E-Coli Is Back

Cucumbers exported from Spain to Germany have been contaminated with the E-coli bacteria, that’s what I have been reading lately.Now this gives me the goose bumps.This is the only vegetable my children eat without a fuss.They love it in their salad . This is freaking me out. After this disturbing news, I kept checking my refrigerator compartment to ensure there were no traces of dirt or dirty particles embedded in my stored cucumbers .I wash them well ,all of the vegetables. ‘Please conserve water ,don’t waste’ ,everyone cries! But how can we think of using water sparingly in a situation like this. As it is ,I wash and scrub these vegetables thoroughly if I use them in salads. It is alarming however to watch the food enthusiasts demonstrate on television their culinary know hows and cooking their favourite vegetables or meat, straight from the packet to the pan.When do they wash the vegetables or meat? How ever much they say the vegetables are hygienic, We got to wash them in clean running water once we bring it home from the grocers and just before cooking them.I remember ,there was this outbreak of E-coli in spinach leaves,a couple of years ago, We being miles away from the affected places stopped eating Spinach through fear. Now it’s back again ,this time tainting the cucumber the ones grown in Spain.
E.coli is short for Escherichia coli - a bacteria (germ) that causes severe cramps and diarrhea. Certain strains of E. coli, possibly create lethal toxins. Food poisoning by E. coli is usually caused by undercooked meat, unpasteurized milk and juice, raw fruits and vegetables , feces of infected people, and contaminated water. It also causes serious and life-threatening complications .The illness varies considerably;it can be fatal, particularly to the young and the elderly . This bacteria lives in the digestive tracts of animals and humans and most are typically harmless. They help our body break down and digest food. Nonetheless, some strains of E. coli can be very harmful and lead to grave infections that can make us sick quickly.

Something To Reflect Upon

This was an email forward that was sent to me.This is a story  of   a father  explaining to his child the challenges that she may have to deal with , passing through life's journey.


Happy Reading!

Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

A daughter complained to her father about her life and how things have been so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and she wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that just as one problem was solved another arose.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen, filled three pots with water and placed the fire on high. Soon the three pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the other he placed eggs, and the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently wondered what he was trying to do. She had problems, and he was making this strange concoction. In half an hour he walked over to the stove and turned down the fire. He pulled the carrots out and placed them in the bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in the bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her he asked. “Darling what do you see?

“Smartly, she replied. “Carrots, eggs, and coffee.

He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Her face frowned from the strength of the coffee.

Humbly, she asked. “What does it mean Father?”

He explained. “Each of them faced the same adversity, 212 degrees of boiling water. However each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. But after going through boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg was fragile. A thin outer shell protected a liquid center. But after sitting through the boiling water, it’s inside became hardened. The coffee beans are unique however. After they were in the boiling water, it became stronger and richer.

Which are you, he asked his daughter? When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

Are you the carrot that seems hard, but with the smallest amount of pain, adversity, or heat you wilt and become soft with no strength.

Are you the egg, which starts off with a malleable heart? A fluid spirit. But after a death, a divorce, an accident you became hardened and stiff. Your shell looks the same, but you are so bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and heart, internally.

Or are you like the coffee bean? The bean does not get its peak flavor and robust until it reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water gets the hottest, it just tastes better.

When things are  worst, you get better. When people talk the most, your praises increase. When the hour is the darkest, trials are there greatest, your worship elevates to another level. How do you handle adversity?

Mother's Musings

Cleaning The Clutter In Us

Watermelon- Summer's Delight

Watermelon is the typical fruit to quench the parching throat on a hot summer afternoon.The juice of watermelon  protects the skin from the sun. It also clears and cleanses the skin keeping it healthy and glowing.Watermelons are know to have originated in Africa,tracing it’s origins to the Kalahari deserts. It is noteworthy to mention here,that many centuries ago,watermelons were placed in tombs of the Egyptian kings to nourish them after life.(reference-woman’s magazine). Hence from Egypt, water melons spread along the Mediterranean sea by way of trade .It is a common summer crop and is widely cultivated throughout the world today.There are a variety of water melons produced each year.It consists of 93 per cent water.One or two servings of water melon a day is recommended as it is a multi vitamin fruit and contains Vitamin A B6 and C and also potassium and Iron.A variety of  recipes  can be prepared with this succulent fruit .Many love to indulge in the delightful deserts  made with this luscious fruit. During summer when it is  the peak time for tourism in many countries  chefs around the world display their gastronomic skills, displaying carved fruits and vegetables to the amazement of their guests and  visitors.Also others with a flair for art  come out with innovative  ideas and carve beautiful creations out of watermelons.This giant fruit   takes a prominent place  in my kitchen during Summer..

For easy cleaning –Place an old  sheet of newspaper on the kitchen counter  when you cut water melon.This is an easy way to discard the residue.

More on water melons- Farmers In Japan Creates Square-Shaped Watermelons

Foods That Flare Gout Attacks

I am thankful to blogger Aphra  for reminding me to post the food chart with the foods that should be avoided by a gouty patient. Reducing or avoiding the listed below, helps immensely.Please check with your doctor before following instructions. This is the chart which is affixed to my  kitchen door.I managed to take a copy from my digital camera. Click on the chart for better viewing.

Our ordeal with Gout 

Gout ? Make Dietary Changes !

"Ouch ! That hurts ! What’s that? Gout??" I have never heard of this term until a few months back when my husband was diagnosed with this condition. One particular morning, not so long ago, my hubby complained of a throbbing pain under his heel when he tried to get off the bed. Thinking it was due to fatigue from the previous day’s  spring cleaning, he rubbed some ointment and got about his days’ schedule. Howsoever the pain was too stubborn to go away. That is when he decided to seek medical help. Since we had never heard of this condition before, I began to collect information from the internet. And thank God! There were a whole lot of data available for gout and gouty patients.

Gout is a medical condition typically distinguished by the recurring attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis, tender and hot swollen joints.  It is caused by raised levels of uric acid in the blood which crystallize and is deposited in joints and in surrounding tissues.Gout is one form of arthritis which can be triggered by certain types of food and also which can be reduced by avoiding those particular food from the diet. 

Both dietary changes and medications can decrease uric acid levels. Once the acute attack has sinked,levels of uric acid can be brought down through lifestyle alterations.Reducing intake of food such as meat and seafood  and certain vegetables with are high in purines and proteins also helps.

To help us understand this condition better,  my husband was given a chart from the hospital with a list of food that he should eliminate from  his diet. I have attached it to the  kitchen door for quick reference. I run through the list everyday before preparing our daily meals.

What's Spring Got To Do With It.. .....

Beaming ,we welcome Spring with it’s pleasant atmosphere and bountiful resources  and all the goodness that comes with it. As much as we look forward to the warm cool breeze and the pleasant feeling we all experience and associate with this season, we must also admit that it brings along all kinds of  flu symptoms that we  are not at all  pleased about.Children tend to fall sick quite often during Spring .When school reopens after the short Spring break , various kinds of viruses  that are prevalent, spread as fast as lightening during this period.Even  children, who experience a mild form of flu  become lethargic and loose their will to study play or eat.  When their appetite is lost everything and everyone around them  becomes panicky and tends to go berserk.This applies, specially  to my home…..

I try all kinds of home remedies to keep them from falling too sick.Since they wouldn’t even look at their plate of food.I get them to eat some alternatives like soups.They actually don’t mind eating a bowl of soup, with a few pieces of veggies floating,than  the rice and curry, Besides soups are very healthy and are known to prevent several flu related health problems.They are great rejuvenators. I make soup from scratch, with a few vegetables,chicken ,herbs and some mild spices.Even though soup made from instant packets are not healthy ,they taste good.So every now and then I make soup, using ready made mix,but give it a home touch ,by adding some extra flavourings.

Soup made from scratch-Chicken and  a few veggies

Soup made from scratch –with vegetables

Instant soup with a home made touch

Handling A Vegetarian

When children are  little, it is the duty of us, as  parents (especially the mother) to see that the children  eat appropriate food at appropriate times.As parents, we often  try to get  the best food across to our children.And on a regular basis,cook healthy meals and feed it to our young off springs. If they didn’t eat to full ,we go to the extent of  supplementing  them with extras, in the form of vitamin syrups.

Most children  at this young  age become very fastidious over food and wouldn’t even think of eating anything new that the mother introduces .By the time they reach  the  adolescent years, they will have the independence of following their own eating habits. At this stage they may have preferences between healthy and unhealthy foods.

If your children show an interest in fruits and vegetables.Be sure to make  dishes using their favourite fruits and vegetables.Each day try to make a different dish. Sometimes they wouldn’t like the same taste of food that is being laid on the table.Often children take hold of whatever they see in the refrigerator when they are hungry, so have slices of fruits and a bowl of salad made  with their favourite vegetables.Try keeping the healthiest food easily accessible.

There are times when they crave for  junk food ..And that’s when the war begins  at the table.Don’t prohibit junk food all at once .It’s all right  if they eat it once in a way.You can help your children limit  junk food as much as possible. And as they start growing they will freely have their choice of food too.

I have a daughter who didn’t quite like the taste of fish,chicken or beef  right from  her toddler years.and I used to think that  it was just a passing phase and didn’t try to coerce her into eating meat.But then a few years later,when she  was about  seven  she started to relish my meat dishes.However one day, while we were having cooked beef curry for dinner, she suddenly prompted where meat came from. And when I said from the cow, she hurriedly left the table, her plate untouched, and innocently said, “Eww…gross  ! A cow dish!’.And ever since, she has not eaten anything that has meat in it. 

She’s fourteen  now and a vegetarian, Being a vegetarian necessarily doesn’t mean she' s eating all the vegetables that I make..She is picky too.! She mostly loves to eat an unbalanced vegetarian diet which consists of fried food and  potatoes.She intensely dislikes when the vegetables are cooked  in the usual type, curried vegetables with gravy, which is commonly prepared in a typical Sri Lankan home.Now I have adapted a different mode of cooking  vegetable dishes just for her.After a lot of convincing,she has started to eat the baked variety.I try my best to see that her diet is nutritionally adequate and healthful. I have been  trying to supplement her with all kinds of everything.  So far I have not succeeded in my many attempts to make her change her mind  to eat meat again .But I guess my tactics are not working anymore.

                       My daughter’s favourite-cauliflower,carrots and zucchini

                        The veggies baked with tomato paste and  mild spices