Misc.

Since starting chiropractic care back in 2006, all our allergies have improved SO much.  I used to walk around sounding AWFUL.  My nose was constantly stopped-up, a lot of sneezing, nose blowing...just generally sounding real un-ladylike on a regular basis.  But now....no nose trouble.  No nose spray 24/7.  That's the biggest blessing to me.  There was more than one pregnancy, when I couldn't take anything to help my poor nose, when I would be up till 2 or 3 a.m. because I couldn't breathe.  But now, only relief.  LOVE my chiro!  We still struggle a little with tiredness during allergy season and a headache every now and then, but the improvement we have felt is too good to not be thankful these days. 

Another thing that has helped over the years has been cod liver oil.  I don't know what the deal is, but seems everyone has a big mental block where cod liver oil is concerned.  When I mention it to friends, I get, "eeeeew!  I could never take it.  It tastes awful!"  I don't get that.  If it's something that could be helpful to one's quality-of-life, why wouldn't one want to rush out to the store ASAP to get it!  I used to get sinus infections every spring and fall during allergy season.  Since starting taking it about seven years ago, I haven't had even ONE sinus infection.  My husband's high blood pressure is a thing of the past, the arthritis that was developing in my hands is gone.  I'll bet there are also other issues that have been taken care of that we don't even know about.  If you Google "cod liver oil benefits" you'll come up with some sites that have huge lists of the benefits of it.

Totally unrelated....I've finally worked out a Beans n' Rice recipe that my husband likes to eat.  Seems he's a big fan of salsa as an ingredient in things.  I first learned that with Beef Stew about a year ago.  I was out of canned tomatoes and grabbed a can of my Mom's homemade salsa as a last minute fix.  Then when I ran out of salsa and went back to regular ol' tomatoes, Darin noticed.  So back to salsa in the Beef Stew.  There's not a soul on the planet that would think that Darin Beard would ever eat Beef Stew because it has vegetables in it.  When we met, the only vege he ate was French Fries.  ;-)  But I've worn him down over the years....let's see...it's been a long haul...we'll be celebrating 19 years this August. 

Back to the Beans n' Rice.  I've been getting a tepid response from Darin every time I make it, and I just hate that.  It finally occurred to me yesterday to use salsa rather than canned tomatoes and that did the trick.  While I don't think he is in love with Beans n' Rice, he can now eat it without gagging.  ;-)  Here's my recipe if you're interested.  The great thing about this recipe is that it's fast and easy.

Beans n' Rice!

First off, I use this recipe to cook the rice.  I do it earlier in the day.  I put it in the oven while I’m taking care of lunch.  It’s SO easy and to me, less stressful than cooking it on the stovetop.

Here’s the rest... 
½ onion, chopped (or however much you want – Darin isn’t a huge fan of them in his food, so I keep it down to 1/2)
2 or 3 cloves garlic
1 - 2 t. chili powder
½ t. celery seed
½ t. pepper
16 oz. jar salsa
2 cans chili beans

The brown rice you cooked earlier.

Cook the onion and garlic in some olive oil for 5 minutes, then dump in the rest of the ingredients and heat through.  We can eat this plain, or on a tortilla with cheese and sour cream.  YUM.