Omega NC800HDS Juicer

We were long overdue replacing our centrifugal juicer with a masticating juicer. Our Jack LaLanne juicer served us well for many years. I'm not so sure it was the best choice, but since I was only just becoming a 'foodie' when I purchased it, it was a good choice at about $100. I always felt guilty throwing out all that pulp, especially since it stayed quite moist. The Omega's pulp is much dryer.

While researching juicers, one quickly learns the health benefit isn't the same for all juicers. From what I've found, the Norwalk is the best juicer available.  At roughly a $2500 price tag, it's clearly not for everyone, including me. If I was ever told I had cancer, or seriously suspected that I had cancer, I would desperately search for a way to purchase this juicer so that I could properly follow the Gerson Therapy.

A centrifugal juicer is said to heat the fruit/vegetables causing the enzymes to break down and negate healing effects. My personal experience proves they are harder to clean. The surface area of the strainer that's exposed to the fruits and vegetables in a centrifugal is much, much larger than a horizontal masticating juicer.

The strainer in the Omega horizontal is tiny in comparison.

One thing that impresses me most about my Omega juicer, is that it goes together and comes apart easily and quickly. (I like that I don't need to grab my eyeglasses to put parts on or take them off.) Best of all—cleaning is a breeze. I spend much more time washing my fruits and vegetables than I do washing this juicer. A brush is included which makes cleaning the strainer easy. This juicer is not only capable of juicing wheatgrass, fruits and vegetables, making nut butters and making frozen desserts, but can also extrude pasta.  Even though pasta isn't a staple in my home, I'm happy I now have a way to shape it. I'm looking forward to making pasta with my own healthier ingredients. It's great that I not only didn't have to pay for extra parts to use this for more than a juicer, but I also don't have to find extra space in my kitchen to store another big, clunky accessory. My main reasons for choosing the Omega NC800HDS over other masticating juicers:

   1.  Successfully juices wheat grass without purchasing extra parts.  
   2.  Makes frozen fruit sorbet/desserts without purchasing extra parts.
   3.  Horizontal model is easy to clean, with less parts than the vertical model.  
   4.  Includes 6 nozzles and 1 juicing screen.

This particular model, according to the Omega website, has a 'bigger' shute for the fruits/vegetables. The Omega website states, "The size of the feed chute is larger so you spend less time prepping before juicing." I would honestly hate to see the smaller chutes.

I always juice more fruits and vegetables than I can immediately drink. Although it's recommended to immediately drink the juice, I seal leftover juice in a canning jar with my Foodsaver Jar sealer and store in refrigerator. Using a Foodsaver to Seal Canning Jars.

Source: Gerson Guide to Juicers

Do You Know about Bitly.com?

I've used bitly.com or other sites for years - primarily to shorten a url.

I can't tell you how many times I've had to format a computer and lost all my 'Favorites' or 'Bookmarks.'  With smartphones, tablets, labtops and desktops, it's sometimes hard to remember which device I was on when I saved a link. I don't really want to sync all my devices together; I just want to be able to find a link when I want to find a link.  Bitly.com allows me to save everything in one spot and allows me to search all my links. I can even add a searchable 'note' to a link.

Bitly is a handy tool, especially when it's an extremely long url.

I can't believe I missed out on the possible storage possibility for such a long time! Being able to search my stored links is the best part.  Adding my own note makes it even easier to search. 

I Wish I had Questioned.....

When I was in my early twenties, it was suddenly no longer safe to eat raw eggs.  Scientists had found new information that raw eggs were making us sick with salmonella.  If I had questioned this, I may have been told it was because chickens were no longer raised in the backyards of farmers and that they were now raised in CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) -  livestock factories.  If I had asked, perhaps someone would have told me that CAFO conditions are deplorable and bacteria-laden.

When I was six or seven years old, our milkman stopped coming to our house.  I wish I was old enough to question why he disappeared. I was quite certain that I wasn't really the milkman's daughter even though my siblings told me over and over that I was!  Maybe I would have been told that the convenience of supermarkets and a 'need' to pasteurize contributed to his disappearance. I wish I had thought to question this when I got older, too.  When I was in my early twenties everyone around me was saying it isn't good to drink the fat that is in milk.  I wish I asked why the cream and fat were no longer safe to drink and why milk was now sold in choices of 1%, 2% and skim.  Maybe I would have been told it has nothing to do with our health and more to do with it being much more lucrative to separate milk into different parts - parts that the body might not be able see as 'food.' Maybe I would have realized if it were, in fact better for us to drink 1%, 2% and skim that God would have had those different milks coming right out of the spigots - otherwise none as udders.

Suddenly in my twenties it was no longer safe to eat raw hamburger.  Many who are ten years my senior told me they grew up on raw hamburger.  They anxiously waited for their mothers to turn their backs so they could steal a small hunk.  I wish I had asked why it was no longer safe to do this; I might have learned that the cows were no longer raised on farms, but instead, again, in CAFOs. I may have learned that cows now stand in their own manure in CAFOs up to at least their ankles, some up to their udders, and are fed corn which causes e. coli in their stomachs.

In my thirties, it was simply no longer safe to eat beef - period.   I wish I had questioned why.  Was it because cows were no longer raised on farms, they were no longer eating grass in pastures and instead being fed a steady diet of corn - corn that is no longer sprayed with insecticide because the insecticide is now on the INSIDE?  In my later thirties I wish I had questioned it again.  Would I have learned we were the only country that approved Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) and that other countries didn't approve it because it makes the cows sick?

In my twenties I also wondered, what is this 'canola' oil that everyone is telling me to use.  Why is something that I've never heard of suddenly the 'heart-healthy' thing to be eating?  I wish I had not trusted those rumors and did my own research - maybe I would have realized it simply wasn't true.  I am embarrassed that I never even asked, "What is a Canola?"  I knew what the olive in olive oil was and the sunflower in sunflower oil. If only I'd asked, perhaps someone may have told me it is an acronym for - Canadian Oil Low Acid.  Maybe I would have learned that it came from a plant that was toxic before it was modified to be 'safe' for human consumption. I may have been told that before it was modified to be 'safe' for human consumption that it was only used for oiling machines.

I wish I had questioned, "What is Lard?" I knew it was a fat and that it came from an animal, but that was about all I knew.  I wish I had asked why it was no longer 'healthy' to eat.  Maybe I would have heard about a company that invented a product called shortening that was shelf stable for years and that there was a LOT more money to be made with this new product.  If only I had asked,  maybe someone would have warned me that it might 'shorten' my life.

I am embarrassed and ashamed that I never took a long, hard look at what I was eating. But in my own defense, I wasn't just a Baby Boomer - I was a Supermarket Kid, too.  I wish I had questioned on what our Creator had intended my body to run, I might have learned it is supposed to be real food.  Real food - it's that plain and simple.  Okay, so deciphering what is real food and what is fake/plastic food is another story.  By now, most of us have learned that margarine is one molecule away from being plastic. Although I'm still learning about 'plastic' foods every day, I think I am getting it under control!

Sources:

   Carole Morison, via Food Inc. - who was brave to stand up for what she believes by showing us the deplorable conditions in which chickens are raised. Thank you Carole and Food inc.!

   Robyn O'Brien TedX

   Dr. Mark Hyman

Magic Jack

I've had a magicJack for many years.  MagicJack started out like all the other VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) companies for me - dropped calls and poor clarity.  It ended up in a drawer; it was much too frustrating!

About a year later, someone called me on their new magicJack; the call wasn't dropped and the clarity was great.  Out from the drawer came my magicJack.  The difference was astounding; what a difference a year made!  They had finally perfected their service - well, mostly perfected (more later).

The original magicJack was plugged into a computer.  This meant that if the computer was shut off, the phone service was lost.  This didn't thrill me, but since everyone in the house had their own cell phone, it wasn't a big deal.

Next came the magicJack Plus.  It was time to renew my service, so I ordered the Plus.  The magicJack Plus plugs into a router or modem instead of a computer.  If the modem or router stays on, the magicJack Plus stays on.

While waiting for this one to arrive I thought about how many people told me they "back feed" their house generators so that they feed their entire house. Hmmm... could I do this with my new magicJack Plus? If I only need to plug this into my router and not my computer, can I back feed my magicJack Plus somehow to feed my entire house?  Could I plug it into the router, but instead of plugging a phone into it, could I plug it into the jack where my land line phone service enters my house and feed the entire house through my phone jacks?  I had to admit this might be a tough project to get my cord from point A to point B!  This sounded like it might work!  When my Plus arrived, I decided to try one last thing before having to fish telephone cords.

It turned out to be even simpler than I thought; I simply took the phone jack plug on the magicJack and plugged it into the nearby telephone wall jack.  It worked! I was surprised it was easier than I thought.  I had never heard of being able to do this and am surprised the company doesn't advertise that it can be done.  When I plug a telephone into any wall jack in my house, I now get magicJack phone service.

My complaints with magicJack:

   1.  When I make a call, there is a delay when the phone is answered on the other end. Because I don't hear the greeting, I always have to question where I've called.  I've learned to just use my cell phone, if I'm making a business call that has a real receptionist.

   2.  Occasionally it just doesn't work, which is not a big deal.  I unplug it from the electrical power for a few seconds, plug it back in and it always works (so far so good anyway).

   3.  If magicJack are charged by a telephone company, they pass a fee along.  I have two friends who live in the same telephone company district who I can not call for free with the magicJack. I bypass that by just using a telephone calling card.

Overall, I would recommend a MagicJack.

Easily Give the Gift of Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime is a wonderful gift for everyone on your list for many reasons.  I love Amazon!  I find that many of the products I buy, are sold for a better price on Amazon.com.  I held off buying Amazon Prime for a long time because before I ever even heard of it, I had signed up for Netflix.  Little did I know that with Amazon Prime, I would not only get movies and TV shows similar to Netflix, I would get free, 2-day shipping on many products I purchase throughout the year.  After starting the free 30-trial with Amazon Prime, I saved $14 on my very first order!  My link below will bring you to Amazon Prime.

  My Amazon Prime Affiliate Link

Beware - SCANPAN!

I have heard wonderful things about the Scanpan brand pans and horrible things about traditional non-stick pans. Since many of my pans have a non-stick, toxic coating (I know, I know, I need to toss them) I decided I would like to give Scanpan a try, but I thought the prices were a bit high.  I was able to purchase a used one on eBay for a little less than half the price of a new one.  Such a steal! Perfect price for a test run.

When it arrived, it was in a sad state. I wasn't too worried because I knew they had a 'lifetime guarantee.'   I found a website that said, to return the pan to its original clean, non-stick state, it would be necessary to boil baking soda in water for 5 minutes, then let the pan sit with the baking soda/water for about 30 minutes. After trying this twice, it didn't come as clean as expected.  I contacted the company and heard back quite quickly. They instructed me to use the baking soda and if that didn't work, clean with Barkeepers Friend and a scouring pad.  The Barkeepers/scouring pad did the trick; the pan looked spotless.  So now the real test - frying an egg.  Not only did the egg stick to the pan, it stuck so badly that I had to repeat the baking soda/Barkeepers Friend process to get it to come off!  Not impressed!

Along with the cleaning instructions, the company sent me pictures of what is and is not covered by their warranty.  It appeared that my pan was under 'covered.'  Again, I contacted the company and this was their response:

" I’m sorry to hear the Barkeepers Friend and Baking Soda instructions did not work for you.  Unfortunately since the pan was purchased on Ebay, it cannot be covered under the warranty.

When I think of a 'Lifetime Guarantee,' I think of companies like Tupperware, Cutco and LLBean.  They don't care who/where their product was purchased; if their product fails, they replace it - plain and simple.  We pay a little more for their products, but in the end it's usually worth it. It seems to me that Scanpan pans are pricey enough to be in the same category.

I was almost ready to purchase a ceramic pan until I read this article.  This article outlines that NONE of the non-stick cookware currently on the market is safe except a properly seasoned cast iron pan.

I think my new plan  is not to purchase these new ceramic pans, but to go back to basics and start seasoning my cast iron pans!   I'm taking my pastured bacon out of the freezer right now!

UPDATE: I've managed to switch all my coated pans for cast iron pans. If they're seasoned properly, they are non-stick.

My Amazon Affiliate Link:

Pre-Seasoned Combo Cooker

Free Kindle e-book - 100 Easy Recipes in Jars

If Christmas is on your mind and you're looking to find some easy-to-make, inexpensive gifts, this FREE e-book might come in handy.  Please check price before clicking 'BUY.'