that  are good for a couple of days in a stew pot, like lentils , with carrots, sweet potato  in a tomato based broth, but I post a lunch salad recipe this morning.

Jiffy French Dressing  ( not associated with the store box mixes)

Blend well:

1 Tbsp sugar or Sugar substitute,

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Put into a 1 – pint Screw-top jar.  Add

1 cup salad oil ( canola oil , lower in cholesterol I buy what is on sale. )

1/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice

Cover jar tightly and shake vigorously to blend.   store in  the refrigerator.  Shake well before using.

Makes : 1 1/ 4 cup French dressing

Salads:

Salad for one person

Ring- Around salad

For each salad, place on a salad plate, 1 lettuce  leaf , washed.

In center of lettuce, place 1 slice pineapple , well -drained,

Around the slice of pineapple, arrange

6 orange sections

Place in center of pineapple, one apricot half , cut side up.

Fill apricot with 1 tsp jiffy French dressing

6 raisins.

Makes 1 salad

Peach and Cottage cheese salad

For each salad, place one crisp lettuce leaf on salad plate,  and top with 2 peach halves ,

Place the peach halves close together, rounded sides down . Then arrange from the center of one peach half to the center of the other

1large green pepper ring .

Inside green pepper ring, place 1/4 cup cottage cheese and shape into a mound .  Circle cheese mound with 2 or 3 rings of green pepper.

The design is of a cowboy. The peach halves are the rim of cowboy hat, the cheese forms the crown, and pepper rings are bands around the sombrero.  If desired, drizzle over the top of the ” hat crown,  Jiffy French dressing.

When it’s time for lunch, Choose  a pretty plate from your cabinet, it does not have to  match. I have a set of 4 clear glass salad plates and a few brightly colored plates that  I purchased at Home Goods/ or Marshall’s. 

I have a favorite plate that has the colors pink and green and beige, pink flowers from a well-known pattern, I purchase dishes in sets of Two.