I’m an early riser. It’s still dark out when I wander through the house opening the shutters to my windows. As soon as the soon rises, I want it to light it up. When I looked outside I saw the dark sky filled with stars. I heard the birds singing, and I was, for a moment, filled with awe and gratitude. These are precious moments when you know everything will work out. Hope your day is filled with them.
Month: May 2025
Healthy Foods: Shroom for Improvement: Why Mushrooms Deserve a Spot in Your Diet
Think mushrooms are just fungus among us? Think again! These earthy delights are secretly superhero foods, boosting immunity and packing nutrients that might make your vitamins jealous.
Health Benefits of Mushrooms:
- Immune Support: Mushrooms, especially varieties like shiitake and maitake, are loaded with polysaccharides like beta-glucan, enhancing your body’s natural defenses.
- Heart Health: Packed with potassium and antioxidants, mushrooms help regulate blood pressure and protect your cardiovascular system.
- Vitamin Powerhouse: Mushrooms provide B vitamins, notably B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), and B5 (pantothenic acid), essential for energy production and brain function.
- Bone Strength: They’re among the few non-animal sources of vitamin D, critical for bone health, especially if they’ve been exposed to sunlight or UV rays.
- Gut-Friendly: Rich in dietary fiber and prebiotics, mushrooms promote a healthy gut microbiome, aiding digestion and nutrient absorption.
Recipe: Italian Mushrooms with a Tex-Mex Twist
Ingredients:
- 12 oz cremini or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional for garnish)
Instructions:
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 1 minute).
- Toss in mushrooms, oregano, cumin, red chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes until mushrooms are tender and slightly browned.
- Remove from heat, add lime juice and cilantro, tossing gently to combine.
- Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese if desired, adding a savory Italian finish.
- Serve warm as a nutritious side dish.
Enjoy this healthy, flavor-packed fusion dish that’s equally at home in Rome or San Antonio!
Preparedness ~ A Poem by Edwin Markham
Preparedness
Edwin Markham
For all your days prepare,
And meet them ever alike:
When you are the anvil, bear—
When you are the hammer, strike.
Healthy Tips: The Lazy Walk That Melts Fat (and Excuses)
You don’t need running shoes, a gym membership, or a Spotify playlist called “Beast Mode.” You just need 15 minutes and the will to move your feet.
Healthy Tip: A short walk after meals improves digestion, lowers blood sugar, and gently burns calories. It’s like sneaking exercise into your life without triggering the part of your brain that screams, “NOPE, TOO HARD.”
Bonus: Walking after dinner may help curb the urge to snack later. Instead of raiding the fridge at 9:00 p.m., take a stroll and mentally tell your cravings to back off.
Walk like you’re casually avoiding chores. That’s it. Fifteen minutes is your magic number.
Tomorrow: we’ll hydrate like royalty—and trick hunger into taking a coffee break.
NASA Discovers New Sun—Oh Wait, It’s Just My Friend’s Ego
Think the universe revolves around the sun? Wait until you meet my friend—his ego has its own gravitational pull, and your wallet will feel the burn.
Did you read the latest breaking news from NASA? It appears that our solar system has another sun. Opps, that’s not another sun, it’s just a guy I know who believes the world and all other parts of our solar system revolve around him.
If this guy is in your life this is how interacting with him may go down. He’ll give you a call, he hates text messaging, he’s paranoid and thinks people are trying to steal his brilliant ideas. When he calls he may invite you to lunch. Let me warn you, make sure you have sufficient credit on your credit card. Although this guy is loaded, he somehow finds a way to ignore the check when it’s left on the table. When you check the bill, you’ll see your prudent lunch and that this guy was eating like it was his last meal before he faced the firing squad.
During lunch, there’s not too much to worry about in keeping the conversation going. All you have to do is ask, “What’s happening in your life?” That will set him off for an hour and he’ll go stretches without taking a breath. An opera star would be jealous of his breath control.
When lunch is over and you’ve paid the bill and tip, be prepared because he’ll say, “You should have let me get that.” Then he’ll add, “This was fun, we’ll have to do it again.”
You’ll nod, hope you have water and Tylenol in your car because you have a splitting headache. It always happens when you get too close to the sun.
My advice, next time, bring sunscreen and sunglasses.
Periodic Table Trouble: One of These Elements Is Legit… The Rest Are Pure Chemistry Crimes
Some people know their H from their He, but let’s crank up the difficulty and toss out some element names that sound like bad scrabble plays. Only one of these is a real, honest-to-Mendeleev element. Can you pick it before the lab explodes in embarrassment?
Today’s Quote: Love’s Gift
“When love has fused and mingled two beings in a sacred and angelic unity, the secret of life has been discovered so far as they are concerned; they are no longer anything more than the two boundaries of the same destiny; they are no longer anything but the two wings of the same spirit. Love, soar.” ~ Victor Hugo
Black Oaks ~ A Poem by Mary Oliver
Black Oaks
Mary Oliver
Okay, not one can write a symphony, or a dictionary,
or even a letter to an old friend, full of remembrance
and comfort.
Not one can manage a single sound though the blue jays
carp and whistle all day in the branches, without
the push of the wind.
But to tell the truth after a while I’m pale with longing
for their thick bodies ruckled with lichen
and you can’t keep me from the woods, from the tonnage
of their shoulders, and their shining green hair.
Today is a day like any other: twenty-four hours, a
little sunshine, a little rain.
Listen, says ambition, nervously shifting her weight from
one boot to another — why don’t you get going?
For there I am, in the mossy shadows, under the trees.
And to tell the truth I don’t want to let go of the wrists
of idleness, I don’t want to sell my life for money,
I don’t even want to come in out of the rain.
Healthy Foods: Kung Pow! Tofu Burrito Bowl—When Tex-Mex Crashes a Chinese Dinner Party (With Fireworks)
Ever wonder what happens when tofu gets invited to a barbecue and brings bok choy as its +1? This fusion dish is spicy, sassy, and so healthy your gym trainer might high-five your stove.
🥦 Healthy Ingredient Line-Up (and Why They Rock):
- Bok Choy – This Chinese cabbage is low in calories but high in antioxidants, vitamin C, K, and calcium. It’s basically leafy green armor for your bones and immune system.
- Black Beans – Classic Tex-Mex, full of plant-based protein, fiber, and iron. They stabilize blood sugar and keep you feeling full longer—so you’re not raiding the fridge 20 minutes later.
- Tofu – Our plant-based protein hero. Tofu soaks up flavor like a gossip queen and delivers iron, calcium, and all nine essential amino acids. Plus, it’s cholesterol-free and loves a good chili bath.
- Chili Garlic Sauce – The heat source. Capsaicin (in chili peppers) boosts metabolism, clears sinuses, and adds zing that zaps boring dinners into the stratosphere.
- Red Bell Peppers – Crunchy, sweet, and packed with vitamin A and C. They cool things down just enough so your tongue doesn’t file a lawsuit.
- Fresh Cilantro – Anti-inflammatory and detoxifying. Plus, it’s the Tex-Mex twist that screams, “Y’all better eat this with chopsticks and swagger.”
- Brown Rice or Cauliflower Rice – For the base. We’re keeping it high in fiber, low in guilt.
🌶️ Recipe: “Kung Pow! Tofu Burrito Bowl” (Healthy Tex-Mex-Chinese Fusion)
Ingredients:
- 1 block extra firm tofu (pressed and cubed)
- 2 cups cooked brown rice or cauliflower rice
- 1 bunch bok choy (chopped)
- 1 red bell pepper (sliced)
- 1 cup cooked black beans
- 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce (adjust for Texas or mild mortal level)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Juice of ½ lime
- Fresh chopped cilantro to top
- Optional: chopped scallions, toasted sesame seeds, or jalapeños for garnish
Instructions:
- Sear the tofu: In a hot skillet with sesame oil, brown tofu on all sides until crispy.
- Sauce it up: Add chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, garlic, and lime juice. Stir to coat. Let the tofu sizzle in flavor.
- Veggie time: Toss in red bell pepper and bok choy. Sauté until bok choy wilts but still holds some crunch.
- Build your bowl: Start with a bed of rice, spoon on the tofu-veggie mixture, add black beans, and go wild with cilantro and optional garnishes.
- Eat with chopsticks or a fork. Either way, hydrate. It’s spicy.
Healthy Tips: Downsize Your Plate, Not Your Happiness
Over the next 5 days (including today) I will be focusing on slimming down the easy way. Ha, you say, there is no easy way. Well, there’s the hard way, that is, let’s do it hard and fast and lose the unsightly 10 pounds in one week. We we opt for that plan the outcome is settled before we start. Why not head to the fridge and make that chocolate sundae. It we hit the bakes, pull out of the passing lane and settle into the driving lane. We may discover we’ll get to where we want to go, albeit a bit slower
Healthy Tip: Forget calorie math and food scales—today we’re starting with your dinnerware. That’s right: your plate could be your worst frenemy.
Studies show people eat 22% more when using large plates. Why? Because your brain’s got the appetite of a 12-year-old at a pizza buffet. A smaller plate tricks your eyes and your stomach into thinking you’re getting more than enough. And you are. You just didn’t need the bonus fries.
Start by swapping out your oversized dinner plates with salad plates. You’ll cut portions without drama, whining, or feeling like a squirrel on a diet.
Today’s mission? Pick a smaller plate for dinner. Your stomach will barely notice, but your jeans might start whispering “thank you” in a week or two.
Stay tuned: tomorrow we walk—like actual walking, not speed-hiking Mount Everest.
