Angelina Jolie, BRCA and Saving Lives

Angelina Jolie did an amazing thing...she took control of her life. She made the decision to live. Like thousands and thousands of women, she has joined the ranks of the Survivors and Previvors to empower themselves by using the knowledge of their BRCA mutation status and today's surgical technology. 

Unlike my father who passed away from breast cancer, I took those life saving steps as well. He passed the genetic mutation to me. I tested in 1996 and was found positive for carrying it. That means I have approximately 85-90% lifetime risk of breast cancer and 50% lifetime risk of ovarian cancer. 

Whether you applaud Jolie's actions or berate her for them, it is essential for the BRCA population to know their options and to reach the millions out there who still need to know. I had the same surgeries in 2002 and 2007. The latter's pathology showed DCIS stage 0, the beginnings of breast cancer. 

I paraphrase my friend Olga Guzman Flores's aunt who put it succinctly, "If you knew the plane you were taking had a 50% risk of crashing would you still board?". 

The following YouTube videos feature Olga singing at a JoiningFORCEs Annual Conference, my friend Anne Parker, the inspiration for the film "Decoding Annie Parker", who speaks about hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and the third, another friend, film maker Joanna Rudnick and a clip of her documentary, "In the Family". 

Please watch, educate yourself and others and #ShareandSaveaLife. 

http://youtu.be/IJ4V8g1EteA 

http://youtu.be/pE7q7nBPIOE

http://youtu.be/ioJo1EaMmTc

DIY: Flip Flop Wreath

Ok, first day of Spring 2015 will go down in our memories as Mother Nature celebrating "Opposite Day"! But the day after is going up a above 50 so it won't last. 

Got me thinking of how to chase these blues away and I came across a great project to do once the flip flops become available in the dollar stores. Can't call them thongs like we used to or it could confuse today's generation. Their front door might be sponsored by Victoria Secret! 

Have fun with it! So many variations in color and theme. You can even fashion a patriotic one for each Summer Holiday! 

Nothing says Welcome Summer like flip-flops!

Gather:

• 7-8 Colorful pairs of Flip Flips – check the dollar store, use varied sizes too!
• Silk flowers
• Hot Glue
• Plain Wreath
• Decorative flat beads/stones

Practice with your layout before you glue anything on. Once you have everything where you want it THEN start gluing. Hang on your front door!

pic via pinterest

Let's Cook! Key Lime Cake

I've always loved the atmosphere about the Keys, that string of islands cutting between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. A different atmosphere, a world unto itself and a place to kick back. No wonder Hemingway took to Key West specifically. 

Key West has the Cuban flair mixed with America. Being the Southernmost point, 90 miles from Cuba, it enjoys a singularly fabulous reputation. It feels like the Caribbean but you are still in the U.S. 

 The Hemingway House, brimming over with the polydactyl cats the island is known for. I understand there is a 6 year wait to adopt one of the 6 toed kitties. The tours are led by docents who know everything about Papa Hemingway. 

The Aquarium houses local sea creatures and a sanctuary for the wounded. I remember the blind pelican who just wanders everywhere, mostly in circles!

And how about the buried treasures from shipwrecks over the years. The air conditioned exhibit is so welcoming. 

Take a stroll down to Mallory Square at sundown and join everyone toasting the sun's settling down for the day. Or go down to Duval Street for the art and fun. Most of all, enjoy the unique culinary delights like a lobster rueben or conch chowder or fritters while sitting on the deck at the juncture of the two bodies of water. Yes, there's Sloppy Joe's with its touristy kitsch but there are other great places on this tiny island.

One of the favorite sweets here is Key Lime Pie. My best friend's son loves ANYTHING with that zesty flavor! In Paul's honor, I am posting this recipe for Key Lime Cake with Key Lime Cream Cheese frosting that I found online. Yummy!

Look for lines about golf ball sized. They are the best. They are not always the pale green color but sometimes all shades up to a beautiful yellow color. 

Key Lime Pound Cake with Key Lime Cream Cheese Icing

•  4 sticks butter, that’s 1 pound, room temperature
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup fresh key lime juice
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk, (I always keep a good number of those small, 5 ounce cans in my pantry.)
• 4 teaspoons key lime zest, minced
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 300°.  Cover inside of 10 inch tube pan with non-stick spray.  My pan is 10  1/2″ and it’s just fine.  Set aside.
2. Using a stand-up mixer or electric hand-held, beat the butter well until light in color and fluffy.  Add the sugar and again beat well for at least 5 minutes.  I use a stand up mixer and beat the mixture 10-15 minutes.  I don’t like a “grainy” cake.
3. One at a time add the eggs and beat only until the yellow disappears.
4. Now mixing by hand, gradually flour to the butter-egg mixture alternating with the key lime juice and milk.  Begin and end with flour.  Beat well but just enough to incorporate all ingredients.  You don’t want a tough pound cake!
5. Pour evenly into the tube pan and tap pan on the counter to loosen any air bubbles.
6. Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
7. Cool on a cooling rack for 15-20 minutes in the pan then transfer from pan to cooling rack and allow to cool another hour or until completely cool.

The cake is far better the following day or 2 days later.

Key Lime Cream Cheese Icing

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 3-4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed key lime juice
• 2-3 teaspoons key lime zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Using a hand mixer beat cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until well mixed.
2. Add confectioner’s sugar and beat well until completely smooth and fluffy.
3. Add key lime juice, zest and vanilla and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
4. Ice cake.

This makes quite a bit of icing.  After icing the entire  pound cake I fill the middle hole with the excess icing.  When the cake is served icing can be taken from the middle and dolloped along the side the slice of cake.

Journey into Abstinence : Protein Shakes & Healthy Snacks

I am so excited to present these great shakes to my blog followers! 

Are your kids starving when they come home from school? 

Do they need some pre-practice or post-game nutrition? 

Do they need a healthy pick-me-up?

Do they grab sugary cereals when they wake up in the morning?

Better yet, are you looking for an easy way to get more healthy proteins into them (without adding on the sugar or unhealthy calories)?

Why give them processed, unhealthy snacks?

I definitely have something for you!

You need to try Arbonne's excellent protein powder!

It tastes great, mixes easily, comes in vanilla or chocolate and provides 20 g of protein per serving!

Arbonne Essentials are plant- powered nutrition! (Pea protein)

This stuff will support your health and is vegan and gluten-free certified!

Our protein is good for your whole family and good for you!

Ask me how you can earn amazing discounts on our excellent products.

I love the way Arbonne looks on me!

Email me, ArbonneBeth59@gmail.com

Follow me on Twitter, @ArbonneBeth

Hugs everyone!

Beth 💋

Let's Cook! Fruit Skewers

Great tasting fruit can be had any time if year now. We are coming in to the best time of year for it!

Saw this recipe on All Recipes and wanted to share it for those easy and healthy desserts or snacks. They look pretty and fun to eat.

    Have FUN! And remember to sprinkle a little lemon juice on the bananas and apples so they don't turn brown as fast. 

Hugs,

Beth 💋

Going Green, #1

🎶 Momma said, Momma said... 🎶

There are times we just don't eat the way we should. Meals get skipped. We imbibe in the "wrong" foods. Vacation foods got the better of us. There was a party and the cake looked so good. You hate eating anything green. You dislike foods that are good for you. 

All excuses. All can be valid. None help your digestion or well-being. So what do you do? There's always doing that "juicing thing". But you need to get an expensive machine and that's not always in the cards. Macrobiotic diet can help and that takes real discipline. Or try Going Green with Arbonne! 

http://youtu.be/uxWSaJ4RZrk 

Mom always said to eat your veggies. Greens Balance makes this easy with its spectrum of proprietary color blends of whole fruit and vegetable powders — delivering antioxidants, phytonutrients and fiber you need to have a more balanced, healthier diet every day. Mom would be so happy. | Key Ingredients: Arbonne proprietary fruit and vegetable blends of greens, reds, blues and yellows | 30 servings/30-day supply. 

Http://BethCohen.arbonne.com

Skin-Conditioned: Why You Need It

Winter is basically over. The cold, the road salts splashed up and wear and tear is horrid. So you take your car, which is valuable, to the car wash, get the body buffed and waxed and ready for the punishing sunshine (hoping it reappears!). So that takes care of your baby, your precious possession. 

What about the largest organ of your body? The covering of your closed end system that holds it all together for you? The harsh cold and icy air of Winter can do some damage to your outer layers! Realistically, how many of us ladies religiously shave our legs that are covered by boots, tights or leggings? Now is the time for shorter skirts, platform peep-toe wedges and, thankfully, no stockings or pantyhose! What is it we find? Dry, flaky skin, devoid of moisture. Yearning for a drink of healthy nutrients. 

So here's the thing. I have never liked glopping on a ounces upon ounces of moisturizer. I feel like a slippery eel.  Not a good thing. Even my arms feel dry to the touch. 

Now is the time to nourish your thirsty skin with lots of nutrients. Arbonne Intelligence Genius Booster Serum for Body  , $68, is packed with anti-ageing and hydrating ingredients with omega-3, 6, 7 and 9 fatty acids. Great for getting your limbs super radiant! Use it alone or with our Shea Butter Body Lotion. 

Contact me to get product at up to 80% off. 

ArbonneBeth59@gmail.com

Website: http://BethCohen.arbonne.com  

                                               

Let's Cook! Bawdy Boston Baked Beans

• Ever wonder why Boston baked beans are called “Boston” baked beans? It’s the molasses. Boston has been tied to molasses since colonial days, when the city was a trade center for rum from the Caribbean. Molasses is used for rum production and is a by-product of sugar refining and was easily available to the colonists. And then there’s the Boston Molasses Disaster of 1919, when a huge tank of molasses exploded and sent a sea of the gooey stuff flooding the streets of the North End. I lived in the North End of Boston in the early 80s and at the time you could still pick up a faint scent of molasses on a hot summer day.

  Now to the baked beans. Boston baked beans are by definition, slowly cooked. According to Shirley Corriher in CookWise (great book, btw), either sugar or calcium will make beans hard, even after long hours of cooking. Molasses contains both sugar and calcium, which is why adding molasses to a pot of beans will enable you to cook the beans for what seems like forever, without the beans getting mushy. But it also means that if you cook the beans in molasses to get that wonderful flavor, you have to cook them a good long time.

  Although traditionally cooked in an oven, Boston baked beans lend themselves perfectly to slow cookers, which is the method we prefer here.

  
  
  Cook time: 8 hours
• Yield: Serves 5-6 as a main dish 

• 1 pound (2 to 2 1/4 cups) dry white beans such as Navy beans or Great Northern beans (can also use kidney beans)
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3-4 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 cups hot water
• 1/2 pound salt pork (can sub bacon), cut into 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, (1 1/2 cups) chopped

Method

1 Place beans in a large pot and cover with 2 inches of water. Soak overnight and drain. Alternatively, bring a pot with the beans covered with 2 inches of water to a boil, remove from heat and let soak for a hour, then drain.

2 Mix the molasses, brown sugar, mustard, and ground cloves with 3 cups of hot water.

 
 

3 Line the bottom of a slow-cooker (or a Dutch oven if you are cooking in the oven) with half of the salt pork (pick the fattiest pieces). Layer over with half of the drained beans. Add all of the onions in a layer, then top with another layer of beans and the remaining salt pork. Pour the molasses water mixture over the beans to just cover the beans.

4 Cover and cook in a slow-cooker on the low setting for 8 hours (or in a 250°F oven), until the beans are tender. Check the water level a few hours in, and if the beans need more water, add some. Add additional salt to taste if needed. Note that fresher beans will cook faster than older beans. Your beans may be ready in less than 8 hours, or they may take longer. Best the next day.