Natural November

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Had a really bad day yesterday. I just need to breathe.

Have a good one.

[paulywogg]

Morning friends, Star,sorry you had a yuck day,we're here if you want to vent hope today is better for you,hope its a better day for all of us actually, not much going on in my neck of the desert,just wanted to say hi to everybody

[Lavande]

Good morning friends!

I am at my grandaughter's house, just hanging out in front of Daniel Tiger for the time being. Dark & damp this morning but mild temps.

Star, sorry yesterday was bad but it's only one day, right? There's always room for improvement. I tell myself that every single morning.

Hi there Pauly, Dill & Cyn. I hope everyone has a fantastic AF day ahead!

Lav

[paulywogg]

Lav,Louie loooves Daniel Tiger!I do too haha

[dill]

:hug:Star:hug: Like Pauly says, we're here for you if you need to vent. Are you having Thanksgiving at your place this year? Any special plans? I wish my daughter lived within driving distance. It would be so nice if someone else would take turns with me on these holiday meals. My son is not a bad cook, but I don't think he could pull off a Thanksgiving meal.

Cyn, I like your plan of buying a turkey breast and legs separate. I'm going to see if I can follow your lead on that. I guess it depends on what my local kroger has on sale. It's the only grocery store in reasonable driving distance for us. I hate picking the turkey and we usually have too many left overs if we do a whole bird. Plus, I can't bring myself to throw away the picked carcass so that means stewing the bones. I'm not into doing all that this year.

Lav, you're lucky to have a local source of fresh turkey! Especially from someone you know and trust. I have done fresh, frozen, name brand, generic....I can't say that I have a preference. I guess I am like Pauly in that I go for thrift. I think I am going to streamline this year in general. When you're the only one doing the food prep it gets old. We used to have more family come and everyone bring a covered dish or dessert, but those days are gone. I am not complaining. Just saying 'life is change'. Gotta roll with it.

Back to the subject of weed, I want to clarify that my own particular stance is that it should be decriminalized, not 'made legal' and thus state sponsored, sanctioned, used as a revenue source (taxed), advertised on tv, etc. Does that make any sense to you all? I, like you Pauly, have a live and let live attitude, but have learned from life experiences that these mind altering substances are definitely a bad idea for many. I hate that they advertise alcohol on tv now. They didn't used to. What changed?

Well, off to get some chores done around here.

[paulywogg]

It makes sense to me Dill I too hate alcohol ads,everyone is all happy and being active in them,bleh

[treegirl]

Evening all -

Star! Big hugs to you, so sorry you had a hard day. I think the change of weather and the holidays coming on, the early dark, etc all make this transition tough. Plus, you have a lot on your emotional plate. Hope you are feeling better.

Lav - how much longer will you have to take care of gdaughter? I worry a little about those early morning drives in the dark. I'm sorry to ask you this, but would you post again your recipe for protein bars that you make? I looked back and searched, but I don't find it. And usually I put anything I want to save into a document that I have on my desktop, but that one didn't make it! Whenever it's convenient, no rush.

Dill - I absolutely hear you on the cooking end of things. I do it all (including the cleanup!) every holiday. It does get old...I'm trying to keep it simple this year - I think I'll make the turkey a day early, at least that will take some of the stress away. Either the turkey or the sides, we'll see.

Pauly - I'm with you on the ads - I don't even like to see billboards. It's one reason that I'm happy to have given up network TV - we just have Netflix and Hulu. It was hard when there was breaking news like in Paris last Friday, but usually I don't miss it - no political ads, nothing, woo-hoo!

Take care all - special light out to you, Star -

[Lavande]

Now I really know we all think alike
I just had a chat with my daughter about keeping Thanksgiving SIMPLE this year!
I also have the added pleasure of my son's birthday falling the day before & grandson's birthday two days after. We kind of roll everything into one massive celebration!!!!

Cyn - here you go! 5 ingredient no-bake chocolate peanut butter protein bars:
Search: protein bars

I use this basic recipe & change it up to suit my needs & moods. I use pea protein & vegan dark chocolate chips (Enjoy Life) to keep it dairy free. I currently am using my homemade sunflower seed butter in place of the peanut butter which reduces the fat content by 40%!!!!! I use gluten free brown rice cereal & sometimes some gluten free oats. No reason why you couldn't drop in a bit of chopped dried fruit if you like too. I swear these things keep me filled up all morning. Are you on Pinterest Cyn? I can also send you these recipes that way.

I have an 8 am appointment with the vampire so I will check in sometime later in the day. Have a great AF Friday everyone!

Lav

[paulywogg]

Hello friends, quick question, anybody have problems with Flax? I have some oatmeal that has it and seems like when I eat it I get racy,its so weird,I dunno why I'm so sensitive to some things,cripes,bought a book off of thriftbooks so I've been reading it constantly, hubs gets kinda irritated so I'm gonna try and finish it today since I'm off,hello to all,let's have a nice Friday

[Lavande]

Greeting friends, happy Friday

Had my bloodwork done, stopped at Curves & now home working.

Pauly, are talking sbout ground flax or flax seeds? I add flax to a lot of things to increase fiber & omega 3 intake. I've never heard of anyone having a reaction to it though.
Did you also have coffee at the same time? I would bet it was a caffeine reaction you had.
We all love our jolt of caffeine in the morning but it can be harsh at times. Hope you are better now.

Will be working all day, which is a good thing!

Hello to Star, Cyn & Dill!
Have a great AF Friday one & all.

Lav

[dill]

Hello friend,

No, I have not problem with flax, but that may be because I don't eat much of it! I hope you get it sorted out tho, Pauly,

Hey Lav, good to be working and busy, eh?

Cyn, I vote for making the side dishes ahead and roasting the turkey the day of. It makes the house smell like Thanksgiving!

Hello Star.

Hope everyone has a peaceful and af Friday evening.

[treegirl]

Good Friday evening all -

Lav - thanks so much! I've captured it on paper this time. I like that you have all those options with just one recipe. I remember you saying that you make your own sunflower seed butter - do you do it in a food processor? I wonder if I could use the Nutribullet to make seed butter. I do have a login for Pinterest, but I never look there - I don't really know how Pinterest works! I used it once to get some visual images, but haven't done anything else with it.

Pauly - If there was a lot of flax in that cereal, it may have bumped up the fiber a lot. That plus coffee would maybe be a problem, like Lav says. Good luck! Hope you enjoyed your book - isn't it funny about men - they don't pay any attention unless we're doing something that we really want to do!

Dill - OK, I'll do the turkey on Thanksgiving! I tried the Viking stove again today; I baked some chicken and a pan full of sweet potatoes and some apples. I still get part of each pan that doesn't get done, so weird, but maybe i just have to rotate the pans often. It flared up on and off, but not as bad as before. I wonder if some old propane was an issue.

Star - you OK out there? Hope so. I just came out of a 'dark side of the moon' that now I realize I was in for several days. Hang in there - I'm sending you white light.

Take care all - I have a busy morning and afternoon tomorrow, so I'll check in later again. Hope everyone has a great AF Friday and Saturday!

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

I had a horrible week. First I made some mistakes at work, I hate when I mess up. Then woke up in the middle of the night Thursday, with a stomach bug. So, I had to call off yesterday. Finally felt better at the end of the day, slept well last night, so hopefully today will be good. I got so upset when I messed up at work, then I reflected that it was just not worth it to get so upset. It was a bad week and I have not been taking care of myself through eating well, and absolutely no exercise, really the first time in my life that I sit all the time. I am trying to figure out how to incorporate exercise into my life.

I hear you Cyn and Dill regarding stress related to Thanksgiving. I have to make a list this weekend and shop tomorrow to get all I need. I am simplifying too and letting others bring the apps and desserts. It will all work out, it always does, I have never messed up a meal. I'll bet you haven't either.

Lav, how do you make sunflower butter, sounds interesting.

Pauly, are you hosting the big day? Hope you feel better, I like how you are noticing after certain foods/drinks how you feel. It takes alot of self awareness to figure out what is good for us and not. I remember when I kept having reactions to food, and didn't realize it was nuts. I still don't think it is all nuts, but I am too scared to try any now.

Have a good Saturday.

[Lavande]

Good Saturday morning friends!

Sunny & seasonably cool around here, kinda nice

Star, sorry you had a bad few days.
I always feel like a sitting duck this time of year waiting for 'my turn' to get sick. I have been pretty good with trying to keep myself balanced with supplements, decent food & my Curves time. Still, I keep my fingers crossed, the kids are full of germs, ha ha!
I hope you have a good weekend.

The sunflower butter I like the most is made oil free with just a little coconut sugar & sea salt for flavoring.
How To Make Sunflower Seed Butter (Oil-Free) | Detoxinista

Buying raw sunflower seeds (on Amazon) & roasting them without oil or salt at home keeps it healthy. I put the roasted seeds in the food processor & just let it go. The seeds release their own oil after awhile so you don't need to add any. Saves on calories - yay!!! Sunflower butter is a good alternative to peanut butter especially for people with nut allergies.

Cyn, I use Pinterest to save recipes. That helps eliminate the piles & piles of recipes I used to print out. I just use it as an online storage bin, so to speak. Take some time to enjoy this beautiful Fall weather!

Pauly how's it going?

Dill, I am going to make desserts a day ahead. I am fortunate to have two ovens in my kitchen so I am not as pressed for oven space as a lot of people are. I put two oven in my kitchen on purpose, believe me, LOL

Daughter & family coming out some time today. I have lots of errands to take care of first.
Have a great AF day everyone!

Lav

[treegirl]

Good Saturday afternoon, all.

Star - good for you - right, nothing is really worth beating yourself up about! But I get it, if you like to be perfect, it's a real let down to have mistakes. Keeps us humble, right? I like the story about the Navajo rug makers that purposefully put a mistake in the pattern of the rug, to remind themselves that they are human, and not to pretend to be a god.

OK Lav - thanks for telling me how to use Pinterest! That would be more effective than constantly making bookmarks for all the recipes that I like. Great - I'll try it!

Dill - hope all is well with you today. It's chilly, but beautifully sunny here today. I stumbled on the EarthSky website recently, and it talked about all the planets that we see right now, and how the big dipper is so low in the horizon at this time of the year. So fascinating!

Hey Pauly, hope that things are going well at your house.

Lav, what kind of desserts are you making for Thanksgiving? I recently found that i am allergic to eggs, so it will be a vegan pumpkin pie this year - I found some great recipes for pumpkin pie and lots of desserts that use roasted sweet potatoes or yams - brownies for one thing! I think I may have to try that...

Take care all, and wishing you an AF Saturday...