15 Foods to Avoid if You Want to Live a Longer Life

I was reading in the newspaper from Sunday that there are THOUSANDS of people in the U.S. alone that die each year because they did not receive a vital organ transplant. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS are waiting at any given time. 10% of them are children. SO SAD!!!!!! WHY aren't more people organ donors??? And, WHY aren't we taking better care of ourselves?!?!?!?!?! Not only do I not want to be in the place where I'm waiting for an organ, but I also don't want to ruin myself so bad that when I die no one can utilize my body parts. If I died in a wreck today, would anyone be able to use my heart? Am I healthy enough for that? If my little girl got so sick that she needed a kidney and I was the only match, would they even be able to use it for her? (Oh GOD! I pray she never does!!! But, I want to be able if necessary.)

Saying that, here's 15 foods you should avoid if you want to live longer... Or help others live longer.

1. ANYthing with high fructose corn syrup
2. Same for corn syrup
3. Sugar
4. Beef that's given hormones and feed a corn-only diet
5. Milk from the same
6. Corn (or anything) that's been genetically modified
7. White potatoes
8. White flour
9. White Rice
10. MSG & all the other ingredients that are the same thing
11. A lot of soy byproducts
12. Pork
13. ANYthing with the word "diet" in it
14. Pre-packaged foods ... Seriously!
15. Any of the conventional vegetables that hold a large amount of pesticides -- what good is it to eat kale (which fights cancer) if it holds so many pesticides that it's going to give you cancer? (There are a few veggies that you really should ONLY buy organic!!!!)

... Even though, I'm not going to lie, I don't like organic spinach as much =(
We're not 100% on this list, mostly out of being too poor for an all-organic diet, but we're working on it =)  I want to either live longer, or help others do so.

10 Untypical Food Combinations/Recipes

... that might surprise you (or make you yack!)

1. Avocado & Cottage Cheese -- This one did make me yack.
2. Sushi & OJ -- this one's actually my favorite! Before we had a baby, my husband and I would spend money on sushi in a restaurant at every holiday/special occasion... Now that we spend that money on diapers, we eat cheap grocery store sushi... But honestly, I love it. The store has a small cafe to sit down in, so we love eating as a family. Our daughter LOVES sushi! But we always get there and realize we didn't bring our water bottles with us, so we buy their fresh squeezed orange juice. And I promise, there's no better combination!!!
3. Honeydew Melon (or Cantaloupe) & Chocolate Pudding
4. Spiced Egg Salad* with thinly sliced Avocado on Whole Wheat Toast
5. PB & Berry Sandwich -- Limiting your caloric intake? Instead of jelly, throw on a few berries =)
6. Banana Bread & Cream Cheese -- Yum!
7. Peas & Rajas* -- There are a few words that, even though I didn't learn Spanish until 19, are the first words that pop in my head for an object/idea... Weird, I know. But raja is one of them. When I cut peppers of any kind into long strips, the first word in my head is raja, not strip. Anyway, I never would've imagined peas going well with anything spicy, but a dear soul I knew in Mexico did.
8. PB & Waffles -- I'm sorry, dear Brazilian friends, but this one just grosses me out every time!
9. Croissants & Santa Fe Style Philly Cooking Cream -- Bake croissants with a dab of Santa Fe inside... Unexpected goodness!

10. Cream Cheese & Provolone -- There is a coffee shop in our hometown that sells a bagel sandwich called The Magic Cheese. I can't even remember what's on it because I've tried to copy it a number of ways! But the best is: Turn an "everything bagel" inside-out. Put cream cheese and provolone on the inside, with fresh ground black pepper, and toast in the toaster oven, or in the skillet as a grilled cheese!!!

*SPICED EGG SALAD
WHAT YOU NEED:
4 eggs, 4 TBSP. mayo, 2 tsp. crushed brown mustard, 1 1/2 tsp. water, 1/2 tsp. each fresh ground black pepper, paprika, and sea salt, with a slight little pinch dill weed.
HOW TO:
Boil eggs as you normally would. When cool, mix with all other ingredients in the food processor. Slather on sandwich = YUM!!!
(Serves 4)

*PEAS & RAJAS
WHAT YOU NEED:
1 can green peas, 2 jalapeños (capped, seeded, cut into rajas), 2 TBSP. butter, 3 oz. ham chunks, 4 oz. sour cream, little salt (more if unsalted butter)
HOW TO:
Melt butter slowly on low heat. Turn heat up to medium-highish, toss in rajas, and ham. Stir and wait for both ham and jalapeños to start to change color. Stir in peas, salt. Wait just a couple of more minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream. (Salt as needed.) SERVE! Goes great with a quesadilla.
(Serves 4)

23 Things Americans Should(n't) Do While Overseas

{Part of my "30" series... Just for fun!}

THINGS YOU SHOULDN'T DO WHILE ABROAD:
1. Sing loud obnoxious patriotic songs. It's just rude and stupid. Do that at a baseball game in the States.
2. Break ANY kind of law.
3. Wear an American flag on your clothing. Seriously? It's like a target.
4. Argue politics.
5. Argue religion.
6. Smuggle anything into a foreign country.
7. Smuggle anything home from another country.
8. As a female, you really should cover-up... Most other cultures only know American women by the movies they've seen, and will treat you accordingly.
9. Give your opinion on anything major going on in their country. It's their country.
10. Show disgust for any food. (Sometimes braided sheep intestines are the highest form of hospitality!)
11. Barter in a marketplace... Unless it's that kind of marketplace. But still, don't offend the salesman. You can afford an extra $5 for that painting, and the salesman might need that $5 to feed his kids for a week.

THINGS YOU SHOULD DO WHILE IN A FOREIGN LAND:
1. Thank everyone for everything.
2. Learn as many words in the local language as possible, and use them often.
3. The first thing you should learn how to say: "I don't speak [XYZ Language]; please teach me."
4. Don't give up if you make a real language blunder... Because you will =)
5. Eat ANYthing set before you!!!
6. Eat EVERYthing set before you!!! (Unless in one of those cultures where it's rude for one to ever finish their food.)
7. Eat seconds if offered!
8. Ask to learn how to cook whatever your host fed you. You will be given the cultural experience of a lifetime.
9. Ask that friendly local taxi driver/barkeep/waitress what THEIR favorite site is to see in the area, and go see it. You'll be glad you did.
10. If invited, go to a local place of worship. It will enlighten you to where another person/culture is coming from. Someone's entire worldview is centered on their religion most times... I know mine is.
11. Tip. Everyone. For everything.
12. Be moderate in your alcohol intake... Or you'll end up doing all the "shouldn'ts" aforementioned. =)

WHAT WAS I THINKING???

I think my blog is turning into a what-not-to-do tutorial...

Spicy Granola Bars.*

Bad idea! (Even if your husband IS kind enough to say he loves it, begs you not to "waste" it by throwing it away and promises to eat it --- because, come on, you know it's going to sit on the countertop for three weeks until I decide to trash it while he's at work... And he would never notice anyway!) I think it was late at night, I was hungry, and honestly our pantry is getting pretty bare right now... Just a bad idea!

I should have seen it coming! The first batch of oats & nuts I toasted ended up as toasty as can be, and not in a good way. They ended up in the garbage can, smelling up the kitchen for a couple of days. It was a sign... Too-toasty of toasted oats is just too much toast.

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 cups rolled oats

5 oz. almonds

4 oz. dates, chopped
6 oz. honey
2 oz. grape jelly
1 TBSP. butter
pinch of sea salt
Penzey's Pumpkin Pie Spice
Penzey's Cinnamon
cayenne pepper
Ghirardelli cocoa powder
(Basically, clean out your pantry, throw it all together... But... don't call it good eats....)

HOW TO:

Heat oven to 350. Spread oats and almonds on cookie sheet lined with foil. Heat for 15 minutes, turning once halfway through.

Mix butter, honey, jelly, dates, and spices together over medium heat and bring to slight boil.
Add the dry ingredients, only mixing until no liquid is apparent.
Put mixture into well-greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes. Turn off oven, leave in for another 10-15. 

COST:

$3 + ingredients that had been sweet, wonderful Christmas presents in their original state.... =(

*This Granola Bar recipe is based off the other Granola Bar recipe I shared a few days ago, an Alton Brown recipe. I did not tag "Good Eats" on this post because, well... I blotched it horribly!!!