Food + Wellness

Ground Cardamom: Same Spice Different Price

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cardamom podsEvents from last week have me reeling. Little did I know how much this quote that I posted would become relevant to me later that day. My family will never be the same again.

Along with family and friends, we are trying to adjust to a new normal. I never run out of things to blog about, but not much seems to matter right now in comparison. I’m an optimistic person, but it takes a bit of time to recover from a kick to your gut.

If you are the praying kind, then prayers for my family will help. I don’t have much to offer right now in the way of posts except for one thing. The price of ground cardamom is nearly double the price in Stop & Shop than in Market Basket. Why pay $14.99 if  you can pay $7.99?

Before Christmas I ran out. This is the first Christmas where I didn’t really bake. Except for when a cousin came over to visit me, I did bake Chai-Spiced Almond Cookies. Since I had no cardamom, they weren’t really chai-spiced. I used ginger instead. Which was still quite good by the way.

Market Basket is not near where I live, but when I go to my parents’ house, I can choose from a few locations. Since I did some food shopping for my parents at Market Basket, I decided to finally get some cardamom. I used it in my oatmeal this morning. It’s a small thing, but it’s comforting. And that is what I need right now.

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Flickr Photo: Cardamom pods by dollen

A Spicy Video: Harissa

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The year is coming to an end. Above all, I would say that 2014 has been surprising. I never quite knew what to expect, but worked really hard, had a lot of faith and things fell into place. I didn’t have a chance to do my quote for the week yesterday, but found one that I like by Angela Davis.

I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.

Since I don’t have much time to do a proper post, I thought I’d share a video. Many recipes now call for harissa and it’s also something that I’ve started seeing more of on restaurant menus.

For whatever reason, I always forget what it is when I see it. Maybe this video will help permanently embed it in my brain! I just have to remember that harissa is hot! And it’s pronounced like Lisa, not Melissa.

In case I don’t get a chance to pop in here before the year ends, Happy New Year to you!

Special Day Cooking: A Life Skills Cookbook

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Special Day Cooking cookbook cover

When I heard about a cookbook written especially for people who love to cook and have an intellectual disability, I was interested in learning more, so I accepted a review copy to look at myself.

The author, Beverly Worth Palomba is originally from Massachusetts, but moved to the West Coast. As a high school Special Education teacher, she created a life skills cooking class especially for her students. Since Palomba’s unique method of teaching worked so well, she decided to write a cookbook. An excerpt from her website gives more insight.

Special Day Cooking was written to help people with developmental challenges become independent in the kitchen. Whether you are living at home, in a group home or on your own, Special Day Cooking provides the tools to be independent or part of a team. Special Day Cooking chefs have the ability to prepare dinner, pack their own lunch, and bring a goodie to a social event. Cooking involves so many aspects of life; it is creative, builds social skills, fosters teamwork, encourages self-confidence and is a fun activity to do with family and friends.

I haven’t made any of the recipes from the cookbook, but I’m impressed with the variety and the easy feel of it. There are recipes for every meal of the day, soups and salads, vegetables, drinks and snacks. And my favorite – dessert! There is even a recipe for Chocolate Mug Cake!

I love cooking and think that the more people who cook their own food the better. Saving money and healthier eating are also big benefits of cooking, so having this life skill exponentially increases the positives in our lives.

This book is a great idea and would make a wonderful gift for anyone who enjoys spending time preparing food and has an intellectual disability or is just a beginner cook. Either way, Special Day Cooking is a cookbook that will provide some tasty food and lots of fun!

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 Disclosure: The review copy was provided complimentary to me. Thank you!

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Screenshot: Amazon

Kwanzaa Culinarians 2014 + Rosa Parks Day

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Kwanzaa Culinarians badge Kwanzaa Culinarians is back for 2014 starting today, with recipes and food stories from the African diaspora.

Tasty and insightful new content will be posted each day in December and through the end of Kwanzaa on January 1st.

I hope you’ll go over to the website and take a look. The first new post was written by me. Did you know that today is Rosa Parks Day? Well, it is.

I made her pancake recipe and shared some thoughts about quite a few things. Take a look at the new post, Rosa Parks Day + Pancakes.

Do You Have Health Insurance? Get Covered!

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*Thank you UnitedHealthcare for sponsoring this post!*

Hospital - MagistraleOpen enrollment starts today, November 15, 2014 and lasts until February 15, 2015. Americans across the country can sign up for a health insurance plan and get covered for 2015.

Most of you are probably familiar with the Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare by some. There are certain qualifying events that allow you to use a special enrollment period. The exchanges or the marketplace is a website that allows you to compare plans from a variety of providers much like Travelocity. The website will be either the government Healthcare.gov website or your state’s individual marketplace website.

In Massachusetts, the website is the Massachusetts Health Connector. Since the work I do is project based, I do not have one steady employer providing me with health insurance. There are many myths about who has health insurance and who doesn’t. Everyone has different work, health and family situations. In the past, obtaining health insurance was nearly impossible for some.

I’m very happy that there are now more options to find better and more affordable health insurance as an individual. I’ll be signing up for a plan during this enrollment period on the Mass. Health Connector and hopefully can keep my current plan or find a new health insurance plan that I like better. According to Gallup, most people are happy with their new plans.

Over seven in 10 Americans who bought new health insurance policies through the government exchanges earlier this year rate the quality of their healthcare and their healthcare coverage as “excellent” or “good.”

Figuring out all the terms can be rather daunting, so I’ll have to brush up on those again as I compare plans. Wish me luck as I go through the process. Hopefully some of you are able to sign up for a plan too!

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Disclosure: This post is brought to you in collaboration with UnitedHealthcare. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that allow me to create new and special content for this blog and donate a portion to worthy organizations.

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Flickr Photo: Hospital – Magistrale by digital cat