July 23rd, 2007
Dine Without Whine's Weekly Newsletter
An Extension of our Menu Planning Service
www.dinewithoutwhine.com
Publisher ~ Christine Steendahl
Read Past Issues In Our Newsletter Archives
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Tell Your Friends About This Newsletter! ~
This Issue:
A Personal Note
Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe
Withdraw From Caffeine Slowly to Reduce Side Effects
A Personal Note
Hello! I hope you are having a great week! We went to the little
county fair on Thursday and took the boys to the Demo Derby. That was fun! Our
youngest was a bit concerned that all the cars were crashing and it was kind of
loud for him, but I think in the end he still had a good time. The older two of
course loved it. I always forget how quickly you can spend money at the fair -
and we didn’t even let the kids go on the rides since we are going on vacation
next week to a place with lots of rides.
I had a new experience this week… I made pickles! It was quite a riot as I do
not have the proper canning equipment, so I was trying to make due with what I
had. After one broken jar and a couple burnt fingers, I decided to make
refrigerator pickles with the rest and order the correct supplies. LOL There are
lots more pickle cucumbers on the vine, so I am sure it will get some use as
soon as it arrives. So I ended up with two canned jars of pickles and two jars
of refrigerator pickles. The refrigerator ones are supposed to be at their prime
after two weeks, but I’m not sure they are going to make it that long. My
youngest is gobbling them up fairly quickly. (and I have to admit they are
pretty good already!) When it’s all said and done we’ll see how many we end up
with and how long they last. My pumpkins, watermelon, and cantaloupe have pretty
much taken over our garden space. There are certain areas I can’t even walk in
anymore. Some of the squash hasn’t even grown much yet. Once that really takes
off, it will really be crowded out there! We did give them lots of room, but it
is amazing how many vines one seed can produce!
Several of you wrote in last week thanking me for the links to
Refund Cents and the Grocery Game. I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks to refund
cents, my husband got $130 worth of FREE car supplies at O’Rielly Auto Parts
this weekend. He was like a kid in the candy store. LOL The rebates are still
good through July 31st if you have an O’Rielly near you. Here’s the link to the
rebates
http://www.oreillyauto.com/EW3/TopRebates.do and if you missed the info.
about Refund Cents or The Grocery Game here is the info. again from last week:
“ I recently joined
www.dinewithoutwhine.com/refundcents and
www.thegrocerygame.com.
Refund Cents is actually a print magazine, but their membership side of their
website is just as exciting. The Grocery Game tells you exactly what coupons to
use and what items to buy (or often get FREE) each week at your local grocery
store. You set it up according to what town you live in. You can try it for a
month for $1 and I definitely encourage you to give it a try as I have been able
to cut my grocery bill down by 50-75% each time I shop. If you do decide to give
the grocery game a try, I would appreciate it if you would use my email as a
referral. (christine@dinewithoutwhine.com) It’s a lot of fun! “
I hope you have a wonderful week!
Christine
“The Menu Mom”
www.themenumom.com
Recipe of the Week
Exerted from this week's family friendly menu plan
and convenient grocery shopping list.
Have you tried our
sample menu?
Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe
Makes 8 servings
10 lasagna noodles
1 pound spinach
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup carrots, grated
1/2 cup onions chopped
1/4 pound mushrooms sliced
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 2 1/2-ounce can olives ripe, drained and sliced
1 teaspoon oregano crushed
1 teaspoon basil crushed
2 cups cottage cheese
1 egg beaten
2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1. Cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions. Drain, rinse, and set
aside in fresh clear water.
2. In meantime, wash and trim spinach; rinse several times, then drain and place
spinach leaves, without shaking off excess water, into large saucepan. Cover and
cook over medium heat until steam forms, then reduce heat and cook 5 minutes.
Drain well; set aside.
3. In large heavy saucepan, melt butter and sauté carrots, onion, and mushrooms
until tender but not brown. Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, ripe olives,
oregano, and basil; set aside. Combine cottage cheese and beaten egg.
4. In greased 13x9x3-inch pan, layer half each of noodles, spinach, sauce,
cottage cheese mixture, and Monterey Jack cheese. Repeat layers ending with
shredded cheese.
5. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
Serve with garlic bread and green salad
This Weeks Top Five Referring Sites
(These sites have a link
to DWW somewhere on their site and have sent the most visitors to
www.dinewithoutwhine.com this week)
http://www.nossgalenbaby.com/twins_resources.html
http://www.catholicmom.com/main
http://www.christian-homemaking.com
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk
http://www.practicalhomemaking.com
Kitchen and Cooking Tips, Articles, And Product
Reviews
Withdraw From Caffeine Slowly to Reduce Side Effects
Millions of people around the world use caffeine each and every
morning to give themselves that extra jolt they need to start their. In fact,
caffeine is the most widely used drug in the world, even more prevalent than
alcohol. It comes in many forms and its readily available at stores and coffee
shops. Even kids are getting in on the caffeine craze. The problem is that too
much caffeine can not only leave you feeling buzzed; it can cloud your mind and
make you feel foggy when it starts to wear off. In addition, it may cause
permanent physical damage by increasing your heart rate. While the healthiest
option is to stop using caffeine completely, shutting down your supply
immediately can lead to a host of withdrawal symptoms.
Caffeine is a stimulant. It wakes you up and helps keep your mind sharp and
alert, at least initially. This means that if your body is accustomed to
caffeine and it stops getting its daily dose, you’ll likely be fatigued and find
it difficult to concentrate and stay on task. Many people who abruptly stop
caffeine find themselves barely able to stay awake and even harder to stay on
track. This shows in their work, as they often make more mistakes on the job.
While loss of concentration and focus is common and expected, there are some
other physical symptoms you should be aware of as well. At least 50% of people
going through caffeine withdrawal experience headaches. They usually feature a
dull generalized pain rather than anything sharp and focused. People in
withdrawal may also experience muscle soreness or stiffness, chills, and hot
spells. It is important to recognize these symptoms as being from caffeine
withdrawal; otherwise you may fear you have the flu or a more serious illness.
Caffeine withdrawal can have an emotional as well as physical effect on you.
We’re used to feeling a certain way due to our caffeine consumption. When we
stop feeling that way, it can take a toll on us. Lack of caffeine can leave you
feeling irritable, restless, depressed or anxious. People who abruptly eliminate
their caffeine consumption may not be able to handle things at work and be
tempted to go home early. They often lash out at their friends, family, and
coworkers for little or no reason.
Everyone responds differently to caffeine withdrawal. Your personal physiology
as well as how much caffeine you consume per day will determine how your body
reacts to the withdrawal process. Symptoms can run the gamut from annoying to
debilitating. If your symptoms are mild, you may be able to quit cold turkey.
For those with a severe addiction, suddenly stopping caffeine intake may be
unbearable.
The best way to avoid these withdrawal symptoms is to slowly reduce your daily
intake of caffeine instead of quitting cold turkey. While pain killers may take
care of some of the problems such as headaches and soreness, there is no magic
pill or any other cure for withdrawal symptoms besides time. Let your body be
the judge of how quickly you should eliminate caffeine from your system. But
generally speaking, slow and steady is the best way to taper off caffeine
consumption.
While it may be initially tough to handle, reducing or
eliminating your caffeine intake is a great choice to make on the road to living
a healthier life. You will start to sleep better and feel more refreshed in the
morning. You'll soon realize that you can feel just as alert and energized
without the caffeine. And you'll wonder why you didn't kick caffeine out of your
life sooner!
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