Monthly Archives: August 2019

Ole Cup Of Joe

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Daily Living, By Miss LaToya

Just to clarify: There are people who drink their coffee every morning or maybe three or four times a week and there is absolutely nothing out of the ordinary or wrong with that.

On the other hand, there are those who rely on numerous cups of coffee at a continuous pace or rate and use the beverage as a crutch.

A lot of people are hooked on coffee.

Whereas some people like and drink the different varieties of coffee for the taste, some claim they need the beverage to help wake them up in the morning, and some claim they need the beverage to help keep them up during the late hours of the night.

Tea also contains a significant amount of caffeine which definitely will keep one alert and up all night if they drink enough of it.

Tea is also a lighter and healthier beverage to consume in…

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Sandwiches And Cold Cuts

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I was up and about early yesterday morning trotting around in Manhattan, New York

I had gotten my hands on a heated, cutely packaged, and healthily prepared sandwich.

The roasted onion, garlic, tomato, kale, olive oil and mozzarella melted on chicken layered inside of hero bread was what I picked out to bring as a treat home to my mother.

She praised the sandwich. “It’s on the style of a vegetarian type of sandwich”, she had said to me after eating the food.

My mom loves her sandwiches and I often inspire her to eat healthy.

I buy her boar’s head cold cuts to put on whole wheat bread or the stonefire brand of roasted garlic naan flatbread I introduced her to, though, I’ve never actually eaten the product myself.

I have an eye for what I know she’d probably like and she really enjoyed the flatbread so I continued to get it for her from time to time.

I always read ingredients before making a purchase, however, my mother isn’t as picky as I am when it comes to certain food, and she isn’t vegan, vegetarian, or pollo pescetarian, but she does like vegan and vegetarian dishes.

What I appreciate about boar’s head is they don’t use animal rennet for their cheese only vegetable rennet.

They also have an organic non gmo selection of natural crafted cold cuts to choose from. I purchased the “Simplicity” mild cheddar cheese and roasted turkey breast once.

 

Soy Milk And Cornbread

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The day before yesterday I headed to one of my local grocers to see if they had any of my favorite brand of vanilla soy milk back in stock.

I had to get my milk, and I was in luck there was four half a gallons of the product left upon the shelf.

I then went to get me some corn muffin/cornbread mix to prepare at home. I love my cornbread too! I haven’t had any within a week or two.

Yellow Rice With Herbs And Spices

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I cooked and ate three plates of yellow rice that I prepared earlier this afternoon.

I colored white rice naturally with turmeric spice. I added oregano, cumin, thyme, parsley, garlic, onion and plant butter to boil along with the rice to give it a flavor.

I didn’t put in any salt as some may prefer.

The yellow rice came out nice to my liking I love all kinds of rice anyway, even plain white rice. Brown rice tastes good too if seasoned and crafted well.

Next time I am going to mix some vegetables along with the dish. Green peas, corn, and broccoli taste great mixed with yellow rice and rice pilaf.

Toast

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I went and did some more grocery shopping early yesterday morning. I needed to pick up a few items such as two loaves of bread, a bag of rice, another tub of butter, and other things.

I had to settle for Earth Balance brand of non dairy, non gmo, olive oil buttery spread which is also good (I just love their vegan non dairy white cheddar cheese puffs), for when I run out of my other tub of plant butter.

I also wanted to purchase a half a gallon of vanilla soy milk but my brand was all sold out.

I love toast and made a bunch yesterday when I got back home.

I use to make a french toast for someone where I’d crack an egg into a bowl, pour in some milk, then mix up the contents until the yolk was textured, then I’d dip in a slice of bread to get it saturated, and put the slice into a greased heated pan.

I am definitely a bread eater but without the eggs. There are other ways to doll up toast if one desires to.

I’m fine with plain old toast and butter on whole wheat bread made in the toaster oven. I don’t need anything fancy.

Country Crock Plant Butter

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I went to the supermarket yesterday to purchase my favorite plant butter made with olive oil and there was only one left on the shelf.

No one had touched any of the Country Crock Butter And original Country Crock Vegetable Spread, only the Non Dairy Plant Butter.

I had got to the store just in time. Last week the shelf was full of the plant butter when I picked up a tub.

Everybody is into Plant-Based food now I remember many years ago when it wasn’t such a widespread interest among certain folk.

I didn’t have to worry about going short on my favorite vegan foods.

Well that’s how it goes. When there’s something good or appealing to the taste buds everybody wants to jump on it.

 

Hazardous Workplace

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About a week or two ago I was asked by one of my employer’s, because I do both retail and healthcare work, if I’d cover a three day fill in shift.

So I agreed to work the temporary assignment and I was given a little prior information and detail into the case.

When I arrived to my client’s residence I inhaled the strong odor of urine as soon as I walked through the door.

The mother of my client greeted me, lead me toward her son’s bedroom, then introduced me to him.

On the way through the home, I also inhaled a nasty odor reeking from the woman who was up in age.

The man was in his fifties and paralyzed on one side of his body due to a stroke. He was also overweight and wore a diaper.

I told him the diaper was too small as the fasten wasn’t reachable to cross over to the other side.

The man had gotten slightly offended by my words and uttered out to me, “I hate when people come and tell me the diaper is too small. These diapers are not too small I’ve been wearing this size diaper for years”.

I hadn’t meant any harm but the diaper was a bit too small to give him adequate protection to urinate and to move his bowels within.

In all honesty, I don’t know if manufacturers actually designed disposable diapers large enough to accommodate someone of his measurements.

Anyhow, we got past the disagreement, and I helped him out of bed with his diaper that didn’t properly fit, and all.

I helped him dress, put his leg brace on, I helped him balance himself, then I motioned him into his wheelchair and wheeled him into the porch to take his medication.

His mother was unable to push his wheelchair around the house because of his heavy weight. He needed someone to attend to him day and night. I was only there for the day shift he already had someone scheduled to come later on within the evening.

I’m between one hundred and thirty-five pounds to one hundred and forty yet I was able to lift him by the back of his pants to give him a jolt and I was able to push his chair.

It was all about technique to me, though, the man was indeed quite a load to bear, especially carrying the dead weight on one side of the body.

A physician came later that morning as a routine visit. This is how I found out exactly how much my client weighed. The doctor acknowledged the man was five hundred and thirty-five pounds, also addressing that he was morbidly obese, and since he was unable to proficiently stand or walk there was no way for him to exercise sufficiently.

He would just have to sit and lay and accumulate more pounds and additional health problems.

My mother didn’t understand how in the hell I helped to lift and push my client’s five hundred pound ass around his residence and tolerate the foul smells in which I professionally did.

The mother and the son were both nice and welcoming toward me and the man had apologized for his earlier attitude. The rest of the time that I had spent there had turned out very well, and the family was looking forward to my return.

However, I never made it back there. It just wasn’t meant to be. I had to call out for the other two days I was supposed to show up. My spirit just wouldn’t allow for me to go back under those hazardous conditions.

I also couldn’t take the chance of my client getting nervous due to the man’s confidence issues that he had revealed to me.

What if an accident occurred and he happened to have fallen on me? Then I may have been the one in need of attention and medical care.

Therapy Dogs

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When I worked at one of the assisted living facilities I often occupied there were therapy dogs often brought in to offer emotional support, mental stimulation, and companionship toward the elderly.

In my opinion, therapy animals are lovely resources for any age group to pleasantly and significantly benefit from.

For those who are receptive to canines therapy dogs are a great enhancement to the lives of people and within the lifting up of the spirits to those in need of a humane connection.

It is particularly very assistive within the elderly environment to receive the therapeutic attributes in which a loving, friendly, affectionate, and comforting trained dog can provide to them.

The dogs themselves deserve the proper care and respect in return for all they do and the sacrifice they undertake in order to cater to our charitable (human) causes.

Canines have feelings and needs too and sometimes people don’t take into account how they may get overwhelmed and taken advantage of within their own doghood life periods.

Dogs are living beings also and shouldn’t constantly have their precious moments stolen away.

They need our therapeutic modes of solicitous and considerate treatment as well.

Bad Bodily Odors

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One doesn’t have to work in the medical field or as a caregiver to come across some of the worst odors.

We often smell a lot of funk through out everyday life depending where we’re at and who we are around.

It’s just those of us who’ve held jobs within a healthcare setting tend to and are more prone to encounter bad hygiene at an enormous rate as our workplaces cater primarily to people and wellness issues.

An array of individuals commonly walk through the doors and occupy residence at hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities.

Us people who undertake caregiver roles deal with people constantly all day long on a day to day basis with all type of conditions and ailments and are bound to definitely come into contact with notorious odor.

I remember how once, before I ever thought about working in the medical/ healthcare field, my mother and I were inside the emergency room of a hospital when this bum came in drooling from the mouth with a tall can of beer.

After he’d sat and been there for a while, a female medical technician who’d entered the lobby of the place from time to time finally went to respond to him.

Once she fully observed him and paid more attention to him she noticed his behavior, appearance, and the can of beer he had brought in with him.

The medical technician turned to look at my mother and I and said “Why didn’t you tell me he had a can of beer? She then said aloud, “Oh great, now I’m going to have to deal with his stinking feet”.

I internally sympathized with her because she seemed like a decent person of substance.

With all of this lady’s experience and familiarity within her field of work she knew just by looking at the man what she was in for by having to attend to him that evening.

Some people’s feet smell so bad that it’s impossible to get the odor out of fabrics.

There was a guy who came to my house once and he had his bare feet resting against the carpet of the room.

The odor had gotten trapped into the carpet and no matter how much I vacuumed the odor wouldn’t leave or fade away I even tried sprinkling baking soda to kill the smell and that was useless.

I ended up having to eventually pull up the carpet to throw it away.

I’ve also been in a house with a guy who’s odor was so bad the funk had gotten embedded within the mattress and he was well aware of the problem as he told me he had tried everything from ammonia to drive away the smell yet it was still set in.

These occurrences are nothing new.

I remember a neighbor of mine had to throw away her upholstered chair on account of another female neighbor who had smelled it up so bad.

A relative of mine had to throw away an article of clothing she had loaned to one of her great-nieces because her underarms had stunk up the material and ruined the chance of her ever wearing the item again.

There are so many experiences I could share too many to write about, stories in which would make one holler, “Woo!”

Natural Sources Of Vitamin C

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Are you getting enough of that Vitamin C?

If anyone, in general, is a smoker they definitely need some as smoking depletes the body of this wonderful nutrient.

I made sure relatives of mine who smoked had gotten their continuous adequate amounts of vitamin C.

Vitamin C is very good for circulation, blood vessels, wound healing (silica is also excellent for tissue repair), and a healthy immune system. I know, I’ve been taking vitamin C for years, within supplement form as well as in fruit and vegetable form.

Vitamin C is also good for teeth and bone health (silica is also excellent for the bones too) as well as other vital bodily functions.

Some of my favorite juices and foods contain and are naturally high in vitamin C.

I use to buy and eat fresh pineapples constantly in my younger days I still buy and drink pineapple juice in the current, along with the sour temptations of lemons and lemonade.

I eat tomatoes and I love tomato juice as well as tomato soup.

Of course, oranges are full of natural vitamin C and I eat plenty of those as well.

Cantaloupe and watermelon are also good sources of vitamin C.

And, don’t forget apples and apple juice which have their fair share of naturally incorporated vitamin C.

 

Appetizers

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It’s exciting to have more options to choose from and that cater to our lifestyle, health, and special diets, nowadays, whether we are vegan/vegetarian/pollo pescetarian or just plain gluten free, and so on.

I love plant milk, preferably soy and cashew, the vanilla flavors suit me best. I don’t like almond milk at all.

I also love cashew cheese and olive oil crafted buttery spreads.

I tend to come up with ideas and tasty plans to create then to put into effort within my foods.

I’m just glad I can experiment with a variety of plant sources without sacrificing great flavor.

So go and get that plant-based milk, cheese, and butter if it’s befitting to a preference or way of living.

 

Nature’s Path Cereal

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The early part of last year I had tried Nature’s Path cereals for the very first time and I was not disappointed.

I tried the Sunrise Crunchy Maple and I loved the taste. I knew if I liked the maple I’d love the vanilla.

What attracted me to the product was that is was organic, vegan/vegetarian, non gmo, and made with an array of wholesome ingredients.

I’ll be buying more of these two flavor cereals within the future.

Sunrise Maple Crunch:

INGREDIENTS:

Brown rice flour*, whole grain corn meal*, cane sugar*, corn meal*, yellow corn flour*, inulin*, maple syrup*, quinoa*, natural maple flavor, flax seeds*, sea salt, buckwheat flour*, amaranth*, molasses*, tocopherols (vitamin E). *Organic. Produced in a facility that uses tree nuts, peanuts and soy.

Sunrise Crunchy Vanilla:

INGREDIENTS:

Whole grain corn meal*, brown rice flour*, cane sugar*, corn meal*, yellow corn flour*, inulin*, quinoa*, natural vanilla flavor, flax seeds*, sea salt, amaranth*, buckwheat flour*, molasses*, tocopherols (vitamin E). *Organic. Produced in a facility that uses tree nuts, peanuts and soy.

Silver Dollars

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I haven’t eaten pancakes in a long while now but when I use to prepare them I made them small.

I didn’t like the average size pancakes.

After mixing up the batter I’d dip in a table spoon and scoop out about the same equivalent within measure and let the slight thickness of the mixture empty into the grease of the pan.

I’d create what my family called “silver dollar” pancakes, cute and with volume.

I wouldn’t put too much milk (plant-based milk can be used) or water into the mix just enough to provide a good and preferable consistency for my pancakes to come out nicely textured.

The pancakes always tasted better cooked in a butter (plant-based butter or margarine can be used) compared to vegetable oils.

I would eat those pancakes anytime of the day, for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Whenever my appetite called out for them.

It didn’t matter whether or not I used syrup over the pancakes they were delicious either way.

Most of the time I ate them without any topping, and I’d fix and eat multiple silver dollar crafted pancakes until I had gotten thoroughly full.

 

Vitamin Supplements

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I highly recommend supplements that are vegan/vegetarian suitable, non gmo, without fillers, and that are labeled with legitimate seals and certifications of high quality, assuring the product consists of laboratory testing to confirm accuracy of contents as well as safety of consumption.

I was started on vitamins at a very early age.

When I got older and became extremely health conscious, I began my own independent voyage further and deeper into the benefits of supplements and their advantages.

My teenage years was spent evolving and gaining knowledge about spiritual and physical maintenance.

I consume both vitamin and herbal supplements and over my life long journey of indulging within the assistance of these fantastic tools in which consist of medicinal properties, and remedy,  I can genuinely attest to the optimal satisfaction and wellbeing these lifesavers indeed provide.

Olive Oil

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Real olive oil will leave a specific recognizable tingle within the back of the throat I’ve experienced this numerous times. It is a sign of the purity and pungency of the oil.

I continuously prepare and use olive oil in a lot of my foods. I first began using olive oil during my teenage years. I had got it in the tin can it use to come in.

I don’t just buy any olive oil displayed on the shelves of the supermarket because I know for a fact all oils labeled as 100% pure olive oil are actually not legitimate.

There are many popular well known brands who claim to sell authentic olive oil yet their statements are false and have been proven so.

There are only two olive oil companies I have trusted and bought from for over a long period of time now and they are California Olive Ranch, and Lucini. I had researched them prior to purchasing their oils. They both have the harvest dates as well as expiration dates located on their glass bottles.

Of course, there are other legitimate brands out there who do sell authentic olive oils these are just the particular two I frequently buy.

I also look out for the seals and certifications such as Non Gmo, Certified Extra Virgin Olive Oil Associations, USDA and so on.

Apple Pie And Apple Sauce (Applelicious Is Apple Wholesome)

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I love apples, especially the yellow ones.

I love apples that are both sweet and tart I love biting into the juicy and crisp flesh of the fruit. I don’t like apples that are kind of soft, they’ve got to be firm.

The Red Delicious and the Granny smith variety are my favorites, McIntosh are okay but those other three are my specialties.

I was never a major pie eater as I never cared much for pie the only type of pie I would eat was homemade sweet potato growing up. My mother liked pies and when she tried pumpkin pie for the first time a few years back she told me it tasted similar to sweet potato pie yet it was even better. So she is now fond of pumpkin pie.

I never tried Pumpkin pie though I do love apple pie. Apple pie is my mother’s favorite among all the other pies she’s eaten also. My mother reminisced to me how in down south Virginia our family use to make some yummy apple pies from scratch with fresh granny smith green apples.

I use to eat apple pies frequently during my twenties, I loved biting and chewing into the crust of the pie as the whole entire parts of the pastry was so delicious, and I use to drink cold milk along with eating them.

There were certain types of pie that I didn’t like and didn’t want to eat I’d just nibble on the crust because I wasn’t fond of the fruity sections prepared within the pies. Apple pie was the only pie that I could delightfully stomach down, I guess it all depends on how a pie is crafted.

Applesauce was a dessert I’ve always eaten and enjoyed I also like it blended with cinnamon spice. I had purchased the Santa Cruz brand organic applesauce a few times in the past and the product was of very good quality. Applesauce tastes really good cold and it is a really healthy light food to snack on.

My mother fed me applesauce as a child just as I’m sure a lot of our parents have, and it is loved, and a favorite, among the young and the old. It is a pleasant option for those who have to eat pureed foods and a convenient way for some to help swallow a pill down with, or to mix powdered medicine into for a tolerable intake.

Apple juice, another treasure and extension to indulge in, is a drink we constantly keep in the house as the beverage is both nutritious and healing for the body.

What would we do if we didn’t have apples to incorporate into the various forms of our diets? I don’t even want to imagine a circumstance of that nature, not the way I love to eat apples, apple pie, applesauce, and drink apple juice.

If I loss my “apples” I’d probably end up in the “nut” house. Nevertheless, nuts are nutritious too.

Potatoes

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One can do so many things with potatoes.

They can be baked, fried, boiled, mashed and turned into a variety of scrumptious dishes to enjoy.

I just made some potatoes yesterday. I cut eight whole potatoes in half and placed them into a pot of water seasoned with onion, garlic, cumin, thyme, pepper, salt, oregano and parsley.

When they were done and the majority of water had boiled out of the pot I scooped them onto a plate and spread a plant-based butter made with olive oil over them and they came out fantastic. They were the texture of luscious baked potatoes, they had boiled perfectly.

My favorite of all potato dishes have and will always be French fries.

There is nothing like homemade fries cooked in sunflower oil. I peeled, cut up, and fried so many potatoes when I was younger that I knew which type of oil brought out the best taste within them above all the others.

I even fried and ate so many homemade French fries one night that my body had absorbed too much grease and my stomach felt like it was split in half. I’m so glad my mother knew exactly to give me an alka seltzer back then it had cured the problem almost immediately.

Not With My Pooch

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I’m all for kissing the pooch and letting the pooch sleep in the bed.

I’m guilty of these actions as I’ve done it myself for the majority of my life and I loved every bit of those pleasant, enjoyable moments.

However, taking a bath with the pooch, and letting the pooch drink and eat out of the same cup and plate as one is going a little too far, yet I’ve seen people do it and it suits them just fine.

As much as I loved the pooches that I had I do have limitations and never would share my bathwater with them while I was in it, or share the cup and plate in which I have to drink and eat off of with them. I don’t even do those things with other human beings.

Time In The Tub

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A shower, of course, is cleaner than taking a bath, but both a bath and a shower is very therapeutic for the mind and the body.

Some people sit in the tub to soak for a bit then stand up to wash and rinse off in the shower.

With a bath one can lay back and relax and soothe effortlessly.

To enhance and enliven the bath it’s delighting to add bubbles for a sparkling foamy appeal, and feel.

The only down side to indulging within the penetrating waters of a lovely hot bath is that one has to get out of the tub before the dirt retracts back on them.

This is why some run the shower afterwards in order to assure a total clean.

However, a bubble bath would indeed prevent that problem by the soapy waters enveloping and dissolving the dirt within the tub while also stopping a ring of dirt from circling around the bathtub once the water is completely drained out.

I use to take a lot of bubble baths when I was much younger it made having a bath more enticing and fun.

Dole Organic Bananas

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I went and did a little grocery shopping this past week and purchased two bags of bananas by Dole and they were organic.

The bananas tasted so good and fresh. They were a little bit more expensive than the non organic bananas. I was aware Dole sold organic bananas yet I had never came across them within any of my local grocery stores.

As now the circumstance has changed and the bananas are available at one of my particular neighborhood supermarkets I’ll continue to buy and eat them.

Cheesy Delight (Cheesylicious!)

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As a youngster, during my very early years, I grew up eating cheese loving and enjoying the delicious meals which are made with the ingredient.

Some of my favorites were macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza, parmesan cheese sprinkled over my spaghetti, baked ziti, lasagna and cheesecake.

Once I came to know and was aware of how cheese was actually processed it was a complete turnoff  to me aside from becoming a vegan/vegetarian at the age of fourteen.

For those vegetarians who do eat dairy cheese they are able to, of course, purchase the brands that are made with vegetable rennet. I know Cabot, Boar’s Head, and Land O’ Lakes wasn’t using animal rennet (the stomach lining of calves and goats) I had phoned up these companies years ago inquiring about the matter.

Nevertheless, I only eat non dairy plant based cheese.

I love cashew mozzarella style vegan cheese.

We can still delight within our favorite dishes if we choose or prefer not to eat old fashion traditionally manufactured cheeses.