Comfy Natural Foot Warmer

 

I can't stand to be cold; especially at night in the wintertime when trying to sleep. For years I used an electric blanket and that worked well but I didn't like the idea of laying with electrical currents directly against me all night long. I didn't research for potential pitfalls of doing so, I just didn't like it. Switching the electric blanket out for more blankets on the bed wasn't the ticket either - too smothering and heavy for a tosser-turner like myself. 

I thought about the old fashioned bed warmers of days gone by and decided to modernize the practice a bit. So now my new wintertime routine is that about 15 minutes before going to bed I warm my 12 x 20 sized rice bag up in the microwave for 3 minutes and then place it at the foot of the bed under the covers. 

You talk about cozy-comfy! When I go to bed now I just crawl in and put my bare feet on the warm bag and fall right to sleep. It's amazing how long it stays warm too. 

I purchased my rice bag at my doctor's office. I think his mom made them for him to sale (such a good son). I'm sure if you want to make your own a simple internet search would return with plenty of how-to videos. If you're not up for making your own I know you can purchase them on-line also. 

Give it a try! 

Amaranth Crackers

 

When the 7pm hour rolls around guess what I want? I want something crunchy to munch on while I watch my favorite wind-down show on the tube! However, with my temperamental digestion I typically don't reach for pre-packaged goodies that inevitably make that choice a regrettable one. 

Many of the recipes in Dr. D'Adamo's Eat Right 4 Your Type recipe center sit well with me so I went looking there for a new cracker recipe. What I found was this simple recipe for Amaranth Crackers. Not too many ingredients and quick to make also. Furthermore, amaranth is considered a super food... score!

I modified the original recipe slightly for my own preferences and they turned out scrummy!

Ingredients:

1 cup amaranth flour

Water (start with 3 Tablespoons)

Olive oil

Sea salt

Optional - nutritional yeast

Optional - Bragg's SPRINKLE - 24 herbs & spices seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

Mix the flour with enough water to form a ball. Divide into 2-4 balls (I did 2) and roll out on a floured board until as thin as you can get it. Place one on a cookie sheet, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Cut into desired shapes and bake 6-10 minutes (mine did best at 10). Let cool completely. 

I sprinkled all of mine with sea salt but also added nutritional yeast to a third of them and Bragg's sprinkle to a third. All turned out good! 

Tips: 

Don't use a cookie cutter for your shapes unless you want to keep rolling and re-rolling the dough. It's kind of a dry mix already and the more it's rolled the crumblier it gets. I thought I would get around this by just making the entire recipe into a log and then cutting but I didn't care for those results either. It works best just to slice into shapes after it's on the cookie sheet as the recipe directs. That's why my shapes aren't exact. But who cares, they taste good!

Don't over-cook them! You want a thin crispy cracker not a ceramic tile 😂

Amaranth Is A Superfood

Gluten-free

Lowers cholesterol levels

Fights inflammation

Reduces risk of developing cancer

Normalizes blood pressure levels

Good source of protein

Has potent lysine properties

Helps digestion - fiber

Rich in minerals

Loaded with vitamins

Boosts immune system

References:

Dr. D'Adamo - Eat Right 4 Your Type - Recipe center. Retrieved from https://dadamo.com/recipes/recipe_lister.pl

SunWarrior - Nutrition - Nov 01, 2019. 13 Health Benefits of the Superfood Amaranth. Retrieved from https://sunwarrior.com/blogs/health-hub/11-health-benefits-of-amaranth