Crisp Cravings

One of the hardest things about reducing one's carb intake is finding suitable snacks when the need to nosh comes knocking. (You like that alliteration, don't ya'?) Sure, there's the old standby of raw almonds, full of protein and packed with crunch, but after a few days of eating these and chances are good you're looking for something else to satisfy the munchies.

Granted, when you're eating controlled portions of carbs, your blood sugars don't fluctuate much so you tend not to get those pesky cravings all that often. But believe you me, the time will come when you'll want to chomp on something salty, crunchy and, well, let's face it, unhealthy. Potato chips come to mind. Particularly the sea salt & vinegar variety. Oh my, have I a weakness for those. Obviously, these are not conducive to my weight loss efforts, thus I find myself often having to suppress the cravings for these delightful crisps. And on the days I can't fight the urge or it's been suppressed one too many times? Yeah, I cave and wind up eating the whole cracklin' bag. <hangs head in shame.>

Because I refuse to gain back any of the weight I've lost over the last 9 months, I am always on the lookout for healthy alternatives to the carb laden, salt & vinegar potato crisp. Terra has some tasty options in their chip line; their Taro chips and their Sweet Potato chips are among my favorites. Unfortunately, they are hard to find and though I'm sure I can get them online, they are pretty pricey at $3.98 for a 6 oz bag of Terra Taro Chips, and $3.75 for a 6 oz bag of Terra Sweet Potato chips where Kettle Salt & Vinegar chips average about $2.27 for a 5 oz bag. Like I said, pricey.

Lucky for me, there are alternatives to the alternatives. Wait, what? Yeah, so here's what I'm saying. I can make my own sweet potato chips, and probably my own taro chips if I could get my hands on a raw taro. I can even make my own zucchini chips, should I be so inclined. And guess what? I am inclined.

I am going to try my hand at making my own veggie crisps by way of a food dehydrator. I have access to one for 30 days, and plan to start with some sweet potato chips, some zucchini chips, and some strawberry chips. Yes, strawberry chips. Maybe lightly drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Seems like a pretty painless process, so the real test will be in the results. And I should have those for you on Friday. Join me on the road to healthy snacking, won't you?

Here's to clobbering crisp cravings!

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Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

I love to read. I don't often make time for it, but when I do get around to picking up my Kindle, I usually devour my books, particularly if they're good ones.

Also a social media addict, I joined Goodreads at the start of this year. Think of Goodreads as the Facebook of bookworms. It's a site that lets you add books you've read, are currently reading, or want to read. You can rate and review books you've already read. You can invite your friends to join and see what they're reading. You can swap books. And best of all, you can enter giveaways for books!

My good friend Summer, who is an avid reader and writes book reviews on her blog summertime, told me a while back that she'd won a few books from Goodreads giveaways. I was, I admit, a little jealous since I didn't even know they did giveaways on this site! Then, a few weeks ago, I found where on the site you can enter the giveaways, and let me tell you, they do a lot of giveaways. I entered my first one and would you believe? I WON!


Weirdest thing is that I won a book I had seen at Barnes and Noble on an outing with Summer, one that I considered buying and then decided to merely make note of and add to my Kindle wish list later. I hadn't gotten around to adding it to the wish list when I found the giveaway section on Goodreads (for those of you on the Goodreads site, it's under the Explore/Books section, towards the right side of the page!)

So yeah, I won a book I'd almost bought. The book is called One Season of Sunshine by Julia London. It's what I consider "fluff", or what Summer would call "brain candy." I haven't read it yet as I just received it today. And I was delighted to actually hold a book in my hands. I'd forgotten how much I like the smell of printed paper. You don't get that with the Kindle. Someone should create a scratch and sniff cover for the Kindle. One that smells like printed paper. Bonus points to the maker if the cover feels scratchy, like the pages of a well thumbed paperback. But I digress.

One Season of Sunshine is on my "to-read" list. It's currently third in my queue, right behind my current read, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larrson and my next read, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen.

Oh, and I should tell you, if you win something on Goodreads, it's good form to actually read the book you win, and then rate the book and post a review. It's not required, by any means. It's merely the polite thing to do.

Expect my review of One Season of Sunshine in a month or so.

Here's to bookworms and free book giveaways!

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A New Adventure

My husband and I are about to embark upon a new adventure, I think. But before I tell you about it, I want to give you a bit of background.

When my husband and I bought our home, we prayed that it would be a house that served God, a house where the doors were always open to those in need. We intended it to be a place of ministry, and we try to always make it a place where God is honored and glorified. We've hosted Russians from our sister church in Penza, Russia. We've prepared holiday feasts for those that need a place to celebrate. We've held Bible study groups here. And now, we take on our newest, and possibly our biggest, adventure.

A friend of mine is currently going through some changes in her world. In an effort to make her life a little easier, we've offered her a place to live for a few months while she sorts out some stuff and figures out her next move. Yes, you read that right. We're getting a roommate. GULP.

I haven't had a roommate since 1989. And my husband has never had a roommate. This will prove to be interesting, I'm sure.

And though she's my friend, I know there will be some challenges, for her as much as for us. I've asked her for permission to blog about this experience, and she agreed (I think), provided I do not use her real name. Fair enough. I'll simply refer to her as Numero Cuatro. Number Four. It's my nickname for her, based on where she landed on my speed dial list.

So Numero Cuatro will be moving in sometime in August. She'll be staying in our guest room for about six months. She'll be sharing a bathroom with our cat. And she's not really a fan of cats. Challenge number one. Wonder how it will turn out? Stay tuned!

Here's to new adventures and getting my guest room cleaned out in two weeks!

Posted via BlogPress on my iPad

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Reality Check

In the northern part of Mexico there is a small town in the state of Nuevo Laredo called Ciudad Anáhuac. This town has a sister city just down the road and over a bridge. The town is called Rodriguez, and it was my dad's hometown. This is where his parents built a home, raised a family, entertained grandchildren, loved and lost a son, and later, where my grandfather was laid to rest.

It is the place that my dad still calls home, even after more than forty years of being in the States.

It is where I cracked open my uncle's skull when I caught him with a rock I was throwing into a pool for him and his friends to retrieve.

It is where my beloved grandmother gave me her beautiful gold ring so that I wouldn't feel left out when my brother was taken to the town fair and I was left behind.

It is where I learned of my somewhat [in]famous heritage.

It is where we mourned the passing of my uncle and my grandfather.

It is where I spent countless summers watching my grandmother make her amazing flour tortillas fresh for every meal. Where I watched her chase a chicken around the yard, shoo dogs out of the house, and toil lovingly and endlessly at the myriad of chores that made up life in this small, humble home.

It is a place that is currently under water.

This past weekend my parents traveled to Mexico to participate in the first Communion of their God daughter, my niece Alexandra. While there, they witnessed the mass damage caused by torrential rains in Monterrey and neighboring towns. The incessant rain from Hurricane Alex and it's remnants had beaten this metropolis into a soggy pulp. But that could not prepare them for what awaited them to the north.

On Monday, they made their way to my dad's hometown of Rodriguez to spend a few days with my grandmother and uncles. They arrived to a house full of people thrilled to see them and settled in for what they hoped would be a relaxing few days among family. As they settled in for dinner, city officials arrived to announce a mandatory evacuation of both Anáhuac and Rodriguez. The reason for the evacuation? The area dam, known officially as the Venustiano Carranza dam, but called Don Martín by the locals, was so full that it was at risk of breaking. Rather than deal with such a catastrophe, government officials opted to begin controlled releases of the overflow by opening twenty of the dam's twenty six floodgates. This meant releasing six hundred cubic meters of water per second into two small, humble towns made up on about forty five hundred homes and eighteen thousand people. Effectively, it meant flooding the towns. This would occur until the reservoir's water levels returned to more normal levels, and considering that the water from several tributaries was still gushing in from coastal rains brought on by another tropical depression, we were talking at least a week. I don't know if you can conceive what that looks like. I know I couldn't.

Then I found these images at www.milenio.com.

This first one is a before shot of the street where my grandmother lives, along with two uncles, one of which lives there with his wife and three daughters. Her house is the pink one on the right.

Photograph by Francisco Cantu

This second shot is from the next morning, after the dam's floodgates had been open for what I'm guessing is about twelve hours. You can see the house is nearly submerged in the dam's runoff.

Photograph by Francisco Cantu

This last image provides a side view of the land on which my grandmother's home sits. You'll note there is a second story structure towards the back of the property. This second story room sits on stilts of a sort and is taller than the original home. While the water had not yet reached this elevated room, keep in mind these images were shot not long after the dam draining process was started. I suspect it has since been submerged.

Photograph by Francisco Cantu

As for the bridge that connected these two cities? It's gone. Washed away in the raging waters released from the dam.

Even as I look at these images, I am unable to wrap my head around the complete devastation and loss. I hurt for my grandmother, who has spent a lifetime in this house, working tirelessly to make it a home and welcome refuge for all who entered. She has not seen these images, and I think it is just as well. She is currently staying in San Antonio with one of my aunts, and has my dad nearby to provide anything she may need. And while I'm sure she is grateful to be safe and dry, I also suspect she misses her home.

As for me? I am grateful that she is safe, that my parents were there to quickly mobilize the family and bring all our loved ones to safety. I am grateful for God's grace and mercy. I am humbled and reminded of what is truly important in life. And I am moved to action. I have begun exploring ways to help the people of these towns. More on this to come.

Here's to a reality check and doing something to help.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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