Why I'm a paranoid little SOB

I'm writing this mostly as a reminder to myself, about WHY I am as careful as I am. About WHY I need to listen to myself and not the people who think I'm paranoid because they don't have to deal with the consequences of my actions. Because seriously? It comes across that way.

Oil Cleansing Method

I have been using soapnuts liquid to wash my face and skin with, but I live in a desert and I have dry skin. The soapnuts cleans it, and doesn't strip the oil away, but it doesn't add any, either, and my skin simply never, well, glows.

That's what we all want, right? That glowy, lovely skin that...that I've never had, ever, so why I think I'll get it after 40 is a mystery. But I'll keep trying anyway!

Enter the 'oil cleansing method.'

Soapnuts 2

I've been using soapnuts liquid since November now. Here's the verdict so far.

Sunflowers

We usually think of sunflowers as good producers for seeds. However, sunflowers - if you are growing them - are nearly entirely edible.

Taco Soup

Before all my food issues popped up, there was a soup that I used to make that everybody in the family loved: Taco Soup. I got the recipe from a friend, although I'm not sure where she got it from, and it was so, so easy, and so tasty, that I loved this thing to bits and pieces.

Actually, I'll put the original recipes AND the altered recipe here, for anyone who can use it...although this is the original recipe + any alterations my memory has made over the course of time, but it's close.

Mini Italian-style Meatballs

Our new bentos have been working out great so far, and I've been doing more with small foods in order to add a little something fun to the bento. Originally, I wanted to try to make a sort of mini-meatloaf but ended up with mini-meatballs instead. I like them a bit sweet and spicy, and these did the trick. I'd add crushed chiles to really give them a kick next time, but with one child who isn't so fond of the spicy, that'll have to wait a few years.

Mini-meatballs in their mini-muffin tins

Carb Ideas for gluten or grain free diets

I always hope to find a grain we can use for our meals, especially now that we're trying to make bento lunches, but since we can't do that yet, we're going to be working on some substitutions for our carbohydrate needs. For a 600 mL bento, according to Justbento.com, there's usually around 1 cup of rice, which has 43 grams of carbs and is around 200 calories.

If we use potatoes, like we did in this bento:

our bento with potatoes rather than rice