Sweet potato yum

Basically a regular baked potato but use a sweet potato, add black beans, avocado, small about of cheese and salsa (homemade preferably). YUM!
The salad is romaine with yogurt based blue cheese with avocado.

Probiotics

The root of the word probiotic comes from the Greek word pro, meaning "promoting" and biotic, meaning "life." Our digestive system normally has what we would call "good" bacteria and "bad" bacteria. Maintaining the correct balance between the "good" bacteria and the "bad" bacteria is necessary for optimal health. Things like medications, diet, diseases, and your environment can upset that balance.

Probiotics may seem new to the food and supplement industry, but they have been with us from our first breath. During a delivery through the birth canal, a newborn picks up bacteria from his/her mother. These good bacteria are not transmitted when a Cesarean section is performed and have been shown to be the reason why some infants born by Cesarean section have allergies, less than optimal immune systems, and lower levels of gut microflora.

 We know that our digestive tract needs a healthy balance between the good and bad bacteria, so what gets in the way of this? It looks like our lifestyle is both the problem and the solution. Poor food choices, emotional stress, lack of sleep, antibiotic overuse, other drugs, and environmental influences can all shift the balance in favor of the bad bacteria.

The idea is not to kill off all of the bad bacteria. Our body does have a need for the bad ones and the good ones. The problem is when the balance is shifted to have more bad than good. An imbalance has been associated with diarrhea, urinary tract infections, muscle pain, and fatigue.

The other way that probiotics help is the impact that they have on our immune system. Some believe that this role is the most important. Our immune system is our protection against germs. When it doesn't function properly, we can suffer from allergic reactions, autoimmune disorders (for example, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and rheumatoid arthritis), and infections (for example, infectious diarrhea, Helicobacter pylori, skin infections, and vaginal infections). By maintaining the correct balance from birth, the hope would be to prevent these ailments. Our immune system can benefit anytime that balanced is restored, so it's never too late.

 Here is a list of probiotics and their possible health benefits.
1. Lactobacillus
There are more than 50 species of lactobacilli. They are naturally found in the digestive, urinary, and genital systems. Foods that are fermented, like yogurt, and dietary supplements also contain these bacteria. Lactobacillus has been used for treating and preventing a wide variety of diseases and conditions.
More research is needed regarding probiotics and their potential health benefits before any definitive claims can be made about their effects. However, studies have shown some benefits linked to Lactobacillus and treating and/or preventing yeast infections, urinary tract infection, irritable bowel syndrome, antibiotic-related diarrhea, traveler's diarrhea, diarrhea resulting from Clostridium difficile, treating lactose intolerance, skin disorders (fever blisters, eczema, acne, and canker sores), and prevention of respiratory infections

2. Bifidobacteria
There are approximately 30 species of bifidobacteria. The make up approximately 90% of the healthy bacteria in the colon. They appear in the intestinal tract within days of birth, especially in breastfed infants.
As with all probiotics, more research is needed to prove a definitive benefit, but studies have shown that bifidobacteria can help with IBS, dental cavities, improved blood lipids, and glucose tolerance.

3. Saccharomyces boulardii
This is also known as S. boulardii and is the only yeast probiotic. Some studies have shown that it is effective in preventing and treating diarrhea associated with the use of antibiotics and traveler's diarrhea. It has also been reported to prevent the reoccurrence of Clostridium difficile, to treat acne, and to reduce side effects of treatment for Helicobacter pylori.

4. Streptococcus thermophilus
This produces large quantities of the enzyme lactase, making it effective, according to some reports, in the prevention of lactose intolerance.

5. Enterococcus faecium
This is normally found in the intestinal tract of humans and animals.

6. Leuconostoc
This has been used extensively in food processing throughout human history, and ingestion of foods containing live bacteria, dead bacteria, and metabolites of these microorganisms has taken place for a long time.

With the growing popularity of probiotics, there is a huge variety of supplements from which you can choose. The most important thing is to determine what type of probiotic microorganism you need for your condition. Do not just take the supplement that provides the most kinds of organisms. You need to do your research and be sure that there are scientific studies to support what you take. New research is emerging, so if you don't find what you need right, now keep looking. Your doctor can help you decide if trying probiotics might be helpful for you and can advise you regarding the amount and type of probiotics that may be appropriate in your case.

Kielbasa with pineapple and cannellini beans

Tried this tonight!! I'm vegetarian (i dont mind picking out) and husband eats meat. This is perfect!!!

Ingredients:
Servings:4
1 (18 ounce) can pineapple chunks (undrained)
2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans (undrained)
1 lb kielbasa, sliced
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons flour

Directions:
1
Combine all ingredients except the flour and cook, covered, on medium-low until it begins simmering, stirring occasionally.
2
Mix flour with a little cold water and stir into pot.
3
Simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes or until sufficiently thickened, stirring occasionally.
4
Serve over rice or with bread to soak up the sauce.