Eccles Dinosaur Park

This past Saturday we stomped around with giants at Eccles Dinosaur Park in Ogden.  This was our first visit and if you were to look at the long lines, one might have considered this place a great find.  However, once we entered the park, we (hubby and me) were not that impressed, while Sophie on the other hand really liked it and wants to come back again.  So at least she found it to be worthwhile, which is why we went there in the first place...for her :o) ...mission accomplished.  Aside from the park, there is a museum which was interesting.  In the picture below you'll see rocks that resemble food; that was pretty cool.

Here are some photos (click on picture to enlarge):

Daddy and Soph

Dinner, anyone?  Notice even the cigarettes, lower right corner.

Me and Soph

Ruth's Italian Spaghetti

I have tried a lot of different variations of spaghetti, however, I still prefer a recipe I received from a good friend when I was 9 years old.  I'll call this Ruth's Italian Spaghetti, since it originally came from the Mother of my friend.  I have modified it slightly as I'm not a fan of bacon fat and jarred mushrooms.  Even so, it still tastes just as good AND it has become hubby's favorite spaghetti sauce.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped onions

2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil

1 lb ground beef

1 clove minced garlic

1/2 minced green pepper

3 1/2 cups diced tomatoes

2 cups tomato sauce

1 cup vegetable broth or any broth you have on hand (sometimes I add 1/4 cup of red wine along with 3/4 cups broth)

6 oz sliced fresh crimini mushrooms

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried sage

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp oregano

1 bay leaf

1 cup of water

Instructions:

Cook onion until tender in oil.  Add meat and cook until it loses red color, add all other ingredients.  Cook very slow for 1 1/2 hours uncovered.  Serve over spaghetti.  Add a toss salad and garlic bread.  Enjoy!

ZU-B Health Drink

I have finally found a liquid nutritional supplement I really, really like and want to share it with you.  It's ZU-B (pronounced zoo-be), a product that was recommended to me by the health nutritionist at Pioneer Comprehensive Medical in Draper.  I like it not only because I feel a remarkable difference, but I sleep extremely well and feel very rested even if it's only 5 hours of sleep.  It's an all-in-one formula that has an acceptable, mild taste and is packed with essential vitamins, essential minerals, antioxidants and amino acids to help you either attain or maintain peak health and fitness.

ZU-B started here in my hometown and only distribute their products to certain doctors and one health fitness center to ensure quality control.  So, unfortunately there aren't many outlets where you can find ZU-B Complete and ZU-B Zzz's.  However, you can order it online at ZU-B.com.  

Today, I ordered 3 ZU-B set and the owner, Jared, delivered the products in person, so I could save on shipping and handling :o)  Normally, a bottle of ZU-B retails for $39.99 but they're running a $17.99 special thru the end of July.  

Believe me I have tasted and tried a lot of different nutritional supplements and I always found myself going back to New Vision, for the past 8 years.  Their product line is outstanding, (which I still contribute to the reason why I was able to get pregnant with Sophie); for me, this is tantamount to tasting good.  New Vision is known for having the best tasting essential liquid mineral anywhere.  However, I can honestly say, ZU-B, which is German for "to....To Be" is a complete nutritional supplement that will replace everything else I'm currently taking, including New Vision.  That's an indication how much I really, really like ZU-B health drink!!

Meet Daisy

Poor Elmo lasted exactly 3 days.  Sophie was soooo sad....um...about as long as a fish's memory.  Overfeeding probably contributed to Elmo's demise.  Apparently, whatever they don't eat (which is not much; their stomach is about the size of their eye), you should clean up right away as it can quickly foul the water, especially in a small fish bowl that isn't filtered.  

So, meet Daisy, a Betta fish.  She's quite friendly and beautiful. We're now feeding one flake a day or less depending on if she eats it right away.  

Meet Elmo

Sophie went to Sophia's Birthday party yesterday and came home with a fish.  It reminds me of the time I went to a Birthday party and came home with a hamster.  Poor Charlie met his fate by breaking out of his plastic bubble cage.  He found some colorful beads, actually my Mom's bead necklace, that were apparently extremely toxic as the poor thing barely nibbled on the beads.  I only had him for less than a month.  

Anyhoo, from the sound of his voice I could sense hubby was not elated with Sophie's new pet.  But on the bright side Soph's always wanted a small pet she could take care of and more importantly she's not allergic to this pet.  

Fishy Elmo got his name because 1.) he's a fish and 2.) because he's red.  Let's see, I wonder who came up with that name?  To be honest I don't see much red, if any.  Elmo is growing on me and is actually quite cute.  It's fun to watch him him eat and poop :o/

Malibu Sauna

Remember the traditional Finnish saunas otherwise known as rock saunas, or perhaps the steam saunas?  

I do!  

Well, after 40 years we sure have come a long way!!  Today we're seeing new technologies employing far infrared light (thermal energy) in health care products for detoxification and even cancer treatment.  

Side Note: Far Infrared heat is energy that is equivalent to the sun's radiant heat, minus the skin damaging, harmful UV rays.   Have you ever noticed when the sun is behind a cloud you don't feel as warm, especially on a cold day, it's that safe part of the spectrum of light emanating from the sun that is far infrared.  Incubators for newborns are based off of far infrared heat as it helps keep them warm. 

So, for the past 3 to 4 months, I've been researching, diligently various types of saunas.  You know me :o/  Once I'm set on something, there's a 90% chance I'm going to follow thru once I've made up my mind.  Of course, with hubby's acknowledgment, approval and consent :o) (If you envision something long enough, eventually it will come true...Right?)

As always, I don't usually go with the most expensive or the cheapest.  I'm not inclined to buy something because of it's name, but still want quality and a lifetime warranty from a reputable company.  It actually took less than a week to receive our sauna and according to hubby, less than an hour and a half to install.  I decided to go with West Coast Saunas due to the fact their saunas are carbon based; it's heat therapy with Carbon Wave 360.  It allows for up to 3X the sweat volume produced compared to a traditional sauna without feeling overly hot, and has the ability to penetrate deep into the subcutaneous tissues of your body for greater healing. 

Here are some stats I found to be interesting on Far-Infrared Saunas.  This list is not all inclusive:

Detoxifies - 7x more effective at detoxifying metals as well as cholesterol, nicotine, alcohol, ammonia, sulfuric acid and other environmental toxins.

Increases Blood Flow - expands capillaries in the body, which stimulates increased blood flow, circulation, and oxygenation.

Increases Metabolism - burns calories by increasing your metabolism and core temperature.  Also breaks down cellulite, trapped water and fat.

Relaxes Muscles - reduces soreness on nerve endings and muscle spasms as joints and fibers are heated.  Great for fibromyalgia and arthritis.

Immune System - raises internal body temperature, inducing an artificial fever.  Fever is the body's natural mechnaism to strengthen the immune response.

I believe there are at least 100 benefits utilizing infrared heat; there are many therapeutic properties that have been well documented. 

The Malibu sauna also comes with Chromotherapy.  Light therapy is another facet of healing.  Currently, I like to use purple for my allergies and sinuses.  Purple is also popular in glass stained windows you see often in churches.  With the system I have, you can have all the colors rotate in order to benefit from all the colors.

Overall, I am really pleased and in a week's time have seen great improvement with my post nasal drip (secondary to all my allergies) and the texture of my skin.  

There's a lot more I have not even touched, however I like to keep my posts short.  If you have a particular question, please do not hesitate to ask.  I'll be more than happy to provide my feedback and/or comments.

Twitter Mosaic

Strangely, I really like Tweeting. I have met some amazing Twitterers, some very helpful, some very funny, some interesting, some where you can actually win some money, prizes, etc. It's a great way to connect with people you might not have otherwise had the opportunity. I don't always update the blog regularly, but I do however, Tweet every day. If you want to follow me click here.

Here's a mosaic of some of my followers.

Get your twitter mosaic here.