Microwave Oven 'danger' sites

Please read the post for Jan 15, about microwave ovens, before this one.

These sites explain more about the dangers of microwave ovens, if you care to research for yourself.
1 - microwave use
2 - microwave hazards
3 - Is your microwave killing you?
4 - microwave dangers
5 - Dangers of Microwaved Food
6 - microwave dangers
7 - microwave dangers

I so enjoyed my microwave, but I don't know about now! I guess next I will research plastics. I do know today I read for us to not use plastics in the microwave or dishwasher! More to come on that one!

Microwave Oven Use

When I was in high school, our home economics class went on a field trip to Jacksonville, FL to a department store. We were taken upstairs to a meeting room. There, they demonstrated the oven of the future to us. It cooked food fast and we were amazed that we could see something that would be for sale in our future.
The microwave oven has become a household item that we all think we have to have. I have had several during the years. I have heard controversial issues concerning them, have slacked off some, but always go back to it. Until now … I hope. While on vacation this summer, a friend warned us of the dangers of the microwave has for us. When I got home, I researched it online. Most of the places were similar and talked about almost the same warnings. Several are listed below. The only site I saw that rebuked those other places and said all was not a danger happened to be a place that sold microwaves!
I thought, you know, it would be neat to see if I could go without my microwave for a week. That week has now turned into almost 5 months. I did plug it in a couple times and heat water for us or someone, but mostly I used the stove top and toaster oven or an electric water pot. It was fun to challenge myself to do things ‘the old fashioned way.’ Then, recently, I was trying to heat up some meat loaf and it was frozen, had not thawed enough, we were hungry and it was time to eat. So, I plugged in the microwave, regardless of the danger and zapped it. After the meal, I thought about forgetting it and not worrying about it anymore. So, I went online to look at the links again. I came across Kelly the Kitchen Kop’s web site. I had not seen her site before. Some of the others I had seen before were old sites and it was refreshing to see a more updated one. I liked what she said and won’t repeat it all here. You can go to Kelly's site to read what she thinks.
I am not a health professional or anything like that. I am a housewife who is concerned for my family. For now, I plan to keep doing what I have been for the past few months. I feel as if there is something out there that is making people sick with so many different diseases. The microwave oven has been out for about 40 years. Could it be one problem among many other issues we need to be concerned about? I don’t mean to put fear in people, I just wonder why so many people are sick nowadays. I challenge you to try to do without your microwave for one week and see if you can do it!


This was our first microwave oven. Some friends gave it to us in the 80s (another neat story) and we used it for 20 years and passed it on to some more friends when we bought another one.

Thai Chicken Pasta

My niece won 3rd place in a recipe contest for her Thai Chicken Pasta. It is in the Healthy Cooking magazine Dec/Jan 2009/2010 issue. Page 32. Congratulations Jeni. I am proud of you!

Jeni's Thai Chicken Pasta

Blogging

I try to take a day a week away from the computer and rest. Usually, that is Sunday. I feel it is good for my body and soul! So, I have not blogged since Saturday with Monday being a 'chore' and 'errand' day this week. I have a lot I want to post and many ideas. It will all take time, though as I juggle my responsibilities and hobbies. I hope you have a wonderful week. I can't believe January 2010 is almost half gone!

How I bake cookies the healthy way

Keep in mind that when I say 'healthy', it only means how they say what is healthy at the present. I have been a half-health-food nut for more than 30 years and just when I get something a point of habit to help us be healthy, we read or hear how that has changed. So, I keep plugging along trying to do my best to do right by us. These are ways I do things, it does not mean it is the best way. It is up to you to determine what your family needs.

So ... when I bake cookies these are some of the things I do:

Cookie recipes usually call for 1 t. vanilla added in with the liquid ingredients. I have nothing against it, but the price. I won’t buy imitation vanilla and the other cost too much. I did not have it once, and found out the cookies taste just as well. So, unless I have it on hand, I don’t bother using it.

I use half the amount of sugar a recipe calls for in all my cookies. I figure all the other items I add in add sweetening to the recipe and it helps us stay healthier by not eating so much sugar. Less weight gain. Less money spent, also! I tried honey and other substitutes, but half the sugar is easiest.

When not using egg yolks, I use one more egg white than the eggs the recipe calls for. I throw the yolks away. It bothered me at first. But, I also throw peach pits away because they are not good to eat.

I use 2/3 unbleached flour and 1/3 whole wheat flour that I mix baking powder in to make my own self-rising flour.

I use one of those cookie dough scoopers. We like a little larger cookie.

Tropical Oatmeal Cookies

The recipe below, but I added chopped walnuts, dried pineapple cut into bits, coconut, and tiny chocolate chips. I call them my Tropical Oatmeal Cookies.

Oatmeal Cookies

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

1/3 c. soft butter (not melted)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. raw sugar
3 egg whites
1 ½ c. self rising flour
2 ½ c. quick oatmeal, uncooked
½ c ground flax seed

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat butter, oil, and sugars until creamy. Add egg whites and continue beating. Add flour. Mix. Stir in the flax seed. Add oatmeal, a cup at a time, and stir with spoon. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls***** onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

Note:
I added chopped walnuts and dark chocolate chips to this recipe.

This morning, I picked up one of my books 'Stories for the Romantic Heart' and opened it to a page containing this writing.

The Beauty of Love by: Author Unknown

The question is asked, "Is there anything more beautiful in life than a boy and a girl clasping clean hands and pure hearts in the path of marriage? Can there be anything more beautiful than young love?"

And the answer is given. "Yes, there is a more beautiful thing. It is the spectacle of an old man and an old woman finishing their journey together on that path. Their hands are gnarled, but still clasped; their faces are seamed, but still radiant; their hearts are physically bowed and tired, but still strong with love and devotion for one another. Yes, there is a more beautiful thing than young love. Old love."

Steve and I are amazed when we see couples walking along ... with their hands so close, but not holding each other's. Now, I know that maybe there are reasons ... we just hope the reasons are good enough to miss out on that special sweetness. We sure look forward to still holding hands when we are old and wrinkled.


I found it at inspirationalstories.com Their post said it is in also... A 5th Portion of Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Adams year in Review

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Enjoy

The Library

Today, I went to the library. They are having a sale on their books. Though I hate to see a library selling their books, especially my favorite authors, I do like a good sale. And 4 books for a dollar is a good sale. At one time, I was on the floor looking at the bottom shelves with books lined up in two rows, one behind the other.
It remended me of when I was in the sixth grade and walked about a half mile to the public library. I liked the Nancy Drew books and would go back in the corner by myself and enjoy some quiet time of reading. Having five younger brothers and a younger sister, that was about the only quiet time I could find!
This noon, I came home with two bags of books and spent five dollars. A few were by my favorite authors and some for research. My husband has encouraged me, during the years, to keep a library even when I thought I should downsize because of space and moves. He knows it is important for a writer (and reader) to have her own books. So, now I have my own library in our home.

Holding Hands

43 years ago tonight a 15 yr. boy and girl went on a church outing to Skateland in Jacksonville, FL. They have been 'skating through life' since then, hand in hand.




We still like to hold hands. This photo was taken while standing in the states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona where they meet at the 4 corners.

Brrrrr Cold

It is 26 degrees here this morning. Not what I expected for the Deep South. Though I did grow up here and knew it got cold in winter. I also remember wearing shorts at Christmas in N. Fla. And I am sure I could have here in S. Georgia this year, if I wore shorts. But now into January, it is cold. However we have been in much colder weather. This is a photo taken of us at an ice art exhibit in Alaska. It was way cold! But we had to go see the ice art! The one here was in honor of Schultz. We thought his comic strip would cease at the time, but thankfully it did not.

Sweet Memories

Sometimes when I sign in and use my email address, I hit the comma instead of the m for com. It always brings a smile to my face for I remember a friend of mine whom I was teaching computer. I had explained over the phone for her to type in .com and she could not get where she wanted to go and was frustrated. I went to her house to see what she was doing and she was typing in ., I had to refrain from smiling too much, for I thought it was so cute.
It is nice to have sweet memories of people to bring smiles to our faces. bja