The Home Front

Spring 2010 Issue | Posted by Danielle Bean in Home Front

FOOD

by Danielle

SLICEOFHEAVEN

It’s versatile, delicious, and nutritious — what’s not to love about pizza? Enjoy the good stuff, and customize it to suit your family’s tastes by making your own at home.

Create a Crust

Most basic white bread dough recipes will work. If you have no time to knead, opt for thawed frozen bread dough or try a premade crust from your grocer’s bakery department, crusty French bread, or tortillas.

Super Sauces

Jarred sauces work well (even spaghetti sauce in a pinch), but if you want to go gourmet, you can simmer up your grandma’s favorite recipe or try this quick and easy no-cook “homemade” version:

15-ounce can tomato sauce

6-ounce can tomato paste

1 tablespoon ground oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced garlic

1 teaspoon ground paprika

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until smooth.

Top Toppings

Pepperoni is always popular, but maybe it’s time to try something different on your pie. Some less conventional but yummy combinations to consider:

• Cooked bacon, gorgonzola, and arugula

• Feta, olives, and basil

• Ham and pineapple

• Mushrooms, onion, and prosciutto

• Cooked chicken and barbecue sauce

• Sliced tomatoes and jalapeño peppers

SELF

by Mary

Jean Therapy

There’s one “jean” we’ve inherited from our fashion forerunners, and it comes in pairs: the blue jean. Love ‘em or loathe ‘em, they’re sticking around. When shopping for jeans, it is best to keep in mind a few guidelines:

Cute but Casual

Denim is still always a very casual look. You should avoid wearing faded jeans to church or the workplace (even on “dress-down” days) and never wear any kind of denim to a wedding, funeral, or an event deemed “dressy” or “formal.”

Consider the Cut

The most flattering style of blue jeans is the boot-cut leg opening (with the “trouser style” a very close second). Its greater volume toward the lower leg provides a counter weight to the natural volume of your hips. Tapered leg openings or “skinny jeans” do not provide this kind of balance, so your hips may appear larger than they really are.

Pick Your Pockets

Avoid jeans that have either small back pockets or no pockets at all. A medium to large pocket will break up that “field of vision” back there and help to give the appearance of less volume.

Rise to the Occasion

The desired rise of the waistband is a very personal thing. Smaller women with flat abdomens can’t abide anything rising higher than the hip bone, and more shapely women prefer a little security around the tummy. Choose your rise according to your comfort level, but know that whatever you wear must be coordinated with your top and undergarments.

Shop Smart

Expand your repertoire of shopping venues for blue jeans and always try on any pair you’re considering. You can preview styles online, especially Gap.com (loaded with “360” video modeling of each style), Levi.com (some styles priced well at Kohl’s department stores), and Macys.com (with a fabulous 3-D fit guide), but it is always best to purchase in person when possible.

— Visit Mary at MarySheehanWarren.com

HOME

Saving Space

What’s under your kitchen sink? An ancient collection of half-filled bottles of dish soap, boxes of plastic wrap, loose garbage bags, and an impressive assortment of long-forgotten steel wool pads and petrified kitchen sponges?

Who cares if there are exposed pipes under there? Many homemakers overlook the potential usefulness of under-sink storage, but you can make the most of it with a little organization.

These under-sink sliding drawers will control clutter and keep cleaning products at your fingertips ($12.98 from LillianVernon.com).

For stray boxes of plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and plastic bags, try this wire wrap rack that mounts conveniently on the inside of a cabinet door ($8.99 from WDrake.com).

Grocery Gadget

Looking for a way to simplify trips to the supermarket? GroceryListWizard.com is a handy, free site where you can create a shopping list, automatically list items by grocery aisles where they are found, estimate costs of your purchases, and print a copy to take along with you. Very clever!

MONEY

Kids Can Save

Want your kids to learn the value of a dollar? Some easy ways to do it:

Open an Account.
A 7-year-old is old enough to open a savings account — a very good way to learn about saving and earning interest.

Make Giving a Habit.
If you give your kids an allowance, consider requiring them to “tithe” or give at least 10% to charity.

Set a Limit.
On vacation or other outings, some of us tend to dole out cash on the spot for our kids’ purchases. Instead, consider setting a budget for these occasions. Give each child a set dollar amount to spend as he or she chooses. When it’s gone, it’s gone.

Smart Shopping for Appliances

In the market for a new range, washer, dryer, or fridge? Some things to think about before you buy:

• Check your library for Consumer Reports where you can find information about specific brands’ consumer ratings, performance, and energy use. There are often handy guides for side-by-side comparisons of quality and price differences.

• Once you’ve chosen a model, check the phone book to find which local stores carry the appliance. Call several stores to ask about price, warranties, promotions, and special offers. Before you commit, make sure you’re getting the best total price for purchase, warranty, and delivery.

HEALTH

by Kate

Get Checked: Early Detection Is Key

Like the cancer patient shown, Lisa Hendey made the best of a bad situation.

FaithandFamilyLIVE.com blogger Lisa Hendey recently added a new title to her already impressive life resume: cancer survivor. In Fall 2008, the wife, mom, and founder of CatholicMom.com was diagnosed with DCIS, a common form of non-invasive breast cancer, after a routine mammogram and subsequent biopsies.

“I was blessed beyond measure that mine was caught early and successfully treated with surgery and seven weeks of radiation treatments,” Lisa says. “Conduct routine self exams and please do not neglect your annual physicals and mammograms.” The American Cancer Society recommends women 40 and older have a yearly screening mammogram. In addition, performing monthly breast self-exams starting at age 20 can help you become more familiar with your breasts so that you’re more likely to detect any changes. 

But breast cancer vigilance isn’t just about scheduling your mammogram. It’s about taking charge of your overall health. “My experience and interaction with cancer survivors has left me more passionate than ever about encouraging my fellow moms to do all they can to care for themselves both spiritually and physically,” Lisa says. 

This means noshing on healthy food, regularly breaking a sweat, getting enough sleep, and reducing stress — all of which have been shown to slash your cancer risk. 

If you or a loved one is faced with a breast cancer diagnosis, remember that perhaps the best weapon in your cancer-fighting arsenal is hope. Lisa adds, “During my treatments, I took the opportunity to seek both physical and spiritual healing by attending daily Mass and being in the presence of the Eucharist as frequently as possible. Our Catholic faith affords each of us such wonderful hope and solace in times of difficulty.”

FITNESS

Spinning Helps Mom Fight MS

Name: Jenifer Walsh

Hometown: Cheshire, Connecticut
Fitness program: Daily spinning, or indoor cycling, classes

Weight loss: 4 1/2 inches from her hips, 2 1/2 inches from each of her

legs, and 25 pounds

Jenifer, then.

Jenifer Walsh, now ...

When Jenifer Walsh started taking spinning classes two years ago, she wasn’t worried about achieving the look of an all-star athlete. She just wanted to keep moving. 

In 1998, Jenifer was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease of the central nervous system that can lead to mild to severe symptoms such as dizziness, tremors, loss of vision, and paralysis.

Once an avid exerciser, MS has made even walking more difficult for Jenifer. “I now walk with a limp,” says the wife and mom of two. “My right side has been affected, and I have a drop foot. That means no more running, step aerobics, racquetball, or golf.” 

But there’s one place Jenifer can still comfortably work up a sweat. “I have such a hard time walking, but when I get on a bike I feel so comfortable,” she says. “I just consider myself very blessed to be able to work out every day. I look down at my legs on that spinning bike sometimes and can’t believe they’re my legs.”  

Her toughest endurance test happens not on a bike but in her daily life. “The challenge is when I get off that bike and have to continue with my day. My Catholic faith has played a big role in keeping me going,” says Jenifer, who was recently named the state spokeswoman for Connecticut for the 2009 Travelers Walk, a fundraising event that benefits the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut. “I have a sign taped in my car that says: ‘I may have MS, but I’m still in the game of life.’ That’s my motto. I will not give in to this disease.”

— Visit Kate at KateWicker.com

Homework: Share your weight loss success story with Faith & Family. See page 6 for contact information.