Month: May 2025

Healthy Foods: Rhubarb Rodeo: When South Texas Meets the Tart Rebel of the Veggie World 

by

What happens when a sour stalk from the North crashes a Tex Mex fiesta? You get a dish that zings, zaps, and makes your taste buds shout ¡Olé! Rhubarb, meet jalapeño. Let’s make culinary magic.

4 Healthy Reasons to Eat Rhubarb

  1. Gut-Check Bonus: Rhubarb is high in fiber, which promotes healthy digestion, keeps you regular, and helps feed your good gut bacteria.
  2. Antioxidant Armor: Packed with anthocyanins and polyphenols, rhubarb helps fight inflammation and neutralizes those pesky free radicals.
  3. Bone Buddy: It contains vitamin K and calcium, both crucial for keeping your bones strong and your skeleton ready for all the Tex Mex dancing.
  4. Cholesterol Crusher: Rhubarb stalks (not the leaves—those are toxic!) may help lower LDL cholesterol thanks to their fiber and plant compounds.

Tex Mex Rhubarb Magic: 

Rhubarb Chipotle Black Bean Tostadas

Why it works: Rhubarb’s tartness cuts through the richness of beans and avocado, while chipotle brings the smoky heat. A tangy rhubarb-jalapeño salsa steals the show.

🧄 Ingredients:

  • 1 cup diced rhubarb stalks
  • 1 small jalapeño, minced
  • 1 tbsp honey or agave
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 can black beans (drained & rinsed)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp chipotle powder
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 4 small corn tostada shells
  • 1/4 cup chopped red onion
  • Fresh cilantro for garnish
  • Pinch of salt

🥄 Directions:

  1. Make the Rhubarb Salsa: In a bowl, mix rhubarb, jalapeño, honey, lime juice, and a pinch of salt. Let sit for 15 minutes to soften the rhubarb.
  2. Warm the Beans: In a skillet, sauté beans with cumin, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, and red onion. Mash slightly for a refried texture.
  3. Assemble: Layer black beans on each tostada shell, add sliced avocado, then spoon over the rhubarb salsa.
  4. Finish Strong: Sprinkle chopped cilantro and a few extra jalapeño slices for flair. Serve with a margarita if the mood hits.

Healthy Tips:  Two Hearts, One Mission: Why Shared Purpose Strengthens Body and Soul

by

When couples dream together, grow together, and aim their lives in the same direction, it doesn’t just deepen love—it deepens health.

Healthy Tip: When couples dream together, grow together, and aim their lives in the same direction, it doesn’t just deepen love—it deepens health. Couples with shared goals and values report higher life satisfaction, lower stress, and better overall health. Why? Purpose provides structure, stability, and motivation. It encourages healthier choices (like walking instead of doom-scrolling) and builds a sense of being part of something larger than yourself. Shared meaning is emotional glue—and a health elixir.

➡️ Teaser for Day 5: Wrap up the series tomorrow with the ultimate relationship power move: trust. When it’s strong, it transforms everything.

Murder on Pendle Street

by

There was murder on Pendle Street this morning; True story. I’m staying with my family at an AirBnB in South Bend, Indiana. We’re going to the University of Notre Dame campus to witness and celebrate a granddaughter’s graduation. I got up early (5 a.m) and headed for the shower. I planned to beat the rush for the shpwer. I glanced at myself in the mirror and stared at the hair day from hell. I closed my eyes to avoid the frightful mirror image and turned toward the shower. I turned the shower on and waited until the temperature was perfect. I pulled back the shower curtain and jammed the brakes. Staring at me was a spider trying to escape the flash flood created by the shower. iThere was no way I was going to share the shower with a spider. I had no choice. I’ll claim self defense. I dispatched the spider with a wad of toilet paper.

Writing Prompt: My Brain Went on a Coffee Break, So I Wrote This Instead

by


Ever sit down to write and your brain responds with the enthusiasm of a teenager asked to clean the garage? We’ve all been there. That’s why I cooked up a writing prompt that’s weird enough to wake up your creativity—and your snark.

“You receive a letter in the mail postmarked 1974. It’s addressed to you—but you weren’t even born yet.”

What’s inside the envelope? A warning? A love letter from a time traveler? A reminder to return that library book? Let your imagination time-travel a bit.

🧠 How to Start (Example): When I opened the mailbox, I was expecting bills, pizza coupons, or another offer to refinance my nonexistent yacht. What I wasn’t expecting was a mustard-yellow envelope with a Nixon-era postmark and my full name—spelled correctly, which ruled out spam. Inside? One typewritten sentence: “Don’t go to the lake on July 12, 2025.”

Today’s Quote: Opportunities Abound

by

There is no security on this earth; there is only opportunity. -Douglas MacArthur

New Podcast: Halfway Across the Bridge: Finding Strength in the Shadows

by

Grief often feels like darkness—an overwhelming loss of connection with the world and ourselves. In this episode, we reflect on Joseph Campbell’s The Blind Man at the Fair and Shel Silverstein’s The Bridge to understand grief as a journey of reawakening our emotional senses—empathy, compassion, and courage. Discover how, even in your darkest hour, you are sharpening the very traits that will guide you toward meaning, grace, and joy again. You’ve come this far—and the rest of the bridge is yours to cross.

Calm is All Nature as a Resting Wheel ~ A Poem by William Wordsworth

by

Calm is All Nature as a Resting Wheel

William Wordsworth

Calm is all nature as a resting wheel.
The kine are couched upon the dewy grass;
The horse alone, seen dimly as I pass,
Is cropping audibly his later meal:
Dark is the ground; a slumber seems to steal
O’er vale, and mountain, and the starless sky.
Now, in this blank of things, a harmony,
Home-felt, and home-created, comes to heal
That grief for which the senses still supply
Fresh food; for only then, when memory
Is hushed, am I at rest. My Friends! restrain
Those busy cares that would allay my pain;
Oh! leave me to myself, nor let me feel
The officious touch that makes me droop again.

Source

Healthy Foods: 4 Healthy Ways to Ditch the Sugar Addiction + a Tex Mex Treat You’ll Crave

by

You don’t need to give up dessert to break up with sugar. You just need to get smart about it—and maybe throw in a little cinnamon, cocoa, and chili. This post shows you four simple, satisfying ways to wean off sugar without losing your sweet tooth. Bonus? A Tex Mex dessert recipe that tastes like a fiesta in your mouth (and won’t leave you crashing two hours later).

Meta Description:

🍭 4 Healthy Ways to Pump the Brakes on Your Sugar Addiction

Let’s be honest—sugar is sneaky. It shows up everywhere, from your morning granola to your “healthy” yogurt. But breaking free doesn’t require superpowers. Just a little awareness and a few sweet swaps. Here’s how to kickstart the change:

1. Upgrade Your Sweet Fix with Fiber-Filled Fruits

Swap out candy and baked goods for nature’s candy: fruit. Apples with cinnamon, frozen grapes, or medjool dates stuffed with almond butter can satisfy a craving while giving your body fiber and nutrients. Bonus points for fiber—slows the sugar spike!

2. Don’t Skip Protein and Healthy Fats

Sugar cravings often strike hardest when your blood sugar dips. Keep yours stable by making sure every meal has a combo of lean protein and healthy fats (think beans, avocado, seeds, tofu, or grilled chicken if you’re pescatarian). That’ll keep the munchies in check.

3. Spice Things Up (Literally)

Cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and even a touch of cayenne can trick your taste buds into thinking you’re having something sweeter than you really are. Sprinkle cinnamon on oatmeal, add nutmeg to almond milk, or toss a dash of chili powder into your cocoa.

4. Hydrate Like You Mean It

Sometimes thirst wears a sugar-craving disguise. Before you reach for a cookie, drink a glass of water (with a slice of lime or orange for flair). Staying hydrated helps your body balance its blood sugar and reduces snacky impulses.

🎉 Tex Mex Dulce Time: Adiós, tipo dos diabetes. Hola, chocolate-chili avocado heaven.”

 Chocolate-Chili Avocado Pudding with Cinnamon-Lime Pecans

This is not your abuela’s flan—but it will have her asking for the recipe.

🥄 Ingredients:

For the pudding:

  • 2 ripe avocados
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup (or stevia for lower sugar)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon chili powder (more if you’re bold)
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 2–3 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (for blending)

For the topping:

  • 1/3 cup chopped pecans
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Optional: a sprinkle of coconut sugar

👨‍🍳 Directions:

  1. Make the pudding: Blend all pudding ingredients until smooth and creamy. Add almond milk as needed to reach your desired texture. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.
  2. Make the topping: In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pecans for 3–4 minutes until fragrant. Add lime zest and cinnamon (and coconut sugar, if using). Toast for another minute and remove from heat.
  3. Assemble: Spoon pudding into small bowls or ramekins, top with the pecan mixture, and serve chilled.

🍫 Why It Rocks:

  • Avocados bring healthy fats to keep blood sugar steady.
  • Cocoa and chili satisfy cravings with fewer carbs.
  • Cinnamon and lime zest? Flavor bombs. No added guilt.

Healthy Tips: Touch Is a Tonic: Why Hugs, Kisses, and Cuddles Keep You Healthy

by

Forget snake oil. Want to lower your blood pressure, ease anxiety, and sleep like a baby? A good cuddle session might do more than your supplements ever could.

Skin is the body’s largest organ, and it LOVES affection. Loving touch releases oxytocin (the “love hormone”), which reduces cortisol, lowers blood pressure, and even helps wounds heal faster. Cuddling boosts emotional bonding, and regular touch can even help reduce symptoms of chronic pain. Bottom line? Hugs are medicinal.

➡️ Teaser for Day 4: Love isn’t all touchy-feely. Tomorrow, we explore how shared purpose and a sense of meaning in your relationship keep your mind and body thriving.

Building Community

by

We don’t live on isolated islands. We live among lots of people. Some who are similar to us and some who are dissimilar from us. Yet we all share the same space. When we work together we create a sense of community where we collaboratively work for the common good. When we seek isolation we lose contact with those who share this space with us. When we loose contact we lose our connection to others and the values and dreams we share. The more we move toward community the closer we get to peace. The more we move to community the closer we get to a more just and compassionate society. Let’s build bridges and take down barriers.

Verified by MonsterInsights