Wednesday Show and Tell

We have one more day of this month and I thought I would show you a few things I've been up to. Now you may know that I made a beanie for my O. Since then I made a black beanie for myself. It like one of those slouchy beanies. I also made some small sweater bows from more left over recycled sweater beanies, of course. It was very easy to shape the bows with my favorite craft tool, the "hot glue gun!" I mean, it should be in every crafter's closet.

Okay, so you could use bobby pins to keep them in your hair or use a safety pin to attach it to a top, jacket, or your new beanie. If you want to add more embellishments you could use glitters, buttons, beads, or even spikes. (Hmmm... I'm going to try to get some spikes!) Okay got to go, someone is asking for milk. Again live, love, and learn :)

Tuesday Roots with Guava

Today we will be looking at, one of my favorite fruit, the guava. It is said to originate from South America but when I was growing up I figured it always was part of the Pacific region. I loved picking them off the tree for an after school snack. It's sweet and fresh taste is the best way to eat them. Although if I waited to long or to late to pick them, a bird would get to it before I would. Now I wasn't the only one eating them, the early bird would get it before me. Hahaha... then I tried to pick them early and was very disappointed because it was still raw. So I did like anyone else would do, got up early or just learn to share it with nature. To tell you the truth I haven't succeeded at being a early bird. ;0)

Guava contains vitamin C and potassium. Why is this important to know. Well vitamin C is very helpful to strengthen your child's immune system. Guava can be eaten to help with children's chicken pox and fights disease-causing free radicals. Now the first symptom of chicken pox is usually a fever with an often headache. Little blisters will later begin to appear, starting on the chest and back, until it covers the whole body. During the phase each and every spot can be extremely itchy. If this happens to your child then be sure to have foods rich in beta-carotene, and vitamin C, which will heal the skin tissue . Food that are brightly colored, like broccoli, cantaloupe melon, green leafy vegetable, mango, and oranges, will help with your child's chicken pox. A tip for those hard to reach throat pains, you can juice the guava fruit then freeze it in a ice pop mold and serve to your child when needed. 

Now the guava also contains potassium which is great for a energy boost and strength boost. Other foods that contain potassium are avocado, raisin, spinach, banana, blackberry, molasses, and nuts, just to name a few. If your child has a ear infection or the cold supply them with a guava. What is an ear infection and how do I know if my child has it? An ear infection or earache is caused by a build up of fluid pushing against the ear drum. Babies show signs of this when they becomes distressed and pulls at the ear causing the skin to turns red. This is because the Eustachian tube, which links the ear with the nose and throat is more horizontal than it is in older children. If your child has chronic ear infections it can lead to permanent hearing damage. For this reason you should always seek out medical advice to prevent partial deafness in your child.

Did you know that this also helps to maintain your child's healthy skin, protects their vision, and help to maintain or support a healthy heart. The guava is anti carcinogenic which means it can prevent the production of cancer in living cells.

Well I hope that helped you... and as always Live, Love, and keep Learning.

Tuesday Roots Breadfruit

Yesterday may have been a long weekend for some because first it was Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday. Which was such a beautiful combination with the inauguration for President Obama and Vic President Biden's second term in office.

As I watched the ceremony for the President I was taken back to when they were first elected into office. How exciting it was to see a colored man take office and how important it was to witness, as well as the whole world watching, this change in United States of America's history. Although it was just as important to witness the second time being elected I was not as hyped up as before, but more of a relief or should I say feeling of expectancy.

Well how ever you voted, there is one thing that we should all take into account, that we want a better tomorrow. So with that being said I ask that we unite in prayer for these officials and the decisions be made with a fear of God.

Being raised in the pacific It was important for the family to pray and start every event in prayer. There is a saying in my culture, "Samoa for God and God for Samoa." To me it was that union with the creator and giving everyone, young or old, that same love and respect we desire for ourselves.

Okay, lets get into the topic of the day, breadfruit. Breadfruit is very much abundant where we lived. I mean they would fall so often you couldn't help stepping on or over some that splattered on the ground. My dad, uncles and aunts always told the story of my grandfather regularly instructing that all of the first fruits of the land, the most plumped, be gifted to the pastor or minister. I believe it was his offering for blessing and tithe to the church. Well which ever it was, we had a lot of it around our house.

Breadfruit is a defined as a species of flowering tree in the mulberry family, Moraceae, growing throughout Southeast Asia and most Pacific Ocean islands.

It contains vitamin C which is known to be anti-allergenic, antibacterial, anticarcinogenic, antiviral, and improves wound healing. It also contains potassium which is great to regulate the heart rate and blood pressure. As well rich in vitamin B, those in thiamin, pyridoxine, and niacin. All that are important for the growth and development of the metabolism.

This fruit when it is baked, which is one of my favorite ways of consumption, has a bread-like taste. Which is probably how it got it's name. Now another traditional was of eating the breadfruit is to cook it in boiling water. Then draining the water and then heating it in coconut milk and a bit if salt. It just brings me back to those Sunday mornings when the air would be filled with aromas of freshly baked "umu."
Umu is like an out side oven-like method of cooking numbers of starch food (breadfruit, green banana, taro, etc) or meat. A "Yummy" combinations of coconut milk made them irresistible. Oh my goodness... it just makes everything so darn good. One of my favorite dishes, the pilikaki, which is coconut milk baked with fish and onions. I've got to make some soon, stay tune that will be in another post. But if you want to know more about coconut milk I also have a post on the many benefits of coconut milk.

Well as always live, love, and keep learning.

Family fun and food # 5

Happy Friday everyone! Today is our Family, Fun, & Food post. I've made this dish many times for dinner and each time my Lil O easily eats up all her dinner & not just the skin of the meat. Hahaha... I use to do the same thing when i was younger. "She gets it from her mama."

Here is our dinner in a fun little bento box, O got it for Christmas. I found this bento box at my local China Town shop for less then two dollars. A great deal if you ask me.

We made soy baked chicken, mash potatoes, mix veggies, fresh carrots, which is how she likes them, and orange juice. If you want to precook your food the night before then just make sure to warm it up before serving. But you already know that. For more bento box ideas click Here.

After I made some popcorn with cinnamon and powder sugar, which is good for the winter flu. You should try it delicious and very nutritious for you. I've been wanting to try my hand on caramel popcorn but it calls for a candy thermometer, which I don't have. Wish there was a way to make it with out the need for the thermometer. :(

Here is my recipe for the baked soy chicken.
• 1 pound   3 pounds of chicken
• salt and pepper for seasoning
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 3/4 1 3/4 cups water
• teaspoon sugar
• tablespoon teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• optional 3 tablespoon ketchup and pinch of cayenne pepper

Wednesday show and tell

Happy Wednesday everyone!! I have been miss in action for a few day because I've been in therapy and busy with appointments. But I hope your doing better and ready to tackle another year of adventure.

Here are a few things that have kept me busy in between all the going & coming.

Tuesday Roots Mango

I loved mango season when i was growing up because it would bloom in large groups. That basically means there was alway a lot to go around, if you had a mango tree or knew a neighbor who had one. It is naturally sweet and not to mention they taste delicious in smoothies. Which I will share a great recipe using mangoes later in this post. Besides that
mangos are rich in the antioxidant beta-carotene and vitamin C. This boost immune defenses as well as protects against cell damages & disease. This fruit is also a great source of insoluble fiber which has a cleansing action on the bowel and can help prevent certain diseases.

Now your diet is an important role in the prevention and management of symptoms or allergic conditions. So incorporating mangoes will help with conditions like asthma, candida, coughs, chicken pox, chronic fatigue syndrome, eczema, sore throat, ear infections, cancer, and celiac disease.

Why and how is this possible you say. Mangoes have beta-carotene which is an antioxidant that can protect the body against free radicals. It protects your skin and the lining of the intestines, lungs, nose, and throat. You can also find this in all brightly colored fruits and vegetables such as cantaloupe, green leafy vegetable or red bell pepper.

Now another essential nutrient that is found in mangoes is vitamin C. Vitamin C is great because it is anti-allergenic, antibacterial, anti-carcinogenic, antioxidant, and antiviral. So if you have a wound it will improve the healing process. Did I mention it is great for the metabolism. Vitamin C has essential fatty acids (EFAS) needed for the metabolism. It is unsaturated fats that are converted into prostaglandins which regulate white blood cells. Hence ensuring a good immune system. You can find the same properties in citrus fruits, green bell pepper, guava, kiwi, parsley and many more.

Here is a smoothie recipe that I found in "Superfoods for Healthy Kids"
•6 ice cubes
•2 kiwi fruit, peeled
•1 mango, peeled & chopped
Handful of mint
1 cup of filtered water

Blend well in your blender and enjoy. Hope this help you as always live, love, and learn.

Wednseday Show and tell DIY dollhouse gift

Glad you are able to stop by today. I made a couple of handmade doll house books for my niece. Now the one that is more of a castle look was inspired by my big helper O. She suggested all the little hearts and placing them at the top. Over all I was pleasantly surprise how it came out. At first I was really stuck on what to do after I had assembled the door. She is really my secret weapon of ideas. It's very refreshing really and ingenious in a way. Where else can you get such inspirational ideas with out looking on pinterest or gfoogle serach. Hehehe!

All in all it came out fabulous. I used recycled cardboard boxes, construction paper, color foam boards, markers, and some printouts of dollhouse wall paper. Oh and some pictures for a magazines and a old baby receiving blankets for O's baby box. Hope you had a great holiday live, love, and learn. :)