Gluten Free 101

Gluten Free Eating

Gluten is a protein compound normally found in bread products, including pasta and beer. During bread production, gluten adds structure and integrity to the dough, giving it its familiar shape and feel. Gluten is also an additive in many food items where you wouldn’t necessarily expect it. Ice cream, lunch meat, salad dressing, candy, and breakfast cereals all potentially contain gluten as a filler. Although gluten is perfectly natural, a small percentage of people exhibit an extreme intolerance to the substance. (more…)

— PattyDMom

Nutrition By Example

Even before concerns of the diet and exercise of our children were making national news, we wanted to know that our kids were getting the proper vitamins and minerals. Considering the busy schedules we’re all on, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and just opt for drive-thru dinners and prepackaged snacks. But when we make these compromises, we’re also compromising on nutrition that is so important for active, growing children. Ultimately parents set the example. If we exercise, the kids will be more likely to be active. Whatever we eat and stock the pantry with, that is the type of food that they will become used to. (more…)

— PattyDMom

Sports and Nutrition for children with Autism

     Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome both belong to what is known as the “Autism spectrum”.  Disorders that belong in this category are development disorders that deal with neurobiological aspect of the body.  Many children, depending on where they are on the spectrum can be very high functioning. Others have little spatial perception, reduced fine motor skills and cannot tolerate excessive amounts of sensory stimulation. (more…)

— PattyDMom

Man’s Best Friend and so much more than that.

When I think about the greatest friends I have and have ever had, I can’t help but think of Puc.  Puc, a Rottweiler/Terrier mix, was truly an incredible friend and companion.

Puc came into my life in May of 1999, he picked me, I did not pick him.  I went to Bide-A-Wee adoption center in Manhattan to get a dog to keep with me at my shop in LIC.  My good friend John Ames and I went together, John being a huge dog lover himself. Admittedly, he convinced me to take the leap. (more…)

— Marneen

Taking the kids along…….ahhhh!

Many people avoid long outings with infants or toddlers. The stress of keeping track of small children, hushing crying babies and entertaining toddlers during a lengthy event often means sports fans put their entertainment needs on hold until the entire family is able to enjoy the outing. The same holds true for trips to the theater, concerts, Broadway and other venues. Although carrying a toddler or infant along for an evening of Shakespeare is probably not a good idea, many families enjoy football, hockey, soccer and other sporting events together from the earliest years. (more…)

— PattyDMom

Friendship and Wedding Bliss

So, at long last, one of my last single very close guy friends is taking the plunge into wedded bliss.  Gotta say, this guy was one of the real holdouts, or so I thought.

I have many friends, many good friends, some close friends and then there is my “Crew”.  David Bressler is from the “Crew”.  Nobody knows me better than my “Crew” and these are the folks that I know will be part of my life til the end……and beyond.  So being able to go to this wedding, as I have done with the rest of the Crew, is more special than words can possibly convey. (more…)

— Marneen

Stupid or inconsiderate?

Is it just me or do others feel the same way, have people gotten stupider over the years or just much more inconsiderate? We all know what happens if you give a cashier some change after he already punched the amount he tendered into the register. So I think we can all agree, that is definitely on the stupidity end.
What about the person who stops their car in the left lane when there is a ton of traffic coming up behind them, forcing everyone behind them to slam on their brakes. The reason they stopped was because his right hand turn was coming up and instead of continuing on to the next intersection or exit which would have added a few extra minutes to their trip, and not risk a rear end collision, they decided the hell with everybody else, it’s all about me. Is this stupidity or inconsideration? (more…)

— Sandman

To Noni or not to Noni…..that is the question!

Those of you that know me, know that I am an advocate of  supplements.  Specifically of vitamins and minerals.  My belief has always been that taking vitamins, although some gets wasted,  can only help you and your body will indeed use whatever it can.  We all know that the RDA is ridiculous.

So, in that frame of mind…….

A good friend of mine introduced me to a product which at first I was pretty skeptical.  You hear about all kinds of “super” drinks all the time.  She told me that I must try this elixir called Noni.  So, I did some of my own research and of course found much hype.  All those promises and exaggerations….blah blah blah.  It’s enough to turn away the more serious “investigators”. (more…)

— Marneen

Watermelon……really? The ignored fruit.

 

Contrary to popular belief, Watermelon is packed with nutrition.

I often find that folks have no clue about the value of this seemingly benign fruit, the Watermelon.  Well, I decided to look into it a little further and share my findings.

I always knew that this fruit contained fiber and some B vitamins, but I was still impressed with the nutritional content.

Let’s start with the basics… (more…)

— Marneen

Additional Savings for Family Entertainment Outings

It is one thing to score cheap tickets to concerts or sports events. If the venue is out of town, families on a budget may need more than discount tickets to make the trip affordable. If you are planning an overnight trip for a Broadway show, football game or music concert, here are a few ways you can save on travel, lodging and food. (more…)

— MeirG