If you have never prepared an artichoke before, the task might seem a little daunting. After all they do appear to be covered in small layers of armor and if you’re not careful when you pick one up, it will bite you! This is because the artichoke is part of the thistle family of flowering plants which are characterized by their ‘prickles’. The not so scary, wonderful thing about artichokes, besides the fact that they taste delicious, is that they are a fountain of nutritional goodness!

One large artichoke contains only 25 calories, NO fat, 170 milligrams of potassium and they happen to be a great source of vitamin C, folate, Magnesium and dietary fiber. There are 6 grams of fiber in one large artichoke which makes that more fiber than one cup of prunes!  Some new studies have also shown that artichokes contain an unusual high amount of anti-oxidants in the form of phytonutrients. Great!!

To ‘catch the rainbow’ in a cup it is really quite simple. You will need the following:

We have a sweet 'cloud' of Cool Whip at the end of the rainbow

• 6 boxes of Jello gelatin (or preferred brand) in the following colors

* Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple

- Yes there are 7 colors in the spectrum, ROY G BIV, but I have yet to find a good ‘Indigo’ in a Jello.I have mixed purple with other colors and gotten close. Just think it looks great without it and the purple and blue blend well into each other. Besides It never lasts long enough for any body to notice!

from the Christmas glass

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Organic curry rice with tofu & vegetables. Yum!

After a long day  for the boys and I, we looked to the pantry and the fridge to see what we should have for dinner. The winners were no fancy stake or long laboring meal. We decided to use the organic tofu and saute it in some organic olive oil and curry. The aroma filled the entire house and just made everybody hungrier. We had some prepared rice so we took that aside. Added some fresh, sweet, red peppers, onions, peas, then just a little touch of shredded apple and some raisins.  Sauteed that together with the rice and added a little sea salt, pepper, and more curry, we like spicy stuff. Added Our tofu, mixed it in and viola! Just like that we had a simple, healthy, flavorful dinner.

The boys wanted some bread so we added a slice of spinach focaccia bread; and to drink? I had already prepared some of my fresh pineapple water, ‘Pineappleish’ and blended it with fresh strawberries. Everything was enjoyed and as always there is NO pineapple water left for tomorrow, this is why I bought the second pineapple…

Due to my miss-hap with heels yesterday, I needed to reduce some major swelling on my legs today. This morning, as usual, I ground my coffee beans to prepare my cappuccino. Only this time instead of disposing of the used grounds I used them as a rub for my legs. Caffeine has anti-inflammatory properties  because it is a vasoconstrictor. This means it causes the outer muscle of the arterial walls  to reduce in size and shrink therefore reducing inflammation. This is true if you use the caffeine topically or if you take it orally by enjoying a nice cup of tea or coffee, in my case, my cappuccino! So this morning It’s a double whammy as I am both enjoying my coffee and a caffeine leg wrap.

I will also use caffeine if I am having one of my horrible headaches. If it is especially bad I will then combine my Advil or Tylenol with my coffee and it doesn’t stand a chance! I figure I take enough pills every morning, and evening, because of my dear friend (lupus) and I always prefer to not add any to the party if possible. There have been studies at the Seoul National University that show caffeine is able to reduce inflammation almost as well as aspirin. It is also effective in diminishing redness and puffiness in your face and not to mention those dark circles under the eyes.

The culprits

Yesterday I had a particularly  busy day. Apart from the usual morning home activities, with kids and ALL the pets,  I had  to get ready to go out for an appointment which I thought was only going to take up about two hours of my day but instead ended up going on for almost five hours!! Worst yet, I have been lamenting the fact that my closet is full of lovely heeled shoes. Shoes of various styles, colors and  heights and they are all sitting there lined up in the “museum” part of  my closet. I cannot wear these shoes any longer due to the pain they cause to my hips and ankles (Lupus)… Every now and then I dare to wear them but it must be for no longer than… say, two hours and I always carry a flat pair of shoes with me to change into.

Back to yesterday– I was lamenting the shoes- So I decided to grab a pair, dusted it off, NO I’m not kidding, and I went on my way. They looked so nice…  an hour and a half  later I wanted to throw them in the first garbage can I saw!!  However I did not have my flats handy . I left these in my truck, this is LA, Parking was a couple of blocks out. It would be worse to go for the flats than to take the agony for what I figure could be no mere than another hour!! YEAH RIGHT… Swelling, cramping  and numbing sensations by the time I made it home. Yes I know, it was MY fault… I will take comfort in knowing that I wore the heels for FIVE hours, which I have not done in I don’t remember how long and I think I am allowed to say ‘I looked good’, haha…

I am guessing I need a larger purse to carry my flats in next time I dare wear anything with a heel. AFTER I (my body) heal from this little miss-hap; ouch…

                                                         A king’s siesta… In style…

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There have always been limitations attached to my current theme. I have simply learned to worked around them, or live with them not without complaint I’ll have you know. As I grow along with the site I have been trying to make some changes and tidy up my space, and have found this task to be less than satisfying do to these limitations.   This has been becoming more and more of a problem although perhaps at times only visible at my end .  There are other features I would like available and certainly more freedom to play around with choices of menus for categories and such things which this theme does not allow for. This means I am in the market for a new theme.