Nutrition Tip of the Day: Broccoli Slaw

I found this inexpensive way to incorporate fresh veggies into various kinds of foods that requires zero prep time.  I found "Broccoli Slaw" in the produce aisle.  Here in Florida it coast about $2.50 for a bag that is big enough to make a family sized Broccoli Slaw salad.  It has shredded broccoli, carrots and red cabbage in the mix.  I have been throwing handfuls into salads, smoothies, pasta sauce, etc.  It also makes a quick and easy stir-fry when thrown in with some mushrooms, fresh ginger and tofu. 

Disclaimer:  This information is offered as my personal opinion only and is not meant to be used as medical advice.

Nutrition Tip of the Day: Eat Brown Rice

Unprocessed brown rice has a multitude of health benefits from helping to lower blood pressure to providing a great source of magnesium and fiber.  Buy the least refined that you can get your hands on.  Cook up a big batch and keep it in the fridge and throw a handful into burger or soup.  A yummy and ultra healthy snack is brown rice, a handful of cubed tofu and a handful of fresh, uncooked spinich.  Cover and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes and top with low-sodium soy sauce or Bragg's Amino Acid formula. 

Disclaimer:  This information is provided as my personal opinion.  It is not meant to be used as medical advice.

Nutrition Tip For the Day: Apple Cider Vinegar

Each morning 1/2 hour before eating breakfast drink 8 oz water with 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar.  Studies have shown than it helps to lose weight.  The study I read was a study where they were testing to see if apple cider vinegar impacted fatigue levels at all for people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  The results regarding the fatigue were negative but they found that everyone who was taking the vinegar lost weight as an unintended benefit of the study.

Organic apple cider vinegar is best.  Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar is a common and popular brand.

Disclaimer:  This information is provided as my personal opinion and is not meant to be used as medical advise.

Nutrition Tip for the Day: Magnesium Supplement

Take a magnesium supplement. It helps you lose weight and you need magnesium in order to absorb calcium and potassium.

Disclaimer:  This information is purely my opinion and is not meant to be offered as medical advice.

RV Tip of the Week: No TP in Toilet

Okay, so this is all about saving/reviving blackwater tank sensors and being able to use good, quality toilet paper and wipes when using the potty.  We don't put toilet paper or wipes into the tank.  They don't get flushed.  Gross!  you say?

Well, we have discovered a non-stinky, non-gross solution.  We got an Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail.  The toilet paper and cleaning paraphenalia go into the diaper pail rather than getting flushed.  This makes the tank fill up much slower and prevents the sensors from getting coated with gobs of toilet paper.  The wipes can plug the drain line so they shouldn't go in the tank either.  There is no smell.  You push the stuff through the opening and when you close the lid it twists the plastic closed and pushes the stuff down inside.  Then the lid closes and further prevents any smells.  When you empty it you snap the bag closed before you pull it thhrough the opening to there is virtually no odor. 

We also have a diaper pail outside to put the dog poop bags in.  The rain can't get in and there is no smell.  We purchased ours at Walmart.

 The diaper pail sits back a little further and doesn't get in the way for potty trips and is easy to reach when we're sitting down.  We do have to move it into the hallway when we shower, which in our floorplan becomes part of the bathroom with the doors open.

 So, you stuff the tissue into the middle of the blue plastic and when you close the lid it twists the plastic and pushes it down into the pail.  The lid closes and acts as an odor barrier.

 These are poopie tissues.  Gross, I know.  But I thought you'd need to see and deal with reality.  The door closes and they are out of sight.

Walmart carries the diaper pails but not the refills.  We have to order the refills from them online but they ship free to the store so that's no big deal.  The Diaper Pail costs about $25 at Walmart, Target, and Amazon.  The refill bags cost $16.50 for a 3-pack.  You can get all this at Babies-R-Us but you'll pay a lot more if you do.

How Many Clothes Can You Fit in a Motorhome?

A lot apparently.

We just returned from a marathon trip to the laundromat. While there we washed, dried and folded the equivalent of 14 loads of laundry. We used as many of the ultra big, front loading washers that we could find. Even still we used four machines: Big Bertha, 2 Little Bertha's and 1 Double Load. We have found a laundromat that is closer than the one we were driving to in Orlando.

We go there because they have air conditioning and nice machines. It's a little crowded on the dryer aisle but it is right in Sanford on French Ave. so it is quick and convenient. There are washers and dryers at the RV Park but the laundry rooms are not air conditioned and it gets perfectly scorching in them when the machines are running. Also there are only four machines in each laundry room and we usually have more than four loads if laundry.

Since moving to Florida we change the bedding every couple of days. Getting damp and sweaty from the humidity and either the dog or us tracking sand, fleas and tiny no-see-ums - those pesky invisible little biting bugs that attack your ankles at night. They are unfazed by mosquito repellant even when it has DEET.

Any way it was a freakin' lot of clothes. And they're summer clothes too which are unusually smaller than winter clothes. The Florida uniform seems to be shorts and flip flops topped off by a cool tshirt. Walt even gets to wear shorts so work though he has a hard time with matching with his Bermuda shorts.  Two cases just last week when he wore plaid on plaid:

 Day 1 Plaid on plaid...I didn't discover this until he came home from work so he went the whole day at work dressed like this and noone said anything to him about it.  Note the "Cowardly Lion" imitation he is doing as I photographically document this fashion faux paus.

Two days later he showed up at lunch time to give me the car.  I was able to intervene and help him choose a different shirt so he was only seen in public like this for about 4 hours.  Me:  Babe! You're wearing plaid on plaid again! What the hell?"  Him:  What's plaid?  I didn't know!  ARGH! LOL

The thing that I miss most about having a house is having my own washer and dryer.  I used to be a stickler about wearing anything wrinkled and ironed my work clothes and tshirts every day.  In the motorhome I have never taken the iron out of its hiding place.  My clothes are wrinkled and I have learned to "Just Look Away".  The closets are jam packed with clothes and they wrinkle in the closet.  The laundromat dryers are too hot and they wrinkle there.  They wrinkle in the car when they are being transported from laundromat to the motorhome.  Interesting note though:  In three and a half years noone has ever said a word about my wrinkled clothes.

But really, having wrinkled clothes is the least of my worries.  Oh to have that be my only problem.

Plaid po karirana e golyama greshka moda!

Peace be with you and all that jazz!

Copyright (c) 2012 - Chardale Irvine.  All rights reserved.  You may not publish or reprint this article without the permission of Chardale Irvine.  Thank you.



Luther: Demon Yard Dog

Sad sad update: Bruno, our beloved Yorkie/Pom/Hairless Chinese crested dog met his end on December 7, 2013. He is deeply missed. Luther seems to have missed him as well because when I went to move him for the first lawn mowing of 2014 he crumbled into a bunch of rusty shards and bits of crackled plastic. His innards were in tatters as well. It was obviously his time as well and we miss him oddly more than we would have expected.
Rest in peace the both of you fine creatures and thank you for the smiles.

No people....Bruno has not contracted rabies and turned into Cujo. The dog I am referring to is our yard ornament that Walt has named Luther because we are convinced it is possessed. You can see in the picture below the head does not articulate meaning his head DOES NOT MOVE! And yet when we drive into our site he is watching for us and looks right at us as we drive in. And then we stop the car and turn it off. We turn and look at him and he is LOOKING RIGHT AT US.

At first Walt didn't notice but I kept noticing and saying 'that dog just turned its head and is looking at me.' Each time there was a bit more emphasis on the observation, as my voice got louder and screechier. Walt finally started looking because, as has been proven many times in our relationship, he really listens better the screechier my voice gets - not louder, that tends to end the conversation - but screechier, definitely.

When he finally observed the effect of being 'watched' by an inanimate object he freaked and ran to to the dog trying to manually make its head turn. Trying, as our rehab medical receptionist Stephanie would say, 'to debunk the dog'. I wish, wish, wish I had a video of the debunking attempt, but alas you'll just have to take my word for it.

Walt confirmed that the head does not turn. The dog was not debunked after all.

I then went for photographic evidence. You can kind of see below what I mean. So, so creepy! One thing that is making us feel a little better is that Bruno really, really likes to pee on it and when he does we say 'There! Take that you little bastard!

     And finally Bruno trying to debunk the dog

And Bruno peeing on Luther.  There! Take that you wicked, wicked yard ornament!

Peace be with you and all that jazz

Luther der Damon Kettenhund
Herzlich willkommen auf meiner Leser aus Deutschland

Copyright (c) - 2012.  Chardale Irvine - All rights reserved.  You may not publish or reprint this without permission of Chardale Irvine.  Thank you.