As I sit here at watch the Dow slip below 6800 today, I wonder: What's going to happen to all the people who were on the verge of retirement, who have now seen their retirement savings slashed in half? The federal bailout money, even if it works, and BEGINS to turn things around soon, is not going help out people like my mom who had hoped to retire in the next few years. Where's their bailout? A few hundred dollars a year in tax relief just isn't going to cut it.
As much as it just kills me to see my personal losses (which total about $25k), I know that I will be ok. At 35, I'll be working and contributing to my 401k long enough to actually see this through to the upside.
My mother, however, diligently put in the maximum into her retirement account every year for the past decade, so that she'd be able to retire with a couple hundred thousand in the bank to live off of for the next 20-30 years. But now, her retirement has dwindled... how low, she doesn't know, because she's afraid to look. But I'm sure it's not pretty.
So, she'll be working as long as she's physically able, hoping to recoup just a little of what she's lost.
It just seems very odd to me that I'm not hearing any discussion of the devastation this will have on people like my mom and their families. It makes me sick to my stomach that idiots who bought more home than they could afford are getting assistance, but my mom and others like her get nothing. Sure, you can blame the mortgage crisis it on the unscrupulous industry, but in the end... there's something called personal accountability.
Labels: Rant
Zen Bakery Blueberry Fiber CakesSo, my dad turned me on to a new snack.... Zen Bakery Fiber Cakes. Horrible name for a delicious, healthy, bran muffin. They're small, compared to "normal" muffins, but they're very satisfying.
I'd been eating two a day, one for breakfast and one for a snack later in the day. They're kind of expensive, though. Almost $6 for a package of 6 cakes. I figured that I could probably make some at home, and save myself some money.
First problem: I couldn't figure out for the life of me how they managed to get 13 grams of fiber into those little cakes. Based on their ingredient list (bran, water, white grape, whole wheat flour, blueberries, bicarbonate and salt), it just didn't seem possible. No matter what the proportions, there just isn't THAT much fiber in bran.
My Raspberry Fiber CakesSo, I thought... what about a fiber supplement? You know, the powder that dissolves in water that you see advertised on TV? I've used it before to add some extra fiber to my diet by mixing it into yogurt and soup. It really is tasteless and doesn't change the consistency of the food. So, I gave it a try.
On my first attempt, I ended up with a good muffin. Definitely on par with the Zen Bakery ones. But I thought I could do better.
On my second attempt: OH MY GOD!! They were incredible. So, I share with you all my creation.
Katherine's Raspberry Fiber CakesDry Ingredients:- 2.5 cups wheat bran
- .5 cup buckwheat flour
- 5 tbsp soy protein
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 tsp Splenda brown sugar mix
Wet Ingredients:- 2/3 cup water
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 4 tbsp sugar free Torani syrup, raspberry flavor
- 1.5 cup frozen raspberries, crushed
- 12 tsp fiber supplement (yes, not a wet ingredient, but you dissolve it in water before mixing)
Mix all the dry ingredients (except the fiber and Splenda) in a large bowl and set aside. Dissolve the fiber supplement in the water called for in the recipe and stir until completely dissolved. Then add the rest of the wet ingredients to the water/fiber mixture, except for the raspberries. Combine dry and wet ingredients and mix well. Then add in the raspberries (I crushed them so they were more evenly dispersed in the mix. But you can keep them whole, if you'd prefer.)
Scoop 1/3 cup wet mix into 12 muffin tins greased with a bit of pam. Top each muffin with 1 whole raspberry (just to make them pretty) and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of the Splenda brown sugar. (If you're really watching your carbs, you can leave the Splenda off and save yourself 2.5 carbs and 10 calories.)
Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes and then turn them out onto a cooling rack.
They're absolutely delicious still warm out of the oven.
Nutrition Info (per muffin): 95 calories, 1 g fat, 23 g carbs, 12 g fiber, 4 g protein.
Labels: recipes
A bride with photoshop and a little bit of knowledge is dangerous. I have been busy photoshopping away bags, erasing wrinkles, and smoothing skin tones on all my wedding photos. Ok, I've gone a bit nuts. I found a great airbrushing tutorial, and I am now an addict. You will never see me age. I will be 25 in all my photos from here on out. lol
Click on the image below to see a larger version.
Labels: Wedding
