Mom Was Right! The Delight of Good Food Fixed at Home

 D.D. means Doctor of Divinity or Dunkin' Dried-Out-Donuts.

Here is the epitome of evil - using a cute photo to promote donuts!

As many know, Sassy loves to go in the car for errands. Most of them involve Walmart and end with McDonalds nearby. Sassy is so anxious for her cone that she interrupts my order.

"I want a small plain hamb... - bark, bark - burger and - bark, bark, bark, a - bark - what was that? - and a cone - BARK!" The last bark features her special, dramatic, cracked voice, dying of hunger plea.

Several regular workers adore her. They even provide some whipped cream (so-called) if the cone machine is not working.

My mother's cousin used to visit and tell us about how she calculated the cost per meal on the farm when the workers came for the harvest. I applied that to McDonalds and home cooking. The cost results were not favorable for McDonalds, and the nutritional value was definitely lacking.

Someone noted that people shift reality when buying things. A burger for $5 is cheap, but a package of cheese for $5 is expensive.

Food for two people and a dog at McDonalds, three times a week, is equal to a weekly order of Schwan's delivered to the door. Worst of all for McDonalds, the quality contrast is dreadful.

The doctor told me I was slightly low on potassium, and low potassium decreases energy.  Dr. Google informed me that it was related to my blood sugar being high (the effect of looking at and responding to those color photos of ice cream on the Schwan's Food website).

I have to cut way back on useless but delicious carbos - and increase potassium, and other minerals. So I became the cook and looked up some nutritional values. I am listing them here and sticky-posting for my own use and to inform others.

Christina has been in shock that I enjoy cooking so much (the French side of the family) and happily clean up the kitchen. It's the old adage - If required: it's a chore; if a hobby - it's fun and not work.

• Salmon is highly regarded for good health, and chicken is an inexpensive substitute for salty beef burgers with salty Crisco fries.
• Butter has many benefits - margarine none. Coconut oil is great for cooking and is easily digested.
• Diet soda is best replaced by tea and black pour-over coffee. 
• Spinach is a great source of iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, Vitamin A and K.
• Broccoli is an excellent source of Vitamin C, but oranges taste better.
• Brussel sprouts are full of Vitamin C and K.
• Walnuts are considered a wonder food, for all the nutrition and benefits from them.
• High potassium foods start with white beans at the top of the list. Potatoes are full of nutrition, including potassium, but they are cooked to death at food emporiums.
• Eggs make a great, quick meal. They contain a lot of minerals, very good protein, and satisfy for many hours.
• Magnesium and potassium work together. Legumes (beans, peanuts) are good 
• This is a list of good foods to eat when defeating diabetes or pre-diabetes.

Glycemic Rating

Low Glycemic

Some foods increase blood sugar, while others do not. To reduce blood sugar, low glycemic foods are better.

1. Whole wheat and pumpernickel bread
2. Oatmeal
3. Fruits and vegetables, though some are less so (string beans lower glycemic than other beans).

Chocolate is a health food! << See link.

High Glycemic

1. White bread, bagels
2. Rice, breakfast cereal (flour plus sugar)
3. Pretzels, crackers, crunchy snacks
4. Melons and pineapple

 I prescribe walnuts and eggs, chicken and green vegetables, butter and coconut oil, chicken and grilled salmon. Low energy? - white beans for potassium.

We Watched the Debate and Then Played Hymns. "You Broadcast Services?!"

 Someone created this graphic so I did not have to do it. I thought of this pair during the debate and I hardly ever watched the Muppets show.

Ranger Bob came over Sunday afternoon, so we drank coffee outside. The recent rain filled the wheelbarrow, and I neglected to empty it. This morning, the rain is pouring down again at 5 am.

We watched the Biden Sanders debate and it reminded me of the old fashioned style of root canal surgery - long, slow, and painful.

Later we watched hymns over YouTube. I now have three books on hymns from the Lutheran Librarian, so I am going to read and mark them for future services.

We had Ustream worship service, as usual, and people have been remarking that we were way ahead of the other churches. Relatively few broadcast their services. The cost is very small.

We had phone conferencing at first. Brett Meyer suggested streaming video over the Net, but I was reluctant to start. However, a video camera arrived in the mail at our home in Phoenix, and Christina set up an altar area. Brett thought weekly services were the way to go and soon Alicia Meyer (his mother) emailed, "We are having Advent midweek services, aren't we?" I responded, "Of course!"

Several people commented on the National Day of Prayer service, before and after. Weather keeps some from going to church, and the Wu-flu alerts shut many congregations down. There are many times when people cannot attend a particular Sunday, so I am surprised relatively few use the Internet to broadcast.

My post on Facebook led a long-time Moline friend to exclaim, "You broadcast worship services?" I link the Sunday service every week, midweek and Ascension Day too. I continue to use the three classic rules of learning - repetition, repetition, repetition.

 A massive gathering of LCMS-WELS-ELS came to the Emmaus Conference to hear Jay Webber and Jon-Boy Buchholz deny Justification by Faith.