Top Ten Tuesday: Foods I've Come to Crave

Mandi touched a bit on it yesterday, but I changed up ("changed up" see: actually developed one) my nutrition plan about 8 weeks ago and so far, I'm seeing great results!! I started at 182 lbs (in the morning) and have seen the scale get to 163 lbs. For those who are worried, my CF team has been kept in the loop and everything is looking good from their perspective. They asked that I don't get much below 160 lbs, which, has never been the plan so I'm good with that! I committed to 3 months of this new plan, and then I will slightly modify to start building muscle (aka up the calories by over 1000).

There was a big adjustment at first, but I know come to crave the foods I can eat. Sure, there are times I wish I could have some candy or a freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookie, but in times like those, I simply repeat this phrase, " That _________ doesn't taste as good as being fit feels".

Here are the top ten foods that I've come to crave (in no particular order):

I would pick the one on your right every time!!

1.    Turkey Taco - I start out with lean ground turkey on a whole grain/blue corn tortilla and top it with a "Santa Fe" mix of veggies (corn, black beans, red and green peppers and onions) and then of course top that off with some salsa.

2.    Grapes - Grapes have basically replaced candy for me. It's amazing how sweet they taste when I have not consumed sugar for 8 weeks.

3.    Broccoli - I try to eat the mini-trees at least every other day. I've always been a fan, I've just gotten away from eating steamed veggies over the years. I'm glad they're back - especially broccoli.

4.    Quinoa - Quinoa is such a great substitution for white rice (among many other things) and a great change-up from brown rice. I usually put some type of hot sauce on it to give it a kick, but even by itself, it has a great taste.

5.    Oatmeal - I start out each day with a bowl full of steel-cut oats with 1 tbs of natural peanut butter and a cup full of blueberries. That meal gives me a ton of great energy in the morning and it tastes superb!!

6.    Smoothie - For my "second breakfast" of the day, I generally have a shake/smoothie. The one that I've been making lately has really satisfied my "shake tooth". I have 10 ounces of water, a scoop of chocolate whey protein, a medium banana and a cup of strawberries. Gives my body some good carbs and protein before my workout.

7.    Mahi Mahi - I generally have fish for lunch after I get home from the gym and Mahi Mahi has become my favorite. I love how thick and almost steak-like that it is. I don't think it is "too fishy", but I also like that I can still tell that I'm eating fish :) Grilled or baked, either way, it's good!

8.    Sweet Potato Fries - Even before this new nutrition plan, Mandi and I had a lot of sweet potatoes. We love them in any form, any fashion, anywhere. We especially love baked sweet potato fries! We usually season them with some sort of steak seasoning and them bake em up. I actually made a "clean" ketchup to go with them :)

9.    Pasta - During my "re-feed" day, I get to eat a lot of pasta. And I mean, a lot. It gives my body the boost I need after being in a caloric deficit and tells my brain that I'm not starving :) I actually have pasta with veggies and pasta sauce for 3 out of my 5 meals on my re-feed day.

10.   Gum - Zero calorie or sugar-free gum surely isn't the healthiest thing around, but it has kept my sane at times. I have a sweet-tooth and gum has been able to satisfy it for the most part. I chew it when I'm working out...and when I'm not!

Well, that's it. Any of those foods look good to you? Any foods that you would recommend that you think would fit my nutrition plan? Let me know!!!

Thankful Thursday - Teeth & Salmon

It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. Please take this time to share with us what you're thankful for as well. If you have a blog expressing your thankfulness, please share the link! Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:

I'm thankful for teeth...kinda. I'm thankful that Mckenna is getting some teeth. She has an adorable little one on the bottle left and is working on the one on the bottom right. It is SO cute to see a little flash of white when she smiles now. I am just so thankful that I get to watch her become a big girl. The only catch is that it's been a couple long days around here as a result - in fact, I'm writing this at 4 AM!

I'm thankful for family. My parents are still in town and I can't get enough!! I love spending time with them and wish they didn't have to go back to Singapore on Saturday.

I'm thankful for new recipes. We made salmon the other night and it was delicious. I totally love when we try new recipes and they actually work out and become a new favorite. I'm also so thankful that we are blessed enough to be able to get good, healthy foods!

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for a good sized dining room table. When we were buying furniture and stumbled upon our dining room table, we figured that they had placed the wrong price tag on it. Compared to everything else that we had seen, it just seemed to big and nice to be as cheap as it was. Ends up that it was no a mistake and we were able to pick up a table that can seat 8 comfortably with the ability to add at least 2 more with the leaf. 

Speaking of the dining room table, I'm thankful for family dinners. Wether it's just the three of us, or we're fortunate enough to have family over, we love cooking up a great meal and sitting down around the table. We recently cooked up salmon, quinoa and corn on the cob for Nana, Uncle Smeags, Uncle Josh and Aunt Kissy. 

I'm thankful for 10 minute tidies. We've been trying to be better about picking up after Mckenna goes down for the night, and it's amazing what a 10 minute tidy can do. Granted, it's 20 minutes of man-power, but nevertheless, it makes a BIG difference. There nothing like waking up to a picked-up house...even when you know it won't look that way 2 minutes into the day :) 

So, what are you thankful for today?

This is what happens...

...when daddy is in charge of mealtime!

This Kid Can Eat!

Our little love definitely takes after her parents when it comes to eating. She eats everything...and loves it. She loves everything about the process of eating. From the time you sit her in her bumbo and attach the tray, to when you pull out the baby food and spoon, until you start feeding her, she flails her arms and squeals. When you go to give her the first bite, it's like she can't get it into her mouth fast enough - as if we haven't fed her in weeks. She will try anything you put in front of her. She'll eat any fruit or veggie. She'll try licks of any food or sauce we're eating. If it's edible, she'll eat it.

So far she has some some preferences. Her favorites so far are avocado, apples and squash. She also totally dug licks of peppered beef sauce, curry, you name it! We don't give her more than a lick of these things, yet, to avoid tummy upsets, but we have her try pretty much everything.

We make some of her food and use jarred baby food. It just depends on the food. I would make all of her food, but sometimes laziness gets the best of me. The thing I like about making my own food is that I can vary the texture (she likes some chunk in her food) and there's something nice about it being made fresh. However, it is a bit annoying trying to make small portions (I'd prefer not to freeze and thaw) and sometimes I'm just plain LAZY!

Mckenna doesn't only love the food, but the means by which she eats as well. She LOVES spoons. She's constantly trying to "help" us feed her by holding the spoon while we feed her. And then after each meal she likes to "clean the spoon" AKA sitting and sucking on the spoon while mom throws away/cleans the bowls or jars.

So all that said, I'll share a video of our little eater eating avocado...her favorite.





....Ok so as you can see, something was amiss! We thought maybe it was the garlic strainer we resorted to to get it "mashed"(We were struggling - normally it will just mash with a fork). But upon tasting it, we realized that it was SO hard to mash because it was NOT AT ALL RIPE (we thought our veggie drawer froze it a bit). WHOOPS!! Apparently avocado that's not ripe tastes AWFUL!

Enzymes: It's All About the Poop

Yesterday I spoke about my semi-recent switch to a different enzyme and the kind of impact it's had on my life. That however wasn't the overall point of the blog - the point that I was making is this: Don't settle for status quo. We all get tricked into thinking that CF is some type of non-negotiable disease in which we have no control over and whatever way we feel, that's just going to be the way that it is. I in no way was just talking about the community, but talking about myself, who battled that mindset for much of my life. I accepted the "consequence" of having CF for what it was and figured that I'd just have to put up with all of the peripheral damage. As it related to yesterday's blog, I was specifically speaking about feeling bloated, stomach pains and crazy poops. A small change in medicine helped open my eyes even more and made me realize that I no longer had to settle. Anyway, that synopsis was long enough, but if you didn't get the chance to see yesterday's blog, click here to read it.

What I really wanted to talk about today was different strategies when it comes to taking our enzymes. A get a lot of questions thrown my way (keep em coming!), but a good portion of them, have to do with poop and enzymes. Some of the common questions are:

How do I know if my child's enzymes are working?

Can I adjust the enzyme dose?

What can I do if they refuse to take their enzymes?

I'm not going to get into that last question, but if you're interested in hearing some answers about that issue, I would encourage you to go to CysticLife.org and check out the different strategies that parents have used. I do however want to talk about whether enzymes are working or not and if we can adjust or dose, or more importantly, how we take our enzymes. Remember, I am simply revealing my own experiences and relying on what has worked for me. Before changing anything in your own or your child's healthcare plan, please consult your doctor.

So, how do I know if my enzymes are working? There is quite a few ways to know, and I'm sure I'll miss some, but here are some things that come to mind.

- My poop sinks

- My poop is formed

- I'm not terribly bloated after eating

- My stomach doesn't hurt after a meal

- I'm not incredibly gassy

- No grease in my poop

Like I said, that probably doesn't cover everything, but that's a good start. Conversely, I know that my enzymes aren't working if the opposite of those things are true. For me, becoming painfully bloated after a meal and my poop floating and not being formed are the most tell tale signs. I must point out, that this does still happen even when on the correct enzyme and on a proper dose. Not all things going on in the body can be explained and I'll certainly ever expect to be 10 for 10 in the poop department, for example. We must remember that Joe Blow walking down the street doesn't always have perfect poops either. It happens to everyone, CF or not. It especially happens to everyone who eats fast food and pizza, trust me, you can ask my brothers (right guys?). We can only do what we can do in some cases. Take our pills faithfully before we eat and then hope for the best. I'd guess that for most of us, they do their job a majority of the time.

I have employed a couple of different strategies throughout the years when it comes to taking my enzymes or being on the proper dose. First, I make sure to relay everything that's going on with my CF team and they'll usually be the ones to recommend an actual dosage change if the deem it necessary. Some of the obvious dosage changes I make myself will be based on the meal that I am eating. If the meal is full of fat, grease or dairy, I will always take my full dose of Zenpep, which for me, is 8 with a meal. If I'm going to be eating a more balanced meal with equal amounts of fat, protein, etc, I will usually bump it down to 6-7. If, like today, I'm eating raw vegetables with some hummus, I may only take 4-5. The whole thing of it is trial and error. There is no "magic dose" or a certain number of units that will work for everybody. Over the years, I've just paid attention to how I feel after eating certain meals, and then adjust accordingly.

Last thing I'll throw out there...I've also found it helpful to play around with how I take my pills. For some brands of enzymes I found it helpful if I took them all 10 minutes before I was going to eat. For some brands it was best 5 minutes before I ate, as well as immediately before I ate. Another strategy that worked wonderfully for me was spacing my enzymes out throughout the meal (This worked best with my last brand). I was talking 9 pills with every meal and would start the meal with 3 of them. Then, 1/3 of the way through I would take the next 3 and 2/3 of the way through, the last three. As I said, it worked very well. It was suggested to me by a dietician after I was having some stomach issues and they didn't want to increase my dose.

Bottom line: Pay attention to your child's (or your own) poop, symptoms, etc and adjust accordingly. Our body was beautifully and wonderfully created and 9 out of 10 times will tell you exactly what's going on. It's just up to us to listen.

Let me stress again, consult your doctor before any adjustments to your or your child's PEP therapy. I'm not a doctor, if I were, we'd all be screwed.

Top Ten Tuesday: Thanksgiving Day

Haven't done a Top Ten Tuesday in a while and I thought this would be a good time to write one out. With Thanksgiving here and now gone (too quickly might I add), I wanted to take the time to reflect on what I enjoyed most about this particular Turkey Day. These are in no particular order :)

Carving Knife - I have never seen, nor held for that matter, a carving knife in action. Not only did I get to see my Dad work the carving knife while slicing up the turkey, but I actually own one now since he and Denise bought us one for the house!

Stuffing - Denise, my step-mom, made her world-famous stuffing (at least in my world now). I still don't know everything that was in it, but I do know this - it contained bread and sausage. Winning.

Hosting - This was the first Thanksgiving that Mandi and I hosted at our home. We usually head down to Tucson, but with my Dad and Denise in town, we thought it would be a perfect time to have Thanksgiving at our house. It was awesome to be able to use our kitchen to it's full capacity and put our dining room table to good use :)

Family - Like I said before in previous posts, my Dad and step-mom Denise are in from San Antonio to visit with us...and Mckenna :) I love spending time with family, and I love spending time with family even more around the holidays.

Apple Pie - We made an apple pie from scratch (as long as you don't include the crust) and as long as you don't judge a book by it's cover, it turned out really well! It was very very tasty and to be honest, I'm looking forward for another holiday so we have an excuse to make it again.

Gravy - This one really doesn't need an explanation. Gravy. That's it...Gravy.

Relaxing - Don't know if it's the turkey, the company or my comfy couch, but whatever it was, I had a very relaxing Thanksgiving. It was so nice to be able to relax and hang out with family after a fantastic meal.

Football - Thanksgiving and football really go hand-in-hand don't they? I wasn't able to throw the pigskin around like I usually do, but being able to watch it on TV was almost just as nice...and less tiring.

Fire - It was a bit chilly out, so just as we always do, we found our excuse to make a fire. Granted, we didn't sit next to the fire as we had an alternate heating source (more on that in a bit), but it was sure nice to look at.

Heater - Mandi's parents bought us a heater for our back porch and it really came in handy on Thanksgiving night. We sat on our outdoor furniture with coffee in hand, pie on lap and heater turned on. It was glorious.

So what would be on your Top Ten Thanksgiving list?

Rondi's Recipes: Nacho Cheese Chicken Chowder

Mandi and I have been doing really well with cooking fun meals almost nightly, we just haven't been very good at reviewing them and posting for Rondi's Recipes. We had to bring it back though for a special dish we made last night. We had my lil' brother over for dinner, so we knew we'd have to make something that would fill up a "growing boy". We love to explore new recipes and try our hand at stuff that seems unique. We started with a recipe for Nacho Cheese Chicken Chowder and then added some stuff to make it our own. If you'd like to see the original recipe, click here.

Ingredients: Chicken breast, Mexican Style Stewed Tomatoes, Nacho Cheese Condensed Soup, Corn, Cheese -- Not pictured because we added in on the fly: Green Chilies, Pinto beans, Taco Seasoning, Cumin, Chile Powder

Cut chicken into bite size pieces and threw into slow cooker.

Added all ingredients in recipe and then added our own.

Finished product all stirred together and cooked.

Serve it up!

Prep Time: About 10 minutes

Cook Time: About 5 hours in slow cooker on low heat

Total Time: About 5 hours

What we liked:

I loved the hint of cheesiness from the condensed nacho cheese soup.

I really liked the addition of the beans and the green chilies - it added some great flavor and who doesn't like beans?

I liked the big chunks of tomato.

I loved the fact that everything (besides the chicken) called for in this recipe came out of a can. Even the stuff we decided to add came in a can. Talk about easy. This was one of the easiest meals in the world to prepare.

I LOVE chicken tortilla soup and this reminded me a lot of it.

You can pretty much count on me liking anything made in the slow cooker as chicken and nacho cheese soup as it's base.

The broth to this chowder tasted absolutely amazing. I could have sipped on it all night.

What we'd change:

I would cut the chicken into smaller pieces and/or do shredded chicken.

I would use dark meat instead of white meat, but that's just because I always think white meat is dry!

I wouldn't mind adding a some jalapenos or something spicy to give it a bit more kick.

I would find a way to add more liquid next time. This definitely had a chowder type of a feel to it and I wouldn't mind making it more of a soup.

I think this could also be really good thickened up, subbing beef for chicken and making a chip dip.

I'm not sure how I would go about it, but this could have used just a bit more of a kick.

Next time, I will try to make the chicken pieces a bit smaller

Here's our overall rating (with 1 being the worst meal we've ever had and 10 being the best):

Mandi's Rating: 9.0

Ronnie's Rating: 8.5

Again, if you guys have any suggestions on how this is laid out or what you guys would like to see answered/done differently, please let us know :)

Thankful Thursday - 3rd Trimester & Gentamicin

It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. as I mentioned, I no longer have the "linkytools" but I invite you to share your thankful blog in the comments section. Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:

I'm thankful for food. Today I had to go in for a 3-hour glucose tolerance test (yes, that means I failed the 1-hour. I was 133 and the cut off is above 139, but anything in the 130's they do a 3-hour on just in case. We'll keep you posted with results). However, the one thing I learned from this fasting test is how much I am thankful for food. I had to go in fasting for 12 hours, and then it was 3 more hours until I could eat...and for this preggo momma, who eats every 2-4 hours, that was not awesome. I've never had a lunch taste so good! I sure am thankful for food.

I'm thankful for a bigger Peanut. Peanut is growing and healthy, and I am so thankful for that. But the thing I love the most this week is that Peanut is getting big enough that I can sometimes feel a body part moving under the skin, and actually FEEL the body part. It's not just the movement, but Peanut's body that I can feel. It is so incredible!! I am so thankful for the bond I can build with my baby as I feel her wiggle around.

I'm thankful for being in the 3rd trimester! As of Tuesday, we were 28 weeks pregnant. Man, I am SO thankful to be in the 3rd trimester. We are counting down to the end now - only 12 weeks left. Looking at the calendar it looks SO close and I think the next several weeks will fly by (as we have a lot on the calendar), but then it'll probably slow down as we get close to the end and time will crawl by. Also, t feels great to know that if I were to have Peanut today, she would have a 90% survival rate. Knowing that we've made it to a point that Peanut would likely be ok if I went into labor, brings a lot of peace to my often worrying mind!

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for my opportunity to spend some time with the good folks out in Kansas City this weekend. I've been invited to speak at their CF education day on Saturday and I'm really excited to share my story. I love being able to speak face-to-face with members in the community, and sometimes I even get to meet people that I know from the online community. I certainly hope that's the case on Saturday!

I'm thankful for this blog. This blog gives me the opportunity to talk about anything and everything. And although talking, or writing in this case, about stuff I care about is enjoyable, I especially like the interaction that takes place on RSBR. It's amazing how willing you guys are to share tips and tricks about topics I discuss on this blog. I've been struggling to come up with veggie centric meals, I voiced that concern and within hours I had comments and emails giving me suggestions. I seriously couldn't ask for anything more!

I'm thankful for inhaled antibiotics. I still think inhaled antibiotics are the best thing since sliced bread. These things go right to the source of the infection and most of the time, no matter which drug it is, it feels like something is working. I just started another cycle of inhaled Gentamicin (an oldie but goodie) and I'm hoping that it holds off a trip to the Hole for a little while longer!

So, what are you thankful for today?

Weight Loss Challenge...Still Struggling.

About three weeks ago I posted about my attempt to cut some lbs over the course of the next 6 months. If you missed the post and want to catch up, you can find it here. I figured I would update you guys on how I did on achieving my weekly goals plus let you know what my new goals are for this week. Here were my original goals:

Using smaller plates for my meals

Not returning for seconds

Eating more servings of vegetables and fruit

Taking more time to eat my meals

I knocked the first week's goals out of the park. We then added additional goals onto my original ones. My goals for the last two weeks have been the same. I still haven't scored 100% on accomplishing them, so until I do, we will not set new ones. Plus, I feel really comfortable with what they are and think that they are all very good to shoot for. Here are my goals for this week:

I will continue with small plates and no second servings

I will eat three servings of vegetables at least 3 days per week.

I will continue to slow down my eating by chewing more and more slowly, and setting food/utensil down between bites.

I will lift 3 days/week and spin 3 days/week. I will also do a separate workout on one of the weekend days.

I will watch the videos (that were sent to me) and begin playing around with the 12 Kg kettlebell.

I will ride my bike while Mandi runs at least 3 mornings/week.

So far, I'm still struggling with the same ones that I was struggling with last week. I feel like I am constantly hungry, so when that snack or meal finally comes, it's hard not to scarf it down. One good thing is that even tough I don't feel full immediately, I'm aware enough to know that it just takes my brain a little bit to register the feeling. Still, I'm not accomplishing all that I have set out to do, so I'm going to have to figure something out. As far as the three servings of veggies, I have improved, but I need to get better. I've tried to increase my salad intake, with the most yummy salad dressing ever (sesame ginger) and I've discovered that I love carrots...as long as they're dipped in hummus. If I could really nail down these last two I would be ready to move on to bigger and better things. I just really need to buckle down.

You guys were great at giving me tips last week and I took most of them to heart. If you have any additional tips or didn't chime in last week, please don't hold back. I need all of the help that I can get!

I started this journey at 205 and was down to 197 a week later. A week after that I was down to 193. Just weighed myself: 191.

Thankful Thursday - Birthing Class & Bob/Rob

It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. as I mentioned, I no longer have the "linkytools" but I invite you to share your thankful blog in the comments section. Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:

I'm thankful for Chik-fil-A. They have a spicy chicken wrap that tastes like heaven...and I happened to have for dinner last night! It comes with a spicy ranch dressing, which I don't use, but instead I used their buffalo sauce on it, and MAN is it good! I highly recommend you give this tasty treat a try.

I'm thankful for birthing classes. Last night we had the first of 4, 2.5-hour birthing classes through our hospital. In just the first class I feel like I learned a lot and am so glad that we did it. It's a great way to learn what to expect and what all the tips and tricks are. I will say, it makes me REALLY eager to have our little nugget in our arms!

I'm thankful for activity. I am currently 27 weeks pregnant and I'm so thankful that I'm still able to work out and be active. I know I've mentioned this before, but I am just so thankful for this that I foresee it creeping onto my Thankful Thursday list a few more times before the end of the pregnancy. I have been able to maintain my same exercise routine and even up it a bit since getting pregnant, and I'm feeling great. It really helps me feel like a human and like I haven't totally fallen out of shape as a result of the pregnancy.

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for Bob, the new spin class instructor. Our regular Tues/Thur teacher will be gone for the next ten weeks as she works on a different certification, so a new guy, Bob, is filling in for her. Bob is a very quirky guy and opened up the first class by rapping for a full two minutes. And this coming from a lanky, white, spin dude was quite interesting. Apart from that, he's a great instructor. His coaching style really gets me going and there's just something about the way he teaches that allows me to get to my max (and stay there) more than with other instructors. I'm really looking forward to the next 10 weeks of spin class with Bob.

I'm thankful for Rob. Rob is my neighbor who helped me out with all of my home projects this weekend. I wasn't really interested in doing things around the house when I was younger, so I really didn't learn your everyday fix-it tips. Rob is a great teacher and really brings out the handyman inside of me. Luckily he's very patient and doesn't roll his eyes at all of my stupid questions. He had to explain to me several times this weekend exactly how electricity is grounded and what completes "the loop". Each and every time he did it with a smile on his face.

I'm thankful for our new birthing classes. I've never been one of those "sit in a class and learn" type of guys, but I've always loved learning a little bit about everything.This birthing course is a nice overview of the whole process from third-trimester of pregnancy to your first couple of weeks home with the baby. We've already learned some valuable tips and I can rest assured that we'll learn many more!

So, what are you thankful for today?

Top Ten Tuesday: My Favorite Meals

I haven't done a top ten for quite some time on this blog so I figured that now is as good of a time as any. I'm giving this top ten list for two reasons: one, so you can learn a little bit more about me, and two, because I'm hungry. I'm still doing my reduced calorie thing, so I figured that maybe thinking about my favorite meals would satiate me!

I don't want to put too much thought into this and just write down the first ten that come to mind. I'll give them to you 10 through 1, and you can then assume that I thought of number 10, last.

Vegetable, Beef and Barley Soup: I have to say, I actually make a pretty nice VBB soup from scratch. It's a little too hot right now to whip one up, but as soon as it cools off, it's soup time!

Thanksgiving Meal: I love sliced turkey breast. I love stuffing. I love corn. I love mashed potatoes. I love gravy. I love the Thanksgiving Meal.

Pretty much any slice of pizza: If I'm just ordering one pizza I'll go with a pepperoni with extra sauce (especially from Peter Piper). If I'm ordering two pizzas I'll go with a ham and pineapple. If you twist my arm to order three (you don't have to twist too hard), I'll go with a BBQ chicken.

Grilled Ham and Cheese: I have fond memories of eating grilled ham and cheese with a slice of tomato sent up from the hospital cafeteria. If I make it at home, I will usually combine it with a tomato soup as well.

Blueberry Pancakes for Dinner: I like blueberry pancakes anytime, but there is just something about having them for dinner. The only drawback to this meal is that I have no self-control and I literally won't stop eating until Mandi has gone through all of the batter. I always pay dearly for that.

Hamburger Helper Salisbury: I probably had this once a week growing up and it NEVER got old. Oh my goodness, my mom used to make two boxes of it at a time because she could always count on me consuming one on my own.

Chicken and Rice Casserole: This is one of my mom's specialties. It's pretty simple actually, but it tastes sooooooo good. It's basically chicken breast cut into strips and laid on top of some crazy awesome rice that my mom makes and then baked. I want it.

My mom's Pressure Cooker Stew: Another mom classic. What do you get when you throw beef, potatoes, carrots, celery and cabbage into a pressure cooker? That's right, my mom's pressure cooker stew! Throw some brown gravy on top to make it just right.

Chicken Parmigiana: If I go to an Italian restaurant that I have never been to before, this is what I'll get 10 out of 10 times. I can do it the old fashioned way, on a sandwich, wrap, with pasta, without - it doesn't matter. Put breaded chicken breast with some red sauce and cheese, I'll eat it!

Chicken Fried Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy: If I'm at ANY restaurant and this is on the list, I'm getting it. Doesn't matter if it's 7am or 7pm, I want this in my belly. I don't even need the mash, but I definitely want the gravy.

Now, this doesn't necessarily represent my favorite meals. This just represents the first 10 that came to mind. For instance, I know for a fact that a shredded beef chimichanga with refried beans and rice would be in my top ten. For that matter, so would chili cheese fries. Come to think of it, I surprised that I didn't think of one of my favorite Thai dishes. Ok, now I'm getting really hungry. I'll stop.

So how do we stack up? Anything in common? Have any favorites that I just HAVE TO try? Let me hear them!!

Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Ran across this article, found it interesting, so I thought I'd share...

(HealthCastle.com) As summer approaches, we often reach for soothing foods and beverages to keep us cool in the heat. But is it true that some foods can actually keep you cool inside and reduce inflammation as well? There is a growing body of research that suggests chronic inflammation within the human body is linked to diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and Alzheimer’s. What would an anti-inflammation menu look like?

Your Anti-Inflammation Menu

Starters: Load up on phytonutrients and monounsaturated fats

Eating the colors of the rainbow is a practical and achievable strategy to get your phytonutrients, the superb antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables. They are great at preventing chronic oxidative stresses that lead to inflammation. Some well-known examples are anthocyanin (in blueberries), resveratrol (in grapes and red wine), and lycopene (in tomatoes). And just because some produce such as cabbage or cauliflower appears colorless, don’t skip it: Both these vegetables are high in potent antioxidants. In addition, many fruits and vegetables are great sources of Vitamin C, itself a well-known antioxidant.

Add nuts for crunch and beneficial monounsaturated fats (which help inhibit many pro-inflammatory metabolic pathways or enzymes). Use fresh herbs liberally, and dress salads lightly with a vinaigrette of your choice, which can be as simple as extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice.

Some great options for your anti-inflammation appetizer: cabbage (all kinds – red, napa, white), cauliflower, mushrooms, nuts (walnuts, almonds and cashews), dark leafy greens, avocado, tomatoes.

Mains: Real whole grains with omega-3 rich seafood and protein

Soy protein sources (tofu, tempeh, and edamame) and whole grains (e.g., amaranth, brown rice, buckwheat) are considered anti-inflammatory because they contain micronutrients that play important roles in antioxidant reactions within the body, such as copper and manganese.

Fish, particularly fatty fish such as salmon, sablefish, and halibut, are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids. There is a hypothesis that the typical North American diet (which is high in omega-6 fatty acids from vegetable oil blends used in processed foods, and low in omega-3 fatty acids) is associated with higher rates of chronic inflammation and resulting diseases. Many seafood sources of omega-3 fatty acids are also high in Vitamin D, which helps inhibit some pro-inflammatory metabolic pathways in the body.

Condiments: Bring on the spices

Rosemary, ginger, and turmeric have been identified as spices that appear to exhibit anti-inflammatory activity. In particular, the compound curcumin in turmeric has been shown to activate certain enzymes within brain cells that are protective against inflammation, oxidative damage, and cell death. Curcumin has also been studied regularly for its anti-cancer properties. Rosemary that is added to marinades has been shown to lower the formation of carcinogens called heterocyclic amines (HCA) in grilled meats.

To drink: Sip phytonutrients and Vitamin D

It’s easy to drink your phytonutrients, if you include beverages such as green tea, red wine, and coffee. Recent studies in animal models show beneficial effects of various phytonutrients on dilating the airway (helpful in asthma), improving blood lipid profile, moderating the inflammatory compounds circulating in the blood, and preventing uncontrolled cell growth (which leads to cancer). The green tea catechin EGCG has also been shown to protect neurons against oxidative damage.

Speaking of beverages, milk is another easy source of Vitamin D, particularly for those who do not consume fish or other seafood regularly.

The Bottom Line

It turns out many of the foods that can help fight chronic inflammation are the same ones containing the various nutrients needed to keep us healthy in general. This summer, keep yourself cool inside and out by choosing a variety of anti-inflammatory foods from the above list.

Original article can be found HERE

Thankful Thursday - Itches & Girl Power

Know what time it is? It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. as I mentioned, I no longer have the "linkytools" but I invite you to share your thankful blog in the comments section. Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:

I'm thankful for fellowship. I'll be honest, I used to be the biggest social butterfly you've ever met. But as I've aged, I've turned the other way and actually avoid random chit chat as much as possible. However, whenever I'm actually at a social gathering, I really enjoy myself. This has been exactly the case with our small group. We meet every other Wednesday, and I always really enjoy our time with the couples in our small group. The conversation is always thought-provoking and I truly enjoy all the other couples in the group. I am so thankful to have a great group of people at our church to be in fellowship with. Also, Tuesday night for the first time a group of woman from my church got together to just hang out, and I am so thankful for the time we spent together, and incredibly thankful that we're going to continue getting together every other Tuesday.

I'm thankful that I've stopped being hungry ALL the time. The first trimester of my pregnancy I felt like I could eat a 6 course meal ALL day, every day. And as I gained a little more weight than I was "supposed to" I was a little worried. However, I have stopped feeling like I needed to stuff my face all day, so I think I'm eating quantities of food that are far healthier for me and for peanut.

I'm thankful for popcorn. I've always loved popcorn, and it always hits the spot. But I often don't think of it when I'm looking for a snack. However, I rediscovered my love of popcorn last night, and MAN am I thankful for that salty, buttery treat!!!

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for new connections made this week. It's seems like every week I am fortunate enough to talk to a couple new people from the CF community who I have previous not been able to speak at length before. I love getting the opportunity to connect on a deeper level and have the ability to share stories with each other. Every week is pretty awesome, but some connections that I've made this week are super awesome.

I'm thankful for my spur of the moment "itches to do something". I'm the type of person that if I get the urge to so something, I do it. Now, sometimes this is terrible and sometimes this is good. This week it was good. I had the sudden urge to clean our "catch-all closet". I'm sure that most of you know what I'm talking about. You know, that closet (or room) that collects everything that you don't have a place for. Well this week, I got the urge. As of right now it's not completely clean, but I'll tell you what, it look 1000 times better than it did on Monday!

I'm thankful for doctors that listen. During my last clinic visit I presented my doc with an new (but old) medication that I wanted to try out after hearing some good things about it on CysticLife.org. Without hesitation the doctor agreed to look it up and figure out the best way for me to get it. Within a week I was on my way to pick it up from the pharmacy. Thank you Dr. Daines!!

I'm thankful for the members of CysticLife. We were made aware today by the company that handles our server that CysticLife.org was coming close to using up all of it's allotted memory. What a great problem to have! Basically, being too active on the site is both bad and good...well bad until we can upgrade our server :) For the time being the site will have slower response time (we were able to make a few adjustments to improve response time today), but we're well on our way to making the necessary upgrades. What an awesome problem to have huh?!?!?

So, what are you thankful for today?

Rondi's Recipes: Blackened Chicken w/Avocado Salsa

I think one of the things that I'm most excited about is the fact that Mandi and I are going to be home for 4 consecutive nights! Why am I so excited? Because it means we can get back into our cooking groove. We love to explore new recipes and try our hand at stuff that seems unique. This was our attempt at Blackened Chicken with Avocado Salsa with a review to follow. If you'd like to see the original recipe, click here.

Ingredients: Chicken, Papaya, Salt, Red Bell Peppers, Cilantro, Avocado, Rice Vinegar, Olive Oil, Salt, Cumin, Blackened Seasoning

Lightly seasoned chicken thrown into hot pan with oil

Sliced and diced avocado

Never purchased a papaya before

Rice Vinegar, Oil, Avocado, Bell Pepper and Papaya

Baked chicken

Serve and enjoy!

Prep Time: About 15 minutes (with two people)

Cook Time: About 15 minutes (not including searing chicken)

Total Time: About 25 minutes

What we liked:

I LOVED the salsa. I was a little worried I wouldn't because I'm on the fence about avocado (I keep trying it because it's pretty good, but it's not a home run for me every time). I also didn't know how I felt about papaya. So I was a little nervous if I'd like something that was avocado and papaya together - with a whole bunch of other stuff that I didn't know how the flavors would be. But it was a slam dunk. The flavors were so yummy together. I ate more salsa than I did chicken.

Which brings me to the chicken. The flavor was great. And usually I'm not a fan of chicken breast (but that's all we get because it's all Ronnie will eat - I prefer dark meat), but the way it was cooked (thanks to chef Ronnie) it was moist and not dry (my biggest beef with white meat) and because it was paired with the salsa it was even less dry.

I loved this as a spring/summer meal. It would be just perfect on a hot summer night sitting outside on the patio. It was light and refreshing.

This meal seemed very light, fresh and clean. The three things I love finding in a meal.

The salsa, if broken down into individual ingredients, I probably wouldn't be fond of, but when they were thrown all together it really worked.

For all that it had going on, it was really easy to prepare and put together.

I loved that I was able to go back for seconds and still not feel stuffed.

What we'd change:

I'm actually having a tough time coming up with what I'd change, but:

I'd have a different side. We had it with canned green beans, but I think a corn on the cob or something else summery could be yummy.

I'd consider adding something to the salsa with a bit of a spicy kick. As I said, the salsa was amazing, but I think it could also be good with a little spice to it.

I wish I had more, but this was just too yummy!!

I would probably add another component to the salsa to try and make it even better.

Our avocado wasn't quite as ripe as it could have been and it would have been nice to try with proper avocado.

I would season the chicken just a pinch more than I did.

I had green beans for a side, but would like one that complimented the meal more.

Here's our overall rating (with 1 being the worst meal we've ever had and 10 being the best):

Mandi's Rating:

9.5 - Best meal we've made at home in a long time!! I can't wait to have leftovers for lunch today!!!

Ronnie's Rating: 8.0

Again, if you guys have any suggestions on how this is laid out or what you guys would like to see answered/done differently, please let us know :)