March 20th, 2010 
My Health School holiday’s have just started and I was wandering if anyone had any suggestions as to how i could improve my fitness and strength over the summer holidays for when the rugby pre-season starts. I am 14, play in the 2nd row and I have access to a rowing and cycling machine as well as the bleep test, I would appreciate answers using these but also sets of sit ups, press ups and running etc…
Posted in Fitness 
Tags: fitness/strength, holidays, improve, over, prepared, Preseason, rugby, summer 
4 Comments » December 24th, 2009 My Health Here we are in October and already the Christmas decorations are hitting the stores. It may seem early to be thinking about the holidays but in actuality, we will be preparing holiday meals, or dishes to take to holiday meals, before we know it. If you are looking for something different to prepare this year for Thanksgiving or Christmas, let these recipes help you out. All of these recipes are from my vintage recipe collection. Most are from my mother’s estate but I have no idea where she got most of them. If you like seafood, try Oyster Dressing this year. Want to do something different with sweet potatoes? Try this Sweet Potato Apple Scallop. For a different touch to the dessert selection, add this tasty Cranberry Meringue Pie. Be bold, step out, and add a few new touches to your holiday table this year.
1 pkg (12 oz) fresh or frozen cranberries (thaw frozen berries)
1 cup orange juice
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup quick cooking tapioca
2 tsp grated orange peel, optional
1/4 tsp salt
MERINGUE:
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1 baked 9-inch pie shell
Place cranberries in a food processor; cover and pulse until coarsely chopped. In a large saucepan, combine the cranberries, orange juice, water, sugar, tapioca, orange peel and salt. Let stand for 5 minutes. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Keep warm.
In a clean, cold mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat on medium speed of an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until stiff peaks form. Spoon the warm filling into the pie shell. Spread meringue over filling being careful to seal the edges to the crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 1 hour. Chill, covered, in refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers.
2 lbs sweet potatoes (3 medium)
2 med apples, peeled and cored
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp orange extract
2 tbsp butter
Place sweet potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook 20-25minutes or until tender. Drain and cool. Peel potatoes and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Place in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish or pan that has been greased. Cut apples into 1/4-inch rings; cut in half. Arrange over sweet potatoes. Sprinkle apple slices with lemon juice. Combine the brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and orange extract. Sprinkle mixture over apples. Dot with butter. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until apples are tender.
1 pint fresh oysters
6 to 7 cups dried bread crumbs
1 cup chopped onions
1 tbsp sage
1 tsp each of rosemary and thyme
Dash of salt and of pepper
2 to 2 1/2 cups turkey broth (or chicken broth)
1/4 cup melted margarine
Wash oysters thoroughly. Combine oysters with remaining ingredients. Pour mixture into a well greased baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.
Note: This recipe is from an old complimentary grocery store card.
Grandma Linda is a collector of vintage recipes. She enjoys sharing them with others on her blog at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com
December 23rd, 2009 My Health We wish you all a safe and healthy Holiday from your daily source of health information. Make sure you don’t eat too much food! 
December 13th, 2009 My Health 
There is nothing more comforting than the smell of Christmas cookies fresh out of the oven. As a little girl, I remember eagerly watching my mom, as she would carefully remove the hot cookie sheets from the oven. I couldn’t wait to help decorate with the homemade frosting, the cinnamon candies and the multi-colored sprinkles that would make each cookie design come to life.
Those were different times then. Mom didn’t work outside the home and family lives weren’t as hectic as they are today. Today, it seems like there is a mad rush from Halloween to Christmas Day and little time to simply enjoy the moments shared.
You can enjoy the fun times of homemade holiday baking by planning ahead of time. Christmas cookies make delicious, thoughtful gifts and are a great way to involve children in the festivities.
First, let’s look at the calendar and start planning with enough time. The first thing is to decide if you are going to bake holiday cookies for home, for entertaining or if you are going to be giving them as gifts and how many. Allow yourself plenty of time to start getting things together. Late October isn’t too early.
Next, let’s decide how many varieties of cookies to bake. A variety is nice, but too many can be overwhelming. I like to bake three to four different types of cookies. This way, I can make larger dough batches ahead of time, and still have a nice display.
Once you’ve decided how many different kinds you are going to bake, the next thing to do is pick your recipes. Whether you use your own Christmas cookie book or find recipes on the web, make a copy of each so that you can keep them all together. This makes it simpler than flipping around from the various cookbooks and will also help to make sure your cookbooks don’t get soiled, either.
Now it’s time to gather your ingredient list. Determine how many cookies you want to make of each recipe and then adjust your ingredients accordingly. Make one list of all ingredients, so that shopping can be done in one trip without forgetting important items.
Let’s review the recipes to see if there is any dough that can be made and frozen ahead of time. This will be a huge time-saver as later on, you will simply be able to defrost the dough, bake and decorate. Since you have all already shopped for the ingredients, set aside an hour or so to mix the dough recipes.
Let’s get out that calendar again and pick a time to set aside for the actual baking. Since we’ve already prepared the dough, all we need to do is organize our decorations. It’s best to just do one type of cookie at a time, this way you won’t have to go back and forth between cookies.
Whether it’s during the week or on the weekend, clear off everything else from that day except for your baking. This way, you’re not rushed and can simply enjoy the day. If you will be involving children, this is a great time to just enjoy very special moments together.
These special times come once a year and sometimes once in a lifetime. Christmas baking is a memorable tradition that you can start with your family.
There is nothing more comforting than the smell of Christmas cookies fresh out of the oven. As a little girl, I remember eagerly watching my mom, as she would carefully remove the hot cookie sheets from the oven. I couldn’t wait to help decorate with the homemade frosting, the cinnamon candies and the multi-colored sprinkles that would make each cookie design come to life.
Those were different times then. Mom didn’t work outside the home and family lives weren’t as hectic as they are today. Today, it seems like there is a mad rush from Halloween to Christmas Day and little time to simply enjoy the moments shared.
You can enjoy the fun times of homemade holiday baking by planning ahead of time. Christmas cookies make delicious, thoughtful gifts and are a great way to involve children in the festivities.
First, let’s look at the calendar and start planning with enough time. The first thing is to decide if you are going to bake holiday cookies for home, for entertaining or if you are going to be giving them as gifts and how many. Allow yourself plenty of time to start getting things together. Late October isn’t too early.
Next, let’s decide how many varieties of cookies to bake. A variety is nice, but too many can be overwhelming. I like to bake three to four different types of cookies. This way, I can make larger dough batches ahead of time, and still have a nice display.
Once you’ve decided how many different kinds you are going to bake, the next thing to do is pick your recipes. Whether you use your own Christmas cookie book or find recipes on the web, make a copy of each so that you can keep them all together. This makes it simpler than flipping around from the various cookbooks and will also help to make sure your cookbooks don’t get soiled, either.
Now it’s time to gather your ingredient list. Determine how many cookies you want to make of each recipe and then adjust your ingredients accordingly. Make one list of all ingredients, so that shopping can be done in one trip without forgetting important items.
Let’s review the recipes to see if there is any dough that can be made and frozen ahead of time. This will be a huge time-saver as later on, you will simply be able to defrost the dough, bake and decorate. Since you have all already shopped for the ingredients, set aside an hour or so to mix the dough recipes.
Let’s get out that calendar again and pick a time to set aside for the actual baking. Since we’ve already prepared the dough, all we need to do is organize our decorations. It’s best to just do one type of cookie at a time, this way you won’t have to go back and forth between cookies.
Whether it’s during the week or on the weekend, clear off everything else from that day except for your baking. This way, you’re not rushed and can simply enjoy the day. If you will be involving children, this is a great time to just enjoy very special moments together.
These special times come once a year and sometimes once in a lifetime. Christmas baking is a memorable tradition that you can start with your family.
Want to find out about baking soda uses and baking chips? Get tips from the Baking Ideas website.
December 3rd, 2009 My Health Bring out this Red, White, and Blue Pie to celebrate patriotic holidays, to honor military service members, etc. This pie is easy and decorative. But best of all it is good. Blueberries, strawberries, white chocolate pudding; you know it’s going to be delicious. This recipe is diabetic and diet friendly. If you want, you can make it regular by using regular products where sugar-free are called for.
RED, WHITE, BLUE PIE
1 baked, sugar-free pie shell
8 whole fresh strawberries, halved lengthwise
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
8-oz reduced-fat cream cheese, cubed
3/4 cup powdered sugar*
3/4 cup cold low-fat milk
1 small box sugar-free instant white chocolate pudding mix
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup sugar-free whipped topping
Arrange sliced strawberries in the bottom of the pie shell. In a medium or large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Gradually add milk; mix well. Using low speed of electric mixer, mix in pudding mix for about 2 minutes or until thickened. Spread pudding mixture over berries in pie shell. Place the blueberries in the center of the pie. Arrange the strawberry halves around the edge of pie, tips pointing to the edge. Using a large star tip, pipe whipped topping between the blueberries and strawberries.
*How to make sugar-free powdered sugar: Put 3/4 cup of Splenda Granular and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a blender and blend until it is a very fine powder. 0 grams of sugar and only 4 carbs per tablespoon.
Now don’t tell. Most people won’t know the difference and you’ll be so proud of your pretty pie, cake, etc.
Enjoy!
For more of Linda’s recipes and diabetic information visit http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com
