RANT OF THE DAY

MEN!!!  This weekend I was out and about and I began to notice men.  Not just any men, but men in shorts and flip-flops.  UGH!!!  There is nothing more disgusting than a hairy-legged man with dirty feet and no pedicure in camo shorts and flip-flops.  It is not only disgusting, it is offensive.  It offends me.  

No male person over the age of 8 should be seen in public in shorts and flip-flops unless you are at the beach.  Grow up.  Put on long pants.  And if you must wear sandals, GET A PEDICURE. Didn’t your mother tell you there was a time and place for everything?  Out in public is no place for naked dirty toenails.  Put on shoes, at least athletic shoes.   Gnarly toes and dirty toenails are not appealing, especially at the grocery store or a restaurant. 

Men, and women, lose the camo.  It’s appropriate at hunting camp, fishing, playing in the backyard with the kids or grandkids, but not in public.  And while I’m on the subject, what’s with the baseball caps?  It doesn’t matter if they are on correctly or backward, what is the allure?  Are you trying to cover up something?  Balding?  Bad hair day?  I don’t get it.  Camo shorts with flip-flops with a baseball cap on backwards?  And you wonder why you are out of work, or wonder why you are single, or wonder why people tend to avoid you except for your immediate family. 

Come on, grow up.  Be a man.  Put on shoes and long pants and lose the caps.  Look like you care.  About yourself, about what other people think when they look at you, about what your kid’s friend’s parents think when they see you.  A pair of clean jeans, a clean non-message t-shirt and athletic shoes goes a long way to saying you care about yourself.

Now for hoodies.  Hoodies should only be worn when they are appropriate for the weather.  Hoodies are not a fashion statement.  They are an “I don’t care about how I look or present myself” statement.  I have a hoodie.  I wear it when it’s raining, when the wind is blowing, or the temp calls for something more than a sweater.  They should not be worn to cover up your hair or face or to try to disappear. 

I just want to know where the pride has gone in America.  Why are people, men and women, adults and children, dressing like they don’t care?  They act like if they are covered they are okay.  It’s not okay.  It is offensive to the better senses of some of us. 

Dressing clean and neat is not expensive.  It doesn’t have to cost a lot.  I have bought some terrific things at thrift stores.  I bought a brand name dress that originally retailed for $85 for $8 at a thrift store and I still wear it and get compliments on it.  All you have to do is care.  Care about what you look like, care that you don’t offend other people with your clothes (some x-rated message t-shirts), and care about what you are teaching your children.   

Let’s clean up America.  When we have pride in ourselves it’s easier to have pride in our Country.  America needs all the help it can get, and I believe dressing not to offend is one small step in the right direction.

AMERICANS – CLEAN UP YOUR ACT

RAVE OF THE DAY

Since I have been wheat free I have had a hankering for spaghetti.  I know, no pasta, not even rice pasta, because it raises your glucose levels, so I have been searching for something to substitute for wheat or rice pasta.  And I finally found it.  KonJac noodles. 

These noodles are made of the root of the konnyaku tree, which turns out to be just fiber.  These noodles have no protein, no cholesterol, no fat, no sugar, NO NOTHING, just fiber.  They can be considered vegan and they are gluten-free.   

          The only problem is they also have no taste, and when you open the package they smell like fish.  Just rinse in cold water for 3 or 4 minutes and the smell goes away.  Drain and put in boiling water for about 5 minutes and drain.  Put them back in the pot and pour the sauce over and let stand for about 10 minutes.  If you have a really good homemade spaghetti sauce you really cannot tell the difference. 

          They fill you up without adding calories.  They give you extra fiber, which we all need, and they absorb whatever sauce you put on them.  I’ve even put them in soup.  After boiling for 3 minutes, I drained them and dried them on a paper towel then cut them up into shorter strips and added them to the soup.  Yummy!!!

          This started out as a rave and ended up a recipe.  So this week you get two for one.  Another recipe follows.

          If you want to try these noodles the best place to get them is Amazon.com.  A box of 6 packages (one package is one serving) is about $15.00.  I know this sounds a bit pricey, but if you can’t eat wheat or are just looking for something with no calories, you can’t beat these. 

          As always, all opinions on this site are mine, and mine alone.  I get no endorsements, money, entitlements, payments or anything for trashing or recommending any products or services.  As “they” say, it’s just my opinion, like it or not.

          

RECIPE OF THE DAY

The other day I was trying to decide what to have for breakfast.  I had eggs the day before, and the day before that I had lunch for breakfast – vegetable soup – and I didn’t want that again, and then I thought - - - PANCAKES.  But, alas, I cannot have wheat, so what to do?  Look in Dr. Davis’ Wheat Belly Cookbook for something.

And there it was.  A recipe for wheat free pancakes, but it was not dairy free.  No problem.  Where he uses butter and milk, I use olive oil and Almond Milk.  I also like to add my Seedola instead of the Flaxseeds.  (Recipe for Seedola on previous post.)

WHEAT-FREE, DAIRY-FREE PANCAKES

Makes 4 to 6 pancakes

1 cup Almond Meal

1 t. ground Flaxseeds or 1 T. Seedola

1/8 t. salt

1/8 t. baking soda

1 large egg

1/4 cup Almond Milk (more or less)

1 T. olive oil (more or less)

Combine dry ingredients.  Whisk together wet ingredients.  Gradually whisk flour mix into wet mix (add more milk 1 t. at a time, if needed).  It should be the consistency of regular pancake batter.  Lightly oil skillet and heat.  ¼ cup mix equals 1 pancake.  These are delicate, so be careful when turning. 

          Serve with sugar-free syrup or regular syrup, jam, jelly, preserves, and they are really good with peanut butter and bananas.

          

These are really tasty, a little nutty, and if you add Seedola, there is just a hint of sweetness (from the dried fruit).  Once you get used to the texture I think you will like them.  They differ from regular pancakes in that the almond flour has no gluten, therefore, the texture is a little crumbly and well, just different.  Try them out.  I think they will become a new favorite.