yummy time

here are some recipes. they're super good!

pesto -
8 sun-dried tomoato pieces, not packed in oil
1/2 c. water2 cloves garlic
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach
1/2 c. shelled walnut pieces
1/2 c. already grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 c. sliced black olives
1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil

place the sun-dried tomoatoes in a 2-cup glass measure and add the water. microwave 1 1/2 minutes, covered on high, or until the water boils. remove tomoateos from microwave and let them stand in the water to soften, about 5 minutes.

place peeled garlic in food processor, process until minced, about 30 seconds.
microwave frozen spinach for 5 minutes.

add walnuts to the processor with the garlic and pulse until the nuts are finely chopped, about 1 minute. add parmesan, basil, and salt into the processor.

drain tomatoes, add them, along with thawed spinach and its juice, and the olives. process until finely chopped, stopping once to scrape the sides of the bowl. then scrape again. then with the motor running (and cover back on), slowly add the oil (in a thin stream) thru the feed tube. continue to process until thoroughly combined (about 30 seconds). if you want it a little thinner, add water, a tablespoon at a time. (i've been adding about 3-5 T of water). soooo good.
put it on spaghetti or other pasta. we've also been spreading the pesto on frech bread and then putting the bread in the oven for about 10 minutes. good stuff.

taco salads (so good) -
tortillas
chili powder
1 lb (ish) lean ground beef
1 c. match-like carrot sticks
3/4 c. chunky salsa
2 T mayo (light if you want)
Salad
tomato (if you want)
shredded mexican style cheese
fresh cilantro

heat the oven to 425. Crumple large sheets of foil to make balls; place on baking sheet. place 1 tortilla on top of each ball (we made 4 tortillas). spray each tortilla with cooking spray, then sprinkle a bit of chili powder over them. bake 6-8 minutes or until tops are golden brown. (the tortillas will drape over the balls as they bake.)

brown meat with carrots and about 1T chili powder. after it's browned, add 1/2 c. salsa; cook 2 minutes or until heated thru.

mix mayo and 1/4 c. salsa in large bowl. add salad and tomatoes; toss to coat. spoon into tortilla shells; top with meat; cheese, and cilantro.
very good.

The power of tea

Hey everyone,

I enjoyed reading all of your responses to the question about life extension. I agree with all of your thoughts, and think that quality of life is always the important thing to keep in focus.

I wanted to share an interesting thing I came across in the book that is of particular relevance to us Webster's. It says that the American Heart Association reported a study that found that, "drinking at least two cups of tea a day reduced the risk of dying from a heart attack by a remarkable 44 percent." Apparently this applies to black and green teas, but not to herbal ones. And, sorry Ben Web, but not to sweetened teas or Arnold Palmers. Anyway, I don't like tea, but think this is a good reason to try to develop a taste for it.

Hannah, not sure what to give you as a good recipe. Jaime and I will try to think of one that you might like.

Water Aerobics!

I am to be a water aerobics instructor. I think that is the funniest thing I have ever heard and I am really excited about it! I wish I could play the Kanye West Workout Song, but I have a feeling that the water aerobics demographic will not be super into it. Shoot. Does anyone have any delicious recipes? I want to cook something awesome. Jaime, any vegetarian treats?

happy birthday to a lighter caleb!

Caleb,
Happy birthday (a day late)! I hope you had an awesome day yesterday. I was thinking of you. Which leads me to thinking of your and your questions regarding if we'd want to live forever (ish). I agree that I would like those around me to live forever, or at least as long as I do. Losing Dad was awful and if I could avoid ever grieving like that again, I would like to. But, I can't say that living forever would be so radical. Things are supposed to have their end, right? Also, logistically, I don't think our planet could support all of us if we all kept living, reproducing, then they kept living, and then they reproduced, and so on and so on. I think the other issue with prolonging life is that we need to have a society in which the quality of life is better as well. While my life is amazing, thanks in most parts to our family, there is a level of violence and poverty out there in the world that scare me. Would it be that only those who could afford to would live long lives, but the mentally ill homeless people or the poverty-stricken inner-city people would die young? The disparity in income levels would be even more disgusting in that case. That's my thoughts.

On a lighter note, what did you do for your birthday, Caleb? I can't believe you're 26! One memory of you I keep having is in shorts, socks pulled up to your knees, and an army cap. You were a so lanky and goofy. You still kind of are, eh?

Love you!

Mi familia,
The weather has changed! I am so thankful to have the sun back as a part of my life. Along with the sun comes a bright new attitude. Along with this bright new attitude comes a bright new outlook and a craving for healthier foods. Jaime, I bet that with summer coming you will find those last ten pounds melting away. I am so excited to be able to go outside and not feel like my hands are going to freeze off or I am going to fall on my face.
Caleb, I have thought about those ideas before and I totally agree that I want everyone around me to live until I am long gone, but I don't necessarily see the allure of living forever. I do want to have a high quality of life while I am alive though, I want to be able to swim in the ocean, to go for a run, to take a hike, to play with Evey (and all my future nieces and nephews), to do my own housework, to breathe the air and fully appreciate what the world has to offer. I think that in order to fully appreciate life you have to be able to do the things you enjoy. I enjoy watching a movie every now and again, but the thought of that being my daily routine makes me sick. Also, there is something so beautiful about knowing that you are using your muscles and feeding your body what it craves (fruit, chicken, sausage (Heather remembers), a cookie, etc) when it craves it. I guess ultimately for me being healthy is being in tune with my body, listening to it, respecting it, nurturing it, and most importantly loving it. I am intrigued by the mediterranean diet and what you were saying reminded me of that. If you guys move here I will get a cookbook and cooks delicious meals for you. If you don't move here, I will cook them for myself, it would be lonely.
I love you guys. Have a great day!
P.S. Missoula has made me new age. I am moving into a hippie commune with only organic foods after finals week. Cage free eggs all the way.
I would let you try my meals during visits, not all would be lost.

Sorry

So, I only have another week or two of hula. It's fun and something that I have enjoyed doing on Thursday evenings. But these hips don't lie...it's not a natural motion for me.

I have been hitting the gym again. Biking and my usual set and lift classes.

But I just can't knock off these last ten lbs. I am not having the same luck as everyone else.

Recommendations?

Fantastic Voyage

Here's an attempt at adding some spice to the blog.

I'm reading a book right now called Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever.  It's by a technological forecaster, Ray Kurzweil, and a family practitioner, Terry Grossman.  The authors are extremely optimistic about the future of medical technology to not only radically extend our lifespans, but eventually to eradicate death altogether.  My friend Collin recommended the book to me.  He is interested in the religious implications of this new trend of "radical life extension."  Of course, all religions have tended to shun on the human attempt to transcend death.  According to religion, immortality belongs to the divine realm and not to this one.  At the very least, immortality is attainable through one's spirit, but not through one's body.  I think it is all very fascinating, and it seems like a place where science and religion will really butt heads over the years to come.  Medicine is always about extending life, and all of us subscribe to that goal to an extent.  We would never go to a doctor to find ways to live a shorter, less fulfilling life.  But there is something about trying to avoid death that seems to fly in the face of the religious messages we hear again and again.  So, where do you all place yourself in this issue?  Do we need to have a balance between the two positions of religion and medicine?  What is the proper age to want our bodies to last until?  What is the point of having our bodies in great shape?  For the authors of the book, it is so that they can live long enough for the technology to arrive to allow them to live indefinitely.  I think that it is also interesting to think about it in terms of other people: I may not want to live forever, but I want all of you and Grandpa and Grandma, etc. to all continue living for a long, long time.

Anyway, thought that might give some food for thought.  I actually really recommend the book to all of you, not only because it has some thought provoking statements on life extension ("The idea that aging and dying are inevitable is deeply rooted, but this age-old perspective will gradually change as gene therapies are successfully demonstrated over the next two decades."), but also because they give a lot of information about the science behind how our bodies work, and what sort of things to do to optimize our health.  For instance, I knew that omega-3 was a good supplement for our heart issues, but this book explains the differences between different kinds of fats, and notes that much of the reason that an omega-3 supplement is important in todays world is that the less beneficial omega-6 fat outweighs omega-3 in a typical American diet by as much as 25-1.  Apparently the relationship was much more balanced a hundred years ago before fast food and the abundance of artificial foods.  The point is that the supplement is good, but it is most beneficial if the bad fats are drastically reduced as well.  Anyway, the book has some good stuff in it, and is thought provoking to boot.

So, please everyone, share your thoughts on life extension, and what for you is the very purpose of good health.

Updates

Hey fam,
Well first of all - CONGRATS, Caleb! Twenty lbs is a big deal! And we're not even that far into 2008. Great work! I'm very proud. And mom, good stuff on losing some weight as well. I don't have a scale, but I'm feeling pretty good too.

And I couldn't agree more that Hannah has been adding some nice flavor and spice to this blog. Good work, sister.

In keeping with our healthy theme, I thought I'd let you know that Evey's ears are "looking great" according to the doc we saw today. She's having some bad tummy troubles b/c of the antibiotics and I really wanted the doc to tell us she could stop before her 10 days were up. No dice - she has to finish. But, I'm hoping that this will be the last ear infection of her year. So, she's getting healthy too. Plus, she loves hummus so I think she could live the vegetarian life with Caleb and Jaime if she wanted.

I'm still walking 3 times a week. It's been going great. I love getting out in the early mornings (who would've thought I would EVER have said that) and it's really fun getting to chat with Becky so much. I've also been trying to make sure I am eating plenty of veggies/fruits, and I've been trying to watch my sodium intake. Also, I've been chasing Evey around everywhere. She doesn't like to pull herself up on the things she should, but likes the scary glass coffee table or the bathtub (when she's in it), so I think that is helping my activity level.

Love you all so much!
~ Heather
p.s. Jaime - how's hula going?

20 lb mark

Hey all,

Thought I would share with you that as of today I have lost 20 lbs. since the new year. It hasn't been terribly difficult. I've just been trying to go a little faster and farther each day on my runs, and Jaime and I have done a pretty good job of eating healthy. So, now I'm at 263, and almost halfway to my new year's resolution goal of 240. It felt really good to get out of the 270's, and I think it will be even better to see the 250's. A few weeks ago I said I was shooting for 260 by the end of March, which didn't happen, obviously, but I still feel very positive about my progress.

Hannah, thanks for the motivational blog. I'm sorry I haven't been posting anything for awhile. I actually haven't fallen off the wagon or anything; I'm just not sure what to write to keep things interesting on here. I'll work on it. I'll try to make my next post a little more creative. But Hannah, you are an inspiration to us all with your positive approach to health and life in general, so thanks.

Mom, good job on losing some weight. I know you've been working hard this year to get healthy so I'm glad you have some good numbers to show for it.

Alright, I'm off to talk to our dean about my thoughts on leaving the program and finding out what my options are. Good job to everyone, and good luck on making this a healthy week, however that may take shape.

Finally Losing

I am happy to report I have lost a few pounds this week, finally, with a little help from my new doctor, Brenda Kirkland. She took pity on me and prescribed an appetite suppressant and it is working. I'm still eating right and exercising, but I get full faster. I am still taking fish oil tablets too. I will only take the appetite pills for a couple months. I walked outside last night, but it was too cold to imagine a beach.
Hannah, I love your writing. Keep up the good work!

Why do they call it a hamstring?

Heather. You have become my motivation. I have been going for early morning runs this week (cue to shock from all family members, especially Ben Sather). I love it. I can see why you do it, the world is peaceful, there are deer everywhere, so close in fact I nearly ran into one Monday morning, hardly any cars, and even better you feel so accomplished by 8 a.m. It is crazy. The running has led me to a lot of time for thinking about the world and two things have been really bugging me. 1. Why in the world is it called a hamstring, it's creepy, I don't like a part of my body sharing a name with the product of pig. And 2. Women's suffrage in 1919 wasn't really for all women, I would be pissed if I were an African American women and taught that womens suffrage happened in 1919. Hell, I'm not even an African American women and I am pissed. So there you go, fuel for your workouts.
Love to you all.
Also, please start updating, I get tired of reading my own blogs. Caleb, I want to hear about your running and classes. Are you going to become a step aerobics junkie? Jaime, are you nearly the new Shakira? Heather, updates, have you taken to wearing ankle weights and t-shirts that say "World's Best Mom?"... Mom, the walks, are they long and romantic? Do you imagine you are on a beach walking towards the sunset where a nice table shall be set for you with fine wine and brie? Ben, what is track like? Are you dominating?