The Cardiologist's Wife

Pimento Cheese, Not Your Grandma's Spread

Pimento cheese is one of those foods that has been so corrupted by the food industry that it has become synonymous with other crappy foods like Spam. I'm not even certain what store bought pimento cheese might contain, nor do I want to find out. It's a shame because pimento cheese can be a delightful treat, even if it does Read the full post…

Plum Good BBQ Sandwiches

In a few days it will officially be fall but the temperatures are still warm enough for me to continue swimming for a few more days. The breeze was a little cool but that didn't stop me from swimming several laps this morning and I felt great afterwards! Have you exercised lately? With fall's cooler temperatures and fewer insects, you Read the full post…

Shingles Vacine and Treatment

A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with shingles so I felt I should discuss this nasty virus once again. If you ever had chicken pox, you are at risk for getting shingles and believe me, you don't want it. Shingles is a painful rash with blisters that scab over and may take 4 weeks or more to heal. The Read the full post…

Vegetarian Tacos are muy delicioso!

There are times when I think I could easily become a vegetarian, especially when I try a new dish that is as good as the vegetarian tacos I had at Local Lime restaurant in Little Rock and the tofu fried rice at Sai Tai here in Jonesboro. My husband and I celebrated our 23rd anniversary this past weekend by spending Read the full post…

Midyear Health Check

Summer is winding down , the year is more than half way over and our January resolutions are long forgotten. It's time for a health reality check. First of all, how is your health lately? If you have enjoyed good health, are you thankful? Take some time to appreciate how wonderful it feels to be healthy, for your family to Read the full post…

Vacation Lessons For A Healthier Life

I'm back from a lovely beach vacation and I wish I was still there with all my heart. Wouldn't it be nice if our every day life was as nice as a vacation? If we could relax, eat well, sleep and exercise just enough without having to worry about bills, work, illnesses and school, our lives would be perfect. But Read the full post…

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Early Spring Gardening

[ Post by Lisa Tedder ][ Post on March 25, 2013 ][ In Diet Tips and Better Eating Ideas ]

Well spring is officially here even if mother nature is still hurling snow and freezing temperatures at us. Following a spring break trip to the beach, I am all fired up about healthy eating and gardening. Some of you may know that I have a black thumb and lots of shade at my house which equals less than successful gardening but hope does spring eternal. We were lucky enough to eat at a fabulous restaurant which not only served fresh produce from it’s own garden but also owned two fishing boats to supply all their fresh seafood. It is a shining example of the whole farm to table concept. My family ate beet puree with fresh fish, broccoli, caprese salad, guava puree and pumpkin soup and declared the whole thing very delicious. Even my son who frequents fast food now that he lives on campus ate every bite of his vegetables.

The whole week’s worth of fabulous fresh foods has stirred that latent desire to be the gardener that my father was. Last summer I did have success growing basil so I’m going to try again and add a couple more herbs – cilantro and mint. I LOVE homegrown tomatoes so I am tempted to try them again though I have so much shade that I rarely harvest more than 10 tomatoes for a whole lot of trouble. I am also thinking of trying to grow potatoes in a garbage can, something I saw on the internet. We had white sweet potatoes on vacation which are very flavorful but milder than the ones we grow around here so I’m thinking of growing them or perhaps blue potatoes. Somewhere in heaven, my father is probably amused at my ideas.

My other gardening idea that I’m going to try is hydroponic gardening. Years ago we did one of the behind the scenes tours of Disney’s farm which included hydroponics. I’d never heard of hydroponic gardening but I have longed for my own hydroponic green house ever since. I’m going to grow (hopefully) lettuce in a styrofoam ice chest set up that I saw on Martha Stewart’s online magazine. Lettuce is supposed to be easy to grow (HA!) so lets see if I can manage.

Follow along this spring and summer as I try to channel my father’s spirit to grow some herbs and vegetables once again. I’ll post updates, even if I kill everything or the cats turn over the hydroponic garden while “helping” me. Today I’m going to plant some seeds in a Jiffy Greenhouse purchased at Walmart. There are pellets of peat for the seeds to sprout in and when they are sprouted, they will be gradually moved outdoors and finally transplanted in pots.

You simply water the pellets which expand like a sponge. You insert the seeds, pop on the clear plastic lid and place in a sunny, indoor spot. In a few days, the seeds should sprout. Wish me luck!