Trigger warning and it might make you ~sick~

Let me educate some Online peeps. This is also the reason why we need something along the line if #LikasLaw4Wisconsin. Please read all the way through.

There is the web, you get on google or your search engine of choice and look up your topic. There is a whole other web embedded underneath called the dark web. You have to know how to get into it, no I will not tell you how. What you find there is utter depravity at its worse. Today I will stick with the children.  

You will find forums where the freaks go to chat, buy and sell pics of kids, regular pics like the ones they take off your Facebook. THEN there are nude pics, pics of sexual acts between adults/children. Child/child. Animals/Child. Wanna hurl yet? I'm not done. Websites where you can go, whip out that credit card and really get your freak on. You will watch it unfold in real time with real children. Request the gender, request what you want to see done.

Better take a deep breath here... Rape. Torture. Sodomy. Murder. Children for sale. *FOR SALE* a pedophile's dream, in a smorgasbord. I'm not making this up, google it and if you are offended delete me. I AM a child advocate in several ways not just one. Some people on this social network need to get their heads out of their asses and understand some cold hard facts about what goes on with kids and the net. This IS the evil I confront and I will not stop till I'm dead. I fight for the kids in court and online. THIS is EVIL at its worst!

Then people wonder why I caution about things, and turn their noses up, until it's one of theirs that ends up in a film. Sign this petition today, and pass it around. Speak up, or you're supporting these monsters.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/367/880/690/likas-law-4-wisconsin-demand-stiffer-sentencing-4-child-sex-offenders/

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month 2

I cannot say enough, that as adults, we MUST speak up for our children. It’s crazy how many people want to sit back and do nothing. Doing nothing makes you a supporter of those who abuse their children. I’m also wondering why some people have a problem signing this petition, since ignoring the issue will also, not solve anything but to allow child predators to keep raping our children. So, you don’t want to sign because you don’t want to feel like a hypocrite? You running off with your 20 year old boyfriend/girlfriend when you were 17 is not the same thing, as a 30 year old targeting your 5 year old. The main difference is, when you were 17, you chose to run off. A 5 year old does not have this choice. Get it? So, if you’re saying that because you fell into the “Romeo & Juliet” scenario makes it so that you don’t want to sign, you’re stating that you don’t have a problem with your 40 year old uncle (or aunt) can take your 12 year old child into the bedroom for sexual purposes.

I’m also hearing from people that they “don’t agree with the stiffer sentencing” because some other country “does therapy & counseling” to reduce the rate of recidivism. I have never seen that study. At all. But, sorry. You. Can. Not. Cure. Classic. Pedophilia. Pedophiles are not mentally their own age, nor do they think there is anything wrong with full grown adults having sex with young children. They just know that society doesn’t agree with it. But, not all sex offenders who prey on children are pedophiles. Child molesters target children because they rationalize the abuse somehow. And no; it is untrue that most are those who were sexually abused as children. The fact is, only 29% of those who have been sexually abused as children go on to become child molesters or pedophiles. Because many take advantage of opportunities coming to them, it isn’t something that “just happens”.  

Here is another FYI: All sexual violence is GROSSLY under-reported, so, the likelihood of a false report is extremely rare, especially if the victim is a child. With the widespread issue child sex abuse being so prominent, it makes it even MORE important to take a stand. The best way to prevent your children from being sexually assaulted or abused is to know your children and have a strong bond with them, which includes open communication. Child predators will target children with low self esteem, and understands that many are not close to their parents, which makes an easier target a child. Know your child. Understand your child. Have mutual respect between you and your child. When you know your child, the behavior changes are more obvious, and when they divulge, believe them. This will help your child move past the victimization. Never blame your children for the abuse, because frankly, no. They did NOT ask for it. Get to know the facts. Too many of these statistics are very frightening, and with the widespread problem, you probably know at least a few survivors of sex assaults. Just to give you an idea of how wide spread it is, think of 4 women you love, respect, and are close to. 

Now, think of 6 men that you love, respect, and are close to. Depending on their ages, there is one on each list that has been sexually abused, or are at risk of it. There are various forms of child sex abuse, and child pornography is one of them. Do not minimize it by saying that the viewer is not abusing those children, because they are revictimizing those children every time the child porn is viewed. It is this very demand that keeps the makers of these images coming, and with each new wave of people, they will keep needing “new material” which is why human trafficking is such a big buck industry in and of itself.

The sad thing is, I’ve heard through the grapevines through various networks, that parishioners of the faith facility I used to attend, were told not to help me out in my cause, because whomever told them insisted that I am only seeking attention, and because of who told them, they felt that they didn’t have a choice but to follow orders. I wonder if whomever said anything has something to hide. Are they protecting pedophiles? Have they sexually assaulted minors? Why would anyone want to exert that kind of power against protecting children from sex abuse? I don’t know. That just means that I need your support more than ever.

Please, I ask you, to help me get #LikasLaw4Wisconsin trending, anywhere and everywhere online. You don’t need to live in Wisconsin to help make this push. We only need to get as many people in Wisconsin to sign this petition as possible, and let’s make it go viral. Please sign and share widely, this petition to ensure that those who sexually assault children do not get to walk.

Copy this - #LikasLaw4Wisconsin: Please sign & share widely  http://www.thepetitionsite.com/367/880/690/likas-law-4-wisconsin-demand-stiffer-sentencing-4-child-sex-offenders/

Paste it in a post on all of your social media contacts on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, or where ever you are. Or, please share the blog. Thank you in advance.

April Is Child Abuse Awareness Month

I’d actually like it to be more than just awareness, but also ACTION to take a stand against child abuse. The situation is not going to go away, just because you choose to ignore it. Child abuse is not a thing to minimize, just because you are uncomfortable. Being quiet about it is actually helping all of the abusers, not the victims.

The reason it’s important, is because April 25 is Alice Day, a pedophile holiday. Just because a certain pedophile targets boys does not make them gay. With very young children, the gender doesn’t really matter. Classic pedophiles just don’t care, it’s perpetrating the innocence that gets them turned on. What ever you hear about pedophiles not being bad people, think again. Pedophiles sexually abuse children. Good people do not turn children into “play things” or “sex toys”.

Your stance to "not get involved" is perpetrating the abuse.

 

 

 

 

Here is a Youth Voice Initiative (YVI) FYI update:

Johnathan and Shawn are on their way to move to Washington State. While this will be a loss for our organization, I wish them well in their new endeavors for a new start, and new adventures to chase what they seek in life.

 

So, we need a few people to try to be kind of regular at our meetings, especially since we need people now, to study a couple of aspects of an issue that we will be compiling to make an educational packet to pitch to our courts, schools, and other counseling places where they help children’s progress after being repeatedly abused. We need at least 1 person on each topic, so, please come to our next meeting to be brought up to speed.

 

1) The info from Help Guide Organization, which is a self-help guide for those who are survivors of childhood trauma and abuse. This may be helpful for those who support those who have lived through this type of abuse. Our entire legal system needs to keep this in mind, when creating, enforcing, practicing, and interpreting our laws.

 

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/ptsd-trauma/emotional-and-psychological-trauma.htm 

 

2) The Blue Knot Foundation, whose mission is to empower people who suffered from childhood trauma, the research documents 150 years’ worth of studies regarding this topic. There are many psychological and psychiatric issues that may come up, due to enduring child abuse through the young, formative years.

 

http://www.blueknot.org.au/Resources/General-Information/Abuse-related-conditions 

 

Our next meeting is April 22 @ 3 pm, because the 16th is Easter Sunday. Hope to see everyone there.

 

In the meantime, there is this important petition called Lika’s Law 4 Wisconsin. We need as many signatures as possible, and please help take it to viral efforts, and make #LikasLaw4Wisconsin be something that is trending. While Wisconsin signatures are the most important, any support is good support.  

Below, I am posting important links. I encourage all to check them out, especially to get signatures on the petition. Here are the links:

 

#LikasLaw4Wisconsin petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/367/...

 

Youth Voice Initiative official website: https://sites.google.com/site/youth...

 

And, here is YVI’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/YouthVoice...

 

Food & Life: What to Eat, What to Cut

I’d been thinking a lot about various things, and how a common theme with just about every culture, in every country, life revolves around food. Whether it’s celebrating a wedding, birthday, graduation, birth, holiday, or how about ‘just because’, and even mourning a loss, we use food to bring people together. And, lets face it... We all have our favorite “go to” food, that we look for at any gathering, and it differs depending on the cultural foods we’ve all grown up on. It’s fun to go to these, because we all have our special foods, and we like to try other people’s. Even if we bring what we love, we also like to have other cultural foods.

 

 

With rising obesity and Type 2 diabetes on the rise, so many of us are trying to be better about eating healthier, and, sometimes, we fall short, and could use the help of a Registered Dietician or a Nutritionist. I remember so many times, that, these people are so happy to give out good tips of what is better than others, but, my problem? It revolves too much around your standard Middle America type foods. Even when you go to these offices, it seems as if 99% of the people are Caucasian, middle class, and very plain in what they offer... From my own experiences, even the ones that are Hispanic or African American, they are usually the receptionist, not the nutritionist. Not much help.

So, this prompted me to write to these places, and I’ll be sending these letters off when the weather is good enough to make that trip, or, when I’m going out on errands, anyway. Here are the places I’m writing to:

 

This is an agency where dieticians and nutritionists go to become members of their profession, or might be registered through this place. So, sending here is targeting the very people who are taught how to educate us, as the general public about health and nutrition:

National Agricultural Library; Food and Nutrition Information Center; 10301 Baltimore Avenue; Beltsville, MD 20705-2351.

 

 

The other agency I wrote to is the USDA, with their FNS office, since these are the people in charge of the farming practices and whatnot, in hopes that they will help coordinate the types of foods that are pushed for healthy eating.

United States Department of Agriculture; Food and Nutrition National Office; 3101 Park Center Drive; Alexandra, VA 22302

 

 

Here is my letter, and if you want to send one, just correct the spacing issues to make sure that it flows better. I really think that these agencies need to remember that we come from so many different cultures, that they need to incorporate ethnic foods. Those of you who know me know that I’m just as passionate about serving tasty food that is also good for your health, as I am about child advocacy. I hope that this helps, because aside from making my cause successful, I’d love to work with these people. In the mean time, please write them and let them know that you want them to incorporate healthier and authentic versions of ethnic foods, so we can enjoy our tacos, sesame chicken, and more, not just poached fish & chicken with mild flavorings. You may want to add soul food and Cajun food to your list of must haves, too, since those are popular foods, too, along with southern recipes.

 

January 9, 2017

My Full Name

My Full Address

My City, State Zip

My Phone Number

Agency Name

Specific Office

Full Sending Address

City, State Zip

Dear Food Information Manager;

I am writing in regard to my experiences and concerns with the various people I have seen over the course of years, regarding the advice and teaching that I have received from various Registered Dieticians and Nutritionists.  I’ve had several, not only for myself but for my son as well as accompanying others to their appointments as well.

With the growing concern with childhood obesity, the consumptions of highly processed “easy” food, and the lack of physical activity, it is good to push programs that help people find ways to eat healthier, to consume foods that are nutritious and delicious.  Nutrition rich food that tastes good starts with fresh ingredients.  I think we can all agree on that.  My son and I both have a chromosome animally called 16p11.2 micro deletion, which increases our appetites higher than the normal person, while slowing down our metabolism lower than the average “couch potato”.  This makes it very difficult to keep up with the average expectations of those who are actively losing weight under the supervision of our doctors, in conjunction with staff who guide us in our weight loss journey by helping to teach people how to make better decisions with their food choices, for better health in the long run.

While I find these to be helpful, here is my problem.  Every single nutritionist and dietician that I’ve been to, has been the typical Caucasian person, most likely from a middle America background, whose expertise is in the usual, run of the mill white picket house meals.  While this may be good for those who eat this way, it does not help those of us who come from a multicultural background.  The part that is a bit disturbing to me is that statistics show that the African American and Latino communities seem to have the most severe cases of obesity and the related consequences of their weight such as various cardio-vascular and respiratory issues.  Add in the Asian population from S.E. Asia, and all three cultural groups are at high risk of type 2 diabetes, many who come here as 1^st generation immigrants, may be unfamiliar to American foods, and because they are poor, may not be able to afford certain types of food.  This also affects the following generations, if they are also unable to learn “American cooking”.  So, in a nutshell, we are asking them to give up all of their home foods, which are also comfort foods, which rarely produce positive results.

We can see in various statistics, that, minorities, especially those who are the poorest and meekest, are usually the ones with the highest failure rates of being able to eat a healthier diet.  When we look at what the restaurants serve, it is true, that the meals can be carb/sugar heavy.  This is typically not the way these foods are home cooked.  I found this especially true with not only my own heritage of Japanese cooking, where what we see in Japanese restaurants is rarely what is consumed daily in people’s own homes, but, Chinese foods as well, as I’ve experienced at a friend’s, whose family came here to the U.S. back in 1983.  What you see at “traditional restaurants” in these Asian style meals is not the traditional meal at home, yet, this is what I hear dieticians and nutritionists caution against, with eating many different types of ethnic foods.  Comparing any ethnic meal, whether it’s Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, or other, is like saying that Perkin’s or Denny’s is the same as what is eaten in every middle class, Caucasian homes.  We know this is not true, when we consider foods such as homemade chicken noodle soup vs. what you get at these restaurants, and the fact that Denny’s adds bacon to about 60% of their foods.  It’s this same logic that applies to ethnic foods, as well.

Here is another frustration in dealing with dieticians and nutritionists; while they are happy to let you know how to cook healthier, they are absolutely clueless as to how to adapt authentic ethnic foods to make them a better healthy choice.  One told me to “just add a tablespoon of salsa”, when I asked how I could make Spanish rice be healthier.  When I inquired as to when to add it, she looked confused, and just suggested that I add it to plain steamed rice on the table, after the meal was dished out.  I tried explaining that this defeats the purpose of having hot, steaming rice, because if the salsa came from an open jar, it would have come out of the refrigerator, and this would make the rice on the plates, cold.  She then got quite snippy, and said, “Then just add it to the pot”.  So, I asked about how to adjust the recipe, since the amount of water to rice has an impact on the texture, and one tablespoon isn’t enough to make a pot of rice for everyone, and she got quite a bit more annoyed, in a demanding question, “How am I supposed to know”?  Well, I would expect that when dealing with a multicultural society, and you’re trained and registered to give advice about healthy eating, that answers like this are important to answer, rather than telling people to not to eat their own food, and to eat Middle American poached chicken for white families who have lived here for the last 10 generations or more.

This makes it look as if the medical authority is discriminatory against ethnic people, because often, other family members are not willing to stop eating their cultural foods, and expect that working mothers have time to make 2 separate meals while also taking care of a whole family, often while also caring for elderly relatives as well.  This, on top of the fact that discrimination is all over, from quality healthcare in general that is accessible, quality education, and how our black and Hispanic populations are arrested at higher rates and longer incarceration rates than our white population for similar/equivalent crimes, just comes across as if other people aren’t as important than the average white American.  We must remember that we all came from immigrants, and each of our ancestors brought over a part of their heritage, which includes the types of foods that are eaten.  As people, each culture shares that common theme of meals to celebrate family, mourn at funerals, time with friends, and more.

It is my hope to be able to work with different agencies to take authentic recipes and make them healthier, without compromising the integrity of the flavors.  It’s issues like these that I chose International Relations as a major, even though I did get into healthcare for a while.  My passion is food, and my dream is to feed the planet. 

Thank you for your time in reading this, and I hope to hear from someone soon, in hopes that we can make an impact on celebrating the cultural diversity in our fine country by making healthy eating for everyone, to which I’m sure that many people would enjoy, since so many of us love Italian, Mexican, Asian, and a wide diversity of foods.  So, let us embrace that, rather than generically water down ethnic foods to Betty Crocker or Hamburger Helper standards.

Sincerely,

Lika Saliscente-Phipps

Founder of Youth Voice Initiative

GMO, Fast Food, & Health Issues: Where Government Agencies Sit

We have been hearing a lot about GMO foods.  What does it stand for?  Genetically Modified Organisms, which are usually some kind of fresh produce, for the purposes of us common people.  For a better definition of how it works, please refer to Non GMO Project 
website to find out more.

The thing about GMO is that not all combinations of the modification are low risk.  Many are consider high risk, and more of them are medium risk, and very very few are low risk.  It's not like taking the heartiest apple, and crossing it with a mildly sweet pear, to get one of those Asian apple-pears, which is more of a hybrid, as opposed to being outright a modified product.  Many of these fruits and vegetables you  buy may have animal and viral aspects mixed in, so those who want to be vegetarian or vegan may end up eating animal products, without knowing about it, because not all of the modifications are necessary to be labeled.  I think this is a crooked practice.  But, you can educate yourself about what products are potentially GMO, just like you can educate yourself on what kinds of eating plan is right for you, depending on what your needs are.

Of course, if you're trying to lose weight, fast food is most definitely the type of thing you want to avoid.  Many of the ingredients are the bottom of the barrel.  The buns are from highly processed white flour of little nutritional value.  The "meat" patties are filled with soy extenders.  The cheese is probably equivalent or lower than the individually wrapped cheese-food product we see at the grocery store.  The fries are deep fried in rendered fats or shortening, and it is all bad for your health.  If we have other health issues that are somewhat connected to being overweight such as high blood pressure or diabetes, a steady intake of fast food is a big No-No.

For those of us who are in our mid 40's and older, we remember the 4-4-3-2 rule of thumb.  4 starches, 4 fruits and vegetables, 3 dairy products (which actually included cheese), and 2 meats.  I don't recall what they told us was the size of each serving.

When my son was in elementary school, it was Pyramid Pete's food pyramid.  The bottom layer is your starches telling us to eat 6-11 servings, the next level was a combination of 3-5 servings of veggies and 2-4 servings of fruit.  The 3rd layer from the bottom is 2-3 servings of dairy, and 2-3 servings of proteins.  The top tip was your fats and sugars, which was to be used sparingly.  Again, cheese is categorized with dairy products.

Today, we have My Plate, where 1/2 of the plate is vegetables & fruits with veggies getting a bigger portion of that 1/2, 1/4 of the plate is starch, 1/4 of the plate protein, and your 1 serving of dairy in a glass.

I'm sure there are other versions, but, I see a problem with all of these plans.  Growing children at different stages of growth have different needs.  You can't lump all elementary school children into one group.  A kindergartener who is small is going to eat a lot less than a 5th grader who hit their pre-teen growth spurt early...  Adults in their 20s have different needs than those who are in their 80s.  Men and women have different needs.  Athletes and couch potatoes have different needs.  So, how do we know, based on this information?  More educating yourself...  Or be able to hire a personal trainer.  There are a LOT of issues that you need to take into the fact that we are all individual, and you should always discuss any drastic changes with your primary care physician.  If your doctor refuses to work with you, maybe you need to find another one who will.

Then there are the health ailments you need to take into account...  Got cardio-vascular issues?  You may need a "heart healthy" diet, which reduces the amount of salt you take in, or, you may have cholesterol issues and need to lower the amount of fat in your diet...  Or even both.  Of course, changing the way you eat this way is not always easy...  Salt can make the flavors of your food blend better, or you have to cook it slower for longer.  Fat also adds that flavor, and it's easy to miss those flavors, and to all of a sudden you have to use spices you've never heard of to put the flavor in it...  But that is okay.  To learn, think about what you are cooking, and what flavors you are looking for.  Let your nose do your bidding.  Yes.  Open those spices up, and take a good sniff.  If it smells like it would go good with what you're cooking, put some in.  Start small.  You can always add more.  Once it's in, you can't take it out.  You'll be surprised with what you can come up with by making your nose do some of the work for you.  It's fun.

If you're diabetic, you need to watch out for those carbs...  They get you in many different ways.  The more processed, the worse it is.  White generic bread, which includes Wonder bread, is the worst type.  Generic wheat is a little  better, but not much.  Cracked wheat is much better, and there are multigrains, ancient grains, etc.  The more complex, the better.  But, different flours are not created equal.  Buckwheat flour is quite healthy, and semolina is fairly healthy, yet other ones are not as healthy.  Not all whole grains are created equal, either.  Oatmeal is a super grain even as oatmeal cookies.  But it has to be old fashioned or steel cut.  Instant oatmeal is a junk food not much healthier than Suzie Q's, so be careful.  What you eat does affect how your body can deal with it.

Then, if you're an organ recipient, and have to take anti-rejection medicines, you have to watch other foods.  There is also the issue of kidney failure, where you have to watch your potassium (vitamin K) intake, and it's not easy to keep everything straight, if you have multiple issues going on.  Again, important to talk to your doctor.  If your doctor isn't working with you, get a different one.

As a person with multiple health issues myself, I refuse to just sit back and let my ailments take over my life.  What ever I can do, I will...  But, I also realize that with what I have, I need to get help from medical personnel.  Just eating right and exercising is not easy, for the fact that I have chronic pain issues that started 31 years ago as a teen, which only lasted a couple days, and about 18 years ago, became 24/7.  It's progressive.  Every year, I can compare from a year ago, and know it's worse now, than it was a year ago.  So, while lifting weights may be out of the question, doesn't mean I can't go swim.  I do what I can.  As a diabetic, I know what I need to stay away from.  Having a genetic disorder called 16p11.2 microdeletion, where just eating less is near impossible, and losing weight is a two fold issue of increased appetite and lowered metabolism.  I'm not giving up.  So far, I've lost 50#s.  I still have a ways to go, but, I am doing what I can to move it along the best I can.  Type 1 is when your pancreas does not make ANY insulin at all.  Most people with this have it when they are very young, but, can occur anytime.  Type 2 is when you either don't make enough insulin, or receptors are not working properly, or your insulin isn't efficient, or any combo.  This is more common today, yet it is not new.

All of these issues can affect different people differently, and the fact that there is so much corn syrup hidden in bread, candy, soda, etc.  GMO.  Processing the nutrition out.  Staying away from fast food.  What is safe or not to your health.  Yes, you have to spend more money on healthier food.  While sure, somethings are easier, such as trading your bag of chips for a bag of apples, or putting down the soda for water.  But, what about breads, and lean ground beef vs. fatty?  90% lean usually what, $4.49/lb?  More?  73% lean hamburger is $2.99/lb.  Bologna is relatively cheap.  Lean chicken breast w/o addatives is relatively expensive.  It's crazy.

Once upon a time, when people were hunter/gatherers, or even old school farmers, people ate a lot of fatty foods, and didn't think much about it.  Now, that there are modern conveniences and such, we are not so lucky.  Part of it is that our biology and physiology has not caught up with technology.  We can't eat like those who used to migrate on foot, w/o getting more exercise.  Does this mean that diseases didn't exist before?  I bet they did, just not as prominent, because they ate real food back then, plus they worked hard to get it.

But if you figure...  Do you know that diabetes has been found and studied for a couple thousand years? And think.  They didn't have highly processed foods back then.  Obesity wasn't as prominent.  People were more active.  Everyone was poor or middle class.  Today, there are such wide spread poverty, it's not funny.

So...  We have government agencies like the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Institute for Health (NIH), Occupational Health & Health Administration (OSHA), National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) among many others that oversee the many different aspects of industries and life in this country.  As governmental agencies, they do not directly benefit from big corporations.  Money may be given to legislators, or maybe a group can lobby hard, but, for the most part, these agencies are government run, and just like anything else, may or may not have the most current information.  I would not say they are corrupt, though are not perfect, either.

The health care industry, on the other hand, can be crooked.  I remember when I had regular insurance, all of a sudden, tons of different places wanted to vie for my business of treating my back pain.  The red carpet rolled out.  As we lost income and went back onto medicaid, the red carpet was taken back, just to say screw it.  What is crazy...  Yes, I agree that those who are able to work should, and I am able, in an office setting.  To expand my scope, my back needs to be better.  To have the better back, I need a job that pays well and can afford to get the treatments.  But to work those jobs, I need to have my back better.  Since it is bad, I am on medicaid, which won't pay for the treatments because I should pay for it...  Catch 22.  Wish I was better.  I'd be wonder woman for sure.  But, I aim to do what I can, and hope for the best, although my patience is definitely tried, and tried hard.

Got questions?  I might have answers.  If not, I'll find out.  Ask away in comments.  Thanks.

A Rant About Ethnic Food Recipe: Can We Keep the Flavor Yet Make It Healthier?

Hello, my loyal readers, I'm hoping to help everyone be able to enjoy good foods, especially if your doctor told you that you had to lose weight, and sends you to a dietician or nutritionist.  Mind you, I am all about trying to eat healthy, but at the same time, also to allow us to enjoy our favorite foods, especially our ethnic foods.  Don't forget, I do not have a kitchen, I have a science lab where I create tasty food that is also nutritiously balanced.

Granted, these days, you can get some really good tips and a list of stuff you try to still eat a healthier version of things, such as whole grain pasta and ultra grain tortillas.  But, my biggest complaint about all of these tips, is if you eat the "typical" middle American types of food, you're in luck, these lists, suggestions, tips, etc are like hitting the jackpot.  But....  What if you are from a different ethnic background, or a multi-ethnic background?  Here is what many "food experts" say, and I take this from a multitude of Certified Nutritionists, Registered Dieticians, Nurse Diabetic Educators, and online sources such as Mayo Clinic, is that the highest rate of obesity related diabetes occur in our Latino/Hispanic, Asian American, and African American ethnic groups...  Mostly because in many of these cuisines, they are either carb heavy and/or high in fat.

Why does this happen?  When talking Mexican food, the carbohydrates come from the tortillas (flour is a worse offender than the corn), Spanish rice, and the refried beans (legumes are a starchy protein) which are fried in bacon fat or some other form of lard or saturated fat.  In many Asian restaurants, there is a high amount of sugar in the sauces, and of course, there is always rice, some even breaded and deep fried...  Soul Food consists of BBQ'd ribs (fatty), fried chicken, collard greens cooked with pork hocks, and the barbecue sauces are often high in sugar or corn syrup as well.  All of these foods are delicious, but, in their usual format, not very healthy.

Unfortunately, when we ask our "experts", they are usually of the American country cooking types, who have NO idea how to do these ethnic foods correctly, nor how to honestly use better swaps to make it better.  For example, I had one nutritionist, who just thought she was all that and a cute bag of chips, too, tell me that to make Spanish rice, to just use a tablespoon of salsa with the rice.  So I asked her how she would prepare that...  I think she said something like making rice on the stove top, with plain water, and when you put it on your plate, to put the salsa on...  So I mentioned that I don't want to use cold salsa or room temp either, because it takes away from having hot rice, and getting a good blend of flavor to make it still feel authentic when doing it that way.  She asks me how the salsa can be cold.  Um.  I buy a jar of salsa...  Use it with tacos...  The remainder of the salsa goes into the fridge because it's opened...  So, a few days later, I want Spanish rice, and so I take the open one out of the fridge...  Because it's been in there, it's refrigerated, so the salsa is cold, and you said to use 1 TBS on the rice...  So she says to just put it into the sauce pot...  I tell her I use a rice cooker, and I want the measurements, because 1 TBS is not going to be enough for the amount of rice, she says just to put as much as I want...  *sigh*  so I ask her, if she has any suggestions, and she snaps at me about how she just gave me one, and I'm being difficult...  

Okay, but, for those of us whose cultural foods which utilize rice or cous cous, knows that having these whole grains means that it has to be the right texture...  As in, if you use 1.5 cups of water to 1 cup of rice, you don't want to use the whole 1.5 cups of water AND a 1/2 jar of salsa to cook that rice, unless we want soggy food...  No, we do NOT want soggy rice, it is the medium as to which the rest of the meal revolves around, especially for someone like me, who was born and raised in Tokyo for 8 years, and the word "gohan" (Think the vowels of Gold Bond - go like the go in gold, han rhymes with bon in bond) means rice, but it also is used to mean "meal".  Imperfect rice is just NOT acceptable.  At all.  I also think that it is completely silly of these people that they think everyone should make the foods so, well, WHITE!  When you want Mexican food, you want Mexican food.  You don't want Taco Bell.  You don't necessarily even want Tex-Mex.  You want bonafied, authentic, real deal Mexican food that slaps your taste buds the only way these flavorful foods can.  But, if you need to lose weight, or need to lower cholesterol, you know you need to make these adjustments for your own sake, so you can keep taking care of family members.

What I am attempting to do, is to try to take at least a couple of these recipes, and keep the honest to goodness flavors in there, while making it better for your health, so you can feel good about serving your favorite people the foods they love while making the move toward being a stronger people.  I say this, because, if you have to use exercise to offset your eating habits, there is something wrong with your eating habits.  It's a good balance of eating well, loving what you eat, and exercising to take you that extra mile toward a holistic healthy of mind, body and soul.

So, here it is...  These are not perfected, but, these are at least a slight improvement of family favorites to serve.

Sesame Chicken:
     Marinade:
2 TBS Soy Sauce
1 TBS Sake - dry
2 tsp Sesame Oil
3/4 tsp Mrs. Dash
1 tsp fresh ginger juice
     Mix well.

1 lb  boneless/skinless chicken breast, in 1" cubes
     Marinade at least 1/2 hour (longer is okay)

10 minutes before you're going to cook, add the white of an uncooked egg

5 - 6 TBS of Arrow Root flour or Water Chestnut starch

Deep fry in hot peanut oil.  Drip dry 1st on cooling rack, then paper towel lined baking sheets. 

Serve with steamed rice and a spinach salad

Tacos:
1 lb 90% lean ground beef
1 -  15oz can of vegetarian refried beans
1 medium onion, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, minced
1 TBS cumin (to taste)
3 TBS cilantro (to taste)
Lime juice - varies, to taste/cookware
Red pepper flakes to taste

Brown ground beef with the onion 
Add the peppers/spices
When meat is almost all done, add refried beans*
As the mixture becomes tacky and difficult to handle, use lime juice to de-glaze pan to add & blend flavors together

I do not use salt, because the can of beans has enough sodium, plus using other spices lessens the need for salt.

*I do not drain the 90%, because SOME fat need to be able to absorb into the beans, and because the grease will be minimal, it is better for you than rendered bacon fat.

Don't forget to top it with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and your favorite garden salsa.

Rice Pilaf:
18 oz risotto or Jasmine rice
26 oz low sodium/99% fat free chicken broth 
1 small onion, minced
parsley flakes to taste

Mix well, steam in rice cooker

In a skillet, heat olive oil, saute to get that fried/crusty flavor

(Yes, I do it in reverse order)

If you have any requests for your favorite foods, let me know, I'll see if I can find a way to polish it up, and then give it back to you for you to try it out, and let me know if it passes your test.

Japanese Egg-Roll “Lasagna”

I am a mad scientist. It isn’t so much that I am good at usual types of science. I did not fare very well in high school biology. I couldn’t even dissect a fish properly to show the brain well. It could have been used as a commercial about a fish brain on drugs. Chemistry wasn’t much better, and after 2 lab station fires and a threat to be kicked out, I switched to my sister’s class. The crazy thing? She was a freshman. I was a senior. And I needed her as a lab partner to get my grade in chemistry. 

 

 

Sorry... I digress... But yes. My kitchen isn’t a kitchen. It isn’t even a test kitchen. No. My kitchen is a science lab, and I am the mad scientist. I am no doctor. I just love to cook, and come up with some crazy stuff.

 

 

 

A while back, I made Italian Egg-rolls. I made the usual meatball mixture, and wrapped it in egg-roll wraps, deep fried them, and put my awesome spaghetti sauce on it. Those were delicious. So, anyway, I went to make my egg-rolls. I didn’t have wraps, and the store was out. So, I decided to make lasagna noodles with some more of the semolina flour, and this time? Perfecto! So here is the deal....

 

 

Eggroll ingredients: 1# ground pork; 6 cups shredded cabbage (I like Napa, but it’s your choice); 1/4 cup shredded carrot; 3/4 cup minced dry shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted; 1/2 bag of fresh bean sprouts, minced; 3 tsp sesame oil; 2 tsp soy sauce; 1 tsp fresh squeezed ginger juice; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp Accent; a drizzle of chili oil. Blend, let rest.

 

 

Roll out your fresh dough, after chilling for 30 minutes. Make them thin, and layer them in. between each layer of dough, place your egg-roll mixture. Make a sauce with soy sauce, the water from the mushrooms, shredded pickled ginger, some Dashi, and a splash of teriyaki sauce. Bring to a boil, simmer 10 minutes. Pour into baking pan with lasagna, bake 45 minutes. Serve with a side of soy sauce to dip each biteful in, and rice with pickles.

 

 

It wasn’t bad. It actually worked, in a weird sort of way, even though the egg-roll taste was spot on, the flavor is different from when we deep fry it. Next time, I will make the pasta to use as the wrap to fry. With what is left, I will use with other flour to bake a loaf of bread. I even used a little hemp seeds in with the flour. I come up with weird things, but, they are interesting. You can never be bored with the food here. It’s always a game, and a scientific experiment, and I have 3 willing guinea pigs willing to be my taste testers. Welcome aboard to the place where people are encouraged to play with their food.

Life, Love, and Eat - A Celebration and Mourning

Life can be strange.  But, as social beings, there is a certain level of need to love and be loved, to be accepted by someone, hopefully more than just one person, and how we seem to use food, you know, that glorious stuff that has our taste buds wanting to taste, that mouth watering, honest to goodness food, the way it was meant to be eaten...




Anyway, though.  I went and picked up my friend Nancy, who is right about my mom's age, and is a really neat woman.  She is legally blind, and has end stage renal failure (her kidneys are on the fritz).  She is always so appreciative of anything I do for or with her, that she considers herself blessed that we are friends.

Now, mind you.  Nancy is one of these people who has a sense of humor, and she is gritty, witty, and definitely can keep you on your toes.  I love the fact that she is a bit grainy, and has broken social rules of other women who are of her peers.  So, of course being me, I actually enjoy her company, and I really think that honestly, I am the one who is blessed to have her, as opposed to the other way around.  I know, I know...  It means a lot for those who otherwise can't get out.  But, of course, I am good at loving other people.  I'm not always good at accepting it from others.

Anyway, we went to this place called Honey Bees II for lunch, and she treated.  The food there is good.  Mostly it's American comfort food.  But it's GOOD comfort food.  It's one of the spots we like to go to, since it's affordable as well.  We went to Goodwill to shop afterwards, and we both found a few things, so that was good.  We had fun, and will be making plans again soon.  Life is precious, so it's important to spend it with the people who mean something to you.  I recently lost another friend, who was only 34, and has a young son who is fatherless.  Aaron was the type of guy who truly loved people.  I hurt for his little boy.  The fact that someone who is healthy can be taken away from you suddenly is reason to make sure you stay connected.

Ever wonder how it seems as if we celebrate life with food, and we mourn life with food, also?  Meal time is the time that we can get people sitting around the table together.  No matter who the other people are, when you're sitting around the table together with a meal or a snack or even just tea time, you are family during that time.  So, we should serve good food, right?  Absolutely.  And the fact that weight issues are affecting health conditions, we need to make it healthy, as well.

So, of course, I came home, to do my lasagna...  It came out good.  But, I definitely do not have the skills needed to do pasta dough correctly.  The flavor was good, the color was right, but the texture?  Oh, no.  but no worries.  I used it anyway, figuring that the semolina flour wasn't exactly cheap.  So it was more like pasta dumplings that got layered in between the layers of meat and cheese.  Good cheese.  The cheese filling consisted of fresh and made at the store, feta cheese (yes, I realize it's Greek, not Italian), and also provolone cheese, and a little each of Asiago and Romano cheeses, which were grated together, with an egg, garlic and parsley mixed in.  The 93% lean ground meat had Asiago and Romano cheeses as well as oregano, basil, parsley, pepper, and an egg to keep it together.

So, while the texture was all off, I used it anyway, and made kind of like a pasta dumpling crust along the sides, and the lasagna is perfect, don't you think?  It's delicious!  I think this is by far, the best lasagna that I have ever made, and this could be served, as is, as long as there is a statement saying that the pasta is a little doughy like dumplings.

Of course, because I had all of these different ingredients, I also made sarma, a Serbian style stuffed cabbage rolls.  Because the cabbage leaves have to be fermented, like sauerkraut, but not shredded, I make my own.  In the past, I was simmering a whole head of cabbage in the pickling kettle, then removing the leaves.  I found that the outer leaves, which are used to line the bottom of the pan for the rolls to go on were more like kraut, and the leaves near the center was still mostly like cabbage.  So, I removed the leaves first, and pickled in batches to get it all in.  It was a 2 day process, because you have to salt them, first.  

Sarma is ground pork, and the seasonings include mild paprika, garlic powder, salt, seasonings, and other spices such as tumeric if you wish, and I usually just use the seasoning packets, that I will keep a secret...  ;)  You also need to put rice in there, to help the mixture stick together and hold up.  I also put a little extra of the pickling juices at the bottom, so the steam can cook the rice.  Here they are, and serve with rice pilaf or corn, for a full meal.

Don't forget to put a layer of the leaves across the top, so it keeps the moisture in, and doesn't get the rolls dark or crispy.  This is something that is better the next day.  Feel free to use some sour cream to go with this.  We will be having this tomorrow for dinner, and probably Friday's lunch.  Of course, visitors will be offered food, because feeding people is the same as showing them the love.

Because not all leaves are meant for rolling, since I was on a roll (sorry, bad pun), I also pickled the rest as Korean kimchee, which uses the sriracha to spice up the fermented cabbage.  Just remember, fermented foods can help your digestive tract.  It's good for you.  So, here is my end result...  My very home made kimchee, where the cabbage heads were turned into sauerkraut leaves first, after sitting in salt overnight, and then cooked, and rolled around the sarma, and then the kimchee...

Isn't that beautiful?  Yes, I did all of this today.  Well, the suku (Italian for spaghetti sauce) was made yesterday, but the rest, including the pasta dumpling noodles, were done today.  Then the pickling of the cabbage, making the mix, and cooking the cabbage rolls, and the Korean pickled cabbage...  

I know, I am strange, because my cooking is from 3 different parts of the world, sort of, with Western Europe being represented with Italian, Eastern Europe with Serbian, and the Far East with Korea...  but, it's all good.  I was having an okay back day, though I hope I didn't over do it, in which case, I may be paying dearly for this the next day or three...  I hope not, but, glad I got this done.

So, if you are at my house, or I invite you, this means I want to love you by feeding you...  No need for anything back, just let me love you by cooking for you, and you can love me back by eating what I made for you.