Soaking Grains

We're back with Fun Fact Friday!!!
Last night, I tried to remake my [amazing, if I do say so myself] super grainy nutty crunchy high protein chocolatey chip cookies.
I like to soak and dehydrate nuts and seeds for these cookies, and snacking in general. But this time I soaked the grains: quinoa, millet and oats, overnight before mixing the dough.

"Why????"

 I'm so glad you asked!!!!

The highly acclaimed "whole grain" is not the hero you thought it was. Grains have an enzyme inhibitor that prohibits easy digestion. They also have this phytic acid (huh?) that makes the great nutrients get all clogged up and so they can't absorb into your bloodstream. You can read the more official research here.

Yessir, you can soak pretty much ANY flour/ grain to improve digestibility and nutrient absorptivity (actually a real word). It's great for pancakes, breads, and muffins, and it makes rice and quinoa and millet cook faster!


Unfortunately, the cookies weren't what I remembered them to be. So I may keep doing them the 'normal' way.

twit

today i joined twitter.

what is this world coming to?
i don't think i will tweet, just stalk. so if you think i should stalk you, let me know. x_and_ria is my name on there... 

shake, rattle, & roll

There was an earthquake in Virginia today. It really shook up the east coast, from gridlock in New York to government evacuations in DC and down to North Carolina.

goodbye

Bonpa has had some health issues in the past.

He was diagnosed with lung cancer about 3 weeks ago. They said he had 3 weeks to live and he died 2 weeks after that (last Saturday). He lost body functions quickly. I think he waited for all of his children to arrive and say goodbye.  

tears

He was such a wonderful man, great father and husband, it's sad to see him go. 

But we know he is in a better place now, and without pain or shame.  

He's where he would want to be, 

at the foot of the Lord whom he served.

I want to be like my Bonpa, always loving, always asking the important questions, and making a joke. He served in prison ministry well into his 80's. He held his wife's hand until his dying day. 

photo by Michelle Young ---www.endearingstudios.com

This is how I will remember him, squeezing my shoulders firmly, but gently, looking into my eyes

with a  a slight squint, real smile, and a hint of a laugh.

I will fly out tonight: To Iceland, then the Netherlands.

I will take a train to Belgium on Friday when I arrive. 

I will see all my sweet relatives.

I will miss my darling husband. 

I will cry. 

I will not wear black, because Bonpa didn't want us to. 

I will tear up because he wanted bright colors to represent life.

I will celebrate a life well lived, a race well run, a legacy left for me and my descendants.

Georgetown

I think Georgetown is like an island.
Getting there: I think there are 3 bridges that lead there. When you're driving over Key Bridge it certainly feels like going on to an island. Reminiscent of trips to Balboa as a kid

When you're there,
people stand in lines a block long to buy $5 cupcakes. Did they not know that really good bakeries in DC usually sell them for $2-3.50? It makes me think of Hawaii, not that I've been, but I hear that the have to pay a lot for things there.
People pay $11/lb for raisins at Dean and Deluca. [Don't get me wrong, Dean and Decula is a beautiful splurge for the senses! I feel like I've been exported to France where they actually care what goes into what they eat, and present it like art. It's absolutely a fresh breeze of air in DC]  Did they just loose all ability to get to a grocery store? Whole Foods (there are 3 of which a whopping 2 miles away) sell beautifully plump organic raisins for $3/lb!
In general, it's cramped, as if urban sprawl was not a possibility.
Folks, Georgetown IS an island.

fans

Have you ever watched a ceiling fan? If you stare at the blades, it looks like a fan, spinning fast or slow... But if the fan is on at a slower speed, and you look at the center- It goes into this strobe light effect, where the blades seem to be flashing.

Anyone?  

Try it, let me know if it's just me.

elf?

Do you know any elves? 

Mine is 6'5". 

Weird, I know. 

Seriously though... Check out these goofy socks!

They were made to treat planar fasciitis, an issue that people have in their feet or something. 

But Ladson doesn't have that issue. 

He has REALLY TIGHT ACHILLES tendons. 

So he's trying to wear these to loosen it up:

So HOTT right now.

 

But I don't think it works for the achilles. 

They need to make one with a firmer foot. 

All this does is make my husband an elf!