Flag me as a Fish who opposes Obama's Health Care

My bold and courageous friend Leticia Velasquez has written a post on the Aug. 6 publication of her blog turning herself in as someone who is opposed to Obama's health care system. My own post here serves to put me on the record of someone who is adamantly opposed to Obama's pro-choice health care program that would put my tax dollars to work aborting unborn babies; deny people such as my father, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, the health care that they need to optimize their "quality of life"; and force health care providers to participate in abortions even when it is against their conscience.

The Miraculous Draught of Fishes by Joachim Beuckelaer
Netherlandish, Antwerp, 1563

Irrational Fears III: The Boo-Boo

Bottoms Up!

When a toddler becomes fearful of an object, the simplest thing usually is to make it disappear for a while. However, what does one do when she is afraid of her own body?

Last month, my two-and-a-half-year-old tripped on her way into church. I didn’t know it until we got home, but there was a tiny abrasion on her knee underneath her stockings. She knew it was there, and held onto her stockings for dear life, refusing to let me take them off. “Boo boo!” she cried.

Finally I got them off. “It’s just a little boo boo,” I reassured her, “It’ll be gone soon.” She refused to have it covered with a bandage. To her, bandages serve to remind her there is a boo-boo. I think she even thinks a bandage is part of the boo-boo. She felt better when I had it covered with pants.

For a whole week, I had problems every time I had to change her. She was dreadfully afraid of having her pants taken off. She didn’t want to see her boo-boo, small as it was. When she needed a bath, she covered it with a washcloth.

The second week, it had faded for the most part, but she knew the skin was not intact. Now she would inspect it carefully, note that it was still there, and beg for it to be covered up again.

Finally, at the end of the second week, the remains of it came off in the bath. “Look,” I said, “the boo boo is really gone now.”

She looked at it and was completely relieved. The next day, she allowed me to dress her in stockings for church again.

This whole episode made me think that, on a really fundamental level, infants understand that their bodies are holy. God made them perfect, and anything less than that is just not acceptable. As adults, most of us have long ago given up on perfection, and accept the breaking down of our bodies as inevitable. We all need to be reminded from time to time of what my little one seems to already know in her heart: that we are all vessels of the Holy Spirit.

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.”
I Corinthians 3:16-17

Elizabeth’s Healthy but Yummy Snacks for Kids

Lunch Time

Each of these recipes are designed to be a healthful snack, with no salt or sugar, and very easy to prepare. The first two require no cooking and the third utilizes a microwave. The dishes have been approved by several children that play and snack in my home.

Banana Milk Shakes for Two (Makes 2 cups.)

Blend together until smooth:

1 small banana
1 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp. almond extract
4 ice cubes


Honey Bee Applesauce
(Makes 6 cups.)

Wash and peel 3 large apples. Remove cores and seeds.
Slice as thinly as possible.

Blend together until smooth:

3 large apples, prepared as stated above
1 qt. cold water
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup honey


Hot Cinnamon Apples
(Makes 2 cups, requires microwave)

Wash and peel 4 small apples. Remove cores and seeds.
Slice into quarters.

Combine in microwavable dish:

1/3 cup water
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
1.4 tsp. allspice

Pour over apples. Cover with waxed paper.
Microwave on high power for five minutes.

Enjoy!

Elizabeth’s Turmeric Chicken with Vegetable Medley over Rice and Pasta

I have been looking to incorporate turmeric, used in Indian dishes and widely touted for its anti-oxidant properties, into my cooking lately. I came up with this. You can use more turmeric for a spicier dish, or less to let its taste be overtaken by the brown sugar. More turmeric makes the dish yellow, like in my picture. Less makes it brown. This combo will have you using your entire kitchen to capacity.

1. Prepare chicken tenderloins in a glass baking dish. Cover tenderloins with olive oil. Sprinkle first with kosher salt (which makes the meat more tender), then with pepper, then with desired amount of turmeric (a little goes a long way!). Finally, cover with a generous amount of brown sugar. Cover dish with tin foil to lock in the moisture. Bake at 350 degrees for about a half hour or until completely cooked through.

2. Meanwhile, mix a cup of rice with 4 cups of water, a tablespoon of kosher salt, and a generous amount of olive oil in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Add a pound of macaroni, lower heat to allow it to just simmer, and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, until both rice and pasta are tender.

3. Cut up green and yellow squash into a microwave-safe dish. Top this with red onions and sliced cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Steam in microwave for about 7 minutes.

4. Layer the dish with pasta/rice combo on bottom, then vegetables, and finally the chicken. Drizzle the pan juices from the chicken over the entire dish. Kids are suspicious at first of the color of the chicken, but tell me it is delicious!

5. This is an original recipe. Please share and enjoy, but remember it is under copyright.

Elizabeth’s Fennel and Flax Vinaigrette

This is a very light, yet extremely healthy and satisfying dressing. I wanted something that would pour more easily than my Fennel Parmesan Vinaigrette , and one that would not spoil easily. So I came up with this, and loved it. Hours later, I still felt satisfied. If you are trying to cut out late-night snacking, this just might help you to do it.

½ cup balsamic vinegar
1 ½ cups 100% virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or regular salt, or sea salt)
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
1 teaspoon flax seed, milled or whole

Funnel ingredients into a jar and shake to mix. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

All the above ingredients, excluding salt, are excellent for cholesterol levels – bringing up the good and lowering the bad. The fats are all good ones, which help to burn “bad” fat, and help to keep you feeling full longer. Vinegar and pepper both help to burn both fat and calories. Fennel seeds are great for the digestive system. (Fennel seed tea was part of the cure for my bout with morning sickness a few years ago.) Flax seed is excellent for the circulatory system; milled has more calories but a greater positive overall effect on the body, while whole is recommended for those trying to lose weight.