A long overdue AB Fall Failte (failte means welcome in Irish)

Hello, d’Anjous, Honey Crisps, and JonaGold’s...

Hello, fresh figs, and sweet black table grapes.

Welcome, assorted squashes...spaghetti, acorn, butternut, and others.

Welcome, miscellaneous mushrooms you’re still considered at least a neutral for the most part...

Hello, tasty tubers...sweet potatoes that are not old and sprouting,

Savory parsnips, and turnips that are fresh instead of odd smelling.

Welcome, Belgian endive, frisee, leeks, and fennel.

Can’t forget you sweet shallots, assorted cabbages, broccoli, and cauliflower.

Chiffonade cut Brussels sprouts with lime juice you sure smell tasty...

Make yourself at home dark Italian plums and quality garlic.

Rosemary, parsley, sage, thyme, and bay...you’re like a song to me...

Hello, lamb braised in good dark beer with potato mushroom gratin.

Don’t leave me just yet, chicken eggs. Still want you to stick around a bit longer.

Good-bye juicy tomatoes with basil with chevre panini lunches...

Good-bye home grown cucumbers and assorted summer squashes.

Adieu to fresh green beans, and summer melons.

Good-bye peaches. Good-bye decent eggplants.

See you later beautiful berries in little baskets.

See you next year really good lettuces.

Good-bye fresh Salmon...you’ll always be my favorite.

Quince Tart, I will surely miss you this season now that I know you are an AVOID for me...

I am sure the A’s, B’s, and O’s will still appreciate you though...

Fare-thee-well Calvados Custard...alas, I know you now to be an AVOID...’twas nice at least to know you...

So long Springerli cookies...no more anise oil for me 'cause I'm an AB.

Hello, roasted pheasant. Bonjour, Monseiur Beaujolais Nouveau...

Hello, vanilla laden apple crisps and warm Ceylon cinnamon-y apfelpfannkuchens.

Hello, chestnut cheesecake with raisins. I’ve missed you.

The same goes for you Dutch Apple Pie.

Now, it’s time for baked beans of all sorts...

Sage with navy or pinto with molasses & mustard to name a few.

Time for Vintner’s and Waldorf Salads.

Cranberry relish made with red wine, lemon zest and spices.

I haven’t forgotten about you Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread,

Baked Apples, Pumpkin Pie, or Caramelized Pears with Clove Zabaglione.

I can already smell you baking nut tart and Maple Cookies with Pecans.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

There is a turkey breast in the rotisserie, homemade cranberry sauce cooked in maple syrup, and a couple cans of sweet potatoes ready to be taken to my daughter’s house for dinner tonight. She is so thrilled to have a huge house that she invited everybody over there for Thanksgiving. I’m still fighting with those teeth, so I’m thrilled that it doesn’t all fall for me to do it this year. So, in another hour or so we will head out. She lives about 40 minutes away, two towns over. I believe that there will be 19 of us there.

We have so many blessings that they are beyond number. For each and every one I am thankful. Unfortunately, me teeth are causing me some distress which manifests itself in much negativity. I am not usually depressed, but sometimes it is hard to stay positive. For that I am sorry.

Today’s weather forecast: Cloudy, currently 21 degrees F. Sunrise was at 9:28 a.m., sunset will be shortly at 4:13 p.m. for a total of 6 hours, 44 minutes, 47 seconds. That is a loss of 4 minutes 12 seconds over yesterday. The coldest temperature in the state was at Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay at -27. The high was at Sitka at 58 degrees F. That is a difference of 85 degrees!

I went to the dentist on Monday only to be sent home again. My BP was just too high for them to administer the anesthetic. Oh well. Let’s see. What raised my BP then? Couldn’t possibly be the $295 they needed before the surgery. Wouldn’t have been my anxiety over a needle trying to find a very illusive vein. Couldn’t have been an anxiety over losing two teeth. Couldn’t have been the $243 they got from me last week for taking an x-ray and determining which teeth needed extracted. The two that were abscessed might have been an indication! This is an expensive venture especially after having a new roof installed. Money!!! Pain and discomfort!!! AND, I have dental insurance!!! My BP dropped 50 points after I got home. I’ve only been trying to get those teeth removed for over a month. They are affecting my BP and I’ve also had a fever for over 2 months. Guess I’ll try again later.

Tomorrow and the next day I will have a craft table at our largest bazaar of the year. I’ve been so under the weather for the past few weeks that I’ve not made any jewelry. I think I have enough that was already made to get through this one. Sure glad I didn’t sign up for any other craft shows this year.

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving.

It has been several weeks and I’ve still got another couple weeks to go before I will be back to “normal.” I’ve been fighting a couple infected and abscessed teeth and they are playing havoc with my entire system. My blood pressure is way up there and I have a low-grade fever. I continue to eat primarily beneficial foods, take my vitamins and minerals, and get adequate sleep. However, even though I am about to begin my third series of antibiotics, the infection has not abated enough for me to feel good. I just want to sleep for most of the day. This has been going on now for over six weeks.

So, unless I get a phone call from the oral surgeon beforehand, I’ll have those teeth extracted on the 29th of this month. Then, my blood pressure should come back down to normal. My fever should become a thing of the past. My tiredness should fade. And, I should join the land of the living. It amazes me to what extent a couple infected teeth can have on a person.

For dinner tonight we had a beef stew with lots of good root vegetables and several types of greens. Tasted wonderful. Crockpots are great inventions.

I really do forget if I don't write things down. Been meaning to blog all weekend & now I can't remember a thing. Here's a quick look at what I've eaten so far today.....

***8888

Breakfast - Spinach lamb & oatmeal! Strange combo but rice takes to long so I just had some unsweetened natural barley, rye & oats oatmeal called Country Choice Multi Grain from Trader Joe's on the side. Excellent way to start the day.

Snack - a small, crisp apple, Gala I think......

Husband is sick so I'll be nursing him all day when he gets home from work :-(

And packing!!! Friday we're flying down to Florida for 9 days to celebrate the big turkey day & my dad's B-day just a few days before. Hurrah!

This weekend my mother-in-law insisted we have a turkey day as well so my Sat literally was that. Somehow I managed to have it for breakfast, lucnh & dinner! No problem here, all beneficial. Husband had made some wonderful mushrooms stuffed w/ ground turkey, garlic, onions, & mozzerella on top. Soooo tastey!

Lately I've been snacking on mozzerella or celery for the most part but don't think I'm an angel. Friday night, we went to the Olive Garden for a friend's B-day dinner & the wait was so long! The only thing in my pocket was an evil kid-sized Butterfinger my friend Eric had stuck in there from our pumpkin carving night. I ate it, but of course, I was craving naughty things later that evening & especially the next morning. Funny how those addictive additives just sneak up on you! At the O.G. the Seafood Primavera was great but if you're an AB... DON'T EAT THE SALAD. Filled w/ vinegar dressing! I had a stomach ache for 2 hours after b/c of it. I mean, I could handle it, didn't stop me from enjoying the party but it sure had some stomach in some awful knots!!! It does cause stomach cancer in us after all..........Maybe they'll put it on the side if you can get the rest of your table to agree.....

This past weekend, I attended two wonderful expos: The EdgeLife expo and the Women's Home Expo. The coolest thing is that I got in free! I attended a service led by the Lake Harriet Spiritual Community before the expo started and was given a wristband to get in free to the Edge. And because I was already then part of the Edge my wristband got me into the other one automatically!

I meant to do the Edge first but this time around I was taken in by the Women's Home Expo. I had such a great time all around going from booth to booth. I don't know why but I just love going to expos! There was this booth that sold solar tubes and solar attic fans. I really think I'm going to get one! Gosh, you know, despite all the raking I've had to do at this home I bought (64 year old house with lots of trees!), I am enjoying it so much more than a condo! The condo craze is still exploding here in the Twin Cities and I almost joined the bandwagon but heard the garden calling my name. You just can't have a real garden if you own a condo!

Anyway, back to the expo. I had one of those footbaths that the chiropractors market that take out all the nasty stuff from the body via the pores on the feet. Whoa, it's amazing what comes out! I also met Oram Miller a bau-biologist who specializes in miminizing the electric and magnetic fields emitted in homes. It's made me think twice about WiFi. In fact, I've disconnected it from my home and only plan to use it when out of my house or when typing on my laptop outside.

Unfortunately, the city where I reside is voting on incorporating WiFi via power lines, etc. Gosh, I really hope they do not go forward with it. Now that we have a new city council member in our ward, I'll do my best to tell him to vote against it!

Check out Oram's website at www.createhealthyhomes.com and get ready to learn something so obvious but so ignored in our highly wired society.

Well, I just don't have much inspiration right now to write but thought I'd just check in with the BTD community! Stay tuned for a better blog to come. More on these amazing people.

Oh....I'm such a nut! If I don't write something down I forget it completely! Like how I can't remember what I ate yesterday. Let's start with today & if I sit here a few minutes, maybe the rest will come to me.

Here we go..... Now I remember!

Yesterday Morning: After the lemon water settled, my husband I went for a jog. First to vote, then to the track. It was great! As usual, my O was running circles around me. We usually jog a lap & then walk one. The O of course would jog at a slower rate but BACKWARDS while I walked. He says it works on some different muscles. My O friend Gloria does the same thing. She'll end up walking those last 2 laps with me but the first 6? Jogging backwards all the way! When we came home, I fixed the husband a banana, almond milk, blueberry smoothie that he loved & I had lamb! It was left over's from the night before & so yummy!!! A fellow BTDer gave me some tips on how to put things in the recipe base so hopefully that will be up over the weekend

Yesterday's Lunch: PB & Cherry Polaner all fruit on an organic WF's english muffin. Soy milk afterwards (& a few sips to wash down all that PB in between!!!)

Yesterday's Dinner: More lamb!!! I could eat that every other day I think. The spinach/onion saute surrounding it was divine & I boiled some white rice to go with it. With all the vitamins, I didn't feel like desert until around midnight. Bad to eat that late but I had a few Terra Sweet Potato & Beet chips & a bite of dark chocolate.

Today's Breakfast: Pathmark Rice Chex & Organic TJ's soy milk & Dr. D's vitamins

Today's Lunch: A few slices of deli turkey, a slice of TJ's yogurt cheese, a slice of mozzerella, a celery stick & a few sweet potato & beet chips (got hungry for them while I was typing about them!!!!)

And of course lots of water.....I try to drink after my meals & the vitamins usually make me pretty thirsty @ 20 minutes after I take them.

Roma.....thanks so much for the message!!! I'll be sure to write you a personal response when I'm not so strapped for time. Husband comes home soon (why do they need so much attention????) & I've got a custom Monopoly board to finish for Gloria's birthday this Friday!!

Music: Sigur Ros ~ ()

Mood: Lamentation... (don't ask...)



Hello fellow stewards of the Earth. Good to see you here as it speaks volumes about your commitment to your health! I really beleive that you have to love yourself before you can spread that business around... Healing the temple that is your body is absolutley love in motion, baby!

Now funky temples... Lets adDRESS this 'lil nudity problem we have here... haha

I always had a crap problem of trying to figure out what I could put on NAKED vegetables (raw or cooked), salads, fish, poultry, etc. when I first started the BTD. I was always checkin' ingredient lables on all sorts of "health foods" like Annies' dressings, Drew's, Seeds of Change, etc. In the end, there are only a TINY handful that are type A compliant, and the ones that are usually contain soy oil, or canola oil, both of which I avoid when and where I can... It's pure omega 6 with NIL omega 3's and they're almost always highly refined, even if they are organic... I could rant about the food processing industry all day, but I think we'll just get to the point of this, eh?!

Here's the low down... You will need:

An 8 oz. or larger jar with lid

A spoon

An eclectic mix of herbs (dried or fresh), lemon juice, lime juice, or apple dicer vinegar (avoid!), nut/seed butter of some sort if you wish (almond is my fave, macadamia, hemp, sumpkin seed, and peanut work OK), and a good artesian oil (olive, hemp, high lignan flax/linseed, sesame, hazlenut, pumpkin seed, avocado, walnut, etc.), wheat free soy sauce, wheat free tamari, miso, Ground flax seeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, and minced fresh garlic can be the icing on the cake!

To work your magic do as follows:

Add a half cup of your chosen oil to the jar.

Add a 1/4 cup of the lemon/lime/ or cider vinegar to the jar. One or all.

Now, add a pinch of dried herbs and spices in or a bunch of fine chopped fresh herbs and perhaps some liquid flavor or even a "thikener"... Which ones you ask? Well... Lemme see... basil, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, celery seed, celery flakes, cumin, curry powder, dill, dulse, garlic, Ground flax, kelp, marjoram, miso, onion powder or flakes, oregano, paprika, parsley, rosemary (mortar and pestle/grind that stuff first, yo...), sage, sea salt, tamari, thyme, wheat free soy sauce,... Whatever you have in the cupboard, really... I like to add LOTS of seasoning anywhere from a tsp to a Tbsp of herbs/spices and a tsp or so of the Braggs, soy, or tamari too... Mad flavor... This'll make a hell of a salad dressing quick and easy...

For sauces, just use the salad dressing base, and thicken it up with a Tbsp. or two of nut butter (tahini {sesame butter} and almond butter work great), miso, or some ground flax. whole flax, sesame, or hemp seeds make a nice addition too.

Use the goods liberally, and just throw a lid on the jar to save the rest for later. Impress your friends, woo your wife, one up the neighbors! These sauces do it all! Now get dressed!

Yummies!!!!

I just had the best dinner! I really need to put this in the recipe base. For now, I'll share it with you. I found it on cooks.com - such a great website. I ommited 4 1/2 cups of bread crumbs & of course substituted the butter w/ my earth balance butter substitute. And only cooked it for 1 hour b/c my stove over heats & I like things rare & tender.

LAMB CHOPS WITH SPINACH DRESSING

1 med. onion, minced

2 tbsp. butter

6 lamb shoulder blades (chops)

2 tsp. salt

4 1/2 c. chopped fresh spinach, cleaned & dried (I cooked & drained a small square of frozen spinach - came out just fine)

1/4 c. butter, melted

2 eggs, well beaten

2 stalks celery, chopped

Saute onion in butter in large skillet. Set aside. Season chops with 1/2 teaspoon salt and brown both sides. Set lanmb aside. Combine onions & remaining ingredients and cook on low heat until lightly tender and moist. (about 2-5 minutes) Place mixture in shallow baking dish with chops on top. Cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

When the lamb came out it was sooooooooo soft and tender. The spinach was the best part, well seasoned and the egg made it a little quiche like. My husband was very impressed but already full from the rump roast left overs I made for him a couple of days ago. Normally I would have had some rice with this but I just felt like a slice of papaya w/ lemon juice, so that's what I did. Perfect way to end the meal. Vitamins with a pot of tea came next. 3 tea bags in my ceramic kettle from Crate & Barrel (a wedding gift from my dear cousin Lauren!) 1 organic green tea bag (TJ's), 1 organic mint bag (TJ's) & 1 Kalahari Zambezi Red Chai from Pathmark of all places! Check to see if your big commercial grocery has it. Very tastey with 1-0 avoids (can't remember exactly off hand)

BREAKFAST: Was 2 egg whites & one yolk along with some left over bok choy & brussel sprouts. Not your typical breakfast but it made my tummy happy. Followed by planning out a customized gift for a good friend for this Friday and baby sitting my cousin's 1 year old next door for a few hours. Before I knew it the day was almost gone!

LUNCH: Was late but I had a left over slice of Whole Foods Spinach & Feta pizza, did some LIRR studying & then had a couple of organic wheat WF english muffins w/ those good spreads I was telling you all about, 1 with the dark olives, one with the horseradish cheddar. Then off to making the lamb & doting on the grumpy husband......LONG day at the office, poor guy! He's been taking his vitamins & is amazed at how much less he needs to eat. I'm sure it's b/c he's finally getting what his body was REALLY craving.

Hope everyone is having a good begining to the week. Remember to vote tomorrow! And email/leave a comment if you have any questions, I'll be more than happy to answer them!

Following the BTD is usually not exceptionally difficult. I am very thankful for the beneficial knowledge that has been given to us. I’m forever talking about it and encouraging people to go that route for better health. However, occasionally there is a conflict between the foods that we know to be healthy for us and those that have something that makes a common food less healthy for a particular blood type. Sometimes I make a compromise. That is the case with the flaxseed oil and cottage cheese mixture that I use as a base for my smoothies.

I would use farmer’s cheese (a neutral) instead if it was available here, but as it isn’t, so I choose to use cottage cheese. Other alternatives are onions and garlic, but I can’t think of many uses for those combinations, especially one that my family would be willing to ingest daily. So, until I can get a supply of farmer’s cheese, cottage cheese will have to do. Also, my family is of German ancestry and we have no noticeable problems with dairy.

It was discovered many years ago that this particular combination is a powerhouse when it comes to the effectiveness of the ingredients, especially when it comes to cancers and some heart-related diseases. In 1937, Albert Szent-Gyorgyi took the “Nobel prize for his further research on biological oxidation and ascorbic acid. His work confirmed that linoleic acid when combined with sulphur-based proteins, stimulates the oxygenation process of the body.” With a family history of heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes, I decided to add this to my arsenal of nutritional defenses.

Tomorrow morning, well before dawn, Bryan and I will be flying to Anchorage for a medical appointment. We’ll fly home in the afternoon. Talk with you next time…

I just finished reassembling my keyboard! Divi, one of my African Grey parrots entertained herself yesterday by removing 31 of the keys from the keyboard! I’m fairly certain that most, if not all, of the keys are in the correct location. I did have to remove one key and put it elsewhere. It was a chore to pop that key off. Divi was scrutinizing my efforts while perched on my shoulder. She is much more adept at key removal techniques than I. At least she didn’t eat through the mouse or other cords. She’s the reason I don’t have sound on my computer.

Divi usually sits on her playpen and doesn’t get into things. Yesterday I was not very energetic so I guess she got bored. We all know how temptation works when we get bored. I guess it isn’t too much different for our pet companions. Lately she’s been racing to the bathroom for a nibble of the molding. I sprayed some apple bitter on that in the hopes she’ll avoid it. Maybe that is why she chose the keyboard!

It has turned cold. Today’s high was almost 20 degrees. Last night’s temperature dropped down to 10 degrees. It is currently 11 and will undoubtedly go a few degrees lower tonight. I’m wearing my sealskin moccasins!

Anaktuvuk Pass (between Fairbanks and Barrow) has had a couple nights of -20 degrees. They also are at over $6.50 per gallon for heating oil! AND, they are sitting pretty close to the source of Alaska’s ANWR and Prudue Bay oil. It just doesn’t seem fair. Anyway, to continue… It’s been 70 degrees warmer towards the south by Juneau and Ketchikan with a balmy 50 degrees. Yup. Winter has definitely begun in earnest.

We are really enjoying those flaxseed & cottage cheese blend with frozen fruit smoothies. We have all commented on an increased energy and/or alertness. One day soon I’m going to make a special salad dressing using that as a base. It costs $5.00+ to make the smoothie base (1 pound organic, low-fat cottage cheese, 4 tablespoons flaxseed oil, 1 ½ tablespoons of raw honey, and about ½ cup rice or soy milk). I use half of the blend each day which would leave a cost of about $2.65 daily. Then there is another $3.50 for the fruit and fruit juice that goes into each day’s smoothie. So, for the four of us to have this very healthful smoothie, it costs a little more than $6.00 or $1.50-1.75 each. Now, even at $1.50 (or $1.75) for receiving the much needed omega 3 & 6 combo with beneficial fruits in a delightful drink doesn’t seem too outrageous a cost.

Tonight’s dinner was a simple ground elk spaghetti sauce over rice noodles. Dessert or as a later snack, was Bosc pears. The birds, (even the pest on my shoulder) enjoyed the juicy core.

Last night's dinner was a DIVINE tuna burger & spinach/rice pasta......think I'll have it again tonight!

Also, I've just corrected it but yesterday I said white wine was an avoid for AB's - NOT SO!!! IT'S A NEUTRAL!!! Must have been thinking about my O nonnie for a second.

Well, what a great morning!!! Woke up & realized I had no lemons!!!! (Ok, that's not so great...) but then I remembered the dandelion tea by Alvita I had bought at Whole Foods this Sunday & that sure did the trick!!! And just 1 bag!!!! I'm hoping I can get the O to drink it. It's bitter & cost $7 for a box here in NY but it sure did work in place of the lemon!!! Beneficial for all but B's, where it's a neutral.

After some e-baying I got right to my work out. That's right, I'm back on the Dance Dance Revolution! So much fun with the X-box!!!! Burned 210 calories (they have a work out mode!) & thought I was going to die after only 100. I'm way weak but it's 10 calories more than 2 days ago so slowly but surely.......Oh, I ate a handful of almonds just before working out. I knew I'd keel over if I did it on an empty stomach but too much food & you'll just burn off the food....and probably have an upset stomach.

Lunch/breakfast was a heated up bowl of Amy's butternut squash soup & 2 Rye-vita crackers. Super sweet & tastey! I'm not counting food or carbs or anything, I just eat 'til I'm full & only 2 rye-vita's were surprisingly plenty!

Next was/still is studying.......in case you're wondering why I'm not at work, I got laid off this summer & am currently in the training program for the LIRR assistant conductorship. So looking forward to a great paying job this spring!!!! A real career! Life is really good right now. SUPER TIGHT financially but, good.

Took my vitamins, ate a slice of yougurt cheese......that's about it for food. Trying to keep it healthy. Tonight we're going over to the in-laws to help with some chores......should be interesting. Now matter how hard he tries to understand, my father-in law always offers me chicken, flounder, pork chops........3 big avoids for AB's........at least he gets the turkey right. :-)

And at least he cares enough to try.

Sometimes I have to take a bite or eat the whole thing & bring my AB Deflect & vitamin C b/c I feel so bad. I mean, when they go out of there way to fix me something that they think is on the AB diet & it's not.......like the flounder night a few months ago,......you can't just callously say "ugghhh...yuk! I don't eat that!" And even when you are polite, it still comes off snobby. But, it certainly is a positive change in how people think about health nuts than from 50 years ago when everyone was making fun of Jack Lelane. I think people are generally compassionate if you take away all the media brainwashing.......