Christmas at the Broadmoor

What a magical place.  The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs is the perfect place for holidays.  The grounds are beautiful and the service impeccable.  I wanted to try something different for Christmas this year... some place where I could relax and enjoy the holiday with the rest of the family.  No cooking, cleaning, entertaining, wrapping endless mounds of presents, spending days decorating and baking... i.e., I was ready for a luxurious treat.  We invited our adult children and their families and two of them were able to join us.  Even though Kendall was briefly disappointed that there was no snow, the grounds were beautiful with hundreds of lighted trees.

 There were cozy seating areas everywhere and it was wonderful to be able to sit and visit by a fire.

 There was an enchanted display of gingerbread houses which we all enjoyed.

 On Christmas Eve we walked over to the Summit building for the Broadmoor Christmas Show.

 Cocktails before dinner.  We were then escorted to our table for dinner and to watch the very musical show.  Santa even made an appearance which made it truly special.

 Christmas morning dawned bright and beautiful and we woke to this spectacular view from our room.  As we got up, we found a mound of presents in the corner of the room.  Santa Claus had found us in Colorado!

 Under a brilliant blue sky on Christmas Day, we took a brisk hike in the Garden of the Gods.  It is a city-owned park and open 365 days a year.

 Christmas night we went to dinner at The Cliff House in Manitou Springs.  It was a delightful surprise to be able to eat in the fireplace room.

Making memories for our families and/or friends is important to us "beautiful older women!"

Massage

I've gotten plenty of massages over the years, but never knew if they were really valuable beyond the relaxation and "feel good" component.  A recent study was published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine which gives us some answers. The scientists tested 53 volunteers... half of them were given a 45-minute deep tissue Swedish massage and the other half were given a 45-minute light touch massage.

According to a review of the study published in the New York Times, the subjects who got the Swedish massage had decreases in the stress hormone cortisol and increases in the number of white blood cells which are part of the immune system.  The group given the light touch massage had higher levels of oxytocin, a hormone associated with contentment.

While in Myrtle Beach this fall, I was suffering from the beginnings of a cold... stuffy nose and scratchy throat.  My husband was reading the New York Times article, used his iPad to find the location of a masseuse then called and made me an appointment for a Swedish massage.

It may be the placebo effect, but I swear it made me feel much better as my cold symptoms lessened.

Thanksgiving Gratitude

It is a time to be grateful for all we have.  The family members who will join us for the holiday.  The beautiful, warm fall weather we are having today... before the cold front comes.  The plumber who could come for a last minute problem and actually get it fixed.  The house is clean.  The leaves have been blown from the yard.  I got my pansies planted this week.  Now it's time to think about our big meal.  We picked up our Greenberg Smoked Turkey today... one of Oprah's favorite things.  I will fix the tabbouleh this evening and then the sweet potato salad and the avocado and tomato salad tomorrow.  My sister-in-law made pies today that she plans to bring.  Wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving!

A Rice Cooker

Two or three times a week I cook a batch of brown rice. It takes about an hour, so it is good to cook it when you have some time. If you are not using the rice immediately, just keep it in the refrigerator until you need it. You can warm the rice and add cinnamon and berries or banana slices to it for breakfast. Warm it for dinners or lunches with some beans, hominy or corn. Then add any of your favorite condiments such as chopped onions, chopped green onions, jalapeno slices, chopped tomatoes, chopped avocado, chopped mushrooms, chopped red and yellow peppers or whatever else you can think of.

I have a basic plain rice cooker which I just love. It makes perfect rice everytime. Put water in the bottom section per directions. In the top you will add 1 cup of brown rice, 1 1/2 cups water and 1/4 tsp. salt. Cover and set your timer for 45 minutes. Start cooking on “high” and after 3-6 minutes, turn your fire down to low. When the timer rings, turn off the heat and reset the timer for another 10 minutes without taking the lid off the cooker. After the rice rests for 10 minutes, remove the lid and stir the rice. Let it set for another 5-15 minutes and either use it or refrigerate it.

I have tried to find another stove top rice cooker and can only find electric ones. So I have now purchased an Andrew Weil electric one from Amazon.

Note in 2016: That electric rice cooker only lasted a few years and I have now purchased a much more expensive model - but I LOVE it.  It cooks rice perfectly every time.

My New Book

For the past eighteen months I have been diligently working on a book. I had three very good friends who were diagnosed with cancer within months of each other and that got me started thinking about the randomness of the disease. When my beloved standard poodle was diagnosed with bladder cancer, I started researching ways to help him. After all, he was my responsibility and he depended on me for everything. I found that much more research had been done for people with cancer rather than for dogs, and, at some point during all of that upheaval, I decided to try to write down and organize the information I had found.

The more you write, the more you learn and then you have to write some more. During all the writing and then the grueling editing process I just kept going. After my dog and two of my friends died, I knew that I had to actually bring this book to fruition. I couldn't give up. When all the writing and editing was done and it was time to put the book out for publication, I went into panic mode for a few days as I realized that once the book was published I would be open for criticism. However, if we never do anything for which we might be criticized we are probably doing nothing. At least I DID SOMETHING, and actually, I truly hope that this book might save some lives. I realize the book won't save lives, but maybe it will give some guidance to people who are interested in saving their own life. You can order the book Diet and Cancer: Is There a Connection?at AMAZON.

EarPlanes

We made three separate trips during the past week and by the end of the first journey I came down with a sore throat which quickly turned into a cold. During the next two expeditions I was coughing and sneezing. Landings became especially painful. The first leg of our most recent flight was on a regional jet and we flew through a number of storms which made for quite a bumpy ride and created a wonderful opportunity for me to suffer with extreme ear discomfort upon our landing in Detroit. While in the airport waiting for our flight back to Dallas, I spotted a box of EarPlanes and decided to try them. You insert them into your ears at least an hour before landing and they regulate the pressure. I loved them! They helped so much that I plan to stock up so that I will have them for any future flights. They have a child's size, too. If you suffer from ear discomfort when flying, I would highly recommend that you try the EarPlanes. It looks like you can get them at drug stores or on-line.

Calcium

How do you get your calcium if you are a vegan? You have to be a bit more creative and use vegetables, beans and seeds rather than just drinking a glass of milk.

Kale, turnip greens, collard greens, bok choy, mustard greens, Swiss chard, lettuces, rhubarb, spinach, dandelion greens, artichokes, broccoli and other dark green vegetables are all excellent sources of calcium.

Almonds contain more calcium than other nuts. Most beans are fair sources of calcium, as is soy milk and tofu. Some fruits with good calcium levels include figs, papaya and raisins. Sesame seeds and tahini are very high in calcium.

Other non-dairy sources of calcium include raw parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, raw Spanish peanuts, corn, wheat, brown rice,oats and pumpkin seeds. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a grain that contains as much calcium as an entire quart of milk.

The U.S. daily recommended intake of calcium is between 800mg and 1,200mg. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends only 400-500 milligrams of daily calcium. If you eat one cup of beans, four tablespoons of tahini and five figs you will have gotten over 500 mg of calcium.

Non-dairy sources of calcium are usually good sources of fiber, folic acid, magnesium, potassium and even protein. Plant-based proteins are more alkaline than animal proteins. Meat and milk are very acidic sources of protein and actually cause the body to leech calcium from the bones in order to neutralize the acid.

Water

We all know we should drink more water, but we really don't know how much or why we need it. Many experts suggest that you drink half of your body weight in ounces, i.e., if you weigh 160 pounds, divide that in two and you should be drinking 80 ounces of water per day. To make that easy, divide the 80 by 8 which shows you that you need to be drinking ten 8-oz. bottles or glasses of water each day. If you drink alcohol or caffeine, you need to add another 8-oz. for each glass of tea, wine or cup of coffee you drink. If you work out or sweat, add another glass of water. If you live in an arid climate, add one or two more glasses per day.

An easy way to keep track is to purchase a carton of 8-oz. (half-pint) bottled waters. Use a big marker to mark your initial and the number on the lid. If you weigh 160 pounds, mark 10 bottles. If you drink coffee or alcohol or live in an arid climate add 3 or 4 more bottles to your shelf. Start with #1 and number them through 12 in case you need more than your ten. Keep all those bottles in the refrigerator (or your portable ice chest) and try to drink all of them during the day. Don't drink them too close to bedtime or you may not get a good night's sleep.

Keep your plastic bottles out of the hot sun and don't leave them in a closed-up hot car or you will want to replace them. If you can keep them cool, just refill them as you use them so they will be ready for the next day.

To Lose Weight

1. Eat a large raw green vegetable salad for one meal every day with a nonfat dressing.
2. Eat whole grains, beans, starches and vegetables for your second meal every day.
3. Eat as much fresh fruit as you want.
4. Avoid ALL oils, butter, and cheeses.
5. Minimize nuts, seeds, avocados and olives.
6. Avoid processed foods and sugar.

This simple six-step plan for weight loss was proposed by John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, and Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Give it a try and let me know if it works for you.