One of my absolute favorite things is watching Roarke wake up from a long nights sleep or nap time. The faces he makes, the exaggerated movements he does, his little squeaks and coos... they all make my heart smile. There is just nothing better. I have found myself really trying to concentrate on taking in all these little moments that I enjoy with him because I know I will blink and they will be gone before I know it.

Boys are so fun!

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At the end of last week Dan and I could both tell something was going on with Remington. For the past few months he just hasnt been himself. It seemed like there was something constantly going on with his legs even though he hadnt done anything out of the ordinary to hurt them. One evening when he came back inside from going potty Dan barely touched him and Remington started screaming in pain, ran away from us, and did not want us to touch him again. After that happened I was convinced it was time to get him to the vet.

We saw a new vet that had just entered the practice we take Remington too. He did a very close exam on Remington since he had never seen him before and this is what we were told. In terms of Remingtons legs... all his joints are fine, but when pressure was applied to his toe bones on each foot Remington displayed an extreme amount of discomfort. The vet said there is no way to know what exactly is causing this without x-rays which we plan to have done in the upcoming weeks to see if we can diagnose the issue. The vet gave us pain medication and told us to keep Remi as quiet as possible until we know more. Im guessing that if the x-rays dont show anything then blood tests will be what is next.

Also, during the check up the vet discovered that the muscle mass in Remingtons jaw bone and temple area is not as developed and strong as it should be. He believes this could be caused by an autoimmune disease which attacks the muscles. This would eventually cause him to no longer be able to open his mouth at all... it isnt to this point yet... but we need to keep an eye on it closely. This disease might also be related to the toe problems.

So basically we just need to have more tests ran to figure out exactly what is going on with our sweet Remi. The pain meds seem to be helping some and make him very tired, but Remington is still showing resistance in wanting to go up and down the stairs, jumping up on the bed, and having his feet touched in general. I posted what was going on in my Goldendoodle Facebook group and several people wondered if Remington might be suffering with Lyme disease? I really dont know and am looking forward to getting answers in the upcoming weeks. I will keep everyone updated as we find out more.

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*My Observation Friends*:

I drained the Oil in kitchen sink I had used for frying Modak(dumplings) & Puri(Indian bread) during Ganesha festival. Then I started tap water to max; to my surprise sink was clogged, I had to start garbage disposal unit to drain the water. If kitchen sinks (2inches wide) can get clogged with little oil then our Arteries are way too small to handle oil. Be careful!!! Limit intake of oily food to avoid health issues, heart diseases.

Note: It was left over oil (100% pure olive just 3/4th cup) without any food remains and my sink was clean.

By: Reena Sharma

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Yum

Welcome back to Clean Eating Weight Loss Meal Plan!

Todays healthy breakfast idea is one that I absolutely adore. Its a delicious mix of flavors, containing soft goat cheese, sweet fig preserves and (slightly) salty prosciutto. Its also packed with nutrition--full of calcium, protein and whole grains. Its also a versatile recipe, because you can enjoy it as a good healthy breakfast, clean eating lunch, or healthy snack idea.

Also, its one of the best simple breakfast ideas Ive had--took less than five minutes to make. Theres little reason to NOT try it.

Heres the recipe:

Ingredients:

- 1 piece of whole wheat toast

- 2 servings of soft goat cheese log, sliced

- 1 table spoon of organic fig preserves (I recommend Organic Fig Jam from Tebourba, which is imported from Tunisia and made with Mediterranean figs.)

- Prosciutto

Directions:

1. Lay toast on a plate.

2. Stack cheese slices, fig preserves and prosciutto on top.

Enjoy!

Told you it was easy.

I hope you enjoyed todays good healthy breakfast, and decide to try it yourself.

Oh, heres the Organic Fig Jam I recommend: 

Thanks for visiting!

See you next time.

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Chana(Garbanzo) Salad

2 Cup Boiled Chana(Garbanzo)
1 small onion
2 Green Chilies(jalapenos)
2 Tomato
Cilantro/Hara Dhania
1 Lemon
Salt

Cut Onion, green chilies, tomato in very small pieces. Mix with boiled & water drained Chana(Garbanzo).
Add Salt, little lemon juice and finely chopped cilantro on the top. Mix it well and it’s ready to eat.

Note: I use canned Chana(Garbanzo) sometimes when I shortage of time but ake sure rinse it well under running water to make sure all preservatives are gone.

Raita/Yogurt Salad

1 Cup Yogurt/Dhai/Curd
1 Cucumber
1 small onion
2 Green Chilies(jalapenos)
1 Tomato
Cilantro/Hara Dhania
Salt

Cut Cucumber, Onion, green chilies, tomato in very small pieces. Mix with Yogurt.
Add Salt and finely chopped cilantro on the top. Mix it well and it’s ready to eat.

Note: Raita goes well with Biryani or vegetable Pullao

Spinach Paratha

Ingredients:

·         3 cups whole-wheat flour

·         1 large bunch spinach Only leaf part not the stem (approximately 1 lb or 500 gms)

·         1 tsp cumin powder

·         1/2 tsp red chilli powder

·         1/4 tsp asafetida powder

·         1/2 tsp turmeric powder

·         1/2 tsp Oregano(Ajwine)

·         Salt to taste

·         Oil to pan-fry the parathas

Preparation:

·         Wash spinach leafs then steam it in cooker(just 1 whistle) or put in bowl put the lid and microwave for 4min without any additional water.

·         Add the coriander, cumin, red chilli, asafetida, Ajwaine and turmeric powders, salt to taste to the whole-wheat flour. Add the spinach also and mix all together, kneading to form a medium-soft, smooth dough. Add some more whole wheat flour if the dough is too soft or you can add little water if dough is too hard.

·         Keep the dough aside in a close container for 1/2 hours.

·         Divide the dough into equal-sized portions and roll into balls between your hands till they are smooth and without cracks.

·         Very lightly flour a rolling board or clean counter surface and roll each ball into a circle Or you can fold it with little oil between the layers and make triangle paratha.

·         Heat a griddle/nonstick pan/ tava and cook the parathas one at a time like this: Put a paratha on the griddle. Do the first flip when you see tiny bubbles rise on the surface of the paratha. As soon as the first flip is done, apply little oil on both sides of paratha . Flip again cook from both side. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown.

·         Serve hot with yogurt and chutney. I will not recommend pickle as it’s high in saturated fat. As we are practicing healthy food let’s avoid pickle and try it with fresh CilantroChutny or mint Chutny.

Note: Spinach Parata well with curd or pickle or Tomato or mint chutney

By: Reena Sharma

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